LOT – Chapter 147 Never Seen Such a Pitiful Fool!

The envoys from the Jade Kingdom were fairly humble in their demeanor, so everyone’s impression of them wasn’t bad.

As for that woman, Umura, she carried herself with a distinct air of arrogance.

Lin Mo studied Umura’s face, her heart genuinely puzzled.

【This person isn’t even that good-looking. Why do they call her the number one beauty? There are plenty of girls in our capital prettier than her!】

Lin Mo truly thought the woman wasn’t the sort that left people awestruck at first sight. Forget comparing her to her own sister—even among the noble ladies of the capital, any one of them could easily outshine her.

And to make matters worse, Umura’s expression was far too proud. That arrogance tainted her looks with a hint of haughtiness, making her even less appealing.

Bai Xiao, who was hiding in Lin Mo’s sleeve, whispered,

【It’s all exaggerated. There are many women more beautiful than her back in her country. It’s just that her status is high, so everyone flatters her.】

【And besides, who wants their daughter to marry off to another country? The title of “number one beauty” isn’t exactly desirable there, so naturally it fell to her.】

Everyone present: ??? You can get the title that way?

The moment Umura entered, her eyes were immediately drawn to Minister Lin standing at the front.

She whispered to her maid, “Are all the officials here this handsome? Then the Crown Prince must be even more outstanding!”

The maid also couldn’t help but marvel at Minister Lin’s looks. “He’s even better looking than our Third Prince!”

Inside the temporary palace, everything had already been arranged. The Jade Kingdom brought along numerous gifts—carriages full of gold, silver, jewels, delicacies, and fine wine.

When the Emperor and Empress saw all the treasures, their eyes practically gleamed. Beauties? None could compete with the allure of gold and silver!

“Greetings to Your Majesty and Your Highness the Empress! Today is Her Majesty’s birthday, and our king has sent us to offer our congratulations.”

“Rise. The journey was long—you’ve all worked hard. Take your seats.”

At this moment, Emperor Xuande still maintained a majestic air, looking every bit the dignified ruler.

As Umura and her entourage knelt down in rows, Lin Mo’s eyes started darting about, eager for gossip.

【Xiao Bai, see if there’s any juicy scandal among these people. That sneaky-looking guy in the middle doesn’t seem like a good person.】

Bai Xiao peeked out, looked carefully, and said,

【Don’t judge by appearances. That man might not look decent, but he’s actually a pitiful fool.】

At the mention of “pitiful fool,” everyone’s attention was instantly caught.

By now, they had learned plenty of new vocabulary and knew that “pitiful fool” definitely wasn’t a compliment.

Lin Mo studied the man.

【Are you sure he’s not a traitor? He looks exactly like one.】

【What kind of traitor raises someone else’s child?】 Bai Xiao replied. 【This man’s truly miserable. While he’s here celebrating the Empress’s birthday, his own mother is at home setting up his wife with his younger brother.】

Lin Mo’s pupils nearly shook out of her skull.

【You’ve got to be kidding me! His own mother arranged for her eldest son’s wife to be with her younger son?! What kind of twisted nonsense is that?!】

Even Minister Li’s hand trembled while holding his brush. This kind of scandal was rare even for seasoned gossipers!

The Emperor and Empress, sitting above, looked toward the envoy in the middle, their eyes full of pity.

As the banquet went on, cups clinking and laughter filling the hall, everyone’s gaze toward that envoy grew more and more complicated.

【This man was unloved since childhood. His mother always favored his younger brother. To prove himself, he became an official—but even then, his mother’s bias didn’t change. Now he’s the one supporting his younger brother’s entire family.】

【He’s built up a big household and even earned a noble title, but because his mother dislikes him, she orchestrated this farce—letting his wife and younger brother be together, and now she’s pregnant. Naturally, that means the title will pass to the younger brother’s line. Now tell me, isn’t that the definition of a pitiful fool?】

Lin Mo was completely dumbfounded. Who could’ve imagined such a ridiculous situation? What was his mother even thinking?

To be biased was one thing, but this was beyond extreme! Both sons were hers—how could she treat them so differently?!

Even Emperor Xuande found this story too cruel to stomach.

The late Emperor had his favorites too, but he would never go this far.

Compared to that, the late Emperor suddenly seemed like a decent man after all—everything really was a matter of comparison.

Meanwhile, the poor envoy happily sipped his wine, completely unaware that everyone present now pitied him.

If he had been one of their own, maybe someone would’ve intervened—but he was from another country. The emperor of this land couldn’t exactly meddle in foreign family drama.

As soon as Umura sat down, she started scanning the hall for her target.

This banquet was fairly casual—there were songs and dances, and the Crown Prince along with the two younger princes had already gone to mingle with the noble sons, making it even harder to identify anyone.

“Which one is the Crown Prince? He must be the most handsome one, right?” Umura muttered. To her, all these people looked too similar.

She quietly pulled out a portrait, holding it up to compare faces one by one.

Eventually, her gaze landed on Lin Qi, who was currently drinking with County Princess Huayao.

Lin Mo, who had been keeping an eye on Umura the whole time, felt her heart sink when she saw where the woman was looking.

【Why is this woman staring at my brother?! Don’t tell me she’s mistaken him for the Crown Prince!】

Meanwhile, hidden among the crowd, the real Crown Prince wore a triumphant smirk.

Ha! He had deliberately stayed out of sight. Since this woman apparently couldn’t tell faces apart, the safest place was right in the crowd.

Lin Qi heard his sister’s warning and immediately turned his head, while County Princess Huayao stepped forward to block him.

But Umura didn’t care—nor did she have the wits to notice anything amiss.

Under everyone’s gaze, she picked up her wine cup and walked step by step toward Lin Qi.

Everyone looked on with eager anticipation, waiting to see how Lin Qi would handle this.

But just as Umura was about to reach him, Lin Mo suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her by the collar.

“What are you doing!”

Lin Mo stood with her hands on her hips, chin raised and eyes narrowed—if not for the soot on her face, she might’ve actually looked quite imposing.

Umura was startled by the dark-faced girl. “What are you?! What kind of creature are you?!”

How could anyone be this dark?! And she was a woman, no less! How could someone look like that and still live—she’d rather die!

Lin Mo yanked her back and huffed proudly, “Why are you getting close to my brother? Can’t you see he’s already taken?”

Brother?!

Umura’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Y-you’re a princess?!”