CPS Chapter 10: Lingguang (4)

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After Bai He took Wen Jiao outside, her face was as dark as water. Without a word, she led him directly to her private quarters.

As the chief steward, she held a prestigious position in the imperial palace and lived in a single room.

"Speak. What happened?"

Wen Jiao was stunned by the slap, too dazed to even show his usual delicate temper. Red-eyed, he stammered meekly, "Aunt, I know I was wrong."

Bai He sat down with a teacup in hand, silent as she scrutinized the young eunuch before her.

She had to admit, this little eunuch was exceptionally good-looking, standing out even in the Chu Kingdom’s imperial palace, where beauty was everywhere.

But was His Majesty such a shallow person?

Others might not know, but she was well aware that although the emperor was praised as "Lingguang Zhuyu" (Pearls and Jade of Lingguang), he actually loathed his own appearance. If mere beauty could seduce him, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t have needed to arrange so many people over the years.

"I’m not blaming you," Bai He finally said, her mind racing. She took a sip of tea, cleared her throat, and then smiled kindly, as if that slap in the bathing hall had been just a figment of imagination.

She gestured for Wen Jiao to come closer. "Your name is Wen Jiao, right? Good child, where did you work before?"

Wen Jiao face still burned from the slap. He stared blankly as he was pulled over. "I-I used to work in the Laundry Bureau."

Bai He nodded, gently taking Wen Jiao’s hand. Seeing the frostbitten, swollen fingers on his otherwise pampered hands, she sighed with feigned concern. "With skin this delicate, how could you handle such rough tasks? I’ll give you some ointment later; apply it well, so you don’t delay your recovery."

Then she added casually, "Was today your first time meeting His Majesty?"

Wen Jiao’s hand felt freezing cold. He struggled to speak. "Yes."

Bai He smiled. "You’re lucky, then. The last person to offend the emperor like that was beaten to death long ago."

Wen Jiao’s face turned pale. He swallowed hard in fear.

Bai He watched him coldly, calculating in her heart. This was someone easily seen through—a fallen noble from a small kingdom, perhaps. Pampered and unable to endure hardship, yet cowardly and not too bright, clumsily trying to climb upward.

"Do you like His Majesty?" Bai He asked abruptly.

Wen Jiao froze, shrinking back.

"Don’t be scared," Bai He said softly. "If His Majesty didn’t kill you today, it means he’s taken a liking to you. Who in the palace doesn’t dream of His Majesty’s favor? Be good, tell me, and I’ll help you."

"I’ll help you."

The words struck Wen Jiao like a hammer, leaving him dazed. He had braved so much to approach the Chu Emperor today, only to fail miserably and nearly lose his life. Thinking of this, his eyes filled with tears again, consumed by self-pity. Everyone seemed to be against him, and he sniffled.

Bai He resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

After some hesitation, Wen Jiao finally raised his head, his red mole glowing seductively between his brows. In a small, pitiful voice, he confessed, "Yes, I... I like His Majesty."

Only by winning Lou Guanxe’s favor could he survive in the Chu Kingdom’s palace and live a good life.

Bai He smiled faintly. "It’s good that you admitted it. Liking His Majesty is a blessing. But being close to the emperor is like being near a tiger. His temperament is unpredictable. Even if he treats you differently, you must always tread carefully and avoid provoking his displeasure."

Wen Jiao nodded nervously. "Yes."

Bai He continued, "To win His Majesty’s favor, you must first understand him."

She thought to herself, Perhaps the emperor simply found this fool amusing. Curiosity, after all, is often the beginning of desire. If stupidity caught his attention, then stupidity was an asset.

"Come, sit closer. I’ll tell you about His Majesty."

.....................

Late at night, in the emperor’s bedchamber.

Xia Qing, in his soul form, was helping Lou Guanxe review memorials. For the past fortnight at the Zhaixing Pavilion, governance had been shared by the Regent and the Empress Dowager.

"You’re already a puppet emperor. Why bother reviewing this documents? Will they even let you wield power?"

Lou Guanxe, fresh from the bath and clad in a pristine white robe, his damp hair still glistening, chuckled lightly. "Take a closer look."

"Huh?" Xia Qing obediently flipped through the stack of memorials. He quickly noticed something odd.

All the documents were sent by the Regent, and their content was mostly fluff—flowery praise from officials or trivial matters.

Curious, he asked, "So how do you usually respond to these?"

Lou Guanxe replied nonchalantly, "I don’t."

"...What?" Xia Qing was stunned. After a long pause, he muttered, "So this is what it’s like to be emperor? Hands-free—oh wait, no hands needed at all. I love it!"

Ignoring Xia Qing’s sarcasm, Lou Guanxe casually opened a book and lowered his gaze. "If you’re bored, feel free to respond to them yourself."

Xia Qing glanced at him, grabbed a brush, and said, "Fine. I’m bored anyway."

Since he could read but not write the era’s script properly, he decided to annotate the memorials like a language teacher—circling archaic characters, highlighting pronouns and particles, and even marking inverted sentence structures! A true genius at work.

"Done!" He handed the annotated memorial back to Lou Guanxe.

Under the flickering candlelight, the young emperor propped his chin on his hand, skimmed the document briefly, and dismissed it with a simple, "Thanks."

"Don’t you have anything to say about it?" Xia Qing asked curiously.

After some thought, Lou Guanxe said indifferently, "Nothing in particular."

Xia Qing: "..."

With his long lashes casting faint shadows, Lou Guanxe added calmly, "But you should keep this to yourself. If the author sees your notes and takes offense, you’ll be blamed for their suicide, and your karma will take a hit."

Xia Qing: "???"

So now I’m responsible for someone’s life?!

His light brown eyes widened as he stammered, "It can’t be that bad..."

Lou Guanxe’s ambiguous smile deepened. "They’ll think I’m targeting them. Instead of enduring my disdain and suffering endlessly, they might prefer a quick death."

"...Your reputation really is terrible."

Xia Qing had had enough of this Chu Kingdom habit of resorting to life-and-death dramatics at the drop of a hat. He reluctantly set aside his “Classical Chinese study notes,” zoned out for a moment, and then returned to work with renewed focus.

He was working on these memorials out of sheer boredom, fulfilling his long-held dream of playing emperor just for fun. The subsequent memorials were reviewed and marked with red ink as “read” in an orderly manner.

One memorial, to Xia Qing’s surprise, actually praised Lou Guanxue. He was stunned but keenly caught a particular phrase.

“Lingguang Zhuyu—is that referring to you?” Xia Qing asked.

Lou Guanxue lowered his arm and looked at him with lazy indifference, his gaze cold and distant. He didn’t answer.

Feeling at ease for once, Xia Qing smiled kindly. “What a great title—like pearls and jade, captivatingly beautiful. Your Majesty truly is a peerless beauty.”

Lou Guanxue’s face remained expressionless. Then he slowly smiled—a pure, innocent smile—and softly asked, “Do you like it?”

Xia Qing: "?"

Lou Guanxue propped himself on the desk and leaned in closer.

His white sleeping robe slipped slightly, revealing exquisite collarbones. His damp black hair added an alluring touch, making him seem like an enchanting spirit. In a husky voice, he said, “If you like it, would you like to take a closer look? See exactly what Lingguang Zhuyu looks like?”

His voice was low, gentle, and tinged with a smile, carrying an inexplicable hook that tugged at one’s heart.

Xia Qing: "…"

What the hell?! Why are you seducing me in the middle of the night?!

Xia Qing looked at him as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Don’t do this,” Xia Qing pleaded. “We still have to work together for six months. It wouldn’t be good if things got awkward.”

Lou Guanxue lowered his eyes and looked at him coldly, saying nothing.

Xia Qing mustered up the courage to speak the truth. “I just think it’s a nice title, nothing more.”

Lou Guanxue: “Oh.”

He put the book back in its place, his expression indifferent and tired. Then he got up and walked toward the bed.

Since leaving the Zhaixing Tower, the fatigue in Lou Guanxue’s demeanor had grown heavier.

Xia Qing let out a breath of relief. Still working on the memorials, he asked, “Are you attending court tomorrow morning?”

Lou Guanxue’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. “No. After coming back from the Zhaixing Tower, I have three days off. Tomorrow, I’ll meet Yan Lanyu.”

Xia Qing: “Oh.”

Lou Guanxue went to bed, but Xia Qing continued his work.

In truth, handling the memorials also helped him understand the people and events around him. When Lou Guanxue wasn’t acting erratically, he seemed easygoing and willing to answer any question. However, his answers were always vague, dismissive, and unreliable. It was better to figure things out on his own.

Xia Qing always adhered to one principle: If you promise someone something, you should do it well.

Initially, Xia Qing was sleepy, but as he read the last memorial, a few lines jolted him awake.

Unlike the previous ones, this memorial was a scathing critique of the Regent.

The official furiously accused the Regent of overindulgence, allowing his son to act lawlessly and wreak havoc in Lingguang.

Xia Qing read carefully and summarized:

This was a scandal involving a courtesan.

The Regent’s son, Yan Mu, aged sixteen, was notorious in Lingguang City for being an arrogant and unruly tyrant, infamous for his misdeeds and feared by all.

This time, the bold official who dared to submit this memorial was likely trying to curry favor with the Wei family. Why? Because Yan Mu had clashed with Wei Liuguang, the sixth son of the Wei family—a man equally troublesome.

Wei Liuguang was also infamous in Lingguang for his indulgent lifestyle. A favorite of the Duke of Wei, he enjoyed spending his days in brothels and had recently splurged a fortune to claim a newly debuted courtesan at Fengyue Tower. But before he could meet her, Yan Mu had intercepted her on a whim.

The two fought over the courtesan, nearly wrecking the Fengyue Tower in the process.

In the end, neither Yan Mu nor Wei Liuguang gained the upper hand. The matter was still unresolved.

Xia Qing was puzzled.

Why had the Regent placed this memorial in front of Lou Guanxue?

It was clearly Yan Mu’s fault.

Still, for noble families to cause such a commotion over a courtesan, both sides had lost face. How the Wei and Yan families would resolve this remained to be seen.

Yawning, Xia Qing found himself growing curious about the courtesan. Wei Liuguang, with his famously high standards, had set his sights on her. And while Yan Mu was arrogant, he wasn’t an idiot. He wouldn’t have provoked the Wei family without reason. Was the courtesan truly that stunning?

Xia Qing didn’t draft a reply to the memorial.

Too tired, he rested his head on the desk, but his gaze fell on the book Lou Guanxue had been reading earlier.

When he saw the title, he instantly woke up.

"Penglai."

—Good grief! Here I am, staying up late to handle your memorials, and you’re over there reading casual fiction?!