Chapter 141 After Marrying the Crippled Prince, 21 The Refined Young Master
After resting for a night, we returned to the city.
The route after entering the city was a bit unfamiliar, and it was quite noisy outside, with construction work underway.
Seeing that Yun Chiyi was holding the pastries but not eating them, and was listening intently, Lin Jinyuan explained, "In order to quell the floods, the Emperor ordered the construction of a prayer platform, where the Crown Prince would pray for the people."
Yun Chiyi couldn't help but chuckle.
Lin Jinyuan's eyes were clear and bright: "Why is Madam laughing?"
Yun Chiyi said in a low voice, "The natural disaster is thousands of miles away. I'm afraid Heaven can't hear the prayers sent from here in the imperial city."
Lin Jinyuan said, "This is only the first step. After the prayer, the Crown Prince will be ordered by Heaven to escort disaster relief grain."
Monarchical power and divine power are inextricably linked.
Unfortunately, the altar inside the imperial city is still under construction, and when will the prince's relief supplies reach the disaster victims?
The crown prince was of mediocre talent and, like his son, loved beautiful women more than the throne. His lifelong ambition was to become a banished immortal.
In the following two years, the Crown Prince's dereliction of duty aroused the resentment of the people, and the officials petitioned to establish a new heir apparent. The Fifth Prince took his place.
The Fifth Prince was shrewd and decisive, but his methods were too ruthless, suffocating his brothers and other noblemen. In less than a year, he died on his way back from an autumn outing, and the position of Crown Prince became vacant once again.
Since Lin Tingyu started his rebellion, the peace of the royal family was destined to be broken.
Yun Chiyi then ate some snacks and drank a cup of hot tea.
Back at the Prince's Mansion, Lin Shulang's carriage was tied up at the gate.
Yun Chiyi thought to herself, "That annoying guy is here again."
Lin Jinyuan went to deal with him alone. As soon as he entered the study, Lin Shulang was wiping away tears with a handkerchief.
"Uncle, I heard from them that you have gone on a long trip."
Lin Jinyuan replied first: "I went to the temple."
He asked again, "Shulang, what happened that made this grown man shed tears?"
Lin Shulang coughed heavily for a while, then cleared his throat: "When Father came home last night, he had a strong smell of perfume on him. Mother has a keen nose and could smell it right away."
Lin Jinyuan poured him water: "Did the Emperor and his wife have a quarrel?"
Lin Shulang slammed his hand on the table: "More than that! I don't care how he lives a life of debauchery outside, but he's my father, and I can't control him either!"
"But he actually forgot his mother's birthday and only cared about preparing jewelry for other women. He even hit his mother. I only found out that he once broke his mother's leg when I was away from home in recent years."
"On the other hand, my mother was so angry that she said she was going to move back to her parents' house for a few days. However, on the way back, the carriage overturned, and she is now lying unconscious in bed at her parents' house."
Chao Sheng was also in the study, thinking to himself that the eldest grandson of the emperor was too talkative, and it hurt his ears to listen to him.
Lin Jinyuan patted Lin Shulang on the shoulder: "If that's the case, don't linger here. Let Chaosheng take you to visit your mother."
Lin Shulang sniffed, looking pained: "Of course I'm going. I'm here to say goodbye to my royal uncle."
"There's no need for Chaosheng to see you off. Chaosheng is your confidant. If I take him away, what will happen to the Imperial Uncle?"
"Chaosheng, go to the kitchen and prepare a few boxes of pastries."
Chao Sheng glanced at Lin Shulang, whose eyes were swollen from crying, and went to the kitchen to pack two large boxes of lotus flower pastries for him.
After he left, the Prince Cheng's mansion finally became quiet.
On this overcast day, the Crown Prince led his officials in a prayer for blessings. As soon as he knelt down, before he could even utter a prayer, a bolt of lightning struck right at his feet amidst the thick clouds.
The prince was so frightened that he immediately scrambled to his feet, but lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud, staring in terror at the dark sky.
The officials and the common people were initially silent, then greatly alarmed.
God is angry.
The next day, people began to gossip that the Crown Prince's behavior was improper and that even Heaven didn't want to see his empty showmanship.
The Crown Prince is unworthy of his position; the Fifth Prince is the one who truly wins the hearts of the people.
The Crown Prince was terrified and uneasy. He didn't even go to the disaster area. Instead, he opened the granary himself to collect grain and sent it to the generals of the court. The carts carrying the grain were still flying the flags of the Crown Prince's residence.
Half a month later, Lin Shulang returned dejectedly.
Only after asking did they learn that the Crown Princess had injured her head in the fall and would never wake up again. Lin Shulang took her back to the East Palace and asked the Crown Prince to visit her morning and evening to atone for his sins.
In the Crown Prince's eyes, this was defying Heaven; how could a son dare to make demands of his father?
The crown prince was extremely worried about that thunderclap and secretly eliminated many gossiping scholars, but he still couldn't silence the public's opinions.
Unfortunately, at this crucial moment, Lin Shulang, oblivious to the seriousness of the matter, bothered him with trivial matters, and the two argued frequently over the Crown Princess.
In a severe case, the Crown Prince drafted a letter of divorce to divorce his wife, believing that her paralysis at this time was a loss of face for him. The Crown Prince also ordered his servants to beat Lin Shulang with a dozen or so sticks, leaving him bedridden and unable to see anyone, finally bringing him some peace and quiet.
Once Lin Shulang felt a little better, he hid in Prince Cheng's mansion and stayed there for more than ten days.
Yun Chi found him annoying, and by extension, she also found Lin Jinyuan somewhat displeasing.
It was hot, so Yun Chiyi sat in the pavilion feeding the fish with steamed buns.
She squinted and saw a woman in a light yellow dress carrying a baby walking towards her. By the time she recognized Yun Shuxue, she was already close enough that she couldn't hide from her.
Yun Shuxue held her infant son in her arms, her steps almost swaying gracefully.
"Sister, you are so elegant. Unlike me, I have been so busy since I had Lan'er. I just finished my postpartum confinement and came here to tell you the good news. I hope you won't blame me."
Yun Chiyi glanced at the baby in the swaddling clothes; the baby was adorable and chubby, a sight that would delight anyone who saw it.
Zhenzhen secretly glanced at it several times, her handkerchief crumpled with envy.
Yun Shuxue sat down and said, "Sister, look, my Lan'er was different from other children from birth. He has a mole on his palm, which means he will do great things in the future."
“He is my little lucky star. After Lan’er was born, Gao Qi often came to see him and was very good to me. Who still remembers where that vixen is now? I heard she is dead, but she got off easy.”
Yun Chiyi took off a gold bracelet from her wrist and put it into the child's hand.
Zhenzhen relayed the message: "I didn't know the Second Miss was coming today, so the Princess Consort didn't prepare any gifts. This bracelet is the Princess Consort's favorite, and I'm giving it to the young master as a congratulatory gift."
Yun Shuxue covered her mouth and giggled: "This bracelet is worn out. The Gao family doesn't lack these kinds of things."
She feels uncomfortable if she doesn't annoy people every day.
Yun Chiyi reached out and took the bracelet back, and Yun Shuxue's smile froze on her face.
However, the Prince Cheng's mansion is frugal, so Yun Chiyi probably couldn't bear to part with the bracelet and was just putting on a show.
Yun Shuxue added, "Sister doesn't know how much Gao Qi loves me now. He has apologized several times for the Prince falling into the water last time, and he accompanied me here today as well."
"Gao Qi has become increasingly busy since he was promoted, but I didn't expect him to be so thoughtful."
Yun Chiyi paused in her actions, not because Yun Shuxue kept rambling on about how loving she and Gao Qi were.
How could she have forgotten this? Gao Qi was the Vice Minister of Works, and he was in charge of supervising the construction of this altar.
She didn't believe that Gao Qi's repeated visits to apologize over a trivial matter between women were suspicious.
Yun Shuxue affectionately pinched Lan'er's little face and coaxed him, "Grow up quickly and call me Auntie. Auntie can't speak, but Auntie doesn't dislike you."
If she continues, Yun Chiyi will start to dislike everything about the house.
Fortunately, Gao Qi and Lin Jinyuan finished talking and took Yun Shuxue back in time.
After dinner, Lin Jinyuan peeled peaches for Yun Chiyi, who was engrossed in reading a story about a snake demon seducing a scholar.
Lin Jinyuan picked up a piece of peach with his slender, well-proportioned hand and fed it to her: "I also saw Lan'er today. She's chubby and very lovable."
Yun Chi looked at him with a peach in her mouth.
Lin Jinyuan's eyebrows curved slightly, his gentle expression leaving no room for criticism: "Does Madam not like children?"
Why bother with all that trouble? Raising children is too much work.
Yun Chiyi swallowed the peach and said, "Your Highness really likes it very much. You can take a concubine and have three or five children who will revolve around you."
He had lofty ambitions; he wanted to be emperor. With three thousand beauties in his harem, why would he worry about not having offspring?
Lin Jinyuan was still smiling: "Never mind."
Yun Chiyi put down the storybook, even folding a corner over it so she could continue reading later.
"What do you mean 'it's fine'? I don't object. Your Highness must be envious of others who have three wives and four concubines, right?"
Lin Jinyuan stopped laughing and pinched her cheek with his fingers: "What are you saying, Madam?"
"Why does it sound to me that the lady doesn't care about me at all, and is just living with me as a couple?"
Yun Chi smiled and sat upright, saying, "Not at all."
Lin Jinyuan wrapped his right hand around that fair hand, their fingers intertwined tightly: "I know that Madam sees Yun Shuxue's jealousy as nothing more than a joke. But I didn't expect Madam to be so magnanimous, that she would not have any resentment even if she shared a husband with another woman."
She didn't say it outright, but if he really took a concubine, he could forget about ever sleeping in her bed again; she wasn't that forgiving.
While she was in a daze, Lin Jinyuan grabbed her hand and pressed it to his lips.
"It's fine if we don't have children. Just the two of us, and neither of us will take up your time."
Yun Chiyi blinked: "Your Highness is quite fickle."
Lin Jinyuan kissed her palm: "Yes."
His expression was serious, not like he was coaxing her. Yun Chiyi straightened her expression and said, "Your Highness, of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring. His Majesty will not ignore this. In two years, even if he just casually urges me, he will ask about it."
Lin Jinyuan smiled: "In Madam's eyes, I am actually an obedient and filial son."
Looking at his friendly smile, Yun Chiyi felt a chill rise up her spine, and she quickly covered his mouth.
"Your Highness, be careful what you say. Saying the wrong thing can cost you your head. You may not be afraid, but I am."
"I know nothing about you, don't tell me a single word, shh."
Lin Jinyuan watched her quietly, seeing her calmly detached, seeing that she had long seen through it all but remained silent.
A warm, moist sensation spread from her palm, and Yun Chiyi quickly withdrew her hand.
Lin Jinyuan is a madman, he licked her hand!
Yun Chiyi wiped her palms on her clothes: "Lin Jinyuan, don't you mind getting dirty?"
Lin Jinyuan gave an irrelevant answer: "If you don't want to, no one can control your thoughts."
Yun Chiyi looked up upon hearing this.
Lin Jinyuan said casually, "It's getting late, it's time to wash up and rest."
Then it suddenly occurred to him: "Tomorrow I'll ask someone to find some better quality sausage casings, soak them in flower petal milk, and Madam will like them..."
Yun Chiyi reached out and slapped his shoulder, interrupting him: "Lin Jinyuan, aren't you a gentle and refined gentleman? How can you say such things?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
