Inlaid With Jade - Chapter 83

Chapter 83
Sixth Prince

Li Heming passed through the palace gates and came to the Wuying Palace. He saw Liu Jianan, the Eunuch beside the Emperor, waiting at the door with a whisk.

Liu Jianan served Emperor Chong’an for many years and became a famous person besides him. When he saw Li Heming, he walked up quickly with his old legs and said kindly: “Lord Li, you are back.”

Li Heming nodded slightly and said respectfully: “Eunuch.” As he said this, he glanced at the few new faces guarding the palace door calmly and asked: “Is the Emperor in the palace?”

Liu Jianan shook his head: “You came at an inopportune time today. Two days ago, the Emperor went to the ancient temple to listen to the Buddha.”

When Li Heming pondered what day it was, he understood, raised his hand, and said, “Thank you, Eunuch. I’ll come back another day.”

The palace door was wide open, and Liu Jianan was waiting beside it, meaning someone was inside. However, Li Heming was about to leave without asking. Liu Jianan looked at his back doubtfully and was about to speak to keep him. A low and hoarse voice suddenly came from inside: “Since Lord Li is here, why waste a trip? Why don’t you tell me what you want to report?”

Li Heming stopped and looked back, but he only saw the long curtain in front of the hall. He couldn’t hear who spoke, but it was not difficult to recognize the owner of this hoarse and unique voice.

It was the culprit of the Ji County Unsolved Case, the sixth prince of the dynasty-Zhu Ming.

Li Heming stood still, but a voice was heard again in the hall: “Eunuch Liu, please invite Lord Li into the hall.”

Liu Jianan lifted the curtain and said to Li Heming: “Lord, please come in.”

In the hall, Zhu Ming sat high on the dragon throne, and his tiger-like eyes shot at Li Heming, who entered the hall. That look was intriguing and chilling.

Zhu Ming was tall and strong, with outstanding looks. There was a short scar on his Adam’s apple, which was an arrow wound he had received on the battlefield. He dodged in time and did not lose his life, but it inevitably damaged his voice. He spoke hoarsely: “Lord Li, what do you want to report to my father?”

Wuying Palace was where the Emperor handled government affairs, but now the Sixth Prince sat on the dragon throne to review memorials. Li Heming looked at the person but did not answer this question. Instead, he bowed and saluted first: “Greetings to Your Highness.”

Li Heming was respectful, but Zhu Ming’s expression did not show any relaxation. He said lightly: “Greetings.”

Emperor Chong’an had six sons. The eldest died young; the second had a disabled leg; the third and fourth were killed in battle one after another, and the fifth was mediocre and weak. Only the Sixth Prince, Zhu Ming, could become the Crown Prince.

Except for the eldest prince and the second prince, Zhu Xi, the remaining princes had all been on the battlefield. The Sixth Prince, Zhu Ming, was the most brave and valued by Emperor Chong’an in military affairs.

After Li Heming’s father, Li Yunqi, died, his troops were under the command of the then-military supervisor, Zhu Ming. Now, Zhu Ming had 150,000 troops on the border. Everyone in the court said it was only a matter of time before he became the crown prince. However, for some reason, Emperor Chong’an kept delaying and did not draft an edict. Now that Concubine Wan was pregnant, the position of the crown prince had become more unstable.

Zhu Ming raised his hand slightly, and the maids quietly withdrew from the palace. The palace door slowly closed, and only Li Heming and Zhu Ming were left inside.

Zhu Ming fiddled with the jade toad on the table and slowly said, “If Lord Li has not replied to me, why do you want to see my father today?”

Li Heming went to Ji County this time. Everyone in the court knew that it was because of the Unsolved Case. Zhu Ming asked this question unnecessarily, and it was evident that something was behind his words.

Li Heming stood in the hall, calmly passing the buck: “I came here for an errand.”

“Unsolved case?”

Li Heming did not answer as if he did not hear it.

Zhu Ming sneered. He put down the jade toad in his hand and stared at Li Heming: “Yesterday was the death anniversary of the late Empress Dowager Yuan Hui. Wei Lin, the vice leader of your Northern Office, escorted the Emperor to the ancient temple to chant sutras for Empress Dowager Yuan Hui. I will temporarily take charge of government affairs for the next few days. Didn’t Lord Li hear about it?”

Li Heming seemed to want to show his upright attitude to the extreme today and said indifferently: “No.”

Smoke filled the incense burner, and the sandalwood scent was light. Initially, it was intended to calm the mind, but there was a faint sense of tension.

As the culprit of the Unsolved Case, Zhu Ming had to do his best to stop Li Heming from delivering the truth to Emperor Chong’an. However, he also knew Li Heming was unyielding and could not be bribed, so he could only threaten him: “Lord Li has been in the court for many years, so you should know what to say and what not to say.”

Zhu Ming had a straightforward personality, and after closing the door, he spoke his treacherous words out loud. He leaned on the dragon chair, looking down at the silent and downcast-eyed Li Heming. His voice was hoarse like a snake: “The world will always change, Lord Li. Don’t repeat the same mistake, lest you can’t turn back. Then your family will suffer.”

The harsh voice rubbed against the eardrum, and when he heard the word “family,” Li Heming finally looked up at Zhu Ming in the dragon chair, but only for a moment.

Li Heming remembered Luo Shan’s words clearly but acted as if he had no idea what Zhu Ming did ten years ago. He had no hatred or disgust, only like a general who didn’t know what was good for him: “The Imperial Guards obeyed the Emperor’s order and did not need to report the case to others. What Your Highness said today, I pretended not to hear it. I have something else to do. I will take my leave first.”

Zhu Ming’s face suddenly turned stern, and he looked at Li Heming coldly. If it weren’t for Liu Jianan, the Eunuch beside Emperor Chong’an, waiting outside the door, he would have called someone to take Li Heming away and force him to confess. His voice was as cold as ice: “Thank you very much for your magnanimity, Lord Li.”

Li Heming said neither humbly nor arrogantly: “I dare not.”