Heavenly Star

He’s treated like a disobedient dog. Lin Zhan’s heart had already turned cold, and now he’s leaning against the iron gate and started laughing hysterically. Since childhood, he had been under the influence of his father, and he had been loyal to the Palace all those years without a second thought. What was given to him in return was this sad ending…that is, to be assassinated secretly. He completely understood the reason why Long Yin had mainly chosen this time, and let somebody whom he trusted the most to execute him, and that’s because he didn’t want anybody to know that he was killed, especially his father. For Long Yin, his father was an “obedient dog”, and it was necessary to keep him still. As for a “disobedient one” like himself, he had to die.

“Master Lin, I know that you don’t want to die. I’m also afraid of death, but what the Emperor says must be right. If he wants you to die, there’s nothing I can do. Drink this anyway. I don’t like breaking people’s heads if I don’t have to.” Black Bear said mercifully.

The guard who was initially a little unsettled was so scared that his whole body was shaking…the plan was to assassinate the General Zhennan, Lin Zhan secretly, and if that was meant to be a secret, that meant anyone having heard the conversation had to be executed as well. When he thought of that, he became more and more nervous and sweaty.

“Hey, hah…well, what is there to be afraid of? There’re so many things that are even worse than death. If the Emperor wants me to die, then I will. Since Xiao’er is gone, I might as well accompany him in Hell. What’s there to be afraid of?”

His misery was more significant than his fear of death. Lin Zhan took the small bottle from the hands of Black Bear, opened the cork and drank everything inside. Soon, his body became weaker. Then he fell to the ground with his eyes closed. There was no more sound.

“Master Lin? Master Lin?” After seeing Lin Zhan falling, Black Bear was stunned. He touched him a few times, and after seeing that he’d had no more reactions, he whispered in fear, “how powerful is this little bottle? It can kill someone so fast. It’s even stronger than my fist. No wonder the Emperor owns the best thing.”

He turned and looked at the shivering guard. He coughed and said with a severe look, “you, the one who’s looking at Master Lin, the Emperor wanted me to tell you that before dawn, this incident cannot be announced. No one can get near here, and in case Old General Lin comes here tomorrow, you will tell him that Master Lin mumbled something about having betrayed the Emperor, and drank a bottle of poison at his own will. You will also tell him that no one has ever passed by. Do you remember what you’ll have to say? The Emperor knows that there’re seven people in your family; if all of you listen to him and obey, nothing will happen to any of you.”

“Yes…yes…I will obey, for sure.” The guard felt cold and sweaty, and he stuttered while responding. Since the family head of the Lin family could be assassinated so quickly, it mustn’t be difficult at all to kill a prison guard.

“Well, that’s good.” Black bear nodded with satisfaction, then he looked again at Lin Zhan, touched his nose and went out.

When he closed the door outside, Black Bear suddenly flashed a glimmer of light in his sloppy eyes, and the corner of his mouth raised… It was a sneer of contempt and ridicule. At this moment, a dark shadow suddenly appeared from a corner, after giving Black Bear a big thumb, it disappeared like a light smoke. The figure didn’t alert anyone, except Lin Zhan and the shivering prison guard.

After Black Bear left, Lin Zhan, who looked dead, slowly opened his eyes, and struggled to sit still. Although his whole body was weak, and his consciousness was fading, he hadn’t lost all of his consciousness. What he was doing scared the guard to death, who could only react after a long while. He asked, “Lin…Master Lin…you haven’t…”

Lin Zhan opened his upper body coat, then picked up his shirt, raised his right hand and bit his fingertips with his teeth. Blood continued to flow from his fingertips. He used his blood-stained fingers to write something on his chest…

“Master Lin, you…” It was evident to the guard that he’s writing something, it’s possible that it’s…

Lin Zhan became weaker and weaker. He gasped, “I will not make things difficult for you…but if you still have a sense of what’s right and wrong, don’t tell the Emperor about the words that I’ll have written on my chest. I can die out of no reason, but I won’t let my family suffer the same. You also have a wife and kids, if you were me, would you accept this? This is a final request from someone who’s going to die…please…accept…”

The prison guard couldn’t reject this request. Mainly it’s from General Lin. He nodded, “although I’m only a prison guard and I can’t lie to the Emperor, I am not going to say anything which I am not supposed to, either.”

The wound on Lin Zhan’s finger slowly stopped. When he finished writing the last word, the words had become harder to read. His vision had also become blurred. He used his remaining consciousness and strengthened to put his clothes back on, and said weakly, “thank you…”

After he said this, there was no more sound.

The guard went over, he carefully tested his breath, before his face turning pale, “it’s right when they say that being near to the Emperor is as risky as being near to a tiger. The most ruthless family is the Emperor’s, why are there still so many people who want to be near him?”

The next day, just after the morning meeting, Lin Kuang rushed straight to the prison. The night before, he had stayed up, and his hair became even greyer and messier. His grandchild had gone, yet he couldn’t organize an open funeral for him, or it would further provide his scandal with the Empress…and obviously, most of the people had believed it by now.

His grandson had gone, and now his son was suffering in prison. All of the coldness, pain, sorrow, awkwardness were all mixed into a black shadow and lingering in his mind.

He entered the prison and kept going down, and no one was there to block him. After Long Yin’s command the previous day, Lin Kuang was allowed to visit him twice per day. Lin Kuang rushed to the lowest level, and he pushed open the unlocked iron gate, he immediately saw Lin Zhan lying against the iron bar. His body was tilted, his eyes closed, his face was pale, his hands were hanging on the ground, and there was no breath. The sound of the opening of the iron gate didn’t wake him.

Lin Kuang’s heart sank, such a state was not like sleeping, but more like…and the expression of the guard at this time was also ruthlessly confirming this horrible fact that’s been lingering on his mind for some time. In an hour or so, the shift would be changed. The prison guard hadn’t been feeling sleepy and hadn’t dared to make any sound. He had been sitting there quietly without moving anywhere. When he saw Lin Kuang, his heartbeat accelerated, and he completely forgot to salute.

“Zhan’Er? Zhan’Er!” Lin Kuang forward, his hand stretched into the iron bar and shook his body, and shouted several times, yet there was no reponse at all. What sent to his hands was a stream of coldness. Lin Kuang opened his eyes wide, and his heart was beating furiously. With extreme fear, he tested the breath of his son…Suddenly, his whole body shook, and he sat on the floor. Such a heavy blow almost hit him unconscious.

“Lin…General Lin…Master Lin…he…” The prison guard carefully approached and tried to explain to Lin Kuang.

“Zhan’Er…” Lin Kuang mumbled, and he felt like he’d lost his soul. Suddenly, he stood up and grabbed the prison guard’s collar, and yelled crazily, “What happened to Zhan’Er? Tell me! What happened to him?”

At this time, his yelling had become extremely loud, and all of a sudden, the prison guards all rushed toward him…

“Master Lin, he…he died, he had taken a bottle of poison…” That particular prison guard was now holding his breath when he heard this.

All the prison guards were in a panic. A few of them hurriedly reported to the Emperor. How horrible is this incident – the head of the Lin family died in the prison of the basement, after taking a bottle of poison?

“What?” Long Yin was taking his breakfast and was shocked to hear this news. He dropped his chopsticks onto the ground and roared, “bring me there!”

The death of Lin Zhan made the basement chaotic, the wave of people rushed in and out, and no one dared to move his body. They were all waiting for the decision of the Emperor. Although Lin Zhan was kept in the basement, he wasn’t an ordinary prisoner. And Lin Kuang was still dragging and pulling that prison guard while looking fierce, “tell me…how did he die…?!”

The prison guard’s face had become pale. He answered with much difficulty, “Master Lin…took the poison in the middle of the night…”

“Shut up! It’s impossible that he committed suicide. It’s impossible. Tell me how he died!” After this heavy blow, Lin Kuang had lost his mind completely. He stared at the prison guard fiercely, who dared not look Lin Kuang directly in the eyes. When he was answering, he was trying to avoid his gaze.

“The Emperor is here…”

Outside, there were the footsteps of the Emperor. Lin Kuang seemed to be gain back his consciousness, he pushed away from the prison guard, rushed into the iron gate, and held Lin Zhan’s corpse. He cried very hard.

Across the distance, Long Yin heard the loud crying of Lin Kuang. He frowned and walked more quickly. When he rushed in, he saw Lin Kuang holding Lin Zhan, whose face was so pale that he looked like having passed away for a long time.

Next to him, there was a thumb-size round bottle, Long Yin frowned and said deeply, “Heart Sealing Powder!”