Facing Lin Jiangnian's burning gaze, Zhiyuan acted calmly. He closed the book in his hand, placed it on the table, and said expressionlessly, "I don't understand what you are saying."
Lin Jiangnian looked at the kite in front of him with interest.
She is lying.
She must have heard the conversation between Lin Jiangnian and Xiao Zhu during the day, otherwise she would never have called Xiao Zhu here.
As for her purpose, it goes without saying.
Lin Jiangnian did not expose it.
"It's okay if you don't understand."
He paused, looked at her a few more times, and mentioned casually: "Xiao Zhu is still quite afraid of you."
Zhiyuan didn't say anything.
"Don't scare her."
Lin Jiang sighed, "Xiao Zhu said that you were very hostile to her after you came back this time. The way she looked at her was not right, as if she had offended you in some way... She is just a little maid, don't bother with her."
He couldn't help but laugh when he thought of Xiao Zhu's pitiful look yesterday.
Zhiyuan still had no expression on her face, but for some reason, she felt a little uncomfortable.
Even a little irritable.
I can’t say.
She turned her head, her fair and delicate face expressionless: "I have no hostility towards her."
"She's just overthinking it."
"Really?"
Lin Jiangnian looked at her. At this moment, Zhiyuan had a cold look on her face, saying "No entry, strangers allowed."
No wonder Xiaozhu was scared!
Not to mention Xiao Zhu, even Lin Jiangnian felt that she was a little too cold. Such a cold look really made it difficult for people to get close to her.
and……
Her tone seems a little strange?
Are you really overthinking it?
"Then I'll go down and have a good talk with Xiaozhu, okay?"
Zhiyuan didn't say anything, and his face, turned to the side, remained cold and calm.
However, where no one was noticing, she clenched her bare hands hidden under her sleeves.
Then quickly released.
"What about you?"
At this moment, Lin Jiangnian moved closer again and suddenly asked.
Zhiyuan turned her head and saw Lin Jiangnian staring at her intently. The smile on his face became more playful: "Are you still angry with me?"
Zhiyuan was stunned for a moment and quickly turned his head away.
"No."
"You have."
“…”
Lin Jiangnian stared at the cold and pretty face in front of him, smiling: "Hasn't anyone ever told you that you're not good at lying?"
Zhiyuan remained silent and did not respond.
"You're such a bad liar. You haven't learned the essence of this prince!"
Lin Jiangnian shook his head slightly, then suddenly stood up, walked to Zhiyuan and sat down.
Zhiyuan suddenly realized what was happening, her body tensed slightly, and she was about to stand up, but Lin Jiangnian grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back into her seat.
"Don't move!"
Lin Jiangnian looked at her and raised his eyebrows: "Are you afraid of this prince?"
Zhiyuan's face was full of vigilance. He stared at Lin Jiangnian without saying a word.
Perhaps because of the experience of being at a disadvantage a few times before, Zhiyuan remained highly vigilant and would never give Lin Jiangnian any chance by being distracted.
"Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you today."
“…”
The kite was silent.
Obviously, she did not believe Lin Jiangnian's solemn promise.
Lin Jiangnian ignored Zhiyuan's distrustful look and spoke to himself, "I've been too busy lately. I finally have some time tonight. I want to have a good talk with you. How about it?"
The kite remained silent.
She was a quiet person to begin with, and now she didn't know what to say.
Lin Jiangnian looked at the silent Zhiyuan and swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
This girl is so cold!
She is so cold that people often have no desire to continue chatting with her. It feels like all the things you want to say have hit a wall and are very boring.
After hesitating for a moment, Lin Jiangnian held back.
Given Zhiyuan's current state, further communication would likely be a waste of time. Instead, it would be better to save time.
Lin Jiangnian shook his head slightly and changed the subject.
"Remember what I told you this afternoon?"
Lin Jiangnian mentioned another matter: "I wanted to teach Wang Qin a lesson, but unexpectedly, I gained something unexpected..."
Having said this, he paused and said, "You are right. The Wang family is indeed supported by other forces."
"The other party is quite powerful."
Zhiyuan listened quietly, lowered her eyes and remained silent for a moment: "Third Prince?"
"I guess so."
Lin Jiangnian wasn't surprised that Zhiyuan had guessed correctly. A lot of evidence was already out there, suggesting the Wang family was likely connected to some powerful faction in Beijing.
The third prince had considerable power in the capital and was extremely ambitious, so naturally he was unwilling to be just a prince.
Then, it is not difficult to understand why there are some actions behind the scenes.
"The Wang family has many connections behind them. To be more precise, they have ties to almost every family in Xunyang County. They've spent years meticulously weaving a vast network of interests..."
"Once the Wang family is touched, the whole body will be affected!"
Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes: "This means that if we want to touch the Wang family, we will definitely be opposed by other families in Xunyang County."
Zhiyuan slowly raised her eyes and stared at Lin Jiangnian: "You mean, we can't touch the Wang family?"
"Of course not."
Lin Jiangnian shook his head slightly and said calmly, "The Wang family almost killed me this time, so I must avenge them. But we'll have to wait..."
"Wait for the people behind the Wang family to come out on their own."
"The Third Prince?"
"no."
Lin Jiangnian shook his head. "The Third Prince won't show up on his own initiative. The Wang family is just an insignificant pawn in his hand... Even if the Wang family falls, it won't have much impact on him."
The evidence in Lin Jiangnian's hands is currently not enough to bring down the third prince.
Zhiyuan frowned: "Who is that?"
Lin Jiangnian didn't answer the question. After looking down for a few times, he grabbed the kite's bare hand and held it in his palm, chuckling softly, "Don't you want to ask how this prince plans to deal with the Wang family's long-standing network of influence in Xunyang County?"
Zhiyuan frowned slightly and subconsciously tried to pull her hand back, but after two unsuccessful attempts, she gave up.
His expression was a little unnatural. He turned his head away and said expressionlessly, "Take advantage of the situation."
Lin Jiangnian's smile froze for a moment, and after a moment, he sighed softly, "Girls are too smart, they're not easy to fool!"
Zhiyuan didn't say anything.
Lin Jiangnian's gaze fell on Zhiyuan's snow-white hands. Her skin was delicate and smooth, and her fingers were as exquisite as jade. They were small and crystal clear, and felt great to hold.
The palm of your hand can slightly feel the presence of sword calluses, but it is not obvious.
Zhiyuan is very skilled in martial arts. As the disciple of Senior Li, he learned all the martial arts from Senior Li, so his swordsmanship is naturally not weak.
However, Zhiyuan rarely made a move in the Linwang Mansion. Of course, she never had the chance to do so.
Lin Jiangnian couldn't let go of the girl's hand. He gently pinched the girl's soft and delicate hand, caressing it gently, and sighed: "It seems that you already knew what I was planning?"
Zhiyuan said nothing, but her body tensed slightly, as if she were a little nervous. Her face, turned to the side, was faintly red, her eyes were extremely unnatural, and she remained silent.
Breathing is a little heavy.
"Your guess is correct. This prince intends to take advantage of the situation... However, it can't be considered borrowing!"
"Can you borrow something from your own home?"
Lin Jiangnian said calmly, "The Wang family dared to attack this prince this time. Naturally, they have already made plans to break off relations with the Lin Palace..."
"The Wang family has the audacity to do this simply because they are relying on their deep-rooted roots in Xunyang County. They are using common interests to kidnap all the major families in Xunyang County, tying everyone to their pirate ship, and then using the name of the court to put pressure on the Lin Palace!"
"This move of his is indeed amazing. If he uses it well, the Lin Wang Mansion might really suffer a loss."
As if thinking of something, Lin Jiangnian sighed: "Who knows, if this prince dies, it might be in vain."
Zhiyuan was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "No."
"Um?"
Lin Jiangnian looked up in confusion.
But Zhiyuan didn't look back, but looked ahead calmly, his tone cold but firm.
"You won't die in vain."
"The prince will definitely make the entire Wang family be buried with him!"
The tone was firm and resolute.
Lin Jiangnian was stunned: "How can you be so sure?"
Zhiyuan was silent for a long time this time, then lowered her eyes and said calmly, "You are the prince's only child..."
"If anything happens to you, the prince will definitely not let the Wang family go..."
Having said that, Zhiyuan took a deep breath, his eyes becoming even colder: "Even if it means making enemies with the whole world, Your Highness will not hesitate."
Lin Jiangnian was silent.
This sentence sounded quite shocking.
He knew that the Prince of Lin doted on his only son, and this was evident from the time he spent with the Prince of Lin in the Prince's Mansion. Although their time together was short, Lin Jiangnian still felt the Prince of Lin's meticulous care for him.
Even in front of him, the King Lin was not as cold-blooded and ruthless as rumored by the outside world.
For some reason, Lin Jiangnian felt a little complicated.
After a while, he came back to his senses and chuckled to himself: "Maybe..."
Then he quickly waved his hands: "Pfft, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Isn't this prince alive and well now?!"
"Stop saying unlucky things."
Zhiyuan didn't say anything else. After glancing at Lin Jiangnian, he turned away, as if thinking about something.
"So, it's not difficult to deal with the Wang family... The Wang family wants to use the entire Xunyang County family forces as a shield, but those family forces may not be willing to get involved."
"Without the participation of those family forces, the Wang family won't be able to survive for long."
Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes. The Wang family's calculations were indeed good. But he wasn't completely unprepared.
"So, this prince intends to take advantage of the situation..."
Zhiyuan frowned slightly: "Will the other families agree?"
"Then it depends on which side they stand on!"
Lin Jiangnian raised his eyebrows: "As long as they are not mentally damaged, they should know how to choose."
Zhiyuan was silent. "The Wang family has been working hard in Xunyang County for many years and has deep roots. They also know many secrets of the major families and keep them in check. They may not necessarily turn against us!"
“They don’t have a choice.”
Lin Jiangnian shook his head slightly: "I only want to deal with the Wang family, it has nothing to do with them. If they are willing to help the evil, then don't blame me. Besides..."
"I think these people are not necessarily united!"
Lin Jiang laughed young, "Do you think they are really willing to let the Wang family become the largest family in Xunyang County?"
"Then they don't have any idea about the position of prefect?"
Zhiyuan was startled, then realized something, "You mean..."
"The Wang family has been operating in Xunyang County for many years and has accumulated such a huge family business. Do you think those family forces would be interested?"
Lin Jiangnian glanced at her and said, "That's how they targeted your Jiang family back then and divided it up!"
Zhiyuan said nothing and remained silent.
The Jiang family was indeed plotted against by them, and eventually the entire clan was executed. And what was left of the Jiang family was divided up by their various clans.
"What they did to the Jiang family back then, now it's the Wang family's turn!"
Lin Jiangnian smiled and said, "Do you think other families would be interested?"
“…”
silence.
silence.
The room fell silent.
No one spoke for a long time.
Zhiyuan lowered his eyes, thinking about something, and a strange look appeared on his cold face.
Staring blankly.
Lin Jiangnian didn't say anything else. Some things didn't need to be explained too clearly. Zhiyuan was such a smart person that he would understand it immediately.
Moreover, she was originally from the Linwang Mansion, and she knew much more clearly than Lin Jiangnian. After realizing Lin Jiangnian's thoughts, she guessed what Lin Jiangnian wanted to do.
As for Lin Jiangnian, he was concentrating on playing with... the girl's bare hands!
Gently kneading the delicate and smooth hands, gently stroking them, then holding them in the palm of my hand, holding them tightly, as if playing with a toy and unable to let go.
Zhiyuan, who had been lost in thought, finally realized something. She lowered her eyes and saw that Lin Jiangnian was still holding her hand, looking very focused.
Feeling something strange on her palm, she panicked a little, bit her teeth lightly, and a look of shame and anger appeared on her pretty face.
"Have you touched enough?"
Lin Jiangnian was touching it when he heard a voice with a somewhat shameful and angry tone.
He raised his eyes and saw Zhiyuan looking at him expressionlessly, with a hint of shame and anger in his clear eyes.
“Not enough!”
Lin Jiangnian shook his head slightly and answered honestly.
“…”
"Let go, let go!"
Zhiyuan pulled hard and this time he finally pulled his hand back.
Lin Jiangnian felt a little regretful.
Zhiyuan pulled the hand that had been squeezed for so long back under her sleeve. The tenderness and slight numbness in her palm remained. An indescribable feeling seemed to spread through her body, and her delicate body trembled slightly, with a strange feeling of burning heat all over.
Her already flushed face seemed even redder.
"It's getting late!"
Hiding his hands under his sleeves and turning his back, Zhiyuan stood up and spoke expressionlessly.
Beneath the cold face, there was a barely perceptible trace of panic.
The dim oil lamp on the table was about to burn out, and the room gradually darkened. Lin Jiangnian glanced at the night outside the window. It was indeed getting late.
We've touched each other tonight and taken advantage of each other a lot, so we should stop while we're ahead.
"It's really getting late. I should go back and rest!"
Lin Jiangnian yawned, stood up and said to himself, "Xiaozhu must be getting impatient!"
He muttered to himself and turned to leave.
However, after taking just two steps, he suddenly felt a chill from behind.
As sharp as a thorn.
Lin Jiangnian subconsciously turned around and saw Zhiyuan standing quietly in front of a table not far away, looking at him expressionlessly.
"Still, is there something?"
“…”