Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Pei Xingjian approached Lin Ting from behind.

He didn’t deliberately lower his voice, but the figure seated on the steps seemed not to hear, head bowed, shoulders heaving.

As he drew closer, he could even hear soft 'hissing' sounds coming from Lin Ting’s mouth.

Eunuch Zhao, trailing behind, watched in confusion: *So this is how Lord Lin cries???*

As he made to speak, the Emperor raised a hand to stop him. "No need."

Eunuch Zhao closed his mouth again, anxiously thinking: *Good heavens, Lord Lin, please turn around and look!*

Pei Xingjian saw Lin Ting pick up a piece of pastry from a nearby plate and pop it into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out.

Moments later, the 'hissing' sounds resumed.

Pei Xingjian frowned. *Wasn't he crying? How could he still be in the mood for sweets?*

He stepped closer, standing right beside Lin Ting.

Looking down, he saw a storybook spread open in front of the man, who was eating and laughing—not crying in sorrow at all, but clearly laughing in delight.

And he was so engrossed that he hadn’t even noticed Pei Xingjian standing beside him.

A spark of irritation flared in Pei Xingjian’s chest.

Eunuch Zhao, who had caught up, also saw the scene and quickly interjected: "Lord Lin, Lord Lin!"

Lin Ting, thoroughly absorbed in his reading, momentarily disoriented, snapped, "Who is it? Can’t you see I’m reading—"

His voice trailed off as he suddenly met Pei Xingjian’s dark, intense stare.

Lin Ting froze, only then remembering he'd traveled back to ancient times—and worse, he had been goofing off on duty.

Goofing off felt great, and continuous slacking was even more fun, but only if the boss didn’t find out.

If the boss *did* find out… well, that was trouble.

Lin Ting swiftly and discreetly tucked the storybook back into his sleeve—luckily he'd picked a small one today, or he wouldn’t have known where to hide it in his panic.

He scratched his nose and cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, what are you doing here?"

Pei Xingjian shut his eyes for a moment, his expression calm. "Eunuch Zhao said you were crying, feeling you had failed the Emperor’s grace."

Lin Ting took a second to understand this before realizing they must have misinterpreted something he had done earlier.

He glanced at Eunuch Zhao, who was silently giving him a meaningful look that seemed to say: *How careless of you to let the Emperor catch you!*

Lin Ting pursed his lips, shooting back a look with his eyes: *Why didn’t you warn me the Emperor was coming?*

Eunuch Zhao widened his eyes: *You were too absorbed to hear anything behind you!*

Just as Lin Ting was about to pull a face in response, Pei Xingjian’s deep voice interrupted: "Hand it over."

Slender fingers extended before him.

Pei Xingjian’s hands were large, his fingers slightly curled, his palms covered with thin calluses.

In Lin Ting’s imagination, an emperor should have been raised in luxury, never doing a day's hard work—but Pei Xingjian clearly wasn’t like that. His palms bore several scars, making them appear rough.

A stray thought occurred to Lin Ting—*Pei Xingjian’s hands must be much bigger than mine.*

But at this moment, all he could do was clasp his hands behind his back and play dumb. "W-what thing?"

Pei Xingjian found his acting painfully obvious. Even though he'd been caught red-handed, the man still pretended ignorance. His tone grew stern. "The storybook you were just reading. Hand it over, or I’ll have someone search your quarters."

Lin Ting then slowly held out his hand, the rolled-up storybook clutched in his palm.

Okay, maybe he was nervous. Part of him believed Pei Xingjian wouldn’t confiscate it—after all, last time, he had just skimmed it before giving it back. But this time was different—he *had* been busted goofing off on duty.

And if Pei Xingjian *did* search his room… well, some of the books he had brought contained *risqué material*. Pei Xingjian seemed the type to be stoic and restrained—if he saw those, how could Lin Ting ever face him again?

Pei Xingjian took the book, his expression icy as he flipped through it.

Lin Ting peeked at his expression. *He seemed even sterner than before.*

After a few moments, Pei Xingjian closed the book and suddenly smiled. "Do you still want it back?"

Lin Ting nodded immediately. The book was too funny—he hadn’t finished it yet.

But Pei Xingjian pulled it back. "Then help me put on a little show."

Lin Ting: *Huh???*

-

Warm spring sunlight, birds sang, and flowers bloomed. Outside the Chonghua Palace, servants bustled about in orderly fashion.

Suddenly, a cry rang out from within. The servants passing by the door froze, drawn by curiosity.

Just then, Eunuch Zhao stepped out. The group of servants immediately crowded around him. "Eunuch Zhao, what’s happening inside?"

Eunuch Zhao swished his horsetail whisk and sighed regretfully. "A newly arrived official offended His Majesty. The Emperor has ordered thirty lashes as punishment."

The crowd gasped collectively. *Thirty lashes? That’s basically a death sentence!*

Instantly, their faces paled, each vowing silently to be extra careful in their duties—one misstep could cost them their lives.

Eunuch Zhao watched their reactions with satisfaction.

A young eunuch in the crowd suddenly asked, "Eunuch Zhao, was it… Lord Lin?"

Eunuch Zhao swiped at him with the whisk, stern. "Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. Focus on your duties."

"Yes, yes…" The servants bowed their heads repeatedly.

Having said his piece, Eunuch Zhao dismissed them and returned to the Chonghua Palace.

Inside, Lin Ting lounged on a recliner, legs crossed, one hand holding a pastry while a young eunuch peeled grapes for him. He took a bite of pastry, followed by a grape, and when thirsty, sipped from a cup of homemade juice—it was like reliving the carefree afternoons of his school days.

Eunuch Zhao walked in to this scene, while the Emperor occasionally glanced over, pretending not to see Lord Lin’s antics.

He deliberately stepped heavily. Lin Ting looked up, a grape still in his mouth. "All done with the procedure?"

Eunuch Zhao nodded. Though he didn’t know what "procedure" meant, decades of experience told him Lin Ting was asking if the task was complete.

Entering the hall, Eunuch Zhao reported to the Emperor, "This old servant has spread the news."

Pei Xingjian waved a hand lightly over the desk—and from behind a nearby screen, a shadow flickered and vanished.

Zhao Dehai looked at Lord Lin outside and couldn't help but say, "Should I go fetch Lord Lin?"

Perhaps it was because he now had the emperor as his backing, but Lord Lin seemed even more carefree and unrestrained, acting downright childish at the moment.

Zhao Dehai thought back and realized that Lord Lin was not even twenty years old yet—in front of him and the emperor, he was practically just a kid.

He couldn’t help but sigh, "Lord Lin truly has the heart of a child."

Pei Xingjian followed his gaze and saw Lin Ting halfheartedly reaching for a butterfly fluttering in front of him but missing. He seemed reluctant to move much, so he flapped at the butterfly in frustration before grumpily wolfing down two peach cakes.

Pei Xingjian suddenly grew curious—what the hell was this guy thinking on a daily basis?

Zhao Dehai had stood by the emperor through thick and thin for decades; a single glance was enough for him to understand.

He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, after spending so much time with Lord Lin, this old servant believes he's genuinely this naive and endearing, not an act."

Pei Xingjian remained silent, his gaze lingering on the figure in the courtyard.

Lin Ting accidentally knocked over a cup of water, jumping like he'd been shocked before grabbing the towel handed to him by a eunuch and making a half-assed attempt to wipe it up.

Pei Xingjian lowered his lashes and said indifferently, "That's enough."

-

Having just finished a plate of peach blossom cakes and a dish of grapes, Lin Ting was fighting off a food coma when suddenly, a Tianxuan Guard reported, "The Empress Dowager has arrived."

He immediately perked up. Showtime—the fish is biting.

He stood up at once and beckoned the nearby eunuchs, "Quick, come move the chairs away!" Then he hurried into the hall, "Your Majesty, get ready—the Empress Dowager is here!"

By the time Empress Dowager Xie arrived in a rush with her entourage, she saw a circle of palace servants gathered in the courtyard, with Lin Ting lying on a wooden plank in the center, putting on a whole performance of agony.

"Oww, it hurts so much—ah! Save me!" His clothes were disheveled, but his voice was way too energetic for someone who's supposedly dying.

For a moment, the Empress Dowager was puzzled. She had heard he got thirty lashes—was this what he's got to show for it?

Pei Xingjian also thought Lin Ting’s acting was too exaggerated and coughed lightly.

Lin Ting took the hint and lay peacefully on the plank, softening his voice to a feeble whisper, like some tragic heroine in her final moments. "Save me..." He stretched out a hand, and the hem of his robe, bunched behind him, slipped down.

It was soaked with some suspicious liquid, dripping wetly onto the ground, while the metallic tang of blood hung in the air.

Given the scene, it was hard not to imagine what that liquid staining his robe might be.

The Empress Dowager lost her cool. She stepped forward and demanded of Pei Xingjian, "Emperor, what the hell is this?"

Pei Xingjian remained expressionless. "Can’t the Empress Dowager see? I'm disciplining an underling."

The Empress Dowager’s brows arched sharply, her tone turning severe. "He just bumped into you by accident, and yet you would go so far as to kill him for it?"

Pei Xingjian’s lips curled slightly. "Since the Empress Dowager knows, she should understand that nobody gets to disrespect me and walk away unscathed."

"No," Empress Dowager Xie planted herself in front of Lin Ting protectively. "The others are your business, but this person—I must take him away today."

Pei Xingjian raised an eyebrow. "Let's not forget why Lin Ting was allowed into the palace in the first place."

The Empress Dowager’s face paled. Of course she knew—and she also knew how sketchy it looked to suddenly come demanding him from the emperor. But Lin Ting couldn’t die yet. No matter what, the emperor couldn’t kill him now.

She said, "If you dislike him so, why not send him to my palace? I might as well be his mother."

Pei Xingjian’s expression turned icy in an instant. "How... maternal of you. And what makes you think this emperor dislikes Lin Ting?"

Lin Ting, lying on the bed, listened to the two of them debating whether he was liked or not and was so bored he could scream. He wished they would hurry up—this act was killing him.

Fortunately, Pei Xingjian cut the conversation short. "The Empress Dowager’s palace is inconvenient. This emperor will arrange for his treatment. Zhao Dehai, see her out."

The Empress Dowager, disbelieving, was led away by several palace servants, her cursing echoing down the hall.

At that moment, Zhuo entered to report, "Your Majesty, the snitch who tipped off Cian Palace has been found."

Pei Xingjian’s gaze darkened. "Handle it."

"As you command."

Once the voices faded, Lin Ting lifted his head and said to Pei Xingjian, "Your Majesty, can I have my book back now?"

Pei Xingjian stared at him for a long moment before finally handing it over. "That's all for today. Return to Xiangning Palace."

Lin Ting bounced out happily.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhao Dehai couldn’t help but sigh again. "Lord Lin's got way too much energy."

He recalled how, at the age of nineteen, the emperor had already begun suiting up for war.