mtlumby2d Chapter 177: Zhongyuan Chapter
Chapter 177: Zhongyuan Chapter
The secret letter that Lu Yuxi received was naturally written by Lin Shiming himself.
Perhaps it was a pang of conscience that made General Lin, who had been so engrossed in his pleasures that he forgot all about home, finally remember that he had a husband who was still alone in his empty house when he wrote back to his brother before setting off.
So, General Lin, who came from a military background, surprisingly put on an artistic show, proudly bombarding Lu Yuxi with a full page of poems. When he tied the poems to the carrier pigeon's leg, the pigeon almost lost its balance.
"When the flowers bloom along the path, remember to pick two for me," "Red beans grow in the south, but unfortunately they are poisonous and cannot be eaten," "Having seen the ocean, other waters are insignificant; none can compare to this general"...
And so on and so forth, it's all incoherent and nonsensical, clearly just something done on a whim.
But Lu Yuxi cherished reading it again and again, always feeling that the letter was written in the "lively and lovely" style of General Lin, which matched his personality of missing someone but being too shy to say it directly.
Lin Shihe declined to comment on this, but the next day, when he saw Lu Yuxi sweetly caressing the letter, he couldn't help but ask the imperial physician to check if the wise and mighty Crown Prince had a problem with his brain.
Obviously not.
Despite the Crown Prince's stern face, Physician Li diligently took the prince's pulse and spoke very tactfully, "Your Highness's health is fine, and his mind is clear, it's just...it's just..."
Lin Shihe hated people who couldn't utter a single word for ages. "Stop stammering, just say it!"
Threatened, Physician Li closed his eyes and steeled his resolve, "It's just a bit of kidney deficiency!"
"???"
"!!!"
Lu Yuxi's face turned red on the spot, and she slammed the jade pendant she was playing with onto the table with a "bang," which immediately shattered into pieces.
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Emperor Longyun's undisguised laughter instantly filled the entire space, relentlessly attacking Lu Yuxi's fragile heart.
"I told you, those two were always fooling around, they were bound to run into trouble sooner or later. Look, karma's come back to bite you! Hahahaha..."
Lu Yuxi's neck turned red, and she was so embarrassed that she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
In the end, it was Lin Shihe, the most reliable person in Changping, who rolled his eyes dramatically and had no choice but to step in and control the situation.
"Physician Li, please explain in detail."
The source of the evil, Imperial Physician Li, quickly tried to explain and salvage the situation for the Crown Prince, who was already heartbroken and wished he could die.
"Your Highness, His Highness's illness is not due to... to..." The Imperial Physician Li, whose literary skills were not particularly refined, racked his brains before finally finding a word from a obscure corner: "Male attraction!"
Not far away, the background music of Emperor Longyun's wild laughter rang out again.
Physician Li wiped the sweat from his brow and continued resolutely, "Your Highness's condition is mainly due to excessive late nights these past few days, which has led to signs of kidney deficiency. However, it's not serious and requires no medication. A few days of rest will be sufficient for recovery."
It was a false alarm, and Lu Yuxi, who had been suffering greatly, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Please, Imperial Physician, explain everything next time!"
Physician Li nodded and agreed.
Lin Shihe, who had suspected his younger brother was indeed a femme fatale who brought ruin to the country, felt relieved. Whether the Crown Prince had kidney problems or not was not important; what mattered was that the blame must not be placed on his brother, lest his brother become the subject of controversy.
"Since there's nothing serious, Physician Li, you may leave now."
The obsequious Physician Li withdrew as if granted a pardon.
Emperor Longyun's laughter had not yet stopped.
"Your Majesty, please have some tea."
It was the great Lin Shihe who stepped in to defuse the situation, silencing Emperor Longyun with a cup of tea, and then turning to comfort and care for the Crown Prince, whose pride had almost been severely damaged.
"We've finished preparing everything we needed to these past few days, and there's nothing major going on. Why is Your Highness still working so late into the night? Staying up late is bad for your health, Your Highness should take better care of yourself."
Don't die too young, lest my brother live a life of widowhood; and don't get this disease, lest people misunderstand my brother's character.
It is utterly heartless.
Fortunately, Lin Shihe's implied meaning was too subtle, and no one could guess his true thoughts from these high-sounding words. Everyone in the hall simply thought that Lin Shihe was just showing normal concern for the Crown Prince's health.
"Thank you for your concern, brother." Lu Yuxi didn't think too much about it, because he was feeling guilty in a different way and was busy covering up for himself. "It's just that the nights have been hot lately, and I'm also worried about important matters, so I can't sleep well."
It's definitely not because my wife isn't here that I can't sleep.
"That's good." Lin Shihe nodded, assuming that Lu Yuxi was worried about the future. "Your Highness need not worry. Shiming's secret letter arrived today. The garrison in Yizhou has already set off, and their actions are all as expected. If we proceed according to plan, there will be no problem."
Lu Yuxi, who hadn't worried about anything serious at all, nodded, accepting Lin Shihe's reassurance, and then appropriately revealed some truth, "That Mingming won't be in any trouble, will he?"
The fact that Lin Shiming was traveling to the capital alone with the Yizhou garrison was what Lu Yuxi was truly worried about.
"Your Highness, rest assured. Not to mention that the reconnaissance techniques of the Tingyun Army are all taught by Shi Ming, he is the best at concealing his figure. As for his lightness skill, even if he is discovered, no one can catch him if he wants to escape."
Lu Yuxi nodded in apparent agreement, but Lin Shihe knew very well that he was still worried.
This kind of worry cannot be soothed by pale words and analysis. Even if a thousand or ten thousand people assured Lu Yuxi that Lin Shiming would be absolutely safe, he would still find it difficult to completely put his mind at ease.
Lin Shihe naturally understood this principle, so he didn't try to persuade her any further and instead tried to distract Lu Yuxi with other things.
"I heard that Shi Ming is not here, and Your Highness is temporarily handling the affairs of the inner palace. I wonder how the Empress Dowager is doing? Is she able to appear on time?"
"Yes, yes, yes," Emperor Longyun forgot to mock his own son when he mentioned the old woman, and hurriedly asked, "Has her 'broken' leg healed? Has the message to Prince Ping been sent over?"
"Father, rest assured, the Empress Dowager's leg injury has been going on for almost two months, and getting out of bed is not a problem. The palace maids and guards who were monitoring her have also reported back, and everything is under control."
"it is good."
Emperor Longyun let out a long sigh.
"Let's wait patiently for the Ghost Festival."
*
On the Ghost Festival, return home early.
As dusk fell, the palace was already nearly deserted, but Emperor Longyun and Lu Yuxi and the others tacitly headed to the Zhaixing Hall, the highest point of the palace.
The Zhaixing Hall, second only in size to the front hall of the Jinghu Mingtang, which served as the venue for court assemblies, was the second largest hall in the imperial palace. During the summer vacation, related sacrificial rites and banquets were held here.
After Crown Prince Hua Min passed away, every year on the Ghost Festival, Emperor Longyun would set up a memorial hall here and, together with Bai Qiongzhu, Lu Yuxi, Lu Tingsong and other family members, would pay tribute to his eldest son. Occasionally, Lin Shihe, the eldest princess and Xiao Feng would also come to participate.
This year was no different; apart from Bai Qiongzhu, who had already left, everyone else arrived at the hall early as usual.
As night fell, Emperor Longyun lit a stick of incense.
"How is it outside?"
Lin Shihe replied, "The news came from Shiming half an hour ago that the Yizhou garrison has come out in full force. Ten thousand men are controlling the checkpoints along the way, twenty thousand are heading to the capital, and the remaining twenty thousand have gathered outside the palace, ready to take action at any time."
Emperor Longyun remained calm. "Then let's begin."