Chapter 158
Chapter 158
[After Zhu Yuanzhang Returned to the Great Ming – 9]
Each time Zhu Yuanzhang tapped the club, the man shuddered.
After his final tremor, Prince Lu asked with a smile, “If I beat you to death here, what crime do you think the court in the capital would convict me of?”
Convict him of what?
Given Prince Lu’s status and the dynasty’s indulgence toward imperial clansmen, three cups of wine as punishment would already be remarkable.
Had the Ming Dynasty ever lacked monstrous imperial relatives? With Emperor Taizu’s rules in place, who could touch them?
If Prince Lu married Lin Lanyi, the man’s crime would be even graver. Forget his worthless life-even the heads of his entire family might not remain attached.
Once the wastrel understood, every organ in his body trembled and sweat soaked his clothes. Before Zhu Yuanzhang asked again, he wailed, “I’ll confess! I’ll confess everything! She sent me. She ordered it all!”
Second Madam Lin trembled on the floor and shouted furiously, “Lies! Even now, you try to smear me!”
She swore to heaven, wept, and protested endlessly, stubborn to the last.
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at her and smashed the club into her face. Her skull rang, her chin struck the floor, and she fainted from the agony. Blood slowly trickled from her mouth.
Coldness filled Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes. “Too noisy.”
He turned back to the wastrel. “Write down exactly how she contacted you, what she ordered, who delivered her messages, and everyone involved. Omit one detail, and I will take your miserable life now!”
Lin Lanyi immediately ordered brush, ink, paper, and inkstone brought over.
A lifetime separated them, yet their coordination remained perfect.
A smile flickered across Zhu Yuanzhang’s face. Knowing this was no time for tenderness, he approached Madam Wu. “When this reaches the authorities, I must trouble Madam to testify.”
It was Madam Wu’s first time witnessing such a brutal interrogation. Her face was pale as she looked at the unconscious Second Madam Lin. After weighing the stakes, she naturally agreed.
The nephew was a wastrel, but he could read and write. With his life threatened, he swiftly produced a full confession.
Zhu Yuanzhang read it, then asked Lin Lanyi to verify the names. Once she confirmed the intermediaries were Second Madam Lin’s confidants, he ordered their immediate arrest at the Lin residence.
Lin Lanyi asked softly, “If this becomes a major scandal, will it harm Your Highness’s reputation?”
“We are in the right. What is there to fear? As an imperial prince, I can shoulder a matter this small.”
He had cold water poured over Second Madam Lin and ordered, “Summon her husband and the Magistrate of Luoyang to the Lin residence. Today, every account will be settled!”
Because the autumn air was dry, rows of water jars stood outside the temple guest rooms against fire. An attendant fetched a bucket and emptied the icy water over Second Madam Lin’s head.
She slowly opened her eyes. Her jaw throbbed, her head felt heavy, and a metallic taste surged into her throat. One violent cough sent several bloody teeth onto the floor.
For a long while, her mind remained foggy. When awareness returned, pain, fear, and panic overwhelmed her. She tried to speak, but her jaw had no strength and only numb agony answered.
Her nephew and his servant were being dragged outside. Clearly, the matter was far from over. Someone hauled her upright and shoved her after them.
Water streamed from her clothes. The wind outside made her shudder.
Fu’an Temple was large and frequented by dignitaries. As she was escorted out, she saw several familiar faces pointing at her from a distance.
Like a bolt of lightning, the humiliation made her examine herself: soaked dress, ruined hair, wet strands hanging loose, and two matrons holding her like a criminal.
She struggled fiercely, but they acted on Prince Lu’s orders. Instead of releasing her, they tightened their grip.
Helpless, Second Madam Lin watched the familiar women shift from shock to ridicule, whispering behind their hands. Knowing they could say nothing kind, she bowed her head as low as possible.
Zhu Yuanzhang rode while Madam Wu and Lin Lanyi shared a carriage. About forty-five minutes later, they reached the Lin residence.
The Magistrate of Luoyang hurried to greet Prince Lu respectfully. Father Lin stood anxiously beside him and followed suit.
Estate guards had already surrounded the residence and arrested every servant named in the confession.
Prince Lu had never been troublesome. Though cold and stern, he did not bully commoners like other monstrous imperial clansmen. He exchanged proper holiday courtesies with the Magistrate and never interfered with his administration.
Thus, when Prince Lu’s confidant arrived at the government office with a courteous invitation that plainly meant the Magistrate would be bound and carried over if he refused, the man did not dare object. He hurriedly delegated his work and came at once. On dismounting, he encountered Second Master Lin being half-escorted, half-dragged over by estate soldiers. His expression became subtle.
Father Lin anxiously offered empty courtesies about the Prince honoring his humble home.
The matter could not be untangled at the gate. Zhu Yuanzhang cut him off with a wave. After Madam Wu and Lin Lanyi descended, followed by Second Madam Lin, the bound wastrel, and the servants, he ordered, “We will speak inside.”
Father Lin cried out at the sight of his bedraggled wife and tried to approach. An estate attendant blocked him. “Master Lin had better obey His Highness.”
The Magistrate also knew Second Madam Lin and was startled by her soaked, disheveled state. Then he noticed Madam Wu.
Willing to earn goodwill for her husband, Madam Wu quickened her pace. The Magistrate slowed until they walked together. She murmured, “Second Madam Lin lost her senses. She coveted the inheritance her elder brother- and sister-in-law left their orphan daughter. Did she not know the Lin girl is betrothed to Prince Lu?”
The Magistrate had handled enough lawsuits to find the theft unsurprising. The betrothal shocked him.
When had that happened?
He glanced at Prince Lu ahead, then at the discreet Lin Lanyi and the prisoners. He instantly understood what position to take. Giving Madam Wu a grateful look, he hurried to follow Zhu Yuanzhang.
In the front hall, Zhu Yuanzhang took the principal seat. Lin Lanyi, the Magistrate, and Madam Wu sat according to rank. Father Lin tried to sit, but Prince Lu’s sharp glare forced him awkwardly back to his feet.
The prisoners were brought in. Soon another man delivered fresh confessions. “Your Highness, we arrested the people named and interrogated them. They confessed to everything!”
Zhu Yuanzhang read the pages and slapped them onto the table. “Then what remains to discuss?”
He tersely explained the day’s events to the Magistrate, pointed at Second Madam Lin, and sneered. “She first embezzled the estate left by her elder brother and sister-in-law, then conspired with an outside man to harm my future Princess Consort. Her crimes are vile, and I will not tolerate her!”
Witnesses and evidence were complete, and the victim was the future Princess Consort of Lu. The Magistrate immediately condemned the woman. “I once met the late Master Lin when he reported for duty in the capital. He was honorable and openhearted. Though I never met Eldest Madam Lin, her friendship with the late Princess Consort proves she too must have been virtuous. It is tragic that heaven took them so young!”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s face was frosted with anger. “Precisely my thoughts!”
Having declared his sympathies, the Magistrate asked, “What disposition does Your Highness desire?”
Murder flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes. “Kill them at once! Flay them, stuff their skins with straw, and hang them in the marketplace. Only then will my hatred be appeased!”
The Magistrate: “!!!”
He had expected Prince Lu might take Second Madam Lin’s life, but not through such a savage punishment. He shuddered. Below, Second Madam Lin and the others trembled like sieves.
Her maiden nephew was a coward beneath his bluster. He had once watched a flaying out of morbid curiosity, then burned with fever for days and needed half a month to recover. Hearing that he would suffer the same fate, he lost control of his bladder. Warm liquid ran down his legs and pooled on the floor.
When the Magistrate hesitated, Zhu Yuanzhang’s cold gaze landed on him. “What? Is it impossible?”
Prince Lu was Emperor Renzong’s legitimate grandson, cousin to the Reigning Emperor, and the imperial relative most closely connected to the Son of Heaven. Moreover, he was in the right. Why should a minor official oppose him for the Lin Family?
The Magistrate smiled deferentially. “The witnesses and evidence are complete, and Miss Lin is Your Highness’s future Princess Consort. Such punishment will uphold imperial dignity and deter villains.”
Second Madam Lin emitted an inhuman scream. “No! Your Highness, have mercy! Please!”
Terrified by the punishment, she crawled forward in panic and reached from her soaked sleeve for Zhu Yuanzhang’s robe.
He kicked her away before she could touch him. She sprawled several paces off and sobbed into the floor.
Father Lin had shared many years of marital affection with her and had taken neither concubine nor bedmaid. Seeing her dragged home so wretchedly, he knew disaster had struck, but Prince Lu’s power silenced him. Once he heard the full story, he had no grounds even to plead.
When his wife opened her mouth, he saw bloody gaps where several teeth were missing. His heart clenched. Then Prince Lu kicked her away without mercy, and all his organs seemed to tremble with her.
If Tao Chuqing’s peerless beauty had failed to soften Prince Lu, how could a few tears from them succeed?
He had to plead with Lanyi.
Prince Lu was enraged because his wife stole Lanyi’s property and conspired to destroy her chastity. It was all for his future wife. As Lanyi’s own uncle, Father Lin retained ties of blood. Even to preserve the dignity of her maiden family after marriage, surely the Prince would relent.
Father Lin dropped to his knees before Lin Lanyi. “Lanyi, your aunt was wrong, and so was I. After years as husband and wife, I failed to see her intentions or restrain her. That allowed today’s disgraceful catastrophe!”
He beat his chest. “I was blind! When your mother died, she entrusted you to us. When your father died, he made me promise repeatedly to treat you well. How could I…”
He slapped himself hard. Seeing Lanyi watch silently, he continued striking his own face. “I was confused! Your aunt acted, but husband and wife are one. Her actions are no different from mine. How can I face your parents after death?”
He pounded the floor and wept.
Lin Lanyi watched without expression. Everyone else remained silent.
Father Lin continued until his hands hurt and his tears nearly dried. Still, Lanyi did not rise or change her expression. She merely sat and watched his performance.
Everyone watched as if observing a trained monkey.
Humiliated and furious, Father Lin stopped crying but remained kneeling, trapped between advancing and retreating.
If he stood now, he had knelt for nothing and could not plead for his wife. But if he remained and his niece refused to respond, how could he continue the performance?
What an ungrateful wretch!
He shifted his stiff knees and said reproachfully, “Lanyi!”
Lin Lanyi lowered her gaze. “Today, I accepted this kneeling on behalf of my parents. Do not feel wronged, Uncle. You owed them this.”
Anger and disbelief crossed his face, but with Prince Lu present, he suppressed them.
Lin Lanyi laughed. “My mother died soon after giving birth to me, so I do not remember her. But Grandmother and Father often spoke of her. She was gentle and virtuous. After marrying into the household, she managed it fairly and conducted herself impeccably. She never failed the Lin Family, nor you and Aunt.
“As for Father, he was your full elder brother. Grandfather died young. You know exactly how much Father helped you. You yourself said my parents’ greatest concern at death was their daughter. Yet how have you treated me? Even without today’s events, could you truly face them after death?”
Father Lin exploded. “What do you mean? Now that Prince Lu supports you, you dare recklessly slander me? Don’t forget that your aunt and I raised you. You can never erase that debt!”
Lanyi’s anger rose higher than his. “Mother died young, but Grandmother raised me. What did that have to do with you? While I lived with Grandmother, Father paid every expense. Before he died, fearing I would be left without support, he summoned Grandmother and, before you and Aunt, provided ten full years of money for my food and clothing!
“Father never doubted his brother. He simply did not want his niece to burden Aunt or a future cousin-in-law, so he left the money in advance. How did that become you and Aunt raising me? How dare you say such a thing!”
She struck the table. “This is my home! Father paid to build it when he married Mother. I am their only daughter. How did I become a guest needing your charity? After construction, Father brought Grandmother here, secured an official post for you, and later allowed you to marry and remain because he valued brotherly harmony. He never imagined his own brother would occupy the magpie’s nest, claim the main rooms, marry off his son here, and shamelessly treat the estate as his own!”
Father Lin’s face went bloodless. After stammering, he weakly protested, “You cannot put it that way…”
“Then how should I put it?”
Lin Lanyi cut him off. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as she sneered. “Whatever words you use, remember this: you and Aunt never showed me any kindness in raising me, and I never lodged in your home. On the contrary, your family shamelessly occupied mine!”
The accusation struck the heart of the matter. Father Lin wanted the floor to swallow him. He glanced around, searching for another excuse, but Zhu Yuanzhang had lost patience.
He flung a teacup into Father Lin’s head and knocked him down. Then, shielding his mouth with one hand, he whispered to his old wife, “We shouldn’t waste breath arguing with shameless creatures. Anger harms the body. First settle the money. Then drag the whole family out and flay them together. Wouldn’t that be satisfying?”