It was already early winter.

Early winter in the capital was already quite cold, and the water in the lotus pond was bone-chillingly frigid.

Minister Lin—Lin Qiang—just stood there watching his precious son jump into the water to search for a jade pendant.

In such a large pond, how could a child only seven or eight years old possibly find it?

Lin Qiang took a deep breath, walked over, and bowed with cupped hands. “This humble subject greets Your Majesty. This humble subject just heard that Your Majesty’s jade pendant fell into the pond. This humble subject will immediately arrange for people to search for it.”

Chu Hongyu glanced at him sideways, his imperial aura showing a bit, and said coldly, “Children are playing around. Why is Minister Lin interfering? Stand aside and watch.”

“Father, you don’t need to get involved!” Lin Dongdong’s head popped out from the pond. “I told His Majesty that I’m good at swimming, so His Majesty is testing me. If I can successfully find the jade pendant, His Majesty will make me the First Imperial Tutor!”

Lin Qiang kept his head lowered. “Your Majesty, this humble subject’s son is stupid and cannot find the jade pendant. Please let this humble subject do it instead.”

Going into the water in such cold weather—how could a body withstand it?

Moreover, the wind was strong. Once soaked through and blown by the wind, he would probably have to lie in bed for at least a month!

“Minister Lin’s words are incorrect,” Chu Hongyu said. “Lin Dongdong is not stupid. At least he knows to curry favor and flatter me, the Emperor, rather than like you, following the wrong person.”

Lin Qiang couldn’t help but choke up.

The Prince Regent was his own nephew, so naturally he was loyal to the Prince Regent.

Without the Prince Regent, he would still be worrying about three meals a day for his entire family… What they called “when one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven”—he now understood it completely.

“Your Majesty, I found it!” Lin Dongdong excitedly emerged from the water, and the palace attendants nearby quickly came to his aid.

Lin Qiang hurriedly removed his outer robe and wrapped it around his son’s body, afraid he would catch a cold.

“Lin Dongdong, didn’t you say you can also climb trees? After class ends, let’s go to the Imperial Garden to raid bird nests,” said the son of the Minister of Works.

“Great, great!” Lin Dongdong happily agreed.

Lin Qiang suppressed his anger. “Your Majesty, this humble subject will first help my son change his clothes. Please excuse us.”

He pulled his son to the side room where the Imperial Guards temporarily rested. “Do you know that going into the water in this season can kill you? Next time His Majesty asks you to do this, refuse directly. If His Majesty gets angry, go find the Prince Regent. The Prince Regent will protect you.”

“I won’t refuse. His Majesty likes me, so he’s testing me,” Lin Dongdong said as he changed clothes, lowering his eyes. “When I first entered the palace, everyone else laughed at me for growing up in the countryside and wouldn’t talk to me. Only His Majesty was willing to acknowledge me and even said he would make me the First Imperial Tutor. If His Majesty likes me, everyone will like me.”

Lin Qiang’s mood suddenly became complicated.

When the family fell on hard times, they could only return to their old village home to make a living. The child was born and raised in the village. Even dressed in fine clothes, one could still smell that earthy scent.

His Majesty didn’t like Dongdong at all—he was clearly using Dongdong to warn him, the father.

At such a young age, to have such deep schemes.

He said, “Dongdong, why don’t we stop going to the palace and just find a good school outside to study?”

“No way!” Lin Dongdong stiffened his neck. “His Majesty likes me, and I like His Majesty too. I want to be His Majesty’s imperial tutor for life!”

After saying this, he turned and ran out.

Lin Qiang hurried after him but encountered Chu Hongyu wearing dragon robes at the door.

“Minister Lin, don’t waste your effort,” Chu Hongyu said with a light smile. “Lin Dongdong is the First Imperial Tutor personally appointed by me. He won’t give up easily. I secretly told him that if his father doesn’t allow him to enter the palace, then he should cry, make a scene, and threaten to hang himself. He asked me what to do if he can’t reach the beam, and I said, well, you can bang your head against the wall, you can jump into a river, or you can take a kitchen knife and slit your throat…”

“Your Majesty!”

Lin Qiang was terrified and lost his composure, crying out involuntarily.

Chu Hongyu continued, “By being loyal to the Prince Regent, you can gain wealth and glory, but you will lose your son. Don’t think the Prince Regent will protect your son—he even killed his own son… Oh, Minister Lin probably wouldn’t care. With money, you can take concubines and have as many children as you want. Alas, poor Dongdong. When the time comes, I will definitely find him an auspicious burial site.”

Lin Qiang was driven nearly mad by these words.

His voice trembling, he said, “Your Majesty… what does Your Majesty want this humble subject to do before you’re willing to spare Dongdong?”

“The Prince Regent must have had Minister Lin plant many informants around me and the Empress Dowager, right?” Chu Hongyu pulled at the corner of his mouth. “I’ll give you a list. Replace those people, the ones doing surveillance, with the people on this list.”

“This…”

Lin Qiang hesitated.

“Minister Lin, I’m only giving you fifteen minutes to think about it,” Chu Hongyu’s smile turned cruel. “You know what the consequences will be.”

Lin Qiang clenched his fists.

He realized he had no choice at all.

Wealth, glory, and power were certainly important, but if his only son was gone, what meaning would all of this have?

Moreover, the young Emperor had said something correct.

Chu Rui could even kill his pregnant wife—what about him, an uncle with whom he’d had no contact for many years?

If one day in the future he needed to pave the way, would he become Chu Rui’s stepping stone?

People must learn to leave themselves an escape route.

If he didn’t think about himself, he should at least think about Dongdong.

He said, “Just replacing these people will do? Do I need to do anything else?”

Chu Hongyu said unhurriedly, “Yes, I only need you to do this one thing.”

Lin Qiang gritted his teeth. “Yes, this humble subject accepts the command!”

Chu Hongyu handed the list he had prepared long ago to Lin Qiang.

The former commander of the Imperial Guards was Fan Ming. Although Fan Ming had been dismissed from office, among the eight thousand Imperial Guards, there were still many of Fan Ming’s people.

By replacing the people monitoring the Imperial Study and Kunning Palace with Fan Ming’s subordinates, this would cut off most of Chu Rui’s informants.

Lin Qiang hid the list. “Then this humble subject will act as if today’s events never happened.”

“No, they must have happened,” Chu Hongyu smiled innocently. “You talked with me in the Imperial Study for so long—the Prince Regent couldn’t possibly not know. After leaving the Imperial Study, you must go complain to him. At tomorrow morning’s court session, it’s best if you also have the Censorate impeach me. The more serious the impeachment, the better. Understand?”

Lin Qiang didn’t quite understand but still agreed. “…Yes.”

Coming out of the room, he turned his head and saw Lin Dongdong playing with the children of other ministers and nobles, having a particularly good time.

He couldn’t help but sigh, his mood extremely complicated.

The next day at morning court.

The young Emperor overslept and made all the civil and military officials wait for half an hour before arriving late. Sitting on the dragon throne, he was still yawning, looking half-asleep.

Originally, the first item should have been discussing major matters of national importance and people’s livelihood, but a group of censors were so infuriated that the first item of morning court became impeaching the young Emperor.