After a moment of silence, Patriarch Lin spoke in a booming voice, "Thirty seconds! The ones responsible for putting our Lin Family in this situation have thirty seconds to get up here and admit to their crimes! If you do so, we will spare you from the death penalty!"
'The death penalty?!' Lin Minghai cried inwardly. He could've never expected things to get out of control so quickly, nor could he have anticipated such a severe punishment.
'That bastard came from the upper heavens? No wonder why he dares to act so brazenly!' Steward Jin gritted his teeth in fear.
However, he wasn't completely hopeless, as he had made some preparations just in case this kind of situation would happen.
"Ten seconds left!" Patriarch Lin's voice rippled in the room, causing the walls to tremble slightly.
"Five… Four… Three—"
"I did it! It was me! I was the one who hired the Silent Rippers!" A clear voice suddenly resounded, and everyone in the room turned to look at the person who just spoke.
This person began making his way towards the front of the room.
Once he was before Patriarch Lin, the middle-aged man kneeled and kissed the floor with his forehead.
"This lowly servant is responsible for the mess. Please punish me as you see fit, Patriarch."
Patriarch Lin narrowed his eyes at the middle-aged man before him with a pondering face.
A moment of silence later, he spoke, "I don't recognize you. Identify yourself."
It wasn't weird for Patriarch Lin to not recognize the face of every servant in the Lin Family due to the sheer number of them.
"This lowly servant is called Wu Jie. I have been a servant of the Lin Family for 15 years now."
"Why did you hire the Silent Rippers?"
"Because it felt like the right thing to do, especially after their attempt to smear the Lin Family's name and reputation by associating us with the bandits." Wu Jie explained in a calm voice.
"Your foolish actions have done far more damage than any rumors could." Patriarch Lin shook his head.
Patriarch Lin actually could tell by the way Wu Jie acted that he wasn't the true culprit, but he couldn't care less and only wanted someone to take the fall and face Yuan's wrath, and the Lin Family wouldn't lose out on anything by losing a single servant.
"Follow me."
Patriarch Lin turned around and walked out of the room, followed by Wu Jie.
Once Patriarch Lin was gone and the atmosphere returned to normal, the others could finally take a breather.
Lin Minghai immediately approached Steward Jin and asked him in a low voice, "W-What the hell just happened?"
"I will explain it later. Let's go elsewhere first, Young Master."
"Alright."
They left the room and went somewhere more private.
"Who was that Wu Jie? Why did he admit to something he did not commit?" Lin Minghai asked with a puzzled look on his face.
A cold smile appeared on Steward Jin's face as he spoke, "A lowly servant… It's not hard to make them do things."
Lin Minghai stared at Steward Jin in a dazed manner for a moment before he burst out laughing, "You're evil, but I really appreciate what you've done for us, Steward Jin! I don't even want to imagine what could've happened to us if you didn't do such a thing!"
"I will do anything to keep you safe, Young Master." Steward Jin continued to smile.
And for the next few days, Patriarch Lin would keep Wu Jie locked up in their private prison until the day Yuan returned to their household.
A few days later.
"Alright, it's about time I check up on the Lin Family. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to." Yuan said to Tian Yanyu as he walked to their front gate.
"I am coming with you." Tian Yanyu insisted with a stern-looking expression on her face.
"I am also coming with you, and this is not up for debate.." Tian Suyin suddenly said.
"If my daughter and wife are going, I can't stay behind now, can I?" Tian Xianzu sighed.
Yuan smiled. "The more the merrier."
Thus, Yuan and the entire Tian Family began making their way to the Lin Family, attracting much attention from the pedestrians they passed as they got closer to their destination.
News of the Tian Family confronting the Lin Family quickly began spreading throughout the entire city like wildfire.
When the other Legacy Families heard the news, they began paying more attention to the situation.
Although the Tian Family was too small to attract their interest, they wanted to see how the Lin Family was going to handle the situation, as the recent rumors have really tanked their reputation within the city.
When Yuan and the Tian Family arrived at the Lin Family's front gate, the Lin Family was already waiting for them outside.
"Welcome back to our humble estate, Young Master." Lin Chunhua greeted him with a bright smile.
"Let's cut to the chase. Have you found the person who is responsible?" Yuan asked.
Tian Suyin and Tian Xianzu were on the verge of a nervous breakdown when they saw how Yuan behaved before the Lin Family.
Lin Chunhua turned to look at Patriarch Lin, who nodded and said, "We have found the man responsible for hiring the Silent Rippers. Before we punish him, we'd like to give you the chance to do so."
"Let's go somewhere more private, shall we?" Lin Chunhua asked him.
"Sure." Yuan nodded.
They proceeded to enter the Lin Family's estate.
Patriarch Lin brought Yuan and the Tian Family to their largest guest room and said to them, "I have already requested for the perpetrator to be transported here. Please give us a few minutes."
"I understand." Yuan nodded.
Tian Xianzu and Tian Suyin almost couldn't believe what they were witnessing right now.
'Am I dreaming or something? There's no way the Lin Family is acting this respectful to us… No, to him…' Tian Suyin glanced at Yuan with a pondering gaze.