Inside, Lin Han heard his father's final words and watched the cave entrance darken. He could only leave with his mother through the passage, tears in his eyes.
Outside, Father Lin closed the opening, then filled it with the thick earth bricks to block the echo, and finally placed the floor tiles. This way, even if the entire house were to be knocked apart, it wouldn't be found because there would be no echo. Fine ash, like thin threads, was placed in the gaps around the tiles, making the entire house's tiled floor look uniform. Combined with the fact that many areas in the Lin Family had this design, it was even harder to detect, and Father Lin felt very reassured by this. Finally, Father Lin quickly moved the divine altar back into place, a process that took no more than 2 minutes. After finishing, Father Lin walked towards the main hall with a relieved smile on his Face.
The sound of hooves outside grew from distant to near, from faint to loud, and the accompanying roar of the wind was still clearly audible. Then, the building slowly stopped shaking. The murderous devils had arrived, and Father Lin naturally knew that the Lin Family was surrounded. Father Lin walked to the main hall and called the three servants who were still in the Lin Family to come over, wanting to talk with them. Why were there only three servants? During this period, Father Lin rarely asked the servants to come to work; he either sent them to work on Guo Shan (Fruit Mountain) or dismissed them with various excuses to run errands. On this day, with the cold wind raging and nothing to do at home, he had given them a holiday.
The Lin Family naturally first spoke of the many years of shared feelings. Father Lin patted the servants' shoulders and said with a touch of sadness, "The army outside belongs to the Su Family. Su Yibo has taken a liking to Young Miss Yin Cui of the Yin Family. The matter between my son and Yin Cui has angered Su Yibo. Do you understand? The Su Family's methods in Haoyue City are the most brutal. I believe our Lin Family is doomed today, and I am truly sorry to have implicated you all. I apologize!" After speaking, he bowed to the servants.
The servants quickly helped their master up, then the three exchanged glances, understanding the situation from this period: "The master always used various reasons to send away the servants in the mansion." The butler in the middle respectfully said, "Master, we have followed you for so long, and you have always treated us well. We will always remember that. Besides, we know the Su Family is brutal and we will surely die. I am willing to go to Yellow Springs with you today." After he spoke, the other two servants also followed, saying, "I am also willing to go to Yellow Springs with you, Master." After speaking, the three knelt before their master.
Father Lin quickly stepped forward and helped the three up, laughing loudly, "To have one true friend in life is enough, let alone three friends to accompany me. Good, good, come, let's open the door and welcome Su Gou."
Father Lin led the way out of the Lin Family's main gate, composed and with a smile on his Face. The servants followed closely, showing no fear on their Faces.
The Su Family had both retainers and an army. If they were to deploy the army, it was likely nothing good would come of it. Who in Haoyue Province didn't know the Su Family's style? While the Su Family might not be the largest among the Four Great Families in terms of power, when it came to brutality and viciousness, they were absolutely number one. That beast, Su Yibo, had further glorified the Su Family's style; he was not only insidious and cruel but also enjoyed being a "bandit." As long as he knew which Family possessed extremely precious treasures or rare items, he would acquire them through various means, and brutal killings were common in the process. He was also lustful; if he saw a woman he fancied, he would obtain her. At just 25, he already had six concubines. Only his wife was officially married, the daughter of a great general, whom his father married him off to when he was 16. Perhaps he would soon have another wife, naturally Yin Cui. One wife and six concubines; if not for a man's limited energy and his busy official duties, he might have had "three thousand beauties in his harem." Even so, he still felt it wasn't enough. If a woman he fancied was unwilling, her fate would be tragic, just like the Sun Family. Su Yibo's reputation in Haoyue Province was notorious, making people fear him like a tiger.
"May I ask, esteemed officers, what is the matter? This is the army of Lord Su, isn't it?" Father Lin raised his hand to greet them. Even an idiot could see the character "Su" on the clothes of the army behind them; it should have been called the character "Gou."
The leading officer sneered, "Nothing much. Our Young Master Su is here today to discuss something with your Lin Family. My Young Master will arrive shortly."
Father Lin had anticipated this and showed no fear. "May I ask what Young Master Su wishes to discuss with us?"
"You'll know when my Young Master arrives, don't be so verbose," the officer said directly, without further pleasantries.
Father Lin didn't dwell on it after hearing this; he stood proudly and simply waited...
The army dispatched some people to call out the nearby residents to the Lin Family's location. The nearby residents were unwilling to come out in such weather, but who dared to disobey the Su Family's command? They could only come out, both startled and fearful, to see what was happening.
Soon, Su Yibo's carriage arrived, but besides Su Gou, there was also a special person, "Lord City Master." Father Lin was somewhat surprised this time.
The army quickly rode to surround the Lin Family, and Su Yibo's carriage followed soon after—this was the Su Family's way of doing bad deeds. But why, in broad daylight, was the City Master brought along? One should know that for the actions the Su Family took against the Qian Family and the Sun Family, they first had to apply to the City Master and receive permission before they could openly commit mass murder in Haoyue Province. As the saying goes, officials protect each other, and the City Master naturally had to give Face to the Su Family. Furthermore, a prominent figure like Su Yibo being ambushed and assassinated was a very serious matter, and if it escalated further, it would certainly cause a city-wide uproar. Su Yibo's reason was: "The assassins have been found, and it was retaliation from the Qian Family and the Sun Family. This matter is serious, and I demand to handle it personally." The City Master also did not want the situation to escalate, to avoid being blamed for not managing Haoyue Province well, or being caught in political infighting. When Su Yibo said the culprits were found, the City Master immediately approved it. Of course, the matter would not be known to outsiders, otherwise the Qian Family and the Sun Family would have already fled.
Although there are national laws and Family rules, many matters in Haoyue Province are handled by the City Master according to the law, so Haoyue Province is considered peaceful. However, some matters are not easily resolved by the City Master, such as those involving major powers, especially the Four Great Families. More often, they are handled through negotiation, giving Face to the Four Great Families everywhere. One could say this is officials protecting each other, or that the City Master cannot control the Four Great Families. The Four Great Families all have people serving as high officials in the court; does the City Master dare to offend them? The City Master has many duties and is too lazy to bother with the affairs of the Four Great Families; do you think the City Master has no backing? It's just that everyone's power is not too different, so they give each other Face. Of course, like the matters of the Sun Family and the Qian Family, finding a legitimate reason to eliminate them, the Su Family did more of this than the other three great Families. Perhaps it was due to the inheritance of a beast; many people in Haoyue City thought so.
Upon seeing the City Master, Father Lin naturally saluted him first: "Your humble servant Lin Chendong greets Lord City Master."
The City Master spoke lightly, "Dispense with the formalities, Lin Chendong. My main purpose this time is for your Lin Family. I ask you, do you know what contraband is?"
A bad feeling instantly arose in Father Lin's mind, but he still respectfully replied, "Of course, I know. Contraband refers to items that national law prohibits private ownership of. Anyone who discovers them must immediately hand them over to the government, or their entire Family will be beheaded, and their names will be written on the Wall of Sinners for the world to revile. The Law Enforcement Wall in the south of the city lists various contraband items, such as items exclusively for the imperial Family, special rare treasures, and books from previous dynasties. The wall clearly states things that only the state can possess, items that private individuals are not allowed to own."
The City Master continued, "Since you know, then why do some people say your Family is hiding contraband?"
Father Lin immediately knelt down and explained, "Your humble servant is a law-abiding and reasonable citizen and would never do such illegal things. I ask Lord City Master to see clearly; it might be due to malicious rumors or slander against our Lin Family..."
"Who is slandering your Lin Family? I said it! Do you think I, Su Yibo, would wrongly accuse you?" Before Father Lin could finish speaking, Su Yibo, who was nearby, loudly interrupted him.
"So it's Young Master Su. Greetings, Young Master Su. May I ask where Young Master Su heard this? My Lin Family truly has no contraband; it must be a misunderstanding." Father Lin said with a look of innocence.
"Misunderstanding? I ask you, does your son Lin Han know Young Miss Yin Cui? Does she often come to your house?" Su Yibo asked mockingly.
"Yes, my son and she have been classmates since childhood and often come to my house to play with her classmates," Father Lin answered truthfully.
"Young Miss Yin Cui is now my fiancée. She said there are contraband items in your house, and your son even showed them off in front of her. Do you still dare to deny it?" Su Yibo said, a triumphant look on his Face, not forgetting to scan the surrounding crowd with his eyes.
"Yin Cui? Contraband?" Father Lin began to sense a conspiracy. "Yin Cui? Impossible? This Su Gou is not a beast; he is a demon from Hell..." Father Lin, who had been fearless in facing death, now had a terrible expression on his Face, and his facial muscles twitched.
The people living near the Lin Family were dragged out in such cold weather to watch the show, and they were very unwilling, but who dared to offend this Su Gou? To put it bluntly, they had to give gifts to the Su Family every year and endure various bullying from them. Now they even had to watch the Su Family kill their good neighbors. It was as if they were treated as slaves. Who didn't hate the Su Family to their core? Arbitrarily slaughtering us slaves, we are even worse than slaves. Everyone here cursed the Lin Family in their hearts. Many people sympathized with the Lin Family, but who dared to speak out? Everyone was a neighbor, and the Lin Family members were very good; everyone had frequent dealings with the Lin Family. Some people even started to shed tears in their hearts...
As the saying goes, even the strongest Imperial Dynasty has a day when it falls, let alone a villainous Family like the Su Family. The deeds done today would lay the foundation for the Su Family's demise. The Su Family's actions would forever be written on the Wall of Sinners. After the Su Family disappeared, no one in Haoyue Province dared to commit evil again, and the people lived in peace and prosperity... Of course, this is a story for later.
