[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-49":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Restoring the Mountains and Rivers",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2364318,4623,"Chapter 49: The Tragedy of the Yin Family","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-49",49,"\u003Cp>“No matter, the court’s determination to reform the salt monopoly this time surpasses any previous era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greatest obstacle has already been removed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how deep the salt merchants’ roots run, they will now be uprooted entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the scholars of the Two Huai regions cannot discern whom they ought to serve, then they have no reason to exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we calculate the time, the purge should begin now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu’s words startled Lan Linjie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he had just entered the darkness of officialdom, he knew these secret details were not meant for him to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, my lord, for the warning!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lan Linjie replied with a face full of gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many scholars in the Two Huai region were tied to the salt merchants, including some of his own classmates and friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the court aims to erase the salt merchants’ influence, scholars who spoke or fought for them would have no good days ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they failed to switch sides in time and became entangled in this treason case, death and clan annihilation were imminent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Blind dogs, this is the Yin…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the gatekeeper could finish his shout, he collapsed into a pool of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Embroidered Uniform Guard on official business! Anyone who obstructs will be killed without mercy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the gatekeeper in the blood pool twitched his fingers in protest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was unjust—he would never have been so bold if these Embroidered Uniform Guards had worn their official robes or announced their identity beforehand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, countless soldiers crossed over the gatekeeper’s corpse and stormed into the Yin residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every retainer and servant they encountered along the way paid with their lives, as if they had been sent solely to kill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, disaster!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Embroidered Uniform Guards have broken in—they’re demons, killing anyone they see!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yin family’s senior members in the inner courtyard were stunned by the news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ reputation, but they were all part of the system—the Guards still had to follow rules when conducting investigations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Killing anyone they see” was not an investigation—it was extermination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The steward, organize the retainers to hold the rear! Everyone else, scatter in different directions!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elderly patriarch of the Yin clan gave the order without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he did not know why the Embroidered Uniform Guards had turned on them with such fury, fleeing first was certainly the right move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, the inner courtyard was emptied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, we must leave at once!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy is advancing fiercely—the household retainers won’t hold them off for long.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man urged urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The senior members of the household had all fled; now only four from the main lineage remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two move the massive stone blocking the dry well. Once we’ve entered the secret passage, return the stone to its original position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then find a place to kill yourselves—leave no trace!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the old man’s words, the two black-clad men walked silently to the dry well and began shifting the stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon the dry well came into view; without hesitation, the old man stepped first into the bamboo basket, letting the death-soldiers slowly lower the rope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, all four entered the secret passage, and the sound of the stone being moved echoed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, if there’s a secret passage right here in the inner courtyard, why risk our clan members by making them flee through the eastern and western courtyards instead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man frowned and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aristocratic families never lacked escape routes; the Yin residence alone had multiple secret passages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third son, you’re still too green!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Embroidered Uniform Guards monitor the entire realm—their intelligence-gathering ability is unmatched. Who can guarantee our household doesn’t harbor their moles?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since they’ve chosen to strike us, this entire area must be under their surveillance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If no one draws their attention, how could we possibly escape?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy precisely timed their attack—perhaps even our family members and clansmen contain Embroidered Uniform Guards’ spies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man’s cold words sent chills through the three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To risk a possibility, they chose to sacrifice countless family members—this flew in the face of everything they had been taught since childhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grandfather, this…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the eldest grandson could finish, the old man cut him off:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know you harbor resentment, but some sacrifices are unavoidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the enemy is not some rival clan—it is the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The resources the court can mobilize are beyond anything a single family can match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If nothing unexpected happens, the officials in our clan serving in the court have already met their end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that we’re facing the court, all past friends, relatives, students, and former subordinates are useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do you believe that if we show our faces, we’ll be betrayed and handed over for court rewards?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how powerful the Yin family was, it remained a clan dependent on the Great Yu system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When pitted against the system, the very connections they once prided themselves on now became death warrants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intelligence failure in the capital was the clearest sign—only they had failed to notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mostly because they had relied too long on political rules, acting as local tyrants in the Two Huai region until they forgot someone existed who could transcend those rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grandfather, why would the court target us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The youngest grandson asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his memory, the Yin family of the Two Huai region had been exemplary gentry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had friends throughout the court and countryside, universally praised by neighbors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man spoke bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this moment of crisis, he suddenly realized how absurd the wealth and profit he had so desperately pursued truly were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Salt was inherently a high-profit trade—even honest tax-paying brought immense returns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet before the glittering silver, men always lost themselves to desire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To maximize profit, the seven families secretly manipulated salt merchants to smuggle salt, steadily eroding the court’s salt taxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They believed that as long as they bribed the right people, nothing would go wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never did they imagine disaster would strike so suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, whenever the court planned to reform the salt monopoly, rumors always leaked in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With their network of connections, they could fill the court with opposition voices and defeat every reform proposal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officials sent by the emperor to investigate salt taxes were no match for their silver bribes—they all fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Occasionally, if they encountered a stubborn one, they could simply eliminate him physically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One political victory after another gradually lulled them into complacency; they forgot that the rules only worked if the other side chose to follow them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Embroidered Uniform Guards’ slaughter shattered his illusions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the emperor decided to overturn the table, all their cherished connections became utterly useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, now is not the time for grief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Embroidered Uniform Guards have struck—this means all our public operations are destroyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without official backing, our underground forces could collapse at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those ruthless thugs are ravenous wolves never satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that we’re down, they might well kick us while we’re down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man, now recovered, pinpointed the critical issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When wealth loses its protective power, it becomes meat on the chopping block—everyone wants a bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since the court has struck, it won't target only us—likely the other few families have also met their doom.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The secret passage ahead holds enough food, and I’ve stationed death-soldiers to guard it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stay in the hidden chamber for a few days. Once the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ attention shifts from us, we’ll leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then you four will take a boat to sea and never return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ll stay behind to seek justice for our fallen clan members—to make Emperor Tianyuan know the Yin family is not to be trifled with!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1294,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","5441be776e1056f164344e8af5077447b32c13b612b4eb7a343dd53e5a159f7f","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-50","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-48",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]