The two of them then boarded the ox-cart. Coincidentally, their house wasn't too far away. In no time at all, they arrived at the entrance of Tong Mansion.
"Brother Tong, let's talk again tomorrow." The Imperial Censor turned around to leave. At this point, several bailiffs appeared. Tong Lin didn't mind. Just as he was about to knock on the door, a voice rang out, "Tong Lin, you've committed a crime."
As soon as he said this, two bailiffs pounced on him and grabbed him. Tong Lin was shocked, "Which office are you from? I am an official of the imperial court, an Imperial Censor. How dare you take me?"
"Kneel down!" The bailiffs held him in place, as he used his leg to kick his knee. Tong Lin fell to his knees.
At this point, a person appeared. Tong Lin and the shocked Imperial Censor saw that it was a young official. Upon closer inspection, they recognized him as Yin Lu, who was of the same age. He was dressed neatly in official robes.
Tong Lin shouted, "Brother Yin Nian, what are you doing?"
Yin Lu laughed coldly and didn't reply. He then faced the Imperial Censor, "I am acting on orders. Why aren't you retreating? Do you wish to be implicated in this case?"
"Hiss!" The Imperial Censor sucked in a deep breath, as he swallowed his saliva. Normally, he had a glib tongue, but at this point, he couldn't say a single word. He then retreated.
"Take him inside!" Yin Lu ordered. Immediately, the bailiffs dragged Tong Lin into the courtyard. Tong Lin was extremely stubborn as he said, "I am an official of the imperial court. How dare you humiliate me? How dare you humiliate me? "
When they reached the courtyard, the door closed. Yin Lu then turned around and ordered, "Take off his official hat, and strip him of his official robes."
"Get up." The bailiffs kicked him down, causing Tong Lin to feel a wave of pain. Just as he was about to curse, the bailiffs reached out and grabbed him.
"Ah!" The official hat was ripped off, along with a few strands of hair. Following which, he tore off his official robes. Although it was torn, this meant that he was now a commoner. Tong Lin's fingers trembled as he pointed, "Brother Yin Nian, whose orders are you acting on? What do you want?"
At this point, within the courtyard, Yin Lu glanced at him and said, "By imperial edict, Tong Lin is a despicable and despicable person. He has committed a crime by framing an important official. His assets are to be confiscated."
Tong Lin immediately retreated a few steps as if he had been struck by lightning. His face instantly turned deathly pale and drained of all color.
At this time, the bailiffs had already searched the house. They were all rubbing their palms together excitedly. Their eyes lit up as they rushed in. Immediately, there was a commotion, and the faint sound of women crying and cursing could be heard. Following that, the madam and daughter were dragged out by the bailiffs. Their hair was disheveled, and their clothes were torn, revealing a bit of their fair skin. The madam shouted, "Even if my husband is guilty, I am still the Honorary Title. How dare you!"
"You are not allowed to harass the womenfolk — please go into this room." Yin Lu glanced at it and said coldly to the yamen runners, "Check the storeroom, make a report on the prices of goods, and don't damage any of the items bestowed by the Emperor. Go!"
After the bailiff left, Yin Lu's expression changed. He frowned and sighed, "Brother Tong Nian, I had no choice. Please forgive me."
Tong Lin was in a daze as tears streamed down his face. After a long time, he spoke with difficulty, "What happened? Did the frontlines suffer a great defeat, and we still need Pei Zi Yun's help?"
Yin Lu glanced at him, his expression was complicated as he sighed, "Your excellency, even at this point, you are still thinking about the Imperial Court. What a loyal subject!"
"Loyalty is not the only thing that matters."
At this time, Tong Lin turned a few times and looked at Yin Lu in a daze, "Brother Nian, you should at least let me know why I died. What happened everywhere?"
Yin Lu had a look of pity on his face as he looked at the few bailiffs around him, "All of you, go and search the house. I want to speak to him."
The bailiffs retreated, leaving only the two of them in the yard. Yin Lu approached Tong Lin and whispered, "Your guesses are all wrong. Pei Zi Yun has passed the Lightning Tribulations."
"Lightning Tribulations?"
Seeing Tong Lin's confused expression, Yin Lu shook his head, "We are of the same age. I didn't expect you to meet a True Sovereign without knowing the inside story. Didn't you read about this at Han Lin?"
"This is a booklet I wrote about the Daoist. You're pressed for time, so there's no need to read the rest. Go straight to page 27."
Tong Lin took the booklet and flipped through it. The moment he read it, his face turned ashen. He then heard Yin Lu speak, "The Huo Dynasty was founded less than thirty years ago, and something like this happened. A Daoist who had passed the Lightning Tribulations was killed. In the end, this person was reincarnated, determined to overthrow the dynasty."
"This person was intelligent, and knew that the Huo Dynasty's fortunes were still stable. Hence, he founded the Heavenly Dao and expanded it in secret. On the other hand, he took the High Scholar's exams. Every time he saw someone who could ruin the dynasty's fortunes, he would donate and protect him. This caused his fortunes to rise and fall. Within thirty years, there were four powerful officials. The Imperial Court split into different factions and formed their own factions."
"Even if he didn't directly rebel, he still suffered the wrath of the heavens. Like any other ordinary person, he died at the age of seventy. However, in his third life, he destroyed all his Dao Arts and inherited the power he had in his previous life. First, he instigated chaos among the princes, and then started a rebellion."
"In the end, the Huo Dynasty was suppressed, but the dynasty was destroyed halfway. It barely lasted another thirty years before it collapsed. This was the lesson of history. Although his name was erased, his deeds were recorded." Yin Lu's voice was soft, but when Tong Lin heard it, his body trembled.
"His second life was destroyed, and he ruined the dynasty."
"Since Pei Zi Yun had passed the Lightning Tribulations, the Imperial Court did not wish to make such a strong enemy. Your booklet is now useless. Besides, the other party has already spoken. Your booklet stated that his house would be confiscated, and his wife and daughter would be given to the officials who had contributed greatly to the dynasty. Hence, you have to bear the consequences."
"This is the reason why you were so rude to your wife and mistress earlier."
When Tong Lin heard this, he awoke from his nightmare. He covered his face with his hands, "I … I never thought that I would end up like this after serving my country so wholeheartedly."
Yin Lu couldn't bear to see him like this, and said, "There's no turning back now. The Imperial Edict has spoken, there's no need to wait for orders. If you don't wish for your wife and daughter to become prostitutes for everyone to play with, or if you wish to be executed on the streets, then do it yourself. I've taken some responsibility, and this is the last thing I can do. Ai."
Hearing these words, Tong Lin's body trembled. After some time, he raised his head and spoke with much difficulty, "I understand."
"It's good that you understand."
The two of them looked at each other in silence. After a long time, Yin Lu waved his hands, "Go, and explain things to your wife and daughter. Leave with a clean slate. There's wine and a white cloth, you can use it yourself!"
He then said, "Brother Tong Nian, this was a last resort. Don't hold any grudges when you go to the underworld. I'm sure that after a few years, the Emperor will be kind to you."
Tong Lin's face was as white as snow, and he laughed bitterly, "Thank you, Brother Nian."
His body was like a machine as he walked to the room. Seeing Tong Lin enter the room, an official came to his side and asked in a low voice, "Your Excellency, why did you let Tong Lin in? If he and his wife and daughter were to die, what would we do if the higher-ups blamed us? "
Hearing these words, Yin Lu sighed and laughed coldly, "Do you really think that the higher-ups want to kill Tong Lin in the execution grounds, and even demote his wife and daughter to be prostitutes?"
"What do you mean?" The official who came over was of the seventh rank, but he didn't understand. As he asked, he felt a chill run down his spine. Yin Lu looked at the room, and the sound of crying could be heard coming from within.
"The higher-ups don't want to be stained with blood, and the Imperial Court can't harm a loyal official for no reason. Hence, it's wise for Tong Lin's family to die by their own hands. In the future, they will be rehabilitated, and they will be rewarded."
"However, Tong Lin has no choice but to die. If Tong Lin doesn't want to die now, he can only be sent to the execution grounds to be executed, and his wife and daughter will be demoted to prostitutes."
"If that's the case, it will be an official punishment, and it won't be easy to change in the future."
"Hiss!" When the official heard this, he sucked in a deep breath, and felt a chill run down his spine. He gritted his teeth, "Your excellency, is Pei Zi Yun really that powerful?"
"Yes, if not, why would Tong Lin kill him?" Yin Lu revealed a bitter smile.
From within the room, Tong Lin's voice could be heard. A young girl said that she didn't want to die, followed by the sound of crying. Tong Lin then said, "I've let you down, but think about your family!"
Both of them didn't speak, and just watched. Gradually, the room was filled with the sound of crying, and a shadow appeared behind the window. It was much taller than usual.
After some time, the official who was accompanying them realized that it was a stool.
"Father, mother, I'm leaving, I'm leaving first!" All of a sudden, a young girl screamed out. Following which, she leapt out of the window. At the same time, another woman couldn't bear to watch, and leapt out of the window as well.
No matter what, they couldn't avoid it. The two women struggled, and waved their hands. Through the paper window, they couldn't see the details of what was happening. All they could see was the shadows of people moving around. After some time, everything quietened down. Hanging, swaying gently …
At this point, the entire place was dead silent.
The official's face was ashen, and he was about to vomit. Yin Lu, on the other hand, was still holding on. He then shouted, "Where's the coroner? Hurry and examine the corpses."
As he spoke, Yin Lu walked in. With a single glance, he saw the two women swaying back and forth. He then turned his face away. Tong Lin had already drunk the poisoned wine, and was still writhing on the ground. When he saw Yin Lu walk in, he averted his eyes.
"Your excellency Tong, do you have anything else to say?" Yin Lu stepped forward and asked. Tong Lin revealed a bitter smile, as blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. He seemed to be in a frenzy, as he gripped tightly onto the flask of poisoned wine, "I was initiated at the age of eight, and started school at the age of fifteen. I learned to be loyal to my country. I have no regrets, but I hate, the Daoists … the Daoists stole the country …"
Before he could finish speaking, Tong Lin spat out a mouthful of blood. His body sank, and he passed away.
Yin Lu stood up, stupefied. He had been waiting for a coroner to walk up to him. After a thorough examination, he confirmed that there was no breath or pulse. He then nodded his head, "He's indeed dead."
As the door was opened, a gust of wind blew past. Yin Lu felt a chill run down his spine as he shivered. He stood there in a daze for a long time before sighing, "Brother Tong, you have no regrets even in death. I will report this to the Emperor. The Prime Minister will remember your contributions and will reward you in the future. He will not let you die without a good ending."
As he spoke, Yin Lu's face fell. He stopped watching and stood up to leave. Someone followed him and asked, "Your excellency, where are we going now?"
"I have an imperial edict, and I'm under orders to bestow gifts to Pei Zi Yun's parents." Yin Lu spoke expressionlessly, "Aren't you going to make the preparations?"
As he spoke, Yin Lu raised his head. The sky was filled with dark clouds, and rain was falling from the sky, hitting the ground. Everything was wet, and one couldn't see clearly.
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