LOT – Chapter 11 Prince Xin: Were you really attending morning court or gossiping?!

When she was called to eat, Lin Mo absolutely refused to leave her room.

“Second Miss, Master, Madam, the Young Master, and the Eldest Miss are all waiting. If you don’t come out soon, they’ll come in person.”

The maid at the door sounded completely helpless. Everything had already happened—what was the point of hiding? She might as well come out with her head held high. After all, she could just pretend she lost her memory from being drunk.

Lin Mo buried her head under the blanket, sulking. “I’m not eating. Go tell them I’ve lost my appetite!”

Who needs food when she’s already full of embarrassment?

The system tried to coax her: [Oh come on, calm down. It’s not that big a deal. Honestly, I think what happened yesterday isn’t even as embarrassing as when you laid out a bedroll at your parents’ door.]

[Besides, aren’t you supposed to have thick skin? Why are you suddenly so self-conscious? Life is about being carefree! You’re acting so awkward now.]

Lin Mo replied speechlessly, [There’s a difference between choosing to be shameless and being accidentally embarrassed. I need time to mentally prepare for these things. I knew I was being weird at my parents’ door. But the stuff that happened while I was drunk? I didn’t even know what I was doing. That feels totally different.]

[Anyway, just give me a moment to recover.]

Outside, the rest of the Lin family listened to the maid’s report. Their expressions were complicated—with a touch of amusement.

Madam Lin cleared her throat lightly and said, “Since she’s not eating, let’s just go ahead. Missing one meal won’t kill her. If she gets hungry, she’ll come out on her own.”

She’s a grown woman, after all, not a toddler.

Meanwhile, Prince Xin’s residence was bustling like never before.

Many officials had sent gifts, and some even came in person—especially the military generals.

“Your Highness, the injustice you’ve suffered for so many years has finally been cleared. His Majesty has already said he’ll do everything he can to help heal your injuries. The imperial physicians are brainstorming treatments as we speak.”

“Yes, Prince Qi’s residence and the Protector General’s residence have already been raided. They found an unbelievable amount of gold, silver, and rare treasures. Just imagine how many horrible things they must’ve done over the years.”

“The national treasury was running dry—His Majesty couldn’t even afford new underwear—and those guys were hoarding all the wealth! Living in luxury while ignoring the people’s suffering… they deserved to be raided!”

Prince Xin had been quietly listening to all their complaints, but suddenly, he latched onto a key point.

He quickly grabbed the official’s hand and asked, confused, “Wait, you said His Majesty couldn’t even afford underwear? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Prince Xin hadn’t been attending court, so he was unaware of what had been happening there. And the women of the household, like him, rarely went out, so they didn’t know much about what was going on in the capital or the court either.

The official looked around. Seeing that everyone present was trusted and already in the loop about Lin Mo, he began to explain:

“You see, His Majesty used to always complain about being broke. We all thought he was just faking it. I mean, he’s the Emperor—how could he be poor? But due to some… incidents, we discovered that his underwear actually had holes in it.”

“He’s always giving out honorary plaques to meritorious officials, right? We assumed it was a tradition, or that he liked the idea of leaving behind a legacy. But later we realized—he gives out plaques because he can’t afford to give anything else.”

Prince Xin’s mouth twitched. His image of his imperial brother shattered instantly.

So this is what my royal brother is really like? Hiding his true poverty behind a proud facade… truly deep and mysterious.

The official went on to tell Prince Xin everything that had been happening at court lately, including Lin Mo and the system’s antics.

Prince Xin was completely stunned. He felt like he was listening to some mythical tale.

“Are you serious? You’re really talking about spirits and divine entities now? If such beings really existed, why do so many people still do evil things? Aren’t they afraid of retribution?”

He gave the officials a skeptical look, wondering if they were all delusional.

These are court officials, yet they actually believe in ghosts and spirits? What happened to all that Confucian education?

The official, seeing Prince Xin’s doubtful gaze, felt a pang of frustration.

“Oh, no, Your Highness. The system isn’t a ghost or spirit—it’s a gossip system. ‘Eating melon’ means watching other people’s drama. Lin Mo may be the daughter of Minister Lin, but she’s completely unmotivated. Minister Lin only got her a position because he was afraid she’d starve otherwise.”

“Now this little Lord Lin goes to court every day just to gossip with her system. It was she who exposed the Emperor’s underwear situation. And she also revealed the scandals in Prince Qi’s household and the Protector General’s residence. Oh! And recently there’s even a rumor about the Vice Minister of War’s concubine having an affair.”

Prince Xin: …

Why does your daily life sound so… dramatic? Aren’t you supposed to be running the country? Why are you all just gossiping?!

He felt like his worldview had just taken a major hit.

“Your Highness, you must not let Lin Mo find out that we can hear her thoughts. She doesn’t know that yet. I’m only telling you now so you don’t accidentally slip up when attending court. If you do, we’ll lose our source of entertainment!”

“Thanks to the raid on the Prince Qi’s and Protector General’s mansions, the treasury is now overflowing! For once, we’ve got money! And if any corrupt officials pop up again, we will just send Little Lord Lin to investigate. She will get us the juicy gossip, help punish the guilty, and fill the treasury—it’s a win-win-win!”

The more the officials spoke, the more excited they became, as if they could already see a future where money would never be a problem again.

For decades, they had been spending money as if pinching every penny—they’d look around and find no funds anywhere. The Emperor constantly cried poverty in front of them. They’d always thought he was just pretending… only to find out he was actually even poorer than they were.

This time, they finally got a taste of what it felt like to have money. The first to benefit were the military generals. The Emperor immediately allocated a sum of money directly to the army—no matter what, the military must not be neglected, and their pay must never be cut!

Prince Xin looked at these people with stars in their eyes, feeling deeply conflicted, though also genuinely happy. This could truly be considered divine favor upon their dynasty.

He had lived like a coward all these years, hiding and keeping his head down out of fear that his family would be harmed. He had avoided the sharp edge of Prince Qi’s power for so long. With no powerful maternal family, no influential backing, all he could rely on was himself.

But now, everything has changed. Prince Qi’s residence had been completely uprooted. His time to shine had finally arrived!