Inlaid With Jade - Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Who should she ask for help?
After a few days, Lin Yu revisited Li Heming, and she seemed to be in a different mood. She still remembered the day when Madam Yang and her mother drank tea and talked happily in the Lin Mansion, unaware of the impending disaster. Yet only in a few days, the Yang family had changed.
This morning, her mother told her that Yang Jinming was also taken to the imperial prison by the Imperial Guards from the Da Li Temple yesterday. No one in the Yang family was spared, and the mansion had been emptied.
Now, everyone in the court was in danger, and who could say for sure that yesterday’s Yang family wouldn’t be tomorrow’s Lin family?
This time, Old Chen still led Lin Yu to the deserted courtyard. The weather was getting colder by the day, but the courtyard, surrounded by the lake, was warmer than outside. The plum tree that had buds when she came the day before had now bloomed with bright and fragrant plum blossoms.
Li Heming had not returned yet, so Lin Yu had to wait here alone. Old Chen made her a pot of hot tea, lit the stove, and left.
Lin Yu took off her veil and sat on a stone bench, watching the white mist rising from the pot’s spout. Her mind was full of the Yang family’s affairs, and she had no intention of drinking tea. She came in a hurry and didn’t even bring a hand stove. Her hands and feet were frozen stiff on the way here. Now, she roasted herself by the charcoal stove for a long time before gradually warming up. The plum blossoms in the courtyard were fragrant, and the tea was elegant. If she had not been in a difficult situation and had come here begging from others, Lin Yu would have been willing to drink a cup of tea quietly and appreciate the flowers.
It was a cloudy winter day without sun. Lin Yu didn’t know how long she had waited before hearing a sound from the courtyard gate.
The steps were steady and fast, but not anxious. They were Li Heming’s footsteps. When Lin Yu concluded this, she was surprised that she could recognize his voice. She stood up, turned around, bowed, and saluted respectfully and nervously: “Lord Li.”
Li Heming seemed to have just returned from the imperial prison with a cold and bloody smell on his body. Li Heming saw Lin Yu’s eyes linger on his blood-stained boots and said: “If you want to ask about the Yang family, just ask.”
Lin Yu didn’t expect him to say that. She clenched her fist and slowly loosened it: “The Yang family… was imprisoned because of the Wang Changzhong case?”
Li Heming replied: “Yes.” He didn’t sit but squatted beside the stove, took down the teapot, and used tongs to poke the charcoal. Sparks flew out and almost fell on Lin Yu’s skirt. She hurriedly moved back, stood firm, looked at Li Heming’s handsome face enlightened by the firelight, paused, and asked again: “Does it have anything to do with you?”
Li Heming stopped his movements suddenly. He half-knelt on the ground, turned his head, and looked at Lin Yu gravely: “The Yang family formed a club for personal gain and used their power to make money from the waterways. It should be the fault of the Yang family, and yet you blame me?”
He looked up at her, but his aura was not weak. The Imperial Guards were accustomed to fighting and killing; even a light glance made Lin Yu’s heart tense.
He withdrew his eyes from her, picked up a few pieces of charcoal from the basket beside him, threw them into the stove, and stood up.
What he said made sense, but Lin Yu did not ask this for no reason. She looked up at him: “Brother said that the crime committed by the Yang family happened several years ago, and it was only the fault of Minister Yang. But the entire Yang family is in trouble now. The Yang family escaped at that time, but it happened at this moment. If it has nothing to do with Lord Li, could it be that the higher-ups…”
Li Heming interrupted her coldly and bowed towards the direction of the imperial city: “The Northern Office has respected the order of His Majesty. The Emperor’s choice determines our every word and action. Miss Lin, be careful of the disaster caused by your mouth.”
He emphasized “the emperor’s choice” and almost handed her the answer.
The more Lin Yu felt indignant about the Yang family, the more Li Heming said terrible words. He said, “I’m just a cold-blooded and heartless henchman. Miss Lin said that last time. I kept it in mind and remember it every night. Miss Lin believes that I’m a shameless villain. It is not impossible to blame me for this, but…” He looked at her lowered eyes and said slowly, “But you should think about what you are here for today. If you do or say something wrong, don’t let me have a chance to get it back to you.”
How can he get it back to her? Lin Yu was half a head shorter when she entered the courtyard today. She came here today for a request, so she naturally had to know when to advance and retreat. Li Heming scared her with a few words, and she immediately stopped, looked away, and compromised: “… I won’t ask about the Yang family.”
Li Heming stared at her momentarily as if to judge whether she had let it go. After a while, he said: “It’s best not to ask.”
Lin Yu was too clever. She dared guess that the Emperor related to the Yang family’s affairs, and she guessed accurately.
The rebels caught on Lingyun Mountain were just a group of rabble, a cover to confuse the Imperial Guards, and the officials confessed by Wang Changzhong were also covers. Later, the Imperial Guards investigated carefully and finally set their sights on an untouchable place: the royal family.
The Emperor was honest, but many princes and grandchildren were not. Most of the money Wang Changzhong embezzled flowed into the pockets of the royal descendants. After finding out here, Li Heming had already stepped into an ever-changing hell. To cover the eyes of the world, the Emperor might take action against officials to cover up this chaos; that’s why the Yang family’s dirty deeds from many years ago were dug up again.
Li Heming couldn’t tell Lin Yu these things clearly, but she had to know: if the Lin family was facing danger, who should she ask for help?