HLnovel Chapter 64 Thank you, because of you, four seasons have been warm.
Chapter 64 Thank you, because of you, four seasons have been warm.
As soon as Prince An uttered these words, a vacuum zone formed within a radius of fifty meters.
For a moment, everyone silently stopped what they were doing and what they were saying, not daring to make a sound, as if they had all been petrified by King An, who was like a Medusa.
It's hilarious. They really don't want to confront Emperor Longyun's family affairs, let alone get a direct look at the front lines of the power struggle for the throne.
Regardless of whether Prince An is about to become a commoner, as long as the imperial edict is not issued, Prince An's performance is not something that members of the imperial family like them can watch, and no one dares to act recklessly at this time.
Moreover, the other protagonist in this drama is a notoriously decisive and ruthless individual. If they were to accidentally provoke him, they might be killed and fed to the wolves, and even His Majesty couldn't save them.
Everyone loves to watch plays, but you only have one life.
Everyone knows which is more important.
A few rays of the setting sun still lingered in the sky, but the area around the campsite seemed to have already entered a quiet, deep night.
A distant bird call swept across the sky, bringing Lin Shiming back to his senses from the immense doubt and shock he felt about Prince An's mind.
He rolled up his sleeves, intending to show this fool just how red the "one-zhang red" punishment really was. But he didn't expect to be pulled back by Lu Yuxi beside him as soon as he lifted his foot.
In his confusion, Lin Shiming looked to the side at Lu Yuxi's prompting and saw that Emperor Longyun, who was sitting by the campfire, threw the branch he was holding into the fire.
"Fourth."
At this moment, Prince An felt no regret whatsoever. He only thought he was really clever, having seized a huge handle on Lin Shiming, which might just cause him a big blunder.
"Father!"
Prince An knelt heavily beside Emperor Longyun, his words earnest and sincere.
"Father, there's no need for further words. As your own son, I should always take the lead, obey your wishes, and consider your needs first!"
His sincere and righteous manner actually seemed quite convincing.
Lin Shiming was no longer in a hurry. He simply crossed his arms and leaned against Lu Yuxi, watching Prince An perform with a half-smile.
Emperor Longyun tilted his head, looking at Prince An with an inscrutable expression, "Do you really mean what you're saying?"
At first glance, it seemed as if he was moved by Prince An's sincerity. Without thinking, the simple-minded Prince An immediately showed his delight.
"Indeed! These are my heartfelt words. From beginning to end, I have followed Your Majesty's will and dared not disobey it in the slightest!"
Prince An bowed deeply, and the surroundings instantly became even quieter.
Lin Shiming, who was leaning on Lu Yuxi, could keenly sense that Lu Yuxi's hand on his waist seemed to be forcibly suppressing its force. He looked down to the other side and saw that Lu Yuxi's other hand, hanging at her side, was indeed clenched into a fist.
Lin Shiming remained silent for a moment, then subtly moved closer to Lu Yuxi, gently shaking his head and nuzzling her neck a few times.
Feeling a few warm touches on her neck, Lu Yuxi subconsciously glanced at Lin Shiming, who was leaning against her, and then immediately composed herself, releasing her hands that were aching from holding them so tightly.
At the same time, Lin Shiming felt relieved when he realized that the hand supporting his waist had stopped trembling. He then lazily leaned half of his weight on Lu Yuxi and continued watching the show.
Not far away, Emperor Longyun, who had been the focus of everyone's attention, finally made a move.
He chuckled, turned around, picked up a few more branches, threw them into the fire, and spoke calmly.
"The Crown Princess's wolf is indeed imposing and sharp-tongued. I am delighted to see its dashing and agile figure. As for its calamities, there is not much difference between humans and wolves."
Emperor Longyun dusted off his hands and slowly rose to his feet.
"Keep the wolf in the palace. Anyone who's afraid should just stay away. After all, wild animals are also driven by self-interest and avoid harm. No matter how ferocious or 'inhuman' they are, they can't possibly kill you from miles away."
Who can tell which is human, which is wolf, and which is even more terrifying than a wolf?
The deeper meaning behind this was clear to everyone present except for Prince An; they were all deeply moved and terrified.
"Prince An".
Prince An vaguely understood the unspoken meaning of Emperor Longyun's words, and a bead of cold sweat quickly dripped down his forehead.
"Your subject, your subject is here."
"Spend more time riding horses and walking around in the next two days. Although you come to the hunting grounds every year, the scenery is still endless. Take in the sights and keep them in your heart."
Cherish these few days of freedom, because once you go back, you won't have the chance to go out again.
Prince An was puzzled, but he still kowtowed and accepted the decree.
"Your subject will obey Your Majesty's decree."
Emperor Longyun straightened his sleeves, didn't look at him again, and strode away.
Lin Shiming snorted and pulled Lu Yuxi back to the palace.
Those who had been listening nearby, sweating profusely, saw the most distinguished guests leave one after another. They quickly wiped the sweat from their foreheads, casually bowed to Prince An who was still kneeling on the ground, and then ran away without looking back.
*
On the second day of the spring hunt, Emperor Longyun no longer participated.
He was, after all, forty years old, and spent his days reviewing memorials and dealing with government affairs from morning till night. Being able to hunt all day yesterday was already a testament to his good health. Today, he wouldn't participate in the hunt; simply accompanying Bai Qiongzhu for a leisurely stroll near the camp would suffice.
Therefore, Lin Shiming, who no longer needed to serve Emperor Longyun, was finally freed.
Yesterday, Lu Yuxi had agreed to accompany him to the competition, but just before they set off, the two were caught red-handed by Emperor Longyun, who was lying in wait. The heartless emperor used the excuse that "the Empress and I are traveling alone, and the camp cannot be left unattended" to forcibly separate the young couple and detained Lu Yuxi on the camp's viewing platform to oversee things for him.
The relationship between the father-in-law and daughter-in-law, who were working together to scheme against others yesterday, broke down on the spot.
This infuriated Lin Shiming. If Emperor Longyun hadn't premeditatedly brought a group of people to make him hesitate to lash out in public, he would have definitely started a fight with this heartless emperor right then and there.
Even so, before leaving, Lin Shiming still glared angrily at Emperor Longyun several times.
Although Emperor Longyun, having succeeded, didn't mind at all.
So, when the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) arrived and the opening horn sounded, Lin Shiming could only lead two wolves alone, and Lu Yuxi gave him a death order to his squad of guards to charge forward.
But his anger did not affect his actions. His horse galloped away, and in just a few breaths, Lu Yuxi on the stands could no longer find him.
Without those who held him back, General Lin was like an arrow released from a bow, a husky unleashed, unstoppable. In the jungle, Lin Shiming moved with ease and confidence, as if he were back in his hometown, a place where he felt completely at home.
The arrows flew swiftly, the horses moved like dragons, and Lin Ha and Lin Qi were also full of fighting spirit and high morale. If it weren't for the fact that the guards following Lin Shiming were all top-notch fighters, they would probably have been left more than ten miles behind by now.
Lin Shiming, a former soldier, naturally wanted to win first place in the spring hunt. He had already wasted a day yesterday, so as soon as he entered the hunting grounds today, he went straight to the forest where the wild beasts were located, which he had scouted out beforehand with Lin Shihe, and swept through it.
If Lin Shihe hadn't repeatedly warned him beforehand, fearing he would hunt all the large prey and leave no one else with any, Lin Shiming would probably have wiped out all the wild animals in the hunting grounds.
Even so, in just one day, Lin Shiming achieved what others couldn't in three or four days, securing first place in this spring hunt ahead of schedule.
Incidentally, they also dealt with five cases in the dense forest where people took the opportunity to cause trouble.
*
The first day of the spring hunt is very important because the emperor will be there; the third day is also very important because the final day's sprint and struggle will inevitably be more dangerous.
Therefore, most of those who want to use the spring hunt to frame or persecute others have chosen today.
The methods mainly include putting some kind of drug powder on people to attract wild animals, then luring them to the most dangerous hunting area that has been warned in advance, so that they die at the hands of ferocious beasts; choosing a sparsely populated forest to do it themselves or have someone else do it in advance; tampering with the horses that people are going to ride, etc.
These arrangements and procedures are so skillful that they are almost a self-contained system, clearly indicating that many predecessors have used them successfully.
Unfortunately, today they ran into General Lin, who is sharp-eyed and has a keen sense of what's going on, and who always seems to be heading into dangerous places.
Lin Shiming didn't care which imperial family or high-ranking official's family they came from, or which nobleman favored them. As for these vicious people who disturbed his hunting mood, Lin Shiming dealt with them one by one, decisively and without mercy.
The eldest son of a concubine, jealous of his legitimate brother, plotted to kill his aunt, who wanted to eliminate the orphaned girl and seize her family property. Lin Shiming arranged for the victims to be returned unharmed by guards, and also informed Lu Yuxi, who remained behind, to send a cup of poisoned wine to the person behind it all. Those with officials in their families were simply demoted three ranks for "lax family management."
As for those whose cases weren't so serious, Lin Shiming, in a bad mood, punished them one by one, even extending the punishment to their families. In a fit of rage, he even sent a woman who had tried to harm his older sister and seduce her brother-in-law to Prince Ping as a concubine.
The official reason given was to "take care of the princes' domestic affairs on behalf of the Empress Dowager, and incidentally soothe Prince Ping's grief over being cuckolded."
Prince Ping, who was confined to his courtyard by Emperor Longyun to "recuperate" for illness: Thank you, because of you, the four seasons are warm.
After a day of hunting, Lin Shiming's image as someone who was unapproachable and had no grudges was further solidified in the court and among the people.