Scum Gong Walks the Career Line in the Crematorium

After receiving the abdication edict, Lin Hanchuan did not immediately place Gu Shi on the throne. Instead, he first established him as the Crown Prince, serving as a transitional position.

During this period, not only Su Congyu but also several respected and virtuous ministers in the court were recommended to serve as tutors to educate Gu Shi.

For a while, Gu Shi was as busy as a modern high school student, getting up at four or five in the morning to study and only resting after midnight. His eyes turned dark and bruised, and he appeared weary and dispirited.

Lin Hanchuan felt a bit distressed seeing him like this, so he chose not to look.

While Gu Shi was undergoing his education in the palace, Lin Hanchuan busied himself with state affairs and cleared out all those who had objections to the appointment of the Crown Prince.

Since Gu Shi entered the palace, the two of them were each occupied with their own matters, and they had not seen each other even once.

“Your Highness, focus your mind,” the old tutor teaching Gu Shi was not as relaxed and at ease as Su Congyu. He was respectful in his approach.

Gu Shi yawned and forced his gaze back to the book in front of him. However, in no time, he bobbed his head like a chick pecking at food and eventually fell face-first onto the table with a thud.

The old tutor looked unsure of what to do. As per usual, he should call the Crown Prince, but he had already done so many times before. He didn’t dare to scold the future emperor, so each time, he could only gently remind him, but the effect was minimal.

When Su Congyu walked in, the old tutor’s face lit up as if he had seen his savior.

Su Congyu tapped the table, but Gu Shi remained unresponsive. He sighed softly and spoke to the old tutor in a good-natured tone, “He has been working hard during this period, let him rest for a while.”

The lips of the old tutor, who was waiting for Su Congyu to wake Gu Shi, twitched a few times. Finally, he managed to utter a dry “good.”

Unaware of their departure, Gu Shi fell into a dream.

In the dream, he was in a noisy teahouse, surrounded by a group of spoiled and dissolute young masters, listening to their discussions.

“The Regent King is truly ambitious, holding immense power in the court. He easily managed to bring about the change of power.”

“If I were to say that His Majesty’s health was still robust not long ago, how could he suddenly fall critically ill and even consider abdication… It must be those treacherous individuals who saw His Majesty’s brilliance and wanted better control…”

“Shh, be careful, the walls have ears.”

“What’s there to fear? Even in front of His Majesty and the Regent King, I dare to speak my mind. Since he dares to control everything and manipulate the Emperor, why should I hold back!”

“Brother Li’s father is a remonstrating official, naturally, he dares to speak candidly. Brother Li also has some of his father’s backbone…”

Everyone laughed heartily, but Gu Shi sat aside, bound by an invisible force, unable to move or speak, only staring angrily at these people, wishing he could take a bite out of them.

Gu Shi tried his best to remember the faces of these people, but no matter how hard he struggled, he could only see a group of blurry figures.

They were dressed differently, some in scholar’s robes, some in luxurious clothes, and some in simple attire. These people, with different backgrounds and statuses, somehow gathered together to openly insult the current Regent King.

Powerful minister, manipulating everything, controlling the Emperor… ruthless, ferocious, cold-hearted…

Gu Shi was the only one who knew the truth, and he wanted to explain that the Regent King was not like this. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break free from the invisible restraints.

After struggling for what felt like ages, Gu Shi suddenly opened his eyes and saw the books close by.

He sat up in a daze, looking at the books in front of him, his body drenched in sweat, gradually breaking free from the nightmare. However, his heart was still filled with fear.

It was just a dream, but Gu Shi knew that it was more than just a dream.

Even before, the Regent King’s reputation was not excellent, and now that he forcefully brought him back to the palace, public opinion of him would be even worse. Gu Shi’s eyes shifted from absent-minded to firm, but this change lasted only a moment.

With Zhao Yuan’s intentional or unintentional instigation, the Regent King’s reputation had deteriorated to such an extent. Gu Shi did not want to evaluate Zhao Yuan’s actions; he only wanted to find a way to restore the Regent King’s reputation.

Gu Shi was not a fool, and after systematically studying the art of ruling, he could easily see the problem.

In truth, the common people didn’t really care about the Regent King’s reputation. They only treated it as a topic for casual conversations. If it weren’t for someone deliberately guiding them, they wouldn’t have such an in-depth understanding of the Regent King in the distant capital. While pondering, Gu Shi suddenly noticed someone walking in.

Instinctively sitting up straight, Gu Shi was about to call his tutor when he saw a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

The two locked eyes, neither speaking. Finally, the pale-faced individual gently coughed and said, “Younger brother, I’m pleased to see your diligence. I am delighted.”

Gu Shi responded coldly, “Oh.”

“Speaking of which, you are also my brother, so you should address me as your elder brother, the emperor,” Zhao Yuan added.

Gu Shi simply replied, “Mm.”

After a moment of silence, Zhao Yuan continued, “I heard that you were recorded in the family genealogy, but you didn’t change your surname. You added ‘Zhao’ and are now named Zhao Gu Shi?”

Gu Shi confirmed with another “Mm.”

Both fell into complete silence. After a while, Zhao Yuan’s expression turned colder as he spoke with an air of elegance and authority that came from years of being pampered, “Do you have some objections to me?”

“Mm.”

Gu Shi indeed didn’t like this person, especially after he stayed in the palace for a while and heard the stories about him, both open and hidden.

It was widely known that the Regent King had an intimate relationship with the former young emperor. Later, he suddenly had the Regent King thrown into the prison of the Ministry of Justice. Gu Shi knew far more than others. He understood that Zhao Yuan had probably harbored murderous intentions long before that.

When Gu Shi first met Qi Changfeng, he was dressed in women’s clothing to avoid the pursuit of government officials.

Although Gu Shi was still young and had Lin Hanchuan supporting him from behind, he didn’t show any fear even when facing the current emperor. The only thing he felt was strong aversion.

“Is it because of the Regent King?” Zhao Yuan guessed.

This time, Gu Shi didn’t use his System of Veracity but rather looked at Zhao Yuan coldly.

Undeterred, Zhao Yuan smiled and carefully observed Gu Shi for a while before finally focusing on his eyes. “You know, when I ascended the throne, I was also fifteen years old… about the same age as you are now.”

“What exactly do you want to say?” Gu Shi interrupted him, seeing Zhao Yuan about to reminisce.

Even though Zhao Yuan had been sidelined now, he was still the emperor, and the palace was his domain. No one could drive him away, so Gu Shi could only watch him, not bothering to hide his impatience.

“In the past, I trusted him just like you,” Zhao Yuan spoke as if lost in thought. “But power can be mesmerizing, and I am the emperor after all, while he was the Regent King. We could only grow distant… Emperors and Regent Kings have conflicting interests, so it’s only natural to come to this point…”

“I won’t,” Gu Shi suddenly spoke up. His face still carried some youthful innocence, but his gaze was sharp. “Even if I become emperor, I won’t stop trusting him.”

“He was never blinded by power; it’s you who’s blinded,” Gu Shi stood up and walked in front of Zhao Yuan, looking down at him. “You trust your mother and grandfather but not him. That’s why you’ve grown distant from him. He never changed. He has the kingdom, the borders, and Tianmeng Pass in his heart. Maybe he had some feelings for you in the past, but not anymore.”

“You think he treats you like a puppet, but I’m not afraid to be one. Unfortunately, he doesn’t want me to be just a puppet emperor; he only hopes that I can become a good emperor.”

“A good emperor shouldn’t have a Regent King,” Zhao Yuan sneered sharply.

“He also doesn’t want to be the Regent King. Once I become familiar with the court affairs, he will hand them back to me,” Gu Shi said earnestly. “It’s because you haven’t grown enough wings to carry the entire Kingdom; that’s why he hasn’t been able to abandon the title of Regent King.”

Zhao Yuan gazed at Gu Shi with complex emotions.

Zhao Yuan had only known about Gu Shi for a short time. He came to talk to him for the first time these past few days, after recovering somewhat. He had thought this common-born Crown Prince would be timid and incapable, but he never expected him to be so straightforward and generous.

He didn’t have the composure of the children who grew up in the palace, revealing his feelings clearly. This made every word he spoke seem exceptionally sincere.

And as for the Regent King… Zhao Yuan admitted that he was unwilling. He was not only unwilling to give up the throne but also the Regent King.

Gu Shi’s words were like slaps to his face.

Before, Zhao Yuan could still tell himself that he and the Regent King were on different paths, and as the saying goes, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. Only one could stay, so he hardened his heart, ignoring the pain in his heart, and dealt with the Regent King. In the end, he lost, but he didn’t regret it.

But if Qi Changfeng had never changed his heart, then he… was the one who pushed away the only person who loved him, not because he loved the Emperor.

A wave of emotions surged within Zhao Yuan, but he remained expressionless on the surface. “You are young and naive, that’s why you can be like this. Once you truly inherit the throne, you won’t tolerate having a Regent King constantly stepping on your head. Throughout history, this has been the case for all emperors. You won’t be an exception either.”

After delivering his harsh words, Zhao Yuan signaled to the little eunuch standing outside the door to help him leave. His arrival was sudden, and his departure was hasty. Gu Shi couldn’t figure out why he had come in the first place.

Could it be to sow discord? Gu Shi was puzzled.

They walked quite far before Zhao Yuan stopped. He forced a bitter smile, saying to himself, “In the end, I fled in disarray.”

The little eunuch who supported him had no words. He knew that Zhao Yuan just needed someone to talk to.

“Do I… truly make mistakes?” Zhao Yuan murmured, and suddenly, he realized that the path before his eyes had become somewhat blurry. Worried that poison might have entered his eyes, he heard the frightened voice of the little eunuch.

“Your Majesty, you… you are crying.”

Zhao Yuan touched his cheek and found it moist. He wanted to smile, but he couldn’t muster a single smile. Memories he had thought long forgotten surged into his mind, and he was astonished to realize that he had never forgotten. They were as vivid as ever.

 

Author’s note:

The story is coming to an end. These past few days have been eventful.