Regent (15): 

Zhou Qinghao quickly stopped letting his mind wander.

When everything was over, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep.

Gu Juntian looked at the sleeping Zhou Qinghao, his heart filled with satisfaction.

He didn’t want to deal with government affairs, so he took the paper that had just been delivered from the workshop and began writing down the laws he had revised, along with other things.

Of course, he wouldn’t put these into use immediately. Once Jin was stabilized, he planned to tour the country, examine conditions in various regions, and then choose the most suitable laws.

He also wanted to improve the current farming methods.

The people of Jin mainly grew four types of food crops for sustenance: millet, glutinous millet, wheat, and beans.

In the royal estate, Gu Juntian carefully examined these four crops and saw the estate’s farmhands cooking wheat and beans to eat.

Wheat was simply wheat, and at this time, farmhands sometimes didn’t even husk it—they just soaked it until soft and boiled it, or husked it first before boiling it, calling it “wheat rice.”

Wheat rice was extremely unpleasant to eat. Gu Juntian tried some, and then an idea for a stone mill popped into his mind.

He had already ordered someone to make a stone mill—he didn’t know if it was finished yet.

As for beans, they were actually soybeans, eaten in the same way as wheat—soaked for a while and then boiled.

Gu Juntian felt that these beans should have other ways of being eaten, but for now he had no time to concern himself with that.

It was already daylight, time for breakfast.

Gu Juntian was a little hungry, but seeing Zhou Qinghao sleeping so soundly, he didn’t leave to eat.

He decided to wait until Zhou Qinghao woke up so they could eat together.

Zhou Qinghao didn’t wake up until an entire hour later.

When he saw Zhou Qinghao awake, Gu Juntian smiled. “Uncle, you’re awake? Shall we go eat breakfast together?”

“The ruler hasn’t eaten yet?” Zhou Qinghao asked.

Gu Juntian said, “Not yet, I was waiting for you.”

Zhou Qinghao smiled, not really believing Gu Juntian was waiting just for him.

Most likely, Gu Juntian simply didn’t feel at ease leaving him alone in the study.

His martial strength far exceeded Gu Juntian’s. If he wished, he could easily push past him and open the cabinet he had glanced at several times yesterday—but Zhou Qinghao had never done so.

After dressing neatly, he said to Gu Juntian, “My lord, let’s go out.”

Gu Juntian smiled and agreed.

The weather was a bit warmer now, and there were vegetables to eat.

Before the meal, Gu Juntian specially instructed, “Fry a few eggs and bring them here.”

Fried eggs were a dish he had invented—using animal fat to fry eggs made them taste wonderful!

When the fried eggs were served, Gu Juntian placed one into Zhou Qinghao’s bowl. “Uncle, this is a dish I came up with. Try it and see if you like it.”

“It’s delicious.” Zhou Qinghao tried it and indeed found it to be tasty.

“I knew it,” Gu Juntian said, “Uncle, you would definitely like it. In the future, I’ll come up with more dishes for us to share.”

After some casual conversation, Gu Juntian added, “Uncle, I’ve had a sword made for you. I’ll give it to you later. With this sword, you can kill any corrupt official you wish… From now on, I’ll have to trouble you to help me keep Jin in order.”

Gu Juntian had been far too busy lately.

Zhou Qinghao was capable in both civil governance and military affairs, and was the person he trusted most. He wanted Zhou Qinghao to share some of the workload.

With that thought, Gu Juntian began talking at length, explaining a series of tasks he needed Zhou Qinghao to handle.

Zhou Qinghao listened attentively, memorizing each one.

It turned out there were many things he needed to do. Indeed, with Jin newly stabilized, if Gu Juntian killed him now, Qi and Chu would probably send armies again.

In fact, when there was rebellion within Jin not long ago, those two countries were already eyeing the situation greedily.

But the rebellion was insignificant—he had led his elite troops to fight and quickly crushed it.

After speaking with Gu Juntian, Zhou Qinghao also became busy.

Having done so many things that could have cost him his life, he no longer believed he would live long. Now, he only hoped to see Jin grow strong.

Therefore, he acted without hesitation—when it came to killing, he was even more ruthless than Gu Juntian.

This made the people of Jin both fear and dread him.

“Regent, when the cunning hare dies, the hound will be cooked. When all of us are dead, it will be your turn!”

Kill!

“Zhou, you’ve brought disaster to Jin—you won’t die well.”

Kill!

“Zhou Qinghao, I’m waiting to see your downfall!”

Kill!

Zhou Qinghao killed many people. The once turbulent Jin became peaceful under his slaughter, and Qi, which had been preparing to take advantage of Jin’s internal chaos, stopped recruiting soldiers.

With Zhou Qinghao there, they couldn’t defeat Jin—so why waste the effort?

Now, they were simply waiting for Jin to tear itself apart.

Zhou Qinghao killed so many nobles that many of them, terrified, fled to Qi or Chu with their families.

If Jin didn’t implement benevolent governance, it would eventually face trouble!

And the King of Jin surely wouldn’t tolerate Zhou Qinghao forever.

Qi and Chu believed Jin was doomed, but in reality, that wasn’t the case.

At the start of the year, Zhou Qinghao had returned victorious, and all the conscripted laborers sent to war were allowed to go home, just in time for spring planting.

After the nobles were stripped of their property, Gu Juntian seized much grain.

Some regions had their spring planting delayed due to rebellion, but Zhou Qinghao’s swift suppression allowed Gu Juntian to send seeds in time, so that fertile land was still planted with crops.

This year, Jin would see a bountiful harvest, and the commoners would have food in their hands.

As long as the people had grain to eat, they could raise children, increasing Jin’s population.

At the end of the year, Gu Juntian even planned to distribute land to commoners and farmhands.

With land, their lives would improve.

As for who would be in charge of distributing the land… Gu Juntian planned to send Zhou Qinghao’s twenty thousand men.

They were the first to learn simplified characters.

The smarter ones among them learned ten characters a day, so in two hundred days—by winter—they could recognize two thousand characters.

Anyone who knew two thousand characters was capable of becoming a local official.

Gu Juntian divided Jin into ten prefectures, each containing five counties. Some of Zhou Qinghao’s men, after learning arithmetic, were already capable of serving as county magistrates.

These men had seen him “go to the heavens” and were fiercely loyal to him, so he could use them with confidence.

Gu Juntian held an examination to assess their knowledge and mental stability.

Those with outstanding knowledge and steady minds could become officials.

Some could be magistrates, some could serve as their deputies, and some could train militias in the counties and oversee local security.

Assigning around a dozen men to each county was sufficient.

A county in Jin had a population of about a hundred thousand.

In wartime, these men had also managed laborers, and some were even commanders themselves—managing tens of thousands wasn’t a problem.

In addition, Gu Juntian selected some of these twenty thousand soldiers to garrison Jin’s borders.

Some were sent to areas bordering Qi and Chu, while others were sent north to fight the Rong people and open pastures for raising warhorses.

The northern Rong frequently raided south to steal grain from Jin’s people, but their tribal system meant each tribe was small—not impossible to resist.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the end of the year.

Zhou Qinghao’s twenty thousand elites had been largely dispersed by Gu Juntian and sent to various places.

Before leaving the capital, each official met with Gu Juntian. “Uncle has always praised you. Once you take office, you must work hard and live up to his expectations.”

Assigning Zhou Qinghao’s men to official posts was also to make future cooperation between him and Zhou easier.

What he didn’t know was that when these men went to say farewell to Zhou Qinghao, Zhou also instructed them, “Thanks to the ruler’s appreciation, you have these good posts. You must serve him well.”

These men were deeply grateful to both Gu Juntian and Zhou Qinghao.

Zhou Qinghao saw them off in groups, feeling a little wistful.

His elites had all gone far from him.

Although the ruler had recruited another twenty thousand soldiers and given him command, these were not trained by him nor had they shared hardships with him.

The training methods came from the ruler, and the food they ate was also provided by him.

Their loyalty to the ruler far exceeded any loyalty to Zhou Qinghao.

These men would never follow him in rebellion.

Well, the previous twenty thousand had also been deeply loyal to the ruler and would never have followed him in rebellion either.

And he had no intention of rebelling.

Jin was improving steadily—this was no time to start a war.

In the blink of an eye, it was year’s end.

The calendar system was still messy, and New Year’s celebrations were not grand, but Gu Juntian planned to hold a festival this year so that the tense people of Jin could relax.

That morning, while discussing matters with the court officials, Gu Juntian presented his written plans for the festival and announced that during the New Year, court ministers would have three days off.

After a year of exhausting work under Gu Juntian, the ministers were overjoyed, praising his wisdom.

Seeing them so happy, Gu Juntian thought of how, in the idle winter season, the commoners wouldn’t have to work and could join the festivities.

Court officials had three days off.

And he himself had nothing.

Gu Juntian immediately declared, “I have also worked hard this year. Starting now, I will take half a month off.”

Decision made—he would give himself a half-month vacation!

During this break, he would only work in the mornings and spend the afternoons resting and accompanying Zhou Qinghao.

Too luxurious—truly too luxurious!

In the past, out of twelve hours a day, he spent at least eight working, with only four left for eating, sleeping, and being with Zhou Qinghao.

Now it would be different—he would work until noon, just four hours in the morning, cutting his work time in half.

Court officials: “…”

At first, when they heard he would take half a month off, they were shocked and nearly wanted to cry and beg him to stay.

Jin had too many matters requiring his decisions—if he really stopped working, they couldn’t manage!

But it turned out his “vacation” just meant he wouldn’t handle affairs after noon.

That was fine—his efficiency was so high that he could do the work of ten men. Four hours a day was enough for him to manage everything.

Honestly, his ability only made them feel incompetent.

But they truly couldn’t compare—he had perfect recall, and could glance at an account book and calculate results that might take them a whole day.

He was truly remarkable!

No wonder he had wiped out the royal clan—such a capable ruler would inevitably retaliate against those who tried to oppress him.

Gu Juntian didn’t know what the ministers were thinking.

Just the thought of being able to rest in the afternoons put him in a great mood.

After lunch, he immediately went out to find Zhou Qinghao.

In the past half year, he had somewhat neglected Zhou Qinghao.

Every day, he worked until dark before seeing him.

If it was late, they would wash up and go to bed. If early, they would talk, and naturally, sometimes do adult things.

At his age, a young man could indulge every night if he wished, but he had been so busy that he was intimate with Zhou Qinghao at most five days a month.

That was far too little!

And until today, he had been busy with year-end land distribution and hadn’t been with Zhou Qinghao for nearly a month.

Sometimes, working especially late, he didn’t want to disturb Zhou Qinghao’s sleep, so he even slept in the study.

After being apart for so long, he intended to make up for it in the days to come.

When Gu Juntian went to find Zhou Qinghao, the latter happened to be training troops.

A year had passed, and compared to when they had first met, Zhou Qinghao had become much fairer.

But his skin was still unlike that of pampered nobles.

It now had a healthy wheat-gold tone, making his features appear even more striking.

At this moment, it was likely a break between drills, and Zhou Qinghao was accepting challenges from some soldiers.

The soldiers charged at him one after another, but all were easily defeated by him.

In the end, Zhou Qinghao stood under the sunlight and asked the soldiers before him, “Anyone else?”

Gu Juntian couldn’t hold back and shouted, “Me!”

Zhou Qinghao turned his head, looking at Gu Juntian with slight helplessness. “Your Majesty…”

Gu Juntian smiled. “I’m joking, Uncle. You truly are formidable!”

A faint smile appeared on Zhou Qinghao’s face.

Gu Juntian said, “Uncle, take me around the barracks.”

Earlier this year, Gu Juntian had once asked Zhou Qinghao to take him on a tour of the barracks.

And now, he was doing it again.

“Follow me, Your Majesty,” Zhou Qinghao said as he led Gu Juntian forward.

The barracks now were very different from before.

All the ideas Gu Juntian had come up with to improve living conditions were first implemented in the barracks.

For example, the food — previously, soldiers in the barracks only ate wheat-and-bean rice, but now the cooks ground the wheat into flour to make flatbreads.

Beans could also be ground into soy milk.

A wheat flatbread mixed with wild vegetables plus hot soy milk was already considered a delicacy for the soldiers.

From time to time, they could even have some meat, which made them even happier.

Many conscripted soldiers no longer wanted to return to farming, since at home they had to worry daily about not having enough to eat or wear.

After touring the barracks, Gu Juntian took Zhou Qinghao back to the palace in a carriage.

Thinking about how he would have free time every day from now on to spend with Zhou Qinghao in various ways, Gu Juntian felt delighted and couldn’t help but get a bit handsy.

He would pinch here and there, occasionally brushing against Zhou Qinghao.

Zhou Qinghao’s hands, in particular, fascinated him.

These hands were rough, but they were the ones Zhou Qinghao used to protect him and protect the state of Jin.

Thinking this, Gu Juntian took out a jar of facial balm used by nobles and applied it to Zhou Qinghao’s hands.

Lately, he had been so busy that he’d neglected Zhou Qinghao somewhat.

From now on, he would definitely pay him more attention.

With that thought, Gu Juntian grabbed Zhou Qinghao’s hand and kissed it.

Zhou Qinghao felt a bit uncomfortable. “Your Majesty…”

Ever since the people around him had been fewer and fewer, Gu Juntian had grown colder toward him.

Recently, Gu Juntian had often been sleeping in the study.

Today, with Gu Juntian suddenly being so affectionate, Zhou Qinghao felt a bit out of place.

Gu Juntian said, “Uncle, when we get back, shall we spar?”

Zhou Qinghao’s way of fighting with the soldiers looked far too good!

He wanted to have a match with Zhou Qinghao.

Zhou Qinghao froze.

“There’s a training ground in the palace, Uncle. When we get back, let’s have a match,” Gu Juntian said again.

How could he possibly fight the king?

Zhou Qinghao sighed inwardly, but since Gu Juntian had made such a request, he couldn’t really refuse.

The king’s orders were not something he could turn down.

Still, to raise his hand against the king was a crime punishable by death.

Once the carriage entered the palace, Gu Juntian got off and led Zhou Qinghao straight to the training ground.

Over the past year, Zhou Qinghao had often used the training ground and was very familiar with it.

In contrast, Gu Juntian was not so familiar with the place.

Looking over the weapon rack, Gu Juntian handed Zhou Qinghao a blunt sword, while he himself chose a blunt saber. “Uncle, let’s have a match!”

Zhou Qinghao didn’t want to fight.

Gu Juntian lived in comfort and had never fought anyone; he was no match for him.

If it were unarmed, it might be fine, but now that Gu Juntian had taken up a weapon, Zhou Qinghao feared he might accidentally hurt him.

As Zhou Qinghao hesitated, the palace guards noticed what was happening and gathered around.

The king and the regent were about to spar, and they all wanted to watch.

Looking at the crowd around them and at the overly excited Gu Juntian, Zhou Qinghao suddenly thought of something.

If he injured Gu Juntian in public, would Gu Juntian take the opportunity to get rid of him?

Gu Juntian was a man of swift action — when faced with problems, he solved them immediately, and when faced with people to be eliminated, he acted without delay.

This past year, Zhou Qinghao had carried out many of Gu Juntian’s orders, killed many people, and his prestige in Jin had only increased.

The states of Qi and Chu believed that he already held absolute power in Jin.

He was now the only one standing in Gu Juntian’s way.

The mysterious person who had been secretly helping Gu Juntian had never appeared, probably due to caution against him.

In Jin, men reached adulthood at twenty, and early next year would be Gu Juntian’s coming-of-age ceremony — after which, he would likely take a queen.

Before that, it would be the best time to get rid of him.

Looking at the surrounding palace guards, Zhou Qinghao took up his sword, ready to face Gu Juntian.

His expression was serious, as if focused, but he was slightly distracted.

He regretted not clinging more to Gu Juntian lately.

These past months, Gu Juntian had grown colder toward him, rarely touching him, and lately it had been a full month since their last intimacy.

He should have been more proactive.

“Uncle, take this!” Gu Juntian called, launching the first attack.

Zhou Qinghao swung his sword and blocked it immediately.

During the fight, Zhou Qinghao realized that Gu Juntian was actually very talented in combat.

Though he lacked training and wasn’t as strong, his moves were decisive and sharp, and with Zhou Qinghao not using his full strength, he was able to hold his own.

This was surprising — back when Zhou Qinghao had been raising Gu Juntian, the young man hadn’t wanted to train and his skills were mediocre.

He must have been taught by someone else recently.

Perhaps there was more than one person behind Gu Juntian, and with such help, ruling the world would be within his grasp.

The two exchanged blows, their weapons occasionally clashing, making for an exciting bout.

The surrounding guards cheered them on.

However, after a while, Gu Juntian began to tire.

He felt a little embarrassed.

He had always wanted to train hard to beat Zhou Qinghao, but this time he was likely to lose.

No — maybe he wouldn’t lose.

Seizing the moment, Gu Juntian lunged toward Zhou Qinghao’s sword.

Startled, Zhou Qinghao quickly pulled back, but Gu Juntian had already bumped into the sword.

Immediately, Gu Juntian clutched his chest and fell to the ground, pretending to cry out in pain. “Ah! I’m hurt!”

Zhou Qinghao’s sword was blunt, and he could tell Gu Juntian hadn’t hit it hard.

Moreover, it was the flat of the sword, not the tip.

At most, Gu Juntian would feel a little sore — he was certainly not injured.

The king’s acting was terrible, but if he wanted to put on a show, it could still be used to sentence Zhou Qinghao to death.

Zhou Qinghao sighed inwardly.

Was he about to be executed by arrows?

Despite the thought, he was still concerned about Gu Juntian. He threw down his sword and walked toward him. “Your Majesty, are you alright?”

At that moment, Gu Juntian grabbed Zhou Qinghao, pulling him down and pinning him to the ground. “I win!”

The surrounding guards had been unsure what to do when they saw the king fake his injury — should they protect him?

While they hesitated, they saw Gu Juntian “defeat” Zhou Qinghao.

Some of the livelier guards immediately called out, “Your Majesty, that’s cheating!”

“Your Majesty, that doesn’t count!”

“General, flip the king over!”

…

Gu Juntian looked at them. “Ever heard that all’s fair in war? Clearly, I won!”

The palace guards: “…”

When Zhou Qinghao was pinned beneath Gu Juntian, he felt dazed.

He had been prepared for a dagger in the heart.

And this was it?

Of course, it wasn’t just that.

After “winning,” Gu Juntian was full of smugness.

And lying beneath him, Zhou Qinghao looked extremely tempting.

Unable to resist, Gu Juntian kissed him on the lips.

The palace guards were all loyal to him, and since he lived with Zhou Qinghao daily, they had likely guessed already.

Since that was the case, there was no need to hide it.

Zhou Qinghao stared at Gu Juntian in shock.

Gu Juntian found him so adorable like this that he kissed him several more times.

The palace guards: “…” They had guessed as much, but wasn’t it a bit inappropriate to be so affectionate in front of them?

“Uncle, after that match, I’m tired. Let’s go bathe,” Gu Juntian said, pulling Zhou Qinghao along.

As for what would happen after the bath… well, daytime indulgence had its charms.

He had been holding back for too long and wanted to be close to Zhou Qinghao.

That afternoon, Gu Juntian kept Zhou Qinghao busy until he felt completely drained.

At the same time, Zhou Qinghao vaguely felt something was off.

This time, the one who fell asleep afterward wasn’t him, but the usually busy Gu Juntian.

Zhou Qinghao watched the sleeping Gu Juntian for a while before getting up and heading out.

The guards outside already knew him well, and upon seeing him, said, “General!”

“His Majesty is still sleeping, keep your voices down,” Zhou Qinghao said.

Hearing that, one guard cleared his throat and said, “General, the king is not as sturdy as you. You should be gentle with him.”

Zhou Qinghao: “…” They had it wrong — the one doing the exhausting was Gu Juntian!

Still, he was strong enough to handle it.

“I’m going for a walk,” Zhou Qinghao said.

His mind was a bit unsettled.

Gu Juntian still hadn’t killed him up to this point.

Was Gu Juntian really planning to kill him?

Suddenly, his gaze fell on Gu Juntian’s study.

Gritting his teeth, he walked toward it.

He wanted to go in and meet the person behind Gu Juntian.

He didn’t want to die.

He was willing to give up all his power to these people, as long as he could stay by Gu Juntian’s side.

Zhou Qinghao thought he would be stopped from entering the study.

But he didn’t care — he could beat these guards if he had to.

Unexpectedly, when he entered, the guards didn’t stop him at all.

Zhou Qinghao was momentarily stunned.

Still, since he was already inside… he gathered his courage and opened the wardrobe.

It was just an ordinary wardrobe, containing some clothes.

Zhou Qinghao stood there for a while, then moved the wardrobe aside.

Behind it was a solid wall.

He moved various pieces of furniture, knocking on the walls, but found no hidden passages.

When Gu Juntian woke up and heard Zhou Qinghao had gone to the study, he came to find him.

Opening the door, he saw that all the furniture had been moved to the middle of the room and was puzzled. “Uncle, what are you doing?”

Zhou Qinghao: “…”

Gu Juntian hesitated. “Are you… rearranging the study?”

Zhou Qinghao could only nod.

Gu Juntian yawned. “Then go ahead.”