Ming Dynasty: He was ordered to give lectures in prison, but Lao Zhu eavesdropped and made people nu

Chapter 717 The Mystery of the Jade Pendant
Deep within the imperial prison, the damp air was thick with the stench of blood and decay. Jia She was chained to a rack; his once magnificent brocade official robes were now tattered, revealing the bruised and swollen flesh beneath.

“Lord Jia, if you don’t tell the truth, this branding iron will be on your face.” Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, played with the red-hot branding iron, the firelight reflecting on his cold face.

Jia She struggled to raise his head, his lips cracked and bleeding: "I...I've already confessed to embezzling tax silver, what more do you want me to say?"

Mao Xiang sneered and brought the branding iron close to Jia She's face: "Who ordered you to sabotage the experimental fields? Who else in the court was involved?"

"No one ordered it!" Jia She suddenly became agitated, the chains rattling loudly. "It was all my doing!"

Just then, the cell door was pushed open, and a member of the Imperial Guard quickly walked to Mao Xiang's side and whispered a few words. Mao Xiang frowned, put down the branding iron, and said, "His Majesty wants to interrogate him personally. Clean him up."

Half an hour later, Zhu Yuanzhang, dressed in plain clothes, entered the interrogation room, followed by Lin Che. Jia She, who had been awakened by being splashed with cold water, collapsed like a limp rag upon seeing the emperor in person.

"Jia She," Zhu Yuanzhang's voice, though not angry, carried an imposing authority, "I will ask you one last time: regarding the experimental fields, were there any accomplices?"

Jia She's eyes flickered, and suddenly he caught sight of a jade pendant hanging from Lin Che's waist, his pupils contracting sharply. Lin Che keenly noticed this subtle change.

"Your Majesty!" Jia She suddenly kowtowed, "This sinful subject is willing to confess! It is...it is Hu..."

"Whoosh—" A crossbow bolt pierced the air and accurately struck Jia She in the throat!

"Protect the Emperor!" Mao Xiang shouted, and the Imperial Guards immediately surrounded Zhu Yuanzhang. Lin Che rushed to the window and saw a dark figure flash across the roof of the prison.

Inside the imperial study, Zhu Yuanzhang toyed with the secret letter he had found on Jia She, his face ashen. Lin Che stood below him, holding the jade pendant that had caught Jia She's attention.

"Your Majesty, this jade pendant was delivered to my residence the other day by an envoy who claimed to be an 'old friend from Jiangnan.'" Lin Che frowned. "Jia She seemed to recognize this item before his death."

Zhu Yuanzhang took the jade pendant and saw that it was carved with exquisite orchid patterns, and a small character "维" was engraved on the back.

"Hu Weiyong?" A cold glint flashed in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes. "It seems even my prime minister isn't clean."

Lin Che's heart skipped a beat. Hu Weiyong was the Left Prime Minister; if he were involved, the forces at court would be terrifying.

"Your Majesty, this matter requires careful consideration. Prime Minister Hu's protégés and former associates are scattered throughout the court and the countryside."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly: "That's why I want you to investigate secretly. At the grand court assembly three days later, I will announce that you are fully in charge of the agricultural reform in Jinan, and I will bestow upon you the Imperial Sword, which allows you to execute corrupt officials first and report later!"

Lin Che bowed deeply, but a sense of unease rose in his heart. The emperor was about to push him into the eye of the storm.

At the former site of the Jinan Experimental Field, hundreds of farmers are busily digging ditches. Although his injuries have not yet healed, Old Zhang insists on directing operations in the field.

"Old Zhang, you can rest now, we've got you covered!" a young farmer called out.

"No way!" Old Zhang stubbornly shook his head. "Lord Lin said this drainage ditch must be dug three feet deep; there can be no carelessness whatsoever!"

The sound of horses' hooves came from afar, and Lin Che arrived in the fields, lightly dressed. The people immediately surrounded him, greeting him with a cacophony of questions.

"Lord Lin, when will the new seeds arrive?"

"The ditch has been dug as you instructed. Please take a look and see if it's satisfactory."

Lin Che dismounted with a smile and carefully inspected the progress of the project. When he saw that the irrigation ditches were being constructed exactly according to the blueprints, he nodded with satisfaction: "The villagers have done a great job! The first batch of salt-tolerant wheat seeds will arrive tomorrow."

A cheer erupted from the crowd. Old Zhang pushed his way to the front, lowering his voice mysteriously, "Lord Lin, I have something important to tell you."

In a secluded spot by the field, Old Zhang pulled a yellowed account book from his pocket: "This was left behind by Zhou, the confidant of that corrupt official Jia She, when he fled. I picked it up in the chaos."

Lin Che opened the account book, his expression growing increasingly grave. It detailed the flow of tax revenue from Jinan over the years, revealing that besides the portion embezzled by Jia She, a large amount of silver had been secretly sent to a residence in the capital.

"Who else have you shown these accounts to?" Lin Che asked in a deep voice.

Old Zhang shook his head: "I'm illiterate, I just thought it was important, so I hid it. This morning I showed it to the village scholar, and he said the place where the money was collected looked like..." "Looked like what?"

"It looks like Prime Minister Hu's villa!"

In an inconspicuous courtyard in the western suburbs of Beijing, several dark figures were talking in hushed tones in a secret room.

"That good-for-nothing Jia She! He's dead, and he almost dragged us all down with him!" A middle-aged man in fine clothes slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"Minister Hu, please calm down," another voice advised. "Fortunately, the cover-up was carried out in time. It's just that Lin Che..."

Hu Weiyong sneered, toying with the teacup in his hand: "A mere brat dares to challenge me? Since he wants to investigate, let him investigate to his heart's content!"

"What the Prime Minister means is..."

“Go tell ‘they’ it’s time to act.” A ruthless glint flashed in Hu Weiyong’s eyes. “Remember, do it cleanly, like when you burned down the experimental field last time.”

"But Lin Che now has the imperial sword."

"Ha," Hu Weiyong chuckled dismissively, "Dead men don't wield swords."

Lin Che returned to his residence late at night. As soon as he pushed open the study door, he sensed something was wrong—the official documents on the desk had been moved!

"Who?" he shouted sharply, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

"Lord Lin is quite perceptive." A chilling voice came from behind the screen, and a masked man in black stepped out. "Too late."

A flash of cold light, and three throwing knives flew towards Lin Che in a triangular formation! Lin Che dodged to the side, but was still grazed on the arm by one of the knives. He drew his sword and engaged the assassin in battle.

"Who sent you?" Lin Che used his sword to lift the other person's mask, revealing an unfamiliar face.

The assassin didn't answer, but intensified his attacks. Just as Lin Che was starting to feel the strain, an arrow suddenly shot in through the window, striking the assassin squarely in the back!

"Is Lord Lin alright?" A member of the Imperial Guard entered through the window; he was the one Mao Xiang had sent to secretly protect Lin Che.

Lin Che shook his head, panting, then suddenly remembered something and quickly walked to the desk, only to find that the account book that Old Zhang had given him was gone!
"A diversionary tactic!" Lin Che's face was ashen. "Quickly! Prepare the horses and head to Jinnan! Old Man Zhang is in danger!"

When Lin Che arrived at Old Zhang's house with the Imperial Guards, he found it engulfed in flames.

"Help!" Lin Che shouted, rushing into the fire despite attempts to stop him. Through the thick smoke, he saw Old Man Zhang lying in a pool of blood, a dagger embedded in his chest.

"Old Zhang!" Lin Che picked up the old man and found that he still had a faint breath.

"Lord Lin," Old Zhang laboriously raised his hand, pointing towards the stove, "...underground..."

After uttering his last word, the old man closed his eyes forever. Lin Che suppressed his grief and, following the instructions, found a loose brick under the stove, from which he retrieved a blood-stained copy of the ledger.

"My lord! The fire is too big, we must evacuate!" shouted the Imperial Guard from outside.

Lin Che carefully tucked the account book away from his body, took one last look at Old Zhang's body, gritted his teeth, and rushed out of the inferno. On a distant hilltop, several dark figures coldly watched everything unfold.

"Go back and tell the Prime Minister that the item was not found."

"That Lin Che"

"No rush, he won't live past the Grand Assembly."

(End of this chapter)