Chapter 42 The admonition of reason seems too serious to be taken lightly…
When Lin Yan returned to his residence in Anxingfang, the city lights were already on.
The birthday banquet at the Zhou residence was lively. After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the small talk and subtle exchanges among colleagues were more mentally taxing than the delicacies on the table.
He rubbed his cheeks, which were stiff from smiling, took off his outer robe, which reeked of alcohol, and handed it to the servant waiting beside him.
The room was warm and cozy, with silver charcoal burning brightly in the bronze stove with animal-shaped handles, dispelling the chill brought in from outside.
Lin Yan did not rest immediately, but turned around and went into the study.
At the Zhou family's birthday banquet today, the ladies' overt and covert inquiries, the seemingly unintentional spying of his colleagues, and the rumors circulating at the banquet about His Majesty's concern for the family affairs of his ministers... all these things swirled in his mind.
Although these were all harmless social obligations, since they had taken on the position of secret guards and were receiving one or two taels of silver from His Majesty every month, they had to do something to show their appreciation.
What's more, His Majesty seems to... enjoy reading his trivial reports?
Lin Yan spread out a specially made patterned paper, picked up his brush, and dipped it in ink.
First, the date and location were written down in a proper manner, followed by a brief description of Minister Zhou's birthday banquet, including the guests, and everything seemed normal.
The pen pauses slightly at this point.
Recalling the scene of being surrounded by several ladies today, all eager to play matchmaker for him, Lin Yan couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
The way those ladies looked at him was like that of hungry wolves eyeing a bone.
And those nieces, daughters, and grandnieces they described as "wise and virtuous"... Lin Yan felt a chill run down her spine.
He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of these distracting thoughts, but his pen involuntarily wrote a few more sentences, adding a few personal remarks at the end of the report, his handwriting carrying a hint of resentment.
[…Furthermore, during today's banquet, many ladies mentioned my marriage to my mother, their interest quite fervent. I am deeply apprehensive, for I am still young, and I know myself to be lazy and dull-witted, truly unsuitable for such a marriage. I only wish to exert my utmost effort to focus on state affairs and share Your Majesty's burdens; that would be enough. I dare not consider marriage at this time.]
Lin Yan felt that he had made his stance clear enough, explaining the situation while also flattering His Majesty, making it a model of workplace reporting.
He blew on the ink to dry the paper, carefully folded it, and stuffed it into a specially made hidden pouch in his pocket.
He slipped this work report, which included some personal rants, into a crack in the back wall of the Lin residence, the new meeting place he and Jin Jiu had agreed upon.
After doing all this, Lin Yan went back to her room to sleep.
He didn't take this little complaint seriously at all. After all, the emperor was busy with countless affairs of state. How could he have time to care about whether a mere Hanlin scholar like him got married?
However, he never expected that his declaration of "not wanting to find a partner but only wanting to focus on his career" would cause such a huge uproar when Kim Gu silently sent it into the palace and presented it to Emperor Xiao Che through Li Defu.
Xiao Che had just finished processing several urgent military reports, and his brows still showed a hint of fatigue and coldness.
Li Defu carefully placed a stack of secret reports in the corner of the imperial desk. The top one was "A Record of What I Saw and Heard at the Zhou Family Birthday Banquet," which Lin Yan had stuffed into a crack in the stone.
Xiao Che picked it up casually, his gaze initially sweeping quickly over the official documents at the beginning, until the last few lines about "marriage" caught his eye.
His gaze suddenly froze.
"...Many ladies have mentioned my marriage to my mother, their interest is very strong..."
Xiao Che frowned.
"...I am still young, and I am also lazy and dull-witted, so I am not a good match for you..."
Xiao Che could almost picture the scene at yesterday's birthday banquet, where Lin Yan was surrounded by the wives of noble and high-ranking officials, all chattering away and trying to sell their female relatives.
Those people are well-informed and quick to act.
It's only been a few days? And the smell is already wafting over.
Xiao Che snorted lightly, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm that even he himself didn't realize: "You're all quite enthusiastic."
Li Defu, who was standing to the side with his head bowed and eyes lowered, felt a jolt in his heart upon hearing this and cautiously glanced at the Emperor's expression.
Although His Majesty's expression remained normal, something seemed to be brewing in his deep phoenix eyes, and his jawline was taut.
Is he unhappy?
As Li Defu was pondering this, he saw Xiao Che flip through Lin Yan's report. After seeing something, Xiao Che coldly said, "Wishful thinking. Do you think just anyone is good enough for Lin Yan?"
Li Defu: "!!!"
He suddenly raised his head, his old eyes wide open, almost doubting that there was something wrong with his ears.
What did Your Majesty just say?
Is he worthy of a scholar like Lin?
Scholar Lin's marriage was arranged by his parents and matchmaker. As long as Scholar Lin is happy, that's all that matters. What does it have to do with His Majesty?
An extremely absurd and terrifying thought, enough to make him immediately lose his mind, suddenly darted into Li Defu's mind like a venomous snake—could His Majesty have feelings for Scholar Lin?
Li Defu's heart pounded wildly, almost bursting out of his chest. Cold sweat instantly soaked through his heavy eunuch robes, and his back felt icy cold.
He gripped his palms tightly, using all his willpower to barely steady himself. He buried his head low, wishing he could shrink into the cracks between the floor tiles, holding his breath for fear of making the slightest sound and attracting His Majesty's attention.
Impossible, it shouldn't be possible. His Majesty only values Lord Lin; after all, Lord Lin is a rare young talent. His Majesty loves talent, and he's just overthinking things.
Li Defu comforted himself.
After saying that, Xiao Che seemed to realize that he had lost his composure.
He looked at the crumpled paper he had slammed on the table, then at Li Defu below, who was terrified out of his wits. He abruptly closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When he opened his eyes again, the turbulent emotions in his eyes had been forcibly suppressed.
Xiao Che silently sat back on the dragon throne, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the cold armrests, his gaze fixed on the void, lost in thought.
Li Defu stood frozen in place, not daring to move, feeling as if each breath was an eternity.
After an unknown amount of time—perhaps just a moment, perhaps a long time—Xiao Che's icy voice rang out again, his tone completely different from usual: "Li Defu."
“This old servant is here.” Li Defu jumped in surprise.
"Issue my decree." Xiao Che's gaze swept over the secret report that had caused the trouble. "Lin Yan, a Hanlin Academician, is diligent and conscientious in his duties and his loyalty is commendable. He is hereby granted a bushel of pearls from the South China Sea as a reward."
Li Defu was stunned.
That's it?
Oh, Your Majesty! What's going on?
But Li Defu dared not ask a single question and immediately bowed and replied, "Yes, this old servant obeys."
Li Defu bowed and was about to leave, his steps unsteady, wishing he could fly out of this suffocating hall immediately.
"Stop." Xiao Che's icy voice rang out again, freezing Li Defu in his tracks.
Li Defu's heart clenched again. He turned around stiffly, his head almost touching the ground: "Does Your Majesty have any further orders?"
Xiao Che's gaze did not fall on him, but instead lingered on the deep night outside the window: "Today's events, especially what I just said, if even a single word is revealed..."
"This old servant wouldn't dare!" Li Defu knelt down with a thud. "This old servant heard nothing and saw nothing today."
"Hmm." Xiao Che squeezed out a syllable from his throat, acknowledging his statement, and waved his hand. "Go."
"Yes." Li Defu got up weakly and almost staggered out of the warm pavilion, gently closing the door behind him.
The heavy palace doors separated the inside from the outside, as if sealing away the thrilling scene that had just unfolded.
Xiao Che was finally left alone in the warm pavilion.
The silver charcoal was still burning quietly in the bronze furnace, making a soft crackling sound. It was warm and cozy, but it couldn't dispel the chill emanating from Xiao Che.
And the emperor's slight bewilderment.
Xiao Che raised his hand and pressed hard on his throbbing temples, feeling annoyed at his earlier loss of composure.
How could he say such a thing?
"Wishful thinking! Do you think just anyone is good enough for Lin Yan?"
These words echoed repeatedly in Xiao Che's mind.
Is she a good match or not? When did it become his place as emperor to judge his subjects' marriage partners? What does it have to do with him?
Reason told him that this was utterly absurd, exceeding the proper boundaries between ruler and subject, and even incomprehensible.
Emotionally, however, an unnamed fire was burning within him, making him uneasy, especially when he thought of the secret report that mentioned that Lin Yan's mother, Madam Wen Yun, did not seem to have explicitly refused, but instead accepted several invitations from other ladies.
Those ladies would bring their daughters, nieces, and other daughters of marriageable age to Lin Yan, presenting them to him as if they were precious treasures.
What about Lin Yan? Although he complained in his report that he "dared not consider it for the time being," what if Madam Wen Yun insisted, or what if he really met a woman he liked?
Xiao Che abruptly closed his eyes, trying to dispel the uncontrollable images in his mind, but the indescribable stagnation and restlessness in his heart became clearer.
He didn't understand what was wrong with him.
He was simply impatient to see a capable minister troubled by domestic affairs.
Or did he dislike those officials who tried to win over the talents he valued through marriage, thus disrupting the court?
All of these explanations seem plausible, yet they all feel somewhat disconnected, like scratching an itch through a boot.
That feeling is more like a treasure that belongs to you being coveted and touched by others, which triggers an instinctive displeasure and rejection.
The thought flashed through his mind, but it startled even Xiao Che himself.
He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and attributed everything to the emotional instability caused by his recent busy schedule with official duties.
Yes, that must be it.
He picked up another memorial, trying to bring his attention back to matters of state.
However, Xiao Che did not read the contents of the memorial. In fact, the handwriting on the memorial seemed to have turned into Lin Yan's handwriting, which was tinged with a little resentment. The faces of those unfamiliar women who were described as "wise and virtuous" and "gentle and kind" also flickered before his eyes.
The imagined scene intensified the pent-up frustration in Xiao Che's chest.
"Smack!"
He couldn't concentrate on reading a single word, and in frustration, he closed the memorial and tossed it back onto the desk.
The movement was a bit heavier than usual, making a sound that was neither too loud nor too soft, but was particularly clear in the quiet, warm room.
Xiao Che leaned back in the wide dragon throne, raised his hand, and pressed his slender fingers hard against his brow, trying to dispel the absurd associations and even more absurd emotions.
He is the emperor, the supreme ruler, and should be focused on the country, the people, and the nation, not preoccupied with the marriage of a subject.
This is so unlike him.
As the emperor of Dayu, he should not have acted this way.
Reasonable admonitions did not seem to easily quell those unfamiliar emotions.
That talented young man, who usually handles the classics and historical texts with ease in the Hanlin Academy and is quick-witted and cautious in his duties as a secret guard, is now entangled in such trivial troubles, which Xiao Che finds inappropriate.
It was as if Lin Yanhe should only be his subject, sharing his burdens and reporting to him, whether it was about court affairs or those "trivial matters," and should not be dragged into another world that he could not touch or even imagine by those irrelevant people under the guise of marriage.
The thought resurfaced, clearer and more terrifying than before.
Xiao Che suddenly opened his eyes, a look of surprise and doubt flashing across his deep phoenix eyes.
How could he have such a thought?
Xiao Che suddenly stood up, walked to the window, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked at the deep night sky outside the window.
The cold night air seeped in through the cracks in the window frame, slightly cooling his feverish head.
It must be stopped.
He said to himself.
Whatever absurd reason this inexplicable unhappiness may have, it must end here.
Lin Yan's marriage was a family matter and his own choice, and had nothing to do with Xiao Che or the emperor of Dayu.
Today's loss of composure was already inexcusable.
That reckless remark must never be repeated.
Xiao Che took a deep breath of the cold air and slowly exhaled, trying to expel the pent-up frustration in his chest that was not befitting an emperor.
He is the emperor; he must remain calm and composed.
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Author's Note: Bonus chapter for 2000 nutrient solutions! [heart emoji]
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