Chapter 2, Section 2: The Second Son of the Lin Family

Having won a battle and vented her anger, Huiyi was in a very good mood on her way back.

"Did you see Li Xiuyun's face? It really amused me. She deliberately spilled tea on my skirt, humph!"

It is now early spring, and the biting winter wind is no longer blowing, but the gentle breeze blowing through the willows.

Huiyi parted the crimson brocade curtain of the golden carriage and muttered to herself with a radiant expression.

“The princess is right. That Princess Anning dared to openly provoke your esteemed master. She deserves to be taught a lesson. The princess has done a good job in teaching her a lesson!”

De'an walked beside her, praising his princess without reservation, his plump face beaming with a protective smile.

Biqing was also a loyal follower, but she was much more composed. She smiled gently and said, "The princess not only retaliated against Princess Anning today, but also considered the overall situation. The Emperor will surely praise the princess if he knows this."

Praised by the two, Huiyi became even more smug, beaming with joy as she replied, "Of course!"

"And that's not all, I also want to change the rules of Cherry Blossom Garden."

Biqing was sent to Xunfeng Palace by the Emperor and Empress five years ago. She is calm and composed and does things properly, so she is not only responsible for taking care of the princess, but also for guiding and advising her.

Fearing that the princess might do something rash that could lead to impeachment by the censor, she pressed further, "How does the princess intend to make changes?"

Huiyi may seem careless and sloppy, but she does have a keen eye for people.

Upon seeing Biqing's worried and anxious face, she first smiled, her voice crisp and clear, making everyone who heard it feel joyful.

"Why worry? I just want to remove the restrictions on the Cherry Blossom Garden. Since it's a place for everyone to enjoy, why only allow members of the royal family and officials to come and visit? Why can't the common people of Chang'an come?"

Before the two could react, Huiyi continued her plan: "However, we need to set some rules. Visitors are not allowed to pick flowers or damage the garden. Otherwise, they will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane!"

"There are so many people in Chang'an. If everyone just casually picks a branch or two of cherry blossoms, wouldn't the cherry blossom garden become bare? What would we have to admire cherry blossoms next year? No way..."

After hearing Huiyi's words, the two understood and exchanged a glance, both praising her, "The princess is kind-hearted and very sensible."

Seeing that both Biqing and De'an were like this, Huiyi felt a secret sense of satisfaction.

See, she's not a crazy girl after all!

The emperor rode in a jade carriage, the crown prince in a gold carriage, imperial relatives and high-ranking officials in elephant carriages, and the rest in leather carriages.

The prince doted on her, allowing her to travel in a golden carriage just like her elder brother, the crown prince, which aroused the envy of countless noblewomen.

As the warm spring breeze blew, Huiyi picked up a cup of rose-flavored drink, just as she was about to take a sip, the golden carriage beneath her suddenly lurched, and the surrounding horses neighed, creating chaos.

Interspersed among the sounds was the rapid hoofbeats of galloping horses, and a few indistinct yet unrestrained words.

The rose drink was spilled solidly onto Huiyi's skirt, instantly igniting her anger.

Is God deliberately playing a cruel joke on her?

Having just settled the score for the tea-splashing incident a few days ago, I'm now getting my revenge on her again!

This trip was a loss!

"Princess, please forgive me. Someone was riding a fast horse and startled the horses pulling the carriage, causing it to lurch and sway."

Outside the golden carriage, the general solemnly reported back, fearing that Princess Chang Le might be unaware of the situation and punish them.

Upon hearing this, Huiyi was furious. She straightened her face and coldly rebuked, "Which ignorant scoundrel dares to offend this princess? Quickly, bring him here!"

Although the official road allows carriages and horses to travel at high speeds, with such a large entourage, anyone who comes here, especially those with two eyes, should know to give way. But this person is something else, not knowing how to restrain himself and startling her procession. He really doesn't know what he's doing!

Lifting the brocade curtain, Huiyi finally saw the wild horseman she had been hoping for.

He was a young general wearing black armor, without a helmet, and his hair, which was tied up in a bun, was somewhat messy.

Stopped by the general, he looked very impatient, his thick eyebrows furrowed, and his sun-tanned face showed a hint of coldness, as if he was about to start cursing at any moment.

At first glance, the leading general recognized the man.

Huiyi recognized her too.

He is Lin Lanting, the second son of the Lin family, who was the General of the Golden Guard in Chang'an and went on the expedition with General Guo half a year ago.

"It's you?"

Huiyi's mood worsened when she saw it was him.

Lin Er is the most arrogant and unruly fellow, yet he still wins the master's favor. He's very cunning and extremely difficult to deal with.

If she could, Huiyi would rather not have anything to do with Lin Er.

But it was too late; it had already happened.

Sure enough, when Lin Lanting saw that it was her, he immediately started to act cheeky with a smile.

"Oh, so it's the spoiled princess."

Huiyi glared at him, and he immediately withdrew his arrogant and irritating expression, feigning humility as he apologized, "It is my fault that I have spoken out of turn and angered the princess. Surely a magnanimous person like the princess will forgive me?"

Relying on his grandfather being a highly regarded prime minister, on his military achievements, and on his favor with the emperor, Lin Lanting was incredibly arrogant wherever he went.

He restrained himself in front of her, but not much.

Look at that arrogant look, he deserves to be slapped a few times!

Huiyi couldn't understand why her father liked a young man like Lin Er.

Taking a breath, Huiyi coldly snorted, "If I were truly so petty, I would be holding you accountable today."

If a courtier offends the princess who is currently favored by the emperor, what's wrong with her hitting him a couple of times to vent her anger?

However, Lin Lanting remained calm in the face of Huiyi's questioning, and even had the leisure to stroke the mane of his horse.

Although she didn't know why Lin Er was so calm and composed, Huiyi looked at the fearlessness on his face and guessed that he must have something to rely on.

Having spent five years in Chang'an and dealt with this fellow several times, Huiyi was quite familiar with Lin Er.

Arrogant as he may be, he never fights a battle unprepared. The fact that he can adopt this posture suggests that he has some other tricks up his sleeve.

Sure enough, he stood tall and bowed to her, saying, "Then I can only disappoint the princess. I am here to deliver your message to the emperor. I must hurry to the palace to explain the military situation to His Majesty. I cannot delay."

"If we delay with the princess, the emperor will have to wait even longer."

Lin Lanting knew that this girl's weakness was the sage, and he was confident in his ability to deal with it.

As expected, Huiyi was taken aback when she heard this, but then she immediately forgot about the previous disagreement and eagerly asked for an answer. She leaned out a bit, and the golden phoenix hairpin in her hair swayed in the spring sunshine with her movements.

"Is it really so? How is the war going?"

Golden hairpins, crabapple-red brocade curtains, and a woman's snow-white, peach-blossom-like face—it's like a richly colored painting.

Lin Lanting glanced at it again and announced loudly, "Our army has won a great victory and will soon return in triumph."

Upon hearing this, Huiyi was overjoyed, but in her excitement she suddenly looked up and bumped into the window.

"Great... Ouch!"

Before she could finish speaking, a sharp pain shot through her head, and she hissed in pain.

Unlike De'an and Biqing, who rushed over to comfort and console him, Lin Er immediately burst into laughter, as if watching a spectacle.

It's as if I don't live tomorrow.

"you……"

Huiyi didn't have time to scold him, nor did she want to force him to stay and be scolded. She simply sent him away to avoid getting annoyed.

"Consider yourself lucky, kid. Now get out there and pass on the order!"

For months, my father has been constantly worried about the border war, fearing that the battle will be lost, or that the generals he sent out will be killed, or that the war will be too brutal and too many men will be lost. He will feel guilty and uneasy about any of these things.

My father is a kind and benevolent emperor, and he can't stand these kinds of things. He has been worried about this a lot in the past six months.

Now that the good news has arrived, Huiyi naturally cannot delay, and even wishes that Lin Er could grow wings and fly directly into the capital.

Never mind, let's focus on the important matters first, and worry about the rest later.

Hearing Huiyi tell him to get lost, Lin Lanting became somewhat annoyed, and his brows furrowed sharply.

Aside from his uncle, even his own grandfather had never told him to get lost. Now, being told to get lost by this spoiled princess, Li Huiyi, made Lin Lanting very unhappy.

But when his gaze fell upon the young woman clutching the back of her head, looking delicate and vulnerable, he suddenly stopped being angry.

Why bother arguing with a spoiled young lady? He's just wasting his time.

"Then I shall take my leave, lest I disturb the princess's enjoyment."

With a tug on the reins, the horse reared up and neighed again, forcing the several officers blocking his way to back away. He then cracked his whip, gave a soft shout, and galloped off.

The jet-black steed galloped away as if struck by lightning, kicking up a cloud of dust. Huiyi quickly shrank into the carriage, not forgetting to curse him a few times.

"That scoundrel is outrageous!"

...

When Huiyi slowly returned to the palace, the atmosphere there had completely changed.

The great victory in the war was not only a joyous occasion for the emperor and his court officials, but also for the common people and every household.

Walking through the palace, one could often see palace servants whispering to each other, their faces beaming with obvious joy.

Perhaps infected by the atmosphere, Huiyi forgot the slight discord on her way back, and in high spirits, she rewarded everyone in Xunfeng Palace upon returning.

Having received a full year's worth of rewards, it was hard not to be overjoyed.

I still remember back then, many palace servants turned pale when they learned they were to enter Princess Chang Le's Xunfeng Palace, fearing they would anger this domineering princess and suffer the consequences.

But once inside, they were surprised to find that there was nothing to be afraid of.

Princess Chang Le was indeed spoiled and had a bad temper, but she wouldn't make trouble for the palace servants. When she got angry, she would at most scold them a few times. Not only did she not punish the palace servants, but she also gave them generous monthly allowances and rewards.

Other palace maids could only see their families once a year, but they could see them once every three months. This was all thanks to the great favor of the noble lady.

They had already switched sides.

Born a member of Xunfeng Palace, die a ghost of Xunfeng Palace!

Holding their year's worth of reward money, the palace servants and eunuchs worked with even more enthusiasm.

After washing up in the Xunfeng Palace, Huiyi hurried to her parents' Zichen Palace.

She was going to talk to her grandparents about what had happened that day, and then subtly complain about Lin Eryi.

She changed into a soft and comfortable narrow green ruyi (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with an apricot-yellow half-sleeved top over it, and a twelve-striped skirt on her lower body. The sash was tied with gold bells and jade pendants, which jingled as she walked.

Her hair was restyled; the previous single bun was replaced by a more delicate double bun by the palace maid Yunqiao, who then adorned it with jade hairpins, gold hairpins, and flower hairpins. Finally, a spring crabapple blossom was added, and the task was completed.

"The princess is beautiful; I wonder which young man will be lucky enough to have her in the future."

Embedded in the west wall of the sleeping quarters was a bronze mirror large enough for five or six people to see themselves at the same time. Huiyi twirled lightly in front of the mirror, while Yu Niang watched from the side and said with a smile.

The people in Xunfeng Palace all came five years ago, including Yu Niang.

She was twenty-eight years old at the time and was ordered to take care of the noble lady who was anxious after arriving in Chang'an.

Because of her age and thoughtfulness, and being an elder in the palace, she became the head maid of Xunfeng Palace.

She, De'an, and Biqing had all accompanied the noble lady through thick and thin, watching her transform from a timid, dark-skinned little girl into the stunning and captivating young woman she is today.

Yu Niang sincerely felt that she would be fortunate to marry the noble lady's son in the future.

Huiyi had heard this a thousand times, but she didn't care much. She simply continued Yu Niang's words with pride: "Whoever it is, it's their good fortune."

De'an smiled and agreed, then saw Huiyi off.

Accompanied by Biqing and followed by a group of palace servants, Huiyi arrived at the Zichen Palace.

Before even entering, I could hear the lively sounds inside, mixed with my grandfather's loud laughter.

Huiyi rushed in and blurted out, "Grandpa, do you know what I did on the way here today..."

She entered, lifting her skirt, and before she could finish speaking, she saw that Lin Er sitting intimately beside her father, casually cross-legged, leaning against his saddlebag, laughing and talking about something.

Opposite him sat the eldest prince, listening attentively with a smile.

And Mother, sitting with Father, also had a bright smile on her face.

What a harmonious and joyful scene, as if they were a family!

A note from the author:

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Two chapters today.

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