Scum Gong Walks the Career Line in the Crematorium

The next day when he woke up, Gu Shi indeed found that Lin Hanchuan had disappeared again.

Feeling disappointed, Gu Shi went unhappily to find Su Congyu. He suddenly noticed that today’s lessons were much simpler than before, and he could understand them!

Realizing this, Gu Shi couldn’t help but feel a bit happy from the bottom of his heart. He looked out the window with vacant eyes, as if expecting that the man who had appeared at the window yesterday might show up again.

Su Congyu glanced at him faintly, letting out a slight sigh in his heart.

During the time he spent with Gu Shi, he noticed the unusual intimacy and admiration that Gu Shi showed toward the Regent King. Although it was true that the Regent King had brought him out of the small town, Su Congyu felt that he had spent more time accompanying Gu Shi than Lin Hanchuan had. Yet, this child still looked forward to the Regent King day after day.

Fortunately… Su Congyu’s eyes shifted slightly as he read the passage in the book: “The rabbit dies, the dog is cooked, or the bird hides when the bow is drawn.” If this kid becomes the emperor, with his loyal and righteous personality, he will probably share the same bloodline as the Regent King.

Then, he won’t have to worry about the Regent King having a bad end one day.

Disappointed, Gu Shi withdrew his gaze from the empty window. To his surprise, he noticed that Mr. Su Congyu was lost in thought too. Unfortunately, Gu Shi lacked the courage to hit back and could only chuckle inwardly.

A few more days passed, and Gu Shi still hadn’t seen the Regent King. He felt extremely dejected, and even on his day off, he couldn’t find any joy.

Dressed in splendid clothes provided by the house, the housekeeper had dressed Gu Shi up, making him look like one of the pampered young masters in the capital. When he saw himself in the mirror, Gu Shi almost didn’t recognize himself.

In his memory, he was always unkempt, with a skinny and desolate figure, being despised by everyone. But now, if he were to return to the small town, no one would believe that he was born there.

“Go out and have some fun, relax,” the housekeeper handed Gu Shi a folding fan and smiled.

With the fan in hand, Gu Shi looked quite arrogant, exuding the aura of a romantic and carefree young master. He imitated the appearance of those he remembered and raised his eyebrows, giving off an air of extravagance.

Kicked out of the mansion by the housekeeper, Gu Shi strolled along the street. His luxurious appearance alone was enough to deter troublemakers, and anyone who wanted to pick a fight immediately steered clear of him upon noticing his attire.

After wandering around for a while without much interest, Gu Shi was about to turn back home when he heard a familiar name.

“What is the Regent King up to now?”

“I don’t know. Seeing his grand actions, could it be that he wants to…”

“He’s no different from the emperor now. I wonder what the situation is between him and the little emperor.”

“What else can it be? He probably wants something he can’t have…”

Gu Shi furrowed his brow and opened the fan with a brush, sitting down in front of the two men talking, looking noble and elegant as he poured them each a cup of tea. “Gentlemen, what are you talking about?”

Startled, the two men carefully observed Gu Shi’s appearance before heaving a sigh of relief. “Startling people like that can be lethal, this brother, next time, don’t appear so suddenly.”

Pretending not to have heard their implied meaning, Gu Shi smiled and asked, “Gentlemen, I’ve only recently arrived in the capital and am not familiar with the city’s affairs. Can you tell me what you’re talking about?”

As he spoke, Gu Shi ordered some food and a good wine for them.

Both of them were not lacking in these things, but they couldn’t reject Gu Shi’s hospitality. Lowering their voices, one of them began to explain, “This brother, beware of what you say… Do you know about the situation between the Regent King and His Majesty?”

Gu Shi’s pupils contracted, feeling a mixture of sourness and bitterness in his heart.

“You roughly understand. They are enemies on the surface, but in reality…”

Gu Shi’s heart skipped a beat, sensing that there might be something beyond his expectations.

“In reality, the Regent King has been fond of His Majesty for a long time, but unfortunately, His Majesty’s heart seems like iron, unmoved by him.” After taking a sip of wine, the man continued, “This brother, you are not well-informed. It is well-known in the capital that the Regent King has made various grand gestures towards His Majesty, but to no avail…”

“Fond?” Gu Shi’s pupils dilated, and he felt a complicated mix of emotions, a sour and bitter blend.

“This matter is known by everyone in the capital; only newcomers like you are unaware.”

“The Regent King is also sentimental. There is no one in his harem, but he shows affection to His Majesty. I wonder what is wrong with him…”

“No, let me tell you, the Regent King has already done everything he should and shouldn’t have done. Otherwise, why would he suddenly make such grand gestures?”

“I heard that when the Regent King returned from Tianmen Pass, he brought back a young man who bears some resemblance to His Majesty. The young man has been hidden in his mansion and hasn’t been allowed to appear in public.”

“This kind of thing, if His Majesty were to find out…”

“His Majesty is a priceless treasure. How could he be compared to those people of unknown origin…”

While the two strangers continued to speak, Gu Shi no longer had the heart to listen. He stood up, his eyes hazy and absent-minded, as he walked back to the mansion.

Behind him, the two dandy young masters continued to chat away, completely unaware that the young man who had suddenly appeared had disappeared just as suddenly.

Fond … Gu Shi pondered the two ordinary characters in his heart, surprised to find that he seemed to be jealous.

Jealous of what? Gu Shi played with the folding fan in his hand. He had never considered himself possessive, but now he couldn’t help but overturn his own belief.

Gu Shi suddenly felt a little sad. The Regent King and the little emperor were perfectly matched when standing together. As for him and Lin Hanchuan, no one would think of any relationship between them.

Although he hadn’t seen the little emperor, Gu Shi was self-aware of his own appearance and demeanor, and he knew that he couldn’t compare to the little emperor in any aspect.

In the distant palace, Emperor Zhao Yuan sneezed heavily. A eunuch beside him handed him a silk handkerchief, and he gently wiped his nose, leaving it red. “What do you want?”

“Your Majesty’s health is not good and should not be overburdened.” Lin Hanchuan sat across from the young emperor and even smiled a little. “Please write a letter of abdication.”

“I disagree!” Zhao Yuan said fiercely, and just that simple sentence made his blood boil.

“Your Majesty, don’t get angry, don’t compete with yourself,” the young eunuch serving beside him pleaded anxiously, but no one in the room paid attention to his expression.

Lin Hanchuan tapped the yellow imperial edict on the desk with his fingertip. “This is not a matter of whether you want to or not.”

Regardless of Zhao Yuan’s thoughts, Lin Hanchuan had already made a decision, and therefore, the little emperor had no room to negotiate.

Zhao Yuan clenched his clothes tightly, coldly staring at Lin Hanchuan, the light in his eyes flickering several times before finally turning into darkness. “Are you going to claim the throne for yourself?”

This was also the point that Zhao Yuan couldn’t understand the most.

The Regent King could have wielded great power and become a powerful regent, but he couldn’t overthrow the ruler of the dynasty himself. Otherwise, the ministers would curse him and countless people would rise up in the name of rightful bloodline.

It was just a name, but it represented endless trouble. Zhao Yuan couldn’t believe that the Regent King would provoke such great trouble just for a title.

“No.” Lin Hanchuan said lightly, but he only said that one word and fell silent.

Zhao Yuan stared deeply at Lin Hanchuan, as if trying to see into his heart.

After spending so many years together, Zhao Yuan thought he understood the other person enough. He knew that the Regent King never did anything without certainty, like how he dealt with the powerful relatives in the court. Although he couldn’t uproot them completely, the Regent King chose to ignore them and suppress those greedy individuals who were itching to act.

And this time, he wanted the emperor to write an abdication decree, which meant that he had already planned it.

“Brother Changfeng.” After many years, Zhao Yuan called out this name again. His face was pale, and his voice sounded weak and hollow. “Do you hate me so much?”

“I know that I hurt your heart… But you have controlled the court for so many years, and you have always withheld power from me. As the emperor, I can’t help but worry.”

The usually aloof and proud little emperor, for the first time in front of the Regent King, referred to himself as “I,” which seemed like a show of weakness and a sign of surrender.

Lin Hanchuan pushed the edict forward. “This has nothing to do with that.”

Zhao Yuan’s rare show of weakness was completely ignored. He bit his lip and hesitated to pick up the brush.

“The poison in your body has penetrated your blood. From now on, you cannot exert yourself anymore. If you continue to be emperor, you will die suddenly from palpitations within a year.” Lin Hanchuan spoke slowly.

This poison was given to Zhao Yuan by his grandfather and mother, as mentioned in the original text. But in the original text, there was a physician under Qi Changfeng’s grand tutor and Qi Changfeng himself, who used their own blood and lives to counteract the poison, allowing Zhao Yuan to recover.

Even so, after recovering his health, Zhao Yuan’s physical condition was not the same as before.

Now, without the physician’s treatment, and without anyone offering their own blood, Lin Hanchuan didn’t believe Zhao Yuan would live much longer. It would be fine to let him die and then let Gu Shi take the throne, but Lin Hanchuan didn’t want to wait any longer.

Lin Hanchuan’s words were poisonous and ruthless. Zhao Yuan’s face changed repeatedly, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He looked at Lin Hanchuan with resentment, murmuring, “You are more ruthless than me, Changfeng.”