1.21 This circle is truly chaotic

When Lin Rui returned to the Lin manor, it was already nearing the start of the Hai hour (9:00 PM).

He did not rush to the inner quarters to clarify matters. Instead, he stood in the main courtyard, hesitated for a long time, then entered the main hall. He slowly knelt before the heavy nanmu wood coffin placed in the center, allowing the cold, stark light of the white candles on the altar table to shine upon his face.

The ease with which he had spoken to the Yangzhou Prefect earlier was built upon a cruel premise: abandoning the investigation into Lin Ruhai’s cause of death and tacitly accepting that the Cheng family, having suffered significant financial losses from the He family, had acted out of desperation and madness.

Although anyone with a shred of common sense knew this excuse was total nonsense.

Even if the Cheng family had truly lost three million taels, it would be, at most, painful for them. It would nowhere near be enough to shatter their foundations, nor would they be so foolish as to assassinate an Imperial Salt Administration Commissioner—a crime of treason.

To wager the lives of one’s entire clan over a fit of pique was not something a person of sound mind would do.

Unless the Cheng family had already prepared to "launch a major undertaking," ready to raise an army the moment the deed was done.

But was that even possible?

Not every wealthy salt merchant was a Zhang Shicheng.

The higher-ups in the various Yangzhou government offices either knew or could guess that the mastermind involved the Second Prince. At the very least, they understood the issue originated from the highest levels, and a small number had even been tipped off in advance.

That was why they had stood by with folded arms when Lin Ruhai was assassinated, why they had all pretended not to see when the Lin manor was engulfed in flames, and why they remained silent about the death of the Emperor’s trusted confidant, the Salt Commissioner.

They understood that even if this case reached the capital, it would sink like a stone into the sea, vanishing without a trace—just like the ending in *Dream of the Red Chamber*. Despite being one of the core officials of the Jiangnan region, he died in complete silence.

Lin Rui wanted revenge, but there was nothing he could do. He even had to use this tragedy as a bargaining chip to negotiate benefits with those disgusting, corrupt officials. Perhaps he was still too upright; he couldn't bring himself to be shameless, nor could he truly act as if nothing had happened.

"Brother Rui, what is the matter?" After an unknown amount of time spent kneeling, a familiar female voice sounded from behind him, and the hall became brighter as lanterns were brought in. "Didn't you say you were going to meet with the Yangzhou Prefect to discuss matters?"

"Madam, you haven't slept yet?" Lin Rui’s expression faltered. He prepared to stand, but his knees were so painfully sore that he nearly stumbled, forcing him to steady himself against the coffin as he rose. "The discussion is finished. I just came to visit my uncle."

"Finished?" Jia Min’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. "How long have you been back?"

"What time is it now?" Lin Rui frowned and rubbed his knees.

"The third watch drum just sounded outside." Jia Min felt a pang of heartache and wanted to step forward, but she stopped herself. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I’d come over to take a look, and I didn't expect to find you here—hm? Were you... crying just now?"

"How could that be? Something must have gotten into my eyes on the way here." Lin Rui reached up and realized his face was indeed covered in tears. He hurriedly wiped them away. "I didn't realize it was so late. You should go get some rest."

Without waiting for a reply, he strode toward the exit.

"Did it not go well?" Jia Min couldn't help but ask.

Lin Rui paused.

"No, it went very well." After a long silence, he let out a long sigh. "It’s just that my heart feels uneasy."

"Can you tell me about it?" Jia Min looked worried and took the initiative to walk to his side.

"...Forget it!" After a moment of hesitation, Lin Rui felt he should talk to someone about it. He wanted to speak, but paused, looking back at the coffin in the hall. "It is late. Let us return first."

***

He strode toward the back garden. Jia Min, realizing the setting was inappropriate, cast a complex look at the coffin and followed.

The waning moon hung like a hook.

In late April, the temperature in Yangzhou was no longer cold, though the difference between day and night was significant. The cold moonlight falling upon them made one feel a chill, yet also made one feel increasingly clear-headed.

"Anping?" In the pavilion, Jia Min’s form of address became formal.

"I have made you worry, Madam." Lin Rui, who had been lost in thought, snapped back, a wry, helpless smile appearing on his face. "Today... I failed my uncle. When I was at the Yangzhou Prefect’s office this evening—"

He did not hide anything and gave her a detailed account of his discussion with the Prefect. Right now, he had no one else to consult.

"So, the Master's case... is just like this?" Jia Min had begun to weep. Her understanding of court politics was profound enough that she grasped the implications of those conditions almost immediately.

"At least, for now, it is." Lin Rui nodded slowly. "Madam, it is not that I do not want to avenge my uncle, but the person behind this... with our current capabilities, a blind pursuit would serve no purpose other than to cost us our lives. To be honest, this is the first time I have truly realized how important status within the government is. Even back when I was a hunter in the wilderness, with only a wooden spear and a small knife in my hands, I never felt as miserable as I do now."

When he first arrived in this world, he hadn't thought much, only wanting to ensure he wouldn't starve. With his immense strength, hunting was easy, and he had quickly made a name for himself. It wasn't until he heard of Lin Ruhai, the Zhen family, and the four great families of Jinling that things changed. Perhaps it was due to his growing perspective, or perhaps it was the "Golden Hairpin" dream in his heart, but he no longer wanted to hunt. A starving man only wants to eat; a man who is full begins to think of much more.

Yet, he still hadn't aimed too high. He only thought of clinging to the Lin family,蹭ing (basking in) their benefits, hoping they would take him to greater heights. His thoughts toward Lin Daiyu were largely limited to the "Golden Hairpin" fantasy. As for Jia Min, she was something of a "goddess" in his heart.

He knew Lin Ruhai would die young, so he had tried his best to save him, using every method he could think of: daily check-ups, strengthened security, constant inquiries, and so on. Unfortunately, against a "dimension-reduction strike" from the very top, these efforts were worth nothing.

Previously, with the labels of "Lin clansman" and "Lin Ruhai’s nephew," his life had been easy. Today was the first time he realized what his status really was in the eyes of others without those labels, and how quickly "tea cools when the person leaves" in the imperial court—Lin Ruhai hadn't even been dead for a month, and he had already vanished from the Yangzhou official circle.

If it was like this on his own home turf, what would it be like in the capital, thousands of miles away?

"What do you intend to do?" Seeing him drifting into thought again, Jia Min couldn't help but ask.

"Climb." Lin Rui’s expression turned fierce. "By any means necessary, regardless of the cost!"

Jia Min’s expression flickered.

"So, that is why you agreed today—" After a long silence, her tone was complex.

"In my uncle's case, the assassins were unknown, but the Cheng family provided the support," Lin Rui said bluntly. "Everything in Yangzhou is just small fry, because the mastermind involves the Second Prince."

Jia Min froze completely. No matter how she had considered it, she never expected it to be so exaggerated.

Lin Rui was being so direct because he did not want to cause any misunderstandings. He hated the "guess what I’m thinking" nonsense; guessing only turned small problems into major troubles, dragging simple matters into endless, foul-smelling sagas that were useless.

"Is that so?" He just didn't expect the beautiful woman to recover so quickly.

"I cannot guarantee that I can get revenge; we both understand the reason why," Lin Rui said, not hiding his true thoughts. "But those are matters for the future. For now, besides patience and intentionally playing the fool, the most fundamental thing is to climb."

"Yes, climb!" A strange expression gradually appeared on Jia Min’s face. "Since it involves the Second Prince, if you don't climb, let alone revenge, you might not even get a chance to see his face, right?"

"Madam?" Lin Rui always felt something was off. Since he first saw this beautiful woman, his impression of her had been that of a standard matriarch of a great family: dignified, virtuous, gentle, yet possessing the necessary grandeur. But now, her... how to put it? For some reason, he was reminded of an interesting modern cinematic image: Huang Rong, from *The Return of the Condor Heroes*. Her appearance hadn't changed, but there was something in her temperament and gaze that made him nervous.

"The current Emperor has many heirs, but only the first two have any real hope of ascending to the throne," Jia Min said, ignoring his suspicion and raising the topic to a higher level. "The First Prince and the Second Prince. The First Prince was born to the current Empress Sun; he is the undisputed eldest legitimate son, currently still in his studies, and highly praised by the court. The Second Prince’s biological mother is Noble Consort Wu, whose maternal grandfather is the Minister of Rites, Wu Lun, known as the 'Ancestor of Culture'."

"The Noble Consort’s father is the Minister of Rites?" Lin Rui was stunned. "Are you sure?" By conventional logic, the head of the pure-hearted scholars would never send his daughter into the palace to make his family a consort clan. It went against their very foundation.

"In selecting the mistresses of the inner chambers, this dynasty generally follows the Ming system, primarily choosing women from respectable families, like Empress Sun, whose family were scholars, her father only a doctor at the Imperial Academy." Jia Min understood his doubt. "But they also learned from the weakness of the late Ming harem. After most princes marry their primary wives, they usually wait a year or two to take in a concubine of higher birth. When choosing, aside from avoiding military families, there aren't many restrictions—but this refers to the status of ordinary princes."

"The Retired Emperor originally designated the eldest legitimate son—the one now called Prince Yizhong—as the Crown Prince. The current Emperor was the fourth-born and had no claim to the throne. He loved reading and poetry from a young age and was known as a 'virtuous king.' Minister Wu was a great scholar of the realm; even the Retired Emperor did not treat him merely as a subject. Hearing that he had a daughter of marriageable age, the Emperor happened to be present and spoke the marriage proposal. Since it was the 'Golden Word,' Minister Wu naturally had no reason to object."

What kind of compensatory measure was this? The Princess Consort was of low birth, leaving the prince’s children inherently lacking support. The secondary consort was of high birth but low status—the woman herself didn't matter, but the children were born with a "background." It sounded like a balance of power, but in practice, it was a ticking time bomb. Unless only the Princess Consort bore sons, any other prince would be the seed of domestic chaos. If you added outside instigators, they would be fighting like a pot of porridge!

Wait. Were only the princes like this?

"With the Second Prince's background, he would actually go so far as to commit assassination?" Lin Rui was completely confused.

"Minister Wu also holds the title of 'Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince' and was the mentor of Prince Yizhong since his enlightenment. He has been quite dissatisfied since the incident of the attempted coup." Jia Min explained the reason in a single sentence. "The current Emperor respects him very much."

The Retired Emperor, the deposed Crown Prince, the Emperor, the Empress, the Noble Consort—

This circle was truly chaotic!