A Scummy Alpha Emperor Transmigrated and Marked the Powerful Prime Minister - Chapter 14

Lin Jiayue arrived at the Grand Secretariat in a whirlwind, with officials bowing to her all along the way. The looks on their faces were more than a little curious—it was as if the sun had risen in the west; the young Emperor had actually come to the Secretariat.

The moment she stepped off her palanquin, the first thing she did was smooth out her robes. They were flat, beautiful, and she was satisfied. But as soon as she stepped inside, she felt dizzy; people were rushing to and fro, and the place was a hive of activity.

Upon seeing her, they hurriedly dropped their work to salute. One by one, they stopped until the entire office fell still. It made her feel like she was… extra. It was like a team working feverishly on a project with a tight deadline, only to have to stop for an entire day because a boss showed up for an inspection. Just thinking about it made her feel bad for them.

Lin Jiayue quickly waved her hands. “Stay busy. I have business with the Grand Chancellor.”

After that awkward entrance, her energy softened. She had planned to sternly interrogate Lu Siling, but the moment she saw her, she lost her fire. The other Grand Secretaries had all come out to greet her, but even after she told them to return to work, Lu Siling hadn’t emerged. Did she not know she was there, or did she just not want to deal with her?

Lu Siling only rose to salute after Lin Jiayue entered the inner room. There was nothing wrong with it; her etiquette was perfectly standard.

But something was off. Lu Siling was too indifferent. She was still cold, but that bone-chilling, shadowy frost from before was gone. It was like… the look of someone who had already gotten their revenge and no longer cared.

In truth, Lu Siling had gotten her revenge once before—she had brutally tortured the young Emperor in her past life. Seeing the Emperor again now, her hatred did surge, but the events occurring in this reality made it difficult for her to distinguish between fact and dream. Regardless, after she had ordered the Emperor flayed in her previous life, the hatred in her heart had been somewhat assuaged. Thus, she could maintain a sense of detachment when facing her now.

“No need for such formality.”

Lin Jiayue suddenly felt a bit afraid of Lu Siling’s indifference. Intense emotions at least gave her something to work with. Lu Siling’s extreme calm made it feel like she wouldn’t strike unless it was a single, fatal blow.

How terrifying!

Lin Jiayue felt herself trembling inside and immediately put on a fawning smile. “Teacher Lu, I heard your critique and came specifically to ask: if my handwriting is poor, what about my essay?”

What happened to the interrogation?

What happened to demanding an explanation?

Never had anyone seen an Emperor this cowardly. Zhang Huairou, who had followed her in fearing the Emperor might go “crazy,” immediately retreated. A look like the one on the Emperor’s face was a “see it and die” kind of embarrassment. If Wei Jinming were here, Zhang Huairou definitely wouldn’t stop her—she’d just let Wei Jinming die of shame.

Speaking of the essay, Lu Siling was indeed surprised. Lin Jiayue’s proposal for a “closed-loop” policy flow—top-down and bottom-up—had existed in history, but it had always failed due to a lack of supervision. During its peak, the Imperial City Guard knew everything happening in the capital. Though it had declined, if it were expanded and the Palace Guard became an information channel for the entire Great Zhou…

And if every agent in the Guard was unaware of the others’ identities and reported directly to the Emperor, it would drastically reduce policy distortion. It wouldn’t require the Emperor to handle every detail personally; a specialized department for screening information could be established within the palace. Not under the City Guard, but directly under the Emperor, much like the Directorate of Ceremonies. Whether eunuchs or female officials, their power came from the sovereign. Even if they were arrogant to the outside world, they had to be honest with the Emperor.

This idea was viable. Personnel could be selected from the existing female officials, and since the City Guard already spanned the empire, it only needed strengthening. The investment wasn’t too high—within Lu Siling’s acceptable range.

She decided then and there to establish such an office, but it couldn’t fall into the hands of the Empress Dowager or the young Emperor. However, a place like this had to be inside the palace, like the Directorate, to keep outsiders from interfering.

Lu Siling was still pondering this when the young Emperor suddenly arrived—looking exactly like little Bai Heng running back for a treat after catching a wooden disc.

“It is… acceptable.”

She replied to Lin Jiayue just as she would to the dog.

Acceptable?

Lin Jiayue let out a disappointed hum. Was Lu Siling so brilliant that she looked down on her essay? She thought she had offered a treasure, but to the other woman, it was apparently nothing special.

Her annoyance bubbled up again. “May I ask the Grand Chancellor: what exactly did you see in my handwriting?”

Lu Siling raised her eyes. Is the young Emperor questioning me?

“Dissipation, impatience, an eagerness to prove oneself, yet a total lack of composure.” Lu Siling was merciless. She had harsher things to say, but held back only because she was facing the monarch. “If your spirit is this flighty, how can you sit firmly upon the throne?”

She stared into Lin Jiayue’s eyes. “If the brush is not steady, the heart is not still. If the heart is not still, errors will be manifold.”

Lin Jiayue’s heart sank. She was right. To her, both the writing and the essay were like homework. She put in effort, but only enough to finish the assignment.

“Yes… I have learned my lesson.”

Since coming to this world, she had been desperate to prove herself—to prove she wasn’t as wretched as the original owner, that she was a good partner with actual ability. Haste makes waste. She had been too impatient.

Lin Jiayue gave a sincere bow. “My thanks to the Grand Chancellor.”

Lu Siling froze. She actually saw sincerity in Lin Jiayue. She had always looked down on the young Emperor for her love of petty schemes and shady plots, but as the one the late Emperor chose, she had to try. Now, she felt something different from Lin Jiayue. Sincerity, a willingness to change when wrong, and that “composure” she had always tried to teach her.

Lu Siling paused for a few seconds. “Your Majesty is too kind.”

Immediately, Lin Jiayue switched to a beaming smile. “Could Teacher Lu recommend a copybook for me to practice with?”

The sudden shift in expression reminded Lu Siling of her white Song dog—grinning and mischievous, the kind of look that made you want to hit it. The young Emperor is acting less like a piece of scum.

“Very well.” Lu Siling picked a copybook off her shelf at random.

Lin Jiayue flipped through it earnestly. “This is beautifully written!”

The copybook wasn’t actually suitable for a beginner, nor was it meant for tracing, but it was the only one in the room. Seeing Lin Jiayue’s delight, Lu Siling subconsciously looked away.

“Thank you, Teacher Lu!”

“Grand Chancellor” one moment, “Teacher Lu” the next—Lin Jiayue’s emotions changed faster than a turning page. Fickle bastard.

Lin Jiayue was about to leave, but then she remembered something. “By the way, did Wang Duoshi really send Wang Ergou on the Empress Dowager’s orders?” There were plenty of professional assassins; there was no need to use someone so closely related to oneself.

“What does Your Majesty think?”

“I think Wang Duoshi was terrified by the assassinations and confessed everything he could. And what he didn’t know… he just made up. Wang Duoshi knows too much; they tried to kill him to shut his mouth, but not necessarily because of the attempt on me. I think someone is deliberately leading us to believe the Empress Dowager or the Cui family is behind the assassination.”

Lin Jiayue spoke her mind without reservation. Lu Siling didn’t say anything, just watched her intently.

“What? Am I wrong?” Lin Jiayue tilted her head in confusion.

“No.” Lu Siling remained silent.

Lin Jiayue continued her guessing game. “Then… did I say too much? Does Teacher Lu feel there’s no need for such talk between us?” She understood, but she insisted on saying it anyway.

Lu Siling gave a slight, tacit nod.

Suddenly, Lin Jiayue put on a pitiful look, her eyes brimming with tears. “Is Teacher Lu… planning to distance herself from me?”

Lu Siling: “…”

The transitions are too fast! I haven’t said a word, so how are we “distancing” ourselves?

Wait… when were our hearts ever close to begin with?