Emperor Jingren thought that he would sleep soundly today as he was so tired. Even if he dreamed, he would dream about the queen. But he had a nightmare that he never expected. In the dream, he turned into a sex maniac who was hungry and indiscriminate. He even pressed Lin Zhuangyuan under him and ate him over and over again. Emperor Jingren tried to wake up several times but couldn't. In his dream, he seemed to have become a different person and actually became interested in men. It was terrible!
The dream was very erotic, but Emperor Jingren was repulsed deep down in his heart. He did not like this kind of dream. He felt that even if he was really interested in men, he should not have any bad thoughts about a pillar of the country like Lin Zhuangyuan. For a person without moral conscience, this kind of dream might be a pleasure, but for the upright Emperor Jingren, he just felt that this kind of dream was terrible.
Emperor Jingren was sweating profusely, and was not awakened until the morning when the Queen wiped her sweat. He opened his eyes in panic, and when he saw the Queen's familiar and reassuring face, Emperor Jingren's pounding heart gradually calmed down.
"What did your majesty dream about?" the queen asked. "Did you dream about me?"
Her words reminded Emperor Jingren of what the Queen had said before he went to bed last night. The Queen had mentioned Lin Zhuangyuan several times and asked him not to dream about Lin Zhuangyuan. He probably wanted to have a Zhougong ceremony with the Queen, but he ended up having such an incredible dream.
"I did have a dream..." Emperor Jingren said vaguely, "Unfortunately it wasn't a good dream. Next time, don't talk nonsense before going to bed."
Of course, the Queen knew who Emperor Jingren dreamed about, but she was relieved to see that he didn't care much and instead looked a little unhappy. People's hearts are hard to predict. No matter how cleverly Lin Boyuan calculated, he never expected that Emperor Jingren was a very principled person. The inexplicable spring dream would not make Emperor Jingren feel happy, but would instead give rise to a sense of guilt. Unlike the concubines, being with his own woman, no matter how big the dream is, it would feel good, because this principle of Emperor Jingren allowed it, and the world recognized it, and it didn't matter if it was a little over the line. But when he dreamed about court officials, with Emperor Jingren's character, he would not feel the pleasure of betraying morality, but would only feel that it was inappropriate for him to have such thoughts.
"It's me, not you." The Queen simply admitted her fault, even though Emperor Jingren didn't say why he didn't sleep well.
Emperor Jingren knew that this had nothing to do with the Queen. She admitted her fault straightforwardly, which made Emperor Jingren feel a little guilty, so he said, "It has nothing to do with the Queen. I was just tired yesterday."
"Then Your Majesty, please sleep for a while longer," the Queen said, looking at the hourglass. "There is still some time left. I will not go for morning exercises today. I will just accompany Your Majesty to rest."
Seeing that there was still half an hour to go, Emperor Jingren lay back down and closed his eyes. The Queen's hand gently rubbed his head, making him feel very comfortable, and he fell asleep again after a while. This time he slept very deeply, without dreaming, only the dry touch of the Queen's palms accompanied him in his sleep.
When he went to court, Emperor Jingren was full of energy again, but when he saw Lin Boyuan again, he always felt like he didn't want to see this person. In fact, Emperor Jingren knew that this matter had nothing to do with Lin Boyuan. It was his own dream, so he shouldn't vent his anger on others. But reason is one thing, emotion is another. He can still use Lin Boyuan, and still praise this talented champion in front of all the officials in the court, but if he wants him to be alone with him again, Emperor Jingren can't do it. It's always a bit awkward.
Lin Boyuan thought that no matter what tricks the empress used, he would be able to leave an indelible impression in the heart of Emperor Jingren. Unfortunately, the impression was there, but it was not a good one. Not only did he fail to further his relationship with Emperor Jingren, but even meeting the emperor alone became a problem. You have to know that he is a sixth-rank censor and cannot enter the palace without being summoned. It is also impossible for him to stay alone after the court. Unfortunately, Emperor Jingren refused to summon him alone since that night, and he had no chance.
Lin Boyuan thought this was the worst, but he didn't expect the reality to be even more miserable.
When Lin Zhuangyuan debated with hundreds of officials and stood up to all the officials' attacks, supported the success of Emperor Jingren's new policy, and offended his father who almost wanted to expel him from the family, he thought that his loyalty and sincerity were enough to impress Emperor Jingren, making him the most trusted minister in his heart, and giving himself a badge to enter the palace to meet the emperor.
But no.
Lin Zhuangyuan was promoted from a sixth-rank censor to a fourth-rank assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and was also fully responsible for the work of the new policy. He was sent to various places by Emperor Jingren for supervision, and after returning to the court, he should be promoted again. He was considered the most favored minister of the younger generation by the emperor.
Lin Boyuan: “…”
The eunuch who went to the Lin residence to deliver the imperial edict was Eunuch Lian. This was not a coincidence. This was an opportunity he had tried every possible means to get, just to be able to meet Lin Boyuan alone today. When Lin Boyuan received the imperial edict, his face was pale, while Eunuch Lian smiled condescendingly.
"We really want to congratulate Minister Lin. Although Minister Lin is at odds with all the civil and military officials in the court this time, he still gets the favor of His Majesty in the end, and will surely rise step by step in the future. One cannot enter the cabinet without the six ministries. Now that Minister Lin has entered the Ministry of Revenue, he may have a chance to enter the cabinet in the future, and maybe he will even surpass his predecessor." Eunuch Lian congratulated Lin Boyuan with a happy face. His smile was sincere, but Lin Boyuan was not happy at all.
Lin Boyuan dismissed everyone and said to Eunuch Lian through gritted teeth, "Why are you smiling so happily now? I will go and implement the new policy. When I come back in a few years, the emperor will definitely favor me even more. When I enter the cabinet, I will have a better chance to be alone with His Majesty. With my looks, even if I can't compare with the concubines in the harem, I am loyal, talented, and can help you solve problems. In addition, we can spend time together day and night and talk by candlelight. Sooner or later, Emperor Jingren will be mine. What about you? Look at your old face, which is like a dried orange peel. Do you think you have a chance? Even if Emperor Jingren doesn't judge people by appearance, he will at least find someone who is good-looking!"
Eunuch Lian's face really turned green. He touched his face, his eyes full of hatred. Looking at the beautiful palace maids and guards around him, he was still an eunuch with old skin and flesh, and he had no chance at all. You know, the person who spent the most time with Emperor Jingren in the past few years was actually Eunuch Lian, but with his honor, it was useless no matter how long they spent time together. Others had used incense many times, but he had the chance but didn't dare to use it at all. He was afraid that if he used it, he would anger Emperor Jingren, and he would never use him again, and then he really would have no chance at all.
After successfully striking at Eunuch Lian, Lin Boyuan himself sighed and asked, "Now I am also a loser, and I am not your enemy. Let me ask you, I planned so well that night, and Emperor Jingren should have dreamed of me all night. After having such a dream, he should at least look at me differently, but why did he feel like avoiding me instead?"
Eunuch Lian thought for a moment and said, "Since that day, the emperor has never stayed overnight with other concubines. He has always lived in the Qifeng Palace and rarely went to the Zichen Palace."
"The Queen?" Lin Boyuan looked incredulous. "She doesn't look much better than you, does she?"
This is an exaggeration. Even though the queen is tall and mighty, she is young and handsome, and is a hundred times better than Eunuch Lian. But the tall and handsome queen is wearing a phoenix robe, and her expression still maintains the dignity that belongs only to the queen. This huge contrast will definitely give people a horrible feeling. How can anyone think she looks good
Eunuch Lian was also quite surprised, but he thought of something and said to his former enemy who was now his comrade-in-arms: "The queen once confiscated all the incense from everyone in the harem. The incense is obviously only good for the master. If anyone else uses it, it will be counterproductive. The queen can't use it at all."
"Although it is useless, it can cut off people's retreat and make people in the harem hesitate every time they want to get close to Emperor Jingren." Lin Boyuan analyzed, "It seems that the person who changed Emperor Jingren's opinion of me that night was also the queen. It turns out that she is our rival."
Before leaving, Lin Boyuan planted a thorn in Eunuch Lian's heart, fearing that something might happen during his absence. With Eunuch Lian around, it would be difficult for the Queen to do anything she wanted.
However, Lin Boyuan never expected that the reason why Emperor Jingren had been sleeping with the Queen during this period was all because of him.