BLHO Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Where is he?

Chapter 51: Where is he?

On the third day of being imprisoned in the water dungeon, Lin Shuangxu finally heard movement.

A jailer came in, opened the cage holding him, and without saying anything, blindfolded him and led him away.

Lin Shuangxu naturally had a guess as to who he was being taken to see. Sitting in the bumpy carriage, he couldn’t see the road and only knew that they were going a long way around.

The person who wanted to see him today would naturally be extremely cautious, making sure that his whereabouts were not known to anyone.

The carriage stopped in front of a desolate and uninhabited house. Someone escorted Lin Shuangxu out of the carriage and led him to a tightly sealed room.

The blindfold was removed, and he saw a person sitting upright in front of him.

As he expected.

“Empress Dowager,” Lin Shuangxu calmly knelt and respectfully paid his respects.

The Empress Dowager’s face was ashen, and her body was severely depleted, giving the appearance that her days were numbered.

“The Empress Dowager has summoned this commoner, I wonder for what reason?”

Lin Shuangxu pretended not to understand, ignoring the Empress Dowager’s astonished eyes.

Although they had already met at Cishou Palace last time, she still couldn’t believe it when Lin Shuangxu’s face was so close again.

Similar.

It wasn’t that their facial features were so alike, but rather the spirit about them.

Lofty, stubborn, preferring to break like jade rather than survive as a tile.

“You, who exactly are you?” the Empress Dowager asked in a hoarse voice.

Lin Shuangxu lowered his eyes and replied, “This commoner already answered the Empress Dowager in the palace last time. This commoner is an orphan of a soldier, and was taken in and raised by the late General He out of pity. Other than that, I have no other identity.”

“Lies.” The Empress Dowager, dragging her tired body, said angrily, “If your background is innocent and no one has instigated you, how would you know about this Palace’s past?”

Lin Shuangxu raised his head frankly, met the Empress Dowager’s eyes, and caught a trace of sadness in her gaze.

Gazing at each other, it was also the first time he had seen her from such a close distance.

Looking at her like this, if speaking of appearance, who does he look more like than his father…?

“Are you really not afraid of death?” the Empress Dowager asked, pointing at him.

Lin Shuangxu was fearless, “I am, but I am alone. If I die, I die. The Empress Dowager is different from me. You have paid too much for your current glory and status. If the old news of the past is made public, resulting in a ruined reputation and everything you have gained being reduced to nothing, this price is not worth it, don’t you think?”

Even with death imminent, he dared to spout such wild words.

The Empress Dowager trembled all over, her chest felt tight, she leaned back in her chair, and vomited a mouthful of blood.

Lin Shuangxu frowned slightly, but did not step forward.

“Who else knows about this?” the Empress Dowager asked.

“If the Empress Dowager lets me live, then no one will know. If you insist on killing me, then the whole world will know.”

The Empress Dowager stared at Lin Shuangxu, laboriously calming her breathing. The anger receded, leaving only resentment.

“This Palace wants the truth. What is your relationship with Prince Rui?”

“None whatsoever.”

“Then why are you and him…” The Empress Dowager’s throat felt sore, and the past events were vivid in her mind, as if they had happened just yesterday.

She couldn’t speak and felt increasingly unwell, coughing incessantly.

Lin Shuangxu paused and said, “But I have seen him.”

The Empress Dowager’s expression changed instantly, with tension, fear, and a hint of undetectable expectation. It was hard to tell.

Like telling a story, Lin Shuangxu said to her faintly, “When I was very young, once, unintentionally, I heard Prince Rui speaking to my teacher… The things he said were somewhat related to the Empress Dowager. Does the Empress Dowager want to hear it?”

The Empress Dowager was even more nervous, staring at Lin Shuangxu, not answering.

Lin Shuangxu deliberately slowed down his tone and said, “I heard the Prince say to the teacher that if his actions fail, no matter who ascends the throne or holds power in the Bei Sheng court in the future, the He family must always stand behind the Empress Dowager and be of one heart with her.”

The corners of the Empress Dowager’s mouth trembled, her emotions bursting forth in an instant. She turned her head away, forcefully holding back her tears.

Lin Shuangxu was unwilling to stop and continued, “Prince Rui knew that he was facing a desperate battle, with life and death uncertain, and painstakingly planned for the Empress Dowager’s future. Such affection is truly touching…”

“Stop talking, shut up!”

The Empress Dowager didn’t want to hear anything more about Prince Rui. She stood up, walked to Lin Shuangxu, and ordered him to shut up.

But when she looked at his face at close range, she once again lost her mind.

Tears streamed down her face, and she tremblingly reached out her hand, wanting to stroke Lin Shuangxu’s face.

At the distance where she was about to touch him, she suddenly withdrew her hand in horror and muttered to herself like a madwoman, “Impossible, impossible…”

She seemed to suddenly wake up, called for someone outside the door, and ordered, “Take this prisoner back to Death Row and execute him at a later date!”

–

After this ordeal, Lin Shuangxu was locked back in the water dungeon. He Yuncheng had no way of knowing what had happened to him in the prison.

Guo Yao’s analysis that Lin Shuangxu might have other options, He Yuncheng did not dare to gamble.

He couldn’t wait any longer. He wanted Lin Shuangxu to return safely, immediately.

He Yuncheng came to the residence of Minister Chen Chang for the first time.

He didn’t know who Chen Chang was entertaining, or whether his residence was normally filled with nightly revelry.

Wine, women, and wealth surrounded the residence. Dancers were dancing in the corridors. He Yuncheng, with his aura of murderous intent, seemed out of place as he walked through the music and dance.

In the courtyard, Chen Chang had drunk three rounds of wine, his cheeks flushed. He was stunned when he saw He Yuncheng, then his face broke into a smile. He said drunkenly, “General He? You’ve come at the right time! Take a seat and drink with us!”

He Yuncheng didn’t want to waste words with him. He drew his long saber and slammed it onto the wine table in front of him with a bang.

The wine jar shattered, and shards scattered everywhere.

Everyone around was startled, and Chen Chang scrambled under the table in a panic.

“Tell them to leave,” He Yuncheng said coldly.

Chen Chang quickly waved his arms, “Leave, all of you leave.”

The dancers, musicians, and wine-pouring servants all retreated.

Chen Chang was frightened and woke up from his drunkenness. He trembled as he got up, “General He, let’s talk this out. Why are you drawing your saber…”

“You want the He family’s military power, don’t you?”

“No, no, no…” Chen Chang repeatedly waved his hands, straightened his hat, and explained, “This old man is not a military general. What would I do with the General’s military power? It’s the court! It was the Emperor who issued the order! He ordered Han Mao to temporarily manage the He family army’s military seal. This official is only relaying the order and has no intention of seizing it…”

“I don’t care who gave you the order. Go tell him that the military seal, I will give it.”

Chen Chang’s eyes widened, “Really?”

He Yuncheng didn’t bother with nonsense and said to him, “Release Lin Shuangxu.”

Chen Chang swallowed, “Easy to say, easy to say. General, give me the military seal, and allow me to enter the palace and report to the Emperor to see how this matter can be accommodated. If…”

Before he could finish speaking, He Yuncheng suddenly grabbed his throat.

His face instantly turned liver-colored. He heard He Yuncheng say, “Before dawn, I want to see him, unharmed. The military seal, I’ll give it to you. If he’s missing a single hair, I’ll burn down your Minister’s residence first, and then chop up the eunuchs behind you one by one and feed them to the dogs.”

“He Yuncheng… you… aren’t you afraid…” Chen Chang was almost suffocating. What he wanted to say was, aren’t you afraid of losing your head by opposing the court?

He Yuncheng gave a cold smile. Without waiting for him to finish, he retorted, “Who do you think should be afraid?”

The cold wind howled, passing through Fengdu City under the night.

At the end of the brightly lit streets, the He family army was lined up neatly, waiting for orders at the foot of the city.

As long as He Yuncheng gave an order, they would swear to follow his will to the death, without questioning the road ahead, even if it meant sacrificing their lives.

There were only two hours left until dawn.

Chen Chang didn’t have the authority to release anyone directly. He didn’t dare to stop for a moment and rushed all the way.

First, he went to the palace to report the situation and obtained an imperial edict. Then, he followed the edict to ask the officials of the Three Law Divisions to review and stamp the documents one by one. After that, he took the approved documents to the Imperial Prison to ask them to release the person.

After completing the entire process, Chen Chang’s buttocks were sore from bouncing on the horse. He rushed as fast as he could and finally arrived at the Imperial Prison before sunrise.

He got off his horse with the documents in hand, wiped his sweat, and followed the jailer towards the water dungeon. He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

If the He family army, with its hundreds of thousands of soldiers, really rebelled, he would be a sinner for all time, and ten heads wouldn’t be enough to be chopped off.

“Where is Sir Shen?” Chen Chang asked the jailer, but received no response.

He didn’t pay much attention to it and followed him to the water dungeon. He had the jailer open the door for him.

A foul smell hit his face, and Chen Chang uncomfortably covered his nose and mouth, taking half a step back.

The dark water dungeon was illuminated by the light. Chen Chang stared inside, and the iron cage hanging in mid-air cast shadows that flickered on the surface of the water.

It was blurry, and he couldn’t see anything clearly.

He leaned forward, afraid that he had seen wrongly. After looking around, he asked the jailer beside him in confusion, “Where is he?”

Looking at the jailer, he was also at a loss, his face filled with panic.

“Sir, the person seems to be… missing.”