Chapter 466: Your Majesty, Don’t Be Distracted by Romance, It Will Delay State Affairs!
After all, concealing his true strength could be considered deceiving the emperor, which was a crime both morally and legally. Moreover, they were now legally married, so keeping this secret from her was not right.
This matter, from moral, logical, and legal perspectives, didn’t hold water. Lin Beifan hesitantly called out, “Your Majesty…”
The Empress shook her head and whispered, “Imperial Husband, you don’t need to say anything. I believe in you, and I understand. Let’s continue with the wedding; we shouldn’t let the guests see any jokes.”
Lin Beifan nodded repeatedly, “Yes, Your Majesty, you truly understand the greater good.”
Once again, the two of them held hands, their smiles radiant as they faced the guests from all directions. Then, at that moment, the Empress whispered in Lin Beifan’s ear, “After the wedding, we’ll settle the score.”
Lin Beifan: “…”
Well, that’s normal!
Not pursuing the issue right now and waiting until after the wedding meant the Empress was still a little upset. However, this anger was limited to their marital relationship, and she didn’t intend to escalate it.
Afterward, Lin Beifan and the Empress warmly entertained the various guests. With Lin Beifan’s identity as a Supreme Grandmaster now exposed, his image among the martial world rose even higher, and everyone showed even more respect and humility.
Finally, everyone left in high spirits. Lin Beifan and the Empress returned to the inner chambers.
“Your Majesty, it’s late; we should rest now,” Lin Beifan said affectionately.
A faint blush appeared on the Empress’s face. It was unclear whether it was due to drinking too much or embarrassment. She stopped Lin Beifan, saying, “Wait, first explain today’s matter. If you don’t clarify it, I won’t allow you on the bed!”
“Your Majesty, what do you mean?” Lin Beifan pretended to be clueless.
The Empress raised her voice, “Explain why you hid your true strength!”
“For self-preservation,” Lin Beifan replied.
“Why did you need to preserve yourself?” she asked again.
“Because I did something that I’m deeply sorry for you about,” Lin Beifan said, covering his face. “Over these years, I’ve embezzled nearly 500 million silver taels of assets under your control, which I used for charity work. I was afraid that one day you would settle the score…”
Then, Lin Beifan explained everything he had done in secret over the years, elaborating in detail.
“Your Majesty, although I committed so many embezzlements, I swear on my honor that I never did anything that would harm you or Great Wu,” Lin Beifan assured.
The Empress asked, “So, are you going to continue doing it in the future?”
Lin Beifan immediately nodded, “Of course, I must continue!”
The Empress raised an eyebrow, “What? You dare to continue?”
Lin Beifan pretended to be helpless and replied, “The corrupt practices in Great Wu have not been completely eradicated yet. As long as corruption persists, I’ll continue to contribute. However, I will hand over all the money I earn as your private funds!”
For some reason, looking at the Empress’s calm expression, Lin Beifan couldn’t grasp her true feelings. He couldn’t tell if she was angry or not.
Playing the pitiful card, Lin Beifan gazed at her with pleading eyes and said, “Your Majesty, he has already promised me that no matter what I did before, you would forgive me. You can’t go back on your word!”
Finally, the Empress couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, “Humph! Consider this your honest confession. Then let go of the past. But if you ever try to hide something from me again, I won’t give you an easy time!”
Lin Beifan was overjoyed. This wife of his was truly understanding and compassionate! He immediately princess-carried the Empress, spun her around a few times, and gave her a few kisses on the face.
The Empress’s face turned rosy, and she weakly punched Lin Beifan with her small fists, unable to resist.
“Your Majesty, let’s go to sleep now!” Lin Beifan said excitedly.
“Imperial Husband, wait a moment! There’s something between husband and wife that should not be concealed. In fact, there’s something I want to tell you,” the Empress said, her voice tinged with guilt.
“No need to wait. Whatever it is, we can discuss it tomorrow,” Lin Beifan replied eagerly.
“But this matter is very important…”
“As important as this matter? I can’t wait any longer!” Lin Beifan carried the Empress to the bed and couldn’t wait any longer.
“You wicked…!”
Not long after, the two of them were intimately engaged.
As time passed, seasons changed, and they experienced numerous ups and downs.
On the morning of the second day,
Due to some state affairs that needed his attention, Lin Beifan woke up early. In the dragon bed, the Empress had just awakened, her eyes still drowsy and charming. She languidly stretched her jade-like arm and said, “Imperial Husband, come here!”
How could one resist such a request? However, Lin Beifan managed to summon his iron will and said with a serious tone, “Your Majesty, as much as I’d love to, we mustn’t become too engrossed in such matters and neglect state affairs. If you wish, I’ll be with you tonight.”
The Empress rolled her eyes in exasperation, “What are you blabbering about? I just have something to tell you!”
“Your Majesty, what is it?” Lin Beifan walked over and asked.
The Empress suddenly appeared coy, “Imperial Husband, actually, there’s something I’ve been hiding from you all this time. I hope you won’t be angry when you hear it.”
Lin Beifan’s expression immediately turned serious, “Your Majesty, please go on. I’m strong enough to handle anything.”
“Except for the part about you putting a cuckold’s hat on me, I can accept everything else!”
“Don’t make fun of this! I’m being serious!” The Empress punched angrily.
“Alright, Your Majesty, please tell me what it is,” Lin Beifan replied.
The Empress’s eyes flickered, and she dared not look into Lin Beifan’s eyes. “Actually, I’ve known about your corruption all these years.”
Lin Beifan’s body shook. “Why have you known all along?”
The Empress became even more nervous. “Because… all the money you embezzled over the years went into my pocket!”
Lin Beifan’s body shook once more. “Why did it all go into your pocket?”
The Empress covered her head with the blanket, her voice muffled. “Because Bai Guanyin, Sister Bai, is my agent!”
Lin Beifan’s body shook three times. “Bai Guanyin… is your agent?”
At that moment, Lin Beifan understood many things. Why, over the years, despite embezzling so much gold, silver, and jewels, he hadn’t been exposed and instead had grown richer, steadily climbing the ranks. Why, whenever he used the power of the court to investigate, he could never uncover the true forces behind it. It was all because the Empress was the mastermind behind it all.
All the money he embezzled went into the Empress’s pocket, essentially making him work for her all these years. Naturally, she favored him.
Why, when he used the court’s power to investigate, he could never uncover the true forces behind it all. Because these two forces were essentially the same, both belonging to the Empress. It was like trying to expose something hidden under a lamp; naturally, he couldn’t find anything.
Lin Beifan, who had once arrogantly believed that no one knew about his actions, had been seen through by the Empress all along.
He was truly a big fool.
A super big fool.
Lin Beifan’s heart was filled with a mix of bitterness and anger. “Your Majesty, hiding this from me must have been hard for you!”
