eurekapd Chapter 14: Can you even lift two grown men like us?
Chapter 14: Can you even lift two grown men like us?
Ji Tiao glared at him from the side, and Lin Shiming awkwardly touched his nose.
A burst of barely suppressed laughter came from the head of the table. "Get up quickly, Lianqiu, please take a seat."
The group stood up, and Zhang Ting glanced back at her youngest son, who was awkwardly bowing his head, with disdain before following the instructions of the palace maid and taking a seat at the lower end.
"I'm sorry to have made a fool of myself in front of Your Majesty."
"It's alright, he's an interesting child." Bai Qiongzhu beckoned, "Come on, let Aunt Bai take a look."
Lin Shiming obediently walked over and was gestured by Bai Qiongzhu to sit down next to her.
"She's really pretty and lively, much better than my husband who's always so quiet and reserved."
A silent type? Who are you talking about? Lu Yuxi? Lin Shiming's eyes widened in confusion. It didn't seem like it; he remembered Lu Yuxi as quite easygoing.
"Your Highness, please don't praise him. He just had a fight with his brother this morning, which caused chaos in the entire Duke Zhenguo's mansion. He's not even as good as his little nephew."
"My brother stole my wolf cub first!" Lin Shiming couldn't help but try to exonerate himself.
"Wolf cub?"
"Yes. A while ago, when I was on my way home, I saw a group of villagers being surrounded by wolves, so I helped them out. But after killing all the wolves, I found out there were three wolf cubs. I killed the wolves because they were threatening the villagers, but the wolf cubs were still small, and I couldn't bear to do it, so I brought them back to raise."
"It can be considered a cause and effect," Bai Qiongzhu sighed softly and nodded.
"Your Majesty," a palace maid suddenly entered, "His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived."
Lin Shiming immediately looked up and gazed outside the hall.
Sitting above, Bai Qiongzhu naturally noticed Lin Shiming's subtle actions. It seemed that this marriage was a mutual agreement and quite suitable.
"Please come in quickly," Bai Qiongzhu instructed, then turned to Zhang Ting and said with a smile, "I've never seen him so attentive before. I guess I'm only getting this much attention today because of Shi Ming."
"Mother, don't talk nonsense!" As soon as Lu Yuxi entered, he heard his mother making fun of him. He hurriedly stepped forward to stop her, but his eyes still drifted to Lin Shiming next to Bai Qiongzhu. Just then, his eyes met Lin Shiming's.
This red outfit really suits him today; it warms my heart just looking at him.
"Ahem." It was Bai Qiongzhu's voice again, full of laughter, from the head of the table.
Lu Yuxi suddenly came to her senses and said, "Greetings to the Empress Dowager."
"Don't worry, Mother is perfectly fine," Bai Qiongzhu teased. "Why don't you come and meet your future mother-in-law?"
Lu Yuxi turned away shyly, his ears slightly red. He raised his hand in a junior's greeting, "Madam Lin."
Zhang Ting quickly stood up to avoid him, saying, "Your Highness is too polite."
"Alright, I've met my future daughter-in-law. You'll have plenty of time to get to know each other after you're married. There will be quite a few noblewomen coming today, so it's not convenient for the two of you to be here. Go and have some fun on your own." Bai Qiongzhu looked at Lu Yuxi meaningfully. "You can take him for a walk, or you can go back to the East Palace. I'll send someone to find you before the palace banquet, and you can go together then."
"Thank you, Mother." Lu Yuxi bowed her head and then looked at Lin Shiming in front of her.
"go quickly."
Lin Shiming stood up, bowed, and then followed Lu Yuxi out of Fengyi Palace.
*
"Shouldn't you be accompanying His Majesty to meet with the court officials?"
"With your father and elder brother by his side, why would Father Emperor need a silent man like me?"
"...How did you know Her Majesty the Empress would call you a 'silent type'?"
Lu Yuxi paused for a moment, then quickly laughed. "She says that about me to everyone she meets. Where do you want to go? The Imperial Garden or the East Palace?"
Lin Shiming actually really wanted to visit the legendary Imperial Garden. But as he casually glanced around, he saw many sedan chairs heading towards the Phoenix Palace in the distance.
"Let's go to the East Palace. The Imperial Garden will definitely be crowded today. My brother told me to stay away from them." He was the type to listen to advice.
“Very well.” Lu Yuxi raised her hand and summoned the Crown Prince’s imperial carriage that was following behind her. “The roads are difficult to travel on in the snow, so let’s ride in my imperial carriage.”
Lin Shiming squinted at the imperial carriage behind him. "It's quite spacious." Then, he turned to Lu Yuxi. "But can it even lift two grown men like us?"
He had seen emperors on television riding in imperial carriages with their concubines, but in those cases, one of the concubines was always a slender woman.
"The Crown Prince's personal guards are all highly skilled with profound internal strength. Even if there were two more of you, they could still lift them."
"No, thank you," Lin Shiming stroked his chin. "Just point me in a direction and tell me the distance, and I'll use my light-footed skill to get there."
"...In broad daylight, with snow covering the rooftops, how could you possibly pass by in such a red outfit using your light-footed skills?"
"..." is rather conspicuous, isn't it?
“Your Highness, Second Young Master,” Aunt Lianqiu suddenly came up from behind, “Her Majesty thought the roads outside were difficult to travel, so she specially sent me to deliver Her Majesty’s imperial carriage.”
"The Empress's imperial carriage?" Lin Shiming's eyes widened. "No, no, I'd rather go with His Highness the Crown Prince!" It was understandable for him to ride in Lu Yuxi's imperial carriage, but how could he ride in the Empress's imperial carriage?
“Young master, there is no need to refuse. Her Majesty said that you are the Crown Princess by imperial decree, so you are naturally entitled to ride in the Empress’s carriage. Besides, it is just a sedan chair without any ceremonial regalia, so it is not a violation of regulations.”
Lin Shiming looked directly at Lu Yuxi with pleading eyes.
"How about this, I'll sit in Mother's seat, and you can ride in mine."
"Okay, okay!" Lin Shiming quickly agreed and turned to head towards Lu Yuxi's imperial carriage.
Lu Yuxi watched his retreating figure with a smile, and then strolled towards the newly arrived Empress's carriage.
"Aunt, go back. When we get to the East Palace, we'll have someone send the imperial carriage back."
"No need. Her Majesty said that His Majesty will come to pick her up, so please use the imperial carriage with Young Master Lin today."
"Very well, thank you on my behalf, Mother."
*
The distance between Fengyi Palace and the East Palace is indeed not far, but that is only relatively short.
The palace was governed by strict rules. The palace maids, eunuchs, and even the concubines and noblewomen who passed by would all kneel down and pay their respects when the Crown Prince's procession passed by.
Despite the frequent clearing of snow on the ground in the freezing weather, a thin layer of snow inevitably accumulated. Mixed with the melted snow water and the icy stone slabs, Lin Shiming could imagine how frozen those without internal energy to protect them would be.
But this was feudal antiquity, and this was the norm as it was taken for granted. This wasn't something one person could change in a short time. Lin Shiming let out a barely perceptible sigh, raising his head to look away from the rows of kneeling people on the ground.
As the sedan chair swayed gently, Lin Shiming still had time to console himself. Fortunately, those people not only had to kneel, but also bow their heads; otherwise, this half-socially anxious man would have been "stared to death."
About fifteen minutes later, two sedan chairs arrived at the East Palace, one after the other.
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and the entire Eastern Palace has been decorated and transformed into a red palace.
“I don’t think Fengyi Palace is this… vibrant,” Lin Shiming said, looking at the massive expanse of red before him with a puzzled expression. He suddenly began to doubt Lu Yuxi’s taste. “You like this kind of thing?” He hadn’t realized it!
Lu Yuxi was also somewhat helpless. He awkwardly clenched his fist to his lips and coughed lightly. "It's my chief steward, Zhao Lei. He said I'm getting married soon after the new year, so it's a double celebration, and that's why..."
“...Okay.” Lin Shiming looked up at the sea of red, then looked down at his own red dress and suddenly felt like he was getting married.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Shiming finally took a difficult step and followed Lu Yuxi into the bright red East Palace.
"Wearing this outfit today, entering the Eastern Palace is like a drop of water falling into the ocean." There's no one there at all!
Lu Yuxi was amused. "I won't take you shopping today. It's cold and slippery, and... the style will be overshadowed."
Lin Shiming chuckled, "Could we have someone else decorate for our wedding day? Otherwise, I won't have the courage to come in again."
“I will invite Aunt Lianqiu, who serves the Empress Dowager, here.”
Lin Shiming recalled the elegant and tranquil furnishings of Fengyi Palace, "Good!"
The two entered Lu Yuxi's study side by side, and several eunuchs hurried in to serve tea and snacks.
"You're so busy even during the New Year?" Lin Shiming picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked around before his eyes fell on the thick stacks of memorials on his desk.
"No, Father Emperor stopped writing a few days ago. These are memorials related to the last imperial examination. Father Emperor asked me to bring them over to study."
The last imperial examination was about two years ago. Back then, Lin Shiming even saved a candidate who was on his way to the capital for the exam. So, this imperial examination should be next year.
"So His Majesty intends to appoint you as the chief examiner for next year's imperial examination?" The chief examiner for the imperial examination is very important; they usually become the teachers of a graduating class. This could be seen as a good opportunity to consolidate resources.
Lu Yuxi nodded, "That's what Father Emperor means. The imperial examination next year is scheduled for the ninth day of the second month, so I estimate that the decree will be issued after the New Year holiday."
"Can I go take a look?" I asked, curious.
"Alright, then I'll trouble Your Highness the Crown Princess to take charge of maintaining order in the examination hall, how about that?"
Lin Shiming was taken aback by the way he addressed her as the Crown Princess, but he quickly realized another problem. "No, no, no, I'm just watching the show. You can discuss these important matters yourselves."
Lu Yuxi smiled gently, "I'm not joking. Father said that next year's imperial examination is of utmost importance and cannot afford any mistakes. I've discussed it with Father several times, and we still think that sending troops is the safest option. Father originally planned to have your elder brother in charge, but since you're curious, you can take over as well."
"Then I won't refuse!" The imperial examinations! I've never experienced them before. Lin Shiming was already looking forward to it. "When I get back today, I'll ask my brother about the procedures. Don't worry, I'll make sure not a single mosquito gets in."
This time travel was really worth it; I experienced everything from military to imperial examinations!
"Ask your brother, it's no use, he didn't do it either."
"Then who should I ask? My dad?" Lin Shiming's expression suddenly turned somewhat disgusted. "Never mind, that roughneck of a man is even less likely to have done it."
Lu Yuxi pushed the pastries on the table toward Lin Shiming, "No need to rush. I'll find some old customs in the next few days and send them to you. Once Father Emperor issues the decree, I'll come to see you on the Lantern Festival, send you the old customs, and then take you to see the lanterns."
"The Lantern Festival, huh? The last time I celebrated the Lantern Festival in the capital was... well, several years ago." In recent years, he has spent most of the Spring Festival in the military camp, and when he occasionally returns to the capital, he disappears after the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.
"Our country is relatively peaceful now, so the Lantern Festival in the capital has been exceptionally lively in recent years."
"Okay, then I'll wait for you at home."
The two looked at each other and suddenly their ears turned red.
*
At the beginning of the hour of You (5-7 PM), the lanterns were already lit, and the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace knocked on the door and entered.
"Your Highness, Young Master, news has come from Zhonghe Hall that we may take our seats now. The banquet will begin in half an hour."
Lin Shiming quickly put down his pen and stood up. "Shouldn't we set off now?"
"No rush." Lu Yuxi pressed him down again. "Let's finish writing this calligraphy. It's time for the court officials to enter now. Let's just arrive before Father and Mother."
"Ah, the grand finale!" Lin Shiming casually remarked, then picked up his brush again to continue copying.
"Keep your wrist down a bit." Lu Yuxi took Lin Shiming's hand in hers. "Don't lift it too frequently."
Lin Shiming nodded silently and wrote a few more words following Lu Yuxi's guidance.
"These are pretty good. They're starting to look interesting."
“It’s not bad. However,” Lin Shiming turned to look at Lu Yuxi, who was almost encircling him in her arms, “why should I learn your handwriting?”
Their breaths mingled, and Lu Yuxi couldn't help but blush again. "Husband and wife should be like this."
Lin Shiming looked at him with suspicion. "Really?" He had never heard of it. What kind of ancient custom was this that he didn't know about?
Lu Yuxi avoided eye contact, but nodded firmly, "That's how it is."
Seeing his guilty look, Lin Shiming's suspicions deepened. But then he thought, Lu Yuxi probably just wanted to get closer to him, right?
Honestly, if you're close, just be close. Why make up excuses? You're just saying one thing and meaning another!
"Let's continue then, let's practice a few more."