Xue Lin

Biodata

Background

Xue Lin lost both parents while still young. Their deaths changed him from a mischievous boy into a withdrawn youth whom Sichen described as almost lifeless. He remained troubled by the unresolved circumstances of their deaths and continued seeking answers 77 105.

Afterward, the emperor arranged for him to study alongside the crown prince in the Eastern Palace. The crown prince frequently mistreated him, but Xue Lin chose not to complain: he felt his uncle had already done enough for him and did not want to damage the relationship between father and son. He also continued studying with teachers at home 59 133.

Appearance

• Handsome features: Admired for his looks as well as his academic achievements from childhood; even Tong Fengye is briefly disarmed by his smile 33 131.
• Fair complexion and clear eyes: Described with fair cheeks and sharply defined black-and-white eyes 33 69.
• Resemblance to his father: His face and eyes strongly recall Prince Yong, affecting both the emperor and the empress dowager 115 133 134.
• Restrained expression: Usually maintains a composed face, rarely smiling openly during his early appearances 18.

Personality

Xue Lin is reserved, economical with words, and practiced at concealing his feelings. He reports assassination attempts with almost mundane calm and suppresses visible anger even when Tong Aning notices it. His composure can appear cold or frightening, particularly during criminal investigations 32 39 51 96.

His restraint does not mean he lacks affection. He avoids reporting the crown prince’s bullying out of consideration for the emperor, cherishes small gifts, and takes Tong Aning’s advice seriously. Her company gradually brings back his humor, appetite, and willingness to imagine a future beyond his parents’ deaths 96 119 128 133.

He also has a sharp, teasing side. He trades dry insults with Sichen and turns fraudsters’ own claims against them. Sichen recognizes this behavior as a return of the playful temperament Xue Lin had before his bereavement 51 105.

Abilities & Skills

Criminal Investigation

Xue Lin combines observation, background inquiries, interrogation, and coordinated arrests.

• Bluffing suspects: Falsely attributes knowledge of Yuan Xiu’s fratricide to a monk, provoking Yuan Xiu into confirming the accusation 39.
• Detecting inconsistencies: Identifies the String Puller’s suspicious behavior, including his decision to watch an exposed assassination plot rather than flee 89.
• Evidence gathering: Orders a writing demonstration during Xu Wenzhi’s case and uses Sichen’s investigation of the suspect’s movements 96.
• Planned surveillance: Allows a fraudulent soul-summoning appointment to proceed so that he can catch the perpetrator and recover the victim’s money 102 103.
• Following connected offenders: Orders separate interrogations of the soul-summoning fraud and Xuanming to identify their master 103.

Hearing Tong Aning’s Thoughts

Xue Lin can hear Tong Aning’s unspoken thoughts and reacts to information she has not said aloud.

• Hears her jokes about his lessons and her imagined seniority as his aunt’s apprentice 59.
• Learns sensitive information through her inner commentary, including the crown prince and empress’s rebellion plans 133.
• Knows that Xixi can investigate people and worries that Tong Aning might use the system to uncover his own thoughts or motives 131.
• No ability to read minds generally is established; the demonstrated phenomenon concerns Tong Aning’s thoughts 59 135.

Command and Protection

• Directs Sichen, prefectural officers, and the residence’s hidden guards during investigations and emergencies 39 97.
• Temporarily commands the emperor’s Eagle Guards, deploying them against thirty-two attackers when Tong Aning is endangered 97.
• Shields Tong Aning from distressing sights, including the aftermath of the assassination attempt 97.
• Requests the Eagle Guards’ withdrawal after using them, recognizing the political sensitivity of possessing protection unavailable even to the crown prince 97.

Education and Sword Practice

• Earns praise for his studies from childhood and continues lessons both at home and in the Eastern Palace 33 59.
• Initially lacks martial-arts training and suffers from weak health 108 132.
• Begins daily early-morning sword practice after his engagement. He explains that he wants to improve his health so that he can spend the rest of his life with Tong Aning; no level of mastery is established 132.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Grass-woven grasshoppers: Keeps them in his study, including an older faded one. Tong Aning later learns how much he values them and offers to make more; after their marriage, they stand where he can see them while working 7 109 130 132.
• Warning notes: Retains the paper balls Tong Aning fires into his residence rather than letting Sichen dispose of them 13.
• Practice sword: Uses it for his daily exercise after the engagement 132.
• Portrait of the String Puller: Produces it when confronting the disguised swindler 89.
• Family holdings: Receives substantial compensation from his imperial uncle and aunt after his parents’ deaths. Following the wedding, he places the residence’s holdings before Tong Aning and tells her they are hers 132.

Relationships

• Tong Aning — Rescuer, trusted investigative partner, and eventual wife. Her warmth helps him reconnect with everyday life, while he consistently supports her and prioritizes her safety 33 97 109 131.
• Sichen — Loyal attendant and operational aide. Handles surveillance, arrests, and protection; their exchanges mix deep loyalty with familiar teasing 33 51 102.
• The emperor — Imperial uncle and protective patron. Xue Lin values his care, but their relationship becomes painful when the emperor admits that he had long known who murdered Xue Lin’s parents 17 133 134.
• Prince Yong and his consort — Deceased parents. Their loss shapes his withdrawal and reluctance to inherit his father’s title; their spirit tablets occupy the elders’ seats at his wedding 105 131 133.
• Xue Shang — His aunt, the Princess Royal. Teases him about his solemnity; he notices that her male favorites are suspicious, helping expose spies planted by the Third Prince 18.
• Xue Ruyun — His aunt and Tong Aning’s medical teacher 59 80.
• Cen Yu — Colleague at Jingzhao Prefecture, where their work includes handling criminal cases and public disputes 51 52 60.
• Tong Aobai and Su Zhouyue — Parents-in-law. Accept the engagement once they recognize the couple’s mutual wishes; Tong Aobai particularly appreciates Xue Lin’s protection of his daughter 97 116.
• Tong Yibin — Offers to help investigate the deaths of Prince Yong and his consort 77.
• Tong Fengye — Protective brother-in-law. Initially uneasy about the courtship, but acknowledges that Xue Lin is a good match and asks him to love Aning well 130 131.
• The crown prince — Hostile cousin and former study companion. Resents the emperor’s favor toward Xue Lin and interprets his marriage and inheritance as threats to his own position 116 133 134.
• The empress dowager — Imperial grandmother. Resents him and arranges his engagement expecting an unhappy match, only for both parties to welcome it 115 116.
• Prince Jing and his heir — Hostile relatives. Xue Lin oversees action against Prince Jing’s trafficking operation and exposes the heir’s involvement with his father’s concubine 33.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Assassination Attempts and Prince Jing’s Trafficking Case

Work at Jingzhao Prefecture

Courtship and Marriage

• Growing closeness: Finds Tong Aning’s conversation warm without being intrusive. Sichen notices him smiling in a way he has not done for a long time 33.
• Shared routines: Escorts her home, exchanges gifts, walks through the capital with her, and becomes familiar with the Tong household 60 68 69.
• Emotional support: Accepts her encouragement to stop suppressing every feeling, eat sweets when life feels bitter, and bring flowers into bleak rooms 96 128.
• Protection during the ambush: Uses the Eagle Guards despite his previous reluctance, saying he cannot gamble with her life. Afterward, she sends calming soup, which he drinks immediately despite its having gone cold 97.
• Betrothal: Rushes to the empress dowager’s palace out of concern for Tong Aning. Although the proposed match is intended maliciously, both accept it willingly 115 116.
• Wedding: Marries Tong Aning at Prince Yong’s Residence before the emperor, empress dowager, and his parents’ spirit tablets. Arranges favorite foods and fruit wine for her that night 131.
• Married life: Plans their garden with her, displays her woven grasshoppers, and entrusts her with the residence’s holdings 132.

Succession and the Rebellion

Xue Lin agrees to inherit Prince Yong’s title after his marriage, framing the decision as a willingness to stop remaining trapped in the past. The emperor orders the Ministry of Rites to prepare the succession. Soon afterward, Xue Lin hears Tong Aning’s revelation that the crown prince and empress are plotting rebellion and informs his uncle 133 134.

During the crisis, the emperor admits that he had long known the identity of Xue Lin’s parents’ murderer and had personally ordered that person’s death. The revelation leaves Xue Lin shaken and suffering recurring nightmares. Supported by Tong Aning, he decides to let his relationship with his uncle continue as it is, acknowledging both the emperor’s kindness and his responsibility concerning the deaths 134.

• Offer of the throne: The emperor asks whether he wants to become emperor. No acceptance is established 134.
• Final appearance: Celebrates New Year with Tong Aning’s family, making dumplings and joining their games. The gathering ends with the family revealing that they can hear Tong Aning’s thoughts 135.

Notable Quotes

“All’s fair in war.” 39

“I can’t gamble with Miss Tong’s life.” 97

“I remember everything you say. I’ll eat more sweet things.” 128

“Uncle, we all have to look ahead, don’t we?” 133