Lin Yonghong

Biodata

Background

Lin Yonghong was Prince Jin’s eldest legitimate son. His mother died giving birth to him; Prince Jin remarried a year later, and Lin Yonghong’s younger half-brother, Lin Yongrui, was born the following year 19.

Although the brothers appeared to get along, Lin Yongrui was more popular in the fief and more highly valued by Prince Jin. When their father traveled to the capital to report on his duties, he brought Lin Yonghong but left Lin Yongrui in charge of affairs in the fief 19.

Personality

Lin Yonghong had been idle since childhood and indulged in wine and women. At his estate, he openly groped the women attending him and tried to lift Su Luoqian’s veil despite believing she was accompanying Lu Jingsi 9 19.

After his arrest, Lin relied on his status as Prince Jin’s son and initially remained defiant. His confidence collapsed after days in harsh prison conditions and no sign that his father would help him 18 19.

Story Role

The female corpse case

Evidence in the investigation into several murdered women pointed to Lin Yonghong. Lu Jingsi discreetly visited his country estate, while Su Luoqian separately entered the villa in disguise to investigate Peilan’s death 2.

Lu Jingsi later returned with Su Luoqian posing as a performer. Hoping to win Lu over, Lin showed them a secret chamber containing pleasure-enhancing items. Inside, they found belongings of murdered women, including Peilan’s sachet, as well as reddish stains that looked like blood 9 10 11.

Zhong Qin, the daughter of the minister of rites, was the fifth victim. Su Luoqian later learned that Xu Jia had persuaded Zhong Qin to dress as a maid and had been late to meet her; Lin then abducted Zhong Qin, apparently mistaking her for a maid 9 20.

Arrest and sentence

Lin’s villa guards resisted his arrest, and blood was spilled. At the Prison Administration, Lin initially claimed that his position as Prince Jin’s eldest legitimate son protected him 18.

Lu Jingsi left him in deteriorating prison conditions for several days, then raised his fear that Prince Jin preferred Lin Yongrui. With no word from his father and facing the threat of torture, Lin agreed to confess 19.

Lu presented the signed and thumbprinted confession and other evidence to the emperor. Lin begged his father to save him, but Prince Jin asked that he be judged according to the law. The emperor sentenced Lin to beheading 25.

Estate and Possessions

• Country estate — A carefully landscaped villa with pavilions, ponds and waterside terraces 9.
• Secret chamber — Hidden behind a display shelf opened by turning an ornament. It contained pleasure-enhancing items, unusual furniture, mirrors and strong incense 10.
• Locked wooden chest — Found beneath a display shelf in the chamber; Su Luoqian picked its lock with a hairpin 10.
• Pleasure incense and jade phallus — Lu Jingsi suspected Lin had arranged them in the villa’s eastern room 2.

Relationships

• Prince Jin — His father. Lin expected him to intervene after his arrest, but Prince Jin asked the emperor to judge him according to the law 19 25.
• Lin Yongrui — His younger half-brother and rival for their father’s favor 19.
• Lu Jingsi — Investigated him through the Prison Administration, gained access to his secret chamber and secured his confession 2 10 19.
• Su Luoqian — Investigated Peilan’s death and helped uncover evidence at Lin’s estate; Lin believed she was a performer accompanying Lu Jingsi 2 9 11.
• Peilan and Zhong Qin — Two women whose belongings linked Lin to the female corpse case 11 20.