Inlaid With Jade - Chapter 12

Chapter 12 
Why? 
 
Li Heming held an umbrella and got w*t in the rain, with half of his broad back soaked. On the contrary, Lin Yu’s head was well protected, and there was no single drop of water on her body. However, the weather was cold, and her clothes were w*t. She looked frail and almost fell asleep leaning on him several times. 
  
She sat on the horse while holding his hand; her slender palm slid down his forearm. Li Heming lowered his eyes to look at her and reached out to touch her forehead. The hot temperature passed to his palm, and he frowned; she was feverish. 
  
His touch awakened Lin Yu, and she slowly sat up. She blinked and looked up at him. Seeing him frowning and looking at her, she mistakenly thought she had offended him when asleep, so she instantly awakened.
  
The horse was bumpy, and after waking up, she subconsciously wanted to hold Li Heming’s hand, but seeing his arm hanging at his side, she had to retract her outstretched hand. 
  
Li Heming glanced at her and grabbed the reins. His strong arms lay firmly before her, like railings. 
  
Lin Yu was stunned, raised her hand to hold it, and whispered: “Thank you.” 
  
Li Heming did not respond but only lightly kicked the horse’s belly, asking it to speed up and return to the temple as soon as possible. 
  
Lin Yu’s mind was very dizzy. She slept in the stone house with w*t clothes all night yesterday. Fortunately, she got sick at this time. She was afraid that she would fall asleep, so she wanted to say something to distract her attention. 
  
She looked down at the weeds along the road that had wilted from the rain and remembered that Li Heming had not answered her question in the stone house before. She asked again, “Lord Li has not told me how you know I am here. Did you happen to go up the mountain to arrest the rebels today?” 
  
“It’s not a coincidence.” Li Heming replied. 
  
He did not hide it from her and explained: “Wang Changzhong could not stand the torture this morning and confessed the rebels’ hiding place. I went to the palace to report on my work and met Minister Lin.” 
  
Lin Yu was shocked at how lightly he said the words ‘could not stand the torture.’ She wondered how much blood must have been shed and how many screams must have been wailed under torture to write these few words. But the Northern Office was under the Emperor himself, and it was not something she could ask about. 
  
Lin Yu asked, “What did my brother do in the palace?” 
  
“I don’t know. He stayed in the palace when I left.” Li Heming recalled the worried look on Lin Jing’s face when he knelt in front of Emperor Chong’an and begged him to allow him to go up the mountain. He omitted the fact that he had asked for the imperial decree and said slowly, “He heard that the rebels were hiding in Lingyun Mountain and were worried about you and your mother. The Emperor sent me to the mountain to eliminate the rebels immediately. When the Imperial Guards arrived at Lingyun Temple, they heard about your disappearance.” 
  
Lin Yu listened to Lin Zhengqing and Lin Jing talk about court affairs at home. She was more perceptive than ordinary people in this matter. She frowned and asked, “When Lord Li reported the case of Wang Changzhong, did the Emperor let my brother listen in? As the Minister of Revenue, he should avoid suspicion now.” 
  
Even ordinary officials might not understand the deep meaning of the Emperor’s move, but Lin Yu instantly noticed the unusualness. This insight was rare. However, Li Heming seemed to know that she was smart and was not surprised. He reminded: “It is not a good thing that the Emperor does not avoid Minister Lin at all.” 

Lin Yu understood that this was a warning. It meant that the Emperor was suspicious, but how much doubt he had was unclear. 
  
Lin Yu looked at Li Heming and said worriedly, “Lord Li is responsible for reviewing this case. If a misunderstanding involves my brother, can you let me know in private?” 
  
The daughter of a noble family always valued her family more than anything else. Her voice was sincere, with a request in it, but Li Heming was not moved at all after hearing it and asked, “Why?” 
  
Lin Yu didn’t expect to hear such a cold word from him. She was stunned momentarily and then heard him emotionlessly say, “Lord Lin and I are not related. Why should I take the risk to help him?” 
  
Something was behind his words, especially the words “not related,” which always felt cold in Lin Yu’s ears, and she didn’t know how to answer for a while. Her mind seemed to be dumbfounded by the rain. After a moment, she uttered: “If you’re related, would Lord Li be willing to take risks and show favoritism?” 
  
Li Heming stared at her momentarily, then moved his eyes away and said lightly: “It depends on what kind of relationship.” 
  
Lin Yu thought of the marriage that she had withdrawn halfway, pursed her lips, and said nothing more. 
  
He acted like a bad guy in front of Lin Yu during the journey, but when they arrived at Lingyun Temple, Li Heming was kind enough to get off the horse in advance, considering her reputation. He returned the umbrella to Lin Yu, held the reins, and acted as a coachman. He stepped on the mud, and when he entered the door, he saw Mother Lin waiting in the yard with tears in her eyes, looking worried. 
  
When he went down the mountain, Li Heming sent someone to inform Mother Lin in advance that Lin Yu was fine. Although Mother Lin was worried, she still maintained her calm and did not lose her composure. 
  
Lin Yu’s eyes were red, and Li Heming stretched his hand to her. Lin Yu didn’t refuse and climbed on his shoulders to let him hold her down. 
  
Zelan was young and couldn’t help crying. She came up to help her with sobs: “Miss…” 
  
Mother Lin also showed unconcealed sadness. She looked at Lin Yu up and down with worry as if she had a thousand words to say. In the end, she held Lin Yu’s hand and said: “It’s good if nothing happens, it’s good if nothing happens…” 
  
Lin Yu understood where the sadness on her face came from. She was a girl who had been abducted by the rebels for a night and did not return. Her reputation would be tarnished if one sentence about this matter was revealed. But the matter had happened, and it was useless to overthink it. Fortunately, the Imperial Guards arrived on time, and she has not been bullied. 
  
When Lin Yu thought of this, she thought of Li Heming, who was left out. She turned and saw Li Heming, walking under the blue sky and in the heavy rain like when they came, turning his back to them and walking away.