Chapter 51

Chapter 51

The slanting sunlight cast a dappled glow across the hall.

The man sat poised behind the desk, his dark brocade robe, embroidered with golden dragon patterns, enhancing his composed and imposing presence.

Lin Ting belatedly realized that Pei Xingjian hadn’t suffered from his headaches in quite some time. Compared to the gloom of their first meeting, he now exuded the true majesty of an emperor.

Eunuch Qing, waiting by the door, noticed Lord Lin lingering outside and immediately hurried out with a smile. "Lord Lin, you’ve finally arrived. His Majesty has been waiting for quite a while."

Lin Ting paused for a moment, a flicker of doubt in his mind. "What? Does the Emperor not eat unless I’m here?"

Behind him, Eunuch Zhao also urged, "Lord Lin, please go in quickly. His Majesty has been waiting."

Generally speaking, when a superior suddenly summons a subordinate for a meal, it’s usually to glean information.

Unsure of Pei Xingjian’s intentions, Lin Ting entered with a mix of apprehension.

Leaning against the doorframe, he announced clearly, "Your Majesty."

Pei Xingjian lifted his gaze from the memorial and gestured lightly to the table. "Sit."

Lin Ting took a seat opposite the emperor, creating a diagonal across the table.

The moment he sat down, he received an appraising look from the emperor.

Lin Ting paused while adjusting his robes. "Did I sit in the wrong spot?" He never had to mind such formalities during his previous duties in the imperial presence.

He shot a questioning look at Eunuch Zhao: "Does your emperor have such rules?"

"Does that mean I’ve been disrespectful in front of him all this time?"

"And Pei Xingjian has such great patience, tolerating my audacity every day?"

Eunuch Zhao made frantic eye signals: "This old man has no idea! No one has ever dared to sit and dine with His Majesty before!"

Come to think of it, Lord Lin was the first to receive such an honor—showing how much the Emperor favors him.

Noticing their silent exchange, Pei Xingjian cleared his throat. "Enough. Sit properly."

Lin Ting promptly corrected his posture and turned his attention to the table. His eyes immediately lit up.

Braised chicken with yam, osmanthus lotus seed soup… all his favorite dishes. Lin Ting unconsciously licked his lips.

His stomach growled loudly.

An intense stare turned toward him.

"Minister Lin must have exerted himself greatly this afternoon. Hungry?"

"Exerted?" Lin Ting momentarily didn't follow. He patted his stomach through his robes. "I walked all the way from the Ministry of Revenue, so I am indeed hungry."

Pei Xingjian fell silent for two breaths, his brow twitching. "Does Minister Lin not consider thinking as exercise?"

"Oh, oh!" Lin Ting finally understood. He had spent the entire afternoon reviewing documents at the Ministry of Revenue, his brain working at full speed. If casting a fishing line counted as exertion, then thinking hard definitely counts—just a different kind of movement.

Pei Xingjian’s mind was indeed sharp. From just one offhand comment, he had already made the connection.

"I didn’t expect Your Majesty to remember."

Pei Xingjian picked up a dish with clean chopsticks, rotated it on the table, and placed it in Lin Ting’s bowl. "Minister Lin’s way of thinking is truly unlike others’."

Lin Ting played with his rice with his chopsticks.

Well then. He’d take that as praise for his intelligence.

Meanwhile, Eunuch Zhao, witnessing the emperor personally serving food to Lord Lin, was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped. "This… this…" Did his presence here suddenly feel redundant?

"Eunuch Zhao, are you hungry too?" Lin Ting asked, noticing the eunuch’s gaping mouth and hesitant expression.

Eunuch Zhao snapped his mouth shut. "This old man… is just happy today. Please continue, Lord Lin. Pay me no mind." He retreated into the corner, blending into the background.

Lin Ting found both of them acting strangely today. Lost in thought, another serving of vegetables landed in his bowl.

In the blink of an eye, his bowl was overflowing.

Seeing Pei Xingjian reach for more, Lin Ting quickly pulled his bowl closer. "Your Majesty, I… I can’t eat any more." If this continued, even two stomachs wouldn’t be enough.

"What’s gotten into the emperor today? Too scared to eat alone and had to drag me here?" He had originally planned to buy roast duck from Zuixianlou later—limited to a hundred per day—but by now, it would surely be sold out by the time he finished here.

"Unless… he called me here to be a food taster?"

"I’ve been so good lately. Surely Pei Xingjian wouldn’t be this cruel!"

Pei Xingjian reluctantly put the dish into his own bowl instead.

Lin Ting hesitantly tried a mouthful, chewed, swallowed, and waited a few seconds.

"Huh? No poison?"

"Can't tell. Let me try another bite."

He took another mouthful. Still no poison.

When he looked up, Pei Xingjian had already started eating too.

"So… not a poison test?"

"Just called me here to eat together?"

"Is there something delicious on my face? Why do you keep staring?" Pei Xingjian glanced over.

Lin Ting, like a student caught daydreaming in class, immediately averted his gaze and dug into his food.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Pei Xingjian eating with regal composure, chopsticks held with perfect form.

He couldn’t help but admire: "Truly imperial standards. Even eating a meal exudes such dignity."

In contrast, he himself devoured his food like a starving beggar—but then, he had been one in his past life, so he didn’t mind.

Fifteen minutes later, Lin Ting put down his bowl, rubbed his full stomach, and sighed in admiration once more. "Imperial cuisine truly is fit for an emperor."

Pei Xingjian also set aside his utensils. After a glance at Lin Ting, he suddenly extended his hand.

Lin Ting stiffened. "Wh-what's wrong?"

A calloused finger brushed the corner of his lips, flicking a single grain of white rice onto the table.

Lin Ting's face burned red—ahhh, what had Pei Xingjian just done?

That gesture was way too intimate.

Was this something appropriate between a ruler and his subject?

Lin Ting blinked, his chest inexplicably growing warm again.

He licked his lips. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Pei Xingjian withdrew his hand, his expression perfectly composed. "It was nothing. Minister Lin, be more careful when eating in the future. Don’t leave food on your face like a child."

At that moment, Zhao Dehai stepped forward to refill a bowl of soup and urged,

"Your Majesty, please have another bowl of soup."

Pei Xingjian paused but ultimately accepted and drank it.

By now, Lin Ting had recovered. With his stomach full, he began pondering the emperor’s true intentions in inviting him to eat.

Was it to inquire about his progress in the Ministry of Revenue?

"Did Your Majesty summon this subject to Chonghua Palace to ask about matters related to the Imperial Examination?" Lin Ting’s mind raced. He had reviewed five case files that afternoon, leaving his thoughts a complete jumble.

Pei Xingjian, however, replied, "No. I simply wanted you to join me for a meal."

Lin Ting looked up, puzzled. "Just for a meal? Not to casually ask for some Ministry of Revenue work report?" Was the emperor really this chill?

Pei Xingjian’s expression was earnest. "What else? Watching Minister Lin eat makes the food taste better."

A thought flashed through Lin Ting’s mind. "So this subject is here to serve as human seasoning."

Pei Xingjian didn’t answer, instead changing the subject. "Since Minister Lin is so eager to report on the Ministry of Revenue’s work, go ahead. I’ll listen."

Lin Ting: ???

"This subject was only joking."

Pei Xingjian pressed on. "I happen to be in the mood."

Lin Ting was truly speechless. Of all the things to be in the mood for, why listen to a subordinate’s work report? It was no different from taking a break by doing homework after studying too hard.

He'd walked right into that one. Lin Ting could only sift through the afternoon’s findings and report:

"This subject has reviewed the information of candidates registering for the Metropolitan Examination these past few days and found that most come from impoverished families.

These scholars often take odd jobs in the capital to earn travel expenses, lodging in temples outside the city, making them prone to conflicts with the capital’s residents.

Moreover, after examining the records of past Imperial Examinations, this subject discovered multiple instances where poor students were stripped of their eligibility for clashing with rich kids."

He changed tack, presenting the suggestion Minister Wang had given him earlier. "After discussing with Minister Wang, this subject hopes Your Majesty can increase patrols in the capital to prevent further incidents where scholars lose their eligibility due to offending nobles."

While reviewing those records, he had noticed that those who mysteriously clashed with nobles were often high-achieving scholars with strong chances of passing the Imperial Examination.

The records were squeaky clean, looking clean on paper.

But that many coincidences? Yeah right.

Pei Xingjian raised an eyebrow. "Minister Lin also suspects those records are problematic?"

Lin Ting snapped his head up—had Pei Xingjian already noticed the irregularities?

The examination records he had reviewed were all from the late emperor’s reign. Though he had never met the late emperor, he assumed the man’s governance had been pretty weak.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have allowed his own children to slaughter each other, leaving only one heir—nearly almost tanking Great Yong.

Recalling the records he had just read, Lin Ting pointed out a few questionable details.

"This subject believes we cannot yet rule out the possibility that noble families conspired to suppress promising scholars from humble backgrounds." He had a hunch that Pei Xingjian’s appointment of him as Imperial Examiner might carry deeper implications.

Pei Xingjian, however, didn't react. "The late emperor’s reign fostered many dirty tricks among noble families." Then, fixing his gaze on Lin Ting, he asked, "Do you know why I appointed you as Imperial Examiner for this examination?"

Because Grand Tutor Zhang and Prime Minister Yan were unavailable this time, and no one else could be found—Lin Ting thought sarcastically, but outwardly shook his head.

Pei Xingjian saw right through him. "It wasn’t because I lacked alternatives. I needed someone upright to help me clean house."

An upright person...

Lin Ting swelled with pride.

So this was how highly the emperor regarded him.

Pei Xingjian coaxed, "Does Minister Lin understand my meaning?"

Lin Ting immediately pounded his chest. "Your Majesty need not worry. This subject guarantees the task will be completed."

Anyone could make grand promises, but one that looked this good? He had to take a bite.

"I will issue an edict at once to strengthen patrols in the capital. For now, Qingshan shall remain by Minister Lin’s side."

Lin Ting glanced at the rigid figure outside the hall—that poor guy, still couldn’t escape the fate of being dispatched.

...

The next day, Lin Ting arrived at Chonghua Palace at the hour of Chen to check in, paying respects to Pei Xingjian before heading to the Ministry of Revenue.

The courtyard was as packed as the day before, with scholars flooding in to sign up. From a distance, Lin Ting watched them, his stomach twisting for their struggles.

With just a success rate of one in a thousand, it was just as brutal as a certain modern college entrance exam—requiring both skill and luck.

Inspired by the scholars’ vigor, he marched in pumped into the Ministry of Revenue.

Only to be intercepted immediately by Minister Wang.

"Lord Lin, with the Imperial Examination approaching, it’s time to select the examination halls." Wang Zhiyi yanked Lin Ting along urgently.

"We must lock down the halls today to get things rolling."

Without even a sip of tea, Lin Ting was hauled out again.