Chapter 73 If you miss someone, then miss them.
When his grandson called out his name, Old Master Lin's chest heaved violently a few times, and a furious glint flashed in his cloudy old eyes. He pointed at Chen Boyuan, who was trembling like a leaf, and his voice trembled with excitement: "If Yan'er asks, I will tell you today!"
"That scoundrel surnamed Chen, before the New Year, when the imperial court issued silver for disaster relief, he outwardly exchanged it for rice, grain, charcoal, and firewood and distributed it to the disaster-stricken people, acting all respectable! But your sixth uncle's son, Lin Cong, that kid has been good at arithmetic since he was a child, when he helped with the distribution, he did a quick check and found something was wrong!"
The old man took a breath and continued angrily, "The supplies distributed are less than half of the silver allocated by the imperial court! I'm a straightforward person, so I went to the county government to question this corrupt official right away. I even told him that if he dared not return the silver he swallowed and distribute it to the people, I would write to you and your father and have them file a complaint against him at the Ministry of Personnel!"
"He was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he didn't dare to utter a word. He only claimed that the imperial court's silver was distributed in two batches, with half being distributed first and the other half to be distributed after the New Year. What a smooth excuse! But am I so easily fooled? I stared at him and watched him pretend to distribute the so-called other half of the supplies to the people before he finally gave up! He must have held a grudge because of this, which is why he dared to come to my door to cause trouble and make things difficult while my family was in mourning, trying to find a fault to bite back!"
Lin Yan's face darkened completely after hearing this.
He looked at Chen Boyuan, whose face was ashen, and said in a voice so cold it could drop ice: "Magistrate Chen, is what my grandfather said true?"
"Slander! Utter slander!" Chen Boyuan suddenly looked up, his voice sharp yet weak. "This humble official has never embezzled even half a tael of disaster relief funds. The distribution of supplies has always been carried out in batches according to regulations, and there are accounts to prove it! Old Master Lin is probably old and senile, and has misremembered the amount, or has been instigated by villains! Lord Lin, you can see for yourself, this humble official is loyal to the court, how could I do such a corrupt thing?"
As Chen Boyuan spoke, he seemed increasingly convinced of his own justification, even attempting to straighten his back a little more, and shouted with feigned bravado: "Even if, even if Lord Lin wants to pursue this matter, it should be done according to the law! Investigate, interrogate, and report! I am, after all, an official appointed by the court; how can I be convicted based on one-sided testimony and mere speculation? Although Lord Lin holds a high position, he has no authority to directly punish me! If he wants to take action, he must report to the Ministry of Personnel, and..."
"By what?" Lin Yan interrupted him, his tone even carrying a strange hint of amusement. He slowly stood up, looking down at Chen Boyuan. "Does Magistrate Chen think that because the emperor is far away, even officials from the capital have to follow procedures and rules, and can't do anything to you?"
Chen Boyuan's thoughts were exposed, his lips trembled, but his eyes revealed a stubborn glimmer of hope.
Lin Yan suddenly chuckled softly, but there was no warmth in his laughter. He slowly straightened the sleeves of his mourning clothes, as if he were dusting off some kind of dust.
"Kim Gu," he called out softly.
Jin Jiu, who had been standing silently half a step behind Lin Yan like a shadow, moved upon hearing the sound.
Everyone only saw a blur before their eyes, and before they could see the action clearly, Chen Boyuan, who had been trying to straighten his back, was kicked hard by a huge force and fell heavily to his knees again. This time, he lay flat on his stomach, his chin hitting the cold blue bricks with a dull thud that made their teeth ache. The pain made his vision go black, and his screams were stuck in his throat.
Jin Jiu stepped on Chen Boyuan's back, pinning him to the ground, and with his other hand, he pulled something out of his pocket and raised it high.
It was a black iron token, reflecting a cold and intimidating light under the pale white lamplight of the mourning hall. Ferocious dragon patterns coiled around it, and a huge "御" (Yu) character seemed to carry immense power, making everyone breathless.
"Seeing this decree is as if His Majesty were personally present!"
The entire mourning hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
All the guests, along with the Lin family, were terrified. They all knelt down with a thud, burying their heads deep in their knees, not daring to even breathe.
Chen Boyuan, who was being trampled on the ground, was even more terrified. The token was almost poking into his eyes. The cold dragon pattern and the character "御" were like a red-hot branding iron, burning his soul so much that it screamed.
An imperial edict! It was actually an imperial edict that represented the emperor himself!
How did Lin Yan manage to do that? His Majesty actually bestowed such a token upon him? What immense trust and favor this shows!
Chen Boyuan felt a bone-chilling cold rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His whole body trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind, his teeth chattered, and he couldn't even beg for mercy. All that remained was boundless fear and despair.
Lin Yan slowly walked up to Chen Boyuan, squatted down, looked at his pale face, and spoke in a tone that could even be described as "gentle," yet it was more terrifying than any harsh rebuke: "Magistrate Chen, now, do you think I have the right to deal with you directly?"
“Oh, right,” Lin Yan said, his tone becoming even more “humble” as if he had just remembered something, “he is probably trusted by His Majesty a little more than you, Magistrate Chen, might imagine.”
He held up his finger and made a tiny gesture.
"So, you embezzled disaster relief funds and oppressed the people." Lin Yan's voice suddenly turned cold. "I can take your official hat off right now, do you believe me?"
Chen Boyuan finally managed to find a voice amidst his immense terror; it was a broken, tearful wail: "I believe you! I believe you! Lord Lin, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life! I was blinded by greed! I embezzled! I know my crime! I beg Lord Lin for mercy! Spare my dog's life!"
Tears streamed down his face; all traces of his previous official demeanor had vanished, replaced by the most humble pleas for mercy.
Lin Yan frowned in disgust, stood up, and didn't look at him again. He only said to Jin Jiu indifferently, "Take him away and take a look. From now on, seal up the county government's account books and warehouse, and control his family, servants, and all others. They must not make any rash moves. I will personally try this case after I have dealt with my family matters."
"Yes." Jin Jiu answered crisply and decisively, dragging the muddy Chen Boyuan out like a dead dog.
The mourning hall remained completely silent. Everyone was still kneeling on the ground, their minds trembling with shock at the sudden and swift action.
Lin Yan took a deep breath, turned around, knelt down again in the direction of the spirit bed, and respectfully kowtowed three times.
"Great-grandmother, I have dealt with the scoundrel who disturbed your peace. You can rest assured now."
His voice regained its calm and solemnity, as if he were not the one who had just decided the life or death of a county magistrate with a single sentence.
After kowtowing, Lin Yan turned to the still kneeling crowd and said softly, "Please rise, everyone. The funeral will continue. I apologize for disturbing you all."
The crowd then seemed to wake from a dream, and they scrambled to their feet, their eyes now filled with an indescribable awe as they looked at Lin Yan.
Grandpa Lin watched his grandson's retreating figure, his lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing. His eyes, however, were filled with a turbulent mix of emotions: lingering fear, relief, and an indescribable sense of shock and complexity.
Lin Yan knelt back in her original position, her eyes lowered, as if everything that had just happened was just a minor incident.
Only he knew that his hand, hidden in his sleeve, was clenched slightly.
The token Xiao Che gave me is really useful.
However, I need to quickly write a secret report to Xiao Che about this matter.
Although he had a blank imperial edict in hand, dealing with Chen Boyuan was not an urgent matter and did not warrant the use of Xiao Che's painstaking efforts.
Or should we write a secret report and have Jin Jiu send it back to the capital, so that Xiao Che can officially issue an imperial edict and send a new county magistrate?
Lin Yan stayed in the mourning hall for a while longer. Seeing that the number of relatives and friends who came to pay their respects was gradually decreasing and the ceremony was temporarily over, he quietly bid farewell to his grandfather for a moment.
The old man looked at his grandson with a complex and indescribable expression. He simply waved his hand, signaling the grandson to leave.
Lin Yan got up. His legs and feet were slightly numb from kneeling for a long time. After moving around a bit, he walked to a quiet room that had been temporarily set up next to him.
Jin Jiu had been waiting silently outside the door. When he saw him coming, he nodded slightly and held a simple set of writing implements in his hands.
"Thank you for your trouble," Lin Yan said softly, pushing open the door and entering.
The room was simply furnished with only a table and a chair, and the daylight filtering through the window made it appear rather dim.
Lin Yan sat down at the table, spread out the paper, ground the ink, and dipped his brush in the ink.
After a moment's thought, Lin Yan began to write with the methodical and clear style of a Hanlin scholar drafting official documents.
[Your subject, Lin Yan, respectfully reports: On the nineteenth day of the first month, during the funeral of my great-grandmother at my ancestral home in Luozhou, I encountered Chen Boyuan, the magistrate of this county, who, under the guise of offering condolences, openly provoked me before the coffin, accusing me of exceeding the prescribed funeral rites and harboring malicious intent. My grandfather, enraged, testified that Chen Boyuan had embezzled more than half of the funds allocated by the court for disaster relief during the cold wave earlier this year. Although my grandfather exposed him on the spot and forced him to make up the difference, Chen Boyuan held a grudge and thus made this obstruction. When I questioned him, Chen Boyuan flatly denied it, displaying arrogance and attempting to evade responsibility by claiming that I needed to report according to legal procedures and had no authority to directly handle the matter.]
As Lin Yan wrote this, a smile unconsciously crept onto his face. It felt really good to complain to His Majesty.
[Your Majesty, I am fortunate to have received Your Majesty's trust and the imperial edict. Seeing this edict is as if Your Majesty were personally present. In this critical moment, I requested to present the edict, and Chen Boyuan immediately confessed to his crimes of embezzlement with fear and humility. I have already ordered Jin Jiu to detain him, and the county government's account books have been sealed, and relevant personnel have been detained to await further judgment. This matter arose suddenly, and in order to deter villains and purify the mourning hall, I had no choice but to take extraordinary measures to handle this matter first. I humbly beg Your Majesty's forgiveness for my presumptuous actions. After the funeral rites are completed, I will thoroughly investigate this case and report the facts to Your Majesty.]
After finishing the official part, Lin Yan's brushstrokes naturally softened. He started a new line, and his handwriting seemed to become slightly more casual and intimate, reflecting his mood.
[Furthermore, without Your Majesty's imperial decree today, even though I am in the right, I fear I would have been unable to quell the matter so quickly, and the mourning hall would have been in turmoil, and my family would have been disgraced. Your Majesty's grace is as swift as an arm, enabling me to protect my family and ensure the posthumous honor of my great-grandmother. Your Majesty's token is truly invaluable. Today, I have experienced firsthand what it means to borrow power from someone else, and I am deeply grateful and feel quite powerful.]
As the pen moves on, emotions subtly shift.
The study was quiet, with only the soft scratching of a pen across paper. The faint sound of weeping coming from outside the window accentuated the tranquility and stirred up deep-seated longing.
If you miss someone, then miss them.
Lin Yan dipped his brush in ink, lowered his eyes for a moment, and finally, almost instinctively, added a line of small characters at the very end of the report, which was completely out of place with the style of the preceding official document and whose handwriting appeared even more gentle and tender.
[Having completed my official duties, I humbly submit this private message: Although matters at home are numerous, all is well, so please do not worry. Your Majesty is diligent in your duties, and I earnestly hope you will take care of your health. Your subject thinks of you constantly.]
After finishing writing, Lin Yan put down his pen, picked up the paper, gently blew on the ink to dry it, looked at the last line of words, his ears slightly burning, carefully folded the letter, put it into a special envelope, sealed it with sealing wax, and then called out, "Jin Jiu."
Kim Gu pushed open the door and entered, his face still expressionless.
"Send this secret report to the capital immediately and present it to His Majesty." Lin Yan handed over the envelope.
Kim Gu took it with both hands, stuffed it into his pocket, nodded crisply, and said, "Yes." He then turned to leave.
"Wait a minute," Lin Yan suddenly called out to him again.
Kim Gu stopped and turned around to await instructions.
Lin Yan touched his nose, his gaze drifted to the side, and his voice lowered, carrying a hint of awkwardness: "Um, if His Majesty asks... cough, just say that everything is fine here, so there's no need to worry, and that His Majesty should take good care of himself."
A very subtle change seemed to flash across Kim Gu's expressionless face, so quick as to be almost imperceptible. He bowed again and said, "Understood."
This time, seeing that Lin Yan had given no further instructions, he flashed away and quickly disappeared outside the door, then began to arrange for people to send this secret report, which mixed official business and personal feelings, to the capital as quickly as possible.
Lin Yan sat quietly alone in the room for a while, gently exhaled, suppressed the ripples in his heart caused by longing, composed himself again, stood up and straightened his mourning clothes, pushed open the door and went out, returning to that sorrow and solemnity, kneeling before the coffin, his back straight, as if the young man who had just revealed his private feelings on paper was just an illusion.
Only Lin Yan himself knew that the secret report that had already embarked on its journey to the capital had quietly taken away a few unspeakable worries from him at this moment.
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