Lin Family
Unlimited Class Acquisition, Starting as a Tanka Pearl Diver
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Lin Family (林家) |
| Organization Type | Aristocratic clan and noble house with commercial holdings 6 18 31 |
| Affiliation | Great Zhao Dynasty; later exposed for colluding with the invading steppe forces 29 30 31 |
| Headquarters | Lin estate in the capital 12 31 |
| Leader | Lin Hong, family patriarch 12 |
| History | A century-old distinguished family whose ancestors contributed to the dynasty’s founding 10 32 |
| Status | Estate confiscated and entire clan publicly executed for treason 31 32 |
| First Appearance | Mentioned in connection with Chen Ye’s predecessor’s death 3 |
Background / History
Conflict with Chen Ye
The Lin household beat Chen Ye’s predecessor to death after he was falsely accused of stealing Lin Yan’s jeweled hairpin. He had previously discovered Lin Yan secretly meeting her lover in the family’s back garden. After awakening in the dead servant’s body, Chen Ye avoided the household and resolved to seek revenge once he was strong enough 3 5 6.
The family’s wealth, prestige, and armed retainers initially prevented a direct confrontation. When Chen Ye encountered Lin Yan at Fayuan Temple, he restrained the impulse to attack because her private soldiers were nearby. Instead, he followed her and discovered another secret meeting with her distant cousin, Zhou Xian 6 7.
Failed Lu Family Marriage
The Lin Family arranged for Lin Yan to marry Lu Jingcheng, the second son of Vice Minister Lu Ying. Publicly, the match appeared to unite an established noble house with a rising court official. Its unusually rushed schedule—only ten days until the wedding—led Chen Ye to suspect that Lin Yan was pregnant 10.
Chen Ye anonymously informed Lu Jingcheng of the affair and possible pregnancy. Lu Ying investigated the temple visit, returned the Lin Family’s gifts, and ended the engagement. Lin Hong initially knew nothing of the scandal: his principal wife had concealed it while arranging to marry Lin Yan off 11 12.
When Lin Hong demanded an explanation at the Lu residence, Lu Jingcheng publicly accused Lin Yan of carrying another man’s child. The confrontation became a capital-wide scandal. Lin Hong confined his daughter and ordered a physician to terminate her pregnancy, while the family unsuccessfully attempted to suppress public discussion 12 13.
Granary Raid and Hunt for the Masked Thief
During wartime shortages and famine, Chen Ye targeted the family’s southern rice shop, Granary Full of Fortune. He killed its head shopkeeper, Wang Shun, and forced the surviving staff to distribute the stored grain free of charge to disaster victims. He watched until the rice was gone, leaving the Lin Family furious 14 15 16.
Lin Hong imprisoned the shop workers and sought help from the Six Gates. Retired chief constable Cheng Ming and his granddaughter, Cheng Zhiwei, investigated the raid. They identified the attacker as an exceptionally skilled martial artist and suspected revenge, but Lin Hong could not recall offending anyone with such abilities 17.
Following Cheng Zhiwei’s advice, the family reinforced important businesses and left apparent weaknesses at lesser shops as bait. Chen Ye detected hidden fighters and a crossbow trap at a silk shop, then chose another family’s business instead. He later explained to himself that the rice shop had been his first target because it was conveniently close to the southern refugees, not because he intended to attack only the Lins 18.
Collusion with the Steppe Forces
As Great Zhao’s military position deteriorated, Lin Hong told the family’s core members that the dynasty was doomed. He proposed contacting the steppe invaders to preserve the clan under a new ruler. His eldest son, Lin Qian, objected that this was treason, while Lin Rui enthusiastically anticipated rewards for early submission. Lin Hong demanded absolute secrecy and threatened even his relatives against disclosure 29.
Lin Hong had already established contact with Khan Yelü’s younger brother through a trade route two years earlier. He entrusted a letter to the courier A De for delivery to the khan. Chen Ye overheard the plan, followed A De outside the capital, killed him, and intercepted the letter 30.
Rather than kill the family himself, Chen Ye anonymously delivered the evidence to Lu Ying. Lu Jingcheng noticed the similarity to the earlier letter exposing Lin Yan and suspected the same sender was responsible 30 31.
Confiscation and Execution
Lu Ying presented the intercepted letter to Emperor Yang Zhao, who ordered the Imperial Guard to seize the estate and imprison the household. Leading the operation himself, Lu Ying surrounded the residence, broke down its gates, and detained Lin Hong and his family before they could escape 31.
The clan’s political allies abandoned it. At court, officials who had previously been friendly with Lin Hong instead denounced the family. Yang Zhao acknowledged the ancestors’ founding contributions only as grounds to reject death by a thousand cuts; he ordered the entire clan, young and old, beheaded at Caishikou 32.
Lu Ying supervised the public execution before a large, cheering crowd. Chen Ye watched from a nearby teahouse without changing expression, completing his vendetta against the household 32.
Members and Household
| Name | Position | Notable Details |
|---|---|---|
| Lin Hong | Patriarch | Directed the family’s businesses, response to the masked thief, and dealings with the steppe forces 17 18 29 30. |
| Lin Hong’s principal wife | Wife of the patriarch; Lin Yan’s mother | Concealed her daughter’s pregnancy from Lin Hong and sought to resolve the situation through a hurried marriage 12. |
| Lin Qian | Eldest son | Objected to contacting the invaders, explicitly calling the proposal treason 29. |
| Lin Rui | Young master; Lin Qian’s younger brother | Former master of Chen Ye’s predecessor; supported Lin Hong’s plan to submit to the steppe forces 29. |
| Lin Yan | Third young lady | Framed Chen Ye’s predecessor; her affair and pregnancy caused the failed Lu marriage and public scandal 3 12 13. |
| Mengtao | Lin Yan’s personal maid | Delivered the message concerning the hairpin accusation and assisted Lin Yan’s secret temple meeting 6. |
| Wang Shun | Head shopkeeper of Granary Full of Fortune | Adulterated rice with inferior grain, sand, and stones; killed during Chen Ye’s raid 15. |
| Old Li | Rice-shop bookkeeper | Kept the shop’s accounts and announced the forced grain distribution to the crowd 15 16. |
| A De | Trusted courier | Carried Lin Hong’s letter to Khan Yelü; intercepted and killed by Chen Ye 30. |
Holdings and Resources
- Lin estate — The family residence in the capital; its vermilion gates symbolized a century of prestige before the Imperial Guard broke them down 31.
- Granary Full of Fortune — A rice shop in the southern city, with its accounts submitted to the residence for inspection 15.
- Other businesses — Included silk retail, banks, and pawnshops; important establishments received additional guards after the granary raid 18.
- Private soldiers and skilled fighters — Protected family members and reinforced commercial properties. Lin Yan’s armed escort deterred Chen Ye from attacking her at Fayuan Temple 6 18.
- Political influence — The family’s standing made clearing an entire temple for a direct-line woman’s visit an ordinary privilege 6.
External Relationships
- Lu Family — Prospective marriage allies turned bitter enemies after Lin Yan’s scandal. Lu Ying later led the confiscation and supervised the executions 12 31 32.
- Cheng Ming and Cheng Zhiwei — Investigators consulted after the granary raid; Cheng Zhiwei devised the bait-shop strategy 17 18.
- Minister Zhang and the capital’s powerful families — Joined Lin Hong in organizing a hunt for the redistributive thief. These broader elite ties did not protect the clan once its treason was exposed 19 32.
- Steppe leadership — Lin Hong cultivated a trade-route connection with Khan Yelü’s younger brother and attempted to use it to secure the family’s future under the invaders 30.
Notable Quotes
“What matters is that, whoever rules the realm, our Lin Family must survive for generations. So to achieve that goal, we must place our bets in advance.”
— Lin Hong, explaining his proposed accommodation with the steppe forces 29