Chapter 31 - His Majesty bites someone (2/2)

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!