Lin Zhenfan's head not only grimaced from the scalding tea but also suffered a gash, from which blood flowed.
He gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to kill the Emperor, constantly reminding himself that he was now the Great General of Zhennan, not the bloodthirsty master of the Dark Night Pavilion. He had to endure this.
When Lin Zhenfan unified the realm, he would personally torture and kill this dog emperor.
"Please, Your Majesty, forgive him. Zhenfan and the Empress have been very close since they were like brother and sister. Hearing that the Empress was unwell, he was very worried, so he returned early under the guise of celebrating the Empress Dowager's birthday," Lin Zhenfei quickly interceded for Lin Zhenfan.
"Yes, Father, please spare Uncle this time."
Prince Qing, Jun Moryao, also pleaded for Lin Zhenfan.
"All of you, shut up!"
The Emperor's pupils constricted, a flash of ferocity in his eyes. His face turned as dark as ink, and he bellowed.
The three people kneeling below immediately fell silent.
"Today, none of your pleas will work. If Lin Zhenfan wishes to avoid today's punishment, he can hand over the Tiger Tally that commands the Zhennan army to me as a substitute for his crime. After all, a general stationed at the border who returns to the capital without my decree must bear severe punishment. If I let you go today, I cannot account for myself to all the civil and military officials in the court," the Emperor said with a resounding voice.
Lin Zhenfan had anticipated the Emperor's actions before returning to the capital, so he had already devised a plan.
"Your Majesty, this subject is willing to accept punishment!" Lin Zhenfan said inwardly, filled with hatred.
He had to secure his legal presence in the capital because his secret stronghold, the Dark Night Pavilion, had been destroyed. He currently needed funds and manpower to rebuild.
"Good. Come, seize the Great General of Zhennan and have him whipped one hundred times. Then, drag him to the marketplace to be exposed to the sun for three days, with no one allowed to give him food or water. Violators will be executed!" the Emperor immediately ordered.
As soon as he finished speaking, two Imperial Guards entered and escorted Lin Zhenfan away to carry out the whipping.
At this moment, Prince Qing and Lin Zhenfei, who were still kneeling before the Emperor, were stunned by the punishment meted out to Lin Zhenfan.
This old Emperor was already resorting to ruthless tactics against the Lin family.
However, the Emperor was still unsatisfied with the outcome. He wished to seize Lin Zhenfan's military power at this opportunity, but Lin Zhenfan's military authority had been passed down for three generations in the Lin family, and it was not so easily relinquished.
He could only torment him physically, driving him into a corner to completely reveal his true intentions. He wanted to see how great the conspiracy of the Lin brothers truly was.
"Eunuch Li, convey my decree: the court officials who have just replaced Lin Zhenfan in taking punishment shall have their positions demoted by one rank and be fined three months' salary," the Emperor said sinisterly.
"Yes, this servant obeys!"
Eunuch Li replied in a high-pitched, nasally voice.
"And the two of you will also receive twenty strokes of the cane," the Emperor said coldly.
"Guards, seize them and have them punished as well."
Hearing the Emperor's command, Prince Qing trembled all over. Wuwu, how could he be so unlucky? He had just received acupuncture from the Valley Master of Ghost Valley yesterday and had been in pain for a long time. Today, he had to endure caning. His "little ancestor" below would be ruined.
Meanwhile.
Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan, after leaving General Leng's residence, were strolling through the streets in their carriage. As they passed the bustling marketplace, they happened to see Imperial Guards escorting Lin Zhenfan to be exposed in the market.
Leng Ruoli, sitting in the carriage, saw the scene through the window. She happened to notice the white jade thumb ring on Lin Zhenfan's finger and suddenly recalled something.
"Jun Mohan, when we fought the Master of the Dark Night in the underground palace in the Keqin Grasslands, did he also wear a white jade thumb ring on his thumb?" Leng Ruoli recalled the incident and said.
"Yes, he indeed wore a white jade thumb ring on his thumb, symbolizing his identity. What's wrong, Li'er?" Jun Mohan's brow furrowed slightly as he looked at her.
"Come here, look at the Master of the Dark Night's thumb ring and see if it's the same as the one on the hand of the person being escorted by the Imperial Guards on the street outside," Leng Ruoli pulled Jun Mohan to the carriage window and gestured for him to look.
Jun Mohan immediately recognized the identity of the person being escorted by the Imperial Guards. Was this not Lin Zhenfan, who had just returned to the capital this morning?
How could he possess the Master of the Dark Night's thumb ring? Could his other identity be the Master of the Dark Night? Jun Mohan felt it was increasingly possible the more he thought about it.
Leng Ruoli turned to look at Jun Mohan, who was deep in thought, and suddenly interrupted him.
"Jun Mohan, have you thought of something?" Leng Ruoli asked.
Hearing this, Jun Mohan did not answer her directly but retorted, "Li'er, have you also thought of him (the Master of the Dark Night)?"
Then, they looked at each other for a moment and smiled in unison.
"Lin Zhenfan is likely the master of the Dark Night Pavilion!" Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan said in unison.
"Let's go, we're going into the palace now to see Father," Jun Mohan's thin lips curved upwards slightly, as if smiling, because he and Li'er had discovered a shocking secret today.
"Alright!"
Leng Ruoli replied in agreement.
Then, Jun Mohan instructed Ye Ying to turn the carriage around and head straight for the palace gates.
Outside the palace gates, they happened to encounter Prince Qing and Duke Lin, who had just received their twenty strokes of the cane. They were being carried out of the palace gates by eunuchs in a disheveled state.
Upon seeing the King Leng couple, Prince Qing and Duke Lin intended to rush past them. However, when Prince Qing and Duke Lin saw Leng Ruoli's captivating beauty, they were both stunned on the spot.
After half a year, Leng Ruoli had become even more beautiful. Jun Moryao had truly been blinded by lust, treating a precious jade like a stubborn rock and discarding it, allowing Jun Mohan to take great advantage.
Otherwise, such a beautiful woman like Leng Ruoli would have long been his woman, Jun Moryao. He deeply regretted breaking off his engagement with Leng Ruoli and taking Leng Ruoshuang as a concubine, thus losing the support of the Leng General's mansion.
Duke Lin, standing beside Prince Qing, was also mesmerized by Leng Ruoli's peerless beauty upon seeing her again. This young girl from the Leng family was truly too beautiful. He felt that Leng Ruoli's appearance was even more stunning than her mother Xia Wan'er's in her youth.
Leng Ruoli's birth mother, Xia Wan'er, was also a renowned talented woman in the capital during her youth. In his youthful recklessness, he, Lin Zhenfan, had pursued Xia Wan'er, secretly confessed his love to her, but was directly rejected by Xia Wan'er. She had also informed him that the person she loved was Leng Jinyu, and other men were merely passersby in her life.
For this matter, he, Lin Zhenfan, had been dejected for several days. Later, he came to understand that Xia Wan'er would never look favorably upon him, Lin Zhenfan. Therefore, he collaborated with Liu Ruyi to have Xia Wan'er killed, preventing Leng Jinyu from obtaining the woman he loved.