Chapter 349: The Empress is indeed pursuing him!
She knew that this move would work against him!
Lin Beifan is fearless and unaffected by ordinary tactics; however, he possesses a strong sense of responsibility and takes on anything within his purview. As a result, she employed this method, which not only keeps him in check and lightens her burden, but also serves to suppress corrupt officials along the way. This creates a triple win situation, and the Empress approves of her own idea.
Just then, two eunuchs came in carrying a thick stack of memorials.
“Your Majesty, these are the memorials approved by Lord Prime Minister. Please review them!”
The Empress was surprised, “Already?”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The Empress casually opened one of the memorials and read it attentively.
She found that Lin Beifan’s annotations were succinct, logically organized, and remarkably pertinent. Even if it were her, at most, it would be like this.
But her pace wasn’t as quick as Lin Beifan’s.
With a vermilion brush, the Empress wrote the character “approved” on top, signifying her endorsement of Lin Beifan’s opinions, and that was that.
Next, she browsed through several more memorials in succession and noticed that Lin Beifan maintained a consistently high standard. Each memorial was thoroughly reviewed, remarkably appropriate, and some even had brilliant points that impressed her.
The Empress was delighted, “Appointing Lin Beifan as a Prime Minister was truly a wise decision! I won’t have to toil so much from now on, haha…”
Just then, two eunuchs walked in again, holding another stack of memorials.
“Your Majesty, these are the memorials approved by Lord Prime Minister. Please review them!”
“What? Approved again?” The Empress was once again astonished.
She hadn’t even finished reading the previous memorials, and he had already prepared the next batch. Was he even human?
For some reason, Empress felt like her intelligence was being crushed!
She had been raised to be an Emperor since childhood, which is why she possessed the ability to handle various political matters. Yet, as soon as Lin Beifan arrived, he completely overshadowed her!
With a bit of resentment, the Empress said, “I can’t believe it. I’ve been Emperor for so many years, and I can’t even compare to a mere subject like you?”
She quickened her pace and started reviewing the memorials rapidly.
In no time, the two young eunuchs returned.
“Your Majesty, these are the memorials approved by Lord Prime Minister. Please review them!”
The Empress: “…”
“Place them there. I’ll read them on my own!” The Empress buried her head in the papers.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
After a while, the two eunuchs returned again.
“Your Majesty, these are the memorials approved by Lord Prime Minister. Should we wait?”
Empress: “…”
“Put them down. You can leave now!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
After some time, the two eunuchs returned once more.
“Your Majesty, these are new memorials. Please review them.”
Seeing the stack of memorials piling up, the Empress grew angry: “Go back and tell him to slow down. I’m not in a hurry!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The eunuchs quickly conveyed the Empress’s wish to Lin Beifan.
As Lin Beifan swiftly reviewed the memorials, he calmly remarked, “Tell me not to hurry? Easy for them to say! I have multiple responsibilities and many tasks to handle!”
“In the time it took for this sentence, another batch of memorials had already been prepared.”
A young eunuch hesitated and said, “But Prime Minister, sir…”
“Are you all foolish? Couldn’t you have delivered them a bit later?”
“The Prime Minister is right!”
So, a little while later, four struggling eunuchs brought the memorials over.
Seeing the Empress’s dizziness, she sighed irritably, “Didn’t I ask him to slow down?”
“Your Majesty, he has already finished reviewing the memorials!”
The Empress looked at the towering stack and let out an exhausted breath, “Sigh.”
At this moment, she finally understood why Lin Beifan always managed to find leisure in the midst of his busyness, why he could slack off, and why he seemed so efficient in his work. With his intelligence and work efficiency, how could he not be quick?
“Fine, I won’t compare anymore! Even if you’re remarkable, you’re still my beloved minister!”
The Empress didn’t want to compare anymore; it was simply asking for trouble to compete with such an extraordinary being. After all, no matter how impressive Lin Beifan was, he was her subject, her faithful worker for life; there was no escaping from her grasp.
Thinking about it, she even started feeling somewhat pleased with herself.
Setting down her pen, she decided to take a walk outside to clear her mind and then return to work.
Oddly enough, she ended up in the political affairs hall.
She found Lin Beifan holding a steaming bowl of tea, looking out the window at the rolling clouds. His expression was relaxed, as if he had all the time in the world, embodying an air of tranquility and carefree aging.
On his desk lay a plate of peanuts, another of roasted soybeans, and a platter of exquisite pastries, giving off an aura of indulgence.
The Empress felt jealous. She was working herself to the bone, while he was there enjoying food and drinks, living the life she envied.
At this moment, Lin Beifan noticed the Empress’s presence and quickly stood up, saying, “Greetings, Your Majesty!”
The Empress, with a somewhat sarcastic tone, said, “Dear minister, you seem to be quite comfortable.”
Lin Beifan responded earnestly, “Your Majesty, today’s workload exceeded the standard, so I thought I’d take a break. I hope Your Majesty understands.”
The Empress, on the verge of hitting someone, thought, “You have a lot of leisure now, and you’re asking for time off?”
“Minister, are you really tired today?” The Empress asked with concern.
Lin Beifan quickly nodded, “Tired! Very tired! Incredibly tired! Beyond imagination tired!”
The Empress had a face full of black lines. “You little scoundrel! You’re lying right through your teeth! You don’t even need to rehearse your lies!”
Are you acting arrogant because you think I can’t deal with you?
“However, from handling these political affairs, this humble subject has gained an even deeper appreciation for Your Majesty’s efforts!”
Lin Beifan, with a touched expression, said, “Your Majesty, you face countless books and documents every day, review numerous memorials, and handle myriad affairs. It must be incredibly laborious, isn’t it?
“But those under you don’t appreciate your efforts in the slightest. They don’t work properly, and often stir up trouble. I, as a humble servant, will definitely criticize them severely!
“Tell them, how can there be an easy and peaceful time? It’s just that someone is carrying the weight for us!”
These words resonated deeply within the Empress!
Look at that, the Prime Minister’s words are different. They hold depth and sentiment!
Hearing it made her heart all fluttery; it was so seductive!
Two words: comfortable!
A smile unconsciously appeared on the Empress’s face. She said warmly, “Minister, you truly understand me. Let’s have lunch together at noon!”
“Understood.” Lin Beifan nodded with a bow.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Then, the two of them had their meal together.
Although there was a distinction between sovereign and subject, the Empress still pulled Lin Beifan to sit at the same table. She felt joyful, as she was usually alone during meals as a solitary figure.
After finishing her meal, the Empress went back to dealing with state affairs, resembling a working court.
Although the food was delicious, there wasn’t much taste to it.
But now, with Lin Beifan, things had changed a bit.
Watching him savor the food, she couldn’t help but take a few more bites herself.
Moreover, he didn’t treat her as the Emperor; he acted quite carefreely when working, his political ideology coincided with hers, and he was adept at understanding her, making the Empress feel incredibly at ease, as if she were with a friend.
A feeling of warmth surged up.
“Minister, where do you usually have lunch during normal days?” the Empress curiously inquired.
Lin Beifan, eating as he spoke, replied, “If I’m at the Imperial Academy, then I have lunch at the Imperial Academy. If I’m at the Dedian Mansion, then I have lunch there. Sometimes I can’t stand the food at either of these places, so I slip out to find a restaurant to improve the meal. Only in the evenings do I return to the Lin Mansion for lunch.”
“I see!” The Empress smiled and said, “Minister, if there’s no urgent matter in the future, stay behind and have lunch with me!”
“What would you like to eat? I’ll have the palace kitchen prepare it for you!”
Lin Beifan was bewildered, “Your Majesty, isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”
The Empress frowned slightly, displeased, “How can it be inappropriate? In the future, I’ll mostly be in the palace dealing with state affairs in the morning. Lunch can only be had within the palace. You don’t need to say much; we’ve happily decided on this!”
Lin Beifan blinked. Every morning he attended the early court sessions, depriving him of his mornings. Staying in the political affairs hall to review memorials deprived him of his mornings. If he had to have lunch in the palace, he’d lose his lunchtime too. What about the afternoon? What about the evening? What if, in the future, she crawled to his bed? What then?
At this moment, the Empress turned to a nearby old eunuch and said, “By the way, in the future, Prime Minister Lin will need to frequently handle political affairs in the palace, which is very inconvenient. Give him a pass so he can freely enter and exit the palace!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” the old eunuch responded.
Lin Beifan’s heart wailed! It’s over, it’s over! The Empress really intends to rope him in! Should he comply, or not?
“Your Majesty, can I not take this pass?”
The Empress, displeased, said, “How can you not? It’s inconvenient if you can’t move around. What if you have urgent matters at night and need to rush back to report? Having a pass is also convenient, don’t you think?”
Lin Beifan was tearful in his heart! The Empress really has her sights set on him! Moreover, she’s so considerate and thoughtful, even taking the evening into account! Not following is no longer an option!
At this moment, Zhao Kuo, since returning from Lin Mansion, had been locking himself in his study, diligently studying and writing. Zhao Hai was very worried and was afraid that Zhao Kuo hadn’t yet recovered from the previous setbacks.
Pushing the door into the study, he found the room full of scattered pieces of paper, and he asked with concern, “Kuo’er, what are you doing?”
“I’m reviewing the military tactics I’ve learned before,” Zhao Kuo said without looking up.
Zhao Hai picked up a few sheets of paper from the ground and began to read, benefiting greatly from what was written. He said, “Kuo’er did you come up with these military strategies yourself?”
Zhao Kuo shook his head and smiled, “Uncle, how could I possess such skills? These were all taught to me by Lord Prime Minister. I learned a lot from him yesterday!”
“So it turns out…!”
Zhao Hai was greatly impressed by the insights in the papers. He deeply appreciated the strategic ideas, which were far beyond the norm. It made him unable to help but say the phrase “Military God” – it wasn’t an exaggeration at all.
“Uncle, are these really so impressive? After all, they are indeed beyond what the entire realm, let alone the martial world, has seen. How does it seem to you?”
Zhao Hai shook his head with a smile. “Kuo’er, I don’t have that capability, but looking at the tactics, they are indeed far ahead, incredibly advanced. It’s as if this person, who has been fighting all his life, has been blessed with extraordinary foresight.”
Unexpectedly, Lin Beifan’s military strategies were not only ahead of their time, but also within the realm of reason. Not only in the Great Wu, but even within the vast world, there might not be anyone who could match Prime Minister Lin, who had achieved four consecutive victories!
The godlike skills in strategy and tactics were astonishing, leaving others to admire and respect without reservation.
