mtlumby2d Chapter 41 So what if I'm just a nobody? I can still beat you to a pulp!
Chapter 41 So what if I'm just a nobody? I can still beat you to a pulp!
As the saying goes, blessings never come in pairs, and misfortunes never come alone.
Lin Shiming suffered two blows in one day.
Moreover, every blow made him want to leave this cold world.
At the end of the Xu hour (7-9 PM), the last examinee entered his examination cell, and the examination hall gate was completely sealed. Several squads of soldiers patrolled between the cells according to regulations.
Lin Shiming felt he had lost face and didn't dare go down to chat with those soldiers anymore. He pitifully stayed on the roof and planned to sleep there for the night, which would also be a way of keeping watch for them.
Just as he lay down on the roof ridge and closed his eyes, he suddenly heard faint sounds coming from below.
"Shi Ming".
It was Lu Yuxi calling him! Lin Shiming opened his eyes and stood up instantly. Sure enough, he saw Lu Yuxi wearing a black cloak and holding a food box, standing in the courtyard looking at him.
Lin Shiming immediately leaped down and landed steadily in front of Lu Yuxi.
"How did you come?"
The three examinations of the provincial examination were held one day in advance, with the examination taking place on the second day and the candidates leaving early on the third day. During these two days and nights, the examination hall was completely sealed off, and even if a fire broke out inside and burned people to death, the door could not be opened.
Lin Shiming, as the person in charge of maintaining order in the examination hall, naturally had to stay inside and couldn't leave, but Lu Yuxi, the chief examiner, didn't have to. It's important to understand that once the examination hall was sealed off, no one, regardless of who they were, could leave before the exam was over.
Looking at Lin Shiming, who seemed quite surprised, Lu Yuxi smiled and said, "I'll keep you company."
Lin Shiming's eyes lit up, and he quickly looked around. Although this was a courtyard designated for Lin Shiming's temporary residence, there were quite a few people patrolling the area according to regulations.
Having already lost face today, he didn't want these gossipy people with their eyes sparkling to watch him and Lu Yuxi's interaction, so Lin Shiming simply grabbed Lu Yuxi's hand and led him into the house.
"Let's go inside and talk!"
The two went inside and closed the door, and immediately a number of sighs filled with regret could be heard outside.
"..."
I'm so angry! These soldiers, they all look honest and kind, but they're all full of bad intentions! They clearly knew the truth, but they still egged me on to brag to them for days, and kept clapping and agreeing!
Now you want to see me make a fool of myself, huh?
Lin Shiming didn't care about losing face anymore, and immediately prepared to go out and fight them to show them what the majesty of a general was!
"Shi Ming!"
Lu Yuxi reached out, but not a trace of her hand remained.
"Don't worry, the exam room won't hear anything if there's a fight here. I'll just go beat them up and come right back, nothing will happen!"
Lin Shiming opened the door and rushed out of the room. Soon, various muffled thuds and creaks could be heard outside, along with pleas for mercy, wails, and angry curses.
"Look, let me show you!"
"General! We'll be leaving immediately..."
"Leave? That's too time-consuming. Let me kick you all out!"
"what!"
"If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll really think I'm too ashamed to go out!"
"I was wrong, I was wrong, I know I was wrong... Ouch, my butt!"
"So what if I'm from the bottom ranks? Even those of us below can still utterly defeat you, leaving you in a sorry state!"
"Yes, yes, yes! General, please release my arm! It's broken!"
…
Lu Yuxi stood in the room, helplessly watching Lin Shiming fight against the crowd, beating the group of onlookers at the door until they cried and screamed, and none of them escaped.
Before half a cup of tea had been brewed, the various noises outside subsided. Lin Shiming straightened his sleeves, feeling refreshed and happy as he entered the room, beaming with pride.
"See that? This is the power of this general! Let's see if they dare to laugh at me again."
Lu Yuxi smiled and coaxed him, "I saw it. My little general is indeed valiant and unmatched."
"Hmph! That's right!"
Lin Shiming's embarrassment and awkwardness came and went quickly... After venting, his smugness of being the fourth best in the world took over again.
Seeing that he had regained his energy, Lu Yuxi finally felt relieved and took Lin Shiming's hand to walk inside.
"Okay, hurry up and wash your hands, I brought you a midnight snack."
What kind of late-night snack?
Lin Shiming quickly washed his hands and went straight to the food box without drying them.
Seeing that his eyes were almost glued to the food box, Lu Yuxi smiled and shook her head, then placed two bowls of corn porridge and several side dishes on the table.
"It's too late, so I didn't have anyone cook too much, in case you have indigestion."
Lin Shiming had eaten dinner early tonight and was already hungry. He didn't care about etiquette and started stuffing food into his mouth with his chopsticks.
"Eat slowly, it's all yours."
Lu Yuxi wasn't hungry; she just slowly sipped her porridge, occasionally adding a few bites of food to Lin Shiming's bowl. The two of them, one swift and the other elegant, put down their chopsticks at the same time.
After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Shiming leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach contentedly, and watched Lu Yuxi methodically tidy up the mess.
"This place will be sealed off until the day after tomorrow at dawn. Will you come and keep me company? Father Emperor has no objection?"
"Father won't have any objections. Mother heard about what happened this morning in the afternoon and said she wanted to avenge you and me. She kicked Father out of Fengyi Palace. Father is probably still racking his brains trying to figure out how to appease Mother."
"Really?"
Lu Yuxi chuckled, "I'm not lying to you. I came here after seeing how Father was kicked out. This midnight snack was also prepared by Mother's small kitchen."
Very well! What's that saying again? "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river!" It's his turn to laugh at Emperor Longyun!
"So, now that you know Father Emperor was kicked out by Mother Empress, are you finally calmed down?"
"I've already gotten over it!"
"Okay." Lu Yuxi was considerate enough not to expose him. After tidying up the table, she came over and took Lin Shiming's hand to help him get up. "Don't lie down right after eating. Let's go for a walk to digest."
“Alright.” Lin Shiming stood up with the help of his strength. “Let’s just walk around here and not disturb the examinees.”
*
Although February isn't as bitterly cold as the dead of winter, the temperature difference between day and night is significant, and it can still be freezing at night.
Emperor Longyun was unable to enter the Phoenix Palace tonight and could only stand alone by the window of the Xuanzheng Hall, looking out at the half-moon and a few stars.
"Your Majesty, it's getting late, you should rest first."
Emperor Longyun tightened the cloak that Li An had draped over him, but did not move his feet.
"Did the Crown Prince go to be with the Crown Princess?"
"Yes." Li An smiled obsequiously, "The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess have a harmonious relationship, all because His Majesty bestowed this marriage upon them."
Emperor Longyun smiled and pointed at Li An, "You lackey, you're always good at saying nice things."
“This servant speaks from the heart.”
Emperor Longyun chuckled twice, strolled back to his desk, picked up a memorial, and casually flipped through it.
"There have been quite a few memorials impeaching the Crown Princess these past few days, haven't there?"
"There are probably several dozen of them."
"Hmph, dozens of books? They think that a high-ranking and unconventional person has appeared in the court, and they are not easy to deal with. They are frightened by the Crown Princess."
Li An bent over, not daring to reply.
"Look at this, 'the Crown Princess acts recklessly'. Reckless? This is reckless? What will she do when she meets me, the even more insane monarch, next month? Will she just splatter blood in the court and smash her head against a pillar to remonstrate?"
Li An smiled apologetically, bending even lower.
Emperor Longyun sneered, "They're all greedy and lawless people. It's a respectable death for them to die by crashing into something like this."
The candles inside the hall flickered and popped softly.
"Li An, I remember that the sixth prince got married on the third day of the fifth month?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Make preparations so that Prince An won't have the opportunity to attend this wedding banquet."
"The slave understands."
"And we should also come back to Mount Fotuo to pay our last respects."
"As Your Majesty instructed, some unscrupulous officials have already found a reason for the Empress Dowager to return to the capital."
Emperor Longyun nodded in satisfaction, "Let's do it when Prince An is finished, and let this rebellious son see if the old woman he used to curry favor with by stepping on Crown Prince Hua Min will bother to save him!"
"The slave obeys the order."
"Send a message to the northern desert, instructing them to keep a close watch on the Qin clan, not letting a single one escape. To have them live for another four years is already a disgrace to me. Once the matter is settled at the end of the year, the first thing I will do is have their entire clan buried with my son!"