Is it because the First Madam felt she was too old and could pass away at any time, so she planned to have Lin Xiaohe get rid of everyone else in the Lin Family before she died, so that her two biological sons could easily take over the entire Lin Family?
They even wanted to see her, a concubine of the Lin Family who would serve the First Madam faithfully for life, suffer the fate of a parent outliving their child?
One son is in the hospital, and the other son is at the police station.
The son in the hospital was lucky to survive, while the son in the police station is still in a terrible predicament.
She has only survived to this day because of her two sons. Her husband died early, and her sons are her everything. Now someone wants to bring her world down.
Zheng Ruilian lay on the bed weeping for a long time before slowly getting up, wiping away her tears, and looking at herself in the mirror. In the mirror, she was still that kind, gentle, and unpretentious old woman.
She took a few deep breaths before lifting her bed and rummaging through the storage compartment under the bed to find a jewelry box. She took out several pieces of jewelry, along with the satin padding, and placed them aside, revealing a yellowed paper package at the bottom of the box.
This packet of arsenic was prepared by her in her grief when she learned of Lin Xizhen's sudden death, intending to commit suicide to follow her husband in death. However, in the end, she couldn't bring herself to do it because of her two sons.
She couldn't be ruthless back then because of her two sons, and now, still because of her two sons, she feels she can't be soft-hearted anymore.
I am already on my deathbed, so it is nothing more than paying with my life. I will go down with the First Madam to see Lin Xizhen and fight this family lawsuit.
Zheng Ruilian carefully tucked the packet of arsenic into her body, pushed open the door, and stepped outside. In the distance, from the back garden, she could faintly hear the sounds of a theatrical troupe playing stringed instruments and the female lead singing.
"Madam, would you like to go to the back garden to listen to a play and relax? Let me help you. The performance of 'Xun Guan Niang' today was truly excellent." A maid in the courtyard was leaning against the gate, listening intently to the play. When she saw Zheng Ruilian come out, she hurriedly came over to help Zheng Ruilian, wanting to accompany her to the garden to listen to the play, and also hoping to get a taste of the show herself.
"The weather is a bit humid and stuffy. Madam's lungs aren't good, and sitting in the garden for too long can easily trigger her cough and wheezing. I'll personally go and boil some red bean and orange slice water for her." Zheng Ruilian smiled at the maid and said, "I don't have any rules here. If you want to listen to the opera, just help me move a seat to the back garden first, and then wait for me there. I'll come over after I've finished boiling it. That way, Madam won't blame you if she asks. Go ahead, go ahead. I've been listening to opera all my life, and I'm already tired of it."
The maid agreed, but still helped Zheng Ruilian to the kitchen first before rushing back to Zheng Ruilian's yard, picking up a chair and running towards the back garden, afraid of missing another line of the song.
As they drew closer to the garden, the sound grew clearer, and the rhythm of the stringed instruments quickened, clearly reaching its climax. The maid hurriedly ran into the back garden, finally catching the highlight of the Wancheng breakout scene. On the stage, the female warrior, heavily made up and adorned with a python robe and plumes, held a spear and glared angrily at the audience, her murderous intent soaring, reciting prose:
"When will this day end? We will both perish!"
Chapter 413 The Scribe Hui Came to Borrow Money
Song Tianyao hung up the phone and turned to look at everyone in the living room. In the living room, there were Shek Chi-yik, Ji Wenming, Michael Sandberg, Bao Yuehan, Angie Perlis, Jonathan Gore, Luo Zhuankun, and even Kong Wing-yan. At this moment, everyone had a different expression.
"We're still a step too late. John Keswick had already transferred all of his Xizhen Properties shares to Jardine Wen Ying Company, in which the He Family Matheson, had a stake, before the trading halt," Song Tianyao said calmly. "Moreover, Pedro Lobo's attitude is quite intriguing. I think he probably feels that the Lin Family is now like fish on a chopping block, ready to be disposed of at any time, and there's no need to further damage relations with the He Family. Now, without Pedro Lobo's funds, we can only rely on ourselves."
"He Shijian's private lawyer is no longer answering my calls, so it seems Lin Xiaohe's call has been effective," Ji Wenming added, sitting on the sofa.
"Sir, would you like lunch?" A waiter's voice rang out politely from outside the door.
Angie Perlis said, "No, thank you, but could you bring us another pot of coffee?"
"Okay, please wait a moment."
Song Tianyao looked at Jonathan Gore, the old Britain man blinked, and said, "That's normal. That's the stock market. It's impossible for us to keep making moves while our opponents have no chance to retaliate. The situation isn't too bad. John Keswick has simply transferred his shares to Wen Ying Company, a joint venture with the He Family. Mr. Song, I need to remind you, even if Jardine only held 1% of the shares in Jardine Wen Ying Commercial Company, let alone 40%, John Keswick's influence is still considerable. Moreover, at this moment, Mr. John Keswick and his Jardine haven't received the money he wants. The Lin Family currently lacks the funds to reclaim these shares from Wen Ying Company. I don't think the He Family you mentioned wants to pay out of their own pockets to redeem these shares for the Lin Family. They've only bought enough time for the Lin Family temporarily. The most likely explanation is..." The Bank of East Asia, behind Lin Xiaojie, ultimately became the new owner of Xizhen Properties. If we don't want this situation to continue, we need to come up with more money and offer John Keswick a good price. I can assure you that the Bank of East Asia is currently hesitant. After all, the Lin Family's smuggling of embargoed goods is not something that can be easily digested. They need to consider the Britain reaction if they take over the Lin Family's real estate business. Moreover, even if Xizhen Properties's stock resumes trading, it will continue to fall temporarily. Mr. Luo has already advised those Shanghai people to sell their shares. Frankly speaking, by quietly acquiring the shares held by Wen Ying Company and then slightly absorbing some of the circulating shares, Xizhen Properties can change owners. However, this process will require approximately Hong Kong dollars 160 million. It just needs to be done quickly, because if the Bank of East Asia gets involved, it won't wait for the stock price to fall too much before buying at the bottom.
"One hundred and sixty million? John Keswick only owns 24% of Xizhen Properties's shares." Kong Wing-yan wondered if she was hallucinating when she heard the number quoted by the old Britain man.