Chapter 144#
The Frail and Sickly Powerful Minister#
As the words fell, Lin Xiaodong waited patiently for a while. Seeing that Jing Ji still didn’t dare to come out, he couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
“Come over,” he said in a commanding tone, “rub my shoulders for me.”
Jing Ji hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked out from the corner.
His fingertips instinctively shrank when they touched the young man’s warm and smooth shoulders, but he still pursed his lips and slowly began to knead with a slightly unfamiliar technique.
Being able to have the supreme ruler help knead his shoulders, Lin Xiaodong was the first in history.
“Teacher…” In the silence, Jing Ji spoke in a low voice, “You’ve lost weight.”
Lin Xiaodong gave a hum: “I haven’t had much appetite lately.”
After saying this, the two fell back into silence.
Jing Ji only felt bitterness in his heart.
As expected, they had still come to this step.
But at least Lin Xiaodong was still willing to see him, Jing Ji comforted himself in his heart. It hadn’t reached the worst situation yet.
“Your Majesty, are you still planning to run?”
“What?” Jing Ji asked subconsciously. By the time he came back to his senses, he realized that Lin Xiaodong had turned around and was watching him calmly with those jet-black eyes. He wanted to avoid the young man’s gaze, but his pride as an Emperor didn’t allow Jing Ji to show weakness in front of Lin Xiaodong, so he could only ask back with a stiff neck: “Why does Teacher say that? I’ve just been busy with government affairs during this period, so—”
Lin Xiaodong: “So you’ve been avoiding me all this time, and you don’t even return to your sleeping quarters to sleep?”
Jing Ji was silent.
“You don’t need to feel guilty.” Lin Xiaodong let out a light sigh. His wet palms touched the young Emperor’s cheeks, causing him to tremble suddenly. “Your Majesty, you’re no longer a child; you are now the lord of the Jing Dynasty. Do you still remember how I taught you back then?”
“A monarch is never wrong.”
“But…”
“There are no buts.” Lin Xiaodong said decisively.
“Your plan this time indeed considered every aspect,” he even commented in a cheerful tone. “Time, geography, and people were all calculated. Even if Xie Chen later found something was wrong and developed rebellious intentions, you could use the charge of treason to eliminate him at the fastest speed, because Xie Chen ultimately hasn’t completely taken the forces of the Lin residence into his hands.”
“The only possible mistake is the double you sent to my residence. Without being able to fully ensure he won’t be discovered, you shouldn’t have rashly let him stay in the capital. Moreover, he belongs to Empress Dowager Changfeng; whether he is loyal to you is also a big problem.”
“Your Majesty, you’ve softened your heart.”
A perfect hit.
With just a few simple sentences, Lin Xiaodong completely analyzed Jing Ji’s plan and even pointed out his biggest current concern.
But after a few seconds of silence, Jing Ji took a deep breath, suddenly lifted his head, and stared into his eyes without blinking: “I understand Teacher’s painstaking efforts, but I just want to know, what exactly are you thinking in your heart?”
“Is this important?” Lin Xiaodong asked back.
“Of course!”
Jing Ji stood up suddenly, clenching his fists: “It’s because of your attitude that I’m afraid!”
He took a few rapid breaths before barely maintaining his last bit of composure under Lin Xiaodong’s calm, almost cold gaze.
He took a half-step back and said in a trembling tone: “Teacher is always like this, not taking yourself to heart, telling me that the big picture is more important. Mother also says a ruler must be alone, but I’m also a person! I also have joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness; I also care about the thoughts of the one I love—”
He suddenly closed his mouth, a flush creeping up the boy’s neck within a few breaths.
Lin Xiaodong’s movement paused. He looked at Jing Ji, who turned his head away and was unwilling to meet his eyes anymore, and his serious expression gradually softened a bit.
But Jing Ji didn’t see it. He was now full of anger because of the bastardly words Lin Xiaodong had just said—even if he received Teacher’s praise, he wasn’t happy at all!
Why, after I did such an excessive thing to him, can Teacher still talk to me, the culprit, in such a nonchalant tone?
Jing Ji closed his eyes firmly and said coldly: “I still have things to do; I’m leaving first.”
In a place he couldn’t see, Lin Xiaodong watched his back and revealed a faint, gentle smile.
If I still had time…
But soon, reason forced him to tuck away this thought.
The young man with loose long hair lowered his eyelids, closed his eyes, and sank himself into the warm pool.
Jing Ji’s future is a bright sunshine road. With his ability, he will surely achieve great things and be sung by future generations for thousands of years.
And Lin Dongqing’s life was already a flickering candle, dying.
A dying person, what qualification does he have to ask for more.
Gu Xinwen had clearly sensed something was wrong lately.
Even though his old rival still had that half-cold, half-dead look when in court, and his nature of opposing him remained unchanged, Gu Xinwen just felt everything was very strange.
“Lord Lin,” after the court was dismissed once again, he finally couldn’t suppress the doubt in his heart and quickly caught up with the young man. “How is your health lately?”
“Lin Dongqing,” who was walking in front, paused, turned slightly, and nodded: “Thanks to Lord Gu’s blessing, not bad.”
Indeed very strange!
Gu Xinwen narrowed his eyes, looked up and down at the person in front of him, and suddenly asked with unknown meaning: “I heard Lord Lin’s adopted son has also entered the court?”
“Yes.”
While speaking, Gu Xinwen leaned over, as if he were going to follow him onto the carriage to go to the Lin residence to sit. The double’s whole body was stiff, thinking: Isn’t this guy surnamed Gu one of the Emperor’s people? How can he be so close to Lin Dongqing? Could it be that they really are friends in private?
After the two got into the carriage, “Lin Dongqing” immediately impatiently broke free from Gu Xinwen’s hand and said coldly: “Lord Gu, if you have something to say, just say it directly; there’s no need to pull and drag like this.”
Hearing this, Gu Xinwen instead sneered.
“Fine, since that’s the case, then I have to ask you,” he sat up straight in his seat, his eyes cold. “What great courage you have! To dare to impersonate a court official, who exactly are you?”
The pupils of “Lin Dongqing” shrank, but he said: “What are you talking about? I don’t understand. Did Lord Gu wake up confused last night?”
“Stop the nonsense, you know what I’m talking about!”
Gu Xinwen dared to go head-to-head with Jing Ji; why would he be afraid of him? The man drew his sword directly from its scabbard. In an instant, a cold and intimidating long sword was at the double’s neck, scaring him until his face turned pale.
Although he was a person given to Jing Ji by Empress Dowager Changfeng, he relied entirely on his face to be valued. In a daze, how could he care about any disguise? He immediately begged Gu Xinwen for mercy: “Lord Gu, I was also forced by helplessness! You, you see, why not move this sword away first? I really—AAAAHH!”
The carriage shook, and feeling the cold blade close to his skin again, the person couldn’t help but scream.
“Shut up!”
Gu Xinwen’s face was ashen. Seeing “Lin Dongqing” show such a panicked expression before him, he only felt a nameless fire rising: “Look at you! Cowering and timid, how unseemly!”
Even if his relationship with Lin Dongqing was like fire and water, even if it wouldn’t be strange if they really put each other to death one day, Gu Xinwen had always held a respect for a rival for Lin Dongqing. This was an affirmation of the young man’s knowledge, ability, and skill.
Occasionally he would also think, if they weren’t political enemies, maybe they could even be friends.
But this fellow, who besides his appearance was full of straw, he thought fiercely, couldn’t even compare to one of Lin Dongqing’s little fingers!
The driver outside heard the movement and couldn’t help but raise his voice and ask: “My Lord, what happened? Do we need to change the route?”
“It’s nothing,” Gu Xinwen said coldly, maintaining this posture. “Keep going, to the Lin residence.”
He wanted to see exactly what was going on!
After the carriage stopped steadily and before getting off, Gu Xinwen withdrew the sword from the person’s neck. The person let out a long sigh, and his whole body suddenly relaxed, almost collapsing on the seat.
Gu Xinwen’s eyelids jumped. He turned his head away, choosing “out of sight, out of mind”.
“Get off.” He grabbed the double’s shoulder and said coldly.
He came to the Lin residence to find Xie Chen. As Lin Dongqing’s adopted son, Gu Xinwen didn’t believe Xie Chen knew nothing.
Of course, another possibility wasn’t ruled out—
Xie Chen was the person who used a double to impersonate Lin Dongqing.
Therefore, when seeing Xie Chen, Gu Xinwen’s tone was very bad: “Where is Lin Dongqing?”
Xie Chen was stunned. His cold gaze swept over the double standing behind Gu Xinwen, scaring that person into another shiver. Only then did the double know he had long been discovered by others.
“I wonder why Lord Gu has come here?” Xie Chen withdrew his gaze and asked back instead of answering.
“Don’t ask when you already know,” Gu Xinwen said. “What exactly is going on? I don’t believe Lin Dongqing was plotted against. This is at the foot of the Son of Heaven! Who can plot against him?”
Xie Chen was silent for a moment and said flatly: “What if that person is the Emperor?”
Gu Xinwen’s eyes widened instantly.
“What!?” He reacted very quickly and understood the whole story within a few seconds. He was suddenly horrified: “How could the Emperor—this is too bold!”
“So Lord Gu didn’t know either,” Xie Chen said with irony in his voice. “I thought the Emperor had colluded with you long ago.”
Although he used a disrespectful term, Gu Xinwen was in no mood to dwell on this small detail. His mind was now filled with one thing—the Emperor really laid hands on Lin Dongqing.
Gu Xinwen had long known that a gradually growing tiger and the original leader who protected the territory would surely have a battle, even if Lin Dongqing had no intention of rebelling.
After all, the imperial family was heartless. A monarch must establish his own authority, and Lin Dongqing was the best whetstone.
But at least it shouldn’t be now. The Northern Border war had just begun, and no one in the court was more familiar with the situation than Lin Dongqing. The Emperor should have known this; otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent a double to stabilize the situation in the court.
He thought a lot, but in the end, looking at Xie Chen’s indifferent expression, Gu Xinwen just let out a long sigh.
Winners are kings and losers are bandits. No matter how many thoughts he had, it was already too late to say them now.
“The Emperor should promote you soon,” he said to Xie Chen with complex emotions. “You… must not blame the Emperor. By now, no news is the best news.”
Gu Xinwen could only gamble now. With the Emperor’s feelings for Lin Dongqing over the years, he probably wouldn’t put the other party to death.
Xie Chen said indifferently: “Thank you for the reminder, Lord Gu. This residence is not convenient for guests today. If you have nothing, please go back first.”
After Lin Dongqing left, the boy grew up almost at a speed visible to the naked eye, taking on the various affairs of this residence.
Even though behind this were countless nights of torment and pain.
Seeing this, Gu Xinwen also knew that staying any longer was indeed inappropriate.
He took a last look at the double standing beside him who didn’t dare to speak, his eyelids jumped fiercely, but he still said nothing, let out a heavy “hump”, flicked his sleeve, and left.
With his understanding of his old rival, even if the Emperor acted, if Lin Dongqing himself were not willing to be bound, this matter could never have developed as calmly as it is today, even to the extent that the outside world received no news.
One must know that with Lin Dongqing’s current status, if he really went head-to-head with the Emperor, even if he were eventually toppled by the Emperor, the Jing Dynasty would surely be severely damaged. At that time, the officials involved could probably be as many as hundreds.
“What exactly are you thinking…”
After leaving the Lin residence, Gu Xinwen stood on the bustling street with his hands behind his back, involuntarily murmuring to himself.
“Ding, Good Person Card +1.”
Hearing the voice, Lin Xiaodong, who was sitting alone at the table, couldn’t help but be stunned.
He clearly did nothing. Who has started to over-analyze and self-conquer again?