Scum Gong Walks the Career Line in the Crematorium

Lin Hanchuan didn’t know what Gu Shi was thinking, but he could see that the young man’s expression was peculiar, a mix of astonishment, admiration, envy, and admiration.

Setting aside this strange feeling, Lin Hanchuan spoke slowly, “In the mansion, you can ask for anything you want. Here, you are the Young Master, the master of the mansion.”

As he said this, Lin Hanchuan suddenly paused. He realized that he didn’t know how to tell Gu Shi about his true identity, to make him feel justified in staying at the mansion.

Gu Shi, being so young, having him as a partner would be too abrupt, and Lin Hanchuan himself couldn’t bring himself to say it. He also couldn’t reveal his true identity as a member of the royal blood who had fallen into the common folk. Lin Hanchuan hesitated.

But Gu Shi was understanding. He saw that Lin Hanchuan didn’t reveal his identity, and he didn’t mind. After finishing his tea in one gulp, Gu Shi suppressed his astonishment and said, “I won’t treat myself as an outsider!”

Gu Shi also understood the reason behind Lin Hanchuan’s silence.

It was well-known that the Regent was chaste and had no consort or concubine for over thirty years. If it became known that the Regent had been frequenting brothels at thirteen or fourteen, it would shock many people.

“This child is really…” Lin Hanchuan mumbled to himself, never having seen someone who didn’t treat themselves as an outsider in someone else’s house.

Lin Hanchuan looked at the young man in the blue robe, and he suddenly stopped talking, pretending that he hadn’t said anything.

He called the butler and said to Gu Shi, “Go and rest for a while. From now on, this place is your home.”

The butler appeared out of nowhere and respectfully led Gu Shi away. As they walked through the garden corridor, Gu Shi couldn’t help but turn his head and saw Lin Hanchuan talking to the young man in the blue robe.

After being arranged in a room, Gu Shi was still somewhat dazed.

He stood up and touched the porcelain on the shelf, then touched the expensive redwood shelf… Finally, he sat on the bed, placing his hands on the soft and smooth blanket.

Such good fabric, but it’s being used as a blanket. Gu Shi felt a little distressed. He reluctantly touched the blanket and couldn’t help but roll around on the bed.

The soft and cool bed felt like clouds, making Gu Shi feel as if he were in a dream.

In the dream, he became the King of Nanshan’s child, brought back to the mansion, becoming the Young Master. The King of Nanshan treated him with such tenderness and kindness, even better than the best fathers he had seen. Upon waking up, he was back to being the young ruffian shunned by others, living in a shaky house.

Gu Shi didn’t want to wake up, so he didn’t want to close his eyes and sleep.

After rolling on the bed for a while, he, who had never traveled such a long distance and was still on edge, eventually fell asleep. Even in his dream, he still had that peculiar expression on his face, a mix of happiness and worry.

After watching Gu Shi leave, the young man in the blue robe asked Lin Hanchuan immediately, “What is the relationship between this child and the late Emperor?”

Though it was a question, his tone was firm, as if he had already determined it.

With no one around in the garden, Lin Hanchuan didn’t speak. Instead, he dipped his finger in the tea and wrote a few words on the stone table.

Even if the young man in the blue robe had a suspicion in his heart, his pupils still shrank at that moment. He rubbed his chin and pondered, “You brought him back…”

Lin Hanchuan shook his head slightly and replied, “His mother was a courtesan from the brothel, and she has passed away. He is only sixteen now, with no relatives and nowhere to go, so I brought him back.”

“Brothel…” The young man in the blue robe remembered that sixteen years ago, when the late Emperor was still alive and fighting against the barbarians at Tianmen Pass, he and his comrades used to vent their emotions at brothels after victories.

But he never imagined that the late Emperor would also go to such places.

“Well, that’s good,” the young man in the blue robe said slowly, “If you brought him back, then he is already involved, even if you didn’t realize it. Sooner or later, someone would discover his identity.”

And when that happened, Gu Shi’s fate would be even worse.

The two men looked at each other, neither giving in.

As the tense atmosphere reached its peak, a person rushed in hurriedly, “City Lord, an edict has arrived from the capital.”

Both Lin Hanchuan and the young man in the blue robe withdrew their gazes and looked at the servant on the ground, who was trembling.

“It’s for you,” the young man in the blue robe said confidently, “Do you want to see it?”

Lin Hanchuan nodded, “Yes.”

Tianmen Mountain was a city, and as the farthest city of the Sui Kingdom, there were Sui Kingdom people living here as well as merchants from other countries, including many sharp-eyed barbarians on the streets.

While the majority of the city’s residents were from the Sui Kingdom, many of them had intermarried with people from other ethnic groups.

This once silent and desolate city had gradually changed when a young and handsome scholar was appointed as the City Lord over a decade ago.

Now, after more than a decade, that young and handsome scholar had shed the impetuosity of his youth and gained a mature and elegant demeanor.

“Lord Su is as outstanding as ever,” when the young man in the blue robe saw the visitor, he and the others who came with the edict stood up. The elderly man at the forefront had a face full of wrinkles and praised in a sharp voice, “It’s been over ten years since we last met, but Lord Su remains unchanged while we have aged.”

“Master is too modest. From what I can see, you are still as vigorous as ever,” the young man in the blue robe smiled and replied.

They exchanged pleasantries for a while before getting to the point. The elderly man carefully presented the imperial edict stored in a box and read it aloud with a louder voice.

“…Traitor Qi Changfeng has conspired and attempted treason. His crime deserves death and imprisonment. He escaped from prison, and an all-out manhunt is ordered. Regardless of life or death… If anyone conceals or fails to report, they are considered accomplices of the traitor…”

The young man in the blue robe knelt down to listen to the reading of the edict, showing no surprise at its content.

Sending the edict at this time was just to remind the City Lord that Tianmen Pass was under the Regent’s jurisdiction, and the edict was a way of applying pressure.

After the solemn reading of the edict, the elderly man helped the young man in the blue robe up. The young man in the blue robe smiled amiably, “Master, please allow me to entertain you after your long journey to this place.”

The two men exchanged compliments for a while, and the elderly man finally half-persuaded, half-agreed to accept the invitation for a feast. As he was leaving, he held the young man in the blue robe’s hand and smiled, “Lord Su is still young and has a bright future ahead. A promising future indeed.”

The young man in the blue robe was pleasantly surprised, “Did His Majesty really say that?”

“Yes,” the elderly man let go of his hand and said, “According to His Majesty’s intention, once the matter involving the traitor surnamed Qi is dealt with, he can focus on the changes within the court. You know, before…”

The young man in the blue robe also revealed a subtle expression of realization.

After seeing the elderly man off at the door, they exchanged more pleasantries before he returned to his room. There, he found Lin Hanchuan already sitting there, and he sneered, “These people from the capital are all so slippery.”

“Don’t you also excel at that?” Lin Hanchuan glanced at him.

“I’ve used threats and temptations to the fullest. Let’s see what tricks they can play now,” the young man in the blue robe displayed a rare expression of anger. “Since you’ve returned, you should go and train your troops.”

Lin Hanchuan knocked on the table, finally calming the young man down a bit. After thinking for a moment, he said, “You continue to be courteous to him, and you can appropriately convey some harmless information to gain his trust… I want to know who is behind that young emperor.”

“That’s right. That young emperor is weak and incapable, and you’ve been protecting him for so many years. It’s unlikely he’ll suddenly turn against you,” the young man in the blue robe became spirited, but he didn’t want to see internal turmoil in the Sui Kingdom. “If there are treacherous ministers spreading rumors, you can go to the capital and protect the emperor.”

The young man in the blue robe didn’t know, but Lin Hanchuan was well aware. In the original text, the young emperor initially trusted the Regent greatly and hoped to gain his approval and obtain real power.

However, not long after, under the instigation of his mother and grandfather, the young emperor became suspicious and unwilling to delegate power to the Regent.

Qi Changfeng and the young emperor, Zhao Yuan, had been in love and at odds with each other for many years. Despite all his efforts and sacrifices, Qi Changfeng had only obtained a chance to be stationed at the border.

In contrast, Zhao Yuan, had a wife and children in the capital. Although he claimed that she was only a nominal queen, he had children with her. But Qi Changfeng had remained without a wife or children throughout his life… Lin Hanchuan sighed lightly as he thought about this.

After leaving the City Lord’s mansion, the sky gradually darkened. He was well-known at Tianmen Pass, and many people recognized him. Not daring to take the main road, he crossed through small alleys and climbed over walls to return to the mansion.

As soon as he returned to the mansion, he heard Gu Shi’s voice, “Wangye, how much longer until he comes back?”

And then came the helpless voice of the butler, “Wangye’s whereabouts are not something we can know. Young Master, you don’t need to…”

Lin Hanchuan stepped on the butler’s advice and walked in. When Gu Shi saw him, his eyes brightened, “Old… Wangye, you’re back!”

After saying it, Gu Shi felt fortunate that he hadn’t called him “old dad.” Fortunately, he held back, otherwise, everyone would know we’re father and son, and they’d know about him visiting brothels at thirteen or fourteen.

Lin Hanchuan raised an eyebrow. Wangye?