Chapter 26, Chapter 26. Ugh, did they get kicked in the head by a donkey? ...

Jin Jiu half-supported and half-dragged Lin Yan, walking through the palace and halls with quick and steady steps, just like carrying a large piece of luggage.

Lin Yan clung limply to his arm, nodding her head slightly, occasionally letting out a few mumbled words, somewhere between "I'm not drinking anymore" and "Your Majesty, save me!" Jin Jiu's perpetually unchanging face would twitch from time to time.

The door to the side hall of the Taiyi Hall was silently pushed open.

Xiao Che was leaning against the soft couch, flipping through a memorial, when he heard the sound and looked up.

Then, he froze.

Jin Jiu's gaze fell on Lin Yan, who was cradled in his arms. Lin Yan's face was flushed, his eyes were unfocused, his official robe was wrinkled like dried salted vegetables, and he reeked of alcohol.

Xiao Che's brows furrowed slowly, and he tightened his grip on the edge of the memorial.

This is... fermented in a wine vat?

“Your Majesty,” Jin Jiu’s voice was flat and emotionless, “I have brought Lord Lin back.”

Xiao Che put down the memorial, sat up straighter, and asked incredulously, "...What are you doing?"

Jin Jiu concisely recounted the events in the private room of Baiweilou: how Lord Zhou warmly hosted the banquet, how his colleagues took turns urging him to drink, and how Lin Yan went from struggling to giving up resistance and finally losing consciousness. He did not embellish or conceal anything.

This includes Lord Zhou's hints about "making an exception" and "handling things flexibly."

Xiao Che listened with no expression on his face, but the fingertips of his hand resting on his knee tapped lightly twice.

Even when he was still the crown prince, he didn't think much of his father's laissez-faire approach of "if the water is too clear, there will be no fish."

Look at the good habits that the late emperor allowed to develop—they've become like this.

Opportunistic, scheming, forming cliques, and using dinner parties to cultivate relationships and get things done.

He scoffed lightly, as if he were disgusted by something filthy.

"Who are there today?" Xiao Che asked, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

Jin Jiu named several people, including Zhou, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, as well as two officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and even the Ministry of Revenue.

After hearing this, Xiao Che didn't say anything, but just waved his hand: "Take him to the side hall of Qingyi Pavilion to rest first, and have the palace servants serve him a bowl of hangover soup."

Li Lianshun immediately bowed in agreement and directed two eunuchs to step forward, take the muddy mess from Jin Jiu's hands, and carefully carry it away.

The hall returned to silence.

Xiao Che's gaze returned to Jin Jiu, and he said calmly, "Li Defu."

Li Defu immediately stepped forward: "This old servant is here."

"Did you hear that?" Xiao Che asked casually. "Take the Imperial Guards to these people's homes and give each of them twenty lashes. Make a big fuss so they'll learn their lesson."

Li Defu's heart skipped a beat, but he showed no sign of it on his face. He simply said respectfully, "Yes, this old servant will take care of it right away."

Twenty strokes of the cane may cause serious injury and loss of face, but they won't necessarily kill you.

His Majesty is making a scare tactic, telling everyone that the new dynasty brings a new atmosphere, and the old rules of conducting business over drinks and engaging in opportunistic maneuvering need to be changed.

Li Defu quietly withdrew, leaving only Xiao Che and Jin Jiu in the hall.

Xiao Che picked up the memorial again, but seemed unable to concentrate on it, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the pages.

Side hall of Qingyi Pavilion.

Lin Yan was practically carried to the bed by two eunuchs.

He was still unconscious, his brows furrowed, as if he was being forced to drink even in his dreams.

A palace maid carefully approached, carrying a bowl of warm hangover soup.

Another palace maid tried to help him remove his wrinkled official robe, which reeked of alcohol, so that he could at least change into a clean and comfortable undergarment.

The moment her fingers touched Lin Yan's collar, Lin Yan, who had been like a dead fish, suddenly jerked. Without even opening her eyes, her hands gripped her collar tightly like a mother hen protecting her chicks, and she let out a whimper of resistance.

The palace maid was startled and dared not pry it open too forcefully, so she could only coax it softly, "Lord Lin, let go, change your clothes and go to sleep..."

Lin Yan ignored him and gripped his robe even tighter, as if the alcohol-smelling official robe was his last vestige of dignity.

The two palace maids looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

Just as they were at a stalemate, the light at the entrance of the palace suddenly dimmed.

Xiao Che arrived at some point and stood there with his hands behind his back. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the drunkard on the bed, who was desperately trying to protect his clothes.

He had only stopped by on his way to take a look, but he never expected to see something like this.

Xiao Che waved his hand, dismissing the helpless palace servants.

The palace servants, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, quietly withdrew and thoughtfully closed the door behind them.

Only Xiao Che and Lin Yan, who was drunk and still struggling with an invisible force, remained in the hall.

Xiao Che walked to the bedside and looked down at the bed for a moment.

He was sleeping soundly.

Xiao Che casually reached out, wanting to pull away Lin Yan's hand that was protecting his chest.

But as soon as his fingertips touched the back of Lin Yan's hand, Lin Yan's tense, desperate resistance suddenly relaxed.

Her tightly clenched fingers loosened one by one, resting obediently at her sides, and she even unconsciously rubbed against Xiao Che, as if she had found some safe support.

Xiao Che: "..."

Where did that energy go when you were arguing with the palace servants?

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Che easily unbuttoned Lin Yan's collar, stripped off the smelly official robe, and threw it aside.

Lin Yan's movements were incredibly cooperative; she would raise her hand when told to, and turn over when told to, completely obedient, a stark contrast to her previous demeanor.

Xiao Che was speechless.

This man knew how to enjoy himself; he refused the service of the palace servants and insisted on being served by the emperor himself.

Then, as if possessed, Xiao Che actually helped Lin Yan change into his undergarments, pulled over the brocade quilt, and stuffed the drunkard whole into the bed.

After doing all this, Xiao Che looked at Lin Yan, who was wrapped up with only his head showing and whose breathing was gradually becoming steady, and felt that he was probably a little out of his mind from reviewing the memorials.

He shook his head and prepared to turn and leave.

Just as he turned around, there was a rustling sound behind him.

Xiao Che turned around subconsciously.

Lin Yan, who had been tucked into the blankets and laid out neatly, probably felt hot. With his eyes closed, he kicked his legs haphazardly, and the blankets were kicked off most of the way.

Immediately afterwards, he leaned his body to the side, and one of his arms swung out, which, by sheer coincidence, landed right on Xiao Che's arm, which hadn't yet fully retracted.

Her fingers even unconsciously curled up slightly, gripping the sleeve of Xiao Che's black casual clothes.

They're holding on pretty tightly.

Xiao Che suddenly stopped, his body stiffening as he stood still, slowly looking down at the extra hand on his arm.

Her long, slender fingers, tinged with a faint pink from the alcohol, were gripping his sleeve tightly with a force that could not be underestimated.

Then I looked up at the person on the bed.

Lin Yan was completely unaware of this. He smacked his lips, buried his head deeper into the pillow, and slept soundly, as if it were perfectly natural.

It was as if she was grasping not the sleeve of the current emperor, but the tassels of the curtains at the head of her own bed.

Xiao Che was utterly shocked.

He tried to gently pull his arm away.

No twitching.

Grip it tightly.

Xiao Che looked at Lin Yan's unguarded sleeping face, which even seemed somewhat serene due to the dissipation of the alcohol, and then felt the undeniable grip from his sleeve.

He fell silent.

What's this?

Disrespect before the emperor?

No, this goes beyond the scope of being improper.

This is utterly outrageous, it's like pulling on a dragon's whiskers, it's...it's...

If it were anyone else, Xiao Che would have ordered them to be dragged away and flogged.

Only Lin Yan could sleep so soundly without a care in the world.

Xiao Che looked at the hand, then at Lin Yan's rosy face as he slept. The sense of absurdity and offense he felt strangely dissipated, replaced by an extremely complex and indescribable emotion.

He actually maintained that awkward posture and stood by Lin Yan's bedside for a while.

Only after confirming that Lin Yan's breathing was completely deep and that he had fallen asleep, and that the strength in his hand seemed to have loosened, did he carefully and slowly pull his sleeve out of that hand.

The movements were so gentle, as if afraid of disturbing something.

The moment the sleeve was freed, Xiao Che looked at the tiny wrinkles that had been clenched, then at Lin Yan, who had rolled over on the bed and continued to snore, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He ultimately said nothing, turned and left the side hall, though his steps seemed slower than when he arrived.

The palace doors closed gently.

Lin Yan mumbled something in his sleep, probably cursing Lord Zhou and his group of drunkards.

Outside the distant palace gates, several suppressed cries of pain, accompanied by the dull thud of a board striking flesh, sounded exceptionally clear in the silent night.

Especially Lord Zhou, he was wrong, really. He thought that the Golden Shadow Guards took Lin Yan away because Lin Yan had offended His Majesty and they were taking Lin Yan to be questioned. He never expected that the Golden Shadow Guards came to take Lin Yan away, and then His Majesty sent people to beat them.

While gritting his teeth and enduring the beating, Lord Zhou's quick mind raced through countless possibilities.

Lin Yan is even more favored by the Emperor than they imagined; otherwise, where did that Golden Shadow Guard come from?

The next morning.

Lin Yan woke up with difficulty.

Ah, you must have been kicked in the head by a donkey.

Lin Yan groaned and struggled to open his eyelids, which felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

What came into view was the familiar ceiling of the side hall of Qingyi Pavilion, and... the soft and clean inner garment on her body.

etc.

Undergarments?

Who changed it for him?

Lin Yan sat up abruptly. The movement was so fast that his vision went black for a moment, and his temples throbbed.

He looked down and tugged at the collar of his undergarment, then looked around as fragmented memories of last night flooded his mind like a tidal wave.

Baiweilou Restaurant, Lord Zhou's smiling face, one glass of baijiu after another, Jin Jiu's expressionless face, and... it seems like someone is changing his clothes? And the movements are quite gentle?

The last thought sent a chill down Lin Yan's spine.

Could it be Kim Jong-un?

That Golden Shadow Guard who can carry people like luggage, would he have such a gentle method?

Lin Yan was holding his head, trying hard to remember, when Li Lianshun came in with a hangover soup and breakfast, a standard smile on her face: "Lord Lin is awake? His Majesty has instructed that you have breakfast before going to the yamen."

Lin Yan took the hangover soup and tentatively asked, "Eunuch Li, last night... was it you who sent someone to help me change my clothes?"

Li Lianshun's smile remained unchanged: "We would like to serve you, but Lord Lin is very drunk and is holding onto your clothes tightly. His Majesty is considerate and has asked us to leave first."

As she spoke, she playfully raised her pinky finger and pointed at Lin Yan.

Lin Yan almost dropped the bowl in her hand.

Did His Majesty order me to step down?

Then what?

Who changed it?

It can't be...

An absurd idea popped into Lin Yan's mind, making him feel numb from his scalp to his toes.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

That's the emperor! He's the ultimate client who can bring down his entire clan with a single word!

Why would the client (Party A) personally change the clothes for the service provider? That doesn't make sense in the workplace!

Lin Yan forced himself to calm down. It must have been Jin Jiu who switched them. Yes, it must have been Jin Jiu. Although the method was a bit gentle, Jin Yingwei is a special guard, so he always has some special skills, such as doing the most meticulous work with the coldest expression.

After brainwashing himself, Lin Yan felt a little more at ease and buried his head in drinking his soup.

Fortunately, he fainted at Xiao Che's place; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get up for the morning court session, and everything would have been over.

Haha.

A note from the author:

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[doge emoji]