Chapter 141#

The Frail and Sickly Powerful Minister#

Despite infuriating the young Emperor, Lin Xiaodong was in a very good mood.

Gu Xinwen and he were on different paths and did not seek counsel from each other; they had only temporarily reached an agreement on the matter of sending troops. As soon as the morning court session ended, Gu Xinwen reverted to being that troublemaker who wished he could find bones in an egg.

Surrounded by his colleagues, he left the main hall. While descending the steps, he inadvertently looked back at the young man still standing in place. Knowing that the other was waiting for a private meeting with His Majesty, he couldn’t help but let out a light sneer.

“Hypocrite.”

Those unaware of the inside story would probably think Lin Dongqing was the die-hard royalist. But only Gu Xinwen understood how difficult it had been to scrape even a little power from his hands to return it to His Majesty.

This fellow held the entire power of the Jing Dynasty firmly in his hands, managing everything personally, no matter how small. Even Gu Xinwen sometimes wondered how this person hadn’t dropped dead yet. Despite his body being so frail, he handled so many government affairs every day; even a healthy person wouldn’t be able to take it!

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaodong, who was waiting in place, had not received Jing Ji’s summons for a long time.

“Lord Lin,” a small eunuch walked over with a troubled expression and said, “His Majesty said he doesn’t want to see you right now.”

Jing Ji didn’t want to avoid sending troops; as the monarch of a country, he wanted to recover the Northern Border more than anyone else. Since the suggestion to send troops was made by Gu Xinwen, other ministers would only think it was prompted by His Majesty and had nothing to do with Lin Dongqing. Everyone knew those two had been at odds for a long time.

It was just that whenever Jing Ji thought about how Lin Dongqing had thought everything through even in this aspect, he felt frustrated and stifled in his heart.

“Is that so?” Lin Xiaodong responded calmly. He didn’t say anything else, just nodded and turned to leave directly.

When the small eunuch returned to report, Jing Ji was leaning against the back of his chair, his knuckles lightly tapping the armrest. After a long while, he finally opened his eyes and waved his hand for him to leave.

“Xiao Youzi,” he said, “accompany me to see the Empress Dowager.”

You Shu was startled but quickly composed himself and replied in a low voice, “Yes.”

The imperial guards had long been replaced by a new group under Jing Ji. However, because of a certain agreement, Jing Ji had not seen Empress Dowager Changfeng all these years; he had only lifted her confinement within the inner palace.

In any case, he had no concubines and rarely even went to his sleeping quarters, so Lin Xiaodong tacitly allowed his behavior.

But this time, it was he who crossed the line first.

Therefore, Jing Ji didn’t plan to abide by any agreements anymore.

The passage of a few years had not changed Empress Dowager Changfeng’s appearance, but her spirit was much more withered than when Jing Ji first ascended the throne. Despite her still-exquisite makeup and elegant, luxurious attire, her entire being exuded a faint aura of decay from the inside out. It was like an old object that hadn’t seen light for a long time suddenly being brought out into the sun; even her expression seemed somewhat dazed.

Upon seeing the grown-up Jing Ji, she didn’t appear overly excited. Instead, she just curled her lips mockingly and asked, “It seems you’ve finally run out of patience for him.”

Jing Ji didn’t want to discuss this problem with his mother. He came here only to show Lin Dongqing his attitude, but chatting about family matters with Empress Dowager Changfeng was not part of the plan. Therefore, he just respectfully poured a cup of tea for her and said flatly, “Seeing Mother in good health, your son is satisfied.”

Smash!

You Shu held his breath as he watched the tea bowl being slapped to the ground by Empress Dowager Changfeng. He felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat.

But Jing Ji remained very calm. He glanced at the shattered tea bowl on the ground and asked back, “What does Mother mean by this?”

“What do I mean?” Empress Dowager Changfeng cackled. “My son, it’s not your first day as Emperor. Why do you still not understand this principle?”

“…What?”

“To become the supreme ruler is to be destined for solitude.” Empress Dowager Changfeng stared at him fixedly with those sinister eyes, articulating every word.

Jing Ji didn’t speak.

But he knew that his feelings for his teacher over the years had been discovered by Empress Dowager Changfeng.

After all, she was the mother who raised him. After a brief moment of shock, Jing Ji regained his composure. He looked directly into her eyes without flinching and said in a calm tone, “I know. Mother needn’t worry about this.”

“Is that so?” Empress Dowager Changfeng sneered. “If Lin Dongqing knew about your intentions towards him, what do you think he would think?”

Jing Ji’s face instantly darkened.

Even if he was the supreme ruler, Lin Dongqing was also a powerful official above all but one. Moreover, he had personally told him that he already had someone in his heart… How could a dragon amongst men like his teacher be willing to condescend to someone else?

Jing Ji didn’t dare to gamble.

“What do you want?” He regained his patience, but the gaze with which he watched Empress Dowager Changfeng was terrifyingly cold.

A chill crept up Empress Dowager Changfeng’s back, even though she knew the person before her was her only son in this world. She composed herself and said in a slightly softened tone, “Regardless, you are my son. Since you want it, I will help you. It just so happens that I have someone usable under my hand. Consider it a gift from this Dowager.”

Accompanied by footsteps, Jing Ji frowned and turned around.

The visitor’s face was exposed to the sunlight. His pupils shrank suddenly, followed by an extremely complex expression.

“This is…”

“What? His Majesty wants you to accompany the army!?”

Inside the Lin residence, Xie Chen, who had just received the news, sprang up from his seat. He gripped his brush so tightly that he didn’t even notice the ink dripping onto his clothes. He just asked loudly in an incredulous tone, “How is that possible? It’s not like His Majesty doesn’t know about your health. Does he want you to go and never return!”

Lin Xiaodong gave a soft laugh, reached out a finger to tease the small bird in the cage, and said nonchalantly, “Who knows.”

“No, I must go find His Majesty!”

Xie Chen couldn’t remain calm. He dropped his brush and was about to rush out when Lin Xiaodong pulled him back.

“Stop,” he frowned. “Look at you now, what do you look like?”

Hearing him say that, Xie Chen realized his robe had been stained with a patch of black ink. He looked down, calmed down a bit, and noticed the young man beside him still looked composed and calm. He couldn’t help asking, “My Lord, could there be another reason for this?”

“I said, I don’t know.” Lin Xiaodong curled his lips. “After all, the child is grown. Even as a parent, one cannot completely know what he’s thinking, right?”

But hearing his tone, Xie Chen only felt it was absurd—the Emperor is the Emperor, holding the power of life and death over everyone in the world. Could he really be treated as a child?

“…So, do you plan to go?”

Lin Xiaodong straightened up. “If His Majesty truly wants me to go to the Northern Border, naturally I cannot disobey.”

Xie Chen had followed Lin Xiaodong for so many years after all; he quickly heard the young man’s underlying meaning: Jing Ji’s order probably wasn’t genuinely intended to send Lin Xiaodong away.

Indeed, as a dignified Minister of Personnel, he naturally had to oversee the capital. If he were casually sent to the battlefield, regardless of Lin Xiaodong’s own wishes, even those ministers in the court would certainly disagree.

“Then why did His Majesty issue this decree?” Xie Chen didn’t understand.

Lin Xiaodong didn’t answer. He just picked up a brush from the table in a very good mood, rolled up his sleeves, and began to write and paint on the rice paper. Xie Chen leaned over to take a look and found he was drawing. But what he drew was… a square thing with long arms and legs?

“What is this?” he asked.

Lin Xiaodong: “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

Xie Chen: ???

He didn’t understand.

But Lin Xiaodong couldn’t really explain to Xie Chen what it was. Ever since Gu Xi’s return that night, he had keenly felt that something in the palace had changed. Perhaps it was because of Jing Ji’s attitude towards him, or perhaps some long-dormant unexpected character… In short, diligently being a civil servant in the Jing Dynasty for so many years was really not his style. Lin Xiaodong’s mind was now filled with only one thing.

—He was going to let himself go!

If the system were still here, it would certainly have recognized this at a glance as typical “bratty child” symptoms.

Unfortunately, the only person who could control Lin Xiaodong was still sleeping within Jing Ji’s subconscious, and Xie Chen beside him was completely submissive. Thus, he could only watch helplessly as his master acted recklessly.

“Your Majesty.”

After many days, just before the army set out, Lin Xiaodong was finally summoned to the palace again.

Today he had changed into a dark green robe. A gold-inlaid jade belt outlined the young man’s slender waist. A strand of black hair fell across his forehead, obscuring his handsome and elegant features, before being casually tucked behind his ear by the young man.

If one only looked at his appearance, he didn’t look like a renowned official with actual power, but rather like a handsome scholar from a storybook paired with a fair lady.

Jing Ji couldn’t help but bite the tip of his tongue to avoid showing an overly aggressive gaze. He wore a smile, as if completely unaffected by previous events, and walked up to Lin Xiaodong affectionately, pulling him down to sit as usual.

“Teacher,” he said, “how have you been lately?”

Lin Xiaodong didn’t know what he wanted to say, but seeing the wine bottle on the table, he already had some guesses about Jing Ji’s intention for inviting him this time. While marveling at Jing Ji’s boldness, he replied without any abnormality, “Thanks to Your Majesty’s blessing, this minister’s health is much better.”

“That’s good.” Jing Ji said with a smile. “I thought Teacher would blame me.”

“I don’t know what Your Majesty means by that.” Lin Xiaodong said slowly. “If it’s about accompanying the army, that is my long-cherished wish. I should thank Your Majesty for fulfilling it.”

“But I still feel bad in my heart,” Jing Ji lamented. “Although it’s already spring, the Northern Border is a bitter and cold place. If Teacher really leaves, I’m afraid you’ll suffer.”

Saying that, he poured a cup of wine for Lin Xiaodong.

“Teacher, please.”

Lin Xiaodong looked down at the clear liquid in the cup and drank it all in one gulp with his head down.

When he put down the wine cup, what he saw was Jing Ji’s slightly complex expression.

“I thought Teacher would at least ask a question.” He said softly, looking at Lin Xiaodong with a gentle and deep gaze.

Lin Xiaodong lowered his eyes and said, “I trust Your Majesty.”

The alcohol content of this wine was not low; it was the type with a very strong aftereffect, making it easy for one to mysteriously pass out while drinking.

The last time Lin Xiaodong saw it was during the New Year’s Eve banquet set by Empress Dowager Changfeng.

Now Jing Ji had brought it out again, plus what was written in the intelligence Xie Chen had given him recently—that the local areas had just offered the royal family a thousand pieces of gold’s worth of “Sunken Fragrance” incense… He sighed, thinking that this child’s courage was really great. Was he really not afraid that he would just rebel like this?

Jing Ji seemed completely unaware of his inner thoughts. Seeing Lin Xiaodong finish the wine in the cup, he happily poured him another. He seemed to intentionally want to get Lin Xiaodong drunk. Before long, after several cups of wine, a faint blush appeared on the young man’s cheeks.

“I still have to set out tomorrow…” Lin Xiaodong wanted to politely decline, but his hand was pressed down by a smiling Jing Ji. “It’s fine. General Zhao said the provisions aren’t fully ready yet, so it might be delayed for half a day. Teacher doesn’t need to worry.”

He lowered his voice, soothing him in a coaxing manner, “Teacher, have another cup. This wine has medicinal herbs in it; it won’t hurt the body.”

“Mhm…”

Lin Xiaodong blinked his eyes somewhat slowly. Indeed, it was soft in the mouth with a long-lasting aftertaste. It wasn’t strong wine, but the taste was very good. He didn’t like an overly sharp wine taste; this wine happened to suit his palate, otherwise he wouldn’t have drunk much no matter how much Jing Ji persuaded him.

But there was another possibility, which was that Jing Ji had already figured out his preferences, which was why…

He shook his head. His somewhat chaotic consciousness couldn’t think about such complex problems. He could only mechanically take the wine cup filled by the young Emperor and then drink it all clean.

In the blink of an eye, more than half the bottle was gone.

Curling white smoke drifted from the incense burner in the hall, also carrying a faint scent of agarwood.

“Your Majesty,” after another toast, the young man’s long eyelashes flickered, and he asked in a muddled voice, “Did you call me here just to drink?”

Jing Ji had also accompanied him in drinking quite a bit, but he was still sober after all. Hearing this, he smiled and put down his wine cup.

“Of course not.” His gaze was no longer hidden, watching Lin Xiaodong with a look so hot it seemed like he wanted to devour him. “I was just thinking about one thing. Teacher, just listen.”

“You… go ahead.”

Perhaps because he was truly drunk, Lin Xiaodong even forgot to use honorifics.

But Jing Ji didn’t care about these small details either. He continued, “Barring any accidents, during tomorrow’s morning court, a group of ministers will probably be kneeling in the hall asking me to rescind the order before departure. After all, as the Minister of two departments, you certainly cannot leave the capital. It would be too much of a farce for a pillar of the state to be sent to a frontier battlefield to be a counselor.”

Lin Xiaodong lifted his eyelids. “Then what does Your Majesty intend to do?”

“Although I am the Emperor, I also have selfish motives.” Unconsciously, Jing Ji’s voice grew closer and closer. He reached out an arm to support the young man’s wobbly body, letting him lean against him. His voice was low and hoarse, as if suppressing some emotion. “I both hope Teacher can stay by my side and want to satisfy the ministers’ wishes. It’s really quite difficult.”

“Is it very difficult?” Lin Xiaodong knitted his brows and thought for a moment with effort. “These two don’t seem to contradict each other, right?”

In both cases, he wouldn’t leave the capital, right?

“No,” Jing Ji laughed. “When I say ‘stay by my side’, it’s not as simple as just staying in the capital.”

He also had to thank his mother for sending him such a useful pawn.

Jing Ji turned his head and looked at the person standing in the corner. His gaze didn’t have any of the attachment he showed when looking at Lin Xiaodong; instead, it revealed a cold indifference.

This person possessed a face that was almost ninety percent identical to Lin Dongqing’s.

Under normal circumstances, if he rashly used such a “flawed product” to replace Lin Xiaodong’s existence, it would certainly be discovered within a couple of days.

But coincidentally, it was currently the time for the Jing Dynasty’s expedition to the Northern Border, and Lin Dongqing was a well-known member of the pro-war faction—if Jing Ji sent him to accompany the army, he would certainly agree happily.

And he could take this opportunity to swap the person. Anyway, General Zhao and Lin Dongqing were one military and one civil official, not familiar with each other normally, so they had no contact. It was basically impossible to find out on the march. As for the capital, after a month or two, he could find any excuse to transfer the double back, and no one would be able to sense anything wrong anymore.

Even if discovered by people from the Lin residence, Jing Ji could find an excuse saying it was because Lin Dongqing encountered bandits on the road and changed after being frightened.

This plan sounded extremely fantastic, but its feasibility was very high. Almost the moment Jing Ji saw this double, he had thought of the subsequent series of steps.

Jing Ji had indeed hesitated.

But he understood that this was probably the only way he could keep Lin Xiaodong.

Lin Xiaodong tilted his head and looked at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed.

“Your Majesty,” the young man with a face like peach blossoms propped up his chin, half-closed his eyes, and asked with a smile in his voice, “Are you preparing to do something bad?”

Jing Ji’s breath hitched.

He looked uncontrollably as the cloak Lin Xiaodong had unfastened because of the heat slowly slipped from his shoulders. The scene, like his clothes being half-shed, almost made his nose run hot. The drunkenness made his brain seem frozen as well; he could only stare blankly at the long-haired teacher close at hand, his heartbeat like a drum.

“Yes.” He said hoarsely.

Hearing this, You Shu immediately and tactfully left with the double in the corner. Before leaving, he even very thoughtfully closed the door for the two of them.

With a creak, the empty hall, besides the flickering candlelight, was left with only two figures.

Thousands of thoughts surged in Jing Ji’s heart, but in the end, they were all suppressed to the bottom of his heart. After the panic of arranging the plan faded, what followed was the ecstasy of a long-held wish being satisfied.

His breathing gradually became rapid. He unconsciously moved closer to Lin Xiaodong’s position until his nose could smell the faint fragrance of mellow wine.

A bit closer… a bit closer…

“Your Majesty,” Lin Xiaodong suddenly said, “you are drunk.”

Jing Ji’s movements paused.

He looked at the young man with a flushed face but eyes that were entirely clear. His heart instantly sank to the bottom.

Did this legendary Sunken Fragrance that could make people hallucinate have no effect?

He had thought of a thousand methods, but none could make the young man stay for him. They could be ruler and minister, could be teacher and disciple, could even be close friends, but because of their respective positions, they could never reach that most intimate relationship. So Jing Ji could only settle for the next best thing, using this base method to make Lin Xiaodong completely lower his guard towards him.

Even if the person the young man saw in his eyes at this moment wasn’t him, Jing Ji would accept it.

Because he knew his teacher was a soft-hearted person. As long as he was given one chance, regardless of whether the other person had someone in his heart, he could use all sorts of means to completely occupy that heart.

But looking at Lin Xiaodong’s current appearance, it seemed as if he hadn’t fallen for it at all.

His eyes clearly reflected Jing Ji’s figure. From beginning to end, he had not looked at anyone else through him.

This discovery made Jing Ji both joyful and painful. He dropped his hands in a discouraged manner, sat up straight again, and comforted himself: It’s okay, they haven’t reached the last step yet. Even if the teacher sensed something, as long as he insisted on not admitting it, it would be fine.

…He was absolutely not afraid of his teacher showing that kind of disdainful and hateful look towards him. Absolutely not.

“Let’s drink.” He poured a cup for himself and said dully.

Since this plan failed, then tomorrow in court, Jing Ji would follow the flow and agree to the ministers’ request.

It was absolutely impossible for him to allow his teacher to really leave the capital, let alone go to the Northern Border battlefield thousands of miles away.

Always be prepared for the worst; this was something his teacher had taught him. Jing Ji bitterly drank the wine in his cup, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Lin Xiaodong silently watched the young Emperor before him suddenly become depressed. Not only did he stop trying to get him drunk, but he also started drinking cup after cup, pouring the remaining half-bottle into his stomach as if venting.

Before long, he lay on the table and made whimpering sounds.

But it didn’t sound like he was crying; it sounded more like a stifled groan of frustration.

“Your Majesty,” he rubbed his temples and asked helplessly, “are you okay?”

He was indeed drunk before, that’s right. But Lin Xiaodong had spiritual power; as long as it circulated through his meridians for one cycle, he was basically mostly sober. Jing Ji wanting to get him drunk was truly thinking too much.

Jing Ji whimpered twice more and fell silent on the table.

This time he was truly drunk.

Lin Xiaodong: “…………”

What else could he do.

Lin Xiaodong glanced at the closed hall door, sighed, and was just about to get up to call someone when his ankle was suddenly grabbed by a hand.

He was tripped and almost knelt on the ground.

With difficulty, he stabilized his body, looked up, and met a pair of somber, jet-black eyes.