The young general and the prince, who was to be married off, fell in love at first sight!

Chapter 82: Which little brat is cursing me behind my back again?

With this matter looming ahead, Lin Shiming couldn't even bother playing the "hawk-training" game with Lu Tingsong.

The Lin family and the Lu imperial family have been allies for generations, and each ruler has been a close brother who has shared weal and woe and can entrust their lives to each other. This was true of Lin Yunyue and Emperor Longyun, and it was also true of Lin Shihe and Crown Prince Huamin.

When his father and elder brother spoke to him about Crown Prince Hua Min, their expressions were calm, but their words betrayed their indignation. As a child of the Lin family, he should uphold the legitimate dynasty and stand on Emperor Longyun's side; as a moral person, he should also stand on the side of justice.

Therefore, even before they had met, Lin Shiming already deeply loathed this ruthless and self-serving Empress Dowager. If he were in her shoes, if he were her brother or father, he would risk his life to assassinate her!

Therefore, he would pester Lu Yuxi every day to ask about the Empress Dowager, so that he could vent his anger on behalf of both families.

Speaking of the Empress Dowager, apart from not having children, her early life was actually very smooth sailing.

Born into an upper-class family, though not among the very elite, Empress Dowager Qin, as the eldest daughter supported by the family, shouldered the family's responsibilities and enjoyed a life of luxury. Especially after becoming a candidate for Crown Princess, she held absolute power within the family.

She later distinguished herself and became the Crown Princess and Empress of Changping. The Qin family also rose to become one of the top aristocratic families.

Logically speaking, she should have had no complaints about such a life. But it's a pity that Empress Dowager Qin, despite being married to the late emperor for many years and enjoying his almost exclusive favor, was unable to conceive.

If it were an ordinary prince, it wouldn't have mattered, but the late emperor was already the crown prince at the time, and had been married for nearly five years without having any children. Therefore, Qin, as the crown princess, could only stop the contraceptive soup for the concubines and mistresses under the hints of the emperor and empress at the time, and watch them get pregnant and give birth one after another.

Even so, the late emperor never looked down on her because she had no children. He bestowed upon her all the honors due to an empress and even allowed her to choose one child to raise.

But Qin refused. At first, she still held onto hope, believing she could conceive, but as time went on, her twisted jealousy turned into a refusal to let anyone take the place of her legitimate son. She disregarded every prince born of a concubine, and even nearly caused harm to several princes, including Emperor Longyun, who had lost their mothers.

These seemingly peaceful days continued until the princes grew up and the matter of establishing a crown prince gradually came to the forefront.

After the "Lin Qingyuan Incident," the Changping royal family established a rule of appointing a crown prince early, but this only applied when there was a legitimate son. If everyone was a son of a concubine, then they could only "choose the virtuous," meaning that a crown prince would only be appointed after the prince's qualities and character became apparent. This resulted in Emperor Longyun appointing his crown prince later than usual.

This wouldn't have been a problem in itself; Qin Shi had no children of her own, but she was still the Crown Prince's legal mother and the future Empress Dowager. However, she began to feel jealous. She was jealous of the new Crown Princess, Bai Qiongzhu, who had given birth to the eldest son shortly after their marriage, unlike herself who had remained childless throughout her life.

Driven by jealousy and a sense of duty to uphold her family's honor, Lady Qin advised the late emperor to send her maternal niece to the Eastern Palace as a concubine. This was not only to ensure her niece bore an heir and continued the family's glory, but also to antagonize the then-Crown Princess, Bai Qiongzhu.

But with the late emperor still alive, the Qin family dared not be too arrogant. Until the late emperor passed away, Empress Qin became the only empress dowager, the most honored one according to etiquette. She finally revealed her vicious true nature, which had gradually become twisted over the decades, and began to torment and humiliate Bai Qiongzhu and Lu Yuxu, the legitimate son of the emperor's principal wife, under the guise of filial piety.

Both being crown princesses and empresses, why was it that she remained childless while Bai Qiongzhu had two sons? Empress Dowager Qin felt jealous and resentful every single day. Over the decades, a dark shadow in her heart had grown into an endless abyss, transforming Qin from a worthy empress into a ruthless, greedy, and vicious woman in the inner palace.

At first, she still retained a semblance of the dignity expected of an empress. When the Qin clan repeatedly contacted her, using underhanded tactics to depose or eliminate Crown Prince Lu Yuxu, in order to make way for the third prince, born to Consort Qin, to ascend the throne, Empress Dowager Qin did not immediately agree. It wasn't until Lu Yuxu grew up and his crown princess became pregnant that the Empress Dowager finally gave in.

The Empress Dowager Qin's twisted emotions and jealousy finally reached their peak.

She immediately contacted the Qin family to plan and arrange things. Under the guise of ordinary humiliation, she would let Lu Yuxu and Emperor Longyun get used to it, and then lure Lu Yuxu and his wife to Buddha Mountain to ambush and kill them.

This is the reason for the incident involving Crown Prince Hua Min.

So even though his upbringing told him that he shouldn't form bad impressions of people he had never met, Lin Shiming still couldn't suppress his disgust for the Empress Dowager.

You can't have children yourself, it's not like others are preventing you from having them, so why are you jealous and trying to frame me?

Isn't the root of all this her own fault? Who can she blame? The late emperor didn't forbid you from adopting, nor did he despise you for it. Instead, he gave you respect and honor for decades. Isn't that enough?

Could it be that the late emperor could give birth in your place?

Moreover, what did Bai Qiongzhu do wrong? What did the former Crown Princess do wrong? If you can't have it, why should everyone else be deprived of it too?

Lin Shiming vented his anger, "I think she is inherently such a selfish, jealous, and vicious person. It's just that the smooth sailing of her life for the first ten years or so, where she had everything she wanted, didn't give her the opportunity to be jealous and dissatisfied. Otherwise, she would have revealed her true colors long ago, and she wouldn't have been able to put on such a noble appearance and become the Crown Princess."

"Just like the wealthy and powerful families in the eyes of ordinary people, stripped of their power and wealth, they are just ordinary people with all sorts of calculations."

Wealth, power, and fame are like a camera filter on a phone with all the beauty effects turned on, making everything look pure and beautiful.

Lu Yuxi agreed and nodded in agreement.

"You're right, the same person can have different appearances in different environments."

Lu Tingsong lay on Lin Shiming's lap, propping his head up, "Tingsong didn't understand."

Lin Shiming's anger subsided instantly, and he smiled as he bent his finger and tapped Lu Tingsong's forehead.

“That means people and flowers are the same,” Lin Shiming replied with a serious smile. “Just like those delicate flowers in our East Palace. You think they are beautiful and thriving because someone often takes care of them, fertilizes them, and gives them a perfect environment, so they can grow into such a lovely sight.”

"If you plant the same kind of flowers randomly in the wild, they probably won't even sprout, let alone be beautiful."

Lu Tingsong stared at Lin Shiming with wide eyes, listening intently.

"So the same applies to judging people. You can't just look at their perfect image in good times; you also have to consider their potential character in adversity."

"Is this what they mean by 'a friend in need is a friend indeed'?"

Lu Yuxi, who had been watching them teach and learn with a smile, stopped smiling. What on earth was her father talking about at the teaching pavilion all day?! It was all about "love and romance"!

Far away in the palace, Emperor Longyun sneezed.

Is that little brat talking behind my back again? Damn it! Ever since I've aged and lost my beauty, the Empress has stopped showing me any affection, always siding with those scoundrels. Just wait, when something happens, I'll make sure the Empress sees that I'm the husband who can stand by her through thick and thin!

"Ah-"

Why are they still fighting? Emperor Longyun rubbed his nose. Could it be that the Empress misses him?

"Li An!"

"The slave is here."

"Arrange the carriage at the Phoenix Palace."

I will go find the Empress now and tell her how telepathically connected he and I are!