Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector
Chapter 33 - 31: Sacking the Home

Chapter 33: Chapter 31: Sacking the Home

Lu Ying and his son were both well-read men of letters. They had never witnessed a scene like this.

Lu Ying was the first to regain his composure. He immediately went to the door and called out in a clear voice, "Which master has graced us with your presence? I ask that you show yourself!"

But the only response was the rustle of the night wind through the bamboo leaves.

Just then, Lu Jingcheng hurried over to the pillar, untied the letter from the saber’s hilt, and handed it to his father.

Lu Ying took it, and with a single glance, his expression changed drastically.

After finishing the letter, he handed it to Lu Jingcheng. "You should read this as well."

Lu Jingcheng took it, and as he read, his expression changed too.

"A traitor. A true traitor to the nation," Lu Jingcheng said, his body trembling with rage. He felt a rush of hot blood surge to his head.

He had studied the works of sages since childhood and harbored a deep desire to serve his country. Thus, he despised nothing more than shameless villains who, in a time of national crisis, looked only to their own selfish interests—even selling out their country for personal glory!

But once his anger subsided, a great question surfaced in his mind.

’Who could have possibly obtained such a confidential letter,’ he wondered, ’and why was it sent to our family?’

In a flash, a thought sparked in his mind.

Several months ago, on a similar late night, an anonymous letter had appeared in his study, allowing the Lu Family to avoid a terrible humiliation.

The method was strikingly similar to what had happened tonight!

"Father." Lu Jingcheng took a deep breath and voiced his suspicion. "Do you think... the person who sent this letter could be the same one who exposed the matter with Lin Yan?"

A jolt went through Lu Ying. He felt his son’s reasoning was sound.

But this was no time to dwell on that. Lu Ying’s gaze sharpened, all traces of his earlier weariness gone.

"It doesn’t matter who it was. What’s important is that now that we know, we cannot possibly sit by and do nothing!"

With that, he strode into the inner chamber and began to don his Official Uniform.

He knew in his heart that this matter was of the utmost importance; not a single moment could be wasted.

’That old fox Lin Hong is incredibly cunning. If he senses the news has leaked, heaven knows what other complications will arise.’

’We must deliver the fatal blow before he has a chance to react!’

「Midnight. The Imperial Palace, Yangxin Hall.」

The hall was brightly lit, and fragrant incense wafted through the air, but it did nothing to dispel the heavy atmosphere.

The Emperor, Yang Zhao, was slumped on the Throne, his face haggard and his eyes bloodshot.

The constant stream of bad news had already tormented the pampered Emperor to the point of utter exhaustion.

When he heard that Lu Ying, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was requesting an audience late at night, claiming a matter of utmost urgency, a surge of irritation rose within him.

But after he finished reading the letter Lu Ying presented, all his irritation vanished, replaced by a dead silence.

Yang Zhao didn’t roar or curse. He just sat silently on the cold Throne, his entire being like a lifeless statue.

An unknown amount of time passed, long enough for Lu Ying’s knees to begin to go numb, before Yang Zhao’s voice finally broke the silence.

"Lu Aiqing, how did you come by this letter?"

Not daring to conceal a single detail, Lu Ying recounted the tale of the letter delivered by the Flying Saber.

After finishing, he boldly prostrated himself. "Your Majesty, the Lin Family’s treacherous ambitions are clear, and the evidence of their crime is undeniable! This is no small matter. I implore Your Majesty to make a swift decision. Otherwise, if that old scoundrel Lin Hong gets wind of this, I fear unforeseen complications will arise!"

Yang Zhao’s gaze slowly lifted from the letter and fell upon Lu Ying.

At that moment, his heart was filled with boundless rage and bleak despair.

He was enraged that in this time of national crisis, one of the Noble Families he relied upon as a pillar of the state was secretly plotting to betray him for personal gain.

And he was despondent, because this was only what had been exposed. Beneath the surface, who knew how many more Lin Families were lurking?

He felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

But he quickly forced himself to rally. In a heavy voice, he commanded, "Relay my order! Mobilize the Imperial Guard to raid the Lin Mansion tonight! Apprehend everyone involved, regardless of age or gender, and throw them all into the Celestial Prison!"

He picked up a Token from his desk and tossed it before Lu Ying.

"Lu Ying, I appoint you as the officer in charge of this operation. Supervise it in my stead. You must round them all up before the Lin Family has a chance to react!"

"This servant obeys!"

Lu Ying took the Token, feeling the immense weight of the responsibility it carried.

Soon, a grim, murderous aura quietly permeated the night over the Capital City.

Squads of elite soldiers in Profound Armor, wielding sharp blades, streamed out from the Imperial City. They were the Emperor’s personal army—the Imperial Guard.

Under Lu Ying’s command, the Imperial Guard swiftly sealed off all streets surrounding the Lin Mansion, cutting off any chance of escape.

Then, at Lu Ying’s command, the heavy sound of a battering ram boomed through the night.

BANG!

The great vermilion gate of the Lin Mansion, a symbol of a century of glory, crashed to the ground under the force of a massive battering ram.

The soldiers of the Imperial Guard swarmed in like a pack of wolves, and the sounds of battle cries, screams, and wails instantly shattered the Lin Family’s peaceful dreams.

The household servants and guards were still asleep when they were instantly subdued and pinned to the ground.

The Patriarch of the Lin Family, Lin Hong, was jolted awake by the massive commotion. He threw on an outer robe and rushed out of his bedroom, only to be met with the horrifying sight of Imperial Guard soldiers storming his residence.

Then he saw Lu Ying, standing at the forefront of the group.

"Vice Minister Lu!" Lin Hong’s face turned white as a sheet, but he still forced himself to project the authority of a Noble Family Patriarch as he questioned him harshly.

"What is the meaning of this? The Lin Family is one of the founding Noble Families! How dare you lead troops to storm my residence in the dead of night? What are you trying to do? Are you staging a rebellion?"

In the face of this accusation, Lu Ying gave a cold, faint smile.

"Patriarch Lin, I’m sure you know better than anyone why I am here." He slowly paced forward, his eyes looking at Lin Hong as if he were already a dead man.

"To be honest with you, this is by His Majesty’s decree. Otherwise, how could a mere Vice Minister like myself possibly mobilize the Imperial Guard?"

"His Majesty’s decree..."

Lin Hong’s last shred of hope was shattered by those four words.

He knew it was all over.

Just then, two soldiers roughly dragged over a disheveled young man with a clear handprint on his face. It was none other than the Lin Family’s young master, Lin Rui.

He had just fallen asleep with a pretty serving girl in his arms when he was dragged from his bed.

"Father, they hit me! Make them let me go!" Lin Rui cried out in a panic the moment he saw his father, completely oblivious to the calamity that had befallen them.

But Lin Hong had no time for him now. He stared intently at Lu Ying, forcing the words through his teeth, "Lu Ying, I just don’t understand... how did you find out?"

"You’ll find out soon enough," Lu Ying said flatly.

Before he had even finished speaking, the women of the family were also brought forward from the rear courtyard.

The third daughter, Lin Yan, was of course among them.

But she remained blissfully unaware of the gravity of the situation, screaming arrogantly at the soldiers holding her, "You damn servants, let go of me! Once my father reports this to His Majesty, he’ll have every last one of you subjected to death by a thousand cuts!"

Her response was a resounding slap across the face.

SLAP!

An Imperial Guard officer retracted his hand, his face devoid of expression. "Too noisy," he said coldly.