Chapter 170: How About I Grant You A Marriage?
In the Emperor’s sleeping palace.
After Chu Qingye and Lin Tao washed up, the two sat facing each other on the Emperor’s Bed, wearing their undergarments.
“Chen’er, what do you think of the palace? Are you used to it?” Chu Qingye asked.
The little one sat upright with a straight back and nodded: “It’s pretty good, nothing I’m not used to.”
After speaking, he slightly lowered his head, but his little gaze kept secretly darting to Chu Qingye’s face one after another. His adorable little appearance tickled Chu Qingye’s heart, making him itch to pull the child into his arms and rub him fondly.
“Say what you want to say. Sneaking around like what!” Chu Qingye cleared his throat lightly and said, his restless hand pressed to his lips.
“Um, I just wanted to ask if I can see Auntie tomorrow?” Lin Tao was after all just a little boy a little over three years old, and immediately asked what was on his mind.
Chu Qingye’s heart soured a bit. His own son was by his side, yet thinking of others—this made him feel a little uncomfortable. Although he had personally handed his son over to others back then, he still couldn’t help but feel jealousy.
“Does Chen’er like Miss Lin very much?” Suppressing his jealousy, Chu Qingye asked.
Lin Tao tilted his little head. “Yeah! Auntie is so good to me, and not just me—everyone likes her too! Especially Uncle Mo, he even wants Auntie to be his Madam!”
“Cough cough,” Chu Qingye was choked by his own saliva. What kind of messy nonsense was this.
“Tell me about things at Auntie’s home!”
“Okay!” Lin Tao’s eyes lit up, and his little mouth began to babble nonstop, recounting everything he could remember, telling it in a wildly imaginative way, jumping from one thing to another with no chronological order at all. Chu Qingye listened while frowning, having to mentally sort out the sequence of events himself—it was really brain-draining.
Until Lin Tao talked himself to sleep, Chu Qingye reached a conclusion: Lin Xin had indeed not failed his entrustment from back then, and due to the appearance of Mo Ziyuan and the others, she had even exceeded it. After all, having Meng Yichen and Mo Ziyuan teach literature and martial arts was not something an ordinary village girl could easily achieve.
On how to reward Lin Xin, Chu Qingye already had a rough idea in mind, but before issuing the decree, he still needed to ask Mo Ziyuan first whether his son’s mention of wanting Auntie to be his Madam was serious.
The next day happened to be the minor court assembly. The news of Mo Ziyuan and the others returning to the Capital City yesterday had already spread throughout the entire Capital City. Everyone was extremely curious whether they had brought back the New Emperor’s son, and almost all had sent people to inquire, but unfortunately, there were no definite results.
Those qualified to attend court today were very perceptive and sensible, with none of the usual petty nonsense to trouble the New Emperor. Court adjourned early.
Hurriedly returning to the Imperial Study, Chu Qingye saw Lin Tao obediently sitting by the window, seriously flipping through a book. He felt his empty heart from the entire morning suddenly filled to the brim, as if the air was filled with a warm scent. This vast, cold Imperial Palace was no longer just him alone.
“Father, you’re back!” Lin Tao heard the sound, turned his head and saw it was Chu Qingye, quickly set down the book in his hands, and toddled over on his two little short legs, looking up with a soft voice.
“Yes, I’m back. Has Chen’er missed Father Emperor?” Chu Qingye bent down to pick him up, letting him sit on his arm, bouncing him a bit, and tapped his little nose as he asked.
The child nodded without hesitation. “Mm, I have.” Then he looked at him with an accusing gaze and said aggrievedly: “Father got up this morning without waking me…”
“…Uh, Father Emperor was afraid Chen’er hadn’t slept enough, so he wanted Chen’er to sleep more, and Father Emperor would soon return to keep Chen’er company, so that’s why he didn’t wake you!” Chu Qingye had no experience getting along with children and explained a bit awkwardly.
“Alright then,” Lin Tao nodded understandingly. “Then today is fine, but Father, remember to wake me up tomorrow morning, okay? Auntie said Father Emperor manages court affairs every day very hard, and is always alone, very lonely. I was thinking if I could keep Father company, then Father wouldn’t be so lonely…”
By the end, Lin Tao’s voice grew quieter and quieter, shyly lowering his head, his two tender index fingertips touching together.
Chu Qingye’s heart was both sour and soft, as if soaking in a pool of warm water, warming him to the point of wanting to shed tears. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
“Good,” he heard his own slightly choked voice reply.
The father and son chattered stickily for a while longer before Chu Qingye had someone take Lin Tao down, then summoned Mo Ziyuan.
“Your humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty.”
“There are no outsiders here. Zi Yuan need not stand on ceremony.” Chu Qingye had him rise, then asked: “I plan to announce Chen’er’s identity at the major court assembly the day after tomorrow, along with the rewards for Miss Lin. What are your thoughts on this?”
Mo Ziyuan thought for a moment and said: “Previously, to cover for Your Highness’s identity, we fabricated a background for him, saying he was picked up by Miss Lin in the mountains, and gave him the name Lin Tao. Now that Your Highness is to acknowledge his ancestry and return to the fold, that name can no longer be used.”
Chu Qingye was silent for a moment, then said: “Qing’er gave him the nickname Chen’er back then. From now on, he will be called Chu Mingchen.”
Mo Ziyuan nodded without speaking. He had brought it up only because after being called Lin Tao for so many years, a sudden name change might make Your Highness unaccustomed, which could make Your Majesty uncomfortable and lead to taking it out on Lin Xin. As for what to change it to, he had no right to offer an opinion.
“I—we’re not asking about that. I want to ask how to reward Miss Lin.” Seeing that Mo Ziyuan hadn’t grasped his meaning at all, Chu Qingye simply stated it directly.
“Ah?” Mo Ziyuan was stunned and looked suspiciously at the New Emperor.
“Ah what? Didn’t you want her to be your Madam?” Chu Qingye thought he was playing dumb and snatched the brush from the desk, tossing it at him, leaving a string of vermilion marks on his black outer robe.
Mo Ziyuan’s face flushed “boom” red all at once.
“What’s there to be embarrassed about? A real man— if you like her, just go for it!” Chu Qingye rarely saw Mo Ziyuan like this and said amusedly.
“Cough cough,” Mo Ziyuan dry-coughed once and admitted: “Your humble subject does indeed admire Miss Lin and wants to marry her as his wife, but before that, your humble subject must first settle matters at home so as not to let Miss Lin suffer grievances following him.”
Chu Qingye thought of the Dingguo Duke and his Madam, feeling a headache on Mo Ziyuan’s behalf, and thus suggested: “How about I grant you a marriage?”
Mo Ziyuan shook his head seriously. “Thank you for Your Majesty’s kindness, but even with Your Majesty’s grant of marriage, Qi Shi could still easily manipulate Xin’er. A word of filial piety would suppress any argument. She was already furious about not getting this noble title, and she would definitely take out her anger on Xin’er.”
