mtl008 Chapter 135 On a grander scale, you could also commit suicide for love, living and dying with her, g
Chapter 135 On a grander scale, you could also commit suicide for love, living and dying with her, g
Yuan Ye really didn't know about this, after all, he didn't have a wife and couldn't have children.
He scratched his head in confusion. "I don't know. Should I go ask the coroner?"
Asking the coroner? That's quite an idea!
"...never mind."
After saying that, Lin Shiming ignored him and stepped into the courtyard.
In the main courtyard of Princess Ping, servants were already hanging white banners. People coming and going all had expressions of sadness or caution on their faces, and they were busy with their own things.
They had never met Lin Shiming before, but they could tell his identity from his clothes, so they didn't dare to ignore him and all bowed respectfully.
After taking two more steps forward, Hou Zhong, the chief eunuch of Prince Ping, who happened to be coming out of the main hall, spotted Lin Shiming at a glance.
He quickly jogged over and said, "This servant greets Your Highness the Crown Princess. Please forgive me, Your Highness, the sudden passing of the Princess has caused you great grief, which is why you were unable to come out to greet me."
Lin Shiming rolled his eyes without any attempt to hide it.
Even if Prince Ping doesn't go out, doesn't he still have concubines and stewards? Does that mean everyone in his household is dead? He just doesn't want to come out to greet you, yet he puts it in such a high-sounding way.
However, he couldn't be bothered to argue with Prince Ping about such trivial matters. Since Princess Ping had passed away, if he were to still dwell on these minor rituals, it would be a lack of consideration for Prince Ping, who was grieving the loss of his beloved wife, and it would become his own fault.
"No need for explanation, I understand perfectly well. Lead the way."
Hou Zhong bowed his head and didn't dare to say anything more. He obediently led Lin Shiming into the main hall where Princess Ping's body was laid to rest.
The closer they got to the main hall, the louder the King Ping's wailing became, until Lin Shiming entered the main hall and saw the King Ping weeping bitterly over the coffin.
"My Queen... I am incompetent and I am so sorry!"
The concubines and maids who accompanied the mistress in mourning, dressed like lotuses emerging from water, also wept bitterly, looking like delicate white flowers that might collapse at any moment. Yet, they still managed to spare some attention to comfort Prince Ping.
"Your Highness! My sister, the Princess Consort, won't blame you. She died to bear your children, so she must have been deeply in love with you. How could she possibly blame you?"
Prince Ping wiped away his tears. "But it was because of me that the Queen Consort passed away. It was all my fault!"
The main hall was immediately filled with sobbing and wailing once again.
Lin Shiming chuckled and slowly walked to the coffin of Princess Ping.
The last time I saw her was at the Qingming Festival ancestral worship ceremony, but I never imagined that just over a month later, we would be separated by death, and things would have changed so much.
Lin Shiming's earlier irritation and sarcasm seemed to vanish suddenly, replaced by a jumble of emotions.
He took two more steps forward, looked down, and saw Princess Ping lying quietly in the coffin, her face ashen, dressed in a brand-new princess's dress.
She was also a favored daughter of heaven, enjoying the highest levels of wealth and honor both at home and after marriage, but today she has become a victim of the power struggle.
She's not as good as Tang Ruyin, who was ordered by Emperor Longyun to be a female householder. Although her reputation was ruined and she didn't become a prince's wife, and her relationship with her family cooled down, I heard that she now lives alone outside and has several strong and handsome servants. A group of people surround her and compete for her affections every day. She lives a more comfortable life than Emperor Longyun.
Fate is unpredictable.
Lin Shiming sighed inwardly, but quickly suppressed his sorrowful emotions.
He turned his head slightly, and saw that King Ping was still lying on the coffin, sobbing and lamenting his incompetence, which had caused his wife such a terrible misfortune.
Lin Shiming's eyes turned cold.
"It seems that King Ping is quite self-aware."
This unexpected remark immediately caused King Ping's weeping and sobbing to pause for a moment.
Why isn't this person following the expected path?
But this bewilderment and shock only lasted a few breaths. Prince Ping quickly recovered and used a feigned retreat to advance, saying, "Your Highness is right! It is I who have been so useless. I am sorry to the Princess..."
As he spoke, he buried his head and wept again, putting on a pure and innocent act as if saying, "Whatever you say is right, it's all my fault."
For a moment, Lin Shiming couldn't even distinguish between Prince Ping and his concubines. It seems that Prince Ping has been receiving a "training session" with his concubines during his confinement these past few days!
However, this did not hinder Lin Shiming's performance. He lowered his head and twirled the pearl on his wrist, speaking casually again.
"Now that Prince Ping has realized his mistake and feels guilty towards the Princess, he should make amends."
King Ping, who was burying his head in his hands and weeping, gasped in shock and choked on his own saliva.
One of the concubines kneeling beside him hurriedly patted Prince Ping's back with concern, while another concubine quickly got up and hurriedly poured a cup of tea from the table behind her and fed it to Prince Ping. The other women also expressed their concern in various ways.
Instantly, King Ping was surrounded by beautiful women.
His first wife was still lying in the coffin, while outside, Prince Ping was enjoying the meticulous care of his concubines.
This scene, so commonplace in ancient times, stirred a sense of irritation within Lin Shiming. He averted his eyes in disgust, unwilling to look at this group of pretentious people any longer.
With the care and attention of a group of gentle and beautiful women, King Ping quickly recovered from his cough.
He took a handkerchief from one of the concubines and wiped his face, then forcefully pushed aside a woman blocking his way and looked up at Lin Shiming.
"Your Highness just mentioned making amends?"
“Otherwise what? Do you think that by saying a few words of remorse you can cover up all the suffering you brought to your wife and let her die in vain? Then your remorse as a prince is truly shallow and cheap.”
Lin Shiming's expression was calm, yet every word he uttered was piercing. Prince Ping's face instantly turned bright red, as if he were about to vomit blood at any moment.
His lips trembled as he tried to say something, but before he could utter a sound, a sharp voice cut him off.
"Your Highness! How could you humiliate the Prince like this!"
Lin Shiming turned around and met a woman's indignant and accusatory gaze. She spoke righteously and aggressively, "Your Highness is a man of lofty character and virtuous conduct, how could you be described as an ungrateful, deceitful, and heartless person in His Highness's eyes?!"
"Besides, the Princess Consort is already dead. How can Your Highness possibly make amends? Your Highness is simply asking the impossible!"
Before she could finish speaking, Prince Ping angrily shook off her hand. "Shut up! How dare you, a mere concubine, speak to Her Highness the Crown Princess like that? You have no respect for rank! Go back to your courtyard and reflect on your actions!"
The concubine immediately burst into tears of grievance.
Her face was full of resentment. She glared at Lin Shiming with stubbornness and anger, then flicked her sleeves and got up, leaving the main hall decisively.
Lin Shiming did not stop him, letting Prince Ping send the woman away. A concubine who would soon go to hell with Prince Ping was not worth his special attention.
Only after she disappeared from everyone's sight did Prince Ping speak with a hint of shame, "Your Highness, please forgive my concubine. She was just too affectionate towards me, which is why she spoke carelessly and uttered some nonsense."
"And what she said is true. I feel guilty towards the Princess, but the Princess is already... and I really have no way to make amends!"
Nonsense? If you think she's talking nonsense, why wait until she finishes speaking before stopping her, and why punish her so lightly? It seems this concubine is just a mouthpiece for Prince Ping, saying exactly what he's thinking.
As for the claim that it is beyond redemption, that is simply a load of nonsense.
"What's the big deal?" Lin Shiming said calmly. "At the very least, you can ask your father for an imperial decree to grant you the right to never marry again, so that the position of your principal wife will forever belong to her alone."
"On a grander scale, you could also commit suicide for love, live and die with her, and give her your life in return." Lin Shiming looked at Prince Ping with an ambiguous expression, his voice full of malice. "These are all ways to make amends. It all depends on how much your guilt is worth and how you choose to do it."
That's a good suggestion, but please don't make the same suggestion again next time.
Lin Shiming's hellishly seductive gaze made Prince Ping shudder in fear, his body immediately went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.
The main hall fell silent for a moment. Even the concubines who had been weeping suddenly stopped crying and huddled together, barely daring to breathe.
After a long while, until Lin Shiming laughed out loud without any attempt to hide it, the Prince Ping, whose mind had been blank, began to move as if waking from a dream, but still did not utter a single word.
Lin Shiming continued to spin the beaded string, his sarcastic voice falling from above Prince Ping's head, "What, Your Highness Prince Ping is unwilling? To have all the good things without paying any price is not good."
"Of course, I am not forcing you to remain unmarried for the rest of your life for the sake of Princess Ping, or to commit suicide for love. If Your Highness is willing to admit in front of everyone that you are a selfish, heartless, treacherous, and ungrateful wretch, then there is no need to make amends for your princess."
"After all, ingrates always accept favors from others without a second thought, only to discard them once they're no longer of any value. If you admit it, then everyone will understand the reason for your verbal remorse and won't hold it against you."
As he spoke, Lin Shiming beckoned Yuan Ye over and instructed, "Quickly, go and call in a few of the Imperial Guards and servants outside, so they can be witnesses for our Prince Ping."
Yuan Ye accepted the order and left, even using his light-footed skills as soon as he stepped out of the main hall.
Lin Shiming turned back with satisfaction and looked at the stunned Prince Ping on the ground. "No rush. You can take your time to consider it before these witnesses arrive."
A strategic retreat? Public opinion suppression? A naive and innocent victim?
Did you think this tactic would leave me helpless and unable to defend myself?
I'll make sure you have nowhere to retreat, and I'll make your reputation as a heartless scoundrel spread throughout Changping! Little white flower, the white flower offered at a funeral is the real deal!
I'm more familiar with moral blackmail than you are. Trying to use the lives of your wife and children to blackmail me with these threats of murder and rumors—you ancient person should reincarnate ten more times!
Lin Shiming glanced disdainfully at Prince Ping, whose eyes were bloodshot and whose face was twitching uncontrollably, and sneered.
The concubines trembled with fear, not daring to utter a single word, unsure of what to do.
King Ping was furious. He gripped the ground with his hands, his fingertips turning white and almost bleeding.
He didn't know how things had turned out this way. It was completely different from what he had planned.
According to the plan, he should have used the princess's death to frame the crown prince and his wife for forcing their pregnant sister-in-law to her death, thereby gaining some benefits and suppressing the crown prince's faction. Instead, he has now gotten himself into a predicament, unable to move forward or backward.
Moreover, how could Yue Shi, a woman disliked in the palace, unable to bear a son, and whose maternal family had fallen into ruin, possibly deserve my compensation?
It's a waste for such a useless person to occupy the position of princess. Using her life to pave the way for herself and make room to marry a new woman from a powerful family is her last bit of value.
Besides, considering their years of marriage, he had already shown her immense honor by allowing her to be buried as his first wife, a princess consort. Did she really want him to be remembered as an ungrateful wretch, or to remain unmarried for life, or even to commit suicide for love? She didn't deserve it!
The more King Ping thought about it, the more he couldn't control his anger. He gripped his hands even tighter until blood actually started to seep from his fingertips.
The pain fueled his rage, finally causing him to leap up and reveal his true colors.
"It was you! It was you!" The Prince of Ping's eyes bulged even more red with rage. "It was you who, for your own selfish reasons, crippled Yue Linghan. It was you who ordered people to impeach me and the Princess, forcing her to this point, where she and her daughter died in fear! It is you who should pay for her death!"
"Oh, so you're not going to perform anymore?"
Lin Shiming gave a mocking smile, glanced down at the still young and beautiful face in the coffin, then looked away and turned to face the furious Prince Ping.
"I have never heard of such logic in imposing responsibility. Putting aside whether Yue Linghan should be deposed or not, and whether the charges against you and your princess are true and reasonable, just look at today's events themselves. How can something happen in your Prince Ping's residence and be considered my fault?"
"If that's the case, then wouldn't I also be able to say that it's your fault for marrying Princess Ping, for getting her pregnant, for failing to manage the household properly, and for allowing villains to murder the Princess? With such a judgment, no wonder you haven't achieved anything in all these years."
"you--"
"What about me? I haven't even investigated your household for disobeying the imperial edict yet." Lin Shiming's eyes and brows were full of mockery. "The Emperor ordered that these things not be told to Princess Ping before she gives birth. I have also warned her several times."
"You should think about how to explain to the Emperor that you let such a person with ill intentions in, and that the maids and nannies in the Princess's courtyard have committed such wrongdoings!"
As he spoke, Lin Shiming took a step forward, his meaningful gaze startling Prince Ping.
"Besides, everyone knows who will benefit most from this incident."
The people in the hall were so frightened that their hearts pounded, and they all knelt down and kowtowed, trying their best to minimize their presence.
King Ping was also greatly alarmed, and his eyes were filled with fear and apprehension as he looked at Lin Shiming.
Just then, Yuanye, who had gone out to call for help, led a group of people in.
"Your Highness, the person has been brought here."
Lin Shiming calmly and slowly straightened his clothes, then picked up a few sticks of incense from the table and lit them.
"The person has arrived. Prince Ping, have you considered how to make amends for your guilt?"
Lin Shiming inserted a lit incense stick into the incense burner and gently nodded to express his condolences.
Prince Ping clenched his fists tightly, blood dripping from between his fingers. "I have wronged my queen, but she is magnanimous. She probably wishes for me, her husband, to live a peaceful and happy life and does not want me to keep these things in my heart for long, or to be sad for her!"
Lin Shiming chuckled. He rubbed the incense ash in his hand, and a long, mellow scent of sandalwood lingered in the air.
"I kind of miss Lu Yuchen. At least he was stupid and wicked, but he wasn't like some people who are so heartless that they wouldn't even betray their own wife..."
Before he finished speaking, everyone present understood.
Lin Shiming's expression gradually turned cold, and he turned and strode away from the main hall.
"Notify the Imperial Guards to continue their guard duty. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order!"