Chapter Fourteen: The Rise of Loyalty

Zhu Hao remained unmoved upon hearing those words. Matters as confidential as this were best known to as few as possible. Though Gongsun Ce possessed a loyalty score of seventy, which rendered betrayal unlikely, the empress had spies posted all around his bedchamber. In the imperial palace, walls seemed to have ears, and such occurrences were common. Moreover, while Zhu Hao had knowledge that Gongsun Ce hailed from a family of physicians, who could say that the summoned Gongsun Ce was truly of such lineage? What if he was here to deceive him? For safety’s sake, Zhu Hao chose not to answer.

Gongsun Ce, seeing Zhu Hao’s lack of response, was not perturbed. He spoke calmly, “I have a method that may help you through this crisis, but you do not appear to trust me. In that case, I shall take my leave.” With that, he turned to depart. Just as Zhu Hao was about to call him back, Gongsun Ce halted, causing Zhu Hao, who was halfway to rising, to pause as well, inwardly chiding himself for nearly falling into a trap.

Gongsun Ce turned, offering Zhu Hao a faint smile. “If my calculations are correct, the imperial physician will arrive within a quarter of an hour. Your Highness must take care. Oh, and you should consider how to explain to His Majesty why you have been feigning madness.”

Hearing this, Zhu Hao could no longer maintain his act. He sprang from the bed, saying, “Sir, please stay. You are a man of intelligence. I trust you can guess why I have been pretending to be mad. Given the circumstances, I implore you to teach me a foolproof strategy!”

Gongsun Ce grew solemn at these words. “Your Highness, I can surmise some of your intentions. You are outmatched by the empress, and today you have incurred her wrath. Your actions are a means of avoiding disaster. Before I offer my strategy, may I ask—do you trust me?”

Zhu Hao mused inwardly, “You are my summon, with a loyalty score of seventy. If I don’t trust you, who should I trust? Of course, Wei Xiaobao, with a score of ninety-eight, is even more reliable.” Yet he could not voice such thoughts. He gazed at Gongsun Ce for a long moment, making a show of deep contemplation as he had seen done in dramas, before declaring, “I trust you. Please teach me your infallible method!”

This approach was wise, for it demonstrated earnest consideration before granting trust. Had he replied too quickly, Gongsun Ce might have doubted him, given his intelligence, or even looked down on him.

Upon hearing Zhu Hao’s reply, Gongsun Ce nodded, withdrew a jade vial from his robes, and carefully poured out a small pill. “Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. My family is renowned for its medical expertise. This pill can cause temporary disruption of the meridians and qi, inducing unconsciousness. You will recover fully after two hours. Would Your Highness dare to take it?”

Zhu Hao now understood why Gongsun Ce had asked about trust; after all, one could never know whether a pill offered was medicine or poison. Yet Zhu Hao felt no fear. He trusted the loyalty score provided by the system, and since even an electric shock from the helmet had not killed him, he doubted that this tiny pill could end his life.

Without hesitation, Zhu Hao snatched the pill from Gongsun Ce’s hand and swallowed it.

Gongsun Ce immediately knelt, proclaiming, “Your Highness possesses great courage—a true hero! I vow to serve you faithfully all my life!”

After ingesting the pill, Zhu Hao felt the world spin. Before losing consciousness, he seemed to hear the system’s notification:

“Ding!”

“Your magnanimity has won Gongsun Ce’s admiration!”

“Gongsun Ce’s loyalty score increases by ten!”

“Congratulations—the second person with a loyalty score above eighty!”

“System reward: three hundred summoning points!”

When Zhu Hao awoke, two hours had passed. He opened his eyes feeling refreshed, without a trace of discomfort, and marveled at the pill’s miraculous effects. Before his transmigration, with all the advancements in modern medicine, he had never encountered such a remedy. Truly, traditional medicine was profound; it was a pity that so little remained in the world he had left behind.

As Zhu Hao was contemplating the wonders of traditional medicine, Gongsun Ce entered, smiling. “Your Highness is awake! Do you feel any discomfort?”

Zhu Hao shook his head. “I feel clear-headed, as if I had enjoyed a good sleep. Your medicine is truly miraculous!” After praising the remedy, he suddenly remembered, “Why are you still in the palace?” Normally, outsiders were not permitted to stay overnight in the imperial palace. Gongsun Ce had arrived in the afternoon, and now it was evening. To let an outsider remain was a grave offense.

Gongsun Ce smiled. “There is no need to worry, Your Highness. His Majesty and the imperial physician have already visited. The physician found nothing amiss, and His Majesty knows I was summoned to investigate the palace fire. For convenience, he has appointed me as your tutor, to serve at your side.”

Zhu Hao nodded. The position of tutor was little more than a prince’s attendant, but it was the only status besides imperial kin that allowed a man to stay overnight in the palace. Their movements were strictly limited; they could only accompany the prince or remain in their quarters to study.

Zhu Hao sat up and regarded Gongsun Ce. “Such talent as yours is wasted as my tutor. I do not know how long I must feign illness—this is a hardship for you.”

Gongsun Ce quickly knelt. “Your Highness, it is an honor to serve you, whose character is rare throughout history. It is my privilege to follow you; how could I call it hardship?”

With these words, Gongsun Ce pledged his loyalty, and Zhu Hao promised, “When I am able, I shall ensure you can display your learning to the fullest!” He gestured for Gongsun Ce to rise. “Come, stand. I will rely on you much in the days ahead.”

Gongsun Ce replied solemnly, “I dare not disobey any command Your Highness might give!”

As they conversed, Zhu Hao recalled the system’s prompt he had heard before fainting. He quickly accessed the system and saw that his summoning points now totaled one thousand four hundred thirty. He calculated: five hundred points from Wei Xiaobao’s loyalty increase, one thousand from the task advance, thirty accumulated over six days, minus four hundred used to summon Gongsun Ce—he should have one thousand one hundred thirty. The extra three hundred must be from the system’s reward, as he had vaguely heard before losing consciousness. This meant Gongsun Ce's loyalty score had reached eighty. This was excellent news, Zhu Hao thought; Gongsun Ce could now be trusted fully.

With these thoughts, Zhu Hao instructed, “Gongsun, I do not know how long I must feign illness. You must continue investigating the fire and give my father a satisfactory answer as soon as possible. Also, keep an eye on the empress’s palace—if there is any sign of trouble, report to me immediately.”

Gongsun Ce bowed deeply. “I accept the command. I will uncover the truth behind the palace fire. As for gathering information from the empress’s palace, I believe there is someone better suited than myself. My status allows me to investigate, but my movement in the palace is restricted, making it difficult to gather news.”

Zhu Hao responded, “Who do you mean? Can this person be trusted?”

Gongsun Ce smiled, “He is certainly skilled at gathering information. As for trustworthiness, Your Highness must judge for yourself—I cannot help with that.” Seeing Zhu Hao’s eagerness, Gongsun Ce continued, “The person is your attendant, Wei Xiaobao.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Hao laughed. “He is certainly trustworthy, but I wonder if he is capable.”

Inwardly, Zhu Hao thought, “Of course I trust him—Wei Xiaobao’s loyalty score is ninety-eight! If that isn’t trustworthy, I’ll smash the damned system myself!”

Gongsun Ce caught Zhu Hao’s doubt and smiled. “Though he is young, Wei Xiaobao’s eyes reveal cunning. He is well-suited for gathering information. If you doubt it, you may ask him yourself.”

Zhu Hao nodded, “Very well. Please bring Xiaobao here, but ensure no one sees or hears that I asked for him.”

Gongsun Ce nodded, “Understood, Your Highness. Rest assured!”

With that, Gongsun Ce left the bedchamber and soon returned with Wei Xiaobao. Zhu Hao studied Wei Xiaobao, searching for a hint of cunning in his eyes as Gongsun Ce had described, but found only respect and fear. He sighed inwardly, admitting he was no judge of character.

In truth, it was not Zhu Hao’s fault. Everyone plays different roles at different times. Before Zhu Hao, Wei Xiaobao’s role was that of a servant, so his eyes naturally held only respect and fear.

Giving up his search, Zhu Hao cleared his throat. “Xiaobao, I have an important task for you. Do you think you can handle it?”