Chapter 264: Chapter 261 Mourning
Emperor Yuan Hui, Yuwen Jing, paced anxiously behind the screen, while Lin Yushu’s face was deathly pale. She feigned calmness, which to Emperor Yuan Hui looked like someone afraid of his reprimand.
The Marquis Zhenbei’s rebellion and regicide were now a foregone conclusion. Regardless of what the Marchioness said before her death, the Marquis Zhenbei murdered Emperor Jianming in front of countless witnesses; he could not escape guilt. Nearly five thousand men from the Forbidden Army and the Northern Iron Cavalry perished. For the first time, this bustling capital witnessed such upheaval—far worse than when the late emperor was burned alive in the palace.
The corpses were all transported to the outskirts of the city to be burned en masse. Tens of thousands of soldiers worked through the night to clean up the capital and cover up the event. Yet, such a massive slaughter—how could it possibly be concealed? Chaos engulfed the city; everyone witnessed the carnage, a sight that shook them to their cores. Terrified of inviting disaster upon themselves, the citizens shut their doors and refused to step outside. Emperor Yuan Hui was consumed with handling the city’s riots, dealing with the Marquis Mansion’s kin, preparing for his ascension, and orchestrating purges.
Speaking of purges, he accused the Marquis Mansion of rebellion, warranting the extermination of nine generations of their kin.
The Marquis Zhenbei lineage spanned five generations. Strangely enough, during these five generations, males were dominant while females were scarce. Apart from this generation’s eldest daughter, Xie Junhua, the lineage of the Marquis Zhenbei had always borne sons. A veritable house of war gods, but regrettably, the sons rarely lived long—father and brothers alike fell one after another on the battlefield. Those who remained were either crippled or ruined, leaving no heirs. By the time of Xie Yuan, only he remained, solitary and alone.
The Marquis Zhenbei had eight older brothers, all of whom were married before his own wedding. These eight brothers collectively fathered five children, but during a family relocation, they were slaughtered by "bandits." Though labeled banditry, it was always a miscarriage of justice, and in the end nothing came of it. Thus, of the Marquis Zhenbei’s line, only Xie Jue and Xie Xun were left.
The nine generations of the Marquis Mansion extended to the Lin Residence.
The Feng Mansion was not considered part of the Marquis Mansion’s nine generations. However, Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao became entangled in the rebellion, broadening the scope of the purge. Furthermore, Feng Wan was married to Prince Duan and pregnant with his child.
When the Jinyi Guard surrounded the Feng Mansion, Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao, despite their injuries, fiercely resisted. A mysterious contingent of troops even joined, causing the Jinyi Guard repeated setbacks. This was yet another crime to account for.
Even if Emperor Yuan Hui wished to favor Feng Shu, he could not show overt partiality. Hence, Feng Changqing and Su Yuejiao were thrown into prison.
The Minister of the Ministry of Justice was overwhelmed with headaches. Recently, the Ministry of Justice’s prisons had been overrun—not just with military generals who had distinguished themselves in battle but also with the family heads of major noble clans. Most of the generals remaining in the capital had been rounded up, but thanks to Marshal Fang’s efforts upon his return to the capital, the generals managed to catch their breath without being completely annihilated.
The noble families fared no better. Six thousand members of the Kyoto Capital Guard followed Xie Xun in their flight, including numerous scions from prominent houses—Lin Xiao, Zhang Boxin, and Zhou Liyu among them.
Any noble sons involved in rebellion would implicate nine generations of their clans. After years of intermarriage among the noble families, their lineages had grown sprawling and interconnected. If pursued to the bitter end, no noble family could escape unscathed.
In the Jinluan Palace, Marshal Fang confronted Emperor Yuan Hui.
"You want to annihilate the noble families? Then go ahead and add the Fang Family to your list! My sister is Lady Zhou, so I too count as part of the Zhou Family’s nine generations. Kill me along with the rest! Why would the noble sons rather follow Xie Xun out of the capital, abandoning their clans and forsaking luxury? Your Majesty, ask yourself—have you upheld the responsibilities of a sovereign ruler?"
Emperor Yuan Hui’s face turned grim, though he refrained from lashing out. Nevertheless, he bore the pressure and executed over a dozen scions of noble families.
Lin Xiao, too, was implicated in the rebellion, pulling the Lin Family into the maelstrom. Lin Cheng, however, was a major contributor to quelling the rebellion and rescuing the emperor, and he was also the Prince Consort. The Lin Family set an example for other aristocracy by publicly expelling Lin Xiao from their clan, erasing him from the family registry. From that moment on, Lin Xiao had no ties to the Lin Family.
Other noble families with sons tied to the Kyoto Capital Guard followed suit, expelling their errant youth. Zhang Boxi, although indecisive by nature, refrained from joining Zhang Boxin in rebellion. However, he committed one major act: he secretly burned the Kyoto Capital Guard’s rosters. On the night of the chaos, a fire broke out at the Kyoto Capital Guard Office, destroying all recorded lists.
Thus, no one could truly account for which six thousand guards were involved in the rebellion. In their own way, Zhang Boxi had shielded the families of those impassioned young men.
Following Elder Lin’s death, Lin Hongyuan and Lin Hongcheng observed mourning rules and withdrew from the political center to escort Elder Lin back to his ancestral home for the funeral rites. Amid the storms of courtly upheaval, Lin Helin stayed in the capital to manage the Lin Family’s affairs and stood in as the de facto Family Head. Despite Marshal Fang’s best efforts to mediate, he could only barely prevent Emperor Yuan Hui from launching full-scale massacres.
Lin Helin united the noble families in petitioning for mercy, offering their estates to replenish the national treasury. In doing so, they managed to obscure the devastating blow suffered by the aristocracy amidst the chaos.
Though their wealth was scattered to the wind, at least their lives were spared.
Emperor Yuan Hui finally felt satisfied. The noble families knew their place; his imperial heart was pleased. He ceased his pressure and refrained from further persecution.
Lin Helin preserved the core strength of the noble families by retreating strategically.
With their sprawling branches and roots, the noble families had always been the backbone of the Yanyang Dynasty. Emperor Yuan Hui, no matter how crazed, dared not truly exterminate them. As long as they retained even a single breath, he could slowly seize control.
Emperor Yuan Hui also realized that his heavy-handed slaughter of late had frightened the Empress. Unable to suppress his guilt, he spoke gently to reassure her, "My Empress, your advice is wise. Feng Shu’s terror and fainting are not your fault. I will not blame you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The Empress smiled gracefully.
Zhang Lingzheng emerged from behind the screen and knelt before Emperor Yuan Hui, who questioned him, "How is Feng Shu?"
Zhang Lingzheng struggled with how to address Feng Shu. She had married Xie Zhang under the blessings of heaven and earth, per the orders of their parents and matchmaker—a union impeccable by custom.
Even though Xie Zhang had died on the night of their wedding, never consummating the marriage, she remained Xie Zhang’s wife.
The marriage rites had been completed!
Yet she was now imprisoned by Emperor Yuan Hui in Yongning Palace—a residence historically reserved for the favored concubines of the Yanyang Dynasty—located closest to Qiankun Palace.
Zhang Lingzheng said, "Miss Feng is overwhelmed with sorrow and has not had a drop of water. This has disrupted her digestion and thrown her humors out of balance. Her condition is not critical, but if she continues to wallow in grief, I fear... longevity may elude her."
When he detected Feng Shu’s pregnancy, he was nearly overcome with joy, wishing he could kneel and pray fervently for the Eldest Young Master in heaven to bless the young widow and safeguard the child.
He resolved to spare no effort in protecting her and the bloodline of the Eldest Young Master.
But is joy even possible?
Emperor Yuan Hui stood outside the screen and said faintly, "Feng Shu, as long as you eat obediently and remain at Yongning Palace, I will release your parents. What do you say?"
Feng Shu clutched her abdomen and cried silently, tears running down her face and soaking the pillow.
Zhang Lingzheng urged, "Young Madam, you are with child. Cherish yourself. The Eldest Young Master’s spirit will surely protect you both. Your father and mother are grievously injured in prison, receiving no medical treatment, their lives hanging by a thread. Ayu has been forcibly escorted far from the capital by Feng Changqing’s personal guards.
Through her blurred tears, Feng Shu saw Xie Zhang sitting by her bedside, smiling warmly as he stroked her cheek. "Shu’er, we are going to have a child. Are you happy?"
Brother, I’m so terribly sad!
Down the Huangquan Road, you’ll have to wait for me... for so long... for so long!
Xie Zhang chuckled softly, "It’s all right. Shu’er, take your time. Come find me in sixty years. I’ll still be wearing my wedding robes, waiting for you."
Feng Shu wiped her tears away and struggled to rise, "I, as your humble servant, wish to mourn my late husband for one year at Xiangguo Temple. I beg for His Majesty’s permission!"
Emperor Yuan Hui’s expression turned cold and fierce. He smashed an entire porcelain set. Feng Shu’s every word danced on the edge of his tolerance. "Don’t even think about it. From now on, you will be my Noble Consort!"
When the emperor’s wrath flared, corpses littered the land for miles. The palace maids and eunuchs all knelt, trembling with fear, none daring to move. Lin Yushu thought, He truly is becoming increasingly unhinged.
Feng Shu said quietly, "I, as your humble servant, wish to mourn my late husband for one year at Xiangguo Temple. I beg for His Majesty’s permission!"