Lin Hong
Unlimited Class Acquisition, Starting as a Tanka Pearl Diver
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Lin Hong (林鸿) |
| Title | Patriarch Lin 12 |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | Lin Family; Great Zhao Dynasty 12 31 |
| Occupation/Role | Head of the Lin Family; veteran of the battlefield and officialdom 12 |
| Children | Lin Qian, Lin Rui, and Lin Yan 12 29 |
| Status | Deceased—publicly beheaded for treason at Caishikou 32 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 12 |
History
Position in the Capital
Lin Hong headed a century-old aristocratic family in Great Zhao’s capital. He had spent half his life on the battlefield and also served in officialdom. His household belonged to a noble house that had helped found the dynasty, with extensive business interests and ties to other powerful families 12 18 31.
Two years before the Lin Family’s downfall, he established contact with Khan Yelü’s younger brother through a trade route, securing a potential alternative to continued loyalty to Great Zhao 30.
Lin Yan’s Marriage Scandal
When Lu Ying returned the Lin Family’s marriage gifts and ended Lin Yan’s engagement to Lu Jingcheng, Lin Hong went to the Lu residence to demand an explanation. He initially knew nothing of his daughter’s affair or pregnancy: his principal wife had concealed both while arranging a hurried marriage 12.
Lu Jingcheng publicly accused Lin Yan of meeting her lover at Fayuan Temple and carrying his child. Recognizing how the accusations explained his wife’s evasiveness and the rushed wedding, Lin Hong left humiliated after Lu Ying rejected any further marriage between the families 12.
Back at the estate, Lin Hong confined Lin Yan to her room and ordered a physician to terminate her pregnancy under the pretext of treating an illness. He rejected her pleas that the child was his grandchild. The household forced her to drink the medicine that night, while the family’s subsequent efforts to suppress the scandal failed 13.
Pursuit of Treading the Moon
After a masked intruder killed Wang Shun and distributed the grain from the Lin Family’s Granary Full of Fortune, Lin Hong imprisoned the surviving workers in a woodshed. He demanded the best investigator the Six Gates could provide and offered to pay whatever was necessary to have the attacker killed 17.
Retired chief constable Cheng Ming and his granddaughter Cheng Zhiwei investigated the raid. Cheng Ming suspected revenge, but Lin Hong could not recall offending a jianghu expert capable of such stealth and saber work 17.
Lin Hong adopted Cheng Zhiwei’s plan to reinforce important businesses while leaving apparent openings at less valuable shops. Chen Ye detected the concealed fighters and crossbow trap at a silk shop and chose another family’s property instead 18.
Following the robbery of Minister Zhang’s Everlasting Prosperity Bank, Lin Hong supported a joint search by the capital’s prominent families. He later joined the gathering at the Duke of An’s residence after Treading the Moon threatened Li Chunfeng, arguing that the outlaw endangered every powerful household. Despite the defenses, Li Chunfeng was killed; Lin Hong hurried to the devastated residence with other officials afterward 19 21 27.
Treason and Exposure
As the steppe army approached and Great Zhao’s military mobilization collapsed, Lin Hong convened the Lin Family’s core members. He declared that the dynasty was doomed and proposed contacting the invaders to preserve the family’s future. When his eldest son, Lin Qian, called this treason, Lin Hong silenced him and insisted that the ruling dynasty’s surname mattered less than the Lin Family’s survival 29.
He threatened any relative who disclosed the plan, then entrusted A De with a letter for Khan Yelü. Unbeknownst to him, Chen Ye had overheard the meeting from the roof. Chen Ye followed and killed the courier, seized the letter, and delivered it anonymously to Lu Ying 29 30.
Lu Ying presented the evidence to Emperor Yang Zhao, who ordered the Imperial Guard to confiscate the estate and imprison the household. Awakened by the raid, Lin Hong attempted to invoke his family’s founding merits and accuse Lu Ying of rebellion. Learning that the operation carried the emperor’s authorization destroyed his remaining hope of resisting 31.
Execution and Aftermath
In prison, Lin Hong initially hoped allied families would save his life, even at the cost of his fortune. Instead, those families cut ties and denounced him at court. Yang Zhao ordered the entire Lin clan, including its youngest and oldest members, publicly beheaded 32.
After Lu Ying read the sentence, Lin Hong cursed him and predicted that the steppe army would destroy the capital. He was taken to Caishikou in the leading prison cart and executed with his family while Chen Ye watched from a nearby teahouse 32.
His betrayal continued to affect Yang Zhao afterward. The emperor became suspicious of all civil and military officials, imagining that each might be another Lin Hong preparing to betray the country 34.
Personality
Lin Hong placed his family’s survival and continued prominence above loyalty to the throne. He treated support for rival rulers as a practical safeguard, dismissing patriotism as an obligation that need not constrain great families. His earlier contact with the steppe leadership showed that this policy predated the immediate invasion crisis 29 30.
He was deeply sensitive to public humiliation and ruthless toward those under his authority. His response to Lin Yan’s scandal prioritized the family name over her wishes, while his response to the granary raid included imprisoning workers who had been unable to stop the attacker. Nevertheless, he respected useful expertise, treating Cheng Ming courteously and readily adopting Cheng Zhiwei’s defensive proposals 12 13 17 18.
Relationships
- Lin Yan — Daughter. His former affection gave way to anger after her affair became public; he confined her and forced the termination of her pregnancy 12 13.
- Lin Qian — Eldest son. Objected to collaboration with the steppe forces, only to be rebuked and silenced 29.
- Lin Rui — Son. Attended the secret family council for the first time and enthusiastically supported his father’s plans 29.
- Principal wife — Concealed Lin Yan’s pregnancy from him and attempted to resolve the problem through a hurried marriage 12.
- Lu Ying — Intended in-law turned bitter enemy. Exposed Lin Yan’s scandal, led the confiscation of the estate, delivered the death sentence, and supervised the executions 12 31 32.
- Chen Ye / Treading the Moon — Hidden enemy. Targeted the Lin Family’s reputation and business interests, then used Lin Hong’s treasonous letter to bring about the household’s destruction 12 17 30 32.
- Cheng Ming and Cheng Zhiwei — Investigators whose assistance he sought against the masked thief; Zhiwei also advised his defensive preparations 17 18 21.
- A De — Trusted courier assigned to carry his letter to Khan Yelü; intercepted and killed by Chen Ye 30.
Notable Quotes
“For great families like ours, does it make any difference whether the person on that throne is named Yang or Yelü?” 29
“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.” 29