Chapter 028 – His Majesty creates an opportunity!

On the way to the two government offices, Gu Yuanbai’s mind kept buzzing with thoughts.

In the palace, the Emperor had both horse-drawn carriages and litters1 as a way of transport. Gu Yuanbai was riding in a horse carriage. The Xuanzheng hall and the Military Affairs bureau both had their own buildings, and the Emperor would inspect them in person from time to time. Therefore, when he visited, the officials didn’t panic. Gu Yuanbai asked them to keep working on their affairs, and the military affairs commissioner was the only one who remained by the Emperor.

Gu Yuanbai walked slowly as the commissioner reported on recent events, while on the other side good tea was being prepared.

“Don’t bother yourselves,” Gu Yuanbai said. “Official Zhao, We plan to establish an Eastern Feather Guard2 from the Imperial Army.”

Although the Military Affairs bureau was in charge of major military decisions, the most important executive powers were now in the hands of the Emperor alone. If the Emperor decided to establish an Eastern Feather Guard, he had no need to consult the Military Affairs bureau.

The military affairs commissioner asked, confused, “What do you mean, Your Highness?”

“We have instructed General Cheng.” Gu Yuanbai smiled. “The northern and southern wings of the Imperial Army have over 200,000 soldiers in total. We want to select two thousand from them. This is not a simple task. Moreover, We don’t want simple people, either. Since the Military Affairs bureau is in charge of confidential military issues, border defense and the Imperial Army, you and your officials should assist General Cheng in this matter.”

The commissioner bowed and saluted. “This official will obey His Majesty’s orders.”

After that, the military affairs commissioner also discussed with Gu Yuanbai matters related to military defense, border fortifications and cavalry affairs. The Great Heng Dynasty lacked horses and cavalry men, and few people were proficient in horsemanship and equipped with good blades and spears. Heavy cavalry was indispensable.

Gu Yuanbai smiled when he heard the words and said profoundly, “Official Zhao, We believe the issue with the horses will be resolved soon.”

After saying that, he smiled as he watched the commissioner try to make sense out of it.

Once he had enjoyed Official Zhao’s worrying, the Emperor left the Military Affairs bureau at a leisurely pace. The commissioner and the people around him looked at his back, not knowing how to feel. “His Highness has plans in his mind, but he refuses to tell us. It makes an old man like me feel as disturbed as if a cat were scratching at my heart.”

”
”
The people around him laughed and said, “The Emperor has grand designs planned.”3

No matter whether it was recruiting or training soldiers, the Emperor had a tendency to fight against the world… The infantry, the cavalry and the Military Affairs bureau were getting busier, much more than with the late Emperor. However, it was the sort of busy that gave people a sense of being important and indispensable.

The commissioner thought that if the Great Heng annexed Western Xia and Mongolia and conquered the nomads in the grasslands… it would be really amazing.

And Gu Yuanbai had already arrived at the Zhengshi Hall.

The Zhengshi Hall dealt with many affairs at a high pace. After the officials’ shift was over, sometimes they would take work home to keep dealing with their duties, but they were all very satisfied, busy but happy.

Among the various offices in the Great Heng, the officials of the Zhengshi Hall and Military Affairs bureau enjoyed the best treatment. This could be seen in the edicts: they ate plentiful meals and got fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. Occasionally, they would also receive refreshments sent by the Emperor. Just in the dining hall, the difference in quality was enough to make people jealous.

Everyone in the Imperial court knew that the Zhengshi Hall and the Military Affairs bureau were places where only favored officials that the Emperor relied on could enter. And, if they entered these offices, they would surely rise to great heights in the future, just like the former Chancellors, who were the officials the Emperor valued the most.

The talents from the Hanlin Academy and the talents from the six ministries all wanted to squeeze into these two offices.

After Gu Yuanbai inspected the Zhengshi Hall, he still felt that there were too few people working there, and that there were too many political affairs for them to handle. The officials in the Zhengshi Hall all had their heads bowed down on their desks, buried in government affairs. These were the talents Gu Yuanbai had selected to handle government issues, and Gu Yuanbai, naturally, cherished them. Now seeing them like that, he feared that they would get spinal problems from spending all day long hunched over their desks.

From the moment he had entered, they hadn’t lifted their heads at all except for raising it when saluting Gu Yuanbai.

Gu Yuanbai thought worriedly that, if the situation continued, they would break either their eyes or their spine. How could I fix this?

“How many more people do you need in the Zhengshi Hall?” Gu Yuanbai asked.

The executive official of the Zhengshi Hall smiled bitterly. “To answer Your Highness, naturally, the more the better.”

Gu Yuanbai nodded slightly. “There are many talents among the newest officials. There are also people from the Hanlin Academy who want to join the Zhengshi Hall, as well as talents from the six ministries. Discuss a list later with the other officials and submit it to Us for review.”

The executive official beamed. “Can we choose them first?”

Gu Yuanbai smiled and replied, “That also depends on whether the other officials are willing to let them go.”

Before leaving, Gu Yuanbai spoke to the rest of the Zhengshi Hall again. ‘Work when it’s time to work, eat when it’s time to eat, and sleep when it’s time to sleep. You can handle government affairs better if you have enough energy. A lunch break is essential, and even if you just lie on the table and rest for two quarters of an hour, it’d be an improvement.’

“You’re all the best officials of the dynasty,” Gu Yuanbai said. “Good health is more important than government affairs.”

Those who heard this were so moved that they wished to serve the Emperor without sleeping or eating. They were frighteningly enthusiastic. Seeing that his persuasion had only managed to get these people even more energetic,4 Gu Yuanbai could only laugh, and he shook his head helplessly and left the Zhengshi Hall.

It really didn’t work. The Imperial hospital would have to start physical examinations. Since they were so unwilling to move, Gu Yuanbai would have to hold another Great Heng officials games.5

There was a pond in front of the Zhengshi Hall. Half of the pond was covered with green moss. The water was black. At that time of the month, the lotus leaves had yet to grow.

Gu Yuanbai rubbed his eyebrows, tilted his head and asked, “Where is the carriage?”

After he asked, someone brought the carriage over, and the guard captain helped the Emperor to get into the carriage. Tian Fusheng was waiting outside, and, once the door’s curtain was let down, the scorching sun could no longer shine on the Emperor.

Gu Yuanbai took off his pants and applied medicine, touching the smooth and tender skin on the palm of his hand, and sighed again. By the time he had set his clothes straight, he had arrived at the gate of the Hanlin Academy.

In the Hanlin Academy, Chu Wei was playing a board game6 with Kong Yilin.

One of these men was the top scholar of the examinations, and the other was the runner up. At that moment, there were many people watching with excitement, both those that had just entered the Hanlin Academy and older officials that were slowly sipping tea.

The two players were engrossed in the game, and Chang Yuyan stood aside, with his hands behind his back, looking at the board with a serious expression.

When Gu Yuanbai stood by and watched the game, some young officials who were standing by the side glanced at him casually. Suddenly, they froze, then quickly averted their eyes, not daring to look back again.

Where did this youth come from? How could he be more handsome than Master Chu from their Hanlin Academy?

The people around were still watching the game, but their heads were not on it anymore. Gu Yuanbai was very refined, and every movement he made was extraordinary. Even if his aura was calm at the time, no one dared to look at it.

How many ordinary people could come in and out of the Hanlin Academy at will?

Part of the guards stood in front of the door, and part of them had followed the Emperor in. The guard captain was afraid that these people would bump into the Emperor, and he kept watch. Gu Yuanbai noticed it, and he turned his head to the loyal guard and smiled slightly in appreciation.

The guard captain’s extraordinary heroic face turned red, and he stood straighter, not daring to slack in the slightest.

Quietly outside, Tang Mian, who was walking there with his tea cup, spotted the Emperor at a glance. His eyes widened, and the cup in his hand fell abruptly with a loud, crisp sound.

“Emperor?!”

The shout made the entire Hanlin Academy go up in an uproar. Chu Wei and Kong Yilin, who had been sitting and playing the game, threw down their pieces when they looked up and saw the smiling Emperor. They saluted the Emperor together with their colleagues.

Kong Yilin bent his head low and saluted respectfully. After hearing the Emperor say, “Get up, everyone,” he stood up with the rest.

But, even though he had his head lowered, he was still very noticeable. Gu Yuanbai scanned the crowd and walked up to the board. He sat in Kong Yilin’s spot and smiled. “You play well.”

Chu Wei replied, “I just have a bit of skill.”

“A bit?” Gu Yuanbai laughed. “Well, how could Our two best scholars of the year only play with ‘a bit’ of skill?”

Chu Wei was taken aback.

Gu Yuanbai pointed to the opposite seat and said, “Sit down, you will play with Us.”

Chu Wei sat down, and Gu Yuanbai looked around and said, “Everyone else is dismissed, except for the runner up scholar.”

The crowd answered “Yes” and saluted, quickly dispersing. When everyone was gone, Kong Yilin muttered, “What are your orders, Your Majesty?”

Gu Yuanbai raised his eyebrows and said leisurely, “Half this game has already been played, and We will play the second half. However, We want you to remain as a strategy adviser.”

Tian Fusheng moved a chair for Kong Yilin, and Kong Yilin thanked him again before sitting beside the emperor.

It is said that a person’s character can be seen by playing with them. In the first half of the game on the board, Kong Yilin, who seemed like a calm man, moved aggressively forward. There were multiple risks and opportunities at the same time. Making a wrong move could mean losing the entire game. He looked honest and quiet, but, from his playing style, it was clear that his personality wasn’t as low key as his looks. He was full of aggression and courage, and he would even risk gambles when doing things.

That was not to say that he was unstable. On the contrary, Kong Yilin was sober and rational, and he would gamble steadily, step by step.

Compared to Kong Yilin, Chu Wei’s style also showed a lot. All the paths seemed to be blocked on the surface, but underneath there was a knife revealing its sharp edge. Gu Yuanbai’s hands couldn’t help but itch when seeing such a board.

Chu Wei followed closely with the white pieces.

Gu Yuanbai didn’t hesitate when playing. He always took one step thinking ten moves ahead, and every time he took a piece, he was quick and ruthless. This made him seem very confident and daring, and such a clean way of playing was likely to make his opponent play chaotically.

Chu Wei’s lips became thinner and thinner, and he hesitated longer and longer before every move. When he was uncertain, Kong Yilin, on the side, suddenly said, “Here.”

He stretched his hand to point to an uncovered corner of the black pieces that Gu Yuanbai held on the board.

Chu Wei’s slight frown relaxed, and he cautiously said to Kong Yilin, “Thank you.”

He pinched the round white piece with his fingertips and placed it lightly on the missing corner.

As soon as the piece was placed, Gu Yuanbai suddenly smiled. After a while, the corners of Kong Yilin’s lips went up slightly, and he couldn’t hold back a little smile.

“Official Chu, the runner up scholar is Our strategy adviser.” The Emperor held a black piece with his white fingertips, and said with a smile, “This could be called ‘the sheep walking into the lion’s den’.”

As soon as he finished the sentence, the piece in the Emperor’s hands was placed on the board, and the originally matched situation instantly switched to Gu Yuanbai’s favor. There was no need to continue the game, the winner and loser had already been determined.

“…so it turns out the spot was left deliberately by Your Highness,” Chu Wei said, sighing clearly. “Your Highness said that scholar Kong was the strategy advisor. I can definitely believe it.”

Kong Yilin said, “It’s all due to the Emperor’s excellent skills.”

Hearing this, Gu Yuanbai looked up, and he happened to spot the color of Kong Yilin’s eyes. Mixed with Eastern Xia blood, Kong Yilin’s eyes weren’t typical of the people from the Great Heng Dynasty. However, the color of his pupils was good. It was a lighter brown, and, even though it was lighter than that of normal people, at least it would not cause surprise.

Even ignoring that, just seeing the game Gu Yuanbai determined that Kong Yilin’s temperament was unsuitable for either being an official or for the battlefield. He was too aggressive, it wouldn’t be a good fit.

But Kong Yilin’s actual talents couldn’t be left unused… Then, Gu Yuanbai suddenly thought of the Supervision Office.

Compared with Chu Wei, Kong Yilin was almost too well suited for the Supervision Office. The Supervision Office was originally a secret department, walking always on the edge of a blade.

However, Kong Yilin’s loyalty and attitude towards the Great Heng Dynasty were still unclear.

Gu Yuanbai put down the pieces and stood up. Chu Wei and Kong Yilin, behind him, did the same. After the Emperor walked out, the two of them stood not too far away, watching his back.

The Emperor stepped into the carriage, and, when the curtain was about to drop, Kong Yilin suddenly moved. He lifted his robe and stepped towards the Emperor’s carriage. The guards took out their swords and stopped him, not too far away. Kong Yilin said loudly, “Your Highness! This official has something to say!”

Gu Yuan frowned, lifted the curtain of the carriage and said, “Let him come over.”

Kong Yilin approached with long steps, breathing heavily. Like a mountain, he projected a big shadow before Gu Yuanbai.

He was very excited, and he even dared to look up towards the Emperor. The excitement completely swept away his usual composure and calm demeanor. “Your Highness…”

Kong Yilin looked nervous, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. When Gu Yuanbai finally thought that he was so nervous that he wouldn’t be able to speak at all, he said firmly, “This official does not wish to hide this from Your Majesty. I have Western Xia blood.”

Gu Yuanbai was taken aback, then calmly said, “We know.”

Kong Yilin pursed his lips, then asked in a low voice, “Your Highness, can you rest assured with such an official staying in the court?”

Gu Yuanbai asked unhappily, “Do We not have the same capacity for tolerance as the Tang Dynasty?”

The city of Chang’an from the Tang Dynasty, then called the world’s largest international metropolis, was open and tolerant. Many foreigners studied and served as officials in the Tang dDnasty, and over a hundred reached the fifth grade ranking.

Gu Yuanbai had placed Kong Yilin at the top of the list. In addition to Chu Wei and the third ranked scholars, he had also taken many things into consideration.

The first reason was that he wanted to shut the mouths of some of the pedantic, conservative officials at court. The second was that he wasn’t certain of the reason for Kong Yilin’s rebellion in the original novel. Was it because of the Imperial examinations, or was it hatred for the Great Heng? He could frighten Kong Yilin and also give him hope that he can progress with hard work. The third reason was that Kong Yilin was of Western Xia blood, and, in this situation, while the policies were clear, it would be easy to become a target of public criticism.

Gu Yuanbai, naturally, felt uncomfortable about a man that would rebel in the future. However, he was an Emperor. Even if Liu Bang7 stood before him, Gu Yuanbai wouldn’t look up or down to him. In his eyes, even if the Great Heng Dynasty didn’t exist in history, before Gu Yuanbai, the famous emperors of the past were just his equals.

Before everything happened, as long as he was under his dynasty’s control, living in the land of Great Heng, he was one of Gu Yuanbai’s people.

So Gu Yuanbai overcame the knot in his heart and gave Kong Yilin the second position.

He had to press it down.

When Kong Yilin heard Gu Yuanbai’s words, an indescribable pain appeared in his chest. He solemnly said, “Your Highness, this official went to Western Xia two years ago. In the border zone, I found a strange flower.”

Gu Yuanbai’s left eye twitched. “What flower?”

“White cotton,” Kong Yilin muttered. “The people over there call the flower white cotton. The white cotton quilt that this minister used was much warmer and lighter than the ones stuffed with withered straw. More importantly…”

He paused and added, “This white cotton should be easy to grow. The white cotton occupies a large area at the border of the route I took. It seems that with just one acre of land a lot can be produced.”

Gu Yuanbai told himself, I run into all the good stuff.

He laughed quickly, patted Kong Yilin on the shoulder happily, and said with great relief, “Scholar Kong, if that’s the case, where can that flower be found?”

Before cotton became available, the rich had different ways to keep warm, but the poor could only stuff their clothes with catkins, reed flowers, and withered grass, and cover in hemp fabrics. Cotton began to be planted in the Song Dynasty, but it was not widely spread. It was not until Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor,8 ascended to the throne. He had been a poor man who knew what it was like to be cold, so he vigorously promoted cotton cultivation and solved the problems with cold for the common people.

Now, was this so-called white cotton that same cotton?

Kong Yilin didn’t expect that the Emperor would believe his words so easily. For a while, he couldn’t react, and in the end he said in a daze, “This official still has seeds at home.”

Gu Yuanbai nodded and laughed loudly. “If your words are true, Scholar Kong, this white cotton can solve the common people’s struggles with cold. We will strongly support it and take some of your credit. If the day comes, Scholar Kong, you will save many lives.”

Kong Yilin’s hands shook as he bowed and said, “This official cannot accept Your Highness’ words.”

“If We say you deserve it, then you deserve it,” Gu Yuanbai said, allowing no discussion. “Why should you be so self deprecating?”

Kong Yilin was silent for a long time, then took a step back, knelt on his robe, and bowed exaggeratedly to Gu Yuanbai.

This salute was a salute to the spine that, after being crushed and insulted over and over, would stand up again, and a salute to the Emperor.

Kong Yilin had been forced to leave Great Heng and go to Western Xia. However, people from Western Xia didn’t acknowledge him. He was alone in Western Xia, and he couldn’t adapt to the language and culture there. When he found about the white cotton on the border, he realized that it was an opportunity.

So he returned to take the examinations, and, if he passed, he wanted to be able to offer something like that to the Great Heng Emperor. If he didn’t pass, then it wouldn’t be enough.

But he was talented, he really managed to pass the examinations. He had been ranked second, and his position was excellent.

Kong Yilin should be satisfied. However, the Emperor’s open mindedness made his ambition greedier.

The white cotton seeds were a way for the Emperor to remember him, and a set of stairs for him to climb up.

However, the Emperor was even better and more enlightened than he had thought.

Therefore, Kong Yilin’s salute was mixed with some feelings of guilt.

After instructing Kong Yilin to bring over the cotton the following day, Gu Yuanbai returned to the palace. Inside the palace, he remembered something after finishing his meal. “Hasn’t Xue Yuan returned yet?”

Tian Fusheng was taken aback, then turned to look at the young eunuch next to him.

A court lady stood up and said, “Your Highness, Official Xue returned before you came back, but he looked extremely messy, so he was taken away by an eunuch to tidy up.”

Gu Yuanbai laughed out loud. “He’s the son of a great general and a good Imperial guard, but now he has done some dirty work.”

Isn’t that right?

Tian Fusheng wiped the sweat off his forehead, and wondered how had the Xue heir provoked the Emperor. His life was not good, day after day.

As they were talking, Xue Yuan arrived. He was surrounded by moisture, his black hair scattered with drops of water draping over his back. It could be said that Gu Yuanbai had gotten his hair down to soften his face, but instead Xue Yuan only looked even more forceful.

His sharp eyebrows reached towards his temples, with a horrible, unsmiling expression. Xue Yuan spotted Gu Yuanbai when he arrived at the hall, and the gesture at the corners of his lips was perfunctory, revealing a false smile.

Very false.

Surely he was angry because of the dirty work?

Xue Yuan walked up to Gu Yuanbai to salute, then looked around the hall and asked, “Your Majesty, where’s that scholar from yesterday?”

Xue Yuan snered over and over after seeing the top ranked scholar place his arms around the young Emperor’s waist, and seeing the young Emperor smile back at him the night before. When he had touched Gu Yuanbai’s feet, he was kicked into the water. To touch Gu Yuanbai’s hand, he had to be sneaky. What sort of stinky scholar could place his hands on the Emperor’s waist and have Gu Yuanbai smile at him?

But after a while, Xue Yuan calmed down.

Because the young Emperor didn’t like to have too close of a contact with anyone.

After thinking about it, the scholar had just raised his hand behind the young Emperor, pretending that he had touched him.

After figuring it out, Xue Yuan said, very good.

Obviously, this scholar had been deliberately showing off before him, he was deliberately provoking him. Although he didn’t know what the scholar’s move meant, he had successfully angered Xue Yuan.

All the people who provoked Xue Yuan were dead, except for the young Emperor.

Forget about that. The young Emperor, the lion of the world, was interesting.

But what is this Chu Wei?

Gu Yuanbai didn’t smile at me even a handful of times, but he smiled so nicely at this thing?

Screw him.

Gu Yuanbai smiled suddenly when he heard Xue Yuan’s words. He gave Xue Yuan a meaningful look and said casually, “Historian Chu is, of course, at the Hanlin Academy.”

So it turned out that Xue Yuan had already noticed Chu Wei at this time.

Gu Yuanbai was meant to witness with his own eyes how they would engage in socialist brotherhood, and witness with his own eyes how they would fall into a pit without children.9

He could also follow the current and make the two of them fall in love with each other as soon as possible.

Now that he had finally spotted the signs, Gu Yuanbai was in a good mood. He asked Tian Fusheng to bring two good inkstones and handed them to Xue Yuan, saying, “Go give these two inkstones to Official Chu at the Hanlin Academy and to Official Kong, tell them We rewarded them for their good game.”

Brother, I created a chance for you, you should go make a move yourself!

Come on, quickly go talk to Chu Wei about socialist brotherhood, don’t dangle it in front of my eyes, I will get annoyed when I see you.

Xue Yuan, who was holding the inkstone, narrowed his eyes. After listening to Gu Yuanbai’s words, he grinned coldly. “Your servant obeys.”

He could beat someone to death with an inkstone.