Chapter 92 Daily Life / Tanuki: Sweet Daily Life
Since the incident with Qiao Yu, Yao Ruyi has noticed that Gu Huizhou always seems to bring out strange clothes, and she doesn't know where those clothes come from.
Gu Huizhou always made him wear it, but if he didn't want to, Gu Huizhou would wear it himself.
Yao Ruyi quite liked Gu Huizhou's clothes. Whenever he lay in bed, he would think of the clothes Gu Huizhou wore the night before and murmured, "They were quite nice."
Youyou yawned and stopped thinking about it. Before he took the imperial examination, he didn't have to get up in the morning. By the time he woke up, Gu Huizhou didn't even know how long the court session had ended. But now that he had become the Minister, he had to get up with Gu Huizhou to go to court in the morning.
If there's one thing he disliked most after passing the imperial examinations and entering officialdom, it would probably be getting out of bed.
Yao Ruyi was full of energy when he left the court, but after discussing things with a group of people in the Imperial Study for a while, he couldn't open his eyes when he returned to the Cloud Palace and lay on the bed, especially since he had gone to bed late the night before.
After thinking for a while, he lay down on the bed and fell asleep again.
When she woke up again, she didn't know how much time had passed. Yao Ruyi heard a soft laugh, "Awake?"
Yao Ruyi slowly opened his eyes and saw Gu Huizhou sitting at the desk reviewing memorials. He couldn't help but feel annoyed. How come he felt so sleepy every day when he didn't get enough sleep, while Gu Huizhou could still be energetic all day long?
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Your Majesty, aren't you sleepy?"
Gu Huizhou thought for a moment, "Handling government affairs is my most important matter, and it would be bad if it were delayed. If I sleep a little less, it will be—" Before he could finish speaking, Yao Ruyi stuffed a piece of pastry into his mouth. Gu Huizhou raised an eyebrow, followed Yao Ruyi's force and bit into the pastry, and even licked Yao Ruyi's finger unintentionally.
"You'd better not say anything." Yao Ruyi always found it strange when Gu Huizhou said this.
Anyone who didn't know better would think he had changed his personality. If he hadn't seen the fierce look in Gu Huizhou's eyes when he was reading the memorials several times, he would have really believed it.
"Heh," Gu Huizhou pulled the person into a tight embrace, "The Immortal Lord understands me best."
Yao Ruyi hummed twice. He wasn't fully awake yet. At this moment, Gu Huizhou held him and he leaned on the man's shoulder, feeling that if he lay like this, he could continue to sleep.
"Tired?" the emperor asked softly. "Would you like to rest for a couple of days?"
In the past six months, Yao Ruyi has almost completely overhauled the Ministry of Personnel, reforming everything from the assessment system to the appointment and promotion of officials. The system is now clear and transparent to everyone, making it extremely difficult for anyone to use back channels or connections within the Ministry of Personnel.
Even Xu Yi felt envious and secretly wanted to reorganize the Ministry of Revenue.
"No." Yao Ruyi replied with his eyes closed. He had finally finished tidying up, and if he rested right after finishing, wouldn't that give someone with ulterior motives an opportunity to take advantage of him?
"Why does the Minister need to do everything personally? Just find a few reliable people to handle it."
Gu Huizhou was right, but Yao Ruyi still wanted to properly train those people after the reorganization was over. "Hmm, wait a few days."
"Then you mustn't forget those words, sir."
Yao Ruyi frowned. "Of course not."
Yao Ruyi took Gu Huizhou's words to heart. In the half month following the thorough reorganization, he carefully divided up all aspects and found four young officials besides the Vice Minister to supervise and allocate tasks to each other, which allowed them to check and balance each other and operate normally.
After being busy for more than half a year, the Minister of Personnel was finally able to rest. Even the minor officials who had been assigned to Gu Huizhou's side breathed a sigh of relief, as the Minister was no longer watching them every day.
A minor official from the Ministry of Personnel sighed, “Our Minister is handsome and he and Minister Xu are considered the two beauties of the court, but when it comes to politics, he seems to be possessed by His Majesty. I feel uneasy just looking at him.”
"Hey, who isn't? When we first arrived, I thought our Minister was young and probably didn't know much. Who would have thought that a year ago, the Ministry of Works tried to smear us, but our Lord Yao directly shut us down in the morning court session. The old man was speechless. Thinking about it now, it's quite satisfying. Although Lord Yao is a bit strict with us, he also rewards us quite a bit."
“That’s true. If I had to say which of these ministers I like the most, I would still like our Lord Yao the most,” the minor official chuckled, “I’m happy just to look at him.”
"Hey, hey, don't do that. If the magistrate sees you just watching him without doing any work, he might send you to the Thirteenth Magistrate for a lesson the next day."
These words startled the minor official, who shuddered. "Oh, never mind then. I almost forgot that our lord originally came from the Shadows. There's no need to send him to Lord Thirteen. I couldn't even handle a casual display of our lord's skills."
"Of course, get to work."
On the rooftop, Thirteen found the conversation between the two quite amusing. He hadn't realized that Nineteen held such a high place in the hearts of these people, but it seemed that Nineteen was no longer in the Ministry of Personnel.
Thirteen looked at the little black cat in his arms, reached out and teased it a couple of times, "Come on, I'll take you to find Brother Nineteen."
Yao Ruyi was lying in the courtyard of the Cloud Palace, basking in the sun. He had just finished lunch and was feeling sleepy again. Gu Huizhou had gone to the Imperial Study to review memorials, so he was resting in the courtyard.
Just as Yao Ruyi was about to take a nap, she caught a glimpse of a figure on the rooftop. When the person approached, she sat up straight and asked, "Thirteen, would you like some tea?"
This summer is so hot. Just looking at Thirteen makes him feel hot, so he added a lot of ice to the tea to cool him down.
"Yes, thank you, Xiao Shijiu."
Thirteen drank the entire cup of tea that Yao Ruyi had poured in one gulp. It did cool him down quite a bit. He was holding something in his arms, which helped to dispel Yao Ruyi's drowsiness. He glanced at it and asked, "What are you holding?"
Thirteen gave him a mysterious smile, then plopped down on the stone bench. "Look," he said, releasing his grip. Yao Ruyi watched as the bundle in his arms moved, and with a "meow," a black head poked out.
A furry body then poked its head out of the bundle; it was a black cat.
Yao Ruyi was stunned. The memory of being bitten by a cat on Qinghua Mountain instantly flooded back. He instinctively pulled back, his clothes catching on the rocking chair, almost causing him to fall off. "Ah—"
The rocking chair was held steady by Thirteen's hand, preventing it from falling over. Yao Ruyi quickly stood up and patted her chest. Thirteen frowned. "Nineteen, are you afraid of cats?"
Yao Ruyi's eyes went blank for a moment. It wasn't that he was afraid, but... He stood opposite Thirteen, looking at the little thing in his arms across a stone table. Mushroom was suddenly stunned. The fox was only the size of a palm?
“If you don’t like it, I’ll take it with me,” Thirteen smiled and touched his nose. “It was my carelessness that I forgot to ask if you were afraid.”
Thirteen's smile was a bit goofy, and he got up to leave as he spoke.
"Wait."
Yao Ruyi looked at the little creature in Thirteen's arms, its fur soft and fluffy. It looked quite different from the cat in his memory. Back then, he only remembered that the cat was much bigger than a mushroom, and could even eat three or four of him in one go. But this one...
The kitten's eyes darted around, nestled in Thirteen's arms, looking at people with a hint of timidity. The black cat looked no bigger than a palm, and Yao Ruyi wavered; a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes. "Can I touch it?"
"Come on, touch it."
Yao Ruyi tentatively reached out his hand, but before he could even place it on the cat, the little black kitten that looked only three or four months old, nudged its head against him. The little thing seemed to really like Yao Ruyi, and kept nudging him upwards. The moment the soft, warm touch touched Yao Ruyi's palm, his heart skipped a beat, and then a glint of light flashed in his eyes.
"So soft!"
This was completely different from the cats he knew. Yao Ruyi put both hands on it and hugged the black cat tightly, petting it endlessly.
He had somehow managed to pick up the whole cat, and Thirteen watched with a smile.
"Just got back from outside the city. This little black cat's mother is dying. I never expected that big cat would carry the little black cat towards me," Thirteen muttered, looking down at the little black cat. "Does he look like someone who can take care of this kind of thing?"
Yao Ruyi glanced at Thirteen briefly, "Same."
These words startled Thirteen. He looked down at himself, "How could this be?"
Yao Ruyi didn't expect him to react so strongly to just one sentence. He smiled and said, "You look kind." That was true. Although Thirteen had big muscles and a fierce look between his brows, he looked like a good person.
Thirteen thought for a moment, "Never mind, but I really don't have time to raise this thing. I couldn't bear to see it die, so I brought it back. How about you? If you're not free either, I'll take Twelve to see it."
Yao Ruyi hesitated for a moment upon hearing this. "Should we get a cat?"
He hadn't really liked it before, but it seemed alright today. And this little thing in his arms certainly knew how to pick its time; just as Yao Ruyi hesitated, it looked up and meowed, "Meow—"
The little girl's voice was still childish, and her eyes were wide open as she looked at him, as if she regarded Yao Ruyi as a family member.
"I'll raise it."
“Alright then,” Thirteen poured himself another cup of tea and drank it all in one gulp. “I thought you didn’t like it because of your reaction just now. Turns out you’ve never touched it before. That’s quite strange.” Even children should have touched these furry little things. I didn’t expect that Little Nineteen had never touched one.
Thirteen smiled.
Yao Ruyi gave an awkward smile and said, "Mm."
"Alright then, you go ask Eunuch Cui to prepare some food for it, I'll get back to work now."
"good."
After Thirteen left, Yao Ruyi didn't plan to sleep. He held the little black cat and liked it no matter how he looked at it. The black cat in his arms didn't look very big. Yao Ruyi looked around and quietly used a spell to clean the kitten. Now, when he held it, all that was left was a milky scent.
The little black cat had a round head and jet-black fur with a slight sheen. Yao Ruyi looked it over carefully and couldn't find any other color in its soft fur.
"Meow--"
"Meow--"
Looking at Yao Ruyi, he suddenly remembered the balls he had seen at the shop in front of the Wanyou Chamber of Commerce. He had thought they were for the cats kept by wealthy families, but now he had one of his own.
"Then, I'll go buy one for you too."
Seeing that it wasn't dark yet, Yao Ruyi picked up the little black cat and headed out of the palace.
The streets have become especially lively in the past two years, and the fields are getting better day by day. People have enough to eat and drink, so they start to think about some new things. Along the way, Yao Ruyi saw a lot of interesting things, and he was thinking of buying some to take back later.
"Hey, young master, come and take a look!"
Although the Wanyou Chamber of Commerce is now under the control of the imperial court, it is still officially a chamber of commerce and does not even have the title of imperial merchant. Yao Ruyi vaguely remembered that the chamber of commerce was taken over by Twelve, but he was too tired at the time and fell asleep on the table when Gu Huizhou gave the instructions.
As he walked, he thought, "It seems like it was given to the 12th tube."
Walking from the entrance of the Chamber of Commerce inside, Wanyou Chamber of Commerce was much more organized than before. The first, second and third floors were divided into different categories. After looking around for a while, he finally found a place on the second floor to buy some trinkets, and he bought quite a lot of things in one go.
"Oh, young master, you bought this for your cat. Why don't you take a look over here? There's plenty of food here too."
"Young master! Young master!"
"Hey, young lady, take a look over here."
As soon as Yao Ruyi finished buying, a group of shopkeepers started hawking their wares to everyone they met, and he was really struggling to keep up.
"Meow".
The little black cat stayed quietly in Yao Ruyi's arms. It hadn't made a sound in the Chamber of Commerce, but now that it was out, it finally had a chance to get some fresh air. Yao Ruyi wasn't in a hurry to go back. He strolled around the streets and slowly made his way to the school on the city wall. In the distance, he saw a teacher standing at the entrance, dressed in a cotton robe.
He looked simple yet had an extraordinary air about him. Yao Ruyi glanced at him again and saw that it was Baili Qingxiao, who had now lost his surname and was called Qingxiao.
The two nodded to each other from a distance. Yao Ruyi didn't go any further in that direction. Spending the rest of his life as a teacher was a good thing for him.
On the way back to the palace, Yao Ruyi bought a few more steamed buns. She ate two when she returned to Yun Palace and gave the little black cat a couple of bites. The little black cat wasn't picky about food and would eat anything given to it, but Yao Ruyi still didn't dare to give it any snacks. Such a small cat should just eat some meat.
The little black cat was put down by Yao Ruyi and swaggered around the hall several times. The original golden nanmu bed was still there, but Gu Huizhou didn't let him sleep on it at night, and he could only lie on it when he took a nap during the day.
The little black cat loved the golden bed so much that it stumbled and jumped onto it. It swayed around the brocade quilt, whether out of exhaustion or on purpose, before finally collapsing to the side.
Yao Ruyi's heart softened at the sight, and she became restless.
The little black cat looks small, but it's not small compared to when he was making mushrooms.
Yao Ruyi's thoughts grew heavier and heavier. He wanted to turn into a mushroom and nestle on the little black cat's belly, but he was also afraid that the cat would hug him and take another bite...
"Little Black, you can't bite me." Yao Ruyi's face was serious.
He had just tested the little black cat's spiritual qualities, and found it to be just an ordinary cat with mediocre abilities. It might not even understand what he was saying. Yao Ruyi sighed, but he still wanted to give it a try.
"Don't bite me, do you hear me?"
After giving several repeated instructions, Yao Ruyi said until the little black cat fell asleep. Mushroom's eyes lit up, and he decided to take advantage of the moment.
A flash of white light appeared, and Yao Ruyi disappeared beside the bed. At that moment, a mushroom with an orange-red cap and a pale white stem appeared on the bed. The whole mushroom looked only as tall as the cat's head.
Yao Ruyi swayed and moved over there, keeping an eye on the little black cat to see if it was awake.
After a while, the mushroom, which had moved all the way to the little black cat's belly, shook its cap vigorously, shaking off a black cat hair. Yao Ruyi was satisfied and gently lay down on the little black cat's belly.
Suddenly, softness enveloped the entire mushroom from all sides, as if the whole person was sinking into cotton.
At this moment, Yao Ruyi couldn't remember the fear of being bitten by the cat. He even wondered if he could sleep on the little black cat's belly at night.
The orange-red cap stood out starkly against the black fur. The little black cat seemed to sense something. He lazily raised his eyelids and sniffed the scent around him. The little black cat was puzzled as to why there was something strange on him, but since the scent hadn't changed, he didn't investigate further. He peeked out again, curled up into a ball, and continued to sleep.
And its movement perfectly positioned the Yao Ruyi in the center.
From a distance, it looks like a black, furry ball with an orange-red thing in the middle; from a distance, you can't even tell it's a mushroom.
Yao Ruyi sank into the soft embrace for an unknown amount of time. He played for a while and then fell asleep, drifting off to sleep peacefully with the little black cat in the golden nanmu bed.
"Squeak—"
"Your Majesty, please rest. This old servant will prepare the meal immediately."
Gu Huizhou rubbed his temples. He looked around the hall and was about to ask Cui Xiang where Yao Ruyi was when he saw the things on the bed.
He frowned and stepped forward, his expression dark and brooding. These people are really asking for trouble, daring to let a beast into the Cloud Palace!
Gu Huizhou stepped forward, his footsteps startling the sleeping black cat. Sensing something was wrong, the cat immediately let out a wary meow, "Meow—"
At this moment, Gu Huizhou also noticed what was inside the black cat fur ball. He raised an eyebrow, and the fierce aura between his brows suddenly dissipated. "No wonder."
He had initially wondered who was so audacious, but when he realized it was this mushroom, he understood.
The mushroom looked a little bigger than before, but not by much; its stem was only about the width of a finger joint longer. Gu Huizhou smiled, and with his fierce aura dissipated, the kitten was no longer afraid. Already half-asleep, it slowly squatted down, flicked its tail under its head, and lay down again.
Seeing that the cat hair was about to cover the silly mushroom, Gu Huizhou chuckled, reached out and lifted the mushroom up, letting it lie steadily in the black cat's arms.
The two little ones were sleeping soundly, so Gu Huizhou didn't disturb them. He sat quietly by the bed and watched them.
Another incense stick's time passed, and Cui Xiangzhu's voice came from outside the door, "Your Majesty, it's time for your meal."
"Hmm." Gu Huizhou closed his eyes, picked up the mushroom in his hand, turned his back and walked towards the table. "Come in."
The palace servants filed in, and Cui Xiangzhu stood to one side with his head down. He was wondering why he hadn't seen the Minister. Could it be that he had quarreled with His Majesty again?
The head eunuch frowned.
"Go down and wait there."
"Yes." Cui Xiangzhu walked last, quietly closing the door and leaving a shadow standing outside.
Gu Huizhou slowly walked back to the bedside. The little black cat was still lying there, its black fur without a single blemish, even appearing to have a slight sheen. Gu Huizhou approached, reached out and placed the mushroom in his hand down, and Yao Ruyi immediately sank into it again.
A burst of white light.
Yao Ruyi was still wearing that robe. He excitedly stepped forward and hugged Gu Huizhou's hand, "Gu Huizhou, I want to keep it."
Gu Huizhou, who hadn't originally intended to, immediately laughed upon hearing Yao Ruyi's words, "Want to keep a cat?"
"Um."
"But I don't like it very much. How will you make it up to me?"
Yao Ruyi was taken aback. Gu Huizhou didn't like it? But he had just noticed that Gu Huizhou didn't seem annoyed. "Then I'll put it in Thirteen's courtyard?"
Yao Ruyi thought that this would work, since the two atoms weren't far apart anyway.
Gu Huizhou pretended to think for a moment, "Wouldn't it be inconvenient for an adult to lie on it and take a nap?"
That's true," Yao Ruyi pursed her lips, "Then let's..."
Gu Huizhou sat at the table with his arm around the person's waist. "Give me a kiss, and I'll agree to your request."
Is it really that simple?
Mushroom was somewhat incredulous, but he wasn't at a loss either. Upon hearing this, Yao Ruyi tentatively stepped forward and placed a kiss on the corner of the man's mouth. "Gu Huizhou, I want to keep it."
"Okay, I'll raise it."
"Okay." Yao Ruyi beamed, and even ate more than usual for dinner. After he finished eating, he picked out some food that the little black cat could eat for him. "I'll ask Eunuch Cui to find some food for it tomorrow."
"Okay, tell him to go in a bit."
Gu Huizhou saw that Yao Ruyi's smile hadn't faded, and he also had a smile on his lips.
After dinner, the palace servants left, and Gu Huizhou had Cui Xiangzhu take the little black cat away. Only the two of them remained in the room. Gu Huizhou held Yao Ruyi in his arms, agreeing to everything she said.
"Gu Huizhou, I like you so much."
The hand on her waist tightened suddenly. Yao Ruyi didn't hear the "good" and looked up, only to have her lips captured by someone's. The man's smile deepened. "Say it again."
"Gu Huizhou, I like you so much."
Gu Huizhou could never get enough of hearing it, no matter how many times he heard it. He held her in his arms, took a mouthful of rice wine and fed it to Yao Ruyi. The fruity aroma mixed with the wine scent spread between their lips and teeth. He asked, "Do you like the thing I let you raise?"
"Of course not." Yao Ruyi blushed slightly from the wine, and he frowned as he emphasized again, "Of course not!"
After saying that, she hesitated again, "Yes, but I liked you first, and then I liked you so much that you asked me to keep it."
"Hmm," Gu Huizhou pulled her towards the bed, and a light kiss landed on Yao Ruyi's ear. "Hmm, then I should reward you."
The mushroom's eyes lit up. "A reward?"
The two walked to the dragon bed, and Gu Huizhou sat down with his arm around the other person, their foreheads touching. His voice was low and chuckled as he said, "I'm rewarding you for being able to distinguish things clearly."
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