Inlaid With Jade - Chapter 96

Chapter 96
The meeting

The carriage passed through the busy streets and stopped before the solemn and austere Northern Office Imperial Prison. Lin Yu carefully put on her veil and get off the carriage with Lin Jing’s help.

The dark and tall prison gate stood in front of her, so gloomy and quiet that it seemed there was no human presence. The words “Imperial Prison” were engraved on the lintel, eroded by wind and rain. The guards on the door with swords stared expressionlessly at Lin Jing and Lin Yu, who had gotten off the carriage.

When she stood here, Lin Yu suddenly understood where the bloody smell on Li Heming’s body when he returned home came from. At this moment, the prison door was closed, and she had not yet entered the imperial prison, but she had already smelled a faint fishy smell of blood. She frowned and touched her stuffy chest, suppressing the sudden discomfort, and felt like vomiting.

He San had been waiting here for a long time. When he saw the two, he immediately said, “Lord Lin, Madam Lin.”

Lin Jing had worked in the Ministry of Justice for some time and knew how filthy the prison was. The Imperial Guards prison was even more notorious. It was impenetrable, with diseases and plagues rampant, unspeakably brutal.

If Lin Yu hadn’t missed Li Heming, he would not let his sister go to this hell on earth. He looked at He San, bowed, and said solemnly: “Lord He, I’ll trouble you to take care of my little sister.”

Li Heming always respectfully called Lin Jing “brother-in-law,” so how could He San dare to accept his courtesy? He hurriedly said, “Lord Lin, don’t worry. After Madam meets the leader, I will send her back safely.”

“I am relieved by what Lord He said. Thank you.” After saying this, Lin Jing turned to look at Lin Yu: “Go. I’m waiting for you here.”

Lin Yu nodded. She put down her veil to cover her face and followed He San in with her bag.

He San had greeted the guards in prison in advance, so no one stopped him. Only at the door did someone check the bag of clothes in Lin Yu’s hand.

He San was worried that the bloody journey would scare Lin Yu, so he took big and fast steps so that Lin Yu could only keep up with him and had no time to take care of the left and right. However, it was inevitable that she would catch a glimpse of the messy criminals in the cells. Most of the cells held more than one prisoner. Still, several or even dozens of prisoners crowded in the small cells, all of whom were disheveled and barefoot, covered in dirt, and some even had sores on their hands and feet, blood all over their bodies, and the stench was disgusting; unsure how long they have been locked up in this hellish place.

He San sensed Lin Yu’s hesitant steps. He looked toward the direction she saw and noticed a prisoner crawling on the ground with pus on his feet. Seeing Lin Yu was watching but not speaking, he asked, “Does Madam Lin think this scene is too cruel?”

Every mountain had its own rules. Having seen the evil of officials, Lin Yu would not be so arrogant as to despise the punishment of the Northern Office in front of He San. She retracted her gaze and said softly, “I used to hear people say that the Imperial Guards were powerful and frightening, so I also developed a feeling of disgust and fear. But when I saw the collapsed houses and the flesh and bones of the bodies exposed in the wilderness in Ji County, I realized that there was a reason for the torture. Although torture is terrifying, it also makes officials abide by the established rules and dare not do evil. Since the Northern Office exists, it has its meaning.”

He San smiled naively: “Madam, you are well-informed and deeply understand justice. No wonder you are not afraid of the leader.”

Lin Yu heard He San say this and asked curiously: “Are other people terrified of him?”

She was said “terrified,” not “afraid,” so it was clear that only a few people were not afraid of Li Heming.

He San answered without hesitation: “Afraid. Not to mention others, our brothers are afraid. Do you still remember that you asked the leader to make way outside Wang Changzhong’s house? That is my first time seeing a girl as brave as you. Other girls trembled when they saw him, let alone talk to him. The brothers and the leader usually wear similar clothes, and even though the brothers look fierce, they are not as handsome as him, but the girls are always more afraid of the leader.”

He San became excited: “When I heard you withdrew the marriage, the brothers discussed the leader privately. Which girl will he marry in the future? We thought about all the famous girls in the city but couldn’t come up with a name. Later, they all said that if you don’t want him, the leader will not be able to marry and can only live alone.”

Hearing He San mention the past, Lin Yu smiled silently. However, she quickly put away her smile and said hesitantly, “Li Heming… Is he okay in prison now?”

He San didn’t know how to answer. After all, the imperial prison was not a good place to recuperate. The longer he stayed, the more serious his injuries would be. The whip wounds on Li Heming’s body healed and rotted, and he didn’t dare to look at them.

Li Heming strictly ordered him to seal his mouth. He couldn’t reveal much about Li Heming’s injuries before Lin Yu, so when Lin Yu asked, He San didn’t dare answer. He sighed silently and said tactfully, “You will know when you meet him later.”

Li Heming didn’t know Lin Yu would come, and He San didn’t tell him. When Lin Yu arrived, he was taking off his shirt, treating another round of pus-filled wounds, and wrapping his body with white bandages with his head down. He had a low fever the night before, lasting a whole day, before it subsided this morning. He had lost half a catty of blood and flesh, and his brain was dizzy. He didn’t hear Lin Yu’s footsteps because He San covered them.

He San stopped and took out the key to indicate that they had arrived. Lin Yu couldn’t wait to lift the veil that blocked her view and look at the cell where Li Heming was. She presumed he might not be living well, but the moment she saw Li Heming with his hair loose and his chest bare, she froze in place as if she had lost her soul. The oil lamp that Wei Lin hung in Li Heming’s cell was still on, clearly illuminating the blood-soaked white cloth all over his body and the whip wound on his chest, which was mottled, hideous, and bleeding. He sat on the bed, his head bowed and his back hunched, his face and body covered in sweat. Blood-stained white cloth and bloody pieces of meat were at his feet, and the tip of the knife placed on the bedside was still wet with blood.

Lin Yu dared not to guess what he had experienced. She stared at Li Heming, who was bandaging his wound slowly due to the pain, and a layer of clear tears appeared uncontrollably in her eyes. She stammered and wanted to call him, but her throat seemed blocked, making it difficult to make a sound.

He San saw that Lin Yu’s tears were about to flow while Li Heming was still bandaging the wound unknowingly. He cleared his throat and coughed hard. However, Li Heming did not raise his head and only said hoarsely: “Stay away, don’t contaminate me.”

After the fever subsided, his voice became weaker. Lin Yu seemed awakened by it. She held her trembling fingertips and looked at his half-face, which flashed under the light. After a long while, she squeezed out a low and trembling voice from her throat: “Second Brother…”