T/N: Sorry for the wait, I’m back after my surgery, minus one internal organ! I translated this a week ago, no guarantee I’ll catch all the typos though. They’ve got me on the good meds.

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Chu Jiubian hadn’t taken a bath in the past few days, and had at most simply wiped himself down.

Since Qin Xiao was away, he had someone prepare hot water and treated himself to a nice, hot bath.

In the winter, taking a hot bath in a warm room was the ultimate source of relaxation and comfort.

Both Chu Jiubian’s body and mind were at ease.

His eyes fell partway shut, and he leaned over the edge of the bathtub.

He had picked at his thumbnail again today, causing it to peel even more, but it was very minor and didn’t even hurt now.

When he wasn’t fully in his right mind, Chu Jiubian would always use pain to keep himself grounded.

However, with repeated occurrences, his pain threshold had gradually increased. Minor pain was no longer effective, so as he inflicted more wounds on himself, they became deeper and deeper.

But today, he was able to feel even the slightest pain.

Was this an effect of the medication?

He had taken various medications before transmigrating, but they had little effect, and his condition had even declined.

Now, his condition could be considered “mild.”

The medication produced by the System was indeed a high-quality product.

His thoughts drifted. Chu Jiubian softly pressed his fingertips to his lips, and could still feel a faint trace of the mark left by Qin Xiao’s bite.

The pain was gone, but it still felt a little itchy when he touched it.

He unconsciously ran his teeth across the wound, causing it to reopen, and the taste of rusty, metallic blood flooded his mouth again.

“Look with your eyes, and touch with your hands.”

“What you feel in your heart is reality.”

The man’s deep, pleasant voice seemed to linger in his ears, and his mind drew up an image of his intense gaze.

The sensation of being held down by the other man also resurfaced.

Scorching heat, a fire that threatened to burn everything to ashes.

The man’s embrace had been strong and fierce, yet it also held boundless care.

Chu Jiubian had to admit that being restrained in such a way gave him an indescribable sense of security, as well as secret excitement that he would keep to himself.

He closed his eyes, then slowly sank into the water until his face was entirely submerged.

The lack of air made his thoughts go hazy, but physical sensations became increasingly clear.

He suddenly recalled his first encounter with Qin Xiao, and the way the man’s calloused palms gripped his throat.

Chu Jiubian slowly lifted his hand through the water to touch his neck.

Then he gradually moved it downward, gliding across his chest, then his abdomen…..

With his knees pressed against the bottom of the tub, the young man’s back tensed like a bent bow, trembling slightly.

An unknown amount of time later, he abruptly poked his head out of the tub, clinging tightly to the sides like a drowning man.

His eyes still held a trace of lingering arousal, and a few involuntary tears welled up and rolled down his cheeks. His lip was bleeding where he had bitten it, and his chest rose and fell rapidly against the edge of the bathtub, rubbing it red.

After a long moment, his breathing evened out.

Finished with his bath, Chu Jiubian got out and asked someone to bring another basin of hot water. He quickly washed off, then went to the inner room.

After getting in bed, he wrapped himself in the silky smooth blankets and closed his eyes as if trying to escape.

The tub and all traces of his bath had been cleaned up by the palace servants, leaving behind no evidence of his indulgence.

Only a single dim oil lamp remained lit in the inner chamber.

Chu Jiubian lay there for some time hugging the blankets, and fell asleep before he knew it.

His sleep was exceptionally sound. It was unknown when Qin Xiao had returned, but when he groggily woke up for a moment in the middle of the night, he realized that he had pressed himself against the other man again, and instantly snapped to full awareness.

This time was even worse than the last; hugging the other’s arm and chest no longer satisfied him.

At present, he was fully snuggled into Qin Xiao’s embrace. With his head resting on the other’s arm, Chu Jiubian had one hand resting on his pecs and a leg draped over his waist.

The man’s steady heartbeat reverberated under his palm.

However, this steadiness didn’t last long, and his heartbeat soon became more rapid and chaotic.

Chu Jiubian’s already tense body became even more rigid.

Qin Xiao had woken up.

Or perhaps, his heartbeat had changed in response to Chu Jiubian waking up.

The two lay there for a while, both fully aware of the situation. Just when Chu Jiubian was unable to bear it any longer and was about to move his hand away, Qin Xiao suddenly said: “Are you awake?”

Chu Jiubian silently withdrew his hands and feet, then rolled away and faced the wall, practically pressing himself against it.

Qin Xiao laughed.

Chu Jiubian covered his head with a blanket.

“Don’t go back to sleep yet,” Qin Xiao said in a softer voice, and Chu Jiubian almost didn’t hear him under the covers.

But he did.

He poked his head back out of the covers, but didn’t turn around as he asked in a cool, indifferent voice: “What do you want?”

Qin Xiao sat up.

There was a brief rustling sound. Then he reached out and touched Chu Jiubian’s head, saying: “This is for you.”

Chu Jiubian turned over to face him.

The moon was rather bright tonight, and the room was faintly lit, allowing him to see that Qin Xiao was holding something that looked much like a jade pendant.

“What is it?” 

He extended his hand, and Qin Xiao placed the object in his palm, saying: “It’s the Qin Head of Household Token.”

Chu Jiubian froze and looked up at him.

He couldn’t see Qin Xiao’s expression clearly in the darkness, but he knew he was staring at him.

“Qin Chaoyang already told you, didn’t he?” Qin Xiao reclined against the bedframe. His long hair cascaded down his back, and his muscles rippled beneath his silk undergarments. “If something happens to me, all the power I hold will be handed over to you.”

At that moment, the smooth jade token Chu Jiubian held in his hand felt strangely warm – almost hot.

“I’m giving it to you now,” said Qin Xiao. “Even while I live, you will have the power to command all of the resources under my control, with a higher authority than my own.”

In other words, if Chu Jiubian wanted to use people under Qin Xiao’s command to assassinate him, even Qin Chaoyang and An Wuji, they would have no choice but to obey.

If they failed to do so, then according to Qin family regulations, they would be forced to commit suicide.

By giving him such immense power, Qin Xiao was essentially placing his life in Chu Jiubian’s hands.

This was an excellent opportunity for Chu Jiubian.

With this token in his hands, he would effectively become the acting Regent, possessing a level of power second only to Bai Lihong’s.

This had been Chu Jiubian’s goal from the start.

He would get close to Qin Xiao, gain his trust, and obtain greater power and status in order to protect himself.

And now, Qin Xiao had personally delivered all of this into his hands.

The words he had once spoken about making Qin Xiao submit to him seemed to have come true.

But his hand returned the token to Qin Xiao, and his mouth said seemingly against his will: “I don’t want it.”

Qin Xiao seemed to give him a faint smile.

He placed the token back into Chu Jiubian’s palm and wrapped his warm hand around it, saying: “This is your New Year’s gift. Don’t refuse it.”

Chu Jiubian looked at his covered hand, feeling that although the token was hard against his skin, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

It was warm, just like Qin Xiao’s hand.

“Once you give it to me, I won’t give it back to you,” Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Xiao just smiled: “Rest assured. This lord has no reason to take back something he has given away.”

“Oh. You’re so domineering,” Chu Jiubian said calmly, and pulled back his hand.

He put the token into his System Storage, placing it alongside the jasmine flower he had picked from the courtyard. 

He had picked it the day Qin Xiao set off for battle. It was the same one the other man had touched.

He’d picked it on a whim, simply because it looked nice and smelled pleasant.

But he had completely forgotten to throw it away.

He took another look at the storage space. The pure white flower and the token, which was a mix of pearly white and emerald green, lay there together in a beautiful array.

He decided to keep the flower.

Chu Jiubian ensconced himself tightly in a blanket and looked up at Qin Xiao: “Are you not going to sleep?”

“I am,” said Qin Xiao. He lay back down, and seemed to position himself closer to Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian sent him a steady look, then closed his eyes.

In the darkness, he heard the man speak again: “May I also ask the Young Master for a New Year’s gift?”

Chu Jiubian gave a light scoff.

As expected, every good thing came at a price.

Qin Xiao wouldn’t have given him such a useful token for no reason; as expected, there was something he wanted in return.

“What do you want?” Chu Jiubian asked. “Tell me what it is first, and I’ll consider it.”

“I only want the Young Master to answer one question for me,” said Qin Xiao.

That simple?

Chu Jiubian opened his eyes to look at him: “Are you sure?”

Whether Qin Xiao wanted a powerful weapon, a method to generate more money for the National Treasury, or anything else, Chu Jiubian would probably be able to provide it for him.

Qin Xiao gave an affirmative hum, then said: “Just one question.”

“Then ask,” Chu Jiubian said in a slightly softer voice.

If the price for giving him this token was an answer to a question, then there was essentially no price at all.

Lord Ning-wang was truly generous.

Qin Xiao lightly tapped the silk bedcovers with his fingertips, and seemed to consider his words carefully before saying: “Is your ‘love tribulation’ real, or did you just say that to deceive me?”

Chu Jiubian: “……”

That was it?

However, it did seem to be a difficult question to answer.

He thought it over carefully.

It wasn’t wrong to call it a “love tribulation.”

After all, they were now sharing a bed, and they had even kissed twice, so their relationship was indeed somewhat ambiguous.

It was hard to say whether or not he had come here to undergo a love tribulation.

But this love tribulation wasn’t his…..it was Qin Xiao’s.

Therefore, Chu Jiubian replied: “Yes.”

Qin Xiao’s tense hands relaxed.

Chu Jiubian looked at him through the darkness. The bridge of his nose was high and prominent, and the contours of this profile were particularly striking. His lips seemed to be curving slightly upwards.

In an inexplicably good mood, Chu Jiubian asked: “Do you have any other questions? Or is there something else you want?”

“Not for now,” Qin Xiao said.

Chu Jiubian: “No exceptions after the time limit.”

Qin Xiao fell silent, then turned over to face Chu Jiubian.

For some reason, Chu Jiubian felt as if the distance between them had become narrower.

Qin Xiao’s eyes gleamed faintly in the dim light. He said in a low voice: “Then I have one more question.”

“What is it?”

“Do you like it when I touch you?”

Chu Jiubian’s heart skipped a beat.

How was he supposed to answer that?

Saying he liked it would be embarrassing.

But saying he didn’t like it would be a bit of a lie.

After a moment of silence, Chu Jiubian countered with a question of his own: “What do you think?”

Qin Xiao chuckled and said: “I think you like it.”

From his tone, anyone who didn’t know better would think he was a rich young dandy flirting with someone.

Chu Jiubian moved to face the wall again.

But Qin Xiao wrapped his arms around Chu Jiubian’s waist under the blankets. His thin inner garment couldn’t mask the muscles of the man’s arms, which radiated a continuous warmth where he firmly embraced the young man’s supple waist.

Chu Jiubian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. When he spoke, his voice was slightly hoarse: “You’re crossing the line.”

“En.” Qin Xiao tightened his grip, pulling Chu Jiubian closer until their bodies were pressed together.

Chu Jiubian didn’t resist. He rested his head on Qin Xiao’s arm, his lips brushing softly against the jut of the other man’s throat.

“Sleep,” Qin Xiao said, leaning down to bury his face in the young man’s clean-smelling hair.

Freshly-washed, it was still damp and carried the faint scent of shampoo.

Qin Xiao couldn’t place this scent, but it felt similar to the feeling Chu Jiubian gave him – distant and cool.

He reflexively tightened his arms, holding the other man even closer.

Chu Jiubian was momentarily speechless. Then, he closed his eyes as well.

*

*

The next morning.

Chu Jiuban and Qin Xiao took breakfast with Bai Lihong in the main hall.

As always, the little one enjoyed his food immensely. His little cheeks puffed out as he ate a soft, fluffy steamed bun, making him look like a little hamster.

However, as the little hamster was munching away, he abruptly paused mid-chew and stared at Qin Xiao with wide eyes.

At nearly the same time, Qin Xiao raised a hand and touched his nose, only to see that it was covered in no small amount of bright red blood.

He glanced at Chu Jiubian, then got to his feet and walked outside.

Bai Lihong gazed after his retreating figure, then at Chu Jiubian, and gave a shocked little whine. What was wrong with his Jiujiu?

Why was he having a nosebleed?

Chu Jiubian said: “It’s nothing, he’s just suffering from excess heat.”

Bai Lihong suddenly understood.

It must have been too hot in the room, and with Jiujiu and Xiansheng sharing a bed, it would have been even hotter.

So he put his little brain to work, and after the meal, he secretly had Xiao Yuzi prepare another bed and place it in Qin Xiao’s bedroom.

This way, Jiujiu and Xiansheng wouldn’t be too hot anymore. They were in for such a pleasant surprise when they saw it tonight!

He was truly a clever and thoughtful nephew.

That evening, Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao retired to their bedroom and immediately saw the new bed placed against the wall, several meters away from the original bed.

Chu Jiubian chuckled softly and turned his head to look at Qin Xiao: “You won’t have to worry about excess heat this time.”

Qin Xiao smiled back: “His Majesty truly means well.”

Chu Jiubian laughed even more heartily.

Things hadn’t quite returned to normal after the New Year, and everyone was looking forward to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth.

However, the Lantern Festival in the Great Ning Dynasty had not yet developed into the lively event it would become in later generations. The common people simply had a particular fondness for the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which brought with it the first full moon of the year.

On this day, everyone would spontaneously engage in activities similar to those during the Mid-Autumn Festival, such as admiring lanterns and touring gardens. However, due to the cold weather, it wasn’t quite as lively.

Officials, on the other hand, didn’t particularly celebrate this holiday due to resuming their duties on the tenth day of the month.

All of the government affairs that had piled up during the holidays needed to be dealt with in a timely manner, and it would take half a month to finish it all. How could they possibly have time to admire lanterns or stroll through gardens?

When the morning court sessions began, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian didn’t bring up the matter of how the Western Regions should be managed, and instead focused on rewarding those who had rendered meritorious service.

The Western Regions were actually quite prosperous, and produced an abundance of precious stones such as jade and agate, so the spoils of war brought back by Qin Xiao had greatly enriched both the National Treasury and Bai Lihong’s personal coffers.

Therefore, the rewards given on this occasion were particularly generous.

As for Cheng Shuo, it went without saying that although he nearly cost Qin Xiao his life, he had done so under duress. He had also accomplished many meritorious deeds before this, and subsequently received gold and silver, as well as an official position and a title.

He was granted the title of Xiuling-bo, which was roughly equivalent to an earl. But this earl only oversaw matters of etiquette and religious ceremonies, and held no real power.

Cheng Shuo knew that Qin Xiao was showing him tremendous favor, so he would need to properly manage his household affairs in the future, especially those concerning the inner quarters of his residence. Therefore, he accepted the decree without complaint and with profound gratitude.

Next was Hu Fang.

This veteran’s contributions were no less than those of Cheng Shuo. Furthermore, since he had never held an official position in the capital, Qin Xiao directly bestowed upon him the title of Dingyuan-hou – the equivalent of a marquis, second only to a duke – and highlighted his achievements in suppressing the unrest at the border.

However, he was somewhat advanced in age compared to the other military commanders, and suffered from lingering ailments from the past. Therefore, although he was granted the title of marquis, this only meant that there would be more troops under his command. Aside from that, nothing much would change, and the political situation within the court would not be affected.

Because of this, no one had any objections to the rewards bestowed upon him.

Then came Deputy Minister of Revenue Wang Pengyi and Kou Qiao, a junior official in the Ministry of War, both of whom had been responsible for transporting military provisions. Cai Peng, an assistant director in the Ministry of Rites had also been responsible for the second batch of provisions, and there were many conflicting opinions about these three.

Of these three people, Wang Pengyi was naturally a member of the Wang family, Kou Qiao was a subordinate of Qin Xiao’s, and Cai Peng was a student of Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan.

Each of them represented a different faction, and they were all high-ranking officials with considerable influence in the Imperial Court.

Thus, were they to be given greater power and status, they would become even more troublesome to deal with than they were at present.

But nobody harbored any will toward Kou Qiao. He was ultimately a military official, and in terms of eloquence and political strategy, he was far inferior to the civil officials. Therefore, even if he were to be promoted and given a pay raise, nothing much would change.

However, dealing with Wang Pengyi and Cai Peng would be somewhat tricky.

At present, the Wang family and Qin Xiao’s faction had formed something of an alliance, so the amount of power Wang Pengyi wielded would determine how much influence he could exert in cooperation with Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian.

Therefore, everyone did their utmost to suppress him and limit the power in his hands.

But Wang Pengyi was already a deputy minister. If he wanted to advance further, he could only become a full minister or borrow the power of others and forcibly intervene in matters that didn’t involve him. 

And at the moment, there was indeed no such position available for him in the Imperial Court.

Therefore, Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian had no intention of promoting Wang Pengyi, and showered him with material rewards instead.

When a ministerial position eventually opened up, Wang Pengyi would be the most suitable candidate to fill it.

And as for Cai Peng, since even the far more accomplished Wang Pengyi had only received material rewards, he likewise did not receive a promotion.

This was something he was unwilling to accept.

Deputy Minister Wang had reached the highest rank he could achieve for now, but for a relatively low-ranking official like Cai Peng, there were countless opportunities for advancement.

He sent several glances toward Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan, who was positioned at the front, hoping that he would speak up on his behalf.

But the other man’s back was hunched, his eyes clouded over, and he didn’t seem to notice him at all. Or if he did, his mind was so muddled that he couldn’t figure out what should be done.

Previously, he had been able to orchestrate the kidnapping of Su Xi’er, sow discord between Su Sheng and Qin Xiao, and consistently protect the Xiao family at crucial moments, as well as secure benefits for them.

But now, his brilliant mind was no longer working properly.

This being the case, the isolated and helpless Cai Peng could only swallow his pride and express his gratitude as he accepted the rewards.

No one had expected that after all of the debate during the morning court session, the outcome would turn out to be essentially a “one-man show” dominated by Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian.

By this point, everyone had realized that ever since the Wang family aligned itself with the throne, Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao had unobtrusively gained control of over half of the Imperial Court, and no longer had any need for pretense or insincere politeness.

Therefore, they only rewarded those they wanted to reward, and didn’t bring up the governance of the Western Regions as a topic of discussion.

Because they had already decided how it would be governed: by establishing protectorates, combining military power with the local religious forces, and integrating a county and prefecture system, all of which would establish an entirely new form of governance.

Various factions wanted to send their own people to the region in order to establish control themselves.

But Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao completely ignored their suggestions, making it very clear that they already had people in mind.

It was just as everyone had expected.

Within a few days, the newly-promoted Kou Qiao led his troops to the Western Regions and took charge of the Protectorate as a powerful regional official.

The territory that had once belonged to the Sai Kingdom had fallen completely into Qin Xiao’s hands.

That being said…..

After the year’s first morning court session, everyone made another very important discovery: Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan appeared to be in very poor health.

The man looked aged and haggard. Just a few months ago, he had been vibrant and full of life, but in such a short period of time, he seemed to have aged significantly faster than he had in the past six months combined.

He was so emaciated that he looked like a walking skeleton, and mottled age spots covered his face; Bai Lihong hardly dared to look at him anymore.

He also seemed to be growing senile. Cai Peng’s eyes were practically bleeding in court, yet Xiao Huaiguan hadn’t reacted at all, as if the fate of the Xiao family was of no concern to him.

Others may have been unaware of the reason, but Chu Jiubian understood perfectly well.

Xiao Huaiguan had succumbed completely to his mandala addiction, and was unable to break free. His health had also deteriorated so suddenly due to a change in his method of consumption, While he had initially been mixing a small amount of it into his food to ingest daily, he was now directly burning the mandala and inhaling the smoke multiple times a day.

The more he consumed, the faster his body deteriorated.

And the reason he had discovered such a method of consumption was because someone had “taught” it to him.

This person was none other than the secret agent Chu Jiubian had instructed Qin Chaoyang to find for him. To Xiao Huaiguan, this secret agent was simply a “merchant from the Western Regions.”

Now, Xiao Huaiguan’s life was essentially in Chu Jiubian’s hands. All he had to do was instruct that person to stop selling mandala to Xiao Huaiguan, and the old man, unable to withstand such pain and stress at his age, would soon die.

It was only a matter of when Chu Jiubian would decide to take his life.

After the morning court session, all government affairs resumed normal operations.

However, there were indeed many matters to attend to after the New Year’s festivities, and Emperor Bai Lihong had just as much to do as any other official.

Chu Jiubian had been the sole person helping him with everything before the New Year, but now that Qin Xiao had returned, his burdens were significantly eased. This allowed him to free up his time to continue working on the Imperial Examinations.

The papers for the third exam had been graded, and it came as no surprise that Lu Yao placed first.

What did surprise Chu Jiubian was Tan Yuzhu, who hailed from Baxian County.

She was the only female candidate in the classical studies course, and despite her young age, she was talented and highly-learned. What impressed Chu Jiubian the most, however, was her policy essay.

She addressed the same question as Lu Yao, and although her answer wasn’t as comprehensive or detailed, her perspective was certainly more unique.

And from her writing, it was evident that she cared deeply about the common people, women, and all other vulnerable demographics.

Her genuine desire was to become an official in order to do practical things for the people.

The more Chu Jiubian read of her exam paper, the more satisfied he became. This was just the sort of new talent he was looking for, ah.

If not for the fact that his current point balance wouldn’t allow him to select new Believers, he would definitely draw a card.

He glanced at the list in his hands, upon which were sixty-five names.

This was the first batch of students for the Imperial Academy, and once the list was released to the public, it was likely that various forces would pay close attention to these individuals.

They were free to recruit whoever they wanted. Chu Jiubian wouldn’t restrict the choices of his students.

If they were to be swayed by another party at this point, then even if they entered the Imperial Academy, they would still harbor ulterior motives in the future.

Rather than waiting, it was best to screen them out now.

However, if anyone attempted to harm these students, Chu Jiubian would certainly not allow it.

He ordered the list to be published, and also sent messengers on horseback to various regions to announce the news of the successful candidates to their families with great fanfare

While the messengers were arriving in various locations, a literary gathering was in full swing in Baxian County.

Among the numerous writers, scholars, and talented youth, a girl in a pure white dress was particularly eye-catching.

“I told you so, ah. How could a girl possibly succeed in officialdom?” A male voice rang out from the crowd, and everyone turned to look at him one after another.

A slightly overweight man dressed in dark silk robes leaned indolently against a low table. Even under the eyes of so many people, he displayed no hint of restraint, and instead laughed even more brazenly: “I heard that someone in the neighboring county received a letter from the Imperial Court yesterday, informing them of their success in the Imperial Examinations and a rapid promotion.”

His gaze, full of playful mockery, fell upon that graceful figure in the crowd. A lecherous glint flashed in his eyes as he said: “Some women have sky-high ambitions. In my opinion, it’s better to marry while they’re young and beautiful, lest they grow old and unattractive, and fail to find a husband.”

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Chapter 76 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 78