Don't say it's someone related to Lin Bozhou; even if it's a little bird he raised, everyone in this mansion treats it like an ancestor, burning incense every day.
Only Meng Huan wouldn't cause trouble and would cry at the slightest criticism.
It seems reasonable to be called useless.
Ah, yes, yes, I am indeed useless. Meng Huan muttered in his heart, "In front of you, who isn't useless? Have a little self-awareness, okay? Even the emperor has to call you 'brother' when he sees you."
Thinking of the flowers and plants in the yard that haven't been tidied up, now that everything is over, Meng Huan is ready to run away.
Leaving directly would be impolite, so Meng Huan pretended and said, "Thank you, Wangye, for making a decision for this humble one." It was full of flattery.
Lin Bozhou responded, "Hmm."
"Then, I'll leave now."
Shanxing reminded, "Wangye, it's time for the meal."
Lin Bozhou turned around and said, "Come."
"?"
Come?
What does "come" mean?
Does it mean "reluctantly inviting you to have a meal with me"?
Meng Huan was stunned, and Shanxing smiled and turned to him, saying, "Madam, please."
"..." Meng Huan thought to herself, looking at the flowers and plants throughout the courtyard. She pursed her lips and reluctantly followed behind Lin Bozhou.
The dining area had set up a table and lit a dim lamp.
Six years ago, Lin Bozhou was summoned back to the capital by the Second Prince to serve as the regent. His family and relatives were all in Guzhou, so this mansion was always quiet.
Before taking concubines, the literati and officials in the mansion would occasionally accompany him for meals, but now that Meng Huan was there, as the prince's wife, not only did they not dare to sit at the table, they wouldn't even dare to look at Meng Huan.
Therefore, at this grand dining table, only Meng Huan and he sat side by side.
Meng Huan's sulking disappeared when she saw the dinner.
Compared to breakfast and lunch, it was even better.
Rice and flour dishes: Eight Treasure Steamed Buns, Stuffed Steamed Buns, Steamed Rolls, Haiqing Rolls, Butterfly Rolls; Big Steamed Pancakes, Salt and Pepper Buns, Stuffed Sugar Buns, Sesame Burnt Biscuits, Milk Skin Biscuits, Thin Crispy Biscuits, Lingzhi Biscuits; Jujube Cake, White Sesame Dumplings, Sugar Dumplings, Sesame Eye Reduction, Egg Noodles, Plain Noodles, Crystal Rice.
Meat dishes: Roast Swan, Roast Goose, Steamed Chicken, Marinated Chicken, Stir-Fried Chicken, Roast Pork, Boiled Pork, Steamed Pork, Shredded Pork Bone, Lychee Pork, Sturgeon, Steamed Fish, Crunchy Pig's Ear, Boiled Fresh Pig's Liver, Silky Thread Beef Tripe, Steamed Lamb.
Soup: Peony Head Soup, Chicken Crispy Cake Soup, Pork Longsong Soup, Agate Cake Soup, Silk Thread Cake Soup, Osmanthus Cake Soup, Sweet and Sour Soup, Grape Soup, Honey Soup, Milk Soup.
Very well. Meng Huan skillfully served Lin Bozhou his meal.
Once he finished eating, she could start her own plan!
With a large courtyard and a monthly allowance of 30,000 taels of silver, Meng Huan realized who the real powerhouse in
this mansion was.
After Lin Bozhou took a sip of the soup she served, he asked, "Did you reply to the palace?"
Shanxing, who was standing nearby, glanced at Meng Huan before answering, showing some surprise.
The prince actually brought up this topic in front of her. It seemed that he already regarded Meng Huan as his own person and no longer avoided discussing such matters.
"I replied. I said Wangye's eyesight hasn't recovered yet, so I can't return to the cabinet for the time being."
The court was about to face trouble.
The emperor's decree was first conveyed to Lin Bozhou by the central minister, and then a written imperial edict would be sent to the cabinet for public announcement. Therefore, the officials in the court should know by now that His Majesty punished those who accused Lin Bozhou and requested Lin Bozhou's return to the cabinet.
But unexpectedly, Lin Bozhou used his eye ailment as an excuse to decline!
What does that mean? It's like getting into a fight with a colleague, and when you want to resign, the boss supports you, comforts you, and fires the person who argued with you, but you still want to resign.
It would certainly surprise the boss.
Meng Huan blinked and looked at Lin Bozhou, then flattered him, "Since Wangye's eyes are not well, it wouldn't hurt to rest a few more days. Why rush back to the court... to your duties?"
Lin Bozhou turned his head to look at her, and his lips curved slightly.
These ministers were full of schemes. While their eye ailments were indeed eye ailments, not all of them were genuine. It was just an excuse. Otherwise, why would the emperor receive a memorial from a robust male minister every year, suddenly requesting "resignation due to illness"?
"Generally, there are always certain demands."
Lín Bózhōu's caring gaze towards the fool annoyed Mèng Huān. He lowered his head and thought, "Well, pretend I didn't say anything."
"How does His Majesty respond?" Lín Bózhōu asked.
Shān Xíng wiped away his sweat, looking slightly embarrassed. "Well..."
The current emperor, who they refer to as 'Dà Zōng,' is a young emperor. He ascended the throne at the age of seven and is now only thirteen. He trusts and loves Lín Bózhōu deeply.
Upon learning that Lín Bózhōu was unwilling to return to the court, the young emperor burst into tears in the Golden Louvre Hall, crying out in anguish, "Without my elder brother, the safety of the empire is at risk!"
It had a somewhat sorrowful feeling, similar to saying, "Swallow, how can I live without you!"
Whenever the courtiers came to plead with Lín Bózhōu, their eyes were filled with tears. "Prince, please return to your residence quickly. His Majesty has not seen you for several days. He has lost his appetite and has become thin and emaciated. Sob, sob, sob."
Upon hearing this, Mèng Huān clicked his tongue in his mind.
Lín Bózhōu truly deserved to be called a master of PUA and manipulation, as he had brainwashed himself from a notorious minister into the unique pillar of the young emperor's heart.
"Tea," Lín Bózhōu suddenly said.
"..."
Mèng Huān quickly picked up the tea soup, blew on it to cool it down, and handed it to him, sweetly saying, "Please enjoy, my husband."
With so much inner drama, Lín Bózhōu glanced at him and then turned to talk with Shān Xíng. "Are there any important official documents in the cabinet?"
"Yes, there are documents regarding the military expenses of the Liaodong Garrison, the Huanghuai River flood, and the allocation of grain supplies for the rebellions of the southwestern tribal leaders—"
Lín Bózhōu put down his chopsticks. "Bring the copies of the memorial to the study."
It seemed they would be working overtime tonight.
When pretending, one must be selective rather than going all out.
Shān Xíng acknowledged and as he was about to leave, someone outside said, "Prince, the imperial physician has arrived."
"Please let him in."
The imperial physician was a middle-aged man with a slightly older appearance. His long beard gave him an air of purity and thinness, somewhat resembling an immortal. He entered while carrying a medicine box and first asked, "Prince, have you been following the physician's advice lately? Have you been straining your eyes or exhausting your mind?"
The words of the physician were of utmost importance. Shān Xíng hurriedly replied, "No, the prince has been following the physician's advice and has been strolling around recently, not preoccupied with state affairs."
Dr. Zhou expressed satisfaction and took out the needles. "Please have a seat, Your Highness."
He began to administer acupuncture to Lín Bózhōu.
The thin needles penetrated Lín Bózhōu's acupuncture points, twisting and going deep, causing Mèng Huān's scalp to tingle in pain.
This eye ailment had afflicted Lín Bózhōu since childhood.
It must be said that his subsequent obsession with power, abuse of authority, and damage to the country were related to his childhood experiences
. His father, Lín Luán, was the crown prince who was deposed back then. Later, he became the king of a northern borderland in a remote area.
Lín Bózhōu was born and raised in that lush land with abundant water and grass. The local people were skilled in horse riding and archery, enjoyed eating meat and dairy, and possessed the fierce and wild habits of nomadic ethnic groups.
On days of heavy snow, they would ride their horses across the frozen plains, hunting their prey.
On that day, eight-year-old Lín Bózhōu was also taken along by his father. His mother consort insisted on stopping them, believing that the crown prince was too young and delicate to participate in such a dangerous activity.
The former king said, "A man should possess the bravery of a Hu person. He should be capable of killing enemies to defend the country and be able to stabilize the nation. What use is there in raising him like a precious treasure? Take him to see the world."
The eight-year-old Lín Bózhōu was carried by his father on a tall horse. Along the way, they passed over frozen lakes, where the smooth ice caused the horse's hooves to slip. After Lín Bózhōu fell from the horse, the shattered ice shards pierced his left eye, causing it to bleed profusely.
Fortunately, he didn't lose his sight, but the condition would recur intermittently, leading to blurred vision, sensitivity to bright light, and even temporary blindness in severe cases.
He had suffered from this eye ailment since the age of eight, and now at twenty-six, it had been almost twenty years. It was impossible for his psyche to remain unaffected.
The treatment concluded.
Dr. Zhou took out a silver needle and said, "Your Highness, please refrain from exerting yourself and overtaxing your mind in the coming days. Resting continuously will be beneficial."
Lin Bozhou said, "Thank you, Imperial Physician."
Upon hearing this, Meng Huan instinctively interjected, "Didn't you just say you needed to deal with official documents, Wangye?"
Lin Bozhou remained silent.
Shan Xing stayed quiet as well.
Imperial Physician Zhou dropped the medical tools and put on a serious expression. "Wangye."
He was a temperamental divine physician.
Every time he encountered someone who didn't follow his medical advice, he felt like giving them a lethal injection.
If it weren't for the Regent's generous medical expenses, he wouldn't have bothered coming to the Imperial Medical Office.
Lin Bozhou glanced at Meng Huan indifferently.
Meng Huan felt a bit guilty. "I merely thought the Imperial Physician's words—"
Lin Bozhou glanced at her again.
Meng Huan's voice grew quieter. "—made sense."
...
Shan Xing quickly said, "Hahaha, don't worry, Imperial Physician. Since the Imperial Physician doesn't allow Wangye to strain his eyes, we servants will help persuade him. We won't let Wangye overwork himself, hahaha."
Imperial Physician Zhou looked displeased and wanted to say something.
"Please, Imperial Physician, please!" Shan Xing raised his hand to dismiss him.
Damn it.
Imperial Physician Zhou angrily left with his medicine box.
Shan Xing followed behind him, cheerfully seeing him off, leaving only Lin Bozhou and Meng Huan in the room.
Lin Bozhou glanced at Meng Huan once again.
Meng Huan felt it necessary to explain, "I was just worried about Wangye's health..."
In truth, she had spoken impulsively a moment ago. She used an extremely sincere gaze to hide her own guilt.
Lin Bozhou seemed silent, unsure of what to say.
Meng Huan obediently lowered her head, as if prepared to be scolded or punished.
After a moment, her forehead was lightly tapped, likely with a knuckle. The force was gentle.
She looked up, slightly stunned, at Lin Bozhou.
Lin Bozhou finally spoke, "Silly."
Meng Huan: "......"
Outside the door, Shan Xing returned with an irritated expression.
Imperial Physician Zhou had just given him a lecture in a cryptic manner. "If Wangye doesn't want to cure his eye ailment, then don't come to me. You don't listen even when I tell you not to strain your eyes, resulting in recurring eye issues. Others might think it's because I'm not skilled enough and can't cure you. Do you high-ranking, influential gentlemen think you're invincible and can ignore advice, blah blah blah..."
Shan Xing smiled apologetically, "You're mistaken, Imperial Physician."
But even Shan Xing didn't dare to persuade him anymore, experiencing the wrath from both sides.
Lin Bozhou stood up. "I'm not eating anymore."
Meng Huan also stood up, hearing him say, "Pingzhi, bring the copied documents to the study."
Pingzhi was Shan Xing's courtesy name.
Meng Huan's expression became complicated. So, you're still going to work?
Fine, you do your job, and I'll go sleep. Meng Huan was ready to pounce on his large bed.
A voice came from behind her ear, "You."
Who was being called? It couldn't possibly be me. Meng Huan pretended not to hear.
"Beloved Consort."
Meng Huan: "......"
"Come here and serve this prince."
Meng Huan coughed, her voice wavering, "What did Wangye say?"
"Wasn't
this prince clear enough?"
Lin Bozhou lowered his dark eyes and pointed a finger in Meng Huan's direction without touching her. "You, come serve me."