LOT – Chapter 73 The Harem Joins Forces to Steal the Emperor’s Underwear and Sell It for Money!

It seemed like the top scholar’s situation had been dealt with afterward.

Lin Mo heard the follow-up from the system: when the top scholar returned to his hometown in glory, he went secretly—only to catch his wife and younger brother having an affair.

According to the law, adultery warranted fifty lashes and exile. In the end, the top scholar was too softhearted and simply kicked them both out of the house.

He had achieved success and fame, only to become a solitary figure—how truly lamentable.

Lin Mo was dissatisfied with this outcome. It just wasn’t satisfying!

 【He’s way too soft! They didn’t even treat him like a husband or a brother—why should he still care about them?】

The system agreed: 【Exactly! He should’ve just had both of them exiled!】

But after all, it was someone else’s business, and they had no right to interfere too much. As long as he was satisfied himself, that was what mattered.

Lin Qi was now serving as a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, so he had to attend court sessions every day.

“Brother, when you come tomorrow, carry me out too, okay? I’m going to stay up all night reading a storybook.”

Standing in front of her elder brother, Lin Mo said this with her head held high and a tone full of righteousness.

Lin Qi took a deep breath and said with a touch of helplessness, “Can’t you come up with an excuse that sounds even slightly convincing? At least give me some peace of mind.”

This girl was too honest—so honest it was almost annoying.

Lin Mo thought for a few seconds, then said seriously, “Forget it. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything proper. Even if I gave you a proper-sounding excuse, you probably wouldn’t believe it. Might as well just tell you the truth.”

“Anyway, don’t forget to come find me tomorrow!”

And with that, she scampered off cheerfully. Even while running, you could still hear her chatting with the system:

【Hurry, hurry! The new volume of Bewitched Young Master and the Foxy Beauty is out—go buy it now! Tonight we’ll pull an all-nighter reading it!】

【I know, I know! I already sent someone to buy it. Tonight is our celebration night!】

Lin Qi: “…”

Couldn’t she, as a proper government official, read something more serious? Just from the title “Bewitched Young Master and the Foxy Beauty” you could tell it was nothing but trashy fiction.

Lin Qi seriously suspected that his little sister’s not-so-bright brain was the result of reading too much of this garbage.

That night, the girl and her system huddled under the blanket, reading and giggling creepily.

System: 【These storybooks are amazing! It’s great being human—life is so colorful.】

Lin Mo (eyes sparkling): 【Of course! Being human is wonderful. I feel like I really lucked out in this life. Imagine being reincarnated as a pig or a dog—how unlucky would that be?】

The system grew curious: 【What would you do if you really were reborn as a dog?】

Lin Mo thought for a while, imagining what a dog’s life might be like. Ugh, it didn’t sound too good.

【Probably just struggling to survive every day. With my luck, even if I tried to eat poop, I’d miss out on the warm stuff… Wait, dogs do eat poop, right?】

The more she thought, the more disgusted she became. If she really were a dog, her instincts would probably change too. Eww~~ gross!

The next morning, when Lin Qi came to fetch Lin Mo, he didn’t see her on the bed.

A maid outside the room gently reminded him, “Young Master, try looking under the bed.”

Lin Qi did as instructed—and sure enough, he found someone under there.

Dragging the person out, Lin Qi was genuinely at a loss.

Covered in dust, hair a mess, and still clutching a storybook—why on earth did she always sleep fully dressed? Was sleeping in court attire comfortable?

When Lin Qi finally carried Lin Mo out, Lord Lin turned his head away as if to say, “I saw nothing.”

Father and son placed her onto her wheelchair, then climbed into the carriage themselves.

By now, the two pigs were surprisingly intelligent. As soon as someone was placed in the cart, they would pull it along themselves—and they even knew the route!

On the way, other officials going to court saw the pig-drawn wheelchair and the girl inside sleeping like a log. But by now, they weren’t even surprised anymore.

Even when they reached the palace, Lin Mo was still sound asleep.

The system was afraid she might fall off headfirst and decided to drop a juicy piece of gossip to wake her up.

【Don’t sleep! Don’t sleep! I’ve got a huge scandal to share—it’ll wake you right up!】

Immediately, everyone’s curiosity was piqued. After all, they lived for this system’s spontaneous gossip drops.

Lin Mo yawned. 【”Then hurry up and tell me. If you wait any longer, I really won’t be able to hold on. I stayed up way too late last night.”】

System: 【”This scoop is about the Emperor! And it’s something that happened very recently!”】

Emperor Xuande’s smile instantly froze: Damn it! You’re gossiping about me again!

All the officials secretly let out a sigh of relief. As long as it’s not about us, thank you, Your Majesty, for taking one for the team!

But gossip about the Emperor was always major news. Lin Mo immediately perked up. 【”Quick, quick, tell me!”】

The system whispered sneakily: 【”The Emperor’s underpants were stolen!”】

Everyone gasped inwardly. Who could be so twisted as to steal the Emperor’s underpants?! The Emperor was already poor, and those underpants were contributed by them!

A meaningful smile tugged at the corner of Lin Mo’s lips. 【”Hehehe, is this another panty thief? No, this one should be called a ‘dragon thief’!”】

The Crown Prince and the two other princes looked at their father with pity. His precious underpants were gone again. They’d better find a chance to gift him some more.

Emperor Xuande: …Who the hell is this lunatic! Of all things to steal, why my underpants?!

System: 【”And guess what? It wasn’t an outsider who stole them. It was the Empress, together with the imperial concubines. The Princess Consort of Prince Xin recently entered the palace and during a chat, she shared tips on earning some side income. The Empress and concubines had a lightbulb moment.”】

【”Your harem’s quite harmonious—working together to steal your underpants and sell them for cash. Impressive!”】

Emperor Xuande: !!! I knew my underpants were mysteriously disappearing! So this was why!

You could’ve at least told me! I would’ve joined in too!

He truly regretted it in his heart. He had thought about selling his underpants before, but never got around to it—and now others beat him to it. Though, admittedly, the culprits were his own Empress and concubines.

Everyone present hunched their necks and lowered their heads. The only sound in the grand hall was the heavy breathing.

Lin Mo’s unruly laughter rang through the hall. 【”Hahahahaha! The imperial harem is this fun? But how did they even manage to sell the underpants? Normal people wouldn’t dare touch that kind of business, right?”】

System: 【”Exactly. That’s why they got the Princess Consort of Prince Xin to help sell them. She even took a 10% commission.”】

Lin Mo now genuinely admired the Princess Consort of Prince Xin. What a woman—even more outrageous than herself!

Prince Xin covered his face in shame. So that’s why his wife got so busy after coming back from the palace—she had taken on a new job.