Chapter 70: “…Yu-yu?” Part 2

“Whether this Chancellor is here or not, you must all hold your posts.”

As soon as he finished, the curtain fell.

As the sedan drifted away, the officials remained kneeling on the plaza. Some slumped to the ground, lost and dejected; others looked around in a daze. Most simply stared at the direction the sedan had disappeared.

It was as if the great umbrella over their heads had been suddenly snatched away. Before they could even react, they were left naked and exposed to the whistling wind and rain.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

The shrill voice of a eunuch suddenly pierced the silence.

The crowd turned to see a bright yellow figure charging down the jade steps like an arrow leaving a bow. A string of frantic eunuchs and maids trailed behind him, accompanied by the clanking armor of the Imperial Guard.

The group barrelled through the crowd, knocking the stunned officials aside.

“Was… was that the Emperor?” someone asked, mouth agape.

Another cursed under his breath in disbelief. “Didn’t he lead the push to get rid of the Chancellor himself?”

Yuan Zhuo grit his teeth and ran all the way to the East Gate—the side gate leading from the inner palace to Donghua Street. He watched as the sedan crossed the threshold, making his “departure from the palace” a reality.

“Your Majesty!” Eunuch Xu’s breathless shouting reached him. “Your Majesty, you cannot leave the palace in those clothes!”

Yuan Zhuo didn’t have time to change. He ripped off his gold-embroidered dragon robes in public, threw them to the ground, and even kicked off his Dragon-Patterned Boots. Barefoot on the bluestone, he charged toward the gate without looking back. “Get me a horse!”

Eunuch Xu stamped his feet in panic. “This old slave will get Your Majesty a carriage!”

Before long, an inner palace carriage arrived. Yuan Zhuo climbed in and pointed toward the Chancellor’s Estate. “To the Chancellor’s Estate! Fast!”

The wheels kicked up dust like a whirlwind as they raced toward the estate. The commoners on the streets scrambled to get out of the way. Moments later, the carriage arrived.

Yuan Zhuo’s silk inner robes were disheveled, his bare feet were covered in dust, and his black hair flew wildly in the wind. Utterly indifferent to the shocked expressions of those around him, he sprinted inside.

The guards recognized him as the Emperor and didn’t dare stop him, bowing their heads in retreat.

“Huaiyu Gege!”

As the young Emperor crossed the second courtyard, he was stopped by the butler, Liu Erlang.

“Your Majesty, please stay your step.”

Yuan Zhuo was deaf to him. Liu Erlang was forced to raise his voice: “Your Majesty! The Lord Chancellor is not in the estate!”

“What do you mean?” Yuan Zhuo stopped abruptly, his brow furrowing as he refused to process the chilling implication of those words.

Liu Erlang gave a bitter smile and said softly, “The Master knew you would come. Before he left, he left a few things for me to hand over to Your Majesty.”

He stepped aside and led the way to the flower hall. Tea was already prepared. Liu Erlang brought out a black lacquer tray containing three items.

A set of neatly folded crimson official robes.

A heavy Chancellor’s seal.

And a black gauze cap for court use.

Every single one was a physical symbol of the Chancellorship.

Yuan Zhuo staggered back a few steps and collapsed into a chair. He stared at the three items, his voice tight. “Where did Minister Gu go?”

Liu Erlang bowed his head, looking miserable. “This servant does not know. The Master said that since he is no longer the Chancellor, he naturally cannot live in the Chancellor’s Estate.”

“As for where he went… the Master didn’t say.”

It was as if the bones had been sucked out of Yuan Zhuo’s body. His back slumped, and he sank heavily against the chair. His eyes turned red, but he suddenly stood up and rushed out.

At the courtyard gate, Eunuch Xu arrived panting with the boots in his arms. “Your Majesty! Your shoes! You haven’t put on your—”

Yuan Zhuo snatched the boots and shoved them onto his feet as he ran, nearly tripping. As he jumped onto the carriage, one boot wasn’t even fully on, yet he hammered against the carriage wall. “To the Pei Estate! Hurry!”

On this day, from the first light of dawn to the falling of dusk, the great capital remained as it always was—smoke rising from kitchens and the streets buzzing with noise.

Thirty miles outside the city, at Wolong Mountain, clouds and mist swirled year-round. Halfway up the mountain sat an exquisite villa with white walls and black tiles hidden among the maple trees. Gu Huaiyu had originally bought it for Auntie Chen to use for her Buddhist prayers. Since Auntie Chen was currently at a temple for a retreat, it had become his temporary sanctuary.

The villa wasn’t large, but it was imbued with the elegance of the South—bamboo shadows flickering against windows and delicate upturned eaves. He had brought the Iron Eagle Guard, a few personal attendants, and of course, the “Blood Pack” he couldn’t forget no matter where he went.

After all, a mad dog only stops biting people when he’s tied to his master’s side.

Having shed the burden of the Chancellorship, Gu Huaiyu felt completely relaxed. He leaned back on a soft couch by the window, a leisure book half-rolled in his hand. The mountain breeze flipped through the pages, lifting a corner and letting it drop.

Pei Jingyi finished settling the Iron Eagle Guard’s hidden sentries and walked over to the couch. Lacking any sense of propriety, he suddenly leaned down and rested his chin directly on the edge of the table, staring up at Gu Huaiyu from below.