Chapter 11

When Lin Mo was called to dinner, she stubbornly refused to come out of her room.

“Second Miss, the Lord, the Madam, and the Eldest Young Master and Miss are already waiting. If you don’t come out soon, they will come here personally.”

The maid at the door was particularly helpless. The situation had already occurred, so hiding was useless. It would be better to come out openly. After all, if she was drunk, she could just pretend to have amnesia.

Lin Mo buried her head in the blanket, sulking. “I’m not eating. Go tell them I’m not eating!”

She was too full of anger to eat.

The system, seeing her like this, also tried to advise her: “Calm down, calm down. It’s not a big deal, and honestly, it’s less embarrassing than that time you set up a bed at your parents’ door.”

“Besides, aren’t you supposed to have a thick skin? Why are you so concerned? Aren’t you supposed to live comfortably? It seems you’re still making a fuss.”

Lin Mo replied, “Being embarrassed on my own terms and being embarrassed passively are completely different. I should at least be mentally prepared. I knew about setting up a bed at my parents’ door, but I didn’t know about the drunken escapade. It feels entirely different.”

“Just let me be alone for a bit.”

The Lin family received the news from the maid, and each of their expressions was complex, tinged with amusement.

Lady Lin lightly cleared her throat and said, “If she doesn’t want to eat, then let’s start without her. Missing one meal won’t kill her. If she gets hungry, she’ll come find something to eat herself.”

She was grown up and didn’t need their constant worry, unlike a small child.

While the Lin family was calm, the Prince of Xin’s residence was bustling with an unusual level of activity.

Many officials sent gifts, and some even came in person, especially those military generals.

“Your Highness, all the grievances over the years are finally being cleared. The Emperor has said he will do his utmost to heal your injuries. The imperial doctors are working on solutions for your wounds.”

“Yes, yes. The Qi Prince’s and the Guardian General’s residences have been searched, and countless treasures and rare items have been found. It’s clear they’ve done many bad deeds over the years.”

“Now the national treasury is empty. The Emperor can’t even afford his own underwear, and they’ve amassed so much wealth, enjoying glory and status while ignoring the common people. Their estates being seized is well-deserved!”

The Prince of Xin, initially listening to these complaints, suddenly focused on one point.

He quickly grabbed the official’s hand and asked with confusion, “What do you mean the Emperor can’t even afford his own underwear?”

The Prince had never attended court and was unaware of the affairs. His family also rarely went out, so they were generally uninformed about the capital and court affairs.

The official glanced around and, seeing that the people around were those who knew about Lin Mo’s situation, decided to speak directly.

“Previously, the Emperor was always lamenting about being poor. We thought he was just pretending, as the ruler of a country couldn’t possibly be truly poor. However, we later found out that the Emperor’s underwear actually has holes.”

“He likes to reward officials with plaques, which we thought was just his preference and a way to leave a legacy. But it turned out that the plaques were merely a result of his poverty; he couldn’t afford other types of rewards.”

The Prince’s expression twitched, and his impression of his imperial brother was shattered.

So this is what my imperial brother is really like! Truly hiding his true self!

The official then recounted all the recent court matters to the Prince of Xin, including the events involving Lin Mo and the system.

The Prince listened in stunned silence, feeling as if he was hearing a myth.

“Are you all serious? Talking about ghosts and gods—if such things existed, why are so many people still doing bad deeds? Aren’t they afraid of retribution?”

The Prince looked at them skeptically, wondering if these people were out of their minds.

Officials at the court believing in ghosts and gods despite their education in sage books? What a waste!

The official, feeling disheartened by the Prince’s look, responded, “Oh, Your Highness, the system isn’t a ghost or god. It’s just a gossip system. ‘Gossip’ means watching others’ jokes. Although Lin Mo is the daughter of Minister Lin, she’s just unambitious. Minister Lin only got her a position to prevent her from starving.”

“Now this little Lin Mo spends her days gossiping about court affairs with the system. The system even mentioned the Emperor’s underwear and the matters of the Qi Prince and Guardian General. Oh, recently, there was also a scandal about the Ministry of War’s steward’s mistress having an affair.”

Prince of Xin: …… So it turns out to be like this.