Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Pei Xingjian gave him a cool glance without a word.

Lin Ting felt a chill run down his neck. Why did he suddenly feel strangely guilty?

He shook his head, shaking off the weird thought. Moreover, as an Imperial Examiner, getting too close to an imperial examination candidate was indeed inappropriate.

Shoving his hands in his sleeves, he leaned closer to Pei Xingjian and whispered, "It's just that Yang Gongming caught a cold, so I went to check on him. I swear I didn't do anything wrong." He raised four fingers in a vow, only for Pei Xingjian to envelop his hand in his own.

"Drop it," Pei Xingjian said, no longer dwelling on the matter. He had only been momentarily agitated earlier, but now that he had calmed down, he realized how silly his jealousy was.

He handed over the note on the table. "Check this out first."

Lin Ting bent down to examine the words on the note. "Hmm? A Revenue Ministry official stealing—" He blinked. "What’s this character after it?"

Reading further, he muttered, "Low-ranking official?"

Why did the handwriting look so different from the calligraphy models he’d seen? It was so messy it resembled chicken scratch—he couldn’t make sense of it at all.

Pei Xingjian pinched the bridge of his nose, suddenly remembering that the man before him was pretty much illiterate.

With a sigh, he pressed a finger to the note and read its contents aloud before finally asking, "Get it now?"

Lin Ting nodded. He understood the words, but their meaning shocked him.

This little note was actually accusing him of stealing and selling imperial examination questions!

"Your Majesty, who gave this to you? I’m innocent! I would never engage in such shady business!"

Pei Xingjian relaxed slightly at the sincerity in Lin Ting’s eyes. "I know."

Then the man continued, "Besides, even if I were to sell exam questions, I’d charge at least 10k taels per question." He gave the note a disdainful look. "A full set for just a thousand taels? How poor must this person be?" Clearly, they’d never seen real money.

Pei Xingjian stared blankly.

"I know you wouldn’t do such a thing."

Lin Ting’s eyes brightened. "Exactly! I'm loyal to you through and through. If you command me to go east, I’d never dare to head west."

A quick smirk crossed Pei Xingjian’s lips. "I’ve already ordered the exam questions to be secretly replaced and assigned both the City Patrol and the imperial guards to stand watch. Now, not even a fly could get in."

Lin Ting frowned. "Does Minister Wang know about this?"

Pei Xingjian shook his head. "Only you, me, and Zhao Dehai are aware."

Lin Ting got it—the Emperor trusted him. He immediately patted his chest and made a zipping motion across his lips. "Your Majesty can rest assured, I’ll keep my mouth shut."

Pei Xingjian’s gaze lingered on Lin Ting’s chest for a moment. Perhaps because of the heat, Lin Ting wore only a thin outer robe, and when he puffed out his chest, the collar gaped open, revealing a stretch of pale collarbones.

Pei Xingjian’s fingers flexed with restraint. "Minister Lin, do not disappoint me."

The firm, trusting look in Pei Xingjian’s eyes made Lin Ting's heart skip. He murmured softly, "I will never betray Your Majesty’s trust."

However, the topic of leaked exam questions reminded him of the original timeline, where Yelang had sent agents to Great Yong to drive a wedge between the monarch and his officials, attempting to dismantle the court from within.

He couldn’t help adding, "Does Your Majesty think this leak might be connected to Yelang?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Pei Xingjian’s gaze darkened. With a slight wave of his hand, Zhao Dehai led the palace attendants out, closing the doors behind them.

Pei Xingjian eyed his sometimes-brilliant mind and asked, "Why do you think so?"

Lin Ting thought to himself—why did there have to be so many whys? He had just thought of it and said it.

"It’s merely a conjecture of mine. It might not be true."

Pei Xingjian suddenly stood. Before Lin Ting could react, everything went dark as a hand landed on his head.

Pei Xingjian gave Lin Ting’s head a little shake and praised, "Minister Lin’s mind has been quite sharp lately."

Lin Ting: ??? Couldn’t he just always be sharp? Did this guy even know how to give a compliment?

Seeing him zone out again, Pei Xingjian gave his forehead a light flick. "Focus on your own duties. Leave the rest to me—no need to worry."

His tone was casual, but warmth blossomed in Lin Ting’s chest. Wasn’t this just like a boss telling his subordinate, ‘Go ahead boldly, I’ve got your back’? He really had landed a great leader.

When he looked up, he locked eyes with Pei Xingjian’s. His eyes shimmered with warmth, like water on the verge of overflowing. But the way he said it—why did it sound so... damn flirty?

"If it truly was their doing, and they failed this time, they will surely try again."

Lin Ting put two and two together. "So this time... they were targeting me?"

Pei Xingjian didn’t answer directly. Instead, he said, "I’ll assign a few more Tianxuan Guards to follow you."

Lin Ting gave a noncommittal hum, neither refusing nor agreeing. Privately, the more guards he had, the better. But if his colleagues saw him constantly shadowed by the Emperor’s Tianxuan Guards—how embarrassing would that be?

"Actually, the number of Tianxuan Guards doesn’t matter as long as they’re sufficient."

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. "Your Majesty, it’s time for the evening meal. Will you dine in Chonghua Palace?"

Seeing the instant light in Lin Ting’s eyes, Pei Xingjian relaxed further. "Bring it in."

Soon, Zhao Dehai entered with the attendants.

Spotting Lord Lin seated at the table, he smiled wider. "Lord Lin, you’ve come at the perfect time. The imperial kitchen has prepared pigeon soup today."

An attendant carried in a clay pot of soup and placed it at the center of the table. When the lid was lifted, a fragrant aroma instantly filled the air.

Lin Ting, who had been starving, felt his stomach growl loudly at the scent.

Pei Xingjian gave him a look. "That hungry?"

Lin Ting whined. "I was traveling to and from Nanxiang Temple today and didn’t have time to eat."

The moment the words left his mouth, the mood instantly chilled. Pei Xingjian’s expression darkened instantly.

"Again, for Yang Gongming."

For the first time, Lin Ting detected a hint of gritted teeth in his tone.

But considering Yang Gongming was a candidate in this year’s imperial examination—and once he passed the Metropolitan Examination, he would advance to the palace exams—it would be bad if he left a poor impression on the Emperor before even taking the tests. If he missed out on the top honors because of this, wouldn’t Lin Ting be responsible?

So he tried to stick up for Yang Gongming: "Your Majesty, I just think Yang Gongming is a stand-up guy. In the future, he could become one of Your Majesty’s most trusted aides." What boss wouldn’t want such a diligent subordinate?

"In my heart, Your Majesty is the most important." The moment he said it, his ears burned with embarrassment—why did that sound so much like a love confession?

Pei Xingjian’s annoyance finally faded. He smiled slightly as he ladled a bowl of soup and set it before Lin Ting, seeing right through him. "I would never let personal feelings interfere in such matters. Don't worry about it."

"Oh—" Lin Ting knew Pei Xingjian meant it and took a sip from the bowl.

The rich soup warmed his stomach as it went down.

This was truly imperial kitchen quality—this soup was thick, mellow, and fragrant, way better than the famed pigeon soup from Dengxian Tower.

.

Having finished dinner in the palace, Lin Ting felt his belly nearly swollen from how much he had eaten.

Once he was done, he prepared to take his leave. "Your Majesty, I'll take my leave now."

"Wait." Pei Xingjian stopped him, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of his mouth.

Lin Ting instinctively tried to lean back, but Pei Xingjian held the back of his head firmly, preventing escape.

Pei Xingjian’s face suddenly moved close, his fine lips parting slightly, warm breath brushing against Lin Ting’s forehead—as if, as if he were about to kiss him.

Lin Ting’s heart raced wildly, scorching his entire body with heat. He stood frozen, too scared to move an inch.

"Done." Finally, Pei Xingjian withdrew the handkerchief and released his grip, pausing briefly before adding, "Be careful on your way back."

Lin Ting’s mind was a tangled mess. He managed a dazed, "Oh," before hurrying out in a fluster.

The entire journey, his thoughts were consumed by those moist, red, and undeniably alluring lips—what would it feel like to kiss them...?

Halfway there, he abruptly pulled open the carriage curtain and asked the driver, "Is there any water in here?"

The driver pointed to a compartment on the left. "My lord, it’s in the second drawer."

Lin Ting pulled it open and indeed found a small flask of water, which he promptly chugged down.

Only after finishing the water did he finally feel the heat inside him dissipate.

When he arrived at his residence and stepped out of the carriage, he saw a figure dressed in black standing rigidly at the gate.

Lin Ting approached. "Zhuo? What are you doing here?"

Zhuo immediately knelt. "His Majesty has ordered this humble subordinate to protect Lord Lin."

Lin Ting’s brows furrowed tightly. The Emperor—he'd sent both the Chief and Deputy Chief of the Tianxuan Guard to him?!

...

An autumn rain fell, and five days later, the Metropolitan Examination finally began.

Lin Ting got up early. As the Imperial Examiner, he was to stand before the examination hall with Minister Wang, watching the students enter—a gesture of blessing for the scholars.

When his carriage arrived at the examination grounds, he saw Minister Wang already waiting at the entrance.

Lin Ting stepped down and walked over. "Good morning, Minister Wang."

Clad in purple robes, the two of them stood out clearly among the crowd, instantly drawing countless gazes.

Most of the waiting candidates stared at them, eyes gleaming with hope.

Looking at these bright, spirited faces, Lin Ting felt a surge of emotion.

Still, he stepped aside slightly. Let them look at Minister Wang—he wasn't properly qualified, so what was the point of staring at him?

"Ah, youth is a fine thing," Lin Ting remarked as he observed the scholars full of energy.

Minister Wang thought Lord Lin was being shameless and twitched his white beard. "Lord Lin is still quite young himself, with boundless prospects ahead."

Lin Ting folded his hands in his sleeves and replied blandly, "Eh, just okay." Once a person started working, they automatically aged ten years mentally—he felt much older.

Minister Wang: ???

He coughed hard several times.

Lin Ting asked with concern, "Minister Wang, if you’re not feeling well, you should rest. I can handle things here."

Minister Wang shook his head, weakly pointing ahead. "The Emperor is here."

Lin Ting’s pulse quickened. He turned and, through the sea of people, spotted a simple carriage stopped at a crossroads not far behind the crowd. The curtain was lifted, revealing Pei Xingjian seated inside, looking right at him from afar.

Their eyes met, and they shared a silent moment.

Lin Ting’s chest tightened, burning to ask what brought him here. Just the Metropolitan Exams wasn’t worth the Emperor’s personal attendance.

Thinking this, he silently mouthed "Why?" in that direction.

From the distance, the figure holding the carriage curtain parted his lips in response. Amid the clamor of the bustling street, the voiceless words reached Lin Ting clearly.

"I wanted to see you."