46: Chapter 46 Fourth Life, All-in Failure? Watch Me Turn the Tide (Twenty-Three)

She cried like a pear blossom in the rain, looking utterly miserable, but she never mentioned the assassination again.

The Old Family Head exchanged glances with several clan elders and nodded slowly.

Sending someone to assassinate The New King's trusted aide was too risky; the family must absolutely not get involved.

But if it was just giving a sum of money, letting this daughter and grandson end their own lives, or stirring up some minor trouble, that would be fine.

After all, the bonds of blood and kinship were, in the end, difficult to completely sever.

Even knowing that the two who had lost power would certainly harbor resentment, family heritage was greater than everything; this was all they could do.

In the end, the Lin family brought out a considerable amount of gold, silver, and jewelry, and even a few pieces of high-quality magical artifacts and medicinal pills, all of which were handed over to Noble Consort Lin.

"Take care of yourselves. This is all your father can do to help you."

The Old Family Head sighed, his tone still cold, yet revealing a hint of imperceptible softness.

Noble Consort Lin took these "life-buying money" and "funeral funds," her heart turning ice-cold.

She wiped the tears from her face and still repeatedly thanked her father and brother sitting at the head of the table.

After leaving the Lin Mansion, the sorrow on her face instantly vanished, replaced by bone-deep resentment and determination.

Although this trip back to her maiden home was unsatisfactory, there were ultimately some gains.

The money had been obtained; the next step was to find a sufficiently sharp blade.

Noble Consort Lin did not return to the Tianhuang Princes Mansion but went straight to her secret residence outside the palace, closing the doors to rack her brain for a viable plan.

Contact an assassin organization directly? She shook her head.

The target she wanted to kill was a trusted aide of the soon-to-be-enthroned The New King, a powerful chief eunuch, and the currently influential Supervisor of the Yanling Guard.

Ordinary assassin organizations might not dare to take this job; those who dared would not only demand an exorbitant price but would also easily leave traces, leading to endless trouble.

Noble Consort Lin thought of several methods, but they were all ultimately rejected by her. Just as she was feeling somewhat discouraged...

Suddenly, a figure flashed through her mind.

That was many years ago, when she was still the legitimate daughter of the Lin family, in the prime of her youth, and there was a young man who had once been infatuated with her to the point of madness.

The young man was not of high birth; he was just a genius from the Qingmu Sect, a small sect in a prefecture city below.

Although in that prefecture city, within that small sect called the Qingmu Sect, he was already considered a once-in-a-century cultivation genius.

He still could not catch the eye of the eldest Miss Lin.

However, when facing suitors, relying on her good upbringing, she still gave a few smiles.

Which led him to misunderstand something.

He once swore in public that he would marry no one but her, and even after she was selected to enter the Tianhuang Princes Mansion, he had made the crazy move of blocking her path to ask for a meeting, only to be suppressed by her father and brother.

Later, it was heard that the young man, disheartened, returned to the sect to cultivate with focus and had actually fought his way up step by step.

He was now the Sect Master of the Qingmu Sect, his cultivation having reached the late stage of Copper Bone.

"Zhao Yuanqing..." Noble Consort Lin traced the rim of her teacup, whispering the name, a spark of hope suddenly igniting in her eyes.

This man had been deeply in love with her back then; although many years had passed, perhaps... he might still cherish some old feelings?

More importantly, Noble Consort Lin believed that based on Zhao Yuanqing's infatuation with her back then, even if he refused to take action, he would absolutely not betray her.

Moreover, he was now a sect master with his own manpower and forces; acting would be more covert than a pure assassin, and the chances of success would be greater.

Furthermore, for a small sect tucked away in a corner, if promised heavy benefits and painted a sufficiently tempting picture, the probability of them taking action was extremely high.

She immediately made a decision, sending out a trusted old servant who was absolutely loyal and had never been openly associated with her.

Carrying a portion of the precious resources obtained from the Lin family, as well as a letter she had written herself, filled with sorrow and subtle hints, the servant secretly headed to the Qingmu Sect.

Qingmu Sect, Sect Master's quiet room.

Zhao Yuanqing, now middle-aged, looked at the familiar tokens and letter belonging to the goddess of his dreams from back then, listening to the old servant emotionally recount Noble Consort Lin's suffering, his expression complex and unreadable.

Time had long since smoothed away the youthful courage and impulsiveness; he was now a sect master, with a wife and children, and the life, death, and prosperity of hundreds of sect members carried on his shoulders.

Noble Consort Lin's letter stirred memories that had been sealed for many years—there was the bitterness of unrequited love from his youth, as well as a few ripples of indelible attraction.

But what he could not ignore even more was the batch of resources brought by the old servant.

For the current Qingmu Sect, this was undoubtedly a huge fortune, enough to steadily raise the sect's overall strength to a new level.

And the promise in the Consort's letter that "there will certainly be a generous reward afterwards, and I can also secretly provide protection for the Qingmu Sect, treating it as an outer sect helper for the Tianhuang Princes Mansion or the Lin family," made his heart flutter even more.

If he could use this to connect with the Tianhuang Princes Mansion or the Lin family, it would be of immeasurable benefit to the future development of the Qingmu Sect.

Of course, the risks were equally huge.

Assassinating the Supervisor of the Yanling Guard—once the matter was exposed, the Qingmu Sect would immediately face the disaster of annihilation.

But the old servant also subtly pointed out that Noble Consort Lin had already obtained tacit approval from the higher-ups for this matter; as long as they succeeded, all subsequent troubles would be settled by people from the Tianhuang Princes Mansion.

Moreover, the target was just a eunuch who was "arrogant upon gaining success and had enemies all over the world," not a member of the royal family or a nobleman himself.

After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, the ripples of old feelings from his youth, the desire for massive resources, and his burning ambition for the future of the sect ultimately outweighed his hesitation regarding the risks.

Zhao Yuanqing raised his hand to accept the resources and the letter, and said to the old servant in a deep voice: "Reply to Her Highness the Consort, Zhao is willing to fulfill this wish for an old friend.

It is just that this matter is of great importance, and it needs to be carefully considered. We must wait for the best opportunity to strike."

The news was sent back to the secret residence, and Noble Consort Lin was overjoyed.

She immediately replied, on one hand promising more empty vows to stabilize Zhao Yuanqing.

On the other hand, she used the remaining, imperceptible eyes and ears in the palace to watch Wang Shi's movements day and night, looking for a foolproof opportunity for Zhao Yuanqing to strike.

She was like a gambler who had lost all her chips, betting her remaining wealth and her last hope on this desperate assassination.

Tianhuang Princes Mansion, temporary office of the Jinyiwei.

Wang Shi had recently been in high spirits and full of ambition.

The framework of the Jinyiwei had been completely set up, each department was running smoothly, and the effects of supervision and rectification far exceeded expectations.

Heir Xiao Heng trusted him greatly and even gave him immense authority; no one in the mansion dared not to show him some respect.

He only felt that he was stepping towards the center of power step by step; the blood feud of his previous life and his ambitions for this life seemed to be within reach.

He had even started planning for when The New King officially ascended the throne and the political situation was settled.

He would find an opportunity to return to the place where he first arrived after transmigrating, under the guise of inspecting the local area.

That Heishi Village, which had long since become blurred in his memory, to visit his mother's grave and see the family left behind from his previous lives.

Once this matter was resolved, he would begin to investigate and lay out plans to exact blood debts one by one from that high and mighty enemy!

However, just as he was in high spirits and full of plans, a bone-chilling coldness with no apparent cause suddenly exploded deep within his heart.