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

Chapter 182.1 My wicked intentions are starting to stir again.

The emperor's secret order—who would dare disobey?

Having anticipated this, Lin Shihe casually selected a group of men and headed straight for the imperial palace.

When they broke into Shuiyue Jinghua, the two "criminals" were still sleeping in bed, embracing each other. The wreckage of their black outfits scattered all over the floor clearly showed what the two had been doing for the past ten days.

Lin Shihe, who was prepared, couldn't help but laugh in anger.

Although Lin Shiming was completely unguarded against Lin Shihe, the fact that he barged in with such a commotion didn't wake anyone shows how soundly Lin Shiming was sleeping and how tired he was last night.

"Somebody come!"

At Lin Shihe's command, the palace maids and eunuchs waiting outside rushed in. The two people who were tightly embracing on the bed suddenly woke up. Lin Shiming even sat up reflexively and looked blankly at Lin Shihe, who had a half-smile on his face.

Oh wow, this scene looks so familiar.

"Brother?" Lu Yuxi turned around and looked outside. "What's wrong with you...?"

"Why aren't you helping the two princes get dressed and washed? So we can set off immediately!"

*

Although they were supposed to set off immediately, Lin Shihe was ultimately a doting brother. Under Lin Shiming's intense gaze, he patiently waited until the two of them had lunch before binding them and taking them back according to Emperor Longyun's orders.

Emperor Longyun gave a secret order, so Lin Shihe didn't make a big fuss. He simply prepared a spacious carriage, a common sight in the capital, and threw Lu Yuxi and Lin Shiming, who were tied up, inside.

Although the carriage's exterior was common, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was vast and prosperous, and the interior was furnished exceptionally comfortably. Fragrant tea, pastries, and fox fur blankets were so soft that Lin Shiming felt as if he had returned to his happy old home as soon as he was thrown inside. He rolled around in the fluffy blankets, let out a long sigh, and didn't want to get out.

Then Lin Shihe kicked him in the butt.

"hiss--"

This kick directly aggravated Lin Shiming's "injury," causing him to instinctively cry out.

"Move over there." The culprit, Lin Shihe, said expressionlessly, then cruelly rolled his younger brother over twice more. "Don't lie there sprawled out. The carriage isn't just for you."

Lin Shiming pursed his lips, reluctantly curled himself up a bit, and then leaned against the carriage wall, watching Lin Shihe distantly invite Lu Yuxi onto the carriage as well.

"No, why?" Why is Lu Yuxi being treated so kindly? Lin Shiming was dissatisfied. "Brother, why are you treating me differently? You're so rude to me."

Lin Shihe boarded the carriage nimbly, sat on the outer seat, and ignored him.

"Set off."

The guards outside received their orders and mounted their horses to clear the way. The coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage slowly began to move.

Not getting any attention, Lin Shiming's eyes darted around again, ready to start causing trouble. He glanced at Lin Shihe, who was resting with his eyes closed, and then turned to look at Lu Yuxi, who was still embarrassed after being caught for the first time. His mischievous thoughts began to stir again.

He shifted his body, carefully moving closer to Lu Yuxi, then shifted again. Seeing that neither of them noticed his little movements, he became even more unrestrained. Taking advantage of the carriage's jolt, he threw himself directly into Lu Yuxi's arms. Finally, he didn't forget to put his feet on his brother's legs, stretching out his 1.8-meter-long legs.

Lin Shihe, who was resting with his eyes closed, took a deep breath. His eyes were still closed. Considering that his wife had advised him not to argue with his younger brother before he left, he forced himself not to throw his feet off the ground.

However, Lu Yuxi, who is conservative and rather shy, is clearly not yet at the level of being calm, composed, and "worldly-wise," especially when she is intimate with Lin Shiming under the noses of others.

He opened his eyes and looked helplessly at Lin Shiming, who was lying on top of him. "Get up quickly."

"I do not."

Lin Shiming rolled over, finding a more comfortable position to lie down. As he moved, he left two black stains on his brother's clothes.

Lu Yuxi watched in horror, but Lin Shihe remained silent with his eyes closed.

"Get up quickly, or your brother will beat you up later."

"No."

As they spoke, several more marks were left on Lin Shi and his clothes.

Lin Shihe's breathing became deep, clearly indicating that his patience had reached its limit and he was ready to act at any moment.

Having no other choice, Lu Yuxi, who deeply believed that her wife was more important than her sense of shame, reluctantly complied with Lin Shiming's wishes.

He shifted his body to make room, then lowered his head and whispered to Lin Shiming, "Sweetie, if you're tired, lean on me. Don't bother your older brother."

Lin Shiming, having achieved his goal, got up with satisfaction and leaned happily against Lu Yuxi.

Lin Shihe lifted his eyelids and saw Lin Shiming looking like a submissive wife, which made his blood pressure rise. He closed his eyes again, took a few deep breaths to soothe the psychological trauma caused by the scene just now, and then opened his eyes again, preparing to take advantage of the journey to give these two "oblivious to the world around them" a briefing on the current situation in the court.

He first calmly took a handkerchief and wiped the dust off his clothes that Lin Shiming had rubbed onto them, and then slowly spoke.

“The situation in the capital has stabilized in the past few days. My father wrote a letter a couple of days ago, saying that he has thoroughly investigated the situation of the garrisons in various places, and the new laws are being quickly publicized in various places. We can get rid of the Empress Dowager at any time, abolish the method of governing the country by filial piety, and officially start to implement the new policy of ‘ruling the country by law’.”

This new policy of governing the country by law is actually another way of saying that Chinese law is more important than family law, but it has not been put into the open for the time being.

When it came to business, Lu Yuxi forgot about the fluffy head that was still rubbing against his neck and focused all her attention on Lin Shihe.

"What are the specific situations in different regions?"

This matter will not only be opposed by some in the court, but also by powerful clans entrenched in various regions. Moreover, because they are not directly controlled by the emperor, the turmoil caused by these opposing forces will be significantly more severe than the situation in the court.

“The powerful families in various regions have indeed caused a lot of trouble in the past month or so. As local bullies, they often rely on family ties and marriage alliances to form complex relationships. 'Filial piety' is their weapon to control their families. Under these circumstances, their power is sometimes even greater than that of the local government.”

Lu Yuxi nodded and continued Lin Shihe's analysis, "The new law requires clan law to give way to national law, which greatly weakens their foundation for controlling local power. They can't help but cause trouble, and they will definitely cause a big disturbance."

“It’s certainly caused a huge uproar.” Lin Shihe tried his best to ignore his foolish younger brother and focused on the main topic. “My father arranged for troops in various places to suppress the rebellion according to plan. Many people died in some places. The better news is that most of those who died were people who preyed on the people and plundered their wealth. It’s not a pity to kill them.”

But his mentally challenged younger brother, unwilling to be ignored or isolated by anyone, eagerly chimed in, "So now it's completely suppressed?"

"No." Lin Shihe pinched the bridge of his nose. "Right now, we're just using force to temporarily keep things in balance. If we want to succeed completely, we need to add fuel to the fire."

This fire, of course, was to deal with the Empress Dowager Qin.