“I’m your man!!”
As soon as those words were spoken, the hall fell into complete silence. Even the usually sharp-tongued Li Qiushui was left with her mouth hanging open, unable to speak.
The engagement between the Duke Commander and the Empress was well-known across the Empire. But everyone understood that Empress Ye Qinghuan was a proud and lofty woman with great ambition. She looked down on the Duke Commander’s good-for-nothing son, Lin Ming. So, no one brought it up—everyone pretended not to know.
Yet now, the one involved had directly broken the silence.
Ye Qinghuan’s expression turned extremely ugly. She glared at Lin Ming, wanting to reprimand him, but the words wouldn’t come out!
This arranged marriage had always been a thorn in her heart!
And now, Lin Ming had chosen to poke that very wound.
“His Excellency the Ancestor has arrived!”
Just as the atmosphere grew unbearably awkward, a stooped, white-haired old eunuch in court robes appeared before everyone’s eyes. He looked ancient, yet his stride was vigorous and commanding.
“Wei Gonggong! Nine-Thousand-Year Lord!”
All the officials were visibly shaken. The other eunuchs had already fallen to their knees, trembling as they said, “Greetings to the Ancestor!”
Some of higher status even addressed him directly, “Godfather!”
Ye Qinghuan’s phoenix-like brows furrowed as she muttered, “Why is he here?”
Lin Ming paused, sifting through his memories.
The old eunuch walked straight up to Lin Ming, patted his shoulder with a kind expression, and said, “Nephew, it’s been a long time! In the blink of an eye, you’ve grown so big!”
“Godfather!” Lin Ming blurted out.
He remembered. This man was the grand eunuch Wei Zhongxiang, head of the Directorate of Ceremonial under the Great Duan Empire, directly commanding the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
In the past, he had been the personal eunuch to the late Emperor Taizong, and had a close bond with Lin Ba, Lin Ming’s father. The two were like brothers.
Later, when Lin Ba rose to power, he and Wei Zhongxiang formed a powerful alliance—one handling external affairs, the other managing internal matters—the strongest duo of so-called treacherous officials.
And as part of that alliance, Lin Ming had been made Wei Zhongxiang’s godson!
In other words, this elderly eunuch was one of his own!
“Junior Lin Ming greets Godfather!” Lin Ming hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting, even preparing to kneel. If this eunuch hadn’t arrived just in time, his life today might have ended on that court floor.
Whether Wei Zhongxiang was a eunuch or not didn’t matter—as long as he could cling to his thigh!
“Hahaha! We’re family, no need to be so formal!” Wei Zhongxiang smiled as he helped him up and said meaningfully, “They all say you’ve been weak and sickly since birth, but that punch you gave Cao Wenxiu earlier… looked like something from a seasoned fighter!” Read the latest chapters at g.com.
Lin Ming’s heart skipped a beat. This guy saw that from so far away?
He smiled calmly and said, “I believe in reasoning and persuading with virtue. But when someone’s truly asking for it… I happen to know a bit of martial arts.”
Wei Zhongxiang narrowed his eyes and studied him for a moment, then burst out laughing, “Hahahaha! Looks like your father was wrong about you! Unexpected… truly unexpected…”
The sudden laughter left everyone else in confusion.
Only Lin Ming felt uneasy, as if his secret had already been seen through by this cunning eunuch.
“Wei Gonggong!” Ye Qinghuan said coldly, “The founding Emperor left behind an edict: eunuchs are forbidden from interfering in state affairs. Why have you deliberately come to court today? Don’t tell me you’re here to plead on someone’s behalf?”
No matter how arrogant a eunuch was, he was still a servant. And Empress Ye Qinghuan believed she could handle him.
“This old servant wouldn’t dare!” Wei Zhongxiang replied with a beaming smile.
Unlike the flamboyant Lin Ba, Wei Zhongxiang, despite his ruthlessness behind the scenes, always maintained an obedient front in court.
He bowed slightly and said, “This old servant only came to remind Your Majesty of one thing.”
“Speak,” Ye Qinghuan said without moving.
Wei Zhongxiang leaned in quietly and whispered, “Minister of War and Governor of the Southeast, Lin Hui, will be returning to the capital soon to report on his duties.”
Ye Qinghuan’s pupils contracted slightly, and her body visibly trembled.
Lin Hui—current Governor of the Southeast—was the top-ranking frontier official in the Great Duan Empire, holding authority over the Empire’s grain transport and economic lifelines!
More importantly, he was the younger brother of Lin Ba and the biological uncle of Lin Ming!
Currently, he was the most powerful member of the Lin family. Although slightly inferior to Lin Ba in status, the difference wasn’t large.
“Your Majesty should understand what this old servant means,” Wei Zhongxiang said meaningfully.
If she broke ties with the Lin family now, the consequences would be obvious.
Ye Qinghuan took a deep breath, rose to her feet, and announced, “Court dismissed!”
Lin Ming blinked. “Eh? Your Majesty, you haven’t answered my question yet—about our marriage…”
Before he could finish, Ye Qinghuan turned and left!
Li Qiushui snorted, rolled her eyes at Lin Ming, and followed after her.
Hu Lin and the others quickly caught up.
Wei Zhongxiang turned to Lin Ming with a friendly smile and said, “Nephew, Duke Commander, come here. I have something good to give you!”
Lin Ming was puzzled. “Godfather, why did the Empress suddenly end court in such a hurry?”
“It’s because your uncle, Lin Hui, is returning in a few days. You’d best be cautious! He and your father, Lin Ba, have been estranged for years. He might be returning to take your Duke Commander title!” Wei Zhongxiang said with a smile.
Lin Ming stiffened. “My father had a biological brother?!”
There had been no mention of this in his father’s study records! Their relationship must have been completely severed.
“Of course!” Wei Zhongxiang nodded. “And he’s the top frontier official of the Great Duan Empire, commanding an army of 200,000! Even I have to be wary around him.”
Wei Zhongxiang then pulled out a worn, old book and handed it to Lin Ming.
“But from Jianghuai to the capital, by land and water, it’ll take at least a month. That means, boy, you’ve got one month to prepare!”
“This is my gift to you! Read it on the road. Don’t disappoint me, boy!”
With that, he waved and left swiftly, surrounded by a group of eunuchs.
Halfway down the corridor, his previously kind face revealed a cunning grin.
“Hehe! Interesting… I saw that boy when he was young. He was a sickly waste doomed not to live past twenty. But now, his body has developed a martial root! Could this be divine fate?”
He had clearly seen the changes in Lin Ming’s body.
“Lord Wei, a martial root is a one-in-a-million top-tier martial aptitude! It’s said to be the qualification to become a Grandmaster! Are we really not going to eliminate him at the root?” asked his subordinate Chen Hong.
Chen Hong, Chief Scribe Eunuch, peak elite Grandmaster, and head of the Eastern Depot, spoke with evident jealousy.
Eunuchs, due to their physical shortcomings, often had more psychological issues than normal people.
Though Wei Zhongxiang and Lin Ba had sworn brotherhood, only a few knew it was merely an alliance of mutual benefit.
Now that Lin Ba was dead, Wei Zhongxiang had no more restraints and could act without fear.
“No!” Wei Zhongxiang narrowed his eyes and said shocking words, “Perhaps… Lin Ming is a pawn we can use! Whether he is a dragon lurking in the abyss or a fleeting flower, we’ll see in time!”
At the same moment, inside the luxurious Lin Manor carriage…
Lin Ming opened the worn book given to him, reading the heavy, ancient script aloud:
“To master divine skills, one must first castrate himself.”
“I XXXX!!”
“F*** your mother! You gave me the Sunflower Manual?!”