Chapter 37 - His Majesty is so cute Xue Yuan might explode (1/2)

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.