Lin Qingge, the one being questioned, didn't answer immediately. She picked up her water cup and took a small sip.
After the warm water soothed her dry throat, she slowly asked in return, "You are already standing before me now. Is there any point in us saying these things?"
At first, she had merely suspected, but she wasn't sure.
Various signs indicated that someone close to her was unusual, but that person hid too deeply, leaving her with no clues and no decisive evidence.
She had tried the method of elimination.
Lin Moyuan was the first to be excluded.
After all, if this person truly wanted her dead by the third watch, she certainly wouldn't live past the fifth.
Next was Yan Tinghao; his mental capacity wasn't sufficient to concoct so many convoluted schemes.
Then came Hua Jinrong and Murong Bai; the former had no reason to, and the latter disdained to.
Their statuses were clear, and they had no motive or necessity to covet the empire of the Great Xia Kingdom.
As for the others…
Although they didn't seem likely, one can know a person's face but not their heart. Lu Huaiying, in particular, had actually kidnapped her.
If not for Lu Huaiying's eventual change of heart, she might have been killed by King Wucheng long ago.
Thus, upon returning to the capital, she became much more cautious.
It wasn't until she obtained the final piece of the treasure map fragment at Wolong Villa two days ago that she finally confirmed the identity of the spy.
However, due to a series of events orchestrated by King Wucheng, she was unable to divert her attention.
Unexpectedly, the other party struck first!
They even resorted to using Qin Han as a pawn to kidnap her!
As Lin Qingge's thoughts churned, Lin Yan spoke up cheerfully, "Aren't you going to ask me why I went to such lengths to incapacitate you and bring you to Dalin Village?"
Lin Qingge didn't answer, but Lin Yan wasn't annoyed. Instead, he let out a low laugh, "It seems you've collected all the treasure map fragments."
Though his tone was casual, Lin Qingge felt her hair stand on end. The chilling sensation from the bottom of her heart was more pronounced than when facing that pervert Fu Xun.
At the same time.
A sense of foreboding arose within Lin Qingge.
The next second, as expected, she heard the words that made her tremble the most: "Qingge, do you know? I intentionally let you collect all those treasure map fragments."
Lin Qingge's eyes widened as she looked at him, unable to discern the meaning rippling in his deep gaze.
"You are so intelligent, you must have already figured out your own identity. That's right, our Lin clan are descendants of the previous dynasty's imperial family."
"We?"
"Yes, we. Although the process is little known, after the Lin dynasty fell, the eldest imperial daughter of the Lin clan married the founding emperor of the Great Xia Kingdom and was conferred the title of Empress. Perhaps out of love for the Empress, the founding emperor of Great Xia spared the Lin clan from execution, exiling them to a remote, desolate area and decreeing that their descendants must never leave. That place of exile is what we now know as Linjia Village. Although the founding emperor of Great Xia showed leniency to the Lin clan, in reality, the Lin clan had already been wiped out during the Great Xia emperor's coup. The only survivors, besides the Empress, were two infants at the breast. Fortunately, the Lin clan still had many loyal retainers who took the two infants to the place of exile, hidden from the Great Xia emperor's eyes, and diligently educated them in secret. However, when the two infants grew up, their opinions diverged. One advocated for maintaining the status quo, believing that the Lin clan's glory was in the past and that they should look to the future and consider their descendants. The other advocated for restoring the Lin dynasty and reclaiming everything they had lost! Their diametrically opposed ideas eventually led them to part ways. And each had their own followers. Thus, the original Linjia Village was split into two, becoming the current Dalin Village and Xiaolin Village. It is worth noting, however, that despite the division into two villages, they presented a united front to outsiders. They appeared detached from worldly affairs, seemingly having adapted to this pastoral life. As time passed, the emperor of Great Xia no longer sent people to monitor them. After a hundred years, they not only gained freedom of movement but could even participate in the imperial examinations and become officials. Today, the Lin clan seems to have been forgotten by everyone, and the name Lin has become just an ordinary surname. But is that truly the case? We, the Lin clan, have never forgotten our national hatred and family vengeance. For this, we endured hardship and planned for over a hundred years."
Hearing this, Lin Qingge couldn't help but interrupt, "What's the use of planning for a hundred years? What is yours will always be yours, and what is not yours will be in vain no matter how much effort you put in!"
"Qingge speaks wisely. Therefore, even though we were fully prepared many years ago, we still did not act. Not until we waited for you, Qingge."
"Me?" Lin Qingge pointed at her own nose, looking utterly bewildered. Lin Yan, however, broke into a smile and said gently, "The ancestral records of the Lin clan state that every few decades or centuries, a woman of great fortune is born into the Lin clan. It is said that whoever obtains this woman can aspire to rule the world. One of the Lin ancestors was a woman of great fortune, who then founded the Lin dynasty. However, the next woman of great fortune did not bear the heavy responsibility placed upon her. Instead, she chose to flee and inadvertently became involved with the founding emperor of the Great Xia Kingdom. Fortunately, heaven favors the persistent. After more than a hundred years, I have finally waited!"
...
Before Lin Qingge, who was stunned by this melodramatic turn of events, could deny it, she heard Lin Yan say calmly, "You are not the real Lin Qingge. You are a soul from another world."
???
!!!
Compared to Lin Qingge's shock, Lin Yan's lips curved into a smile of unknown meaning, and he said softly, "Are you surprised? I imagine you're curious how I know?"
"I… I don't understand what you're saying…" Lin Qingge took a sharp breath, doing her best to suppress the trembling throughout her body.
"You don't understand? It's alright, I'll tell you word by word." Lin Yan leaned down, lowered his voice, and whispered into Lin Qingge's ear, "Actually, it's not just me. Your good brother, Lin Jingxing, also knows. Even before you came here, he knew that his precious sister would one day disappear and her body would be occupied by some stray soul from who knows where."
Lin Qingge's mind felt like it had been struck by a heavy bludgeon, rendering her unable to think clearly for a moment. Despite this, she maintained a calm facade and said, "I don't understand a word you're saying."
"Heh…" A low chuckle broke the suffocating silence. Lin Yan raised his hand, tucked a strand of hair from Lin Qingge's temple behind her ear, and then slowly straightened up. "Qingge, you already know the use of those treasure map fragments. But what you don't know is that only you, a woman of great fortune, can find that treasure. Unfortunately, your brother Lin Jingxing shielded you too tightly."
An absurd thought flashed through Lin Qingge's mind, and without thinking, she blurted out, "So you killed him?"