Chapter 401: Handling Lord Lin
It was already early winter.
The early winter in the capital was bitterly cold, and the lotus pond water was bone-chilling.
Lord Lin, Lin Qiang, could only watch as his precious son jumped into the water, searching for a jade pendant inside.
In such a large pond, how could a child of only seven or eight possibly find it?
Lin Qiang took a deep breath, walked over, and cupped his hands respectfully. "Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty. I have just heard that Your Majesty's jade pendant fell into the pond. I will immediately arrange for someone to search for it."
Chu Hongyu glanced at him sideways, exuding a somewhat imperial aura, and said coldly, "This is just children playing around. Why is Lord Lin interfering? Step aside and watch."
"Father, you don't need to get involved!" Lin Dongdong popped his head out of the water. "I told His Majesty that I'm good at swimming, so His Majesty is testing me. If I can successfully find the jade pendant, His Majesty will make me the First Attendant!"
Lin Qiang lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, my son is foolish and won't be able to find the jade pendant. Please allow me to handle this."
How could anyone withstand diving into such cold weather?
Moreover, the wind was strong. Being soaked and then blown by the wind would likely leave him bedridden for at least a month!
"Lord Lin, you are mistaken," Chu Hongyu said. "Lin Dongdong is not foolish. At the very least, he knows he must flatter and please me, the Emperor, unlike you, who has aligned yourself with the wrong person."
Lin Qiang was momentarily speechless.
The Regent was his own nephew—naturally, he was loyal to the Regent.
If it weren't for the Regent, he would still be struggling to put food on the table for his entire family... He now understood perfectly what it meant for one person's success to bring honor to all their associates.
"Your Majesty, I found it!" Lin Dongdong excitedly emerged from the water, and the nearby palace attendants hurried to assist him.
Lin Qiang quickly took off his outer robe and wrapped it around his son, fearing he would catch a cold.
"Lin Dongdong, didn't you say you could climb trees too? After class ends, let's go to the imperial garden and raid some bird nests," said the son of the Minister of Works beside them.
"Sure, sure!" Lin Dongdong happily agreed.
Suppressing his anger, Lin Qiang said, "Your Majesty, I must first change my son's clothes. Please excuse me for a moment."
He pulled his son to a temporary resting room for the Imperial Guards nearby. "Do you know that diving into the water in this season could kill you? Next time the Emperor asks you to do something like this, refuse directly. If the Emperor gets angry, go to the Regent. The Regent will protect you."
"I won't refuse! The Emperor likes me, which is why he's testing me," Lin Dongdong said, changing his clothes and lowering his gaze. "When I first entered the palace, everyone else laughed at me for growing up in the countryside and wouldn't talk to me. Only the Emperor was willing to pay attention to me and said he would make me the First Attendant. If the Emperor likes me, everyone else will like me too."
Lin Qiang's feelings suddenly became complicated.
After his family fell into decline, they had no choice but to return to their ancestral village to make a living. His son was born and raised in the village, and even dressed in fine clothes, he still carried the scent of the earth.
The Emperor didn't truly like Dongdong—he was clearly using Dongdong to pressure him, the father.
At such a young age, the Emperor already possessed such deep cunning.
He said, "Dongdong, how about we leave the palace and find a good school outside to study?"
"No!" Lin Dongdong stubbornly retorted. "The Emperor likes me, and I like the Emperor too. I want to be the Emperor's attendant for the rest of my life!"
With that, he turned and ran out.Lin Qiang hurried after him but encountered Chu Hongyu, who was dressed in the Dragon Robe, at the doorway.
"Lord Lin, don't waste your efforts," Chu Hongyu chuckled softly. "Lin Dongdong is my personally appointed First Attendant. He won't give up easily. I secretly told him that if his father forbids him from entering the palace, he should resort to crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide. When he asked how he could reach the beam, I said he could crash into a wall, jump into a river, or even use a kitchen knife to slit his throat..."
"Your Majesty!"
Lin Qiang was terrified and lost his composure, exclaiming in shock.
Chu Hongyu continued, "By pledging loyalty to the Regent, you may gain wealth and status, but you will lose your son. Don't think the Regent will protect your son—he even killed his own son... Oh, but perhaps Lord Lin wouldn't care. After all, with money, you can take concubines and have as many children as you want. Ah, poor Dongdong. When the time comes, I will surely find him a blessed burial site."
Lin Qiang was nearly driven mad by these words.
Trembling, he asked, "Your Majesty... what must this humble official do for you to spare Dongdong?"
"The Regent must have instructed Lord Lin to plant many spies around me and the Empress Dowager," Chu Hongyu said, curling his lips into a smile. "I will give you a list. Replace those people—the ones keeping watch—with the names on this list."
"This..."
Lin Qiang hesitated.
"Lord Lin, I will give you only a quarter of an hour to decide," Chu Hongyu's smile turned cruel. "You know the consequences."
Lin Qiang clenched his fists.
He realized he had no choice at all.
Wealth and power were important, but if he lost his only son, what meaning would they hold?
Moreover, the young Emperor was not wrong about one thing.
Chu Rui had even killed his own pregnant wife—what would stop him from sacrificing his long-estranged uncle?
If a path needed paving in the future, would he become Chu Rui's stepping stone?
One must learn to leave a way out for oneself.
If not for his own sake, he should at least think of Dongdong.
He spoke, "Is replacing these people all that is required? Is there anything else?"
Chu Hongyu replied unhurriedly, "Yes, this is the only task I ask of you."
Lin Qiang gritted his teeth. "Very well, I accept your command!"
Chu Hongyu handed the pre-prepared list to Lin Qiang.
The former Commander of the Imperial Guards was Fan Ming. Although Fan Ming had been dismissed, many of his loyal followers remained among the eight thousand Imperial Guards.
By replacing the spies monitoring the Imperial Study and Kunning Palace with Fan Ming's subordinates, most of Chu Rui's informants would be cut off.
Lin Qiang hid the list. "Then I shall act as if today's events never occurred."
"No, they must have occurred," Chu Hongyu said with an innocent smile. "You have been in the Imperial Study with me for so long—the Regent will inevitably find out. After leaving the Imperial Study, you must go to him and complain. Tomorrow during the morning court session, it would be best to have the Censorate impeach me. The more severe the impeachment, the better. Understood?"
Lin Qiang did not fully understand, but he complied nonetheless. "...Yes."
As he left the room, he turned and saw Lin Dongdong playing happily with the children of other ministers and nobles.
He could not help but sigh, his emotions in turmoil.
The next day, during the morning court session.
The young Emperor had overslept, making the civil and military officials wait for nearly half an hour before he arrived late. Seated on the dragon throne, he yawned, looking as if he had not fully woken up.Originally, the court session should have begun with discussions on matters of national economy and people's livelihood. However, a group of Censorate officials, thoroughly incensed, made their first order of business the impeachment of the young emperor.
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