Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 75 Chips
Thinking of this, Lin Zhiqing had a plan in mind: "Aunt Mu, don't go to the clinic tomorrow. Take some things and visit your cousins. Also, haven't you received your monthly allowance yet?"

Lin Zhiqing suddenly changed the subject, and Aunt Mu was stunned for a moment before she realized, "The young lady's monthly allowance has been paid, but I haven't received my one or two taels of silver yet."

Although Lin Zhiqing was not stingy with money these days, Aunt Mu still remembered it firmly:
"Even after accounting for the shortfalls from the past, I still have three taels of silver in monthly wages that haven't been paid out. Today, while we were having a drink, I heard the kitchen maid say that every month, some of their wages are deducted under some pretext."

Lin Zhiqing knew what was going on. These days, she had been arranging for Aunt Mu to bribe the maids and nannies with small change, either openly or secretly.

This matter went more smoothly than she had imagined, which meant that the servants of the Lin family were even more short of money than she had imagined.

Otherwise, two or two cents will definitely not be enough to pry open their mouths.

In this world, any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem.

Lin Zhiqing has a far-sighted vision. In the past, she wanted to open a clinic to make money, gain the support of her second grandfather, and thus gain power.

But now plans cannot keep up with changes, and the second grandfather is not the same kind of person as himself and the Lin family.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and she knew she had to speed up.

On the second day, Lin Zhiqing did not rush to the clinic, but went to his cousin Lin Yangyang's yard.

According to Aunt Mu, Lin Shian would go to check on his cousin before going to the Ministry of Personnel to take up his duties these days.

As expected, she had just stepped into her cousin's yard when she heard Lin Shi'an's voice: "She hasn't been awake for long these past few days, so we must pay more attention to her. The ginseng I used last time was quite effective, I'll try to find some more."

Xiao Cui's voice also fell into Lin Zhiqing's ears: "Master Shi'an, you have worked hard these days. I thank you on behalf of my young lady."

Hearing this, Lin Zhiqing quickened his pace and asked, "Has my cousin woken up in the past few days?"

"Miss Zhiqing, you're here." Xiao Cui quickly poured a cup of tea. "My young lady just woke up yesterday, but she fell asleep again very quickly."

These days, Lin Zhiqing came to visit Lin Yangyang whenever she had time. Xiao Cui saw it and kept it in mind, and she was not as disgusted with her as she was at the beginning.

"I haven't seen you for a while. I heard that your clinic has opened. Congratulations." Lin Shian rarely said a few more words.

After saying this, he frowned as if remembering something and said, "You are very popular now. Think twice before you act. Don't bring harm to the Lin family."

Lin Zhiqing sat down at the table and answered the question irrelevantly: "How is your cousin's job at the Ministry of Personnel? Is it going well?"

Lin Shian frowned: "Of course it's what I want."

Lin Zhiqing tapped the table with her finger. She sent Xiao Cui away and then began counting on her fingers:
"Yesterday at noon, the butcher's knife, which had been passed down from the East Market butcher's family, was lost. Your colleagues should have been responsible for this, but inexplicably, it was put on your head."

"Three days ago, Granny Wang, who sells tofu under the willow trees in the West Market, accidentally had her chicken fall into the river. You went down to the river in your scanty clothes to retrieve the chicken, but Granny Wang framed you and made you pay one or two taels of silver."

"Five days ago, at 3 p.m., Wang Mazi from West Market slept with the widow next door. Wang Mazi's wife discovered them, and the Ministry of Personnel sent you to handle the matter. But in the end, the couple reconciled, and you became the bad guy..."

"That's enough." Lin Shi'an tightened his grip on his sword, his lips pressed into a line. "You, Yunying, are still unmarried, how can you keep talking about these things?"

Lin Zhiqing only said a few things, but they contained a lot of information. She shook the teacup in front of her and motioned Lin Shian to sit down:
"My cousin, you are a skilled martial artist. You shouldn't be stuck in the Ministry of Personnel. If my father hadn't been in trouble, you would have been able to go to the battlefield. You might even have achieved military merit and brought honor to our family."

As soon as these words came out, Lin Shian moved quickly, closing all the doors and windows around him. Then he turned to Lin Zhiqing and said, "You are going to die, how can you say these things?"

"I'm just telling the truth, cousin, why are you reacting so strongly?" Lin Zhiqing pushed the teacup in front of Lin Shi'an and said, "Cousin, even if you endure another ten years of hardship in the Ministry of Personnel, the Lin family will still be the same Lin family."

At this point, Lin Zhiqing shook his head again: "No, by then there might not be any Lin family left."

"Lin Zhiqing!" Lin Shi'an slammed his sword on the table with great force, and the water in the teacup seemed to tremble and spilled out.

"Don't worry, cousin." Lin Zhiqing took out his handkerchief calmly and wiped the tea stain carefully. "You know that the monthly wages of the Lin family servants have been getting less and less in recent years."

"I'm a lowly person with no influence and no access to the account books, but you're also indifferent to this?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Lin Shi'an frowned, and perhaps because of anger, his voice was very loud.

"There's no need for me to joke with you about these things. You can just ask the people below." Lin Zhiqing put the old handkerchief aside.
"When I was preparing for the clinic these past two days, I originally planned to refer to the Lin family's assets, but I went to a few places. Guess what I found?"

Lin Shian's Adam's apple moved. Although he didn't want to believe Lin Zhiqing, he knew from the past few days of contact that Lin Zhiqing would not lie:
"what?"

Lin Zhiqing took out a booklet, which recorded the information she had obtained about the various shops of the Lin family through her visits and investigations over the past few days.

She had originally planned to use this thing as a bargaining chip in negotiations with her second grandfather, but now it seems that there is no need.

Lin Shian picked up the booklet and flipped through a few pages. His heart, which had been hanging high in his heart, plummeted to the bottom. "The Lin family's shop has always been stable. How could it have suffered such a loss? Are those people just eating for free?"

Finally getting to the point... Lin Zhiqing shrugged: "You're asking the wrong person. I'm afraid only Second Grandpa can give you the answer."

Lin Shian had already reacted by now. He took a deep breath and finally sat down: "What do you want to tell me?"

Lin Zhiqing smiled and said, "Cousin, the Lin family is now heading towards an abyss of no return."

"Second grandfather is in charge of the family fortune, and it's declining year by year."

"My uncle is in charge of the family rules. The Lin family's master is not like a master, and the servants are not like servants. They are truly a laughing stock in Shengjing City."

"Fourth Uncle is a scholar, but his talent is limited, so he can bring very little to the Lin family."

"If it were you, which of these three roads would you take? Which one would lead to salvation?"

Lin Shian frowned and was about to speak when a weak voice came out: "No... It won't work. It won't work."

Lin Shi'an's face changed, and just as he was about to go around the screen and enter the inner room, he was blocked by Lin Zhiqing.

Before the two could make any further moves, a weak figure appeared beside the screen. She stared into Lin Zhiqing's eyes and shook her head.
“All three roads are blocked.”

(End of this chapter)