A Little Chubby Boy 4

Lu Ji’s eyes sparkled with joy as he said, “I was feeling quite lost and confused, but after hearing Brother Lin’s words, I feel enlightened. It’s as if the ambitions I had during my years of studying have returned.”

“Brother Lin’s twelve strategies for governing the country have inspired me greatly, and I have an immature idea.”

Lin Lang replied, “I’m all ears.”

Lu Ji said, “I’ve been idle at the Hanlin Academy lately, so why not spend my time reading more books and perfecting Brother Lin’s twelve strategies for governing the country? It would be much more meaningful than what I usually do.”

“However, my knowledge is limited, and I might not have thought everything through. I would appreciate it if you two brothers could help me improve it.”

Fan Zhong said, “It’s a great idea. I also think Brother Lin’s twelve strategies are brilliant. If we can refine them, they will surely benefit the court.”

“I’m currently working in the Ministry of Personnel, and I’ve been thinking and researching about governance. I have access to many important books and documents, so I can help improve it.”

Lu Ji said, “That’s great!”

Lin Lang saw their enthusiasm and didn’t want to dampen their spirits, so he said, “Since Brother Lu and Brother Fan are so dedicated, I will do my best as well. We can each take responsibility for a part and discuss it together on our days off.”

“Although I go to Zichen Palace every day, I mainly help His Majesty review memorials and transcribe the daily records. I still have plenty of time to organize the relevant materials.”

Lu Ji was overjoyed to hear this and said, “That’s wonderful!”

Then, as if remembering something amusing, he said, “Brother Lin, Brother Fan, you might not know, but lately, I’ve found the most amusing thing to be transcribing the Emperor’s daily records.”

“In my opinion, His Majesty is the most passionate person in the world. When the heir of Duke Cheng, Ning Mo, was still alive, His Majesty was diligent and focused on making the country strong and the people prosperous. But ever since Ning Mo passed away, His Majesty seems to have lost his soul. He doesn’t want to attend court or review memorials, and he spends his days reminiscing about Ning Mo’s writings and poems.”

“They say His Majesty has framed Ning Mo’s original writings and poems and personally copied them many times. Every night before bed, he looks at them repeatedly.”

“Now, the harem is empty, and everyone knows that His Majesty only has Ning Mo in his heart. You know, most men have multiple wives, especially someone like His Majesty, the Emperor. Throughout history, which emperor didn’t have a harem full of concubines? Yet His Majesty only thinks of Ning Mo. Isn’t that something to sigh about?”

Lu Ji sighed dramatically, as if he truly felt sorry for the Emperor, and then drank another cup of wine and ate a few more bites of meat.

Lin Lang didn’t know what to say, feeling both awkward and embarrassed. When Ning Mo was alive, he could feel Liu Qi’s kindness towards him, but he also sensed Liu Qi’s cautiousness, fearing that he would distance himself if he found out. Who would have thought that after his death, the Emperor would openly express his feelings, making Lin Lang feel so awkward that he wanted to dig a hole to hide in? But then he thought about how Little Chubby Boy was already so big, and there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, no one knew he was Ning Mo; at most, they thought he was a stand-in for Ning Mo.

Fan Zhong couldn’t help but remind, “After all, it’s His Majesty’s personal matter. Brother Lu, isn’t it inappropriate to speak about it like this? If someone with ill intentions hears it and makes a fuss, you might get into trouble.”

Lu Ji patted his chest and said, “Brother Fan is right, but I only talk about it in front of you. I wouldn’t say it in front of others.”

Fan Zhong said, “That’s good.”

The group continued eating and chatting until late afternoon, then sat under the old locust tree, drinking tea, reading, and chatting. They managed to organize the outline of the twelve strategies for governing the country and listed the key points and necessary references for each strategy.

In the evening, they only had a simple meal and then enthusiastically continued working on the twelve strategies. It wasn’t until late at night, with a crescent moon hanging over the wall, that Lu Ji and Fan Zhong went home, and Little Chubby Boy washed up and went to bed.

The next day, Lin Lang had to get up early for work and lamented why there was only one day off now; it was really inhumane.

But he didn’t expect the next day at work to be so chaotic. After a day of rest, many officials submitted memorials to impeach Lin Lang. The accusations were repetitive: one claimed Lin Lang’s poem at the Wild Goose Pagoda slandered the court, another said Lin Lang assisting the Emperor in reviewing memorials was overstepping his bounds, and a third accused him of using his looks to seduce the Emperor, labeling him a sycophant. Each accusation was followed by thousands of words attacking Lin Lang’s misconduct.

Lin Lang was both amused and exasperated by these officials. As a mere sixth-rank Hanlin scholar, how did he warrant such elaborate efforts from these officials?

Due to this commotion, as soon as Lin Lang arrived at Zichen Palace, he was personally led by Wang Gonggong to the Chui Gong Palace to confront those officials.

The officials from the Censorate were notoriously stubborn, like stones in a latrine—smelly and hard. Once they latched onto someone, they wouldn’t let go, believing they were in the right, impervious to wealth or power, and would speak out even if the King of Heaven himself came, all for the sake of a clear court.

When Lin Lang arrived, he saw several officials kneeling there, their necks stiff, faces red with indignation. The Emperor sat there with his eyes closed, resting, and only when he saw Lin Lang did he say, “Minister Lin, these officials from the Censorate have impeached you, accusing you of slandering the court, overstepping your position, and using your looks to seduce the Emperor. Do you have anything to say?”

Lin Lang respectfully saluted the Emperor and then faced the officials, saying, “I am merely a sixth-rank Hanlin scholar, insignificant and without the qualifications to attend court. I don’t know why these officials are impeaching me, so I must trouble them to briefly state their reasons. First, how have I slandered the court?”

A beardless, triangular-eyed, thin-cheeked censor named Yan Lun stepped forward and said, “Minister Lin, your poem at the Wild Goose Pagoda said, ‘The rivers and lakes are full of disputes, where in life is there no desolation?’ Comparing the court to the rivers and lakes implies that the court is full of disputes, making you feel desolate. If you were lamenting due to injustice, I could understand, but you wrote this right after becoming the top scholar. Isn’t that slandering the court?”

Lin Lang couldn’t help but applaud this censor, and he actually did, with a look of disbelief on his face, saying, “Minister Yan, as you said, I hadn’t even entered the court when I wrote this poem, so how could it be a reflection on the court? The last two lines of the poem say, ‘Most things are unintentional, why not get drunk and sing?’ It was just a spontaneous expression, not to be taken too seriously.”

“I’ve always heard that actions are judged by deeds, not by thoughts. Besides, the original intent of the poem should be determined by me, not by Minister Yan.”

Many ministers in the court whispered in support of Lin Lang. Although they didn’t have much contact with him, they had heard that the Emperor favored this top scholar, which made them a bit envious and displeased. But to accuse Lin Lang based on a poem that didn’t seem to mean anything was a bit too much. If the Censorate succeeded in this, then any casual remark they made could be used against them, making them feel like they were walking on thin ice.

A minister stood up and said, “Minister Lin makes a valid point. If this poem can be considered slander against the court, then in the future, all ministers might not dare to speak, and when they meet, they might only dare to communicate with their eyes.”

Lin Lang looked at this person, who was Qin Li, the Deputy Minister of Justice. Deputy Minister Qin was a few years older than him and could be considered his senior. When he was still Ning Mo, before the imperial exams, he had studied under the famous Confucian scholar Zhang Ming, and Qin Li was a student personally taught by Zhang Ming.

Although he didn’t study under Zhang Ming for long, as most of his time was spent as a companion reader in the palace, and by the time he joined Zhang Ming, Qin Li had already passed the imperial exams two sessions earlier and was serving as an official, they didn’t have much interaction, only occasionally meeting.

But once a teacher, always a teacher. He still had some admiration for Zhang Ming, and by extension, he had a good impression of this senior brother he didn’t interact with much, especially now that Qin Li stood up for him.

He smiled at Qin Li to express his gratitude, but Qin Li only glanced at him with disdain and contempt, almost as if he wanted to label him a sycophant, as if looking at him any longer would drag him into the same camp.

Lin Lang silently touched his nose, thinking how much his senior brother Qin must dislike him.

At this moment, someone mischievously added to Deputy Minister Qin’s words, “Even communicating with eyes might not be safe. If Minister Yan accuses you of having crooked eyes and being disrespectful to the Emperor, it would be hard to explain.” The court erupted in laughter.

Lin Lang turned his head and saw that the speaker was Xue You.

But having learned from Qin Li’s reaction and knowing that Xue You, as the protagonist of the original story, was almost in direct conflict with his mission, he didn’t look at him any longer, let alone express gratitude.

This scene happened in an instant, but the Emperor noticed everything. The Emperor was somewhat annoyed, finding Qin Li displeasing. Although he often said that Lin Lang couldn’t compare to Zi Mo, seeing someone look down on Lin Lang made him unhappy, as if his Zi Mo was also being looked down upon.