I Rely On Beauty To Stabilize The Country or Peerless Beauty

by Usui Takumii

not mine, foxaholic, novelhall, etranslations space and wuxia world. Beware Bl. Total: 164 Chapters and 16 Extras. Waiting for the translator to update.

3. 11 to 20

After the exams, imperial preceptor Li Bao went to meet His Majesty again, and this time His Majesty finally stopped rejecting him, and finally summoned the world-famous imperial teacher.

After coming out of the palace, Li Bao had tears in his eyes, and returned home needing to be supported. After Li Huan heard him coming back, he was taken to his father.

"Father," although he was half-dead from the interrogation, Li Huan was very spirited. He stared at Li Bao, his eyes full of anticipation. "What did His Majesty say?"

Li Bao was angry when he saw him, but he still felt distressed about his injuries, so he said coldly: "What do you care about what this old man and the emperor spoke about!"

"Alright, this son won't ask anymore," Li Huan asked, changing the subject. "Father, how did His Majesty look today?"

His Majesty had been furious with him that day, his lips and ears were red with anger. It made Li Huan worry about His Majesty's body. His Highness was not as resilient as he himself was, so he couldn't avoid it.

Li Bao said, "How could I look directly at His Majesty's face?"

Li Huan sighed, only to feel a vague pain throughout his body. He made himself look away, and his fingers touched the incense bag that hung from his waist, which contained His Majesty's hair. Taking a step back, he asked: "Father, then you should at least have noticed whether His Majesty coughed when he spoke to you today, right?"

"Not really," said Li Bao, "Alright, stop asking, go back and lie down."

Li Huan was driven back to his room. He lay on the bed and sighed quietly.

"Father is so careless."

His Majesty allowed his father into the palace, yet his father did not even spare a thought about His Majesty's health. He had such a stupid father, but he still was Li Huan's biological father.

Li Huan shook his head helplessly.

After sending away the tearful imperial preceptor Li Bao, the palace received once again the visit from an ill-faced Prince He.1

Gu Yuanbai received him, and Prince He stood stiffly in front of His Majesty. His tone was as hard as a stone. "That task that His Majesty asked me to do, I have completed it."

On the second day of the examinations, there was a cold spring rain. Prince He happened to enter the palace to ask about Grand Imperial Concubine Wan. Gu Yuanbai had felt upset when he saw his sarcastic face, so he ordered Prince He to send someone to cook ginger soup and send it to the candidates in the Examination Hall for two days, to drive away the cold.

There was a smile on His Majesty's face, and the appealing visage looked like a beautiful jade. He reached out to lift a porcelain cup and drink tea. "We can always rest assured when Prince He does things."2

Prince He couldn't hold back a sneer.

Prince He was good at fighting and leading soldiers. His title of prince had been awarded by the previous emperor for his military merits. Now a royal man who was used to fighting on the battlefield was trapped in the capital to do such menial things. Gu Yuanbai knew that Prince He probably hated him to death.

But how can military power be in the hands of a prince? Let alone this guy who didn't like his older brother. Not just the son of the main wife, but also the eldest.

Gu Yuanbai held the porcelain-white tea set with his slender fingers. For a while, he wasn't sure which one was whiter.

Prince He watched him drinking tea slowly. He felt uncomfortable. He would drink water when thirsty and eat meat when hungry. However, everyone in the capital behaved very carefully, and, among them, Prince He was like a cow drinking peonies.

Gu Yuanbai saw that he did not speak. He raised his eyes to look at him, and chuckled. "Prince He, what is that face that you are making? If you are thirsty, just say so, how could We not have a cup of tea for you? Tian Fusheng!"

Tian Fusheng hurriedly had people put on chairs and brought new tea. Prince He sat down abruptly with his tea and, taking just a sip, gave it back to the servant lady by his side, speaking barbed words. "The two bowls of ginger tea rewarded by Your Highness have moved those scholars to death. Now the whole capital is boasting about the Emperor's benevolence. I am afraid that, even if Your Highness said to let them die, they will still call it generous and righteous."

The emperor frowned slightly.

Tian Fusheng and his little apprentice stood to the side. The little apprentice felt uncomfortable when he saw the Emperor frowning. He whispered to his master: "How can Prince He always say such things and make the Emperor uncomfortable?"

Tian Fusheng was also quite dissatisfied. He snorted coldly, but he still lectured the little apprentice first. "Keep your head down and watch your nose. Is Prince He someone you and I can be dissatisfied with?"

In fact, the person who is most dissatisfied with Prince He was Tian Fusheng himself.

They wanted to hold the Emperor in their palms, in fear that the Emperor would get blown by a small breeze or a couple drops would fall on him, and the Emperor wanted to eat tea made with plum's snow and morning dew.

The ministers of the court, Imperial preceptor Li Bao who had just visited the palace to see the Emperor, which one wasn't a respectable person? Prince He was the only one who had such an unpleasant temperament.

"What did you say?" The emperor's tone was neither bitter nor light. "Prince He, those are your words."

Prince He smiled without smiling: "If Your Highness doesn't believe it, then go out with me and have a look. I'm afraid that when the candidates go back home, the Emperor's compassionate and kind deeds towards the scholars will be known all over the world."

Gu Yuanbai looked outside the door, looking a little tempted. Tian Fusheng hurriedly stepped forward to remind him in a low voice, "Your Highness, the people of the Qin Tianjian3have calculated that it will rain today, and it is not a good day to go out of the palace."

Prince He sneered. The sun was shining bright outside. The people of Qin Tianjian were such cowards that they spoke nonsense without opening their eyes.

Gu Yuanbai glanced at Prince He and simply stood up from behind the table. "It's not a big deal, I'll just go out and check out what Prince He mentioned."

Zhuangyuan building.4

Gu Yuanbai and Prince He were led to the second floor to sit down by a window. The restaurant was full of scholars in blue shirts. The scent of literature drifted around, making Gu Yuanbai feel a little drowsy.

Occasionally one or two lines of poetry would be heard. Although the guards surrounding them had tense faces, guarding around the table like a mountain range, they could not block these literary voices.

The waiter stood tensely by the table, "What would the two masters like to order?"

Gu Yuanbai asked with a smile, "What do you have here?"

The waiter put himself together and recited the menu he had memorized. Gu Yuanbai pondered for a while, ordered three dishes, and asked Prince He, "Older brother, want to order anything else?"5

Prince He got startled when he was called, and he choked out: "Get two pots of good wine."

The Zhuangyuan Building had a lot of scholars, and, just as Prince He had said, the praises of these scholars to the Emperor were practically endless, especially from those who had left the Examination Hall safely thanks to that ginger soup. Gu Yuanbai himself got goosebumps all over from hearing them.

Prince He's face was all green and there were sparks in his eyes. He, Prince He, had made the soup, or at least been ordered to do so as a punishment. Hearing these words now, with Gu Yuanbai sitting across him, he felt like the butt of the joke. His complexion became more and more ugly, as he looked as if he was planning to give these scholars a good beating.

"Older brother, you invited me out, didn't you just want me to hear these things?" Gu Yuanbai's mouth twitched, and he spoke evilly. "These students were able to safely leave the Examination Hall. Your credit cannot be ignored."

Prince He laughed and refused to reply.

Gu Yuanbai chuckled. Unable to help himself anymore, he leaned on the window frame, stifling his laughter and trying to allow Prince He to save face and not let out a loud laugh. The blue silk on his back shook, and his exposed fingertips flushed with a pleasant pink color.

Prince He's face went blue and purple. He lowered his head and squeezed the porcelain cup, snorting coldly.

" "

Originally, the two of them had attracted a lot of attention when they entered the Zhuangyuan Building with a group of guards. Many people, both openly and secretly, had their eyes on the table. Gu Yuanbai and Prince He both had a noble and extraordinary demeanor. Since they were in the capital, they might be a princely minister or a powerful heir. Now that Gu Yuanbai smiled, some young white-faced scholars blushed, both ashamed to peek in their direction and unable to look away.

This childe was dressed in blue and looked dignified and calm. However, the blue clothes couldn't suppress his light, so he shone.

As they looked more, those mountains of robust guards glared over angrily, obstructing their line of sight. The captain of the guard, Zhang Xu, was vigilantly looking in every direction with an heroic and outstanding face, vowing to protect the safety of the Emperor.

Gu Yuanbai finally stopped laughing and slowly pulled himself up. He propped his elbow on the window, resting his face on his hand. Just from a big laugh, he was already feeling weak. His chest rose and fell slightly. Gu Yuanbai tried his best to slow down his breaths and calm down.

Prince He said in a cold voice, "It is better for your Lordship not to laugh."

Gu Yuanbai smiled crookedly, not caring. Although he was this weak at the moment, he didn't want others to see it. Every man wanted to save face, and it would be unsightly if Gu Yuanbai had to live so carefully because of his health.

"Brother, don't worry about it," Gu Yuanbai said. "This younger brother's body can still endure a laugh."6

After a while, the waiter delivered food. Gu Yuanbai had no appetite for eating. He sipped his tea and looked out the window.

The capital, under the emperor's feet, was prosperous and stable. The Great Heng Dynasty was open to folk customs, and the status of women wasn't low, so it was possible to see women walking in groups of two and three around the market.

Gu Yuanbai liked this peaceful picture. He leaned against the wall, holding his cup of tea, and for a moment he looked lost in thought.

Chu Wei was heading to the academy with a classmate. When they walked past the Zhuangyuan building, they saw many people looking up. With a frown, he looked up to see what they were staring at.

Sitting by the window on the second floor was a young man dressed in blue, with black hair topped by a jade crown. He was looking into the distance while holding a white porcelain cup in his hand. Both men and women had craned their necks up to look at the beautiful man, who turned out to be none other than the Emperor.

He was so good looking, even if it was hard to appreciate it, they couldn't look away from the beauty. But Chu Wei hated people who started at him, and hated the vulgar people who only thought about beauty.

Wouldn't it be uncomfortable for the Emperor, to be stared at like this?

His classmate followed and said cheerfully: "Zihu, it seems that your title of the most beautiful man in the capital is under threat."

Chu Wei said coldly: "Whoever wants it, they can take it."

The classmate laughed, but he dragged Chu Wei to the base of the Zhuangyuan building, finding a good position to look up at the young man upstairs by the window. He sighed: "In the old days, there was Pan An getting fruit thrown at his car, and seeing that you could kill someone at Wei Jie's level, I thought your looks were already magnificent. However, I didn't expect that such a handsome childe could exist."7

Chu Wei: "It's just a facade."

The classmate smiled and said: "I know you don't appreciate beauty, and you don't like others to stare at you. But Chu Zihu, even with a childe that looks like this, you still think it's just superficial?"

Chu Wei raised his eyes to look at the Emperor. His eyebrows were flat, his black eyes unmoved. He stood straight, cold as snow. "What else?"

Gu Yuanbai seemed to perceive his gaze. He looked out into the distance, then lowered his head a little, spotting Chu Wei, who was standing in front of the shop selling red knots across the street.

A handsome literati stood beside Chu Wei. Gu Yuanbai narrowed his eyes, and calmly looked away, holding the tea set and taking a sip of warm tea.

The hand holding the cup was so pale that it seemed transparent. As soon as he saw the Emperor's hands, Chu Wei couldn't help recalling them painfully gripping bright yellow sheets, the image of the folds of satin under the warm yellow candlelight, the fingertips pale and feeble. He lowered his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he quietly dragged his classmate and left.

Prince He saw that Gu Yuanbai had been looking out the window. Following the look with a glance, he suddenly spotted many people outside looking up furtively. He pressed his lips, displeased. "Who dares to stare at Your Majesty?"

" "

Even though he didn't like Gu Yuanbai, Prince He would not hesitate to defend his royal majesty.

"The act is not culpable unless the mind is guilty." Gu Yuanbai smiled and changed the subject. "How do you find these dishes, brother?"

Prince He took a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and said tastelessly, "They're nothing special."

Whether it was a dish or a person, talk is only talk. The words of these students talking in the Zhangyuan building were also shallow. Empty talk was great, but prodding seriously will reveal there's nothing underneath, and even though their feet weren't grounded, they still dared to speak mouthfuls of nonsense.

Originally, he'd wanted to poke at Gu Yuanbai to let him know what sort of admiration he received. In the end, it was him who ended up feeling uncomfortable.

Gu Yuanbai had two goals as he listened to the many students talk and talk. It was hard to not get disappointed, but it was one of the drawbacks of the Imperial Examination. For the Emperor, the first drawback was the apparition of cliques and use of connections, and the second was that the state might not be able to put to use the talents it received.

For the society to truly develop, they could still focus on building up the economy. Compared with other ancient countries, China was always ahead until the British Industrial Revolution. Yet, a single revolution had made the gap between the two a hundred times bigger.8 At the end of the day, science and technology were the primary push for development. Businessmen and craftsmen could impulse the development of a society and its economy. However, in this era, farmers and food were the basis of the country's economy.

If they could have potatoes, corn, hybrid rice,9 etc, then the basic workers would be available, the storehouses would be full for sure, and other major works could begin to be carried out.

Gu Yuanbai stood up suddenly. The palace attendants hurriedly stepped forward to support him, tidy up the wrinkles on his clothes and straighten the jade pendant on his waist. Gu Yuanbai said leisurely: "Brother, walk with me."

Prince He stood up silently, walking half a step behind as the Emperor came out of the Zhuangyuan building.

The street market was busy but not chaotic, the ground was clean and tidy, and Prince He had a calm face, looking more intimidating than the guards that stood on the side.

"Where does Your Highness want to go?"

" "

"If We remember correctly, you have several acres of fertile land in the capital, and there is a hamlet with a hot spring to grow fruits and vegetables?" Gu Yuanbai said. "Earlier, when raining Lu Feng's house, We also remembered that We once rewarded you with a spring house."

Prince He said stiffly, "That manor is far from the city, so if Your Majesty wants to go, I'm afraid it'll be inconvenient to get there today."

The guards protecting the Emperor secretly glared at Prince He, wishing that His Majesty would hurry and give them an order to teach him a good lesson on his behalf.

How dare anyone talk to His Majesty like that?!

Gu Yuanbai's expression remained unchanged. He waved his hand behind him, and the guards and palace attendants took two steps back, giving the two most noble royal people in the world space to talk privately.

"Prince He," Gu Yuanbai said slowly, "you give Us face so that We can give you face."

Prince He had an ugly look on his face, and had to hold himself back from brushing him off.

"Previously, I asked you to help Us, so as to wipe out Lu Feng." His Majesty spoke in a light tone. "Even the emperor's relatives have to grovel before powerful officials. Your clan and the imperial authority are connected together. If I am weak, you are also weak. I thought you were a smart person, who would have known you're this stupid? You now blame me for keeping you in the capital, where you can only seek enjoyment day and night. We ask you, when We gave you the opportunity, who was the one not able to grasp it? "

Prince He, with blue veins popping on his forehead, restrained himself and spoke between gritted teeth. "—I arrived!

"You're too late!" Gu Yuanbai shouted angrily, "We already killed him, what did you arrive for? You want to make Us wait until dinner goes cold?"

Prince He was frightened by the sudden loud shout, and lost his momentum.

Gu Yuanbai breathed quickly in and out, and it took him a long time before he calmed down. "Prince He, the late emperor once gave me some warning words. He spoke about you. You're unaware of what he said."

Prince He breathed in and turned his head to stare fiercely at Gu Yuanbai. "What did the late emperor say?"

The corners of Gu Yuanbai's pale mouth suddenly hooked up, and he said harshly, "We won't tell you."

Prince He "…"

With a "bang", a loud noise suddenly echoed across the sky.

The sky instantly dimmed down, a flash of light splitting it in half. The sudden brightness was followed by a sudden darkness, rolling up in gusts of wind.

Tian Fusheng walked up to them in a panic. "Your Majesty, it's going to rain!"

Before the rainstorm arrived, the wind was already surging up. Gu Yuanbai's clothes were blown up and his hair was thrown around, some strands hitting his face and obstructing his vision. Gu Yuanbai frowned and pulled the hair that was in the way aside. "Zhang Xu, where can we take shelter nearby?"

Zhang Xu felt anxious as well. He held onto the saber around his waist and forcibly calmed himself down, "Emperor, we are very close to General Xue's residence. We can go to Xue Mansion to shelter from the rain."

Xue Mansion?

Gu Yuanbai pondered for a while, "Let's go, we should rush over before the rain falls."

Author's note:10

Gu Yuanbai: This rain is so unlucky, and Our bad weather isn't improving soon.

Xue Yuan: What's so cool about Prince He?

Xue Yuan: Is he, is he interesting or snarky like me?

Hello! I'm Barebones, the new translator for this project. It's scary to take over a historical novel. The previous translator did a great job and our styles might be a bit different, but I'll do my best!

Read chapters 1 to 10 here!

And if you're interested, here's my ko-fi!

Footnotes

After much pondering, He Qinwang title has been translated instead of kept in pinyin because once his real name and the members of his household begin to pop up it was getting confusing. 和亲王 means Prince of the first rank He, originally a title given only to direct sons of the Emperor but in later periods and dynasties it was more freely distributed. Thanking Daed for the advice on the matter!朕/Zhen/Imperial first person pronoun will be translated as Royal we from this chapter onwards. The Royal we has been used by kings, emperors and popes all through Europe, it dates all the way back to Ancient Rome, so it's grammatically the closest equivalent in Western langages. It should be noted that sometimes Gu Yuanbai does switch to 我 (common modern day first person singular) mid in charge of astronomy and calendars and, presumably, reading the weather is the title obtained by the number one scholar in the examinations, but it's also used for businesses a lot. Presumably this is an establishment frequented by scholar and candidates in the He is getting addressed as 兄长 because they're going incognito, it's a casual address for men older than the speaker. Author specifies that they're not siblings, the title of Prince He was likely granted specifically or passed on from his own addresses himself as 弟弟 even though Prince He An and Wei Jie are both famously handsome men from ancient China. Pan An would get girls throwing fruits at his cart, so throwing fruit at a man became a compliment about his author mentions in a footnote that this line was taken originally from Professor Jin Canrong in his speech "The Great Change of the Century and China's Opportunity". In China, hybrid rice is estimated to be planted on more than 50% of rice-growing land there and it is credited with helping the country increase its rice yields, which are among the highest within seems to be a bit pun-heavy.

With the guard protecting the Emperor, they managed to reach the gates of the Xue Mansion before the rain started falling.

The concierge was about to ask who the pedestrian was. He glanced quickly at the dragon jade pendant on Gu Yuanbai's waist, and then his heart jumped, his legs went soft and he kneeled on the ground. "I, um, this peasant…"1

The news spread like wildfire across Xue Mansion, and the General's quiet household blew up like water in boiling oil. General Xue, with some young servants, hurried from the study to the mansion's gates. On the way, he met with Madam Xue, who looked flustered and had her hairpins askew. "General, is the Emperor really here?"

General Xue nodded without slowing down. "I'll go to the gates to welcome the Emperor. Hurry up and fix your appearance, and go with mother to greet the Emperor's carriage. Messy people and things must not appear before the emperor!"

Madam Xue nodded hurriedly and walked at a quick pace towards the inner courtyard, with a maid supporting her hand. The maid struggled to keep up. Where was the madam who walked so lightly on regular days?2 Did she still need her support at all now? She didn't walk with this madam's speed!

Madam Xue got to the inner courtyard quickly. Elder Madam Xue had already received the news, and the people around her were helping her change into garments appropriate for a titled lady.3 Layer after layer of gold embroidery covered the red robe on her upper body, and the servant girls weren't being as loud as usual.

The old Madam Xue looked rosy as if she had instantly become a teenager. When she saw Madam Xue coming, she smiled and gestured for her daughter-in-law to come to her side. "Huiniang,4 I heard a magpie chirping in a tree this morning. I was wondering what sort of good event might be coming, but I didn't expect it'd be so great! Isn't it such an honor to have the Emperor come to our residence in person?"5

Madam Xue, seeing her so energetic, also seemed to find her inner strength. "Madam, how should we organize our household? The Emperor is probably here to hide from the rain. If the rain doesn't stop, won't His Majesty end up staying in the residence?"

Elder Madam's face suddenly went blank and she clutched Madam Xue's hand, admonishing her energetically: "Whether or not the Emperor stays, Huiniang, you must keep an eye on the people in our household. Don't let anyone with twisted thoughts appear before the Emperor's sight! Don't think I'm not aware of how many maids here think loftily of themselves. If they dare wander and appear in the Emperor's presence, this old woman will show them how fierce she can be!"

Madam Xue understood what she meant and nodded her head, asking her anxiously: "Madam, should Lin-ger6 and the concubines also greet the Emperor?"

Elder Madam Xue's tone darkened. "No! Only Yuan-ger can greet him. Huiniang, don't waste time. Go change your clothes and make yourself presentable, and then follow me to go greet His Majesty."

Madam Xue nodded, only saying: "Yes," and sent someone to inform Xue Yuan.

While Madam and Elder Madam Xue were busy, General Xue had already rushed to the mansion's gates, accompanied by many servants. The rain fell heavily, and General Xue had his heart stuck in his throat.

He only breathed a sigh of relief once he saw the Emperor in the distance, surrounded by his people, in a corridor where the rain couldn't reach him. General Xue quickly walked up to him, lifted his robe and knelt down. "Your servant greets the Emperor."7

The Emperor said gently: "Official Xue, get up."

Only then did General Xue and his many servants get up. When he looked up, he noticed that the Emperor wasn't able to endure the cold. Even though not a drop of rain had fallen on him, the wind chill had made his lips go white, and his face didn't look good. General Xue felt anxious, and a clever servant boy behind him quickly handed him a big cape.8

Tian Fusheng put the cape over Gu Yuanbai. Gu Yuanbai coughed a few times. His hands and feet felt a bit cold. "Today we went out of the palace incognito. I didn't expect to encounter a torrential rain. Xue Mansion happened to be nearby, so We ended up bothering Official Xue."

General Xue said quickly: "It's a blessing for a minister to receive a visit from the Emperor himself. How could it be called a bother?"

Having said that, General Xue cupped his hands and looked at Prince He, saying respectfully: "Blessings to you, Prince He."

Prince He nodded with a blank expression. "General Xue."

Gu Yuanbai turned his head to cough a few more times. There was cold air rising from the soles of his feet, and a faint fever showed on his face. It felt pretty bad, like a symptom before the onset of an illness. Tian Fusheng, who was always paying attention to him, said hurriedly: "General Xue, let's not talk too much, the Emperor still needs to enter the house and get away from the cold."

General Xue stepped aside hurriedly, leading the Emperor down the hall. Gu Yuanbai pulled the cape close to his body, following after. His previously pale face was now dyed an unusual red color.

His head felt a little muddled.

Gu Yuanbai hadn't forgotten how, a month ago, he'd nearly died from the cold. This time he had a really bad feeling, and he feared that this might be another deadly wind chill.

There was a frown on his face, and, after being led to sit in a preferential seat, the first words out of his mouth were: "Do you have a doctor in Xue Mansion?"

General Xue had been thinking that the Emperor's complexion had improved, and he was startled by the question. Forcing himself to calm down, he asked the servant next to him to hurry and bring the doctor, and ordered others to bring medicinal soup and hot water to chase away the cold without delay.

Tian Fusheng wiped Gu Yuanbai's face with a napkin. He could feel the heat rising through the silk handkerchief on his hand. Tian Fusheng's face turned pale, and his hands trembled slightly. "Emperor…"

Gu Yuanbai's breathing sped up slightly, and he suddenly smiled. "Looking at the rain outside, it seems like it won't stop tonight. We fear We will have to stay in Official Xue's mansion."

General Xue saluted. "This servant will prepare a room for the Emperor. Does Your Highness wish to go rest?"

Gu Yuanbai nodded and waited calmly for the doctor's arrival. As he waited, his hands and feet grew colder, but his cheeks slowly became hotter. Gu Yuanbai was already covered with a cape, but the cold made him want to tremble.

He endured all of these discomforts with the corners of his mouth still raised with a calm and relaxed smile. Prince He looked at the downpour outside the window, then looked at Gu Yuanbai's flushed face. His lips formed a flat line, his expression sinking.

Earlier that day, he was the one who said they should leave the palace. If something really happened to Gu Yuanbai, he could not shirk the blame.

The doctor was brought over very quickly. He seemed aware of Gu Yuanbai's identity, given that he was trembling all over. The captain of the guard checked him over before letting him in. Gu Yuanbai held out his hand, and Tian Fusheng pulled up the cuff of his sleeve, revealing his wrist that was as white as jade.

The doctor checked his pulse, and a moment later released his hand. "Your-, Your Highness, the cold hasn't reached your internal organs yet. Your Highness only needs to soak in a hot bath and drink some hot soup, and after sweating it out it'll be fine."

Gu Yuanbai raised his eyebrows. He was used to the careful and meticulous Imperial physicians in the palace. Now, hearing the doctor not treat him as if he were made of glass, he felt cheerful. "If that's the case, if Official Xue does not mind."

"I dare not," General Xue said. "This servant will prepare water for the Emperor. The hot soup will also be ready soon."

Gu Yuanbai let out a hot breath. The fine fur on the big cape rose and fell with his breathing. Placing his pale fingers on the dark wood table, Gu Yuanbai had to use some strength to stand up.

With Tian Fusheng and the guards following behind him, Gu Yuanbai slowly walked to the door. However, his left leg went weak out of nowhere, and his whole body stumbled forward. Suddenly, someone held him by the waist, stopping the fall.

The hand around his waist was firm and strong. Xue Yuan looked at the Emperor who had fallen right into his arms, and smiled respectfully. "What's wrong, Your Majesty?"

Gu Yuanbai's expression changed. Xue Yuan let his hand go, and he saluted Gu Yuanbai, grinning gracefully towards the Emperor.

Gu Yuanbai glanced at him and walked past, with a low cough. Seeing him leave, Xue Yuan put his smile aside, turned his head and asked his father: "Did the Emperor catch some wind chill?"

General Xue and Prince He did not hear the gloating in his voice. General Xue asked Xue Yuan to come up to greet Prince He. Prince He seemed a little tired. After seeing the Emperor leave, he gave them an excuse and retired to his room.

Xue Yuan saluted Prince He respectfully before straightening himself at a leisurely pace. General Xue sighed, speaking out his concerns: "I only hope His Majesty will be safe."

Xue Yuan smiled. "The Emperor is under the protection of Heaven, of course he will be fine."

As soon as he was near the Emperor, Xue Yuan could feel the heat his body emitted. He himself had to lie down in bed for a long time until the injuries on his knees had healed. And now, unexpectedly, it was the Emperor's turn to lie down in Xue Mansion.

Prince He returned to his room. His servant had gone to the kitchen, wanting to bring him a bowl of ginger soup, but he came back cheerfully carrying a bowl of deer blood. "Master, Xue Manor just killed a fawn. This is fresh deer blood that has just been boiled, it's still steaming. It's much more effective than ginger soup!"

Prince He took the bowl of blood and drank it. The scent of blood rose from his throat, warming up his entire body. With a guilty conscience, he said: "Go back for another bowl, I will go and bring it to the Emperor myself."

The young servant went back and got another bowl of steaming deer blood, then followed Prince He to deliver it to the Emperor. The Emperor's room was Xue Manor's main bedroom, placed in the best location in the entire residence, a bit away from Prince He's assigned room.

On the way over, Prince He felt that his whole body was covered in a thin layer of sweat. He had just drank the bowl of deer blood, but the effect was very quick. Prince He felt a wildfire burning inside his body, and he couldn't help but rip his collar open.

When he was about to reach the Emperor's door, he passed by the bedroom's window. Subconsciously, he glanced inside, and stopped in his steps.

Inside the bedroom, the Emperor was leaning lazily on the side of the bed, his feet soaking in clear water with medicine. Tian Fusheng was squatting next to him, washing the Emperor's feet.

Gu Yuanbai's feet hadn't seen much walking ever since he was born. The soles were soft like silk, pampered and maintained as clear as jade.

The hot water had steamed the white skin into a pink color. The clear water moved around, its droplets splashing playfully. A medicinal mixture with flowers was added, and the flowers slowly expanded in the water, adorning a pair of jade feet as delicate as fine art.9

With a "boom", Prince He felt that the wildfire in his heart burned violently. His brain was blank, and he felt extremely hot all over his body. Staring at this scene, the heat steamed into his mind.

The taste of deer blood in his mouth suddenly thickened.

And Prince Hebites the dust! What's with that cliffhanger though?

Thank you Wintery for PR!

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Footnotes

He's stuttering 草民 (caomin) which is a form for non officials to address themselves before the with lotus steps 莲步 which I assume are short and poised. However, it can be a reference to (1) a courtesan of Emperor Xiao Baojuan whose dance he described as "lotus springs from her every step!", in turn a reference to the figure of Padmavati from Buddhism (2) foot binding, since bound feet were also called lotus feet (3) the way of walking associated to foot binding, which forced short steps to keep the weight on the heel; it was also imitated, without requiring the feet to be bound, by certain styles of 's the mother of General Xue. This sort of titled lady refers normally to someone who receives that title through being related to or married to an Imperial official, and they have specific garments associated.娘 Niang is a form of address for a noble lady of a singing is considered auspicious, because in Chinese the word sounds like 'happy events coming'.哥儿 somewhat affectionate form of address towards young men. It doesn't clarify their relationship, but he's likely Xue Yuan's younger uses 臣, a form of address for officials towards themselves before the Emperor, not the same as caomin some lines up.氅 seems used for big coats and capes, Gu Yuanbai seems to use it more as a blanket specifically refers to the gongbi painting style.

A crisp sound of porcelain breaking came from right outside the window. Gu Yuanbai's comfortable expression disappeared, and he called out: "Who is it?!"

The captain of the guard flew to the window, his sharp eyes spotting the dazed young servant. He recognized him as a close servant of Prince He. The captain's serious face slowly relaxed. When he looked down, he saw a broken jade porcelain bowl,1 which had spilled red blood all over the ground, the walls, and the red-painted guardrail. The slating rain was washing away the blood, making it flow downstairs into the green grass under the storm.

A red that tried to hide someone's wrongdoing.

Gu Yuanbai then walked out and looked at the shameful fresh blood on the ground. His face changed slightly, and he asked with a heavy voice: "What's going on?"

The sky shook with the sound of thunder, and the dim area suddenly became bright.

The young servant who stood to the side went pale and fell to his knees, his body trembling as if he were sick. "Your Majesty, this is deer blood sent by Prince He."

One second, Prince He had been standing by the window looking inside the bedroom, and the next second he furiously smacked the bowl of deer blood out of his hands, striding away violently.

The young man had been with Prince He for several years. Even when Prince He had been demoted, he'd never sported such a hideous expression. It was terrifying, as if he had been about to go crazy…

While the young servant shook terribly, the captain of the guard got down on one knee, touched the blood with one finger and put it under his nose to smell it. Nodding, he said: "Your Majesty, it is indeed deer blood."

The dark red blood looked brighter as the rain splashed it around. Gu Yuanbai frowned, noticing an unpleasant smell, and stared at the boy intently, full of questions. "Prince He, huh?"

The young servant shook even harder, unable to say a word.

Gu Yuanbai's face cooled down slowly. Looking up towards the wind and rain beyond the corridor, he spoke slowly: "Prince He is so concerned with Our health. We also worry about him. Zhang Xu, follow this servant to see how Prince He is doing, don't waste time."

Captain Zhang replied with a serious tone: "Yes!"

The captain immediately picked up the boy and went with many guards to Prince He's rooms. However, when they arrived, they found out that Prince He had braved the storm alone to run back to his own mansion.

After Gu Yuanbai heard the news, even if he could keep a straight face, he still felt speechless.

Walking home under such a heavy rain, was Prince He still a child?

Well, it seemed that he was alright, and Gu Yuanbai was too lazy to ask further, so he returned to his room. His body still felt warm from soaking in the hot water. Tian Fusheng asked: "Your Majesty, are you still taking a bath?"

"No." Gu Yuanbai breathed out. "Our body feels lighter, We have sweated a bit."2

There were many braziers piled in the room, with the window opened a gap to ventilate. The entire room felt as warm as a spring sun, and he'd drunk bowl after bowl of soup to fight the cold, multitasking.3 Even a man made of glass would break into a sweat.

Gu Yuanbai felt better than said glass man.

His strong bodyguards were already sweating profusely. When Gu Yuanbai saw them in dire straits, he couldn't help but laugh. "You lot seem to have gotten overheated while keeping an eye on Us, go out to cool off, all of you."

The muscular imperial bodyguards, one by one, went red and bowed their heads in shame.

The guard captain said: "Your Majesty, your servants can withstand the heat."

"Surely they don't need to keep watch right here," Gu Yuanbai said. "Since We came to Xue Mansion, naturally, the people here will come pay Us respects. Zhang Xu, send someone to inform General Xue that I am well enough to let them come over."

Zhang Xu obediently left. Gu Yuanbai stood up and stretched out his hands, and Tian Fusheng went up and changed his clothes for him.

His previous clothes had already been impregnated by the cold air, but there weren't any of Gu Yuanbai's normal clothes in Xue Mansion. General Xue had sent soft, smooth garments with cloud patterns embroidered with golden silk thread, made of good material. Gu Yuanbai didn't know who they were for originally, but now they were for him to wear.

Tian Fusheng said distressedly: "Your Majesty, just hold on for a while, we've already sent someone to the palace to bring things."

The palace maid's eyes went red while she pinned the Emperor's hair up. When would the Emperor ever wear someone else's clothes? The garments he wore now made him seem much more slender, weak and thin.

Gu Yuanbai felt amused and scolded in jest: "Fine, but hurry up."

Madam Xue, wearing an honorary titled lady's garments, arrived with her daughter-in-law to solemnly greet Gu Yuanbai. "Greetings, Your Majesty, your servant's wife is here to pay respects."

General Xue and his son followed closely. Gu Yuanbai, sitting at the principal seat, said gently: "Rise."

Madam Xue, with her hands shaking from the excitement, followed etiquette seriously and stood up. Gu Yuanbai told them to sit down and asked cordially: "Madam, have you been in good health?"

"This official's wife is in good health," Madam Xue replied with a smile, "The winds and rains are good under His Majesty's rule, and this wife has good food and clothing."

"That's good," Gu Yuanbai nodded, pleased. "If the old madam is healthy, Xue Qing can be at ease."

Xue Yuan, who was sitting further away,4 looked up when he heard the words, and saw the little Emperor smiling and talking to his grandmother. Xue Yuan spotted the clothes he was wearing, and his eyebrows went up suddenly.

Since the clothes were meant to fit Xue Yuan's body, they were too large on the Emperor. Xue Yuan picked up his teacup, casually wondering if the Emperor, being so thin and in such poor health, would be able to father any children.

" "

Xue Yuan grinned as soon as the idea popped up. That was a great question.

If the sickly Emperor were unable to get a woman and leave a heir, wouldn't he be really unlucky?

The kingdom was being handled by other people, the harem had no concubines, the little Emperor wasn't even able to get a political marriage. He was all alone, having nothing but that body that even made him drag his legs.

Xue Yuan, who had been in the military from childhood, had been on the battlefield dozens of times. He knew that, in order to make both men and horses subservient, he had to lead the charge without fearing death. Xue Yuan behaved crazily in the capital, but he was even crazier on the battlefield, and his blood sang with excitement when bravely slaying his enemies.

He enjoyed battles and bloodshed, and he could control troops and horses. After having them under control, possibilities to plot even bigger things opened up before him.

Gu Yuanbai put down his white jade chopsticks, looked down, and met Xue Yuan's ambitious eyes.

Xue Yuan's expression did not change. Standing respectfully, he hid his sharp fangs and his glowing green eyes, and offered the Emperor a toast.

Gu Yuanbai's eyes were clear. He stared at Xue Yuan for a long moment, then suddenly pursed his lips and smiled meaningfully.

Brother, even if I die, even if you become the regent, you will never sit on the throne.

You aren't expecting that, eh? In the future, you will start a socialist brotherhood with Chu Wei. A heirless regent is like a tiger who has lost its teeth. The future Emperor only has to wait until he can devour you, sooner or later.

After eating, Gu Yuanbai returned to his rooms to rest.

Someone from the palace had delivered garments. After two hours, the heavy rain hadn't let up even slightly. Fearing that the Emperor would catch a cold after all, the palace had also sent two young doctors.

After the imperial doctors took his pulse, Gu Yuanbai took a hot bath and, when he reached the bed, fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow. He slept through the night, but after going to bed early, he woke up early as well. When he woke up, the sky was still dark, and the guard that watched his bed had drifted off to sleep.

Gu Yuanbai opened his eyes in a daze. Then, he quietly got up and put on a cloak, silently leaving through the door.

The guards outside the door were talking quietly. They were taken aback when they saw Gu Yuanbai coming out, and hurriedly greeted him. "What happened, Your Majesty?"

"We woke up," Gu Yuanbai whispered. "We will just go for a short walk, without leaving the courtyard. Just keep watch from here."

This sky from the ancient times was full of stars, and the heavy rain from the day before had now stopped. Gu Yuanbai slowly walked a few steps. Suddenly, he heard some faint rustling coming from the grass.

Gu Yuanbai frowned, instantly becoming vigilant. He took a slow step back and retreated towards a corner before he finally spotted what was in the grass.

Jet black hair, glowing green pupils, exposed fangs. It was two adult wolves.

Gu Yuanbai's heart leapt into his throat.

The two wolves were nosing the grass and licking it. Gu Yuanbai remembered that the bowl of deer blood had been spilled over that area the day before. The blood stains in the corridor had been cleaned up, but the blood that reached the grass had been left behind.

So the Xue family actually raised wolves!

Gu Yuanbai's spirit sank below his stomach. Slowly, he backed away from the two wolves. The guards were still some distance away from Gu Yuanbai, and the wolves' fur merged with the darkness. The guards wouldn't spot them.

Gu Yuanbai could only hope that the amount of deer blood covering the grass would keep them busy licking for a while.

But his prayers fell on deaf ears.

The two wolves, whose heads were buried in the grass, heard him. Instantly, their heads turned and they stared at Gu Yuanbai with their green eyes.

Drool fell from between their sharp teeth, and one of them began to tentatively approach him.

Wolves are extremely keen observers. If anyone shows fear before them, they'll attack immediately.

Gu Yuanbai kept himself very calm and, since he'd been spotted, he stopped walking away. Instead, he stared directly at the two wolves while squatting down, acting as if he was going to pick up something to attack them with.

The two ferocious wolves visibly flinched, but instead of backing off, they took another step forward.

Damn it.

Was it possible for even an animal to detect his body's weakness with just a glance?

The guards at his back felt that something was wrong. They cried out, about to run over: "Your Majesty!"

Gu Yuanbai's face suddenly changed.

Predictably, the cry started the wolves. Baring their teeth, they rushed directly at Gu Yuanbai. Gu Yuanbai rolled over himself, avoiding the wolf's jump. Just as the other wolf was about to pounce at him, two dull slamming sounds suddenly came from his back. Gu Yuanbai's head, pale, swung around to look. It turned out to be Xue Yuan, who had smashed the two wolves' skulls in with a heavy wooden stick.

Xue Yuan's expression was also terrible. He was calm, but his eyes were full of hostility as he looked at the bodies of the two wolves. After a moment, Xue Yuan threw the blood-stained stick aside and took a knee next to the Emperor. "Did Your Majesty get injured?"

" "

"Your Majesty!"

The guards rushed to Gu Yuanbai's side. After seeing the two dead wolves lying on the ground on their sides, their faces went dark.

Gu Yuanbai's face was pale. Calming down his quick breaths, he said casually: "I got a foot cramp."

The faces of the guards changed. The one who had to go look for an imperial physician went looking for a physician, and the one who had to deal with the wolves dealt with the wolves. Gu Yuanbai rejected the guard captain's outstretched hand with a wave. He gave a cold glance at Xue Yuan and ordered him: "Xue Yuan, pick Us up."

Since his body was extremely delicate, Gu Yuanbai assumed that his ankle would be swollen all over. He couldn't put weight on it nor use any strength, and would have to be carried by someone.

Deer blood, ferocious wolves, Xue Yuan. It'd be hard to say whether Gu Yuanbai's face was stormy or peaceful. The anger swirling in his mind was making his expression more strained.

Xue Yuan, sulking, held onto the Emperor's waist and the back of his knees with his strong arms, and stood up straight, carrying Gu Yuanbai in his arms.

The palm of his hand was holding tight onto the Emperor's waist, but both their expressions were unpleasant. Xue Yuan said in a deep voice: "Although it's true that the Xue Mansion raises wolves, as soon as Your Majesty walked in, the Madam locked them away. Begging for Your Majesty's sharp understanding."

Gu Yuanbai said: "We will investigate thoroughly."

The Emperor didn't even attempt to hide the suspicion in his voice. Xue Yuan couldn't help clenching his fists.

"Release Us," Gu Yuanbai commanded. "Light and steady. Help Us walk slowly, turn each stride into ten steps. If you don't know how to walk, get on your knees to support Us and move."

Xue Yuan's gaze sank. At this moment, he feared that, in the Emperor's eyes, he was nothing but an animal like a horse or a mule. And, possibly, not even as capable as them.

He opened his palms as he'd been told. That was when he realized that the Emperor's weight was extremely light. The skin under his palms was so soft that, even through the silk, Xue Yuan's five fingers were able to sink deeply into his flesh.

He needed to pay attention and control his strength, which was very troublesome.

Gu Yuanbai's tone was cold. "We said slowly."

Xue Yuan stopped abruptly, and after a few breaths, began to walk slowly.

He looked down at the Emperor in his arms. A mad dog hid behind Xue Yuan's eyes. The mad dog couldn't fight his nature, and he smirked at Gu Yuanbai: "Your Majesty, is this slow enough?"

"It's sufficient," Gu Yuanbai sneered. "But now, We want you to speed up."

Author's note:

Xue Yuan: The emperor has no children. I have a chance.

Gu Yuanbai: Xue Yuan has no children, the future emperor has a chance.

Pfew I thought I wouldn't make it due to exams, but here we are! I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, special thanks to Wintery for the fast PR!

If you want faster translations, check my ko-fi goals!

Footnotes

Celadon bowl, but I asked around and people didn't know what that meant. It's a specific type of glace, idea was that sweating (on purpose) would make you break through your fever or that you could sweat your fever out of your body.双管齐下 doing two things at once, or using two methods at says in a lower seat. The usual seating arrangements (like in imperial dramas) have a main seat opposite the door, and then two rows of seats on the sides, and the further away you're from the main seat and closest to the door, the lower your position. Xue Yuan is the most junior family member here I think, so he should be pretty far from Gu Yuanbai.

Xue Yuan put Gu Yuanbai on the bed, and the palace servants that were in the room knelt on the ground.

With tears in his eyes, Tian Fusheng carefully took off the Emperor's shoes and socks, rolled up the hem of his pants,the swollen ankle joint appearing before their eyes.

The Emperor's ankle was already slender, and, after swelling, it looked horrifying. Xue Yuan lowered his head and glanced at it, his brow furrowed. He actually felt bad.

Gu Yuanbai looked at the door expressionlessly. A moment later, a rush of footsteps approached, and the guard, Zhang Xu, brought in the imperial doctors to treat Gu Yuanbai's injuries. Behind them was General Xue, who kneeled on the floor as soon as he crossed the door.

General Xue knocked his head heavily on the ground, his heart desolated. "Your Highness, your servant is guilty!"

The two imperial doctors washed their hands and carefully touched Gu Yuanbai's foot, which was like a figure carved from jade. Now that he had suffered such an injury, the two doctors frowned helplessly, not even knowing where to start.

"General Xue, what crime are you guilty of?" Neither joy nor anger could be detected in the Emperor's voice.

General Xue sounded defeated when he spoke. "Your Highness suffered a fright in this official's mansion and your dragon body received an injury. This servant is to blame."

Gu Yuanbai said: "We believe it was all a coincidence. During the day, Prince He sent someone to bring Us a bowl of deer blood, but the young man accidentally spilled it by the window. In the middle of the night, ferocious wolves followed the smell of blood into Our rooms. Everyone around the courtyard was asleep, and the guards were tired. We just happened to wake up at that time and run into these two wolves. Official Xue, We feel that this was the will of the Heavens."

A bead of sweat slid down General Xue's forehead as he bowed his head deeply.

Xue Yuan followed his father and knelt behind him. While the Emperor remained in silence, one could have heard a pin drop in the room. The guards standing around were holding onto their big swords that hung on their waists, looking at the Xue family members with cold, fierce eyes.

Earlier, when Gu Yuanbai had Xue Yuan carry him, he had been dismissing him; his words now were dismissing General Xue.1

Xue Yuan knelt on the ground, his face gloomy.

Such coincidences don't exist in the world, and yet it was all a coincidence. If he didn't know that it was impossible, Xue Yuan would have thought that the Emperor had guessed that the wolves would appear in the yard in the middle of the night and went there on purpose.

Xue Mansion was suddenly all lit up in the middle of the night. Prince He's servants, as well as those from Xue Mansion, knelt in a group, while Zhang Xu, the captain of the guard, sullenly checked them one by one with his subordinates.

After a stick of incense,2 Zhang Xu's guard sent someone to press the frightened second son of the Xue family to the ground before the Emperor while Zhang Xu himself stepped forward, whispering on the side about what had happened into the Emperor's ear.

Gu Yuanbai raised his eyebrows, glanced at the second young master Xue, and leisurely signaled for him to be released.

The second son of the Xue family was an idiot. He had gotten jealous of Xue Yuan after learning that he wouldn't be allowed to visit the Emperor the day before. The wolves kept by the household were all Xue Yuan's pets. Xue Yuan had trained them to be very obedient, and they'd go to Xue Yuan's courtyard to be fed every day. Since the Emperor was staying at the Xue Mansion that day, Xue Yuan hadn't had time to feed the wolves, and the second young master had a bad idea.

In the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep, he released two hungry wolves and let them run into Xue Yuan's courtyard. They would surely bite people if they had no meat to eat. If Xue Yuan got bitten, he would not be able to visit the Emperor the next day.

The second young master thought that he would then be the only healthy heir in the Xue Mansion, so he went through with it.

But what he didn't expect was that the wolves, who had been starved for a day, would be attracted by the scent of deer blood while they were on their way and jump at Gu Yuanbai.

What a fool, Gu Yuanbai thought.

But nonetheless, he felt pleased to know that there was such an idiot in General Xue's household.

Gu Yuanbai waved away the unrelated people and then let Zhang Xu tell General Xue what had happened. The face of the second young master Xue went red and his legs weren't able to support him.

General Xue's breathing gradually grew ragged, and he stared, wide eyed, at his second son.

Xue Yuan sneered.

For a time, it seemed like General Xue was getting older by the second. He bowed his head towards the Emperor awkwardly. "Thank you, Your Highness, for your mercy."

Since unrelated people had been all sent away, at least this ridiculous event would not become known by everyone.

At this time, Gu Yuanbai sighed and spoke with an amiable expression: "Official Xue, why would We be bothered by this? Since We know that it was just a coincidence, of course, this matter won't be pursued any further."

The Emperor's swollen ankle was right in front of his face. It was a shocking sight, and General Xue didn't even dare to look. Every glance condemned him further. With tears in his eyes, he proclaimed: "This official's son made a grave mistake! It would only be natural for Your Majesty to punish him. This official would have no complaints!

"This official failed to protect Your Highness properly, and is just as guilty!" Two lines of tears fell down General Xue's face. "It is this official's fault for not raising him properly, and I am willing to accept my punishment!"

Xue Yuan said politely: "These wolves were my wolves, so naturally I am also guilty. Your Majesty's foot is now broken. If necessary, I can accompany Your Highness and be at Your Highness' service."

Among the three of them, he was the only one who spoke in a calm tone. Hearing that sentence, the second master Xue shivered and came close to peeing his pants in fear.

Such an unpleasant thing had happened right in front of the Emperor, and the two of them were already trembling. At this point, General Xue would do anything as an apology, as long as it would make the Emperor not be displeased with the Xue family.

When he heard Xue Yuan's words, he immediately realized it was an opportunity to regain the Emperor's favor. Previously, he had even sent an imperial physician from the palace to treat him. Didn't that mean that Yuan-ger had gained His Majesty's favor?

General Xue immediately said: "This dumb son of mine can't use pen, ink, paper, and inkstone,3 but his martial arts are still remarkable. It would be inconvenient for Your Highness to walk right now. Although this dumb son is no better than the palace guards, at least he's a bit strong. If Your Highness does not dislike him, allow him to enter the palace to accompany Your Highness.

Xue Yuan's smiling mouth froze, and his expression suddenly turned gloomy.

The Emperor was such a villainous character that he pretended to think for a moment before saying reluctantly: "Since that's the case, let it be so."

Tian Fusheng promptly said: "General Xue, and the two young masters, go to rest. The Emperor needs to go back to sleep."

After they left, Gu Yuanbai slowly leaned back on the bed. The imperial doctor had been applying medicine on him, and every time it touched him, he felt a sharp pain. The imperial doctor was completely concentrated on the task at hand, and he did not dare to stop for a moment. Gu Yuanbai had been enduring it for a while. He leaned against the bed frame and groaned, unable to hold it in, when he saw that everyone had gone away.

Xue Yuan had already stepped outside of the door, but still heard a muffled groan. He couldn't resist glancing back. The bed canopy hid the Emperor's face, but his hands were grasping onto his robes, creating deep folds on Xue Yuan's satin clothes.

The Emperor was a very controlled person, and the white fingertips revealed the level of his restraint. Even if the pain was severe, he'd just tighten his grasp to endure it.

Xue Yuan frowned and looked away.

Even if he was wearing Xue Yuan's robe, that didn't mean he was allowed to tear the fabric.

On the second day, the officials that weren't far from the Xue Mansion all learned about the Emperor's stay in Xue Mansion the night before.

Chang Yuyan appeared at the gates of Xue Mansion early in the morning. He visited Xue Yuan energetically, and insisted on dragging him along to go greet the Emperor.

When the two of them arrived, Gu Yuanbai was sitting on a chair and his swollen ankle was being massaged by a doctor. His fair calf was slightly exposed, and the soles of his feet were resting on the doctor's knees.

The inside of the manor lacked sunlight, and the imperial doctor didn't dare to massage him without bright lighting, so they were sitting in the middle of the courtyard, next to a big tree that had just begun to sprout green buds. The sunlight shone onto the Emperor's body, making him look so white that he was almost glowing.

Xue Yuan and Chang Yuyan had to be announced when they arrived. The guards formed a circle around the doctor, with their backs towards the Emperor, but the human wall wasn't completely opaque, and Xue Yuan and Chang Yuyan were able to see the full scene when they looked from a distance.

As soon as Chang Yuyan saw the scene, he quickly lowered his gaze as if he had been burned. He didn't dare to look up, and his face was on fire.

An eunuch came over to announce them. Gu Yuanbai, in the middle of his discomfort, glanced in the direction of the two men and frowned impatiently. "Send them away."

Every now and then, the imperial doctor would retire his hands and rub the palms together to warm them up again before holding the ankle once more. Gu Yuanbai's forehead was covered in fine sheen of sweat that a palace attendant would wipe away. After some time, the imperial doctor mentioned in a quiet voice: "Your Majesty, a hot compress should be applied for a quarter of an hour."

"Alright."

The hot towel was wrapped around his ankles, and his tight brows finally relaxed. Gu Yuanbai leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes. After the quarter of an hour was up, the doctor removed the towel. Carefully, Tian Fusheng squatted down before him to put his socks and shoes back on.

Tian Fusheng whispered: "Your Highness, General Xue took his second son to the ancestral hall last night and beat him half to death with the disciplinary rod. I heard that, afterwards, Master Xue went with a club to the second young master's room, and, when he came back out, the young master's leg was broken."

The Emperor didn't care about it, and he didn't care to hear it. When Tian Fusheng put on his shoes and socks, Gu Yuanbai opened his eyes and slowly stood up straight.

The head guard stepped forward with concern. "Should this official carry Your Highness into the carriage?"

Gu Yuanbai laughed and said: "We can walk unaided."

Asking Xue Yuan to carry him last night was a show of power. Now, under these circumstances, wouldn't he lose face if he got carried by someone else?

Xue Mansion was, by far, much smaller than the Imperial Palace. Gu Yuanbai walked slowly, but steadily, to the gates of the mansion. The carriage that would take them to the palace was ready, and the entire Xue family showed up to send the Emperor off. When Madam Xue learned of the previous night's events, she knelt tremblingly and bowed to Gu Yuanbai, with her face looking sallow.

Gu Yuanbai patiently accepted her courtesy before stepping into the carriage.

Looking at the Emperor's departure, Chang Yuyan had a complicated expression on his face and seemed a bit lost. The Emperor had treated him so kindly the last two times they had met, but that day, it seemed that he hadn't spotted him at all, and he hadn't spared Chang Yuyan half a glance. He had even been rejected when he tried to visit, and the sudden change made Chang Yuyan almost unable to keep his gentlemanly smile on his face.

"Xue Yuan," he said, trying to make a risk assessment, "did you offend His Highness?"

The reason the Emperor didn't want to see him was because of Xue Yuan. That was the sole thing that made Chang Yuyan feel better.

When Xue Yuan heard his words, the blue veins on his forehead became more visible. "Shut up."

After returning to the palace, Gu Yuanbai wasn't able to take any rest. The first thing he had to do was to deal with all the government affairs that had gotten accumulated for the last two days.

All sorts of official reports and memorials would pass through the Emperor's hands. There weren't too many, but there weren't few either. The officials from the Zhengshi Hall4 would classify them according to their respective administrative divisions and urgency, and important matters would be delivered to the Emperor's own desk for him to handle. He would have to handle small matters, even loaded with trivial details. The processed memorials would receive commentary, and on occasion they would be reviewed by the Supervision Office in Juzheng Department.5

After the three procedures were completed, the Emperor would occasionally go to Zhengshi Hall, so the officials there would be industrious and diligent. As such, there weren't many cases of memorials being returned to the Supervision Office.

However, Gu Yuanbai still felt very inconvenienced when he was correcting the official documents.

The local officials were thousands of miles away, so they especially didn't dare risk losing the Emperor's favor. Therefore, they would always flatter themselves when addressing Gu Yuanbai. There would be several pages of useless flattery,6 and the memorials would be written very poetically. However, the main points that Gu Yuanbai wanted to really understand would be mentioned in barely one line, and they were always left vague.

Gu Yuanbai had had in mind reforming the evaluation of local officials' performances, and reforming the memorials was essential for it. After a new batch of scholars were selected, some of them would be sent to those prefectures and the local governments would get changed from the bottom up.

It would be better to set a template for presenting memorials, and have people only fill out the data in the template. If the system were to be unified, the official's performance would be clear and consistent, and it would be possible to reduce the amount of unnecessary administrative offices across the country and improve efficiency greatly.

" "

"Tian Fusheng," Gu Yuanbai rubbed his eyebrows, lacking energy, "make Us a strong cup of tea."

Very often, as a dynasty continued in time, the Emperor would be subject to more limitations.

When an Emperor founded a dynasty, his military and imperial powers would be vibrant. The first emperors would be able to turn the tables, directing the troops with their own hands with the authority to fight down the world and introduce reforms from the top down. However, as the dynasty aged, the Emperor's actual power would diminish more and more.

There were very powerful families clinging to the land of Great Heng. These local clans were very powerful, expanding their territory and committing crimes, and some would even slaughter innocents. It was the underworld of ancient times. How can the central government deal with these local clans? They occupied tens of thousands of acres of fertile farmland. Some colluded with the local government, and some even controlled it.7

These long rooted clans were all tangled up with each other, and pulling at any vine could bring out the mud.8

The Emperor didn't just have to balance the bureaucrats, the eunuchs, and the military, but also had to deal with these clans.

Such a situation can only be changed by force, and then Gu Yuanbai can rebuild it from scratch.

Gu Yuanbai knew that there were enemy countries coveting the lands of the Great Heng Dynasty, and he also knew that there were some sources of instability within the territory.

He himself had allowed some of those sources to exist.

He had deliberately allowed some of the supporters of Lu Feng, the powerful minister, to escape. The reason was that Gu Yuanbai still had a use for them.

Perhaps, some people thought that he, the Emperor, was in a dangerous position, and the world was about to descend into turmoil.

But what they didn't know was that Gu Yuanbai was the one waiting for the turmoil, and even stealthily pushing for some changes in the territory behind the scenes. He drove the remnants of Lu Feng's power where he wanted them to be, intending to use the turmoil to pull out the most deeply rooted part of the poisonous tumor in the Great Heng dynasty.

He intended to use the power of his enemies to take the land and wealth away from these powerful clans.

After the enemies got rid of the powerful clans, Gu Yuanbai would use his benevolent reputation to take over the land, peasants, gold and silver that would have fallen into his enemy's hands.

Under the banner of the imperial army, which stood on the highest moral ground, he'd wipe out these greedy and brutal rebels.

Xue Yuan has no one to blame but himself. Btw, the administrative policy paragraphs… those were tough. What do you guys think is going to happen with Prince He now? [email protected]

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Footnotes

The original line is 下马威 which is a show of strength and authority by a newly appointed official (or, in this case, Gu Yuanbai as the new Emperor) when first meeting someone. Bit of a mouthful in English and it doesn't work well with this measure of time, literally the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, approx 2 笔墨纸砚 are known as the four treasures of the scholar, meaning that Xue Yuan is not a refined, cultured man, not that he's illiterate. Well, maybe he is, it doesn't clarify that point in either affairs hall, 政事堂, pinyin for consistency and because it was a specific institution historically.军政部 Ministry of military and political affairs, same explanation as 彩虹屁 rainbow farts, it's an internet buzzword, could literally be translated as simping for the Emperor, but I resisted the temptation. Thanks 's original footnote and commentary: 'Consulted "Song Dynasty Power and Its Relationship with Local Governments" by Professor Jia Fangfang 《宋朝的豪强势力及其与地方官府的关系》. You can read this if you're interested in the topic, it explains clearly the damage caused by the powerful. The novel will use strong measures to get rid of some disobedient people who harm the country while attempting to protect the innocent. I feel cruel.'世族与世族牵连，一根藤上能牵扯一片污泥 raws are here because the translation is a bit rough(er than usual), thanks mundane.

Just as the Buddha said, a man's burning ambition cannot be doused by cold water. Gu Yuanbai felt a bit fickle, and he understood Kangxi's moods during his later years.1

Aware that he was dying, aware that all he had done was for nothing, even knowing that the future ruler was right next to him.

But he didn't want to let go of his power. He also felt some reluctance about killing the future ruler, because, if he killed the protagonist of the novel, who else would do a better job than him?

Because of this, Gu Yuanbai wasn't sure about how he should be feeling when facing Xue Yuan and Chu Wei.

Ever since he injured his foot, Gu Yuanbai had started a three stop route for work:2 going to court, sleeping and handling government affairs. Since his body was so delicate, his small injury gave him the same appearance of someone who had been seriously harmed. Gu Yuanbai's ankle remained swollen day after day, and half of his foot had bruising from all the massages. He had already gotten used to the pain, but the imperial doctors looked more and more upset every day.

The Emperor's wound seemed too serious. They felt like they were sinning when they massaged it.

After more than ten days, the injury on his foot finally healed. Over the past ten days, Prince He3had been ill and didn't show up for many days. At first, Gu Yuanbai had only thought that he had caught a cold when he went home under the heavy rain. Getting sick was only to be expected.

However, after it kept happening, Gu Yuanbai realized something was wrong, and he sent someone to Prince He's mansion with an imperial doctor to let them check what was going on.

During this time, the spring breeze was starting to blow, and it was time to post the results of the examinations.

As the Emperor, naturally, Gu Yuanbai had the right to know the results in advance. A high official from the Ministry of Rites sent him the list and said with a smile: "The only son of official Chu got the first place."

Gu Yuanbai nodded, looked down to read the top ten and asked: "Where are the top three essays?"

The high official handed the pages to Gu Yuanbai. Gu Yuanbai first looked at the examination and approval of the examiners, and then went to read the policies the top three presented on their essays.4

This year's essays had been personally drafted by Gu Yuanbai himself. One section asked three questions about the agricultural and livelihood policies of the Great Heng Dynasty, and the other asked about border trading. It was easy to write about a broad topic, but writing detailedly about specific matters would be much harder.

One goal was to examine whether the candidates were down-to-earth and knowledgeable about the basic elements that sustained the country, and Gu Yuanbai's second intention was to see if they were short-sighted. If someone was a pedantic bookworm, it would be better not to hire them.

People whose views lined up with Gu Yuanbai's would be hired, and those with pedantic and inconsistent ideas would be discarded. In the long run, Gu Yuanbai's ideas would be implemented more smoothly, and with the influx of fresh blood into the court, the Emperor would gain loyal guardians for when it was time to confront conservative factions.

The Imperial examinations could also be considered a process to tame intellectuals and unify their thoughts, to an extent, with those of the ruler.

For this year's examination, Gu Yuanbai had selected an official who was a real politician and worked down-to-earth as chief examiner. As such, the final top three essays weren't written as beautiful articles, and instead had real ideas, solid writing, and were true to Great Heng's national situation.

Gu Yuanbai looked carefully one by one, and couldn't help but smile when he saw the last one: "Well written!"

The Minister of Rites was curious and went up to take a look. He discovered that the third essay was from a scholar from Shandong.

Ranked ahead of the Shandong student were Chu Wei and Chang Yuyan, who wrote good articles, with fluent expressions and profound meaning that made for an interesting read. This article was written unpretentiously, with concise and plain words. If the content weren't really brilliant, it'd be hard for it to end up third.

Looking at His Highness' reaction just now, he couldn't help but sigh at the head examiner's keenness and the student's good luck. Seeing the Emperor, it seemed that this student had made a strong impression.

Gu Yuanbai read the essay from start to finish multiple times. Finally, he looked back to the top and memorized the name of the person who wrote such a sagacious essay.

Kong Yilin, Qingzhou Prefecture, Shandong.

The examination hall's gate was surrounded by people both inside and outside.

When the soldiers walked out of the examination hall with the red paper, the people around there began clamoring and squeezing forward. The soldier said angrily: "Don't push! Don't push! Take a step back!"

The red paper was finally posted. The scholars around had long lost their usual calm demeanor. They clenched their hands, their eyes almost coming out of their sockets, and inside their chests, their hearts thumped in fear of missing a word.

"Hurry up, hurry up, post the announcement!"

"I made it, I made it!" An ecstatic voice could soon be heard. "I made it!"

The restaurants and teahouses on both sides were also full of people. Some people, listening to the excitement below, couldn't resist leaning against the railing and stretching their necks to look down. They were very anxious, but even when they stretched their necks to their breaking point, they still weren't able to read a single word from the red paper.

The face of a certain person who had sent a young servant to read the list remained calm, but their eyes were expressionless and kept glancing at the stairs from time to time. Every passing second felt like torture.

On the day the list was published, there were all sorts of people. Some were smiling and laughing towards the heavens, some were pleased and self-satisfied, and some were desperate, looking at the red paper in dismay, as if their entire being had lost their will to live.

The ones who were ecstatic were very spirited, and the screams of 'made it!' triggered the envy of those around. Either because they felt like they were in heaven or in hell, a piece of red paper was enough to make many people go crazy.

Originally, Chu Wei sat very calmly in the teahouse to sip tea. However, the sound of both cheering and sobbing in pain obviously affected him too. He frowned and glanced at the stairs discreetly.

His classmate shook his head and said: "Chu Wei, Chu Wei, I really didn't expect you to participate in the examinations."

Chu Wei looked away, with a noncommittal hum.

Suddenly a rush of footsteps came from the stairs to the second floor.

Chu Wei couldn't resist putting down his cup to look back, only to see that it was another candidate's servant, who shouted joyously with his hair all messed up: "Made it! Master, you made it!"

Chu Wei's heart sped up slightly. He simply stood up, ignored the teasing from his classmates, and stood at the window looking towards the gate of the examination hall.

Many people had gone away, and most of those that hadn't were people who couldn't believe that they weren't on the list. Chu Wei's heart jumped and he pressed his lips together. Could he possibly have failed the examination?

Almost as if it were his reflection, Chu Wei saw that, on the tavern window right across his position, there was also an elegant and calm young master. The young master spotted him too and he nodded politely towards Chu Wei, the corners of his smile stiffening.

Chu Wei recognized him as the candidate who had been boasting, before the exam, to be his rival, Chang Yuyan.

Chang Yuyan was well-known, and had repeatedly produced excellent works of famous poetry. Now, judging from his appearance, it seemed that he hadn't yet found his position in the list either.

Chu Wei also nodded faintly towards Chang Yuyan. Looking to the side, he spotted a person sitting on the table next to him.

The man's hand hung outside the window, and he spun the jug of wine loosely in his hand, making it look as if it could fall from his hand and hit the ground at any moment.

The man's senses were extremely sharp, and he immediately noticed Chu Wei's gaze. He frowned, glancing towards him with a sinister look. Chu Wei looked away from this terrifying glance without changing his expression. Intuitively, he knew that this person was definitely not a good person.

"Young master!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang behind him. Chu Wei, startled, immediately turned around. When he saw his young servant's ecstatic face, his heart jumped.

"The top spot! Young master, you got the top spot! Huiyuan! You're Huiyuan!"5

Everyone's heads swiveled to look at Chu Wei, and the room was suddenly full of noise.

His classmate, shocked, dropped his tea cup and excitedly got up to pat Chu Wei's back. "Chu Zihu, Chu Zihu, you actually got Huiyuan!"

As if awakened by this sound, the entire crowd of people in the room crowded around Chu Wei to congratulate him, words layering over each other so noisily that the ear couldn't distinguish who was saying what.

Chu Wei took a deep breath and, coming back to his senses, the corners of his lips curled up, full of spirits.

Xieyuan seven years ago, Huiyuan seven years later.6

Only one Zhuangyuan title, would His Majesty give it to him?7

After the meeting place was announced, many families were happy and others were worried. But the Gongsheng8 on the list did not care about attending the various banquets, because, five days later, they would enter the palace to participate in the palace examination.9

To be able to face His Majesty's face and hear His Majesty's teachings would be the highest point in their lives, and no one dared to slack off on it.

The people in the Ministry of Rites were busy working overtime, needing to measure clothes and train the students on proper behavior and etiquette. There was no cabinet in the Great Heng Dynasty, so the pre-planned questions for the palace examination were handed to the Zhengshi Hall. The Military Bureau and the Zhengshi Hall were the two most efficient institutions in the entire Great Heng administration. The proposed questions were presented to Gu Yuanbai in the afternoon the day after the examination results were posted.

Gu Yuanbai chose a few questions from there, added his own ideas and mixed them up. After handing the questions to the Ministry of Rites, he, the Emperor, was done.

While he waited for the palace examination, Gu Yuanbai summoned the ministers in the Zhengshi Hall and mentioned the memorial reform statute he had in mind. The officials in the Zhengshi Hall pondered the issue for a moment. An official surnamed Zhou said: "Your Highness, this servant is confused with just words, could it be possible to put these 'spreadsheets', 'charts' and 'templates' that Your Majesty mentioned on paper to look at them?"

"Why complicate things?"

"Why is it so troublesome?" Gu Yuanbai picked up his brush. "We will do it."

While moving his brush, Gu Yuanbai slowly explained the purpose of the three things. The spreadsheet was a square composed of a series of columns and rows, and the originally chaotic content that would be all crowded together would be clear and distinct. The charts would display the data from the spreadsheets in a clear and intuitive manner. Gu Yuanbai even drew three different examples, and wrote down Arabic numerals, saying: "The numbers used for charts and tables are written in this way."

As for the memorials, they would still be written in Chinese characters, that couldn't be changed. Gu Yuanbai kept explaining for half an hour, combining theory and practice to draw a lot of tables and charts, trying to get the ministers to understand the purpose of a spreadsheet. After they nodded, he wrote a basic template for the memorials.

It used few words and had a clear organization. Although it looked a bit strange and it was also a bit cold and direct, these busy ministers from the Zhengshi hall knew how much time they could save with something like this.

After the Emperor finished writing, this piece of paper was passed back and forth between the courtiers. Gu Yuanbai asked: "How do you feel about it?"

Since Gu Yuanbai led the government affairs in the Zhengshi Hall, everyone knew what Gu Yuanbai thought, so they quickly nodded. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Although this method is unusual, it will definitely save a lot of time after getting used to it. This official will assign it to the subordinates."

"We will send the new scholars to the local prefectures and counties to spread this system." Gu Yuabai nodded slightly. "After May, the Zhengshi Hall will not be allowed to examine memorials that did not follow these templates, and will be sent back to the local government to fix them. If the contents of the memorial are misleading and ambiguous and the official continues to not change over and over, they'll be immediately dismissed."

Everyone in the Zhengshi Hall put on a serious expression and said: "Yes!"

Gu Yuanbai was relieved with satisfaction. He was in a good mood at the moment. The corners of his lips were slightly raised, and his face was extremely happy. The guard captain accompanied him on a walk in the palace, and, under the insistence of his brothers in arms, he stammered a sentence: "Does Your Highness want to watch a cuju match?"

Gu Yuanbai was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at him. The guard captain's handsome face was flushed, as if he had done something wrong, showing a worried and uneasy expression.

The guards at the back lowered their heads. They all had either their ears or their necks flushed. Before him, the tall and strong men looked like squirming little girls.

Gu Yuanbai was amused. "Do you all want to show Us your kicking?"

"…" The guard was red up to his ears. "These officials all love to play cuju, and all of them are good players. If Your Highness feels bored, these officials can play a game to relieve Your Highness' boredom."

The Emperor didn't agree or disagree. He looked around, and a flower tree caught his eye. The Emperor stretched out a hand, holding his wide sleeves. His white wrist stuck out, his fingertips twisted the flower branch, and gently tugged until he held a red and pink flower in his hand.

"Then, this flower will be the prize." The Emperor twirled the flower with a smile. "Whichever team wins will be rewarded."

The guard captain glanced at the Emperor's hand. Although his face was still red, the desire to win shone brightly in his eyes. Competitiveness arose in the group of guards. When they walked to the cuju field, they were already divided into two teams, both groups thinking that the other didn't even seem presentable.

Tian Fusheng took a white kerchief and wrapped the flower branch with it, intending to hold it himself. Gu Yuanbai said: "We can do it."

Gu Yuanbai had gotten stained with flower juice when he picked the flowers, and his hands were already dirty, so there was no need to pay attention to things like that. Tian Fusheng said with a pained voice: "Your Majesty, this eunuch worries that you will get tired."

Gu Yuanbai glanced at him lightly, and said with a smile: "Move aside."

Tian Fusheng let out a 'haha' and moved behind Gu Yuanbai to knead his shoulders.

The Emperor liked cuju, and there was also a big cuju field in the palace. The guards put on thin shirts and chased a cuju on the court with such energy that it made people excited just from looking at it. Many of the palace's servants weren't able to look away, and they went red from repressing their cheering and jeering.

The cuju game went on for an hour, and when the guards stepped out of the field, their bodies were emitting so much heat that it made the air seem slightly distorted.

The guard captain walked over with his subordinates, afraid to get too close to Gu Yuanbai for fear that his sweat would offend the Emperor. "Your Highness, this official's team won."

But even if the head guard stood so far, Gu Yuanbai still felt the warmth of their bodies. Such a healthy, tall body made Gu Yuanbai inevitably feel a bit sour.

The guard captain's expression was a little bit shy. He lowered his gaze and dared not look at the Emperor. His body, wearing just a thin shirt, was also stiff as wood.

Gu Yuanbai sighed at himself melancholically and handed the beautifully blooming tree branch to the guard captain, saying teasingly: "You have twelve people, but We only have one flower. How shall We distribute it?"

The cuju rules of the Great Heng Dynasty followed the old system, and double-goal cuju matches were also used for military practice in the Han Dynasty.10 Great Heng Dynasty was no different. In Gu Yuanbai's opinion, at least, it was good, both for the country and the people, to have the upper class enjoy such a healthy and simple exercise.

The effect was that students of the Great Heng Dynasty were physically healthier than the strict scholars that can only read books. The common people, to some extent, would also play some cuju, and those following the Emperor were able to perform even more dazzling tricks.

Using a flower to buy a ticket for such an exquisite match, Gu Yuanbai felt that he was taking advantage of them.

But the people receiving the reward were very happy, and the scene was very lively. At that time, a eunuch hurried over from the distance, followed by two imperial doctors. When he saw Gu Yuanbai, he knelt on the ground. "Your Highness, this eunuch has returned with the two officials."

These people were the ones that he had sent to Prince He's house. Gu Yuanbai smiled and then slowly asked: "How is Prince He's health?"

One of the imperial physicians respectfully said: "These officials stayed in Prince He's mansion and observed him for three days. It has been speculated that Prince He is not seriously ill, but seems to be suffering from a disease of the heart."

Disease of the heart?

Gu Yuanbai frowned and waved away people unrelated to the matter first. Tian Fusheng offered the two imperial doctors a seat. After he saw them settled, he picked up the teacup and skimmed off the foam,11 and said without altering his voice: "What sort of disease of the heart is it?"

The imperial doctors looked ashamed. "This official does not know."

"Prince He was unwilling to see us officials. According to the words of Princess Consort He, Prince He's retainers went in person to advise him, and were unable to get a good reaction out of the prince."

Gu Yuanbai paused, looking down at the ripples in the cup.

Prince He has only gotten strange after the rainstorm a while back. Looking back carefully, it seems that the only thing that would make him react would have been his words about Lu Feng.

Prince He didn't want to remain stuck in Beijing, he wanted military power.

The retainers came to advise the prince and got a bad reaction, meaning that Prince He was willing to meet his retainers.

He was willing to meet his retainers, but dared refuse the people We sent there.

Gu Yuanbai's gaze was heavy.

Gu Zhao… you better not be getting any annoying thoughts.

"Get the carriage ready." Gu Yuanbai made a sudden decision and stood up. The young Emperor's face signaled the calm before the storm. "Prepare a ride to Prince He's Mansion. We want to see this good brother of Ours in person."

Is there a lot of innuendo going on or is it just me?

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Footnotes

The Kangxi Emperor, China's longest-reigning emperor, source.三点一线 three point one line refers to the monotony of working and of going always He Qinwang from pinyin to translated title, because his real name and his household members appear now and it got too confusing. Qinwang means prince of the first rank, it was reserved for the Emperor's blood relatives early on but granted more freely over time.策论 cèlùn 'an essay on current affairs presented to the emperor as advice on government policy'; once again, bit of a number one graduate in the metropolitan examinations was titled 會元 解元 was the number one graduate of the provincial examinations.状元 number one scholar of them all, predictably.貢生 also called tribute students, they had been selected by the Directorate of Education after passing previous exams to, in this case, take the Palace exams.殿试 Dianshi, highest imperial examination, presided over by the to wikipedia: 'two different types of goal posts emerged: One was made by setting up posts with a net between them and the other consisted of just one goal post in the middle of the field.' so basically they're playing as close to soccer as you can getApparently teacups in Ancient China had lids, so basically he's doing the usual 'evil consort in dramas' drink like this.

The gate of Prince He's mansion was closed. Gu Yuanbai, after being helped out of the carriage, ordered someone to go up and knock on the door.

There were two stone lions in front of the palace gates. The mansion had been bestowed by Gu Yuanbai himself, and the lot was so big that it could be considered one in a million, surrounded by clan kinsmen and patriarchs. Gu Yuanbai kept the members of his clan on a very short leash, because he didn't want to be embarrassed by any relatives that would be ripped apart by 'Bao Zheng's' literature.1

And in this quiet and orderly street of powerful people, Price He's status was the most distinguished.

One of the guards knocked on the door, and, after a while, a concierge's voice could be heard from the other side. "The prince is ill, and he's not in a position to receive guests these days. Please come back at a different time."

Gu Yuanbai said slowly: "Force it open."

The guards behind him rushed over. Gu Yuanbai looked up and read the plaque that said 'Prince He Mansion' above the gates. These three words were written in a flowery and flamboyant script, as if they were about to burst out of the plaque. The concierge on the other side cried out, and Gu Yuanbai came back to his senses. The gate was pushed open, and the concierge ran away.

Gu Yuanbai raised his hand, preventing people from continuing to walk in. He reserved the last bit of dignity for Prince He, and stood with his men waiting in front of the gate of the residence. Tian Fusheng brought him a chair.

Soon, a group of people came hurriedly, led by the exhausted-looking Princess Consort He. They were shocked when they saw Gu Yuanbai and hurried over to kneel down and salute him. The only one still standing, Princess Consort He, saluted the Emperor and then said cautiously: "Your Majesty, rest assured, the Prince has been very ill as of late. This servant decided on my own to take charge and close the house to visits.

Prince He hadn't allowed the Imperial doctors to take his pulse. They had guessed that Prince He was suffering from a disease of the heart. Gu Yuanbai only partly believed it. Now hearing the Princess Consort say this, he sighed, without changing his expression at all, and said: "We sent the Imperial doctors to treat Prince He, but he rejected their medical expertise. Now Prince He has been very sick for several days, and We are very concerned. Where is he now? We will go see him."

Princess Consort He seemed to want to say something but she stopped herself, turned around and led the Emperor towards the mansion. She fell some steps behind a steward, who was leading the way, and said: "Your Majesty, the Prince has a cold. If anyone were to get too close, they could get sick."

Gu Yuanbai smiled. "That is possible."

Tian Fusheng politely led Princess Consort He away. After the sole master left in Prince He's mansion went away, the remaining servants were visibly trembling. Gu Yuanbai looked at the steward's tense appearance and frowned. "Lead the way."

When Prince He returned home in the middle of a storm the other day, his entire household was shaken by it.

That day, the rain had been so strong that it'd hurt people's faces. Prince He appeared in a shameful state, his hair was a mess, and the most frightening thing was that the hem of his clothes was stained with some spots of blood.

Princess Consort He was so frightened that she almost fainted. Eventually, she was relieved to learn that Prince He hadn't been injured, but later she found out that her relief had been premature.

After his return, Prince He had become irritable and moody, and he'd be provoked by the household's servants in unpredictable ways. His temper was harder to read than ever before, and his face looked gloomy, like that of the king of hell.2

The Princess Consort could not comfort him, nor did she dare approach him to attempt to do so.

Some days after Prince He got back, he seemed to behave normally again. However, he then ran into two young male servants speaking intimately and engrossed with each other, and he flew into a rage.

Prince He's residence had been shrouded in a depressing atmosphere for over ten days.

Before the main bedroom's door, a servant who had run to report in advance whispered through a crack of the door, his voice shaking: "Master, the Emperor is almost here."

A low voice could be heard from inside the room in response. Abruptly, the door opened, and an elegant scholar stepped out.

The scholar was one of Prince He's retainers.

The scholar, surnamed Wang, was a guest in the palace. He said: "I will prepare to respectfully welcome His Majesty."

Walking past the people kneeling down, Tian Fusheng stepped forward and opened the door. As soon as it opened, a strong smell of medicine wafted out of it. Gu Yuanbai was already very familiar with these medicines. As soon as he smelled them, he knew that they were medicines to treat colds.

Gu Yuanbai shouted towards the door: "Prince He?"

There was no light in the dark bedroom, and the heavy and pale light only illuminated an empty spot on the floor. Gu Yuanbai called out again, and after a while, he heard a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, please don't come close."

Just from listening to this voice, Gu Yuanbai could feel that Prince He was very sick.

Gu Yuanbai lectured him. "You have been ill for more than ten days, and you have not even gone to morning court. We sent Imperial doctors to treat you, but you didn't even let them in."

Prince He was silent for a while. "His Majesty cares about this official?"

But as soon as the words fell out of his mouth, Prince He continued: "Forget it, this official does not want to know."

Gu Yuanbai: "…"

What was wrong with this Prince He?

Gu Yuanbai raised his long eyebrows. He was about to step into the room, already moving his feet, so Prince He, probably hearing his footsteps from inside the room, spoke again: "This official has caught a cold. His Majesty should take care of his health, stay away from me, and not come in."

"We've heard." Gu Yuanbai stopped and, using this chance, he added: "We brought the Imperial doctors with me. Prince He, you're a minister of the Great Heng, and you've been bed-bound for over ten days with a cold. You're not well after all. Let the doctors come in and treat you, Prince He, so that We can stop worrying."

As soon as he finished speaking, the doctor walked into the bedroom after him. Gu Yuanbai walked slowly to the end of the room. Tian Fusheng hesitated, attempting to say something. He wanted to persuade the Emperor to not go in, but he dared not stop him.

Sure enough, there were no lights in the bedroom.

Prince He was lying on the bed, covered with a thick quilt from head to toe. He only stuck out one hand from under the quilt to let the imperial doctors take his pulse.

The three Imperial doctors checked his pulse one by one, then they came over to Gu Yuanbai and said: "Your Majesty, Prince He is suffering from a disease caused by the wind and the cold."

Gu Yuanbai squinted.

He felt wrong all over, from the inside out.

The Emperor didn't speak, and the doctor didn't dare to look up. Prince He, inside the quilt, seemed to feel something was off. The quilt moved around a bit. Gu Yuanbai strode forward, grabbing the quilt and lifting it up sharply, completely exposing the person inside.

The skin around Prince He's eyes was dark and blue, his lips were cracked, and they were faintly colored with spots of dried blood. He was caught off guard when the quilt was lifted, and his eyes, full of surprise, were looking up at Gu Yuanbai.

Gu Yuanbai loosened his grip, and the heavy quilt fell over Prince He again. He didn't change his expression, but after seeing Prince He's face, he frowned and said: "Why do you have your nose and your mouth covered, Prince He? It will not help your condition."

"…" Prince He avoided his eyes and said solemnly: "This official was afraid of getting Your Majesty sick."

Gu Yuanbai was silent for a while, and asked Tian Fusheng to move a chair to the side of the bed. He sat there and sighed. "Prince He, you have to take care of your body."

Prince He's hand, after his pulse was taken, was set down beside him. Gu Yuanbai patted it twice, and Prince He trembled and closed it into a fist.

Tian Fusheng boldly persuaded Gu Yuanbai in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Prince He should rest more. Come out quickly and be careful of getting sick."

The guard captain next to him advised him the same, so Gu Yuanbai finally stood up and covered Prince He securely with the quilt with his own two hands.

As he leaned down, the blue silk of his garments fell before Prince He's eyes, and he could smell the scent of the precious palace incense. Prince He's gaze was profound.

Filthy, profound and secretive.

Like mud, it was impossible to cleanly shake it off.

Prince He tilted his head to the side, in low spirits, and closed his eyes to rest.

The Emperor straightened up and, seeing him like that, he walked out quietly without a word.

After a while, the voices from beyond the door quieted down. The door was closed, and his sins dispersed in the drowsy bedroom.3 Suddenly, the room of the bedroom was opened slightly, and Scholar Wang walked in and, saluting with his hands together, he said: "Master, His Highness has left the mansion."

Prince He replied: "May he travel safely."

"His Majesty cares about you very much," Scholar Wang said softly. "Why would you hurt yourself, Prince, running to pour cold water over yourself in the middle of the night?"

Prince He snorted, amused. He shook his head and sat up from the bed. "What would you know?"

Gu Yuanbai cared about him.

On the carriage on the way back to the palace, Gu Yuanbai closed his eyes and leaned back to rest. An Imperial doctor took his pulse for him and checked his complexion. His expression relaxed slightly. "Your Majesty's health is still good."

"Hm." Gu Yuanbay replied, asking in a seemingly casual manner: "How many days could Prince He have been ill?"

The doctor shook his head, ashamed.

Gu Yuanbai did not embarrass him any more, and propped his head onto his hand to ponder about things quietly.

In the past, the Emperor had stipulated that horses couldn't be ridden loosely in busy streets and cause harm, and horse carriages had speed limits as well. Therefore, people would drive extremely slowly. The horses' hooves would advance step by step, the bumps on the road would be absorbed by the layers of padding and blankets, and the carriage felt as steady as standing on the ground.

After a while, Gu Yuanbai opened his eyes suddenly. He raised the curtains and looked out of the window, and he spotted a group of people punching and kicking something, deep inside an alley.

"…weird tricks and things…"

"Stupid carpentry playthings…"

"…you think you're some sort of scholar…"

Broken sentences reached Gu Yuanbai's ear intermittently. Looking around, Gu Yuanbai's gaze landed on some wooden fragments. Seeing it up close, it seemed to be a homemade crossbow.

Gu Yuanbai immediately said: "Stop the horses. Zhang Xu, bring Us that person over there."

Xu Ning felt as if he were dying.

He covered his head and hands tightly, curled up in a ball, while getting beaten up humiliatingly in a corner. The crossbow he had made before had been stomped into pieces by the same people. He thought he could use his carpentry skills to change their minds, but he didn't expect that even his favorite object would not save him.

Scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants.

Xu Ning already had a reputation as a talented scholar, and he shouldn't have found himself in such a shameful situation.

But he liked strange nicknacks, he liked woodworking, he enjoyed dismantling wooden objects to study how they worked, and the more he studied them, the more he loved it.

However, other people felt that a talented scholar like him doing those sorts of things was disgraceful and that he was going down the wrong path. The people that were looking down on him didn't just despise him: they were also jealous of him because he had passed the country level examinations. And so, they wanted to ruin him.

The things he enjoyed the most brought him such an unbearable pressure that he had a love-hate relationship with artisanal work, and even felt a bit of resentment towards it.

Yet, his heart wasn't set on stopping.

With his face covered in tears, Xu Ning held his breath as he got kicked again.

Just when he was completely desperate, suddenly, behind him he heard a few voices yelling. Xu Ning raised his head and saw several big and tall men approaching him, one of which said in a deep voice: "Come here."

Xu Ning staggered to his feet, looking at the imposing carriage at the mouth of the alley with a terrified expression. "You- who are you?!"

The captain of the guard was in a hurry to return to the Emperor's side, so he said succinctly: "A person of eminence."

Apologies for the delay, it was my birthday yesterday and I was a bit busy! Back to regularly scheduled updates! Check out the Foxaholic Discord if you want to get announcements about this sort of thing~ Thank you everyone for waiting patiently and for reading!

And if you want faster translations, check my ko-fi goals!

Footnotes

Bao Zheng is the name of a Song dynasty politician used currently as a metaphor for an honest and upright official. Also used as a character in some wuxia type this case referring to Yama.罪孽四散 I'm not all that certain about this line, but I imagine the sins might refer to Prince He's thoughts.

Gu Yuanbai fiddled with the homemade crossbow, which was barely holding together. He couldn't help but sigh at his own good luck when looking at this delicate, lightweight craft.

The moment he stepped outside, he ran into a research and development talent. Moreover, even though this talent was still in a process of self-discovery, he had already reached some theoretical and practical findings.

Xu Ning sat awkwardly and nervously. Next to him there were an Imperial doctor and a young attendant applying medicine on him to heal his injuries. This luxurious treatment made Xu Ning feel uneasy.

The carriage already looked big from the outside, but, when he stepped inside, it turned out to be even bigger than it seemed. Even though he had two people sitting next to him, they weren't crowded together. The floor was covered with a soft, flowing rug in beautiful colors. Xu Ning had never even touched something so fine, and now such a luxurious item was being trampled by the soles of his feet.

Xu Ning lowered his head, not daring to look at Gu Yuanbai. He felt fidgety and eager. He couldn't help worrying when seeing an adult man play with his homemade crossbow, and he wondered whether the man looked down on such things.

After fiddling with it, Gu Yuanbai set aside the crossbow that the attackers had destroyed, wiped his hands with the handkerchief that Tian Fusheng handed him, and asked the Imperial doctor: "How is he?"

"The young childe is healthy," the Imperial doctor enunciated carefully. "He only received superficial wounds this time, there is no damage to his internal organs. The only problem is that his diet is somewhat irregular, so he might have some stomach and heart pains."

Xu Ning's eyes widened in surprise, staring at his own hand gripping his clothes. The doctor was so skilled, being able to discover so much after simply taking his pulse for a moment.

Gu Yuanbai nodded slightly, then looked at Xu Ning with a smile, and asked warmly: "How did you make this crossbow?"

'There are thirty six military weapons, and the bow is the first; there are eighteen martial arts skills, and the bow is the first.' This is what Hua Yue said during the Southern Song Dynasty in the 'Cui Wei Bei Zhan Lu'. 1 The Great Heng did not have many horses, and the nomadic groups from the borders were skilled equestrians. In order to resist them, bows and arrows became the favored choice for the infantry.

The founding emperor of the Great Heng Dynasty paid special attention to military affairs, and firmly controlled crossbows, especially the designs of improved crossbows, on a military and political level. The common people were strictly prohibited from having military weapons. Someone ordinary wouldn't be able to even see such a light and powerful crossbow, much less create one.

However, although the crossbow made by Xu Ning had been broken, it could still be seen that it had more than a single shooting hole. In other words, the scholar's homemade crossbow had caught up with the weapons used by the military.

It was powerful, very powerful.

Gu Yuanbai's eyes showed his interest, and Xu Ning babbled about where he got his inspiration from and how he made it. When he finished explaining, he clenched his fists in excitement, looked up at Gu Yuanbai and said: "Young master! These products are useful, artisanal work has tremendous value! Either for farming land or military affairs, craftsmen are essential! It's not a shameful job, nor is it improper!"

As soon as Xu Ning looked up, he saw the admiration in Gu Yuanbai's eyes. Xu Ning finished his sentence by inertia, but his expression grew anxious.

Carriage, bodyguard, doctor, attendant.

This young master was outstanding, looking as ethereal as a deity, every one of his movements displaying his privileged upbringing. Could such a great man actually admire him? Appreciate his poor talents at woodworking?

"You are correct." Gu Yuanbai nodded in agreement, and said:"In the past, Guan Zhong, who proposed the concept of 'scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants' was born a merchant himself, and used business methods to make the State of Qi prosper. In his own words, 'scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants' are not superior or inferior. Instead, they're parallel classes, and all of them are the pillars of the country and make it flourish by fulfilling their duties. It is not possible to separate the prosperity of the Shang dynasty from their industry and commerce. However, after the Shang dynasty's demise, the Zhou dynasty looked down on industry and commerce, thinking it would waste agricultural resources, and lead to the downfall of the State. Therefore, that was the reason artisans and merchants are named last."

Xu Ning opened his mouth, staring straight at Gu Yuanbai. His lips opened and closed a few times, but he didn't know what to say.

Gu Yuanbai asked Tian Fusheng to return the damaged crossbow to Xu Ning. Xu Ning took the crossbow helplessly, glanced at the window, and asked cautiously: "My lord, where are you taking me to?"

Tian Fusheng rolled up the carriage curtains. Xu Ning glanced outside without thinking and, the next instant, his eyes opened wide.

The towering, lofty and grandiose gates of the imperial palace were right before him. The beautiful tiles gleamed magnificently under the sun.

Gu Yuanbai didn't mind his expression, and asked him with a smile: "In addition to the crossbow, what else can you make?"

"I… this scholar… this youngster…" Xu Ning was in a daze, not knowing how to address himself. "This scholar isn't interested in just these things, I've also tried to improve some farming tools."

He looked panicked, but, after all, could the palace be entered just by anyone?

The sound of each of the horses' steps kicked Xu Ning's soul out of his body. By the time the carriage stopped, the pale scholar's face, already covered in wounds, was so distressed that anyone would have noticed.

The imperial physician and the palace attendant led Xu Ning out of the carriage, and the guards outside stood straight. The guard captain stretched out his hand to lift the curtain of the carriage, stretched out his hand and said: "Your Majesty, careful."

Xu Ning: "!"

He took a breath, his brain buzzing. His entire being felt dizzy, as if he was about to faint in the next moment.

Gu Yuanbai extended his arm out of the carriage and placed his hand gently in the guard captain's. The guard lowered his head and carefully helped Gu Yuanbai out of the carriage. Since the Emperor's health wasn't great, his servants would be overly concerned, worried that he'd have an accident if anyone did as much as bump against him.

The guard captain had to be extremely careful even when simply holding the Emperor's hand. The Emperor's skin was delicate and tender, and the guard's palm was extremely coarse, with hard calluses and rough to the touch. Whenever he held the Emperor's hand, he felt like a stone.

Setting his feet on the ground, Xu Ning subconsciously glanced down, only to discover that the stones he was stepping on were covered with exquisite carvings. He finally recovered some of his wits at this point, and dropped heavily to his knees.

The dragon boots appeared in front of him, and the Emperor said: "Follow Us."

The auxiliary palace of Xuanzheng Hall was usually the place where the Emperor summoned his ministers to discuss political affairs. Gu Yuanbai offered Xu Ning a seat. Xu Ning tremblingly sat precariously on the edge of his chair, with his feet on the floor but feeling as if they were stepping on clouds.

Gu Yuanbai spoke with Xu Ning very gently. Xu Ning's panicked mind gradually recovered, no longer blank. When he talked about his favorite carpenter, his eyes lit up.

Xu Ning's ideas were bold for the era. However, what was even more extraordinary was that his ideas could be implemented with contemporary conditions and were capable of improving the situation of the Great Heng.

Gu Yuanbai promptly asked Tian Fusheng to bring out a collection of books about craftsmen from the Inner Palace and give them to Xu Ning, and afterwards he arranged for Xu Ning to enter the Engineering Department, on the outskirts of the capital.

Gu Yuanbai had set up the department personally, and it was under direct management of the Supervision Office. The Supervision Office discovered and selected the people there, all of whom were skilled craftsmen with a love for the craft. Gu Yuanbai declared that, as long as they managed to develop something of use to the country, no matter what it was, they would be rewarded.

However, the end results were always lackluster, and the Engineering Department's research costs were extremely high. The officials from the Supervision Department had complained many times to Gu Yuanbai about it, thinking that the Engineering Department had no reason to exist.

Regardless, Gu Yuanbai insisted, giving the Engineering Department his full support. Xu Ning's arrival was an unexpected delight. Gu Yuanbai always thought that what the Engineering Department was lacking was an enlightened mind, and now, that mind had arrived.

Xu Ning took the book collection and the appointment, still in a daze. He touched the books and listened to the Emperor's encouraging words, and his eyes went red.

All these books had been forbidden by the Great Heng, and artisans and merchants were always considered the last class in dynasties. These scorned books about craftsmen were more rare than a manuscript from a renowned scholar. Xu Ning's voice trembled. "Your Highness, this youngster won't let you down!"

His gaze gradually became firmer.

The Emperor himself had said so. Not only did he not look down on artisans, he appreciated them and had many ideas. The Emperor mentioned things such as 'improving the repeating crossbow',2 'tying up cattle to shorten ploughing', 'a bullock cart combining sowing and fertilizing', and even a 'spinner weaver' and 'water wheels', and so on, that Xu Ning found both surprising and plausible.

His hands were itching and he was so excited that he wanted to hurry to the Engineering Department, as the Emperor said, to work with other colleagues that were also familiar with artisanal work in order to realize the Emperor's ideas.

If he was able to work on what he loved, contribute to the world, and help solve the Emperor's problems, could there be anything better than that?

Xu Ning no longer felt pain from the injuries covering his body.

Gu Yuanbai was ecstatic to take in such a talented researcher, and he remained joyful until the day of the Palace Examination.

The candidates entered the Emperor's Audience Hall at dawn. The people from the Ministry of Rites were in charge of the entire process of the Palace Examination, and, by the time the formal procedures before the exam had been completed, the sky outside was already bright.

The Palace Examination could be supervised by the Emperor himself, or by officials sent by him as replacement. Of course, Gu Yuanbai was supervising in person, and all the candidates, peacefully sitting in their positions, kept their heads lowered without a saying word.

The atmosphere in the entire Audience Hall was solemn and quiet, with a bit of diffused tension permeating it. The candidates noticed two rows of strong guards with tall and muscular bodies standing vigilant, and, with the Emperor sitting on top of the high seat, no one would dare break the rules.

The seats for the Palace Examination were assigned according to the results of the Metropolitan Examination, so the one closest to Gu Yuanbai was none other than the Huiyuan, Chu Wei.

Gu Yuanbai looked around. There were many familiar faces in the first two rows. Besides Chu Wei, there was Chang Yuyan, as well as the son of the Minister of Revenue, Tang Mian. Tang Mian had not yet had his capping ceremony,3 but he had achieved the seventh place in the Metropolitan Examination. The Minister of Revenue's household was rather proud of his achievement.

Gu Yuanbai also took a special look at Kong Yilin, who was ranked third. Kong Yilin's ancestral home was Qingzhou, in Shandong, which had been Confucius' home. It was said to be a place full of talented people where the competition among scholars was fierce. Kong Yilin had been the top ranked student from Shandong in the examinations.

Kong Yilin was born extremely tall. Seeing such a big person crouched behind a small table made people feel uncomfortable for him. This person was extremely quiet, sitting silently with his head down, making it impossible to discern how he looked. He had a calm temperament, like an old farmer planting rice steadily, and his presence was weak and ordinary, but very firm.

From this look, Gu Yuanbai had a better impression of Kong Yilin.

At the beginning of the palace exam, the test papers were handed out, with only one policy topic written on top. The candidates had to write at least two thousand words. The palace exam would last for one day, finishing when the sun set in the evening.

Suddenly, the only sound in the hall was that of brush across paper. Gu Yuanbai sat for a while before starting to work on handling government affairs.

The people sitting in the front noticed the sound of the Emperor opening the memorial. Many of them were conceiving their policy essays while listening to the movement from above.

Chu Wei, as the number one ranking student, had attracted the most attention. He was so forthright that he didn't even look at the Emperor and simply acted as if he wasn't there, and he continued to concentrate on his policy essay.

" "

He wanted to get the first place from the Emperor's hand.

After all the candidates were in this state, Gu Yuanbai put down the memorial and began to walk slowly among the candidates.

When some people glimpsed the dragon robe he wore, their wrist would shake and ink spots would stain the draft. Others had their legs shake nonstop, their teeth knocking together so loudly that Gu Yuanbai could hear them.

Wherever he strolled, the people there would become incomparably nervous. The bad ones would be lost on the spot, the good ones would tense up, too rigid to write.

The Emperor's bright yellow dragon robe gradually moved towards the front row, and Chang Yuyan glanced at the shadow at his back. His hand shook, and he forced himself to calm down.

With his heart pounding, Chang Yuyan felt as if the Emperor had been standing by his side for a long time. However, once he turned to face him, the Emperor had already walked up to Kong Yilin, and he was standing still by his side.

Gu Yuanbai looked down at Kong Yilin's draft. It was neatly written, as clean as a formal document. At first, he just wanted to take a rough glance, but gradually, his expression became serious.

When Kong Yilin's last stroke fell, Gu Yuanbai came back to his senses. He took a deep look at Kong Yilin, whose head was still down, and, instead of continuing to walk among the students, he strode back up the steps.

The Emperor's move was noticed by those around him, and many of them glanced secretly at Kong Yilin. Faced with so many stares, Kong Yilin continued to write his answer, immobile.

Chu Wei, who was also looking in Kong Yilin's direction, looked away lightly, dipped his brush with some ink, and continued to write.

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Footnotes

翠微北征录 Records of the punitive expedition to Mt. Cuiwei, a military book.诸葛弩 Zhuge crossbow, if anyone wants to look it where 20yo men received a crown headpiece to signal their coming of age.

After the Palace Examination had finished, the most difficult time for the candidates was waiting for the examiners to review their work.

Become famous in one fell swoop. Several years of hard study all for the sake of the golden list of successful candidates, the essay titles, the review of the examiners, and, afterwards, the ranking whose results would follow them for a lifetime.

Inside the palace, eight examiners selected by the Hanlin scholars1 and the ministers of the central government of the Great Heng were reviewing the papers of the tributary students.2 Each of the eight examiners had a table, and the examination papers passed through each of them, with the Imperial Guards standing nearby. They were running out of time, and it was necessary to decide the ranking of the tributary students as soon as possible.

A few days later, the examination official placed the top ten papers with the best scores in front of the Emperor so that he would, together with the ministers, select the Zhuangyuan, Bangyan and Tanhua.34

Among the top ten, with the exception of one student who had ranked below the 20th place in the test and now had risen to the ninth place, all the others had only moved up and down a few places, and there was little change.

After the examination official declared the ranking, the audience to review the papers officially began. The group of tributary students were standing outside, waiting for the results of the Palace Examination to be announced. Meanwhile, in the side hall, Gu Yuanbai and the ministers were discussing the ranking of the ten papers in front of them.

The Imperial Examination was a layer of cloth that concealed the bureaucracy. The top ten were all similar as far as their knowledge went. Therefore, in order to determine the ranking, more elements had to be taken into consideration.

The ten papers already had the seals removed.5 Gu Yuanbai let the ministers go back and forth reading the papers before asking with a smile: "What do you think of this new group of Jinshi?"6

The highest officials of the Zhengshi Hall and the Military Affairs Bureau were naturally supportive of the Emperor. Envoy Zhao, from the Military Affairs Bureau, stroked his white beard and exclaimed: "Our Great Heng has many talents! These ten papers are all brilliant, and their writers are all outstanding! It is a blessing for Great Heng!"

The officials from the Zhenshi Hall smiled, echoing the sentiment.

Gu Yuanbai pondered for a while, picked out three papers and placed them at the top. Pointing at Chu Wei's essay, he exclaimed: "The one who achieved the first position in the Metropolitan Examination has written an excellent paper even in the Palace Examination."

The Minister of Rites rushed to say: "Your Highness, Chu Wei also achieved the first position in the Provincial Examinations seven years ago."

"Oh?" Gu Yuanbai said. "What a coincidence."

The others laughed. Gu Yuanbai smiled and pointed to Kong Yilin's paper. "What do you think of this one?"

The envoy thought for a while and finally said: "This student has a profound heart, and what is most rare is that he is also down-to-earth. He lacks neither determination or sharpness. A good and practical talent."

Gu Yuanbai nodded. "The top three will be selected from these three people, but We get a headache trying to decide how to arrange them. In Our heart, the three of them are equal."

The minister of finance proposed: "Your Majesty, why don't you meet the three of them?"

Gu Yuanbai was pleased by the idea. "Very well."

He liked Kong Yilin, and the appointed officials from Shandong province hadn't formed a separate group in the dynasty. This talented person, born to a poor family, was down-to-earth and showed his skills in the essay. He could be considered for Zhuangyuan.

As a future capable minister, Chu Wei was also a great talent, but, at this time, he had yet to experience the sea of government officials he'd have to deal with. Although his writing was realistic regarding the population's livelihood, some of his ideas were too radical. However, his father had a low position as an official and was uninvolved in disputes amidst political groups. It'd be very suitable to choose him as Banyan.

Lastly, for the title of Tanhua he could choose someone such as Chang Yuyan who was well known, but seen by the public as a talented scholar as well.

After a while, the eunuch by the door announced: "Chu Wei, Chang Yuyan, and Kong Yilin are here to see the Emperor."

The three of them glanced at each other, and entered the secondary hall without changing their expressions, followed by the jealous eyes of the students behind them. The three of them were young, healthy and slender young men. Gu Yuanbai still had a smile on his lips, but it disappeared abruptly when he saw Kong Yilin come in.

Kong Yilin looked plain, but his eyes were extremely deep. For some people, their eyes alone could make their entire face shine. Kong Yilin was one of them. However, this set of eyes did not belong to the people of the Great Heng Dynasty.

Something flashed in Gu Yuanbai's scattered memory, and he suddenly remembered who this Kong Yilin was.

The story of "Powerful Minister",7 was based on historical facts about Huang Chao's uprising. Huang Chao was a Jinshi who was dismissed because of his ugly appearance by the Emperor Xizong of Tang.8 The incident led to Huang Chao's uprising down the line, even forcing Xizong to flee to Chang'an later on.

In "Powerful Minister", Kong Yilin played such a role. However, he was not ugly; the reason why he was dismissed was because he had Western Xia blood.

If Gu Yuanbai hadn't transmigrated, at this time, the power minister, Lu Feng, would still be in charge of the government. Lu Feng was a stubborn and domineering conservative who, naturally, would not allow people of Western Xia blood to be appointed as officials in the Great Heng Dynasty.

After being dismissed, Kong Yilin, left with nothing, directly abandoned his identity as a Great Heng citizen and switched to Western Xia to help develop the nation's strength. With only the small Western Xia, he made the Great Heng lose five or six cities in a row. If Gu Yuanbai remembered correctly, Xue Yuan was the one who led the soldiers against him on the battlefield, fighting a mighty battle.

Gu Yuanbai smiled slowly.

After a while, he got up from behind the table and walked up to the three of them.

The Emperor's body smelled of the precious incense of the palace, delicate and elegant but long lasting and luxurious. It transmitted a contradictory feeling, but it definitely brought the word 'noble' to everyone's mind when they perceived it.

The three people standing there were all taller than the Emperor. Even if they lowered their heads respectfully and avoided looking directly at the Emperor, they could still see the blue silk draped over his back as he walked.

Kong Yilin's eyes were clearly Xixia in origin. Although his expression didn't show it, he was still worried about them. Seeing the Emperor approach now, his head bent even lower, and his presence had been weakened to the extreme.

But the Emperor stopped in front of him.

"Kong Yilin," said the Emperor with a voice like pearls falling on a jade plate. "We have examined your policy essay. The writing is so good that it makes for quite the enjoyable read."

Kong Yilin bent down even more humbly. "This student doesn't deserve Your Majesty's recognition."

The Emperor said: "Look up and let me look at you."

Kong Yilin followed the Imperial etiquette as had been taught by the Ministry of Rites, and raised his head with his eyes still lowered. He could only see the dragon robe on the Emperor's chest, but Gu Yuanbai could clearly see his features from close range. Eyes of Xixia descent.

With his eyes down, his eyelashes looked long and dense, and looking at them, they seemed like a doll's.

Gu Yuanbai wanted to see the color of his eyes clearly, but Kong Yilin seemed to be too apprehensive. He followed etiquette strictly, not raising his eyes even slightly. It was clear that these eyes had caused him much suffering.

The Emperor remained silent. Kong Yilin's heart sank. Lifting his robe, he knelt on the ground. "This student recognizes his mistake and asks for punishment."

Gu Yuanbai let out a long sigh and leaned over to help him up. "What mistake?"

In a daze, Kong Yilin stood up with his help, looking confused.

Gu Yuanbai smiled lightly and said: "Yilin has outstanding talent, We look forward to cherishing your service. Why would We punish you?"

Chu Wei and Chang Yuyan, on the side, watched this harmonious scene between the Emperor and his official. One of them looked unchanged and the other had a smile like a spring breeze. They both remembered how, back during the Palace Examinations, the Emperor had stood watching beside Kong Yilin for a long time.

How talented was this Kong Yilin? Was he really so special?

Gu Yuanbai said a few more words to the top three, and then let them out.

After they went out, Gu Yuanbai immediately told the Minister of Rites: "Chu Wei is the Zhuangyuan, Kong Yilin is the Bangyan, and Chang Yuyan can be Yanhua."

The Minister of Rites solemnly assented.

In the main hall, Chang Yuyan smiled like a gentleman. He took the initiative to go greet Kong Yilin, and said: "Brother Yilin, His Majesty treats you so well. I believe your ranking won't be low."

Kong Yilin humbly replied: "I'm really talentless, I can't accept such appreciation from His Majesty."

Chang Yuyan's heart was cold. Kong Yilin might declare himself talentless with his mouth, but his eyes were calm and unchanged, and it was obvious that he was very confident in his skills.

Ever since the Emperor had ignored Chang Yuyan in the Xue mansion last time, Chang Yuyan had felt uneasy. Now, he finally saw the Emperor again, but the Emperor had been looking at Kong Yilin this time.

The Emperor was still just as beautiful as a clear moonlit scenery. No matter where one looked, everywhere showed the dignity that belonged to the Son of Heaven. Before such a noble Emperor, Chang Yuyan, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't stop fearing being disliked by His Majesty.

But now, what kind of policy essay did this Kong Yilin end up writing, to make the Emperor value him so?

Chu Wei tilted his head and glanced at the two of them, standing straight and silent.

While the three of them were deep in thought, some music came from the hall, announcing the start of the Chuanlu Audience.9

The candidates looked solemn, and many eunuchs came holding garments in their hands to change the clothes of the new scholars. After they finished changing, they looked up and saw that the Emperor was already sitting on the dragon throne.

The place where the Chuanlu Audience was held was not in Xuanzheng Hall, but in the wider Emperor's Audience Hall. Only important events such as pilgrimages, major festivals, and sending off armies would be celebrated in the Audience Hall. At this time, hundreds of officials lined up and the new Jinshi stood in the center. The atmosphere was quiet, and many people couldn't help but hold their breath.

In this heavy atmosphere, the most eye-catching thing was the Emperor, sitting high above.

Taking advantage of the time when the eunuch was helping him change into his official uniform, Kong Yilin looked up at the Emperor discreetly. He couldn't help but feel stunned, but, after a few breaths, he recovered.

The Emperor's dragon robe was cumbersome and heavy, but his face shone brightly.

Was there anyone in the world who could have power, status, and looks?

Kong Yilin realized at that moment that of course there was, and that person was the most noble person in the world.

One had to realize that he was out of reach when looking at him.

Among the new scholars, there were only a few bold enough to dare to take a peek at the Emperor. When the officials in charge of the palace ceremony began to call out names, the students bowed their heads and began to wait for the announcements.

"The scholar in the first place is Chu Wei."

Chu Wei's eyes flashed. He stood up, took a few steps forward, and following directions, he kneeled on the ground on the left side. His calm and restrained face couldn't hide the way the corners of his lips turned up, showing a slight smile.

Previously, since the Emperor in the side hall had treated Kong Yilin so favorably, he had thought that the young Emperor would give Kong Yilin the Zhuangyuan title.

Kong Yilin's face didn't change, but a feeling of disappointment suddenly rose in his heart. Kong Yilin himself thought it was funny. After suffering because of his eyes, he had been successful and passed the Palace Examination. But now, he had become greedy and wanted to be the number one. It was a fickle, ridiculous thing.

The officials in charge of the ceremony continued to call out names. "The second position belongs to Kong Yilin."

" "

Kong Yilin took a deep breath, walked to the right side beside Chu Wei, and knelt down steadily.

"The third position belongs to Chang Yuyan…"

The audience lasted for over half an hour. When all the names were called, the new Jinshi followed the hundreds of officials and performed three kneelings and nine kowtows. Sitting alone in the high seat, Gu Yuanbai, watching the crowd salute, exhaled an intoxicating breath.10

Being an emperor was addictive.

Especially when he saw all the courtiers worshiping him, and those ministers who are usually high and lofty kneeling down respectfully – it was a really addictive feeling.

Gu Yuanbai reminded himself to stay awake. He was not a dictator.

After the Chuanlu Audience was over, the new Jinshi went to compliment the other officials, and the rest of the courtiers scattered as well. The only ones left in the huge palace were Gu Yuanbai and the palace attendants. Gu Yuanbai's face finally showed some exhaustion. Tian Fusheng offered him tea. "Your Majesty, it is still early. Why not go soak in the water from the hot springs?"

Gu Yuanbai felt tempted. He took a sip of the tea, nodded and said: "Very well."

The hot springs were in the palace next to the Emperor's sleeping quarters. When Gu Yuanbai arrived, the hot spring pool was already covered with a hazy mist.

The water in the pool came all from the hot springs, and it carried a natural smell of sulfur. With the surroundings dyed with incense and candlelight, the bright daylight outside the window illuminated the whole hot springs hall in a luxurious, royal style.

Tian Fusheng worked on removing the cumbersome dragon robe for the Emperor. Suddenly someone outside the palace reported: "Your Highness, Xue Yuan, the son of General Xue, is asking to see you."

Gu Yuanbai's white face had a sneer on it. "So he's finally willing to enter the palace?"

Ever since he had agreed for Xue Yuan to enter the palace to accompany him up to that point, Xue Yuan had yet to enter. It had been a good while already, weeks had gone by. Did he come obediently realizing that he couldn't keep avoiding it any longer?

Clearly, if I don't teach you, you won't behave, and if I don't beat you, you won't listen.

Gu Yuanbai said: "Tian Fusheng, how do you tame a dog?"

"A dog?" Tian Fusheng was puzzled, but he replied honestly: "It doesn't matter if it's a good dog or a bad dog. A disobedient dog, even a small one, will become obedient if it fears being beaten. If it remains disobedient, let it starve for a few days. When it's hungry and craving some meat, won't it be obedient?"

Gu Yuanbai raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Tian Fusheng, you've spoken well."

The outer robe was untied layer by layer, and Gu Yuanbai lazily ordered: "Let him come in."

The sound of footsteps gradually came from outside, and Xue Yuan's tall and lofty figure, wearing the Imperial guard uniform that he had just received, crossed the fog. After crossing several doors to the left and right in the huge palace, he finally spotted Gu Yuanbai's shadow.

When he walked in, Xue Yuan realized that the Emperor was only wearing a bright yellow satin shirt.

He already looked slender, and now looked even thinner, with his black hair draped over his back. His dark hair was very eye-catching. Xue Yuan had a heat-prone physique, and, with the warm steam all around him, before he had taken a couple steps, he was already covered in a thin layer of sweat.

Surrounded by the mist, Xue Yuan stopped not too far from the young Emperor and greeted him. "Good day, Your Highness."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young Emperor turned sideways and nodded lightly at him. "Rise."

The young Emperor's crown had been removed, and his black hair rested against his face. It made his features, that had looked so cold and stern before Xue Yuan in the past, look slightly softer.

Xue Yuan hadn't seen the young Emperor seem so gentle before. The novelty made him stare at him for a while.

Tian Fusheng was about to put the Emperor's clothes aside. However, suddenly, his feet slipped, and he fell heavily with a bam.

Gu Yuanbai: "Tian Fusheng!"

Xue Yuan stepped forward to support Tian Fusheng quickly. Tian Fusheng held onto his waist to endure the pain, and said with a wry smile: "Fortunately, Master Xue is here, so this eunuch won't have to be too forceful."

Xue Yuan's eyelids twitched, and suddenly he had a bad feeling.

"I think my back cracked, I can't bend over." Tian Fusheng's face wrinkled up. "The Emperor doesn't like having a lot of people around while he bathes, and the other palace attendants are outside. Please, have Master Xue serve you instead of this old eunuch, Your Majesty."

Gu Yuanbai saw that he didn't seem to have fallen too hard, and his expression was slightly relieved. He said: "We can do it Ourselves."

Xue Yuan glanced at him and helped Tian Fusheng out first. When he came back again, Gu Yuanbai was sitting on the large chair to the side, his body looking as if he was going to sink in it.

Although Gu Yuanbai wanted to let Xue Yuan know to fear him, he didn't want to humiliate him. He was about to remove his own shoes and socks when a shadow suddenly squatted down in front of him.

Xue Yuan knelt on one knee with a smile, and touched the hand of the young Emperor that was holding the dragon boots, saying slowly: "How can the Emperor do such a thing? This official will do it."

Xue Yuan took off the bright yellow dragon boot of His Highness, grasped the young Emperor's ankle, and slowly removed the brocade sock for him. Xue Yuan had once said that the young Emperor's face was incomparably beautiful, even more so than a woman's. He had never touched anything so pretty and fragile. He already thought Gu Yuanbai's face belonged to a man carved in jade, and, when he took off his boot and sock, he found that the foot he held in his palms were carved of the same jade.

Looking like ice, clear and fair like beautiful porcelain, permeated with fragrance.

Xue Yuan felt that the Emperor's foot was more pleasant to the touch than the jade pendant he used to wear. He kneaded it like he was used to do with the pendant, holding it with his large hands, thinking about the size of the young Emperor's foot.

His body was warm and his palms were rough and hot. Such an action was simply overstepping his bounds. Gu Yuanbai frowned and, without any hesitation, kicked Xue Yuan's shoulder forcefully, and said coldly: "Impudent!"

Xue Yuan was caught off guard and was kicked backwards, hitting his head on the ground with a dull sound. His eyes rolled back into his head, his vision darkening for an instant.

It was just touching a foot, how could this be called impudent?

Xue Yuan slowly got up and knelt down in front of the young Emperor again. He grinned at him and stretched out a hand to directly hold the Emperor's bare foot. Exerting some force with his hand, this time, the young Emperor couldn't break out of the hold to kick him.

"Your Highness, your foot is cold, and this official is worried that your body can't bear it," he said slowly. "This official will cover your foot, and, once it's warmed up, this official will, of course, let go."

Author's note:

Fixed a mistake, the Junzheng Department is composed of the Military Affairs Bureau and the Zhengshi Hall

What's with the foot fetishes oh my god-

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Footnotes

翰林学士 Members of the Hanlin Imperial Academy.贡生 candidates recommended by local governments to study in the 's footnote: 'The information regarding the Imperial examinations comes from Baidu with my own adjustments'.状元、榜眼、探花, respectively, were the titles awarded to the Number One Scholar, the runner-up, and the one that came third place in the Palace examination papers are sealed with the names of the candidates and then hidden to avoid tampering.进士 scholars that had successfully passed the Palace the name of the novel, I can't recall if it's been mentioned gentleman here.传胪大殿 official audience where the names of the passing scholars would be announced. Technically it's also called hall, but some of these refer to places and others refer to events.浊 can mean turbid, muddy, impure, corrupt. Basically meaning that power is getting to his head.

The man held his bare foot firmly. The strange feeling made Gu Yuanbai's face darken instantly. He wanted to pull his foot out, but he was no match for Xue Yuan's strength.

Xue Yuan was doing it completely on purpose.

Gu Yuanbai lifted his other foot that still had a boot on, and kicked Xue Yuan violently, but Xue Yuan was already prepared for it and took the kick without issue. Raising his eyelids, he smiled cheerfully at Gu Yuanbai.

"Give Us…" the foggy air went down Gu Yuanbai's throat, making him cough harshly. Even the foot Xue Yuan was holding shook from how strong his coughing was. The Emperor was coughing, but Xue Yuan took off the other boot and the brocade sock, and took the other delicate ankle in his hand.

Tian Fusheng had been there just a moment ago, but there was no one else around now. Xue Yuan looked at the young Emperor, his eyes red from the coughing fit, and watched him as he held his feet, making it so the Emperor couldn't move, and he felt a strange satisfaction arise in his mind. There was no one there, and the young Emperor was no match for Xue Yuan's strength. Xue Yuan grinned, feeling almost as if he were bullying the Emperor.

The coughing gradually stopped. As his chest rose and fell, Gu Yuanbai's eyes became calmer. After steadying his breathing, the first sentence he said was, "Very good, Xue Yuan."

It was the same words he'd said when Xue Yuan was punished that day.

Xue Yuan kept smiling. He deliberately stroked the Emperor's feet and said slowly, "This official fears Your Majesty will get cold, I'm devoted."

"Devoted." Gu Yuanbai nodded, a cold smile on his lips, and the next moment he said loudly. "Men, here!"

Dozens of guards suddenly rushed into the hall, with the guard captain taking the lead. He walked quickly to Gu Yuanbai and said in a deep voice: "This servant has arrived."

Gu Yuanbai wanted to withdraw his foot from Xue Yuan's hold, but Xue Yuan still dared to not let him go. Gu Yuanbai was angry, but found it almost laughable. "Release Us."

Xue Yuan smiled and released his hold.

The Emperor walked barefoot to the edge of the pool, turned around, and looked at Xue Yuan with a smile on his face. "Throw him into the water."

The guards didn't hesitate for even a moment. They moved and, in the next instant, Xue Yuan was thrown into the water. Four of them jumped out of the pool and held Xue Yuan down to prevent him from escaping.

Xue Yuan didn't struggle, instead looking straight at Gu Yuanbai as if he were expecting to see what Gu Yuanbai could do.

There were many things Gu Yuanbai could do.

The future regent was pushed down and sank in the water until he couldn't breathe, and then pulled back up several times. The only thing that could be heard inside the hall was the violent splashing of the water. Xue Yuan's hair spread out, and his breathing was very heavy. Once Gu Yuanbai felt that it had been enough, he told the men to stop it.

Gu Yuanbai walked to the pool and sat down, speaking slowly. "Xue Yuan, are you comfortable?"

"I'm comfortable," Xue Yuan huffed and gasped, his eyes red and bloodshot, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "This is the bath water that the Emperor soaks in, so of course, this official feels comfortable."

Gu Yuanbai's face sank, thinking that Xue Yuan was trying to gross him out on purpose.

Xue Yuan, of course, was grossing him out on purpose. He had gotten so angry when he'd touched his foot. Are all men doing this sort of touching? Did Xue Yuan also like men?

The young Emperor disliked being touched, but Xue Yuan couldn't bear his anger either.

The guards' faces were furious, and the strength they were using to hold onto Xue Yuan increased. Xue Yuan didn't say a word, but he occasionally glanced at the four guards surrounding him, with a dark and frightening look in their eyes.

Gu Yuanbai, with an ugly expression on his face, said: "Release him."

" "

The four guards let go of Xue Yuan reluctantly. Xue Yuan stood up straight in the water. The water only reached his crotch. He rubbed his wrist and grimaced, showing his fangs.

"Your Highness," he said in a pleasant voice, "should this official serve you as you bathe in the spring?"

"Out," Gu Yuanbai said. "Go outside and kneel and apologize to my pool of spring water."

He was dunked in said pool, unable to catch his breath over and over, but now he had to go apologize to it.

Xue Yuan stepped out of the pool and walked out with the guards. This hall was used by the Emperor to soak in the springs, so of course, there was more than one pool. When he was about to exit the gate, right as he turned around, Xue Yuan took the chance to look out of the corner of his eye and he saw the young Emperor getting up to walk elsewhere.

The young Emperor left water stains on the ground as he walked the entire way. He was still barefoot, and his jade-like feet were fairer than the white jade on the ground. Xue Yuan, his body also dripping with water, thought to himself: the young Emperor is so weak and sickly, wouldn't he get sick, walking around barefoot in a thin robe?

Xue Yuan couldn't help but smile.

How could someone be so weak?

When Gu Yuanbai walked out of the hall, he was already wearing a clean and neat inner robe.

Palace attendants were holding the rest of his clothes, and, when he stepped out of the hall, they'd put them on him layer after layer. A palace maid wiped off the water for him and said, "Your Highness, the new Jinshi have already finished greeting the ministers, and the streets are very lively."

"Today is a good day for the new Jinshi." Gu Yuanbai smiled slightly. "After being successful in the Palace examinations, it's natural to be happy."

The Imperial court spent a lot of money after each examination to give the new Jinshi the day of their dreams when they succeed. The more famous the Imperial court made the day to be, the more scholars across the country would long to pass the Imperial examinations.

Gu Yuanbai was happy to see the day's success. "Two years from now, during the military examinations,1 it'll be even more lively."

The military examinations in the Great Heng Dynasty were held every five years, and the successful military talents received the same treatment as the Jinshi. The Students didn't only have to test their fighting skills and physical strength, they also had to be familiar with military books, geography, and understand various concepts such as planning military strategy on a sand table, camping, transporting provisions on plank roads, guarding from surprise attacks by taking the offensive, and various other topics.

The country's treasury would limit any grand measures that the Imperial court might want to take. However, the soldiers would be given priority for the best provisions and money. The infantry got to fill their stomach every day with coarse grains2 and flat cakes, and heavy infantry and cavalry occasionally got to eat meat. However, that wasn't enough. If they wanted the soldiers of Great Heng to be strong, tall and sturdy, they also needed to eat meat and fruit.

That winter, Gu Yuanbai had originally planned to open up the border exchange market when the nomads in the border became short of food and oil, in order to open trade for cattle and horses raised by small clans and to buy good livestock at low-cost. Then, he'd sell some of them at high prices in the prosperous lands of Great Heng, and set some aside and reserve for the army to use and to provide the soldiers with some meat to eat.

But the cold winds that season had extended the winter for longer than usual, and he could only wait for the next opportunity.

Gu Yuanbai valued soldiers and was willing to spend money to raise them. Of course, the Great Heng soldiers knew this as well. Even before winter had arrived, there would be warm clothes issued by the Emperor in the middle of autumn. They never were paid in arrears. The money was distributed on a monthly basis. The soldiers would go ask for it by themselves, and each and every one of them would get their pay in their own hands. There was a Supervision Office in the military to prevent anyone from embezzling the money or mistreating the soldiers, and, when the payment was getting distributed, the high ranking generals would have to oversee it in person, even if there was rain or snow.

The people in the Supervision Office placed in the army were also very principled. They had long deeply accepted Gu Yuanbai's brainwashing, and they worked tirelessly to inform the soldiers of the Emperor's appreciation for them and his desire for them to be treated well.

Even though Gu Yuanbai was unable to show up in person when the army pay was given out, 'the Emperor's benevolence' was what the soldiers talked about. They felt that they were fighting for the Emperor, not for their general. Regardless of the opinion of the generals and captains, the workers in the Supervision Office were very proud of it and full of fighting spirit.

They were motivated just because of the Emperor's preferential treatment. The Imperial army in the palace was also very diligent and didn't dare to slack off. A while ago, when they had to handle a few imprisoned soldiers who had been tricked by Li Huan,3 the guards in the palace were even more angry than Gu Yuanbai.

It wasn't the first time Xue Yuan had been in the palace, but it was his first time having close contact with the palace guard. The moment they stepped out of the hall, the guards stared at him with a dark look, as if they couldn't wait to kill Xue Yuan on the spot.

It was more dramatic than a dog protecting its master.

The guard Zhang Xu said coldly, "Young master Xue, since you have entered the palace and have become part of the Emperor's guard, His Highness must become your first priority. His Majesty's thoughts are our goal, and His Majesty's orders are the meaning of our existence."

Xue Yuan was soaked, and the guard uniform clung closely to his strong, powerful body. The strength of his muscles didn't lose to that of these guards. He was like a wild wolf ready to fight, looking for a chance to attack.

"It's just as Official Zhang says," Xue Yuan replied with a gentle smile. "This official is also worried about His Majesty's body."

Zhang Xu didn't know what had happened before he entered the hall, but he obviously didn't believe Xue Yuan's comment. He snorted coldly and said in a dark voice, "You better be."

The guards beside Zhang Xu glared at Xue Yuan, but none of them spoke up. Xue Yuan found a place to kneel down and straightened the messy strands of his hair. Once the clothes he was wearing had practically dried out under the sun, finally some sound came from inside the building.

Xue Yuan looked and saw that the young Emperor's complexion was slightly flushed, now looking much healthier than his previous paleness. Xue Yuan lowered his head, and he saw that the bright yellow dragon boots the young Emperor had worn were no longer there. Instead, they had been replaced by a pair of crescent white embroidered dragon boots. Presumably, the pair he had touched earlier would definitely never be seen again.

Everything used by the Emperor was always top notch. If there was water on his hair, the water droplets wouldn't even soak in the clothes, instead immediately sliding off like beads.

Gu Yuanbai talked to a young eunuch next to him as he walked. He had sent Tian Fusheng to rest, and now Tian Fusheng's young apprentice was the one attending him. "When I go to bed at noon, call the Minister of Civil Personnel and the Minister of Public Affairs and tell them to come meet Us at Xuanzheng Hall an hour later."

"Yes," the young eunuch jotted it down carefully, and then stopped writing. "Your Majesty, you haven't eaten yet…"

"We're not hungry," Gu Yuanbai frowned, thought about his stomach, and sighed, accepting a compromise. "Call for the meal, tell the Imperial kitchen to not cook much, just something light to nourish the stomach that won't take much effort."

"Yes."

Although he had said that there was no need to put much thought into it, as of late, the Emperor had been eating less and less. Many of the cooks in the Imperial kitchens were already worried, anxious to put their skills to good use, and they didn't dare be inattentive

The Emperor had said he wanted to eat something light, so, when he finally arrived at the table, Gu Yuanbai saw a piece of white jade tofu with a creamy skin. The white jade tofu was warm and hot, without even the slightest scratch. It really looked like a piece of jade, sprinkled with rice noodles and soup, and it melted when the spoon dug into it.

" "

In addition to the white jade-like tofu, the Imperial kitchen had also prepared small, exquisite dumplings. Fresh broth burst out of them into the mouth with one bite, the thin skin was almost transparent. A plate of vinegar was set to the side. The size of this dumpling was small enough that even a child could eat it. Gu Yuanbai ate, and he didn't eat just a few.

The palace attendants around him all smiled with joy. Xue Yuan, who, after all, still was the son of General Xue, was accompanying Gu Yuanbai, next to Zhang Xu. At that time, the two of them were standing at the side in the hall, watching the Emperor have his meal.

The guard, Zhang Xu, looked at him in silence for a while, and he couldn't entirely suppress the restrained smile on his face.

After finishing his meal, Gu Yuanbai's servants helped him clean his hands and rinse his mouth, and he went to the inner rooms to take a nap.

The doors and windows in the hall were closed, and he felt groggy, the spring making his body feel extremely lazy. It didn't take long for Gu Yuanbai to fall fully asleep.

Gu Yuanbai woke up, uncomfortable.

He sat up halfway, his voice dry and muted, and the dizzy feeling in his head didn't go away, instead becoming heavier, as if his head was filled with water. He even felt that it was too heavy to lift it up.

"Come here-…" Gu Yuanbai gripped the bed frame tightly, breathing heavily.

He hadn't slept for an hour yet, so there was no one in the inner room at that moment. Gu Yuanbai closed his eyes and, after gathering his strength, he picked up a jade pendant beside the bed and dropped it heavily onto the ground.

A few moments later, a group of people rushed into the inner room, which was suddenly flooded with light. Gu Yuanbai frowned.

"Your Majesty!"

The guard captain was shocked when he saw Gu Yuanbai's face. He turned around and ran out to call an Imperial doctor. Gu Yuanbai coughed a few times and the palace attendants rushed around him, pouring water, taking towels and towels, bringing a brazier closeby and bringing better clothes for the Emperor.

Xue Yuan stood aside and looked at Gu Yuanbai's condition. He hadn't really expected him to be sick.

He really was… too delicate.

Gu Yuanbai was helped up, his feet hanging off the bed. The young eunuch was about to put on socks and shoes on him, but he was pushed aside.

Xue Yuan knelt on one knee and took Gu Yuanbai's foot with a rather smooth and natural movement. When he squeezed it, he frowned. Looking like a real loyal official, he asked anxiously, "Why is it so cold?"

The palms of his hands were hot, and the warmth felt very comfortable, at least more than putting on socks and shoes.

Gu Yuanbai was wearing a fox fur and sitting on the bed, still wrapped in a quilt, his feverish face looking expressionless underneath the layers. He looked at Xue Yuan as if he was looking at a beast with a useful hide. Mutely, he ordered: "Then you can warm them up."

Xue Yuan raised his eyelids and glanced at him. He took the young Emperor's jade feet into his arms and placed them over his lower abdomen, then covered his hands with layer after layer of his wide sleeves and said, "As Your Majesty commands."

Gu Yuanbai needs to get some vitamins in his diet or something tbh.

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Footnotes

武举 similar to the Imperial examinations, but less known and not usually as important, they examined martial arts skills as well as some knowledge regarding strategy depending on the maize, sorghum, millet etc as opposed to wheat flour and it's been a while since his last appearance, that's the son of Imperial preceptor Li Bao who snuck into the palace.

After the imperial doctor arrived, Gu Yuanbai was diagnosed with a cold.

Upon hearing the news, Tian Fusheng dragged his old back to go and serve him, but Gu Yuanbai sent him back, telling him to rest calmly and not cause trouble.

After getting wind chill several times, Gu Yuanbai was already very experienced with illnesses. His condition this time seemed serious, but, in reality, it wasn't as bad as the cold that had almost killed him last time. According to his experience, he'd recuperate in a few days.

Gu Yuanbai was quite calm. The stove in the palace was burning, and, holding a hand heater and covered with a thick cloak, he remained sitting at the table going over the reforms to the memorials system.

"Make sure that the new Jinshi absorb these things well." The Emperor coughed a few times, his voice sounding a little muted. "Have them work from the bottom up, guiding the local government to learn to use tables, charts and templates to write a memorial. When they use this method to send memorials up the chain of command, the reform will be done."

The Minister of Civil Personnel and the Executive Official1 from the Zhengshi Hall shuddered when hearing it. "Your Majesty, your Imperial body is the most important thing. These ministers will do a good job, there's no need to worry."

Gu Yuanbai's complexion was abnormally flushed. He raised his head and touched his forehead, exhaling a warm breath. "Very well."

The two officials and the guard captain who stood on the side all exhaled a sigh of relief.

After the two officials retired, Gu Yuanbai returned to the Imperial bed, turned his head and looked at the guards at his back, exclaiming: "We feel cold, but you feel hot."

The guard captain was very uptight and didn't know what to say.

In contrast, Xue Yuan stood upright, his face soaked with sweat, and calmly asked: "Does Your Majesty still feel cold?"

Gu Yuanbai said, "In any case, We feel cooler than you."

Xue Yuan laughed. "This officer feels hot. It would be great if there was a way to transmit this heat to Your Majesty."

After the previous incident when Xue Yuan grossed out Gu Yuanbai, once Gu Yuanbai punished him, it meant that a new page had been turned and he was no longer bothered by it. The two of them had a similar temperament and knew each other, so it was as if the scene at the pools had never happened.

Hearing these words, Gu Yuanbai raised his eyebrows, remembering the scene where he had asked Xue Yuan to warm his feet.

Xue Yuan pretended to be obedient and that he could accept such orders. Thinking of the future regent from the original plot in the book, Xue Yuan definitely had a bad temper like a dog's, and, with Gu Yuanbai asking him to do a servant's work, even if the mad dog kept a smile on his face, who knew how much desire of revenge might there be in his heart?

But it didn't matter. The moment he dared to move, Gu Yuanbai dared to hit him. Scare him straight, even a mad dog is aware of pain.

"That won't be necessary," Gu Yuanbai said. "Go back, We want to rest."

The young eunuch lit up the incense to aid sleep, and thick smoke rose from the incense burner, covering the smell of bitter medicine inside the palace. Only a few caring court ladies and eunuchs were left in the inner hall. After waiting for Gu Yuanbai to go to bed, the young eunuch took a pure mutton fat jade and placed it next to his pillow.2

The mutton fat jade was smooth and silky and supporting peaceful sleep. The Emperor liked to play with good quality jade when he went to sleep, so there were always all sorts of top grade jade pieces around the bed.

Gu Yuanbai took a look and remembered that good piece of jade that he had just thrown.

"Does Your Majesty not like this jade?" The young eunuch looked at his expression. "There's also a Hetian topaz of the best quality, clear like water, without a trace of impurities, should this servant bring the Hetian?"3

"That one." Gu Yuanbai took the piece in his hand and played with it. "Put down the bed net, I'm going to rest."

Prince He was dining with the Princess Consort when the news of the Emperor's illness reached them.

After hearing the news, Prince He's hand, that had been in the middle of taking a dish, shook. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Where were the people in the palace who serve His Highness?"

Obediently, the servants did not dare speak nonsense. Prince He, suddenly angered, stood up violently, his temples bulged, blue veins suddenly appearing on his head. He glared at the person who informed him. "Is everyone in the palace dead?!

"Are they all dead?" he roared. "How else would they dare let His Highness catch a cold?!

He shook the table, and the wine glasses slipped and smashed against the ground, producing a terrifying crashing sound.

Prince He's eyes were dark, his anger was almost out of control, and his expression was terrible.

The Princess Consort, on the side, cried out, quickly standing up to avoid the broken pieces and dirt on the ground. She covered her mouth, looking at Prince He with tears in her eyes, horrified.

Prince He clenched his hands into fists, his muscles straining and making his knuckles crack. As he glared at the people around, they threw themselves to their knees. "My… my Lord…"

Taking a few deep breaths, Prince He said with a calm face, "Prepare the carriage."

When Prince He arrived at the palace, there were already several worried officials waiting outside the Emperor's chambers. The Emperor's cold from earlier that year had been not just frightening for the people in the inner palace, it had also thrown the court into turmoil. Now that the Emperor was their backbone, the officials felt full of grief just thinking about it.

Now that Prince He was there, the officials all gathered around him and asked him hurriedly, "Prince He, did you know that His Majesty is sick again?"

"How much do you know? Is the sickness severe or dangerous? How does His Majesty feel, what did the imperial doctors say?"

Prince He was calm and silent. The other officials, seeing him like that, glanced towards each other and stopped asking questions.

After a while, an eunuch walked out of the palace and said with a smile, "The Emperor is resting now. Is anyone in a hurry? If so, this one will go wake His Highness up. If not, please go back, Your Excellencies."

It wasn't possible to enter the palace without being summoned, and that was also true for the Great Heng Dynasty. However, some important court officials had a waist tablet for entering the palace that allowed them to do so on their own initiative to inform the Emperor of any important matters, in order to not miss any urgent issues. These few officials, naturally, had taken that tablet to get into the palace now, all worrying about the Emperor's health. However, whether the matter was really urgent, it really wasn't.

The group of officials asked, "How is the Emperor's condition? What did the imperial doctor say?"

The guards, armed with swords, were guarding the front of the palace, watching the group of ministers intently. The eunuch said kindly, "Your Excellencies can rest assured. The imperial doctor has taken the Emperor's pulse and he said that there was no problem with His Highness' body."

Hearing this, the officials breathed a sigh of relief and finally agreed to leave with the palace attendant.

When the officials were gone, Prince He walked into the palace. The eunuch stopped the prince and reluctantly smiled and said: "Your Excellency, please don't put me in a difficult position. His Highness is resting. If Your Excellency wants to see the Emperor, why don't you wait for His Highness to wake up?"

Prince He pushed the eunuch aside. "This prince wants to see how His Highness is now with his own eyes."

However, after taking just two steps, the guard captain led his subordinates to stop Prince He. The guard captain said, neither haughty nor humble, "Your Excellency, you cannot cross this door without the Emperor's summons."

Prince He smiled and asked coldly: "What if this prince has to go in?"

Gu Yuanbai had kept Prince He trapped in the capital for three years. There had been continuous small affairs, but no major events had passed through his hands. It could be said that, in the whole world, no one was more aware of Gu Yuanbai's distrustful nature than Prince He was.

When he stayed behind closed doors in the mansion, Gu Yuanbai had sent imperial doctors to visit him to diagnose him with his pulse and treat him. He knew very well at that time that, if he refused entry to the imperial doctors, Gu Yuanbai would become suspicious and show up at his door to see if Prince He was being obedient.

But even if he knew that it would make Gu Yuanbai doubt him, he had still rejected the imperial doctor's visit. Whether he had been possessed or he had been expecting a certain someone to come… Prince He didn't want to think about it.

" "

Right before the imperial doctor walked out of the mansion, Prince He doused himself in cold water in the middle of the night to avoid Gu Yuanbai's distrust. Sure enough, Gu Yuanbai had been so suspicious that, soon after the imperial doctor left, he came to his door himself.

How could someone who knew Gu Yuanbai as well as Prince He not know how much he would be intruding against Gu Yuanbai's rules if he dared to break into the bedchamber?

But the fire burned in his heart again, and a terrible devil was calling him. He had to look at the cursed Emperor himself, and, if he couldn't take a glance at least, Prince He knew that he wouldn't be able to rest that day.

The guards did not dare to hurt the prince, and the guard captain frowned and said solemnly: "Prince He, these are the Emperor's orders."

Prince He answered coldly, "Even if you are punished today, this king will break through."

The two sides confronted each other, neither of them willing to take a step back, and the atmosphere was tense. Prince He looked at the guards unkindly. Suddenly, his eyes stopped, frowning, and he said, "The son of General Xue's family?"

Xue Yuan was hidden in the shadows, the outline of his face faint. Slowly and deliberately, he said: "This servant greets the Prince."

As soon as he recognized someone from the Xue family, Prince He thought back to that rainy day, and his mouth seemed to be filled with the taste of deer blood. His expression kept changing between anger, disgust and confusion, and finally grew somber.

"The Prince must be aware that this is the palace," Xue Yuan smiled, politely persuading him. "The Emperor just fell asleep from exhaustion. Prince, if you move any more, I fear His Highness will wake up."

Prince He was silent for a while before saying slowly: "His Majesty is ill, and, as a brother, I will always worry about his health. If you don't obstruct me, I won't move much. This prince is very loyal, and only wishes to take a look at the Emperor."

The smile on Xue Yuan's face disappeared.

I've fucking told you that there's someone sleeping inside, what the hell do you want to look at?

The sound of footsteps came from the hall, and the young eunuch serving the Emperor walked out, questioning: "The Emperor is awake and he's asking about the noise outside."

The guard captain's expression changed and he immediately lowered his head in shame.

Prince He couldn't help but freeze. Upon seeing him, the young eunuch realized what was going on, and he said helplessly, "Please come in, Prince He."

The hall was dark, with only the light that came through the doors and windows. When he walked to the door of the inner hall, the young eunuch whispered: "Your Majesty, it's Prince He."

"Prince He?" The voice coming from the inner hall sounded hoarse. "What are you doing here, Prince He?"

Prince He pursed his lips. "This minister heard that Your Highness was ill, and came here to pay a visit."

"So you came to visit Us?" The Emperor's tone was mild. "If We didn't know, We'd think that you were trying to force your way into the palace, Prince He."

Upon hearing those words, Prince He, shocked, threw himself to his knees, a cold sweat running down his back. "Your Highness must be kidding."

Gu Yuanbai snickered, cold and silent, as he sat up on the Imperial bed and was helped out of the inner hall. The dragon boots passed before Prince He's eyes, and the cold sweat on his forehead dripped past his temples.

Gu Yuanbai didn't usually care too much about Prince He. After all, they all belonged to the same clan. In some respects, their relationship was both completely thriving and completely ruinous. He kept Prince He in the capital, but not because he had any ill will towards him. The late Emperor had few male successors. He had a di son and an eldest son just in time.4 Gu Yuanbai couldn't say that he had much trust in Prince He, but at least he still was convinced that Prince He was not a fool.

But now Prince He, that he had thought not to be a fool, had tried to break into his palace while he was asleep?

What came next, leading soldiers into Xuanzheng Hall?

The eunuch offered him freshly boiled medicine, and the bitter scent spread in the air. Gu Yuanbai drank his medicine and said: "Get up."

Prince He moved his arms and legs. When he got up, his legs were already a bit stiff.

Gu Yuanbai asked him to take a seat to enjoy tea. Prince He, as usual, gulped it down. The tea's flavor, which, in the past, wasn't even slightly sweet, now had turned very bitter and astringent.

Gu Yuanbai, seeing him drink it so fast, smiled. "How does the tea taste?"

Prince He lowered his gaze, not looking at him and retreating within himself. "It's fragrant."

"Prince He, if you like it, you can take two tea cakes5 on your way back." Gu Yuanbai smiled. "The water used to make this tea is from the spring snow back in february, picking the snow fallen on the early spring plum blossoms, the aftertaste carries the aroma of cold plum. Prince He, you may wish to taste it carefully."

Prince He took the cup again and took another sip. It was really strange. The tea that had tasted bitter before now, looking at the Emperor's smile, really had a hint of a plum's sweetness.

Gu Yuanbai always used the carrot and stick method. When both the stick and the carrot came from the Emperor, most people would forget the stick and just remember the carrot. After talking to Gu Yuanbai for a while, he took two tea cakes with him and retired. Judging from the look on Prince He's face, he seemed quite satisfied.

After sending off Prince He, the Emperor sat motionless for a long while before rubbing his eyebrows and calling out in a weak voice: "Zhang Xu."

The guard captain walked over. "Your servant is here."

"Our legs and feet feel weak," Gu Yuanbai said. "Carry Us back to the inner hall."

After the nap and taking medicine, his body was quite weak. Gu Yuanbai tried to stand up, but he found that his legs weren't working properly.

The guard captain immediately squatted on the ground, showing his broad back at the Emperor. "This servant obeys."

The guard captain was tall, and he looked steady.

Gu Yuanbai looked at the guard's long and wide back, feeling complicated. If only, if only his bones were strong and healthy, he could have beautiful muscles easily as long as he exercised and trained every day.

In the modern era, Gu Yuanbai's figure was also tall and slender, and he looked thin when dressed but with some muscle on him when naked. He had a healthy body with a strong heart in his previous life, and Gu Yuanbai liked some exciting, extreme sports. However, once he arrived in this world, he couldn't do any dangerous work, and even stepping barefoot on white jade would make him come down with a cold.

However, his identity as the young Emperor brought a different type of spiritual interests. Gu Yuanbai also wondered about what happened to the original young Emperor. Did he die from the disease, or did he get exchanged and went to Gu Yuanbai's body?

Gu Yuanbai hoped it was the latter.

If he got his body, then, the young Emperor would definitely be able to have fun too.

Gu Yuanbai stretched out his hand and had just placed it on the shoulder of the guard captain when Xue Yuan suddenly said abruptly, "Your Majesty, would you let this official do it?"

Gu Yuanbai felt taken aback. Xue Yuan had already walked over, showing his back, and he knelt next to the guard captain with one knee on the ground.

His back was equally broad and strong, and it was easy to notice how healthy and powerful it was. Gu Yuanbai didn't hesitate long before withdrawing his hand and placing it on Xue Yuan's body.

First, Xue Yuan had already carried him once, and it was enough to lose face before one single person.

Second, if a mad dog was willing to take the initiative to carry him on his back, Gu Yuanbai would naturally not pass up the chance to get him to do hard work. It would be for the best to have Xue Yuan get used to working hard for him and offering his loyalty. False loyalty was better than indifference.

Third, at the idea of the future regent carrying him, Gu Yuanbai's heart as a ruler inevitably rose with a desire to conquer.

As soon as Gu Yuanbai got on Xue Yuan's back, Xue Yuan tensed up, unused to it. He tried his best to relax and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, this servant will stand up."

Xue Yuan knew how delicate the young Emperor was. The last time he had held him it was more difficult than holding a tender flower. He couldn't use too much or too little strength, and he couldn't go too fast or too slow. Xue Yuan felt that living that way was more tortuous than going to the battlefield to kill the enemy.

This time, the young Emperor would be on his back, which was better than holding him in his arms. Xue Yuan stood up easily, holding Gu Yuanbai's legs in his hands, and jolted the young Emperor upwards.

"Don't move!" The young Emperor yelled immediately. "Behave, careful, move Us steadily."

Xue Yuan nodded solemnly. His neck was covered with the warmth of the young Emperor's breath. He walked a few steps forward steadily, and, when he looked sideways, he saw the guard captain standing on the spot, looking at him with a sullen look.

Xue Yuan raised the corner of his lips and he nodded towards the guard captain in a friendly manner, then turned his head back around.

The scent of the Emperor's body kept burying itself into Xue Yuan's nose, and the flesh under his palms was so soft that his fingers sank in it. However, the Emperor seemed to still be concerned about the proper appearance as the most noble person in the world, and he held his hand close to himself, almost as if he didn't want to touch Xue Yuan's skin.

The young Emperor didn't like other people touching him, and it seemed that he didn't like touching others, either.

Xue Yuan's heart was devious. As he was about to walk through the door of the inner hall with the Emperor, suddenly, the soles of his feet slipped, and he almost fell to the ground with Gu Yuanbai on his back.

Gu Yuanbai reflexively tightened his arms around Xue Yuan's neck, his face turning dark. After Xue Yuan stood up straight again, he smiled very insincerely. "Your Majesty, this servant just slipped."

Gu Yuanbai sneered. "Since the floor is slippery, then, Guard Xue, you will clean this place for Us."

Xue Yuan grasped the person he was carrying in his hands tightly. "Your Highness must be kidding."

Gu Yuanbai made a light "Oh" and was about to let go of his hold. However, he then saw an eunuch staggering from the side. The eunuch threw himself to the ground when he spotted Gu Yuanbai.

Gu Yuanbai's right eyelid suddenly twitched.

He straightened up and looked at the young eunuch, his expression darkened.

The eunuch ran up to Gu Yuanbai with a face full of dirt and hot tears, and he choked and said: "Your Highness, Grand Imperial Concubine Wan has passed away!"

Gu Yuanbai was startled, then he felt a rush of fire reaching his heart. He suddenly covered his chest and coughed violently. His whole body was trembling, his cough was getting stronger and stronger, and then a mouthful of hot blood came out of his mouth.

The sticky wet blood sprayed onto Xue Yuan's neck. Xue Yuan's eyes pupils tightened, his hands gripped tightly, and he turned his head to the side to look at his back. The Emperor's lips were stained with blood, a color redder than rouge, and more blood was already stuck to his body.

Alternate title for this chapter: War of the Simps (courtesy of my dear editor Wintery)

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Footnotes

An eminent official entitled to participate in the discussions of the Zhengshi Hall during the Song dynasty, which seems to be the main reference in the grade jade, very pure white.和田黄玉，通透沉淀，无一丝杂质 Literally "so transparent that it's like clear water after sand has settled, without a flaw/without any low quality sections (thanks to fox for the help); I wasn't sure with my initial translation so I kept the raws for clarification (for those who know abt stones at least). Anyway, topaz is written with the characters "yellow jade" in Chinese so I assume they're treated as belonging to the same category.A di son is a son from the legitimate wife, the principles of succession in Ancient China dictated the eldest legitimate son was the preferred cakes like these, not confectioneries.