Chapter 137 Chapter 137 “Why aren’t you surprised that I would say…

Chapter 137

Emperor Longshun was very surprised: "What? Really? How did you know?!"

Concubine Lan had already prepared an explanation: "She told me in a dream! Then I had the audacity to have someone investigate, and the result... turned out to be true!"

"Who did you ask to check? Why didn't I receive any news?" Emperor Longshun straightened her shoulders and asked with a frown while wiping her tears.

The fact that he didn't receive the message was suspicious in itself.

"Naturally, I asked Xiuyuan to investigate... He can communicate with Miss Lin Er, and help me contact people in the capital. It's not difficult as long as you are willing. As for why Your Majesty hasn't received the news... I think the Empress doesn't want Your Majesty to know about this. She's already busy at the palace—I heard she even transferred General Zhou's eldest son to the palace for protection. Concubine Xian has always been out of favor and has been ill for so many years. Everyone is prepared. Besides... resisting the northern barbarians and stabilizing the capital are more important."

Concubine Lan's words were well-reasoned and, although a little sarcastic, Emperor Longshun did not doubt her.

The speaker is unintentional, but the listener is intentional.

Emperor Longshun frowned even more tightly. "Sending Zhou Bokai to the palace for protection? When did this happen?!"

Concubine Lan was startled by him, her shoulders shrank, and she complained plaintively, "Your Majesty... How could I know the specific situation? It was only because of that dream that I was worried about my sister, Concubine Xian, that Xiuyuan was distracted from his busy schedule and focused on this matter. It was also because he called Master Zhou "brother-in-law" that he learned about the palace affairs from his elder sister... I wanted to report to Your Majesty as soon as possible, but I didn't have time. Your Majesty, please don't be angry..."

Emperor Longshun realized that his expression and tone had frightened her, so he quickly softened his voice and expression, offering her a soothing smile. "I'm not blaming you, nor am I angry with you. Lan'er, you said Xiuyuan told you this? And Zhou Bokai gave him this information?"

"yes."

"Are there northern barbarians causing chaos in the capital?"

"Probably not."

No?

Instead, he transferred the defense commander of the Southern Camp to the palace to protect it. Isn't this a waste of talent?

And it also disturbs the people!

Emperor Longshun had some resentment and suspicion towards the Crown Prince and the Queen.

He called out, "Li Shouchang, go and get the prince consort."

"yes!"

When Your Majesty is with Concubine Lan, he naturally looks for Lin Zhiyi when he mentions a son-in-law.

Li Shouchang went straight to the tent where Princess Liyang was and invited her over.

Lin Zhiyi had also made preparations and was dressed appropriately. After coming over, he bowed obediently and waited for Emperor Longshun's instructions.

"Xiuyuan, if I hadn't summoned you, when would you have told me what you knew?" Emperor Longshun had a pleasant expression, but the question he asked was full of traps.

Lin Zhiyi had long known the emperor's intentions and remained calm. She said calmly, "Father, I told Mother because I knew she would tell you... So, you already know?"

Emperor Longshun reached out and pointed at him: "You!"

Lin Zhiyi smiled sweetly and said, "Father is very observant, and since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is in charge of the capital, nothing can be hidden from him. I am also afraid of overstepping my authority and causing unnecessary trouble."

She said this intentionally, deliberately pointing out that Emperor Longshun's confidence in leaving the prince in the capital was a major hidden danger.

How could Emperor Longshun not know what he meant?

Lin Zhiyi really couldn't be blamed for this. 'He' was investigating for Concubine Lan out of filial piety and had obtained accurate information, but he didn't dare to report it directly for fear of being considered as 'telling tales'.

He trusted the Crown Prince and the Queen so much, how could he allow others to speak ill of them?

You have to see it with your own eyes and hear it with your own ears to see the undercurrents surging beneath the calm surface.

Emperor Longshun had always believed that the Northern Barbarians were framed and pretending to be Northern Barbarians. Later, it was verified that the Northern Barbarians were indeed infiltrating Dayan and gathering a considerable force, intending to take his life during the spring hunt, or to alienate the emperor, his ministers, and his sons, and overthrow the government of Dayan.

So he put aside his suspicions about the prince.

Now that Concubine Xian has passed away, the Empress and the Crown Prince have not written to inform him, and have even transferred Zhou Bokai to the palace to protect them...

Considering what happened to Cheng Lunian before, and the fact that he ordered Ye Changning to investigate the Wei and Qin families, what else did Emperor Longshun not understand?

The prince discovered that his brother-in-law had made a mistake, and that it might even be related to Wei Ying and Qin Xiao's accident. He was worried that he would be angry with him after knowing the truth, so he wanted to take preemptive action...

Emperor Longshun's expression changed several times, and he finally asked Lin Zhiyi: "Are my reforms being pushed too fast?"

Lin Zhiyi said ambiguously: "It depends on what Your Majesty wants most - a stable government or a stable public opinion."

The stability of the political situation requires checks and balances from multiple parties.

Appropriate changes are needed to stabilize public sentiment.

Where there is change, there is conflict. The more interests involved, the more intense the conflict. In this case... it will be difficult to achieve checks and balances among multiple parties.

Emperor Longshun: "You are quite insightful."

He had recently appointed the Prince of Chu and the Prince of Jing, chosen suitable princesses for each of his sons, delegated appropriate power to the Crown Prince, and even reduced his military power to support younger people in taking the throne...

You could say he was selfish, he was indeed selfish, but you could also say he didn't consider the overall situation, he was also considering a lot.

In short, he was a contradictory emperor.

Or perhaps, emperors are always contradictory.

Lin Zhiyi is on Jingyue's side and is determined to fight for that position, so he will definitely show his transparent side appropriately.

Also show more edge appropriately.

Lin Zhiyi didn't elaborate, only calmly reminding him, "I hope Father will make a decision soon, to avoid... endless troubles."

Emperor Longshun: "I understand. You can go back and stay with Yue'er."

"I'll take my leave."

After Lin Zhiyi returned, he heard that Emperor Longshun had summoned Xie Junnuo, and also summoned his father and General Zhou, and they discussed the matter for a long time.

Afterwards, Jing Zhuoran was also summoned.

She and Jingyue huddled in the tent, lamenting the passing of Empress Xian.

Jing Yue: "Fifth Brother will probably be sad for a long time."

In the deep palace, they are all weak, and their mother is the strong one who protects them. From the moment they exist, their mother becomes a warrior in armor.

And they are all extremely dependent on their mothers.

Father is just a vague concept, mother is the one who cannot be separated from her.

The more we depend on each other, the more reluctant we are to let go.

Lin Zhiyi: "My third sister's marriage to him should be postponed, right? Is it really going to take three years?"

Jing Yue: "Not necessarily. It depends on Father's wishes, Fifth Brother's feelings, and the situation."

The northern barbarians are still causing chaos, and no one knows how many secret forces there are. They also don't know how long they will have to stay in the hunting grounds.

I don't know how far the Crown Prince and Queen will go...

What will happen to my relatives and friends in Beijing...

A spring rain fell, and the entire hunting ground was shrouded in a layer of mist.

Jing Zhuoran walked in the rain in a daze, so dazed that he couldn't see the person in front of him clearly.

Lin Zhishu came to pick him up in person, holding a large and wide umbrella.

Naturally, she also heard about Empress Xian's death.

Jing Zhuoran's hair and clothes were wet, and there was water on his cheeks and eyelashes, but it might not just be rain.

His eyes were red, probably because he had been crying.

Lin Zhishu didn't say much, he just raised the umbrella, took the man under it, and stayed with him quietly.

Jing Zhuoran couldn't speak. His mind was in a mess at the moment. He couldn't raise his hands to gesture, so he had no other way to express himself.

Only eyes.

Like a wounded dog that wants to be comforted.

Lin Zhishu said softly, "Do you want to walk around? The forest and grassland are very quiet in the rain. But you need to change into a pair of boots first - if you get sick, the queen will be worried."

She wore a pair of waterproof and non-slip rain boots - this was naturally a product proposed by Lin Zhiyi, modified by Lin Zhihua, and promoted and sold by Lin Zhiqin.

Each person in their family has at least three pairs of shoes that they alternate with each other.

Snow boots are used in winter, and rain boots are used in spring, summer and autumn.

This time when they went spring hunting, the Lin family brought rain boots.

In addition to strong winds, spring also has a lot of rain.

This is a rainy day precaution.

Lin Zhishu handed Jing Zhuoran a pair of rain boots that he had brought for him. Jing Zhuoran took them subconsciously, then walked forward silently, looking for a place to shelter from the rain.

Lin Zhishu was indeed very quiet and didn't say anything to disturb him.

Wherever he went, she followed silently holding an umbrella.

Jing Zhuoran stood in a small pavilion, staring at the rain outside the pavilion, lost in thought for a long time.

The Book of Forest was so quiet that it seemed as if it didn't exist.

There were only two of them in the pavilion, and because it was raining, there were not many people walking around.

Jing Zhuoran felt as if they were the only two people left in the world.

He didn't rush to change his boots, but just rubbed them carefully. Suddenly he opened his mouth, but no sound came out the first time. He tried again, and the third time he finally made a sound, hoarse and with a strange tone: "Mother must be very lonely..."

He was sad and had lost hope for the future, so he thought it would be nice if he could go with his mother so she could be his companion...

He thought about this and said, "I really want to go accompany my mother..."

He has been restless these past two days, unable to eat or sleep well. It turns out that the ominous premonition has fallen on his mother!

After learning the truth, it felt like half of his soul was taken away.

Lin Zhishu was surprised at first that he said that, and then he was shocked by the dejection and loneliness in his words.

She subconsciously wanted to reach out and comfort him, but was afraid of disturbing his emotions. In the end, she said nothing and just looked at him with a pair of calm eyes.

Jing Zhuoran hadn't spoken in years, and he wasn't used to it. But after saying a few words, he slowly found his rhythm, and his tone gradually improved, becoming normal. "My mother has been protecting me for so many years. She told me to be mute so I could protect myself... I'm safe now, but I can't grow strong wings to protect her, to take her out of the palace, to a safe place where she's no longer afraid... For so many years, I've been a waste..."

Lin Zhishu is a storyteller. She can outline many stories in her mind based on a painting, a scene, or a sentence. She is naturally emotionally rich and can understand the grievance, fear, and unwillingness in Jing Zhuoran's heart at this moment.

When you are overwhelmed by sadness, loneliness will take over everything and your heart will go astray. It is understandable that he is stuck in a dead end.

Lin Zhishu said quietly: "You went with her, and then what? Is it all over? Would you be more content if that happened?"

Jing Zhuoran's body tensed for a moment, then he turned to look at Lin Zhishu, his eyes redder than before: "If I die, our marriage can be over. I can give you freedom. Don't you want it?"

Lin Zhishu: "I want it. I don't want it either. I don't think you're bad. Don't underestimate yourself. Being a mute for twenty years is not something everyone can do."

Jing Zhuoran didn't say anything.

Lin Zhishu continued, "Everyone will die. Sometimes, death is a relief for the deceased. They may not have anticipated death. Of course, you could also say I'm being unreasonable. Perhaps the Queen was looking forward to seeing you get married, or perhaps there's some conspiracy behind her sudden passing... Have you considered all this? If you were to collapse as soon as the Queen left, wouldn't all her years of hard work be in vain?"

Lin Zhishu's calm analysis allowed Jing Zhuoran to face the bloody truth.

Yes, Mother's health had clearly improved. After learning that he could marry the Third Miss of the Lin family, she even cooperated with the imperial physician in taking medication for her recovery. Why did Mother pass away so suddenly after they left the palace?!

The Queen...it must be the Queen!

Jing Zhuoran's eyes flashed and he clenched his fists.

He actually didn't have much choice at all. He ended up where he is today mostly because he went with the flow.

The Queen did try to win him over, but he didn't want to get involved in the dispute, so he played dumb...

Unexpectedly... this would become my mother's death warrant...

Lin Zhishu reached out and grasped his wet wrist: "Take good care of yourself, that will be the greatest comfort to the Queen. Only when you become strong can you give the Queen an explanation."

Jing Zhuoran looked at the white and tender hand, blinking his eyelashes a few times before asking in a hoarse voice, "Why aren't you surprised that I can speak?"

Lin Zhishu: "You were stimulated, and the emotions that had been pent up in your chest finally found an outlet, forcing you to speak. It must be the goddess' spirit in heaven blessing you. You were frightened and stopped talking at first, but now you're stimulated and speaking again. It makes sense."

These words woke Jing Zhuoran up.

He can take this opportunity to restore his ability to speak.