I Rely on Beauty to Stabilize the Country

Why does Gu Yuanbai look so charming when he smiles at him?

What does this mean?

When Xue Yuan left the Zhang family’s Bookstore, he was still dazed and couldn't tell which way was which. However, as soon as he saw Chu Wei, who was elegant and outstanding in front of the bookstore, he instantly regained his clarity.

Chu Wei was accompanied by a young servant, presumably here to buy books. He appeared somewhat surprised upon seeing this group of people. When Gu Yuanbai walked out of the bookstore, Chu Wei hurriedly stepped forward, intending to pay his respects, but his arms were promptly supported by Gu Yuanbai.

"No need for such formalities," Gu Yuanbai said with a smile. "I am dressed casually today, so let's skip these ceremonial gestures."

Chu Wei stood up straight and said, "May His Majesty be well."

Gu Yuanbai smiled faintly and walked with him towards the street. "Chu Qing, are you here today to buy books?"

"I wanted to buy a copy of 'Da Heng State Gazette'," Chu Wei sighed. "But it's unexpectedly selling like hotcakes. I heard that as soon as the bookstore opens each day, all copies are sold out within fifteen minutes."

Since the emergence of the 'Da Heng State Gazette,' various government offices and mansions have had people voluntarily deliver newspapers to their doors. Although the quantity per person is limited, it is enough for colleagues to share and read throughout the day. Therefore, during regular duty, Chu Wei never imagined that it would be so difficult to buy a copy of the 'Da Heng State Gazette.'

"Today is my day off, and my father and I have already made it a habit to read the 'Da Heng State Gazette' every day. If we skip it today, it feels like something is missing, and it's quite uncomfortable. But who would have thought that it would be so hard to buy the 'Da Heng State Gazette'? Among all the bookstores in the capital, only Zhang's Bookstore has a meager hundred copies," Xue Yuan said, raising an eyebrow.

Gu Yuanbai's brow raised, and he called out, "Tian Fusheng."

Tian Fusheng stepped forward and handed a copy of the 'Da Heng State Gazette' to Chu Wei, smiling. "Master Chu, here you go."

Chu Wei was momentarily startled, then a smile bloomed on his lips. He expressed his gratitude to the Emperor and Tian Fusheng before passing the newspaper to his stiff book servant and accompanying the Emperor for a leisurely stroll.

On the other side, Xue Yuan wore a warm smile and asked the guards standing beside him, "Master Zhang, what do you think of Master Chu?"

The guard captain replied solemnly, "Master Chu is talented and handsome, a pillar of our nation."

Xue Yuan's smile deepened, and he nodded in agreement. "Master Chu's talents are exceptional, no wonder His Majesty favors him so much."

The guard captain responded, "His Majesty has always valued talents."

"It also depends on whether the talent is worthy of His Majesty's favor," Xue Yuan narrowed his eyes and raised his chin, gesturing. "Take a look."

The guard captain followed the direction and saw the way Master Chu looked at the Emperor, with a smiling gaze. Even on his cold face, there seemed to be ripples of warmth. As the most handsome man in the capital, his appearance was undoubtedly peerless. When his black eyes smiled at someone, it was as if he was looking at a beloved.

The guard captain was puzzled.

Xue Yuan's voice sounded indifferent. "I happened to hear that Master Chu seems to have a preference for men."

The guard captain's face completely changed, and someone forcefully pushed him from behind. Xue Yuan pushed the guard captain directly in front of Gu Yuanbai. Gu Yuanbai stopped his conversation with Chu Wei and turned his head. "What's going on?"

The guard captain struggled to find his words and finally said, "In just over ten days, the Lantern Festival will be held in the capital. Many families have already started making lanterns. Would His Majesty like to go and take a look?"

Gu Yuanbai didn't sense anything amiss and instead became interested. "Is it on the day of Xiaoman?"

The guard captain secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Indeed."

Chu Wei naturally continued, "In my family, my mother has already prepared materials for making lanterns. If Your Majesty is interested, you can accompany me to my residence to personally try making one."

The guard captain glanced strangely at Chu Wei, his vigilance rising.

Gu Yuanbai's interest was piqued, and he nodded. "In that case, I will go with Chu Qing to take a look."

Chu Wei's unintentional tension dissipated, and he smiled, accompanying the Emperor as a guide.

Xue Yuan stepped forward with a cold smile and suddenly interjected, "Your Majesty, a few days ago, wasn't Master Chu injured? I wonder if he has recovered."

Chu Wei lowered his gaze, a shadow fleeting across his eyes. Just as he was about to reply, the Emperor suddenly smiled, his gaze profound as he glanced at both Chu Wei and Xue Yuan, jokingly saying, "Oh, I didn't know that you two were already so familiar."

With a single sentence, both of their expressions turned unsightly.

However, Gu Yuanbai didn't say anything when he saw that expression. He raised his eyebrows slightly and turned his head with a smile.

Seeing his demeanor, Xue Yuan's heart jolted. "Your Majesty, I am not familiar with Master Chu."

Gu Yuanbai smiled and said, "I understand, no need to say more."

What do you understand?

Xue Yuan had a headache.

In this awkward atmosphere, the group arrived outside the Chu residence. Chu Wei's page boy finally regained some agility. He shivered and hurriedly ran forward to knock on the door. When the gatekeeper opened the door, he anxiously whispered, "The Emperor has arrived, quickly inform Master and Madam!"

The gatekeeper was dumbfounded. "Ah?"

The page boy pushed him in a hurry. "Go quickly!"

The gates opened wide, and just as Gu Yuanbai was about to step into the residence, Chu Xun, dressed in casual attire with a slightly disheveled hairpiece, rushed over. When he saw that Gu Yuanbai had truly come, his eyes widened, and he immediately saluted Gu Yuanbai.

"No need for formalities," Gu Yuanbai smiled and said, "I heard that Madam has been making lanterns recently, and I was curious, so I came uninvited."

Chu Xun hurriedly expressed his humility and immediately sent someone to summon Madam. A folding screen was set up, and Madam explained everything to Gu Yuanbai in a tense voice from behind it.

Gu Yuanbai sat at the table, calmly and leisurely. Following Madam Chu's instructions, he moved his hands slowly. After a while, Madam Chu also became much calmer.

The lantern-making materials had been thoroughly inspected by the people around him, so Gu Yuanbai didn't pay too much attention when using them. However, when he picked up a slender bamboo strip and rubbed it in his palm, he couldn't help but feel a sudden pain. Furrowing his brow, he took a closer look and found a tiny thorn on the bamboo strip that had pricked his palm.

The guards' hands were calloused, and even the palace attendants' hands were accustomed to delicate work. They had checked everything carefully. Yet, this almost invisible thorn seemed to have been newly sharpened and escaped their inspection.

Xue Yuan was the first to notice something amiss. He strode forward, his robe fluttering, and reached out to hold Gu Yuanbai's hand. After taking a close look, his voice sank. "Bring a needle."

Someone brought a needle, but no one dared to use it to pick out the tiny thorn. They all looked at Xue Yuan with anticipation and encouragement.

Xue Yuan thought to himself, "I've killed so many people and seen so much blood. Am I afraid of picking out a thorn?"

But his hand remained frozen, unable to move downward. Finally, Xue Yuan looked up at the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, are you afraid of pain?"

Gu Yuanbai was about to say that he wasn't afraid, but then he felt a prick in his palm as Xue Yuan successfully picked out the tiny thorn.

Xue Yuan looked at the thorn and chuckled coldly. He crushed it between his fingertips, then smiled at Gu Yuanbai with a heavy air. "Your Majesty, I have avenged you."

Gu Yuanbai laughed. "This small thorn couldn't possibly harm Captain Xue's hand."

A thought crossed Xue Yuan's mind. He lifted the Emperor's hand that he was still holding and blew on the palm before saying, "Your Majesty's hand is quite advantageous."

Gu Yuanbai asked, "What do you mean?"

"Good... good to touch, good to look at, just good in every way."

Xue Yuan recalled the kick he had received earlier that had hit him hard. His expression twisted slightly for a moment, but then he thought that if the Emperor wanted to kick him again, he would endure it. He suppressed his discomfort.

So he honestly said, "As soft and touchable as jade."

"Your Majesty!" Chu Wei suddenly spoke up, his voice louder than Xue Yuan's words. He smiled and said gently, "Shall I recheck the remaining bamboo and wood?"

While Chu Wei was speaking, he had already reached out his hand. This pair of scholarly hands wasn't delicate and tender; Chu Wei was never a weak person. Gu Yuanbai glanced at those beautiful hands that resembled jade and shook his head. "That's not necessary. I've already done half of it. I just need to be more careful."

This was the first time in both of his lives that Gu Yuanbai was making lanterns, and now he felt the excitement of a young person. He restrained himself and followed Madam Chu's guidance, steadily and calmly shaping the outlines and then pasting on the lantern paper.

When the Emperor was in court, he was imposing and intimidating. But now, in this exceedingly serious appearance, he seemed approachable. His fingers danced on the lantern, looking like an exquisite painting.

Chu Wei was captivated for a moment. When the lantern was finished, he took the initiative and said, "Your Majesty, would you like me to paint several branches of red plum blossoms on the lantern's surface?"

"Sure," Gu Yuanbai readily agreed.

The two of them were enjoying themselves, occasionally exchanging smiles. Xue Yuan watched them and gradually became expressionless. After some time passed, he suddenly laughed silently and let out a soundless "ha" towards the sky.

The hand gripping the large sword trembled with anger.

***

After dispersing, Xue Yuan returned to Xue Mansion with an expressionless face. His intimidating aura made everyone in the mansion hesitant to approach him.

General Xue was urged by Lady Xue to come forward. With his hands behind his back, he sternly said, "Who are you trying to show your displeasure to in the mansion?"

Xue Yuan swung his sword, splitting a wooden stand into two halves. Without stopping his movements, he continued wielding the large sword with an emotionless expression.

Finally, he threw the sword aside and fiercely kicked the nearby weapon rack, causing it to crash loudly onto the ground.

A servant who heard the noise cautiously peeked over and saw Xue Yuan's darkened expression. He immediately shrunk his head and hastily retreated.

General Xue shouted in anger, "Xue Yuan!"

"You said last time that my loyalty to the Emperor is unwavering," Xue Yuan suddenly spoke up, but he didn't look at General Xue, as if lost in thought, his face looking grim. "Are you certain that this is loyalty?"

General Xue asked, "What else could it be?"

Xue Yuan's back tensed, his breathing becoming heavier. The answer was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't seem to say it. Finally, he unbuttoned his collar and said in a heavy tone, "The Emperor intends to launch an attack against the nomadic tribes."

General Xue was taken aback.

Xue Yuan turned around to face him, his collar in disarray, bloodshot eyes. "I will join the battle."