LOT – Chapter 238 Athlete’s Foot

“Look at you! You didn’t go to bed early last night. After dinner, didn’t you go to sleep on time? Just look at the dark circles under your eyes.”

Minister Lin looked at her struggling to open her eyes and was truly speechless. At least before, she would wake up on the road; now, she hadn’t opened her eyes once all the way here.

Bai Xiao was also sound asleep, hiding in his sleeve. Not a single reliable person in sight.

Lin Mo wiped her nose and wrapped her arms around her father’s waist. Lin Shangshu sighed and lifted her onto his back.

“Wake up, wake up! We’re almost there.”

Suddenly, he felt his shoulder get wet. Tilting his head, he saw that little rascal drooling on him.

Lin Shangshu: !!!

“Wake up properly! Stop drooling!”

His frustrated expression almost killed the adults nearby with laughter. Having such a lively little treasure in the family was really entertaining.

Finally, just before the Emperor arrived, Lin Mo struggled to open her eyes.

“Why doesn’t this look like the palace? Where are we?”

She was still groggy from sleep and thought she was at court in the palace.

Bai Xiao yawned, half-asleep, and replied: “Did you forget? You’re at the Summer Palace now.”

Lin Mo: “Hehehe, the Summer Palace.”

Hearing her silly laugh, everyone turned their heads.

The ministers began discussing official matters, while Lin Mo started mentally listing dishes she wanted to eat.

“I want Kung Pao Chicken, I want Spicy Chicken, I want Braised Beef with Potatoes! Red-Braised Carp!”

Suddenly, someone’s stomach growled. Lin Mo’s eyes widened, scanning like radar.

“Xiao Bai, whose stomach just growled? Are they as hungry as me?”

Bai Xiao: “Peacock’s father—he’s been ordered to diet by Peacock’s mother, so he hasn’t eaten anything from last night till now. Also, Master Yang has a piece of beef jerky in his sleeve.”

Lin Mo licked her lips and quietly felt inside her own sleeve.

She had forgotten to prepare anything last night, so her sleeve was empty.

Tears welling in her eyes, she looked at the snacks in front of the Emperor: “The snacks in front of the Emperor look so good! He’s not eating? Isn’t he hungry? Did he have breakfast? If he didn’t eat, leaving the snacks there would be a waste. Snacks get worse if they sit too long…”

Emperor Xuande, sitting above: …

Well, saying it like that makes it sound like if I don’t give them to you, it’s a waste.

During the rest of the court session, Lin Mo kept yelling that she was hungry, her voice echoing in everyone’s ears and driving them almost mad.

“Let’s go find food! The Old Grand Master looks like a goat, I want to eat roasted lamb leg!”

Grand Master: !!! You want to roast my leg!

Bai Xiao: “He does look a bit like an old goat, but sadly, the Grand Master’s leg can’t be roasted.”

Lin Mo sighed in disappointment: “General Chen looks like a black bear. I’ve never eaten bear paw before.”

General Chen rubbed his hand. That’s not something you eat!

After court, everyone instinctively rubbed their ears.

This little rascal was impossible—she had turned the entire court into an animal conference.

In fact, nobody in court looked human to her, except for her own father.

Probably because she looked like her father, she hadn’t said anything. After all, she was extremely narcissistic and very satisfied with the face her father gave her.

After court, Lin Mo dashed straight to the main kitchen. Only after filling her stomach did she finally breathe a contented sigh.

Bai Xiao was still chewing a pastry: “Want to go see a juicy situation in the garden? There’s a melon over there.”

Lin Mo wiped her mouth: “Sure! Why wouldn’t I go!”

At that moment, two girls in the garden were on the verge of fighting, while the other girls either tried to mediate or just watched the show.

“You shameless girl! You’re from a respectable family, yet you threw yourself into my fiancé’s arms in public. Don’t you have any shame?!”

Lin Mo heard this as soon as she arrived.

“Waaah! My favorite love triangle drama!”

When Lin Mo’s inner thoughts were transmitted, everyone went silent for a second. Even the two girls fighting looked awkward.

No way—how did this little rascal get here? Wasn’t she supposed to be playing with her snake every day?

Lin Ran, seeing Lin Mo so excited, breathed a sigh of relief. Now that Mo’er had arrived, she would understand the cause of the commotion. The scene was truly chaotic.

Nobody knew who was right or wrong. In the capital, it was common for people to try to steal others’ fiancés.

Some people would stop at nothing to climb up socially, but others were just trying to fight for themselves. If they hurt someone in the process, that was crossing the line.

Bai Xiao, chewing a pastry, explained internally: “The girl in pink saw the girl in green land in her fiancé’s arms.”

Lin Mo: “Then…so who’s at fault?”

Bai Xiao: “Neither the girls nor the man were at fault. It was just an accident. Who can guarantee they won’t trip while walking? But the girl in pink wanted to break off the engagement, so she made a fuss out of it.”

The girl in pink’s expression changed. She was unhappy with her fiancé, but her family wanted her to marry him.

This incident was a coincidental opportunity for her. She thought it was heaven-sent. Plus, Lin Mo hadn’t been in the garden for the past two days, wandering elsewhere.

But who could’ve known she’d come today!

Lin Mo clicked her tongue in disdain in her mind: “This girl in pink is so unethical. She ruined someone else’s reputation cleanly. If she wants to break off an engagement, fine. Use a little trick if necessary, but this trick is just disgusting. Ugh!”

Others quickly distanced themselves from the girl in pink. The girl in green finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She didn’t even know her fiancé. She had just come to the capital with her father earlier this year, and her presence here was purely accidental. She hadn’t fully integrated into the capital’s social circles.

She had nothing to gain by getting involved with someone else’s fiancé and never expected to marry into a high-status family. A peaceful life was enough. This was just an accidental fall on the road that caused her to bump into him.

Bai Xiao whispered mysteriously to Lin Mo: “Do you know who the girl in pink likes? She likes the Crown Prince! She’s the cousin of the Crown Princess. Shortly after the Crown Princess got pregnant, her family sent her to accompany her. She danced every day in the Eastern Palace garden to seduce the Crown Prince. But because she overdid it and didn’t change or wash her shoes, her feet got athlete’s foot. When she was alone with the Crown Princess, the Princess noticed the smell and politely sent her away.”

“She also subtly warned her family to have her checked. If her family misunderstood and thought the Crown Princess was pushing them to find someone, they would immediately arrange a marriage for her. And that’s exactly what happened.”