Book 8: Chapter 65: Obey

Hu Hai was in a deep sleep But his expressions were very rich, sometimes snarling, sometimes terrified. His muscles would shake like he was convulsing.

Zhao Gao looked silently at him. This really was a pitiful young person. Shen Xuan had been in charge of the Great Floating Water Prison for many years. Other than cultivation, all he studied every day were methods for interrogation. Some methods could not be used on a person at the same time, to avoid that person’s mind completely breaking down and preventing them from telling him what he needed. But all these methods were used on Hu Hai at the same time because Shen Xuan did not need Hu Hai to tell the secrets hidden deep inside, just needed to make Hu Hai obey someone else completely, turning this obedience into a kind of instinct. Zhao Gao had felt that such means were inhuman back then he had been planning with Shen Xuan and hearing of such methods.

But was this young imperial son really worthy of sympathy? Why did this not occur to Fu Su but to him?

Because Hu Hai had been violent from young, and even bad people did not like other bad people. In Shen Xuan’s view, just from the things that Hu Hai had done when he was young, if he was not Zheng Xiu and Yuanwu’s son, it was enough for him to be executed. So whether a person was worthy of sympathy, and what kind of situation they would face in the future usually had to do with their own self.

Zhao Gao thought that he would not have a good ending as he had turned into a monster who would do anything for revenge. But the key was whether this ending was the result that a person wanted. If one could reunite with their family and love at the time of death, then the movement of successful revenge and death was the result he wanted.

Zhao Gao was no longer a cultivator. He did not have his sensitive perception, so he had to be more careful. He stood silently in front of Hu Hai’s bed, making certain that no one was close before he bent down, lowered his voice, and softly said the words “taowu”.

Like a secret formation was activated, Hu Hai trembled all over, and his eyes were empty as he woke up in a daze.

“Mister Han.” He looked at Zhao Gao and seemed to shout as in a dream. He did not know why he suddenly woke up. He just thought that he was having symptoms like before.

“Your illness is of the mind and not on the surface.” Zhao Gao raised a bowl of cool medicine by his side and handed it to Hu Hai. He looked into the other’s eyes as he said softly, “It is not for medicine to heal the mind.”

Hu Hai started to drink the medicine, accustomed to it, especially the scent of the medicine which caused an inexplicable desire to burn deep within his body. He could not understand this feeling. He just felt that he needed the bowl of medicine greatly, but when he started to drink, he heard Zhao Gao’s words, and did not know whether he should drink or not. His eyes grew dazed.

In the next moment, he lost control of his emotions. He threw away the bowl of medicine, jumping in front of Zhao Gao and started to sob. “Mister Han, tell me what I should do.”

“You were captured by Shen Xuan, and humiliated. But the key is not how much hardship you suffered, but because of the hardship, other people look down at you.” Zhao Gao looked calmly at Hu Hai and said, “You want to recover, so first, you want other people to look at you with new eyes, and not dare to look down at you.”

Hu Hai stopped crying and dazedly looked up. “Not dare to look down at me?”

Zhao Gao nodded and said, “To get people to look up to you, you have to possess power, your own strength, strength so other people will fear you.”

“How can I get power that make other people fear me?” Hu Hai looked in confusion at Zhao Gao. His eyes were filled with desire and terror.

“The physicians in the imperial palace are all quacks, they tried for so many days but were unable to find a solution, they stopped you from recovering, causing people to laugh at you. First change out these physicians, have them go to other cities. For the young physicians without much reputation, have them go to the border armies. The border armies need large numbers of physicians,” Zhao Gao did not directly answer but said these things.

Hu Hai was dazed for a moment and then suddenly started to cry. “These physicians and officials are not people I can order. How can I replace these physicians?”

Zhao Gao laughed. He looked scornfully at Hu Hai and said softly, “Do not forget that you are the Holy One’s blood. Right now, Fu Su is not here, you are the only imperial son in the city. Right now, the Holy One and the empress are both absent from the Changling. If you want to do something, you do not have to act with your own hands. Your identity, your words, that is power, enough to lever matters.”

Hu Hai’s face was covered with tears. Hearing these words, he seemed to be a person drowning in the water grasping at a life-saving straw. He asked in a trembling voice, “Mister Han, what should I do?”

“First talk to the Bureau of Ceremonies’s Cheng Ruobing. Have him think of a way to help you replace these physicians.” Zhao Gao said, “Promise him that you will help him become the bureau chief.At the same time, gift him some important items, saying that during the time your mother-empress is gone from the Changling for him to be more alert.”

“The bureau chief of the Bureau of Ceremonies?” Hu Hai looked in shock at Zhao Gao. Inexplicably, he did not dare to question the other and said anxiously, “The bureau chief is Official Xu, the vice bureau chief is Official Sikong Lian. This…”

“Xu Fu has long not attended to the matter of the Bureau of Ceremonies. The Nether Float fleet has taken the Chu capital. In the future, Xu Fu naturally cannot come back to take charge of the Bureau of Ceremonies. There will be more important matters.” Zhao Gao said with scorn, “After he leaves, it should be Sikong Lian who takes over, but Sikong Lian once sent gifts to Ding Ning of White Goat Cave, and has been affected to some degree. So Cheng Ruobing is the best choice for become the bureau chief.”

After a pause, Zhao Gao looked at Hu Hai and slowly said, “But you have to understand one thing, no matter who takes over as bureau chief of the Bureau of Ceremonies, the key is that Chen Ruobing thinks that he is the person most likely to take over as bureau chief. So if he thinks that, he will enter your game. As to replacing the physicians, the battlefields are lacking physicians right now, this is just taking advantage of the situation.”

Hu Hai grew excited. He wiped away his tears, and an abnormal flush appeared on his dark face. “Mister Han, when should I go see Official Cheng Ruobing?” Saying so, he suddenly remembered the initial question. “Mister, if I meet Official Cheng Ruobing, and replace all the physicians in the imperial palace, I will have my own power that other people will fear?”

“Replacing the physicians and having Cheng Ruobing working for you is only the first step.” Zhao Gao patted his shoulder, then handed him a bowl of medicine, indicating for him to slowly sip. “I will teach you the next steps but you cannot tell others. You have to make everyone feel that you are doing all this.”

Hu Hai obeyed and dipped his head to drink the medicine like it was a delicious delicacy.

Translator Ramblings: Hu Hai has all the bad traits of his parents, but Sheng Xuan made everything worse.

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