At this moment, Lin Yi was incredibly eager to see what kind of expressions these people would have when they learned the truth.

They were so lively now, he wondered if they would still be smiling with such creased faces if they were told the true purpose of this thing.

Would they still flatter him like now, saying he had achievements that would last through the ages?

To be honest, Lin Yi was quite mischievous and had a twisted sense of humor, even knowing that they would collapse the moment they learned the truth.

Yet now, he still let them flatter him without the slightest intention of stopping them.

Instead, he even put on an expression of full enjoyment, which made these people more wanton.

They thought Lin Yi loved to hear such words.

In their hearts, they had already begun seeing Lin Yi as the previous You King, a king who loved to hear praise.

Such rulers often lacked real talents and abilities, wishing for the praise of their subordinates for even the tiniest accomplishments.

This was a good thing for each of them, as they could more steadily hold on to their power.

Such emperors only needed to spend some time each day studying flattery, unrelated to real matters of state, which also wasn’t related to that You King.

Besides, what they wanted was simply the remaining official position; having that would make it easy to obtain whatever they desired, so why not?

Thus, Lin Yi listened to their sycophancy from above with a cheerful demeanor, while those below became increasingly enthusiastic with their flattery.

But no one expected that in their hearts, everyone had their own schemes, each with their own sneaky intentions.

Time passed just like that, and Lin Yi let them praise him for over half an hour before finally gesturing for everyone to stop. Then he smiled and asked the crowd:

"Do you think this thing has any other use besides recording my daily schedule?"

This question from Lin Yi was just a slight probe, with a hint of mockery.

Because he believed that these old fellows must have thought about what the biggest use of this thing was.

But asking them now was to see if they could give a completely honest answer, or if they could provide a real answer at all?

Lin Yi didn’t know, and he was quite curious.

He was really curious about what kind of words these people could say, or would these people claim the emperor’s clothes were fine when they were not?

When these old guys heard Lin Yi’s question, they were all stunned, their previously grinning faces freezing momentarily.

Fortunately, the Right Chancellor reacted quickly.

While everyone was in a daze, he was the first to laugh and said:

"Your Majesty, this item is made of delicate material and feels great to the touch. Besides recording Your Majesty’s schedule, it would be perfect for painting."

His words instantly piqued everyone’s interest, opening their minds as they started agreeing one after another.

"Yes, yes, the Right Chancellor is right. This thing looks extremely light, thin, and durable, and the writing on it is very clear. It seems perfect for painting."

"Indeed, if this is used to make portraits for His Majesty, it would be absolutely perfect."

"Exactly, after it’s painted and finely mounted, placing it in the great hall would be nothing short of perfection."

"Yes, indeed. Besides His Majesty, for the Empress and the consorts, making portraits for them would be extremely prestigious; this thing is a royal tribute, beloved by all."

"Not only loved, but it also represents the symbol of status."

"Exactly, exactly. Lord Lu is right. If this is used for portraits and the recording of Your Majesty’s daily schedule, it is wonderfully excellent. In the future, this will be a symbol of status and royal authority." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Hahaha, anyone who receives a portrait from His Majesty, it would be an immense honor."

"Oh, yes. If I could receive such a gift from His Majesty, even just one sheet, I’d surely wake up laughing even from a dream."

"Hey, Lord Wang, what are you saying? What do you mean wake up laughing from a dream? If I could receive such a gift from His Majesty, I’d be willing to retire and return home."

As soon as this was said, everyone was stunned.

They all looked at the person who spoke, each inwardly giving him a thumbs up, thinking you’re bold!

Good heavens, that person really went for it, bringing up retirement directly with just one sentence.

Even though they all knew it was a joke and the Emperor wouldn’t take it seriously, anyone daring to say such words was a true warrior, worthy of praise.

At least, they dared not say such words themselves.

After all, no one wanted to gamble with their official positions.

Of course, the speaker was an Assistant Minister from the Ministry of Revenue.

And the reason for such a statement wasn’t because they didn’t want their position.

It was just to win attention.

Because they had noticed earlier that the new Emperor liked the company of flatterers.

Speaking out uniquely like this would surely draw the Emperor’s attention and perhaps genuinely make him happy inside.

In this way, maybe they could even climb higher in their position.

There was a gamble involved, and he firmly believed his guess was correct, believing that Lin Yi was similar to Chen Shiren before.

He didn’t believe that, after saying it to this extent, the guy wouldn’t be thrilled.

When all eyes turned to him, this guy even smirked with a hint of arrogance, then glanced at You King sitting above, as if waiting for Lin Yi’s praise.

And as expected, as he finished speaking and looked at Lin Yi, Lin Yi finally spoke.

[To be continued...]

ps: Brothers, anyone want to comment...