Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 669 What are they most afraid of?
When Xia Lin arrived in the capital, no one spoke.

No one uttered a single word about disobeying the imperial decree or the crime of deceiving the emperor. Even though he led the new army and stormed into Jinling City, it was as if everyone suddenly went blind on that day.

The air in Jinling was fresh after the spring rain. The horseshoes of the cavalrymen clattered crisply on the stone road, disturbing the peaceful sleep of some.

But Xia Lin was not in the queue. He was currently in the mass grave outside the city, wearing armor and squatting in front of An Zi's grave, taking out pastries he had brought from Xuzhou.

Anzi loves sweets, even to the point of having some cavities. She especially loves the plum bean fruit from Xuzhou, which is coated with a layer of glutinous rice flour specially used for desserts and has a slightly crispy outer shell. Inside is a stringy sugar syrup that can stretch quite far with a single bite. Anzi particularly loves this.

Xia Lin placed the pastries in front of An Zi's grave, patted his tombstone but didn't say anything. They fought for a while in the drizzling rain, water droplets dripping down the edge of the armor and gathering into puddles at their feet.

"Alright, I won't bother you anymore."

After saying that, he was about to turn and leave, but after taking only two steps, his cloak got caught on the locust tree on Anzi's grave. Xia Lin paused and looked back at Anzi's tombstone.

"Alright, alright," Xia Lin laughed. "So reluctant to part with you? I promise you, this time I will definitely bring you back to life. Flesh and blood might be a bit of a stretch, but with An Zi's name, you will surely be above the stars."

A breeze blew, the branches swayed gently, and Xia Lin's cloak fluttered open. He patted the water off his clothes and said, "Look at you, still so greedy for fame."

As Xia Lin entered the city, the guards at the gate automatically parted to make way for him. Even the most troublesome yamen runners from the Jingzhao Prefecture, who were responsible for the investigations, could only shrink back and hide to the side.

There were still quite a few spoiled brats on the roadside, but upon seeing this bright red armor, almost everyone immediately turned away, silently praying that this BYD would not see their face.

Xia Lin walked briskly along the street, attracting the attention of countless people. Of course, many officials also saw him. After all, it was a day off, and many people came out to enjoy the spring and listen to the rain, and there were quite a few people who wanted to appear cultured. However, when they saw Xia Lin piercing the warmth of early spring with such murderous intent, the expressions on everyone's faces became unnatural.

He's back, and in such a high-profile manner. What does that mean? It means he's not afraid at all.

Of course, they could use their familiar tricks to try and bring down Xia Lin, but before they could, they might have to experience what it means to be blessed by heaven with both thunder and rain.

What's even more frightening is that they don't actually know whether Xia Daosheng's return this time is related to Anmus. If it is, then those who drove Anzi to his death step by step are probably in for a world of hurt.

As Xia Lin walked forward, people kept coming out from both sides of the road to follow him. These people included scholars, minor officials, merchants, soldiers, and even some common people who looked down on them. There were men, women, old and young.

When Xia Lin reached the palace gate, he looked back and saw that the road beside the moat behind him was already full of people.

They were all getting soaked in the rain, and just stared at Xia Lin with longing eyes. Almost everyone had their lips pursed, and some even had red eyes.

The flames of hatred could still be faintly seen in their eyes, and one could imagine how much more ruthless those returning militias had become in the days following the Legalist defeat.

When An Zisheng and Xia Lin discussed this before An Zisheng's death, they came to a common conclusion: the people trust the law. It's not that the law gives the people an opportunity, but rather that the people give the law an opportunity. If they miss this opportunity, people will find their own way to resolve injustice.

The Legalist charge ended abruptly with Anzi's death. They were defeated, and in the days that followed, what the Legalists had helped others reclaim was not only taken back, but may even have been plundered even more severely.

So when they are now disillusioned with the law, they begin to seek another solution.

Or perhaps, for them, Xia Lin in her red armor was simply an option; they hoped that Xia Lin could break through the palace gates and return what rightfully belonged to them.

At this moment, the palace gate slowly opened. In the eyes of many, it was a man-eating beast. Xia Lin disappeared little by little into the deep, dark doorway in full view of everyone.

The palace gates slowly closed again, but Xia Lin just sat in the corner and let out a long sigh. He was not afraid of thousands of troops, but he was really afraid of those eyes that were filled with hatred and expectation. He was afraid of disappointing those ordinary and mundane expectations, but he also knew that now was not the time.

At this moment, his psychological pressure is about to exceed the threshold.

"General Xia, His Majesty is waiting for you in the study." The old eunuch bowed and brought his large face close to Xia Lin's face: "General Xia, are you feeling alright? Do you need to rest? His Majesty has instructed that if you need to rest, you should go to the Hall of Longevity to rest for a while."

"No need. It would be inconvenient for a foreign official like me to enter the inner palace."

"It's very convenient. His Majesty has given special consideration. The palace maids and concubines in the palace are at Marshal Xia's disposal."

"He's fucking sick."

The old eunuch shrank back, pretending not to hear...

Without taking a break, Xia Lin went straight into the Liangyi Hall after catching his breath. As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Emperor Jingtai playing with a dog.

The old eunuch had already retreated at the door so he didn't announce Xia Lin's arrival. However, the sound of his armor and boots was too high-pitched for Emperor Jingtai to recognize, even with his back to him.

"Hey... Brother Yellow Turban, you're back."

Xia Lin rolled her eyes and sat down on the steps next to her. "The people of the capital are about to rebel! They escorted me all the way to the palace gates today, just waiting for me to raise my arms and shout, 'Are kings and nobles born with special privileges?' And you're still playing the dog here?"

"What can I do?" Emperor Jingtai picked up the dog and stood up. "They're trying to force me to submit using this method. Whoever I ask to deal with them, they'll deal with them. If I don't care, they'll slander me. The country is lawless, and the country will cease to exist. Do you think the people are waiting for you, but I'm not?"

"What you said was a bit too ambiguous."

"It doesn't matter."

Emperor Jingtai put the dog into the cage, turned around and poured Xia Lin a glass of water, handing it to her: "It's just the two of us here, so I'll reluctantly pour you some water."

Xia Lin laughed: "That's really unfair to you."

"It's not unfair," Emperor Jingtai said, taking a deep breath. "Dynasties come and go, and families have existed for millennia. I can't outmaneuver them. They always find a way to surprise me. Now that Anzi is dead, they're going to teach me a lesson."

"I heard that a few days ago the people beat the man who was causing trouble with Anzi's body to death?"

"Yes, it was me, Zhang Zhongchun, and your little apprentice who did it." Xia Lin slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "You three have nothing better to do? Do you know what will happen if people find out? Huh?! I'm risking my life outside to protect your dilapidated, garbage dynasty, and you're sabotaging me at home?! There's a limit to nonsense! You're the emperor, not some thug from the martial arts world. You have more important things to do, not to kill a few troublemakers! Do you deserve the title of 'Long Live the Emperor'? Do you deserve your father's expectations? Do you deserve the hopes of all the people in this city?!"

Emperor Jingtai didn't respond at this moment, but silently moved to the door: "Hey you, hurry, hurry, quickly invite Minister Zhang here."

Old Zhang had just finished eating. He had come over from the central government after receiving the news, but when he got close to the entrance of the Liangyi Hall, he heard Xia Lin raging inside. Old Zhang's first reaction was to run away.

But the guards at the door blocked his way, saying, "His Majesty has ordered that once Zhang Shizhong arrives, he is not to leave."

Hey! You guys!

After Lao Zhang was pushed inside, Xia Lin slammed his hand on the table and pointed at Lao Zhang: "You're a damn old bastard, almost forty years old, what nonsense are you spouting all day long! Do you still think you're as lawless as you were when you were twenty? If you fall, all these years of planning will be ruined, and you won't even be on the side of righteousness. You son of a bitch, Zhang Zhongchun, I really want to smash you to death with a hammer."

Just as he and Emperor Jingtai had predicted, Xia Lin went on a rampage after learning about the matter. Seeing Emperor Jingtai's aggrieved expression, Old Zhang knew that he had been thoroughly scolded on his way here.

Old Zhang also lost his temper at this moment. He put his hands on his hips and said, "Those beasts used firecrackers to blow up Anzi's body. You weren't here. If you were here, you would be even more ruthless than me. Don't think I don't know what kind of person you are."

"That's right." Emperor Jingtai also realized what was going on: "They blew up Anzi's body."

Xia Lin rolled her eyes: "Who?"

"I know, I know." Emperor Jingtai quickly stepped forward: "Besides the two who died, there was also the youngest son of the Prince of Lanling's Changchun branch, the nephew and niece of the Luo family of Yuzhang's Guilin branch, the youngest son of the Huang family of Jiangxia, and the youngest son of the Lin family of Xihe's Danping branch."

Xia Lin got up and walked out without saying a word.

"Where are you going?!" Emperor Jingtai hurriedly chased after him. "Didn't you say that a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan, and that I should avoid conflict? What are you trying to do?"

"You are the pillars of stability in the capital, while I am a rogue soldier from the wilderness. Should I avoid your sharp edge?"

Emperor Jingtai called out to Xia Lin a few times but couldn't stop him. He turned around and exchanged a glance with Old Zhang, and the two chuckled: "You really do understand him."

"That's called shifting the blame; otherwise, he could have been yelling at us all afternoon."

Xia Lin walked out of the palace gate, clapped his hands, and saw the new recruits and elite soldiers jogging to assemble on both sides. Then he led these people to head towards the families mentioned by Emperor Jingtai.

The first stop was the residence of the Prince of Lanling. The servants at the gate sensed something was wrong and quickly closed the gate to inform the head of the family. But no sooner had they bolted the gate than the new army's battering ram blasted it open.

The crowd outside erupted in cheers, but Xia Lin ignored them and led his men inside, then secured all the entrances and exits.

At this moment, the guards from the Wang family mansion came out with a group of bodyguards, but as soon as they arrived, they encountered the Jinling Training Corps, which dared to charge head-on against an army of 200,000.

The murderous aura and imposing presence were overwhelming for ordinary guards. They did indeed come out armed, but the officers of the training regiment turned their heads in unison, their weapons only half-drawn, and the guards immediately cowered.

"Kneel down!" Xia Lin rolled his eyes. "Anyone who refuses to kneel will be killed without exception."

The guards immediately knelt down. At this moment, the old patriarch of the Wang family hurriedly put on his clothes and came out. Although his family was not the main branch, they were still the famous Langya Wang family, a family that once shared the world with the Wang and Ma families. When had they ever been insulted like this?

He tried to confront Xia Lin, but Xia Lin simply reached out and shoved his head aside. Then, the training group pulled the kid who had thrown firecrackers at An Zi out from behind.

"take away."

With a single word from Xia Lin, the boy was carried away like a chick, crying out, "Father...Mother! Grandmother! Help! I don't want to die!"

The Wang family members were about to get up and stop them, but at that moment the New Army's swords were drawn, and their eyes flashed with a fierce light, meaning that if these people took another step forward, their swords would come down.

When he was dragged out the door, the people outside cheered again. Xia Lin had no time to show off his victory. Instead, he turned around and went straight to the residences of the Luo family of Yuzhang, the Huang family of Jiangxia, and the Lin family of Xihe.

The Luo family of Yuzhang were old acquaintances, a branch that had migrated from Jiangnan. They had been in contact with Xia Lin before. When they heard the reason, their family members were so upset that they beat their chests in despair, and then they handed him over on their own initiative, which was quite straightforward.

The remaining two families were different. They were really stubborn and even ordered their guards to attack the training regiment. But the training regiment was full of howling wolves. How could they tolerate their grievances?
They were beaten... They were soldiers from Fuliang, they didn't know any prestigious families or what it meant to have immense power, they only knew that they had to obey Commander Xia's orders.

If Xia Lin hadn't given prior instructions not to kill anyone, today would have been the day his two families were wiped out. But after this beating, he probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed for at least ten days or half a month.

This move became the talk of the town in Nanjing that very day...

"He went crazy as soon as he came back!?"

"It's said that he has a very good personal relationship with that Anmus. A few days ago, those kids from those families used firecrackers to blow up Lord An's body. Now that he's back, how can they expect to get away with this?"

"Then you really can't blame anyone. I was furious when I heard it. If you drive someone to their death, you can drive them to their death, but how can you allow a junior to desecrate their corpse?"

"Who says it isn't?"

Several minor officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture were whispering among themselves when the Jingzhao Prefect strode in, and the two of them immediately fell silent.

At this moment, the Prefect of the Capital looked extremely unpleasant, and he returned to his seat and slumped down.

"Sir, you don't look well. Are you feeling unwell?"

"It's chaos, complete chaos! The imperial court has ordered me to go to the new army to demand people back. Who among you will go?"

The two clerks hurriedly picked up the files on the table: "Sir, my brother Siming and I happened to be going to the Ministry of Justice today to verify the death row inmates. It's a matter of life and death..."
-
The trial is tomorrow. Let the law decide everything, and leave the outcome to the law!
(End of this chapter)