latelenovela Chapter 130 "Brother! Where are you going?"
Chapter 130 "Brother! Where are you going?"
Having abandoned Lu Yuxi, Lin Shiming returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion without stopping, carrying the two birth dates and times.
The day was bright and the breeze was pleasant, so Lin Shihe, who rarely had free time, planned to take Ji Tiao out for a stroll, preferably to stay overnight at a manor in the suburbs.
He had a wonderful plan and made thorough preparations. He even sent Lin Anji to his father-in-law's house in advance.
Unfortunately, fate is unpredictable. The two of them had just stepped out and hadn't even had a chance to get into their carriage when they were blocked by the Crown Princess's carriage coming from the opposite direction.
Lin Shihe watched expressionlessly as his beloved younger brother nimbly jumped off the bicycle frame and ran to him in a few steps.
"Brother! Where are you going?"
Damn it! Ever since that annoying younger brother married into the royal family and settled in the capital, he's been coming home so frequently. It's only been a few days, and he's already back again!
And they always choose the most inopportune time!
Lin Shihe was on the verge of a breakdown. Couldn't this guy just stay home for months at a time like usual? Give his brother some space to spend with his wife!
Lin Shihe remained expressionless and spoke directly.
"Go to a place where you are not."
His tone was extremely cold and disdainful.
Frozen, Lin Shiming pouted in grievance and began to deliberately imitate the manner of a concubine of Emperor Longyun he had once seen, feigning a weak and wounded appearance, and started singing and acting, "Brother! You've changed! You're not the brother who loved me anymore!"
The voice was melodious, but extremely disgusting.
This only made Lin Shihe's disgusted expression even more repulsive. "Stop disgusting me. I only love your sister-in-law."
Ji Tiao's face immediately turned red.
She slapped Lin Shihe hard on the back in embarrassment and anger, "What are you saying that's shameful? Shiming rarely comes home, talk to him properly!"
Lin Shihe glanced helplessly at his wife who had betrayed him, "He's interrupting the time I was supposed to take you out to play!"
"Do I need a moment more?" Ji Tiao glared at Lin Shihe, then turned to Lin Shiming with a gentle and kind smile. "Sister-in-law, go back to your room first. You two brothers can talk slowly, no rush! Lunch will be at home, and I'll cook something delicious for you myself!"
With the support of the head of the household, Lin Shiming stopped pretending and immediately beamed with joy, "Thank you, sister-in-law!"
Ji Tiao smiled and turned back into the mansion, taking the palace servants and guards from both sides with her.
For a moment, only the two brothers remained at the entrance of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Lin Shihe sighed, "Where is the Crown Prince? Aren't you always by his side? Why did you come back by yourself today?"
"He's busy reviewing memorials, so I've abandoned him!" Lin Shiming said with great enthusiasm, pulling Lin Shihe towards the mansion. "Besides, I have important business to attend to today and don't have time to deal with him."
Abandoned? Did they have a fight? Lin Shihe's heart immediately sounded alarm bells, and he looked his younger brother up and down suspiciously.
Dressed in a brand-new light green outfit, Lin Shiming, already a young man full of energy, looked even more lively and energetic. His face was as bright and cheerful as ever, without a trace of gloom or unhappiness.
It seems not. Lin Shihe made this conclusion in his heart, but showed no sign on his face. He continued casually, "What important matter could make you leave your sweetheart behind and come all the way back?"
Lin Shiming, with his thick skin, ignored his brother's teasing and continued pushing him forward, saying, "Brother, will you come with me to the ancestral hall?"
"Ancestral hall?"
"hold head high!"
"... ... " Lin Shihe paused, "I think the ancestors in the ancestral hall may not want to see you, the descendant who was 'married' to the Lu royal family.
"...What do you mean?" Lin Shiming's expression turned dangerous. "This marriage was arranged by you and Father. If I don't want to see you, I should be the one who doesn't want to see either of you!"
That makes sense.
But Lin Shihe's expression remained unchanged. "My father and I only agreed to let you 'marry' into their family, but we didn't say you would be the one on the bottom."
Lin Shiming's light steps suddenly stopped.
"Didn't you all make me 'marry'?"
It was only because his brother told him to marry that he acquiesced and did... that! Lin Shiming was shocked.
“It is us. But we only accepted His Majesty’s title of ‘marriage,’ without specifying who should be the actual husband,” Lin Shihe explained slowly. “After all, it’s a matter between you two, how could we possibly participate in the decision?”
"And when we first got engaged, I thought you, who prided yourself on your martial arts skills, would never submit to anyone. Who knew you would give us such a 'huge surprise' on the second day of our marriage!"
Lin Shiming:
Lin Shih-ming: Haha! What a huge misunderstanding! I've gotten myself into this mess!
*
The shocking truth was laid bare before Lin Shiming.
Overwhelmed with grief and dejection, General Lin slumped down, squatting on the ground like a mushroom, exuding an aura of resentment.
In modern terms, that would be definitely emo.
Seeing his expression, Lin Shihe realized that this was probably just a misunderstanding caused by a series of coincidences.
Forget it, I'm someone who's always a bit dim-witted. It's good enough if I don't get completely controlled by the 'cunning and treacherous' crown prince. Why be greedy for more?
"Alright, things have come to this point. Many people already know the truth, and even if they wanted to change it, they couldn't. Besides, if you don't say anything and I don't say anything, who will know that you've been tricked by yourself?"
Lin Shiming remained motionless.
"stand up."
Lin Shihe, who was not good at comforting people, kicked the "mushroom" on the ground with his toe and awkwardly offered his younger brother a way out.
"Aren't we going to the ancestral hall? Hurry up, don't keep your sister-in-law and me from going out to play."
"Mushroom" responded sullenly, "Can't you see? I'm sad. Please call me 'Melancholy Mushroom'."
What utter nonsense! Lin Shihe's rare patience vanished instantly. "I'll count to three, and if you don't get up, I'll have someone bring a ruler."
The "melancholy mushroom" instantly "rose from the ground" and darted off towards the ancestral hall.
Lin Shihe, who was still standing there, laughed amiably, "Heartless!"
*
The layout of the ancestral hall of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is not entirely the same as that of the ancestral halls of ordinary families.
In general, family ancestral halls only enshrine the ancestors of the family, with the oldest ancestors often being placed in the center and at the top.
In the ancestral hall of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, three statues of the Three Pure Ones were placed in the center, along with a table for offerings. Family ancestral tablets were arranged on both sides of the hall, clearly a setup made in advance by the Taoist priest Lin You.
Upon entering the ancestral hall, Lin Shiming first respectfully kowtowed before the statues of the Three Pure Ones, and then bowed to all the ancestors except Lin You.
When Lin Shihe, who was lagging behind, entered the ancestral hall at a leisurely pace, Lin Shiming had already greeted all the ancestors and was complaining to them one by one about how his brother and father had sold him out.
"If our ancestors are watching over us, please protect my dad and brother from this terrible misfortune! Even drinking water is a struggle... Ah!"
"Lin Shiming, your injury from last time hasn't healed yet, and you're already itching for a beating again, aren't you!"
Having heard everything clearly, Lin Shihe kicked Lin Shiming, who was making false accusations, right in the butt.
He kicked Lin Shiming, whose buttock injury hadn't healed yet, until he howled in pain.
"Ouch!" Lin Shiming clutched his bottom, hopping around in pain, but still smirked, "My goodness! Come quick! This is how my brother bullies this poor little thing all the time!"
Lin Shihe crossed his arms and watched him perform with a cold smile.
"If you have spirits in heaven, you must not let him off lightly!"
"Shi Ming".
"We must make sure he suffers another day of bad luck! It would be best if my sister-in-law kicked him out of the bedroom!"
“Shiming,” Lin Shihe said in a friendly tone.
"Don't call me! It's too late for you to apologize now!"
"I have no intention of apologizing." Lin Shihe smiled gently, but his words were terrifying. "I want to tell you that our family's rules are still enshrined on the altar. Do you want to try?"
The wailing in the ancestral hall suddenly stopped.
Lin Shiming's expression changed instantly. Pretending nothing had happened, he smiled ingratiatingly at Lin Shihe, "Brother? When did you arrive? Why aren't you saying anything!"
Although he knew Lin Shihe was just trying to scare him, the fact that he was willing to bring up family rules to intimidate him meant that his anger had reached a certain level, and he might start hitting him again at any moment.
After all, this Fa Ke was different from the ruler and military stick that Lin Shihe usually used; it was an iron whip covered in spikes. It was said that a single lash could kill someone with a weaker constitution.
In the nearly two hundred years of the Lin family, only one person has ever suffered a serious mistake. He was a martial arts general who was nearly killed by two lashes and has been plagued by illness ever since.
Lin Shihe would certainly not use such instruments of torture on his younger brother; at most, he would occasionally mention them to scare him. Now that his purpose had been achieved, Lin Shihe naturally wouldn't bring them up again.
He very considerately followed up on Lin Shiming's words, "Just arrived. So what exactly did you come back for today?"
Now we've finally gotten to the main topic.
Lin Shiming instantly forgot his earlier embarrassment and became overjoyed again.
"I brought the birth dates and times of my mother and Crown Prince Hua Min. I came back today to burn these two birth dates and times for..." Lin Shiming managed to utter the address, "...to Ancestor Lin You. So that he can think of a way in the afterlife to arrange for my mother and Crown Prince Hua Min to meet in their dreams."
"Row."
"Huh?" Lin Shiming wondered if he had misheard.
"The offerings and utensils are all ready-made; just follow my instructions."
“No,” Lin Shiming said, extremely surprised, “aren’t you surprised at all?”
"What's so surprising about that?" Burning something isn't a big ritual, and the process is quite simple. Lin Shihe had already started preparing the sacrificial items. "You've done plenty of outrageous things since you were a kid, one more won't make a difference."
He was already used to Lin Shiming's wild imagination. He had cleaned up Lin Shiming's messes since he was a child, so what hadn't Lin Shiming seen? What was so surprising about this little thing?
Moreover, years of experience have taught me that rather than trying to stop Lin Shiming and letting him cause chaos, or letting him run wild and cause some serious trouble, it's better to get involved myself. At least I can control the situation and keep it within a manageable range.
Not to mention, whether it's good luck or not, those outrageous things he did often turned out to be surprisingly useful.
"Don't just stand there, bring me this cushion."
Feeling inexplicably powerless, Lin Shiming remained silent for a moment before obediently taking out two futons from the box beside him.
*
The Lin family's sacrificial rites have always been mysterious, complex, and unique, so it's no wonder that someone like Lin Shiming, who doesn't think things through, couldn't complete them smoothly from beginning to end.
He knelt on the prayer mat to the side and behind Lin Shihe, hurriedly imitating Lin Shihe's bow, and then lit an incense stick with Lin Shihe.
"Bring me your birth date and time."
"Oh!" Lin Shiming quickly took out the paper from his pocket and handed it to Lin Shihe.
Without even glancing at it, Lin Shihe, under Lin Shiming's curious gaze, directly placed the several layers of paper into the brazier to burn.
"Don't you need to open it to cook?"
"No need. It won't affect anything." Lin Shihe's expression was solemn and dignified. "Besides, this isn't something I should be looking at. You should also refrain from asking about these confidential matters in the future, so as not to create loopholes or give yourself any ammunition."
Lin Shiming knew that his brother was doing it for his own good, so he didn't argue anymore and nodded seriously.
The paper was quickly consumed by the flames in the brazier, turning into black ash that rose without wind.
"Is this all?" Lin Shiming peered into the basin, "No need to chant any incantations, just tell me my wish?"
Lin Shihe did not answer immediately, but instead led his younger brother to bow again to indicate the end of the ceremony. Only then did he relax and give Lin Shiming a gentle smile.
"Didn't you already make arrangements with Ancestor Lin You?"
*
Today's lunch was prepared by Ji Tiao according to Lin Shiming's preferences, and it tasted extremely delicious.
But Lin Shiming felt extremely uneasy after eating it.
It wasn't until Lin Shihe had seen enough of his younger brother's embarrassment and fear, and then, satisfied, escorted the bewildered Ji Tiao out of the side hall, that Lin Shiming was mercifully told the truth.
"There's a letter left by Lin You's ancestor in the royal book 'To You,' you should understand it by now."
Lin Shiming looked at his brother with even greater horror.
Lin Shihe's smile was faint, but full of tenderness.
"Shiming, you are my younger brother whom I raised by doing everything myself. So how could I not understand you?"
Lin Shihe patted Lin Shiming on the shoulder, who was too shocked to speak.
"It was fine before that I wasn't often in the capital, but now it's different. The imperial court is not like a military camp. Every minister is not simple-minded, let alone members of the royal family."
"You're not good at acting, so it's best not to dwell on strange things or constantly bring them up. The safest secrets in the world are those that you yourself have forgotten or don't know."
"I just had your room tidied up. Go back and get some sleep. Once you've calmed down, you can return to the palace."
After leaving this instruction, Lin Shihe turned and left.
In the spacious and quiet courtyard, only flowers, trees, sunshine, and gentle breeze keep people company.
Lin Shiming stood there for a long time before suddenly waking up as if from a dream and breaking into a smile.
I will never forget this, I will always cause trouble for Lin Shihe, who is like a father to me! Even when I am seventy or eighty years old, I will never stop causing trouble.
He'll have to clean up my messes for the rest of his life!
*
Shen Shi.
Lin Shiming slowly woke up to a familiar scent.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he was met with a chest covered by a white undershirt. Looking up, he saw Lu Yuxi leaning against the headboard, quietly reading a book.
Lin Shiming decisively closed his eyes again, seemingly unintentionally swinging his arm across the chest in front of him, and then began to grope randomly under the guise of stretching.
Tsk tsk tsk, although I made this because of a misunderstanding, it tastes really good!
Look at those full muscles! You can feel their wonderful texture even through the inner garment. And there are abs on the stomach too!
It's a good deal!
"Shiming." Just as Lin Shiming was lost in his thuggish behavior, Lu Yuxi's helpless voice came from above, "It's broad daylight, you should tone it down!"