Chapter 1069: Humph, scumbag bad husband

Empress Wu sat at the table, her eyes fixed on the palace entrance.

Seeing Lin Lang walking in holding Helan Minyue's hand, the two walked side by side to the table. Lin Lang helped Helan Minyue sit down first, and then he sat down in the middle.

On Lin Lang’s left is Queen Chu Yiren, and on his right is her niece Helan Minyue.

It is worth mentioning that in the early Tang Dynasty, the left was respected, so Chu Yiren sat on the left side of Lin Lang and Helan Minyue sat on the right side.

Seeing Lin Lang deliberately lean half an inch towards Helan Minyue when he sat down, her affectionate gaze didn't seem fake. Wu Hou paused slightly, holding the teacup, and the corners of his mouth curled up almost imperceptibly.

The royal marriage was originally a matter of careful consideration. Now that she saw how much Lin Lang doted on her niece, Empress Wu felt that this was more reassuring than any alliance.

She took a sip of tea, glanced across the table, and exchanged glances with Li Zhi. There was a hint of understanding and relief in both of their eyes.

In ancient times, this kind of marriage alliance was very important for consolidating imperial power and alliances between countries.

Li Zhi picked up the wine bottle and said in a clear and melodious voice: "My dear brother, this first glass of wine is for you!"

He raised his wine jar high, his gaze sweeping across the hall, "The knife hanging over the northwestern border has finally been cut by your own hands today! You annihilated the tens of thousands of Western Turkic troops without even losing a single soldier to our Tang. This great victory not only enhances the prestige of our Tang, but also saves the people of Tingzhou from dire straits. Congratulations!"

"Congratulations!" All the ministers responded in unison and raised their glasses.

Lin Lang said a few polite words, raised his hand to raise his glass and clinked it with Li Zhi from a distance, then drank it all.

The wine was hot as it went down his throat, carrying with it the lingering passion from the battlefield and the warmth of having his wives and concubines by his side after returning.

Li Zhi put down the wine bottle and filled the second cup, his smile deepening. "This second cup is to thank you, brother, for donating the artillery blueprints to the Tang Dynasty!"

He pointed outside the hall, as if the sound of the cannons from the parade grounds was still ringing in his ears. "I just witnessed the power of artillery at the parade grounds. If our army could deploy such siege weapons, how could we not strengthen our army and our country?"

"In the future, the Tang Dynasty's cavalry, coupled with the might of thunder, will surely be able to protect peace and prosperity throughout the world!"

"Strengthen the army and strengthen the country! Protect our Tang Dynasty!" The ministers raised their glasses again, their voices louder than before.

Lin Lang stood up and returned the toast, draining the wine from his glass in one gulp. A confident smile appeared on his lips. "Your Majesty, thank you for your kind words. It is my duty as a sworn brother to contribute to the Tang Dynasty."

Helan Minyue smiled and poured Lin Lang a third glass of wine.

Li Zhi waved his hand, his tone becoming more serious: "This third cup is to thank you, my dear brother, for caring about the people."

"After the battle of Tingzhou City, corpses were scattered across the ground, making it extremely susceptible to disease. Yet, you personally led the city's efforts to bury the bodies and burn them. You even meticulously planned disinfection and epidemic prevention measures, preventing the plague from wreaking havoc on the Tang Dynasty and saving the lives of the people. This deed is more significant than winning a battle!"

As Li Zhi spoke, he raised the wine cup again with a sincere look in his eyes to toast Lin Lang.

The ministers in the palace burst into even more enthusiastic agreement and flattered him: "The emperor of Shanghai has a benevolent heart and helps the world!"

"Such merits should be made public!"

Empress Wu also picked up the fruit wine in front of her, took a sip, and looked at Lin Lang with a bit more appreciation and admiration in her eyes.

Lin Lang looked at the sincerity in Li Zhi's eyes, then at the expressions of approval in the entire hall, and raised his glass, saying, "My Royal Highness and all the others are so kind."

"The well-being of the people is the foundation of the stability of the country. I have only done what I should do. This glass of wine is to the people of the Tang Dynasty. May there be no more wars or plagues, and peace forever!"

"May the people of the Tang Dynasty be safe and sound forever!"

All the ministers raised their glasses in agreement, and the atmosphere was lively and warm.

Helan Minyue quietly refilled Lin Lang's glass of wine, lightly touching the back of his hand with her fingertips, with silent pride and tenderness.

The flickering candlelight reflected the joyful faces in the hall, and also reflected the image of a dynasty that became more brilliant because of Lin Lang's talent.

Zhou Mengyao looked at the intimacy between Lin Lang and Helan Minyue, drank her wine in a jealous mood, and muttered softly, "Biased!"

Mu Xueman laughed softly and said, "Mengyao, don't be jealous. Come, I'll have a drink with you."

"And me, the wine from the Tang Dynasty is low in alcohol and quite delicious." Pan Xiaoting also picked up the wine glass.

Li Moli, however, ate the mutton with her hands like a greedy cat and thought that the mutton in the Tang Dynasty was super delicious.

Especially the Sushan, when Li Moli ate it, it felt like she was eating Tang Dynasty ice cream.

Sushan is made by mixing ghee with fruit juice, sprinkling chopped nuts and freezing it. It is shaped like a small mountain and is definitely a great summer dish for state banquets in the Tang Dynasty.

Don’t ask why there was ice in the summer even though there were no refrigerators in the Tang Dynasty.

The question is, the Tang Dynasty palace had ice rooms and deep cellars, where ice was taken out in winter and stored for use in summer, and the ice storage and use system was very complete.

The noise of the celebration banquet gradually died down. After eating and drinking to their heart's content, Li Zhi, with a faint blush on his cheeks, looked at Lin Lang with a hint of drunkenness and said in a loud voice, "My dear brother, all of you are here tonight, and the mood is just right. Can you show us another movie to broaden our horizons?"

When Lin Lang heard this, he responded readily, "Okay, no problem!"

"Royal brother, my lords, let's move outside the palace and go to the same place where we watched the movie last time."

Lin Lang smiled and looked at everyone. "The movie we're going to show this time is 'The Butterfly Lovers'. I'm sure everyone has heard of this story, right?"

"I've heard it!" the ministers echoed. "This is a story that will be passed down through the ages!"

"Who doesn't know the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai turning into butterflies?"

Empress Wu also became interested. She looked at Lin Lang and asked with a smile, "My dear brother, has your Shanghai country made a movie about the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai?"

"That's right, Empress." Lin Lang nodded and smiled, "Not only did they film it, but they also captured the lingering and touching emotions to perfection. I guarantee you'll be mesmerized."

As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers in the hall became even more excited. They all stood up and surrounded Lin Lang and Li Zhi as they walked out of the hall.

Zhou Mengyao, Mu Xueman, Helan Minyue, Concubine Zheng and other female relatives surrounded Chu Yiren and Wu Zetian and walked behind them, chatting and laughing, making the place very lively.

The moonlight sprinkled on the stone road, casting shadows of people. The heat from drinking mixed with the evening breeze made people feel comfortable all over.

"This movie... what exactly is this new thing?" Changsun Wuji kept tugging at his colleague's sleeve, his face full of confusion. "Your Majesty and the Emperor of Shanghai are talking about it so excitedly, but I've never heard of it before."

"Lord Changsun, I don't know either." Minister of Rites Xu Jingzong shook his head. "Could it be a new kind of shadow puppetry? But it doesn't sound like it..."

Cheng Yaojin stroked his beard and replied in a muffled voice, "I've never even heard of it, let alone seen it! The things the emperor of Shanghai makes are always bizarre and strange. Who knows what kind of wonder this time."

The ministers looked at each other, their faces full of confusion, but they did not stop walking, their curiosity had already been piqued.

Lai Ji, the Minister of Personnel and the Chief Prosecutor, came up to Lin Lang and asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, is this movie... really more exciting than the storyteller's?"

Lin Lang turned around and smiled, "You'll see in a moment. It's definitely more vivid than listening to a book. The characters move and even the emotions between their eyebrows can be seen clearly."

Su Lie smiled innocently and said, "It seems that you gentlemen will gain more knowledge."

Li Zhi laughed heartily and said, "Don't worry, my dear ministers. I'm sure this will open your eyes!"

As he spoke, he quickened his pace, and the ministers behind him followed suit. The night was filled with murmurs of discussion, all of which were filled with curiosity and anticipation about this "movie".

Lin Lang led everyone to the palace wall where they had shown the movie to Li Zhi and Empress Wu last time.

The large screen hanging on the palace wall was still there. The projector and DVD player had been fixed there three days ago and were still in their original places, just covered in dust.

Solar power outlets are also connected.

Lin Lang took out a CD of Wu Qilong's version of "Butterfly Lovers" from his personal space and put it into the DVD player.

The 1994 version of "Liang Zhu" is set in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, when the clan system was strict and the class differences between clans and poor families were an important cause of the tragedy of the story.

All the ministers stared at the projector and screen with great curiosity, becoming increasingly puzzled as to how the movie was played.

Lin Lang pressed the play button, and with a slight "click" sound, the DVD player started running, and a white light shone through the projector onto the screen.

The next second, the ministers were in an uproar when they saw the flowing figures suddenly appear on the screen.

"Oh..."

There was an uproar at the scene, and the ministers were so shocked that they exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah! How...how can this thing move?" Changsun Wuji was so shocked that he staggered back two steps and was helped by the clerk behind him to stand steady.

"Uh... could this be witchcraft?" Imperial Censor Cui Yixuan's face turned pale as he stared at the curtain warily, his scalp numbing with shock.

Cheng Yaojin widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Wow, the movies from Shanghai are so amazing!"

Chu Suiliang, the regent, wiped his cold sweat off his face and exclaimed inwardly: "Oh my God! The light from this black box falls on the wall and can actually reveal such a clear human figure. This is truly unheard of!"

The rest of the civil and military officials all had their eyes wide open, their mouths wide open in shock. The timid officials even subconsciously hid behind their colleagues, only daring to peek with half an eye.

At this time, Li Zhi laughed, with a hint of joking: "Don't panic, my dear ministers! This is not a sorcery, it is a new thing in Shanghai, called 'movie'."

"The Queen and I saw this three days ago. The person on the screen can't get out and can't hurt anyone."

Empress Wu also said calmly: "It's just a trick of light and shadow. My lords, please rest assured and watch it. It is much more vivid than the shadow puppets on the stage."

The ministers finally calmed down a little, but they were still tense.

The ministers looked around, wanting to get closer to see more clearly, but also afraid that the person in the picture would suddenly "jump" out. They moved back and forth on the spot, with conflicted looks on their faces, which made Zhou Mengyao and others want to laugh.

As the figures of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai gradually became clearer on the screen, an official couldn't help but mutter, "These clothes... they seem to be from the previous dynasty..."

Light and shadow flow on the curtain, and the figures of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai are moving with the plot.

Lin Lang looked at Li Zhi beside him, his brows deliberately set in a tired look, his voice slightly hoarse from the days of running around: "Brother, I am a little tired. You, the Empress Dowager, and the other ministers can watch the movie slowly. I will take my family back to the mansion to rest."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi remembered that Lin Lang had just returned from the front lines exhausted, so he nodded and said, "My dear brother, you have been exhausted from the expedition to suppress the rebellion over the past three days. You deserve a good rest. Come, quickly prepare the sedan chair and take the emperor back to his palace."

Empress Wu wore a gentle smile on her lips. "My dear brother, you may not know this, but during the few days you were away on the expedition to suppress the rebellion on the northwestern border, His Majesty had the mansion bestowed upon you thoroughly cleaned."

"Everything is arranged properly, inside and out. The servants, maids, and royal kitchens have all been properly arranged. The furniture, daily necessities, and bedding have all been prepared according to royal regulations. I'm sure you and your sisters will rest well."

Upon hearing this, Lin Lang raised his hand to smooth his clothes, then stood up and bowed to Li Zhi and Empress Wu: "My Royal Brother and Empress Dowager are so grateful for your concern. I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

He turned to the ministers on both sides and nodded slightly: "My lords, I will take my leave first."

The ministers all bowed in return, "Farewell, Emperor Shanghai! Farewell, Emperor Shanghai!"

Lin Lang's wives and concubines bowed and followed Lin Lang towards the sedan chair.

The sedan bearer lifted the sedan pole steadily. When Lin Lang helped Chu Yiren bend down and step into the sedan, he could still hear faint dialogue from the movie coming from behind him.

The moment the curtain fell, it blocked out the light and noise from the outside, leaving only the silence inside the sedan.

Lin Lang took Chu Yiren's hand and said with deep affection, "Wife, I haven't seen you for a few days. I miss you so much!"

Chu Yiren snuggled into Lin Lang's arms, pouting and mumbling, "Bullshit, I think you miss Helan Minyue more than me."

Lin Lang kissed Chu Yiren on her pretty face and coaxed her sweetly, "Wife, no other woman can replace you in my heart. You are the love of my life!"

Chu Yiren was delighted after hearing this. She kissed Lin Lang back on the cheek and said generously, "I know you want Helan Minyue to sleep with you tonight, so I'll make it happen!"

Lin Lang chuckled and said, "Wife, you understand my heart very well."

"Hmph... a scumbag and a bad husband." Chu Yiren rolled her eyes at Lin Lang, but snuggled in his arms with a happy look on her face, and rode in a carriage out of the palace and back home.