At the back gate of Prime Minister Lin's residence, where no one was paying attention.
An oxcart slowly came to a stop. The old man driving the oxcart carried a bundle on his back and walked to the door, knocking loudly.
The old woman guarding the gate was chatting with her companion while eating melon seeds. When she noticed someone disturbing her peace, she went over and opened the door. Just as she was about to hurl insults at the person knocking on the door, she first saw a pair of old, sharp eyes.
"M-Sir!" the old woman guarding the gate called out, somewhat stammering.
The old man ignored her and walked straight inside.
When Prime Minister Lin Yanping suddenly appeared at home, his wife, Madam Wang, was also startled. "Master? When did you come back? What happened to your clothes... Oh, are you hungry? I'll go cook you a bowl of soft noodles!"
"Hmm, add more braising sauce, make it saltier." Lin Yanping showed no politeness to his wife, tossing his dirty and tattered bundle onto the desk.
He went to the washroom to clean himself and change into a cotton robe. He then summoned several stewards and managers to report on recent events in the capital.
Lin Yanping was away for quite a long time this time, more than four months.
In just over four months, countless things could happen in a place like the capital. The old stewards, who knew their master's temperament well, only mentioned a few major events.
This naturally included the fact that the Regent Prince brought back a goddaughter after returning from his travels, and lavishly bestowed upon her the title of princess. Several officials, led by Bai Shitao, strongly opposed this, but to no avail.
The people of the capital speculated that the little princess must be the illegitimate daughter of the regent, and that she was brought back to be the young emperor's child bride.
When the young emperor and his adopted daughter grow up, and they have another little prince, he will be the regent's grandson!
But when that time comes, the young emperor will surely meet a tragic end, after all, no nephew can compare to a grandson.
"My lord, and I've also heard that the little princess seems to be skilled in witchcraft, and has even told the fortunes of several of you, which is why she has bewitched the Regent and His Majesty..."
“Even Lord Bai, who previously opposed the investiture of the little princess, now listens to her every word. This is quite strange!” another steward said respectfully.
Just then, Wang's family cooked a large bowl of overcooked noodles with a sauce made of stir-fried pork and chili peppers. The noodles were overcooked and a bit mushy.
But when you pour a bowl of chili-fried pork sauce over it, the red and green colors, and the oily sheen of the braised pork, make your mouth water.
Lin Yanping picked up the chopsticks, held the large bowl, and began slurping noodles along the rim, making slurping and shoveling sounds as he ate.
"..." Several managers who were reporting nearby felt a little hungry. One manager, who was a bit chubby, smelled and looked delicious, and his stomach couldn't help but rumble.
Lin Yanping looked up at him and said, "You guys go down and get something to eat first. You don't need to stay here with us."
With the Prime Minister's words, they all took their leave.
Looking at Lin Yanping's much thinner face, Madam Wang couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. She asked, "Where have you gone this time? You've been gone for so long. It's one thing to neglect things at home, but now you're even ignoring matters of state in the palace? They dare not tell you, but I have to!"
"So many people outside are saying you went out sightseeing, but who goes sightseeing and ends up like this? What happened to the injuries on your face?"
Lin Yanping ate without looking up. Only after he had finished eating everything in his bowl did he pick at his chopsticks a couple of times, add a little broth, and pour it into his mouth.
Wang handed him a handkerchief.
Lin Yanping first glanced at his sleeves, which were clean and without any patches.
He took the handkerchief, wiped his mouth, and said, "Why do you, a woman, have to worry about so many things? I've never let you lack food or clothing. Just stay home and live your life well, and don't worry about so many things!"
"It's one thing if you don't care about things at home—I married you in this life because I owed you from my past life! But you can't just abandon His Majesty's affairs like this, can you?"
"His Majesty has truly been bewitched by that goddaughter of the Regent. I don't know where that little brat learned so many tricks to deceive people. His Majesty now only recognizes that little girl. What's infuriating is that that little girl also has the surname Lin, and her name is Lin Wanyue!" Madam Wang said with great indignation.
"Lin Wanyue?" Lin Yanping suddenly raised his head.
This name...
Wang ignored him and turned away to cry.
"..." Lin Yanping sighed helplessly, patted his wife, and said to her, "Get some rest. I have to go to court tomorrow."
"You just got back and you're already going to court! Do you really not want your old bones anymore? If you really don't want them, then just die sooner rather than later. I'll go with you on the road to the underworld, so you won't be alone." Madam Wang was all bark and no bite.
Lin Yanping naturally knew his wife's temperament, and forced a smile, "Alright, go to sleep early."
Wang noticed that his eyes were bloodshot, indicating that he had rushed back without resting and was indeed quite tired.
She didn't say anything more, and had someone make up the bed and add a soup stove.
...
The next morning, Lin Yanping got up early to attend court.
On the way, someone saw Lin Yanping's aged face and hurried over to greet him: "Old Prime Minister, you've finally returned! We didn't know what to do when you weren't in court."
"Yes, Your Excellency, without your intervention, the Regent has absolute control over everything in the court. Our words are utterly useless. Take, for example, that little princess..."
"We knelt before His Majesty, but we still couldn't stop that little princess from being granted a title. I really don't know where the Regent brought those Lin family members from. They're being treated like royalty now, and even the little princess's own father has been granted the title of Earl of Ning'an! He's just a useless bum, and who knows what trouble he'll cause in the future."
"Don't say that. Now that the Prime Minister is back, do you think he won't stand up for us? We'll submit a joint memorial to impeach him. I don't believe the Regent will ignore our opinions. Does he dare to disobey even the Prime Minister's words?"
They began to discuss eagerly, wanting to present the memorials they had already written in their sleeves.
However, they did not notice that Lin Yanping's expressionless face was completely blank, and he remained silent.
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