A Little Chubby Boy 1

The next day, Lin Lang went to the Hanlin Academy for duty.

The Hanlin Academy is located within the imperial palace. The palace is divided into the front court and the harem. The civil and military officials attend court at the Chui Gong Hall, which signifies governing with ease. Next to the Chui Gong Hall is the Zichen Palace, the Emperor’s residence, complete with a study, bedroom, and dining room. Reviewing memorials and summoning ministers all happen here. In previous generations, some emperors even favored their concubines here.

However, the current Emperor is not fond of state affairs. Reviewing memorials is out of the question, and attending court depends entirely on his mood. Not to mention, there isn’t even a single concubine in the harem.

This has been the situation for the past three years.

Ning Mo entered the palace at the age of ten to accompany the then Seventh Prince, who later became the Emperor. When the Emperor ascended the throne at fifteen, the place of companionship shifted to the Zichen Palace. Those years were probably the most diligent for the young Emperor. He would wake up early to read for half an hour, attend two-hour lectures by his tutor, learn state affairs from the chancellor in the afternoon, and review memorials in the evening. Occasionally, he would practice riding and archery.

The young Emperor woke up earlier than the chickens and slept later than the dogs, day after day, with almost no holidays. He managed to get through four years like this, thanks to his youthful vigor, without any mishaps.

Despite being as busy as a dog every day, he was still happy because Ning Mo was always by his side.

Ning Mo was determined to study hard, become the top scholar, and then enter the cabinet to serve the country and its people. The young Emperor, wanting to help Ning Mo fulfill his dream, also worked hard to become a wise ruler.

When Ning Mo was eighteen, he achieved the top scholar title, and his grand ambitions seemed within reach. But who knew he would meet his end halfway?

After Ning Mo’s demise, the Emperor became despondent, even somewhat tyrannical. He purged both the front court and the harem and completely ignored state affairs.

Lin Lang glanced at the Emperor’s current situation on the system panel, then looked at the little chubby boy clinging to him, feverish and unwilling to let go, and couldn’t help but feel a headache. Why are both the big and the small ones so worrisome?

Lin Lang had a tough time during his pregnancy, and on top of that, he was poisoned by his half-brother. Although the system saved his life, it still affected the child in his womb, making the little chubby boy weak from birth. Even though he’s now chubby and healthy-looking, he’s still prone to catching colds with the slightest breeze or sun exposure.

Because of the little chubby boy’s health, Lin Lang harbors some resentment towards his half-brother, but due to the rules of the small world, he hasn’t found a good opportunity to act.

Yesterday, while riding through the streets, it was sunny, and he only rode a short distance with the little guy. Perhaps because he sweated and didn’t change clothes in time, the little guy developed a fever at night.

After a night of fussing, the fever finally subsided a bit, but every time the little guy gets sick, he becomes extremely clingy, whining to be held constantly. If put down, he would cry softly like a wilting kitten with a flushed face.

If it were any other time, Lin Lang could harden his heart and give him a good spanking to make him behave. But when the little guy is sick, looking like this, Lin Lang just can’t bring himself to do it.

After much persuasion, Lin Lang had no choice but to quickly finish breakfast, feed the little guy some light rice porridge, and take him to the Hanlin Academy.

Unexpectedly, even with such urgency, he was still late. When he arrived, Lu Ji and a steward from the Hanlin Academy were waiting at the door.

Steward Zhang glanced at the child in Lin Lang’s arms, his expression not very pleasant, and said, “Lord Lin, this is the Hanlin Academy, not a daycare. Bringing a child to work is quite inappropriate, isn’t it?”

Lin Lang knew it was inappropriate to bring a child to work, so he cautiously said, “I’m the only one at home taking care of the child. He caught a cold last night and has a fever, so he’s very clingy. I hope the steward can be lenient—”

Steward Zhang was about to say something when the little guy poked his fluffy head out of Lin Lang’s arms and called out in a soft, weak voice, “Uncle—”

Steward Zhang was taken aback, waved his hand, and said, “Do as you please. Anyway, the head of the academy will want to see you later, and it won’t look good then.”

With that, he led the two inside.

Lin Lang sighed inwardly, hoping that when he left the little guy in the duty room later, he would behave.

Lu Ji winked at him and whispered, “Don’t worry, Brother Lin. I can help you watch him later.”

Lin Lang smiled gratefully at him.

Steward Zhang first took them to the duty room. Along the way, they encountered many people hurrying by with scrolls, all casting curious glances at them. When they saw the little guy in Lin Lang’s arms, their expressions were quite surprised, but they all preferred to avoid trouble, so they quickly greeted them and left.

Lin Lang and Lu Ji shared a duty room, located in a shady area with poor lighting and a damp, musty smell. The room wasn’t large, with a big desk, two chairs facing each other, and a row of bookshelves filled with books and scrolls. There was nothing else, and no extra space.

Steward Zhang said, “From now on, you two will work here. Now, follow me to meet the head of the academy.”

The two respectfully agreed and were about to follow him.

Steward Zhang glanced at the child in Lin Lang’s arms, his brow twitching, and said, “Are you planning to take the child to meet the head of the academy?”

Lin Lang came to his senses, placed the little guy on the chair in front of the desk, and softly coaxed, “Daddy will be back soon. You be good here—”

The little guy, although not wanting to be apart from his daddy for even a moment, timidly glanced at the stern uncle, knowing that if he acted up now, it would get his daddy scolded too. So he obediently sat there and nodded.

Lin Lang’s heart softened, and he patted the little guy’s soft hair. Because the little guy had caught a cold, he also brought a small blanket with him, wrapping the little guy tightly to prevent the dampness in the duty room from making him uncomfortable.

Steward Zhang stood at the door waiting for him, sighed heavily at the sight, and led the two to meet Head Yuan without saying a word.

Head Yuan’s duty room was a large, south-facing room, several times the size of Lin Lang’s. It was well-lit, with clean windows, and a large ginkgo tree outside, lush with leaves.

Head Yuan sat behind the desk, with a large landscape screen behind him. The south side was almost entirely windows, and the north side was a row of large bookshelves. Head Yuan was brewing tea behind the desk, and apart from the tea set, there was nothing else on the table. Seeing them, he looked up with a smile and said, “So these are our new top scholar and third-place scholar, truly outstanding. Come, come, come, have a seat—”

Steward Zhang led Lin Lang and Lu Ji to sit opposite the desk, while he sat on the other side.

Head Yuan poured three cups of tea, handed one to each of them, and gently stroked his beard, saying, “I’ve read the essays from the palace examination by Lord Lin and Lord Lu, and they were indeed brilliant.”

“But everyone who comes to the Hanlin Academy is talented. You must diligently study and research, help relieve the Emperor’s burdens, and benefit the people of Cangxuan.”

After a lot of encouragement, he said, “There are many tasks in the Hanlin Academy. Steward Zhang will explain them to you, and you should follow his instructions.”

When Lin Lang and Lu Ji returned to the duty room, more than half an hour had passed, and the little chubby boy was asleep in the chair. Fortunately, the chair was big enough for the little guy to lie down comfortably.

Steward Zhang ordered someone to bring over many books and said, “These are the Emperor’s daily records from recent years. They’ve already been edited by colleagues. For the next few days, you’ll be responsible for organizing and copying them into complete volumes.”

The two agreed.

The task wasn’t difficult. As newcomers, they naturally worked diligently, organizing the daily records by date and dividing them into two piles, one for each of them.

Lu Ji started copying them earnestly, while Lin Lang, since the little chubby boy occupied the chair, first skimmed through the contents of the daily records. But when he saw the detailed records of the Emperor’s daily words and actions, he couldn’t help but twitch his forehead.

At this moment, someone knocked on their door. Before they could respond, the person pushed the door open and entered. It was a young man in his thirties, with a clean-shaven face, triangular eyes, and a somewhat gaunt face.

He glanced around and, seeing the child sleeping in Lin Lang’s chair, frowned and said, “Head Hu heard that Scholar Lin brought a child on his first day of duty and scolded Steward Zhang. He also asked me to convey that the Hanlin Academy is not a place for children, and Scholar Lin’s actions are indeed quite unruly. As punishment, your salary will be docked for three months, and the child should be taken back to where he came from.”

“If Scholar Lin repeats this, a year from now, the comments from the head of the academy on Scholar Lin’s performance won’t be favorable.”

After saying this, the man left, not giving Lin Lang a chance to explain. Although, in Lin Lang’s view, there wasn’t much to explain.

Lu Ji looked at him sympathetically and said, “Is there anyone at home who can look after the child? Bringing a child to work is indeed inappropriate, but docking three months’ salary is quite harsh, and the implied threat is also excessive.”

Lin Lang smiled wryly, “I can’t help it. There’s only an old servant at home, but the little guy has been with me since he was born, so he’s quite attached to me.”

Lu Ji, feeling sympathetic, asked, “Brother Lin, if I may ask, what happened to the child’s mother?”

Lin Lang thought to himself that the little guy actually came out of his belly, so technically, he should be considered the little guy’s mother. But of course, he couldn’t tell anyone that, so he said, “The child’s mother passed away during childbirth, so I’ve been raising him alone, both as a father and a mother—” The latter half of this statement couldn’t be truer.

Lu Ji looked at Lin Lang with admiration, clasped his hands in respect, and said, “Most men in the world have never raised a child themselves, so they don’t know the hardships and difficulties of raising one! Otherwise, they wouldn’t treat you this way! Because of this, Brother Lin, I truly admire you. I originally only knew of your scholarly talents, but I didn’t expect you to be such a respectable father as well. It’s truly moving.”

“If Brother Lin doesn’t mind, I will treat the little guy as my own nephew. If there’s anything you need my help with in the future, just let me know.”

If it weren’t for the sincerity in Lu Ji’s expression, Lin Lang would have thought it was a bit too exaggerated. But he was genuinely touched and said, “Then I thank you, Brother Lu!”

While the two were still amicably addressing each other as brothers, there was another commotion outside. It was Head Hu, accompanied by the young man from earlier, pointing at Lin Lang and angrily saying, “You! Are you the new top scholar Lin Lang?! Bringing a child to the Hanlin Academy on your first day?! What do you think this place is?!”

“I already had Yan Si tell you, and yet you still haven’t sent the child back! Do you not want to stay in the Hanlin Academy?!”

“If you don’t want to stay, then leave early, so as not to tarnish this place!”

“And a new top scholar! From what I see, with your conduct, you probably don’t have any real skills! You probably just won the Emperor’s favor with your looks! Truly a disgrace to scholars!”

Head Hu, being a deputy in charge of personnel and rules at the Hanlin Academy, scolded Lin Lang harshly, his words becoming increasingly unpleasant. A crowd had already gathered around.

The little guy was awakened by the noise, hearing the old man scolding his daddy so fiercely, and immediately started crying loudly.

Lin Lang’s face had already turned pale, and seeing this, he quickly picked up the little guy to comfort him.

Lu Ji stepped forward to defend Lin Lang, saying, “Head Hu, Brother Lin only brought the child because he was sick and there was no one at home to care for him. Please understand!”

Head Hu snorted coldly, “Oh?! Since Scholar Lu is so loyal to his colleague, it seems you want to be kicked out together?!”

Lu Ji quickly lowered his head, knowing that Head Hu was someone he couldn’t afford to offend, and dared not say more.

At this moment, a eunuch’s sharp voice rang out, “The Emperor has arrived!”