Chapter 126: Betrayal
"more than."
Qin Xiu raised his lips in an icy arc, staring at Jiang Qingning with a smile in his eyes.
"Only the few bags on the surface of that batch of salt trucks were genuine official salt. The rest was fake salt mixed with a lot of sand and a small amount of poison."
"Once this salt enters the market, it will cause an uproar and public outrage, and the source is the Lin family warehouse."
He looked at Jiang Qingning and continued in a low voice, "At the same time, I will arrange for the upright Censor Zhou of the Censorate to pass by the ditch early the morning after the accident and find traces of salt stains, and then follow the clues to find the cause."
"Qin Xiu, thank goodness you are a loyal minister."
Jiang Qingning admired sincerely, "If you were a treacherous minister, and you had received His Majesty's great favor, you would have done something really great."
The chain of events not only created irrefutable physical evidence, but also sowed the seeds of disaster that was enough to arouse public indignation and make it impossible for the emperor to tolerate it.
Qin Xiu's plan was ruthless and precise, hitting the vital points directly.
"I have someone under my command who can cooperate and ensure that the captain's actions are foolproof. After the accident occurs, they can immediately disclose the loophole of the guard rotation at the Lin family warehouse to Censor Zhou's men."
"That's great."
Qin Xiu's eyes were filled with admiration as he explained carefully, "If this plan succeeds, Lin Chong will suffer a heavy loss if he doesn't die. Lin Heng, as the only legitimate son of the Lin family, will inevitably be implicated.
But these alone may not be enough to kill him immediately. Your Majesty may continue to imprison him as a warning to others, but as a member of the royal family, he may ultimately be exiled or imprisoned."
He looked at Jiang Qingning with sharp eyes, "What you want is a complete end."
Jiang Qingning met his gaze and didn't flinch: "Yes, I want him to die, to pay for the arrow shot by my sister, and he must die by my hands."
"Then, there needs to be an opportunity for him to die reasonably in prison."
Qin Xiu said firmly, "Lin Chong is stubborn and has a bad temper. He learned that something happened at the warehouse, and his son Lin Heng is still in prison."
"He would be in a state of panic. If someone were to accidentally reveal to him that Lin Heng had refused to repent in prison and instead had spoken wildly, shifting all the blame onto his father and even insulting Lin Chong for being old and foolish and causing him trouble..."
Jiang Qingning understood immediately: "A falling out between father and son? Lin Chong went to visit him in prison in a rage, and there was a huge argument between father and son. Then Lin Heng died suddenly from shame and anger, or fear of the crime."
Jiang Qingning pondered, this was almost a perfect escape plan, which could not only achieve the goal, but also shift the suspicion of murder onto Duke Fengguo himself.
"Exactly."
Qin Xiu nodded. "Once Lin Heng dies, no matter how Lin Chong defends himself, he will be suspected of forcing his own son to death."
"Crown Prince Lu Cheng had a close relationship with Lin Heng. Upon learning of his uncle's tragic death, and that his grandfather was to blame, he would undoubtedly turn against Lin Chong."
"If the Lin family splits, the Queen will be caught between her father and son and will be overwhelmed. Furthermore, with irrefutable evidence of the serious crimes of smuggling salt, poisoning salt, and tax evasion, the seemingly thriving Fengguo Mansion will soon be on the verge of collapse."
"Every link is connected and seamless."
Jiang Qingning took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement. "Let's act according to this plan. My people at the warehouse will ensure that the accident happens as planned."
"As for prison..."
A cold light flashed in her eyes. "I will personally take Lin Heng's life. I have prepared the Cartilage Powder and Three-Day Drunk for over a month."
"Have you anticipated this point?" Qin Xiu asked.
"That's right."
Jiang Qingning narrowed his eyes.
Qin Xiu was sincere to her, so why couldn't she choose to believe him temporarily and treat him sincerely?
Qin Xiu looked at her deeply without asking any more questions.
Jiang Qingning was unwilling to tell him everything, and he didn't force her, because everyone has secrets, and he couldn't force his loved one.
He said in a deep voice, "I will arrange everything. The jailer can be replaced by your man. Half an hour is enough for you to act."
"Thank you." Jiang Qingning said solemnly.
Qin Xiu shook his head: "There's no need to thank each other. I felt the same way about Qingxi's arrow, not to mention..."
He paused and said nothing more, but the emotions surging in his eyes were clear enough.
Both of them knew that these were unspoken words.
"You should go to bed early. I'll go back first." Qin Xiu stood up and walked out of the study alone, his figure disappearing into the darkness.
Jiang Qingning lowered her eyes and whispered in a barely perceptible voice, "Qin Xiu, if this goes through, I might actually consider marrying you."
Three days later, a sudden rainstorm hit the official road south of the city.
The Lin family's salt cart accidentally overturned, and several bags of official salt rolled into an abandoned ditch.
The next morning, Censor Zhou discovered clues as if assisted by God, and followed the clues to seize a large amount of official salt hidden by the Lin family. The evidence was conclusive, and the whole capital was shocked.
The emperor was furious and threw the memorial in the face of Duke Fengguo Lin Chong in the court, denouncing him for his greed and disregard for the law.
Lin Chong's face was ashen, he knelt on the ground to defend himself, but he looked pale and powerless.
The emperor immediately issued an order to seal up all related industries of the Lin family and to imprison and investigate all those responsible.
The first to bear the brunt of the attack was Lin Heng, who had been imprisoned in prison for half a month.
When the news came, the Duke of Fengguo's mansion was filled with gloom.
Lin Chong was like a trapped beast, running around seeking help, but the officials who had been affiliated with the Lin family in the past avoided him.
Crown Prince Lu Cheng was extremely anxious in the palace. He asked to see the emperor several times to plead for his uncle, but was turned away every time.
Empress Lin burst into tears and begged the emperor to consider their blood relationship, but the emperor just coldly said: "A prince who breaks the law is subject to the same punishment as a commoner, let alone Lin Heng."
Lin Chong's temper became more and more irritable.
At this moment, a loyal old servant accidentally revealed the news that the jailer had brought to him during his visit when he was serving him tea:
The prince was filled with resentment in prison, cursing his father's incompetence for bringing him trouble. He said that if his father had not been greedy and unrestrained over the years, he would not have ended up like this. He also cursed his father to be immortal.
"Rebellious son! Evil creature!" Lin Chong was so angry that he was shaking all over, his eyes were red, and he suddenly smashed the teacup in his hand to pieces.
His only son, the heir he had high hopes for, actually hated and insulted him so much at the critical moment of life and death. The huge disappointment instantly devoured Lin Chong's sanity.
That night, Lin Chong broke into the prison despite all warnings.
In the dim and damp cell, Lin Heng looked disheveled and no longer as dashing as he used to be.
When he saw his father, hope flashed in his eyes. He stood up and rushed to the fence and shouted, "Dad, please save me. I've been wronged. Dad, please find a way. I don't want to die here!"
Lin Chong looked at his son's appearance and thought of the resentful words relayed by the old servant. Hatred surged in his heart and the last bit of rationality he had left was gone.
He pointed at Lin Heng's nose and cursed, "Unjust? The evidence is overwhelming and you still dare to quibble. If you hadn't given others a handle every day, how could you have ended up like this!
My Lin family's century-old foundation is about to be destroyed by an unfilial son like you, and you still dare to blame me and call me an old immortal, you little beast! "
Lin Heng was stunned by the scolding.
When did he ever scold his father for being old and not dying?
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