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

Lu Chiying was immediately startled by the commotion of the Imperial Guards and looked at Lin Shiming in a moment of panic.

"Second Princess, you don't need to worry about them, they're fine."

Lu Chiying forced a smile, "Okay."

The two walked through the front courtyard one after the other to the main hall, where Lin Shiming was seated in the head seat by Lu Chiying.

After taking a sip of the hot tea served by the maid, Lin Shiming got straight to the point.

"I came today because I heard some things, so I came to confirm them and see if they are true. Therefore, I hope that Second Princess can cooperate fully."

Finally, seeing Lu Chiying's anxious and uneasy appearance, Lin Shiming even offered a couple of self-righteous explanations.

"Your Highness need not worry. You are His Highness the Crown Prince's own sister and Father's own daughter. This matter will certainly not harm Your Highness or the Little Princess."

What do you mean? Are you saying you won't take my life because of my royal bloodline with my daughter?

Lu Chiying forced a smile, "Of course I will obey Your Highness's orders."

Lin Shiming nodded in satisfaction and gave Lu Chiying a bright smile.

"Then please have Second Princess send someone to guide my men. Yuanye, go and bring me that Taoist priest, the Second Prince Consort, and the Second Prince Consort's mother."

Lu Chiying felt increasingly apprehensive. Although she hadn't seen much of the world, wasn't this really the process of confiscating property?

"Your Highness—"

"Don't worry, Your Highness, I've already told you I won't hurt you, so please rest assured!"

Before even entering the gate, the Imperial Guards surrounded the mansion, and once inside, they would bring everyone over.

How can I be at ease?!

Lu Chiying's hands were trembling, and she lost her grip on the teacup, which crashed to the ground with a "crash".

The maids serving nearby were so frightened that they knelt down on the spot, and some of the more timid ones even screamed.

Why are his hands still shaking? Lin Shiming was so shocked he almost jumped up. Could it be that the Second Prince Consort's family had worn him out?

"Your Majesty! Are you ill? Quickly, send someone to fetch the Empress Dowager—"

"No need!"

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived——"

Amidst the chaos, Zhao Lei's voice from outside the door seemed to press the pause button on the noise.

Lu Yuxi entered against the light, and the main hall fell silent.

Lu Chiying bowed to Lu Yuxi with trembling body.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects."

"Your Highness, please rise."

As the two were exchanging greetings, Lin Shiming walked over from behind, pouting in dissatisfaction, "Didn't I tell you to wait for my news at home?"

If you don't behave, you'll be punished by sleeping in the study when we get back!

Lu Yuxi knew immediately that this person was probably angry. He took two steps closer and squeezed Lin Shiming's hand, "Good boy."

Lin Shiming snorted, withdrew his hands and crossed them over his chest. Although he still looked unconvinced, he actually gave face and didn't say anything more.

Seeing that the man was still willing to listen, Lu Yuxi breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at the broken teacup on the ground, the still terrified Lu Chiying, and the trembling maids kneeling on the ground. Sure enough, Shi Ming had really frightened them.

Fortunately, he was worried, so he entrusted the task of moving Lu Tingsong to Aunt Lianqiu and then hurriedly came over. Otherwise, who knows what kind of misunderstanding Lin Shiming would have caused today.

Lu Yuxi looked at Lu Chiying with genuine gentleness and began to clean up the mess for his Crown Princess.

"Please sit for a while, Your Majesty. I'll go and have a word with Shi Ming. I'll be back soon to explain what happened today to you."

"Your Majesty, I obey. But that—"

"Let's do as the Crown Princess wishes first. But don't worry, Your Majesty, the Crown Princess and I are here today to support you, not to confiscate your property."

Lin Shiming was bewildered. What did Lu Yuxi mean by confiscating property? He looked around, still not understanding what she was talking about.

However, it didn't seem like the time for him to ask. Lin Shiming scratched his neck and continued to watch the two of them.

Lu Yuxi's gentlemanly and gentle demeanor was indeed more reassuring than Lin Shiming's. His direct explanation also temporarily refuted Lu Chiying's wild speculations.

Lu Chiying finally breathed a sigh of relief and curtsied to the two of them.

"Then I will wait here for Your Highnesses."

Lu Yuxi nodded in return, then took Lin Shiming's hand and left the main hall, heading towards the small garden next door.

*

"what are you doing!"

Lin Shiming was very unhappy with Lu Yuxi's disobedient behavior.

But he didn't shake off Lu Yuxi's hand again, letting Lu Yuxi pull him to a quiet lakeside pavilion without stopping, and then let Lu Yuxi sit down next to him.

"Please let me explain. If I'm wrong, you can be angry later."

Although General Lin has a somewhat volatile temper and doesn't like to suffer losses, he is genuinely very reasonable and willing to listen to your "honest but unpleasant advice" without getting angry. If you can persuade him, he will cooperate fully.

Although most people couldn't argue with his often baffling and incomprehensible reasoning, they couldn't convince General Lin, who had his own set of theories.

Lu Yuxi had already learned that Lin Shiming was very understanding of others and willing to think from their perspective, so she explained to him directly.

"It's not that I don't listen to you, it's just that you're not good at this, and I was worried about you, so I came here specifically to support you."

The words sounded somewhat sincere, and Lin Shiming's expression softened a little, his eyes secretly glancing towards Lu Yuxi.

"You haven't had much contact with women from aristocratic families, nor do you understand or get used to their delicate and sensitive lifestyles, let alone know their usual way of communicating with roundabout ways. So when you try to solve things in such a straightforward manner, they won't take your words literally, but will subconsciously guess the worst."

"Besides, given your decisive and efficient style recently, it's easy for people to misunderstand."

There's no way around it; this is the effect of the "persona" that General Lin created for himself, which can be said to have both advantages and disadvantages.

While this "persona" makes people highly tolerant of his behavior and dare not provoke him, it is undeniable that this "persona" also makes it easy for others to assume the worst about many of his actions.

Lin Shiming recalled his behavior from the doorway until now, as well as the panicked and uneasy appearance of the Second Princess and the servants.

It seems so.

Realizing that he might have really made the Second Princess misunderstand, Lin Shiming immediately felt guilty and embarrassed.

“That would cause a misunderstanding, which is why I came to you and wanted to handle this with you.” Lu Yuxi pinched Lin Shiming’s chin and turned his head back. “So, I didn’t mean to disobey you or disrespect our little general. Don’t be angry anymore, okay?”

"...You should have said so earlier! I'm not being unreasonable."

She didn't even realize that she was the one who had stopped Lu Yuxi from speaking.

But the voice grew softer and softer, and it was clear that the person realized they had almost caused trouble and was feeling guilty.

However, this also meant that Lin Shiming had taken his words to heart and wouldn't be angry anymore, so Lu Yuxi was finally completely relieved. He also indulged Lin Shiming by not dwelling on whether it was his fault for not telling him beforehand, and simply accepted the "mistake" without hesitation.

"It's my fault for not telling you sooner."

But to his surprise, these words of comfort did not make Lin Shiming happy; instead, they made him feel awkward. "Don't be like that. I was just saying it casually. If it's my problem, it's my problem. Just say it directly. You don't have to deliberately accommodate me."

This was a principle his sister-in-law had specifically told him before their marriage: if two people live together and one person always gives in to the other without any limits, then no matter what their relationship is, it won't last.

Lin Shiming has never been in a relationship, and most of his comrades in his previous life were also single. The few ways he knows to flirt with Lu Yuxi are all due to his advantage of living in the information-saturated modern world.

Not to mention that there is a big difference between listening to others talk about it and talking about it yourself, so Lin Shiming is actually only half-baked when it comes to how to handle the relationship between husband and wife.

Therefore, he listened very carefully to what his sister-in-law taught him and took it to heart.

“My sister-in-law told me that if one person always has to give in unconditionally in a relationship, they will eventually feel resentful, and the other person will become more demanding and unreasonable. That’s not good.”

In the end, one complains that you are not as tolerant of him as before, while the other is full of resentment and laments how much he has given.

He didn't want things to end up like this, a complete mess, with Lu Yuxi.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuxi was somewhat surprised. "I've never heard of that before. I once asked my elder brother how to handle the relationship with his wife in the future, and he told me that as a man of integrity, he should take responsibility and acknowledge his mistakes when facing his wife, and take a step back when things happen."

"Emm...My brother and sister-in-law have a harmonious marriage, so what my sister-in-law said should be right, right?"

Lu Yuxi recalled, "My brother and sister-in-law are also a harmonious couple, and it seems like there are no problems."

The parents' theories contradicted each other, leaving the two inexperienced individuals somewhat at a loss.

Lin Shiming tilted his head. "So who's right? Who should we listen to?"

The two love novices exchanged a glance, and confusion appeared in Lu Yuxi's eyes.

"How about we go back tonight and ask Father and Mother?"

Lin Shiming pondered for a moment, then said, "Okay!"