Chapter 195 Determination 2

"Pei Yan... a wolf in sheep's clothing! His crimes are beyond redemption! He deserves to die..."

"But changing dynasties is easier said than done! Without... without absolute certainty and a foolproof plan, acting rashly is nothing more than a moth drawn to a flame, resulting in mutual destruction! If we fail, Ruyue's revenge will not be avenged... and the Xie and Lin families will also lose their entire lives! Have you... have you thought this through?!"

Xie Sangning understood her great-grandfather's concerns; it was the prudence that a family leader should have.

She stood tall, like a pine tree standing proudly in the wind and snow, her gaze sharp as she met Lin Zhu's scrutinizing eyes:

“Great-grandfather, I am here today not to ask for your permission, nor to seek the protection and help of the Lin family.”

A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Zhu's cloudy eyes.

"I'm just here to inform you of what I'm going to do."

“Pei Yan must die. This is something I, Xie Sangning, as a daughter, must accomplish no matter what. No one can stop me, and no one can persuade me to change my mind.”

"As for the Lin family."

“My mother is a daughter of the Lin family. Pei Yan has humiliated her to this extent. Sang Ning believes that if the Lin family has any sense of decency, they should join me in avenging this blood debt!”

"If the Lin family deems the risk too great and is unwilling to participate, or if they fear Pei Yan's wrath and retaliation after failure..."

“Tell me. I will use every means to safely send all of Lin’s blood relatives out of the capital, to a place where Pei Yan’s henchmen will never find them. Preserve their lives and continue the family line.”

She took a step forward and bowed slightly:

"The choice is with the Lin family. Whether they choose to stand with me to seek justice for my mother or choose to protect themselves is the Lin family's right. Even if they choose to run away, I won't say a word. It's only human nature."

“I don’t care what the Lin family chooses.” Xie Sangning straightened up. “Because no matter what the Lin family chooses, I, Xie Sangning, will inevitably embark on that path. Until death do us part.”

After he finished speaking, the study fell into a deathly silence.

Changing dynasties and choosing a prince to ascend the throne are not the same thing!

The Lin and Xie families have always been patriotic and loyal to the emperor. It can be said that such a shocking idea has never crossed their minds! Even when Lin Zhu realized that he had been deceived by Pei Yan, he never thought of replacing the Pei family's empire!

Lin Zhu was stunned.

She chose a path with a slim chance of survival!

One wrong step and you're doomed.

The Lin family is no longer the Lin family it once was.

Under Pei Yan's suspicion and suppression, he appeared noble and refined, but in reality, he was walking on thin ice and gradually declined.

The Lin family can't be of much help now, and using the entire Lin family to avenge their granddaughter is not rational.

This old man, on the surface, is staying home to recuperate, but in reality, he is merely prolonging his life. Only now, thanks to Xie Sangning, has he improved slightly.

He was thinking, he was weighing the options.

After a long while, Lin Zhu took a deep breath.

He did not directly answer the multiple-choice question posed by Xie Sangnin.

He asked the most practical and crucial question:

"How confident are you?"

"What are you going to do?"

"Soldiers? Funds and provisions? Insiders in the court? Palace support? A candidate to enthrone the new emperor? And a way out..."

The elderly man posed a series of questions, getting straight to the heart of the matter.

It was no longer about dissuading them, but about assessing the feasibility of this crazy gamble! It was about considering whether the Lin family was worth betting everything on!

“Fifty percent.” Xie Sangning did not exaggerate at all.

"As for how to do it, I will not tell anyone, I will only tell the other party what they should do."

She pointed to the bamboo tube: "Inside lies the part where the Lin family's assistance is needed. If my great-grandfather deems it feasible after examining it, and the Lin family is willing to join, then keep it. If they feel this is a path to certain death..."

"Burn it. Three days later, I will arrange for the first batch of direct descendants of the Lin family to leave the capital through secret channels. From then on, whatever happens on the battlefield will be none of the Lin family's concern. I can guarantee the safety of everyone in the Lin family."

Having said that, she didn't linger, nodding slightly to Lin Zhu: "It's late, great-grandfather, please take care of yourself. Sang Ning takes her leave. I hope to receive a definite answer tomorrow, so as not to affect Sang Ning's plans."

She turned around, her dark cloak tracing an arc, and silently left the study.

Lin Zhu was the only one left in the study.

The flickering candlelight cast his long shadow on the wall, making him look like a lonely and aged giant.

He sat there for a long time, his eyes fixed on the small bamboo tube on the desk.

The next day, Ru Chun held a bowl of carefully prepared soup and looked at her young mistress's profile as she leaned over her desk. She felt so heartbroken that she almost burst into tears.

The candles had long since burned out, and the sunlight streamed through the window, casting interplay of light and shadow on Xie Sangning's pale face.

She hadn't slept all night, and her eyes were dark and swollen, but they were surprisingly bright, fixed on the maps covering the table, the dense lists, and the symbols that only she could understand.

The tip of the wolf-hair brush in my hand hovered at a crucial point, the ink about to drip.

"Miss…"

Ru Chun's voice trembled with emotion as she gently placed the bird's nest on the corner of the table. "You've been watching all night; even the strongest body can't withstand this. You should at least lie down on the couch for a while, even just half an hour of rest..."

Xie Sangning's gaze did not leave the map, as if he wanted to etch the mountains, cities, palace paths and all that was there into his mind.

She shook her head very slightly:

"I can't fall asleep even when I lie down."

She paused, then finally brought her pen to the ground, drawing a seemingly casual yet profoundly meaningful circle at that crucial point: "When I close my eyes, all I see is Pei Yan's hypocritical face."

Hatred, like a cold, venomous snake, gnawed at her internal organs, sustaining her through the long night and keeping her mind clear.

She needs this clarity of mind.

The impulse belonged to her father and brothers, but she had to become the player behind the scenes.

She wouldn't inform them in advance, as doing so would only allow Pei Yan to sense the danger and take precautions.

Xie Sangning knew all too well Pei Yan's paranoia and ruthlessness.

She can't afford to lose this time.

"What I want is not possibility, not luck."

Xie Sangning's voice was low, "What I want is absolute certainty. Every step must be precise, like a lock snapping shut. It must be 100% success. I must get my mother's body back."

She looked up at the brightening sky outside the window. "Today, the Lin family will give me their answer. To fight or to flee. I need to prepare for two completely different outcomes on a different chessboard."

Whichever path Lin Zhu chooses, she must ensure that those innocent members of the Lin family have a way to survive.

This was the last thing she could do for her mother's bloodline.

A moment later, Ruqiu came in carrying a box.

"Miss, this is a gift from the Lin family."

Xie Sangning nodded, took the box, opened it, and saw that it was full of ashes.

"Understood."

"Ru Dong, arrange for our people to go to the Lin residence to pick up the person three days from now at midnight."