After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 115

Zhou Xun sat in his Zhuyu Hall and suddenly shivered.

Since the day he returned from the Duke’s residence, he had been feeling unsettled. The face of the woman in the gray cloak he saw that day had been lingering in his mind, like a beautiful dream, yet also a nightmare.

“Time to eat, time to eat, let’s get started!” Lively voices came from outside, and through the bamboo curtain that separated the inside from the outside, the emperor’s face appeared, “Hot pot, do you want some? In this cold winter, it’s great to warm up!”

Only then did Zhou Xun pull himself out of his tangled thoughts.

The busiest first three days of the first month were over, and on the fourth day, the emperor began visiting Zhou Xun’s house again. Early in the morning, when Zhou Xun opened the door, he saw the emperor standing imposingly by the door. Seeing Zhou Xun opening the door, the emperor clapped his hands and said, “February weather is like a stepmother’s face, it’s so cold in the winter! I brought some mutton, a copper pot, some shaojiu, peanut sauce, sesame paste, and cilantro, let’s have a meal and chat, it’ll be like heaven…”

Then Zhou Xun watched a sheep being carried into his residence. As it was brought in, the sheep bleated desperately on the wooden stick, looking at Zhou Xun with eyes that seemed to see its fate… Zhou Xun was dumbfounded, while the emperor, standing beside him, patted his shoulder and said, “I picked this half-fat, half-lean, prettiest one. It looks so good, it must taste great! We’ll slaughter it in your kitchen, fresh as it gets! We’ll eat the tenderest part and leave the rest for Xiao Li! Everyone on the way here was watching us, clearly, they’ve never seen such a grand gesture…”

Xiao Li, nodding vigorously beside him, epitomized the phrase “bowing and scraping.” Zhou Xun silently watched them, and all his melancholic thoughts were dispersed by this scene.

Xiao Li went to oversee the slaughtering, while the emperor pushed Zhou Xun into the study, urging him to use the time to review intensively.

“I got you a gift,” the emperor said, having someone bring in a stack of books, “I had the Hanlin Academy write them: Five Years of Imperial Exams, Three Years of Simulated Exams, Huanggang Secret Papers. Consider it a New Year’s gift!”

Zhou Xun: …

Zhou Xun sat at the table, and the soup in the pot had started to boil, with paper-thin slices of mutton swirling inside. He finished this lively meal, with the emperor beside him picking up pieces of mutton for him and asking, “The imperial exams are next month. If you need anything, just let me know, I’ll get it for you. However…”

Zhou Xun: ?

“I can’t reveal the exam papers,” the emperor said solemnly, “I’m a fair emperor.”

Zhou Xun: “Pfft.”

Zhou Xun remained composed throughout the day, his reactions normal, and any occasional weariness was assumed by the emperor to be the result of long days of studying, evident in his dark circles. After the meal, the emperor sensibly refrained from disturbing Zhou Xun’s intense preparation for the imperial exams. He patted Zhou Xun’s shoulder and said, “Stay home and study well. After the ninth day of next month, I expect good news from you!”

Zhou Xun smiled, waved goodbye at the door, and watched the emperor leave.

Returning to the study, Zhou Xun leaned against the wall, thinking slowly. How could he tell the emperor?

What should he say? Hey friend, I saw my master and Princess Fucang having a private meeting at the Duke’s residence? They met in the most secluded corner, in a courtyard that seems related to the Northern Wei? During their meeting, I saw someone suspiciously eavesdropping, possibly a spy? I chased after them and found they looked like my mother? Given my mother’s remains were never found after the landslide, only her burial clothes were left, I seriously suspect she survived? Yet, she didn’t recognize me and I suspect she’s involved in some illicit activities recently?

These thoughts were not only baseless but would sound ridiculous if spoken aloud.

He felt he was being drawn into another world again—a world more complex than mutton hot pot, the sheep that saw its fate, or the jovial emperor. Zhou Xun returned to his bedroom and took out something from a box under the bed.

It was something he had found at the Zhou residence, his mother’s jade pendant.

The intricately carved box didn’t hold much, just a jade pendant and the hairpin the emperor gave him, a bit like buying a box for the gem inside. He looked at the jade pendant, then at the hairpin, and finally sighed.

“Focus on the exams first,” he told himself, “Deal with it after the exams.”

Zhou Xun shut out the world, concentrating on his studies until the end of the month. As the days of the spring exams approached, his once nervous mind grew increasingly calm.

Meanwhile, the emperor grew more anxious. The entire Imperial Medical Bureau seemed like an expert team, ready to consult outside Zhou Xun’s residence at any time. Although busy himself, the emperor managed to send people three times a day to check on Zhou Xun’s wellbeing, fearing that an illness might hinder his performance.

“You failed last time because you were sick,” the emperor said seriously, “This time, that must not happen!”

This remark reminded Zhou Xun of his previous spring exam, and of the cold lake water at the prince’s residence that night. Yet, thinking of these once despairing memories no longer stirred any emotion. He simply smiled and said, “Things are different now.”

He no longer thought of Zhou Cai, far away on the border, or Rong Fen at the prince’s residence. How they fared was no longer his concern.

The emperor said, “Hmm, I’ll send some ginseng and walnuts over to boost your brainpower?”

By February, the two met less frequently—after all, they had to avoid suspicion. On February 9th, with a light rain falling, Zhou Xun stepped into the examination hall.

As he held his umbrella and entered the examination hall again, Zhou Xun found himself surprisingly calm. The row of willows outside the hall was so familiar, etched in his dreams countless times. To avoid suspicion, the emperor naturally did not come today. Zhou Xun, carrying his provisions for the next few days and holding his umbrella, passed the identity verification and was led by an official to his assigned room.

During the verification process, Zhou Xun saw Yan Jia—he was different from the boy Zhou Xun had seen months ago. Yan Jia’s face was cold, and he remained silent, as if he had aged several years in just a few months.

As they passed each other, Zhou Xun heard him say in a low voice, “Zhou Xun, I will surpass you.”

Zhou Xun turned his face.

The next person he saw was Li Miao. Li Miao spotted Zhou Xun from afar and, thinking Zhou Xun was looking back at him, immediately put on an aggressive posture.

Zhou Xun: …

He turned his face back and finally said to Yan Jia, “Alright, do your best.”

Yan Jia: ………

Along the way, Zhou Xun saw other candidates being led by officials. However, for some reason, he kept hearing these scholars’ voices rising and falling with praise.

“The emperor truly cares for us!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty!”

“Working 996 for the country and the court is a blessing for every scholar!”

Zhou Xun: ??

“Mr. Zhou,” the official said politely, “your cubicle is here.”

… As soon as he entered the small room, Zhou Xun was nearly blinded by the scene inside.

“What is this…” Zhou Xun asked the official who had led him.

“The emperor cares for the candidates. Since last year, he has renovated the Examination Hall. Each room now has a newly installed washroom cubicle and new mechanisms invented by the Qianji Camp,” the official said, giving Zhou Xun a thumbs up. “Maintain exam integrity, enforce discipline, stay motivated, and perform well!”

Zhou Xun: …

It seems the emperor must have started these renovations since Zhou Xun mentioned he would take the spring exams last year.

Zhou Xun felt a warm sensation in his heart.

The first session of the three-day exam soon ended. Then came the second session, the third session… On February 18th, Zhou Xun stepped out of the exam hall.

As soon as he exited, the bright sky he hadn’t seen in a long time dazzled him. The exit was crowded, and Zhou Xun shielded his face with his sleeve, slowly making his way through the throng. He hadn’t taken many steps when someone grabbed his wrist.

Zhou Xun: ?

He didn’t struggle, letting the masked man lead him out of the crowd and into a carriage. Inside the carriage, the emperor took off his mask, smiling happily, “You’re done with the exam!”

Zhou Xun nodded, and the emperor became even happier, “How did it go? How do you feel?”

“Not bad,” Zhou Xun said.

The emperor: “Great, I’m sure you’ll come out on top.”

“Your Majesty has such confidence in me?” Zhou Xun asked.

“When I took the college entrance exam, I miscalculated the last big question in physics and told my classmates I bombed the exam when I came out,” the emperor said, “Then the results came out…”

Zhou Xun: ?

The emperor: “I scored 290 in science, but unfortunately, my Chinese was too poor. I went off-topic in the essay. Ahem… Since you said you did okay, I’m sure you’ll be the top scorer.”

Zhou Xun said, “Your Majesty, be careful not to jinx it.”

“Dragon Ao Tian never gets jinxed,” the emperor snorted, “Do you want to…”

Before he could finish, they both heard the simultaneous sound of their stomachs growling. After a brief silence, Zhou Xun chuckled and said, “Let’s go eat first.”

The emperor scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, “Well… I came here early and forgot to eat.”

They weren’t picky and found a random restaurant to sit down and eat. This place wasn’t far from the Examination Hall, and most of the patrons were this year’s candidates. After finishing his meal, Zhou Xun got into the carriage with the emperor. But just as he lifted the curtain, he heard a voice behind him, “Is that Young Master Zhou up ahead… Zhou Xun?”

The voice carried a hint of hesitation. Zhou Xun turned back to see a somewhat simple-looking young man dressed as a scholar, gazing at him. The man’s face seemed somewhat familiar. When Zhou Xun turned around, the man smiled brightly and said, “Is it really you? It’s me!”

Zhou Xun said, “You are…”

“It’s me, I’m Tu Run!” The man pointed at himself excitedly, “We were classmates back in the countryside school in Jiangzhou, don’t you remember me?”

Zhou Xun then remembered his old classmate—back when he was not favored by the Zhou family and was sent to a countryside school, this was a friend he had played well with. He said happily, “It’s you? Long time no see…”

The emperor poked his head out of the carriage, “Who is it?”

Zhou Xun pulled Tu Run over and briefly introduced him. Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, Tu Run was also very happy. He asked Zhou Xun, “Brother Xun, is this your friend?”

The emperor glanced at him and introduced himself, “My surname is Cha. You can call me Young Master Cha.”

He whispered to the bodyguard beside him, “Check if this Run Tu… no, Tu Run brother has any hidden weapons for assassination.”

Author’s note:

Emperor: ?? Are you trying to assassinate me?