HLnovel Chapter 160 "Find them, kill them."
Chapter 160 "Find them, kill them."
The Empress Dowager certainly remembered how Lin Shiming had dealt with her.
But she had no choice but to come today.
If she is to help Prince Ping succeed and restore the Qin family, the Empress Dowager must be a powerful and influential figure. Otherwise, if no one listens to her, even if everything goes smoothly for Prince Ping and he eliminates Emperor Longyun and the Crown Prince's faction, there is no guarantee that the ministers will be willing to obey her orders and support Prince Ping's ascension to the throne.
Today is her best chance, and her only chance.
With imperial relatives and court officials all present, and her being the Empress's mother-in-law, now was the perfect time to establish her authority.
Therefore, even though she was somewhat alarmed by Lin Shiming's straightforward methods, she still had to be present.
However, Lin Shiming's influence still lingered, making Empress Dowager Qin uneasy. After learning the news last night, Empress Dowager Qin, who tossed and turned all night, still chose to set an example for herself in front of the maids and eunuchs when no one was around, in order to bolster her courage.
But before he could even finish his tirade, Lin Shiming, that menacing devil, returned.
"Why isn't the Empress Dowager speaking? Is she still ill? If she's not well, she shouldn't come out casually, otherwise people will find it unlucky."
Lin Shiming stopped in front of the memorial tablet and casually glanced around. The maids and eunuchs in the hall were immediately terrified and knelt down.
Empress Dowager Qin's face turned pale with anger, and her lips trembled. She pointed a finger at Lin Shiming, her voice filled with barely concealed rage and fear.
"You... I am your elder, how dare you speak to me like that! Cursing one's elders is a grave sin, and one shall surely die a horrible death!"
"Heh." Lin Shiming casually twirled his sleeve. "Who do you think you are, elder? Empress Dowager, rest assured! I will certainly die later than you. As for whether my death is good or bad, that's still a long way off, but you—"
Lin Shiming's eyes suddenly sharpened.
“I promise I will never let you—or your entire Qin family—have the chance to die with a smile on your face.”
"Insolence—insolence!"
Empress Dowager Qin's body trembled violently, her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked like she was about to collapse from the shock, but not a single maid or eunuch dared to reach out and support her right under Lin Shiming's nose.
Isolated and helpless, Empress Dowager Qin staggered back two steps and almost fell in front of the Empress's coffin. Fortunately, after being sent to a vegetarian diet and chanting Buddhist scriptures by Emperor Longyun for many years, she was in good health. She grabbed the table and managed to stand up again.
Lin Shiming frowned in disgust. Although the funeral was fake, it was still in Bai Qiongzhu's name, marking the end and farewell of Bai Qiongzhu's status as the Empress of Changping.
It's really unpleasant to have this unlucky thing bump into the table.
"Arrogant brat!" Empress Dowager Qin had barely regained her footing when she began pointing her finger and cursing again. "The imperial family and court officials are right outside the palace. Do you dare let them in and see your arrogant behavior? Let the whole world see that Lu Yuxi has no right to ascend the throne after marrying such a disloyal and unfilial person as you!"
"Trying to intimidate me with this?" Lin Shiming scoffed. "You've already used this trick enough."
"However, you have indeed reminded me that, in order to prevent the Empress Dowager from causing any trouble that would bother me, I should have someone send you back to Shou'an Palace to recuperate!"
"I am not ill—"
"Zhao Lei!"
"The slave is here."
"Select a few of the strictest ones and send the Empress Dowager back to Shou'an Palace. If the Empress Dowager is ill, make it look real and don't let anyone notice anything amiss."
Empress Dowager Qin immediately grasped the implication in Lin Shiming's words and suddenly erupted, "How dare you lay a hand on me!"
Lin Shiming ignored her and continued to give instructions to Zhao Lei.
"The fact that I am able to see our Empress Dowager at this time and place today must mean that some audacious and greedy maids and eunuchs have ignored my warnings and forgotten who is the master of this palace."
A person who is disobedient and rebellious, and who betrays his master.
"Find them, kill them."
*
Mao Shi.
Imperial relatives, ministers, and noblewomen gathered at Jing'an Palace to mourn the late Empress.
As the daughter-in-law, Lin Shiming naturally knelt in the front row with Lu Yuxi, with genuine or feigned weeping behind them.
The chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace quietly approached from the side and silently gestured to Lin Shiming.
Upon receiving the message, Lin Shiming shook hands with Lu Yuxi beside him and then got up and left.
Outside the hall, Zhao Lei bowed in greeting.
"Your Highness, a report has come from Shou'an Palace that the Empress Dowager slipped and fell last night. The imperial physician said the fall was quite serious; she broke a leg and injured her neck, and it seems she will be unable to speak for some time."
Lin Shiming nodded. "What about the others?"
"The men who delivered the message to the Empress Dowager and brought her to the mourning hall have been executed. They did it in front of the Empress Dowager, so she must have been quite frightened after her fall last night."
"But this old servant has another matter to ask Your Highness."
"speak."
"The maids and eunuchs present in the palace at the time eavesdropped on everything..."
How can one survive after hearing things one shouldn't have heard?
Lin Shiming naturally understood Zhao Lei's unspoken meaning.
Although Lin Shiming, who doesn't care about his reputation, wouldn't mind if today's events were spread, it is still a royal secret, and he cannot ignore Lu Yuxi's reputation.
"A servant who cannot protect his master and allows his master to be humiliated is not worth keeping."
"Slave, let's do it now."
Wait a minute, what are we going to do? Lin Shiming's pupils dilated in shock.
He was about to explode as he watched Zhao Lei, who thought he understood perfectly and was about to turn around and deal with the situation.
"What's your hurry? Do you understand what I mean? Then leave."
Zhao Lei, who had already taken two steps, was momentarily stunned. For some reason, he quickly ran back, bowed, and admitted his mistake, saying, "It was this old servant who was anxious. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
That's certainly impatient. Perhaps they've already gotten used to it?
This dynasty really doesn't value the lives of its servants. Lin Shiming wanted to reprimand Zhao Lei, but after thinking it over, he realized that in this kind of era, Zhao Lei was the norm, and he himself was the anomaly.
The words that were about to come out were hesitant for a long time, but in the end, they turned into a sigh.
"Never mind. I didn't finish speaking. Today is also a joyous occasion for the Empress Dowager, so let's accumulate blessings for her."
"Those maids and eunuchs... I suppose they are grateful for the Empress Dowager's kindness and are willing to guard the imperial tomb for her. Giving their families some money would be a reward."
No longer needing to live in fear and serve others, although life was hard and lacked freedom, at least they had enough to eat and wear and lived peacefully.
"Just remember to keep an eye on people. If anyone can't control their mouth, let the tomb keeper deal with them as they see fit."
This time, Zhao Lei learned his lesson. Only after Lin Shiming told him to hurry up and get on with it did he quickly bow and leave.
*
When they returned to the hall, everyone was still mourning before the coffin.
Lin Shiming, with his sharp ears and eyes, noticed from afar that someone was secretly stuffing pastries into the child's mouth. He pretended not to see it and walked past the crowd without glancing to the side, returning to Lu Yuxi's side.
When Lu Yuxi saw him return, she didn't ask him anything. She just patted Lin Shiming's hand and continued to mourn and keep vigil.
Since the crown prince didn't ask, no one else dared to provoke him. For a moment, only the flickering flames and the weeping of the crowd filled the hall.
Half an hour later, the haggard-looking Emperor Longyun walked in.