Upon hearing Linglong's words, Zhou Jingzhi could no longer suppress his anger.
"So, you never intended to return the Empress's throne from the very beginning? You think you're even worthy of coveting this position?"
He never imagined that the person he had chosen would ultimately become the biggest obstacle to Jian Yang's return to the palace.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jingzhi spoke again: "If that's the case, I can only grant you death. Don't even think about that position."
The way he looked at Linglong was as if he were looking at a corpse. What did the lives of others have to do with him? Since she wanted the position of empress, then he would just kill her.
Jian Yang clearly saw the murderous intent in Zhou Jingzhi's eyes, and she hurriedly tugged at Zhou Jingzhi's clothes.
“Killing her would only make things more complicated, especially since we don’t even know who’s behind her,” Jian Yang said.
Actually, she also had some selfish motives; seeing Linglong in this state, she really couldn't bear to kill her.
The moment she hesitated, Jian Yang saw that she was not in control of her own destiny. If there was a good solution, why not give it a try?
Zhou Jingzhi remained silent. Jian Yang knew he was angry, so she said again, "If we can get her to reveal who's behind this and atone for her crime, could we give her a chance?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingzhi looked at Linglong, seemingly trying to find some clues on her face.
When Linglong heard Jian Yang say this, she suddenly looked up, staring at Jian Yang in disbelief. She couldn't understand why Jian Yang would plead for her when she had just tried to kill her.
In the end, Zhou Jingzhi nodded in agreement.
“If you can tell me who made you do this, I guarantee that after this is over, I will send you away from the capital and ensure that you live a peaceful and worry-free life for the rest of your days,” Jian Yang said firmly, looking at Linglong.
Upon hearing this, Linglong was momentarily stunned. She had always wanted to leave the capital and live a free life, but her fate had been arranged since birth, and she could only struggle bitterly among the various forces in the imperial city.
At this moment, someone told her that they could guarantee that she would stay away from the capital for the rest of her life. She couldn't believe it, but a glimmer of hope still ignited within her.
"How can you guarantee they won't harm me?" Linglong asked.
“I may not be capable enough, but he can guarantee it.” Jian Yang finished speaking and pointed at Zhou Jingzhi.
"I promise to protect you and ensure your safe departure," Zhou Jingzhi said somewhat reluctantly.
After pondering for a moment, Linglong finally relented and found paper and pen to write down an address.
"If my mission succeeds, I will take the body to this location at 9 PM tonight to meet with the person behind it. You will then be able to find the person behind this at this address."
Jian Yang looked at the address and suddenly an idea came to her mind.
"If we go rashly, we might alert them. Why don't you go as planned today, and we can take the opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop?"
Upon hearing Jian Yang's words, Zhou Jingzhi frowned slightly and said, "This person has betrayed me once before. It's hard to say whether she will rebel again this time."
Linglong is just like her name suggests; she is incredibly shrewd and worldly-wise. He has already been tricked by her once.
Knowing he would worry about these things, Jian Yang patted Zhou Jingzhi's hand to reassure him.
He then looked at Linglong and said, "I believe her."
These words struck Linglong like a boulder, instantly creating a storm of emotions.
In their organization, there was never any concept of trust; everything was based on control and coercion. This was the first time someone had so resolutely told her that they believed in her.
Moreover, not long ago, she had hurt this person, and Linglong suddenly felt somewhat ashamed.
“Miss Jian, I apologize to you. I’m sorry, I almost caused a disaster because of my selfish desires.” Linglong’s tone was sincere, not like she was acting.
Jian Yang smiled and shook her head, saying, "It's okay, it's not too late to turn back now."
For Jian Yang, almost causing a major disaster meant that it hadn't happened yet, and there was still a chance for things to turn around. Moreover, they had now found a breakthrough, and perhaps they could even turn misfortune into blessing.
Hearing this, Linglong felt even more guilty and kept apologizing to Jian Yang, secretly resolving to help them properly.
Zhou Jingzhi found a female corpse with a similar build to Jian Yang, dressed her in Jian Yang's clothes, and restyled her hair. From a distance, it was difficult to tell the difference between the real and fake corpses.
Linglong looked at the corpse with complete understanding and nodded heavily to Jian Yang.
As it approached midnight, Linglong stuffed the corpse into a prepared sack, carried it on her back, and then climbed over the palace wall.
At this moment, Zhou Jingzhi and Jian Yang followed her at a distance, accompanied by their guards. They saw Linglong wandering around the city before finally stopping in front of a pharmacy.
She looked around; there was no one there. Zhou Jingzhi and Jian Yang's group were hiding in the shadows, quietly waiting for their prey to arrive.
About half an incense stick's time later, a group of men in black emerged from the alley next door and walked straight toward Linglong.
Seeing a burlap sack next to Linglong, the leader's face lit up with excitement. He whispered, "Did it work out?"
Linglong nodded and untied the sack for him to examine. The body was inside the sack and the face was not clear, but the attire did resemble Jian Yang.
Zhou Jingzhi, who was hiding in the shadows, made a gesture to his guards, and they all came out and surrounded the man in black.
The moment the leader of the men in black saw Jian Yang, he understood everything. He turned sharply to Linglong and demanded, "You actually betrayed us?"
Linglong neither agreed nor disagreed, but took a few steps back and stood in the ranks of the secret guards.
Seeing this, the man glared fiercely at Linglong, wishing he could tear her to pieces.
"Retreat!" the man roared. The man in black hurriedly retreated into the alley behind him, only to find that the alley was also full of Zhou Jingzhi's men, making it seem like there was no way to escape.
The leader gritted his teeth and said, "Fight your way out."
Zhou Jingzhi sneered upon hearing this. There were only ten of them, yet they dared to think they could evade his secret guards.
"Capture them alive," Zhou Jingzhi ordered, raising his hand.
In a short while, the group of men in black were all tied up and pressed to the ground. Zhou Jingzhi walked up to the leader and reached out to pull off his mask.
When they fought just now, he felt that this person looked very familiar, and he didn't expect that he was actually someone from his second brother's side.
Zhou Jingzhi looked down at the man in black kneeling on the ground. Seeing the man's defiant expression, he sneered, "It really is you."
The man in black leading the group was Chen Li, Zhou Jing'an's close bodyguard. He had been by Zhou Jing'an's side since childhood, and it now seemed that Zhou Jing'an was behind all the recent incidents.
"If I remember correctly, your name is Chen Li, right?" Zhou Jing'an asked, enunciating each word clearly.
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