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Song Jinglan looked up and said with a low smile, "I told you before that the road to succession is perilous— if I don't kill them, they will kill me. Does the Princess want me to die?"
She shook her head.
Song Jinglan laughed before reaching out to pinch her soft earlobe.
Lin Feilu shook her body and turned her head to avoid it, but he had already supported her cheek with his fingers, slowly tracing the pad of his thumb under her eyelids. He leaned over to her ear and said softly, "Princess, don't be afraid of me. Otherwise, I would be despondent."
Lin Feilu stretched her body and responded with a soft 'hmm' from the tip of her nose.
He let go of his hand contentedly, looked back at the sky, and said with a smile, "It's getting late, so go to sleep."
Lin Feilu was slightly nervous, "What about you?"
"I should leave as well," he said.
Their meeting was short, but who knew how much time it took from his already minimal free time.
Lin Feilu suddenly had a sad look in her eyes as the reluctance made her a little flustered. She didn't like experiencing this sort of uncontrollable emotion, so she hurriedly took two steps back and waved to him, "Bon voyage!"
The look in Song Jinglan's eyes flickered several times before he finally smiled and nodded, "Okay. Princess, you should take care of yourself as well."
He turned around and took two steps forward before turning back again.
Lin Feilu was still eagerly looking at his receding silhouette, but when she saw him turning back, she immediately closed the window with a snap.
Outside the window, Song Jinglan laughed silently.
Who knew how long it took before the closed window slowly opened again in the night. Besides the night breeze and the lingering fragrance of flowers, there wasn't a trace of his existence. Lin Feilu felt her heart surge with regret before completely closing the window, climbing back to bed, and going to sleep.
It wasn't until her breathing gradually calmed down after lying on the bed that the figure hidden behind the wall and branches finally left.
…
The next day, the General's Residence and the Sixteen Guards began to search for the assassin who attempted the murder in the wine shop last night. Naturally, they weren't able to find anything.
Fortunately, Xi Xingjiang only suffered external injuries, and he recovered after some time. There was no lead on the assassin, so he would continue to handle military affairs. As time went by, this matter could only be shelved and left to be dealt on a later date.
Lin Feilu was in a gloomy mood for a while before she quickly adjusted her mentality. Then, she began to enjoy her solitary life outside the palace happily. After the beginning of summer, one of the most concerning events in the capital was the marriage between His Highness King Jing, the Fourth Imperial Prince, and Mu Tingyun, the daughter of the Left Imperial Clerk.
Lin Jingyuan worked hard for a long time and tried all sorts of methods, but in the end, he still couldn't get them to cancel the marriage.
The day before his marriage, he was drinking in Lin Feilu's residence whilst weeping, "After we get married, I will have a hundred concubines to piss her off!"
Lin Feilu, "…"
She tapped him with a fan, and Lin Jingyuan, who was drunk, could no longer retain his consciousness.
The next day, Lin Jingyuan, who was hungover and had a splitting headache, wore the bridegroom's wedding attire and got married with a blank face. During the formal bowing ceremony, Lin Feilu watched from the side. The bride was petite, and her height only reached his chest when she stood beside Lin Jingyuan.
Lin Feilu also had many matters to handle during this time, so she couldn't find a chance to take a peek at what her Fourth sister-in-law looked like. Even so, according to her demeanor, she did not seem like the tigress that Lin Jingyuan mentioned before.
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Those who lived in the palace had little freedom to decide what they could do besides the Emperor himself. Although she regretted the fact that Lin Jingyuan's marriage was an arranged one, she could only pray that the two would be able to live in harmony in the future.
Even though the Fourth Prince's wedding was not as flamboyant as the Crown Prince's, the ostentation was still very grand. The King Jing Residence was in a festive and lively mood the entire day before finally quieting at night.
The Princess Yong An Residence was the closest to The King Jing Residence, so Lin Feilu remained at the venue until the guests were gone. Lin Jingyuan, still drunk, hugged the stone pillar in the courtyard and refused to let go, saying that he would let his bride stay there the first night.
Lin Feilu was both angry and amused by him. After pulling the man off the stone pillar, she knew he would never listen to harsh scoldings, so she could only try to coax him, "Brother Jingyuan, will you listen to Little Lu?"
Lin Jingyuan snorted and turned his head away.
Lin Feilu asked, "If I marry my husband one day, and he abandons me on our wedding night, will Brother Jingyuan be angry?"
Lin Jingyuan immediately roared, "I'll kill him!"
Lin Feilu tugged onto the cuff of his sleeve and said earnestly, "Since you are against it, my sister-in-law's family would be angry and saddened if they heard about what you're doing. Even if you don't like it, why should you embarrass my sister-in-law now that the marriage ceremony is done and dealt with? Do you think she could decide her marriage for herself? She didn't even arrange this wedding. She's just like you— someone who fell prey to the hands of hierarchy without having a say in her life."
Lin Jingyuan was stunned by her.
Lin Feilu led him to the room and said, "Even if you don't like her, you shouldn't neglect her on the wedding night and make her the new laughingstock of the capital. She is now Princess Consort Jing, so if she is being laughed at, do you think you will be exempted from it?"
Halfway through the talk, the man in question had already walked to the courtyard gates.
Lin Feilu let go of his hand and raised her small fists to cheer him on, "Brother Jingyuan, good luck!"
Then, Lin Jingyuan walked in a daze.
After arguing and resisting for that much time, the maids in the room had long since left as only the bride was left sitting on the side of the bed cautiously. A pair of tall wedding candles were burning in the room. He also saw that there was a wedding rod(1) on a plate and two small cups of ceremonial wine filled to the brim left aside.
(T/N: It's a red stick decorated with a tassel. The rod is traditionally used by the groom to lift the red veil off the bride's head on the night of their wedding.)
Lin Jingyuan was a little dizzy from drinking too much wine, so he looked at the figure on the bed from the door for a while before staggering over with a dull face.
When the bride heard his footsteps, she lowered her head unconsciously and curled her toes in anxiety.
Lin Jingyuan walked up to her. Without using the rod, he just stretched out his hand and lifted the veil away.
Under the red veil revealed a very delicate face.
She didn't seem to have expected that the veil would be lifted so soon as she stared at the husband in front of her in a daze. Her large eyes reflected the two candlelights, the dark orbs glistening with moisture.
Lin Jingyuan also stared at her blankly.
Mu Tingyun's face was blushing when she saw him. She slowly raised her hands to cover her face, and a shy voice sounded between her fingers, "Don't…don't look…"
Lin Jingyuan, "!!!"
Ah! She's a soft girl(2)!!!
(T/N: Refers to girls who are, behaviour and appearance-wise, more shy and sweet. The opposite of this would be a hard girl, who they would usually be more dominant and intimidating)
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Lin Feilu was worried that Lin Jingyuan would scale the wall and escape his fate, so she squatted on the wall and fed the surrounding mosquitoes for a while.
The mosquitoes of a summer night were truly no joke— each bite caused an itchy swell, and she couldn't seem to get rid of the source. As this was the price she had to pay to keep an eye on her Fourth Brother, she had to endure it. After waiting and waiting, Lin Feilu found that not only did he not try to escape, but someone had also extinguished the candles in the room.
Did that brat not mean what he said?
Lin Feilu quickly slipped away to avoid hearing something she shouldn't hear.
The next day, Lin Jingyuan brought Mu Tingyun into the palace to greet Emperor Lin and Consort Xian.
Because of this marriage, Lin Jingyuan had been in a rough position with his parents, even appearing with a dull face when he saw Consort Xian yesterday. Consort Xian thought that she would only see her daughter-in-law entering the palace to pay her respects today, so she didn't expect her son to bring her over personally as well.
Although he still appeared to be in a bad mood, there was no fuss or complaints coming from him as the newlyweds offered a cup of tea to Consort Xian as a sign of respect. Consort Xian explained to Mu Tingyun of her few more responsibilities as a Princess Consort in the future. Mu Tingyun obediently responded to all her commands and drank some tea for a bit before leaving.
Before leaving, Consort Xian cast a look at Lin Jingyuan. It didn't really look like a smile, but the corners of her mouth were undoubtedly curved upwards in the slightest. She clearly said, "Do you think Mother doesn't know what sort of girls you would like? Are you satisfied now?"
Lin Jingyuan recalled his previous protest and suddenly became a little angry from embarrassment. As soon as he left the palace, he lowered his head and strode forward.
Mu Tingyun was petite and was dressed in formal palace attire. Naturally, she couldn't walk as fast as he did. At first, she quickened her pace and could keep up with him, but later on, she had no choice but to break into a light jog to match his stride.
Lin Jingyuan walked alone for a moment before suddenly realizing that his wife was gone. Looking back at her, he saw her walking over with a big gap between them.
Lin Jingyuan said sullenly, "Hurry up!"
Mu Tingyun suddenly raised her head when she heard his voice. Seeing him standing in front of her with a dissatisfied face, she lowered her head again and trotted over, lifting her skirt slightly.
After running to him, Lin Jingyuan realised that her eyes were red.
Mu Tingyun's eyes were originally big already, but the added redness made her look even more pitiful.
Lin Jingyuan felt uncomfortable all of a sudden, "Why are you crying?!"
Mu Tingyun was trembling violently, suppressing her tears and answering in a low voice, "I-I didn't cry…"
Her eyes became even watery. Lin Jingyuan's mind was a mess as he quickly recalled how he coaxed Little Lu when she looked like this before. However, he found out that even though he was able to console Little Lu naturally, it seemed like he was restrained when it came to his own Princess Consort.
Seeing that the tears in her eyes were about to fall, Lin Jingyuan stretched out his hand in front of her while pouting, "I'll hold on to your hand, and I won't go so fast anymore, okay?"
Mu Tingyun looked at him eagerly.
Lin Jingyuan hooked his fingers impatiently, "Give me your hand!"
Mu Tingyun slowly put her soft, and small hand on his and Lin Jingyuan grasped it, his palm wrapping around hers entirely.
This time, he slowed down and led her all the way out of the palace.
404
Three days after getting married, it was customary for the bride to return to her own home. The Left Imperial Clerk's family knew His Highness King Jing was not satisfied with this marriage, as everyone saw his angered face on the wedding day. It would be a lie to say His Highness was happy with the marriage.
Their daughter was loved and cherished since childhood, so how would they, as parents, not feel bad if she were to be ignored after getting married? Even so, this was an arranged marriage, and technically an honour, so they had no courage to resist the order. Madam Mu shed tears whenever she thought of this incident in the past few days. Left Imperial Clerk Mu couldn't do anything but persuade her that they would be relatives of the royal family, honouring the lintel.
On the day Mu Tingyan was to return, her entire family was already waiting at the door.
In fact, everyone was distraught in their hearts. They were worried that if His Highness King Jing was unhappy, he might not be with her even though the couple was supposed to return together.
Thinking of her daughter returning home alone, Madam Mu cried again as she stood by the door. She saw the carriage gradually approaching while weeping and sobbing. His Highness King Jing, dressed in rich clothes, got out of the carriage first before stretching out his hand to help Mu Tingyun down.
The concubines of the Mu Family were not the masters of peace, and they were waiting to spectate an embarrassing scene. Who would have thought that His Highness King Jing not only came with his Princess Consort but also seemed to be taking good care of her?
At first, everyone thought it was merely a superficial effort by His Highness King Jing to take care of their reputation in front of the court officials.
But after lunch, when Mu Tingyun got up, her knee accidentally hit the corner of the table, causing her to limp slightly whenever she walked. Walking out of the hall, Madam. Mu was going to call the servant girls to aid her daughter, but she saw King Jing leaning over and directly carrying Mu Tingyun.
The moment her body was suspended in the air, Mu Tingyun exclaimed a little and subconsciously put her arms around his neck. Sensing the surprised gazes around him, he buried his head towards the crook of his shoulder in embarrassment.
Lin Jingyuan was quite dignified in front of them as he said softly, "I just need to carry my Princess Consort back to rest; all of you need not follow us."
As soon as he left, Madam Mu immediately covered her face with a handkerchief and began to cry. Left Imperial Clerk Mu was also very emotional, "You were worried about Yun'er before, but you can be at ease now that you've seen King Jing's attitude towards her. Alright, stop crying."
Madam Mu both cried in happiness, mixed with laughter in between, "I'm happy."
After the surrounding spectators overcame their initial shock, they started congratulating the family.
Lin Jingyuan needed to learn how much impact his actions had on the people of the Mu family. He walked around with his wife in his arms very handsomely before he realised he was lost.
After all, this was the Left Imperial Clerk's Residence, and it was his first time here. He had no choice but to cough dryly before lowering his head to ask the girl in his arms, "How do we get to your boudoir?"
Mu Tingyun's ears were red as she stretched out her finger and pointed to the side.
Only then did Lin Jingyuan stride over. Mu Tingyun looked up at his handsome facial features, which were always tense, and whispered, "My Lord, I can walk by myself."
Lin Jingyuan lowered his head and stared at her, "I am happy to carry you in my arms!"
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Lin Jingyuan would always put on fierce appearances like this one, which made Mu Tingyun a little scared at first, but now, she was not scared in the slightest. She pursed her lips and smiled, rubbing her head obediently against his neck. Her entire body was soft, and even her hair was unbelievably smooth, tickling his heart as he felt her rubbing against the crook of his neck.
The news that His Highness King Jing showed his affection towards his Princess Consort in public on the day they returned home quickly spread. After all, he was the nation's talk when he resisted proceeding with his marriage plans. Unexpectedly, his attitude took a big turn after marriage. It was practically a slap to the face for him but also a slap to the face for those who gossiped about the fact that he would have countless concubines.
Lin Feilu, who heard about this, thought to herself the Law of Hypocrisy(1) might be late, but it would never be absent.
(T/N: In Chinese, this term describes the phenomenon when someone tries their best to do/ not do something, but they end up doing the opposite of what they preached. Basically, hypocrisy.)
She knew since the Emperor liked his Fourth Prince that much, how could he force a marriage on him without taking his likes into account? He would definitely find someone that suited his son's taste right down to the T.
As expected of both father and son!
Once Lin Jingyuan got married, Lin Feilu had nothing else to do every day. She then devoted herself to developing her brothers' wives into her close friends and spent every day surrounded in bliss. The only downside was that Emperor Lin would occasionally summon her into the palace to pick a husband.
Time flew into winter, and one morning before dawn, Lin Feilu was still asleep when she suddenly heard nine death knell (2) rang.
(T/N:Death knell is the ringing of a church bell to announce the death of members of the royal family)
To hear seven tolls would mean that the Emperor had passed, whereas nine tolls signaled the passing of the Empress Dowager.
Lin Feilu suddenly jolted up from the bed.
At the same time, Songyu also hurried into the house, and Lin Feilu asked nervously, "Did you hear that, Songyu?"
Songyu nodded slowly, "Princess, it's the Empress Dowager…"
Lin Feilu's heart seemed to tighten, and she couldn't catch her breath for a few seconds.
Songyu brought some clothes over, choked up, and said, "Princess, you should get dressed. It's time to enter the palace."
In the 49th year of the Tianyuan era of the Great Lin Empire, the Empress Dowager passed away, and the entire country mourned.
The Empress Dowager passed away on Mount Wutai without any illness or accident. The night before, she was still smiling and listening to the lectures of the eminent monks, but when Nanny Liuzhi entered her chambers the following day, she was already gone.
According to modern times, it would be classified as a joyous death.
The news reached the capital immediately, and after the death knell rang nine times in the palace, preparations for the Empress Dowager's funeral began. Crown Prince Lin Qing and King Jing, Lin Jingyuan, rushed to Mount Wutai for her final send-off.
Lin Feilu entered the palace that morning. Followed by a series of complicated funeral ceremonies. She was so busy that she didn't even have the time to be sad. After a few days, Lin Ting also rushed back. When the Empress Dowager's coffin reached the capital, he, too, joined the send-off to express his condolences.
Lin Feilu had never experienced the death of a loved one.
When she was involved in the car accident back then, her grandparents were still alive.
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Lin Feilu didn't get to know the Empress Dowager for long— not as much as Lin Zhanyuan, anyways. And at the beginning, she approached her Imperial Grandmother with purpose and schemes to get special treatment.
However, the warmth in their relationship in the latter years was not fake as she didn't merely address her as 'Imperial Grandmother' without having any sort of feelings. Lin Feilu still wanted to take Lin Zhanyuan to Mount Wutai to accompany her for a while after this winter, but who would have thought that last winter was the final moment between grandmother and her grandchild?
Though there were sobs and sounds of wails all around, how many of them were truly real?
Lin Feilu threw a handful of millet stalks into the brazier and said silently in her heart, Imperial Grandmother, have a pleasant journey.
With the passing of the Empress Dowager, according to the Great Lin Empire's ancestral system, all the descendants of the royal family will have to carry out their filial piety for two years. During this period, celebrations and entertainment were forbidden in the capital as everyone should mourn together.
Not long after the Empress Dowager's funeral, it was the New Year. The palace cancelled the year-round banquet and the reunion banquet. This was the most deserted New Year's Lin Feilu had experienced since her transmigration.
The marriage of the Second Prince Lin Jiwen was originally scheduled for the beginning of spring, but now there was no choice but to have it postponed. Lin Feilu and Lin Wei, who have yet to be engaged, also naturally placed their plans on hold. Finally, Emperor Lin no longer force her to choose a husband, which made her life much easier.
After being comforted by Lin Feilu that people would turn into stars in the sky after death, Lin Zhanyuan finally stopped crying. He sat on the threshold every night looking at the stars, hoping to find out which one was his Imperial Grandmother.
After they buried the Empress Dowager in the Imperial Mausoleum, Lin Ting petitioned to go there to keep vigil for a year. Emperor Lin felt ashamed that he had not fulfilled his duties as a son and needed to entrust one of his sons to take his place, so he granted his wish.
After the snow melted, the capital city that had been silent for many months finally ushered in the arrival of spring. Although the country was still mourning, the people didn't have to keep wallowing in sorrow because it was considered a joyous funeral. Apart from hosting happy events and participating in entertainment, everyone could do what they wanted to and live their own lives as they wished.
Compared with the Empress Dowager's death, what attracted Emperor Lin and his courtiers' attention was actually the Song Empire's actions in the past two years.
Since the battle for the free city 2 years ago, the Song and Great Lin Empires have never confronted each other. They were both stationed at their borders to train their soldiers, remaining alert about everything that concerned the opposing party.
When spring was about to enter, there was an urgent report from the frontier, saying that the frontier defence of the Song Empire seemed to have been mobilised and the garrison horses had been increased. The Imperial Court immediately waited with the full force of their army as Emperor Lin dispatched his generals, waiting for the Song Empire to declare war against them. As a result, after anxiously waiting, the news of the Song Empire sending troops to attack the Wei Kingdom, which was huddled in the southern border, came.
The world knew that the Great Lin Empire, the Song Empire, and the Yong Kingdom were the three pillars that constantly confronted each other. However, many small countries like the Wei Kingdom took advantage of the past melees as a diversion, establishing themselves as the Kings of their own countries.
407
The small countries around the Great Lin Empire had been annexed long ago, and now, only a few dependent countries paid their tributes every year.
However, the Song Empire had been weakened for many years as the monarch indulged in their country's political affairs. There was no extra energy or thoughts to deal with these small countries around him. Hence, it allowed them to develop for many years without interfering with each other.
The Great Lin Empire coveted those small countries and wanted to annex them all at once, but there was a river known as the River Huai present at the border of the Song Empire. If Emperor Lin wanted to send troops to those small countries, he had to pass through that territory of the Song Empire.
Ever since Song Jinglan ascended the throne, those small countries have become nothing but thorns in his eyes. After rectifying the internal affairs, it was natural that his next move was to fight against the outside world.
When Emperor Lin heard the news, he immediately summoned the generals and wanted to take the opportunity to send his army to the Song Empire. However, it turned out that the Song Empire's mobilization of troops had also fully increased their border's defense strength, making it twice as much as the Great Lin Empire's army head count. If Emperor Lin wanted to send over his army at this time, he would have to dispatch more troops from other places.
However, the Great Lin Empire's other soldiers had their missions. Take the deployment of soldiers at the Shanyong Gates as an example. The Yong Kingdom's soldiers were on the other side of the gates, wishing that fewer troops would be stationed at the gates so they could break through in one fell swoop.
Emperor Lin was slightly speechless, "This boy of the Song Empire dispatched so many of his troops and horses to guard the border, so how did he get that many people to attack the Wei Kingdom?"
The Emperor's general replied, "When the troops were sent to defend the country, the Song Emperor personally led the rest of his army toward the Wei Kingdom and only brought 30,000 soldiers with him."
Emperor Lin sneered and said, "Although this person has a few tricks up his sleeves, he's also thinking very highly of himself to try and take down the Wei Kingdom with merely 30,000 troops. However, the old man of the Wei family was also a brave man back then. It seems like the child of the Song Empire is biting off more than he can chew."
As a result, before the end of spring, the news came from the Great Lin Empire's military scouts that the Song Empire had defeated the Wei Kingdom and forced them to surrender.
Emperor Lin, who was figuratively slapped in the face, "?"
Even then, this was not the end. After the annexation of the Wei Kingdom, in the next year, Song Jinglan personally led the iron cavalry and marched across thousands of miles, conquering the smaller countries of his surroundings one by one. With that, he gradually retook the Huainan Prefecture.
According to reports from his military scouts, among the soldiers who followed him to fight, there was a group of villains who had committed crimes in the martial world. Back then, this group of people occupied the mountain as kings while burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of crimes. They were the ones who established the Thirteen Villages of Chixiao, the well-known bandit group that even typical martial artists in the world wouldn't stand a chance against.
But at some point, the once majestic and infamous group of bandits, the Thirteen Villages of Chixiao, gradually vanished and never reappeared in the martial world ever again. Some courageous people tried to investigate this incident, but they found their hideout empty as they were gone without a trace.
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At first, everyone thought the internal strife in the Thirteen Villages caused the gang's collapse. Though, it was also said that Ji Liang, the number one swordsman in the world, took over the bandits' village. Either way, no matter what happened, everyone was relieved that such a wicked village had disappeared.
It never occurred to them that this group of people was incorporated into the army by Emperor Song as they became his men, attacking the enemy cities under his command.
There was no subject who did not want to serve a mighty king.
Although Song Jinglan killed his father, seized the throne with brutal methods, and unfairly took the throne, ever since he became the Emperor, he had changed the monarch's previous style of ruling since he became the Emperor. He despised arrogance and lust, beheaded corrupt officials and demoted weak officials, trained his troops, fought against outsiders, and secured internal affairs. Because of that, the country's national power got stronger and stronger, and finally, Song Jinglan seemed to resemble the Overlord of the Central Plains that the Song Empire once was.
Those who once condemned him lost their voices, whereas those who once opposed him surrendered willingly. He has killed the servile moths, leaving only a group of talented people with ambitions.
In just a few years, the state of the Song Empire had become powerful at an astonishing speed. They now showed off the fangs of the wolves that they had become.
And the Great Lin Empire could only watch all this happen across the River Huai, unable to do anything except strengthen their army through training.
Emperor Lin wanted to do something about it, but the Yong Kingdom was a pain in the *ss that would harass him from time to time. Therefore, he couldn't focus his undivided attention on Song Jinglan.
It was even more impossible for the Lin Empire to join forces with the Yong Kingdom to deal with the Song Empire. The Yong Kingdom once beheaded the two Emperors of the Great Lin Empire back then, and their corpses were hung at the city gates for half a month as a show of force. Inversely, the Great Lin Empire also slaughtered the entire tribe of the Yong Kingdom after achieving victory, including the old, the weak, women, and children.
What's more was that with the cruel and greedy nature of the Yong Kingdom, once the Song Dynasty was destroyed, they were capable of backstabbing as well.
The best status quo was the three main forces maintaining their power and keeping each other in check.
Fortunately, the Song Empire's current actions were all limited to the south of the Huaihe River. As long as Song Jinglan's hand does not stretch across the River Huai, the Great Lin Empire wouldn't need to do anything.
However, watching his opponent grow stronger every day made Emperor Lin very unsettled. He had been aging for the past two years, and his health had worsened. He usually relied on the elixir pills to maintain his state of good health, but now the drugs no longer worked on him that efficiently anymore.
It would have been fine if Emperor Lin accepted his old age, but he was stubborn as he missed his youthful and vigorous state. After listening to so many 'Long Live the Emperor' and perched on the dragon's throne for such a long time, he honestly thought of himself as a dragon that wouldn't be vulnerable to old age. After all, he refused to accept that he was getting weary and weak.
When Lin Feilu went to the palace to pay her respects, she heard the news that Emperor Lin had increased the dosage of the pill intake.
She felt helpless and worried, so she could only go to Lin Qing after thinking about it.
409
At the beginning of summer this year, Si Miaoran became pregnant. Hence, she started to take care of herself and was reallocated to the East Palace, so Lin Feilu came to the palace to accompany her more often. As soon as she heard that Princess Yong An had entered the palace, Si Miaoran would be much happier. It was notable that she would always send someone to wait outside the palace, inviting Lin Feilu inside the moment she gave her greetings without wasting a beat.
This time, Lin Feilu went in alone without waiting for the palace servants to invite her.
Si Miaoran sat on the rug and embroidered a hat and bib for the unborn baby according to the pattern that Lin Feilu drew when she visited last time.
Lin Feilu felt that these ancient women had the potential to be great painters. After all, Spongebob Squarepants looked so realistic through her work.
The two chatted for a while, and Lin Feilu drew her another set of small dinosaurs that had clothes and a tail. This design was a bit more complex. After looking at it for a long time, Si Miaoran decided to hand it over to the Imperial Embroidery Workshop and have them make it.
Lin Qing came back half an hour later.
The three of them talked happily again before Lin Feilu called Lin Qing aside and said worriedly, "Brother Crown Prince, Father Emperor has recently increased the dosage of pills that he would take, can you persuade him not to? Although the medicine currently has the effect of strengthening the body, in the long run, the side effects will be even greater."
Lin Qing smiled helplessly, "Do you think I haven't tried persuading him? Last time, I merely said a few words before Father Emperor got angry and scolded me for not seeing him as strong and invincible. He also said I was impatient, wanting to see him grow old and pass."
Lin Feilu, "…"
Lin Qing sighed, "How dare I try to persuade him again."
All the Emperors would encounter these sorts of problems once they got old. The fundamental reason for their refusal to accept old age was their reluctance to abdicate the throne. Lin Qing was the heir apparent. Therefore, if he tried too hard to persuade, it might arouse Emperor Lin's suspicions.
The two looked at each other helplessly for a moment before finally, Lin Feilu sighed, "Anyway, you should pay more attention to the movements and the matters of the Yangxin Palace."
She didn't say anything upright, but Lin Qing understood what she implied and nodded to her solemnly.
Before leaving the East Palace, Lin Qing thought of something as he stopped her and said, "You will be 18 at the beginning of the new year, and now that the mourning period for our Imperial Grandmother's funeral has passed and your marriage has been delayed for so long, Father Emperor mentioned that you should have it set soon."
Just as Lin Feilu was about to say something, Lin Qing lowered his voice and said, "You also know Father Emperor…don't let him worry too much."
She recalled that when she had just gone to the Yangxin Palace to pay her respects, she saw Emperor Lin half-leaning on the cushion with his swollen and aged face. She felt a little uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything this time and just nodded silently.
Within two days, Lin Jingyuan came out of the palace and brought a stack of portraits to Princess Yong An's Residence.
Lin Feilu was still playing around and kicking a feathered shuttlecock with Lin Zhanyuan, but when she saw the stack of portraits, she lost her energy.
Lin Jingyuan was very excited about it and laid out the portraits on the table happily,"Hurry, choose among these and see which one you like?"
Lin Feilu flipped through it with disinterest as Lin Jingyuan looked at her expression. He frowned and asked, "You don't like either?"
She gave a tired hum of affirmation.
410
Lin Jingyuan thought for a while, "Then you tell your Fourth Brother what kind of person you like, and I will search one by one according to your requirements. Even if I am to turn over the entire Great Lin Empire, I will find someone for you!"
Lin Feilu supported her head with her hands and curled the ends of her hair with her fingers. She said, "Gentle."
Lin Jingyuan's expression froze, and he quickly took down notes, "What else?"
Lin Feilu drooped her eyelids and said lazily, "A supreme master of martial arts, a mind for strategy, good-looking—especially in white clothes. He will look me in the eyes when talking to me, and he agrees no matter what I say. Every year on my birthday, no matter where he is, he will send gifts to me…"
Speaking of the latter, the volume of her voice became smaller and smaller the more she went on.
As Lin Jingyuan wrote, he felt that something was wrong.
His only remaining braincell finally played a role at this time, "To be so specific, Little Lu, do you have someone you like?"
Lin Feilu, "…"
What did I just say?
Lin Jingyuan put his pen down, "Who is it? Since you have someone you like, why are you looking at these portraits? It would be the right thing to choose him."
Lin Feilu was silent for a while before she took the stack of portraits to look through them again, saying lightly, "It's impossible for me to be with him, and it's just a pitiful pipe dream. I'd better pick and choose among these."
That's what she said, but in the end, she couldn't finalise on any of the candidates after the entire afternoon.
Lin Jingyuan vowed, "You just need to tell me who that person is. Even if he is a God in the sky, your Fourth Brother will knock him down and bring him here!"
Lin Feilu, "…"
In the end, she wrote a letter to Yan Xin, asking her to help her choose the young and promising heroes of the martial world. They should be good-looking, have high martial arts skills, and look elegant in white clothes.
After sending the letter, Lin Feilu felt that after experiencing for herself the imperial succession, and the escapade to be a martial artist, she might cook up a new 'doppelganger substitution' scheme.
The stress was truly weighing on her mind.
She didn't know if it was a sign from the skies, but the snow this winter had fallen extremely hard, persistently remaining and not melting away even after spring arrived for quite a while.
The low temperatures lasted until April. The peach blossoms would have completely withered around this time throughout the previous years, but they were still blooming this year due to the snow.
Emperor Lin had become increasingly fearful of the cold in the past two years. Stoves were burning in the four corners of the Yangxin Palace all day long, but he still felt cold. After checking on him, the imperial doctor said that it was due to the Cold Poison invading his bones. He tried to persuade him to stop the elixir pills, but before he could say a few words about it, Emperor Lin threw the inkstone and smashed it.
As soon as Lin Feilu arrived outside the door of the Yangxin Palace, she saw the imperial doctor covering his forehead. When the imperial doctor saw her, he bowed first before sighing and said, "Princess, you should persuade His Majesty. The state of relying on the elixir pill is just increasing his strength to get through the day. But if this continues, there will be no cure to help him go through any side effects."
Although Lin Feilu nodded in agreement, she knew that Emperor Lin would not listen to anyone's persuasion.