Inlaid With Jade - Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Er Lang
When the Lin family broke the engagement, Li Heming secretly asked someone to investigate the reason. He was arrogant and could not tolerate the Lin family canceling the marriage for no reason, so he sent people to watch the Lin Mansion day and night for a while. The Imperial Guard reported to him in detail who the Lin family met and which official they visited. He knew every move of Lin Yu when she was out.
At that time, Lin Yu loved reading storybooks and bought many of them whenever she went out. She bought them in the morning, and those lovestories would be on Li Heming’s desk in the afternoon. He flipped through a few pages, couldn’t stand to read it, and threw the books to his men.
In the past, there were cases of collusion between criminals and ministers, and they would transmit messages through books in the market. Therefore, his subordinates mistakenly believed that these storybooks that seemed to be written by Confucian scholars contained unknown messages, so they read them very carefully, extracted the contents of the books, wrote reports, and handed them to him. Some who wanted to curry favor with him even spent more time collecting the widely circulated storybooks and sent them to him.
In the storybooks, the identities of men and women changed in various ways. There were all kinds of people, ghosts, and monsters, but one thing that never changed: the men in the books were at marriage age, and most were mature and stable, with only a few teenagers.
Li Heming rarely used his power for personal gain, but he did not find a clue as to why she broke off the engagement—only this useless clue. After investigating the case like this, he barely kept his position as the Northern Leader. Later, when the guards were busy, he withdrew the people who monitored the Lin Mansion, but the books were still in boxes in his study. Every time he looked at it, it seemed to tell of his incompetence.
After saying goodbye to Lin’s sibling, Li Heming went to the palace to report. Then, he hurriedly went to the imperial prison and returned home at midnight.
When Li Heming’s brother died on the battlefield, they had not yet separated, so Xu Qingyin still lived in the Li Mansion. Li Heming was busy and rarely paid attention to the mansion’s affairs, so Xu Qingyin spontaneously took over the housekeeping job. However, she was slightly restrained in managing this family because Li Heming did not give her the financial power. If she needed a lot of money, she had to ask Li Heming. However, Li Heming never refused her request. He always asked Old Chen to take her to the accounting office to get the money. Even when her brother from her mother’s family wanted to borrow 3,000 taels for business, Li Heming agreed happily.
As time passed, Xu Qingyin regarded herself as the mistress of the Li Mansion. However, she also understood that if Li Heming got married, she would have to give up her power and give way to his wife. That’s why she secretly used a soft knife to ruin Li Heming’s marriage.
Two red lanterns hung high in front of the Li Mansion. Li Heming walked through the courtyard and saw Xu Qingyin holding a lantern and waiting for him in front of the moon-shaped door. The bright yellow candlelight shone on the bluestone road in front of her. She saw Li Heming’s figure, smiled, and greeted him: “Er Lang is back.”
Xu Qingyin was twenty-nine years old this year, with a charming face and a plump figure. Many people in this capital were interested in her. Her family also advised her to remarry as soon as possible while she was still young. However, Xu Qingyin was very proud. She would rather be a widowed sister-in-law in the Li Mansion than marry into a family and be a concubine who has to look at people’s faces.
After Xu Qingyin greeted him, she saw that Li Heming had not asked her, ‘Sister-in-law, why are you looking for me?’ as usual. Instead, he looked at her coldly with his hand on the sword’s handle: “Sister-in-law, you came at the right time. I want to ask you something.”
He clearly remembered what Lin Yu had told him on the mountain. He wanted to ask Xu Qingyin tomorrow, but she came to his door late at night.
When they arrived at the hall, Li Heming put the sword on the table, lifted his robe, and sat in the chair. Without waiting for Xu Qingyin to sit down, he said directly: “I met the second lady of the Lin family in Lingyun Temple today. She asked me to ask you what you said to her privately.”
Xu Qingyin never thought Li Heming would suddenly talk about this. She was stunned momentarily and soon remembered what she had said to Lin Yu at the banquet. If Li Heming knew, based on his character, she would not have a good ending. But judging his current behavior, he was still unaware of the conversation’s content. Xu Qingyin was flustered but didn’t show it on her face. She smiled and said, “I rarely meet the second lady of the Lin family. Why did Er Lang suddenly ask this?”
She winked at the maid who was making tea, and the maid immediately withdrew tactfully. Xu Qingyin took over the work in the maid’s hand, poured a cup of hot tea, and placed it next to Li Heming.
Li Heming didn’t move but stared at Xu Qingyin’s eyes and said, “Before the Lin family and I broke off the engagement, you met the second lady of the Lin family at the Yang family’s banquet. What did you say that day?”
He asked the question as if he were interrogating an imperial prison criminal. Xu Qingyin also noticed his cold attitude and frowned, “Er Lang, are you interrogating me as a criminal?”
Li Heming sipped the tea and said coldly, “If I treated you as a criminal, you would have been whipped by now.”
Li Heming had just returned from the imperial prison, and there was still a lingering smell of blood on his body. Xu Qingyin’s hair stood on end when she heard this, and she turned her back quickly. She said, “It’s been too long. How can I remember it? It’s just some boring talk between women, such as rouge and powder from this family, tea, cakes and pastries, etc.”
Li Heming had heard too many lies in prison, and the panic in Xu Qingyin’s tone could not escape his ears. He knew she was lying. However, she was not a criminal; she was his brother’s wife, who was married formally to the door, and Li Heming could not coerce her. He stood up: “In that case, there is nothing to say.”
Xu Qingyin was delighted, thinking that the matter had ended, but then she heard Li Heming say, “Brother once bought a house for you on East Street. You should move out this month.”
Xu Qingyin’s mind went blank, and she blurted out: “What does Er Lang mean?”
Li Heming was not easily deceived. He looked at her coldly, “I, Li Heming, don’t keep people who stab me in the back.”
Xu Qingyin said in disbelief: “You don’t believe me? But you believe the second lady of the Lin family?! She had broken the engagement with you, Er Lang!”
Li Heming looked at her expressionlessly: “Since you mentioned this, do you dare say that Lin’s family’s breaking off the engagement has nothing to do with you?”
“Why not! This matter has nothing to do with me!” Xu Qingyin shouted before softening her voice: “Er Lang, can you bear to ignore me?”
The words were ambiguous, and Li Heming frowned deeply, “Do you know what you are saying?”
Xu Qingyin looked at his face, which was three-quarters like her dead husband’s: “You handed over the affairs of the mansion to me and have never been stingy with me. I don’t believe you are really that heartless.”
Li Heming seemed to think her words were ridiculous. He said softly: “My appreciation for you is because of my brother. The money was the pension issued by the court and from my brother. Apart from that, how can there be any affection?”
After hearing this, Xu Qingyin was stunned for a long time: “Why didn’t you tell me when you gave me the money?”
Li Heming looked at her puzzledly: “If not, why do you think I would give you the money and let your unfamiliar brother take it for business?”
Hearing these cold-blooded words, Xu Qingyin shook her head and said, “I don’t believe it! I won’t move! I am a m*mber of the Li family in life and a ghost of the Li family in death. I am not lucky enough to serve your brother, but I am willing, willing…”
She seemed to have suddenly found a reason to stay. Her eyes lit up, and she took two steps towards Li Heming, saying anxiously, “I am willing to be Er Lang’s wife, being under your control, and obey you in everything.”
There were many wars in the border areas, and many helpless women lost their husbands. It was common for brothers to marry their brothers’ wives. Why couldn’t the Li family follow suit?
Li Heming raised his sword and pressed it against her chest. He looked at her like a madman after hearing this.
Xu Qingyin raised her hand and touched the sheath: “Er Lang, for so many years, can’t you see how I have treated you…”
“Shut up!” Li Heming interrupted her. He turned the blade and pressed the sheath against her chest. He pushed hard and instantly made Xu Qingyin retreat with a painful look on her face.
He looked at Xu Qingyin, who had fallen to the ground in a mess, with disgust. He said coldly, “I didn’t know you were so dirty. How can you be worthy of my brother?”
Xu Qingyin stroked her throbbed chest, her face pale and speechless. The maid outside the door heard the noise and ran in. Seeing the scene in the room, she knelt immediately in fear.
Li Heming suppressed his anger: “For the sake of my brother, I will pretend that I have never heard this today. I give you three days to move out of the Li Mansion; otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
After saying that, he said no more, turned around, and left with a cold face.