LOT – Chapter 55 Big News—Minister Lin Has a Suitor!

The pig carried one beauty after another on its back, looking just as smug as its owner.

After one young lady finished riding the pig, she curiously asked Lin Mo, “Lord Lin, what’s the pig’s name?”

Lin Mo was instantly stumped: “Ah! I forgot to name the pig!”

When everyone heard her say that, their expressions froze for a moment.

She’d been riding it for so long and hadn’t even given it a name?

The system happily suggested, [Let’s call it Tianpeng!]

Lin Mo’s eyes lit up immediately. That was a pretty good name! “This pig’s name is Tianpeng!”

At that moment, everyone’s eyes turned to one official, whose face looked a bit strained.

Minister Lin covered his face, unsure what to say, and apologetically told the official, “Sorry, my little girl is naughty. Please don’t take it to heart.”

This official’s name was Chen Tianpeng, a fifth-rank officer.

“Pfft hahahaha!”

Laughter erupted from the crowd, and Lin Mo looked over confused.

[System, what are they laughing at?]

The system replied flatly, [Let me check—oh, one of the officials is named Chen Tianpeng, the same as your pig.]

Lin Mo: …I really didn’t expect something like this to happen. Isn’t that name supposed to be uncommon?

After a two-second pause, Lin Mo said, [I suddenly feel that name doesn’t quite suit the pig. It should be called ‘Dingpa’ (Rake).]

Pig: ???

The system couldn’t help but laugh: [Marshal Tianpeng’s weapon is a nine-toothed rake, so are you suggesting that official carry this pig into battle?]

In the end, the pig’s name was settled as Dingpa. For the rest of the journey, everyone heard Lin Mo calling out to it constantly.

“Dingpa, run faster! Get those short legs moving!”

“Dingpa, keep up with my dad!”

Minister Lin looked at his daughter walking beside him, sighed helplessly inside.

The two of them—one tall, one short—made for a surprisingly heartwarming sight from behind. But the pig’s butt wiggling with each step and its accompanying sound effects stood in sharp contrast to the handsome horses nearby.

Emperor Xuande wiped tears of laughter from his eyes, rubbed his sore belly from laughing so hard, and said, “Quick, paint this! Paint this father and daughter duo for me!”

The court painter groaned, “Your Majesty, I’ve been painting this whole trip already!”

By evening, they finally reached their destination. Lin Mo was the only female official and especially favored by the emperor, so she had a tent to herself, with Minister Lin staying right next door.

That night was the bonfire party, and Lin Mo and the system were having a blast.

The noble young ladies began showing off their talents. Lin Mo was happily admiring the beauties—until the system said something that made everyone present drop their jaws.

System: [You’re still grinning? Did you see the girl playing the zither? She’s taken a liking to your father!]

Lin Mo: !!!

Minister Lin: !!!

The Emperor and all the officials: !!!

The young lady playing the zither suddenly went pale. She was about to stand and defend herself, but not far away, the Third Prince’s wife flicked a small stone that struck and blocked her vital point.

The Third Prince, eyes sparkling, looked at his wife admiringly. “Qinqin, your skills have really improved!”

Lin Mo, hearing the system’s words, immediately got anxious. How dare someone try to steal her mother’s attention? And the zither player was probably a generation younger than her father! That woman looked about the same age as Lin Mo!

Lin Mo: [System! Quickly tell me all the details! I want to see which shameless person dares to steal my mother’s spotlight! Has my dad broken his moral vows?]

Minister Lin almost opened his mouth to explain, but in the last moment held back.

At this point, the voices had grown very quiet—if Lin Mo hadn’t been paying attention, all that would be heard would be the crackling of burning wood.

The system, enjoying the juicy drama, spoke resentfully: [I just detected this now. Most of these talent-showing young ladies have decent character, but that zither player is no good. Her name is Qin Pingting. I found out she was secretly watching your father during her performance, so I ran a background check on her—turns out it’s a big deal!]

[She ambushes your father’s usual path every day to spy on him, and recently she’s been trying to get close to your brother because your brother looks like your dad. She wants to be both your stepmother and your sister-in-law!]

Lin Mo gasped coldly: [A doppelgänger drama!]

Everyone else also gasped: Where on earth did this bizarre woman come from? The Qin family daughter is really scandalous!

Besides, Lady Lin, their mother, was elegant, beautiful, and talented. How could she compare?

Qin Pingting had already been restrained—she couldn’t speak or move and could only weep continuously.

Liking someone—is that a crime? She was just born too late, after all!

Emperor Xuande, chewing on a leg of lamb, listened seriously along with his three sons, looking just like a casual onlooker enjoying the drama.

The court painter responsible for the emperor’s daily portraits sighed: “How am I supposed to paint this? If these get passed down for a thousand years, it’ll be a disgrace!”

Minister Lin’s mind was complicated. He hadn’t expected to attract such young women at his age.

He usually didn’t pay attention to who might be watching him on his regular routes—after all, quite a few people looked his way daily.

The system continued: [Qin Pingting also keeps many attendants who resemble your father slightly—some with similar eyes, some with similar noses. Eventually, she realized your brother looks the most like your father, so she shifted her focus to him.]

[She even planned to drug your brother, but never got the chance. She also tried to get close to your sister, but your sister is smart and saw her ill intentions, cutting off all contact.]

Lin Mo wanted to curse: [Is she crazy? But isn’t it me who looks most like dad? My brother looks more like mom.]

The system analyzed the siblings’ appearances and replied: [You do look more like your father, but you’re female, and she thinks you’re a bit odd, so approaching you would be beneath her. She actually seems to dislike you and has said many bad things about you.]

Lin Mo: […That’s just crazy! You’re the one who’s not normal!]

Others looked at Qin Pingting with contempt.

The ladies-in-waiting were also impressed by Minister Lin: “Wow, he’s 40 but still attracting teenage girls. Minister Lin truly hasn’t lost his charm—and he’s still handsome too.”

Lin Mo glanced at her father, then suddenly pulled a seal from her bosom and stamped it on his forehead.

While stamping, she said, “Dad, I found your face too prone to attracting troublemakers. Better put a lady’s private seal on your forehead to show you belong to someone.”

Minister Lin stood silently for three seconds with the seal on his forehead, then looked at it and asked, “How did your mother’s private seal end up in your hands?”

Lin Mo’s eyes darted, unsure how to answer. Not long ago, she’d made her mother angry, so her allowance was cut off.

To get money from the household funds, she needed her mother’s seal, so she had secretly taken it.

The system exclaimed: [Host, why are you still carrying that? Didn’t I tell you to carve a fake one? Why did you bring the real one?]

Everyone: ……