Chapter 143#

The Frail and Sickly Powerful Minister#

“Coo, coo, coo…”

Lin Xiaodong stood on the steps before the hall, wrapped in a snow-white fox fur. It was now mid-March, spring was in full bloom, and even the peach blossoms outside the palace walls were blooming. Large clusters of pink petals drifted with the wind onto the bluestone bricks, creating a peaceful and harmonious scene.

—But it was broken by a fat pigeon.

This pigeon was truly plump, making one doubt if it could actually fly. In fact, it indeed flew with great difficulty. Its peers could fly across thousands of mountains and rivers to deliver messages, but this short journey of only two or three kilometers from the Lin residence to the imperial palace almost cost this fat pigeon its old life.

Lin Xiaodong rubbed his nose. Looking at the pigeon perched on a branch that was almost bending under its weight, he always felt he probably bore more than half the responsibility.

His health was poor, so Xie Chen didn’t let him walk around much and only allowed him to wander within the residence. Lin Xiaodong liked to stroll to the backyard when he had nothing to do, grabbing a handful of beans to feed the pigeons. Within a few months, he had fed the messenger pigeons Xie Chen painstakingly raised for intelligence into fat pigeons that would be too greasy even for soup.

Although from some perspectives, it added a layer of concealment—since no one believed such a fat pigeon would be used to deliver messages—the flight distance was also greatly limited. This one, for instance, was probably a “thin one” painstakingly hand-picked by Xie Chen.

Lin Xiaodong thought as he reached out to untie the bamboo tube from its leg. In front of You Shu nearby, he naturally unfolded and read it.

You Shu: “…………”

Lord Lin, you are being a bit too blatant.

For more than a month, Jing Ji had not appeared before Lin Xiaodong again. But Lin Xiaodong wasn’t angry, didn’t have an outburst, and even accepted the fact that his identity had been replaced by someone else very calmly.

Jing Ji didn’t restrict his movements, but Lin Xiaodong still just stayed in the palace every day to eat, drink, and sleep. Occasionally, in the afternoon when the sun was good, he would go for a walk in the garden. If it weren’t for the fact that Jing Ji didn’t come to “flip his name tag” at night, looking at his appearance, he really lived more like a concubine than the actual concubines in the inner palace.

You Shu found it completely incomprehensible. He was sent into the palace to be a eunuch since he was a child, enduring cold looks and bullying. Therefore, he cherished his current position and the power granted by Jing Ji very much. He didn’t have much ambition, but if someone wanted to take away everything he had worked so hard for, You Shu would certainly risk his life to fight that person to the end.

So regarding Lin Xiaodong’s easy-going attitude, You Shu’s first reaction was: he is enduring.

He told his thoughts to Jing Ji. The young Emperor remained silent for a long time after hearing this. He said nothing but ordered him to pay constant attention to Lin Xiaodong’s movements. Therefore, You Shu would come here to serve Lin Xiaodong whenever he had free time, with the purpose of observing what kind of thoughts this lord held toward His Majesty. Was it resentment? Or disappointment?

But seeing Lin Xiaodong lying lazily on a lounge chair, flipping himself over like a salted fish to sunbathe, You Shu silently felt that both his and His Majesty’s thoughts seemed to be wrong.

This one… isn’t he actually enjoying it?

“The weather is so nice,” Lin Xiaodong sighed with satisfaction. Not having to work was truly great. “In a while, it should be the Qingming Festival, right?”

You Shu immediately perked up and replied: “Yes, my Lord.”

“So exactly how many days are left? I’m almost getting confused.” Lin Xiaodong asked.

This time You Shu didn’t speak. He moved his lips and said fearfully: “Forgive me, my Lord, this servant dares not answer.”

“Oh, right,” Lin Xiaodong lifted his eyelids. “His Majesty forbade you from telling me the date. I almost forgot.”

“…………”

“Why does he bother?” The young man shook his head, closed his eyes, and stopped talking.

“…He really said that?”

That night, in the study, Jing Ji’s expression tightened upon hearing You Shu’s report.

“Yes,” You Shu said. “Your Majesty, I think Lord Lin isn’t actually angry with you. Perhaps,” he pursed his lips and, looking at the monarch’s unpredictable face, finally spoke up boldly, “perhaps you should have a good talk with Lord Lin.”

Jing Ji was silent for a moment. He said nothing but waved his hand for him to retreat.

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe You Shu’s words.

He was just afraid.

Afraid that Teacher would become a stranger to him from then on, afraid that the peaceful life of this period would be broken, afraid that… their relationship would be beyond repair.

“Coward.”

A sneer came from beside his ear, a low male voice.

“Shut up!” Jing Ji covered his ears and gripped the brush in his hand with a dark gaze. “If it weren’t for you, how could I have done such a bastardly thing!?”

This voice appeared on the third day after Lin Xiaodong woke up. Jing Ji didn’t know if the other party was a person or a ghost, but he finally understood why he had no memory of that night—the one who truly laid hands on Teacher was clearly this bastard!

Thinking of this, Jing Ji felt both aggrieved and resentful. If he had known it would be like this, he would have preferred to personally…

“Personally?” That “ghost” snorted lightly with a teasing tone. “What were you planning to do personally?”

Then he said seriously: “Kid, let me remind you, Xiaodong is my person. You’d better stay away from him, understand?”

“In your dreams!”

Jing Ji answered without blinking, but the doubt in his heart didn’t decrease one bit—why did this fellow always use this name to address Teacher? Could it be Teacher’s nickname?

“Oh?” The voice asked calmly, “Are you not afraid I’ll make your soul perish?”

Jing Ji sneered: “If I showed weakness, would you not do it? Rest assured, even if I die, I won’t let you near Teacher again!”

Gu Xi thought to himself: no wonder you’ve been tying yourself up tightly even while sleeping lately, making me wonder if I really have some special fetish. But regarding “his” tough statement, to be honest, Gu Xi was still very satisfied deep down.

As expected, no matter what he became, he would put Lin Xiaodong’s safety in the most important position.

For the sake of this point, Gu Xi decided not to provoke Jing Ji anymore.

Although he couldn’t stand “himself” taking over a soft and peaceful lover who had tucked away all his edges and thorns, Gu Xi wasn’t schizophrenic. Tripping himself up was fine once or twice.

If he really acted recklessly and annoyed Lin Xiaodong, he would be the unlucky one in the end.

Seeing the ghost no longer speak, Jing Ji also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought he was possessed, but neither the fangshi in the palace, nor the accomplished monks and Taoist priests, nor even the famous charlatans could make the voice disappear.

Jing Ji even intuitively felt the other party bore him no ill will. Moreover, it took him only half a day to get used to talking to himself, as naturally as thinking. This forced him to think deeply—could it really be as the other party said, that he was a part of himself?

Jing Ji selectively forgot that Gu Xi originally said “You are a part of me”. As the unique Emperor of the Jing Dynasty, he naturally wouldn’t feel he was subordinate to someone else.

But Lin Xiaodong’s side was indeed a big problem.

Jing Ji let out a long sigh. Longing and sorrow were like weeds entangling his heart. He picked up the brush and slowly sketched the figure of an elegant young man on the rice paper to pass this long and difficult night.

Teacher… I miss you.

Lin Xiaodong didn’t know yet that Gu Xi had now transformed into a second personality and started scheming against Jing Ji. He thought Jing Ji was struggling with the previous events and therefore was unwilling to see him.

Is this child’s skin so thin?

He found it a bit funny and also a bit incredible. Because in Lin Xiaodong’s impression, Gu Xi had always been a calm and invulnerable “old driver”. Making him shy was rarer than the sun rising from the west.

“My Lord, these are today’s documents.”

Lin Xiaodong came back to his senses. Seeing the documents piled on the table, he sighed weakly: “Understood, put them down.”

Jing Ji was probably afraid he would feel bored and lonely, so he didn’t let the double completely take over handling court affairs. Especially for some important matters concerning the state, he would still come to ask him.

On one hand, Lin Xiaodong felt Jing Ji was really thinking too much—he wasn’t the type of person who would die or live for work after retirement. But on the other hand, he was worried that without him, Xie Chen and Jing Ji wouldn’t be able to support the operation of the two departments in a short time. Therefore, he could only silently take over these tasks, just like before in the Lin residence, sending them back to Jing Ji after finishing the daily review.

Alas, he lamented in his heart. In this world, he truly had a life of toil.

“My Lord, the water is ready.”

The young man lowered his head and gave a hum. After writing the last word, he put down the brush, squeezed his stiff wrists, and prepared to take a bath and rest.

The most wonderful thing about this palace was that it had a natural hot spring. Lin Xiaodong’s current body was too weak, his hands and feet were cold all year round, and he rarely sweated even in the extreme heat of summer, let alone other seasons.

For him, soaking in the hot spring was the only time he could temporarily escape from this chronically ill body.

Immersing his body in the hot water, Lin Xiaodong let out a sigh of relaxation. A certain cold chill that had been lingering in his body was driven away by the heat. Although he knew this was only temporary, he still cherished this feeling of complete freedom.

He hadn’t coughed for a long time.

If it weren’t for the several bowls of medicinal soup he had to take every day, anyone would probably think Lin Xiaodong was in good health. Even Jing Ji was fooled by him and even tentatively had You Shu ask if the medication could be stopped.

Lin Xiaodong naturally refused.

If the medicine were stopped, Jing Ji would probably receive news of him spitting blood and fainting within three or four days.

Doctor Nian had always hoped he wouldn’t use this method to prolong his life. But at that time, Lin Xiaodong was in a dilemma and had to use forced breath to handle the various affairs of the Jing Dynasty. And now he no longer needed to persist, yet this medicine was like a maggot on a bone, deep into his five internal organs and six hollow organs, making it impossible to quit.

The young man loosened his hair, allowing the black strands to drape over his shoulders, winding down along the protruding butterfly bones on his back.

Looking only at his figure, he was excessively thin.

He quietly lowered his head, looking at the undulating water surface. After a while, he suddenly spoke: “Since you’re here, why don’t you come out and see me?”