LOT – Chapter 45 The Third Prince of the Western Frontier Eloped with a Man

Lin Mo was still enthusiastically chattering away, completely unaware that her elder brother and sister’s expressions had drastically changed.

“I wonder if our dad lost a front tooth, would he start spitting like the Minister of Agriculture too,” Lin Mo giggled just imagining the scene.

The system was stunned speechless—it had completely forgotten to warn Lin Mo. Meanwhile, Lin Qi and Lin Ran in front of her were blinking so furiously it looked like they were about to cramp up.

Turn around already! We’re practically signaling in Morse code with our eyes here!

Lin Ran seriously wanted to manually twist her head around. How could someone be this slow to react?!

Seeing their twisted expressions, Lin Mo even asked with concern, “Big Brother, Big Sister, are your facial muscles cramping up at the same time? Want me to massage them for you?”

Finally, the system snapped out of it: [Massage my ass! Your dad’s here! He’s right behind you!]

[Your brother and sister have contorted their pretty faces like that and you still didn’t get it?! These two are usually the epitome of composure and seriousness!]

Upon hearing that, Lin Mo gasped and turned her head—very, very slowly.

Right behind her stood Minister Lin, face dark as thunder.

“Go on, why’d you stop talking? I lost a tooth and you want to stick your finger in my mouth, huh? I lose a tooth and now I spit when I talk, is that it?” Though he was smiling as he spoke, that smile made him look even more terrifying.

When someone normally stern suddenly starts smiling at you… That’s basically the start of a horror movie.

With a loud thud, Lin Mo dropped to her knees—without hesitation—and wailed: “Daaaad~ I know I was wrong! I’ll never use you as a joke again, I swear, Dad~!”

That long, trailing “Dad~” was oddly soulful.

Minister Lin’s face was now black as the bottom of a pot, while Lin Qi and Lin Ran stood off to the side, heads lowered, biting their lips.

If they didn’t bite their lips, they were afraid they’d burst out laughing.

With her dramatic sobs, if you didn’t know the context, you’d think she was mourning her father’s death. If someone had added the sound of a suona (Chinese funeral horn), it would’ve been perfectly fitting.

The system was completely floored by Lin Mo. This host was a master of bending and stretching! It had never seen someone so shameless—wait, no, not shameless—so quick to read the room!

“Get up and get out of here! Go back to your courtyard!” Minister Lin roared. “Always stirring up nonsense every single day!”

Even though he was truly angry, he still couldn’t do anything about this little gremlin.

What could he do? She was his biological daughter—he couldn’t exactly beat her to death.

But seriously, how did a young girl end up with skin so thick? He’d raised her the same way he did her older sister. So how did this younger one turn out so… crooked?

Hearing that her father had let her go, Lin Mo instantly sprang to her feet and shot out of the room like a diving falcon. Her speed was genuinely awe-inspiring.

The three remaining Lin family members in the room: ……

After a pause, Lin Qi commented, “I think Mo’er really does have a talent for martial arts. Don’t you think so?”

Lin Ran’s mouth twitched as she nodded. How had she even exited just now? It felt like she saw a blur—a literal afterimage.

Minister Lin had already shut his eyes, choosing not to see any of it. Out of sight, out of mind.

After Lin Mo left, she let out a huge sigh of relief. She had seriously thought she was about to get a beating again.

Even the system now found itself impressed by her sheer ability to court death. [Host, seriously, can you please grow a brain? If you’re going to talk behind someone’s back, can you at least pay attention to your surroundings? Look around, listen more! You were so deep in gossip you didn’t notice anything! Your brother and sister were blinking like mad trying to clue you in!]

Lin Mo retorted self-righteously: [Well, I thought they were having a facial cramp! They weren’t exactly obvious about it!]

System: [They weren’t obvious?! Are you kidding me?!]**

Forget it. No use arguing with her. This girl clearly had a few screws loose.

After returning to her courtyard, Lin Mo pulled out her wood carving. As she looked at it, the system once again felt a wave of existential exhaustion.

Lin Mo, however, was beaming with pride. [It’s finally almost done! My skills really are amazing! My gift will definitely stand out among all the others!]

Looking at the grinning, monkey-faced carving wearing a crown, the system sighed from the depths of its soul: [As long as you’re happy.]

News of the completed carving was quickly relayed to the emperor via the hidden guards.

When Emperor Xuande heard the news, he was actually quite excited.

“I wonder what kind of image that girl has of me. Probably something dignified and majestic, right?”

Eunuch Li chuckled and said, “Of course, Your Majesty. Young Minister Lin will certainly carve you magnificently.”

Over the next half month, the rest of the foreign envoys gradually arrived. The capital suddenly became full of unfamiliar faces—many with appearances clearly distinct from the locals.

Sometimes, while strolling through the city, Lin Mo would steal a few extra glances at these visitors. They reminded her of modern-day foreigners, except… a bit more attractive.

As for the second prince of the Western Frontier, ever since falling ill, he hadn’t been seen in public again.

The next morning in court, a minister brought up the envoys again. Lately, there had been increasing trouble caused by these foreign guests. Many of them assumed this kingdom was the same as theirs—where commoners were basically slaves who could be pushed around at will.

Hearing this, Lin Mo suddenly thought of that lost Crown Prince from the Western Frontier.

[System, hey, what’s going on with that Crown Prince from the West? Did he ever show up?]

Everyone around her immediately pricked up their ears, voices lowering several pitches as they leaned in to eavesdrop on the gossip.

System: [Not yet. He reached the Xirong region a few days ago, but then he got detained there. Now Xirong is extorting Western Frontier, demanding a ransom for the Crown Prince. Looks like Western Frontier’s going to bleed heavily for this one.]

Lin Mo was speechless. Is this prince actually okay in the head? Even just asking one more question could’ve prevented this. Aren’t there normal people on the road? He couldn’t stop to ask someone for directions? Would it have killed him?!

No one knew what to say anymore. Was there not a single normal prince in Western Frontier?
There were five princes in total, but only three with any real claim to the throne: the eldest, second, and third.

The eldest was a complete idiot. The second wasn’t even a legitimate son. So that left only the third.

Lin Mo was also curious about Western Frontier’s future. [System, who do you think will inherit the throne over there? The eldest and second princes are useless, so the third one’s the only one left, right?]

System: [Oh, forgot to mention. The third prince of Western Frontier eloped… with a man. The whole place is in chaos now.]

Lin Mo sucked in a cold breath. So did everyone else—silently, in their hearts.

That dramatic?! A prince eloped with a man?!

Emperor Xuande frowned slightly—this all sounded strangely familiar…

Uh… come to think of it, his own royal uncle had also run off with a man. Though not exactly an elopement—that one had run off proudly and openly.