Right, sure thing. This Young Master is just useless.
Translation Checker: jellypeaches
Editor: jellypeaches, Special_K
The youth was almost running as his figure disappeared behind the trees.
Shan Xing clicked his tongue. “Did Young Master Meng start acting this adorably after he smacked his head against the pillar? Did he damage his brain?”
Lin Bozhou scoffed and did not respond. He gestured to Shen Qingyu. “Speak.”
Shen Qingyu bowed and talked business.
He was the son of Shen Zhimu, the Minister of Revenue. The working relationship between Lin Bozhou and the Minister of Revenue had always been good, as they were in charge of a large amount of the treasury. However, it was not always convenient for Minister Shen to contact Lin Bozhou directly, so his cheap son, Shen Qingyu, got the benefit of running errands.
“Father sent me to ask when Your Royal Highness will return to the cabinet.”
When Lin Bozhou was impeached, according to the rules, he would have immediately applied for resignation under the pretext of illness and stayed in his compound until his Majesty’s decision was made. But earlier, his Majesty’s decree had been issued, punishing the accusers and appeasing the Prince Regent, proving that his Majesty had more trust and recognition in Lin Bozhou.
Lin Bozhou won this fight.
Shan Xing also nodded. “It is about time to return to court.”
Lin Bozhou gazed down at the ripples in the water. “It is still too early.”
“Still too early?”
The two men looked puzzled.
With Lin Bozhou leading a quiet and peaceful life in his compound, no one in the cabinet dared to use their authority without the Prince Regent’s approval. Now the court’s official documents were piled up like a small mountain, and the departments could not do their jobs. Amidst this huge backlog of chaos, they anxiously waited for Lin Bozhou to return and approve their suggested rescripts in red.
Moreover, Lin Bozhou had been cooped up in the compound for days, increasing the number of people making a mockery of him in court. There were even people who were already crying ‘right before our eyes he rose to the top, entertained guests, and then dramatically fell from grace’,
“The Minister of Rites, a mad seventh-ranking official; Vice Minister of Works, a fifth-ranking official.
Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes and said word by word, “How dare these two officials, who are as lowly and small as sesame and mung beans, impeach the reigning Prince Regent? Meng Xueming has a strong character, so that one I can understand. But that Mr. Zhou is someone who conducts things pragmatically and only at an advantage. This Regent refuses to believe that man had no one behind him giving orders.”
Shan Xing and Shen Qingyu were instantly on the same page. “Which means…”
“Which means,” Pouring the wine in his hand into the lotus pond, Lin Bozhou continued in a deep voice, “if the big fish is not captured, this Regent is afraid that some people would think of me as a soft persimmon, to be controlled easily at the slightest whim. If history was to repeat, who has the free time to deal with more impeachments?”
Chills went down Shen Qingyu and Shan Xing’s backs.
This was a sign that Lin Bozhou was about to get his hands red.
Shen Qingyu had known Lin Bozhou for six years, and Shan Xing had been serving him since he was a young boy in the former ruler’s vassal state, Guzhou. These two were fully aware of the way Lin Bozhou did things, very firm and extremely ruthless. Anyone who tried to bare their fangs at him, would be faced with a smile, as they were defanged, declawed, and stomped into the mud without mercy, trampled into pieces.
Lin Bozhou would be a gentleman to non-offenders.
Lin Bozhou would be a villain towards offenders.
As carp swam near the pond’s surface to compete for the sweet liquor, the light glimmered in Lin Bozhou’s eyes. “To kill a big fish, one must kill the chicken to warn the monkey.”
Shen Qingyu exhaled heavily. “I will return at once to inform my father of this.”
Lin Bozhou hummed and said, “Thank you, Shen Er.”
The chill down Shen Er’s back had not dissipated yet.
“Farewell, Your Royal Highness.”
After the business was finished, the peace and quiet returned for a moment, until Lin Bozhou said, “Call for Meng Huan’s maid.”
Meng Huan’s temperament had changed to a truly extraordinary degree the past few days, and it was already to the point of attracting attention
However, this new personality was quite cute and the direction of this change was favorable, which also made him curious about the cause of such change.
Outside the pavilion, the maid who was summoned was pale and nervous. She had been working in the compound for years, but this would be her first time speaking to His Royal Highness. In a trembling voice, she greeted, “This servant p-pays respects to Your Royal Highness…”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Lin Bozhou lowered his eyes and stayed silent. On his behalf, Shan Xing asked, “What unusual behavior have you seen from Madam Meng recently?”
“Fcereji yftjnlbg?”
Vtf kjr rbifis lc mtjguf bo Zfcu Lejc’r mibatfr, obbv, jmmbwwbvjalbc jcv agjcrqbgajalbc, yea sfrafgvjs joafgcbbc, ktfc Zfcu Lejc agjcrwlugjafv, tf kjr ajxfc mjgf bo ys jc lwqfglji qtsrlmljc jcv j rfgnjca, ktlmt tjv cbatlcu ab vb klat tfg. Vb tfg olgra mbcajma klat Zfcu Lejc kjr ijra cluta, ktfc tf gfaegcfv ogbw atf yjat.
After thinking carefully, she suddenly brought up, “Oh, Madam Meng asked a question last night, and became a little unusual afterward.”
Lin Bozhou looked sideways and stated, “What question?”
“Madam asked, how much monthly salary can he receive as Your Royal Highness’s madam.”
“…”
–
Elsewhere, Meng Huan, who had no idea that he was being investigated, came out of the treasury weighing his mint condition fifty silver taels in his hands.
Sixteen taels is half a kilogram, so he had a little over a kilogram and a half in his hands.
One and a half kilograms! Pure silver!!
Meng Huan, who had never experienced the real world, felt that his life had reached its peak.
Looking fondly at the servants carrying his palanquin and maids holding his umbrella, Meng Huan said, “Tonight, everyone will be eating well.”
Servants laughed, “Heh heh heh.”
Maids giggled, “Tee hee.”
Full of joy, the master and his servants and maids walked on air all the way back to Meng Huan’s large courtyard. With how rich Prince Regent was, it was not weird for Meng Huan to get a courtyard all to himself, but on top of that he even got eight maids and eight male servants, and two old women in charge.
The courtyard’s size was also quite considerable. This courtyard was surrounded by buildings on all four sides with a large open yard in the middle, with flowers and plants in the spare space.
Now that Meng Huan had money, he became picky with his surroundings, starting from the yard. “Pull up all these weeds and wildflowers and plant some beautiful ones, such as peonies, Bengal roses, multiflora roses, and rugosa roses…”
“Right away!”
The servants happily pulled weeds and dug mud.
How happy they were! In the morning, they saw Meng Huan sitting by His Royal Highness with their own eyes, fanning and serving tea for him, deeply in love like an ideal couple. It was so clear that their little madam is going to be favored to death!
If madam is favored, he would get more rewards, and in turn, won’t they, as his servants, also be able to eat their fill with their mouths covered in grease?
Their lives were looking very promising.
The courtyard’s atmosphere was as if spring had arrived early.
A voice sounded at the door as someone asked, “Is madam here?”
When Meng Huan turned towards the sound, he saw a middle-aged woman in plain clothes with combed-smooth hair, who arrived without him noticing. She was smiling right at him.
She gave off a good impression, but there was also a young girl standing behind her, dressed in silk, with a faint anger showing on her face. She gestured a greeting by a slight bow with her hands on her left waist, looking very unwilling.
Who are these two?
The maid behind him spoke up first, “Greeting to Xu-momo and Xu-jiejie.”
“Madam, this servant is the wife of head steward Xu Wei, and was in charge of handling this compound temporarily because there had not been a mistress. His Royal Highness tasked me to oversee everything, down to the most trivial affairs. Now that His Royal Highness has madam, I thought I should come and report. I have already put forward the request to His Royal Highness on letting you take charge of this residence’s affairs.”
“Oh.”
Meng Huan understood. The man handles the outside affairs and the woman handles the inside affairs. With the Prince Regent’s compound so large, and having so many maids and servants, there is so much work that needs to be done. Lin Bozhou might not have the time to manage it, so there were stewards and senior maids overseeing the internal management of the compound.
—Then this stewardess was obviously here to pass the work down to him.
Meng Huan said, “You can keep doing it, I don’t care.”
I just want to eat, drink and play.
Xu-momo smiled.
As a concubine, Meng Huan was not qualified to manage the affairs of the mansion. She was only here to test the water, pretending to hand over her duties in order to see if this little concubine knew what was good for him.
Satisfied with this outcome as it seemed that she still held the highest management position in the compound. She bowed and took her leave.
The young woman behind her snorted triumphantly and noticed the weeds flying all over the yard.
She stopped. “Madam, what is going on in the courtyard?”
Meng Huan just got here. He was a stranger in a foreign land without friends or family and had to prioritize harmony when interacting with others. Against a smooth talker, even though he could pick up the unkind tone, he still replied gently, “I intended to pull up the grass and plant other flowers.”
Xu-momo froze for a moment.
She actually did not expect Meng Huan to live in the compound for that long.
Despite thinking that, she smiled and remained silent. However, Xu-jiejie could not bear to keep her mouth shut, “Madam, please speak up first before moving anything in this compound. What you pulled out were not just any weeds, they were plum blossoms! Favorites of His Royal Highness, especially during the elegant spring when the water is clear. Xu-momo asked all for them to be planted in all corners of the yard in order to please His Royal Highness. They have been growing for five years. Not only are you ignorant, but you also go and uproot them!”
Meng Huan seemed to get splashed with cold water at this complaint. Feeling cold all over, except for his scalp that was burning up, he scratched his head and murmured, “Really?”
Whether the person was telling the truth or not, whenever he was accused of anything Meng Huan would get so embarrassed his ears glowed red.
He slowly hung his head and said nothing.
He felt there was a heavy weight sinking down from his chest.
Xu-momo quickly appeased, “Madam, it’s all right, this courtyard is for you to live in. You can adjust it however you like. Fanggu, hold your tongue.”
Xu Fanggu huffed, “I was right…”
The corners of Meng Huan’s lips frowned, as he quietly inhaled.
When Xu-momo and Xu Fanggu turned around, behind them, the maids suddenly burst out a series of cries, “Madam!” “Madam!” “Madam, please don’t cry!”
His vision gradually blurred.
Meng Huan rubbed his eyes as tears rained down from his face.
–
By the lotus pond, in the dusk, the dim yellow glow fell into the pavilion.
Shan Xing packed up the scrolls and books on the desk and stored them in the book box. Lin Bozhou persisted in reading, a tireless effort over more than twenty years. However, when his eye illness flared up, it became inconvenient for him to read using his eyes. It was Shan Xing and other guest scholars’ duty to read the content of the book, while he could only listen.
After finishing today’s reading, Shan Xing said, “Your Royal Highness, it’s time to eat.”
Lin Bozhou took off the gauze covering his eyes and said, “Mmm, summon the imperial physician tonight.”
“Understood.”
When Shan Xing turned to leave, he saw a maid rushing from afar up ahead.
Lin Bozhou recognized her as one of Meng Huan’s maids. He asked, “Something the matter?”
The maid knelt down with a thump and cried loudly, “Begging Your Royal Highness to pass judgment. Our madam, he…he got scolded by Xu-momo and her daughter until he burst out in tears!”
“……”
–
On the way to Meng Huan’s courtyard.
Walking across the stone floor, Shan Xing peeked at the silent Prince Regent beside him with a complicated expression.
According to his previous knowledge of the Prince Regent, there were too many female maids and male servants in his mansion, and they would often have conflicts, quarrels, in worst cases, one would commit suicide by jumping into the well after having been accused of an affair. But Lin Bozhou would never concern himself with these matters.
His energy was spent on the imperial court, on the Zong Dynasty, on the six ministries and thirteen provinces of the cabinet. He had to both take care of common people and answer to political opponents, which had exhausted his brain power, giving him frequent headaches, sleepless nights, and a chronic eye illness.
But this time, when Lin Bozhou heard the report, he stood up unexpectedly and said, “Where?”
When the footsteps came from outside the courtyard, Meng Huan hung his head lowly and remained motionless like a small mushroom. While Xu-momo beside him looked troubled, saying something, and looking like she was at the limit of her patience.
But at the moment she saw Lin Bozhou, her face changed faster than flipping a page as she hit the ground with a thump. She wailed, “Madam, it is all this maid’s fault. I spoke out of turn. Madam, please calm down, please quell your anger…”
She panicked.
She had been overseeing the Prince Regent’s compound for six years. She had always viewed herself as the mistress of the mansion and handled the internal affairs by herself. She really never expected that a few words about a lowly concubine would alarm His Royal Highness, much less that His Royal Highness would actually come.
Xu Fanggu turned to her mother in surprise and said, “Mother, he is just a concubine, while you are the overseer of this mansion. Why do you have to kneel?”
Lin Bozhou entered into everyone’s sight.
“…”
Xu Fanggu also knelt down with a loud thud.
Meng Huan hung his head, with tears in the corners of his eyes, completely at a loss.
He cried simply because he was a little upset. He transmigrated into the world inside of a book that he was not familiar with. No matter what he did, he was nitpicked or mocked by someone. Being a concubine and being looked down on by others, it just made him feel useless. He took it to heart and was upset by it to the point of tears.
That Xu-momo also kept urging, “Madam, what are you crying for? If you have something to say, please say it. The madam truly has a delicate temperament. This maid would rather get punished and scolded than see you cry. If you are angry, please take it out on me.”
Meng Huan said, “Yeah, sure, you’re exactly right. I am just useless. I’m just gonna cry.”
Both overtly and secretly, it was just that he had a fragile heart and easily cried after being scolded a little.
What? You are allowed to be sarcastic while I am not allowed to cry?
Meng Huan was also pretty speechless. He wanted to wait quietly for his mood to settle, but suddenly, there was a row of people noisily kneeling in front of him.
He looked up and saw Lin Bozhou a few steps away. Being close to evening, the night was burning from behind him, staining the trees and eaves with a dim haze. His tall figure stood in the shadow, looking down at him grimly.
“…”
Who the heck brought him here! Meng Huan wiped away his tears frantically.
But his eyes and the tip of his nose were still red. His eyelashes were wet with tears, and his complexion looked very fragile. Even his plump red lips were slightly downturned.
Inside the courtyard, Lin Bozhou sat down. “What is going on?”
The air was filled with indescribable feelings of fear and oppression, especially when Lin Bozhou sat down expressionlessly. The participants’ legs trembled in a cold sweat.
Xu-momo told the whole story.
Lin Bozhou raised his eyes and said one word, “Strike.”
Xu-momo’s hands trembled as she walked over to her daughter, picked her up by her collar and slapped her across the face.
Pa!
She hit so hard that both of Xu Fanggu’s cheeks shook from side to side. Soon, a red mark appeared by her lips, her hair bun came loose and went crooked. However, Xu-momo did not stop as she raised her hand and slapped again.
Lin Bozhou gave another order, “Dismissed.”
Xu-momo nodded hurriedly and looked at her daughter with distress, saying with tears in her eyes, “Your Royal Highness, thank you for your mercy.”
The people in the pavilion dispersed, leaving only Meng Huan sitting there a little panicked.
He was scared to death.
If equal punishment was to be assigned to both parties, it was now his turn to be slapped in the mouth as well.
Out of nowhere, a shadow suddenly fell before him.
Lin Bozhou stood up, and his shadow covered Meng Huan. Reaching out a bony hand, he clasped the youth’s jaw.
Their faces were so close together. Lin Bozhou’s eyes, corners sharp and narrow, flashed with moonlight as they focused on Meng Huan’s face.
Moving from the corner of the youth’s reddened eyes to the chin still stained with tears, his gaze was like the tip of a predator’s tongue, licking the stain away.
Meng Huan was feeling a little frightened by the stare.
By the rim of his ears, Lin Bozhou dropped a single word, neither light or heavy.
“Useless.”
The author has something to say:
Huan Huan: QAQ
Our mc is so cute 🥺
As someone who also has a hair-trigger crying response to stressful situations like scoldings let me attest that impatiently telling the crier to stop crying just makes things worse. They are fully aware that crying is doing nothing to help the situation.
Damn that part resonated way more then I liked.
Thisss +1
you just described me
Omg I’m the same. I don’t cry at sad movies or books or things like that, but if I’m scolded or get in trouble for something I literally cannot keep myself from crying. And once I start it’s so hard for me to stop. So I really feel for Meng Huan right here. He’s been through a lot already only to be scolded by two petty ladies on a power trip.
+2 Reading all these comments made me feel seen, I honestly thought I was too emotional or overdramatic.
Frustration tears are a real thing! I used to only get frustration tears (which is an issue at work…😅)
Thanks for the chapter! 😘
While I usually really like smart MCs… it’s more likely I would just break down if I were transmigrated 😅
And better a straight up normal, not super smart dude than a supposedly “smart” but actually stupid MC
Mengmeng: QVQ QVQ hubby they’re mean…
MengMeng: beloved husband, they’re picking on me 😭😭😭😭😭
If I lick, will you feel better? Hahahaha! Ty for the update ❤️
Aw, I can relate to Meng Huan. Even as a teenager, I’ll cry for the pettiest things.
#ProtectMengHuan
Thanks for the chapter!
Huan Huan is sooo precious, I definitely didn’t expect him to burst into tears and made the mama bear mode in me jumped out. No one is allowed to bully my bubu except for his hubby!!
His hubby agrees
Bad gong!!!
He’s getting mental break down. It’s more real than being super OP when you know that this is a dog blood story.
Yeah, I’ve read a couple where the MC is just numb (in one case for months) before the numbness cracks and they start spiraling into depression
It’s actually the first time I’ve ever seen anyone cry about being transmigrated lmao that was so new to me I love Huan huan so much already😭❤️
My poor boy, come, I will hug you!
Thank You for the chapter (´,,•ω•,,)♡
❤️❤️❤️
AAAAGGGGGH I LOVE MENG HUAN SO MUXHHH BABYYYYYY WUWUWUWUWU