Chapter 3: Family Ruin and Death

Zhou Yuexue stood before the window and slowly turned around, looking down at Lin Jinyan with a smile

"Little sister Jinyan is ice-clever and snow-bright; you must know the principle that when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked. Now that the Gu army is no longer needed, it must naturally be eradicated. Keeping you and your brother alive before was only out of fear that the Gu army might truly rebel."

"I must say, Old General Gu truly doted on you two siblings. He voluntarily handed over the military tally, telling His Majesty that as long as you two were treated well, the Gu family would never enter the barracks again. But your very existence is a stain on His Majesty. As long as you are around, others will remember that His Majesty relied on a woman to ascend to the throne. Tell me, how could he possibly let you live?"

Lin Jinyan’s tears fell even more heavily. Her grandfather and uncle had done it for her! They had surrendered their lives and fortunes, all to trade for her and her brother’s safety!

Yet even so, the Emperor had not spared her, had not spared the Lin family, and had certainly not spared the Gu family who had helped him ascend to the throne!

It was all because of her that the Gu family had suffered this disaster! That her grandparents had died! That her cousin had been crippled for life! That her father and brother were trapped in the palace, their fates unknown! It was all because she, Lin Jinyan, had wrongly trusted a villain!

Thinking of this, Lin Jinyan felt as if her internal organs were being burned by fire, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

Zhou Yuexue feigned concern: "Oh my, little sister Jinyan, are you alright?"

With her chest and mouth covered in blood, looking like a vengeful ghost, Lin Jinyan said, "Zhou Yuexue! You and Chu Chengyao will not die a good death!"

"It is one thing for you to curse me, little sister, but how can you curse the Emperor of the current dynasty? I don't mind, but the Gu family, I fear, truly will not die a good death. His Majesty cannot kill all three hundred thousand of the Gu army, so he can only ruin the Gu family's reputation. Tell me, what could ruin a military general's reputation more than treason? If others were to say the Gu family committed treason, it wouldn't be very credible, but what if it came from Grand Tutor Lin, the leader of the literati?"

Watching Lin Jinyan’s face turn increasingly pale, Zhou Yuexue felt a sense of satisfaction and continued

"What if the ironclad proof of treason was produced by the Lin family? The Lin and Gu families are in-laws, and Grand Tutor Lin is the teacher of all scholars under heaven; the evidence produced by the Lin family would naturally be believed by the world.

The Gu family has fought in Mobei for years, killing countless enemies. Now that they have been exiled to the Mobei border, I fear their prospects are grim.

I heard that a few days ago, that crippled young General Gu couldn't withstand the freezing cold during the exile; his old wounds flared up, and he was left with only a breath of life. Who knows if he is dead or alive now."

Lin Jinyan asked urgently

"How is my cousin? And my aunt? My aunt is from Cang Sheng Mountain; how dare you touch her? My father and grandfather could never frame the Gu family! You actually used forged evidence to ruin the innocence of both the Lin and Gu families! How cruel! How utterly shameless!"

Zhou Yuexue laughed: "You really are naive. Does the Lin family consist only of your grandfather and your father? Your second uncle and cousin are also members of the Lin family, and they are far more sensible than you two."

"As for your aunt, while it is true that one should not easily provoke people from Cang Sheng Mountain, your aunt followed them into exile of her own volition, and His Majesty could hardly stop her. It is just a pity for your sister-in-law, suffering such hardship at such a young age."

Lin Jinyan leaned blankly against the wall, tears streaming down her face. It was over; no one could save the Gu family now... Grandfather, Uncle, Aunt, Sister-in-law, Cousin, Father... wait, Father!

Lin Jinyan ignited a glimmer of hope

"What about my father? You have already achieved your goal; when will you release my father and my brother?"

Zhou Yuexue smiled sweetly

"Your brother, Lin Jin'an, is the beloved of Princess Yunxi, so he is naturally with the Princess. As for your father...

I had someone inform him of the news of your grandparents' deaths this morning; he should be grieving for the two elders right about now."