klisemfg Chapter 148 I just casually mentioned that you've already started planning?
Chapter 148 I just casually mentioned that you've already started planning?
Zhao Lei stared blankly for a moment, then said softly, "You don't need to take it. Chief Steward Li said this decree is for His Highness the Crown Prince."
You're just being presumptuous!
Lin Shih-ming: That's all.
Lin Shiming, oblivious to his own feelings, showed no embarrassment whatsoever. His expression changed instantly, and he sat back down, picked up the bowl of ice, and completed the whole action in one smooth motion.
"I see! Then quickly call Eunuch Li in, lest we delay the Emperor's decree."
Lu Yuxi: "... ..."
Lu Yuxi was heartbroken by his cold-blooded and ruthless approach of sacrificing his own friend for his own.
He sighed and shook his head. "Go and invite Eunuch Li in."
Zhao Lei accepted the order and left, bringing Li An in with him.
"This servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess." Li An bowed in greeting.
"Please rise, Eunuch Li." Lu Yuxi said calmly, "What decree does the Emperor have for you to convey?"
Li An did not speak directly, but replied, "His Majesty said that the weather is already unbearably hot, and it is time to go to the summer palace to escape the heat."
Lu Yuxi immediately understood and didn't ask any further questions. Instead, she continued talking about the weather, just like Li An had said.
"It was my oversight. Today the sun is blazing, I should have asked the eunuch to sit down and have a cup of tea before delivering the decree."
As she spoke, Lu Yuxi gave Zhao Lei a look, and Zhao Lei understood immediately. He poured Li An a cup of cold tea, bowed, and left.
A new group of people quickly and quietly took over the guard duty outside the door.
Lu Yuxi put down her teacup and asked seriously, "What are your orders, Father?"
"His Majesty received news yesterday that Lord Shen Lin has found a new princess for Prince Ping. It is estimated that the wedding will take place after the Empress's passing, during the mourning period. The dowry and betrothal gifts are all prepared, and the wedding banquet can be held at any time."
Marriage during the mourning period usually occurs when the wedding is arranged within 100 days of the elder's death, as the three-year mourning period cannot be delayed. This is considered a way to bring good news to the deceased and is a form of filial piety.
But King Ping would never have done so for that reason.
"Moreover, I heard that Lord Shen Lin also sent a letter to Shen Wanyi, saying that he wanted her to take this opportunity to be reinstated as Consort Shu."
Li An's words immediately made Lu Yuxi frown and put down her teacup heavily.
"He actually hopes his mother will die soon, so that no one in the harem can suppress her anymore!"
With Bai Qiongzhu gone, the Empress Dowager once again became the most powerful figure in the harem according to etiquette. The Empress Dowager and Prince Ping were originally of the same faction, so naturally she would try every means to provide Shen Wanyi with convenience and suppress the other concubines.
Bai Qiongzhu and Lin Shiming could be disrespectful to the Empress Dowager, but the concubines couldn't. Being concubines by birth, their status was illegitimate, and they naturally felt inferior to the Empress Dowager.
Even if Lin Shiming could support them, he was still a man and couldn't go to the harem every day and get involved with Emperor Longyun's concubines.
"This old woman was bedridden for so many days last time because of my anger, but she's back to her old self so quickly. She's really healthy; she's lively and energetic again in such a short time."
Thinking of this, Lin Shiming irritably put down the ice bowl, tapping his knuckles on the table repeatedly. A belated heat made him extremely irritable.
He blurted out, "Why don't I go to Shou'an Palace tonight and beat that old woman until she's black and blue and can't show her face in public, so she can recuperate for another ten days or half a month?"
Somewhat outrageous.
But it's not impossible.
Sometimes it's more satisfying and cathartic to just take action.
Lu Yuxi lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then suddenly reached out and grasped Lin Shiming's fingers, "Me, with you?"
“My martial arts skills are not as good as yours, but you control the palace and can directly transfer the guards. Let’s go to Shou’an Palace together, and I can vent my anger.”
Lin Shiming was stunned, and his agitation vanished.
Li An, sitting on a stool by the door, was trembling as he held a teacup.
Unaware that her image had been shattered in the eyes of the two, Lu Yuxi remained serious and meticulous, carefully considering how to make the matter perfect.
"We need to find a proper excuse later, otherwise it would be bad if word got out that the Empress Dowager was beaten so badly in her own palace, and it might even implicate you, the Crown Princess who is in charge of the harem."
I just mentioned it casually, and you've already started planning?
Lin Shiming swallowed hard, not daring to pull his hand away. "...So what do you want?"
“Then let’s make sure she can’t open her mouth.” Lu Yuxi made the decision. “The Empress Dowager is getting old. When she suddenly heard that Princess Ping had died along with her unborn child, and that her long-awaited great-grandchild had vanished, it was only reasonable for her to be so heartbroken that she needed to stay home and recuperate.”
Lin Shiming had the entire harem under his control. He directly assaulted someone and then silenced the Imperial Hospital staff and palace maids—perfect. Even if the Empress Dowager wanted to tell others in the future, her injuries would have healed, and without evidence, what could she do to the two of them?
Lin Shiming: "... ..."
Lin Shiming, unusually, showed some self-awareness and restraint. "...Let's switch to drugging. I don't usually hit women, nor do I hit the elderly."
"But taking the medicine doesn't really relieve my anger."
Lin Shiming opened his mouth, paused for a moment, and then chose to use force to suppress the attack. "I'm in charge! Just drug it!"
Lu Yuxi clicked her tongue in regret.
"Alright, the Crown Princess has the final say."
The two of them quickly decided to drug the Empress Dowager in just a few words, leaving Li An, who was holding a cup of tea, completely stunned.
"Your Highnesses," Li An's voice trembled slightly, "shouldn't the focus be on the new 'Princess Consort'?"
"Hmm?" Lin Shiming turned around, puzzled. "What's so interesting about the new Princess Consort of Ping? Can anyone compare to me?"
That's true. Lin Shiming is already "top-tier" in every aspect; even if ten more Princess Ping were tied up, he wouldn't be worth his attention.
But what needs to be said must be said.
"Your Highness, you misunderstand. What I meant was not that this new Princess Ping is worth paying attention to, but that she is the daughter of the garrison commander of Yizhou."
Lu Yuxi remained calm, showing no surprise whatsoever.
Lin Shiming, who came from a military background, naturally understood Li An's unspoken meaning.
As the closest military outpost to the capital, Yizhou was responsible for protecting the capital year-round, with 50,000 soldiers stationed there, all under the command of the Yizhou garrison commander.
If they march at full speed, they can reach the capital in a single day.
The main force of the Tingyun Army was scattered outside, leaving only 10,000 men in the main camp outside the capital. Including the Imperial Guards and personal guards, they were outnumbered, but their fighting strength was undeniable! They had made advance preparations and didn't need to take these men seriously at all.
“But I do know this Yizhou garrison commander.” Lin Shiming put a piece of fruit in his mouth and recalled the information in his mind. “He is one of the few generals who has not been trained by the Tingyun Army.”
Six or seven out of ten generals in Changping have connections with the Tingyun Army, either as officers of the Tingyun Army or as trainees who have studied there. This proportion has increased to seven or eight out of ten, especially after Lin Shiming arrived and brought more advanced military knowledge and training methods.
Not to mention those in positions like garrison commander, those who aren't related to the Tingyun Army are extremely rare.
Hu Jiao, the garrison commander of Yizhou, was one of them. That's why Lin Shiming remembered him.