Ye Qinghuan’s words shot out like rapid-fire arrows. As clever as she was, she had already mapped out her next move to deal with this guy—expose his logical flaws and make him lose face completely! Just like yesterday! This was her court—she had to take back control.
But to her surprise, Lin Ming’s reaction completely dodged her trap.
He simply and boldly admitted, “I overslept.”
The entire court instantly erupted in uproar!
Quite a few officials were instantly drenched in cold sweat.
The new Duke Commander’s political tact must be in the negatives! Even if he made up some nonsense, it’d be better than saying that!
Ye Qinghuan’s phoenix eyes flashed as a smile tugged at her lips. She had been worried he’d try to explain it away—now he’d confessed directly. She spoke aloud, “So you admit your guilt?”
“Guilt? What crime have I committed?” Lin Ming, not playing by the rules at all, simply sat down and said, “Your Majesty, it was just being a little late. Don’t be so narrow-minded! It’s not like I slapped your butt on purpose yesterday! If you’re really that determined to come after me, then fine, say what you will.”
The moment he said that, the entire hall felt as if it had been doused in gunpowder.
The ministers exchanged stunned looks: “Huh? The Duke Commander slapped the Empress’s butt yesterday?”
“No wonder Her Majesty seems off today, especially targeting the Duke… turns out there was a reason—”
“But the Empress didn’t say a word about it. Could it be something… inappropriate really happened yesterday?”
Ye Qinghuan was so furious she nearly exploded.
“Utter nonsense! Who said I’m hung up over what happened yesterday?! Lin Ming, not only did you openly arrive late, but now you’re slandering your sovereign! This crime—this crime is unforgivable!”
[Ding! Empress’s anger level +99! Lifespan extended by 2,000 minutes! Reward: Master-level military strategy wisdom!]
[Ding! Empress’s anger level +99! Lifespan extended by 2,500 minutes! Reward: One Marrow Cleansing Pill!]
Lin Ming remained calm, inwardly thrilled.
Holy crap!
This Empress really is a walking money printer!
Just a few words, and such huge rewards drop!
No matter what happened today, he had to milk her for at least a month’s worth of lifespan!
But looking at the Empress now… it really did seem like she wanted to kill him!
“Vice Minister of Justice! Pass judgment!”
Ye Qinghuan, usually cold and composed, directly roared this time.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
From among the officials, a middle-aged man wearing the uniform of a third-rank official stepped forward, holding the thick lawbook of the Great Duan Empire. Stroking his beard, he said, “The Duke Commander arrived late to court, showing contempt for court order. According to the laws of the empire… he shall be fined half a month’s salary!”
Ye Qinghuan’s beautiful eyes widened in shock. Had she heard that right? Just a half-month fine?
That’s all?!
“Vice Minister of Justice! Are you mistaken? The Duke has not only disrespected Her Majesty but also scorned the court! Such a light sentence—how can it bring peace to the empire?”
The speaker was a beautiful young woman with a graceful figure—Ye Qinghuan’s personal attendant and palace official, Li Qiushui.
Li Qiushui was one of the Empress’s closest confidantes and had already been holding back anger over yesterday’s offense. Hearing that Lin Ming might walk away unpunished made her snap.
But the Vice Minister of Justice smiled and said, “I’m merely following procedure. Besides, I haven’t finished.”
“The Duke Commander was granted judicial immunity by five generations of emperors. No matter the crime, unless it’s treason, he is exempt from prosecution.”
“So, the final ruling—no punishment.”
No punishment!
As soon as he said it, Li Qiushui exploded.
“Absurd! Absolutely absurd! Vice Minister, come clean—how much did the Lin family bribe you to protect the Duke like this?!”
The Vice Minister still smiled faintly, “I’m simply following imperial precedent. If you don’t believe me, feel free to investigate.”
“And also, Lady Li, you’d best watch your mouth! In our empire, slandering a third-rank court official is punishable by exile for 3,000 kilometers at minimum—or execution of the entire household at maximum!”
“Vile collusion! Corrupt to the core!”
Li Qiushui stomped in fury, nearly ready to curse aloud.
But Ye Qinghuan suddenly rose and snapped coldly, “Enough!”
Only then did the court finally fall silent.
Even Lin Ming was more surprised than her, secretly stunned.
He had mentally prepared himself for a good scolding from the Empress. It’s not like she could actually kill him.
But after all the fuss, all he got was a fine of half a month’s salary?
He, the Duke Commander, wealthy enough to rival a nation, wouldn’t even blink at losing that kind of money.
Ye Qinghuan scoffed coldly, lifting her frosty face as she said, “So this is the final ruling of the Ministry of Justice? Then from now on, does that mean anyone can show up late to court?”
The Vice Minister knelt and said, “Your Majesty, I tremble with fear! But the examples I gave apply only to the Duke Commander.”
“The former Duke, during the reigns of Emperor Wenzong, Jingzong, and the late emperor, was late almost every day and never punished. The only time he was fined was when he arrived two full hours late. To save face for the late emperor, he was fined half a month’s salary.” Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
His words left both Li Qiushui and Ye Qinghuan speechless.
Especially Ye Qinghuan—her fair face darkened like a frostbitten eggplant, her royal figure trembling with rage.
The former Duke had always been a towering mountain pressing down on her, her brother, and several former emperors.
Now that the old one had died, this new one showed up—and he was even worse!
But none of them noticed that Lin Ming’s jaw had dropped wider than theirs.
[Empress’s anger level +99! Lifespan extended by 3,000 minutes! Reward: One pair of modern underpants!]
[Empress’s anger level +99! Lifespan extended by 5,000 minutes! Reward: One random ancient forbidden technique!]
Holy crap!
So this is the power of nepotism? Even the Empress couldn’t do anything to him!
And when he lowered his head, he caught the Vice Minister of Justice giving him a flirtatious wink—seemed like he was saying, “I’m on your side too!”
Lin Ming: Dad…
With his father’s legacy as his ace, Lin Ming’s original plan of backing off was completely scrapped.
Sometimes, people need a little adventurous spirit!
Lin Ming puffed up his chest and suddenly stood up with a grin, “Your Majesty, I have something to report!”
“Speak!”
Seeing it was the annoying Duke Commander again, Empress Ye Qinghuan’s expression turned blank.
“Well, uh… I wanted to ask… those privileges my father had while he was alive, like the Nine Bestowments, the unrestricted access to the palace… can I inherit those too?”
This time, the reaction was even more explosive than before.
The entire court practically exploded.
Ye Qinghuan looked like she’d been struck by lightning—she nearly fell off the dragon throne.
The Nine Bestowments, free access to the palace—those were imperial privileges reserved only for the Emperor!
In the previous reign, the old Duke, Grand Commandant Lin Ba, had monopolized power. To usurp the throne, he had seized those privileges.
Now, Lin Ming had just asked for them openly in front of the entire court!
Li Qiushui was furious beyond words, “Duke Commander, why don’t you just tattoo the words ‘traitorous usurper’ on your forehead?!”