Inlaid With Jade - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 
Seemed to see through her
 
Soon after Lin Yu arrived home, Lin Jing followed her into the house with a frown. 
  
The Lin family had only three children this generation. After Lin Wan entered the palace, only Lin Jing and Lin Yu were left in the family. Lin Jing was twenty-five years old this year, seven years older than Lin Yu, and took care of her more attentively than Father Lin.
  
Father Lin was average, but fortunately, his three children looked more like Mother Lin and were born outstanding. However, although Lin Jing was tall and handsome, he didn’t have a good reputation because of his irritable temper in Yingtianfu.
  
Two years ago, Lin Jing had a conflict with other officials. As ordered by the Emperor, the people of the Imperial Household dragged him down and almost beat him with a stick in public. If not for Father Lin’s plea, he would have removed his pants and lay in front of the Wu Gate and lost his face.
  
Lin Jing walked quickly into the courtyard. The servant sweeping the fallen leaves in the courtyard saw his frown, hurriedly bowed, and hid far away.
  
In the room, Lin Yu was drinking tea with her sister-in-law, Qin Meian. Lin Jing entered the door, lifted his robe, and sat in a chair without caring about his image, staring at the ancient acacia tree in the courtyard with a face of displeasure. His expression was annoyed. If he had an axe in his hand, he would probably use it to cut down that tree. 
  
Lin Jing consistently kept silent after quarreling with someone in the court, and Qin Meian was used to it. She looked at Lin Yu, poured a hot cup of tea, stood up, handed it to him, and said softly, “What’s wrong? Who made you angry?”
  
Lin Jing took it and was about to drink it in one gulp when Qin Meian pulled his hand again, “Drink slowly. It’s still hot.” She bent down close to him, blew on the tea for him, held his hand, and brought the tea to his mouth. “It’s ready,” she said. 
  
Qin Meian and Lin Jing had been a couple for almost ten years, and her soft nature and careful heart were just the right cure for Lin Jing’s violent temper. After two sentences, Lin Jing’s face calmed down a lot. 
  
The fragrant hot tea smoothed his heart. Lin Jing put down the teacup and said: “The Emperor ordered the Imperial Guards to take Wang Changzhong to prison for interrogation. Have you heard about it?” 
  
Qin Meian nodded: “When little sister returned today, she happened to bump into Master Li of the Northern Imperial Guards outside Wang Mansion. We were talking about this matter.” 
  
Lin Jing sneered: “He is quick. The Emperor issued the decree less than an hour ago, and the Imperial Guards had already imprisoned him. Probably, he has eaten the whip now.”

Lin Jing disliked Li Heming in every way, not only because the Imperial Guards were too powerful and the harsh punishment but also because of the broken marriage between Lin Yu and Li Heming.
  
Qin Meian worried: “Wang Changzhong and you work together in the Ministry of Revenue. Why is he in prison? Will it have an impact on you?” 
  
Hearing this, Lin Jing’s anger, which had just subsided, flared up again: “It’s because it has nothing to do with me that people are annoyed! Wang Changzhong’s matter is concerned a lot of people, and I can’t talk to you about it. But how long have I been transferred to the Ministry of Revenue? But the Minister of Rites jumped out and said he and I were assistant ministers, so we should be tried together. What a joke! If I go to the Imperial Prison, how can I get out without losing half my blood in my body? What if I get sick? I haven’t even had children yet!”
  
Qin Meian listened to him talking nonsense and took a snack to plug his mouth: “Little sister is still there. Don’t talk nonsense.” 
  
Lin Jing took her hand and chewed the snack in two bites, and Qin Meian poured him another cup of tea. 

After Lin Jing filled his stomach and saw that Lin Yu hadn’t spoken much since his return, he asked with concern: “What’s wrong? You seem upset.” 
  
Remembering that Qin Meian had just said she had met Li Heming when she returned, he asked, “Did that surname Li bully you?” 
  
Lin Yu didn’t say anything about her being stopped by the Imperial Guards’s horses today, shaking her head and saying, “No, I’m not an official in the imperial court, so how could he bully me? It’s just that Mother and Wang Changzhong’s wife, Mrs. Li, have always been friends; I’m worried that she’ll be upset when she finds out about this.” 
  
Lin Jing frowned: “This is a big deal. I’m afraid I can’t hide it from her. If Mother wants to go out during this period, you should watch her. Don’t show sadness and say some stupid things so that people can catch her handle.” 
  
Lin Yu nodded: “Okay.” 
  
No one knew a mother better than her child. The next day, after dinner, Mother Lin said she would go to the mountain to pray the day after tomorrow.

When Lin Jing heard this, he was about to speak out to stop her, but Mother Lin beat him, “The old monk from Lingyun Temple returned from his travels the day before yesterday and will leave again in a while. I’ll take your younger sister to prophecy her marriage. She’s already eighteen, and if we delay any longer, she may not be able to get married.”
  
When has she been anxious about Lin Yu’s marriage in recent years? Marriage prophesying? Lin Jing knew it was an excuse, but he couldn’t find any fault because the longer Lin Yu was at home, the more rumors about her and Li Heming would spread. 
  
But he became upset again when he thought of this. Lin Yu had not proposed marriage for the past six months because of poor health, but too many women in the city wanted to marry Li Heming as his wife or concubine. Why had he not married yet?
  
Father Lin wasn’t at home, and he couldn’t persuade Mother Lin. Lin Yu looked at Lin Jing’s ugly face and put down the medicine. “Mother, I’m not in a hurry.” 
  
“But I am.” Mother Lin sighed and did not hide it, “I can’t sleep at night if I don’t pray for some things. Just accompany me so I can be at ease.” 
  
After Lin Yu heard this, she only nodded and responded, “Yes.” 
  
Every time Mother Lin went up the mountain, she would not come down for three or five days. She would listen to scriptures, worship Buddha, and ask gods for divination. She was old and could relax, but Lin Yu couldn’t. She didn’t believe in ghosts and gods and couldn’t eat the bland vegetarian food in the mountains.
  
The day before the trip to the mountain, Lin Yu led Zelan on the street to buy some miscellaneous goods that may be useful. She bought some snacks to satisfy the cravings, intending to hide them in their luggage and secretly bring them to the mountain. After shopping, the time was still early. When she saw the courtiers outside the gate line out, she stopped the carriage at the side of the road. She stood at the side of the carriage with the intention of waiting for Lin Jing to go back together. 
  
The courtiers’ uniforms were similar, so she became confused. After she spotted Lin Jing’s figure mixed in with the courtiers, she wanted to call him, but a dark shadow suddenly loomed beside her. She turned her head and saw Li Heming coming in at some point, holding the horse reins with an embroidered sword hanging on his waist, looking down at her. Those eyes were stern and seemed to see through her.