mtl008 Chapter 86 "If you don't listen to the rules, I'll spank you when we get back."
Chapter 86 "If you don't listen to the rules, I'll spank you when we get back."
"Stop being so 'insolent,' I'm tired of hearing it." Lin Shiming picked at his ear. "The Empress Dowager came out so quickly, did she get up early to deliberately set rules for us?"
"You, you—" Empress Dowager Qin's hands were trembling. "I am your elder, so what if I set rules for you!"
"You are welcome to try," Lin Shiming said with a bright smile. "I just wonder if the court officials will be so angry that they will petition to find you another place to take refuge when they learn that an empress dowager who has 'fled' back to the palace still dares to let servants bully the crown princess and detain the crown prince who is handling state affairs for the emperor, causing unrest in the court and the palace?"
"Very well!" Empress Dowager Qin's chest heaved violently as she pointed a finger at Lin Shiming. "You say you're detaining the Crown Prince? Then I'll let him leave right now. You also say I condone my servants' bullying of you? I'll personally punish you by making you kneel in the courtyard for three hours. Let's see how you try to argue then!"
Prince Ping and the Seventh Prince, who were standing to the side, immediately revealed gloating smiles.
Consort Yue and the other princesses looked at Lin Shiming with some concern.
"Still not kneeling down!"
The Empress Dowager Qin roared angrily.
Lin Shiming didn't care at all and stood ramrod straight.
"Fine, I'll kneel. I just wonder if the soldiers of my Tingyun Army will speak up for me after I, the young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, have been subjected to such injustice today." Lin Shiming said calmly, "Especially the border troops in the northern desert, whose general I personally trained!"
The Qin family was exiled to the northern desert; Lin Shiming was using her family as leverage. Empress Dowager Qin tightened her grip on the palace maid's hand, causing the maid to nearly cry in pain.
Lin Shiming flicked his sleeves and laughed heartily, "Your Majesty, do you still want me to kneel?"
Would she dare? She probably wouldn't even finish the kneeling punishment before all the Qin family members exiled to the northern desert would be wiped out!
Empress Dowager Qin's vision went black, and her body went limp as she was about to faint.
Lin Shiming was prepared and immediately shouted, "Your Majesty, please don't faint! I'm kneeling down!"
Your family is going to die!
Empress Dowager Qin mustered her strength and stood up with great difficulty.
"You do not need to kneel!"
Haha, do you think I'm like the former Crown Princess, someone easy to bully? Listen carefully, I am the second young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, even my father wouldn't dare lay a finger on me!
Who do you think you are, trying to mess with me?
Just wait and see, let's see who's messing with whom!
Lin Shiming smiled happily and waved to Zhao Lei, "Why don't you take this palace maid away?"
Zhao Lei led his men and dragged Huanpei out of Shou'an Palace.
"That's my head palace maid!" Empress Dowager Qin managed to take two steps forward, her body trembling. "No matter what, she needs my approval before she can be dealt with..."
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!" Lin Shiming interrupted her impatiently, "In the imperial city, all the palace maids and guards are the Emperor's servants. The Emperor pays them their monthly salaries, and their household registrations bear the mark of imperial servants."
"These people are all Father Emperor's men, they were just assigned to serve you. Their only master should never be you!"
Lin Shiming took two steps forward, glanced around at the palace maids and eunuchs serving at Shou'an Palace, and smiled slightly.
"You've been staying on Buddha Mountain for so long that you may have forgotten who should be the master of this world."
This is a very serious statement; on a larger scale, it could be considered treason.
The surrounding palace maids and eunuchs hurriedly knelt down and pleaded in unison, "We dare not! We will obey His Majesty's decree!"
The two palace maids supporting Empress Dowager Qin trembled, unsure whether they should let go and kneel down.
A metallic, sweet taste rose in Empress Dowager Qin's throat, but she suppressed it tightly, daring not to spit it out.
Lin Shiming put his hands behind his back and said, “Remember this clearly: your father and mother are your masters. Since they have entrusted the affairs of the harem to me, I have the power of life and death over you. No matter the reason, no matter who you serve, I can do whatever I want with you.”
"I will deal with you without having to consider anyone's feelings. Stop taking the benefits others offer and use your brains to think about who truly holds your lives in their hands." Lin Shiming spoke to the palace maids and eunuchs, but his eyes were fixed on the livid Empress Dowager Qin with a half-smile. "Did you all understand?"
"We have heard you well and will obey Your Highness's command."
Lin Shiming smiled calmly and asked the Empress Dowager Qin, who was forcing herself to remain composed, "Did Your Majesty hear me clearly?"
Empress Dowager Qin desperately swallowed the mouthful of blood in her mouth.
Lin Shiming was telling her that among all the palace maids and eunuchs, his orders were the most important. He could arrange and dispose of anyone in Shou'an Palace at will, as long as he wanted.
"Of course, I'm not trying to embarrass you. You are the Empress Dowager, my elder. If you want to order them to set rules and punish me, please do so. It's just that I can't guarantee that after they listen to you, they won't be alive to listen to you again."
Lin Shiming smiled radiantly, twirling the string of pearls in his hand.
"Your Majesty, please be very careful when issuing orders in the future, lest innocent lives be needlessly lost!"
The "innocents" here clearly include the Qin clan from the northern desert.
With Lin Shiming's words, it's likely that the palace maids and eunuchs under Empress Dowager Qin will no longer dare to be completely loyal to her. Moreover, it will become extremely difficult for Empress Dowager Qin to rebuild her power and network of informants in the harem in the future.
Seeing that Empress Dowager Qin was about to vomit blood again, Lu Yuxi quickly stepped forward and took Lin Shiming's hand. "Your Majesty, since you have already gotten up, let's hurry in and pay our respects, otherwise we will miss your dinner."
If he doesn't come out soon, tomorrow might be a day of national mourning.
Lu Yuxi offered a way out, and Empress Dowager Qin had no choice but to accept it quickly. She had lost all face and dignity in front of the entire harem today, and if this didn't end soon, she would only be humiliated even more thoroughly by Lin Shiming.
Empress Dowager Qin swallowed hard a few times, and with all her might, she managed to control her voice and say, "I'm going into the inner palace to change my clothes. You may all wait in the main hall first."
After saying this, she entered the room, her steps faltering, supported by two palace maids.
As soon as she stepped into the inner chamber, Empress Dowager Qin couldn't help but vomit blood. The two palace maids beside her were immediately panicked and rushed to fetch the imperial physician.
"can not go!"
Empress Dowager Qin stopped them. If she were to actually summon the imperial physician, although it would solidify Lin Shiming's reputation for disrespecting his elders, it would be a minor inconvenience, and she would still have to worry about her people in the northern desert. She absolutely could not do something that would harm the enemy a hundred times while damaging herself a thousand times over.
"The Queen Mother!"
"There's no need to summon the imperial physician. Just go to the Imperial Hospital tonight to get some medicine. First, help me wash and change."
After hesitating for a moment, the two palace maids still trembled as they served Empress Dowager Qin.
Outside, Lu Yuxi gestured for Lianqiu to help Bai Qiongzhu inside first, and then looked at the concubines and imperial heirs behind her.
"You all go in first."
The crowd bowed to them and then obediently entered the main hall one by one.
Lu Yuxi pulled Lin Shiming into the nearby woods, saying, "We can't upset her again today. If something really happens, it will damage your reputation. Let's just get through this greeting and move on, understand?"
Lin Shiming reluctantly pouted and refused to answer.
Lu Yuxi sighed, glanced around to make sure no one could hear her, and then whispered in Lin Shiming's ear.
"If you don't behave, I'll spank you when we get back."
Lin Shiming: "!"
Lin Shiming's pupils dilated.
Lu Yuxi pressed her advantage, saying, "I'll beat you until you cry."
"I promise I'll behave myself!"