Chapter 56 How audacious! She slept with the emperor! ...
Lin Yan hid at home for three days.
For the past three days, he has been living in a state of extreme paranoia.
The slightest rustling outside the window, such as snow falling from a tree, would make him jump out of bed, thinking that Xiao Che had finally sent someone to arrest him and punish him.
I lost my appetite, couldn't sleep soundly, and my whole body visibly deteriorated.
Oh, the little bok choy, it's all wilted and droopy.
How audacious! Sleeping with the emperor!
When Lin Chengji returned from court, he would often hesitate to speak.
On the first day, he said, "His Majesty seems to be in a good mood today and has not asked about you."
The next day, it was reported: "His Majesty handled state affairs as usual."
On the third day, it was said, "The Northern Rong delegation is almost here, and the Ministry of Rites is extremely busy."
They didn't mention a word about letting Lin Yan go back to work.
Lin Yan's heart was hanging in mid-air, unable to go up or down.
Xiao Che's indifferent attitude was even more unbearable than a direct punishment.
What is this? A suspended death sentence?
Or did he simply not take this matter to heart?
Either way, it made Lin Yan restless.
On the fourth day after Lin Yan was about to go crazy from being so frustrated and began to seriously consider whether he should write a memorial to resign his official post and flee back to his hometown to grow sweet potatoes, the Lin residence was unusually quiet.
As always, Lin Chengji left for court before dawn.
Wen Yun received an invitation to a flower-viewing tea party from a lady she was on good terms with the day before, and was picked up early in the morning.
Even Lin Mo was invited by his girlfriends to go see the early plum blossoms at the newly opened Plum Blossom Temple outside the city.
Even my cousin Wen Ke, who was staying here to prepare for the exam, was dragged by fellow students from the same hometown to attend some literary gatherings.
In the vast Lin mansion, only Lin Yan remained as the master.
Lin Yan was completely unaware of this, still huddled in his room, sighing deeply at the icy, crystal-clear world outside the window.
Just as he was sighing for the nth time, an unusual commotion suddenly broke out outside the courtyard, seemingly mixed with the panicked greetings of the gatekeeper, Old Zhang.
Lin Yan's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition instantly gripped him.
Soon, a servant came to announce that His Majesty had arrived.
Lin Yan: "!!!"
His vision went black, and he almost fainted on the spot.
He couldn't afford to faint; he still had to go and greet the emperor.
Lin Yan lay paralyzed on the bed, feeling like a fish thrown ashore, with no room for resistance except to thrash about in vain.
There's no escaping it now.
He shakily got up, awkwardly put on his outer robe, and without even bothering to comb his hair, he stumbled out of the room and walked unsteadily to the front yard.
As Lin Yan entered the front yard, he was met head-on by Xiao Che's phoenix eyes, which seemed to be both smiling and scrutinizing him.
Lin Yan's legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "Your humble servant kowtows to Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty..."
His voice was so weak, even a mosquito could have a stronger voice.
Xiao Che stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over Lin Aiqing's quail-like appearance. He raised an eyebrow and spoke with obvious teasing: "What's wrong with you, Lin Aiqing? You've been gone for a few days, why are you so weak and feeble? You can't even stand up straight?"
He even stepped forward and very "considerately" reached out his hand to help Lin Yan up: "Rise up quickly, or people will think I've done something to you."
With the help of Xiao Che, Lin Yan stood up shakily, feeling as if his legs were as weak as overcooked noodles, unable to support his body, and almost fell back down.
【It's all because of you! If you hadn't suddenly appeared, would I have been this scared?!】
Your Majesty, do you know that people can be scared to death by scaring each other?!
Xiao Che listened to the familiar roar of his heart in his ear, but his face remained calm, even showing some concern: "It seems that Lin Qing is quite ill. She can't even walk steadily."
Lin Yan felt a chill run down his spine, but forced himself to reply, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have only caught a cold and am not fully recovered, so I am feeling a bit weak."
"Oh? A cold?" Xiao Che drawled, his gaze sweeping over Li Defu, his eyes clearly saying, "I don't believe you for a second." "In that case, you should rest and recuperate properly, Li Defu."
“This old servant is here.” Li Defu quickly stepped forward.
"Go and fetch those old ginseng roots I brought, and that box of bird's nest, to nourish Lin Qing's body." Xiao Che gave the order so naturally and smoothly, as if he had really come to visit her in illness.
Lin Yan felt even more panicked when he saw the expensive tonics brought up by the eunuch behind Li Defu.
[Your Majesty, what on earth are you doing?]
Give me a straight answer, I'm scared.
[Are they planning to make up for it now and save it for the New Year? Like slaughtering a pig for the New Year?]
Xiao Che: "..." What is he thinking about all day?
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness." Lin Yan could only force himself to express his gratitude.
"Get up." Xiao Che helped him up, then walked past Lin Yan as if he were going home, heading straight into his room. "Since you're sick, don't stand in the wind. Lead the way to your room."
Lin Yan: "!!!"
"Your Majesty, why don't we move to the main hall? My place is truly a mess..."
“It’s alright.” Xiao Che interrupted him, not stopping in his tracks. “I have some free time today, so I’ll take a look at how Minister Lin usually recuperates.”
Lin Yan: "???" Ah Zhen, are you serious?
Unable to resist the powerful, Lin Yan had no choice but to lead Xiao Che to his residence.
Xiao Che entered the room, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over everything.
The room was simply and neatly furnished, with a few unfinished books lying on the desk. The bed... well, it was a little messy, with the blankets crumpled up in a ball, clearly indicating that someone had just hurriedly gotten up from there.
A faint scent lingered in the air, so faint and subtle that Xiao Che had smelled it on Lin Yan more than once.
Xiao Che sat down on a chair by the window as if he were the master of the house.
With remarkable shrewdness, Li Defu immediately directed the eunuchs who had come with him to quickly place all the tonics on the table, and then quietly slipped out. He also thoughtfully cleared all the Lin family's servants out of the courtyard.
The huge courtyard was suddenly left with only the emperor and his minister inside the house.
The atmosphere instantly became eerie and quiet.
Lin Yan stood frozen in the center of the room, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet, feeling like a prisoner awaiting trial.
Xiao Che remained silent, sitting leisurely with his fingers tapping the armrest of his chair intermittently, his gaze fixed on Lin Yan as if admiring some interesting sight.
This silent gaze is more agonizing than a direct rebuke.
Lin Yan couldn't take it anymore; if he remained silent any longer, his toes would start to kick.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty. I was drunk that day and behaved improperly before Your Majesty. I deserve to die. Please punish me." Lin Yanzhu spoke with a sincere attitude.
Confess your guilt and strive for leniency.
Looking at his resolute expression, Xiao Che finally spoke slowly, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather: "Oh? What crime has Minister Lin committed? How come I know nothing about it?"
Lin Yan: "???"
[Keep pretending! Keep pretending!]
I slept in your arms all night, how could you not know?!
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, that day at Qingyi Pavilion, I drank too much and became drunk, offending Your Majesty's wrath." Lin Yan's face was almost buried in his chest.
"Offend?" Xiao Che seemed to have just remembered, his tone slightly amused. "I find Lin Qing quite interesting when he's drunk."
interesting? !
Your Majesty, you call that interesting?
If it were someone else, they probably would have really killed someone, right?
“Especially…” Xiao Che leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, “Lin Qing held me tightly and refused to let go, and even called me by my name. This is the first time I have ever heard that Lin Qing was so informal with me in my dream.”
What? !
Lin Yan's face instantly turned bright red, the color spreading from her cheeks to the base of her neck, making her look like a steamed shrimp.
He...he...he not only held Xiao Che tightly, but he also called out Xiao Che's name?!
Oh no, oh no, oh no! This is truly a new level of suicidal recklessness!
"Your Majesty... I deserve to die a thousand deaths."
Dig a hole, bury some soil, and count one, two, three, four, five.
"No need for a thousand deaths." Xiao Che looked at his expression, which seemed to wish he could disappear on the spot, and felt even more pleased. He leaned back in his chair and said in a relaxed tone, "If I really wanted to punish you, would you have been able to stay at home peacefully for three days?"
Lin Yan was taken aback and subconsciously looked up at Xiao Che.
That's true. If Xiao Che really wanted to deal with him, he wouldn't be able to stay at home and be a quail peacefully.
"I am not here to interrogate you today," Xiao Che said calmly. "I am just curious."
He paused, his gaze fixed on Lin Yan: "I think I heard you say the other day that you hate going to work? And you even complained in your dream that I didn't let you get a good night's sleep?"
Lin Yan: "Huh?"
Help! How many more outrageous things did he say?!
"I am talking nonsense! I have no such intention! It is my good fortune to be able to share Your Majesty's burdens! I..." Lin Yan was so anxious that he became incoherent, desperately trying to express his loyalty.
"Is that so?" Xiao Che interrupted him. "If you don't hate going to work, then why have you taken three days off in a row and avoided seeing me?"
"Your Majesty...I am ill." Lin Yan struggled in his death throes, no longer caring about adding another crime of deceiving the emperor to his list.
"Sick?" Xiao Che chuckled, stood up, and walked to Lin Yan, looking down at him. "Lin Yan, look me in the eye and tell me, are you truly ill, or are you hiding from me out of guilt because of what happened that day?"
Lin Yan felt completely exposed under that gaze, his heart pounding wildly, and his last shred of hope was shattered.
He slumped his shoulders dejectedly, his voice barely audible, "I feel guilty."
"Why do you seem guilty?" Xiao Che pressed on relentlessly.
"Because...because I have offended Your Majesty, I do not know how to face Your Majesty." Lin Yan was almost in tears.
Stop asking, stop asking, he really won't listen if you keep asking.
"Just because of offense?" Xiao Che's voice carried a subtle, other meaning. "I have a feeling that Minister Lin is avoiding more than just that?"
Lin Yan looked up blankly: "Huh?"
That's not all? What else could it be?
Looking at his completely bewildered expression, as if he were truly only concerned about "disrespecting the emperor," Xiao Che suddenly felt somewhat powerless.
This person is usually quick-witted when he's internally complaining, so why is he so slow and dull when it comes to this kind of thing?
Could it be that the intimacy and bold actions and words made while he was drunk that day were really just unconscious behavior of a drunkard, which he forgot completely afterward, leaving no ripple in his heart?
This realization inexplicably stirred up a sense of irritation in Xiao Che's heart.
He stared at Lin Yan, then suddenly changed the subject, his tone devoid of emotion: "I heard that you told the Yongjia Marquis's residence that you dislike women?"
Lin Yan was confused again. How did we suddenly end up here?
He nodded subconsciously: "Yes, Your Majesty indeed..."
"Why?" Xiao Che interrupted him, his gaze sharp. "Do you already have someone you admire?"
The person you admire?
What does this have to do with anything?
Lin Yan's mind was even more confused.
He likes men, but it seems he doesn't have a specific person he admires.
Lin Yan's mind was in turmoil, one moment filled with the blurry image of his "lover" from his dream, the next with the handsome yet imposing face of His Majesty before him...
etc!
Why did His Majesty's face suddenly appear?!
Lin Yan was startled by his own treasonous thought and shook his head violently: "No, no! I have no one I admire!"
Xiao Che frowned.
No?
Why is he gay? And why did he treat me like that when he was drunk...?
Looking at Lin Yan's flustered and somewhat bewildered eyes, Xiao Che suddenly realized that this person might never have thought of their intimacy that day as something related to "love".
In his mind, it was probably just an absurd accident.
A feeling that was hard to describe, whether it was disappointment or annoyance, welled up inside me.
Xiao Che stared at him, then suddenly sneered: "Since you have no one you admire, and you don't really hate serving me, then why are you hiding?"
"The favors I've bestowed upon you, the mansions I've given you, the rewards I've bestowed upon you—can't they even earn you a shred of honesty?"
Xiao Che's tone suddenly turned stern: "Lin Yan, I'll ask you one last time, why did you run away?"
Lin Yan was startled by the sudden harsh words and almost blurted out, "Your Majesty, I do not know how to face you! Whenever I think of that day, that day when I slept in the same bed with Your Majesty, I wish I could find a crack in the ground to crawl into!"
He finally blurted out the part he was most ashamed to say. After he finished, he felt as if all his strength had been drained away. His cheeks were so red that they were almost dripping blood. His eyes darted around, and he didn't dare to look at Xiao Che at all.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Che was stunned for a moment, then the coldness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an extremely complex expression.
Surprise, understanding, and a touch of pleasure.
It turns out that Lin Yan's distress and remorse, and her reluctance to see anyone, stemmed solely from the fact that they "slept in the same bed."
Was it because they felt they had overstepped their bounds as ruler and subject? Or was it for some other reason?
Xiao Che's agitation subsided considerably.
He leaned closer to Lin Yan, his voice carrying a seductive undertone: "So what if we sleep in the same bed?"
Lin Yan suddenly looked up and met Xiao Che's eyes, which were so close to his own, and there seemed to be undercurrents that he couldn't understand.
"If I don't mind, what are you afraid of?" Xiao Che's voice was as soft as a whisper, yet it struck Lin Yan's heart heavily. "Or is it that, Lin Qing, you actually have feelings for me..."
Xiao Che didn't finish his sentence, but the unspoken meaning was even more chilling than if he had said it directly.
Lin Yan's breathing suddenly stopped for a moment.
What did Xiao Che mean by that?
Is that what he meant?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Seeing Lin Yan's shocked expression, Xiao Che knew he couldn't push him too hard.
He straightened up, reverting to his usual imperial demeanor, as if the almost provocative remark from before was merely Lin Yan's illusion.
"That's enough." Xiao Che said calmly. "Now that you're better, return to your duties tomorrow. There's a lot of work piling up in front of the Hanlin Academy and me."
After saying that, he didn't look at Lin Yan again and turned to walk outside.
"Li Defu".
"This old servant is here." Li Defu appeared immediately, like a ghost.
"Return to the palace."
"yes."
Xiao Che arrived suddenly and left just as abruptly.
Lin Yan was left kneeling there, his mind like a pot of porridge, with all sorts of random things bubbling and boiling on the fire.
What exactly did Xiao Che mean?!
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Author's Note: Even if I wanted to be jealous, I couldn't find anyone to be jealous of [doge emoji]
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