Chapter 135#
The Frail and Sickly Powerful Minister#
New Year’s Eve.
There was no need for court sessions today. It had snowed during the night, and upon waking up, the inside and outside of the imperial city were wrapped in silver. The palace paths and long steps, red walls and white tiles, were as beautiful as a painting.
Jing Ji woke up early. The little Emperor didn’t listen to the advice of the surrounding eunuchs and sat on the steps outside the hall holding a hand warmer, staring blankly at the falling snowflakes.
“Your Majesty, you’ll catch a cold like this!”
But no matter how the eunuchs pleaded, Jing Ji treated it as wind past his ears.
With no other choice, the servants brought a thick red velvet cloak and a rabbit fur muffler, wrapping the little Emperor as round as a figure in a New Year painting, only then feeling slightly relieved.
Although the Late Emperor had passed away, His Majesty’s mother was still there. If the Empress Dowager found out that the little Emperor had caught a cold because of their poor care, heads would roll!
Jing Ji curled his lips unhappily but said nothing.
All his thoughts were focused on Lin Dongqing, who was coming to the palace to spend New Year’s Eve with him.
Regarding this powerful official who held absolute sway under his father, both the imperial education since childhood and the Empress Mother and Grand Tutor by his side taught him that he must endure, and that he must reclaim his power in the future. Jing Ji thought so himself.
His feelings toward Lin Dongqing were contradictory. On one hand, he knew the man was his enemy, and a formidable one at that; on the other hand, deep in his heart, he had a secret fondness for the man. Especially since Lin Dongqing’s presence around him was so strong. Every time he went to the Empress Dowager’s palace, Jing Ji would be pulled by his mother to meticulously recount Lin Dongqing’s attitude, performance, and every word and action in court.
It must be said that the Empress Dowager’s actions significantly deepened the little Emperor’s focus on Lin Dongqing.
If Gu Xi recovered his memory, he would surely remember a saying from modern times—the more one nitpicks, the deeper the feelings, eventually turning from a hater to a fan.
Jing Ji’s current situation was roughly similar to that.
“When will Teacher arrive?”
After Jing Ji asked his twelfth question of the day, the eunuch’s reply was finally not “Master Lin is still preparing at his manor,” but “Master Lin has entered the palace and should arrive shortly.”
Hearing this, the little Emperor jumped up from the steps on the spot: “I’m going to see him!”
But he forgot that after sitting on the steps for so long, his legs had gone numb from inactivity. With this jump, he was about to fall headfirst onto the ground.
The eunuch’s soul almost left his body, and his shrill voice changed pitch: “Your Majesty!”
Jing Ji instinctively closed his eyes, but what met him was not cold, hard stone bricks, but an embrace that still carried a faint scent of wind and snow.
His body stiffened for a second, then he looked up sharply, right into the handsome face of the youth whose brows were tightly knit.
“Your Majesty’s dragon body is precious; how can you be so reckless?”
Lin Xiaodong, who had rarely changed into a dark red cloud-patterned robe for the New Year, spoke sternly.
Heaven knows he was scared to death just now! As soon as he arrived, he saw this scene. If he hadn’t recovered his memory and had a bit of magic power in his body, the little Emperor would probably have really fallen headfirst onto the ground!
Furthermore, the ground of the Jing Dynasty palace was not paved with smooth bluestone bricks; every brick was carved with dragons and phoenixes and was uneven. What if he injured his eyes or scarred his face?
Thinking of this, Lin Xiaodong’s face darkened a bit more.
He coldly swept his gaze over the eunuch kneeling nearby, who was incessantly shouting “Master Lin, please forgive me, this servant deserves ten thousand deaths,” and said directly: “Get out and receive your punishment.”
The eunuch, who thought he was surely dead this time, felt as if he had received a great pardon, showing a look of gratitude and relief after surviving a disaster.
“Thank you, Master Lin!”
“Ding, Good Person Card +1”
Lin Xiaodong raised an eyebrow. So it turned out this eunuch was actually one of the key figures in this small world?
He secretly noted the eunuch’s appearance, snapped back to reality, and looked at the little Emperor in his arms who for some reason hadn’t moved. He asked flatly: “Your Majesty, how much longer are you going to hold onto my belt?”
Jing Ji snapped his hand back, and his face instantly turned red.
“Tha-thank you, Teacher,” he stuttered his thanks to Lin Xiaodong, but didn’t want to appear too weak, so he straightened his back and asked in a mature and seasoned manner, “What is Master Lin doing here?”
He thought that even if Lin Dongqing entered the palace, he should have gone directly to the banquet.
“I thought about seeing Your Majesty sooner, so I came,” Lin Xiaodong said casually.
But it made the little Emperor freeze, and even his earlobes were tinged with crimson. Fortunately, it was cold today, and his ears were already red from the wind, so it wasn’t discovered by Lin Xiaodong.
However, Lin Xiaodong could still tell the child was embarrassed. In any world, Gu Xi’s skin was thinner than his. Thinking of today being New Year’s Eve, Lin Xiaodong wasn’t too harsh on the boy. Instead, with a beaming smile, he reached out and grabbed Jing Ji’s hand that was holding the hand warmer, leading him toward the banquet.
The palace maids and eunuchs around who saw this “highly disrespectful” scene all lowered their heads, pretending to be blind.
This is the benefit of being a power broker, Lin Xiaodong remarked inwardly.
But Jing Ji, as the only one present with the right to reprimand him for overstepping, for some reason also silently shut his mouth and said nothing, letting the youth lead him forward side-by-side through the light snow.
It felt… very good.
He stole a glance at Lin Dongqing beside him. The youth’s shoulders and hair were covered with a thin layer of snow. His angular profile was slightly reddened by the wind. His fingers were long and broad, able to envelop Jing Ji’s entire hand, and the cold sensation was very reassuring.
Noticing the little Emperor’s gaze, Lin Xiaodong, who was considering how to solve the Yellow River ice run flood in spring, gave him some attention: “Your Majesty, do you have something to say to me?”
The little Emperor shook his head, then nodded vigorously.
Lin Xiaodong found it somewhat amusing: “What do you mean by this?”
“I just wanted to say…”
Jing Ji thought of many things. He looked at the youth’s calm and indifferent eyes. At that moment, he even had an impulse to blurt out the truth: Don’t go to the banquet. Tonight, the Empress Mother might do something against you.
But he wasn’t sure of his mother’s plan either. And saying such words, even if Jing Ji was only thirteen this year, he knew it would surely cause trouble for the Empress Dowager.
On one hand was the mother who gave birth to him; on the other hand was the power broker who controlled the court and him. Anyone would know how to choose, right?
But Jing Ji hesitated.
Seeing the little Emperor biting his lower lip, his small face pale and unable to speak for a long time, Lin Xiaodong’s lips also couldn’t help but curl.
With his intelligence network in the palace, he naturally knew all about the Empress Dowager’s affairs. Lin Xiaodong didn’t stop the Empress Dowager’s scheme, but instead went to the banquet upon the little Emperor’s invitation because, out of respect for her being Jing Ji’s mother, he decided to give her a chance.
But Lin Xiaodong didn’t expect Jing Ji would actually want to save him against his mother’s wishes.
Just as Jing Ji was in a state of painful internal conflict, the youth’s hand pressed onto his head.
Touching the dragon’s head—highly disrespectful!
Unfortunately, Lin Xiaodong was incredibly bold. He not only touched this most precious head in the world but also with a beaming smile, he reached out and pinched the little Emperor’s round, baby-fat cheek.
Jing Ji looked at him blankly, completely stunned.
What is Lin Dongqing doing?
How-how-how could he touch my head?
“I know what Your Majesty wants to say to me,” Lin Xiaodong said. “But some things don’t need to be said by you personally.”
He took the little Emperor’s hand again and walked forward slowly.
“For me, tonight is just a New Year,” he said pointedly. “Your Majesty, can you understand?”
Jing Ji’s heart suddenly accelerated. He knew what Lin Xiaodong wanted to say: the other party already had full grasp of his mother’s thoughts and actions!
He was momentarily anxious. He worried about his mother and feared what Lin Dongqing might do, but Jing Ji didn’t even know what he could do now—in name he was the Emperor, the sovereign of a nation, but in reality?
The palace was controlled by the Empress Dowager, the court was supported by Lin Dongqing, and major national affairs were basically not for him to decide.
Jing Ji had never hated his own powerlessness as much as he did now.
Hearing the little Emperor’s rapid breathing, Lin Xiaodong didn’t speak again.
Some growth and experiences are destined to be borne by him alone.
The two of them, with their own thoughts, walked slowly along the winding and narrow palace path until they reached the Jinghua Palace where the night banquet was held tonight.
To Lin Xiaodong’s surprise, a table with a dazzling array of dishes had already been set in the open space at the entrance. He and the little Emperor took their seats in turn, but the Empress Dowager was nowhere to be seen.
The cold wind was biting. Even with a charcoal brazier nearby, Lin Xiaodong, sitting in the draft for a long time, began to cough lowly, drawing a long look from the already preoccupied Jing Ji.
Looking at the youth’s pale face, he thought with complex feelings: Actually, even if Mother doesn’t act, Lin Dongqing probably won’t live for many more years, right?
As the former Crown Prince, Jing Ji had heard his father say that Lin Dongqing was the youngest top scholar in the history of this dynasty, reaching the position of Minister at a young age. But soon, his father said in a meaningful tone: if it weren’t for Lin Dongqing’s unyielding character and his body being too drained from following the army in his early years, he wouldn’t have given the position of Minister to the young man.
Jing Ji even felt that his father relying so heavily on Lin Dongqing when he was alive, letting him manage everything down to the filling of the naan bread eaten by the officials at banquets, forcing Lin Dongqing to exhaust his mind and spirit—wasn’t this also a kind of punishment?
The little Emperor was thinking with complex feelings when a loud announcement came from outside:
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has arrived—”
The two who had already sat down stood up at the same time and saluted the woman who was arriving in a sedan chair not far away, wearing a large cloak—the most supreme Empress Dowager Changfeng of the Jing Dynasty.
“Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager / Mother!”
Empress Dowager Changfeng’s gaze first fell on the little Emperor, saying gently: “You may rise, my son.”
She was helped off the sedan by a maid and walked over slowly. Only after taking her seat did she give a light laugh to Lin Xiaodong, who was still bowing: “Master Lin, you may also rise. Today is New Year’s Eve, no need to be so polite.”
Lin Xiaodong responded calmly: “Yes.”
This night banquet hadn’t even started, but the atmosphere was already tense.
Jing Ji saw it and was anxious—he had told his mother not to act rashly, that Lin Dongqing was not someone they could deal with now. Why wouldn’t she listen!
And although Lin Xiaodong was being made things difficult for, his expression remained as usual.
Indeed, he sighed inwardly, he absolutely could not let the little Emperor be raised by this Empress Dowager.
This Empress Dowager Changfeng was a master of palace intrigue when she was young. Although not favored, she stubbornly kept her position as Empress, outlived the Late Emperor, and immediately ordered all childless concubines like the Noble Consort and Ladies to be buried with him after his death, leaving only one Consort who had given birth to a daughter and taking that child to raise in her own palace.
The Emperor was dead, and she was the only one who had a son. Clearly it was a time for sisters to set aside their grudges and assist the Crown Prince’s ascension together. Instead, Changfeng killed off all her allies, leaving the vast inner palace with only two or three “kittens.”
Not only did she offend many officials, but she also left a reputation for being jealous.
To this, Lin Xiaodong could only say: her methods are ruthless, but her brain is a bit stupid.
Hopeless, take her away.