mtlumby2d Chapter 77 bendaoshibuhuiyingyu!
Chapter 77 bendaoshibuhuiyingyu!
Today's court assembly didn't end until nearly noon. The ministers, in twos and threes, clutching their empty stomachs, walked quickly out together, occasionally whispering to each other, much like college students rushing to lunch after class.
Yesterday, Prince Ping had already set off for Buddha Mountain. Seeing that he would not be returning anytime soon, Shen Wanyi's father, Scholar Shen, quickened his pace and caught up with Grand Secretary Yue ahead, thinking about what to do on his side.
"Elder Yue!" Shen Lin called out to Yue Linghan, took a few steps to catch up, and said in a low voice, "What is Elder Yue's opinion on these matters in court today?"
As Shen Wanyi's father, Shen Lin naturally hoped that Prince Ping could become the next emperor. Now that Prince An was trapped in the Imperial Clan Court and could not get out, he had one less competitor, so he hurriedly came to discuss the matter with Grand Secretary Yue, the grandfather of Princess Ping.
Unlike Shen Lin's somewhat outgoing demeanor, Grand Secretary Yue was calm and reserved.
"There were quite a few matters to attend to at the morning court session. Which one is it that you're referring to, Scholar Shen?"
Shen Lin was somewhat confused. "Naturally, it's the one belonging to Prince An."
Grand Secretary Yue shook his head slightly and said, "There's nothing to say about Prince An's matter. His Majesty has been dissatisfied with him for a long time, and made it clear a few months ago that he intended to deal with him; it's just a matter of time. So this was expected, what's there to discuss?"
This means—
"Could it be about the Empress Dowager returning to the palace?"
Grand Secretary Yue shook his head again and sighed softly, "No. It's about the Crown Princess's reform of the laws."
Wasn't this decree issued to ensure the Crown Princess's complete control of the Ministry of Justice? What's there to say?
Shen Lin was extremely confused, but he didn't show it on his face.
"I am ignorant and foolish, please enlighten me, Your Excellency."
Grand Secretary Yue's expression remained unchanged, still calm and composed.
"You and I are both veteran officials, having served two reigns. We should have some understanding of His Majesty's meticulous and reasonable nature. Today, His Majesty has appointed the Crown Princess to take charge of the Ministry of Justice and reorganize the laws. This seems unsurprising, but if we think about it carefully in light of what happened a few months ago, there are significant problems."
"Your Majesty spent a whole year painstakingly selecting a male crown princess from a distinguished family, something unheard of before. There must be a reason for this."
"Looking at the two of them since their marriage, the Crown Prince has taken charge of the imperial examination, the Crown Princess has eliminated Prince An and taken control of the Ministry of Justice, and the Empress Dowager will return to the capital at the beginning of next month. Just now, His Majesty also promised the Crown Princess that she could select people from the new candidates to fill the vacancies in the Ministry of Justice and reorganize the laws. This is all interconnected, His Majesty must have made arrangements in advance."
Shen Lin, a veteran official of many years, was certainly not foolish. Upon hearing Grand Secretary Yue's words, he was immediately shaken after careful consideration.
"Does Your Excellency mean—"
Grand Secretary Yue did not reply, but flicked his sleeves and strode away.
Shen Lin stood there, his mind in turmoil.
Empress Dowager, Ministry of Justice, Prince An, Crown Prince Hua Min...
And the Crown Princess, who came from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
The Lin family has always remained independent of the succession struggle. The fact that Emperor Longyun has decreed a marriage alliance with the Crown Prince indicates a major event. Moreover, this matter could very well affect the stability of the empire; otherwise, why would Lin Shi and that smiling fox agree to involve their own younger brother in a mere succession struggle?
This means they're going to take action against the Empress Dowager.
It was his narrow-mindedness and that of Prince Ping that led him to view the matter as a simple marriage alliance, believing that Emperor Longyun was paving the way for the son of Crown Prince Huamin.
Shen Lin was shaken and stood there for a long time before he could suppress his surging thoughts.
In any case, he had already come this far with Prince Ping, and joining forces with the Empress Dowager to seize the throne was inevitable; there was no turning back.
*
Shen Lin seemed to have glimpsed a glimpse of Emperor Longyun's thoughts, while Lin Shiming had already had a "friendly" conversation with his dear brother and was riding in the imperial carriage towards the East Palace.
Along the way, Lin Shiming enthusiastically pulled Lu Yuxi along to plan how they would spend the next few days together. But as soon as they entered the house, Lu Tingsong, who was playing with two wolves in the front yard, gave them a rude awakening.
Lu Tingsong eagerly grabbed Lin Shiming's sleeve, "When are we leaving?"
Lin Shiming, with tears in his eyes, said, "First thing tomorrow morning."
Waaaaah, my world for just the two of us! How did a little brat end up here?!
Lu Tingsong, completely unaware of Lin Shiming's grief and indignation, immediately forgot about the two wolves and skipped away, leading his nannies back to the house to pack their belongings.
Lu Yuxi chuckled and pulled the devastated Lin Shiming into the house.
"It's not necessary to bring him along. We can send him to Mother first."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Lin Shiming was still reeling from the huge blow. "We just moved in yesterday, and you're sending it back today? Do you think that's appropriate?"
Waaah, I regret it so much. Why did I have to rush to bring them here in just one or two days?
But General Lin is a responsible person.
He downed a large cup of tea, calming his agitated emotions. "It's alright! Nothing is impossible. We'll just play with him every day, and once he's tired and falls asleep, it'll be just the two of us! I refuse to believe I can't outlast a five-year-old!"
You probably haven't seen a five-year-old child who finds cats and dogs annoying.
Lu Yuxi recalled those children in the palace who used to run around and cause trouble in the capital for more than half a year, so that they didn't dare to enter the inner palace. Suddenly, her eyes were filled with the pity of someone who had been through it all.
This look left Lin Shiming completely bewildered. "What does it mean?"
"No," Lu Yuxi said, using the act of drinking tea to conceal her expression. "You've mistaken me for someone else."
"...I'm not stupid."
After a moment of silence, Lin Shiming suddenly pounced on Lu Yuxi, scratching her all over.
Just as Lu Yuxi was filled with panic and faced imminent danger, Yuan Ye suddenly walked in.
"Your Highness, outside..."
Lin Shiming was still close to Lu Yuxi, who had his arm around his waist to prevent him from falling.
It looked as if he was snuggling in Lu Yuxi's arms, acting coquettishly, preparing to do some lewd things in broad daylight.
The three of them stared at each other for a moment, and then froze.
After a long while, Yuanye darted out as if he had seen a ghost.
"stop!"
Lin Shiming got up from Lu Yuxi as if he had been electrocuted, and straightened his clothes while trying to appear calm.
"We didn't do anything!"
Yuan Ye stood rooted to the spot, not daring to turn around. "Yes! Your subordinate didn't see anything!"
"...We were really just fooling around."
"Your Highness, rest assured! I will never go out and spread rumors!" I will tell the truth.
Lin Shiming was so angry that his veins were throbbing. How could this person be so stubborn?
"I told you, we don't plan to do anything... anything we shouldn't be doing right now!"
Yuan Ye said righteously and sternly, "Your Highness need not emphasize further, I understand!"
Lin Shiming: "... ..."
I understand, this person did it on purpose.
"That's enough." Lu Yuxi also got up, straightened her clothes, and then led the furious Lin Shiming to sit down on the couch.
"You just said something happened outside?"
When the topic turned to business, Yuan Ye immediately became serious. He quickly turned around and bowed, "Your Highness, a troop of imperial guards has arrived outside. They say that His Majesty instructed them to deliver something."
*
This thing is naturally the "Letter to You" that Emperor Longyun promised them last night.
Having obtained what he had been curious about for so long, Lin Shiming naturally didn't care about the embarrassing little things that had just happened.
He enthusiastically picked up the book and sat down at the table.
Why isn't there a name on the cover?
Lu Yuxi sat down next to him. "It was originally written by Senior Lin You himself, and it doesn't have a title. The three characters 'Letter to You' are also a term used by emperors throughout history after they learned it."
"Oh!"
Lin Shiming casually agreed, and then eagerly opened the book.
The first page is the familiar modern version of the table of contents.
Human nature, social overview, economics in simple terms...
Well, Lin You really did travel through time.
Lin Shiming angrily flipped through the pages, glancing at a few pages. It was indeed the content of modern nine-year compulsory education and high school humanities, except that the chapter on human nature had some more psychological elements.
He wasn't interested in anything he'd already learned, so he flipped directly to the end.
What came into view was indeed a page of rounded letters written with a brush, which looked like a complete mess.
Lu Yuxi frowned as she looked at the rows of "ink blots" and asked, "Can you understand them?"
"I don't know, but I'll give it a try!"
Time travel is an inconceivable thing, and even if he trusted Lu Yuxi completely, he wouldn't tell her directly. Just like the phrase "human nature cannot withstand the test" that he had only glanced at in the first few chapters of the book, Lin Shiming would never create trouble for himself unnecessarily.
Lu Yuxi hadn't expected Lin Shiming to understand it, so she wasn't surprised.
"It's alright, take a guess, you might just figure it out. I'll go arrange for someone to serve the meal, is there anything you'd like to eat?"
"I want squirrel-shaped mandarin fish."
Lu Yuxi nodded, got up and left.
Lin Shiming was left alone in the room. He took a deep breath and began to prepare to read.
"Haha, I don't want to go!"
Lin Shiming: "... ..."
Lin Shih-ming: 6