Chapter 90 Minister Yao / End of Text: "Why haven't you come back to the palace with me to retire yet, my dear minister?"

Before Yao Ruyi could react, she was kissed. Their breaths mingled, and after a while, they hugged each other and laughed.

Gu Huizhou raised an eyebrow and pulled the person to walk out.

"What are we going to do?" Yao Ruyi let Gu Huizhou pull him along, wondering what the man was going to do with him this time.

"Moon viewing."

Moon gazing?

The two left the bedroom and climbed onto the roof, which happened to be the same roof where Yao Ruyi had read the storybook. Mushroom touched his earlobe, feeling inexplicably guilty.

"What?" Gu Huizhou turned around and pulled the person to sit down. Yao Ruyi also wanted to sit down, but the man pulled her over and made her sit on his lap.

"cold."

Yao Ruyi looked down and saw Gu Huizhou sitting on the roof. Although the snow on the roof had been swept away by the eunuchs early on, it was still covered with cold air. Wouldn't Gu Huizhou get sick if he sat there for too long?

"I'll go get you a mat."

Gu Huizhou didn't let go. "Sit down."

Yao Ruyi complained, "What if I get sick?"

"Life?" Gu Huizhou pondered, holding the person in his arms. He rested his chin on Yao Ruyi's shoulder. "If I get sick, let the Nineteenth Prince treat me."

Yao Ruyi was still unwilling, "That would be uncomfortable too."

"Heh," a soft laugh, "Don't worry."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two leaned together and looked at the bright moon overhead. The moonlight tonight was exceptionally bright, as if it could illuminate the entire capital city.

Yao Ruyi nestled comfortably in the man's arms, tilting her head back to look at the sky, and out of the corner of her eye, she could still see Gu Huizhou's profile.

"What are you looking at?" Gu Huizhou wrapped his arms around Yao Ruyi with his fox fur coat, his hands restlessly gripping Yao Ruyi's wrists. Yao Ruyi didn't care anymore; it seemed that Gu Huizhou always liked to hold his wrists.

Especially at night.

"Of course, we're looking at the moon."

"really?"

Yao Ruyi choked up, and after a long while nodded heavily, "Of course."

"Alright then, sir, you can take a look." Gu Huizhou said with a smile, his eyes still full of teasing.

The moonlight shone on the two of them, and Yao Ruyi felt a little drowsy. He didn't know when he last admired the moon. It seemed to be the year before last when he celebrated his birthday, when fireworks and moonlight hung in the sky together.

He will always remember that day.

"Tired?" Gu Huizhou reached out and pinched the cheek of the person in his arms. Yao Ruyi yawned. "Not really."

Gu Huizhou was about to suggest going back when Yao Ruyi said calmly, "I seem a little hungry."

"If you're hungry," Gu Huizhou asked, "what would you like to eat, sir?"

"I want to eat roast chicken."

Yao Ruyi didn't know why he suddenly wanted to eat roast chicken. Just now, looking at the hazy moonlight, he suddenly remembered that Gu Huizhou had taken him outside the city, and after the two of them killed all the livestock, Gu Huizhou roasted a chicken for him to eat.

"I want to eat your roast chicken."

Gu Huizhou laughed as he listened. He liked Yao Ruyi's unrestrained demands on him. He said softly, "Well, then I'll roast chicken for you, my lord."

The two went downstairs after talking, and before an incense stick's time had passed, Cui Xiangzhu brought back a cleaned chicken and a grill.

Cui Xiangzhu figured the two of them didn't seem to want the palace servants to watch, so he chuckled and shooed the others away, "This old servant will take some people to wait over there in the corridor. If Your Majesty or the lord need anything, this old servant will come over."

"Okay, go down and collect your reward."

"Oh!" Cui Xiangzhu's eyes crinkled with laughter. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Just as he was about to turn around, Cui Xiangzhu stopped again. "This old servant just forgot that the Imperial Kitchen has also prepared plum blossom pastries. This old servant will send them over to His Majesty and the Lord to try right away!"

Yao Ruyi was delighted when she heard about the plum blossom pastry, "Thank you for your trouble, Father-in-law."

"You flatter me, sir! This old servant will go right away."

Yao Ruyi nodded. He watched Cui Xiangzhu walk away and then looked at Gu Huizhou's roasted chicken. The fire had just been lit and hadn't fully caught fire yet. Scattered flames flickered in the cold wind, and the orange-yellow light reflected on the man's profile, which at first glance looked like the two strands of orange-red hair at Yao Ruyi's temples.

Two roasted chickens were skewered on iron rods. Gu Huizhou slowly turned them over and fiddled with them. "What are you looking at, sir?"

The man's gaze was undisguised; his likes and dislikes were written all over his face. Gu Huizhou chuckled inwardly, shifting his neck to reveal his smooth jawline, a handsome curve forming at the corners of his lips.

Yao Ruyi then realized she had been staring blankly again, and quickly turned to see if Cui Xiangzhu had brought back the plum blossom pastries, "Let's see if Eunuch Cui has returned."

Gu Huizhou smiled smugly; he hadn't realized his appearance was so appealing to this mushroom. Twirling the stem in his hand, the man thought to himself, "It's not such a bad thing after all."

As night deepened, the wind grew cooler, but neither of them cared. Yao Ruyi ate with gusto, devouring a whole chicken and most of the plum blossom pastry in one go. Gu Huizhou held a chicken leg in his hand and offered it to him, saying, "Keep eating."

"I'm not eating anymore."

Gu Huizhou was practically raising him like a pig. If he hadn't been stopped, Gu Huizhou would have roasted the remaining two chickens.

"You eat." Yao Ruyi said he couldn't eat anymore, but he kept eating the plum blossom pastry in his hand. His delicate eyebrows and eyes were warning, as if Gu Huizhou couldn't do without eating this chicken leg.

He urged again, "Eat quickly, it will get cold."

With his eyebrows raised, Gu Huizhou nodded, "Okay."

Looking at the two sitting around the fire like ordinary young masters from afar, Cui Xiangzhu's eyes welled up with tears. "Ah, they're finally getting better."

Xiao Dezi followed Cui Xiangzhu with a smile and asked, "What are you doing, Grandfather? His Majesty is doing so well now."

"Yes, it's great!" Cui Xiangzhu turned around and wiped away his tears. He looked up at the rooftops in the distance. There used to be two people sitting there, but now only thirteen was left. He felt a pang of emotion. "Now that things are like this, our family is content."

“Oh,” Xiao Dezi bowed, “then in a few days, I will invite you to a banquet, sir.”

Cui Xiangzhu was amused by him, "You're going to treat me? With the few copper coins you have, I'd rather treat you."

Xiao Dezi was overjoyed upon hearing this, "Oh! Then I thank you in advance, Father-in-law."

As night deepened, the fire went out.

Cui Xiangzhu and his men were quietly tidying up when, coincidentally, the lights in the Cloud Palace went out. He turned around with a smile and bumped into Thirteen, startled, and asked in a low voice, "Hey! Thirteen, what's going on here…?"

"It's alright, I'll keep watch."

Thirteen has been in low spirits these past few days, and Cui Xiangzhu is well aware of this. "Oh, then my lord, please take care of your health. It's getting cold, so you should wear more clothes."

"Hmm," Thirteen forced a smile, "Thank you, Father-in-law."

Cui Xiangzhu waved his hand, "Then this old servant will take his leave first."

"good."

Two years later.

The capital city has developed better than expected in the past two years, and the grain harvest in the fields has almost doubled. The people of Yun Kingdom are all smiles.

In the past two years, people in the capital have no longer had to worry about food and drink. Even the vagrants who used to have nothing to do have been given jobs by the government. Although the wages are not much, they are enough to fill their stomachs.

The old woman selling steamed buns at the street corner has gotten rounder in the past two years, and the wrinkles on her face have become more pronounced. More and more people are calling her "auntie," which makes the old woman laugh so hard she can't open her eyes.

A man passed by a steamed bun stall, bought two buns, and said while eating them, "Hey, have you heard? The top scholar who passed the imperial examination half a year ago has already been appointed as a minister. He was so young!"

“Someone in my family works in the palace, and they said that Lord Yao looks younger than Lord Xu and Lord Lan back then.”

"Of course! When the results were announced, some people said he was the youngest top scholar in history, and he's good-looking too." A woman smiled proudly. "Who says a young man can't be a good official?"

"This is the youngest minister in our Yun Kingdom. I heard that because of this top scholar, our emperor couldn't even select a third-ranking scholar."

"really?"

"How could it be fake?" The woman glanced at him. "If there is a chance in the future, I will have to meet Lord Yao. I heard from the palace that when Lord Yao and Lord Xu stand together, they don't look like two high-ranking officials. If you didn't know better, you would think they were two young masters from wealthy families."

"I know Lord Xu, but this Lord Yao... I've never seen him in the capital before?"

The old woman selling steamed buns listened with great interest. Whenever these people talked about how handsome Minister Yao was, she would always think of the young master who called her "aunt," who seemed to be quite a figure as well.

More and more people gathered in front of the steamed bun stall, and as they listened, they ended up buying a couple of buns to eat. "I heard that Lord Yao used to be His Majesty's secret guard. He's quite capable. He has a residence in the palace, so he doesn't often leave."

"So we can't see it either."

The woman sighed helplessly, "That's all nonsense. I'd really like to see what that official looks like." As she spoke, her eyes suddenly lit up, "They say it was this Lord Yao who came up with the idea when the fields were in such a bad state."

"Really? Is that true?" a young master who had just arrived exclaimed. He was holding a book in his hand and looked like a scholar.

"It's almost certainly true; this Lord Yao is a very important person!"

"Thank you!" The young master took the book and left, reciting the text as he went. He knew that Lord Yao; he had once been a secret guard by His Majesty's side. He had been saved by that man before, yet he had no idea that even the matter in the fields was Lord Yao's idea!

"I must...I must pass the imperial examination and enter officialdom!"

He was able to meet that person to repay his kindness.

The capital was bustling with activity. On a typical afternoon, many city dwellers were drowsy, but the busiest people in the capital were undoubtedly the waiters in the restaurants. Yao Ruyi had been waiting for quite some time for a pastry; he was almost falling asleep when the waiter finally brought it over. "Sir! Sorry for the long wait! This extra portion is a complimentary gift; please forgive us!"

Yao Ruyi quickly waved her hand, "There's no need for that."

"That won't do! You'd better accept it, sir, or the owner won't let me off the hook."

Yao Ruyi smiled and said, "Thank you."

He carried the snacks in a food box as he walked toward the palace. He had been craving something sweet these past few days, so the food box contained not only the restaurant's signature pastries, but also green tea pastries from a brothel on the bottom layer.

"Now we can eat to our hearts' content."

Although the food prepared in the palace kitchen is delicious, Yao Ruyi has been craving food bought from outside lately, and she doesn't know why.

When he returned to the palace, it was almost time for dinner. Yao Ruyi went straight back to Yun Palace, where Gu Huizhou happened to be there as well. Yao Ruyi quickly smiled and went up to him, "Why weren't you in the Imperial Study today?"

"Why do I spend all my time in the Imperial Study?" Gu Huizhou looked Yao Ruyi up and down. He was wearing a white brocade robe, looking like an immortal descended to earth. Gu Huizhou's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he pulled Yao Ruyi into his arms. "Your Excellency is dressed so well. Where have you been again?"

"Hmm, don't move yet." Yao Ruyi hurriedly put the food box on the table. "I'm going to buy some pastries."

The man frowned. "Is the food from the imperial kitchen not good?"

"No, I just suddenly wanted to eat out."

"Then have someone bring in the cook from outside," Gu Huizhou said softly. He reached out and pinched Yao Ruyi's earlobe. No matter how much time had passed, he still loved that spot. After rubbing it for a while, he was about to open his mouth to lick it.

“No need,” Yao Ruyi said, feeling ticklish from his teasing. “Gu Huizhou, no.”

"Don't want him?" Gu Huizhou looked displeased. This man had been spending all his time with Xu Yi for the past few days, and coincidentally, he hadn't been able to find him even though he was off duty today. "What? Is it because I'm old and unattractive that Lord Yao no longer likes me?"

Yao Ruyi was taken aback, then he realized what he was doing and burst into laughter. "I've been a bit busy lately, but I'll be fine once I'm done with that."

"Hmph, I'll have to send more people to the Ministry of Personnel in a few days."

Yao Ruyi had no objection to this, "Then thank you, Your Majesty."

The two embraced affectionately. Now that the palace had some money, Yao Ruyi was always thinking about doing something for Empress Dowager Yongle, and building a mausoleum would be a good idea. "Your Majesty, should we build a mausoleum for Empress Dowager Yongle?"

The injustice done to the Feng family has been redressed, but the person in question has already passed away; how can we ever make amends? Consort Wei was posthumously honored as Empress Dowager Yongle, but that's really just a title. She's been gone for so long; we can never go back to the way things were.

Originally, the ministers suggested moving Consort Wei's remains to the imperial mausoleum, but Gu Huizhou was unwilling, and Yao Ruyi also felt that Consort Wei would no longer want to stay with the late emperor.

So it was put on hold.

“She doesn’t like it,” Gu Huizhou said seemingly unconcerned. He pulled Yao Ruyi to sit on the edge of the bed and played with her hair again and again. “The wind is good on the mountain, and the view is good too. It would be comfortable to stay there all the time.”

Gu Huizhou was referring to the mountain where Yun Temple was located. On the other side of the mountain, there were many flower fields, one of which contained the remains of Consort Wei.

It was someone else who buried it back then, Yue Wuyou.

"That's fine too." With the deceased at peace, Yao Ruyi felt that it was quiet over there.

"Your Majesty, please try this green tea pastry." The green tea pastry was still warm. He had opened the lid when he placed it on the table, afraid that the pastry would become mushy if it stayed inside for too long.

"I don't like to eat this," Gu Huizhou said with a faint smile as he held Yao Ruyi in his arms. He watched her eat, his eyes growing increasingly dark.

Yao Ruyi immediately understood, and the tips of his ears turned red. "I've been too busy these past few days, there's a lot going on at the Ministry of Personnel."

Busy? Gu Huizhou snorted coldly, "Minister Yao is busier than I am."

With a hint of resentment in her voice, Yao Ruyi couldn't help but laugh out loud, "I'll come and keep Your Majesty company after I'm done with my work in a few days."

"How can I know whether what the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat said is true or false?"

Yao Ruyi thought to herself, then took the initiative to lift her head and lightly kissed the man's lips. "I keep my word. If I break my promise, Your Majesty may punish me as you see fit."

With a soft chuckle, Gu Huizhou pinched and played with the wrist of the person in his arms, "Alright."

As fate would have it, Yao Ruyi never expected the two newcomers to be so unsightly. He had just lost his temper yesterday, startling Xu Yi who was passing by, but the things the two had made last night were still unacceptable.

He wasted a whole night, even though he had originally planned to spend the night with Gu Huizhou.

This time, she was truly at the mercy of the man.

Yao Ruyi's ears turned red again as he thought about it. He didn't return to the Cloud Palace. Seeing that it was almost time, he headed straight for the morning court session and happened to run into Xu Yi.

"Ruyi, have you been busy for a long time again?" Xu Yi frowned. "You should also take care of your health. Those two are still being sent by someone to annoy you. You should have gotten rid of them as soon as possible."

"I thought it was His Majesty who sent it," Yao Ruyi said, touching his nose. He had thought it was someone sent by Gu Huizhou, but he hadn't expected that the person Gu Huizhou mentioned was still on the way and hadn't entered the capital yet.

"It was my carelessness."

"It's alright. I heard you had Thirteen take them away early this morning. Those two are in for a rough time."

"They deserve it." Nowadays, the court is as clear-headed as a spring, and anyone with a brain wouldn't dare to act like the officials of the previous dynasty.

But I never expected that there would still be people who don't use their brains.

"No rush, His Majesty will have to deal with the person soon."

"Um."

As the two spoke, they arrived at the main hall. Just as Yao Ruyi stopped, she saw Gu Huizhou coming up from behind. He knelt down with the other officials and said, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty!"

"Rise."

The emperor's tone was usually inscrutable, but Yao Ruyi always felt that his eyes were watching him from time to time, as if he were giving him a hint.

What are you doing? He can't run away.

"Guards, take Yang Chen away."

One sentence sent a chill down the spines of everyone in the court: They just... just took them away like that?

Yang Chen panicked and collapsed to the ground. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare my life! I will never dare to do it again!"

However, no one listened to him. Li Wenjing and Xue Qingping exchanged a glance and smiled. They had long suspected that this man had ulterior motives and that His Majesty would have to deal with him sooner or later.

I never expected it to be so fast.

It's highly likely that Yang Chen set his sights on the Ministry of Personnel.

"Your Majesty, spare me—Your Majesty—"

The man's mouth was gagged by the Imperial Guards, and he could no longer make a sound. The court was silent for a while. After a long while, someone spoke, and everyone else relaxed. The morning court session returned to normal.

Just before the court session was about to end, a young official who had attended court with Yao Ruyi said, "Your Majesty, I have important business to attend to."

Gu Huizhou shifted his gaze from Yao Ruyi and said, "Speak."

"Now the Yun Kingdom and the Xiao Kingdom are at peace and friendly, and the country is in a state of tranquility. However, Your Majesty's harem is empty, which I find quite inappropriate."

In short, the court fell silent.

After speaking, the official thought he had made a significant statement and was waiting for the other officials to agree, but he didn't expect this reaction. He quickly added, "The position of Crown Prince is vacant. Your Majesty, please consider the well-being of the country!"

"Heh," the man in the high position chuckled softly, his gaze fixed on Yao Ruyi, whose face remained expressionless and silent, seemingly lost in thought.

"What does Minister Yao think?"

Yao Ruyi's voice was muffled. "I think Your Majesty doesn't need to worry about this. Your Majesty is in your prime. It would be better to find someone you like." He emphasized the word "like" so much that Xu Yi, who was standing next to him, almost burst out laughing.

"Yes, Lord Yao is right. I still need to find someone I like."

Gu Huizhou emphasized those two words, which made Yao Ruyi's lips curl into a smile.

The man wanted to say something more, but Cui Xiangzhu wasn't dead; he immediately shouted, "Dismiss the court!"

The man exclaimed in disbelief, "Your Majesty!"

Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off—

After the emperor stood up, the officials retreated in twos and threes. Xu Yi originally wanted to wait for Yao Ruyi to come along, but then thought better of it. He had finished his work at the Ministry of Personnel, so why would His Majesty send someone out to play with him?

"Sigh, I'd better just go back to my residence by myself."

"This! This—" Seeing that everyone around him was avoiding the matter, the man sighed and turned to leave.

The officials pretended not to see him and walked out of the palace talking. In the past two years, no one had caused trouble and His Majesty had not used any special methods. They had almost forgotten how decisive and ruthless His Majesty used to be. They were still a little unaccustomed to seeing him again this morning.

Yao Ruyi lingered in the main hall until everyone had left. He was still angry about what that person had said. He wondered if that person had some kind of leverage over him, and he didn't want to find out. "They've actually tried to undermine me!"

That's outrageous!

"Heh," a burst of laughter suddenly came from behind. Yao Ruyi turned around and found that Gu Huizhou had returned and was sitting leisurely in his high seat.

"His Majesty?"

Gu Huizhou tilted his head back slightly, his eyes filled with laughter. Even though he was covered in golden decorations, Yao Ruyi could only see him.

The emperor looked down at the court officials in their robes, and Yao Ruyi heard his clear and gentle voice, "Why haven't you come back to the palace with me to retire yet, my dear minister?"

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[Qingxin] The main text has now concluded! Thank you all for your continued support! A huge thank you to all the readers who followed the updates throughout the serialization!

[Qingxin] There will be occasional short side stories after the main story ends. Side stories won't be updated daily, please understand. Thank you again everyone! Thank you for your support!

[Qingxin] is releasing a pre-order.

What to do when your roommate keeps dying?

Ren Qingyuan is a college student who has just entered university.

He always felt he was lucky. The most obvious reason was that because there were an odd number of boys in his class, he was "unlucky" enough to be singled out and paired with the newly popular school heartthrob from the next room.

As Ren Qingyuan stepped into his dormitory room with his suitcase, he immediately felt hopeful about the next four years of university. Private bathroom, open balcony, water dispenser, air conditioning, underfloor heating…

It turned out that it was all because his roommate had been frail and sickly since childhood, so the school and parents discussed and approved a separate double room!

Ren Qingyuan: My biological father!

Ren Qingyuan, a sports student, was tall and physically strong. His teacher entrusted him with the important task of "taking good care of your roommate."

"Don't worry, teacher, it's all covered!"

Ren Qingyuan felt that he had benefited greatly from the other person's kindness, so it was only right and proper for him to take care of him. Besides, he was not at a loss to have a handsome guy who was taller than him as a roommate.

That evening, after taking a shower, he was about to call his roommate to shower as well. Although the dormitory was nice, the hot water was still turned off at a certain time. He called once but there was no response. He called twice but still no response. Ren Qingyuan looked at the bed opposite him. His roommate, who was so handsome it was almost divine, was lying on his side facing the wall, his face pale and his chest flat.

Ren Qingyuan's heart pounded as he carefully checked Ren's breathing.

"Teacher! My roommate is dead!" He rushed out the door.

However, when Ren Qingyuan returned with the teachers and principal looking regretful, his roommate stood up from the bed with a smile and said, "What's wrong, teacher? I just woke up and was about to take a shower."

I gasped.

Ren Qingyuan was stunned. Dude, weren't you dead?

This time, he realized he had overreacted. Perhaps it was just that his roommate was breathing shallowly and looked thin. Ren Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the dormitory was about to be destroyed.

"I'm glad you're alright."

However, just one week into the semester, his roommate died six times?!

Sitting from dusk till dawn, feeling his roommate's hand go from icy cold to warm, Ren Qingyuan felt that he might be the one who was sick. He went straight to the hospital on the weekend, "Doctor, is it possible that I have delusions? That is, mental illness?"

Pei Anning felt that continuing to lie like this was not a solution, so he decided to confess to his roommate.

“My birth chart is weak, and the master said I am very susceptible to being taken by ghost messengers. So he gave me this talisman. Once the bracelet vibrates and I feel ghost messengers approaching, I crush the talisman and swallow it to temporarily seal my soul.”

Ren Qingyuan's mouth dropped open. "And then the underworld officials can't find you?"

"yes."

After nineteen years of materialism, this year I have no choice but to embrace idealism. Ren Qingyuan is convinced this must be true, otherwise he would truly be insane.

After the two talked things out, the frequency of misunderstandings decreased significantly. Ren Qingyuan volunteered to become Pei Anning's bodyguard, saying, "Don't worry, when you die, I'll be responsible for carrying your body back to the dormitory."

"……Thanks."

As fate would have it, Ren Qingyuan carried his roommate's body in various places: the playground, the cafeteria, the woods, the hotel, and even the morgue...

"Holy crap! Your black eyeshadow and red lips actually look pretty good!"

Pei Anning: "...Thank you."