LOT – Chapter 120 It’s the Grand Commandant’s Scandal, He Was Kicked Out of His Room by His Wife in the Middle of the Night

Bai Xiao’s words immediately soothed Lin Mo.

She lay back in her chair happily and said: 【Now that you put it like that, I really do feel a lot better. Since even His Majesty doesn’t mind me lying down, why should I still worry about it?】

As she spoke, she even shifted into a more comfortable position. Lord Li, who was sitting nearby, was completely speechless.

No, hold on. Sure, the emperor agreed to let her attend court lying down, but isn’t this posture just a little too comfortable?!

Lin Mo reclined at ease, her hands resting naturally on the chair’s armrests—she was only a step away from crossing her legs.

To anyone who didn’t know better, it would look like she was the emperor here. Even Emperor Xuande, seated on the dragon throne, wasn’t as comfortable as she was.

Minister Lin turned his head helplessly, deciding that “out of sight, out of mind” was the best approach. If he didn’t see it, then at least he wouldn’t feel so annoyed.

Lin Qi, on the other hand, was pondering another matter. Spring might have arrived, but the mornings were still chilly. Wouldn’t lying around like this at court give her a cold?

Just as that thought flashed through his mind, Lin Mo pulled a small bundle out from under her chair.

【Hahaha, see how farsighted I am? The moment His Majesty said I could come to court lying down, I quickly packed up my quilt from bed. Later, when everyone’s busy discussing state affairs and not paying attention to me, I’ll secretly cover myself up.】

Her smug tone left everyone at a loss for words.

Emperor Xuande glanced at his bare, unadorned dragon throne, then at Lin Mo lying cozily in the corner. Immediately, his heart felt unbalanced.

Why did it seem like that girl was living more comfortably than him, the emperor himself? She even had the audacity to prepare a blanket—was she planning to sleep here?

Bai Xiao gave her a big thumbs-up.
【Impressive, truly impressive. You’re much more farsighted than Lord Grand Commandant. Last night, he got kicked out of his room and froze outside all night.】

Grand Commandant (Taiwei), nearby: …Could you not drag me into your nonsense every time you open your mouth?!

He had finally realized it—this little system seemed to especially enjoy spreading his scandals.

Lin Mo’s interest was instantly piqued. Kicked out of his room at night? Now that was gossip worth hearing!

None of the others had expected to get such juicy gossip this morning either. They’d assumed that since the little ancestor was injured, she’d probably sleep through the whole session. This was truly an unexpected delight.

Of course, even while gossiping, official business couldn’t be delayed. The ministers quickly got back to work, though their ears were still half-tuned to the chatter from Lin Mo’s side.

Since state matters had little to do with Lin Mo—and she couldn’t understand them anyway—she simply joined Bai Xiao in munching on this piece of gossip.

【Quick, tell me, tell me! What happened last night exactly? Did Lord Grand Commandant make his wife angry? He got kicked out of the room in the middle of the night? After that, didn’t he go find another place to sleep?】

Lin Mo thought the Grand Commandant was rather stubborn. His mansion was so big—how hard could it be to find another room?

【Every time my dad gets kicked out by my mom, he sneaks into his study to sleep. Then the next morning, he wakes up early to lie pitifully outside the bedroom door. My mom always falls for it, thinking he really froze outside all night, and ends up soft-hearted.】

Lin Mo exposed her parents’ little secret without hesitation.

Minister Lin nearly fainted from rolling his eyes so hard.

This damn girl! Fine if she wanted to gossip about others, but why drag him into it too?!

Everyone present stole glances at Minister Lin, their expressions complicated.

Tsk tsk… Who would’ve thought that this usually serious and proper Minister Lin was like that in private? No wonder he had managed to win over such a beautiful wife back then.

They had assumed that young Lady Lin’s mischievous personality was self-developed. Now it seemed she had inherited it from Minister Lin himself.

Only difference was, Lady Lin was far more open about it—everything showed right on her face.

Lin Qi also sneaked a glance at his father. He’d had no idea about this! His little sister sure knew way too many family secrets. No wonder her life was always so lively—she could entertain herself endlessly.

On the throne, Emperor Xuande’s lips kept twitching upward. He looked at the normally solemn Minister Lin, whose ears were now completely red, and drew in a deep breath to force the smile back down.

Meanwhile, Bai Xiao and Lin Mo hadn’t noticed the increasingly awkward atmosphere at all. They were still immersed in their gossip.

【Lord Grand Commandant isn’t nearly as clever as your father. He just squatted at the doorway all night long, making the guards there too nervous to sleep.】

Bai Xiao couldn’t help but laugh at the memory. 【The two of them just stared at each other the whole night. Later, he felt it was awkward to keep staring at a maid, so he sent the girl to bed and swapped her out for a servant boy.】

Lin Mo was stunned.

There was an option like that?! Why not just let the maid go to bed right away?

【Why did he insist on keeping someone on watch at the door? And why replace a maid with a manservant? I really don’t see the point. If he planned to sit out there all night, then he could’ve handled it himself.】

【That’s just a waste of manpower! One person’s job turned into two.】

Bai Xiao agreed wholeheartedly. 【Exactly!】

The surrounding officials were struggling to hold back their laughter; some had muscle spasms from suppressing it.

These two! The Grand Commandant had only been kicked out by his wife—it wasn’t supposed to be about “guard duty.” How did their thoughts jump so far away from reality?

The Grand Commandant, however, was used to this by now. He had already trained himself to remain calm in the face of such ridicule.

Emperor Xuande lightly coughed into his fist, hiding a chuckle. This Grand Commandant really was too stiff. Why couldn’t he learn a thing or two from Minister Lin?

He finally realized something: among his officials, quite a few men were “afraid of their wives.” Well, maybe not “afraid”—more like they cherished their wives dearly.

And honestly, he wasn’t the sort of emperor who made things hard for his officials. Back when the late emperor ruled, he loved gifting concubines to his ministers.

Especially those who didn’t keep concubines—the late emperor felt that a man who only stuck to one wife wasn’t normal and insisted on stuffing a few women into their households.

The late emperor was fond of beauty, and assumed that all men were the same.

But Emperor Xuande, who had grown up witnessing that, disliked it intensely. After he ascended the throne, he rarely meddled in his ministers’ family affairs.

Other than occasionally urging bachelors over thirty to get married, he really couldn’t be bothered.

Whether or not a man wanted concubines was his own business. Why should the emperor care? Didn’t he already have enough of a kingdom to manage?

Besides, when a household was harmonious, it also benefited court politics. If a man was embroiled in constant fights between wife and concubines at home, how could he possibly focus on achieving merit for the empire outside?