BLHO Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Look at Me Again

The Imperial Prison was perpetually dark. He Yuncheng clutched the broken jade hairpin in his hand, having lost count of the hours.

The jailer unlocked the iron lock and invited a man dressed in a flying fish robe to enter.

It was Shen Tan.

“General He.”

He Yuncheng sat motionless, staring coldly at her.

Shen Tan walked up to him, glanced at the hairpin in his hand, and a touch of pity crossed her face.

“You can leave,” she said to He Yuncheng.

He Yuncheng turned his head slightly, not getting up, and asked, “Where is he?”

Shen Tan naturally understood who he was asking about.

“He can’t leave,” Shen Tan said bluntly.

He Yuncheng frowned, not understanding her meaning.

“What do you mean, can’t leave?”

Shen Tan didn’t beat around the bush and explained to him, “The *shaozhu* (young master) has taken all the blame for you. The Empress Dowager has ordered him to be thrown into death row, to be executed soon.”

He Yuncheng raised his head numbly, his eyes bloodshot, frighteningly red.

When it came to Lin Shuangxu, he couldn’t think calmly.

Even when Shen Tan had tried to deceive him before, with such clumsy lies, he had still been disturbed.

He didn’t dare to gamble, but he couldn’t afford not to. The He family’s current situation was such that one wrong step would mean total defeat.

“Commander Shen, you needn’t waste your efforts. If it’s not my crime, I can’t confess.”

“It seems the general doesn’t believe me,” Shen Tan sighed regretfully. “Very well, then let the *shaozhu* (young master) tell you himself. I’ll take you to see him, also as… your final farewell.”

He Yuncheng’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t sure if Shen Tan was playing another trick, but if there was a chance to see Lin Shuangxu, he would go even if it was a trap.

Shen Tan observed the change in his expression and politely gestured to him, “General, please.”

In the narrow, long secret passage, Shen Tan held a candlestick in front, leading the way. He Yuncheng followed her down the steps.

The further they went, the darker it became, and the stronger the stench grew.

He Yuncheng couldn’t help but breathe nervously.

“We’re here.”

Shen Tan stopped in front of a sealed iron door and showed her waist badge to the guard. After confirming it, the guard opened the door for them.

Dim yellow light leaked into the prison cell through the crack in the door, shining on the face of the prisoner.

The light was flickering and weak. Lin Shuangxu’s eyes had been in darkness for too long, and he couldn’t open them without being stung.

Then, the iron door was opened wide, and the candlestick illuminated the cell. He Yuncheng followed Shen Tan in, seeing the scene inside clearly.

This was the most heavily guarded death row in the Imperial Prison—the water prison, specially used to imprison important officials of the court.

The stench they had smelled earlier came from here.

Except for the place to stand at the entrance, the small cell was filled with a pool of water. The water was dark in color. He Yuncheng had been exposed to many corpses on the battlefield and was very sensitive to smells. He knew at once that the decaying matter in the water contained human flesh and bones.

Lin Shuangxu was imprisoned in an iron cage, which was suspended in mid-air by ropes, its bottom only inches above the surface of the water.

Hell could be no more terrifying.

“Lin Shuangxu!”

When He Yuncheng saw him, he couldn’t care about anything else. He stepped forward, intending to wade through the sewage to Lin Shuangxu’s side.

Seeing this, Shen Tan reminded him from behind, “The bottom of the water prison is full of hidden weapons. If General He steps there, even if you don’t die, your feet will be ruined.”

He Yuncheng had to stop and calm himself first.

His chest heaved, and he breathed slowly, using the light to look at Lin Shuangxu.

After his eyes adjusted, the other party lowered the hand that had been blocking the light and met his eyes.

He wasn’t hurt.

He Yuncheng repeatedly confirmed, looking at him from head to toe, making sure that Shen Tan was lying and she had not tortured him. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief.

They looked at each other in silence. Shen Tan broke the silence, “If you two have anything to say, please do. I’ll guard the door for you. No one will disturb you.”

After saying that, she left the candlestick behind, looking righteous, turned around, went out, and ordered her men to close the door.

In the cage, Lin Shuangxu knelt quietly. His clothes were stained with mud, like a fallen immortal, broken and withered, but still so pure that people didn’t dare to approach him.

His voice was weak but firm. He spoke to He Yuncheng first, “This is the last time the Empress Dowager will protect the He family. After this, that support will be gone. Yuncheng, you must prepare for the worst. Other than living safely, everything else is fleeting. When necessary, you can give up anything.”

“I can’t give it up,” He Yuncheng choked. “I can’t exchange your life for mine.”

Lin Shuangxu was as calm as an outsider, “It’s not using my life to exchange for yours. It’s that I couldn’t escape anyway. Using me alone to exchange for the stability of the entire He family is a very worthwhile deal.”

“That’s not okay either. I’ll go explain to the Empress Dowager…”

“It’s useless,” Lin Shuangxu shook his head. “The current Bei Sheng court has no sense of right and wrong anymore. It’s a world where people eat people, where you compete to see who is ruthless enough. If you are ruthless enough, you can stand firm. If you are indecisive, you can only be an innocent soul sacrificed by the knife. Yuncheng, you were born into the He family. Asking you to hand over your military power, leaving the people on the border in deep water and scorching fire, you can’t do it. You have principles in your heart, and you are unwilling to live in a compromising way. Then remember, from now on, you must be cautious in every step and careful in everything.”

He was like giving his last words, every sentence was a concern for He Yuncheng.

He Yuncheng couldn’t listen to a word of it. No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t feel right. He asked Lin Shuangxu, “You just said that this is the last time the Empress Dowager will protect the He family. What do you mean?”

Lin Shuangxu’s eyes dimmed a bit, and he said, “I threatened the Empress Dowager.”

“What did you use to threaten her?”

“The border war.”

“Just that?”

“Yes.”

He Yuncheng pondered for a moment, but still felt that something was wrong.

If the Empress Dowager was considering the border war situation, she should be negotiating with him, the general. How could she reach a conclusion with Lin Shuangxu, a commoner?

“How did you speak to the Empress Dowager? I need to know. Tell me the truth. Don’t hide anything from me.”

He stared intently at Lin Shuangxu’s eyes and then saw a ripple appear on the calm surface of the lake.

“I mentioned some past events,” Lin Shuangxu said.

“What past events?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

Lin Shuangxu suddenly fell silent, slowly blinked his eyes, and looked to the side.

He Yuncheng followed his gaze and saw a nearly invisible crack in the copper and iron walls of the water prison.

Faint light and shadow were revealed.

At that moment, on the other side of the wall, in a place they couldn’t see, Shen Tan sat upright, taking small sips of tea.

She could hear their conversation clearly.

When their conversation suddenly stopped, her hand holding the tea paused slightly, and her lowered eyes suddenly revealed a fierce look.

He Yuncheng instantly understood Lin Shuangxu’s reminder and didn’t continue to press.

To make his words sound complete, Lin Shuangxu continued, “Throughout history, those who can sit in positions of power inevitably have dirty secrets behind them. Anyway, I’m at my wit’s end, so I’ll take a gamble and threaten the Empress Dowager with empty words.” He deliberately slowed down his tone and continued to say to He Yuncheng, “I also have to thank Commander Shen for secretly helping. The He family must remember Commander Shen’s kindness.”

Every action he took and every word he spoke was to protect He Yuncheng.

Shen Tan had indeed helped them this time, but her position was too ambiguous, and Lin Shuangxu didn’t dare let her get hold of any leverage.

He Yuncheng pursed his lips tightly, his mind in a chaotic mess. At this moment, he only had one thought: to take Lin Shuangxu away.

But with so many layers of cages, it was impossible for him to take him away.

Lin Shuangxu knew him so well, how could he not know what he was thinking?

“Go, Yuncheng, leave here.”

He Yuncheng’s throat was painfully dry, unable to speak, he could only stubbornly shake his head.

Lin Shuangxu, contrary to his usual self, didn’t use his status as head of the family to suppress him, and was rarely patient and gentle.

“Alright, then look at me again.” The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he smiled at He Yuncheng with relief.

He Yuncheng’s eyes were burning, afraid to look at him, he gritted his teeth and turned his gaze away.

Lin Shuangxu said lightly, “Sometimes, you can only resign yourself to fate. You’ve done what you can. If you can’t find a way out, then so be it.”

He didn’t express his feelings like He Yuncheng. He was always ashamed to say the words out loud, but he would prove it a hundredfold with his actions.

“My life has been without regrets. He Yuncheng, you are someone I am willing to exchange for at any cost.”