Regent (2): 

As Gu Juntian was getting dressed with the help of servants, the pale, clean-shaven man leading them kept urging the attendants on, saying they mustn’t miss the auspicious time to leave the city to greet Zhou Qinghao.

While Gu Juntian was having breakfast, the man even urged him, “Your Majesty, eat faster, or you won’t make it in time to greet the Regent.”

From the look of him, one might think he was sent by Zhou Qinghao to watch over Gu Juntian, but in truth… the people behind him were from the Jin royal clan.

King Wu of Jin was the original owner’s great-grandfather. After King Wu’s death, the original owner’s grandfather took the throne.

At the same time, the original owner’s father, then only three years old, was sent to Qi as a hostage.

When the grandfather passed away without naming an heir, the Jin royal clan began fighting for the throne. At that moment, Qi sent back the original owner’s father—already married to a princess of Qi and with a child—portraying himself as weak and incompetent, and even designated him to be king of Jin.

The royal clan of Jin naturally resented him.

When he first took the throne, they gave him a great deal of trouble. Those with fiefs treated him with no respect at all.

To fight against the clan and great nobles, the original owner’s father appointed men from humble backgrounds, including Zhou Qinghao.

When King Wu had attacked Chu and was defeated by the joint forces of Qi and Chu, the common people suffered greatly. But the royal clan and nobles still lived in comfort, even seizing large amounts of peasant land.

Their estates were exempt from taxes.

The original owner’s father wanted Jin to grow strong, which meant he could not allow them to occupy vast lands without paying taxes. So during his reign, he continually opposed the royal clan and great nobles. After his death, Zhou Qinghao inherited this mission and continued to oppose them.

Unfortunately, Zhou’s lowly origins made many look down on him. His enemies smeared his reputation among the elite, leaving him with few allies in court.

When he was present, the royal clan, nobles, and officials feared him and dared not oppose him, but once he went to the front lines, these people became active again.

They worked together to drive out or kill Zhou’s allies, used him as an excuse to block the king from handling state affairs, and placed people around the king to sow discord between him and Zhou.

This middle-aged eunuch was one of their plants.

He would constantly praise Zhou Qinghao in front of the king, tell him to learn from Zhou, and use Zhou’s name as a pretext to restrict him.

While sorting through the knowledge in his mind, Gu Juntian ladled himself another bowl of millet porridge.

Food in this era was unimpressive. As king of Jin, his breakfast was only boiled chicken, millet porridge, pickles, and two kinds of sauces.

But even this was fare only nobles could enjoy.

“Your Majesty, you are the ruler, you must not be greedy,” the eunuch spoke again, showing not the slightest respect. “The Regent is bringing two hundred thousand troops to the capital—Your Majesty should depart to welcome him.”

Gu Juntian set down his porridge bowl, drew his sword, and thrust it straight into the man’s chest, piercing through.

The man did not die instantly. Struggling, he looked at Gu Juntian in horror.

Gu Juntian’s expression was cold. He kicked the man away, drawing his sword from his chest.

“Noisy,” Gu Juntian said icily, then turned to the others nearby. “What are you staring at? Drag him out.”

The sudden killing stunned everyone, but the guards reacted quickly. They stepped forward, dragging away the eunuch, whose heart had been pierced and who could not survive.

Blood had splashed on Gu Juntian, but the food on the table was untouched. He returned to his seat, picked up the porridge, and continued eating.

He was young and strong, and a single bowl of millet porridge was far from enough.

Thinking this, he picked up some chicken.

After killing a man, he ate calmly, unaffected. Those serving him grew even more terrified, trembling.

Their king had lost his temper before and ordered executions, but he had never killed with his own hands—let alone eaten afterward.

Gu Juntian, of course, could eat. As for killing, this eunuch deserved it.

He not only possessed the original owner’s memories, but also knew his future.

The original owner hated Zhou Qinghao, but he was timid and dared not act, choosing instead to “endure humiliation.”

In the original story, under the eunuch’s urging, the king had left for the city gates after only one bowl of porridge to greet Zhou.

But Zhou was not due to arrive until the afternoon.

It was early spring—not freezing, but far from warm, with cold winds carrying dust.

The king stood outside the city gates from early morning, waiting nearly three hours before Zhou arrived.

When he grew tired or hungry, the eunuch refused to let him rest or eat, saying it would show his respect for Zhou only if he stood the entire time.

After hours of standing cold and hungry, the king was ready to tear Zhou apart.

When Zhou finally returned with his personal guards, the king welcomed him into the city while secretly plotting his death.

It was then he accidentally discovered that Zhou harbored romantic feelings for him.

The king was disgusted but decided to endure again, trying to seduce Zhou.

Zhou rejected him and earnestly warned him to beware the royal clan and nobles, but the king ignored it, believing the clan—bound to him by blood—was trustworthy, and that Zhou was the real threat.

Later, Zhou purged the court, killing some royals and Qi people around the queen mother, allowing the king to govern personally.

Seeing the king wary of him, Zhou left the capital for the border.

Then, the king and the royal clan conspired with Qi.

When Qi’s army approached, the king pretended to be imprisoned by the clan and Qi agents, sending a plea for rescue to Zhou.

Fearing to weaken Jin’s border defenses, Zhou left the main army behind.

The king’s “emergency” forced Zhou to bring only a few thousand personal guards, slowing his march.

On the way, they were ambushed by the king’s people.

Most of Zhou’s men died or were wounded, but he fought his way to the capital, infiltrated the palace, and found the king.

Realizing the king had not been imprisoned, Zhou knew he had been tricked and was deeply disappointed.

The king panicked, fleeing and calling for guards to save him.

Wounded and alone, Zhou was killed by the king’s guards.

After Zhou’s death, the king truly was imprisoned.

Qi then crushed Jin’s army, killing over a hundred thousand soldiers—just the beginning.

The king lived another ten years, abused in captivity, watching Jin destroyed by Qi.

When Qi entered the capital, the royals fled, leaving him behind. A nameless Qi soldier beheaded him.

Seeing this ending, Gu Juntian sighed.

Without Zhou Qinghao, the king was nothing.

And he would never let himself meet that fate.

As he ate, he planned his future.

The short-sighted royals and nobles had to be removed. With Zhou commanding the army, how could they not be eliminated?

The Qi people around the queen mother had to go too.

Then he could distribute land to the people, ensure they were fed and clothed, win their hearts, train the army, and together with Zhou, destroy Qi and Chu, ending centuries of chaos.

It would take time and effort, but he was confident he could do it.

Even if he failed, he would still try.

He would not be just a king of Jin—he wanted to give peace to the world.

Thinking this, he finished an entire chicken.

Chickens of this era were small; a general like Zhou could easily eat two in a meal.

When he was done, the queen mother arrived. “My son, are you all right?”

Her face was full of concern. Gu Juntian could tell she truly cared for the original owner.

“I’m fine,” Gu Juntian replied.

“That’s good,” she said worriedly. “My son, that eunuch was Zhou Qinghao’s man. You killed him—will Zhou be angry? He brought his army back with him this time…”

Growing more anxious, she added, “I’ll speak to your uncle, have him give advice. Don’t worry—with Qi’s support, Zhou won’t dare harm you!”

She truly believed that only by pleasing Qi could her son keep the throne.

But Qi’s goal was to annex Jin. Their agents in Jin, sheltered by the queen mother, were there to drive a wedge between the king and Zhou.

They had begun this not when the king grew up, but immediately after his father’s death—perhaps even earlier, aiming first to divide his father and Zhou.

Gu Juntian brushed her off and sent her away. Then one of the king’s cousins and an uncle arrived.

Both held vast fiefs and great influence in court.

The king’s lack of access to state affairs was tied to them.

In the original story, Zhou killed them to let the king govern. Now they were alive and well.

Gu Juntian wanted to kill them as he had the eunuch, but that could spark a rebellion.

Unprepared, he could not risk it—it would cause many deaths, and Jin’s greatest shortage was population.

Its strength could not be wasted in civil war.

He let the idea go, telling them the eunuch had been executed for denying him food and overstepping his place.

One was the Lord of Pinghai, the other the Lord of Moshang.

After some consoling, they suggested he go outside the city to greet Zhou.

Gu Juntian did not refuse.

Zhou had won a victory; it was proper for the king to greet him.

But as in the original story, just the king and a few minor officials was not grand enough.

He said, “Uncles, Zhou Qinghao’s merits are unparalleled. The king should lead the royals to greet him in person!”

Want him to stand in the cold? Fine—everyone can stand together.

The Lord of Pinghai said, “The Regent dislikes us…”

Gu Juntian’s face hardened. “Uncle, the Regent’s dislike is all the more reason to go! Besides, this is an order.”

Previously, no one obeyed the king’s orders because Zhou was absent.

Now Zhou was back—surely they wouldn’t dare ignore him.

Indeed, the Lord of Pinghai agreed.

Gu Juntian told him to summon the other royals as well, and ordered his attendants to prepare a cloak, a hand warmer, a suitable carriage, and plenty of food.

When the ruler traveled, everything should be in order.

He wasn’t a man of indulgence, but he would not allow himself to be slighted.

An hour later, dressed in new clothes, Gu Juntian boarded the carriage, leading a group of royals and ministers on foot to greet Zhou Qinghao.