Chapter 7: How to Tame a Wild Dog Part 1

An uninvited guest was waiting for Gu Huaiyu at the Chancellor’s Manor.

Eunuch Xu had rushed out of the palace so quickly he hadn’t even found time to change out of his eunuch’s robes. Restless and anxious, he paced in circles within the manor’s tea hall.

The moment he spotted Gu Huaiyu’s silhouette, Eunuch Xu hurried forward to meet him. “My Lord Chancellor! You’re finally back!”

Seeing him drenched in a panicked sweat, Gu Huaiyu felt a slight tightening in his chest. “What has happened?”

Eunuch Xu took several deep, ragged breaths before he could manage to speak. “Since the day you left the palace and instructed His Majesty to strive for good governance, His Majesty has truly taken it to heart! Lately, he has been forgetting to eat and sleep; he’s hardly closed his eyes!”

Gu Huaiyu’s gaze darkened. He had hoped the little brat would do something productive, rather than neglecting his duties like his biological father had.

Eunuch Xu wiped the sweat from his brow and lowered his voice. “His Majesty hasn’t had a moment’s rest these past few days. After the morning court, he meets with the various ministers, handles administrative affairs, and listens to the reading of memorials. Then come the lessons with the Grand Preceptor to study the Way of the Sovereign and the Rites.”

“When night falls, His Majesty is still under the lamp, poring over books. He only sleeps four to six hours a day. He’s literally grinding himself to the bone!”

At this point, Eunuch Xu’s tone became urgent. “My Lord! His Majesty was so overworked that he finally collapsed last night with a high fever.”

“The imperial physicians say His Majesty is suffering from extreme exhaustion and must rest in peace, but how could he possibly listen? One moment he’s calling for memorials, the next he’s summoning the Grand Preceptor! No one in the palace can persuade him!”

“That is why I came to you. His Majesty listens to you above all others. You must talk some sense into him!”

Gu Huaiyu happened to have matters he needed to discuss with Yuan Zhuo anyway. He raised a hand to summon the manor servants. “Change my clothes. Prepare the carriage.”

Eunuch Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He followed Gu Huaiyu back into the palace, and when they reached the doors of the Hall of Chaste Government, he pushed them open with the utmost care.

The hall was thick with the bitter scent of medicinal decoctions. Shards of porcelain were scattered across the floor, and spilled medicine flowed everywhere, soaking into the thick carpets and staining a large patch dark brown.

Several palace maids and eunuchs were kneeling before the bright yellow bed curtains, each of them trembling like chaff in the wind.

With a sharp clack, a hand reached out from within the curtains and slapped away a medicine bowl.

“Take it away!” the young Emperor’s raspy voice barked. “I am not ill. Summon the Grand Preceptor to see me!”

Gu Huaiyu walked past the maids and eunuchs. “Do not kneel here. All of you, leave.”

Hearing his voice, the Emperor immediately poked his head out from behind the curtains. His handsome face was flushed with a feverish red, and a bright yellow headband was tied around his brow. “Chancellor, why have you come?”

The palace staff felt as if they had been granted a divine reprieve; they scrambled to their feet and retreated.

The Emperor looked toward Eunuch Xu behind Gu Huaiyu, the smile on his lips vanishing instantly. “Did he call for you?”

Gu Huaiyu walked to the dragon bed and tested the temperature of the boy’s neck with his fingers. The contact felt like touching a small furnace. “I came of my own accord. It has nothing to do with him.”

The Emperor flinched at the touch of those ice-cold hands, the heat in his body seemingly flaring even hotter. He was wearing only a thin inner robe, and his hair was tied in a mess. He hurriedly sat up straight. “I have lost my composure.”

“Someone! Change my clothes—”

“Your Majesty should stay lying down.”

Gu Huaiyu pressed down on the boy’s raised arm. The youth seemed to have been genuinely frightened by him during their last encounter; the moment they touched, he didn’t dare move a muscle and lay back into the bed.

The Emperor’s dark eyes stared at him for a moment. When Gu Huaiyu’s gaze swept over, the Emperor immediately looked away and reached for a memorial beside the bed. “This is a secret report from the Regional Military Governor of Bingzhou. Eastern Liao wishes to reopen the markets at the end of the year. What is your opinion, Chancellor?”

Gu Huaiyu had already read the contents. He took the scroll and tossed it onto the floor with a thud. “They are pushing too far. Absolutely not.”

The Emperor then fished out a calligraphy practice book from under his pillow and held it out for him to see. “I have been practicing your ‘Feibai’ style these past few days. Do you think I have made any progress?”