Inside the palace, Gu Beichen meticulously listed all the crimes Lin Zhen had committed at the gambling house.
Things like bringing personal guards for private use, killing and robbing, kidnapping the shopkeeper, showing no respect for the law, and defying the royal authority.
He also mentioned how Lin Zhen used to bully honest folks in the capital, causing suffering to many commoners who dared not speak out.
The more Murong Yan listened, the angrier she got, and the more she wanted to kill that scoundrel Lin Zhen.
“Lin Zhen… you’ve brought chaos and disgrace upon my Great Qian. You are utterly unworthy of being an official!”
Gu Yunting sat properly on a small stool and said meticulously, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Lin Zhen’s crimes are indeed endless, but isn’t it all because he relies on the regent holding the military power? If the regent suddenly dies, and he inherits the command of the army, what would happen then?”
Gu Beichen added, “He would definitely rebel! Your Majesty, Lin Zhen is already this arrogant without military power. Once he has it, would he still see you in his eyes?”
The father and son deliberately twisted their words, highlighting the threat from the Regent’s Mansion without directly suggesting any course of action, leaving the burden on Murong Yan.
Their meaning was clear: this man is already like this; shouldn’t you, as the emperor, do something about it?
Of course, the Gu family didn’t expect to bring down the Lin family over this incident. As long as they could avenge Gu Beichen and teach Lin Zhen a lesson, that would be enough.
As expected, after hearing this, Murong Yan’s delicate face turned as red as an apple, as if her little universe was about to explode.
At this critical moment, Lin Zhen arrived.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, Lin Zhen seeks an audience outside the hall.”
“Let that scoundrel roll in here!”
“Yes!”
“Pfft… hehehe.” Gu Yunting couldn’t help but laugh.
Given Lin Zhen’s cowardly nature, he might really roll in.
That would bring utter disgrace to the Regent’s Mansion.
Lin Zhen, outside the hall, heard the words.
Roll in?
Murong Yan, Murong Yan, you really think too highly of yourself.
Murong Wushe didn’t dare to stop him and could only follow behind.
“Subject Lin Zhen greets Your Majesty.” Lin Zhen bowed calmly, neither humble nor arrogant.
Murong Yan, already in a fury, saw that Lin Zhen showed no sign of remorse, and her anger flared even more. “Lin Zhen, didn’t you hear what I just said?”
“May I ask Your Majesty, what did you say?”
“I told you to roll in!”
“Oh.” Lin Zhen smiled faintly, “That sentence? I heard it.”
“Hmm?”
The three of them were almost simultaneously surprised by Lin Zhen’s calm attitude.
Wasn’t Lin Zhen usually the type to tremble like a mouse facing a cat when summoned by the emperor?
What had gotten into him today?
Murong Yan furrowed her willow-shaped brows, looking both furious and coquettish, and said in a low voice, “Lin Zhen, how dare you defy an imperial order!? Does your Lin family truly intend to rebel?”
Lin Zhen spread his hands innocently, “Your Majesty, please calm down. Where did rebellion come from? Could it be someone is misleading you?”
He turned his gaze toward Gu Beichen and his father, half-threatening.
Neither of them replied, staring at the floor as if they were meditating.
Lin Zhen continued, “Since the founding emperor, our dynasty has granted the regent the privilege of meeting the emperor without kneeling and entering the hall with a sword. This tradition has lasted for a hundred years. As the heir of the regent, the future prince, I am even exempt from kneeling. How could I possibly roll into the hall?”
Murong Yan was speechless, glaring at him while clenching her delicate fists, unable to find a retort.
Lin Zhen didn’t let the awkwardness linger and changed his tone to a smile, “I know Your Majesty is upset and not intentionally trying to embarrass me, right?”
“Hmph.” Murong Yan snorted coldly, tacitly agreeing, “I ask you, why did you beat your colleague without reason? And publicly snatch a commoner’s woman? As the regent, is this how you oppress the people?”
“Beat someone without reason? Your Majesty, I am wronged. Please, Your Majesty, uphold justice for me!”
“Uphold justice for you? Is there still any justice in this world?” Gu Yunting was furious seeing Lin Zhen’s shameless act and stood up, “You beat my son, smashed my business, and kidnapped my shopkeeper. Are these facts or not?”
Lin Zhen nodded as if it was only natural, “Of course! Your son deserved the beating, your casino deserved the smashing, and your shopkeeper deserved to be taken. But these were not without cause.”
“Your Majesty, this morning, Gu Beichen lured my newlywed wife to the casino, even threatening to have her legs broken if she refused. My wife feared the Gu family’s power and had no choice but to go, but I caught them red-handed. The beating was not without reason!”
“Let me ask, Your Majesty, if the empress consorted with another man, would you pretend not to see it? I believe I did nothing wrong. Anyone who dares seduce my wife deserves to be beaten!”
Gu Beichen jumped up like a mummy playing jump rope, “When did I seduce your wife? I merely invited her to the teahouse to discuss poetry and literature!”
“Oh? Then why did your discussion end up in a casino? Gu Beichen, do you dare say I didn’t catch you at the casino?”
“I…”
Gu Beichen’s sudden speechlessness made Murong Yan feel that perhaps this matter was not as the father and son claimed; there was indeed more to the story.
Lin Zhen gave him no chance to refute and continued to bombard him, “What do you mean ‘I’? Everyone saw you holding my wife’s hand into the casino. You still want to deny it? Yes, your Gu family is powerful and can silence those people forever, but can you silence the whole world?”
After scolding Gu Beichen, Lin Zhen turned to scold his father.
“Prime Minister Gu, yesterday you promised the Lin family to give us an answer within three days. Now the answer is overdue, and I caught your son seducing my wife. How do you plan to settle this account?”
“I…”
“Lin Zhen, don’t slander me. It was clearly your wife who seduced me!” Gu Beichen, eager to gain the emperor’s favor, decided to throw Liu Shuyao under the bus.
Compared to earning the emperor’s favor, a woman was nothing.
But no matter how hard he schemed, he never imagined the emperor was a woman!
A woman’s logic was definitely different from a man’s!
Sure enough, Murong Yan’s brow furrowed, and a trace of displeasure rose in her heart.
Lin Zhen said, “My wife seduced you? Gu Beichen, you really think highly of yourself. I, Lin Zhen, am handsome, elegant, and dignified. What would she seduce you for?”
“Would she be interested in your lower family background or your inferior body? To put it bluntly, just in terms of bedroom skills, a brat like you can’t compare to a skilled man like me! Would my wife seduce you? Does Your Majesty believe that?”
Murong Yan was a bit confused, “Lin Zhen, what is a skilled man?”
“That’s… the skill Your Majesty uses when favoring concubines. The better the skill, the more the concubines…”
Before Lin Zhen could finish the word ‘wild,’ Murong Yan’s face was already flushed red.
Lin Zhen thought to himself, ‘Crap!’
He had forgotten the emperor was a woman!