Chapter 157
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Gu Yuanbai and Xue Yuan spent a sweet and relaxing rest day together. Not only did they taste the sweetleaf grass, but they also rolled in it, indulging in all the activities that Xue Yuan had eagerly wanted to try.
After the rest day, Gu Yuanbai decreed that Chu Yi and four other children should enter the palace to study in the Hongwen Hall with Gu Ran.
The companions were either the children of civil and military officials or the children of great scholars. They would form Gu Ran’s future base of support. However, whether these children would remain loyal to him depended on Gu Ran’s abilities.
The royal heir could not be taken lightly. Even though Gu Ran seemed promising, if he proved unfit for the great responsibilities, Gu Yuanbai would not hesitate to select a more suitable candidate.
Gu Ran treated his study companions with a gentle attitude, neither too warm nor overbearing. He tried to use his father’s methods to interact with them. In a short time, these children genuinely admired and became close to the young prince, treating him like family.
After finishing his duties, Chu Wei would ask Chu Yi if he had any discomfort in the palace.
Chu Yi answered seriously, “Nephew, I have no discomfort. The prince treats us well, and the palace pastries are delicious. Today, I even saw the emperor, and he tested me.”
Chu Wei looked at him, still in his official uniform, dignified and upright, shadows falling over his eyes. “What did the emperor ask you?”
Chu Yi answered each question, and Chu Wei patted his head, giving him a few words of praise.
Chu Yi looked at him with innocent eyes, puzzled, “Nephew, are you sad?”
Chu Wei paused, slowly withdrawing his hand. “Why do you say that?”
“I can tell,” Chu Yi said, “when you talk about the emperor, you first seem happy, then sad. Nephew, my teacher said, a smile makes you ten years younger.”
Chu Wei smiled, “You are mistaken. It’s late, we should have dinner.”
***
The palace was also having dinner.
After dinner, Gu Yuanbai and Xue Yuan sat at separate tables, each handling state affairs. When Gu Yuanbai looked up from his documents, Xue Yuan was still working. Gu Yuanbai sighed, they really looked like a pair of hardworking workaholics.
Gu Yuanbai had eaten little at dinner and was now hungry. He called for Tian Fusheng to bring some food. Soon, a small bowl of steaming soft glutinous rice balls, a plate of small steamed dumplings, and a hand-sized white flour roll were brought in. The rich aroma made Gu Yuanbai even hungrier.
Xue Yuan smelled the food and began to tidy up his table. As a palace servant was about to place another portion of the midnight snack in front of him, Xue Yuan stood up, “I will eat with His Majesty.”
Sitting down, Gu Yuanbai glanced at him, “You have more food than I do.”
“There’s only five dumplings,” Xue Yuan said, “I can eat them in one bite each, and they won’t even fill the gap between my teeth. If I don’t get more, it’s pointless to eat.”
Gu Yuanbai sternly said, “Then eat slowly.”
Xue Yuan smiled wryly, “I’ll try.”
The emperor’s food was naturally delicious. Gu Yuanbai enjoyed his midnight snack, especially liking the rice balls. Once bitten, the sweet filling melted in his mouth, sweet but not cloying, tempting him for more. Although there were no sesame or peanut fillings, whatever the filling was made from, it was wonderfully fragrant.
After finishing, Xue Yuan was still not full, and his appetite was whetted. He asked the imperial kitchen for a bowl of beef noodles, which he ate with gusto, sweating profusely.
His eating was voracious, almost scary. Such eating habits were bad for his health, but Xue Yuan was used to it. Only under Gu Yuanbai’s watch did he slow down a bit.
Gu Yuanbai, feeling full, casually picked up a memorial. Halfway through, he suddenly laughed.
Xue Yuan, sensitive to his emotions, immediately looked up from his bowl, “Are you angry?”
“An imperial censor has submitted a memorial to impeach you,” Gu Yuanbai said, tapping the document and setting it aside. “He said it’s inappropriate for you to stay overnight in the palace.”
Xue Yuan laughed, “They meddle too much.”
With no consorts in the palace, those who disliked seeing Xue Yuan staying there, including people from the Supervision Bureau, were bound to take issue. Ultimately, it was because Xue Yuan hadn’t achieved enough yet.
Gu Yuanbai also said, “When your achievements are great enough that they have no more complaints, they won’t bother with such trivial matters.”
Xue Yuan twirled a strand of noodles, smiling, “I understand.”
***
After this, Gu Yuanbai frequently assigned tasks to Xue Yuan. Xue Yuan often rushed to complete them and return, sometimes within a day for nearby places. The capital seemed to have a magnetic pull on him, drawing him back no matter the difficulty.
It was exhausting, but Xue Yuan never complained. The affairs of the Grand Council were busy, dangerous, and provided opportunities for merit, yet he never retreated a single step.
Bandit suppression, landslides in Shishan, rectification among merchants, and the governance of requests for military deployment from various unstable regions—over time, Xue Yuan handled these tasks with increasing ease, managing them as skillfully as wielding a knife.
During the morning court, he stood closer to the front.
Previously, as a military officer, Xue Yuan could attend morning court, but he never accepted the decree to stay by Gu Yuanbai’s side. Later, when he was appointed as a general and went to fight against the nomads and Xixia, he was away from the capital and naturally couldn’t attend the morning court.
Now, Xue Yuan, who always found morning court bothersome, had a secret ambition.
He looked at the position of the Grand Chancellor and lowered his head respectfully.
He wanted to stand as close to the Emperor as possible, close enough to see him at a glance and for the Emperor to see him first.
***
Spring, summer, autumn came and went. In the second year of spring, Lin Zhicheng suddenly submitted a memorial on maritime trade, using thick paper to detail the matter meticulously.
Gu Yuanbai read it for a long time, then finally picked up his brush and wrote a large “Approve” in cinnabar.
The maritime Silk Road and the overland Silk Road had long been on Gu Yuanbai’s mind. His stockpiles of goods waiting to be sold to various countries were increasing, all in anticipation of this day of reconstruction.
In the 14th year of Jingping, the court announced to the world the reopening of the overland and maritime Silk Roads. Merchants were shocked, and the court began to select officials to go and rebuild the Silk Road.
Young officials in the court were excited. After their duties, Chu Wei’s classmate Yang Ji from the Hanlin Academy chased after him, “Zi Hu!”
Chu Wei stopped and nodded at his classmate, who had become a Shujishi, “What’s the matter?”
His classmate, with a big smile, excitedly patted his shoulder, “I’ve always been curious about the Tang Dynasty’s Silk Road. I even traveled to some of its ruins. Now that the Emperor is preparing to rebuild the Silk Road, Zi Hu, are you interested?”
Chu Wei asked in return, “Do you want to go?”
His classmate nodded emphatically, “The Emperor is selecting officials, and there will be an exam in a couple of days. I need to prepare. I never thought there would be another exam after the imperial examination. Don’t you have some books on the Silk Road? Lend them to me.”
Chu Wei nodded. His classmate, still excited, said, “The Emperor is truly benevolent and wise. Rebuilding the Silk Road during our dynasty! If both routes are opened, it might rival the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.”
Chu Wei thought of the books describing the bustling Changan and looked at the lively scene in the capital. He couldn’t help but smile.
Great Heng truly wasn’t any less prosperous.
His classmate kept talking, then suddenly paused, “Lord Xue?”
Chu Wei looked up and saw Xue Yuan walking through the group of off-duty officials towards the palace, the only one moving against the flow. He watched for a moment, exhaling a deep breath, “Let’s go.”
***
Two days later, Gu Yuanbai personally set three topics to test the officials who wished to rebuild the Silk Road. Most of these officials were young, with the oldest being middle-aged, strong and resilient.
After the written exam, Gu Yuanbai did not let them leave but tested their horse riding and physical stamina. Officials curious about the sea and wanting to explore the maritime Silk Road were tested for seasickness and thalassophobia.
After these procedures, the officials were drenched in sweat. Some were dizzy and coughing blood, unable to stand and had to be supported by eunuchs.
To test their physical fitness, Gu Yuanbai included an 800-meter run and pull-ups.
It turned out that even though these officials played polo and rode horses, they couldn’t handle the physical demands. Many were eliminated during the physical test, and those who remained were listed as passing.
The remaining officials cheered, whispering excitedly, “Finally, we can see the exotic scenery!”
One was grateful, “My father-in-law often made me practice boxing with him. I used to think it was useless, but now I see I was wrong. Fortunately, I didn’t slack off, or I wouldn’t be here now.”
Gu Yuanbai smiled at them. Once their excitement subsided, he had warm water brought to them and advised, “You all know the purpose of my selection. The Silk Road is not easy. This journey will be long, possibly taking years, and fraught with dangers. Despite the hardships, are you willing to go for our dynasty?”
The officials responded loudly, “We are willing!”
Gu Yuanbai raised his hand, “You are all good men of our dynasty and my good officials. But there are priorities. The Silk Road is not a one-time journey. Those with elderly parents, step forward. Those with sick parents, step forward. Only children, step forward.”
The officials were surprised and exchanged glances. Eight or nine hesitantly stepped forward.
“I hope you will think carefully and discuss with your families whether to undertake this journey,” Gu Yuanbai said gently, not forcibly excluding them, “It is a great regret to want to care for one’s parents but find they are no longer there.”
These eight or nine began to ponder.
Tian Fusheng, standing by, couldn’t help but think, did the Emperor feel this way when the late Emperor and Wan Taifei passed away?
“I give you two days to consider. After two days, those who do not wish to go can report to the Ministry of Personnel without feeling troubled.”
Seeing they understood, Gu Yuanbai let them leave.
Xue Yuan stepped forward, “Your Majesty.”
Gu Yuanbai spoke first, “Do you want to go too?”
Xue Yuan didn’t answer.
Gu Yuanbai’s eyes were dry. He closed them briefly to ease the fatigue, “I will give you two days to consider as well.”
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