After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 108

**Chapter 108: The Moonlight Tonight is Truly Beautiful**

 

“Damn,” the emperor said beside Zhou Xun, “the Zhou family is quite impressive, playing these tricks?”

 

The Zhou family certainly treated the majestic hall as their own stage.

 

Zhou’s father, holding a rattan cane, began to clear the family name. The crowd murmured in awe, even knowing the emperor was present, they couldn’t help but whisper.

 

“That’s quite a severe punishment.”

 

“Is the Zhou family really trying to uphold their family discipline like this?”

 

“Zhou Hong is their legitimate son. If it’s for show, the punishment is indeed harsh.”

 

Regardless, they were still shaken by the Zhou family’s ruthless approach.

 

“Hong’er,” Zhou’s father, at the center of all discussions, looked at his young son and closed his eyes, “It’s my fault for not teaching you properly. In the next life, we’ll be father and son again, and we’ll give an explanation to the world!”

 

With that, he swung the cane. The strike was swift and harsh, leaving a bloody mark.

 

“Ah!”

 

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the hall, followed by another, and another. Zhou’s father, eyes closed, continued to beat his son. Though he heard his son’s screams, his own heart was bleeding too.

 

But his eldest son had indeed told him so. At this point, he had to act decisively to save his younger son. This was, after all, the court; he couldn’t just watch as his son was beaten to death here, could he?

 

The cries in the hall grew weaker as Zhou Hong bled profusely, and the spectators became increasingly uneasy.

 

“Are they going to beat him to death here?”

 

“It’s still flesh and blood; this is a bit…”

 

“So cruel…”

 

Amidst the growing murmurs, the previously quiet second floor finally spoke.

 

“Stop,” someone said, “Old Zhou’s love for his son is indeed sincere. I am deeply moved by this scene.”

 

The emperor spoke!!

 

Zhou’s father immediately stopped, but before he could show his “victorious” delight, the emperor’s next words came.

 

“Now it seems that banishing Zhou Hong and separating flesh and blood is a bit inhumane,” the emperor continued. “Zhou Hong is still young and prone to mistakes; we should give him a chance to correct himself.”

 

“It seems Zhou family’s discipline is strict, Zhou’s father is harsh, and Zhou Cai is a top-notch talent. It’s most suitable for you to guide Zhou Hong towards goodness.”

 

Zhou’s father’s face immediately showed joy.

 

He was spared!

 

On the other hand, Zhou Cai, who had initially intended to use this as an opportunity to expel Zhou Hong from the Zhou family and sever ties, was displeased.

 

His face darkened at this moment.

 

He had hoped to use this opportunity to rid himself of Zhou Hong and establish clear boundaries, but unexpectedly, the emperor’s words implied that Zhou Hong was to stay!

 

The emperor’s mercy surpassed his expectations.

 

But the emperor had more to say.

 

“In that case, you should go to the northwest with Zhou Hong,” the emperor said. “As a family, it’s best to stay together.”

 

Zhou’s father: ??

 

Zhou Hong: ??

 

Previously regretful Zhou Cai: ??

 

The crowd: ??

 

“Thus it is decided. Prepare immediately. Zhou Hong will be exiled to the northwest, Zhou’s father will accompany him, and Zhou Cai will be reassigned to the northwest,” the emperor declared. “Old Zhou’s deep affection for his son, even at the cost of his life, upholding the Zhou family’s principles, is truly touching! Even tigers don’t eat their young, yet Zhou’s father’s parental love reaches such heights, it really moves me!”

 

The previously noisy crowd fell silent. The spectators who were moved by the bloodshed were awakened by the emperor’s cold words.

 

Yes! How had they not thought of this?

 

First, this was the court. The Zhou family’s intrusion and disregard for the law, handling their son according to family rules in public, showed blatant disrespect for the emperor and the court.

 

Second, before the verdict was announced, the Zhou family had made no moves. Once the verdict was given, Zhou’s father started clearing the family name, which seemed to have some showy elements.

 

Thirdly…

 

“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you thanking the emperor?” the emperor said from the second floor. “I’ve fulfilled your father-son bond, and you can’t even say a word of thanks?”

 

Huang Shilang, who was in charge of the trial, seemed to wake up and said, “Hurry up and thank the emperor!”

 

Despite their reluctance, Zhou’s father and Zhou Hong were forced to thank the emperor. Zhou Hong, covered in injuries, was carried by several officials to thank the second floor.

 

Finally, only Zhou Cai remained. Standing under everyone’s gaze, Zhou Cai knelt and bowed deeply towards the second floor.

 

“I thank the emperor,” he said softly.

 

“Good, good, everyone is happy!” The emperor clapped joyfully. To those around him, he whispered, “We’ve had enough of the excitement for today. Shall we go and continue our fun?”

 

The tumultuous Zhou family case concluded with the entire Zhou family being expelled from the capital. Even the most antagonistic political rivals of Zhou Cai did not anticipate such an outcome. Initially, they had only hoped to remove Zhou Hong and demote Zhou Cai by one rank.

 

But who would have thought that not only was Zhou Hong expelled, but Zhou’s father was also banished, and Zhou Cai was reassigned out of the capital as well.

 

In the end, it could only be blamed on the Zhou family’s own dramatics. The emperor’s official reason was that he was moved by the Zhou family’s “deep father-son bond” and was reluctant to separate flesh and blood, thus reuniting the entire Zhou family at the frontier.

 

Meanwhile, Zhou Xun and the emperor were dining in a restaurant. Before they had finished their meal, someone came to report that the Lu family mother and son wished to see them.

 

Presumably, they were coming to address the series of blunders in the courtroom earlier. Zhou Xun considered it and decided to let them in.

 

Madame Lu, guided by Lu Bin, came in with a face full of remorse, continuously apologizing, criticizing herself for her stupidity and poor judgment, almost ruining everything. Zhou Xun listened calmly and shook his head, saying, “It’s fine. I helped you mainly to ease my own mind.”

 

“Master Zhou, I really want to repay you,” Madame Lu said regretfully. “I always thought that officials and nobility like you only used us as a tool against the Zhou family, and that your help was not sincere. As a pair of orphans, we had nothing to rely on. I just wanted to seize any opportunity I could. But I’m not good at anything, and in trying to repay my benefactor, I ended up giving thanks to the wrong person. I really…”

 

Zhou Xun said, “Just take care of yourself and Lu Bin. You don’t need to worry about my matters.”

 

“It’s enough for me to worry about Zhou Xun’s affairs,” the emperor seemed somewhat impatient. “Oh, just relax. Everything is settled, so let’s move on!”

 

With a final decision, the emperor gave Lu Bin a cryptic smile.

 

“Instead of focusing on these small matters, you should think more about how to accomplish the tasks I’ve assigned to you,” he said coldly.

 

Madame Lu and her son left the restaurant. Lu Bin was preoccupied with thoughts about the emperor, while Madame Lu, sitting beside him, felt her eyes growing moist.

 

She thought to herself, I’m really useless!

 

She was greedy, foolish, stubborn, short-sighted, and too trusting of others. But at this moment, she wished she could do something for Zhou Xun, something to make up for the trouble she had caused him.

 

But as an old, useless woman, what could she possibly do to help Lord Zhou?

 

She couldn’t do anything.

 

With tears in her eyes, Madame Lu returned to her residence. That night, she unusually didn’t think about the Zhou family’s fate or her own plans. She simply thought about what she could do to help her son and what actions she could take.

 

She needed to think longer, more deeply. She knew that someone like her, with so little ability, had to think a lot about how to be of help.

 

In the restaurant, after they had left, Zhou Xun asked the emperor with curiosity, “What were you having Lu Bin think about?”

 

The emperor replied, “I don’t know.”

 

Zhou Xun asked, “Huh??”

 

“I always felt that someone like Lu Bin would have some special plans in mind… Well,” the emperor scratched his head, “Actually, I don’t know why, but since I came here…”

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

The emperor continued, “I always feel like I don’t need to say anything myself. Others will handle things through their own imagination.”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

The emperor said, “So I try to give others room for imagination. And think about it.”

 

He picked up some food for Zhou Xun and said, “After what just happened, Lu Bin must feel very awkward. It’s perfect to give him more tasks to think about, so he won’t have time to be melancholic, right?”

 

Zhou Xun: “… You’re quite clever.”

 

He continued eating, while the emperor muttered, “Actually, I really wanted to scold that Madame Lu earlier, what a complete idiot. It really pissed me off. But then I thought, she’s just an old lady. As a young and strong guy, it feels a bit inappropriate to scold an elderly woman.”

 

“It’s also due to her limited understanding. Scolding her doesn’t make much sense. In the end, the real culprit is the Zhou family,” Zhou Xun said.

 

“This time, I finally found a suitable excuse to expel the entire Zhou family,” the emperor said with satisfaction. “Out of sight, out of mind. Just right for you to focus on your exams without them parading around in front of you for a year.”

 

With that, he patted Zhou Xun’s hand and said, “Now you have nothing more to worry about. Let’s concentrate on the exam, and after you finish, I’ll…”

 

“Do what?” Zhou Xun asked.

 

The emperor thought for a moment and had a sudden idea, “Bring the entire Zhou family back!”

 

Zhou Xun: “… Huh?”

 

“Pack them up and bring them back to stir up trouble,” the emperor said with pride. “As a tyrant, this is how we get our revenge!”

 

Seeing him so confident, pointing to his chest, Zhou Xun couldn’t help but laugh, his eyes curving like crescent moons.

 

The emperor noticed Zhou Xun’s eyes curving and smiled back.

 

“Let’s go watch a play later. The theater is quite close; we can walk there,” the emperor said. “By the way, why did Old Shen leave?”

 

“Perhaps he saw you and felt reassured, so he went back.”

 

The emperor asked, “Huh?? Is this like a father-in-law seeing his son-in-law… no, son-in-law?”

 

“What are you thinking?” Zhou Xun was a bit annoyed. “He came to see you, the emperor who has changed his temperament so drastically.”

 

The emperor said, “Oh.”

 

“He saw you and felt reassured, so he left,” Zhou Xun explained.

 

The emperor asked, “He feels reassured by me?”

 

Zhou Xun replied, “Yes.”

 

They walked quietly towards the theater. On both sides of the road, ginkgo trees stood, their golden leaves trembling in the wind. With each step they took, the leaves on the trees quivered.

 

They walked for a long time. At first, the emperor spoke occasionally, but then he fell silent, walking quietly for a long stretch, feeling each other’s presence with every occasional brush of their shoulders.

 

Gradually, the quiet was replaced by noise. The street ahead was decorated with lights and colors, and the theater was up ahead. The moon and the wind were obscured, and the bustling crowd appeared, tickets in hand, surging towards the theater. The theater, known for its famous performers, was always packed for every performance. Everyone with tickets would not miss this lively event.

 

“We could…” Zhou Xun heard the emperor’s low voice.

 

“Walk a bit more?” he suggested.

 

Zhou Xun agreed, “Alright.”

 

They turned back, leaving the noise behind them. The moon and wind reappeared, and they continued to walk quietly for a long time.

 

Even though their hands were sweaty from holding each other, the emperor said, “It’s nothing, just suddenly wanted to see the moon again.”

 

“The moonlight tonight is truly beautiful.”