Chapter 39: Pawns and Sacrifices

At this moment, Lin You even began to think that given the circumstances, being forced to resign and return home might not be such a bad outcome.

However, as he picked up his brush, his mind was a chaotic blur; he had no idea how to begin writing.

Taking advantage of Lin You’s distraction in the study, Li Wei approached the table and, with a calm expression, poured a cup of hot tea. He then reached into his robes, produced a small paper packet, opened it, and tipped the white powder inside into the tea. The powder dissolved instantly, leaving no trace visible to the naked eye.

"Brother Lin, do not panic. Drink some tea to steady yourself first!"

As he spoke, Li Wei placed the teacup in front of Lin You. Feeling a parched dryness in his throat, Lin You did not hesitate; he picked up the cup and drained it in one go.

"Thank you, Magistrate!"

After setting the cup down, Lin You even offered a word of gratitude. But with his heart entirely focused on the memorial he had to write, he failed to notice that after he finished the tea, the once-smiling Li Wei’s eyes were now filled with cold, murderous intent.

Only a short while later, before he could even put brush to paper, Lin You felt a sharp, piercing pain in his gut.

"This..."

Coming to his senses, Lin You looked down at the teacup, then back up at Li Wei, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"You..."

Lin You tried to speak, but found he no longer had the strength.

*Thump!*

In the next instant, Lin You’s head slumped heavily onto the desk, and a trickle of black blood began to seep from the corner of his mouth.

"Only the dead can keep all secrets."

Seeing that Lin You had stopped breathing, the cold-faced Li Wei carefully withdrew an unfolded sheet of paper from his robes. It was filled with dense, neat handwriting that could be summarized in two words: confession. A closer look would reveal that the handwriting perfectly matched Lin You’s, and even the paper and ink were identical to those used in the study.

Li Wei walked over to Lin You, tucked the confession under his head, and then placed the paper that had held the poison directly onto the table. Indeed, before Li Wei had even come to notify Lin You, he had prepared everything. Knowing that Lin You’s collusion with the river bandit Wang Long had been exposed, Li Wei naturally could not let him live. After all, Lin You was not the only one involved in such dealings.

But Li Wei intended for the world to believe that Lin You was the only one. He would make it appear that once the scandal was exposed, Lin You had committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

Having finished, Li Wei cleaned away all traces to ensure nothing would be discovered, and then exited the study.

***

Outside, Yang Xun, the Defense Commander of Yuezhou, arrived at the gates of the Lin estate accompanied by a middle-aged man and a detachment of soldiers.

"My lord, this is the home of the disgraced official Lin You," Yang Xun said respectfully to the man beside him.

The middle-aged man was dressed like an ordinary citizen and had such a plain appearance that he would never draw notice in a crowd. Yet, judging by Yang Xun’s deferential attitude, it was clear this man held significant power.

"Magistrate Yang, why are you here?" a servant at the gate asked, hurrying forward to greet them.

"I have urgent matters to discuss with Lin You. Let us in at once!"

"Please wait a moment, Magistrate; I shall go and report this." The servant glanced at the two men and hurried inside.

Not long after, another servant rushed out, looking panicked. Upon recognizing Yang Xun, he ran toward him as if he were a lifeline. "Magistrate Yang! My master has taken poison and killed himself!"

"What!" Yang Xun’s expression shifted to one of shock, and the middle-aged man beside him also betrayed a flicker of surprise.

"Yang Xun, seal off the entire estate! Do not let a single person leave!" Without waiting for the servant to elaborate, the middle-aged man stepped into the mansion first.

"Seal the estate!" Yang Xun hurriedly issued the order and followed closely behind him.

Inside the residence, news of Lin You’s suicide had thrown the household into chaos; the servants were all trembling with fear.

"Magistrate Li? Why are you here?" Not long after entering, Yang Xun spotted Li Wei.

"Yang Xun?" Li Wei’s expression changed slightly at the sight of him, but his gaze quickly shifted to the middle-aged man behind Yang Xun. By the way they stood, it was clear that this plain-looking man was the one in charge.

"Magistrate Li, this is an official from the Shadow Guard!"

"The Shadow Guard!" Li Wei’s face paled. He hurriedly bowed, "Li Wei, Magistrate of Jiangnan Prefecture, greets you, my lord!"

The Shadow Guard was a special organization established by the Emperor himself, answering only to him. Beyond gathering intelligence, their duty was to monitor the imperial officials.

***

Whenever the Shadow Guard was mentioned, officials of the Great Xia Dynasty were filled with unease, for they never knew if one of the agents was hiding in their midst. How terrifying were they? Years ago, an official in the capital had made a slighting remark about the Emperor in the privacy of his own home—it barely counted as an insult—but the words reached the Emperor’s ears the very next second. The Emperor was furious, and the official lost his head the following day.

"Li Wei, Lin You has committed suicide by poison. Why are you here?"

Even though Li Wei was a prefectural magistrate, the middle-aged Shadow Guard agent showed him no courtesy.

"My lord, I am guilty!" Li Wei suddenly fell to his knees, holding a box containing letters high above his head. "As Magistrate of Jiangnan, I failed in my oversight and was blind to the truth. I am guilty!"

"Explain yourself!"

"Shortly after taking office, Lin You, Governor of Yuezhou, began colluding with river bandits! These are the letters sent to Lin You by the bandit leader, Wang Long! After uncovering the evidence, I intended to confront him. But when Lin You saw me, he realized his crimes were exposed and that he could not escape punishment. He left behind a confession and took his own life!"

Beside them, even with his iron nerves, Yang Xun wore a look of utter disbelief. As he had feared, events were unfolding beyond his control. He had known the Shadow Guard would eventually appear to investigate Lin You, but not at this moment. More importantly, Lin You, a crucial piece in his plans, was dead.

However, when Yang Xun looked at Li Wei, he understood everything, and his face darkened.

The middle-aged man, upon hearing this, turned deathly pale. As the head of the Shadow Guard in Yuezhou, he had come to represent the Emperor in reprimanding and punishing Lin You. News of the unrest in Yuezhou had reached the capital, and the Emperor was deeply dissatisfied with Lin You’s performance. The Emperor clearly intended to hold him accountable. But now, Lin You was dead by suicide, and the reason given was collusion with bandits? The middle-aged man had received no such intelligence beforehand; if the Emperor held him responsible for this oversight, he would not escape unscathed!