LOT -Chapter 269 The Relationship Between the Emperor and the Old Prince

With Lin Mo around, the whole atmosphere of the court felt completely different.

The past few days had been a bit heavy, and everything felt too quiet.

Even though this little ancestor sometimes just dozed off here and there, even when she was simply standing around, it made the place lively.

Lin Mo’s eyes rolled around as she thought to herself, [During the time I was sick, did any juicy gossip happen? Tell me one so I can hear it.]

Bai Xiao replied: [Sure, what kind of gossip do you want? There’s plenty in the capital—actually, a few things have happened recently.]

Hearing this, some people whose households had experienced events recently suddenly perked up.

Lin Mo said: [Just tell me about the Old Prince. Didn’t he come back to repay his debts? He owed so much money—doesn’t the Emperor care at all?]

The Emperor, sitting above, twitched at the corner of his mouth. How could he not care? He didn’t know how he had survived these decades.

Back then, he had been just a prince! An unfavored prince who had only just married his wife with difficulty.

Who would have guessed that his royal uncle would be so shameless as to set his sights on him? Saving even that little money had been hard enough. Whenever he earned money, he’d do whatever it took. And just when he had finally saved up a bit, his uncle borrowed it.

When the royal uncle asked him for money back then, he hadn’t thought too much of it. Who knew that once borrowed, it wouldn’t be repaid?

Even more unexpected, after the royal uncle left the capital, the late emperor passed away not long after, and he suddenly ascended the throne. His pocket money had already been taken, and now he was emperor.

As emperor, he thought the treasury surely had money and he wouldn’t have to worry, but it turned out the late emperor had left nothing.

He had to use his own money to supplement the treasury. Half of it had already been swindled away, and now he had to spend even more. Honestly, if it weren’t for his mindset at the time, he might have hanged himself at the treasury gate.

Being emperor had really brought him to this level of frustration!

Bai Xiao began telling the story about the Old Prince: [You have no idea how funny the Old Prince was. A few times when he went to deliver money, he was beaten up and brought back like that. When he returned, the Emperor even thought he had seen the wrong person.]

Lin Mo asked: [Was his return really that shocking?]

Bai Xiao nodded: *[Exactly! Many people thought he had died outside. After all, so many years had passed. Who would have thought this person not only survived but also made so much money in business? When the Emperor learned how much he had earned, he even discussed with the Crown Prince about taking his money.] *

The Emperor and Crown Prince: …

Could you at least leave us some dignity here?

Lin Mo laughed heartily in her mind: [I think the Emperor and the Crown Prince are quite practical. The Emperor really has a good temper. If someone had swindled me out of that much money and returned decades later, I wouldn’t even say a word—I’d kick them immediately.]

The Emperor: You think I don’t want to? But he’s still my uncle! My very uncle!

When the Emperor was young and unfavored, the Old Prince had taken care of him for a long time—giving him money, giving him food, and often mentioning him before the late emperor so he wouldn’t be forgotten. In his heart, the father figure wasn’t the late emperor—it was the Old Prince.

If the Old Prince hadn’t frequently reminded the late emperor of him, he probably would have been forgotten entirely. A forgotten prince—no one would even know if he died.

So when such a respected elder borrowed money from him, he truly didn’t think too much and revealed all his resources.

Bai Xiao said: [Kicking him was impossible. The Old Prince held a special place in the Emperor’s heart. When the Emperor couldn’t even take care of himself as a child, the Old Prince had secretly supported him.]

[In short, although the Old Prince was unpredictable, he had a good heart. The late emperor had many children, and many were unfavored. The Old Prince took care of them as best as he could. The current Emperor and Prince Xin were essentially raised by the Old Prince.]

[Because he was a respected elder in his heart, that’s why the Emperor lent him so much money.]

The ministers didn’t know what to say.

All they could say was that the Old Prince was indeed unpredictable. The late emperor had been indulgent toward this brother. The late emperor was ruthless, never showing mercy to other brothers, but with the Old Prince, he hadn’t harmed him—possibly because the Old Prince’s image outside was that of a rogue who enjoyed men and ignored politics.

Lin Mo, however, was curious: [Bai Xiao, since you said the Emperor and Prince Xin were both raised by the Old Prince, why didn’t he borrow money from Prince Xin?]

Prince Xin, standing not far away, sighed inwardly.

To borrow money, you need someone with money! Though the Emperor had been unfavored, he had earned and saved some money himself. Prince Xin didn’t have that earning ability or mind.

Bai Xiao chuckled: [The Old Prince could only borrow money from someone with money. When Prince Xin was a prince, he was even more unfavored and poorer than the Emperor.]

[Don’t even mention borrowing—if the Old Prince had gone to see Prince Xin, he probably would have had to give him money instead. How could he borrow then?]

Prince Xin: … Saying it like that—he wasn’t that poor, you know.

Lin Mo looked at Prince Xin, who exuded a gentle and honest aura. Truly an honest person!

The Emperor also glanced at his brother. He had thought he was the poorest prince, but his brother was even poorer. Somehow, that gave him a sense of comfort.

Bai Xiao continued: [You have no idea how poor Prince Xin was. He had no desire for the throne; all he thought about was making his life a bit better. Whenever he ran out of money, he went to the Old Prince. He wouldn’t even ask nicely—he’d just look at him pitifully until the Old Prince gave him money.]

The Emperor slapped his thigh. Why hadn’t he thought of that back then?

He should have gone to the royal uncle more often, but back then, he cared too much about his face. Youth!

Everyone looked at Prince Xin with mixed feelings. Who would have thought this honest young man had such a thick skin in his youth?

Prince Xin looked embarrassed. What could he do? He had been poor at the time.

And he had to support his wife—though he hadn’t married yet, he and his fiancée were in love. He needed some money to buy gifts for her.