Chapter 3 The Cunning Scoundrel

Unlike when he rode his horse on the official road, Lin Er had been groomed and dressed before entering his father's Zichen Palace. His hair was neatly styled, and he wore a round-necked, hip-slit red robe with black iron wrist guards on his forearms and a silver belt around his waist, which accentuated his narrow and slender figure.

Unlike many young men in Chang'an who had fair skin and even wore makeup, Lin Er did not put any effort into his face. In addition, having just returned from battle, his skin was rough and had the tanned complexion typical of military generals.

It doesn't look clean and elegant enough; it has a rougher feel to it.

Even so, Lin Lanting's face was still striking enough.

He had a full forehead, thick and long sword-like eyebrows, bright and piercing phoenix eyes, a high and straight nose like a small mountain, and thin, deep red lips.

Although Huiyi disliked him, she had to admit that he was good-looking, with excellent features in his eyebrows, eyes, nose and lips. Even without the powdered faces and fair skin of other handsome men, he still stood out in a crowd.

There's one thing, though: Lin Er is especially fierce when he has a stern face, and I've heard that he's scared away quite a few women in the past.

No wonder, according to Yu Niang, Lin Er has been a reckless and unruly person since childhood, and has done a lot of fighting and brawling, which has caused his grandfather, Prime Minister Lin, to punish him countless times.

At the age of fourteen, he followed his uncle, General Guo, to the battlefield. For five years, he participated in every battle, big or small, and in the suppression of bandits. His body was stained with countless drops of blood and ferocity.

He was a troublemaker when he was young, and he became the number one troublemaker in Chang'an when he grew up.

If it weren't for my family's good reputation and my own abilities, I would have been dealt with long ago.

For example, Huiyi really wants to.

That shout drew everyone's attention. When Emperor Yongxi saw that it was his servant Xinu, he smiled and waved for Huiyi to come over.

"You've come at just the right time. Erlang is just getting to the exciting part. Come and listen too."

"Your second sister isn't in the palace, and your third brother has gone out to play, so they won't have the pleasure of hearing this."

Empress Du beckoned, gesturing for Huiyi to sit beside her, her usually composed and dignified face now showing a lighthearted and relaxed demeanor.

Huiyi remained silent and obediently sat down beside her mother.

In Huiyi's memory, her mother was always solemn and strong, but her grandfather always said that her mother was not like this before.

My mother was originally a gentle and shy young woman.

I didn't quite understand it when I was young, but I gradually came to understand it as I grew up.

Wild grasses growing in the mountains and fields are different from precious flowers blooming in the palace.

Mother was a palace flower that was forced to be transplanted to the mountains.

Huiyi had only ever seen her resilience and strength in the mountains and fields since she was a child, so she naturally did not know how graceful and elegant she had been in the palace.

But her mother was always gentle and kind to her, which was one of the few moments of warmth she had experienced during her twelve years in Lingzhou.

"What did my son want to say when he came in? What happened on the way here?"

Emperor Yongxi remembered something and casually asked a question.

This posed a challenge for Huiyi.

She originally came to complain, but she didn't expect that Lin Er would stay here and make her grandparents and elder brother so happy.

The atmosphere was harmonious at the moment, and if she were to complain, it would be awkward and put her grandfather in a difficult position.

After thinking for a moment, Huiyi swallowed her disappointing words and said sullenly, "It's nothing, just a small matter."

Hearing this, Lin Lanting raised an eyebrow, fully understanding the situation.

"Your subject greets the princess."

Lin Er was like that. He could never offend people like Huiyi. No matter what they did in private, he could never find fault with them in public.

Just like now, when he sees her, he immediately stands up to greet her, with a bright smile on his face, looking respectful and enthusiastic, and no one can find fault with him.

"Sit down."

Huiyi was too lazy to listen to his pretentious act, and didn't make things difficult for him, so she replied lazily.

Lin Lanting didn't stand on ceremony and resumed his previous relaxed demeanor, as if he were at home.

But the grandfather indulged him, and liked someone like Lin Lanting.

Huiyi glanced at her elder brother, the Crown Prince, wondering if he would be displeased.

His gaze had barely crossed the line when his elder brother caught him red-handed, and he tilted his head in confusion.

Okay, bro doesn't seem angry.

My elder brother's temperament is just like his nickname, Suanni (狻猊), he prefers quiet to movement, speaks little and is dignified, like a lion.

This was the same for the rest of the time; he mostly listened, occasionally speaking up.

Unlike Lin Er, who could talk nonstop about the border war without ever stopping for a moment.

How did he manage to fight 3,000 against 50,000, acting as the vanguard to lure the enemy for his uncle, and how did he fight the Turks to hold out until reinforcements attacked the Turks from both sides?

Huiyi wasn't very interested in these things. Out of boredom, she reached out and groped around on the table next to her, then casually picked a grape and popped it into her mouth.

"Huh..."

The moment the grape entered her mouth, the sour taste instantly filled her oral cavity, and Huiyi's face scrunched up. Biqing quickly used a handkerchief to take the sour grape out of Huiyi's mouth.

Huiyi took a sip of tea served by a palace maid to rinse her mouth, still grimacing slightly, and angrily cursed, "Who sent these sour grapes? Are they trying to get themselves killed?!"

Huiyi had never eaten such sour grapes before.

After finishing his tea, he was about to complain to his parents and elder brother when he heard laughter filling the hall.

It didn't bother Huiyi with her parents' jokes, but Lin Er was an outsider who had just offended her, so Huiyi was naturally unhappy.

Thinking of this, she stood up, pointed at Lin Lanting's forehead and scolded, "How dare you! You dare to make fun of this princess!"

After being openly reprimanded by Huiyi, Lin Lanting pursed his lips and looked somewhat displeased, but he still wisely bowed and admitted his mistake, saying, "It was my fault for losing my composure and offending you. I am willing to accept the punishment."

That being said, the astute Lin Lanting knew that the Sage would protect him.

How can a soldier who has just returned from a victorious battle be punished, especially one whom the sage favors?

With this in mind, Lin Lanting felt confident of victory and became even more respectful, leaving no room for criticism.

"Hey, hey, hey, alright, alright, it's just a small matter, don't talk about punishment, Erlang, there's no need to be like this. Changle, don't be silly either, sit down, Grandpa will get you a plate of fruit that isn't sour."

Pulled down by her grandfather and mother from both sides, Huiyi had no choice but to give up.

She was ultimately not the type to throw a tantrum.

The grapes were removed and replaced with juicy cherries drizzled with honey. Huiyi enjoyed them and didn't mind for the time being.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, and thank you, Princess, for your magnanimity."

Whether it was her imagination or not, she seemed to see Lin Er smile at her, which Huiyi interpreted as a provocation.

Ha, he'll get what's coming to him soon enough.

Just after Huiyi finished eating three cups of cherries, Lin Lanting finished speaking. Seeing that it was getting late, and considering that the other couple was waiting at home, the parents did not keep him in the palace and allowed Lin Lanting to go home.

No sooner had Lin Lanting left than Huiyi rolled her eyes and followed him, even Emperor Yongxi and Empress Du couldn't stop her.

"This child..."

The couple looked at each other and smiled, then ignored it.

Xi Nu is spoiled and willful, but not malicious, and it's unlikely she'll do anything to the second son of the Lin family.

Besides, there's also the Crown Prince.

"Go and see, son."

Crown Prince Li Zhao was also very quick-witted and said that he was going to chase after his younger sister.

In the darkness of night, Huiyi lifted her skirt and jogged to catch up with Lin Lanting, who was striding along, but she was exhausted by the time she caught up.

"stop!"

Seriously, what did they eat to grow such long legs!

"What brings you here, Princess?"

Without the Emperor and Empress by his side, Lin Lanting became much more relaxed. When he looked at Huiyi, he no longer hid his arrogant and domineering nature. His eyes fell down like those of a hawk, which made Huiyi somewhat timid.

Huiyi was even angrier. She stood in front of him, blocking his way, and said fiercely, "You offended this princess in broad daylight, do you think nothing will happen?"

She's only temporarily letting it go; she's not really planning to let this guy off the hook.

"But I have already apologized to the princess."

Lin Lanting spoke calmly and even with his arms crossed.

"not enough!"

Huiyi couldn't stand Lin Er's arrogance and rudeness, as if he didn't care about anyone.

She was determined to deflate his arrogance.

With a plan forming in her mind, Huiyi displayed her utmost arrogance and said, "Kowtowing to me will make me let you go."

Lin Er is a subject, and she is a princess. Why is it wrong for a subject to kowtow to a princess?

After he finished speaking, the other person fell silent. Because of the darkness, Huiyi couldn't see his expression, but she felt that he was becoming increasingly impatient.

Suddenly, he took two steps forward and approached Huiyi directly.

When Huiyi got so close to Lin Er for the first time, she realized how frighteningly tall he was; his broad frame easily covered her entire body.

This was undoubtedly very oppressive. Huiyi's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously took a step back, her words becoming stammered.

"You, you, you...don't you want to rebel!"

At this moment, Huiyi realized that, stripped of the protection of her identity, from the most basic perspective, she and Lin Er were completely outmatched.

Just look at his arms. His grandfather said they could draw a bow weighing 300 jin (150 kg), while the standard for the Imperial Guards was 240 jin (120 kg). Lin Er was one of the best among them.

If he were to slap her, Huiyi felt as if she could fly through the air for several breaths.

She suddenly forgot that she was a princess and became somewhat afraid.

Lin Lanting had excellent eyesight; even at night, he could see the timidity on the face of this unruly princess.

At this point, they finally realized they were afraid.

Lin Lanting found it interesting and took another step forward.

Huiyi immediately took another step back, the bells at her waist jingling crisply.

The moonlight stretched their shadows long and very close, as if they were inseparable.

"You, you, you..."

My brain felt like it was filled with mud, and I couldn't think straight. My nostrils were filled with a strange smell.

It is intense and refreshing, yet also like the grass and trees in the mountains and fields.

It was too close, like he was about to grab her by the neck and lift her up like a chick.

Huiyi believed that Lin Er could achieve an arm strength of 300 jin.

Just as she was about to raise her hand to give Lin Er something, she saw him suddenly retreat like a ghost, and humbly bow to her, saying, "Today, I truly had no intention of disturbing the princess's procession. If the princess is still dissatisfied with my previous apology and insists that I kowtow to beg for forgiveness, then I cannot disobey the princess's wishes."

As she spoke, Lin Er, who had just been arrogantly bullying her, lifted his robe and was about to kneel down to beg for forgiveness.

Huiyi knew something was wrong when she saw his posture.

Sure enough, as soon as Lin Er bent his knees, he was helped up.

Huiyi looked up and saw the serious profile of the Crown Prince's elder brother.

"You flatter me, Erlang. It's just that my little sister is willful and doesn't know any better. There's no need for such a grand gesture. Please get up."

Whether they were officials or palace servants, unless they had committed a serious offense that required them to prostrate themselves in repentance, they would generally perform a bow with their hands crossed.

Such demands as those for Huiyi were already considered harsh, especially for a meritorious official who had just returned victorious.

Li Zhao glanced at his younger sister with a warning look and said in a deep voice.

Among her family members, her eldest brother was probably the person Huiyi respected and feared the most. While her grandfather could act foolishly and act silly, her eldest brother was almost impossible to do.

Although her elder brother also loved her, he was also ruthless in disciplining her.

They would hit her on the hand or make her copy books as punishment; either of those could have killed her.

Huiyi remained silent, hiding behind her elder brother and tearing her handkerchief, not daring to utter a sound.

Lin Lanting didn't stand on ceremony and was helped up. After saying a few more disgusting things, he disappeared into the night.

You scoundrel!

Watching Lin Er's retreating figure, Huiyi cursed under her breath before feeling relieved.

After Lin Lanting left, only the brother and sister remained. Li Zhao glanced at his younger sister again and said sternly, "Don't be temperamental in the future. I won't let you copy books this time."

Huiyi breathed a sigh of relief and gained some courage. She retorted in a low voice, "Actually, I was just trying to scare him. I didn't mean for him to actually kneel. It's just that my elder brother arrived quickly."

Li Zhao nodded, half believing and half doubting, "I hope so."

"Also, the army will arrive in Chang'an in about five or six days. Your parents said they're going to hold a welcoming banquet. You wanted to see what General Guo looks like, so don't run around then."

"Mmm!"

Upon hearing this, Huiyi immediately nodded excitedly, forgetting all about the unpleasantness from before.

A note from the author:

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Updated! [kissing emoji]

Readers, come quick! [crying emoji]