Xiao Yunzhou, fearing that assassins might harm his precious Chu Chu, had no intention of getting close to them in the Imperial Garden.
Yet, Chu Chu's heart voice from five or six steps away left him completely baffled.
["Not bad, keep it up."]
Chu Chu was so tired last night that she was worried about assassination but couldn't resist falling asleep. When she woke up this morning, she still felt a bit guilty.
But to her surprise, she saw the progress of the system's task early in the morning, which made her both surprised and curious.
["Who would've thought, the Emperor, without uttering a word, accomplished such a great task."]
["It seems that I don't have to worry too much. Oh, I wonder if the Imperial Kitchen has come up with a new flavor of instant noodles today. Old jar pickled cabbage, could there be one..."]
Chu Chu, with her grape-like eyes, looked at Xiao Yunzhou, feeling that the Emperor was reliable now, and immediately transferred her worries to food and drink.
Xiao Yunzhou opened his mouth, but he couldn't say a word for a long time.
It wasn't until everyone kneeled to him that he waved his hand for Concubine Liu to take the child to play on her own, and then he took a detour to the Hall of Humble Administration for the morning court.
Even on the court, Xiao Yunzhou was somewhat absent-minded.
He couldn't figure out how that assassin had been influenced by him by one-tenth.
"What did I do yesterday?" Xiao Yunzhou couldn't help but ask Wei Zheng.
"You, from the evening meal, tell me everything, without omission, that I did."
"?"
Wei Zheng was stunned.
The Emperor had indeed changed!
Would the Emperor ask such questions before?
Doesn't the Emperor know what he himself has done?
Moreover, there is a daily record, which records every word and deed of the Emperor. Normally, he shouldn't ask him about these daily matters.
Wei Zheng became alert in secret. Now, the Emperor might not be satisfied with him...?
Wei Zheng immediately tightened his tail, not daring to be as frivolous and dismissive as usual.
"Last night, Your Majesty didn't have a good appetite at dinner and only used half a bowl of rice. He drank some mutton soup and then asked to remove the dinner table."
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes twitched.
Last night at dinner, the eunuch serving tea was not present, but his martial arts were high. Could he have been watching him, the Emperor, eating from the beam?
He, the Emperor, couldn't eat, and that former dynasty assassin was happy?
Happy, and influenced successfully!?
Xiao Yunzhou opened his mouth and then closed it again.
"Later, you started to review the memorials, until 11pm."
"The oil lamp was changed once."
Xiao Yunzhou took a deep breath.
He didn't sleep, so the assassin... was he happy? Influenced successfully?
Xiao Yunzhou's face stiffened.
What's wrong with this assassin?
"Your Majesty was really too diligent yesterday. If you do this every day, your body will definitely not be able to handle it." Wei Zheng showed a 'worried and heartbroken' expression at the right time.
"Rest a bit earlier today."
Xiao Yunzhou sighed, he was not diligent last night, he was afraid, too afraid to sleep.
He lit the lamp to read the memorials, at least there was light in the hall. If the assassin came in, he would be able to see clearly.
Otherwise, what if the assassin stabbed him to death in bed, he wouldn't even know!
Xiao Yunzhou propped up his forehead, "Summon the Imperial Cabinet and the Chief Ministers of the Six Ministries."
"Starting from today, I will not turn off the lights. I will work late into the night until 11pm. They should arrange shifts, find people to accompany me in rotation."
"......"
Wei Zheng was shocked.
The Imperial Cabinet and the six departments, upon receiving the news, were almost ready to kneel before the Emperor.
What's going on?
The Emperor suddenly started working overtime and governing diligently?
"My officials, I will let you sleep, do not worry."
Xiao Yunzhou realized that the assassins hated him, the Emperor of Jing Country, not just a little bit.
The more he couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, tossed and turned, the happier the assassins would be, and the more likely they would be influenced by him, the Emperor.
So, as his daughter said, he had to maintain.
Find the ministers, the ministers are safe.
After all, the hatred of the assassins of the former dynasty was all on their Xiao royal family!
Xiao Yunzhou was afraid that he would fall asleep while reviewing the memorials alone, so he had to find someone to accompany him.
He barely slept last night, and he didn't know how long he could stay awake tonight.
Thinking about this, Xiao Yunzhou spoke heavily, looking at Chen Xun, Minister of the Ministry of Works, and Shen Mian of the Imperial Cabinet, the two ministers who were accompanying him on duty tonight and supervising him not to sleep.
"Tonight, if I doze off before 11pm, you must wake me."
"I will get up and continue reviewing the memorials."
"......"
"?"
Chen Xun, Minister of the Ministry of Works, and Shen Mian of the Imperial Cabinet, were stunned.
In the past, the Emperor had been cultivating Tao for nearly five years, and no matter how they advised him, he would not listen.
Actually, they didn't really believe that the Emperor, who had recently started to change and govern diligently, could persist for a long time.
Xiao Yunzhou had been pursuing his hobby of Taoist cultivation for five years. Could he change now?
Perhaps at some point, the Emperor would revert to his old ways.
But who would have thought that Xiao Yunzhou not only didn't revert, but also studied harder!
"Don't hesitate to wake me up. Treat me as your colleague and scold me."
"......!"
Really?
Both Chen Xun of the Ministry of Works and Shen Mian, the second assistant, doubted their lives.
That night, as expected, Xiao Yunzhou only ate less than half a bowl of rice.
Just as he put down his rice bowl, he saw Wei Zheng, the teacup boy with a handsome face and a timid demeanor, coming over to add tea to him.
Xiao Yunzhou was not full, but when he saw this boy with 99 martial arts skills, he didn't dare to take a second bite!
Xiao Yunzhou was stiff all over, but he had to pretend that nothing was wrong.
He could only cough lightly, "Wei Zheng, take the dining table away."
The tea boy glanced at Xiao Yunzhou's dining table, which was covered with seven or eight plates of untouched food.
Xiao Yunzhou was so nervous that he couldn't even lift his hand.
He waited until the teacup boy with 99 martial arts skills left, then Xiao Yunzhou, dripping with sweat, called to Wei Zheng, "Bring the memorial, I want to review."
"I won't sleep before 11pm!"
He spoke loudly, making sure that the tea boy who hadn't gone far outside could hear him.
But after a night, Xiao Yunzhou woke up on the dragon bed in the early morning, and was shocked when he saw the bright daylight, "Why did I fall asleep? When did I fall asleep!"
"Uh, your Majesty, you were too tired the day before yesterday, and you fell asleep very heavily before 11pm yesterday."
"Master Shen called you twice, Master Chen called you once, but they couldn't wake you up......"
"!"
For breakfast, Xiao Yunzhou was so worried that he couldn't eat anything except a bowl of millet porridge.
Whatever was brought up, was taken down the same way.
The tea boy looked at the dining table being taken down, untouched, his deep eyes looked at Xiao Yunzhou.
It just sank.
"Roar, what's happening?"
"The influence level has dropped back to 5%!"
"The progress of the mission has regressed, it's fallen a lot..."
In the early morning, Xiao Yunzhou went to court. On the way, he passed by the Imperial Garden and met Chu Chu who was checking the system notifications.
With each breath, Xiao Yunzhou's face stiffened.
Before going to court that day, Xiao Yunzhou cast a heavy glance at a few veteran ministers and the Chief Ministers of the Six Ministries.
This assassin wouldn't let him sleep!
"If you can't wake me up at night, you all must have heard of the story of studying by hanging from a beam and pricking the thigh."
"?"
"I want to imitate the ancients, you must wake me up even if you have to prick me, until 11 pm."
"!!"
Has the Emperor really changed?
They had read history books, but they had never seen an emperor who was so hard on himself!
The Imperial Cabinet and the Six Ministries looked at each other.
Meanwhile, Cheng Qian, who had finished his breakfast and was going from the Qianxi No.5 Residence to the training ground to practice archery, was teaching little Xiao Luzi while squatting in horse stance.
"Today you will study literature with me, I will test your recitation."
"If you can't recite, you will be punished with a hundred rounds of archery starting tomorrow."
"If you can recite, you will be rewarded with a bowl of chicken soup instant noodles that the kitchen has just developed."
Cheng Qian was determined to change Xiao Luzi, and himself!
As he said this, he didn't notice the thin figure crouched on a beam in the shadowy corner of the training ground, looking down.
The thin figure, hearing 'study literature together', 'recite and get a bowl of noodles'... his eyes lit up on the beam, but soon dimmed again.
"Ding, the influence task has increased to 15%!"
Xiao Chuchu woke up from her nap and took a breath when she saw the system message.
"What's happening, it has increased by more than a tenth all of a sudden?"
"Damn, what has Emperor Dad done again?"
Missing his daughter and unable to resist coming over to catch a distant glimpse of her, Xiao Yunzhou stopped outside Concubine Liu's room and was surprised.
What?
It has increased again?
Xiao Yunzhou's face changed.
He had asked the ministers to wake him up at night before the morning court, to study by hanging from a beam and pricking the thigh, was this assassin so happy about it?
