Regent (8): 

In this era, war was truly exhausting, especially since Zhou Qinghao lived and ate alongside the soldiers.

His hands were very rough, full of cracks.

When Gu Juntian felt those hands touch him, his skin tingled with slight pain.

As the pampered Prince of Jin, he had delicate skin and tender flesh. Even when Zhou Qinghao was younger, his hands were rougher than his, let alone now.

Gu Juntian was somewhat dissatisfied with this fact.

He liked strong people and wished he could be as strong as Zhou Qinghao.

Still, having the strong Zhou Qinghao in his arms at that moment felt quite nice.

But those hands… Gu Juntian took Zhou Qinghao’s hand and kissed it gently.

Looking at Zhou Qinghao’s hands filled him with heartache.

Zhou Qinghao had just been feeling self-conscious when Gu Juntian grabbed his hand and kissed it. Startled, he tried to pull back, but Gu Juntian held on firmly, and Zhou Qinghao, afraid of hurting him, didn’t dare to use force.

In the end, his hand remained in Gu Juntian’s grasp.

And then, so did his whole body.

For a moment, Zhou Qinghao was dazed.

He had thought that even if he forced Gu Juntian to be with him, it wouldn’t mean they would truly be together.

Gu Juntian might not even like men, and even if he did, someone like Zhou Qinghao was hardly the type to spark interest.

Yet reality was the complete opposite of what he had imagined.

Gu Juntian was very interested—so much so that Zhou Qinghao hardly slept that night.

The next morning, Zhou Qinghao awoke groggily, still dazed.

For an instant, he felt as if Gu Juntian truly liked him.

Last night, Gu Juntian had been gentle and attentive.

Between men, the one beneath was usually uncomfortable, but because Gu Juntian was so careful, Zhou Qinghao felt little discomfort.

Afterward, Gu Juntian personally cleaned him, tenderly, and held him as they slept.

This behavior left Zhou Qinghao astonished.

He even wondered if his years of devotion had finally moved Gu Juntian, winning his affection.

But those he had kept by Gu Juntian’s side were long dismissed, and the sword he had gifted him had been melted down.

Zhou Qinghao reached up and felt his beard.

His lord had always looked down on rough men—he had once complained about his subordinates’ dark skin and rugged appearance. How could he possibly like someone like Zhou Qinghao?

Later, he would shave.

Last night had been so wonderful—if he cleaned himself up and served Gu Juntian well, perhaps before he died, he could enjoy a few more nights of royal favor. Then his life wouldn’t have been wasted.

He was already past thirty; some people were grandfathers by that age. He had experienced everything he wished to experience—dying now wouldn’t be a loss.

Thinking this way, Zhou Qinghao felt cheerful.

At this time, Gu Juntian also woke.

Having arrived in this world and immediately gained a lover who suited him in every way, he was in a good mood.

After a full night’s rest, he was no longer as eager to achieve great feats and unify the realm as he had been yesterday.

Yesterday, after inheriting the original body’s memories, he had felt stifled and rushed to seize power. But in truth, there was no need to hurry.

With Zhou Qinghao at his side, no one would dare oppose him.

Thinking this, Gu Juntian pulled Zhou Qinghao into his arms and kissed him again.

Zhou Qinghao looked at him warmly, eyes full of affection.

Gu Juntian, on the other hand, felt a sense of accomplishment. Unifying the realm could wait—he already had Zhou Qinghao!

“Uncle, do you feel unwell?” Gu Juntian asked.

He had called him “Uncle” last night too, and Zhou Qinghao’s reaction at the time had made his heart itch. He intended to keep using that form of address.

Zhou Qinghao replied, “I am not unwell, Your Majesty.”

Indeed, he felt fine; last night’s minor injuries were nothing compared to what he had endured before.

Although Zhou Qinghao said he was fine, Gu Juntian still pressed him down and checked him over.

Zhou Qinghao felt both embarrassed and exasperated, marveling again at how much his lord had grown.

That his lord could be so unreserved—personally checking such an undignified injury—was something Zhou Qinghao hadn’t expected.

Once he confirmed Zhou Qinghao was unharmed, Gu Juntian got up, dressed, and had breakfast sent in.

He specifically instructed them to bring more, as Zhou Qinghao’s appetite looked large.

The Jin royal family ate three meals a day; as for commoners, they were lucky if they didn’t starve.

Breakfast was boiled mutton, pickled vegetables, several condiments, a plate of boiled eggs, and a pot of millet porridge.

The eggs were as small as the chickens they came from, so there were ten in total.

Gu Juntian felt he could eat all ten himself.

He invited Zhou Qinghao to sit on the grass mat with him to eat, then picked up an egg to peel.

This startled the servant who had been about to do it for him, who immediately knelt to apologize.

Gu Juntian dismissed the servant and continued peeling, placing the egg in Zhou Qinghao’s bowl.

“Your Majesty…” Zhou Qinghao said uneasily.

Gu Juntian replied, “Uncle, in private, you don’t need to be so formal with me.” Given their relationship, Zhou Qinghao didn’t need to be so overly respectful.

Some things would take time to change, so he wasn’t in a hurry.

With that thought, Gu Juntian peeled another egg for him.

Out of ten eggs, he peeled six for Zhou Qinghao, keeping four for himself. He also split the mutton, giving Zhou Qinghao the larger portion.

His own appetite was smaller, which left him slightly frustrated.

In the future, he would train like Zhou Qinghao’s soldiers, striving to grow stronger and eat more than Zhou Qinghao.

After breakfast, Gu Juntian had his official duties prepared for the evening and turned to Zhou Qinghao. “Uncle, yesterday you promised to take me to see the military camp.”

Zhou Qinghao’s twenty-thousand troops were currently stationed outside the city.

In the future, once Gu Juntian took full control, some would remain in the capital as guards, and the rest would return home to farm.

Jin could not afford to keep so many soldiers in the capital; just feeding them would be impossible.

“Your Majesty, the camp will be rather dirty.”

“That’s fine,” Gu Juntian said.

Since he said so, Zhou Qinghao led him out of the city.

They shared a carriage. On the way, Gu Juntian examined the horses.

Stirrups and horseshoes needed to be prepared, but Jin’s iron supply was scarce.

Finding iron mines would take time; smelting iron would take more time, and skilled workers were needed.

Fortunately, he was the Prince of Jin.

The capital held many craftsmen under his command, and in the future, he could seize more from the royal clan.

He also needed to find a way for more people to read.

At this time, literacy was rare.

Books were written on bamboo slips, which were heavy and held little text. In wartime, they were difficult to transport.

Because of this, scholars kept their writing concise; without someone to teach punctuation and meaning, later generations could not learn from them.

The characters were difficult to write, and each state had its own script.

Knowledge was monopolized—only great families who passed it down could read.

Commoners had no chance to learn, and even poor scholars looked down upon had ancestors who were once wealthy.

For such scholars, even two scrolls of books could be family treasures.

Without them, they had no way to learn.

Gu Juntian found the scripts of this era irritating. When he unified the realm, he would standardize the writing system.

Also, bamboo slips were inconvenient; he thought paper could be produced.

To encourage reading, government-run schools would be best—but that required money or grain.

Yet many of Jin’s people were still hungry.

In the end, agriculture was the most important.

He recalled some planting methods, but to implement them, he needed enough minor officials…

Lost in thought, Gu Juntian fell silent, not speaking to Zhou Qinghao.

Zhou Qinghao quietly watched him, without the slightest complaint.

He had never expected Gu Juntian to love him deeply—he only wished to be by his side.

Before long, they arrived at the camp outside the city.

There had always been a camp here, though “camp” meant simple wooden and earthen huts that merely kept out wind and rain.

In heavy storms, even that wasn’t guaranteed; it could be pouring outside and drizzling inside.

The camp was dirty, and the soldiers looked unkempt.

The officers who came to greet them were disheveled and smelled strongly.

Compared to them, Zhou Qinghao was positively clean.

If the original body’s owner had been here, he would have been full of disdain—but Gu Juntian showed no sign of distaste.

These men had just protected Jin.

He could scorn idle nobles, but never these soldiers.

Yesterday, he had met higher-ranking officers who didn’t live in camp.

The ones here were lower in both status and rank.

Other commanders wouldn’t even recognize them, but Zhou Qinghao could call them by name and introduced them to Gu Juntian.

Hearing their names, the officers were visibly moved.

When Gu Juntian thanked them for their hard work, they were even more overwhelmed, kneeling in tears.

In this era, the gap between classes was enormous.

For the Prince of Jin to treat them so warmly filled them with gratitude and excitement.

Gu Juntian could guess their thoughts, and he did want to cultivate their loyalty.

So he personally helped them to their feet.

Seeing that he didn’t mind their filth and had raised them with his own hands, they were even more moved, ready to give their lives for him.

Of course, they had already been willing to die for Jin and its ruler.

After speaking with them, Gu Juntian turned to Zhou Qinghao. “Uncle, take me around.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Zhou Qinghao glanced at the officers Gu Juntian had helped, then led him forward.

His lord was truly skilled at winning hearts.

A few more visits like this, and his soldiers would be utterly loyal to him.

When that happened, even if his lord killed him, there would be no consequences.

That was fine—he wouldn’t have to worry about his lord being in danger after his death.