Regent (5): 

Although he knew it was not strange for himself to be interested in Zhou Qinghao, Gu Juntian still could not help but sigh.

Before this, he had already thought through how he would use Zhou Qinghao.

This time, when Zhou Qinghao went to war, he not only seized back the lands that Jin had once lost, but also went to Qi and Chu, plundered a large amount of grain and fodder, and defeated the armies of both states, forcing them to sign treaties.

For the next few years, Qi and Chu would be unable to attack Jin.

In the original course of events, Jin was destroyed by Qi many years later.

Therefore, Gu Juntian’s initial plan was to use these few years to put Jin’s internal affairs in order.

He intended to maintain good relations with Zhou Qinghao and conspire together for great undertakings.

He would have Zhou Qinghao kill off the unruly members of the royal clan in the capital so he could firmly secure the throne, and then Gu Juntian would step in to pacify the remaining nobles and win their loyalty.

As for how to pacify them, at that time, he would “deal with” Zhou Qinghao.

He would send Zhou Qinghao to the bitterly cold northern frontier of Jin to guard the border and fight against the Rong people to the north.

Among Qi, Chu, and Jin, Jin was the furthest north and shared a border with the Rong.

The Rong frequently raided southward, and the people in northern Jin lived in misery.

One must secure the internal situation before dealing with external threats—Gu Juntian believed that before unifying the world, it was necessary to guard against the Rong’s southern incursions.

He planned to give Zhou Qinghao some advice so that Zhou could fight the Rong for several years, frightening them into submission and at the same time seizing a large number of warhorses from the steppe.

While Zhou Qinghao was in the north, Gu Juntian would nurture talent within Jin, lead the people to recuperate, and store up grain.

After three to five years, once he had completely taken control of Jin, Zhou Qinghao could return.

By then, Zhou Qinghao would bring a large army back to the capital—Gu Juntian intended to reform Jin’s laws.

Over the past centuries, many states had attempted reforms during times of turmoil, but none had succeeded; the main reason was that their rulers lacked determination.

He, however, would resolutely carry them out, and as for those who opposed them, Zhou Qinghao could simply kill them.

Once the new laws were firmly in place, Zhou Qinghao could be stationed at the border between Jin and Qi-Chu.

After that, Gu Juntian would supply food from the rear, Zhou Qinghao would fight at the front, and they could slowly annex Qi and Chu.

It was a perfect plan, but if it was carried out, Zhou Qinghao would spend very little time in the capital.

He and Zhou Qinghao would spend most of their lives apart.

If he fell in love with Zhou Qinghao, such brief time together would certainly be insufficient.

But if they were inseparable, it would hinder his efforts to seize the world.

Perhaps his feelings for Zhou Qinghao were just a momentary rush of emotion—he should still follow the original plan: first cultivate goodwill with Zhou Qinghao so that Zhou would be willing to work for him.

People in this era valued loyalty and gratitude; someone of low status who was recognized by a high-ranking person would even be willing to die for them.

His own father had “recognized” many talented individuals.

He should also “recognize” Zhou Qinghao.

Although Gu Juntian was full of conflicting thoughts, none of it showed on his face.

After inviting Zhou Qinghao into the carriage, he took out hot water and personally poured him a drink.

“Your Majesty, this is improper according to etiquette,” Zhou Qinghao immediately said.

“You are my uncle, how is this improper?” Gu Juntian said with a smile, then offered him food. “Uncle has been traveling nonstop and must be hungry—have some food to fill your stomach first.”

The food Gu Juntian had prepared came from his study of the original host’s memories, identifying Zhou Qinghao’s favorites.

Zhou Qinghao preferred light flavors and liked meat, so Gu Juntian simply prepared some cooked meat.

After all, in this era, there were very few things to eat.

The vegetables were indeed unpleasant.

Thinking this, Gu Juntian took out a small knife and sliced the meat for Zhou Qinghao.

Zhou Qinghao was flattered yet uneasy.

He had raised the young king before him, but in the past, this young king had never treated him so well.

Yet the king personally pouring tea and slicing meat for him could either be praised as a touching story or used as evidence against him.

If it became known that he allowed the king to do such things, scholars across the realm would see him as disrespectful to his ruler and deserving of death.

Seeing Zhou Qinghao’s unease, Gu Juntian smiled. “Uncle, here there are only the two of us—you don’t need to be so restrained.”

He naturally understood Zhou Qinghao’s concerns, so he would never act like this in front of others, lest Zhou be criticized.

“Your Majesty…” Zhou Qinghao looked at Gu Juntian with complex eyes.

Three years apart, Gu Juntian had changed greatly.

Before, Gu Juntian’s thoughts were shallow, and he could read him at a glance.

That young man had disliked him.

He had tried many ways to make the young man stop disliking him, but it was useless.

At that time, he had already accepted one fact—he would inevitably be purged in the future.

Once Gu Juntian held power, he would certainly kill him.

When that day came, he would accept his death as repayment for the former king’s kindness.

But upon meeting again today, he could no longer read the young man before him.

When facing him, this person’s eyes were full of sincerity, as if brimming with affection—but that was impossible.

It could only mean that his king had suddenly grown up and learned to hide his true thoughts, which was a good thing.

No matter what, for his king to go to such lengths before him, showing such respect, it was unlikely to be genuine familial affection; more likely, he wanted something from him.

In ancient times, Yan Zhongzi, to exact revenge for Xia Lei, visited swordsmen far and wide and befriended Nie Zheng, who made his living as a butcher.

Nie Zheng did not accept Yan Zhongzi’s money, but, grateful for his appreciation, he went alone to assassinate Yan’s enemy.

Such things happened often.

He himself was deeply grateful for the former king’s regard.

If Gu Juntian, who disliked him, could act like this toward him, then in front of others, he would certainly perform even better—he could rest assured.

Zhou Qinghao’s heart surged with emotion, and his gaze at Gu Juntian revealed some of his inner feelings.

He really did like Gu Juntian.

Gu Juntian, who had been observing Zhou Qinghao, noticed his gaze.

It was clear Zhou Qinghao liked him very much.

Would it be wrong to betray that feeling?

Although there were only the two of them in the carriage, many people were around, so it was not suitable to discuss confidential matters, and Gu Juntian said no more.

He brought Zhou Qinghao back to the Jin palace, where a banquet to honor him had already been prepared.

Gu Juntian simply went along with the formalities.

The original host had little real power; the rewards for Zhou Qinghao and his generals had been decided by the royal clan and great nobles.

Their tactic toward Zhou Qinghao was to praise him excessively.

They raised him up so high that the original host would grow resentful of him.

For this reason, the rewards they had prepared for him were extremely generous.

In the original plot, the original host was angered by the excessive rewards and kept a stern face throughout the banquet.

Gu Juntian, however, did not act like that—he felt Zhou Qinghao deserved them.

He even thought he should give Zhou more in private.

The banquet food was terrible, the fabrics of this era’s clothing were poor quality—none of it was worthy of Zhou Qinghao.

He wanted to make the most delicious food for Zhou to eat and weave the most beautiful clothes for him to wear.

Realizing his thoughts had wandered again, Gu Juntian fell silent.

But Zhou Qinghao truly deserved the best!

He even thought the houses and furniture of this time were inadequate!

If nothing else, sitting directly on the ground now was terribly uncomfortable.

Since arriving in this world, Gu Juntian’s mind had often produced strange ideas.

When he thought about fighting the Rong before, he suddenly remembered he could make stirrups to secure soldiers to their horses—this way Zhou Qinghao could defeat the cavalry-skilled Rong.

When he thought about increasing Jin’s grain production, planting methods for various crops popped into his head.

Now, feeling distressed that Zhou Qinghao lacked fine clothes and food, new ideas appeared again.

In truth, unifying the realm alone was not so meaningful—letting the people live good lives, especially Zhou Qinghao, was what mattered most.

Unifying the realm was a must—only by becoming the most honored person in the world could he ensure Zhou Qinghao’s high position.

Only with enough power could he give Zhou Qinghao the best of everything.

Gu Juntian glanced at Zhou Qinghao from time to time, lost in thought.

Of course, he did not forget to speak warmly to Zhou’s generals and praise their achievements.

His demeanor moved the generals to tears, and by the end of the banquet, they already held their king in high regard.

When the celebration finally ended, Gu Juntian invited Zhou Qinghao to stay in the palace.

He had many things to say to Zhou, and that night they could talk until dawn.

“Uncle has traveled a long road, covered in dust. Why not bathe with me?” Gu Juntian suggested.

In the Jin palace, a third of the servants were placed there by the royal clan, a third by the Queen Mother’s Qi faction, and the remaining third did only menial work and had no contact with him.

Although the servants feared the king and obeyed him, they would still leak his words.

If he wanted to talk with Zhou privately, it had to be in his bedchamber or the bath.

Gu Juntian chose the bath.

Zhou Qinghao had fought for many years, and the past three had been especially dangerous—Gu Juntian wanted to know whether he had any wounds.

He had long been worried about this.

In this era, war was truly perilous.

When Zhou heard the king’s words, he wondered if he had misheard.

The young king was actually inviting him to bathe together?

Zhou wanted to refuse, but Gu Juntian added, “That is an order.”

In the end, Zhou did not oppose him, though inwardly he was torn.

If they bathed together, could he hide the shameful thoughts in his heart?

But since he would eventually be purged, if he did not seize the chance now, he might never again get close to Gu Juntian.

This was Gu Juntian’s suggestion, not something he had forced—agreeing should not be a betrayal of the former king, right?

Only, his body was coarse and rugged—would Gu Juntian feel disgusted when he saw it?