Lake Light Grudges
The Louhuang Kingdom and the Qiankun Kingdom sat together in the palace to hold a meeting on the matter of Lan Xixi.
This time, Emperor Xiao Hong of Louhuang State seemed to have become much more gentle. He slowly told the truth about Lan Xixi's death.
It turned out that on that day, after the Lan family was exiled to another country, Zhu, a blacksmith from the Duke's Mansion, took them in. As they got along, the Duke's Mansion accepted the Lan family's suggestions and received rewards many times.
Zhu was very close to Lan Xixi and was very considerate. Whenever Lan Xixi was sick, she would pay for the imperial physician to treat her out of her own pocket. Because of this behavior, the Duke, Zhu's parents, and Lan's parents arranged for Zhu and Lan Xixi to be together.
After their marriage, the two lived a very happy life. Lan Xixi even often went to the palace and the Duke's Mansion to show off her husband.
However, while Lan Xixi was giving birth, Xiao Hong's son and the eldest son of the Duke's Mansion broke into her house and defiled her. Zhu filed a complaint with the emperor, but was framed and executed. Lan Xixi was disheartened at this time and repeatedly hurt herself. Later, the Duke's Mansion killed people to silence them and wiped out the Lan family. The daughter born to Zhu and Lan was able to escape under the protection of the servants.
Therefore, Li Lin sat on the palace chair, clapped his hands and shocked the whole audience, then asked gently with anger: "How will you deal with this?"
"I wanted to let this scandal go without saying anything, but I didn't expect you to come to my house to pursue it. I am giving face to the Queen, so I added this matter to make people jaw-dropping." Then he clapped his hands in signal.
The next second, several soldiers came up with bags in their hands.
"My son was caned and demoted to a commoner, but he escaped. This bag contains the heads of the Duke's family. You may examine it."
Chen Yun took a deep breath and asked Li Lin, "Does Your Majesty have any other instructions?"
"I hope Emperor Xiao can posthumously confer titles on both Zhu and Lan families, and give them a grand funeral."
"In fact, after learning about this, I felt guilty and would make amends."
Chen Yun sighed, "Finally, the dust has settled. Ah, there's still the issue of water sources."
Xiao Hong said, "I intend to send people directly to Luobu Lake. Do you want to go with me?"
"Empress, notify Li Ji to accompany me on the expedition."
"Then your majesty cannot refuse me to accompany you on the expedition!"
Li Lin smiled coquettishly and patted Chen Yun's hand.
A week later, the army broke into the water source, but people from the Qidan Kingdom were already there.
It was conceivable that the two teams would fight fiercely, but Li Lin quickly restrained himself.
"I am Li Lin, the Emperor of Qiankun. Who are you?"
The leading man rode his horse to the front and responded, "I am the eldest son of Kedan Khan, the vassal of Qidan. Shimu! Emperor Li, why did you trespass into the territory of our great Qidan without a formal notice?"
Xiao Xingchen smiled, then pointed directly at Shimu and said, "Does anyone know if you still have the time to deal with the water source that affects the lives of the downstream countries?"
Shimu said, "That's what we're most anxious about. That's why the Khan took time out of his busy schedule to transfer me here to handle it. Unfortunately, the results are not good."
Xiao Xingchen pointed at Chen Yun and said, "Have you heard of the Yuantian Sect? The Queen of Qiankun Kingdom is a disciple of the Yuantian Sect and has arrived."
Shi Mu quickly dismounted and came to Chen Yan to salute, "Thank you, Queen, for coming. It brings honor to Qi Dan's humble home. Please allow me to help you dismount and take a look." Then she stretched out her hand to Chen Yan.
As soon as his hands touched, Li Lin looked over with murderous eyes: "Your country's etiquette allows touching married women of the royal family, but my country does not allow it."
Xiao Xingchen watched as Chen Yan was still being helped off the horse by Shi Mu. Shi Mu's infatuated look made Li Lin even angrier, while Xiao Xingchen was secretly happy.
Chen Yun walked to the lake's edge. The water was crystal clear, no different from any other lake. She squatted down, dipped a little water in it, sniffed it, and then pointed at the lake.
"That's it? This is what you call filth? Prince Shimu, how about arranging a place first and allowing me to write a plan for flood control."
Soon, the mother arranged for them to live in a yurt in Koda, a small border tribe. Chen Yun and Li Lin lived together in the yurt. Li Lin, still ill, lay in bed to rest.
Li Lin grabbed Chen Yun's hand and said, "Don't write, okay? Just chat with me first."
"Your Majesty, please carefully consider which is more important."
After saying that, Chen Ying continued writing.
Li Lin turned sideways and hugged the kneeling Chen Yun and said, "Yun'er, are you bewitched by that dog prince and ignoring me?"
"Second brother..." Chen Yun hesitated, put down her pen in a bad mood, and stroked Li Lin like a cat or dog. "It's every woman's nature to appreciate handsome men. But I treat you and him differently. You are my husband. How could I ignore you? Ah, I get it. You are afraid that I will be taken away and marry him! And then you will be left alone in the palace!"
"You can only be mine. I will never allow you to remarry."
"Yes, yes."
Suddenly, Li Lin started coughing and then vomited blood. Chen Yun immediately took Li Lin's pulse and ran out, shouting, "Quickly call the imperial physician!"
Then for many days, every time Li Lin fell asleep peacefully, he would wake up in pain, breathing heavily.
During the days when Li Lin was seriously ill, Chen Yun not only dealt with the water pollution problem externally, but also took care of Li Lin day and night.
Early this morning, Chen Yun repeatedly instructed Nanny Ming to serve him.
When he arrived at the lake, Chen Yun had already seen a bunch of lotus flowers on the lake.
When the roommother arrived, she first presented him with a pot of Chen Yun and said, "I heard that you came to supervise the flood control work before breakfast this morning. So I brought goat milk and this dessert."
"Thanks."
Chen Yun didn't like sweets. After taking a few bites of the dessert, his brows began to furrow. Then he took a sip of goat's milk and gave a thumbs up, praising it as if it were a delicacy from heaven.
Seeing that Chen Yun liked it so much, she smiled slightly and asked, "Queen, are these plants really effective?"
Chen Ying pointed to duckweed and said, "Duckweed, also known as green duckweed, has roots that can absorb and accumulate large amounts of metal elements in wastewater."
Chen Yun then pointed to the reeds: "Reeds provide living conditions for microorganisms, and microorganisms can degrade pollutants in the water."
Chen Yun pointed at Shi Mu again and said, "Prince, be magnanimous. You are the destiny of Qidan."
Shi Mu held Chen Yun's hand and said excitedly, "You are the first person I have ever trusted. If possible, I would like to have a private relationship with you. Okay?"
Chen Yun was surprised and delighted, but he also knew his current position and took a few steps back. Shi Mu, however, took a few steps forward at the same time.
Seeing the pitiful look on the face of the person in front of him, Chen Ying let go of the nanny's hand, but accidentally dropped a pot of medicine on the ground. Chen Ying hurriedly picked it up.
Shim looked at the grass and saw it was burning rapidly. It was poison, a deadly poison that, as far as Shim could remember, would pierce the intestines and rupture the stomach.
"This is..."
"Mind your own business. Also, I don't like male favorites."
Shimu smiled awkwardly and said, "Just kidding. Well, I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."
Only after Shi Mu left could Chen Yan look out at the beautiful scenery called Lop Nur Lake.
The green grass beneath his feet surrounded the vast lake ahead, and from time to time the fragrance of flowers and plants wafted in. Chen Yan hadn't slept well the previous night, and the warm breeze that carried the fragrance of flowers and plants to his face made him feel a little tired.
At this time, Zhen Yin came to his side, and it seemed that he had other intentions.
"You say, do some people want to be the empress?"
With just one sentence, Chen Qian's tiredness turned into hostility.
"Why?"
"Would a normal person carry poison with them?"
Chen Yun and Zhen Yin looked at each other.
"Zhen Yin. I don't need to explain to you what I brought, right? No, you probably don't understand anything, so that's why I'm saying this."
"Since you don't want His Majesty's favor, why don't you..."
Chen Yun flicked her forehead with her finger, "Fool. As long as I'm here, you'll never be accepted as my concubine."
Zhen Yin covered her head, still feeling dissatisfied with Chen Yin.
Chen Yan was about to go back, but stopped and approached Zhen Yin.
"Ah, Zhen Yin, could it be that you have developed feelings for His Majesty?"
"You..." Zhen Yin blushed, but paused.
It was obvious that Zhen Yin hesitated. It was obvious that her heart was moved.
Chen Yun's expression changed, and Zhen Yin quickly noticed it.
"Please don't misunderstand, Queen. Since you want to demote me to a commoner, I hope we will never have any contact again."
Chen Yan snorted coldly and went back.
"This Zhen Yin definitely understands love. But I don't like her. Especially the poison in her hand. This is the strong sulfuric acid I researched! These people don't know anything and it's easy for them to misunderstand."
Back in the tent again, Aunt Ming just came over with a bowl of medicine.
"Let me do it!" Chen Yan took the medicine and carefully walked to Li Lin's bedside. "Second brother, it's time to take the medicine."
Just as Chen Ying was about to feed the medicine, the poison suddenly slipped off his sleeve.
Li Lin picked it up and said, "This is..."
Chen Yun quickly snatched it back. He opened it and said, "This is poison. If something unexpected happens, you shouldn't continue to live alone."
Li Lin suddenly hugged Chen Yin.
"It's the most heartbreaking thing to hear someone you love say these words in front of you. Qing'er, don't do this."
Chen Yan dropped the poison in his hand unconsciously, and smoke emerged from the ground with a "hissing" sound.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault... I was too ignorant."
Chen Yun slowly let go and continued to feed Li Lin the medicine.
Chen Yun's eyes slowly grew clearer. It was a look of adoration that had appeared without a trace of memory. Unlike her previous rebellious nature, now in a high position, her personality had changed to one of forbearance and caution.
Zhen Yin took the medicine bowl and dropped it to the ground in shock. She didn't know when this person had arrived. Perhaps they had arrived early this morning. If so, did this mean that Zhen Yin had already told Li Lin about the poison?
Chen Yun was panicked and asked, "Why don't you see the etiquette of Concubine Zhen Shu?"
Li Lin explained, "I asked her to come and help Nanny Ming. Concubine Zhen Shu, you may leave now."
Zhen Yin looked at Li Lin, then at Chen Yin, and asked, "Where is the Queen's former pride? Why did she submit to men?"
Chen Yan smiled slightly and took a deep breath.
"Submission to men? Is that so in your eyes? But in my eyes... you're living a very happy life. If dependence and submission can be exchanged for respect and happiness, what's wrong with that?"
Zhen Yin insisted on denying it, "That was a one-sided effort! A family that makes one-sided efforts will inevitably lead to its own destruction! Your character has also been suppressed by the imperial power."
"You are right. We are all family. Isn't it that family relies on each other, submits to each other, and respects each other, spending their sixties like this? Let me ask you, when does Your Majesty not consult with me? When does I not regulate Your Majesty's mood every day when he returns from the court?"
Li Lin quickly stopped him: "Hey! Stop! Stop talking nonsense! Who doesn't go crazy in court? It's normal to have some emotions."
Chen Yan quickly covered his mouth and smiled.
Zhen Yin frowned and said with resentment, "Why are you so good? Chen Yin, I'm really jealous of you. Why are you living better than me?"
From this one sentence, Li Lin and Chen Yun could tell that the resentment stemmed from the pain of losing their lover and child. He should have been one step closer to the throne, but ended up in such a helpless situation.
Chen Yin walked up to Zhen Yin and hugged her.
"I'm sorry, Zhen Yin."
But Zhen Yin pushed Chen Yin away with force.
First of all, Zhen Yin mentioned the poison issue to Li Lin early in the morning with the motive of driving a wedge between the two.
Secondly, she wanted to kill either Li Lin or Chen Ying.
But the two of them could talk about almost anything, their minds were clear and intelligent, and most importantly, their feelings were deep. These were things Zhen Yin couldn't have now. So she couldn't accept it.
Zhen Yin shook her head, her pained eyes like a wrinkled old cloth, kneaded to reveal a strangeness. It was a strangeness of resentment, pain, and envy.
Zhen Yin left. Chen Yun wanted to say something more, but Li Lin stopped him. "Let her go! She'll be back at Changle Gate soon. And... she... seems to have a crush on me."
Li Lin glanced at Chen Yun secretly, like a child who was eating secretly and didn't dare to look directly at his parents' strictness.
At this time, Li Ji came to the tent to ask for an audience. After being invited in, Li Ji took out the token.
"Your Majesty, the Qidan rebellion is already underway at the shores of Lake Lop Nur. My brothers are all over there protecting the water source, but I'm afraid they won't be able to hold out. What should we do?"
Li Lin asked, "Who leads the army?"
"It's Shou Pei, the self-proclaimed king of another faction."
"Very well, Queen. Take my four treasures of the study and the white jade dragon-patterned pendant. Send a letter to Shoupei, instructing him to stay away from water sources. Then, Li Ji, send half of your men to assist in the pacification of Shimu."
Chen Yun brought the four treasures of the study and the white jade pendant with dragon pattern, and with Li Ji's help, he walked over to the coffee table. Li Lin looked at the paper and sighed.
"Why is Your Majesty sighing?" Chen Ying asked while grinding.
Li Lin held Chen Yun's hand and said, "I've heard of the beauty of lotus leaves, rising from the mud without being stained. Lotus flowers bear seeds, which are sweet but not greasy when put into sugar water. I want to taste the Queen's sugar water myself and spend time with you in the lotus pond. But it's time for us to return to Qiankun Kingdom."
Chen Yun smiled faintly and said, "When Your Majesty recovers, I will definitely enjoy the lotus pond with you. We will also taste various sweets in the lotus pond."
The next day, Li Lin and Chen Yun returned to Qiankun Kingdom with the main group, camping outdoors in the middle of the night.
Chen Yun and Li Lin played in the lotus pond and released Kongming lanterns.
“I didn’t expect that there is a wild lotus pond here in Louhuang.”
"Second brother, I'm worried that your letter won't be very effective. Can a letter and a jade pendant really make the other party stop fighting?"
Chen Yun helped Li Lin ashore, and then they held hands and walked while listening to the chirping of crickets at night.
"That jade pendant is for him to seek refuge with Li Ji, because according to the news, Shou Pei won't be able to hold on for much longer. He will be happy to leave a way out."
Chen Yun tightened Li Lin's clothes and said, "Go back first, don't catch a cold."
Zhen Yin watched the sweetness of the two from outside the camp.
Yan Ruoxi and Yin Banluo came over.
Yan Ruoxi said proudly: "Concubine Zhen Shu, do you see how sweet they are? It's not easy to have a son with your Majesty with the Queen around! So are you surprised that I'm pregnant now?"
Yin Banluo pointed at Yan Ruoxi and asked, "You...when did this happen?"
Yan Ruoxi slapped Yin Banluo and said, "You are so rude. Don't point at people."
Zhen Yin smiled slightly, then said, "I've let things go. I've decided to resign and return to Changle Gate, and not compete with you for favor. In the future, I will devote myself to Buddhism and not care about worldly affairs."
Soon, they returned to Qiankun Kingdom, canceled the expeditionary force, and restored diplomatic relations with Louhuang Kingdom.
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