Chapter 109: The Great Fire
Old Master Lin, Lin Jiren, Lin Zhishu, and Lin Zhili, the four of them, were dragged and hauled over by Household Soldiers.
The Commander’s gaze was like a knife, scraping over the few people.
The four looked extremely wretched, Old Master Lin was dispirited, as if he might pass away at any moment.
Lin Jiren’s face was full of tear streaks, his eyes vacant and lifeless.
Lin Zhishu was trembling like chaff, with several scratches on his face.
One side of Lin Zhili’s cheek was badly swollen, with spots of blood on his face and clothes.
“Kill them, kill them all… hehehehe… kill them all…”
The naked madwoman in the distance was still chattering nonstop.
The Commander spoke coldly: “Do you know who the bandits are?”
The four remained silent.
Zhao Ba shouted angrily: “Answer!”
The four all shuddered.
Lin Jiren shook his head and said: “We don’t know.”
Lin Zhishu widened his eyes and hurriedly said: “Xie Er! Xie Er knew, but unfortunately he is dead…”
Zhao Ba was about to berate again but was stopped by the Commander: “Xie Er? Explain carefully.”
Lin Zhishu explained how Xie Er managed ships for the Lin Family. Although it was a private ship, in the Smuggling-ridden Southeast Coast, it was not a big deal. Moreover, now that the Lin Mansion was destroyed, they could not worry about other things.
The Commander frowned tightly and thought to himself that this Lin Mansion Ship Manager must have had his ship robbed in the Southeast sea area, been coerced, and revealed information about the Lin Mansion, which led the bandits here.
He gazed intently at the Lin Mansion fire and pondered that the Lin Mansion was somewhat prominent and had connections with many southern sea defense Garrisons. Ordinary Sea Bandits would not target Lin Mansion ships.
Could it be… Li Kuiqi?
The Commander thought it bad; Li Kuiqi was elusive, and if it was his crime, once he escaped into the Sea, it would be hard to catch him again.
Lin Zhili spoke up, his speech slurred as he added: “The bandit leader was called Ship Master.”
“Ship Master” was just another term for Ship Captain, like Helmsman or stern oarsman, and had no particular Sea Bandit connotation.
But for a major Sea Bandit like Li Kuiqi, his subordinates usually called him Leader, which was different.
Of course, it was also possible that Li Kuiqi, to avoid detection, had his subordinates use a different title during the Plunder.
“What did the bandits look like in build and appearance?” the Commander pressed.
Lin Jiren: “The leader was somewhat tall, of medium build, with sharp eyes and a ferocious demeanor.”
Lin Zhili interjected: “And one of his lieutenants was broad-shouldered and burly, tall and enormously strong. Right, and there seemed to be a woman too.”
Hearing this, the Commander grew even more puzzled. He knew Li Kuiqi’s appearance; it must be that tall lieutenant, but then who was the leader? It couldn’t be Li Dan from Kyushu Island personally coming to rob the Lin Mansion?
“What accent did the bandits speak in?” the Commander asked again.
“The tall one had a Shandong accent. Most of the other bandits had Fujian-Guangdong accents. The leader spoke Official Language, but with a faint Jiangzhe accent, seeming… seeming like a local…”
A Jiangzhe local? Medium build? Ship Master?
The Commander had a realization and already guessed who the bandit was. He suddenly stood up and ordered his subordinates: “Let’s go, back to the Garrison!”
“Giddyup!”
With a flick of the Reins, he rode ahead, followed closely by dozens of Household Soldiers who mounted their horses. The hoofbeats thundered like lightning, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Hahahaha… hehehehehe… I’ll kill you all! Kill you all!”
The madwoman’s laughter mixed with the crackling of the massive fire.
The Clerk and Patrol Inspector both led their men away. Seeing that the Lin Family was already done for, neither bothered with the courtesy of coming forward to bid farewell.
The militia team walked up to Lin Jiren and said awkwardly: “Master, the fire is too big; we can’t save it.”
Lin Jiren said despondently: “I know. Disperse, everyone disperse.”
The team leader acknowledged and dismissed the militia.
The raging fire attracted many local villagers to stop and watch.
Someone commented: “Look at their Manor; wood is great—it burns so fiercely.”
“Do you smell it? There’s a fragrance in the smoke; it smells like rosewood to me.”
“The fire is only burning inside the compound and not spreading outside. Do you know why? It’s because the gable walls and fire alleys are well built!”
The speaker seemed to have been a Servant in a great household and was very familiar with their layouts. He explained the functions of gable walls and fire alleys to the surrounding villagers, drawing exclamations of admiration.
“The Lin Mansion is indeed a benevolent family; when building the Manor, they even considered that if it caught fire, it wouldn’t affect the surrounding commoners. Rare indeed.”
“Hahaha… old Mister, you don’t understand. Gable walls and fire alleys were originally to guard against the commoners—to prevent commoners’ fires from affecting the Lin Mansion.”
Amid the crowd’s comments, a naked woman rushed over with a hideous grin, looking utterly deranged.
“Hehehehe… kill you, kill! Kill you all!”
The crowd, seeing the madwoman’s terrifying face and her muttering inauspicious things, grew frightened and scattered.
“Father, what about Concubine Li?” Lin Zhili supported his father and looked toward the madwoman in the distance.
Lin Jiren glared at her fiercely and said hatefully: “Capture her first. Once things settle, find a remote spot and dunk her in a Pig Cage!”
Lin Zhili agreed, a flash of vengeful pleasure in his eyes.
Rumble!
On this clear day, a peal of muffled thunder suddenly roared.
The Lin Family father and sons were greatly startled. Lin Jiren collapsed to the ground and looked up at the sky, lost in thought.
Lin Zhili hurriedly helped his father up.
Rumble!
Another clap of thunder, and the previously clear sky suddenly began to rain.
The rain came fiercely, turning into a downpour in an instant, with dark clouds quickly covering the sky.
The villagers watching the fire all ran home to shelter from the rain.
The Lin Mansion fire gradually died out in the rainwater.
Lin Zhili instructed the Servants, and four sturdy Servants quickly walked toward Concubine Li.
“Hahaha… kill them all… what are you doing? I’ll kill you! Kill them all… wuwuwu…”
The Servants imitated the bandits, grabbed a handful of mud from the ground and stuffed it into Concubine Li’s mouth, then used the rope left by the bandits to bind her mouth.
Concubine Li finally made no more noise. Her hands were twisted behind her back by the Servants, and in great pain, she bent over, tears streaming down her face as she struggled constantly.
Lin Jiren helped up Old Master Lin and led the clansmen back to the Mansion.
The compound was full of ruined walls and broken beams; the former pavilions and towers had turned to charred ruins.
The group headed to the Backyard. Fortunately, most of the Backyard buildings were intact, so the masters of each branch would not be without a place to stay.
It seemed the Mansion’s fire alleys and Back Alleys had contained the fire—this was the foundation of a Noble Family!
As soon as they entered the inner compound, the Lin Mansion people, who had previously been panicked like homeless dogs, regained their confidence.
Lin Zhili arranged for Servants to attend to the masters of each branch for rest and changing clothes, and also sent people to clean up the mess outside the main gate.
“Second Young Master, what about Concubine Li?” a Servant asked.
Resentment appeared on Lin Zhili’s face: “Lock her up somewhere for now; deal with her another day.”
“Yes.”
