klisemfg Chapter 25 But who is Lin Shiming? He is not someone who is easily morally blackmailed.
Chapter 25 But who is Lin Shiming? He is not someone who is easily morally blackmailed.
In a spacious courtyard of the East Palace, Lin Shiming stared blankly at the scene inside. Two wolf cubs were leaping and bounding about, followed by two eunuchs who were groveling and begging for mercy as they chased after them.
"I think I just delivered them two days ago, and they've already become this wild in just two days?"
Lu Yuxi didn't know how to explain. He had raised the animals according to the method on the paper Lin Shiming had given him, but who knew that in just two days the little courtyard would be in such a state of chaos.
Lin Shiming felt ashamed. How could such an impolite wolf come from his Duke Zhenguo's mansion?
So he stepped forward and shouted, "Lin Ha, Lin Qi!"
The two wolves, running wild in the yard, couldn't stop in time and crashed straight into a towering tree.
Two consecutive "bang-bang" sounds—you could tell they were two good heads!
This made Lin Shiming's forehead twitch with anger.
The two exhausted eunuchs finally noticed Lin Shiming and Lu Yuxi entering through the door. They hurriedly scrambled to their knees before them.
"This servant...greets...pays respects...to His Highness the Crown Prince, and pays respects...to His Highness the Crown Princess."
They're panting so much, anyone who didn't know better would think they were "committing adultery in the harem"!
Lu Yuxi frowned as he looked at the two disheveled eunuchs. He was about to reprimand them, but when he noticed the two wolves who had bumped their heads but didn't seem to care and immediately got up and circled around Lin Shiming, he swallowed his words.
As the other newly appointed parent of these two children, he examined his conscience and found he really couldn't bring himself to criticize the eunuchs.
"You may all leave now. Go wash up and rest for a day."
Don't overwork yourself and cause problems.
The two eunuchs, as if granted a pardon, kowtowed weeping and ran away. Lu Yuxi shook her head helplessly and walked to Lin Shiming's side.
Lin Shiming was pointing at the noses of the two wolves and cursing.
"...Have you no shame? Huh? How could my Duke Zhenguo's mansion produce such rude and disgraceful mad wolves? How can I ever face anyone again after this!"
Lin Ha and Lin Qi continued to circle around him, barking incessantly.
It's obvious they couldn't understand what Lin Shiming was cursing.
"Why are you arguing with them?" Lu Yuxi reached out and grabbed Lin Ha, checking its head. Hmm, nothing wrong with it.
He then freed his hand to grab Lynch, and examined its wolf head as well.
Lin Shiming was still furious. "Our Lin family has strict military discipline. Even I, who's never home, follow the rules when I'm in the army. These two... idiots! They've completely disgraced me!"
It wasn't that Lin Shiming was completely lost; he once went to visit his brother to see Lin Shi, who had been stolen. He was surprised to find that Lin Shi was exceptionally well-behaved, clean, and obedient.
Looking back at his two little ones who spent all their time rolling around in the mud, Lin Shiming understood for the first time in his two lifetimes why his parents always liked to talk about "other people's children".
Isn't this a classic case of a rich, beautiful, and wealthy woman and a country bumpkin?
"Don't be angry. Wolves are wild by nature, so it's fine for them to be a little lively. There's nothing important in this yard, so let them roam around freely."
Lin Shiming angrily slapped Lin Ha on the head again.
"Fine, starting tomorrow I'll take them for walks every day. That'll expend their energy, and they'll be much more well-behaved the rest of the time. It's only because I've been busy preparing for my wedding these past few days that I've been able to give them a break."
“Okay.” Lu Yuxi stood up. “Then let’s take the two of them with us and continue to explore the East Palace.”
So Lin Shiming and Lu Yuxi continued walking side by side, while the two kids chased and played around beside them.
"By the way, what about my 'dowry'?"
"It's been placed in the main courtyard."
"Main courtyard?"
"Yes. Generally, the Crown Prince will also have many concubines. The Crown Prince lives in the main hall of the East Palace, which is the front hall, while the concubines live in various small courtyards behind. The Crown Princess lives in the main courtyard. The main courtyard is the largest, located in the center of the east-west direction, and is also the courtyard closest to the Crown Prince's main hall."
As they were talking, the two of them happened to arrive near the main courtyard. Lu Yuxi pointed to it and continued to explain.
"However, now that you're with me, you'll be the only Crown Princess in the Eastern Palace, so there's no need to separate. You can just live with me. Therefore, your 'dowry' will be placed in the main courtyard, which is appropriate. The key is with Yuanye, whom you brought with you, so you can go there anytime."
"Oh!" Lin Shiming glanced at the courtyard gate and recalled the way he came. "But no rush, I'll come back when I need to spend the money."
“The Crown Princess has her own allowance, and you are in charge of my private treasury and the entire account book of the Eastern Palace. You can take whatever you want directly. There is no need to touch your ‘dowry’. As the Crown Prince, I can still support you.”
Lin Shiming had absolutely no idea about being supported or living off someone. He simply felt that the feeling of having no worries about food and drink and being able to spend money as he pleased was fantastic.
"Is this the very account book? Even the Crown Prince wants me to manage it?"
"Of course. The ledgers of the Crown Prince and my private treasury were organized before the wedding. Zhao Lei will deliver them to you when he has some free time this afternoon. If you are really busy, you can ask him to continue helping you. You can take a look at them when you have time."
Lin Shiming shook his head. It seemed that his carefree days were over!
"The East Palace Garden is just ahead."
The two walked for a while before they came to a rather large garden.
"The garden is managed by the Imperial Household Department. If you have any ideas, you can ask them to make changes."
Lin Shiming looked around. In the dead of winter, there wasn't much to see, just some evergreen trees and plum blossoms. Snowy days could have some charm, but now that the snow had melted, everything was bare and grayish-brown.
"Shall we go in and take a look?"
Lin Shiming shook his head decisively, "No."
“Let’s go to the training ground then.” Lu Yuxi led him back. “Didn’t you want a training ground? The East Palace already has one. I had them renovate it. It’s not far from the main hall. It’s about time. Let’s go see it now, and then go straight to the main hall. My brothers and sisters will be here soon.”
"Right, I almost forgot about them!" Lin Shiming patted his head and casually instructed a eunuch beside him, "Go find two guards and send these two wolves back first. Don't let them follow us and scare people."
To prevent problems from arising, we must not give them any opportunity to cause trouble.
The eunuch obeyed the order, and soon, Lin Ha and Lin Qi reluctantly struggled to be carried back to their courtyard.
Lin Shiming watched helplessly, thinking that the guards would probably lose control of the two brats in a few days. It was a real headache.
*
Just after noon, Lin Shiming and Lu Yuxi finished touring the martial arts arena and arrived at the main hall where the small banquet was being held that day.
Just then, the first guest of the day entered, and the two quickly went to greet him.
"Your subject (woman) pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess."
"Eldest Princess, please don't stand on ceremony."
Lu Yuxi hurriedly called Princess Heyou to her feet, then casually waved her hand as if she had just seen Xiao Feng, saying, "Please rise, Your Highness."
Lin Shiming muttered to himself, "Double standards."
"Why didn't you bring your little nephew?"
Lu Yuxi didn't see Xiao Ze'an, so she casually asked him about it. Xiao Feng then replied, "After all, we're here to attend a banquet today, bringing him along would only cause trouble."
"What's the trouble? Just bring more wet nurses and servants, right? Your Highness, bring him next time."
Princess Heyou readily agreed.
After exchanging greetings, the group entered the main hall and took their seats. Princess Heyou gave Lin Shiming a kind look, then smiled gently at him.
"I was eager to see my fifth brother's new wife, the Crown Princess, so I arrived a bit early."
Lin Shiming smiled and replied, "It's not early. It's not long before the time we set. We can take this opportunity to talk to the Empress."
Although they were just talking, they hadn't exchanged more than a few words when more voices came from outside.
Prince Ping, accompanied by his wife, the Second Princess, Princess Ran, and the Second Prince Consort Su Ge, entered. Before Lin Shiming and Lu Yuxi could step forward, the remaining princes and princesses also entered.
After everyone exchanged greetings, Princess Heyou also stood up and came over, saying, "Second Imperial Brother and Second Imperial Sister are fine, but why are you all here today?"
The seventh prince, Lu Yuyao, immediately ran to the front. He was only seven years old this year, and he had a very arrogant appearance.
"We just happened to be studying in the Imperial Study today, so we came together!"
The third and fourth princesses who followed behind nodded as well. "We asked for leave in advance and arranged to come together."
Unlike the Seventh Prince, who seemed like a troublesome little tyrant, these two princesses, although also somewhat arrogant, knew how to restrain themselves.
Only Prince An still wore that sour face, as if someone owed him millions. He snorted coldly and didn't say a word, making Princess An extremely embarrassed. She could only suppress her embarrassment and smile apologetically.
"Come in quickly." Lin Shiming didn't indulge him and welcomed everyone inside. Then he instructed Steward Zhao, who was serving nearby, "Eunuch Zhao, have them serve the dishes."
Today is a family reunion banquet, so there are no separate seats for men and women; everyone sits around one table. As they talk, the eunuchs outside quickly bring the prepared dishes to the table.
Prince Ping and Prince An glanced around, somewhat displeased. Prince An spoke first, "Why isn't there any wine?"
Princess Heyou looked at him with annoyance, "There's a pregnant woman and three children here, what kind of wine are you drinking?"
Prince An hesitated for a moment, but was pulled back by Princess An, and only muttered one sentence before shutting up.
Without Prince An's tactless disruption, the atmosphere in the main hall temporarily eased. Everyone ate some food and chatted casually, surprisingly resembling a harmonious family gathering.
But their good fortune didn't last long. Before they had even finished eating half of the food, the youngest prince, the seventh prince, started causing trouble.
"Sister-in-law Crown Princess." Lu Yuyao tried her best to look cute, but being young, she couldn't hide the smugness in her eyes. "I heard there are two wolves in your dowry. Give me one!"
"Oh ho," Lin Shiming thought with a cold laugh, "So this is how it begins?"
He was about to say something when Princess Kazuyo spoke first.
"Xiao Qi! How could you just ask for someone's beloved possession like that?"
Lu Yuyao didn't care at all, relying on his young age, he just wouldn't budge.
"Why does my elder sister care so much? The Crown Princess hasn't even spoken yet." Lu Yuyao couldn't hide the disdain in her tone. "Crown Princess, tell me, are you willing to give it to me?"
This is an old trick used in palace intrigue and domestic power struggles. Taking advantage of the newlywed's shyness, they make some excessive demands to overshadow her.
But who is Lin Shiming? He is a man. Even if he is nominally "married" to Lu Yuxi, he will not care about reputation, be considerate of elders and juniors, or live a life of compromise like women in this society.
He is not the kind of person who is easily morally blackmailed.
Lin Shiming pushed Lu Yuxi, who was about to stand up for him, back down and decisively refused.
"I do not want to."