Finest Servant

Chapter 488 Coercion

"Brother San," Si De looked at him with an expression of unparalleled reverence, "your words are too profound for me to understand."

"If you don't understand, then don't listen," Lord Lin said with a smile, patting him on the head. "You just focus on leading the way for me, and your rewards will not be lacking. Take this—" With that, he casually handed Si De a chopping axe. The blade was sharp, shimmering with a dark glow. Lord Lin then commanded solemnly, "Now, on my order—open the door."

Open the door?! Si De felt like his soul was about to flee. The scholars outside were out for blood; wasn't opening the door akin to seeking his own death?

"Brother San, could we perhaps wait a bit?" Si De spoke cautiously, "The situation outside is perilous—"

"Time waits for no one," Brother San said, slapping him reassuringly on the shoulder. "As the old saying goes: the soft fear the hard, the hard fear the reckless, and the reckless fear the fearless. Don't worry, brother, with me here, what could go wrong? When have I ever let down my own brothers?"

Hearing Brother San say he wouldn't be let down, Si De felt a touch of comfort in his apprehensive heart. He knew that Brother San's promises were never empty.

"Fine," Si De gritted his teeth and grumbled as the clamor from outside seemed to escalate. Fear dissipating, he quietly unlocked the door. No sooner had he peeked his head out than a rotten egg flew from an oblique angle, splattering squarely on his face.

"Damn it, who threw this at me!" Si De roared, charging outside, his forehead shining in the light. The stinking egg yolk dripped down his nose, a horrifying mix of yellow and white.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Lin Wanrong surreptitiously glanced outside. He was shocked to see a sea of people surrounding his mansion. Scholars in long robes, holding folding fans, each looked irate. They were chanting slogans, encircling his house so tightly that not a drop of water could seep through. Some of the more radical ones had already rolled up their sleeves, clamoring to storm into the Lin residence and rescue the trapped ladies.

The gate of the Lin mansion suddenly burst open, and out charged a fierce-looking servant covered in foul egg yolk. In his hands was a shimmering, deadly axe, revealing his ferocious disposition.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you revolting?" Si De sprinted into the crowd, swinging his axe wildly, generating whooshing sounds. Within moments, he had forced the crowd back several steps. Those who retreated slowly almost got hit by his axe, and they screamed as they scrambled backward, creating chaos on the scene.

When the crowd saw the servant rushing out of the Lin residence, though unremarkable in appearance, his gleaming axe and fearless demeanor made him quite intimidating. Once the crowd regained their footing, a burly scholar seemed to come to his senses and shouted, "You, what are you doing?!"

"What am I doing? You're asking me?" Si De wiped the egg yolk from his face, licked his lips as if relishing the taste, and said, "I'd like to ask what you're doing!" He swung his axe forcefully near the scholar's face and yelled, "Speak, what are you up to?!"

That scholar took two hurried steps backward, his voice instantly lowered. "We... we came to get rid of the scoundrel Lin San. Step aside!"

Si De spat vehemently, his voice seething with rage. "You're here to confront someone else, but why throw eggs at me?! Who threw it? Stand up now! I’ll chop you into pieces—tell me, was it you?"

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"It wasn't me, it wasn't me!" said the closest scholar, waving his hands in denial.

"What about you? And you?" Si De pointed the blade of his axe at each nose in the crowd, questioning each one individually. The sharp blade glistened menacingly, causing the crowd to take a few more steps back in fear, each one shaking their head in denial.

"Dammit, if it wasn't any of you, then did a flying swan in the sky lay that egg?!" Si De was utterly furious. Just as he was about to lash out, the leading scholar hurriedly grabbed his sleeve. "My friend, it was a misunderstanding. We came to confront the villain Lin San, and it has nothing to do with you. Please, don’t take it to heart. Oh, the embroidery on your clothes reads 'Xiao.' Could you be from the Xiao family, whose two young ladies are said to be monopolized by Lin San?"

"I am from the Xiao family. So what?" Si De snorted.

"That’s excellent." The leading scholar's face lit up with excitement. "We are here to rescue the Xiao family's young ladies. Look at our group; these are all well-known scholars from the capital—" ṝ𝐀�

Si De glanced over and saw that about seventy or eighty percent of those surrounding the Lin residence were scholars, many of them even accompanied by their servants, dressed no differently than he was.

"My friend, are the two young ladies alright? Have they been subjected to all sorts of humiliations by that scoundrel Lin San?" The lead scholar asked urgently.

Si De rolled his eyes. "What nonsense are you spouting? Lin San and the two young ladies are in a consensual relationship. Lin San has gone through great lengths to win their affections—"

Someone nearby couldn't bear to hear this any longer. "My friend, one should speak the truth."

The leading scholar looked over and noticed that the one interrupting was also a servant. He had a small mustache and an ageless face, wearing a simple robe and cap, and his smile seemed very innocent. However, one of his legs was heavily bandaged and he was being pushed in a wheelchair by another young servant who was handsome and delicate. "Do you know the details?" he eagerly asked.

"Yes," said the servant with the bandaged leg, nodding gravely. "A distant cousin of my distant cousin once served in the Xiao family. He has already told me everything in detail."

"Really?!" The leader was overjoyed. "Tell us, how did Lin San commit his wrongdoings?"

The servant with the bandaged leg solemnly said, "To say that Lin San went to great lengths to pursue the two young ladies is utterly absurd. In fact, it’s the complete opposite—the two young ladies went to great lengths to pursue Lin San—"

"What are you saying?! How could you betray your own conscience?" Si De raged. "It was Lin San who pursued the young ladies, and they were moved by his sincerity! If I'm lying, may Lin San cut off my tongue."

"Nonsense. It was clearly the young ladies who ardently pursued Lin San. Brother Lin was modest and reserved, eventually moved by their sincerity, and thus they became a loving pair. Lin San is handsome, graceful, and a role model for all men. If you speak nonsense again, be careful or Brother Lin might cut off your tongue," the man with the broken leg retorted sharply.

"Lin San pursued the young ladies—"

"The young ladies pursued Lin San—"

The two men loudly argued, neither willing to give ground, their faces flushed and necks thickening. The leading scholar shouted in indignation, "Heavens! Lin San has taken it too far, not only monopolizing the two young ladies but also hiding the truth. He even threatens to cut off the tongues of those who speak out. Such malevolence must not be tolerated. We must eradicate Lin San in the name of justice!"

"—In the name of justice! To save the young ladies of the Xiao family, brothers, charge with me!" The man with the broken leg raised his right fist, his voice filled with impassioned anguish.

Seeing even a crippled servant so enthusiastically engaged, the crowd was uplifted and roared as they rushed toward the Xiao family's residence.

Noticing the crowd surging toward the back door, and finding himself left alone with Si De, the man with the broken leg wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and spoke to the handsome young servant beside him, "Xian'er, did you secure our back door? I have a lot of flowers growing in my garden. I don’t want these people to break in and ruin them."

"Rest assured, husband." Seeing his skillful performance alongside Si De, Miss Qin couldn't help but giggle, "The residence bestowed upon us by the Emperor has high walls and heavy doors. No one can break in. The delicate flowers you've planted in the Xiao family's garden will be safe."

Noting a tinge of jealousy from the young lady, Lin Wanrong laughed twice, pretending not to hear.

Miss Qin hummed and quickly moved her steps, her figure flashing as she reached the corner of the alley. With two muffled grunts, she caught two burly men, tossing them on the ground as if they were little chicks, giggling, "Husband, look—"

Both men were dressed like scholars, but their builds were robust, their skin tanned, and their palms calloused. Rendered immobile by Miss Qin, they screamed and flailed about.

"What are you up to?" Lin Wanrong's face darkened, his old face black as coal.

"We are scholars from the east side of the city, here to punish Lin San. Release us immediately, or we will deal with you as well!" one of them said hastily.

"Ha! Scholars, you say?" Lin Wanrong chuckled, picking up a small stone and throwing it at the man's face. "You dare to come and punish me? Who sent you?"

The man’s eyes darted around defiantly, "Who sent me? The villainous Lin San bullies the weak and seizes innocent women; he must be punished by everyone—"

"Enough!" Si De, exasperated, kicked the man in the face, "Brother, I hate these types the most. Look at his crooked face and rough palms; does he think he's a scholar? Disgusting!"

He spat out a glob of saliva, hitting the man square in the face. That man had been captured by him; his life literally lay in his hands. Anger seethed within him, but he dared not voice it. Another man lying on the ground averted his gaze, a flicker of fear in his eyes. He didn't dare meet Lin Wanrong's eyes.

Lin Wanrong chuckled darkly and tenderly grasped Miss Qin's delicate hand. "Xian'er, could you find a larger forest for us? I'd like to show you a very interesting game."

Miss Qin giggled in reply, "A forest? They're everywhere. What kind of game is it, Husband? I don't like games that don’t involve killing."

Si De shivered as he listened. This Lady was truly a perfect match for his Brother San.

"Killing? Too gruesome. I'm not that kind of person," Lin Wanrong shook his head. "This game is quite simple. You find a sizable forest and choose some live people to bury in the ground. Leave only their heads exposed and shave all their hair. Then, smear their heads with a thick layer of flower nectar and cover them with a sealed cage. Inside the cage, release some wild bees—remember, not too many, a few tens of thousands should suffice."

"My goodness!" Miss Qin exclaimed, her petite hand gesturing excitedly. Her innocent face glowed as she asked, "What would happen with all those bees and the nectar-covered heads in such a confined space?"

Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, "Tens of thousands of worker bees would sting their heads, which would then start itching and swelling, getting larger and larger until—"

"It explodes!" Si De screamed, his face awash with fear.

Miss Qin's eyes twinkled mischievously, "Oh, Husband, what a wicked idea you've come up with—sounds like great fun. Shall we go try it out now? We already have two perfect candidates; which one shall we choose first?"

Her beautiful eyes glanced back and forth between the two men on the ground. Seeing the beautiful but utterly terrifying Princess, both men hastily retreated their heads in fear.

"Husband, let's choose him," Miss Qin finally decided, pointing at a trembling, burly man who had been too scared to speak. "His head is bigger; it will be more entertaining when it explodes, with flesh flying everywhere."

Si De's heart raced with dread. This Princess was certainly beautiful but her ideas were devilishly twisted. Only Brother San could possibly rein her in.

The man Miss Qin had chosen nearly fainted from terror and began screaming, "Mercy, Princess, mercy! Sir, I'll confess, I'll confess!"

"Brother San, he's confessing," Si De exclaimed in immense relief.

Miss Qin snorted in disdain, "How could Great Hua produce such cowards? Now my game can't even proceed. Husband, let's choose this other man. He seemed more resilient when he spoke earlier; it'll be more fun when he explodes."

Before she could finish speaking, the man deemed 'more resilient' cried out in terror, "Mercy, Princess, mercy, Sir, I confess too!"

"Confessed? Already?" Lin Wanrong frowned, his face filled with disappointment. "Well, speak up then. But let me clarify one thing first. I am truly a kind person. I've never resorted to violent interrogations. The two of you better not tarnish my reputation in the future—alas, when will I ever get to try out my bee-sting cranial explosion technique?"

"My Lord," seeing Lin Wanrong's methods, the two men dared not be stubborn anymore and quickly knelt down. "We dare not hide it; both of us are from the Gu family!"

"Gu what Gu?" Lin Wanrong snorted. "Just saying your surname is Gu is enough? How would I know if you're Gu Three or Gu Four?"

Noticing her husband hadn't caught on, Miss Qin urgently tugged at his sleeve, "Husband, these two men are likely sent by the Gu family father and son."

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