Chapter 31: The Lin Family’s Shame
Lin Xueyi turned around and saw a young man dressed in black military robes standing at the end of the stone bridge, above the small stream flowing beneath them.
He looked to be in his mid-twenties. His sharp features resembled the original Lin Xueyi’s, making it obvious that they were related by blood. A sword hung at his waist, and the confident smile on his face made him seem far less disciplined than most military officers.
Lin Xueyi couldn’t help but sneer inwardly when she saw him. Even so, she still lowered her head politely and greeted him. "Second Brother."
This was Lin Chenghao, the second son of the Lin family and a Colonel of the Imperial Guards. Although his rank was lower than his elder brother’s, he was still known as a talented officer with a bright future ahead of him.
Lin Chenghao slowly walked toward her with his hands behind his back before stopping only a few steps away. "I heard you arrived with Prince Rui."
His eyes briefly swept over her before a faint smirk appeared on his lips. "You look healthier than I expected."
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on her chest for a moment longer than it should have, making Lin Xueyi feel sick to her stomach.
[This fucking pervert!]
[I know he’s the kind of man who would even get horny from looking at a female dog, but I never imagined he’d have such a sick obsession with his own sister!]
She wanted nothing more than to slap that smug smile off his face. Instead, she forced herself to smile politely. "Thank you for your concern."
Lin Chenghao slowly walked toward Lin Xueyi.
He stopped so close that she instinctively took several steps back, feeling deeply uncomfortable with how little personal space he was giving her.
"It’s been a long time since we last saw each other." A playful smile spread across his lips. "Don’t you miss me?"
As he spoke, he leaned closer until his face was only inches from hers. "Why don’t you give your brother a hug?"
"Second Brother, this is a public place," Lin Xueyi reminded him calmly. Afraid he might do something even more inappropriate, she quickly placed a hand against his chest and gently pushed him back. "Please watch your behavior."
"Ha!" Lin Chenghao snorted. "Little Sister, why are you always so cold? You never refused to kiss me when you were little!"
Yeah... and that was weird.
The novel had never explained what kind of relationship the original Lin Xueyi had with her two brothers. But now that she was experiencing it herself, she was one hundred percent certain it had never been a normal sibling relationship.
"It’s different now," Lin Xueyi replied flatly. "We’re adults."
She thought Lin Chenghao would finally keep his distance after hearing that. Instead, he casually wrapped an arm around her shoulders as if nothing was wrong.
"So, tell me, Little Sister, how’s your marriage with Prince Rui?" he asked. "I heard you’ve only shared a bed with him once. Why is that? Is he... unable to perform in bed?"
Lin Xueyi’s eyes widened. [How does he know that?!]
There was a very high chance that the Lin family had planted spies inside Prince Rui’s Manor.
She couldn’t remember that ever being mentioned in the novel or perhaps it had been.
After all, there had been so many spies secretly working inside Prince Rui’s Manor throughout the story that she might have simply overlooked that detail while reading.
"Second Brother," Lin Xueyi said with a smile, though her voice had turned noticeably colder, "my personal life is none of your concern."
Lin Chenghao frowned at once. "Of course it’s my concern."
He looked at her as though she had said something ridiculous. "If you fail in this marriage and Prince Rui decides to divorce you, the Lin family will be humiliated because of your incompetence."
Lin Xueyi frowned as well. "Humiliated?" She couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?" Lin Chenghao asked, his expression darkening.
Lin Xueyi slowly raised her eyes to meet his. "I just find it amusing."
Her smile remained gentle, but there wasn’t the slightest warmth behind it.
"The Lin family keeps talking about reputation, but is our family’s reputation really that spotless?" she asked sarcastically.
Lin Chenghao’s brows knitted together. "What are you trying to say?"
Lin Xueyi tilted her head slightly. "I heard Eldest Brother made quite a scene during last month’s military inspection."
His face stiffened and the smile on Lin Xueyi’s lips deepened. "Wasn’t he the officer in charge of transporting military supplies to the western training camp?"
Lin Chenghao’s eyes narrowed. "So?"
"So..." Lin Xueyi said calmly, "someone under his command failed to inspect the supply carts properly."
She continued as if she were simply chatting about the weather. "Half the arrows arrived with cracked shafts after being soaked by rain, dozens of crossbows were damaged, and several crates of grain had already started to rot before they even reached the camp."
Although no soldiers had died because of the mistake, the entire military exercise had been delayed for three days while replacement supplies were rushed over.
The incident had become the laughingstock of the Ministry of War for quite some time.
Since Lin Chengyuan had been the supervising officer, he had received a severe reprimand from the Minister of War and lost the chance to lead this season’s large-scale military drill.
It wasn’t serious enough to strip him of his position as Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, but it was humiliating enough that many officers still brought it up behind his back.
Lin Chenghao’s face immediately darkened. "Who told you about that?"
Instead of answering his question, Lin Xueyi asked one of her own. "So the Lin family can make mistakes, but I can’t?"
"Lin Xueyi..." Lin Chenghao’s voice grew deeper, and his eyes darkened. "You can’t compare a military position to your position as a Princess Consort. It’s—"
"Why?" Lin Xueyi cut him off, her tone calm but icy. "Why can’t I compare them?"
She looked him straight in the eyes without the slightest hint of fear. "Second Brother, you and Eldest Brother may serve in the military, but when it comes to rank, I’m still above both of you."