Chapter Five: Xiao Guizi's Loyalty

Zhu Hao saw that Little Gui was still lying on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. He simply picked up his long robe and made to untie his trousers. Fortunately, this was the Ming Dynasty, and he looked no older than eleven or twelve at the moment. If this had happened before his transmigration, such behavior would have branded him a lecherous scoundrel and earned him a sound beating.

Little Gui never expected Zhu Hao to actually follow through with his words. He hastily stopped crying and grabbed Zhu Hao’s sleeve, pleading, “Your Highness, you mustn’t! I couldn’t possibly bear such a thing!”

Although Zhu Hao now appeared to be a mere boy of eleven or twelve, inside he was a grown man in his twenties. To have to remove his trousers in public, even with his thick skin, was highly embarrassing. Yet, to comfort the little Gui he had just summoned, he steeled himself. What he worried about most was whether this damned system might penalize him if Little Gui continued sobbing—would his loyalty drop further? If the loyalty plummeted, leading to betrayal, he’d have no one but himself to blame. Luckily, Little Gui stopped him in time, which made Zhu Hao feel a certain fondness for this perceptive servant.

Now that Little Gui had finally stopped crying, Zhu Hao took his hand and spoke earnestly: “Little Gui, just now I was only joking with you. You have shown your true self to me; from now on, you are my closest friend. We are brothers! I promise to treat you well in the days to come.”

It took thick skin to twist the truth as he did—it was only out of fear for his own reputation that he’d tried to strip Little Gui, but now he made it sound as if it had been a gesture of honesty and camaraderie. Even Zhu Hao felt a bit ashamed of such blatant hypocrisy.

However, Little Gui was deeply moved by Zhu Hao’s words. His eyes shone with excitement as he knelt to the ground, bowing repeatedly. “Your Highness, I am unworthy! How could I ever presume to call myself your brother? I wronged you before, thinking you only meant to humiliate me. Now I understand, and I thank you for your trust! I will serve you with all my heart, ready to lay down my life for your cause!”

Just as Little Gui finished speaking, the system chimed again:

“Ding!”

“Congratulations, Host, for earning Little Gui’s favor with your explanation!”

“Little Gui’s loyalty has increased by 20 points!”

“Current loyalty of summoned character Little Gui: 96 points!”

Zhu Hao hadn’t expected his impromptu explanation to win such favor, nor that a few words could earn him twenty points of loyalty. He felt as though happiness had struck out of the blue.

The sudden increase in loyalty left Zhu Hao momentarily stunned. After a moment, he reached down and helped Little Gui to his feet. “Little Gui, I wasn’t joking with you. I mean every word! When we are alone, there’s no need for formality—you and I are brothers.” Zhu Hao paused, as if remembering something, and continued, “Little Gui, do you have a name?”

Little Gui’s eyes were filled with confusion as he replied hesitantly, “I do have a name, Your Highness. I am called Little Gui.”

Zhu Hao shook his head. “Little Gui, what I mean is, do you have any other name besides ‘Little Gui’?”

Little Gui was completely befuddled by Zhu Hao’s questions. He didn’t know what had gotten into his master today—his behavior and questions were both odd. Nevertheless, he answered honestly, “Your Highness, I entered the palace at a young age. Everyone has always called me Little Gui; I have no other name.”

Zhu Hao nodded and asked, “Little Gui, do you know of the eunuch Sanbao?”

At the mention, Little Gui’s eyes sparkled with admiration. “Your Highness refers to Eunuch Sanbao, Zheng He, correct? Of course I know of him. In the Yongle era, he led the great treasure fleets on seven voyages to the Western Seas, forging ties with foreign lands and bringing tribute from all nations. He is my idol!”

Zhu Hao nodded and said, “Little Gui, I promise you: if one day I have the power, I will grant you achievements like those of Zheng He. I will send you to oversee foreign lands!”

Little Gui was so moved that he immediately knelt and kowtowed. “Thank you, Your Highness, for your gracious promise!”

With a gentle smile that made him seem a kindly elder, Zhu Hao lifted Little Gui from the floor. “Didn’t I just tell you? When there are no outsiders, there’s no need for such ceremony.” He paused, then continued, “Little Gui, do you know what you need most if you wish to become like Zheng He?”

Little Gui shook his head, looking utterly confused. “I don’t know, Your Highness. I only know I must be loyal to you and serve you well. If you tell me to go east, I would never dare go west. If you send me to chase dogs, I would never grab a chicken.”

Zhu Hao was quite satisfied with this answer, but he shook his head and said, “To achieve what Zheng He did, loyalty alone is not enough. First and foremost, you need—”

He deliberately drew out the words, then enunciated clearly: “You need a good name!”

“Huh?” This time, Little Gui was truly floored by Zhu Hao’s answer. Moments earlier, the Fifth Prince had seemed so profound, yet now he offered such an unexpected reply that Little Gui was utterly at a loss, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

Zhu Hao noticed his skepticism and pressed on, “Look at your name, Little Gui—it’s not even a proper name. If I send you to visit foreign courts in the future, you can’t introduce yourself as Little Gui! Not only would they laugh at you, they would mock the Ming dynasty and me as well! To achieve greatness like Zheng He, you need a name as resounding as his.”

Taken in by Zhu Hao’s argument, Little Gui gazed at him with idol-worship in his eyes. “Your Highness is truly wise and far-sighted. I could never have thought of that! What should I do?”

Zhu Hao nodded secretly in approval, impressed by Little Gui’s cleverness. In such a strict feudal society, names were bestowed by superiors, not chosen by oneself. Clearly, Little Gui hoped Zhu Hao would give him a new name, but was too bound by the times to ask directly.

Zhu Hao understood perfectly and chuckled. “That’s easily solved. Today, I shall grant you a fine name!”

As soon as he spoke, Little Gui knelt and bowed again, this time with three resounding knocks of his head. “Thank you, Your Highness, for bestowing a name upon me!”

Zhu Hao smiled and helped him up once more, saying, “Since we have met within these palace walls, I shall grant you the surname Wei. And since you admire Eunuch Sanbao, I shall give you the personal name Xiaobao. What do you think?”

Little Gui stood lost in thought, muttering to himself, “Wei Xiaobao… Wei Xiaobao…”

A moment later, his eyes filled with gratitude, he knelt again. “Wei Xiaobao thanks Your Highness for this name. From now on, that is who I shall be.”

As soon as Wei Xiaobao finished speaking, the system chimed again:

“Ding!”

“Congratulations, Host, for gaining 2 loyalty points from bestowing a name upon Wei Xiaobao!”

“Current loyalty of summoned character Wei Xiaobao: 98 points!”

Hearing the prompt, Zhu Hao quietly clenched his fist in triumph, exclaiming inwardly, “YES!” It turned out that all his coaxing, invoking Zheng He and the voyages to the West, was just a pretext to bestow this name and win more loyalty from Wei Xiaobao. He never imagined it would actually work, and his joy was beyond description—he felt as if he were floating on air.

Emboldened by this success, Zhu Hao continued his experiments, making all sorts of promises to Wei Xiaobao—high office, titles of nobility, mountains of gold, vast lands—but apart from seeing Wei Xiaobao’s anxious and expectant expression, he gained no further loyalty. Finally, Zhu Hao understood that the last two points of loyalty would not be so easily obtained; some special circumstances would be required.

With that realization, Zhu Hao lost interest in further experiments and was about to return to his room to rest when a sharp voice sounded from outside the door: “Something terrible has happened! Your Majesty, there’s a fire! The Crown Prince is trapped inside his room!”

As the urgent cries echoed four or five times, Zhu Hao saw lights flicker in his parents’ quarters nearby. After a heavy sigh, he heard the rustling of clothes as they dressed. In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Zhu Hao’s father emerged in a simple robe, glared at the trembling old eunuch kneeling on the ground, and barked, “What has happened that you disturb my rest at this hour? Are you tired of having your head on your shoulders?”

The old eunuch shivered and kowtowed, “Forgive me for disturbing Your Majesty so late! The Empress’s palace has caught fire, and the Crown Prince is trapped inside. The Empress herself sent me to report to Your Majesty!”