My daughter is rebelling!
Imperial Prison.
Lin Zhenlie stood in the twilight.
Xuan Ge, acting on Xiao Zhi'an's orders, came to deliver the decree to release the people.
This was no easy task. Xiao Zhian had no intention of letting Xie Xincun out from the beginning, so he set up the giant meteorite in advance. Just as Lin Huaiyin emerged from the shaft, he cut off the support, and the meteorite rolled down instantly, sealing off the exit.
It's easy to ask for a stone, but difficult to give one away.
To remove the meteorite now, we must order the Ministry of Works to send someone again to overcome force with skill.
During the wait, Lin Zhenlie inquired about the details of Xie Xincun's imprisonment.
Xuan Ge handled the entire matter, meticulously following Xiao Zhi'an's instructions in every detail. However, he didn't actually understand the ins and outs. When Lin Zhenlie asked him about it, Xuan Ge thought that Miss Lin would explain anyway, so he deliberately praised his master for his brilliant strategies, from predicting that Xie Xincun would be imprisoned, to setting traps to attract attention, and even sending people to protect Miss Lin closely... In short, his master was infallible and unparalleled.
As for why Miss Lin was angry, Xuan Ge didn't understand. Xuan Ge never understood why Miss Lin was so angry. Miss Lin was often angry, inexplicably angry, even though her master treated her very well.
Perhaps his master was too indulgent. Xuan Ge sometimes thought: Why does the dignified Crown Prince always bow his head in front of Miss Lin, acting as if he is worthless? Treating women like this will only make them more demanding. It would be better to issue an imperial decree to have the Lin family send her to the Eastern Palace and lock her up.
Xuan Ge grumbled inwardly, thinking of Yu Li. His master's progress was seriously affecting his own. His birthday was approaching, and he was almost thirty years old, practically an old codger. He wondered if Miss Yu Li would look down on him. He felt bitter inside.
Lin Zhenlie slowly raised his head.
The sky was filled with rosy clouds as the sun rose in the east, and the old father roughly guessed what his daughter was thinking.
The Crown Prince predicted that Xie Xincun would be imprisoned, based on the premise that Xie Xincun had feelings for his daughter and would deal with Shen Congyun.
Unbeknownst to her, her daughter was used as a pawn by the Crown Prince to lure Xie Xincun into a trap. Afterwards, she completely disregarded the fact that the Crown Prince's actions were for the greater good of the empire and threw a tantrum.
That's where the daughter is wrong.
Lin Zhenlie decided to give his heir a warning: personal feelings should not supersede the great cause of the empire; his daughter should not let the Crown Prince cloud her judgment; she should know that a man's infatuation can be overcome, but a woman's infatuation cannot be explained; the Crown Prince will not have only one woman in his life; the more his daughter is moved, the further away she should stay.
After understanding the whole story, Lin Zhenlie turned his attention to Xie Xincun.
Xie Xincun had dominated the mainland for many years, and his personal abilities had reached a state of perfection. He also possessed the arrogance of a tiger guarding the forest, and had always been arrogant and self-important. Now, he had suffered a great setback and was deeply humiliated. Lin Zhenlie could hardly predict what would happen to Xie Xincun after he came out.
The Lin and Xie families have maintained a relationship for over a century, their connection stemming from Princess Yao of the Ningguo Kingdom of the Great Jin Dynasty.
Years ago, Xie Tiankuang, the ancestor of the Xie family, was poisoned by a Gu poison and needed to go to an ancient tribe hidden in the northern frontier to cure it. At that time, the ancestor of the Lin family had just attacked the northern frontier and conquered that territory. Based on the principle of forming good relationships, the ancestor of the Lin family, at the request of Princess Ningguo, allowed them to go to the tribe to cure the poison. Afterwards, to repay the kindness, Princess Ningguo sent five thousand Tiger Guardian disciples to the battlefield to help the ancestor of the Lin family conquer the northern frontier in one fell swoop, thus establishing a century-old friendship.
A century ago, when Tiger Guardian first showed his prowess on the battlefield, his ancestors predicted that Tiger Guardian was skilled in both medicine and martial arts, and was formidable in both offense and defense. Given time, he would surely dominate the continent and should be closely watched.
Over the past century, Tiger Guard Forest has been deeply rooted and flourishing. The Lin family has a long-standing friendship, but they have never had the opportunity to get involved in in-depth investigations. Now that Lin Huaiyin has finally come along, and Xie Xincun has taken a liking to her, Lin Zhenlie will never miss the opportunity. Even if his daughter only goes to Tiger Guard Forest once, it is far better than the blind men and the elephant.
Anyway, once Xie Xincun comes out, Lin Zhenlie will shamelessly suppress Xie Xincun and prevent him from making a scene.
What followed was a long wait.
As the sun set in the west, the afterglow dissipated, the moon rose, the lights came on, and the wind blew. The giant black meteorite and the night devoured each other until the moon was high in the sky. Finally, the meteorite was in the hands of a capable person in the Ministry of Works, who managed to lift it up and make way for a person.
The moonlight cannot reach the bottom.
The night wind suddenly reversed course.
Lin Zhenlie, without hesitation, went to the well to wait for the others.
"Nephew Xie?"
The first call was swept away by the wind.
Xie Xincun did not respond.
The torches wouldn't light either.
Lin Zhenlie decided to go down and invite him, but he was worried that he wouldn't be able to see in the dark and would be killed by Xie Xincun. After thinking for a moment, he felt that if someone else went down, they would definitely die. He sighed helplessly, called out "Nephew Xie" and slowly went down the iron ladder.
The wind was strong, but Lin Zhenlie believed in Xie Xincun's abilities; he must have heard it, but was just annoyed and refused to respond.
Once they reached the bottom of the well, where it was pitch black, the real jailers followed closely behind, easily finding a sheltered spot, lighting torches to illuminate the passageway.
Lin Zhenlie then noticed the scattered silver needles and arrows on the ground, as well as the charred prison cell opposite.
Lin Zhenlie could see the silver needles and arrows, but he didn't quite understand why the charred cell could attract Xie Xin's attention, nor was he in a hurry to figure it out at this moment.
"Thank you, my dear nephew!" he called out loudly.
There was only the sound of wind in the passageway, but no response.
So he strode forward and searched for the person deep in the passageway.
The passageway was formed by the roots of giant trees, leading in all directions. It had slopes and turns that were difficult for ordinary people to perceive. Generally, only a few cells near the exit were used. The further in you went, the easier it was to get lost in the maze. The prison guards followed Lin Zhenlie closely, for fear that he would get lost.
After walking for a long time, apart from the squeaking and scurrying rats, the prison passage was empty. Xie Xincun could not be found anywhere, and only the sound of the wind gradually weakened.
Lin Zhenlie pondered with each step, his shadow swaying. He suddenly realized something was amiss and immediately ordered his men to come down from the top, each carrying a torch, and to search every passageway, leaving no corner unchecked, making sure they traversed the entire area.
As a result, everyone obeyed orders—the jailers, guards, and minor officials of the Ministry of Works.
When there weren't enough people, Xuan Ge brought in many more, but he himself stood by the shaft with a lantern in his hand, unmoved as the lantern fluttered about.
Under the moonlight, Xuan Ge's lips twitched, and a strange glint flickered in his eyes. When Lin Zhenlie emerged from the well, he anxiously asked, "General, what happened?"
Lin Zhenlie's face was gloomy, and he was covered in sweat. He said, "Go and report to His Highness immediately that Xie has escaped from the imperial prison. The Crown Prince's Palace must be on high alert. I will immediately send more imperial guards to protect His Highness!"
After saying that, Lin Zhenlie hurried away.
Xuan Ge watched his retreating figure, then loudly replied, "This subordinate obeys!" He then beckoned two Eastern Palace guards with his palm raised before taking another route.
——
The Lin residence.
Lin's mother and Lin Mianfeng were fast asleep.
The new son-in-law never came, so the daughter didn't have to marry far away, and her sister was still by her side. It was a false alarm. All the red silk and wedding lanterns were taken down, and the mother and daughter drank with Lin Huaiyin. After a few jars, the three of them were completely drunk and were each sent back to their own courtyards.
Lin Shifeng tossed and turned, unable to sleep. After returning to the capital, he was so busy that he barely had time to rest. His thoughts were still on his third sister's pregnancy, possibly the child of the Crown Prince. He was shocked to learn that his father had betrothed his third sister to the young master of the Tiger Guard Lin Xie family, but the Xie family refused to come to the door at the last minute. He was furious.
One Shen Congyun wasn't enough; Donggong, along with Hu Shoulin, were also bullying his sister. Lin Shifeng lay on the bed with his arm as a pillow, extremely annoyed. He wanted to tie Donggong and the Xie fellow together and deal with them. He wanted to find Lin Zhenlie to find out what was going on, and he also wanted to talk to Lin Huaiyin.
Lin Huaiyin was indulging in alcohol today, and he hinted several times, "You're pregnant, take it easy!" But Lin Huaiyin only became more aggressive, almost wanting to stick her head into the wine jar. He had to have Xie Ao carry Lin Huaiyin away before she finally calmed down.
Even under the same roof, joys and sorrows are not shared.
Since the new son-in-law didn't come, Lin Cuiyue didn't have to stand in the courtyard to observe the proper etiquette, and his sister-in-law didn't have to worry about her younger sister's marriage. The couple entrusted their child to the wet nurse and set up the "Fire Avoidance Picture"...
While they were studying the seventh position, Lin Zhenlie returned home.
With a series of thuds, Lin Zhenlie rushed to Lin Shifeng's door, briefly explained the situation, and ordered him to go to the East Palace immediately to personally guard Xiao Zhian.
With a member of the Lin family still around, even if Xie Xincun were to leave, it's unlikely they would go so far as to exterminate them all.
Lin Cuiyue is unable to leave the house due to his "broken leg," Lin Huaiyin should not see Xiao Zhian, Lin Mianfeng... Lin Zhenlie felt that Xie Xincun might not even know Lin Mianfeng, so he could only send Lin Shifeng to handle the situation.
Upon hearing this, Lin Shifeng was overjoyed and quickly dressed and put on his boots—the Crown Prince must have attacked the Xie fellow for his third sister's sake! At least the Crown Prince has a conscience; he had to protect his future nephew's father!
After arranging things at the East Palace, Lin Zhenlie went to find Lin Huaiyin. He wasn't sure whether Xie Xincun would look for the East Palace or Lin Huaiyin first after escaping, or what he would do if he did. His immediate priority was to warn her to be careful.
Lin Huaiyin was very drunk, and Yu Li took care of her all night, while Xie Ao went to open the door.
As soon as Lin Zhenlie entered the room, he saw Lin Huaiyin lying on the bed, kicking her legs in the air and raising her right elbow to prop up the door. Her eyes were half-closed and she was muttering to herself, "I won't open it, so what? I don't want you anymore. Xiao Zhian, don't be so shrewd. Is that protecting me? What have I done that you didn't benefit from? You're not content with just reaping the benefits, you're even more cunning in scheming against me. I'm not playing with you anymore. Give me back my jujube wood bow..."
In a daze, Lin Huaiyin revealed most of the details of her relationship with Xiao Zhian.
Lin Zhenlie immediately understood. His daughter was accusing the Crown Prince of using her to retaliate against Shen Congyun and of exploiting her in the Xie Xincun matter. Although she seemed very drunk, she was still quite clear-headed.
Reaching the bedside, Lin Zhenlie attempted to forcefully wake her, but Lin Huaiyin's demeanor suddenly changed. She raised her leg to block the doorway and shouted fiercely, "It's no use! Even offering my body won't do! Do I need your flesh? I have plenty of men! I'll have Xie Ao buy lots, so I can have a different one every night!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhenlie glanced at the crab claw with a longing look.
Crab claws trembled, head bowed, not daring to meet eyes, clenching Yu Li's small hands, looking utterly aggrieved—she had never bought male concubines for her mistress, not yet. There was indeed a male prostitute, but that was clearly someone her mistress kept herself! She would dig that male prostitute out and tear him to shreds when she had the chance!
Yu Li's little hands were also sweaty. She vaguely understood that the "you" the young lady was referring to was His Highness the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, because the jujube wood bow was currently in the Eastern Palace.
Why did Miss quarrel with the Crown Prince? To the point that she's resorting to alcohol to drown her sorrows?
As things naturally unfolded, Yu Li thought of Xuan Ge and decided to find an opportunity to ask him what had happened so she could comfort her mistress.
But how could she find General Xuan Ge? Yu Li thought of that night in the cave on Crane Cry Mountain; she hadn't seen Xuan Ge since. Just as she was pondering how to find him, Lin Huaiyin suddenly slapped the bed—
"no!"
Lin Huaiyin slapped the bed repeatedly—"Even a general's uniform won't do. My Lin family has never lacked general's uniforms. What is a crown princess? I want to wear your crown prince's robes! And later I want your emperor's robes! You'll have to kneel and serve me!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhenlie's body trembled.
"And another thing," Lin Huaiyin suddenly threw off the covers, her eyes glazed with drunkenness, and she spoke in a coquettish tone, as if she were letting someone into bed. At the same time, she bent her legs over the edge of the bed, displaying a seductive and bargaining manner—"Women of the Lin family do not marry outside the family. You have to marry into the family. Think it over before you climb up here."
Upon hearing these outrageous and absurd words, Lin Zhenlie rushed forward and grabbed Lin Huaiyin—"Xie Xincun is here!"
"Huh?" Lin Huaiyin instantly sobered up, opened her eyes, and saw something as big as a copper bell.
Lin Zhenlie glared at her with his tiger-like eyes, his gaze narrowing slightly, as if he were looking for a spot to strike. Lin Huaiyin broke out in a cold sweat, and drunken ramblings echoed in her mind.
Dark, alcohol-smelling eyes turned to Yu Li and Crab Claws. Six eyes met, six eyes filled with despair. Lin Huaiyin tragically discovered—her father had overheard everything, and she was about to die.
Lin Huaiyin's face, already flushed from the alcohol, suddenly burned hot. She felt utterly ashamed and indignant, but forced herself to remain calm, pretending nothing had happened. She swallowed hard, unable to expel any saliva, blinked her red eyes, and obediently shrank back under the covers, asking, "Is something wrong, Father, so late?"
Hearing the trembling whisper, Lin Zhenlie looked up to the sky and sighed. There were just too many things to teach him a lesson. In his more than fifty years of life, this was the first time he was at a loss for words. He was helpless and could only utter a sentence after a long pause: "Xie Xincun has disappeared from the imperial prison. Think about how to block the door properly."
"ah???"
Lin Zhenlie let go, and Lin Huaiyin slumped onto the bed, her voice trembling as she let out a soft "Ah~".
"He pushed the meteorite aside???" Lin Huaiyin's scalp tingled, and countless silver needles appeared before her eyes, all exerting force to break through the meteorite...
"No." Lin Zhenlie interrupted her rambling thoughts and solemnly told her, "The meteorite didn't move at all; it vanished into thin air."
Upon hearing this, Lin Huaiyin felt a chill run down her spine and asked tremblingly, "Is he a ghost?"
"..."
Lin Zhenlie was speechless. His daughter was unconventional and could be beheaded for saying anything that came to mind. He was not worried about his daughter being bullied by the Crown Prince. He was more worried that if he handed the Lin family over to his daughter, she might rebel and seize power, swallowing up the Xiao royal family.
None of them are easy to deal with.
Lin Zhenlie thought of Donggong and Xie Xincun, but had nothing to say and turned to leave.
——
The Eastern Palace.
Lin Shifeng arrived in a flurry of activity.
Xuan Ge and his guards arrived at the same time.
A square black box, about the height and width of a person, was being pulled by thirty horses on a row of giant logs, rumbling towards the East Palace.
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