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

Chapter 149 Beauty Fades Before Love Ends

Human desires are endless.

When you have no money, you feel that you can be satisfied as long as you have money. But when you have money, you will naturally feel that you have to make sure your children and your future generations have money.

It's just human nature, and there's nothing wrong with that.

This Yizhou garrison commander was a typical example of such a person. Among the military generals, he was known as the king of cunning, using every means possible to climb the ranks.

Although he concealed it well, over time people could see through his intentions—to make the Hu family a hereditary family like the Lin family, deeply trusted by the emperor.

It would be even better if it could be replaced.

"He's dreaming," Lin Shiming said casually. "Everyone has ambition. No matter how many ways he tried to climb the ladder in the past, he was intimidated by the Emperor and my family and dared not cross the line. So we couldn't be bothered with his little tricks."

Water that is too clear has no fish. The Lin family doesn't want to monopolize power and not tolerate any dissent. They can just loosen their grip and let it pass. They don't have the energy to deal with every little detail.

"However, I really didn't expect him to suddenly come out in such a big way and directly commit treason."

No wonder they've been behaving less in the last two years; the kids are so quiet, they must be up to no good!

Lin Shiming, the self-proclaimed father of all military generals, was completely absorbed in his own thoughts. Feeling burdened by a heavy responsibility, he was heartbroken and slammed his fist on the table, sighing, "What a disgrace to our family! Such a shameful thing has happened! I have utterly lost face!"

Lu Yuxi was completely bewildered by his inexplicable outburst. "...What family misfortune?" Lu Yuxi's brain raced as she tried to extract useful information from the current situation. "Did Tingsong do something wrong, or did Lin Ha and Lin Qi?"

Unfortunately, Lin Shiming had already stopped receiving external signals, his mind and eyes focused solely on taking action to eliminate this scourge as soon as possible. He ignored the other two bewildered individuals, abruptly stood up, and strode out the door amidst the blank stares of Lu Yuxi and Li An.

"A few people, quickly help your Crown Prince pack some clothes and prepare his carriage; he's leaving now..."

The voices faded as their master left, leaving only the Crown Prince, who had been "forced out," and Li An, who had delivered the decree, staring at each other in bewilderment.

After thinking about it for a long time, why was I the one who ended up being "kicked out"? Did I become the unlucky one in the end?

"How did he suddenly jump to this point? Why did he suddenly send me away! Did Father Emperor say I had to go now?"

Of course not! No matter how outrageous Emperor Longyun's desire for revenge was, he wouldn't allow anyone to leave the city immediately. Not only would it attract attention, but it would also easily lead to the Empress's scolding. At most, the decree would say, "Leave no later than 5 a.m. tomorrow."

But the situation is now clearly out of everyone's control. His Highness is about to set sail, and His Majesty will likely be scolded as well.

However, one thing is very clear.

With his years of experience as a chief steward, Li An quickly composed himself, cleared his throat, and adopted a serious and solemn expression.

"How could an old servant like me possibly fathom the Crown Princess's thoughts? Your Highness, you should prepare and depart as soon as possible, lest you delay and displease the Crown Princess. His Majesty's intention is that you may not return until after the court examination."

Does it even need to be considered who has the final say in the Eastern Palace? In any case, His Majesty's decree has not been violated, so why bother with the details?

Li An quickly sorted out his logic and completely relaxed.

He rose and bowed, "Your Highness, the decree has been delivered, this old servant will now take his leave."

Finally, as if he couldn't bear it and his conscience was bothering him, he added a sentence in a low voice.

"Your Highness, why worry? You still have to listen to the Crown Princess, don't you? Let's set off early so we don't arrive at the palace too late and miss dinner."

After some "kind advice," Steward Li's already not-so-painful conscience was appeased, and he immediately felt at ease, bowed, and withdrew.

Lu Yuxi was left alone in silence.

The ice bowl on the table had almost melted, and a fine layer of water droplets had condensed on the inside of the bowl.

Before long, the palace maids summoned by Lin Shiming entered the room in an orderly fashion, with the leader stepping forward and bowing her head in greeting.

"Your Highness, we have been ordered to pack your luggage."

"Where is the Crown Princess? Have her clean up for me personally." Lu Yuxi said expressionlessly.

The palace maid lowered her head even further, "Your Highness, the Crown Princess just left directly."

OK OK.

Her beauty faded before her affections were severed.

"...Your Highness?" The palace maid, who had been left waiting for a long time, still couldn't help but try to bring Lu Yuxi back to her senses with trembling fear.

Lu Yuxi's face grew even colder, but her voice betrayed a barely concealed gritted teeth, "Pack up."

Clean it up as much as you like.

We mustn't embarrass Her Highness the Crown Princess in front of the servants. We can deal with him properly after the court examination!

*

Having already slipped out of the East Palace, Lin Shiming naturally couldn't care less about Lu Yuxi's resentment.

He was rushing to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, planning to take advantage of Lu Yuxi's absence to go home and discuss the issue of "military generals' education" with his dear elder brother.

Filled with the ambition of an educator, he returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion in high spirits, only to be pulled from the blissful life of "wife, children, and a warm bed" by Lin Shihe's overwhelming resentment. He then announced that he would sleep side by side with his beloved brother and work together to create a bright future for the nation.

Then Lin Shihe kicked him out and beat him severely.

The argument continued until the wise and powerful heir apparent of the Duke of Zhenguo, fed up with the noise, came out and berated the two brothers. Only then did the two brothers leave the courtyard in peace.

"To be honest, what's wrong with you?" In the study, Lin Shihe elegantly served tea. "You're already married. Don't you understand the importance of avoiding suspicion? Stop coming home all the time."

"I don't understand," Lin Shiming said, huddled in a corner eating watermelon. "And why didn't I tell the truth?"

"Stop being stubborn. If I can't figure out what you're thinking, I'd be letting down all the effort I've put into raising you."

That's quite true. Lin Shiming was basically raised by his older brother, so naturally his brother knows him very well. Now, with him making a fuss over some random excuse and refusing to tell the truth, it's obvious that something's fishy going on.

In Lin Shihe's eyes, it can basically be equated with "acting cute".

Having guessed that his younger brother was being coquettish, Lin Shihe wasn't in a hurry anymore. He simply put down his teacup, brought himself a plate of melon seeds, and prepared for a long battle. "Tell me, let me hear what our young master Lin has on his mind?"

If you said that to a boy who's about to turn eighty, it would make him blush with embarrassment.

Fortunately, the second young master Lin was always thick-skinned and easygoing in front of his family, so he didn't seem embarrassed or angry at all. He even shamelessly snatched half of his brother's sunflower seeds.

“Lu Yuxi has to go to the imperial palace on business these days, and I don’t want to stay in the palace alone.”