"Your Majesty, tell them to stop asking me to take charge of the Ministry of Personnel. It sounds awkward to me."

"puff!"

Just then, Eunuch Ma returned with tea and, upon hearing Lin Xiangzhi's words, couldn't help but laugh.

Xiao Jingzhao said irritably, "Alright, get up, it's not a big deal."

Then he looked at Eunuch Ma and said, "Pass down the order that Fu Gui should no longer be labeled as acting in charge."

Lin Xiangzhi looked up at Eunuch Ma, who put down his tea and bowed to Xiao Jingzhao, saying, "This servant will go right away."

Ma Gonggong suppressed a laugh and ran out. Lin Xiangzhi thanked him and slowly got up from the ground.

There was a floor cage in the Imperial Study, so it wouldn't matter if I knelt for a while longer.

"Sit down and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up. Tell me, you didn't come here today just because of that call for someone to take over the clapperboard outside the door, did you?"

Xiao Jingzhao was both amused and exasperated by Lin Xiangzhi's petty and narrow-minded behavior.

The person who appointed him to temporarily take charge of the Ministry of Personnel was just a small eunuch outside the Imperial Study; the other ministers still respectfully addressed him as Lord Lin.

Lin Xiangzhi quickly put on a nonchalant smile, "Your Majesty, guess who I saw?"

"Who? Your cousin has come to Beijing?"

"Your Majesty, please stop bringing up my cousin. Don't you know who she has feelings for?"

Xiao Jingzhao glared at Lin Xiangzhi but didn't respond. A woman's heart is unfathomable; she's not his cousin, so what does it matter to him who she's thinking?

"The Su family, Su Jin, Miss Jiang," Lin Xiangzhi prompted Xiao Jingzhao, his eyes fixed on him.

He wanted to glean clues from Xiao Jingzhao's subtle expressions.

Xiao Jingzhao remained calm and showed no sign of panic at having his secret exposed.

Xiao Jingzhao remained calm, but Lin Xiangzhi was in a panic.

Could I have guessed wrong? Was it all just a coincidence?

That adorable little cutie clearly looks just like the Emperor when he was a child. Su Jin's family also came from Yannan. The locations match up, so there can't be any mistake.

Having gained a better understanding, he probed again.

"Your Majesty, have you ever eaten roast goose from Juxian Pavilion?"

Xiao Jingzhao shook his head. "The imperial kitchen also has roast goose, there's no need to go to a restaurant."

Lin Xiangzhi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said with a look of great satisfaction, "Your Majesty is mistaken. The honey-roasted goose in Juxian Pavilion is quite extraordinary. I was fortunate enough to have it at the Su residence today. Sui Sui also loved it; he ate a whole goose leg."

Xiao Jingzhao's brow twitched at the mention of Sui Sui.

If he still doesn't understand Lin Xiangzhi's intentions, he might as well give up being emperor.

Xiao Jingzhao raised an eyebrow slightly, a smile playing at the corners of his eyes. "Do you need to beat around the bush between us? Just say what you mean."

"When did you two start having an affair?"

Xiao Jingzhao shot him a dagger.

Lin Xiangzhi was startled and quickly changed his words, "No, when did you two get together? How come I didn't know? Your son is already so grown up, yet you still act like you have no desires. If you don't get married, how dare I even dream of it... Your Majesty, you are going too far."

There was no one else in the room. It seemed that Lin Xiangzhi had suffered some great injustice, and he spoke without any manners.

"This is a long story, and it's not that I want to hide it from you, but I really don't know where to begin."

Next, Xiao Jingzhao told the whole story truthfully.

After hearing the whole story, Lin Xiangzhi wiped away a tear for Xiao Jingzhao.

"This is outrageous! What should we do? Miss Jiang refuses to enter the palace. Where do you intend to place Sui Sui? He is the legitimate son and should be made the crown prince."

Xiao Jingzhao was confident and said calmly, "Some things can't be rushed; we have to take it one step at a time."

"Not many people know about this, so keep it quiet. I want my son to enter the palace legitimately, and I also want..."

Xiao Jingzhao's words came to an abrupt end. Lin Xiangzhi listened intently, but there was no follow-up. He felt as if a cat had scratched his heart.

"What else do you want? Just tell me!"

Xiao Jingzhao's lips curled up, and he softly uttered, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."

Lin Xiangzhi sat back in his armchair and asked, "You wouldn't be issuing another imperial decree to force Miss Jiang into the palace, would you?"

"What do you take me for? I would never do something like bullying men and women."

Lin Xiangzhi muttered under his breath, "He's been deceiving me, a man, quite a bit. He didn't take advantage of the woman; he just had a son out of nowhere."

Judging from Lin Xiangzhi's expression, Xiao Jingzhao knew that he was sure to say something nice.

He glared at Lin Xiangzhi and said, "You are free to curse loudly. I know I was wrong to trust the Song family. If I hadn't gone to the princess's residence, none of this would have happened."

"Wrong. Even if you hadn't been there, Miss Jiang's innocence would still have been in jeopardy. She might have already given herself to some playboy."

"From this incident, we can infer that someone wants to ruin her. Whether you are here or not, it doesn't change the fact that she was plotted against."

"Really, really."

Lin Xiangzhi's words eased Xiao Jingzhao's deep-seated guilt to some extent, but also made him gasp.

Lin Xiangzhi tapped his teacup lightly, looking like he had suffered a great loss. "Your Majesty, given time, you will surely win the heart of your beauty, while I remain a bachelor!"

"Tell me which girl you've taken a fancy to, and I'll arrange a marriage for you."

Thinking that he hadn't seen that beautiful figure in a long time, Lin Xiangzhi coughed and said, "No, no, you treat me like a cow. How could I have time to look at other women?"

Xiao Jingzhao smiled and said, "Although good things come to those who wait, you're not getting any younger. Next spring, the Empress Dowager will hold a flower-viewing banquet. You'd better keep your eyes wide open and take a good look at her then."

"Your Majesty, your words sound just like my father's, so old-fashioned. Marriage is preordained and cannot be forced. Take you and Miss Jiang, for example, it was a perfect match from the first night you slept together..."

Seeing Xiao Jingzhao glaring at him through gritted teeth, Lin Xiangzhi swallowed back his teasing words.

"Your Majesty, though my words may be rough, the meaning is sound. That's exactly what I mean. When the God of Love decides to match you up, there's no escaping it."

"If you don't believe me, you can ask Master Huiyuan of Qinglian Temple." Lin Xiangzhi said, picking up his teacup and drinking it all in one gulp. "Good tea. Your Majesty's tea is indeed fragrant and mellow. I will come again another day."

Knowing that Xiao Jingzhao was always opinionated and that he couldn't help him, Lin Xiangzhi didn't press the matter further and got up to take his leave.

"Your Majesty, please continue with your business. I will take my leave now."

Xiao Jingzhao picked up his teacup and raised it, "Alright, go ahead and get busy!"

Lin Xiangzhi: "..." They really treated him like a donkey. Today is a day off.

Just as Prime Minister Lin stepped out of the Imperial Study, a clear voice came from behind him, "Remember to bring roast goose next time you come."

Lin Xiangzhi stumbled.

Well, good for you. You eat your wife's meat and I have to pay for it.

Lin Xiangzhi almost blurted out a phrase about the essence of Chinese culture.

When the eunuch outside the door saw Lin Xiangzhi trip over the threshold, he quickly stepped forward to help him up, saying, "Please take care, Your Excellency."

After regaining his footing, Lin Xiangzhi glared at the little eunuch, "What nonsense! If you call me by the wrong name again, I'll..."

Seeing Lin Xiangzhi raise a hand, the little eunuch quickly shrank back and said, "Your Excellency, please calm down. This servant will never call you by the wrong name again."