Inlaid With Jade - Chapter 7

Chapter 7 
Request for the Imperial Decree 
 
Imperial Palace, Council Hall. 
  
Summoned by the Emperor, Lin Jing ran into Li Heming, who was waiting outside the door for the eunuch to report. Although Lin Jing was dissatisfied with him, Li Heming was in charge of the Northern Imperial Guards and was not useless. He still had to show courtesy when they met. 
  
Lin Jing stood still, raised his hand, and saluted him: “Lord Li.” 
  
Li Heming turned his head and saluted him in return: “Lord Lin.” 
  
Before the two could say more, the eunuch came out of the hall, bowed his head, and said respectfully: “Come in together, both Lords. The Emperor is waiting.” 
  
The current Emperor Chong’an unjustifiably ascended the throne. To put it nicely, he led his troops to the capital to confront the feudal system. To put it bluntly, he was a rebel. The previous Emperor Mingwen fled from the palace, and his whereabouts were still unknown. 
  
When Emperor Chong’an entered the city, he killed a group of civil and military officials who swore to be loyal to Emperor Mingwen and spared a group of officials willing to surrender. Wang Changzhong was among the forgiven civil officials of the previous dynasty. However, after so many years of being well-behaved, the Imperial Guards found this Minister of the Ministry of Revenue guilty of corruption. 
  
Corruption has always been a severe, unforgiven crime. Wang Changzhong was also involved in the previous dynasty. Emperor Chong’an was inevitably suspicious, so he ordered Li Heming to take Wang Changzhong to prison for interrogation. And Li Heming came here today for this reason. 
  
In the hall, Emperor Chong’an was reviewing memorials of the case. Li Heming and Lin Jing entered the hall together and were about to kneel as they lifted their robes. 
  
Emperor Chong’an said without raising his head: “Okay, stop kneeling, let’s talk business.” 
  
After hearing this, Li Heming and Lin Jing stood up again, bowed their heads, and said: “Thank you, Your Majesty.” 
  
Emperor Chong’an put down his brush, threw away the memorial, glanced at the two, and asked Li Heming: “Wang Changzhong’s case?” 
  
Li Heming replied: “Yes.” 
  
“Confessed?” 
  
“Confessed.” 
  
Emperor Chong’an said impatiently, “Are you a horse? Taking one step after a whip. Just say it directly. Now that Minister Lin is here, the people in the Ministry of Revenue will not be confused and send people to bother me all day.”
  
Lin Jing glanced at Li Heming calmly when he heard him being scolded. Still, with an indifferent face, Li Heming said: “I’m sorry.” 
  
Emperor Chong’an suspected that Wang Changzhong’s corruption involved the previous dynasty, and he guessed it right. Half an hour ago, Wang Changzhong confessed under torture that the stolen money was used to raise a group of soldiers secretly. 
  
When Emperor Chong’an heard Li Heming say this, he asked, “Soldiers? Are they the people who secretly entered the city that the Imperial Guards had discovered before?” 
  
“Yes.” 
 
Emperor Chong’an laughed, saying, “I was wondering where those people came from. So, that is the case. Wang Changzhong gave up his job as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and used my money to support the army. What does he want to do? Does he still expect those rubbish to kill me and then welcome Mingwen back to the throne?” 
  
Lin Jing and Li Heming knelt again when they heard this. Emperor Chong’an raised his hand: “Get up and continue.” 
  
Li Heming said: “According to Wang Changzhong’s confession, the rebels have nowhere to go without him as a support. Most of them are hiding in Lingyun Mountain–” 
  
Lin Jing turned his head to look at him when he heard this: “What?!” 
  
Emperor Chong’an saw Lin Jing lose his composure and asked: “Why is Minister Lin so panicked?” 
  
Lin Jing hurriedly knelt: “Yesterday, my mother and younger sister went up the mountain to worship Buddha, and now, they’re in Lingyun Temple!” 
  
When Li Heming heard this, he frowned and looked at Lin Jing. Lin Jing continued: “I was in shock for a moment. I hope the Emperor will forgive me. Please allow me to go up the mountain to take my mother and sister home now!” 
  
“You are worried about your family. What’s wrong with that?” Emperor Chong’an said: “But if you go up the mountain rashly at this time, I’m afraid you will alert the enemy.” 
  
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Heming lifted his robe and knelt solemnly: “I voluntarily ask permission to take people up the mountain to eliminate the rebels immediately.” 
  
It was the duty of the Imperial Guards to chase the criminals. Emperor Chongwen nodded: “In this case, we must ensure the safety of Minister Lin’s mother and sister.” 
  
Lin Jing knelt and said: “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace–” 
  
Li Heming replied, “Yes.” Then, he left the palace to mobilize people to climb the mountain quickly. 
  
When Lin Yu woke up, she was lying in a broken, narrow, cold stone house with a withered and messy thatch on the ground. 
  
The stone house seemed to be built on the mountain, with no windows, only a shabby brown wooden door. A faint light came through the crack of the door as if it were a prison. Lin Yu guessed that she should still be on Lingyun Mountain. 
  
Her clothes were half wet, her limbs were cold, her throat was dry, and her stomach was hungry. She felt uncomfortable all over, her neck hurt, and her head was dizzy because of the cold. She slowly stood up with support and found that her left knee was painful as if she had been injured unconsciously. She couldn’t stand steadily. She lifted her skirt and prepared to examine the injury, but the door in front of her was suddenly opened from the outside. 
  
Bright light poured into the stone house, and she quickly put down the corner of her skirt, but the visitor still clearly saw a small piece of white and delicate skin on her leg. 
  
The man who came was a strange man with an ordinary appearance. She looked at him cautiously, her left foot touching the ground and her right leg barely standing against the wall. The blue silk double-breasted jacket was wet and stuck to her slender figure. When she leaned against the wall like this, she looked like a graceful lotus leaf. 
  
The man who entered the door was as careful as a thief as if he was afraid of being discovered by people outside. He lit an oil lamp on the wall, closed the door, squinted his eyes, and said excitedly: “Wow! I thought I heard it wrong, but it turns out that you’re awake!” 
  
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Author Note
PS: The Emperor in this novel is borrowed from history, and the rest is fictional. Please don’t take it seriously!