Chapter 182: The Imperial Family Is Full Of Schemes
Lin Xin had asked Mo Ziyuan when it would be appropriate for her to enter the palace, and Mo Ziyuan replied that His Majesty would send someone to pick her up, and he would go with her then.
“Will there be any danger in the palace?” Thinking of the pile of things Cui Shi had given her, Lin Xin asked curiously.
“Danger? What do you mean?”
“How would I know? I’ve never been in, but Old Cui gave me a lot of medicine, saying it was for self-defense.”
Mo Ziyuan suddenly understood and thought for a moment before saying, “Normally there shouldn’t be any. After the Late Emperor entered the Imperial Mausoleum, the concubines without heirs all went to the royal temple, and those with heirs followed to their fiefdoms. However, Imperial Consort Feng has operated in the palace for many years, so she might have a few loyal followers left. Old Cui is right to tell you to be cautious.”
“Why would they target me? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to kill Lin Tao?” Lin Xin didn’t understand.
“Xin’er, Little Highness has now been acknowledged into the imperial clan. His Majesty has given him the name Chu Mingchen. Don’t mention the name Lin Tao anymore.” Mo Ziyuan said seriously to her.
“Oh, I get it.” Lin Xin pouted, feeling a bit indignant in her heart. This name was definitely not newly chosen; why didn’t they say it when they gave her the child!
“I know you’re upset, but you don’t know the situation back then. His Majesty was really struggling. If he had failed, it would have been best for Little Highness to live as Lin Tao for the rest of his life.” Seeing Lin Xin’s poor complexion, Mo Ziyuan guessed what she was thinking and tried to console her.
“Fine, I understand. I just feel a bit stifled for Tao and Little Highness.” Lin Xin let out a long breath and said.
“You!” Mo Ziyuan ruffled her hair. “You’re the toughest with your mouth all over your body.”
“Hmph!” Lin Xin shook her head, not letting him touch her hair. “Don’t mess it up. I just managed to style this bun; if it’s ruined, I’ll have to do it again.”
Mo Ziyuan obediently withdrew his hand. Lin Xin shook her head and, feeling no looseness in her bun, finally gave him a satisfied glare. “You haven’t answered my earlier question yet! Hurry up and say!”
“Oh, you mean Little Highness? Now His Majesty protects him like the pupil of his eye. It’s very hard to make a move on him. And I estimate they don’t have many people left, so they absolutely won’t do anything without certainty. Now your identity, even if not announced to the world, is known to those who should know, so…”
“So they’ll target me?”
“Yes. If something happens to you in the palace, His Majesty won’t be able to shake off the label of being heartless and ungrateful. And watching you die right in front of him, no one can predict what Little Highness will think. What if he follows their line of thinking?”
“Eww~” Lin Xin rubbed her arms in disgust. “These people have such dirty minds! They even scheme against such a young child.”
“There’s no choice. There’s only one position like that, and the losers have die-hard loyalists too.”
Lin Xin nodded helplessly and sighed, “Last night I thought Old Cui was being superfluous, but it turns out he was preparing for a rainy day!”
“Keep Old Cui’s medicine on you at all times. If they really go mad with insanity, it’s hard to say who they’ll target. Anyway, His Majesty seeing you tomorrow is an opportunity. I estimate a lot of ghosts and monsters will surface.”
The more Lin Xin listened, the more something felt off. She gave Mo Ziyuan a sideways glance. “Be honest, do you know something?”
Mo Ziyuan smiled. Not surprisingly, the person he chose had a perceptive heart. After just two sentences, she understood his intention.
“Exactly. His Majesty asked me to give you a heads-up. Today he’ll see you in the Imperial Study. It’s already a dragnet there. Even if we can’t catch them all in one go, we can flush out quite a few. His Majesty said to apologize to you in advance.”
“I knew it. These imperial family members have eight hundred schemes. I’ve been used by them completely transparently. Not only raising the child for him, but also serving as bait once. Oh no, probably more than once.”
“This is also to clear obstacles for Little Highness. You don’t want him to live in constant fear for his life after going back, do you?”
“I’m worried?” Lin Xin pointed at her nose in shock. “Shouldn’t that be the father’s worry?”
“I misspoke.” Mo Ziyuan was amused by her expression. “His Majesty is naturally very worried too, so isn’t this seeking cooperation with you?”
“Hmph!” No matter what he said, Lin Xin still felt unhappy. Just as she wanted to act petulant a bit more, Mo Ziyuan’s man came over and said quietly, “Young Master, someone from the palace has arrived.”
Lin Xin and Mo Ziyuan exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious at the same time. They stood up and said, “Let’s go!”
The one who came to pick up Lin Xin was Eunuch An from beside the Late Emperor. As soon as he saw Lin Xin, he gave a grand salute, startling her into jumping to the side. “This won’t do.”
Setting aside her status, having an old man over fifty with white hair bow to her made Lin Xin feel uncomfortable all over.
“Eunuch, no need for this. Xin’er doesn’t care about that.”
“This old slave knows, but this salute is what this old slave sincerely wants to give to the young lady. The young lady raised Little Highness very well; no amount of salutes from this old slave would be too much.” Eunuch An’s eyes were a bit red.
Lin Xin couldn’t stand seeing this and didn’t know what to say, so she poked Mo Ziyuan in the lower back.
“Eunuch, His Majesty and Little Highness are probably getting impatient. Let’s enter the palace first!” Feeling the warmth of Lin Xin’s small hand, Mo Ziyuan felt half his body go soft. He bit his molars hard to barely stay composed and finish speaking.
“Yes, yes, this old slave was muddled. Young lady and Young Master, please follow this old slave.” Eunuch An also reacted and hurriedly led Lin Xin and Mo Ziyuan outside. A luxurious horse carriage was already waiting at the main gate.
Lin Xin raised an eyebrow and, with Mo Ziyuan’s support, got into the horse carriage and headed toward the Imperial Palace.
In the Imperial Study, Chu Mingchen cupped his face with both small hands and looked at his father beside him who was reviewing memorials. He pursed his little mouth and asked, “Father, will Auntie really come see me today?”
“Yes! Father Emperor has already sent Eunuch An to pick her up. Soon Chen’er will see Auntie.” Chu Qingye answered without looking up, though his heart felt a bit sour. His son was much closer to him now, but still different from how he treated Lin Xin.
“Alright then! Chen’er will wait a bit more.” Chu Mingchen turned his head, eyes fixed tightly on the door of the Imperial Study, ears perked up listening carefully to the sounds outside.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait long. The voice of the little eunuch guarding the door came from outside: “This slave pays respects to Young Master, to Eunuch An, to the young lady.”
“Father, Auntie is here!” Chu Mingchen’s eyes sparkled as he looked at his father and said.
“Mm.”
As his words fell, the room door was gently knocked on. After it opened, Eunuch An entered and knelt on the ground: “Your Majesty, Miss Lin and the Heir of Dingguo Duke have arrived.”
“Let them in!” Chu Qingye set down his vermilion pen and, pulling the clearly restless Chu Mingchen, went to the door to greet them.
He was also helpless. Looking across the entire country, probably only Lin Xin could make him stand up to greet her!
