CH 11.1

Meng Huan appeared not to have heard it. “Repeat it.”

The manservant then repeated. “The letter said that they were aware of your intention to seduce the prince and pass on intelligence and were saddened by your feat of sacrificing your life to assassinate the prince. Great Zhong’s state has one more chance of survival because of your existence.”

“……”

The absurdity had reached the point where Meng Huan saw them in a trance, singing: Thank you, because of you, the four seasons are warm.*

Could he take on this glorious mission of saving the Great Zhong Dynasty?

*Lyrics of a song titled << 听我说谢谢你>>, a nursery song to express gratitude to teachers.

But hold on a moment. Meng Huan tried to ponder; did the letter mean that the original host was tasked with the assassination of Lin Bozhou himself?

“……”

Meng Huan suddenly felt slightly panicked. He had to work very hard just to stay alive in the prince’s residence, and now, he was told that he was also burdened with the task of seduction and assassination, so wouldn’t his miserable life be even worse?

“M-Madam is actually an assassin.” The manservant’s face paled.

“……” Meng Huan opened his mouth, not knowing what to say momentarily, and struggled to say, “You should not falsely accuse the innocent without proof.”

“Then the letter, why—”

Meng Huan’s heart shrank, realizing he was a servant of the prince’s residence and must be on the same page as Lin Bozhou. The letter involved an assassination, and if he went to tell Lin Bozhou, he would be in great danger now.

Meng Huan explained pallidly, “I really don’t know why I received this letter……”

The manservant’s shocked eyes fully expressed distrust.

Meng Huan clenched his teeth and could only think of this one solution. He grabbed a large string of beads from the tray and handed it to him. “Promise me you’ll forget about tonight.”

—

The manservant took the string of beads, left Meng Huan’s courtyard without hesitation, and went to the study where Lin Bozhou was staying.

It was late at night, but the study was brightly lit. Lin Bozhou’s eyes were covered with a white veil, and he sat upright in a chair while Shan Xing read from <<Classic of Rites>>.

“Therefore, virtue matches heaven and earth and benefits all things simultaneously. It is bright as the sun and the moon and shines brightly in the four seas without sparing in the least.”

Silently listening to his reading, Lin Bozhou had long memorized these books but would review them occasionally.

He had eye problems, but glasses were not popular in ancient times, so people like him who needed to read many official documents daily would often let the staff under him read them, making their own decisions by listening to the content and trying to protect their eyes.

The manservant came in and knelt. “Your Majesty, Madam received a letter today.”

Shan Xing’s voice stopped reading and looked at Lin Bozhou. “Huh? Madam is secluded in the prince’s residence; how could he receive a letter from someone else? Who passed it in?”

“I guess the gatekeeper received money,” Lin Bozhou said simply. “Speak.”

The manservant: “Madam asked this servant to help read the letter, in which it was written that Madam seduced the prince with sex, spied on him, and planned to assassinate him.”

Lin Bozhou looked unfazed while the scroll in Shan Xing’s hand suddenly fell.

His expression was like he had swallowed an egg. “Madam is truly illiterate, huh?”

“………………”

The manservant pulled out the string of beads from his sleeve. “This is a bribe given to this servant by Madam to keep it a secret.”

“Bestow him with ten taels of gold.”

“Many thanks, Your Highness.” The manservant kowtowed and retreated.

The study fell into silence, and Shan Xing’s face was puzzled, a little unconvinced by what he had just heard. “Your Majesty, does Madam really have the ability to spy on information?”

“……”

Only after being glanced at by Lin Bozhou did he seriously analyze it. “Who delivered this letter to Madam? If it is his relatives and friends, it must be Meng Xueming’s cronies. Could it be that Vice-Minister Lu delivered it? He came to visit the patient in the morning and wrote an assassination letter in the afternoon, truly a two-faced person.”

“Many people in the court are eager for this prince to die.” Lin Bozhou tapped his finger on the table; his thoughts inexplicably lingered on the words, “Seduced by sex.”

His mind recalled Meng Huan’s every move.

Shan Xing looked at his face. “Then…… how will Your Highness deal with Madam?”

Shan Xing spoke carefully. He could sense the frigid Lin Bozhou, who had not married a wife for more than twenty years and was preoccupied with imperial politics, seemed to have kindled a bit of interest in Meng Huan for something else.

“How to deal with him?”

Lin Bozhou raised his teacup. His pupils reflected the firelight, and the stars sparkled, adding a few elusive depths.

Meng Huan’s fair and handsome face emerged in his mind.

The young man looked well-behaved, often pausing for two or three seconds before speaking to organize a complete sentence. He was very timid and also prone to crying, looking extremely pitiful with a red nose.

“Your Highness?” Shan Xing felt urged to ask.

Lin Bozhou covered the teacup. “He can’t kill me.”

Then he said, “Call him over.”

Shan Xing’s expression was even more surprised, and only after a long time did he say, “Your Highness, are you deliberately teasing Madam?”

Lin Bozhou lifted his eyes and gave a non-committal smile, “Don’t you think his reactions are amusing?”

“…… “Don’t think so, Shan Xing thought to himself.