Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

In the second year of Xuanji, in the middle of the eighth month.

With the fall of Yingcheng, the rebel army was annihilated, and several prefectures in Jiangnan were pacified with a single proclamation.

Before the smoke of battle had completely dissipated and the iron hooves of the Hanyuan Army had ceased their advance, a storm as ruthless as military conquest, and even more devastating, had already silently and swiftly swept through the cities, water towns, and even the deep mansions of powerful families in Jiangnan, following the news of victory.

The eye of this storm is no longer the enemy on the battlefield, but the blood and tears of injustice hidden beneath the dust of time and the splendor of prosperity, involving a long-standing case concerning the current emperor Xiao Chen's birth mother, Consort Lin, and her family, the Lin clan of Jiangnan.

Since Xiao Chen ascended the throne and posthumously honored his birth mother, he secretly reopened the investigation into the massacre of the Lin family years ago. Clues, like spider webs, gradually pointed to Jiangnan under the meticulous investigation of the Cautious Punishment Department and the Privy Council's undercover agents.

Those who framed and participated in the massacre of the Lin family included not only Zhao Chong and his core cronies, but also many local powerful figures, clerks, and even military scoundrels from Jiangnan who acted as accomplices and took advantage of the chaos.

Some of these people were purged when Zhao Chong was defeated and killed, but many more took advantage of the chaos when Jiangnan changed hands, either by changing allegiances or by concealing evidence of their crimes, and transformed themselves to continue to act arrogantly and domineeringly. Some of them even openly or secretly fueled the current rebellion of Xiao Rong and Xiao Min, intending to regain their wealth and power.

Now that the rebels have been quelled and the Jiangnan region has been initially pacified, it is time to thoroughly eliminate the rebels and settle accounts.

On the very day that news of Han Lie's victory in capturing Yingcheng and the Xiao Rong brothers arrived in the capital, Xiao Chen's decree was sent out via the fastest courier, covering 600 li. It contained only a cold, succinct sentence: "Immediately investigate the Lin family's old case. All those involved, regardless of their position or role, once verified, shall be executed on the spot without further reporting, and their entire families wiped out as a warning to others. The Lin family shall be exonerated, and a monument erected to redress their injustice."

Following the imperial edict was a list of names and summaries of crimes, compiled jointly by the Privy Council and the Censorate, and stamped with the emperor's seal; the list was several inches thick.

Han Lie held the heavy, blood-stained imperial edict in his hands, remaining silent for a long time.

He understood that this was not an ordinary post-war reckoning; it was the emperor's pent-up rage and excruciating pain, suppressed for more than a decade, and the ultimate revenge of a son for the massacre of his mother's family.

There was no leniency, no compromise, only the most thorough cleansing.

"Zhou Meng, Chen Dao."

Han Lie's voice rang out in the command tent, carrying a metallic chill, "Jiangnan has been pacified, but the lingering poison has not been eradicated. His Majesty has decreed a thorough investigation into the Lin family's old case and the purge of the remaining rebels. This matter is entrusted to you two, together with the special envoys dispatched by the Privy Council and the Censorate. The list is here; follow the clues carefully, ensuring that no one is missed and no crime is pardoned."

Zhou Meng took the list, glanced at it, grinned, and a bloodthirsty glint flashed in his eyes: "It should have been done long ago! These blood-drinking, flesh-eating beasts followed Zhao Chong in committing evil deeds, harming Consort Lin's entire family, and now they still want to get away with it? Your Majesty is wise! I'll personally lead men to arrest them!"

Chen Dao remained calmer. He carefully reviewed the summary of the evidence and slowly said, "General, some of the people on the list are now local officials, gentry, or elders. Some of their families even contributed to the 'military aid' or 'troop morale boost' during this suppression of the rebellion. If we act suddenly, it may cause local unrest and be detrimental to post-war reconciliation."

Han Lie glanced at him, his gaze icy: "Governor Chen, His Majesty's meaning is very clear—no need to report, execute him on the spot. This is a crime of national and personal vendetta, unforgivable."

When they framed loyal officials and slaughtered the entire Lin family, did they ever think about the "shock"? Did they show even a shred of mercy? As for the so-called "aid in supporting the army," it was nothing more than opportunism and an attempt to whitewash their actions.

Such treacherous and bloodthirsty individuals deserve to die! Not only should they be killed, but they should also be publicly executed to make it known to the world, so that everyone can see what the consequences are for framing loyal officials and colluding with rebels!

Only by repaying blood with blood, and by making an example of others, can we truly deter the wicked, comfort the loyal souls, and ensure long-term stability in Jiangnan!

He paused, his tone chilling: "As for appeasement... appeasement with the blood of these treacherous officials is far more effective than a thousand pieces of silver and grain. Execute it. Anyone who obstructs will be treated as an accomplice. What His Majesty desires is a clean and peaceful Jiangnan, where the weeping souls of the Lin family are no longer to be heard!"

"Your subordinates obey!" Zhou Meng and Chen Dao replied sternly.

A purge far more ruthless and precise than battlefield combat was about to begin.

The iron cavalry of the Hanyuan Army, carrying arrest warrants stamped with the seal of the Privy Council and the emperor's special decree, and guided precisely by the secret agents of the Shenxing Division, pounced on each name on the list like the Grim Reaper in the night.

In Jinling, on the banks of the Qinhuai River, stands a grand mansion with carved beams and painted rafters.

The owner of the house was once a tax collector under Zhao Chong. In order to curry favor with Xiao Han, he fabricated charges against the Lin family, accusing them of "colluding with pirates" and "colluding with enemy countries." He personally led a group to raid one of the Lin family's villas, tortured and killed more than ten of the Lin family's servants, and robbed them of countless valuables.

After Zhao Chong's defeat and death, he gave away some of his ill-gotten gains and donated a sinecure. Now he is a well-known "philanthropist" in Jinling City, where he often gives away porridge and medicine.

That night, as he was enjoying a song and dance performance with his beautiful concubines, the gate of his mansion was suddenly kicked open.

Zhou Meng arrived in person, read out the charges in court, and, ignoring the family's cries and so-called "good deeds" defense, ordered his men to arrest all of the family members, young and old, as well as the main accomplices and more than a hundred servants.

Three days later, in the bustling city of Nanjing, this man, along with the male members of his three clans and the main accomplices from that year, totaling more than two hundred people, were publicly executed on charges of "framing loyal officials and aiding the rebels in their cruelty and murder."

His family property was confiscated, his residence was sealed off, and the antiques and paintings that he had seized from the Lin family were inventoried and displayed to the public.

Suzhou, on the shore of Taihu Lake, a wealthy man's manor.

This family provided Zhao Chong with false evidence of "the Lin family's rebellion" and sent private soldiers to assist in the capture of Lin family members, using cruel methods.

Later, seeing the winds shift, he "turned against" Xiao Han when he was defeated and was credited with saving his family business.

Now that the fortified villages are strong and they have amassed loyal followers, they think they can rest easy.

Chen Dao led the elite troops of the Wave-Treading Battalion, taking advantage of the night to sneak to the water gate of the fortified village, where they used gunpowder to blast open the sluice gate and stormed in.

After a fierce battle that lasted until midnight, the fortified village was breached, and those who stubbornly resisted were to be killed without exception.

The wealthy man and his three sons, who were involved in the incident and were the main henchmen, were executed on the spot and their heads were displayed at the gate of the village. The remaining accomplices were severely punished according to the law.

The land deeds for the Lin family's land, which had been allocated to them years ago and stored in the fortified village, were all searched out and burned in public.

A county government office in Hangzhou.

The county magistrate was the same clerk who handled the Lin family's "treason case" years ago. He tampered with the case file, tortured them into confessing, and caused the deaths of several members of the Lin family.

After several promotions, he eventually became the head of a county government.

Han Lie's elite guards stormed into the county government office, dragged him out from the back room, stripped him of his official robes, and put him in shackles.

With the entire county watching, his crimes from that year were read aloud, and he was immediately taken to the execution ground, where he was beheaded along with his accomplices, including the criminal advisor and jailer.

The original case file that had been altered was also found and made public in the county government archives.

Jiangling, a secluded manor.

Hidden here is an executioner who once served under Zhao Chong, specializing in executing "wanted criminals." Several members of the Lin family's collateral branches died tragically at his hands.

After Zhao Chong's defeat and death, he took the huge reward money and went into hiding here, changed his name and surname, married and had children.

After months of surveillance, the secret agents of the Censorate finally located the suspect.

Zhou Meng sent troops to surround the village, but the man resisted stubbornly with weapons and was killed by a hail of arrows.

Although his family members were not directly involved in the events of that year, they enjoyed the bloody spoils. According to the decree, the three clans were punished together, the manor was searched and confiscated, and many of the gold and silver jewelry found still bore the Lin family's mark.

The cleaning was thorough and bloody.

The list included everyone from local officials who had once been Zhao Chong's confidants and had now "submitted" to the soldiers who had stormed into the Lin family's house to loot and the local ruffians who had given false testimony. No one escaped the net.

The execution site could be in the bustling city center, at the site where the Lin family was murdered, or at the execution ground where the rebels were killed.

Each execution was preceded by a loud-voiced soldier who would publicly read out the defendant's crimes, their connection to the Lin family's wrongful conviction years ago, and the emperor's decree to exonerate the maternal grandfather's family.

One by one, heads fell to the ground, and mouthfuls of blood splattered, filling the air of early autumn in Jiangnan with a heavy stench of blood.

Fear spread like a plague among officials, gentry, and even ordinary people in Jiangnan.

Some tried to plead for mercy, some tried to bribe officials, and some even fled overnight, but all of this was in vain under the iron fist of the Hanyuan Army and the pervasive surveillance of the Shenxing Division.

Han Lie strictly carried out Xiao Chen's order—no need to report, execute him on the spot and exterminate his entire family.

At the same time, the rehabilitation and exoneration were also being carried out simultaneously.

The Lin family ancestral home was rebuilt on the site of the former residence, with special funds allocated by the imperial court. The Lin Family Martyrs Shrine was constructed.

The ancestral hall enshrines the memorial tablets of Consort Lin, her parents, and other relatives of the Lin family who perished. It details the Lin family's long-standing reputation for integrity, their loyalty to the emperor and love for the people, and the circumstances of their false accusations and persecution.

Han Lie personally supervised the construction and required the officials of all prefectures and counties in Jiangnan to personally attend the ceremony to pay their respects.

In major cities in the Jiangnan region, such as Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, local officials issued official proclamations detailing the entire Lin family case, announcing the names and charges of those involved, declaring the complete exoneration of the Lin family, restoring the reputations of all victims, and returning the seized land and residences.

Those upright officials who were implicated in the Lin family case, dismissed, or exiled were all given compensation, reinstated, or posthumously awarded.

Xiao Chen personally wrote an article to commemorate his maternal clan, denounce the treacherous officials, and clearly state the law. This article was engraved on a stone tablet and erected in front of Lin clan ancestral halls and government offices in various places, and was called the "Zhaoxue Stele".

The bloodbath and the exoneration, like two sides of light and shadow, unfolded simultaneously on the newly settled land of Jiangnan.

The swift and decisive killings deterred all those with ulterior motives and those who had colluded with the rebels; while the solemn exoneration and commemoration soothed the people's hearts, demonstrated the emperor's filial piety and justice, and further showed the court's protection of the loyal and virtuous and its zero tolerance for evil.

As the storm of the purge gradually subsided, the gentry and common people of Jiangnan, amidst their shock, gradually came to understand an undeniable truth: the blood debts of that year had never been forgotten; the young emperor who reigned in the capital not only possessed the military might to sweep across the land, but also carried unforgettable memories and an inviolable taboo.

The injustice suffered by the Lin family, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people, was finally a bloody and thorough vindication, with ten or even a hundred times more lives lost.

The skies over Jiangnan were completely transformed by the blades of the Han Yuan Army and the will of the Emperor.

From then on, the memory of this land will not only include the gentleness of the water town, but also the ruthless and bloody purge carried out to avenge loved ones.