Chapter 133#
The Frail and Sickly Powerful Minister#
“His Majesty has passed away—”
Accompanied by the shrill cry of the eunuch, the officials guarding outside the sleeping quarters fell to their knees in a heap.
Every face wore an expression of extreme grief, and several old ministers were already prostrate on the ground, weeping bitterly: “Your Majesty, how could you leave us like this!”
Hearing the weeping, those nearby couldn’t help but shed tears in secret.
His Majesty—no, he should be called the Late Emperor now—had been on the throne for only a little over ten years, leaving behind a Crown Prince who had just turned thirteen and a three-year-old daughter. Although the succession of a minor emperor was not unprecedented in this dynasty, because the Late Emperor died of a sudden illness, with only a few hours from onset to passing, there wasn’t even time to arrange the funeral and succession properly!
Amidst the sorrow, someone thought despairingly: when the Late Emperor was on the throne, that man was already an authoritative power broker in court. Now that the Late Emperor has departed, won’t he be able to cover the sky with one hand?
Sure enough, after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the tightly closed doors were pushed open from the inside.
The leader was a handsome youth, thin and wearing a jade-white python robe. A gold-inlaid jade belt outlined his narrow waist. His eyes were bloodshot, clearly showing he had just been crying.
Seeing the officials kneeling all over the steps outside the door, the youth’s footsteps faltered as he stepped over the threshold. A flash of bewilderment passed over his young face, and he seemed to shrink back slightly.
This movement made the ministers loyal to the Late Emperor sigh in frustration—
His Majesty is still too young!
The officials who could kneel here, even if they weren’t qualified to enter the room, were all shrewd individuals. Seeing the new Emperor perform like this, how could they not be disappointed?
Furthermore…
“Your Majesty.”
A slender, lily-white hand pressed neither lightly nor heavily against the youth’s back, giving him a push and propelling him in front of the ministers.
“Teacher…”
A youth dressed in black official robes stood half a step behind the boy. He had beautiful phoenix eyes and a face as pale as snow. He had feminine features and looked very delicate.
However, wherever his gaze swept, the officials outside the hall lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
Acting as if he didn’t see the pleading look from the youth, he spoke indifferently to the crowd: “The Late Emperor has passed away, and the Crown Prince has ascended the throne. Everyone, why do you not yet pay homage to the new Emperor?”
This youth, called “Teacher” by the boy, was precisely Lin Dongqing, the Minister of Personnel and concurrently Minister of Works, who was most heavily relied upon during the Late Emperor’s reign.
To reach the position of Minister of two departments at only twenty-seven years old was unprecedented since the founding of the Jing Dynasty. But this young man had the strength; after rising to power, he not only held authority firmly in his own hands but also dealt with a group of opponents with thunderous speed. His ruthless methods made everyone shiver with fear.
Hearing his words, the officials looked at each other.
Paying homage was a must, but the only person they could perform the three-kneelings and nine-kowtows to was the Emperor. With Lin Dongqing, a mere official, standing behind His Majesty like that, should they kowtow or not?
But even if some felt indignant in their hearts, they knew it was not a good time to challenge Lin Dongqing. Lin Dongqing was the only person besides His Majesty who was present when the Late Emperor passed away, and he was the only person the former Crown Prince, now His Majesty, addressed as “Teacher.”
Soon, an official with good relations with Lin Dongqing was the first to kneel.
With this start, several originally reluctant old ministers could only grit their teeth and kneel on the ground with the others, saluting the new Emperor before them and shouting “Long live”:
“Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live!”
Amidst the tsunami-like cheers, the youth in the jade-white python robe keenly heard a faint, almost imperceptible cough from beside him.
He immediately abandoned those officials, turned his head, and asked with concern: “Teacher, is your health alright? Father died because of overwork… You must take good care of your own body.”
Setting aside what the kneeling officials thought, the youth in black lowered his hand that was covering his lips and stared fixedly at the boy for a few seconds, his pale thin lips curling slightly into an arc.
“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty,” he said softly. “This official is fine.”
That said, he withdrew his gaze, strode to the front of the ministers, flicked his long sleeves, and performed a formal salute to the new Emperor:
“Your servant Lin Dongqing greets Your Majesty!”
“Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live!”
It must be said that this move by Lin Dongqing greatly soothed the hearts of the court officials.
Although he was quickly helped up by the panicked little Emperor, who showered him with warm inquiries in front of them, at least Lin Dongqing had temporarily shown his attitude to the officials—on the surface, he would respect the Crown Prince as the new Emperor and assist this little Emperor, who had just turned thirteen and whose formal script was still crooked, with all his heart.
As for what went on in secret, no one knew what kind of intentions Lin Dongqing still harbored.
Under Lin Dongqing’s arrangements, the process of the new Emperor’s ascension had almost no flaws. In just a few days, the officials accepted the little Emperor in the small-sized yellow robe on the imperial throne. The man’s demonstrated control over the entire court and his meticulous and thoughtful mind secretly alarmed many officials.
Followers were happy to see this, as the more power and influence Lin Dongqing had, the more benefits they could receive. The ministers loyal to the Late Emperor were worried, because this meant that if the little Emperor ever wanted to reclaim his authority from Lin Dongqing or even suppress him, the price to be paid would be immeasurable.
At this time, Lin Dongqing, who was on everyone’s mind, was lying on a soft couch at home, wrapped in a heavy white fox fur cloak, staring blankly at the blazing charcoal brazier by the bed.
That’s right, he was Lin Xiaodong, who had recovered all his memories.
His immortal name was Lin Dongqing, but because many princes, dukes, and ministers who gained great merit in the lower realm ascended to the Heavenly Court, and the Minister of Works was also called “Dongqing,” he simply changed his name to an approachable one after starting work at headquarters to avoid name conflicts.
Although many people showed hard-to-understand expressions upon hearing he had changed his name to Lin Xiaodong, Lin Xiaodong himself was very satisfied.
Listen, how cute “Xiaodong” sounds!
Unexpectedly, in this final life of his Love Tribulation, he not only got his original name back but actually became the Minister of Works.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Thinking of past events, Lin Xiaodong felt an itch deep in his throat. He doubled over, coughing heart-wrenchingly for a long time before finally calming his breathing.
When the Late Emperor first ascended, the country was not peaceful. In his early years, Lin Dongqing had followed the army to the northern border to fight. Because of the bitter cold, he had developed a chronic illness. With winter just beginning, Lin Xiaodong had to wear a thick fox fur at home, with a hand warmer and a charcoal brazier never far away.
Despite this, he could still feel a bone-chilling cold attacking him from all directions, seeping into the marrow of his knees, as painful as a knife carving into bone.
If only 07 were still here, he thought with a sigh.
Yes, after Lin Xiaodong remembered his identity as an Immortal Lord, the system 07 was also reclaimed by headquarters.
It didn’t even have time to say goodbye to Lin Xiaodong.
However, Lin Xiaodong was not sad, because as a worker system, 07 still had a long career ahead. On the other hand, if he couldn’t resolve the knot in his heart in this world, his soul and Dao might completely dissipate.
As for Lin Xiaodong’s heart-knot…
Needless to say, it was naturally Gu Xi.
He had already tested the waters in the Late Emperor’s sleeping quarters. That fool, for some reason, had his memories sealed again, perhaps because of the influence of his own Love Tribulation?
Lin Xiaodong held the iron tongs, casually poking the red-hot charcoal in the brazier, thinking nonchalantly that he wouldn’t be getting an explanation anytime soon.
Without the system, naturally no one would provide him with background information. But the Lin Xiaodong who had recovered his memories had ways to glimpse the threads of this world from the Laws, so he wasn’t particularly panicked.
It was just that the bastard was only thirteen this year… Could it be that this final tribulation wanted him to play a “raising” game? To be able to see but not touch?
Lin Xiaodong speculated maliciously on the intent of the Laws.
But regarding Gu Xi’s amnesia, he didn’t have much resentment.
Setting aside the fact that he had grown used to it after so many worlds, just looking at the man’s feelings for him over these lifetimes, Lin Xiaodong knew he hadn’t trusted the wrong person.
In the last world, he said he wanted an explanation, but he just wanted to hear Gu Xi tell the story from his own mouth. Lin Xiaodong could guess based on various details that if it weren’t for a series of accidents, Gu Xi would never have abandoned his amnesiac self and left alone.
But…
Suffering so much for nothing across several worlds was still very annoying, he thought gloomily.
Lin Xiaodong was in a bad mood, and a faint layer of gloom naturally appeared between his brows, making his already somber temperament seem even more unapproachable. Even the palace eunuch who came to deliver an imperial decree couldn’t help but lighten his breathing and whispered: “Master Lin, a batch of silver-thread charcoal was just sent from the palace.”
The youth on the soft couch, with his long hair scattered and a weary, lazy expression, lifted his eyelids and finally sat up slightly.
Even though it was an imperial decree, he didn’t even get off the couch. The delivering eunuch also kept his eyes lowered, looking straight ahead, as if he didn’t see the Minister of Personnel’s highly disrespectful behavior.
“Why would His Majesty suddenly bestow a gift upon the Lin manor out of the blue?” Lin Xiaodong asked with a raised eyebrow.
Eunuch: “Because today His Majesty studied the ‘Zigong’ chapter of the ‘Analects’. Seeing the silver-thread charcoal in the hall, he felt moved and thought of how you, Master Lin, had stayed in the bitter cold of the northern border. He then wrote a letter on the spot and ordered me to deliver it to your manor along with the silver-thread charcoal.”
“Is that so,” Lin Xiaodong looked with a half-smile at the eunuch who didn’t dare to breathe, saying pointedly, “His Majesty is very thoughtful. If I recall correctly, there were less than twenty catties of silver-thread charcoal offered as tribute this year?”
“Ye-yes.”
The black-haired youth suddenly let out a long sigh, making the eunuch, who was secretly observing him, uncertain—despite receiving such a grand gift from His Majesty, Master Lin seemed… not very happy?
“Thank His Majesty for me.”
But Lin Xiaodong naturally wouldn’t explain. He simply lay back on the couch, his dark eyes fixed on the charcoal brazier before him, his pupils reflecting a point of bright orange-red light, as if he had fallen back into his own world.
Seeing this, the eunuch could only take his leave and prepare to report back to the little Emperor in the palace.
Lin Xiaodong didn’t even need to use his brain to know that this matter would spread quickly. By then, those loyalists of the Late Emperor would surely be overcome with grief and indignation again, and they would definitely find ways to instill all sorts of messy thoughts into the little Emperor, such as warning him to be wary of Lin Xiaodong and to accumulate power to take back control, and so on.
Lin Xiaodong didn’t care about these comments at all.
Those old ministers were probably all dim-witted. Aside from the fact that Gu Xi couldn’t possibly become some soft and cute little lamb even if he lost his memory, even if the little Emperor really were a naive and sweet person, Lin Xiaodong had absolutely no interest in that damn imperial throne.
In this life, he was destined to be a hardworking, sickly ghost; the Laws had told him so long ago.
Lin Xiaodong took the warmed medicinal wine from the maid, thinking nonchalantly as he tilted his head and drank it all. The burning sensation traveled from his throat all the way to his stomach. He slowly exhaled, his cold, stiff body finally feeling a trace of warmth.
Although this only treated the symptoms and not the root cause—and alcohol would further drain his body—compared to the feeling of living in an ice cellar every moment, Lin Xiaodong still chose the happy way of living as a short-lived ghost.
Because of the medicinal wine, a faint sweat broke out on the black-haired youth’s forehead, and a layer of light crimson flush appeared on his pale cheeks. His long eyelashes masked the indifferent calculations in his eyes. His delicate features made the maid in the room feel her heart fluttering for a long time.
The youth took off his fox fur, leaned on the couch, closed his eyes, and let the maid behind him massage his shoulders to relieve the aching in his body.
It had only been four or five years since the Late Emperor ascended and quelled the unrest. If there were another succession and more conflicts arose, it would be a real headache, he thought.
In these past two days alone, no less than three groups of people had come to him to cry about poverty.
What a joke.
He thought with a cold sneer. He was the Minister of Personnel and concurrently Minister of Works; if they wanted silver, why didn’t they go to the Ministry of Revenue?
Compared to before, the Lin Xiaodong who had recovered his memories had less of a lively and youthful air in his every movement, but more of a slight disdain, composure, and ease. These were the marks left on him by the vast expanse of time.
An immortal, naturally, is different from a mortal.
But in the eyes of others, this was yet more evidence of Lin Dongqing’s arrogance and overbearing nature.
Lin Xiaodong satisfied them. On the day after the silver-thread charcoal was delivered to the Lin manor, he cleanly replaced the people in the Imperial Study and the Grand Tutor. When the little Emperor went to class the next day, he found that the teachers who originally taught him were all gone, and the ‘Analects’ had been replaced by various strategies for governing a country.
He suppressed the dissatisfaction in his heart and asked with an innocent and confused look, “Where is the Grand Tutor and the others?”
“Your Majesty, from now on, I will be the one teaching you.” But that middle-aged man acted as if he hadn’t heard, with no intention of explaining. He only lowered his head and reported in a low voice, “Master Lin said that you are exceptionally gifted and could recite the ‘Analects’ backwards at the age of eight. The Grand Tutor, however, was completely unaware of this and continued to teach you repetitive knowledge, which is a failure of a teacher’s duty, so he sent me to instruct you.”
But the Grand Tutor was a loyalist of the Late Emperor and a minister left by the Late Emperor for his son. For Lin Dongqing to replace him just like that was clearly a slap in the face to the imperial family!
The little Emperor kept his smile, but because he was still young, his hands at his side were clenched until they almost turned white. After being given a nonchalant look by the middle-aged man, he suddenly let go as if losing all strength.
“Teacher has indeed thought of everything,” he said with a forced smile. “Besides this, is there anything else he wants to say to me?”
The middle-aged man said, “Master Lin also said, thank you for the silver-thread charcoal Your Majesty sent. With them, the young swallows under his eaves will also be able to survive the winter.”
This “young swallow” was not that “young swallow.” Thinking of the little Emperor’s current situation, Lin Dongqing’s words were nothing short of heart-piercing.
The little Emperor almost fell over in rage.
What did he mean? It was the silver-thread charcoal he himself had bestowed, hoping he would understand the distinction between sovereign and subject. Instead, it became a pretext for Lin Xiaodong to knock him down. Was he trying to say that without his protection, he couldn’t even sit firmly on the throne?
But when one is under another’s roof, one must bow one’s head. He could only grit his teeth and endure this anger, and swore in his heart that one day, he would definitely kill this guy named Lin!
When that time comes, he will certainly return all the humiliation he received today!
That night, at the manor, Lin Xiaodong heard the report from the new Grand Tutor: Heh.
He thought coldly, A brat who hasn’t even grown all his hair, still thinking of learning from others to manipulate power and cultivate influence?
Go wash up and sleep early.
But what made Lin Xiaodong very gratified was that the little Emperor’s “ambition” was very strong, which coincided perfectly with his goal—
When the little Emperor’s wings were full, he would retire after his success and offer himself up.