The Beautiful CEO’s Close Bodyguard

Imperial Palace, Imperial Garden.

"Emperor, I wonder why you urgently summoned this old beggar here? Is there something pressing?" the Old Gang Leader asked, bowing perplexedly.

He’d been standing there for quite a while, yet the Emperor hadn’t acknowledged him. Initially, he thought he might have offended the Emperor somehow, but after pondering, he realized he hadn’t.

The last time they played chess, he deliberately lost to the Emperor, and it was a subtle defeat too, so the Emperor probably wouldn’t have noticed.

The Emperor was sitting in the pavilion of the Imperial Garden, admiring the fish in the pool. Only after hearing the voice did he lazily respond with a grunt.

He put down the fish bait, stood up, and at the right moment, a maid handed him a handkerchief to wipe his hands.

The Emperor wiped his hands while saying, "I hear you’re planning to go to the army camp to serve as a doctor, is there such a matter?"

The Old Gang Leader nodded cheerfully, "Thanks to the Emperor’s favor, indeed there is. But I, this old beggar, don’t know how to treat illnesses. I’m going there to do odd jobs."

The Emperor chuckled softly, pointed at the Old Gang Leader, and teased, "You? Doing odd jobs? They’re unlikely to serve you; not making you do errands would already be good enough."

The Old Gang Leader chuckled; what the Emperor said had indeed happened before. However, this time it was real; he truly was going to serve as Chu Ge’s assistant.

Of course, for outsiders, it was just a cover. Since it was a cover, in the army camp, he would certainly do some actual work to maintain appearances.

"Sit down." The Emperor sat first, then pointed to the stone stool beside him, instructing, "What’s your real purpose for going to the army camp?"

The Old Gang Leader hadn’t expected the Emperor to be so direct; he thought the Emperor would beat around the bush a little.

"Emperor." The Old Gang Leader barely touched the seat before standing up again, "Why does the Emperor say this?"

The Emperor lifted his eyes to look at him, his gaze thoughtful, "Do you think I don’t know you? We’ve been friends for many years. I can guess what you’re thinking just from a glance at your eyes."

The Old Gang Leader also became interested, but facing the Emperor, he reconsidered and held back his words.

The Emperor chuckled softly, "What, you want me to guess what you’re thinking now?"

The Old Gang Leader twitched, "The Emperor jests."

"Fine, sit down." The Emperor raised his hand and told the followers behind him, "You all leave. Without my orders, no one is to disturb us!"

"Yes!"

The Old Gang Leader noticed the Emperor seemed to have something to say to him, and he immediately became serious.

"Old Huang, have you received any news?" the Emperor asked in a low voice.

The Old Gang Leader was taken aback, then fell silent.

The Emperor didn’t rush to ask further; he looked at the Old Gang Leader calmly, as if waiting for him to think it over.

After a moment, the Old Gang Leader replied, "I wonder which aspect of news the Emperor is referring to?"

"Doesn’t require my specifying, does it?" the Emperor retorted, "How old are you? What is your character like? Do you think I don’t know your temperament? Suddenly going to the army camp definitely means you have a compelling reason; otherwise, you’d never go to the army camp, especially under Lao Wu’s command!"

The Old Gang Leader abruptly stood up, walked to the side, and directly knelt on the ground.

"Emperor, indeed I have received some news. The reason for concealing it from the Emperor is because..."

The Old Gang Leader paused in his words, slightly lifted his eyes to glance at the Emperor, and hesitated to continue.

The Emperor gently shook his head, "Stand up. I know what you want to say. You want to say you concealed it from me because you’re worried I might cause disaster for the country and people like last time!"

The Old Gang Leader quickly prostrated himself on the ground, "Forgive me, Emperor."

The Emperor didn’t truly intend to blame the Old Gang Leader. He gently waved him to stand.

"I know, because back then I trusted Wei Yongxiang’s words, made a mistaken decision, causing the coastal people to suffer three years of flooding disaster and the western people to suffer drought. But this matter is still unresolved! Although he escaped, the potential threat remains!"

The Old Gang Leader nodded, responding to the Emperor as he rose from the ground, "The Emperor is correct, and what I am going to do is to eliminate this potential threat."

The Emperor was taken aback and lifted his gaze to him, "You’ve found someone destined for it?"

The Old Gang Leader nodded, "This person is within the Beggar Gang’s mansion. Like Wei Yongxiang, he comes from there and is now seeking a way back."

The Emperor’s expression darkened, "Could he be like Wei Yongxiang, ambitious and delusional?"

"No, no, this person’s age may be similar to Wei Yongxiang at that time, but he has none of Wei Yongxiang’s ambition. He simply wishes to find a way back, nothing more.

"Are you sure?" The Emperor expressed doubt.

"I’m sure. I’ve confirmed it, and I’ve had many night conversations with him, feeling he’s a good person with ideals and aspirations. If such talent could be used for our Daye Country, it would be our nation’s blessing. It’s just a pity he is not one of us."

The Emperor chuckled lightly, "Back then, Wei Yongxiang also claimed to be a person with ideals and aspirations. But what was the outcome? Having been trusted by me, he rose step by step to a position below one but above thousands.

He paused, anger evident on his face, "Yet he still wasn’t satisfied, eventually threatening me with the people’s safety to yield the empire to him. How could I have agreed? The result was that the people indeed suffered, dying of hunger, dying of disease, and many years have passed, yet I still live in self-reproach."

"Emperor, you were also bewitched by human poison back then. How can this matter be solely blamed on you? Moreover, who would’ve thought Wei Yongxiang truly had the power to summon Heaven and Earth, really invoking a tsunami and causing mountain floods? As for the drought in the northwest, it was purely a coincidence."

The Emperor waved his hand; regardless of whether it was coincidence, it had already happened, and he absolutely wouldn’t allow similar incidents to happen again.

"Regarding the mysticism of the Time-Space Gate, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d still consider it a fantasy. Who would’ve thought that in another parallel universe, people actually exist, with people identical to us existing."

To this day, the Emperor feels as if it’s akin to a dream. But he knows it’s not a dream; it truly happened, right beside him, right before his eyes.

Even after so many years, he can’t forget.

"Do you need any help from me?" The Emperor asked the Old Gang Leader, "You being with Lao Wu will inevitably involve some disputes. He doesn’t believe in such mystical matters. If he finds out, there will surely be obstacles."

This isn’t false; during the Wei Yongxiang incident, Prince He Shuo was young and unaware of court affairs, so he knew very little.

But now things are different. The Time-Space Gate is under his jurisdiction, and it’s truly difficult to bypass his scrutiny.