After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 1
Zhou Xun was escorted into the palace, forced to kneel on the cold, hard tiles. Facing his impending fate, he frowned with a steely resolve.
The spot where he knelt was none other than the current Emperor’s study. Unlike Zhou Cai, who was widely known as the Emperor’s closest confidant and permitted unrestricted access to the Imperial study, this was Zhou Xun’s first visit to the place.
However, Zhou Cai, as the newly appointed top scholar and the Emperor’s favored courtier, was welcomed into the study with warmth and laughter. Zhou Xun, on the other hand, entered as a crazed assassin, a threat to the Emperor’s life, and was forcibly brought in by the palace guards.
A new top scholar was appointed every three years, but only Zhou Xun had dared to attempt the audacious act of assassinating the Emperor during a royal banquet. In this regard, he was truly unique.
Throughout his life, Zhou Xun had constantly tried to accommodate and adapt. He had even changed his name to incorporate the character “Xun,” hoping it would help him find favor with his older brother, Zhou Cai. Yet, in the end, it was his brother who betrayed him, leading him into this abyss. Nevertheless, in his final moments, Zhou Xun had managed to outwit his brother.
Thinking about this, Zhou Xun couldn’t help but feel a sense of dark humor. He twitched the corners of his mouth, causing pain to shoot through his bruised face.
Zhou Cai, Zhou Xun’s half-brother, had risen to fame at a young age and was truly a charismatic figure. Everyone saw him as refined and gentle, praising him for his noble character. However, few knew that at the age of nine, he had pushed his younger half-brother into a frigid lake during a poetry competition, all because the younger sibling had outperformed him in composing couplets.
After committing the act, Zhou Cai calmly returned to the crowd. Though his half-brother miraculously managed to swim back to the shore, he suffered from a high fever for over a month as a result of the ordeal, coming close to losing his life several times.
The young half-brother who knelt on the cold tiles was none other than Zhou Xun himself.
Perhaps it was by divine intervention, but Zhou Xun’s illness had inexplicably improved after the incident. Alongside the pain and sickness, etched deep in his heart, were the words his mother had cried out while holding him during his illness:
“Mother doesn’t wish for you to achieve great success, my child. Mother only wants you to grow up well. We were born to be a step behind… If you want to blame someone, blame your ill-fated life, my dear…”
At the age of six, he wiped away his mother’s tears, and from then on, he swiftly silenced his own brilliance as a child prodigy. He carefully maintained the notion of being “inferior to” his elder brother’s talents. Zhou Cai, the smiling tiger, was the renowned literary talent of Jiangzhou, admired by all, while he lived in the shadow of his brother.
He endured countless grievances without complaint. He never competed with Zhou Cai, never sought to outshine him. His only wish was to achieve success as an adult, establish his own residence, and bring his mother out, so they could live freely and contentedly.
But even this modest wish was not granted by the heavens.
The Fifth Prince was infatuated with Zhou Cai, seeing him as a shining moonbeam. Zhou Cai, however, kept his distance. The Fifth Prince was unwilling to break Zhou Cai’s wings and label him as a “male favorite.” But Zhou Cai was willing to send his own half-brother to the capital, offering the Fifth Prince his look-alike half-brother to keep him happy.
That half-brother was Zhou Xun.
Initially, the Fifth Prince treated Zhou Xun with great courtesy and wished him success in the upcoming imperial examination. Zhou Xun was unaware of Zhou Cai’s calculations and was grateful for his hospitality. He was always one to repay kindness and was determined to do so in the future.
It wasn’t until the night before the imperial examination that news of Zhou Cai’s engagement to the daughter of the Minister of Rites reached the palace.
That night, the Fifth Prince got heavily intoxicated. He pushed open the door, mistaking Zhou Xun, who was studying by lamplight, for Zhou Cai, and attempted to take advantage of him. After a fierce struggle, Zhou Xun fell into the water, enduring a night of suffering. The next day, he had to drag his ailing body to the examination hall.
Due to his illness, he collapsed in the examination hall and failed the exam. Zhou Cai, on the other hand, excelled in the same examination, achieving the top rank and earning the title of champion scholar. He basked in his success, enjoying the pleasures of life in Chang’an.
One became the champion scholar, while the other failed. Subsequently, news of Zhou Xun’s encounter with the Fifth Prince somehow became public. Zhou Xun’s father pointed at him and scolded him severely, declaring his intention to disown this unfilial son. His mother knelt in front of the family altar, knocking her head against the ground, begging for leniency on his behalf.
It was at this moment that the newly crowned champion scholar, Zhou Cai, stepped forward. He said that since the die was cast, it might be better to offer his younger brother to the Fifth Prince, as it would be a way to help him.
After that, Zhou Xun was taken to the Fifth Prince’s residence. The Fifth Prince felt guilty, and the entire Zhou family moved to the capital. Zhou Cai entered the Hanlin Academy, and the daughter of the Minister of Rites married into the Zhou family. Everyone in the Zhou household was joyful, except for Zhou Xun.
He had become the “object” in the phrase “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” The Fifth Prince would look at his face, mention Zhou Cai’s name, and make him imitate Zhou Cai’s appearance, turning him into a living puppet in the Fifth Prince’s mansion. He attempted to escape several times, but the Fifth Prince always captured him and brought him back.
He tried drowning himself several times, attempted hanging himself several times. Fate had cruelly marked him for despair, yet it repeatedly allowed him to survive. After his fifth suicide attempt, sitting on his bed, touching the scars on his neck, and gazing at the fresh snow outside the window, he made a resolute decision.
He would seek revenge.
He feigned submission and, under the pretense of missing his older brother, persuaded the Fifth Prince to take him to the New Year’s Palace Banquet. In the eyes of the Fifth Prince, Zhou Cai was so wonderful; how could anyone not like him? Even Zhou Xun, who played the role of his substitute and missed his gentle and affectionate older brother, was acting perfectly normal.
At the palace banquet, Zhou Xun saw Zhou Cai. He stood beside the Emperor, charming and amiable. The Emperor also treated him kindly. Zhou Cai was now a prominent figure by the Emperor’s side, while Zhou Xun had nothing except being his doppelgänger. This scene made him acutely aware of the absurdity of life and sharpened his resolve.
The Fifth Prince raised his cup, his expression melancholic. Zhou Xun seized this opportunity to request a legitimate identity.
Naturally, the Fifth Prince would deem Zhou Xun unworthy. But Zhou Xun didn’t care; he simply said, “Otherwise, my kind-hearted brother will be heartbroken for me. You wouldn’t want him to be sad, would you?”
Zhou Xun’s path of revenge took another step. He wore a smile on his face while his heart whispered:
“See, as long as we act in Zhou Cai’s name, everything can be so easy, right?”
Later, the Fifth Prince took him to another palace banquet, probably thinking that he had finally stopped causing trouble, and his attitude toward him improved.
As a “reward” for this kindness, during the palace banquet, in front of everyone, Zhou Xun attempted to assassinate the Emperor.
Assassinating the Emperor was a grave crime that led to the execution of nine generations of one’s family. No one understood this better than Zhou Xun, who was immersed in pain.
— How can a mere ant shake a towering tree?
— Of course, by striking it with lightning!
He intended to bear the crime of regicide and, in doing so, take down the Fifth Prince’s residence, the Zhou family, and all those who had destroyed his destiny and dignity…
With him, they would all go to hell!
Zhou Xun did not succeed, but the purpose of assassinating the Emperor had been achieved. When he was dragged out of the palace, his mouth was filled with blood, and his face was expressionless.
It had been a ludicrous and absurd life. If his life were a script, he would undoubtedly be the miserable cannon fodder with a detestable appearance. What was worth rejoicing in was that he had no regrets for his self-destructive actions.
The Imperial Guards quickly investigated the true reason behind his attempt to assassinate the Emperor, although the motive was so absurd that it left them baffled. After all, who in their right mind would attempt to assassinate the Emperor with the intention of bringing down the punishment of nine generations of their family? In this day and age, even in fictional tales, such a plot was seldom dared to be written.
In theory, this matter should have been concluded at this point – those who needed to be executed should be executed, and those who needed to be punished should be punished. However, before the Imperial Guards could submit the case, word came from the Emperor, who had just regained consciousness from his coma: he wanted the assassin to be brought to him for a personal interrogation.
On the way there, Zhou Xun closed his ears to block out the words, but he couldn’t help overhearing some snippets of conversation. Before he was ushered into the Imperial study, he overheard a young palace maid whispering that the Emperor had changed somewhat in his speech after waking up. However, the Emperor had always been eccentric, often making startling decisions, so it didn’t seem too unusual.
The Emperor was known for his capricious temper, sometimes even showing cruelty. Considering his fate was sealed once he fell into the Emperor’s hands, Zhou Xun had a pretty good idea of what awaited him. But he was already a condemned man, and he had achieved his goal of implicating Zhou Cai, so he had little curiosity left.
As Zhou Xun was brought in, he also overheard hushed conversations among the guards who had escorted him:
“This man’s fate is going to be gruesome…”
“Even if the Emperor favors Zhou Cai, this time…”
“The situation with Zhou Cai may still have some variables, but this criminal… the Emperor might flay him alive!”
The whispered voices were shut out beyond the door, and Zhou Xun withdrew from his thoughts. He knelt on the floor and heard footsteps approaching.
He didn’t lift his head, keeping his gaze lowered, and saw a pair of feet stop in front of him.
This was the Emperor.
… How would the Emperor torture him? Zhou Xun thought apathetically, his eyes fixed on the patterns on the floor as he waited for the Emperor to speak.
The Emperor’s voice resonated from above his head.
“Oh, this is the assassin, isn’t it? Doesn’t look very robust,” the Emperor remarked.
Zhou Xun: ?
The Emperor’s tone was not the expected anger of the masses, but rather… curiosity?
“Don’t keep your head down; let him raise his head to look at Us,” the Emperor ordered.
Zhou Xun lifted his head.
Seated in a wooden chair was the Emperor he had attacked. He had been unconscious for a while after the palace banquet and had only recently awakened. The handsome man was dressed in imperial robes and examined him closely.
When he raised his head, the Emperor seemed slightly surprised and mumbled something under his breath.
Zhou Xun, whose hearing was extraordinary from a young age, caught that sentence.
“Wow, even more handsome than a movie star.”
Movie star? What was that?
Zhou Xun was slightly puzzled.
…This Emperor didn’t seem like the one from the rumors.
After a while, the Emperor cleared his throat and slapped the table with his palm. “You’ve got quite the courage, you know? Do you even understand the crime of attempting regicide? You know it’s a crime punishable by the execution of nine generations, right? When the Fifth Prince brought you to the palace banquet, why did you…”
“The Fifth Prince” were the three words that once again triggered a nerve in Zhou Xun.
The tragedy of his life had all originated from them.
“Hehe,” he laughed coldly. “For those with power and status, they can’t avoid such troubles, can they?”
The study fell into silence. The Emperor blinked in apparent surprise at Zhou Xun’s response.
The silence lingered for a while, and the Emperor composed himself, then asked again, “Why did you try to assassinate me… Myself?”
Why did he attempt to assassinate the Emperor?
Zhou Xun reflected on his life lived in shadows. A life of silence, a life of submission, ultimately ending up in this situation.
Even if he hadn’t attempted to assassinate the Emperor, accepting his own fate, he would have quietly perished in the shadows.
“…One must either speak up from within the silence or perish within it,” he finally replied.
The Emperor: …
The Emperor remained silent for an even longer time than before, and Zhou Xun, once again, fell into his own memories in silence.
The Emperor then asked, “Do you have nothing else to say? Perhaps, could you analyze your thought process for Us?”
The Emperor’s question sounded peculiar, and Zhou Xun looked up at him, offering a bitter smile for no apparent reason.
“The sorrows and joys of humanity do not align. Even if I were to lay bare my sorrows and joys for Your Majesty, Your Majesty would only find me noisy,” he said. “The Emperor need not be concerned with the past of a mere criminal; simply follow the law and pass judgment.”
The Emperor: …
The Emperor fell silent once again and after a while, he asked, “Do you know the fate of one who attempts to assassinate the Emperor?”
“It’s not much more than the execution of nine generations, and perhaps something else…” Zhou Xun chuckled. “I’ve always been inclined to speculate about others with the worst possible intentions.”
Because his life had been filled with malice.
He laughed softly to himself in his mind.
The Emperor remained silent once more.
“Who taught you to attempt to assassinate me?” the Emperor asked. “How did you even come up with the idea…”
Zhou Xun smiled wryly. “Perhaps it came to me while thinking about the assassination of King Zheng by Jing Ke.”
The Emperor: …
“Have you ever considered the outcome of such an attempt? A person’s death is like the extinguishing of a lamp…”
“I’ve heard a saying, and with a little modification, it fits here quite well,” Zhou Xun replied. “In life, we bring nothing with us, and in death, we take nothing away. When people die, it’s like waving a sleeve and not taking away a single cloud.”
This time, the Emperor’s silence lingered for a very long time.
“Leave us,” he suddenly ordered his guards.
“Your Majesty!”
The Imperial Guards were shocked. The Emperor seemed both irritated and excited, scratching his head before ultimately dismissing his own proposal. Finally, he approached Zhou Xun, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, “Odd change or even constancy?”
Zhou Xun: ?
Zhou Xun looked at him inexplicably.
“Don’t play dumb, buddy,” the Emperor tapped his nose lightly and whispered very softly, “You’re from the same world, aren’t you? We’re both outsiders, right?”
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