Chapter 135 - Grape Flavored Imperial Gong (14)
Translated by Hua Li ^_^
After the decree appointing the new top scholar, Zhao Chuyang, as the prefect of Ningzhou was announced, those who had previously extended olive branches to him simultaneously developed amnesia. The thick stack of invitations dwindled to just a few scattered ones.
Though he bore the t.i.tle of the most promising young prefect, it was more of a fancy name. Everyone knew that even a governor in Ningzhou couldn’t compare to a county magistrate in prestigious regions like Sizhou or Yangzhou. As for a prefect, the t.i.tle was even less significant.
Of course, if Zhao Chuyang could truly achieve something, it would mean a smooth career path. However, over the years, many had set out for Ningzhou full of ambition, only to return dejectedly or perish far from home.
There were many more prominent figures under scrutiny than Zhao Chuyang. The influential figures who judged with a discerning eye didn’t think much of his potential and held no expectations for him.
Lu Yiming, half gloating, made sarcastic remarks but silently noted down the families of those who “turned their backs” on Zhao Chuyang.
It wasn’t just about loyalty; Lu, the Tanhua scholar, was also a discerning person. Such shortsighted people weren’t worth a.s.sociating with.
Before the four left the capital for their new posts, Gou Liang specially left the palace to bid them farewell.
He said, “I wish you all smooth sailing and great success!”
Because the heat of September was approaching, the Emperor had forbidden him to drink alcohol. This time, the Emperor had specially sent Eunuch He to accompany him, so Gou Liang had to use tea instead of wine, drinking three cups in a row.
Zhao Chuyang, feeling regretful, said, “Brother Zigui, you have vast knowledge and a broad mind. If you were to go to Ningzhou, it wouldn’t take long for the place to be completely transformed. Now, with your guidance, we will give our all and not let you down.”
Receiving a sharp glance from Eunuch He, Zhao Chuyang, who seemed to be instigating Gou Liang to be restless, quickly changed the subject.
Zhao Chuyang, who always prided himself on his high self-esteem, actually had no less arrogance than Lu Yiming. However, after reading Gou Liang’s strategy, he had to bow in submission. If it weren’t for his special relationship with the Emperor, keeping him grounded in the capital, Gou Liang would undoubtedly rise to prominence and high rank in a few years.
Zhao Chuyang clearly recognized that he still had a long way to go compared to Gou Liang. The last bit of arrogance in his heart was smoothed out. If he felt this way, it was even more so for the sixteenth-ranked scholar, who had once boasted about defeating Gou Liang. After this incident, Lu Yiming truly learned to lower his head and respect others.
Tang Qingfeng and Yuan Jing both knew that it was Zhao Chuyang and Lu Yiming who had the real capabilities, while they had benefited from Gou Liang’s influence, earning the Emperor’s special attention. Although they didn’t overly flatter him, their grat.i.tude was sincere. The meal was very harmonious, and the sadness of parting quickly dissipated with Tang Qingfeng’s jokes. Before they left, Gou Liang handed them a book on the geography and local customs of Ningzhou.
“The Emperor instructed me to write this book in the palace. Over these days, I have compiled these materials. Originally, it wasn’t appropriate to share, but because of the Emperor’s strong determination to govern Ningzhou, he granted this special gift. Take good care of it and make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
With nothing to do in the palace and both he and the Emperor loving local chronicles, Gou Liang integrated what was written in various books, reconstructing the original appearance of the place, and compiled this book on astronomy and geography. Such a book was not only beneficial for governance but also crucial for military strategy. If it fell into the hands of enemies or those with ulterior motives, it could cause great disaster.
The four knew the importance and, suppressing their excitement, agreed. They looked at Gou Liang with increasing respect.
Gou Liang smiled and said, “Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. If there is any discrepancy between the book and reality, please write to inform me.”
The four naturally agreed.
Not long after Zhao Chuyang and the others left the capital, the weather turned cold, and October arrived with a sudden drop in temperature. Chu Qian, stationed at the border, was also due to return to the capital. Gou Liang had specially moved back to his residence a day early and went to the ten-mile pavilion outside the city to welcome him on the morning of his return.
“Big Brother!”
Near noon, Chu Qian and his entourage arrived in a hurry.
Hearing the voice, Chu Qian reined in his horse and stopped. Following the sound, he saw a handsome, fair-skinned young man emerging from a carriage.
Though they hadn’t seen each other for two years, Chu Qian immediately recognized his fourth brother—Chu Qian had always believed that there was no one more handsome and refined in the entire capital than his little brother.
Chu Qian, who was the spitting image of General Chu, with the same thick eyebrows and big eyes and a booming laugh, jumped off his horse and patted Gou Liang on the shoulder. “Good boy, it’s only been two years, and now I have to call you sir!”
The deputy leader of the Night Owl, serving as the coachman, winced at the roughness, but Gou Liang, seemingly unaffected, smiled and said, “Brother, if you want to salute me, it shouldn’t be on the road. Let’s hurry back; Second Brother and Third Brother are already impatiently waiting. Father is on duty today; otherwise, he would have been here since last night.”
“Haha, our fourth brother’s tongue has turned sweet now. Not bad, not bad.”
Chu Qian shot a sharp glance at the coachman, then stopped Gou Liang from going to greet his sister-in-law, saying that within the family, such formalities were unnecessary, and it would be more comfortable to head home early.
Chu Jian and Chu Jia had been eagerly awaiting, only restraining their joy out of respect for Lady Chu.
Lady Chu herself felt conflicted, but considering her son’s current situation and how much they would have to rely on Chu Qian in the future, she decided to give him some face. For once, she didn’t put on airs and, like the twins, waited in the outer hall.
Not long after, Chu Qian entered through the gate. Seeing Lady Chu seated high up in the hall, he didn’t immediately catch up with his three younger brothers but hurriedly performed the family rites with his household.
Chu Qian had married early, and his husband, who had always accompanied him at the border, was blessed with good fortune, having given the Chu family two grandsons and a little ger child in five years.
Lady Chu wasn’t aware that General Chu and Chu Qian had already discussed adopting the youngest grandchild for Gou Liang. But, given her determined and decisive nature, once she decided to reconcile with Chu Qian, she made sure everything was in order.
Seeing her inquiring about their well-being, Chu Qian felt uneasy, exchanging a puzzled look with Lady Chu and then glancing at his three younger brothers.
The twins were also puzzled, while Gou Liang, who knew the inside story, smiled without saying a word.
The silent exchange between the four brothers went unnoticed as Lady Chu was happily chatting with Chu Qian’s husband.
Chu Qian’s husband had left the capital shortly after their marriage to accompany him, so he hadn’t spent much time with Lady Chu before. He had only heard about her strict and domineering nature during their time in the bridal chamber, which made him apprehensive during the journey. Now, seeing her so kind, he relaxed, smiling as he answered her questions about the journey and life at the border.
In the evening, General Chu returned, and the family enjoyed a harmonious reunion dinner.
On the seventeenth of October, the two ger children of the Chu family were married off on the same day.
The usually low-key General Chu held a grand banquet, and after the lively event, he felt quite sad about the absence of his two sons in the household. In his drunken state, he hugged his late wife’s memorial tablet and cried, making Lady Chu so angry that she couldn’t eat for three days.
Leaving aside later events, let’s focus on the present.
Gou Liang and Chu Qian each escorted one of the twins to their new homes. Chu Jian was married into the eldest princess’s household. After a few drinks, Gou Liang excused himself, citing his low tolerance for alcohol, and went outside to get some fresh air, only to be caught by Zhou Xun, who confessed his feelings.
Looking at Zhou Xun, who was waiting for his response with a flushed face, Gou Liang found it quite amusing.
Although in all these worlds, he was always a heartthrob, except for his main target, no one had ever dared to openly express their love to him.
But despite hearing this confession of youthful affection, he felt nothing and patiently said, “I’m sorry, I can’t accept your feelings.”
“Why not?”
Zhou Xun, his joy turned to ice, bit his lip and endured the embarra.s.sment as he said, “Cousin Chu Mo, I know you don’t like me, but marriages aren’t always about love. We could still live harmoniously together. Please don’t reject me. No matter how busy you are, you will still have to go home and get married. I can wait for you.”
Gou Liang laughed, “Zhou Xun, I appreciate your kind intentions, but I already have someone I love. I will not accept anyone but him in this life. You should seek out your true soulmate before you get in too deep. You deserve someone better.”
Seeing that he wasn’t lying, Zhou Xun was overcome with sadness and stubbornly said, “Cousin, just like you’re waiting for the person you love, I’ll always wait for you. As long as you’re not married, I won’t give up!”
Saying this, he ran away in tears before Gou Liang could reject him again.
Watching him leave in tears, Gou Liang turned back only to face an overturned vinegar jar.
The Emperor, with a sour tone, said, “He seems quite devoted to you.”
Gou Liang looked at him speechlessly and said, “We’re both gers; it’s impossible. It’s just youthful infatuation. Don’t make trouble for him.”
The Emperor, displeased, said, “I haven’t done anything yet, and you’re already defending him!”
He hadn’t actually planned to trouble a ger person who wasn’t even married yet, but seeing Gou Liang’s apparent fondness for Zhou Xun made him feel uncomfortable. He immediately thought of finding a way to marry Zhou Xun off quickly, the farther away the better.
Didn’t Gou Liang know him well enough by now?
One look at his eyes, and Gou Liang knew what he was thinking. Though he didn’t care about Zhou Xun’s fate, he wouldn’t indulge the Emperor either.
“Let’s be reasonable,” Gou Liang said seriously, putting down his brush. “I have never overstepped any boundaries with Zhou Xun, nor will I in the future. If you can’t trust me, should I question you about your three thousand beauties in the harem?”
The Emperor was taken aback. He had never considered the harem as part of the equation.
“Are you jealous, Xiao Keng’er?” the Emperor asked with a laugh.
Gou Liang intended to teach him a lesson and wouldn’t give in so easily. He immediately shook his head lightly and said, “Since I married Your Majesty, they are the masters, and I am the subject. A subject has no right to criticize the master.”
“They are not worth being called masters.” The Emperor was clearly dissatisfied with this answer. His expression changed as he asked, holding back his temper, “Do you really not mind at all?”
“Not at all.”
Gou Liang’s lips moved slightly, making a decisive statement.
The Emperor threw aside the pen Gou Liang had picked up again, pulled him into his arms, and asked through gritted teeth, “Are you really serious about this?!”
Gou Liang replied, “I dare not deceive Your Majesty.”
The Emperor was infuriated and was about to press him further when Eunuch Tong reported from outside the room that the Minister of Works had an urgent matter to report. The Emperor gave Gou Liang a fierce glare and said, “Think it over carefully, Xiao Keng’er. When I return, I want a proper answer to my question!”
He stormed off in a fit of rage, with Eunuch Tong following behind, wiping cold sweat from his brow. The Minister of Works also suffered as a result.
Although the Emperor didn’t say a harsh word, the Minister of Works, under the oppressive atmosphere that felt like the dead of winter, felt deeply that he had been incompetent and was no longer as angry as when he had arrived.
Clearing his head a bit, the Minister of Works silently swallowed his complaints and criticisms about the incompetent Qin w.a.n.g and Yang w.a.n.g, who had been meddling and ruining the repairs to the imperial tomb. He then listed his own shortcomings and asked the Emperor for a decree to give him the authority to decide on the tomb repairs when his opinions clashed with the kings.
The Emperor, lacking patience, dismissed him and hurried to the library.
To his surprise, Gou Liang wasn’t there. It turned out that today, Gou Hanlin had encountered a difficult problem while revising the doc.u.ments and had gone back to the Hanlin Academy to consult the senior scholars.
This reason was so legitimate that even the Emperor couldn’t summon him back immediately.
By the time dinner was ready, the Emperor sent someone to inquire, only to find that Gou Liang was engrossed in conversation with several elderly Hanlin scholars. According to He Taiji, there was frequent laughter, and he wasn’t at all affected by their argument that afternoon.
The Emperor was so angry that he didn’t even eat dinner.
Seeing that the palace gates were about to be locked, this time Eunuch Tong went to invite him personally, only to be told that Gou Liang would be staying at the Hanlin Academy for the night and would continue his discussions with the senior scholars the next day.
The Emperor laughed in anger and, trying to keep a calm appearance, said, “If he wants to stay, let him stay.”
However, he clenched the memorial in his hand so tightly that the hard cover crumpled. After a long while, he threw the memorial aside and cursed coldly, “What’s the use of the Governor of Qinzhou if he can’t handle such a small matter without consulting me? What’s the point of keeping him?”
This was an unwarranted disaster.
Eunuch Tong’s hands trembled as he trimmed the lamp wick. Seeing the Emperor pick up the imperial brush to reprimand the Governor of Qinzhou, Eunuch Tong bravely said, “Your Majesty, this old servant has heard that Master Xiao Chu is on very good terms with his senior brother and respects him greatly.”
The Emperor, already annoyed at hearing about Gou Liang being close to anyone, was about to scold Eunuch Tong for bringing up such an unpleasant topic. Suddenly, he remembered that Gou Liang’s senior brother was none other than the Governor of Qinzhou, whom he had just vented his anger on!
This realization made the Emperor drop the imperial brush and glare unhappily at the crumpled memorial.
Eunuch Tong, seeing the Emperor sulking alone, felt a bit fearful but couldn’t help finding it slightly amusing.
Comparing this with the earlier scene when he had asked Gou Liang to return, seeing Gou Liang’s smiling face, Eunuch Tong couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion.
He could tell that Gou Liang was also angry, but unlike the Emperor, who grew colder the angrier he got, Gou Liang became more serene and even wore a full smile. This unusual behavior was the most telling sign. The Emperor, now in a fit of anger, hadn’t noticed this.
Loyal as ever, Eunuch Tong was pondering how to mediate between them to prevent their youthful pride from causing a real rift. Suddenly, the Emperor asked him, “Why doesn’t he care? Could it be that he…”
Eunuch Tong was startled.
Not knowing how to respond, he saw the Emperor shake his head and answer his own question, “No, we are clearly in sync with each other. So why doesn’t he care about this at all?”
Although the Emperor was angry, he understood Gou Liang very well, if not better than Eunuch Tong.
He knew that Gou Liang was angry, but the lack of concern was genuine.
Gou Liang was upset not because of the Emperor’s harem, but because the Emperor was overthinking and disliked Gou Liang’s att.i.tude toward Zhou Xun or anyone he favored, rather than being bothered by the existence of the harem.
Although the Emperor had never paid much attention to the harem, Gou Liang, even knowing that he was indifferent to those people, could not possibly know that he had never had any contact with them. After all, the Empress Dowager had spent most of her efforts over the years to keep this matter perfectly hidden.
So how could Gou Liang remain indifferent to those who, in name and appearance, occupied his place?
If someone else had taken Gou Liang’s t.i.tle and occupied him, the Emperor would have found a way to get rid of that person as quickly as possible!
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy the Emperor felt. Out of spite, he didn’t summon Gou Liang back again. Instead, he inefficiently dealt with state affairs until late at night. Only after Eunuch Tong had requested for the third time did he finally put down his pen and leave his seat.
Returning to Zhengyang Palace without waiting to change his clothes, the previously confident Emperor, now unable to bear it any longer, headed straight for the Hanlin Academy.
This time he was in such a hurry that he hadn’t even changed out of his dragon robe.
However, upon entering the room, he heard Gou Liang’s steady breathing, sound asleep.
The Emperor thought: After angering me, you can still sleep so peacefully!
With a hint of anger, he pulled aside the bed curtains, but the first thing he saw was not Gou Liang’s face, but a pair of bright yellow underpants hanging from the top of the bed.
On the legs and crotch of the pants, a couplet was written in large characters.
The first line: “A man of his word does not grow fat.”
The second line: “A man of courage does not remain silent.”
The horizontal inscription: “Heavy dew in the deep night.”
How dare he indirectly insult him, implying that if he dared to get into his bed tonight, he would be like Eunuch Tong, a rootless old eunuch—not a man!
The Emperor hurriedly tore down the underpants that were originally meant to be worn by Gou Liang. At that moment, Gou Liang, who had been pretending to sleep, was looking at him with a smile, his eyes both provocative and alluring.
Not a man? Then not a man!
The Emperor quickly stripped off his own clothes, threw them on the ground, and climbed into Gou Liang’s bed. His rough hands eagerly reached for Gou Liang’s legs and found him naked!
Sealing Gou Liang’s mocking mouth with his own, the Emperor whispered, “Little minx,” but his tone was filled with deep affection, a hint of surrender, and he kissed Gou Liang pa.s.sionately and urgently.
This eagerness put him at a disadvantage, and even while Gou Liang was gasping for breath from the intensity of the kisses, he still managed to laugh at the Emperor’s lack of restraint. Gou Liang let him kiss his neck and vent his frustration, but couldn’t help but say, “Keep your voice down, Scholar w.a.n.g lives next door.”
The Emperor, however, couldn’t wait to take him back.
He pulled open Gou Liang’s loosely tied robe and, kissing and groping, reached behind him, pressing his hardened desire against Gou Liang’s thighs, his l.u.s.t ready to explode.
Gou Liang, in a particularly ruining-the-mood manner, asked, “Not angry anymore?”
There was a hint of smugness in his tone, and the Emperor bit him. Somehow, seeing his cheeky smile, the Emperor couldn’t help but smile too.
“Let’s see how long you can keep smiling. I’ll make sure both your mouths are crying and begging for mercy soon,” the Emperor threatened harshly.
Gou Liang kissed him on the ear, whispering, “I’m looking forward to it.”
The Emperor couldn’t help but laugh. At that moment, all the things that had troubled him earlier seemed insignificant. He gently kissed Gou Liang, his eyes filled with joy.
Gou Liang returned his kiss sweetly and whispered, “Do you know why I’m not angry at all?”
The Emperor raised an eyebrow.
Although he didn’t speak, his expression was serious, even stopping his mischievous hand behind Gou Liang.
Gou Liang said, “I once read in a medical book that a man retains a certain vitality if his initial yang energy is not released… I could smell it on Your Majesty for years now.”
The Emperor: “…”
Gou Liang brushed his nose against the Emperor’s neck, looking intoxicated, and said, “But now, it smells even better.”
Feeling embarra.s.sed, the Emperor spread Gou Liang’s b.u.t.tocks and revealed his weapon, determined to show him that even without experience, he could still make him feel like heaven and h.e.l.l!
The bed in the Hanlin Academy’s guest room was not as st.u.r.dy as the dragon bed, and after a few rounds, it began to creak weakly.
Gou Liang’s plea to change locations only resulted in the bed shaking even more violently. It wasn’t until after one session that the Emperor, as he wished, carried him off the bed and continued their battle.
The next day, Scholar w.a.n.g, who lived next door to Gou Liang, appeared with a face full of fatigue.
In a tone lamenting the declining morals of the times, he sighed, “It’s been a long time since the academy was cleaned. The Ministry of Works is getting more and more lax. All night, first the mice were squeaking, and then in the latter half, it was the night cats. Their cries were even worse, keeping this old man up all night… Zi Gui, didn’t you hear anything? Young people really do sleep soundly. Huh, why do you look so well-rested?”
Gou “Night Cat” Liang refused to answer.