Chapter 200: Oppressive Pressure

The huge contrast left Chen Jingwen momentarily stunned. He composed himself, quickly bowed and replied, "No, I don't dare to accept, Commander Lin, you are being too courteous."

He sat on the sofa opposite Lin Yu as instructed, but was extremely nervous, only daring to sit with half his bottom on the seat, his back straight, hands restrained on his knees. The posture resembled a student waiting for an examiner's question.

Lin Yu seemed not to notice his nervousness, or perhaps deliberately ignored it. He personally picked up the exquisite blue‑and‑white porcelain tea set on the coffee table and skillfully poured a steaming cup of tea for Chen Jingwen.

"Assistant Minister Chen, please try this tea, a local specialty," Lin Yu said with a smile, "I hear this is your first time in Shen City? Was the journey smooth?"

"Thanks to Commander Lin's favor, everything is fine," Chen Jingwen said, taking the cup with both hands, his fingers trembling slightly.

"That's good," Lin Yu said, taking a gentle sip, "The weather in Shen City has been changeable these days, with large temperature swings between morning and night. Coming from Yanjing, you should take extra care not to catch a cold."

Chen Jingwen promptly nodded in agreement, cradling the cup gingerly. The tea's fragrance lingered at his nostrils, yet he could taste nothing. The more Lin Yu acted courteous and attentive, the more Chen felt a chill inside.

"Speaking of it, Yanjing must be quite cold now, right?" Lin Yu continued the idle chat, "I recall visiting once in my youth; the autumn there arrives especially early."

"Y‑yes…" Chen Jingwen wiped the fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead, "It was already… a few days ago…"

Every seemingly ordinary domestic remark sounded to Chen Jingwen like a test. He didn't know whether there was hidden meaning in the other's words, nor whether each of his answers would bring consequences. The gentle smile on that young handsome face appeared increasingly inscrutable to him.

"Assistant Minister Chen seems nervous?" Lin Yu suddenly asked, his tone still gentle, "Is the tea not to your liking?"

"N‑no, it's not! The tea is fine!" Chen Jingwen hurriedly replied, nearly knocking the cup over. His demeanor left no trace of the dignified bearing of a court envoy.

Lin Yu gently set down the cup, a fleeting, elusive glint flashing in his clear eyes. Every movement was elegant and composed, yet to Chen Jingwen it seemed that such composure might conceal a greater murderous intent.

This torturous idle chat seemed to last an eternity; Chen Jingwen felt each second stretch like a year. His collar was already soaked with cold sweat, yet he forced himself to remain composed while dealing with the young man's seemingly gentle yet secretly scheming words.

The conversation continued for about the time it takes to finish a cup of tea. Just as Chen Jingwen began to adjust to the politeness, Lin Yu suddenly set the cup down.

The gentle smile on the young face faded slightly. His clear eyes sharpened, staring directly at Chen Jingwen. This sudden shift in atmosphere tightened Chen's heart, and the cup in his hand nearly slipped away.

"Assistant Minister Chen," Lin Yu's tone remained calm yet carried undeniable authority, "Your given name is Jingwen, courtesy name Xingzhi, a second‑rank Jinshi from the 20th year of the Chengping era, appointed as an editor of the Hanlin Academy."

Chen Jingwen's pupils suddenly constricted.

"He later held the posts of Director of the Imperial Academy, Deputy Minister of the Imperial Clan Office, and three years ago was transferred to serve as Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites," Lin Yu continued, his tone even, as if recounting something ordinary, "He resides in a lane off South Rice Market in the capital, with two sons and a daughter. The eldest son serves in the Ministry of Personnel's Inspection Department, the younger son is still studying, and the daughter has already been betrothed to the young master of the Wang family, an official of the Ministry of Revenue."

Each word struck Chen Jingwen's heart like a hammer. These details, some of which even ordinary colleagues might not know, were recited by Lin Yu as if listing treasured family heirlooms. He even felt that the names of the few servants in his own household were likely already known to the other side.

"I wonder if I have said anything incorrectly?" Lin Yu tilted his head slightly, the faint smile reappearing on his face. Yet to Chen Jingwen, that smile was no longer the gentle one from before, but carried a chilling undertone.

Chen Jingwen's hand trembled, the tea sloshing, nearly spilling over the rim. He opened his mouth to speak, but found his throat blocked as if by something.

At that moment, he finally understood why Lin Yu's previously casual chatter had been so. It was merely to toy with him, the so‑called court envoy, like a cat playing with a mouse. Now, the other had finally shown his true face.

The subtext was crystal clear: I know everything about you. Your family is also under my control.

This intangible threat was more terrifying than any blade or spear. Chen Jingwen felt a chill surge from his feet up to the crown of his head, his back already soaked with cold sweat. He suddenly realized that, in the other's eyes, he might not even be an ant he could crush at will.

"It seems everything I said is correct," Lin Yu said, looking at Chen Jingwen's pallid face, smiling faintly. That smile contained a hint of "consideration," yet was mostly an unmistakable authority.

"Assistant Minister Chen," he set down the cup, his voice still calm, "I know your coming to Shen City this time is also by orders, you are not acting of your own volition."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Chen Jingwen's slightly trembling body from fear. The look was as if assessing a prey caught in a net.

"You are not like that previous Zhou Special Envoy," Lin Yu continued, "He was reckless, trying to confront me in Shen City. As for the outcome, you have probably heard."

Those words cut Chen Jingwen like a knife straight into his heart. He naturally knew the fate of the Zhou Special Envoy. That younger, ambitious envoy remained missing to this day… He dared not continue.

Lin Yu suddenly leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping a few tones yet gaining more penetration: "You, hmm… you're already of an advanced age; being cautious and meticulous in officialdom all your life is not easy." His tone carried a trace of pity, yet was chilling, "As long as you stay obedient and don't create trouble for me, I won't bother to make life difficult for you, an old man who carries out his duties by the book."

On the surface the words seemed magnanimous, but in fact they combined both soft and hard tactics. He both highlighted the Zhou Special Envoy's precedent and offered Chen Jingwen a seemingly safe way out. Threat and inducement were used together, each word like a meticulously crafted trap.

Enormous fear and a hint of hope intertwined in Chen Jingwen's mind. He could no longer maintain the façade of a court official; his whole body trembled, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. The weathered face, seasoned by the ups and downs of officialdom, was filled with terror and despair.

"Lin… Commander Lin…" his lips trembled, almost crying, "I… I understand! I would never dare…"

He choked off before finishing, his voice breaking. He was completely subdued by Lin Yu's aura and tactics, his mental defenses utterly shattered.

At this moment he finally realized that his proud court envoy status meant nothing before this young man, not even a speck of dust.

Lin Yu leaned back onto the sofa, his gentle smile returning, as if the terrifying, oppressive presence moments ago were not him. Yet Chen Jingwen knew that from this moment onward, his fate was firmly in the other's grasp.