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.

5. 31 to 40

Fortunately, pants in the Great Heng period didn't have an open crotch. Gu Yuanbai had also ordered the sides of the clothes underneath to be sewn together as well, so that, even if the robe was raised, the pants were one solid piece.

After riding the horse that time, Xue Yuan assessed that the skin was rubbed red, but it should not have burns.

Gu Yuanbai disliked being so delicate, but the skin on his body was tender nonetheless. The more pampered he got, the more painful and uncomfortable it'd feel. The palace attendants and doctors around him always kept all sorts of medicines around to prevent problems.

Xue Yuan took the medicine and stretched out a hand.

The medicine Tian Fusheng had given him felt very cold to the touch.

Xue Yuan, in the shade, faced the young Emperor's white skin, which was as soft as tofu. It was the second time in his entire life that he was taking care of someone else, and his hands were reckless. After he pressed harder, the Emperor kicked him, sucked in a cold breath and said, "Lightly."

After being kicked, Xue Yuan didn't feel like taking care of him anymore. He brushed the dust off his clothes, with a layer of fine sweat covering his forehead. He didn't know whether to sigh or act impatient. "Was I too rough?"

Gu Yuanbai laughed and said, "Guard Xue, your hands are so rough that they feel like Our skin is being scraped against a rock whenever you touch Us."

The palm of Xue Yuan's hands had many thick calluses and small scars. He had soldier hands, and naturally they couldn't be called fine. Xue Yuan thought to himself, my entire body is this rough, perhaps the only soft spot is my tongue?

—But to use his tongue to apply medicine to Gu Yuanbai? Forget it, Xue Yuan didn't have such a hobby yet.

Xue Yuan used the softest part of his little finger and the lightest strength he could to apply the ointment on the Emperor. Gu Yuanbai frowned, and he regretted having let him come.

After finally finishing the medicine, both of them breathed a sigh of relief. The skin on the inside of Gu Yuanbai's thighs was hot and burning, and the medicine felt cold. Overwhelmed by the contrast, he couldn't even exert enough force to stand up. Gu Yuanbai said, "You're still not setting down Our robes?"

Xue Yuan smiled wryly and, seeing as the Emperor still had a bad expression, he said, "Emperor, could you smile at this official?"

Gu Yuanbai snorted, unable to hold back his amusement. "The audacity."

He finally smiled, his eyebrows arching upwards, in an uncommon expression for a man that carried a heavy weight in his autumn-like hands. It wasn't a faint or a polite smile that he usually wore, but a simple smile that had been caused by Xue Yuan.

Xue Yuan looked at his smile for a while, and felt itchy in his heart. He lowered his head and continued to tidy up Gu Yuanbai's clothes in silence. Halfway through his hands holding the clothes, he discovered that the medicine was still drying, so he leaned forward and placed his head between the legs of the young Emperor, blowing on the spot where the ointment hadn't dried yet.

The hot breath he blew over the cold ointment made Gu Yuanbai's thigh shake. Gu Yuanbai didn't like this position, held under his palm, so he supported himself up on the ground with one hand and grabbed Xue Yuan's hair with the other, holding him firmly and he said in an indolent tone, "Hurry up."

Xue Yuan's scalp ached, and he smiled angrily. "I just opened my mouth to blow on the freshly applied ointment. After blowing on the left side, I still have to blow on the right side, there's nothing I can do."

There was no one around. Everything was quiet, the shadows of the trees and flowers blocked them from the view, and nobody would be able to see them. Gu Yuanbai sat up and looked down. "So it turns out it did get red."

The skin had already been rubbed red, and afterwards, when Xue Yuan's rough hands touched it, the redness became worse.

Xue Yuan touched the delicate skin, which felt soft and pleasant. He had no idea that the redness was also related to his rough hands. He asked calmly, "Does it still hurt?"

Gu Yuanbai frowned. "Go back and inform the servants."

Once it was almost dry, Xue Yuan arranged Gu Yuanbai's clothes again. Then he suddenly lowered his body over Gu Yuanbai, surrounded him with his arms, pulled him up, and stood up firmly.

Gu Yuanbai's face turned dark and he was about to struggle to break free. Xue Yuan freed up a hand and patted him. Unexpectedly, he patted him on the butt. "Emperor, you can't walk or ride a horse now. If you don't want to suffer more pain, you have to obediently let this official carry you."

Gu Yuanbai sneered, "See if you dare do that again!"

Xue Yuan raised his hand nonchalantly and patted him again, with a dark smile that showed his fangs. "I thought Your Highness liked to be patted.

"If Your Majesty wants me to pat a bit more, wait until we return to the palace," said Xue Yuan, patiently and slowly. "There's no need to rush, I need both hands to hold you right now."

Gu Yuanbai was angry.

There was nobody around at the time. The two hands Xue Yuan was holding him with felt as if they were made of iron. Gu Yuanbai couldn't get out of Xue Yuan's hold with just his strength, and he guessed that Xue Yuan had the same thought and that it was the reason he was acting so bold now.

Did he think he couldn't be punished at that moment?

Gu Yuanbai reached out with his hand, grabbed Xue Yuan's collar and abruptly pulled Xue Yuan's neckline down. Xue Yuan bowed his head and looked at the young Emperor condescendingly.

With no strength in his hands, he wouldn't be able to pinch Xue Yuan's neck. Gu Yuanbai pulled Xue Yuan closer, leaned up, held Xue Yuan's neck and bit down.

When the teeth bit onto the neck, blood flowed out in an instant. Xue Yuan's browns twisted in pain, his veins pulsed, and he couldn't avoid exerting some force with his hands.

That really fucking hurts.

Xue Yuan's fingers dug into the Emperor's skin. Feeling the pain, the Emperor's mouth became more fierce, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth and dripping to the guard uniform's collar, dying the white fabric red.

Gu Yuanbai, with his mouth full of the scent of iron, felt satisfied and released his hold, licking the blood that remained on his lips. The corner of his mouth lifted coldly. "Do you still dare?"

The blood on his upper lip was Xue Yuan's, and it was Xue Yuan's blood being licked by the tip of his tongue. Xue Yuan's meridians1 felt like they were bursting from the pain and his eyelid twitched. When he heard the Emperor's words, he smirked fakely and asked, "Your Highness, do you feel comfortable now?"

Gu Yuanbai bit him again.

Xue Yuan hissed.

Gu Yuanbai had taken over an entire country. He didn't usually get irritated and displeased with stupid things or stupid people. However, sometimes he felt envious of Xue Yuan. Why was he healthier than him, and also dared to act more deranged than him?

He had taken a bite with all his strength, using all the irritation in his heart. The blood spilled into his mouth, coating it in carnivorous anger, but Gu Yuanbai felt the pressure in his heart suddenly ease up.

He could vent all the tension against Xue Yuan.

Because Xue Yuan could take it.

Gu Yuanbai wiped his mouth, grabbed Xue Yuan's chin, and turned his face to the front. "Give Us a good walk, don't be stubborn. We tell you to listen and you don't listen, but instead now you're more submissive than a dog."

Xue Yuan laughed, pressing his hand against the two bloody bite marks on his neck. "This servant originally just wanted to hold Your Highness to go to the palace."

Gu Yuanbai raised his eyebrows and reached out to poke at the wound on Xue Yuan's neck, "It hurts, doesn't it?"

Xue Yuan said honestly, "Yes."

"If you know it hurts, behave a bit," Gu Yuanbai said, "be smart."

Xue Yuan stopped talking. After a while, he said, "Aren't I good enough?"

Gu Yuanbai pressed his wound again, and Xue Yuan twisted his mouth and said, "I've already been very well behaved, Your Majesty."

"Behave a little more." Gu Yuanbai smiled. "We like well behaved people."

Xue Yuan's eyebrows were pressed together, and he looked very gloomy.

So you like Chu Wei?

Is that why you smile at him when you see him?

Don't you know he has bad intentions?

Xue Yuan felt suffocated in his heart, and stubbornly carried Gu Yuanbai back to the bedroom. The servants who were waiting here were frightened to see the blood on Xue Yuan's neck and their legs became weak. Tian Fusheng was about to rush to seek an imperial doctor, but Gu Yuanbai stopped him. "We are fine."

Tian Fusheng turned to look at Xue Yuan, who had blood all over his neck. Xue Yuan, with an unpleasant expression on his face, replied stiffly, "No need."

Seeing as Xue Yuan was injured, the guards wanted to go forward to take Gu Yuanbai from Xue Yuan. But Xue Yuan bypassed them directly and put Gu Yuanbai on the bed.

A pale beauty on the bright yellow, dragon-patterned bed sheets. Xue Yuan glanced at Gu Yuanbai, pulled back his robe and wiped the blood on his neck.

He wiped more and more, and his robe was stained with blood. Xue Yuan thought to himself, he still has sharp teeth.

After the Emperor was tended to, someone tried to give Xue Yuan medicine. Xue Yuan

refused with a wave of his hand. The tall figure walked over to the dragon bed and stood there, looking as if he had just stepped out of a pool of dirt and blood.

Gu Yuanbai raised his eyelids to glance at him and was taken aback. "Why are you still bleeding?"

Xue Yuan didn't care. He only wanted to say, "Can't you just look at me more happily?"

The people around were busy, but the dragon bed was quiet and no one was disturbed. Gu Yuanbai frowned.

What Xue Yuan had said a while ago that had made him laugh, and what he had said just now, what did it all mean?

Did he really look so badly at Xue Yuan most of the time?

Seeing that he didn't speak, Xue Yuan turned his head to look at the sky outside. It was almost time for him to leave.

If he could really get the young Emperor to look happy with him, there'd be no harm in pretending to be obedient to make him happy.

He turned his head around and the wound on his neck began to bleed again. Gu Yuanbai repeated, "Stop the bleeding from your neck first."

Xue Yuan wiped it casually, and then glanced at the people in the palace. Seeing that no one paid them any mind, he suddenly bent his knee next to the bed, placed his face close to the Emperor's, and tried to persuade it, still wrapped in the scent of death and dirt. "Your Highness, smile again, alright?"

" "

Gu Yuanbai didn't hold back. He rolled his eyes at him and said, "Official Xue, you're out of line."

"This official grew up in army barracks ever since childhood," Xue Yuan said slowly. "I'm rough, ignorant, unruly, and didn't study the six arts of the gentlemen2. Even waiting on the Emperor is not easy, but this official is loyal to Your Majesty, in Heaven and Earth," said Xue Yuan. He took the young Emperor's hand and placed it on his neck so that he was touching his tall Adam's apple, his lifeline right under the Emperor's fingers so that it could be pinched easily. "Your Majesty, how about a smile for me?"

The mad dog had taken the initiative to show his neck and let Gu Yuanbai hold it. Suddenly, Gu Yuanbai's desire for war and conquest felt satisfied. He narrowed his eyes, rubbing Xue Yuan's neck with his fingers.

After a long time, Gu Yuanbai put his hand down and said lightly, "Officer Xue, you had a tiring day, head back."

Xue Yuan replied in a formal tone. After a glance, he spotted the blood on the back of Gu Yuanbai's hand from rubbing his neck. He wiped the blood on the back of Gu Yuanbai's hand with his own before standing up straight and saying respectfully, "This official will head back."

Gu Yuanbai looked at his back as he strode away and he took a long breath. He told himself that he had almost been charmed.

The crazy dog has learned to behave?

When Xue Yuan returned to the family mansion, the blood on his neck looked so terrifying that Madam Xue fainted.

The servants brought towels and hurried to call for a doctor. Xue Yuan sat silently, his eyes vacant and sunken.

After the blood was wiped clean, two deep bite marks were exposed. General Xue's face grew stern when he spotted them, and he said, in a very bad tone, "What happened?!"

Xue Yuan raised his eyes and glanced at him, as if he was looking at an idiot. "I was bitten."

General Xue was furious. "How could I not see that you were bitten?! What your old man is asking is how you were bitten!"

Xue Yuan couldn't be bothered to reply, and General Xue went red with anger.

Madam Xue ignored the confrontation between father and son and looked at Xue Yuan's wounds in distress. She sighed. "Look at you right now. How can you be worthy of being by His Highness' side like this?"

"The Emperor will not resent me." Xue Yuan's mouth almost seemed to smile. "He might even feel happy."

Madan Xue didn't understand his muttering. "What?"

Xue Yuan didn't elaborate. Instead, he got up, clutching his neck, and said casually, "Tell the doctor to come to my room to find me." Then he strode away.

The Chengbao Temple and the Imperial Court exchanged three offers and three refusals. Once the temple fields were sent to the prefect for the fourth time, the court accepted these hundreds of acres of land and immediately arranged for manpower to be sent to the fields where spring sowing was still unfinished, to use them as a test field for cotton.

The abbot of Chengbao Temple finally breathed a sigh of relief, no longer having to be afraid about the matter. Meanwhile, the other temples that had seen the article written by the Chengbao Temple's abbot were all cursing and calling the temple shameless.

If you want to donate stuff, just donate. Why do you have to drag us into it?!

Many people were keeping an eye on the actions of the Court. Every time the court went to the temple fields, many of the abbots felt full of impotent rage. If you're going to take it, just take it, why do you have to keep going? Just return the gift! Return the gift!

When the dust finally settled, no matter how much rage they felt, they couldn't change the facts. At that time, the court did another cruel thing regarding Chengbao Temple.

They praised the actions of Chengbao Temple, and took out the paper that had been written by the abbot and published it extensively.

Public opinion started acting up, and Chang Yuyan, who was well liked by Gu Yuanbai, publicly praised the abbot of Chengbao Temple vigorously, saying that he had displayed the compassion proper of Buddhist followers and shown that the monks hold the entire world dear, not caring about material wealth.

Chang Yuyan's mouth had always been poisonous. Back then, he even dared to write thirteen poems insulting government ministers, even letting the Emperor see them to show off his talent. In any case, hearing his words now made the people from other temples come close to dying of anger.

So only those that donate their wealth can be considered true followers of Buddha?!

The Great Heng Dynasty didn't lack genuine love and respect for Buddha. Each dynasty had its own rules. The former Emperor had revered Buddha, but now it was necessary to abide by Gu Yuanbai's rules.

How many monks there could be for the size of the temple, and how many fields it could have, there were so many rules and regulations one after another, a big change was to be expected.

Against that sort of opposition that had a high moral standing, the best way to force them to surrender was using public opinion.

In the palace, Chu Wei stood next to Kong Yilin as he told the minister of industry about the sowing of the white cotton.

Kong Yilin came prepared to use these seeds as a ladder for his own advancement in court, and, naturally, he would not come ignorant. When he first saw white cotton and learned about its use in the Xixia border, he had also inquired about the characteristics of cotton in detail, including the soil, humidity, and season suitable for planting it.

Without him, the minister of Industry wouldn't have a clue how to handle it, so in the meeting, after the two of them reported, the minister praised Kong Yilin.

Although Kong Yilin's eyes looked a bit disturbing, the man had a good temperament and he remained calm, not trying to forcefully claim credit and instead just cultivating a good interaction for a long time to gain appreciation.

"…if you truly manage to cultivate it, Master Kong, you'll have made a great contribution," said the minister of Industry with a smile. "You should be involved in the entire process personally, Master Kong's involvement is a blessing for the people."

Kong Yilin acted humble and replied, "I dare not."

Gu Yuanbai smiled and said, "The two of you are both pillars of the nation, so there is no need to be so modest. Having said that, since, as Scholar Kong said, the cotton wool and the seeds are together, it can be troublesome to peel the seeds off. We were wondering whether, after the sowing is completed and before it's time to pick it, it might be possible to build a machine to deseed it."

The minister of Industry was taken aback for an instant and then said, "This official will head back and discuss it with the officials."

Gu Yuanbai nodded slightly.

After the two courtiers left, Chu Wei looked at Kong Yilin's back with a slight wonder.

The Hanlin Academy was too leisurely. Originally, Kong Yilin was as unoccupied as him, and he didn't pay him any mind. But these days, the other man was always busy, going out early and returning late. And, although the other man didn't say anything, there was a smile on his face. The way he was always busy made Chu Wei feel like the other man was already surpassing him, which made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

The second ranker in the examinations had started to get busy, but he had nothing to do all day.

The feeling of being left behind, step by step, made the prideful Chu Wei suffer.

Gu Yuanbai noticed Chu Wei's eyes looking at Kong Yilin. He smiled slightly, turned towards his government affairs, and continued to deal with state matters.

Outside the Imperial city.

Official Chu Xun, covered in dust, was exhausted. He handed his identification certificate to the soldier guarding the gate. Even though his face looked tired and run down, his eyes were frighteningly bright.

The dozen or so officials that had accompanied him originally had not been able to withstand the several days of exhaustion and had already returned to their mansions to rest, preparing to return to their duties the following day.

Master Chu Xun held a memorial to the throne in his arms and looked at the solemn expression of the gatekeeper. The excitement in his heart made his hands tremble.

He had fulfilled his mission and successfully returned to see the Emperor!

In which Xue Yuan's sub vibes intensify.

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Footnotes

The meridian system is a concept in traditional Chinese medicine. Meridians are paths through which the life-energy known as "qi" flows.

After learning that Chu Xun had returned, Gu Yuanbai felt ecstatic.

Chu Xun walked into the hall and bowed low. Gu Yuanbai personally got up from behind the table and walked out, stepping forward to help Chu Xun up, with a kind, gentle expression. "Chu Qing has worked hard."

After two months of hard, dangerous work, Chu Xun felt moved by the Emperor's words. He said, while tearing up, "This official did not discredit the trust Your Majesty placed on me. The cause of the spring floods is in the memorial."

Gu Yuanbai glanced at the memorial and asked Tian Fusheng to bring it, but he didn't rush to look through it. Instead, he first offered Chu Xun a cup of tea and let him rest before opening the memorial.

Chu Xun had been ordered to discover the cause of the spring floods, as well as the officials who had concealed it. The most important thing, of course, was dealing with the floods. As Gu Yuanbai had expected, because of the sedimentation after several days of rain, when Chu Xun arrived at the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, there was already a risk of the dike breaking.

Fortunately, Chu Xun's knowledge regarding water management wasn't just theory. He immediately began to discuss plans for controlling the waters based on the terrain, and made constant adjustments and inspections, day and night, finally succeeding in overcoming the small flood season.

Besides water management, he was also sent to check on the workers. Chu Xun's official position was not without reason. He moved very directly and wouldn't even think of misinterpreting the Emperor's orders. Gu Yuanbai had asked him to find out the source of the information and who had concealed it. Because of how direct he was in his inquiries, he came close to being killed multiple times. Despite that, Chu Xun used all of his willpower and went straight to the local governor to get him to send troops to arrest the local officials planning for his death.

"The governor is still on the road with these officials, and they should arrive at the capital in two days," said Chu Xun.

Gu Yuanbai read the list of officials on the memorial, nodded and asked with a smile, "Official Chu, did you find out whether these local officials were in collusion with anyone from the capital?"

Chu Xun said with a guilty expression, "This official is incompetent and didn't find out about that."

Gu Yuanbai's expression did not change. He comforted Chu Xun with a few words and, noticing his haggard face, he asked him to go back to his house to rest first.

After Chu Xun left, Gu Yuanbai stroked the memorial, his smile deepened, and then he slammed the memorial on the table, saying coldly, "Tian Fusheng, send someone to bring the Imperial Censor."

After the Imperial Censor learned that the Emperor had summoned him, his eyelid twitched.

When he knelt down before the Emperor, the vague feeling he had grew even stronger.

He had felt uneasy ever since Prince Qi was arrested, but, after waiting for many days, he had seen no movements. He thought he had been unnoticed, so what happened?

The Emperor was holding a teacup and sipping calmly. The brew that day was Shuangjing green, which was mellow and light, Gu Yuanbai's preference.

The Emperor sipped tea leisurely, but the Imperial Censor, who was kneeling on the ground, had a thin layer of sweat on his head.

Such quietness made his heart feel like something was wrong, and the speed his heart was beating at made it difficult to breathe. The Imperial Censor kept his head down and continued trying to guess, finally saying, "I, Feng Chengzhi, beg Your Majesty for forgiveness!"

Gu Yuanbai finally raised his eyes and glanced at him, opening the teacup lid to push away the tea leaves. "What are you guilty of, Official Feng?"

Huge beads of sweat on the Imperial Censor's forehead dripped past his temples, and he said respectfully, "This official has to oversee hundreds of officials, but have slacked as of late. I have committed many mistakes, and the number and magnitude of my sins is so big that I must ask Your Majesty for forgiveness."

"Oh?" Gu Yuanbai said indifferently. "If the Imperial Censor is so guilty, then what will happen to the whole Imperial Court?"

The Imperial Censor's breathing grew ragged, and his spirit slowly sank to an abyss. "I…"

Gu Yuanbai took a sip of tea and said lightly, "Go and bring Prince Qi."

The Imperial Censor was surprised.

Soon, someone brought Prince Qi into the hall. The trials and tribulations of the past few days had made Prince Qi age twenty years, and his spirit was languished. The three days fasting prior had made him even more haggard as well, and he didn't look as graceful and noble as he did in the past.

At that time, when he saw Gu Yuanbai, Prince Qi felt, naturally, hate and fear. He barely attempted to adopt the appearance of an Emperor's uncle. When he spotted the Imperial Censor kneeling next to him, his eyes opened wide and his entire body shook.

Two middle-aged, older men in their forties and fifties were kneeling in front, each sweating more than the other, while Gu Yuanbai continued to sip his tea without hurry.

"Your Majesty." Prince Qi couldn't resist speaking up first, and he asked in a frightened voice, "What's this?"

"We ask you two to come, and you still have to ask Us why?"

Gu Yuanbai looked at the Imperial Censor, who shook under his gaze and, forcing himself to remain calm, said, "Your Majesty, this official…"

"The Imperial Court," Gu Yuanbai interrupted him, carefully enunciating each word, "supervises hundreds of officials and locations, acts as my eyes and ears, and upholds the law. I placed my trust in Official Feng. After all, when the late Emperor was still here, Official Feng wrote many times to correct my mistakes when I was younger. Because of that, I have believed that Official Feng is a good and selfless courtier who dared to speak up and call out wrongdoings, a model for hundreds of officials in the nation."

The Imperial Censor's heart thumped, trembling with fear and trepidation.

"But We discovered that you don't seem to be as good as We had thought." Gu Yuanbai's tone became colder and colder. "Your eyes aren't staring at those hundreds of officials, but at Us. You extended your hand towards Grand Concubine Wan. Why? Does the position of Imperial Censor not satisfy you? Are you trying to advance further, perhaps even pull Us from the throne?"

The Imperial Censor felt cold and terrified.

He had never seen Gu Yuanbai like this.

The Emperor treated all his officials well, he listened to their advice, and he was known to be a virtuous person. The Imperial Censor knew that the Emperor wasn't simple.

But he had only realized how terrifying the Emperor was when he sent his troops to the Qi Mansion.

That day, the doors of every official in the entire capital remained shut, the cries of the Imperial family echoed down the streets, and the Imperial Censor remained in his own mansion, frightened out of his wits.

However, at that time, everything he had to do was already done. That ship had sailed, and whether the person holding the rudder was going in the right or wrong direction, he could no longer get off.

"I, I…" the Imperial Censor's voice trembled, "This official did not…"

"You did!"

Gu Yuanbai threw the teacup in his hand violently, and it smashed next to the Imperial Censor. The liquid inside splashed onto the Imperial Censor and Prince Qi, and the two of them were so scared that they felt faint.

The guards in front of the door and the servants inside the hall all knelt down, and there was no sound in the entire palace. The Imperial Censor already felt as if he was being asphyxiated, and his heartbeat almost stopped because of fright.

Gu Yuanbai was full of anger, his inner organs burned with it, and his breathing began to grow heavy. He tempered his mood, his face turning expressionless. The more expressionless the Emperor grew, the more scared the men underneath felt.

Prince Qi's legs had already failed him and he collapsed to the ground, with fearful tremors running through his entire body.

The hollow jade that was found in Prince Qi's Mansion was thrown in front of the two.

Looking at the hollow jade pendant and the expressionless face of the Emperor, Prince Qi and the Imperial Censor fell completely limp on the ground, full of despair.

The Emperor rarely got angry, especially in the Imperial Court. Since the officials in the Imperial Court were personally responsible for overseeing hundreds of officials, the Emperor needed them to be daring enough to speak up and not too frightened to do so. In order to avoid that, the Emperor was very kind to the people there.

This was the first time the Imperial Censor and Prince Qi had seen the Emperor so angered.

The two men went pale with fear and their eyes seemed hollow. At that point, the Emperor threw another memorial before the Imperial Censor and said in a very cold tone, "Read."

The Imperial Censor picked up the memorial with trembling hands and opened it just to read a list of local officials that worked around the Yellow River area during the small floods season.

After seeing he had finished reading, Gu Yuanbai spoke. "The Imperial Censor colluded with local officials, took bribes, and used these ill-gotten gains to win over Prince Qi. Prince Qi and the Imperial Censor were treacherous and secretly cooperated with traitors and thieves, colluding and driving local officials to take advantage of common people, each thing is hard to even write about! It's shameful that the Imperial Court, which should be fighting against corruption, is corrupting itself! How many good officials can there be in the Imperial Court?! And the local officials also collude with capital officials to commit these deeds, how many of them are still clean?!"

The Imperial Censor and Prince Qi suddenly raised their heads.

They have never done these things at all!

Gu Yuanbai looked at them with cold eyes and continued to speak slowly. "Do you confess your guilt?"

"This official…" The Imperial Censor's head throbbed with pain.

Gu Yuanbai said coldly, "For your sake, since you two took the initiative to confess your guilt and denounce these officials, We can save you from the death penalty."

For a long time, under the cold eyes of the Emperor, the Imperial Censor burst into tears. He slowly raised his hand, bowed heavily, and knocked his head heavily on the ground. "This official confesses his guilt."

The Emperor had pinned the blame on him and made him lose all his face. After confessing his crime, it was easy to imagine what would happen to an Imperial Censor that was guilty of corruption.

The entire Imperial Court and all of the local officials would be investigated by the Emperor.

But the Emperor had only given them one way to go.

The Emperor would forgive them for their conspiring, no need for them to die or be implicated, but the price was no better than death.

Their whole families would be exiled, deprived of their origins and banned from participating in the Imperial examinations. They would be seen as sinners for generations and leave a legacy of infamy for centuries afterwards.

Seeing the Imperial Censor's acknowledgement, Prince Qi moved his dull eyes and looked up at Gu Yuanbai.

After meeting Gu Yuanbai's gaze, he shuddered suddenly.

Gu Yuanbai snorted coldly and began to speak out orders.

He was dismissed from his position as Imperial Censor of the Court, deprived of his status as a citizen of the capital, and his family would be exiled for three generations to work in the desolate lands of Guangnandong. They were not allowed to return to Beijing for three generations and were not allowed to participate in the Imperial examinations. Deprived of the title of Prince of Qi, demoted to a commoner, expelled from the Imperial family, confined to an estate outside the capital, never to return to the capital again, and his family could not participate in the Imperial examinations for three generations.

And seeing the corruption in the Imperial Court, the Emperor had decided that it could not be trusted and had to be reformed. As for the local officials that had been caught by Chu Xun, not just concealing the crimes but also refusing to report it, they were to be executed directly.

They had been sentenced to imprisonment and exiled.

More importantly, the Imperial Censor had admitted personally that he had colluded with local officials.

What did it all mean?

Gu Yuanbai couldn't resist laughing out loud.

It meant that he could now start a vigorous battle against corruption.

And in this big battle, he could use thunderous means, deploy soldiers and cavalry, and investigate a large region. And, as it is well known, anti corruption investigations have always been a way for rulers to get rid of certain individuals.

The Imperial Court.

Finally, it would truly become his eyes and ears.

When the Imperial decree was published, the Court was shocked.

Everyone in the Imperial Court was now in danger. The Imperial Censor was about to retire, yet at that moment he had decided to undertake a big task, thinking it was a step too late. Now they were on thin ice.

Prince Qi and his household were driven out of the capital. All of them were nobles that had been born and raised in piles of wealth and honor. Now, after being kicked out, everyone seemed to be at a loss, old and young alike. Looking at each other, they felt as if they didn't have a home anywhere.

The Imperial guard, with a fierce look, drove them to an empty manor, and from then on they would no longer be allowed to step out, remaining in confinement until their deaths.

Gu Wen, the youngest son, had never been treated harshly even when his father and brothers were in prison. He held onto the corner of his mother's clothes anxiously and cried, "My pearls! My pearls!"

His mother wiped her tears and said nothing, and the Imperial guard drove them out of their residence. Apart from the brocade and satin they wore and a few jewelry, where would they take anything else?

Prince Qi seemed so desperate that his expression was vacant. He didn't know how he could have ended up in such a situation in the end after just deliberately sending a false message to the Emperor.

After he heard his youngest son's cries, he suddenly came back to his senses. Prince Qi pinched his younger son's neck, his eyes glaring so intensely they looked as if they were going to burst out. "I'm going to strangle you to death! I'm blaming you! It's all your fault!"

The wailing and pulling was chaotic, and the low whimpers of adults and cries of children were intrusive.

The older sons of Prince Qi watched the scene from the side with chills.

Could this pampered family, who had lost its position as the Imperial clan, still survive in that manor?

Damn my boy is conspiring hard.

This chapter is now edited! Thank you for your excellent work as usual, Wintery

Gu Yuanbai dealt with the matter of the Imperial Censor and Prince Qi swiftly. Even the local officials that had dared to hide the news from the capital were charged with corruption and colluding with the capital officials involved.

It should be mentioned that they were already going to be charged to begin with, but Chu Xun hadn't met Gu Yuanbai's expectations. He had been concerned with the life-threatening floods and did not dare use the evidence of corruption he had against them, so Gu Yuanbai had to do it himself.

The middle and lower regions of the Yellow River were in Shandong and Henan. These corrupt officials had not just dared to embezzle money from the Imperial disaster relief, but also the granaries, the storages of meat and weaponry around seemed to have been eaten by pests.

The moment the local officials responsible arrived at the capital, Gu Yuanbai sent them straight to the dungeons.

He didn't have a lot of evidence against them, and it had been sent to the relevant department so that they would be tried one by one before the Ministry of Justice.1 It was necessary to find out exactly how many people's mouths have been eating and how many hands had been taking bribes. As for those colluding with these officials deeper down, he had only investigated them shallowly.

He wanted to frighten those hiding in the deep and give them a chance to return what they had embezzled.

Gu Yuanbai didn't need to know how many worms were there in the country, he only needed them to secretly spit out what they had eaten. As long as they returned it before he found them out, Gu Yuanbai was willing to turn a blind eye to it.

The Imperial Court was the first one to be cleaned out, and all those who had been involved in the embezzlement were sent to the Ministry of Justice, and those that were clean would be handed to the new person in charge.

Chu Wei had the Imperial historian's support and arrogance, and it would serve to temper his character.

Chu Xun also wanted to be promoted.

As for those who dared to speak up for Prince Qi in court, they would be transferred from the capital to a local position and be erased from the lists of capital officials, having to endure the Emperor's anti-corruption policies.

So you dare take money from the Imperial clan to speak up in their favor?

Then you can leave the core of political power forever.

The people from the Zhengshi Hall and the Military Affairs Bureau were so busy when dealing with these matters that they didn't even dare breathe loudly. Gu Yuanbai's work hours increased quite a bit as well. After he recovered, it happened to be the day when the Imperial Censor was to be expelled and exiled.

On that day, Gu Yuanbai set aside all government matters, took his personal guard, Xue Yuan, and some other people, and left the palace to go see the Imperial Censor being exiled.

There was a long line of distressed people, first among them the Imperial Censor. His face was haggard, his eyes hollow, and he seemed to have lost all hope in life. His eyes were bloodshot, his lips chapped, and he was wearing a prison robe.

People standing on both sides of the road yelled at those in the line, throwing rotten vegetables and leaves at the famous ones. The faces of these people showed both delight and resentment.

"Look, that's the thief in the flesh! He's the one who corrupted and colluded with the local officials to steal from the common people!"

"Awful! A cowardly official!"

The Imperial Censor… rather, Feng Chengzhi, who was no longer the Imperial Censor, listened to the verbal abuse as he walked. Suddenly, he felt that the Emperor letting him experience such a situation after being just accused of corruption, instead of sentencing him to die, wasn't done out of kindness.

The Emperor was not so kind.

It was worse than death.

Feng Chengzhi looked up at the restaurants and teahouses on both sides of the road, and looked at the people who looked at him with disgust. The rotten vegetable leaves in their hands were thrown against their heads, with disgusted eyes looking down on them as if they were all heinous bastards.

He was really a bastard…

" "

Feng Chengzhi had spent over ten years in the Imperial Court before becoming the Imperial Censor. Naturally, he knew that, as an official of the Court, the consequences of embezzling and stealing would be grave.

He rarely accepted gifts because, once discovered, he would be spurned by thousands of people, and it'd be seen as even worse than the normal corrupt officials.

And he wasn't corrupt.

But the Emperor had said that he was, and he himself had admitted to it, so now he'd be seen as a criminal and despised through the ages.

The street where, a few years ago, he had been titled in the gold list had now become a place where he was being ridiculed. At that time, the people on the street and the students who hadn't appeared in the rankings had looked at him full of envy and jealousy, and now they were disgusted and gloating at his disgrace.

Gu Yuanbai dressed in plain clothes and hid in a low-key group, surrounded by people. He calmly looked at the group of punished officials and their families that were being rejected by the people.

In the group, there were weak and innocent women and young, unlucky children, either tearful or confused and ignorant. A nightmarish future awaited them. In ancient times, families of the criminals would receive punishment, especially for serious crimes.

The greater the ambition, the higher the price. However, there would always be people who thought that they could get what they wanted without paying this price.

Gu Yuanbai felt that he had been pretty ruthless.

At that moment, he looked at the innocents that had been implicated with just regret and pity in his heart. Looking at the Imperial Censor, who was being cursed out, he felt very calm.

If you do something wrong, you have to pay for it. Since the Imperial Censor had gotten onto Prince Qi's ship, he had to be ready for when Gu Yuanbai set it off.

The people watching weren't just common people, but also passionate scholars. They yelled at the Imperial Censor, who had broken the law, while going red at every sentence, greenish veins bulging on their necks.

Some people even wrote poems on the spot to mock them, and as soon as they presented a rhyme, everyone around jeered and clapped.

This was the reality, and, over time, it'd become history.

After the Imperial Censor was taken far away, Gu Yuanbai turned around and the people escorting him protected him from the crowd. As soon as he got away from the crowd, the air seemed clearer.

There were also many scholars wearing Confucian robes wandering around, and the midday sun shone bright. Gu Yuanbai looked at the teahouses on both sides of the road and said, "Let's go and find somewhere to cool down."

Even when he spent time in the sun, Gu Yuanbai was pale, and the slight sweat on his forehead was as clear as glass. His long hair slipped over the shoulder to the front, looking very refreshing.

Xue Yuan pulled at his own robes, feeling warm, and the two hideous bite wounds on his neck became visible. Tian Fusheng was standing next to him, and he smiled when he saw the injury. "Guard Xue, that injury seems quite painful, is it?"

That day, when Xue Yuan carried the Emperor back to the palace with his neck covered in blood, nobody saw the nature of his wound, since it was hidden by the blood. And even if they saw it, they wouldn't remember it so many days afterwards.

Xue Yuan raised an eyebrow, glanced at the Emperor, and then he touched the wound, saying thoughtfully, "It hurts, the person who bit me has very sharp teeth."

Tian Fusheng smiled again, his eyes wrinkling with it. "Teeth so sharp and such a deep bite, yet young master Xue doesn't seem to be angry."

"How could I get angry?" Xue Yuan said, seemingly sincere. "That person has a terrible temper."

Gu Yuanbai turned his head and glanced at them, "What are you talking about?"

Xue Yuan smiled slightly. "We're talking about the wound on this official's neck."

Gu Yuanbai couldn't help but glance at his neck. There were two bite marks on his neck, one right and one left. The wound was deep and done ruthlessly. If someone saw it without knowing the truth, they would probably sigh and think Xue Yuan, just how wanton were you last night?

Gu Yuanbai asked with a blank face, "Oh? How did guard Xue get such a wound?"

Guard Xue played along. "Of course, it has nothing to do with Your Highness."

Tian Fusheng laughed aloud, amused. "Guard Xue is so funny." Of course, it had nothing to do with His Highness.

Gu Yuanbai lifted the corners of his mouth, smiling in warning at Xue Yuan, and then walked into a teahouse.

There were still seats on the second floor of the elegant teahouse. After Gu Yuanbai took a seat, Tian Fusheng spotted the sweat on his forehead and ran to the teahouse's kitchen to see if they had anything to relieve the heat.

Gu Yuanbai picked up a towel and wiped his sweat. Xue Yuan, on the side, poured out two cups of tea from the teapot and handed one to him, smiling. "Should I test it for poison first?"

"Drink," Gu Yuanbai said. "Drink up."

Xue Yuan picked up the cup and smacked his lips after drinking. "It's hard to drink."

He chugged things down just like Prince He, but at least Prince He wouldn't speak out after drinking. Gu Yuanbai couldn't help himself and he chuckled before taking the cup and saying, "Drink your tea and don't say anything unpleasant."

Xue Yuan saw him smile and take a sip of his celadon2 cup, the light liquid touching his lips. Xue Yuan bowed his head. "Your Majesty's cup looks sweeter."

Gu Yuanbai raised his eyes and glanced at him. "It's all from the same pot."

Xue Yuan frowned. He naturally knew that as well, and he didn't understand why he felt like that was the case, so he simply stopped talking.

A cool breeze blew in from the window, and Gu Yuanbai looked outside. The people who had gathered together had dispersed. He was about to withdraw his gaze when Gu Yuanbai spotted a slightly familiar figure.

Gu Yuanbai paused, and then stared at the young, tall man outside. It was Li Yan, the eldest son of the Marquis of Pingchang.

Li Yan walked in a hurry. He had no subordinates following him. He walked to an alley next to a tavern, his expression also hurried.

Gu Yuanbai calmly took a sip of tea. After a while, in the same place, he spotted Tang Mian, the son of the Minister of Revenue and member of the Hanlin Academy.

Tang Mian also walked into the alley, but, compared to Li Yan's hurried look, he looked calmer.

Gu Yuanbai set down his cup and squinted towards the alley. What was in that alley that could attract the son of the Marquis of Pingchang and the son of a second-ranking official, and that they would coincidentally go in at the same time?

Gu Yuanbai raised his chin and asked, "What's in that alley?"

Xue Yuan glanced down, not very interested, and said casually, "A tavern, I imagine."

Gu Yuanbai didn't manage everything. If he really did that, he wouldn't be an emperor and he'd exhaust himself to death. Seeing the two youths walk in only made him curious. Gu Yuanbai was about to look away when he saw a carriage slowly approaching the street.

By coincidence, the carriage also stopped at the entrance of the alley next to the tavern.

Gu Yuanbai: "…"

Who is it now?

Prince He stepped down from the carriage, wearing dark clothes and a dignified expression. A groveling servant was next to him, leading the way towards the depths of the alley.

Gu Yuanbai stood up right away and glanced at the alley thoughtfully. "Guard Xue, let's go. Accompany Us to see what treasures might be hidden within that alley."

Surprisingly, it can attract so many people.

Xue Yuan got up, straightened his robe, and said, "As Your Majesty pleases."

Gu Yuanbai walked out ahead. Xue Yuan wanted to follow. However, he glanced that the young Emperor had left half a cup of tea on the table, and he picked it up and gulped it down.

It was already paid for, so it shouldn't go to waste.

The alley was small, and the three people who had just entered had also been very low-key. Gu Yuanbai asked the rest of the guards to wait in the teahouse and took Xue Yuan down to the alley alone.

After crossing the street and walking to the entrance of the alley, Gu Yuanbai, who had originally thought it was a residential courtyard, discovered a gate painted with red lacquer and hanging lanterns. Next to the door, there was a flag with the words 'Fragrance of a hundred flowers'.

There didn't seem to be any fragrance. Gu Yuanbai sniffed, feeling that something was off.

He turned his head to the side and asked Xue Yuan, "What do you think?"

Do you smell anything, mad dog?

Xue Yuan glanced at him confused, his eyebrows furrowing. "Isn't it just a tavern?"

In the Great Heng, probably one in ten taverns were called 'Fragrance of a hundred flowers'.

Gu Yuanbai sighed and walked slowly with Xue Yuan into Fragrance of a hundred flowers. As soon as they crossed the door, the strong scent of wine and flowers wafted over. The courtyard was extraordinarily large and decorated with red gauze, which gave it a romantic air.

In the courtyard, there were about a dozen beautiful men scattered around accompanying the clients to admire the flowers and the scenery. Gu Yuanbai looked around and then looked at a man who was walking towards him, with a face full of makeup. The corners of his mouth twitched stiffly.

Ah, so this was the rumored Nanfeng Pavilion.3

The Great Heng Dynasty explicitly prohibited government officials from visiting prostitutes.

Gu Yuanbai looked back at the building, his lips arched without a real smile. Once again, court officials, and the Nanfeng Pavilion. But how come that he didn't remember that Prince He liked men?

Special translator note:

I've seen some people had questions in the comments, and I have to admit I'm not 100% sure there won't be a plot twist later on, but I think this is what happened with Prince Qi and the Imperial Censor.

Prince Qi is a member of the Imperial clan (the extended royal family) and his household has chances of succeeding the throne, specially since Gu Yuanbai has no immediate relatives, is sickly and isn't even married nor has concubines. He wanted to gain support from other officials, and the Imperial Censor got greedy and accepted, as well as the others involved, but they didn't get very far with it. Their conspiracy wasn't developed enough to get them punished, but at the same time trying to get rid of the current Emperor is a worse crime than simple embezzlement, that's why the Imperial Censor chose to confess and get out rather than let things continue to snowball while directly antagonizing the Emperor.

Apologies for the delay, I was a bit sick this weekend, but I'm alright now, thank you for your patience!

If you enjoyed this chapter, remember to vote for this novel on NU and add it to your reading list here!

And if you want to support my work, check out my ko-fi!

Footnotes

I've noticed in the previous translation the Ministry of Justice was translated as the Dali Temple, sorry, I can't edit those chapters x_xCeladon is a type of pottery glaze that looks kinda like just means South Wind Pavillion.

The owner of Fragrance of a hundred flowers took Gu Yuanbai and Xue Yuan to the room next to Prince He.

Officials of the Great Heng Dynasty were forbidden from frequenting places of temptation. Of course, Gu Yuanbai couldn't knowingly break the law, so he asked the owner to lead them down the path with the least people and gave him enough money to let them get in quietly and then leave quietly.

The room wasn't very big, and the decorations were ordinary and frivolous. Gu Yuanbai stood in the center and looked around, feeling that nothing suited his sense of aesthetics.

Prince He was to the left of their room. The left wall had a cheap wooden bed covered in white gauze fabric. The owner moved it to the side, and there was a wooden fan hiding behind it. There were several holes in the fan, just enough for someone inside the room to peek through them.

The owner explained with a smile. "Don't misunderstand, this is for ventilation. In the morning and evening, we move the furniture away when we use incense so that the fragrance will pass through each room.

Gu Yuanbai nodded and told the owner to leave them. After the door was closed, he held onto his robes and sat in front of the wooden fan.

Xue Yuan sat down comfortably next to him. Remembering the young Emperor's delicate disposition, he looked down and glanced at his ass.

"Is your ass getting cold?" Xue Yuan asked directly.

Gu Yuanbai had spent the last three years in the ancient world, and in that time this was the first he heard such a vulgar sentence from someone around him. His eyelid twitched. "We order you to shut up."

In the next room over, a young man sitting at the table with Prince He was whispering in a quiet voice. Soon, someone knocked on the door of the room, and several men from the Fragrance of a hundred flowers came in.

Gu Yuanbai glanced, a frown in his eyebrows.

Did Prince He actually like men?

The men, with their backs to Gu Yuanbai's direction, lined up like concubines being selected. Prince He was behind them, so it wasn't possible to see how they looked.

If he remembered correctly, Gu Yuanbai was pretty sure that Prince He didn't like men, and that he particularly disliked same sex relationships, which were gradually becoming more common in the capital.

Gu Yuanbai waited quietly for a while, and the young man in the room said, "Turn around."

The group of men turned around, facing the wall, just so that Gu Yuanbai could see their looks clearly. The men all had clear, smooth faces, and among them, some could be called beautiful. Gu Yuanbai objectively commented, "Pretty like a girl."

Xue Yuan heard him and gave him a glance.

Gu Yuanbai turned his head keenly and narrowed his eyes. "Do you have something to say, Guard Xue?"

"I don't dare," Xue Yuan said with a fake smile. "What Your Majesty said is correct."

It was a shame to hear someone with boundless appeal say these hired hands were 'pretty like a girl'. It was damned strange.

Gu Yuanbai turned his head and continued to look at the room next to them.

Watching closely, he noticed the expression on Prince He's face across the group of people. His expression was really wrong, a combination of uncontrollable disgust and deep depression. With the way he looked at the men standing with a sullen face it could be seen that he was not in a very good mood.

Gu Yuanbai pondered about it and, after thinking for a while, he got up and said, "Let's stop looking, close it."

Xue Yuan also got up and he was about to move the furniture when a gust of wind blew in through the window, carrying the fragrance in the courtyard and coating the room. Gu Yuanbai choked in the harsh fragrance, and he leaned against the closet and started coughing violently.

The sight of the young Emperor coughing was scary. Xue Yuan instantly remembered the sight of him coughing blood a while ago. His expression changed instantly, and he reached out and picked up the young Emperor in his arms.

"Go away– cough-" Gu Yuanbai said fiercely, "You–"

He was interrupted by another long string of violent coughs.

"Shut up!" Xue Yuan's expression was ugly, "Just stay with me!"1

He set Gu Yuanbai down on the bed and went to find a towel and water. The tall, broad figure rushed back and forth around the room, carrying a gust of wind that brought the overpowering scent with it. Gu Yuanbai coughed uncomfortably, and he stammered out, "The scent…"

Xue Yuan strode forward and closed the window. He looked at the bed again, brought the wet towel, and pulled down the bed canopy.

The bed was submerged in dim light, and the scent was finally cut off. Gu Yuanbai held onto the bed frame to avoid falling over.

This body had grown up pampered, receiving the most meticulous care in the country and using only the best quality scents. Now, when he smelled such an inferior, irritating scent, Gu Yuanbai's nose was overwhelmed by the fragrance of a hundred flowers.

In truth, the longer he lived, the more he realized it hadn't be easy to live for that long.

Xue Yuan took Gu Yuanbai in his arms, let him lie against his chest, and wiped his face with the towel. Gu Yuanbai coughed, muffled, his thin chest constantly rising and falling. In the dim, small space, his weak cough could make one think he was on death's door.

Xue Yuan frowned with a dark expression and he wrapped the young Emperor in a blanket. He picked him up and walked out of the door with a calm expression.

All sorts of respected guests and young men outside looked at him. Gu Yuanbai was still coughing under the blanket, the sound dampened by the fabric. The white blanket shook slightly with the cough, and a few strands of black hair hung down on the outside.

Just being able to see a few strands of black hair and a layer of fabric made people get imaginative. When the blanket shook, wasn't it because a beauty was scared?

A youth stepped forward, stopped in front of Xue Yuan, gave the blanket a look and said, full of righteousness, "This young man doesn't want to go with you, how can you just wrap someone in a blanket and forcibly take them away?"

"Yes," a respected guest on the other side said loudly, "this place doesn't allow forcing people, and coercion is not something a gentleman would do."

Xue Yuan sneered, unable to suppress his hostility. "Go away."

The wealthy young man blushed from the rebuke. Xue Yuan had no patience, so, when he looked like he was about to say something more, he just lifted his foot and kicked him, walking out with a fierce aura.

Everyone in the yard felt frightened by him. The young master that had been kicked fainted to the side. Xue Yuan's steps were getting faster and faster, and his expression was very unpleasant.

Fuck, if the young Emperor can't even endure the scent, what's the point of going inside?!

Doesn't he know how weak he is?!

Soon, Xue Yuan walked out of the courtyard gate with a sullen face. The outside of the street, at the entrance of the alley, was full of people, so Xue Yuan held the young Emperor and walked deeper into the alley. After kicking away a few stray dogs, he found a place with no smell.

The blanket opened and Gu Yuanbai leaned against the wall with it. Some of the oddly strong fragrance still lingered inside his nose, and his energy was exhausted. He could only cough with a low voice and his shoulders shook constantly, almost like a sign of life leaving him.

The young Emperor slouched, his pale fingers clutching his clothes, and he could barely hold himself up, with nothing to support him.

Xue Yuan looked at him quietly for a while. His eyebrows wavered and the corners of his mouth pressed down, and he stepped forward next to the young Emperor. Then, he pulled the Emperor's white hands onto his chest, letting him hold his clothes.

"Stupid show of strength," Xue Yuan sneered. "Lean on me."

In the courtyard of Fragrance of a hundred flowers.

While Prince He was selecting young men, he suddenly heard a coughing from next door. His heart jumped and he stood up instantly, a thumping in his chest. Panicking and restless, he waited for a while and, when he calmed down, he said to the young man, "Go next door and see who is in the room."

The young man went to check, and when he came back he had a complicated expression on his face. "Master, there is no one next door."

No one?

Unable to understand his own mood, Prince He sat down blankly, looking at the group before him with a sullen expression. He lost interest in picking anyone. After sitting for a while, he suddenly got up and walked out the door.

The moment he stepped out, Prince He ran into Li Yan and Tang Mian, who were walking together.

The two of them also saw Prince He. In a flash of panic, Li Yan, the son of Marquis of Pingchang, pulled the painting he was carrying at his back, avoiding eye contact and not daring to look at Prince He.

Instinctually feeling something was wrong, Prince He's face sunk. "What are you doing here?"

Tang Mian was also caught off guard. He barely managed to calm down and reluctantly replied, "To answer Prince He's question, this one came out to see the world with the Pingchang heir."

"See the world?" Prince He stared intently at the paintings they were trying to hide. "What's that?"

Tang Mian and Li Yan went pale, and the two looked a little scared and panicked.

Prince He said sternly, "Come here!"

Tang Mian and Li Yan followed Prince He into the room. Under Prince He's oppressive gaze, they had already gone white, but they still did not dare to take out the paintings.

If Prince He knew… if His Majesty knew…

Were they going to die?

Prince He's patience was almost gone. "This prince will say it one last time. Take it out!"

This stern voice frightened the two boys, who had not yet had their adulthood ceremony,2 completely. The two placed the paintings on the table with trembling hands and they unfolded them one by one. Next to them, Prince He looked down, slightly startled.

In the paintings there were two men with different appearances that Prince He did not recognize, but the unfamiliar faces gave him a sense of familiarity.

After looking at them for a long time, he raised his head with an unreadable expression and he looked at Tang Mian and Li Yan. With a deep look that hid murderous anger, he said, "Get out!"

Tang Mian and Li Yan glanced at the paintings subconsciously, then left, pale.

Prince He looked at the paintings on the table, his anger building up. When he grabbed one of the paintings, about to tear it up, his hands shook, but he wasn't able to.

His hand was frozen, and he didn't have the strength to destroy the painting.

Prince He threw the painting down in dismay and muttered, "Bring these two paintings back to the manor and place them in my study."

Deep in the alley.

When the young Emperor's cough finally calmed down, Xue Yuan took a step back.

Although Gu Yuanbai was a mess, he was still extremely composed. He glanced at Xue Yuan, stretched out a hand and said in a dull voice, "Handkerchief."

Xue Yuan searched himself, found a balled up handkerchief, and handed it over. Gu Yuanbai glanced at the fabric in disgust, and Xue Yuan repressed his anger. "It's not used."

Gu Yuanbai finished composing himself, and then, when he thought his expression should finally be back to normal, he looked at Xue Yuan and said slowly, "We don't want any uninvolved parties to know We were here today."

Xue Yuan replied, "This official also doesn't want anyone to know that he entered the Nanfeng Pavilion."

Shameful.

Gu Yuanbai showed a satisfied look. "Very good."

He threw aside the handkerchief he had used. Xue Yuan glanced at it unexplainably and then looked away.

The two of them walked out of the alley one after the other, only to find that there were several brothels besides the Nanfeng Pavilion.

When they passed a brothel, they could hear the sound of laughter, and a female voice laughing delicately said, "Those scholars have been calling sister Chuchu the nymph of the Luo River. I wonder how many people want to eat the rouge on her lips!"3

Xue Yuan heard these words and asked casually, "Your Highness, have you ever eaten the rouge on a woman's lips?"

Gu Yuanbai: "…"

Heartbroken.

Gu Yuanbai smiled slightly. "Have you been eating any, Guard Xue?"

"No." Xue Yuan's lips twitched in apparent distaste and said politely, "Your Highness, this officer isn't in the habit of eating other people's rouge."

Gu Yuanbai, "It just so happens that We haven't."

Xue Yuan said, "They say that she's beautiful like the nymph of the Luo river, does Your Highness think she's that beautiful?"

Gu Yuanbai smiled when he heard the words. He turned his head and glanced at Xue Yuan. The curvature of the corners of his lips displayed his steadfast self confidence. The Emperor said, "No matter how beautiful the nymph of the Luo river might be, is there such picturesque beauty as Ours?"

Xue Yuan looked at his confident, vigorous smile, and suddenly, his heart seemed to beat twice as fast.

Now edited!

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Footnotes

Addressing himself as they had not yet worn their crowns, it's the hair piece traditionally used by men that would start being worn at 20 after a literal, but it also implies wanting to bed someone.

In Gu Yuanbai's eyes, no matter how beautiful the lady was, she can't be compared to the picturesque beauty of his country.

What was the country's beauty? The beauty of the country Gu Yuanbai was building.

Watching his decrees being implemented one by one, watching his country slowly move forward steered by his own hands. The political power centered around Gu Yuanbai.

It was too overwhelming, he couldn't separate himself from it. How could such a feeling be comparable to a beautiful woman or two?

The two walked all the way back to the teahouse and then returned to the palace discreetly. The moment they entered the palace, they saw the Minister of War that had come to see the Emperor. When he saw Gu Yuanbai, he reported that over two thousand people on Xiguang Mountain1 had become bandits and were oppressing the neighboring areas and robbing food from the villages and towns in the area, making it impossible for the population to live in peace. The local officials in the region had sent a request, and the Minister of War had discussed the issue with the Military Affairs Bureau and had decided to send troops to deal with the bandits.

Gu Yuanbai nodded and asked, "Who will be the leader?"

"I discussed it with the Military Affairs Bureau," said the Minister of War, "and I came here to ask for Your Majesty's opinion."

Xue Yuan couldn't help but look over when he heard about the bandits being dealt with.

Gu Yuanbai noticed his gaze, pondered for a moment, and said, "Xue Yuan."

Xue Yuan grinned and stepped over to salute, "Here I am."

"Have you led soldiers in the past?" Gu Yuanbai asked.

"This official has led five thousand soldiers to battle," said Xue Yuan, calmly and honestly, "and we defeated tens of thousands of enemies."

Being a general and leading soldiers wasn't easy. Some were very strong and extremely brave on the battlefield, but that didn't mean that they were well suited for leading troops. A general's ability to lead would be developed gradually, from leading a hundred people to fight and kill to five hundred, one thousand, two thousand… until he could lead tens of thousands.

There were few generals that might be able to lead tens of thousands.

Some people were only capable of directing a few hundred people. Adding more soldiers would end with them being distributed and used illogically, clashing with each other and messing up their positions, and losing their heads for nothing.

Xue Yuan had worked under General Xue's command for several years. Before returning to the capital, he had felled the most enemies in the battlefield, and he already had the ability to lead tens of thousands of soldiers. However, General Xue was extremely cautious and refused to put more battalions into Xue Yuan's hands.

In the Great Heng, there were many generals, and in the Military Examinations that were conducted every five years many good seedlings had appeared.2 Among these seedlings, though, very few would be able to lead over five thousand soldiers, and even less might handle tens of thousands. How many of those existed since ancient times whose names didn't go down in history?

Gu Yuanbai wanted to see Xue Yuan's abilities, and he directly said, "Since that's the case, you will lead the troops to hunt down and suppress the bandits in Xiguang Mountain."

Xue Yuan had been hungry for a long time. He couldn't resist smiling. "This official will follow Your Majesty's order."

One thousand infantrymen and five hundred cavalry headed to Xiguang Mountain, 200 kilometers away.

Xue Yuan was also followed by a man named Qin Sheng. Qin Sheng had never been on the battlefield, but Xue Yuan was different. Even while on the road, one must stay alert and beware of sneak attacks. Sentry houses were sent out in every direction, watching for any changes in the situation.

Once he arrived at the foot of Xiguang Mountain, Xue Yuan ordered someone to wait there and brought a group of light cavalry with him to check the area.

The Xiguang Mountain was a high position, easy to defend and difficult to attack. If they were on flat ground, even five hundred cavalry alone would be enough to make the bandits cry. However, in this battle, the difficulty lay in the terrain.

Xue Yuan led his men to squat and wait to ambush on the mountain road. Not long after, a group of bandits, about a hundred in number, came down the mountain. Xue Yuan led his men ahead and dispatched them.

He killed most of the bandits and interrogated all the remaining prisoners.

"What's the situation on Xiguang Mountain?"

The big blade in his hand was still dripping in blood, and his body looked even bigger and more powerful than usual when clad in armor. Xue Yuan patted a prisoner's face with the flat of the blade. "Tell me obediently."3

The captive soldier began to cry and talk about the situation on the mountain. Xue Yuan and the surrounding soldiers learned that there were multiple bandits on top of the mountain.

The leader of Xiguang Mountain had invited the leaders of the other two hills to discuss some important matters. It was from these that he had learned that the Imperial Court was going to send troops to get rid of them. Because of that, they wanted to join the bandits from the other two hills and form an alliance.

Xue Yuan smiled directly, and the prisoner said with a shaky voice, "Of- Officer, sir, there are many bandits when counting the three hills together."

If they really gathered together, their number had to be around seven or eight thousand.

"It seems I owe your leader a thank you," Xue Yuan smiled with satisfaction, "for giving me a chance to make a great contribution."

After questioning everyone, these minions were all executed cleanly, and they only left two to lead the way.

Afterwards, Xue Yuan left five hundred people stationed in that location to set up flags and beat the drums. Once they heard his order, they would wave the flags and beat the drums energetically, making the illusion of an army pressing down unbearably, as if the Imperial Court's entire army had been dispatched.

Once he had delivered these instructions, Xue Yuan divided the remaining soldiers and cavalry in two. One half was handed to Qin Sheng, who the Emperor seemed to be interested in cultivating, and he would lead the other half himself. He then left Xiguang Mountain and headed straight for the camps of the other two bandit leaders.

The bandit leaders of the other hills had taken most of their manpower to Xiguang Mountain, leaving very few people behind. In the eyes of their elite soldiers, who had been raised with good food and training, these men seemed like lambs prepped for slaughter.

Xue Yuan led the soldiers directly to Wangtu Mountain, killing everyone they ran into on their way up. They probably never thought that they'd run into court officers and soldiers dispatched to eliminate the bandits, and the gates had been left wide open, not even requiring them to break them down.

The soldiers were eager to make a name for themselves, and they rushed into the bandit camp at Wangtu Mountain like wolves running into the sheep pen.

Death and blood were splattered everywhere.

Xue Yuan knew that many of the soldiers he was leading were coming to the battlefield for the first time, and that it was their first time killing anyone. Since that was the situation, Xue Yuan rushed forward like a sharp blade, leading soldiers at his back in the killing.

The rebel bandits fought back with their big swords and every other weapon they could find. However, the more they resisted, the more they showed the soldiers that this was a military campaign, and that they would be rewarded for killing them.

No fear, no pause, the hand swinging the sword must do so quickly and with force. All around there was blood, corpses, and people attempting to fight back and escape. But they couldn't back down, they had to follow Xue Yuan's lead.

Xue Yuan's armor was already dripping blood at the bottom. He fought even harder, the blade in his hand taking one lift after another. The bloody atmosphere enveloped his heart. The men at his back were encouraged, seeing their general daring to charge and fight, and with that same blood, they only had eyes for human heads and their legs could only rush forward. After looking at one man after another, they couldn't feel tired anymore, and they swung their blades mechanically.

Blocking with the shield in front, and stabbing with the sword in between the gaps of the shield. After the initial rush, the soldiers had already become familiar with that tactic.

It was the easiest way to protect themselves and their companions.

Xue Yuan decapitated someone more with a single cut. With a glance, he spotted some men, not far away, guarding a person who was hurriedly escaping. He realized that the person had to be someone important.

Xue Yuan rushed straight forward, shouting, "Follow me!"

The soldiers guarding him roared and followed Xue Yuan towards the group of people, pushing people away with their shields while listening to anything Xue Yuan said. Soon, they had created a path, protecting Xue Yuan and rushing forward.

Those who tried to stop them were all killed by a blade, their horrified expressions still fixed on their faces. The second in command of the camp, who was the one running away, panicked when he heard a sudden scream behind him. A chill rose up his back as he turned around to look, and he came face to face with a cold blade that was dripping with blood.

A human head fell to the ground.

The bandit who had been guarding the second in command cried in grief. "Second leader!"

After learning the man's identity, Xue Yuan immediately said out loud, "You and the leaders of the other two camps are all dead!"

The soldiers who heard him became even more violent, and they immediately cried out, "The second leader of the mountain is dead! Why don't you all give up already?!"

Just a moment later, soldiers everywhere were echoing that sentence. The cry of 'the second in command is dead' grew louder and louder, and the bandits of Wangtu Mountain stared in disbelief. They were terrified of being beaten, their main leader had died, and their entire group began to collapse. Some people began to run to the foot of the mountain, and the more people ran, the bigger the collapse of the group.

They threw down their weapons, abandoned the major and minor leaders they had been protecting, and rushed down the mountain, running faster than ever in their lives, anywhere where there were no Great Heng soldiers.

If their legs were too weak and they couldn't run, they'd have to roll down the mountain. Many of the men slipped and fell into the puddles of blood on the ground, but they didn't have time to lament the acquaintance the blood had come from. The only thing they could think about was that they had to run, run, run faster to save their own lives.

Xue Yuan watched them flee and raised his hand, stopping the soldiers from giving chase.

All the soldiers, standing on the bloody ground, were stopped by Xue Yuan and stopped chasing after the bandits. After they did, exhaustion struck them. Some of them laid down on the ground, so tired that they looked like invalids.

Everyone was breathing through their mouths, their minds blank, and they felt as if they were floating even when they lied down.

Xue Yuan gasped a few rough breaths, wiped the blood off his face and picked up the head of the second leader of the camp. He looked at a soldier on the ground and kicked him. "Wake up, all of you."

After being extremely concentrated on killing, one would go into a trance, and they needed to slowly come back to earth.

This was called killing stupor.4

After being awakened by Xue Yuan's voice, the soldiers staggered up. After the fight against the bandits, they had developed an instinct to trust and obey Xue Yuan.

All of them had fury in their bodies. Xue Yuan, holding the head, pointed at a cavalryman and said, "Hurry up and go see how the other group did."

In the middle of the village full of corpses, Xue Yuan sat on a chair, the heads collected by the soldiers on a pile nearby. He held his blade still in his hands and, leaning on it, he looked towards the entrance of the village, his gaze deep.

The bandit dens were built on hills because they were easy to defend and difficult to attack. Now, Xue Yuan would be the one leading people against invaders.

He expected the leader of Wangtu Mountain, who was in Xiguang Mountain, to rush back and enter the tiger's mouth.

Why would they rush back? Because their wives and children were here.

On another note, the operation led by Qin Sheng had also gone exceptionally smoothly, and he also sent cavalry to inform Xue Yuan of the situation. Finally, Xue Yuan sent someone to notify the soldiers stationed below Xiguang Mountain and order them to start waving flags and beating the drums.

Half of the five hundred men were hidden among the mountains and forests, and another half was on the road. When looking down from a high position, it would seem as if there was an innumerable amount of people hidden among the layers of dense leaves.

Before the drumming started, on Xiguang Mountain, the three leaders were sitting together. The leader of Xiguang Mountain was called Liu Yun. As for the other two leaders, the leader of Wangtu Mountain was surnamed Zhang, and the leader of the bandits of Songzi Mountain was surnamed Wang.

Liu Yun was a poor scholar and he had some wit. He was trying his best to persuade the two bandit leaders to join him and resist the Emperor's troops. Seeing as the others were still unmoved, he spoke half reasoning with them half threatening. "As leaders, you should consider the situation. These hills, west of the capital, are very eye-catching. If the Imperial Court really comes after the bandits here, I will bear the brunt of it, but after me, you two will be next."

Leader Wang hesitated. "Did the court really send troops to deal with the bandits? Where did you hear this news?"

Liu Yun was about to reply when he heard a voice wailing not too far away. "—leader!"

The three leaders immediately turned around and the expression on Leader Zhang's face changed. He frowned and looked at his subordinate, who should have been back at their camp. "What's the matter with you?"

"Soldiers have come to Wangtu Mountain!" His subordinate's face was full of panic and fear, and his trousers were stained with blood. When he saw Leader Zhang, he also teared up. "The second leader is also dead!"

"What?!" Leader Wang stood up in shock.

He was in a panic. Before he could say anything else, he spotted a few people who had arrived from the mountain pass. They looked pitiful and miserable, and there were some people from Wangtu Mountain among them.

It was clear that Xiguang Mountain, which was about to be surrounded and overtaken by the Imperial Army, was fine, but the two camps whose leaders had been invited by Liu Yun had been attacked with their gates wide open.

The two leaders turned to stare at Liu Yun with an ugly expression.

Liu Yun's face twisted. "That can't be. We're the ones that the Imperial Court wants to deal with. How did they end up going against you?"

He was so shocked his hair stood on end, and he said, "Could it be- could it be just a diversion?"5

Leader Zhang and Leader Wang didn't know whether to believe him or not. They looked at the people from the camp, who had fallen to the ground and were too scared to even stand up. They felt a chill run down their backs. They had all ended like this, what could have happened to the other people in the camp?

How were their wives and children at that moment?!

Seeing their expressions, Liu Yun gritted his teeth and asked, "Leaders, do you now want to go back down the mountain?"

Leader Zhang replied, shocked and angry, "How could I not go back?!"

"But your camps have already been overtaken by the Imperial Court." Liu Yun sighed. "Dear leaders, you two will only manage to get yourselves killed if you return. It's better to get your people and stay with me first to discuss how to deal with this situation."

They were locked in a stalemate for a while until, suddenly, they heard the sound of drums coming from below the mountain. Cold sweat coated Liu Yun's back in an instant. He hurried to the edge of a high platform and looked down, and he froze in place from the fright.

On the edge of the dense forest, countless armored soldiers were standing while waving flags vigorously to the sound of drums in an intimidating way. The flags were all in a row, densely packed, and the forest beyond was also full of shadows. How could the court have sent so many soldiers?!

"Quickly," said Liu Yun loudly, "lock up the mountain road, close the gates! The court's army is coming up!"

The people who had just escaped there from the other two camps heard these words and abruptly stopped crying. Stunned, they looked at Liu Yun in a daze.

Liu Yun's hair stood on end and the ominous feeling in his heart grew stronger. He roared, "Don't leave, close the road!"

"Brother Liu," Leader Zhang suddenly said, "You're not safe here either."

Leader Zhang looked down next to him, his breathing heavy, and then he muttered, "So many soldiers have come here, haven't they…?"

Didn't that mean they had finished slaughtering their two camps already?!

Leader Zhang couldn't wait any longer. Not minding Liu Yun's attempt to obstruct him, he went down the mountain with his own group and rushed to Wangtu Mountain. Seeing as the place was already unsafe, Leader Wang also ran away in a panic.

Liu Yun closed the mountain road and waited, while shaking, for the soldiers to attack. There was water in the mountains and grain at the camp. It'd be enough to last for a month. But if the Imperial army decided to attack them head on…

Liu Yun shuddered.

Xue Yuan stepped on the head of the second in command of the camp under his feet and looked at the sentry who had run back to report the news. He smiled. "Here it is."

The soldiers around him all stood back. Their previous weapons had become worn out to the point of being unusable, so they looked for new weapons around Wangtu Mountain. The bandits had stolen many good things. After seeing their inventory, the soldiers, who had been tired and immobile a moment earlier, became reinvigorated and now they were staring at the road to the camp.

The decapitated heads had been placed on a pile to the side by Xue Yuan. Anyone who looked at them would feel their legs shaking.

Except this group of soldiers who were now blind with bloodlust.6

After they had been infected one by one, when they looked at the pile of heads they felt as if they were looking at a pile of gold. And when Leader Zhang went with his people up the mountain, what he saw was this group of wolf-like soldiers.

Xue Yuan smelled blood in the air. He looked at Leader Zhang, who stood in the middle of his men, and felt his fiery heart throb in his chest.

That head was ugly, but it was worth a lot of money and he could dedicate it to the young Emperor.

Xue Yuan took the lead, rushing ahead with the cold light of his broadsword flashing, and when he moved his soldiers all followed behind.

Leader Zhang's heart seemed to stop for a moment, but he calmed himself down quickly. He was about to go ahead to fight when the men who had escaped the camp and returned with him immediately went crazy, running away while wailing. Their group disintegrated quickly, and even if Leader Zhang had killed them to prevent them from running away he wouldn't have been able to avoid it.

In a battle, fear can cause a side to be defeated. A single person deflecting could be enough for a group to panic, let alone a mob.

Xue Yuan led the men into the group fiercely, and he wouldn't have been able to remember how many he had killed. He simply spotted someone who was being protected by others and was backing away to run.

Kill him.

Take his valuable head.

The men around him were breathing heavily, and Xue Yuan's own breathing was heavy as well, but he continued waving his blade again and again. If his blade broke, he'd pick up another one on the spot.

Finally, he came face to face with the dull looking man in the middle. The corner of Xue Yuan's lips went up, he raised his hand energetically, and the enemy's head rolled to the ground.

The blood splashed Xue Yuan's face. Xue Yuan wiped it carelessly, glanced at the stunned men who had been guarding the camp leader, and lifted the head with the tip of his blade, easily catching it with his left hand.

Then, with a swipe of his long blade, the stunned men died.

Xue Yuan raised the dark head of Leader Zhang up in the air and shouted loudly, "The enemy leader is dead!"

There were many who had followed Leader Zhang, and many of them were still alive. Xue Yuan looked at them and grinned.

The Emperor seemed to be lacking laborers needed to repair the roads.

After capturing the men in Wangtu Mountain, Xue Yuan sent someone to request the Imperial Court to come and collect them, and he led the troops to Xiguang Mountain right away.

The sun had just moved somewhat to the west after the entire trip, and Xue Yuan rode his horse, facing the fading yellow sun. The horse had been tied down the mountain, clean and dry, and it had gotten so startled when it smelled the blood on Xue Yuan's body that it couldn't rest.

One of the soldiers next to him asked loudly, "Sir, can we capture Xiguang Mountain today?"

Xue Yuan looked up and said, "Seems difficult."

Xiguang Mountain was on high ground and the camp was built higher up, so it was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

They had been able to capture Wangtu Mountain and Songzi Mountain by taking advantage of the fact that the camps had been left with the gates wide open. Although the soldiers covering the foothills of Xiguang Mountain had prevented the bandits from escaping, the bad part was that they now didn't dare leave the mountain.

Since ancient times, camps and villages have been built on the water. There were water sources on the Xiguang Mountain, and they still had food. They wouldn't bankrupt the court if they had to wait them out, but it was too inefficient, and Xue Yuan would feel ashamed.

He led the soldiers to the foot of Xiguang Mountain without a hurry. The five hundred infantry who had stayed there looked at them covered in blood carrying heads in their hands, and they felt excited and envious.

Xue Yuan got off his horse and asked the men to bring the horses to the water for a drink before asking, "Have the people that went to Songzi Mountain returned?"

A young officer who had stayed back replied, "They haven't returned yet."

Xue Yuan raised his eyebrows and glanced towards Songzi Mountain. He took the water boot that a soldier handed over, raised it up to drink his fill, and then said, "He better be alright."

After half an hour, the group of the talented Qin Sheng returned, all covered in blood, on horseback, and carrying heads. When Xue Yuan had split the soldiers and cavalry in two groups, Qin Sheng got more people, but when he counted the wounded, there were more wounded in Qin Sheng's group than in his.

Qin Sheng pursed his lips and quietly told Xue Yuan of the events. Qin Sheng was a cautious man, neither humble nor overbearing, and he was good at executing commands. He had done things carefully following Xue Yuan's instructions without flaw.

He didn't have Xue Yuan's madness, nor the confidence Xue Yuan had gained after multiple times in the battlefield. He had cleared the people remaining in the camp with his soldiers and cavalry, and then the people lurking in the mountain and the forest that were preparing for an ambush.

However, the wild forest was full of poisonous snakes, and the mountain terrain was unfamiliar. When they attacked Leader Wang and his party, there were many injured.

Xue Yuan's face didn't change after hearing the report. "Let's not set a precedent."

Qin Sheng looked at him in wonder, not understanding why he looked so neutral. After all, with Xue Yuan's temper, he didn't seem like a pleasant talker.

Xue Yuan noticed his expression, and suddenly he smiled darkly. "Why, do you want me to compliment you?"

"I dare not!" Qin Sheng quickly took a step back.

Xue Yuan was straightforward and merciless. He thought to himself, this Qin Sheng has some skill.

Xue Yuan was a leader and a man who was naturally gifted in war. He also appreciated others that were equally gifted. That sort of person would remember a lesson after making a mistake. Lecturing them more would only be annoying.

In any case, Xue Yuan was too impatient to listen to anyone else's lessons, not even his old man's.

He wasn't as talented as Xue Yuan himself, and he did not dare lead the soldiers in battle. He carried the sadness of an old hero, but he wasn't a match for him, so how could Xue Yuan allow it?

The setting sun gradually dyed the sky yellow, reflecting the red sunset on the horizon. Xue Yuan threw the water boot to the side and stood up, saying, "Put the pile of heads in the most obvious place."

"Sir," the other officers asked, "Do you want us to attack before dawn?"

"Attack my ass," Xue Yuan replied. "The terrain is dangerous and full of traps, how could we attack?"

The officer, resisting the pressure, insisted, "Then what should we do?"

"Set up camp." Xue Yuan looked at Xiguang Mountain, searching for a noticeable spot on the mountain where its foot could be seen at a glance. "Put the pile of heads here and light the fire. There are fish in the river and pheasants and hares at the foot of the mountain. Send someone to catch some and let's eat a meal around the pile."

After hearing the instructions, Qin Sheng, without asking any questions, ordered the soldiers to move the pile to the place Xue Yuan had designated as the rest of the officers looked at each other with strange faces.

Eating dinner around a pile of heads?

Sir Xue was really… really relaxed.

This chapter was very painful to translate… Highschool flashbacks of translating De Bello Gallico for Latin class… Do not worry, the Chronicles of the Emperor's simps returns next chapter.

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Footnotes

Literally West Canyon Mountain, I haven't been able to find if it's a real location Military Examinations were similar to the Imperial Examinations, except on a different schedule. They would examine candidates on martial skills like horse riding and also military here on Xue Yuan addresses himself as laozi every single time, basically, both with enemies and with his own troops.杀懵了头 in the raws, I wasn't sure how to phrase it.声东击西 specifically, it's one of the famous thirty-six "red eyes from killing".

These were sturdy, healthy soldiers Gu Yuanbai had raised with sufficient meals, and they were very strong and had good endurance. Naturally, it was a piece of cake for them to fish in the river and hunt game in the mountains.

Xue Yuan didn't let them go deep into the forest. A group of soldiers caught some pheasant and hare at the foot of the mountain, and with some fish and shrimp from the water, the soldiers had a delicious meal.

Xue Yuan looked around. "That's quite a big meal."

The officer beside him laughed and said, "The Emperor has been feeding them well so they have a big appetite. The soldiers in the capital alone need to eat and drink this much every day!"

The officer stretched out both hands.

"The food now is good." Xue Yuan turned around and looked at the fire. The flames flashed before his eyes, just like the fire in the snowy borders. He said in a light tone, "Some years back, while defending the border against the nomads, the soldiers I led were so hungry that they would eat the dried grass padding their clothes."

In the winter, the border was so cold that it could freeze people to death. The nomads had no food either and crossed the border repeatedly. Xue Yuan had to lead troops stationed at the border with thick snow covering the entire ground. There wasn't even a single blade of grass peeking out, and one step would ice half a leg.

Standing outside in the wind and cold for less than a quarter of an hour would be enough to cover anyone's face with ice and snow. Even going out to take a damn piss was to be avoided, less any future offspring would end up frozen as well.

But they were soldiers from the Great Heng, so, naturally, no matter how hard it was, they had to protect the poor people's food in the winter.

Xue Yuan remembered clearly that the food and winter clothes from the imperial court had been late back then. After they had used up their provisions, unlike the nomads, they couldn't take their own people's food. Hungry enough to eat snow, thirsty enough to drink snow, Xue Yuan's stomach was full of snow.

Even if they filled themselves with snow, it would turn into water nonetheless inside their stomachs. It was impossible to hunt in the winter, and they were reluctant about eating the horses they had gotten from the nomads. When they got extremely hungry and wanted to eat them, they would have to hand them over to the court in the blink of an eye.

On a cold day like that, the soldiers took off their clothes and ate the hay inside out of hunger.

Dry grass didn't solve things, either. They were to either freeze or starve to death. At that time, Xue Yuan thought, what the fuck is the capital doing?

Where is the Emperor? Where are the ministers?

Are they all fucking dead?

They remembered to ask us for horses and cattle and sheep, but what about our food?

It was really uncomfortable for a leader to watch his soldiers starve and freeze like that.

Back then, Xue Yuan hated the ruler in the capital.

People who eat meat with a mouth coated in oil and never know what it's like to be hungry.

The officer was interested in Xue Yuan's experience at the border. "My lord, you should have some military merits, right?"

The corner of Xue Yuan's mouth went up. "I'm very useless, I have no military merits whatsoever."

The officer glanced at him strangely. It was obvious that he didn't believe it, but he didn't continue to ask. He passed the roasted rabbit meat to Xue Yuan. Xue Yuan gulped it down, devouring it with no difference between the soldiers next to him.

There was a lot of movement at the foot of the mountain. A minion who had been constantly watching for movement at the foot of the mountain, notified Liu Yun the moment the pile of heads was set up. Liu Yun personally walked to the side and looked down the mountain, and saw this group of Imperial officers and soldiers around the fire. They were eating, drinking, talking and laughing, their expressions were extremely relaxed, looking like they were celebrating.

What are they celebrating? They haven't caught me yet, what are they celebrating?

Liu Yun's face sank, he couldn't help but think, could these people already have a way to deal with me?

How can this be!

The more he thought about it, the more he panicked, the more he believed it was just as he feared. The group of men eating and drinking at the foot of his mountain was just showing off and celebrating their victory over the bandits in advance. They had to have a way to break through Xiguang Mountain, and they planned to go up to kill him.

Liu Yun's gaze landed on the pile of heads that was like a small mountain and his entire body shook, a chill surging through his body. He couldn't help but think that, if they ran out of food within a month, wouldn't his head also end up on the pile?

Xiguang Mountain would only last for a month at most.

"Keep an eye on them constantly." Before heading off to talk with the people in the camp, he repeated his instructions several times. "Notify me if there are any changes, anything at all!"

The minion watching the situation at the foot of the mountain was also terrified, and he stammered, "Y- Yes, yes."

Soon, the men at the foot of the mountain had a full meal. They were summoned by the official leading them. After telling them who knows what, the Imperial soldiers and cavalry lined up at the foot of the mountain. Seeing this, the young minion cried out, "Leader! It's not good!"

When Liu Yun heard this, he hurried over, and his eyelid twitched when he saw the situation below. He sent people to investigate what the officers and soldiers were doing and finally received news that they were stacking firewood at the foot of the mountain.

Liu Yun was dumbfounded. "They want to… to set the mountain on fire?"

Naturally, Xiguang Mountain had more than just Liu Yun in charge. When the lower level leaders heard these words, they looked horrifically shocked and they personally went with their followers to check the mountain. Sure enough, the court officers and their soldiers were cutting firewood, and there were already several piles of wood down the mountain road.

It was to burn them alive!

After reporting to Liu Yun, Liu Yun's face was grave. Finally, he touched his face and said, "It's late at night and there's dense dew, so they can't light them up, and they don't have time to gather that much firewood. Let's pack our bags and take advantage of the enemy sleeping to flee in the middle of the night!"

As soon as this was said, many of the leaders agreed. They knew in their hearts that they would die sooner or later if they stayed on the mountain. It was better to escape at night and have a chance to survive.

And Xue Yuan happened to be of the same opinion.

The soldiers' camp was quiet at night, and the bandits on the mountain waited until late to make sure that the group of soldiers waiting at the foot of the mountain was asleep before carefully walking down.

Darkness concealed their shapes, and it also concealed the shapes of the soldiers, hiding in the dark while watching them. Xue Yuan had hid there with some soldiers and cavalry, the archers lurking for an ambush. After all the men from the mountain camp had stepped onto flat ground, Xue Yuan made a gesture and the archers shot a rain of arrows on them, causing them to fall over screaming.

Someone cried out, "We were tricked!"

The arrows rained nonstop. After the entire group had been made to scatter by the archers, Xue Yuan made a quick decision. "Charge!"

The foot soldiers that had been hiding in the forest showed up just in time to stab the bandits that wanted to run back, the bodies slipping down the mountain. They wanted to resist, but they had already been surrounded by the enemy.

A cluster of torches suddenly lit up, the loud drums were violent and oppressive, and the entire base of Xiguang Mountain was illuminated with bright lamps.

Banners fluttered majestically and the expressions on the faces of the soldiers were imposing and terrifying. Xue Yuan approached the bandits with five hundred cavalry units, and the sound of the horses' hooves, falling one after another, seemed to be almost hitting the bandits' hearts.

The light of the torches swayed in the wind. Xue Yuan looked down at the crying bandits and spoke, "Surrender, and your lives will be spared."

His sturdy horse shook its tail and neighed powerfully.

Xue Yuan hadn't even changed his clothes, and there was even dry blood on his armor. He had killed a lot of people that day. With a furious aura, his eyes reflected the light of the fires, as horrible as a malevolent ghost's.

"Surrender, camp leader!" Someone unknown cried out, and then, continuous cries of "Surrender!" rang out.

The mountain of heads was the best deterrent for them. If they didn't surrender, they would be beheaded and would die.

"Leader!" the voices cried out, "we don't want to die! We have to surrender!"

Liu Yun slumped to the ground, shivering uncontrollably, and his teeth rattled as he said, "Lord, we surrender."

It took a total of three and a half days to wipe out the bandits on the three mountains, of which three days were used to get there and back. The soldiers were extremely fast. Who knew how many of the capital officials' jaws would drop to the ground over their speed.

While the other soldiers were resting, Xue Yuan had already hurried back to the capital on a fast horse.

When he entered the capital, the sky had already gone dark. It wasn't an appropriate time to go to the palace to disturb the young Emperor, so he headed straight back to the Xue Mansion.

General Xue was taking a walk in the courtyard with Madam Xue. Hearing that he had returned, he went to take a look, his face dark. "Why are you looking like this?!"

His entire body was bloody and reeked, and his armor was still covered in God knows what. Had this sinful son of his gone on a crazy killing rampage again?

Xue Yuan took a towel a young servant handed him and wiped the dust off of his face. "Prepare a bath, this master wants to wash up."

He ignored General Xue and was about to walk around him to leave when he suddenly took a step back and looked at Madam Xue. "Mother, where are the clothes?"

Madam Xue was surprised and asked him, "What clothes?"

Xue Yuan pressed his jaw. His nose was full of the scent of blood on his body. He said patiently, "The clothes that His Majesty wore."

Madam Xue suddenly realized. "The clothes that were worn by His Majesty would naturally be taken away by the palace attendants. Why would they still be in our house?"

Xue Yuan was silent for a while, then suddenly he laughed, unable to suppress it. He turned around and walked towards his room, and then he abruptly said, "They didn't even give us money for those clothes."

The young servant behind him asked, puzzled, "What are you talking about, young master?"

The corner of Xue Yuan's mouth went up. "I have to find a way to get something from that little ungrateful to compensate for the value of the clothes."

The servant felt confused when he heard it and didn't ask anything else. After they returned to the room, another servant and him took off Xue Yuan's armor. The set of armor weighed over twenty kilograms. Without a tall body, it wouldn't be possible to support the armor, and without a lot of endurance it wouldn't be possible to wear it to battle.

And Xue Yuan had wore that armor even beheading at least a hundred people, spilling blood in Wangtu Mountain and defeating Xiguang Mountain, and then rushed back in the middle of the night on horseback. He had stayed vigorous even then, which showed how much energy he had. After the servants removed his armor, Xue Yuan stretched his muscles, the ones at his back bulging with strength.

"Young master, the hot water is ready," called someone from the outside. "Will you take your bath now?"

Xue Yuan nodded and walked out with big strides.

In the Imperial Palace, Gu Yuanbai was also getting ready to rest.

He had just finished bathing, and a palace maid was drying the last bit of water from his head when he learnt of Xue Yuan's return.

"Half a day." Gu Yuanbai didn't know whether to sigh or exclaim. "Tian Fusheng, did you hear that? It only took him half a day to take care of all the bandits in the three mountains."

Tian Fusheng nodded and said, "Your Majesty, Guard Xue is excellent at strategy."

Gu Yuanbai closed his eyes and nodded. After a moment of pause, he said, "Tomorrow, tell Qin Sheng to come over to see Us tomorrow."

The Emperor understood Xue Yuan's hard work and praised his good efforts to suppress the bandits, so he granted him many rewards, along with two days of rest and a position.

The Emperor gave Xue Yuan the official position of Inspector in chief.1

The rank of Inspector in chief was a senior officer in the army, a commanding officer of the fifth rank. Considering Xue Yuan's previous military service, it was necessary to give him a position of the fourth rank or higher that went with a noble title. However, General Xue had suppressed Xue Yuan's military merits, and Gu Yuanbai gave him an official position as high as possible from the current positions.

The General's mansion was overflowing with joy, including General Xue, who had been suppressing Xue Yuan and couldn't help but reveal a bit of his joy. Although he had been suppressing him, now he felt proud that his son had received a reward from the Emperor.

Not everyone would be able to eliminate three mountains in half a day of work!

It was a shame that, after acquiring an official position, he wouldn't be able to participate in the military examinations.

While Xue Mansion was lively and full of activity, Chang Yuyan showed up at the door.

Seeing Xue Yuan, he gave him an once over and then said with a smile, "Want to come out for a walk?"

Xue Yuan walked out of the Xue Mansion with him, and Chang Yuyan couldn't help himself. Halfway through the walk he found a restaurant, booked a private room and asked when no one was around, "Xue Jiuyao, why did you go fight the bandits?"

It was a day off. Xue Yuan touched the wine cup with a careless gesture. "Why, can't I go fight bandits?"

"I just didn't think that you'd have to work for the Emperor one day," Chang Yuyan said with a smile. "I heard that last time His Majesty also sent you to the Hanlin Academy to give Chu Wei and Kong Yilin the inkstones that he gave them as a reward. Why don't you come and talk with me?"

Xue Yuan replied impatiently, "It's all men, what's there to say?"

Chang Yuyan felt amused. "Then, since you stand before the Emperor all day long, won't you become a saw mouthed gourd?"2

Xue Yuan scoffed, can standing in front of His Majesty be the same as standing in front of you?

Having spoken of the Emperor, Chang Yuyan had a glass of wine in silence and then sighed. "Xue Jiuyao, you're still lucky despite your mad dog of a temper. To be honest, even I, as an historian of the Hanlin Academy, have never spoken before His Majesty, and you can speak to the Emperor everyday."

Xue Yuan also smiled and narrowed his eyes, "Chang Yuyan, what do you mean by that?"

"What else can I mean?" Chang Yuyan smiled bitterly. "I envy you for being able to see the Emperor every day."

Xue Yuan drank a sip of wine, feeling happy. He thought not only do I get to see the Emperor, I even touched the Emperor's thighs, but what's the benefit? I don't like men either.

What the fuck would he envy him for? The Emperor was so feeble, even Xue Yuan with his mad dog temper wasn't able to go overboard with.

Riding a horse would rub his skin raw, and touching his hand would make it red. Xue Yuan didn't dare mistreat him.

"Xue Yuan?" Chang Yuyan called him twice. "What are you thinking about?"

Xue Yuan swirled the bottle. "Say, how can some people be so soft?"

Chang Yu asked, "Soft?"

Xue Yuan touched his chin, and an unreadable smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Like a piece of tofu, breaking from just a pinch."

He looked like a bandit. Chang Yuyan couldn't understand what he was talking about. He shook his head and sighed. "Let's not talk about that. Tell me about how you dealt with the bandits. I heard that you suppressed the three mountains in three days and a half. How did that happen?"

At the same time, in the palace, Qin Sheng was also talking to the Emperor about the campaign against the bandits.

Gu Yuanbai listened carefully, and while reviewing the memorials, he pictured the terrain of the three mountains in his mind. Qin Sheng spoke methodically. Although he had never read a book, he was born with the sense of a Confucian general. At that time, his words were clear, and even the sentence Xue Yuan had said to him, "Do you want me to compliment you?" was brought up.

Same as Xue Yuan, Gu Yuanbai felt that Qin Sheng could easily become an excellent commander to carry out orders.

He was very good, also good at learning, and if sent to lead a number of soldiers and cavalry on his own, after being instructed he'd complete his task to perfection. But Qin Sheng couldn't be a leader.

As a chief commander, the most important thing was being able to control his subordinates. Qin Sheng was too honest, or too sincere. A person like that could not be the one issuing orders, but it was easy for him to gain the trust of whoever did.

Gu Yuanbai liked people like that.

He stopped reviewing the memorial and said, "Did Xue Yuan only take the head of the leader of Wangtu Mountain?"

"Yes," Qin Sheng replied, "Master Xue said bluntly that he only wanted that man's head."

Gu Yuanbai smiled slightly and instructed him, "That's the way to control subordinates."

Qin Sheng's expression was solemn, and he bowed. "Asking Your Highness for guidance in this matter."

"The keys of managing subordinates are 'leniency' and 'strictness'," said the Emperor slowly. "'Leniency refers to gold, silver, fame and fortune, and having men follow you to gain benefits. As a general, the soldiers have to be rewarded and praised for a good job. The benefits are to gain their obedience and have them be useful to you."

Higher ups always thought the same sort of things. Qin Sheng had always followed orders before, so standing in a high position to understand these words left him suddenly at a loss.

Gu Yuanbai looked at his expression, smiled, and asked him to step back and think about it slowly.

The government affairs had started to be dealt with and memorials sent had started to implement templates, tables and diagrams. As far as tables and diagrams went, Gu Yuanbai was confident that no one could compare to him. He could see at one glance what points weren't right, what points were falsified or full of loopholes, giving serious critique and even demotions and reassignments. After dealing with a few people like that at first, the remaining officials were much more honest.

Seeing that there were no outsiders in the palace, Tian Fusheng stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the head of Lu Feng's men who were previously found at Qi Manor were sent on a fast horse to Jinghunan and Jiangnan."

"Good!" Gu Yuanbai laughed and said maliciously, "We'd really like to see their expressions."

Tian Fusheng followed suit and chuckled. "The other spies found by the Imperial army in at the homes of the other members of the Imperial clan were also put up for transportation,3 but there's too many of them, and it's estimated that it'll take a month to send them to Jinghunan."

"Not too slow-" Gu Yuanbai touched his chest and felt the slow beating speed of his heart under his hand, and sighed. "Hopefully they'll fight."

If it's dog bites dog then it's dog bites dog, and a rebellion is a rebellion. No mercy.

Those mighty men, after he was done looting them Gu Yuanbai would be able to praise them.

He silently encouraged his enemies.

Don't let me down!

Two days later, Xue Yuan, who was full of energy and smiling, stood in front of Gu Yuanbai.

Gu Yuanbai was discussing matters with the Imperial Historian. After he had left, Xue Yuan respectfully stepped forward and saluted. "Your Majesty, this official4 did not let you down and returned victorious."

In the few days when Xue Yuan was absent, the guard captain had healed and returned to the Emperor. The tall guard stood straight like a mountain and did not move from his position.

His position was the one where Xue Yuan usually stood.

Xue Yuan glanced over with a smile,

Xue Yuan Yuguang glanced at him with a smile on his face and darkness clouding his eyes.

What was this? After fighting the bandits for a few days for the Emperor, someone had taken over his position?

The corner of Gu Yuanbai's lips went up and he looked at him with a smile. "Guard Xue has been all the talk these days."

The young emperor smiled so brightly that his pale lips looked like flowers. The hostility under Xue Yuan's heart was instantly smoothed out and he also grinned and replied, "It's all thanks to Your Majesty's blessing."

Gu Yuanbai asked Xue Yuan to tell what happened once more. Xue Yuan explained briefly, and wrapped up suppressing the bandits in a few sentences. Things like that were really insignificant to his eyes. The opponents were too weak, and there really was nothing for him to say.

After discussing the bandits, Xue Yuan smiled. "Your Majesty, this official also has one more thing to offer."

Gu Yuanbai raised his eyes and motioned for him to bring it up.

Then he saw Xue Yuan walk up with a head.

Xue Yuan was so unruly that he didn't even put the head on a tray and instead carried it by its hair. The head, with a blank expression, swayed. Gu Yuanbai's face remained expressionless, and Tian Fusheng, next to him, shrieked.

Xue Yuan didn't pay attention to their expressions, and he held the head up and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, this is the head of the leader of Wangtu Mountain's camp."

Gu Yuanbai nodded expressionlessly.

Xue Yuan's smile deepened, thinking to himself he wouldn't make a bad trade exchanging this head for a piece of clothing that had been worn by the Emperor.

The head was still worth a lot of gold and silver at least.

But before he could make his request, Gu Yuanbai said, "Get out."

Xue Yuan's smile froze.

Gu Yuanbai's face remained unchanged, neither angry nor happy. He didn't look at the head in Xue Yuan's hand and instead looked directly at Xue Yuan's eyes, and said lightly, "Official Xue, either the head gets out or you get out."

Xue Yuan let out a chuckle and threw the head at a guard smoothly, asking him to take it out.

When he turned his head back around, he was met with the guard captain's glare, which seemed to condemn Xue Yuan's behavior. Xue Yuan smiled fakely. "Does Your Majesty not like what this officer brought you?"

Why are you so picky?

You don't like a meaty mouse nor a head worth a thousand gold, so what exactly do you like?

Xue Yuan thought for a while about the pieces of jade and unique books that his manor's retainers had asked him to give as gifts.

He thought, what's so good about that sort of stuff?

But with a glance, he saw the Emperor lift a hand and touch a piece of white jade5 on the table. Touching the soft white jade with a white jade-like hand, it was impossible to tell which one was more beautiful.

Even against the white jade, the Emperor's nails showed a faint pink tone.

Xue Yuan looked at it for a while and looked away, but after a while, he unconsciously looked back at the Emperor's hand.

…It's quite beautiful.

If the jade were slimmer and longer, and it was held with his five fingers, it'd look even better.

*bows down* Apologies for the delay, I have been very busy this month! I'm starting regular classes and I hope for a steady schedule from now on! (In my defense this chapter is actually classified as "2×1" because of length, I insist on not chopping them up though T_T)

Remember you can join foxaholic's discord to be notified of all schedule changes! Thank you everyone for your support!

Now let's discuss. Is Xue Yuan thinking about the Emperor's dick in the last line?

If you enjoyed this chapter, remember to vote for this novel on NU and add it to your reading list here!

And if you want to support my work, check out my ko-fi!

Footnotes

Following 'Hucker, Charles O. (1985). A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China' because I despaired with this one and I couldn't find an explanation on baidu.A metaphor for someone who isn't eloquent or isn't in a position to speak, it's a gourd with simply a mouth sawed in therefore has no ability to speak.刑车 Literally "torture car" which can mean prisoner transportation cars or it can mean… something rather pornographic that I'm not sure is historically correct, so I went with what seems the common to this point he has been addressing himself as laozi all the way, he went back to respectful phrasings type of "mutton fat" jade that was explained in a previous chapter.

Gu Yuanbai didn't say that for nothing. Xue Yuan had really made a big splash in the capital this time.

The way he had managed to suppress the bandits in three and a half days had shocked many. It was impossible to know just how many eyes were looking at him now and discussing his surprisingly fast campaign while they idly drank some tea.

The soldiers that followed Xue Yuan to cover the entire Wangtu Mountain had gone crazy that day, thinking of nothing but gaining military merit and killing. After they slept the next day, they suddenly came back to their senses, and they all came close to throwing up.

They had killed more people than the team led by Qin Sheng, and they had gone crazy. Although it would be embarrassing to throw up, they had already displayed their talent, being full of fierce energy.

Xue Yuan had been responsible for taking down the bandits' three mountains. Gu Yuanbai would be the one to do the follow up.

Before sending them to servitude, there were things to figure out. Why did so many bandits head to the mountains? Where had they come from? What sort of big problems could the local officials have caused for so many people, for them to leave the fields and become bandits that everyone despised in response?

Gu Yuanbai arranged for someone to investigate. After learning where these bandits came from, he arranged for officials from the Supervision Office and the Imperial Court to investigate. The Supervision Office worked in the dark, and the Court was in the light. The two groups rushed to Lizhou to investigate the cause.

Back in the palace, the recruitment for the Eastern Feather Guard remained strict. Soldiers that had been in the campaign against the bandits were also part of it, and their look and demeanor was clearly different from that of those who had never killed.

That day, Gu Yuanbai was free, so he went personally to the Eastern Feather Guard's training site, to see the physical fitness trials of the soldiers.

After they learned the Emperor had arrived, the soldiers got a bit excited. They stood straight, with their chest out, and their yells became louder, making the examiners feel confused.

Gu Yuanbai stood at the front with a smile, watching the teams being tested. With the Emperor standing there, under his gaze people felt as if they had gotten reinvigorated, and they played extraordinarily, breaking records one after another.

Few people had ever met the Emperor, but they were aware that the food they ate and the clothes they wore were provided by him, and that their pay came from the money the Emperor set aside for them.

" "

The reason everyone in the Imperial Army could be strong and every meal could be so filling was all because of the Emperor.

In fact, the meals were better and more filling than the food back home.

Gu Yuanbai sat next to the officials in charge of the tests for the Eastern Feather Guard, and, behind him, stood his guards, as well as Xue Yuan.

That day, the sun shone triumphant. The officers and soldiers were all sweaty, and those protecting Gu Yuanbai were also overheated. Gu Yuanbai was the only one that seemed to have arrived wrapped in freshness, looking cool and clean.

Xue Yuan, who stood at the back, pulled at his own collar when nobody was paying him attention. A breeze blew into his collar towards his Adam's apple, making him feel a little better.

The guard captain next to him glanced at two bite wounds on his neck that had scarred, frowned, and whispered to him, "Official Xue, how did you get that scar on your neck?"

His tone was slightly judgemental. Xue Yuan touched the two wounds on his neck with his hand, and said cheerfully, "None of your fucking business."

The guard captain frowned and continued to insist quietly, "How can you be so shameless, disregarding your appearance when you serve the Emperor?"

Xue Yuan glanced at him with a smile, and spat out, "What am I supposed to do? When I'm bit, can I stop that?"

The small teeth of the Emperor's mouth had almost bit off two chunks of Xue Yuan's meat.

"The Emperor didn't say anything," Xue Yuan said coldly. "What bullshit are you going on about?"

The guard captain, Zhang Xu, had a dark expression. "This is a stain in His Majesty's eyes."

Xue Yuan narrowed his eyes and turned to look at the guard captain. Devoid of any expression, his sharp features were horrifying. The guard captain stood straight and stared straight back.

Xue Yuan suddenly smiled. "So what you're saying is that His Majesty has never seen a bite in someone's neck?"

When he thought about it, he couldn't hold back a smile, and he glanced at Gu Yuanbai's white, smooth neck. He thought to himself, no wonder he bit my neck. He's so soft, not to mention a bite, his skin would get red just from getting sucked on.

Gu Yuanbai didn't notice the movement behind him. The palace attendant next to him took out a towel and wiped his forehead. Gu Yuanbai waved them away and asked, "Gentlemen, what good seedlings have you found so far?"

General Cheng was present, and he took the lead to say, "Replying to Your Majesty, the Eastern Feather Guard's selection process has been going for two days, and in that time we've selected over a hundred elite soldiers."

Having said that, General Cheng handed Gu Yuanbai a document. Gu Yuanbai opened it and laughed. "General Cheng, so you've also learned how to use forms?"

General Cheng smiled embarrassedly. "This official believes using forms is very convenient for this."

Gu Yuanbai nodded slightly in agreement. "It's true."

The booklet recorded the names and places of origin of over a hundred people, the battles or missions they had participated in, what military merits they achieved, and other various data, all included in detail in the booklet.

Each of the candidates to the Eastern Feather Guard was a mighty soldier. After flipping a few pages, Gu Yuanbai gave General Cheng a few more words of praise and, once it was noon and the soldiers had left for lunch, he left.

The weather was getting hot, and staying inside the palace was boring. When Gu Yuanbai passed by a lake, he got people to bring some government affairs over, wanting to deal with them at the pavilion by the lake.

The palace attendants surrounded the pavilion with a light gauze fabric to stop insects and mosquitoes from getting in. Inside, incense repelling incense was lit. A cool breeze was flowing in. Gu Yuanbai felt rarely refreshed while dealing with the government affairs.

The scent was soft and ethereal, and the birds sang clear and pleasant to the ear. Gu Yuanbai wrote full of vigor, and, after spending an hour reviewing government affairs, he took out a document from the capital's governor.

Under Gu Yuanbai's leadership, the Imperial Court was like a wolf, able to smell blood in the wind. Even if it was busy with the Eastern Feather Guard and the anti corruption campaign, he hadn't forgotten the plan to use public opinion to push the main temples.

After talking with the Chengbao Temple's abbot, the other temples in close contact with it had taken the initiative to hand in a considerable portion of their fields and release a lot of their monks. Even now it was possible to see monks returning from the temples from time to time walking the capital's streets.

The news that the Emperor was planning to get rid of unnecessary monks slowly spread between the temples.

Gu Yuanbai was very satisfied with the outcome. He was able to avoid deploying troops and using forceful methods. In such a situation the temples had gained a good reputation, as well as the Imperial Court, turning out as a win-win situation.

The new laws regarding limitations for temples had yet to be studied by the Zhengshi Hall. Gu Yuanbai had deliberately held them back to give the temples time to hand things over on their own initiative.

After the definitive laws for temples were published, those temples that hadn't had time to get a good reputation would have to resignedly hand in their lands and workers.

"How many people were captured during the campaign against the bandits?" Gu Yuanbai suddenly remembered that matter.

Xue Yuan replied, "More than four thousand people."

Gu Yuanbai was surprised. "That's so many people!"

Xue Yuan smiled. The people in Xiguang Mountain walked down the hill in the dark. When they were surrounded, they were under the belief that there were many soldiers and cavalry and didn't even put up a fight, surrendering directly. Xiguang Mountain barely had 2,000 casualties, compared to the many deaths at Wangtu Mountain and Songzi Mountain.

Apparently, the remaining prisoners from Wangtu Mountain were so happy that they cried with joy when they saw the Imperial Court.

Gu Yuanbai made arrangements for those four thousand people and couldn't help but curl his mouth with a smile. "Good!"

Xue Yuan looked at his smiling face. He had thought at first that getting rid of the bandits had turned out to be a trivial matter that he didn't care for, but surprisingly it got a good result in the end. He smiled as well, wondering how he ought to live.

Such a small achievement was able to make him so happy.

Fuck it, he's really missing the battlefield.

Gu Yuanbai was in a good mood, and had people take the approved memorials back to the Zhengshi Hall. He walked by the lake with the blowing breeze, and, after working up a sweat, he returned to the palace.

The palace was ready for the Emperor's bath. After Gu Yuanbai walked in, everyone retreated.

The water was warm and a bright light came in through the window. Gu Yuanbai let out a long pleased sigh, closed his eyes and leaned against the edge of the bath, enjoying the comfortable feeling of the water around him.

However, after a while, he opened his eyes and looked down. It might be that the weather was getting warm and everyone was getting dry, because his little brother had also raised its head.

Every day, when Gu Yuanbai looked at it, he had no expression, but now he seemed to feel something. He raised his hand, and for the first time in three years his five fingers had something to do.

Outside, Tian Fusheng, who was guarding the door of the hall, suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is there tea ready in the hall?"

"There is," the maid was surprised, and said with some hesitation, "but it was prepared before His Majesty went into the bath. It should have gone cold by now."

"Go and make a new pot of tea," Tian Fusheng urged, "Hurry up."

The palace attendant hurriedly went to brew a new pot of tea. Tian Fusheng was about to bring it to the hall when he saw a pair of big hands come out of thin air, grab the teapot, and say with a smile, "Steward Tian, I'll do it.."

Without waiting for their reaction, Xue Yuan strode into the hall.

The Imperial paraphernalia was extremely luxurious. Carpets were spread on the floor and the hall was full of mist. It wasn't Xue Yuan's first time in the hall. He turned left and right as he went with familiarity, and, when he was about to push open the door, he suddenly heard an unclear gasp.

Xue Yuan stilled his hand, but he couldn't take back the force of his push until that point, and the door opened a crack.

The breathing sound became clearer.

Xue Yuan looked up and saw that the Emperor was facing the wooden door, with his black hair draped over his shoulders. He was motionless in the middle of the mist, looking a bit strange.

What is he doing?

Instinctively, Xue Yuan felt that going in would be dangerous. He stepped back slowly and walked to the window, casually pushing it open to look inside.

His white fingers were playing with his own thing, and Xue Yuan could clearly see what it looked like. Xue Yuan's initially careless gaze was now fixed, and the hand holding the teapot was clenching it tightly. A tingly feeling ran through him, from head to toe.

White and smooth, a very delicate, pink color. So there were men that look that color—just like jade.

How can… how can someone like Gu Yuanbai…

He's clearly such a ruthless person, how can he look so tender?

Xue Yuan's gaze was unrelenting, his entire body numb, and he felt dizzy, as if he had too much to drink. He thought, so Gu Yuanbai's thing can be that cute.

It didn't suit him at all, and it was so cute that Xue Yuan felt his brain go numb from the surprise.

Sob sob I know this is delayed… I've been switched to daily in person classes and it's been tough to get my schedule back on track. I've changed all my releases to the weekends and I hope to get steadily back to it now that I don't have to travel for a while.

TW: sexual content

Xue Yuan had never felt this way.

Even when he applied medicine for the Emperor, Xue Yuan had only thought that the young Emperor's skin was as tender as tofu. But now, seeing Gu Yuanbai revealing a completely different side from his usual cruelty, Xue Yuan felt his scalp tingling as if his head was going to explode.

They were all men, but, like jade, his thing was completely different from Xue Yuan's. He had always thought that everyone's thing looked hideous, but, unexpectedly, Gu Yuanbai's didn't.

The Emperor was indeed made of jade, impeccably beautiful and precious in every way.

Xue Yuan took a step back, feeling a little hot. With strong restraint, he shifted his gaze away, returned to the wooden door, knocked on it and called out, "Your Majesty, this official is bringing tea."

His brain kept saying, it's pink, it's actually pink.

Gu Yuanbai was startled and squeezed too hard with his hand. His expression twisted in pain for a moment and, after relaxing his hold, he ordered quietly, "Set it down."

Xue Yuan was still a little dazed and didn't hear this response.

Gu Yuanbai didn't hear him walk away, and he was forced to stop. When he turned his head to look, he saw a black shadow standing outside the door. The black shadow was tall and standing in front of the door like a guardian statue.

Gu Yuanbai was stuck in such a position, still feeling heated, and he reluctantly asked, "Xue Yuan?"

Xue Yuan said without thinking, "It's very beautiful."

" "

Gu Yuanbai: "?"

Gu Yuanbai asked, "What? "

Xue Yuan came back to his senses in an instant. He looked at the wooden door, and he thought he spotted the young Emperor1 through the lattice. He was crazy. He had to be crazy. He actually thought that the thing the Emperor was playing with was more expensive and precious than fondling a bar of jade.

It should be warm… so there really are men that look pink and tender like that…

He coughed heavily and said, "Your Majesty's voice sounds off, are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Gu Yuanbai looked down at his hand and said, "…it's nothing, step back."

Xue Yuan turned around, took a few steps, and sensed that something was wrong when he was about to step out of the palace door. He looked down and realized that he was still carrying the freshly brewed tea in his arms.

Xue Yuan stood there in silence for a while, then went back and put the tea in front of the door, and then strode out of the palace.

When Gu Yuanbai got out of the bath, half an hour had passed. He was wearing a robe, and the palace attendant outside was called in to wait on him. Once he was neatly dressed and the water in his hair had been wiped off, the sun outside had moved to the west.

As soon as the Emperor walked out of the palace gate, Xue Yuan looked over and saw that the parts of the Emperor's white skin that were visible had turned red from the steam. Xue Yuan felt his head explode again and went completely red.

Among all the guards, his expression was the strangest. Gu Yuanbai looked sideways and remembered the pot of tea he had placed in front of the door, so he lazily said, "Official Xue, go and get the pot of tea you brought me and bring it back."

Xue Yuan replied, "Yes."

He walked quickly to the hall and, within a few breaths, he found the pot of tea next to the door. Xue Yuan picked up the tea and looked at the bath inside the door. Its sweet scent reached him.

Xue Yuan couldn't help himself and wondered whether that pale noodle had also been steamed by the hot water.

…Xue Jiuyao, it's none of your business whether the young Emperor is pink or not.

Xue Yuan walked out carrying the drink with a cold face.

Gu Yuanbai took a few sips and his dry lips finally felt better. He had just gotten off. What was a pleasant surprise was the fact that, although his thing was tender and not very big, it had great stamina, which at least let Gu Yuanbai have some self esteem as a man.

He returned to the palace in a good mood. The day's affairs had been processed ahead of schedule, and Gu Yuanbai took out a document to read it. After a while, he suddenly thought of something. "Is this year's Spring Hunt happening soon?"

Tian Fusheng replied quietly, "There is still about half a month to go."

Gu Yuanbai smiled and said, "We haven't gone hunting for a long time, government affairs have kept Us too busy. Even We want to relax."

Tian Fusheng couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, the imperial doctor asked you not to think too hard. How can you endure staying busy all day long?"

If the Emperor's body were healthy, Tian Fusheng would never dare say such a thing, trying to convince His Majesty not to be too diligent. However, the Emperor was weak and prone to getting sick, and such a busy schedule would wreck him.

Gu Yuanbai smiled and said, "Let's arrange the rules of Spring Hunting." The Emperor switched topics, and Tian Fusheng could do nothing but step back and arrange for someone to place the Spring Hunt on the agenda.

The Spring Hunt and the Autumn Hunt had a specific set of regulations since ancient times, and implementing them didn't cause much trouble. The Imperial Army set off ten days in advance to secure the mountain and ensure there'd be nothing that might threaten the Emperor's safety.

The Spring Hunt was supposed to take place in March, but the examinations had been held in March that year, so it was postponed. Now it was May, and the spring wasn't over yet. The breeze was very pleasant, neither too cold nor too hot, and it was a good time for hunting.

Naturally, the entirety of the court followed the Emperor's orders.

The Spring Hunt was a grand hunt in an enclosed area. There were requirements for all the Imperial family members and officials of the court who could participate. A few days ago, everyone at the palace had been afraid to speak up or even breathe. First, they were frightened by the matter with Prince Qi and the Imperial Censor, and then by seeing how those that spoke up in Prince Qi's favor were sent to rural posts. These days there seemed to be a heavy rock crushing them, and everyone behaved cautiously with their words and actions, fearing committing a grave mistake.

And such an atmosphere wouldn't be conducive to the stability of the court.

Therefore, Gu Yuanbai proposed the Spring Hunt. Another purpose was to ease the relationship between the Emperor and his courtiers, so as to have them worry less.

The idea worked well. As soon as the news came out, the capital became lively, and various government offices began to speed up various proceedings to make time for the Spring Hunt.

And Chu Wei, who had been shoved into the Imperial Censor's office, became as busy as Kong Yilin.

Their official positions were still part of the Imperial Academy, and their current workload could be considered just a part-time job granted by the Emperor. Even so, they were very satisfied doing one more job with just one salary.

Gu Yuanbai appreciated their mentality a lot. Look, look at these ancient workers. They didn't get tired working more and being paid less. They're willing to work 996 and 007 every day,2 employees like that in the modern era would be crushed by their boss until they died.

That day, Chu Wei had arrived to meet with the Emperor and tell Gu Yuanbai about the situation with the Imperial Censor. He spoke carefully and even analyzed diverse factions around the previous Impecial Censor, and found them and split them apart one by one. Some were punished, some were praised, and official posts were granted, real or false, at high and low levels, as a means to implement checks and balances.

It had to be said that his words were very reasonable. Even though Gu Yuanbai already had plans to deal with the department, he couldn't help but beam at him.

Chu Wei's talent was sharp and useful once he started to find the right direction.

Gu Yuanbai listened with a smile, and then said, "Official Chu, you've worked hard."

Chu Wei smiled slightly, his face looking like a calm spring breeze, and he calmly said, "This is simply my duty as an official."

That statement was clearly false. Chu Wei's father didn't have a high position, and even after the issue with the water he was transferred to the Ministry of Works and assigned a position that was just for show. He never had the ambition to improve his status.

The Water Department of the Ministry of Works was more powerful than the Ministry of Rites. They were in charge of controlling the weirs and dams, together with the local lords, and they were able to determine the water level and canal waterways for farming using the government degrees. And because Chu Xun was a peaceful man, he couldn't be of much help to his son. One had to wonder how much effort Chu Wei needed to figure things out so clearly.

Gu Yuanbai said warmly, "Official Chu, you did a good job." The young Emperor's words were soft, and Chu Wei couldn't help feeling taken aback. In his memory, the Emperor had only spoken to him in such a gentle voice once.

…It was the time he had been tied to the Imperial bed.

Chu Wei's ears blushed subtly, and he lowered his eyes and said, "As long as I can share the Emperor's worries, then it's all good."

Beauties are pleasing to look at, especially talented ones. Gu Yuanbai took Chu Wei with him for a walk to the Imperial Gardens as a show of favor.

Chu Wei's poems and prose were also superb. The six arts of gentlemen are all first-rate. Seeing the Emperor smile among the flowers and plants, he couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, would you allow me to make a painting of you?"

Gu Yuanbai felt amused. "A painting of Us?"

Chu Wei nodded.

Gu Yuanbai thought for a moment and realized he hadn't gotten any portraits done yet, so he asked Tian Fusheng to bring a chair, find a background full of flowers, and he sat down leisurely.

The palace attendants brought painting tools to Chu Wei. Every sheet of paper was precious, and every pigment was bright and beautiful. The palace attendants stood on both sides, quietly watching Chu Wei painting.

The Emperor had a smile on his pale lips, eyes bright and divine, between his eyebrows was his confidence in the power in his hands. This confidence and power were so appealing it made a beautiful jade seem like a pile of dust, full of energy and capable of catching everyone's eye.

Interestingly, even though the young Emperor didn't have good health, he looked very alive. Some people are perfectly healthy, but they always look lifeless. The bright and fiery air unique to the Emperor was like a blazing flame.

With many thoughts in his mind, Chu Wei picked up a slender brush, dipped it with water and light ink, and scribbled out a sketch.

As the sun moved westward, the warm light covered the Emperor in gold. Chu Wei raised his head to look at him, and then lowered his head to draw a stroke. He had a serious look on his face, but Xue Yuan always felt that he was pursuing public affairs.

Every time Chu Wei glanced at the young Emperor, Xue Yuan felt that he was ill-intentioned. He drew the young Emperor's brows and eyes on the paper, which had to mean that he had licked the young Emperor's brows and eyes with his own gaze.

Then there were the eyes of the Emperor.

Xue Yuan held the hilt of the sword at his waist with a smile on his face.

The retainers in his mansion had informed him of the results of investigating Chu Wei last time, and he did not find anything about Chu Wei having a preference for men. Xue Yuan didn't believe the bullshit they found. So he doesn't like men?

So someone that doesn't like men can deliberately hold the Emperor's waist before him?

He sneered, thinking that it wasn't that Chu Wei didn't like men, but that the one he liked was the Lord of the Imperial Throne, so he didn't dare to say anything.

Chu Wei fixed his gaze on the Emperor's face for a little bit and then looked away to continue painting. There was no need for the Emperor to sit there all the time. It was too exhausting after all. Chu Wei jotted down the scene in his brain, and suggested to Gu Yuanbai to get up and walk away. If he forgot something, he could just look up and look at the Emperor.

It took time to complete a good painting, and the portrait was still unfinished by the time they had to leave. With the Emperor's permission, Chu Wei could take it back to his manor and present it once it was finished.

When leaving the palace, Chu Wei and Xue Yuan walked out of the palace one after the other.

A carriage owned by the Chu family was waiting outside the palace gates, and Xue Yuan rode a horse. Xue Yuan passed by Chu Wei's carriage. Chu Wei looked at him coldly, full of disgust.

And Xue Yuan, who had passed by Chu Wei's carriage, had already stopped smiling, thinking with a blank expression about how to teach Chu Wei a lesson.

There's always some people with ambitions that go higher than the sky, and they dare to think about things that shouldn't be thought of.

Without being taught a lesson, he won't know his worth.

Xue Yuan thought about bloody ideas with a neutral expression while riding his horse very slowly. He only snapped back to his senses when he passed by a jade store.

…inevitably, he thought of something pink.

His scalp suddenly felt numb.

Fellas is it gay to think about the Emperor looking hot when fapping?

I'm slowly catching up… I was stuck on the Water Department line for two days I'm not kidding ;v; I'm glad the plot is progressing.

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Footnotes

I believe I hadn't mentioned this before, but Xue Yuan's "young Emperor" can also mean spoiled kid.996 refers to a 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week schedule, proposed seriously by mostly tech companies, and 007 would be 00:00am to 00:00pm, 7 days a week, that one being a an internet joke.

A jade store.

After returning to the capital, Xue Yuan had never been to a store like that.

He paced back and forth with his horse, Gu Yuanbai filling his thoughts, and Xue Yuan's eyes were fixated on the jade store the entire time. Finally, he snarled and dismounted the horse.

There had been a lot of steam in the air, and he might have been wrong.

He'd have to take another look with his own eyes to really know whether it actually was that color or not. Xue Yuan needed a way to get Gu Yuanbai to take off his pants in front of him.

How could he get that to happen?

Take them from him directly?

Xue Yuan stepped into the jade store while thinking about how to take them off. The owner of the jade store hurriedly came over to greet him. "What sort of jade ornaments are you looking for?"

Xue Yuan was still wearing the palace guard's uniform, which was similar to the Inspector in chief robes, and they made him look tall and handsome. He glanced at the jade ornaments in the store, but didn't see the type of jade pieces that he wanted, so he raised his eyes, looked at the owner and said, "Are there any jade pieces that are slender and pink?"

The store owner was dumbfounded. "Slender and pink?"

Xue Yuan made a gesture, and then asked, "Are there any like that?"

The owner smiled awkwardly, took Xue Yuan to the inner room, and then took out an exquisite carved wooden box. The box looked hefty and brand new. Xue Yuan glanced at the box and then at the owner.

" "

The owner wiped the box clean with a towel and put it on a high table next to him. The box was opened and the contents appeared before Xue Yuan's eyes.

They were long, slim jade pieces, some narrower and some thicker.

The jade was a translucent white shade, and the thinnest was no thicker than a finger while the thickest one was the size of a fist.

Xue Yuan picked up one at random, noticing they were cold to the touch, not like a cheap ordinary product.

It practically matched all of Xue Yuan's requirements, except that they weren't pink. Xue Yuan asked, "What is this?"

The owner said, "Sir officer, these are jade rods."1

Xue Yuan pondered for a while. "Jade rods?"

The owner, sweating profusely, explained their purpose to Xue Yuan in detail.

While talking, the owner was puzzled. This official doesn't even know what a jade rod is for, how come he thought of buying one?

After choosing a date for the Spring Hunt, Gu Yuanbai purposefully slowed down his workload and schedule for a few days. He was in a calm mood and he eased up on issuing Imperial orders. All the various government departments couldn't help but feel relieved.

Whenever the Emperor was angry, heads would roll.

The officials and members of the Imperial family weren't very tense, but after witnessing what happened with the Imperial Censor and Prince Qi a few days ago now they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The officials and the Imperial family consciously kept their distance from each other, and certainly didn't take any bribes. They weren't money, they were a curse.

The one who felt the most relieved was the head doctor of the Imperial hospital.

Gu Yuanbai needed regular medical exams and taking tonics to nourish his body, drinking so many that they wouldn't taste bitter. But no matter how brilliant the Imperial doctors were, they couldn't compare to the effects of the Emperor being open minded and willing to forgive.

When Xue Yuan was on duty the next day, he saw an Imperial doctor in the bedroom taking Gu Yuanbai's pulse.

Before Gu Yuanbai got up, he had been lying on the bed. The doors and windows of the palace had been closed, and the incense smoke floated in the air.

A few days earlier, he had been extremely tense, and after suddenly relaxing he felt exhausted. Gu Yuanbai was dozing off, and it was hard to tell whether or not he was asleep.

Seeing him like this, Xue Yuan frowned and asked Tian Fusheng, "What's wrong with the Emperor?"

Tian Fusheng still had a calm expression, and he sighed. "His Majesty must have been tired from a while ago, or perhaps he was irritated by Prince Qi. Now that he has relaxed, he got a little headache."

Xue Yuan asked, "What did the Imperial doctor say?"

Tian Fusheng looked worried. "He hasn't spoken yet."

Xue Yuan's brain suddenly flashed with a thought and a weird expression appeared on his face.

Could the headache be caused by what happened in the baths the day before?

…He's really too weak.

At the same time, Gu Yuanbai, who had his eyes closed, was also a little embarrassed.

When taking a bath yesterday afternoon, Gu Yuanbai had given himself some love, and as a man who hadn't had a good time for three years he couldn't endure it. So that night, he gave himself a lot of self love.

And when he got up that morning, he had a headache.

The Imperial doctor took his pulse for a while and figured out what was going on. There wasn't an Imperial concubine in the palace, nor had he heard of a maid spending the night. After thinking it through, the Imperial doctor thought that, if he spoke directly, he'd make the Emperor feel ashamed, so, after a long minute, he just implied what he meant. "Your Majesty's body is a bit weak, remember not to do certain stressful things in a short period of time. If it happens soon before you go to bed, this result is inevitable."

Gu Yuanbai replied faintly, "Understood, let's move on."

When the Imperial doctor retired, Tian Fusheng stepped up to him and asked, "Imperial doctor, by 'certain stressful things', do you mean government affairs?"

The Imperial doctor thought for a while and responded vaguely.

Tian Fusheng understood clearly. He saw the Imperial doctor out and then said when he returned, "Your Majesty, I heard that there's a new play in the capital's theater. Why don't we invite the troupe to the palace today?"

"A new play?" Gu Yuanbai asked. "What family's?"

"It seems to belong to the Zhang clan from the Western District," Tian Fusheng said.

Gu Yuanbai became interested. He had been waiting for the Zhang family from the Western District to make a move for a long time. Recently, they had been quiet and motionless. Gu Yuanbai originally thought that they were waiting for an offer, or had no plan of becoming the Emperor's checkbook, but now it would seem that he had been wrong.

In fact, the Zhang clan was nervous to death.

The Zhang clan had started as businessmen, and, no matter how rich it became, it had no backer. One just had to take Zhang Hao as an example: as a member of the clan, he had been put in the Chengbao Temple, and when the officials said a word, the family had to put in a lot of money and do a lot of groveling. Even then, the other temple disciples looked down on Zhang Hao for being from a merchant family.

With no power and no name behind them, anyone could send a Zhang to get flayed. The Zhang patriarch had enough experience having money with no power and felt humiliated. He wanted to prove his clan's worth to the Emperor through some high-ranked official, to see if they could be put in charge of the business route that the Emperor planned to build. Even if they were paid pennies for the matter, they'd put their money into it.

As long as they could be of service to the Emperor, that'd already be enough.

However, it was then that Zhang Hao, who was a lay disciple at the Chengbao Temple, brought home great news.

The entire clan was shocked. They asked Zhang Hao to repeat what the Emperor had said word by word over and over. Although it was hard to guess what the Emperor meant, it wasn't clear if he had plans to collaborate with them. Either way, the entire clan discussed the matter for an entire day and finally decided to go all together to see the Emperor when he returned to the capital.

In order to express their sincerity, all the members of the family rushed back from their provinces to the capital. Whether the Emperor was willing to see them or not, they had to at least be prepared for it.

After the entire family gathered in the capital, the Zhang clan began to befriend high ranking officials through various means, hoping to be introduced through them. However, they had the bad look that this happened at the same time that the Imperial court underwent a cleaning. After fixing the Imperial court and designing anti-corruption measures, the Great Heng ministers and officials felt that they were in a dangerous position and acted cautious with their words and deeds, obviously not introducing the Zhang clan and not daring to accept any gifts.

The Zhang clan returned unscrupulously, and it wasn't able to get connections. They could only work on their business in the capital while remaining worried. The uncertainty made everyone feel anxious. In the end, they produced a theater drama that was well-liked among the rich and powerful, hoping to use it to make a couple of friends. A powerful person could give them the opportunity to meet the Emperor.

"That show is going to be playing later today," Tian Fusheng said. "Is Your Majesty in the mood to attend?"

Gu Yuanbai sat up. "Inform the palace that We will go take a look."

Tian Fusheng said happily, "Understood!"

There was a breeze blowing, and Gu Yuanbai sat in the shade, looking at the opposite stage.

Surrounded by fresh and tender fruits and the scent of tea, Gu Yuanbai was so close to sleeping that he had to squint to look at the drama across the room.

A show for the Emperor required their greatest effort. The people on the stage were full of energy, doing their best moves and their singing full of vibrato. Needless to say, they were all masters of their craft. Even Gu Yuanbai, who was used to all sorts of entertainment, could tell that the acting was good, the singing was good, and the story was somewhat interesting.

When Gu Yuanbai started to pay attention, he suddenly felt a shiver rise on his back. When he looked back, he saw Xue Yuan staring at him, and Gu Yuanbai asked, "What are you thinking, Inspector?"

"Undre–" Xue Yuan returned to his senses, and then he smiled in a gentlemanly manner. "This official is thinking about peeling lychees for Your Majesty."

After a whole night of thoughtful thinking, Xue Yuan still couldn't believe that someone as ruthless as Gu Yuanbai could look so cute. In order to prove his theory, he had been thinking about how he could take off Gu Yuanbai's trousers for verification.

If this idea was for someone else, Xue Yuan would have taken action right away, but the young Emperor couldn't even endure breathing a strong fragrance. He was too weak. If he got rid of his pants, Gu Yuanbai would probably get angry again.

The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he felt.

Since he couldn't use tough methods, should he coax him?

Pretend to be good again?

Gu Yuanbai asked him to come closer and pushed the porcelain plate with a bunch of red lychees in front of Xue Yuan. Before Xue Yuan reached out with his hand, he did not forget to ask, "Are your hands clean?"

Xue Yuan showed Gu Yuanbai his hand. "Your Majesty, look."

His palms were full of thick calluses and small scars, and his palm lines were extremely deep and powerful. His fingers were large and slender. These hands looked extremely masculine and reliable. Gu Yuanbai still remembered the feeling of those hands touching his body, as if a stone was rubbing against his skin.

But it was impossible to know how many people these hands had killed, how many heads they had carried.

Gu Yuanbai said, "Inspector, your hands are clean, but We still remember the way you carried a head in it yesterday."

Xue Yuan was peeling the lychees, and he said leisurely, "Your Majesty, that wasn't a cheap head."

Gu Yuanbai replied straightforwardly, "We remember giving you rewards that aren't cheap, either."

Xue Yuan couldn't help but laugh.

The play on the stage went on singing for a while, and the peeled crystal clear lychee piled up on the porcelain plate. Gu Yuanbai tasted one, and the sweet delicate flavor filled his mouth.

Eating lychees made him think of tomatoes with sugar.

What a shame.2

After the people on the stage finished singing their piece, Tian Fusheng asked the Emperor whether he wanted to watch it again. Gu Yuanbai nodded his head dispassionately, and the people on stage started playing again.

After a while, a palace attendant came over with a clump of green coral jade and said softly, "Your Majesty, this piece of jade has been gifted by the Za Theater."

The coral jade was faintly green, somewhat transparent all the way through, and Gu Yuanbai stroked it. "Where is the person who sent this jade?"

The palace attendant retreated and led the man up.

Following behind was a middle-aged man who seemed excited but was restraining himself. When he came up to Gu Yuanbai, he gave a big bow. "This peasant pays homage to the Emperor!"

This man was from the Zhang family, from the Western District. Gu Yuanbai asked, "Is this jade you sent Us a gift?"

The Zhang man said cautiously, "One of my family members discovered this beautiful jade by accident on a trip by the sea. This jade lump hasn't been carved into this shape, but instead grew naturally like this. Such a thing is only meant to be used as a gift to Your Majesty to show its extraordinary nature."

Gu Yuanbai smiled slightly. "Are you a member of the Zhang family in the Western District?"

The Zhang man was nervous and sweating profusely. The sweat on his back soaked through his clothes. "Yes, that's this peasant's family."

Gu Yuanbai rubbed the coral jade and smiled. "What a coincidence, We precisely wanted to discuss business with you."

Gu Yuanbai knew that their cooperation would not remain unprofitable for long. Since he proposed cooperation, it would naturally make the Zhang clan money as well.

And what he asked the Zhang clan to do was to build a business route with the border nomads.

Sell them grains, tea, cloth, salt, etc. from the Great Heng and then buy their cattle, sheep and horses at low prices.

This trade route would be monopolized by Gu Yuanbai, and its safety would also be guaranteed by Gu Yuanbai. The best horses they bought were taken to the army to train light cavalry and heavy cavalry. The inferior horses, the cattle and sheep were sold at high prices, and half of the cattle and sheep would be split and taken to the army so that the soldiers could eat more meat.

Gu Yuanbai kept in mind that power comes out of the barrel of a gun. Taking care of soldiers for a thousand days just to use them for a moment. To have strong soldiers, it was necessary to have a lot of money to pay for their food.

But it was necessary to take care of them. Soldiers and cavalry were the root of an Emperor's capacity to instill fear. And an Emperor that wasn't able to instill fear wasn't an actual awe-inspiring Emperor.

As long as the Zhang clan completed this trade route, the army would be able to save a lot of money, and the court would also earn white money by selling cattle, sheep and horses at high prices.

With that silver, the Imperial court could do a lot of things. The first thing would be building roads and infrastructure.

Naturally, the Zhang clan refused to accept the benefits offered by the Emperor. They originally planned to use their own money to do what the Emperor ordered. They were already satisfied knowing that they didn't have to give any money.

Gu Yuanbai said, "We take 80%, and you take 20%."

Zhang refused several times, and finally accepted it with Gu Yuanbai's insistence. Feeling concerned, Gu Yuanbai noticed his uneasy look, and calmly said, "You are also one of Our people. Rules against corruption are written in the Great Heng's Law. We should lead by example and not break the law. You work so hard, We can't let you do everything and work for nothing."

The ruler of the country was not willing to take advantage of them, and his words were warm and compassionate, yet the corrupt officials were arrogant and domineering.

Zhang's eyelids instantly turned red, and after he paid a last salute to Gu Yuanbai, he was escorted away.

Soon after, the Imperial doctor hurried back with Chu Wei.

The Imperial doctor and Gu Yuanbai discussed the Imperial court. Behind the doctor, Chu Wei was holding a rolled up painting in his hands, waiting patiently.

Xue Yuan saw that the Emperor was just going to talk, and seeing that the lychees in the plate were going to go stale, he took a juicy lychee and placed it before Gu Yuanbai's lips.

Gu Yuanbai took it into his mouth without thinking, and his warm lips touched Xue Yuan's fingers.

Chu Wei watched this scene from the sidelines, his previously calm expression slightly twisting.

Xue Yuan glanced at the young Emperor's lips and, stretching out his hand in a very natural gesture, he placed it under Gu Yuanbai's lips and caught the black lychee seeds that Gu Yuanbai spit out.

He didn't mind his hands getting dirty, so he wiped them and fed the young Emperor another lychee.

Gu Yuanbai was focused on talking with the Imperial doctor. After he finished speaking, he savored the sweet taste in his mouth and rewarded the Imperial doctor with a plate of lychees.

The old official had very tiring days, and before he had to take on such an unpleasant task, Gu Yuanbai did not forget to comfort him. "We are lucky to have an officer like you in the Imperial Court."

The Imperial doctor laughed and replied, "Your Majesty has ordered it, so, no matter how hard I have to work, this old official will do Your Majesty's will."

Gu Yuanbai patted the Imperial doctor's hand, smiled and said some kind words to him.

After the Imperial doctor left, Chu Wei, who had been waiting quietly in the back, finally took a step forward, holding the painting between his hands, and said, "This official has finished the painting."

Tian Fusheng stepped forward to take it and unfold it, and a portrait of Gu Yuanbai appeared on the smooth paper.

The man in the painting looked energetic, with a calm and confident aura, and his appearance matched the flowers behind him. It is said that the way others saw someone in their eyes was the way they would paint them as well, and Gu Yuanbai nodded with satisfaction, feeling in Chu Wei's heart he had the very aura of a ruler.

Chu Wei looked at the Emperor's expression and, seeing that he was satisfied, he let out a breath he had been holding in his heart. He couldn't help but laugh at himself. Why should he feel uneasy because of his painting skills?

"They are really lifelike." Gu Yuan caressed it lightly with his hand and exclaimed, "Official Chu's painting skills are masterful."

" "

Chu Wei smiled slightly and raised his hand to point to a hidden detail in the painting, but he didn't expect that the Emperor would also happen to raise his hand. The fingertips of the two of them touched slightly in the air, and the two of them were startled.

Both hands were as beautiful as jade carvings, except one was more slender and a bit longer while the other looked well taken care of, and, when placed together, they looked as beautiful and pleasant to the eye as a painting.

Gu Yuanbai withdrew his hand first and couldn't help but glance at Chu Wei's destined socialist brotherhood. As it turned out, Xue Yuan was also looking at Chu Wei with dark eyes and a blank expression.

Chu Wei's fingers flinched before he retracted them into his sleeves. He looked down at the painting and continued to explain faintly, "Your Majesty, there's a detail here, here…"

The lychee was brought to his mouth, and Gu Yuanbai ate it without thinking. When he was about to spit out the seeds, he suddenly had two hands in front of him.

Chu Wei had rolled up his sleeves, and respectfully raised his hand and placed it before his lips like Xue Yuan.

Xue Yuan's smile now looked even more gloomy.

Gu Yuanbai paused and tilted his head and spat on Xue Yuan's hand.

After all, Chu Wei was delicate, and his appearance was very elegant, and he was his courtier, not as rough and coarse as Xue Yuan was. How could he spit on Chu Wei's hand?

Wouldn't it be a shame?

Seeing this, Chu Wei took his hand back in silence. The performance before them was still ongoing, so Gu Yuanbai asked that the painting be put away so that Chu Wei could watch it next to him.

Gu Yuanbai waved his hand to end the show at noon, when he started to feel a bit tired, and he returned to his bedroom to rest.

That day, when it was time to retire.

Chu Wei left the Hanlin Academy, his colleagues scattering around him. After getting on a horse carriage, Chu Wei said, "To Ancheng Academy."

The carriage stopped in front of the Ancheng Academy. Chu Wei got out of the carriage and took some steps towards Ancheng College, but suddenly someone covered his nose and mouth from behind, and he was pulled into a side alley.

Chu Wei struggled to free himself, his gaze resembling ice, and several tall figures stood in the shadows around him. They raised their fists without a word and rushed straight at him.

Chu Wei escaped one blow, but the next one hit him in the abdomen. The beating in the alley continued. Chu Wei breathed in deeply, but arrogantly refused to cry for help.

He had also practiced some martial arts to build up his body, so he could tell that these men were also trained and purposefully targeting him!

The fists of these men avoided his face, and from the outside the blows looked harmless, but the pain was almost unbearable. It was not until he coughed blood that Chu Wei heard a sound from the entrance of the alley.

He reluctantly turned his head and saw Xue Yuan riding a horse, its hoofbeats clacking as it paced slowly across the alley.

As if noticing the movement in the alley, Xue Yuan slowly turned his head to the side. He looked straight at Chu Wei as if he hadn't seen anything, and there was no fluctuation in his expression.

Chu Wei swallowed blood, his eyes clouding.

It was him.

Xue Yuan.

Chu Wei returned home with a cold expression. His face looked fine, but he was in fact covered in dark bruises. He hid his injuries so as to not alarm anyone, and when he was on duty the following day, he returned to the Imperial Academy and was tasked with being at the Emperor's side recording everything he did and said.

Chang Yuyan was with him. It was the first time that Chang Yuyan had been selected to speak to the Emperor, and he was unable to suppress his smile. Chu Wei walked with him for a while, and suddenly asked, "Master Chang, you seem to be very familiar with the Inspector in Chief?"

Chang Yuyan smiled slightly, nodded a bit, and asked, "Why is Master Chu asking about him?"

Chu Wei's tone was cold and icy. "I heard that young master Xue only returned to the capital this year and that he has been at the border post in the past. He should be an impressive person, right?"

Chang Yuyan smiled and said, "I don't know that much about Jiuyao's deeds."

Chu Wei's lips twitched coldly and he stopped talking.

When the two of them entered the palace, Chu Wei looked up and saw Xue Yuan standing to the side. The haze in his eyes lifted up, and he looked down to bow before the Emperor with Chang Yuyan.

After half an hour, when Chu Wei stepped forward to record the name of the document the Emperor was reading, his wide sleeves got stuck on the corner of the table. Chu Wei frowned and lifted his hand to pull away his sleeves.

The Emperor raised his head from the document he was reading, spotted the dark bruise on his arm, and frowned. "Official Chu, what happened?"

Chu Wei said in a calm tone, "Yesterday, this official left the Imperial Academy to go buy some brushes, inks, paper and inkstones, but a stranger dragged me into an alley to give me a beating."

The Emperor frowned more deeply. "Did they take any money?"

Chu Wei replied, "Nothing."

The Emperor's voice turned cold. "There's evildoers right under the Imperial court's nose."

Chu Wei raised his head and glanced at Xue Yuan across the room. Xue Yuan's expression didn't change, and he easily sneered at Chu Wei.

Chu Wei's heart sank, his eyes lowered and he said, "Indeed."

Next week I'll be on a trip from Wednesday to Sunday and I won't be able to translate at all, sorry! This chapter was extra long at least ah. Will Xue Yuan succeed in his nefarious plans? ho ho

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Footnotes

The raws say 玉势, the 势 is read shì which is a very common sound in chinese, plus the character means power/influence/momentum as well. However, it does also very much mean dick as sounds confusing but tomatoes with sugar is an actual dish and Gu Yuanbai is feeling whiny about tomatoes not being available in the Heng Dynasty.

Chapter 040 - His Majesty feels embarrassed

Seeing Xue Yuan's attitude, it was clear he wasn't afraid of being discovered.

As a matter of fact, a court official being humiliated right in front of the Imperial palace was a slap in the Emperor's face. He sent the capital's soldiers to patrol and arrest all those who disturbed public order.

However, even though a few evildoers were caught, they didn't find any of the people who beat Chu Wei up that day.

Chu Wei was a scholar. Even if he often practiced martial arts to strengthen his body, he couldn't compare with professionals, after all. He could feel that the people who had attacked him in the alley that day were obviously determined, fast and cruel, deliberately choosing spots where there'd be no permanent damage but would hurt the most.

His face was intact. He didn't look hurt at all. It had been on purpose.

Besides Xue Yuan, Chu Wei couldn't think of anyone else who could be behind it, but he hadn't been able to catch his trail.

When Gu Yuanbai woke up, he'd see Xue Yuan waiting by the side. The future Regent was very thick skinned. The guards waited outside the palace, and he remembered his duties as Inspector in Chief and stood upright before Gu Yuanbai.

He was there when he changed his clothes, and he was there when his hair was getting tied up. Sometimes, when Gu Yuanbai wanted a glass of water, he'd bring it before Tian Fusheng could.

Xue Yuan didn't know why, but he hated other people with evil intentions hanging around Gu Yuanbai. Normally, Xue Yuan and Chu Wei didn't care about each other, but at the thought of Chu Wei having designs on the young Emperor, he couldn't suppress his killing intent from rising from the bottom of his heart. Gu Yuanbai probably didn't know how hard he had to suppress the idea of directly cutting at Chu Wei with a sword.

Soon, it was the day of the Spring Hunt.

Before dawn that day, a thousand cavalry and infantry rushed to the hunting grounds. The vast plain was explored by the cavalry, and the foot soldiers went into the steep forest. After the two teams had explored the hunting grounds completely, they would send someone to inform the Emperor.

The Emperor's hunt was not only for entertainment, but also for many political and strategic purposes, which could be explained in one or two sentences.

Gu Yuanbai was wearing a neat riding and hunting outfit that day, very different from usual. It had inlaid accessories that jingled when he moved. He carried a bow and arrows, and a small crossbow that was easy to hide. His long hair was tied up in a high ponytail, cutting an impressive figure.

After a few days of rest and recuperation, he looked very good that day. A large group of people were waiting outside. Gu Yuanbai shooed away the palace attendant who wanted to tidy up his clothes once more and said loudly, "Let's go!"

Red banners flew and the sound of horses' hoofs started. Gu Yuanbai lifted up his robe and climbed on a docile, tall horse.

His riding clothes, with an embroidered dragon head in red and gold, waved with the banners.

Out of concern about Gu Yuanbai's wellbeing, the horse had been equipped with all kinds of equipment and covered with a soft cushion. The horse walked neither fast nor slow towards the hunting grounds.

Princes and ministers accompanied the Emperor. The closer they were to the Emperor, the more they showed off his favor.

The horse moved very slowly, and there was a harness and cushion. Gu Yuanbai looked very comfortable. When they got to the hunting grounds, someone released the animals, and they hastily spread everywhere. At that time, it was necessary that the Emperor shoot the first arrow.

Gu Yuanbai wanted to show a good face. Ever since a few days earlier, he kept practicing to shoot this one arrow. He didn't need to shoot multiple arrows and draw a full bow every time. He didn't even need to catch a prey. Gu Yuanbai just needed to shoot. He couldn't stand not being able to shoot.

Take the bow and arrow into his hand, draw the feather arrow from the back, place the arrow on the bow, aim and release.

With a whoosh, the feathered arrow flew forward rapidly and hit a stag amidst the running animals in the hind leg.

"Good!"

"His Majesty's shooting skills are great!"

The princes and ministers, who had already planned to flatter him no matter what, cheered hard. They were so excited that their faces turned red and their voices became higher and higher, for fear that others would outdo them at it.

Gu Yuanbai smiled happily and listened to the praise around him with a smile. When they were almost finished, he said, "Well, let's go hunting. Gather here in two hours. Then, We will see which of you hunted the most prey. There will be grand rewards then!"

The courtiers were modest, and Prince He rode his horse ahead. He took a look at Gu Yuanbai, who was wearing a strong red color that flattered his face. Prince He frowned, then took the lead, driving out like the wind.

After Prince He left, the members of the Imperial family and the officials went, lastly followed by the sons of courtiers and officials.

Smoke and dust were raised in the air. After Gu Yuanbai ordered the servants to prepare tools for cooking the prey there, he also rode slowly into the grounds with his guards.

He didn't want to steal the limelight from his officials. Hunting was not so much a pleasure activity for the Emperor as an opportunity to allow them to show off. As he had said before to Qin Sheng, he had to be strict as well as lenient, and now as the superior he couldn't take his subordinates' credit.

The hunting grounds looked brightly green at a glance, producing a refreshed, pleasant sensation. A few prey ran across the vast plain from time to time. Gu Yuanbai told the guards to shoot their arrows at will. Similarly, whoever hunted the most would be rewarded. As soon as he said this, most of the men were ready to move. The captain of the guard asked calmly, "Your Majesty, is the winner decided by the size of the prey, or by the number?"

Gu Yuanbai pondered for a while and said with a smile, "It depends on which one is harder to capture."

In order to win, rabbits and pheasants wouldn't cut it. The guards looked at each other, and many of them glanced at Xue Yuan.

The story of how the Inspector in Chief had suppressed the bandits had spread all over the capital, and naturally they knew of it. They had heard stories from fellow soldiers who fought the enemy alongside Xue Yuan, and they knew Xue Yuan was really crazy and very capable of killing people. The last time they lost the cuju match with the guard captain, Zhang, they were humiliated enough. If they lost to Xue Yuan, then they as the Imperial guard would be doomed.

Xue Yuan looked at their glances and he smiled, looking outwardly polite, but, in reality, he was excited.

His arrogant appearance made the other guards sneer at him for a long minute.

One person alone couldn't compare to Xue Yuan, but they didn't believe three or four of them couldn't compare.

The guards were energized, and Gu Yuanbai was happy to see it happen as he rode slowly and leisurely. Even in the riding and shooting competition, these guards couldn't leave Gu Yuanbai's side. They could only seize the opportunity and shoot arrows in time when there were animals around.

The sound of feather arrows breaking through the air came from time to time, and the guards couldn't suppress their excitement. Gu Yuanbai couldn't help laughing, feeling his pride rise in his heart. He also took a feather arrow out of the quiver, pulled the bow and aimed at a fox with fur red like fire.

With a whoosh, the red fox was startled by the sound of his arrow and jumped out of the way.

Gu Yuanbai raised an eyebrow, and he was about to shoot again when he saw another arrow fly by quickly, striking the red fox in the neck and pulling it to the ground.

Gu Yuanbai looked to the side. Xue Yuan had already put back his bow and arrow. He dismounted his horse, came forward to pull up the arrow, took the red fox from the neck and carefully said, "This wild fox has no common sense. The Emperor himself is shooting at it, how dare it hide?"

Gu Yuanbai was amused, and he deliberately aimed at Xue Yuan. "Why don't you hold it yourself, guard Xue, and then We can shoot it again?"

"The wild fox's fur is soft and bright, and it's an even red color." Xue Yuan stepped forward, shook the wild fox and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, it'd be a pity to shoot it dead, and it'd be bad for the fur."

Xue Yuan handed the wild fox to Gu Yuanbai. The wild fox's eyes looked pitifully at Gu Yuanbai. Gu Yuanbai couldn't help reaching out and stroking the head of the wild fox.

The fur was smooth and soft. It was a good fox.

The Emperor touched the fox, and the fox's red fur brushed his hand. Xue Yuan looked at his clean and pink fingernails. His scalp was numb, as if he had a strange disease.

No, I have to pretend to be good to take a look inside his pants.

Without looking again, Xue Yuan felt that he wouldn't be able to live in peace.

Xue Yuan, a man who had grown up in military camps, felt suspicious.

Is there really a man who can be so delicate and beautiful?

Aren't we all men? How is it so different?

Gu Yuanbai took back his hand and looked back at him. Xue Yuan seemed to be in a trance, so he bent his fingers and knocked on Xue Yuan's head and said with a smile, "Guard Xue, come back."

Xue Yuan returned to his senses and looked at the fox in his hand. "Your Majesty, do I take the fox?"

The Emperor replied, "Count it in your score."

Xue Yuan picked up the fox and got on the horse. The group continued forward for a while. After a moment, someone came forward and informed them that a wild bear had been found.

In the paddock, if fierce animals such as wild bears and tigers were found, the Emperor would be notified. The Emperor would then go and take some people to hunt and kill it with great interest. Sometimes, a group of five or six guards would be able to catch the beasts alive.

Gu Yuanbai led the men to the wild bear's location. The guards, remembering the competition, got even more excited. When they arrived, they found a strong, enormous wild bear with fiery fangs.

The wild bear was eating, and it was surrounded by a strong scent of blood. The guards scattered to encircle it. However, when they were about to rush in, a loud thunder echoed in the distance.

The sound startled the bear, and it raised its head to look for the source of the sound. Turning its head around, it exposed its jugular to Xue Yuan's eyes.

Xue Yuan was impetuous, but he clearly knew how to spot an opportunity. He jumped in at the right time without even hesitating. He rushed at the wild bear with a big knife and cut into its neck quickly and accurately.

When the blood sprayed, the wild bear roared wildly, fought back, struggled violently, and finally fell to the ground.

Xue Yuan dodged it as the guards around him stared in shock and astonishment. Xue Yuan grinned, cut off the bear's paw and said, "Your Majesty, does this also count towards my score?"

Gu Yuanbai glanced at the dead bear with surprise. He said with a big smile, "It's yours!"

That time, everyone realized that they were no match for Xue Yuan.

The wild bear was too big to carry. The guards came forward and dragged the wild bear, sending some of them to drag it back to the camp ahead.

Xue Yuan wiped off the blood on his body and thought about what reward he would get after winning the hunt. While placing the bear's paw on his horse, he looked up at the horizon in the distance and frowned. "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it is going to start raining in a while."

For the Spring Hunt day, the weather bureau had made several calculations, and none had warned about rain. Gu Yuanbai frowned, remembering the thunder from a moment ago. He thought that, if it really rained, he should get rid of the weather bureau's officials.

The captain of the guard, looking worried, said, "If we want to go back, I'm afraid we won't be able to catch up."

Moreover, how could the Emperor ride faster?

Xue Yuan suddenly said, "Here it is."

When they heard a sound and looked in the direction, they saw a dark rain cloud extending in the distance, oppressively dimming the sky and dyeing the earth black.

However, the young Emperor couldn't endure a drop of rain.

Gu Yuanbai turned his horse around and said, "Go!"

Black clouds chased after him. The sound of heavy rain falling branches and leaves on the grass became louder and louder. The strong wind blew, and the whole heaven and earth seemed to be about to split in two.

Before the heavy rain could reach Gu Yuanbai blown over by the strong wind, Xue Yuan, who was one step behind him, suddenly loosened the reins, moved his foot, stood on the horse's back and jumped down, landing behind Gu Yuanbai.

The docile horse suddenly took on another man's weight, and it was so frightened that his steps went out of sync for a moment.

Xue Yuan took the reins from Gu Yuanbai's pale hand, raised his head and yelled, "Go!"

Gu Yuanbai wanted to ask him what he was doing. However, before he could turn his head, an iron-like arm encircled his waist and, with force, turned him around on top of the horse. Xue Yuan pressed the young Emperor's head into his chest and raised his cloak, protecting him completely from the wind and rain.

"Your Majesty." Gu Yuanbai could feel Xue Yuan's chest move as he spoke. "A big storm is coming, please bear with this official."

The horses galloped, and the wind kept blowing their garments. Under the cloak, Gu Yuanbai's expression gradually became strange as the horse jostled him around.

It wasn't completely dark under the cloak, just slightly dim. In the dim light, Gu Yuanbai's eyes landed on what was in front of him, which was an extremely embarrassing spot.

Xue Yuan had placed Gu Yuanbai's head before his chest and he could only look down. He had a very awkward visual in full sight.

Gu Yuanbai closed his eyes in embarrassment.

He thought of work to stop thinking about the awkwardness, and his brain was immediately filled with memorials about fighting corruption and building trade routes, one after another for the upcoming months.

Gu Yuanbai devoted himself and Xue Yuan continued to gallop.

The black clouds looked slow, but they were actually really fast. Soon, the storm was threatening to reach the group. Xue Yuan subconsciously hugged Gu Yuanbai tighter. Gu Yuanbai was tightly imprisoned by this hold, his hands holding onto the horse for support. He wanted to stand up to see what was going outside.

Xue Yuan grunted, his expression twisting with pain.

Gu Yuanbai poked his head out of the cloak and spotted Xue Yuan's pained expression. He wondered about the cause and, when he looked down, he saw that his palm had grabbed Xue Yuan's thigh. Unfortunately, he was about to meet Xue Yuan's dick.

Gu Yuanbai calmly withdrew his hand. "Are you alright, guard Xue?"

After Xue Yuan's pain passed, seeing Gu Yuanbai's expression, that itchy feeling rushed to his heart. His throat was also itching. He was about to raise his head to scratch his Adam's apple, but he felt something wrong under his body.

He looked down and his little brother looked up.

It had, inexplicably, raised its head.

Gu Yuanbai saw the whole process of it going up with his own two eyes.

He looked up with a dark expression, wanting to ask Xue Yuan what was going on with his head. "Guard Xue, you're all fired up."

As soon as he looked up, he saw the impatient look on Xue Yuan's face. He directly pressed his dick down harshly and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, don't worry about it."

Gu Yuanbai said, "…We don't want to worry about it."

The Emperor's red riding and hunting outfit reflected the flushed color of his lips. Xue Yuan glanced at his lips and felt his throat itching again.

He frowned and scratched his neck twice. Gu Yuanbai was still facing him. A spirited little brother was sandwiched between the two of them. Even if it was pressed down by its owner, there was still a cannon pointing towards Gu Yuanbai.

Xue Yuan was impatient.

Gu Yuan said expressionlessly, "Guard Xue, calm down."

When the horse bumped, Gu Yuanbai pushed Xue Yuan's chest open and looked up at the rain clouds behind him. The strong wind rolled towards his face. Xue Yuan protected Gu Yuanbai in his arms again, making the horse gallop faster and faster. His eyes kept checking the surrounding terrain until he finally found a cave, not far away.

"Your Majesty, don't care about that thing," Xue Yuan said faintly. "After a while, it will lose its spirit."

What a fierce man, Xue Yuan turned out to be such a fierce man. Gu Yuanbai felt like he had to be more respectful. Gu Yuanbai's weak body should be able to have such a bright reaction too, but could this fellow possibly be hard all the time?

A jade-like man, guarding himself too much. Probably hasn't even used his own hand.

Gu Yuanbai sighed and patted Xue Yuan on the shoulder. Then he said with a straight face, "Guard Xue, We can't stand the cold. At this important period of the anti-corruption campaign, if We fall ill, the supervisors will lack Our support, and if things get delayed then the campaign will be useless."

Xue Yuan replied briefly, "I know."

With that, Xue Yuan pressed Gu Yuanbai under his cloak again. His voice was hoarse and he joked, "Your Majesty, I will take you into the cave. If even a drop of rain falls on you, I will pay for it with my life."

Finally, as Xue Yuan said, the moment before wind and rain could fall on Gu Yuanbai, Xue Yuan rushed into the cave with him.

Almost as soon as they went in, it started to rain like a waterfall outside. In the blink of an eye, the bodyguards at their back became drowned chickens. Xue Yuan got off his horse and helped Gu Yuanbai down. When he turned to look at the group of soaked chickens, the corners of his mouth went up mercilessly in sarcastic mockery.

The bodyguards glared angrily, but as soon as they put their eyes on Xue Yuan, they felt strange.

Xue Yuan stood in front of them openly, and the wrongness below his waist was more conspicuous than his handsome face. As soon as it was spotted the guard's face changed and he strode forward to block the Emperor's body, giving Xue Yuan a warning look.

Xue Yuan was still smiling and seemed to have no reaction to his hostility. In reality, Xue Yuan was also wondering. Even though he could get rid of it, simply riding a horse with Gu Yuanbai had made him become more and more energetic.

The more he saw the young Emperor, the more spirited he felt. It was strange.

Xue Yuan was going to calm down and think for a while. Suddenly he heard someone say, "…Your Majesty, allow me to check if you're injured…"

Xue Yuan suddenly turned his head and saw the captain of the bodyguard kneeling in front of Gu Yuanbai on one knee. Xue Yuan's face became ugly. He got up and strode towards Gu Yuanbai. He also knelt next to the guard on one knee.

"I still have the medicine bottle from the last time I applied medicine on Your Highness," Xue Yuan said. "It's good that I brought it here so as to not let the guard captain tire himself out." He turned his head to the guard and cordially raised his lips. "Right now, official Zhang, you might as well take a few more guards to try and get a fire going. After all, it doesn't seem like the rain is going to stop soon, and His Highness cannot endure the cold."

Gu Yuanbai said, "Is it possible to make a fire now?"

Xue Yuan's expression when facing him was much softer. "There's dry firewood."

Gu Yuanbai nodded. "Then go."

The guard was silent for a moment before he got up and left. Xue Yuan sneered in his heart and his gaze wasn't calm.

Although Gu Yuanbai didn't get caught in the rain, he was weak and the blowing cold wind had chilled him. Xue Yuan didn't dare to move too much when he checked whether there were wounds left by the harsh ride.

When the people that had been nearby went away, Xue Yuan leaned over to Gu Yuanbai and whispered, "Your Majesty, are there any other places injured?"

Gu Yuanbai said, "Nothing else."

Xue Yuan looked down at Gu Yuanbai's pants.

No matter how long he wore a mask, his essence was still rebellious. Xue Yuan curled his lips in a smile. His left hand suddenly touched Gu Yuanbai's pants and respectfully said, "I'm worried that Your Majesty got a friction burn again.

"I will just take a look," the loyal official pretended. "I'm worried about Your Majesty, so I will only take one look. If I take more than one look, I'll gouge out these eyes of mine and give them to Your Majesty."

They were all men. He was just curious to know whether his eyes had been wrong or if men could actually look so different.

Gu Yuanbai didn't understand that idea.

He had given Xue Yuan service tasks, and he hadn't seen him resist. Now seeing his concern and consideration, Gu Yuanbai felt he was getting better and better at it.

But the more he thought about it, the more he suspected that Xue Yuan's purposes were impure. Was it to look at Gu Yuanbai's dick and make sure he cannot have children?

Perhaps it was to attack his self-esteem or use it to show his own 'ability', so as to suggest that, compared to Gu Yuanbai, Xue Yuan's energy was so strong that his offspring would certainly flourish in the future.

Even if Gu Yuanbai didn't bother to manage the matter as of late, he had also noticed that Xue Yuan and Chu Wei didn't seem to have any intention of producing any sparking love. Until that moment, they didn't want to follow the lines of socialist brotherhood. After that, if Gu Yuanbai really made Xue Yuan and Chu Wei into ministers, how long could their loyalty be maintained?

When they looked at the next generation's young Emperor, would their hearts change?

Gu Yuanbai thought more and more and more deeply, but no matter what Xue Yuan was thinking, Gu Yuanbai knew that he couldn't agree to the terms offered by that mad dog.

So he asked calmly, "Why don't you show Us if you were hurt, guard Xue?"

Xue Yuan's eyelid twitched violently and he didn't reply.

Gu Yuanbai thought about it and tasted it. "Why, guard Xue, are you really hurt?"

As soon as this sentence left his lips, Xue Yuan suddenly stood up, neatly untied his trouser waist and exposed himself.

Gu Yuanbai saw an exuberant bush right before his eyes.

Our… eyes.