Chapter 56: The Zhongshu Sheng’s Personal Governance
Wei Wanlan had been too afraid to sleep well last night, but this morning, he slept soundly and deeply after being ordered to rest.
When he opened his eyes again, bright sunlight streamed into the palace. The sparrows outside were silent, indicating it was at least midday.
Midday…
Was the Regent King coming for lunch?
Since his inexplicable outburst of anger last night, he hadn’t seen him, nor had he sent anyone.
Having lazed in bed until now, perhaps he should get up and have lunch with him?
Wei Wanlan felt a little at a loss.
…How should he face this person?
However, Wei Wanlan himself didn’t realize that he had, at some point, made “having lunch with the Regent King” a daily routine. He sat on the dragon bed and extended his arms, allowing the eunuch to put on his dragon robe.
An Ruyi quietly reminded him, “Your Majesty, the Prince will not be having midday meals in the Zichen Palace.”
Wei Wanlan tilted his head, his eyes widening slightly. Was An Ruyi a reincarnation of Di Ting (a mythical creature with exceptional hearing)?
An Ruyi was again attending to Wei Wanlan’s midday meal.
Having slept after breakfast, he naturally didn’t eat much for lunch; it was simply a matter of going through the motions. Wei Wanlan made a perfunctory effort.
His pale fingers put down his chopsticks.
Thoughts welled up in his heart.
Wei Wanlan blurted out, overwhelmed by his thoughts:
“An Gonggong, do we… not have lessons today?”
Usually, the Regent King would lecture him on state affairs after meals. Since he wasn’t coming to the Zichen Palace today, there would naturally be no discussion of state affairs.
Sure enough, An Ruyi bowed and replied, “Yes, Your Highness will not be giving a lecture.”
A moment of relief washed over Wei Wanlan.
But only for a moment.
Then, an unusual feeling gripped him, sensing that the Regent King had been acting strangely from last night to this morning.
But precisely where things were amiss, despite his keen perception, he couldn’t articulate.
“Then, what about the afternoon nap?” Wei Wanlan asked.
“A short rest will suffice, Your Majesty.” Good habits should be maintained. An Ruyi tried his best to cooperate with the Regent King in adjusting the emperor’s biological clock.
“Mm. Are there any arrangements after I wake up?”
Having been a puppet for so long, he instinctively sought instruction. Regardless of willingness, asking more questions prevented mistakes.
Unexpectedly, An Ruyi raised his eyebrows and suddenly smiled, his eyes curving:
“There will be a surprise when you wake up.”
“A surprise?”
Wei Wanlan’s spirits lifted. He leaned forward, intently staring at An Ruyi, as if trying to glean an answer from his gaze.
“Yes. A surprise.”
Unfortunately, while Di Ting was adept at reading others’ minds, An Ruyi concealed his own thoughts; he was a smiling tiger, and his answer was unfathomable.
Wei Wanlan: “Tell me.”
The childish Wei Wanlan was captivated by the surprise.
Having only experienced fright from last night until now, he craved a little comfort to soothe his heart.
“What surprise have you prepared for me…”
The emperor’s coquettishness, sweet and soft, who could resist?
But An Ruyi dared not respond directly.
The imperial physician was arranged by the Prince’s residence, and now the surprise was from the Prince as well.
Although the Prince hadn’t explained the root cause of their conflict last night, his heart still remained wholly devoted to the emperor, his attentiveness even exceeding before, almost as if he had learned how to be in a relationship.
An Gonggong, observing this, knew that there must be hidden circumstances regarding last night’s events.
Therefore, he wouldn’t dare take credit for the Prince’s kindness towards the emperor, let alone take advantage of it.
An Ruyi respectfully retreated:
“Rest for a stick of incense, Your Majesty, and I will awaken you then. Revealing the answer now, I’m afraid you’ll be unable to sleep again.”
Ah, he’s keeping it a secret.
Even An Gonggong has learned to be mischievous…
Thus, Wei Wanlan lay back on the dragon bed, his little claws clutching the blanket and covering himself.
Upon waking again.
Having made up for his lack of sleep last night, he was thoroughly rested today.
Feeling refreshed and energetic, he opened the door of the Zichen Palace. An additional person stood in the corridor outside. The newcomer was dressed in Da Wei military attire and armor, a dao strapped to his waist, his wheat-colored skin bearing a sunny smile:
“This subordinate pays his respects to Your Majesty!” Tang Tuan kowtowed, noticing that the young emperor, after a good night’s sleep, resembled a little peach, his face rosy and plump.
“Tang Fujiang?”
Wei Wanlan began to question the nature of this surprise.
While seeing Tang Fujiang didn’t cause him any psychological pressure.
But Tang Fujiang was, after all, the Regent King’s man; what kind of surprise could he possibly bring?
Maintaining his kneeling posture, Tang Tuan reported, “Your Majesty, the Regent King is not in the Zhongshu Sheng today. State affairs are to be handled by Your Majesty, and this subordinate will escort Your Majesty to the Zhongshu Sheng.”
“To… govern alone?” Wei Wanlan asked, dumbfounded.
Tang Tuan: “To personally govern.”
In short, to personally take charge of the government.
“Really? Really?”
Wei Wanlan, the Emperor of Da Wei, had received a personal governance experience card.
The opportunity was so precious that Wei Wanlan repeated himself excitedly. His doe eyes sparkled.
It wasn’t because of any strong desire for power, but simply…
—Having been a puppet for so long, who wouldn’t want to finally become the master of their own destiny?
So happy, so happy.
“Then I can issue edicts!”
“Your Majesty may do anything.”
“What if I issue the wrong edict?”
“This subordinate, on behalf of the court, implores Your Majesty to exercise caution, but the Prince has also given instructions on how to handle such situations.”
Those in power make no mistakes.
How suddenly… the big bad guy is still the big bad guy, and I’m still under his thumb, yet my confidence has inexplicably increased?
Wei Wanlan still couldn’t let down his guard. What else was the big bad guy up to? Was this some kind of trick?
That strange feeling once again gripped Wei Wanlan.
He tentatively asked, “Where is the Regent King? After the Regent King returned yesterday, did he say anything to you?”
Tang Tuan: The boss is wise, and this question is also what the boss taught me how to answer.
Tang Tuan was unaware of what happened between the two.
The Regent King returned to the Prince’s residence and shut himself off from everyone. He didn’t see anyone, nor did he light a lamp, seemingly more withdrawn than ever.
But the boss still cares about him, so it should be fine, perhaps it’s just that the people he likes have a significant age gap, while not exactly a case of ‘a pear blossom pressing down on a sea of peonies’, there is certainly a generational gap in their relationship.
He didn’t bother thinking about it.
He recited the Regent King’s excuse word-for-word:
“The Prince has important military affairs to attend to outside, and his return is uncertain. He said that he will handle state affairs this afternoon as a test of your recent studies.”
Yay!
The big bad guy is away, I’m going to govern!
Zhongshu Sheng.
A small court meeting.
The ministers, each holding their writing tablets, showed expressions of astonishment.
Because in front of the map of the mountains and rivers, where the Regent King’s seat originally was, there sat a small emperor.
The chair was very large, making the small emperor appear even smaller, and based on his appearance alone, he lacked any imposing aura.
But this was the Regent King’s chair, and behind the Regent King’s seat stood Tang Tuan, his right hand resting on his dao, adding two layers of protection, making the small emperor seem like a pearl, tightly protected by a thick, hard shell.
—Incredible. The Regent King actually agreed to relinquish power, allowing the young emperor to handle matters at the Zhongshu Sheng himself?
—Did the Emperor and Regent King reach some kind of agreement again?
—The two of them have definitely reconciled! From now on, they will become a wise emperor and a virtuous minister, and the young emperor will officially ascend to the stage of history today!!!
Regardless.
The small Wei Wanlan sitting on the seat caused a great shock to the core officials of the Da Wei.
The officials were incredibly respectful.
They almost felt that the emperor before them was not only an outstanding tamer of ferocious beasts but also a political genius and a young monster.
“Um… My loyal ministers.”
“Your…servants…are…present.”
All the ministers bowed together, their voices steady, their tone reverent, their heads bowed low like ears of wheat, their movements so synchronized as to cure even the most stubborn cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Wei Wanlan took a deep breath.
He had already experienced governing before; at that time, these ministers hadn’t been this exaggerated, right?
—Could it be that today, with the Regent King absent, everyone feels the same as I do, relieved and relaxed?
Then I’ll continue to foster a harmonious working atmosphere.
Let’s work on time and leave on time, you help me quell internal strife, and I’ll give you the warmth of spring?
When the Regent King returns from the military camp, he’ll find that all the ministers have been conquered by my personal charm, and everyone has collectively switched sides, making the Regent King, that big bad guy, Zhou Ba Pi (a greedy landlord in a story), furious!
[Login successful.]
Huh, I didn’t log in…
Wei Wanlan lightly patted his head.
He’d only muttered this to himself, yet the Wise Emperor Cultivation System actually counted it?
A table was laid out in front of him, filled with densely packed icons pulsating, all available for his selection.
There wasn’t much work pressure today.
Let’s just add a touch of embellishment and choose the closest icon to play with!
His tiny claws dragged over a pink heart.
He gently tapped the use button.
He interpreted it visually; he originally thought it was like a Wise Emperor Charm Pill, something that increased group favorability.
But who knew that after using it, he didn’t see the righteous light emitted when the Wise Emperor Charm Pill took effect.
Only a countdown appeared in his field of vision.
A total of two hours, counting down precisely.
Wei Wanlan couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed: Isn’t this a stopwatch? For the emperor’s use? To improve work efficiency? A Pomodoro timer?
—I clearly wanted to bring some humanistic care.
—I don’t want to be a workaholic.
His bangs fell over his forehead, dragging the countdown to the corner of his vision; his thoughts returned to the affairs of state.
He rested on the Regent King’s desk, propping his chin with both hands, and decided to ignore the stopwatch and preside over the court meeting at his own pace.
Wei Wanlan spoke slowly:
“I have always been concerned about the affairs of state of Da Wei.”
“The long-standing problems of Da Wei lie in its governance.”
“Last time, after looking at the results of the evaluation of officials in the Zhongshu Sheng, what was done with those officials who performed well and those who did not? Were the methods of handling them appropriate? Were there any mistakes in personnel management or omissions of talent?”
“…”
He asked question by question.
All of them were based on what he had just experienced yesterday.
Everything was to continue the main quest two, to purify the government and quell internal strife.
He had to ensure the purity of the officials in the court. Perhaps when the number of upright officials reached a certain level, the second quest would be completed. He didn’t know for now.
The topic had just been raised.
In the quiet Zhongshu Sheng, a somewhat ethereal voice suddenly came from somewhere; Wei Wanlan listened carefully.
This strange voice continued to mutter:
“As long as there is human intervention, there is a chance of forgery. The supervisory and evaluation system needs further improvement. Official protectionism still exists in the Da Wei court.”
This is—
Wei Wanlan quickly glanced around, puzzled, as everyone was clearly silent.
His gaze finally fell upon the Zhongshu She Ren, Xiao Mengshi, thinking that this voice sounded like a warrior, but he saw that Xiao Mengshi’s mouth was also closed.
Where did the voice come from?
The voice sounded again:
“Your Majesty is still looking at your servant. Stop looking. If you want to know the situation of the evaluation, just find a few samples to check, wouldn’t that be enough?”
“…”