Chu Zhaoyou enjoyed his meal, feeling content. If this considerate chef could stay in the palace forever, that would be great.

The Regent was trying to win him over with two meals after getting angry? That’s wishful thinking. At least three years of meals would be needed.

After taking a stroll in the imperial garden and having a bath, Chu Zhaoyou returned to the hall and found an unexpected visitor.

The Regent seemed to have just arrived, directing two guards to place Qi Rengao’s memorials and letters on the desk, as if he were setting up a new office space.

He noticed that the dinner table in the outer hall hadn’t been cleared, and his eyelid twitched. Was this left on purpose for him to see?

But he had to admit that this tactic worked. After hearing that Chu Zhaoyou had enjoyed his lunch and was reluctant to leave, the Regent immediately served him an equally luxurious dinner, which left Chu Zhaoyou feeling completely satisfied.

Xiao Heng felt a slight annoyance and ordered the table to be removed.

Chu Zhaoyou frowned. What did that mean? Was he not going to be served dinner tomorrow? Without looking at the Regent, he walked past him and entered the inner hall, climbing onto the dragon bed to sleep.

Xiao Heng remained silent, instructing the eunuch in charge of the lamps to brighten the lights in the outer hall. Then, he sat behind the desk, casually picking up a memorial and focusing on state affairs.

Ever since they first learned about the Gu poison, he and Xie Chaoyun had been searching for information related to the “He Xin Gu.” However, there were very few records about the “He Xin Gu” in medical books. They had searched throughout the Chu empire and only learned that the “Yin Yang Twin Gu” should not be separated for long. After the first onset, it was best to cohabit under the same roof once a month to soothe the two Gu insects and alleviate the pain of the next onset.

Had it been a month since the first onset?

He didn’t know.

Xiao Heng thought coldly, “That person inside has become smarter. I can’t even remember such a small matter.”

The Regent Prince swiftly sketched on the memorial, making a few pointed comments that pinpointed the issues with the officials. With the vast bureaucratic team of Chu, Xiao Heng had an exceptional memory. When he saw a name, he could automatically recall the content of their previous report.

The memorials, each as tall as a person, were silently moved from the left side to the right side, as if handled delicately to avoid disturbing someone.

Chu Zhaoyou had taken a long nap in the afternoon, and now he lay in bed, unable to sleep, tossing and turning. He found the sound of the Regent Prince reviewing the memorials outside particularly annoying.

Just as he was thinking this, there was a slight movement outside, and the inner hall suddenly went dark, with a eunuch adding a layer of black cloth to the door, blocking out the light from outside.

Chu Zhaoyou was taken aback and forgot to blink for a moment.

It wasn’t easy for the Regent. He was working late into the night to review the memorials for me.

Being a puppet Emperor wasn’t so bad. He could sleep peacefully in the room.

With so many memorials to review, the Regent deserves to work until daybreak.

Thinking this way, Chu Zhaoyou felt some of his anger dissipate. He felt comfortable all over and closed his eyes, feeling drowsy.

After midnight, Xiao Heng set down one memorial, took a sip of tea to wake himself up, and then habitually picked up another memorial with his left hand.

At the beginning of the year, he had a premonition that this year wouldn’t be smooth, so he secretly dispatched a second team to patrol the various provinces to prevent any potential issues.

This time, they had indeed uncovered some information. According to reports, nine out of ten granaries in Yuzhou were empty. Such a large quantity of the court’s grain reserves had been transported somewhere unknown.

During the late years of the previous empire, famine was rampant, and the people were suffering. Taking advantage of this, the founding Emperor of the Chu empire rebelled and established the country. After the founding of the country, he keenly felt that food was of utmost importance to the people, so he built granaries and assigned grain storage quotas to each province.

After Xiao Heng took over the administration, he thought the proposal was good and continued the practice. In recent years, despite favorable weather, the granaries were empty. Yuzhou bordered Qizhou, which was under the jurisdiction of the Empress Dowager’s own brother, Wei Shi.

Such a significant matter, yet the leader of the covert guards, Zhou Qi, had not reported it.

Xiao Heng’s eyes grew slightly cold. It seemed that some people couldn’t sit still.

At this quiet moment, Xiao Heng glanced at the remaining seven or eight memorials and the drowsy eunuch, then got up and poured himself a glass of water.

The tea had gone cold.

Xiao Heng walked straight into the inner hall, where he heard Chu Zhaoyou’s soft breathing.

People often said that the Emperor was a puppet in the hands of the Regent, but in reality, he was the puppet in Chu Zhaoyou’s hands. He had labored his whole life, and his life and death were controlled by Chu Zhaoyou.

Perhaps it was the fright he had given Chu Zhaoyou in the morning, or perhaps it was the quiet of the night, but at this moment, Xiao Heng found that he didn’t feel the anger he had expected.

Xiao Heng had excellent night vision and could clearly see Chu Zhaoyou’s facial features.

He’s sleeping soundly.

Why should I be up late reviewing memorials while this little puppet gets to sleep?

Xiao Heng snatched half of the blanket from Chu Zhaoyou, closed his eyes wearily, and thought recklessly that in another hour, he would wake Chu Zhaoyou up and make him finish the remaining memorials. If he didn’t finish, he wouldn’t be allowed to eat.

People outside talked every day about how he wanted to usurp the throne, but the dragon throne was just that.

Suddenly, someone rolled into his arms.

The Regent stiffened all over.