7. Dog Training

Soft silk clouds enveloped him, and the pleasant scent of aloeswood incense lingered at the tip of his nose.

Qin Duoye opened his eyes and saw the same scene as when he first awoke in this timeline. The bed curtains were embroidered with honeysuckle cloud patterns.

Very well. The young emperor had fished him out of prison, so it was safe to assume he would not pursue the reckless act of pinning the monarch beneath him twice.

This bout of unconsciousness, like the previous time he fell asleep, allowed Qin Duoye to see Wen Qinghe’s memories once more. The frail scholar had been struck by a severe illness. He had sought medical help and exhausted his savings, but his meager salary could not cover the exorbitant costs of the medicine. Living beyond his means and unable to afford further treatment, his health had steadily declined.

No wonder his mouth tasted bitter when he first woke up. It was the taste of medicine.

Qin Duoye surmised that the soul belonging to Wen Qinghe had perished and dissipated when the turmoil in the imperial court began. Yet, for some unknown reason, his own soul—that of a previous emperor—had not gone to reincarnation, but had instead awakened in this body. Was this heaven giving him a chance to oversee what happened after his reign?

"Awake?" The voice of Qin Xuanxiao came from the bedside.

Qin Duoye lay peacefully, his body sinking into the soft silk. He had no intention of rising to pay his respects, merely staring at the curtains and nodding. "Yes, awake."

"Your health is truly so good that you nearly died," Qin Xuanxiao scoffed, not bothering to dwell on Qin Duoye's lack of decorum.

*What a sweet mouth, as if smeared with honey,* Qin Duoye thought. He replied, "Thank you for the compliment."

Gou Hongyang happened to walk over with a bowl of medicine. Hearing this exchange, he hurriedly lowered his head, eyes fixed on his own nose.

"You bankrupted yourself for medical treatment... Wen, I do not believe you are indifferent to your own illness, nor do I believe you are unafraid of death." Qin Xuanxiao took the bowl from Gou Hongyang, looked at Qin Duoye’s pale face, and said, "The imperial physician says your pulse is so weak you are like a corpse."

Qin Duoye: "..."

"The physician found it deeply miraculous that you were able to bolt from your bed that day and walk all the way to the Ministry of Justice with Qingxuan. He even hoped I would hand you over to the Imperial Medical Academy for study."

Qin Duoye propped himself up, staring at the pitch-black bowl of medicine: "..."

Qin Xuanxiao suddenly reached out to hook Qin Duoye’s chin, pulling him closer. He whispered, "Wen, what else are you hiding from me?"

"I am indeed ill," Qin Duoye said, not yet fully grasping Wen Qinghe's memories. He paused for a moment and began to spout nonsense. "Perhaps that burst of energy was a final flicker of life before death? And then, just when I was truly about to die, Your Majesty saved me, and the palace physicians worked a miracle, snatching my life back from the King of Hell?"

Qin Xuanxiao snorted, let go of him, and handed over the bowl. Qin Duoye took it, tilted his head back, and downed it in one gulp.

*Damn, it’s bitter. Better to suffer a short pain than a long one.*

Qin Duoye winced, his eyebrows knitting tightly together.

Qin Xuanxiao suddenly wanted to tease him. "This bowl of medicine costs a year of your salary."

Qin Duoye opened his eyes, stared at Qin Xuanxiao for two seconds, and made a show of bringing the bowl to his lips, preparing to spit back the medicine he hadn't yet swallowed.

"You dare!" Qin Xuanxiao frowned, quickly reaching out to cover Qin Duoye’s mouth. "Swallow it."

*Gulp.*

The bitter, thick liquid slid down his throat. Qin Duoye frowned, his hands gripping the bowl so tightly his knuckles turned white. After a long while, he managed to suppress the bitter taste churning in his mouth, and the nausea began to subside. He unceremoniously grabbed Qin Xuanxiao’s wrist and shoved the bowl back into his hand, not wanting to see it for another second.

"Your Majesty, what I said in prison—do you agree?"

Qin Xuanxiao stared at the bowl shoved into his hands for a few seconds. Ultimately, he didn't say anything, tossed the bowl to Gou Hongyang, and asked, "What position do you want?"

So, he had agreed.

Qin Duoye chuckled. *This little emperor, why is he so awkward when answering questions directly? He always has to take a detour; he really makes one use their brain just to talk.*

Qin Duoye did not hesitate: "Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

"You have a big appetite, Wen." Qin Xuanxiao raised an eyebrow, looking down with interest at the pale scholar. No one had ever asked him for something with such a calm expression. They were either terrified, calculating, or weeping. Only this man threw out a request so casually, as if he were a natural superior who only needed to propose the problem, leaving the rest to his subordinates to execute.

Qin Duoye met his gaze, his eyes reflecting the narrow, gloomy phoenix eyes of the emperor. He merely curled his lips slightly, a hint of benevolent encouragement in his eyes.

In truth, the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was carefully chosen by Qin Duoye. If the current hierarchy remained largely unchanged from his previous life, this position was the most suitable for him.

A Censor in the Censorate was of the fifth rank, while an Assistant Minister of the Six Ministries was of the third rank. It was perfectly positioned on the fringes of the small morning court. Although the rank was not the highest, the power was significant; he would have the duty of supervising the ministry, access to all documents and memorials, and the authority to directly access the inner court and see the Emperor. If used well, there was plenty of room to maneuver.

He chose the Ministry of Personnel because he was in a hurry; he had no memories of Wen Qinghe at all. Even if those memories surfaced slowly in his dreams, the scholar’s cowardly nature meant he wouldn't have access to key information regarding the "Choosing a Concubine and Establishing an Empress" scandal. He needed a place where he could review the files of all the officials in the court: the Ministry of Personnel.

"Gou Hongyang," Qin Xuanxiao called out, "go have the Secretariat draft an edict promoting Wen Qinghe from Censor to Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."

Qin Duoye’s eyes widened slightly. He hadn't expected the emperor to agree so readily without any haggling. Perhaps the emperor needed a "blade" even more than he thought?

Qin Duoye tentatively asked, "Then, can I have the Minister of Personnel?"

"Don't push your luck." Qin Xuanxiao said in a deep voice.

"Haha, then Assistant Minister is fine. I don't mind."

Qin Xuanxiao: "..." *You dare to be picky!*

Gou Hongyang saw that their conversation was winding down, so he stepped forward, holding the bowl with both hands, bowing, and cautiously reminding him: "Your Majesty, there is already someone in the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel..."

"Move him," Qin Xuanxiao waved his hand. "Let him go to the Censorate to be a Censor."

Gou Hongyang was stunned.

Qin Duoye was also a bit stunned. He rubbed his forehead: "Wait, you’re just going to demote him?"

Qin Xuanxiao asked coldly, "Why, is there a problem?"

Hearing the tone, Gou Hongyang knelt down skillfully. He knew the Emperor was angry, and the best course of action was to obey, kneel, and beg for mercy, hoping the scholar would also be sensible...

A clear voice rang through the bedchamber.

"Of course there's a problem!"

Qin Duoye felt that this child was not yet skilled in the business of being an emperor. If a competent official was demoted for no reason, even if they thanked the emperor for his grace, they would hold a grudge in their hearts. Over time, it would affect the emperor's reputation. One must not lose the hearts of the people.

"Give him a slight promotion, or at the very least a lateral transfer. Then call him into the palace, have a talk, and feed him a 'pie' about how 'improving your skills will lead to a promotion soon.'" Qin Duoye spoke with earnest advice.

Qin Xuanxiao stared at Qin Duoye in silence, focusing on his long, disheveled hair. Some strands wrapped around his neck, revealing a patch of fair skin amidst the black hair. He hadn't heard a word about promotions.

"I’ll take a little interest first," Qin Xuanxiao murmured.

Suddenly, he strode forward, knelt on the edge of the bed, bent down, and grabbed the pale neck of the man before him, pulling him forward and biting hard into his shoulder.

Qin Duoye: "??!!!"

Qin Duoye pushed Qin Xuanxiao away, scrambling back into the bed in horror. As he moved, a sharp pain flared in his shoulder—he felt that the dog emperor had canine teeth that had broken his skin.

*Damn it, is he an animal?*

The profanity circled his lips but didn't come out. After all, imperial power was absolute. He could get away with some things, but cursing the emperor? That was unnecessary for now.

Qin Duoye clutched his shoulder, his dark eyes flashing with shock and anger as he stared at Qin Xuanxiao.

"Draft another edict," Qin Xuanxiao said, not looking at him, but turning to Gou Hongyang. "I remember the Ministry of Works needs a Vice Minister. Transfer the former Assistant Minister there."

Gou Hongyang: "Yes."

"Satisfied?" When Qin Xuanxiao looked back, Qin Duoye had already calmed his emotions. He breathed out slowly, took his hand away from his shoulder, and nodded to show he had no further issues.

Qin Xuanxiao stood up straight, his gaze dropping to the tooth marks on the other's shoulder, which were already turning red and swollen, with a trace of blood seeping out. He licked his own teeth with satisfaction.

The two remained silent for a moment, neither mentioning the bite. Qin Duoye spoke first to change the subject: "How long has it been since the last Grand Morning Court?"

"Three days," Qin Xuanxiao replied smoothly.

Qin Duoye paused for a moment, then looked at the hazy morning mist outside the window before turning back to Qin Xuanxiao. "What time is it?"

"A quarter past the hour of Mao (5:15 AM), why?"

"The Morning Court." Qin Duoye stared at him intensely. "Today is a Small Morning Court."

The Wei Dynasty held a system of Small and Grand Morning Courts—a Grand Court every six days, and a Small Court every three days in between, alternating, along with other special occasions. Today should have been a Small Court. Yet, long past the hour for the meeting to begin, the Emperor was still in his bedchamber!

"Ah, I forgot," Qin Xuanxiao shrugged nonchalantly. "Not going."

Qin Duoye continued to stare: "You cannot do that."

Qin Xuanxiao: "?"

Qin Duoye: "Go to the Morning Court. Even if you're late, you must go. Your officials are still waiting for you."

"Hah, it's not the first time I haven't gone. They disperse once the time for the session ends," Qin Xuanxiao said.

Qin Duoye felt a surge of anger. *This dog emperor! Promoting and demoting people at will, skipping Morning Courts at will! He's young, but he’s already showing all the signs of a tyrant!* As a senior of the Qin family... or rather, an ancestor, he had to break Qin Xuanxiao of these bad habits.

"Emperor," Qin Duoye said through gritted teeth, "Go to court, go to court, go to court... otherwise I will nag you in your ear all day: go to court, go to court..."

"Tsk, fine. I'll go." Qin Xuanxiao covered his mouth. He was in a good mood, and going to court wasn't the end of the world. "Gou Hongyang, bring me my robes."

Gou Hongyang shrank his neck and went to fetch the clothes. He felt like he hadn't woken up yet; why else would he see such a bizarre scene? He had a strange feeling that there was something between the Emperor and that scholar... Gou Hongyang racked his brains but couldn't find an appropriate description.

But he suddenly pictured a scene: the scholar holding a collar in one hand and dried meat in the other, luring a vicious dog into his trap, smiling while hiding a knife, trying to tame the beast. And his Emperor, with green-glowing eyes, was like that vicious dog, drooling over the tender human before him, finding it fun to stick his neck into the collar, all while keeping a constant eye on the tamer, ready to break free and devour the man at any moment.

A stalemate. It was impossible to tell who would survive.

*Strange, too strange.* Gou Hongyang quickly shook the image from his mind. Such blasphemous thoughts would get him killed.