After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 12

The two met like a scene from a dream under the golden wind and sparkling dew. The Prince plucked a peach blossom and handed it to Zhou Cai, saying, “You truly live up to the title of a talented scholar.”

 

He continued, “White attire paired with peach blossoms is most beautiful.”

 

The Fifth Prince’s residence also had many peach trees. When the Prince visited Zhou Xun’s courtyard, he avoided contact with Zhou Xun but often found himself gazing at the peach blossoms in a trance.

 

Eventually, Zhou Xun accidentally broke off a branch of peach blossoms, and the Fifth Prince witnessed it. He promptly swatted Zhou Xun’s hand away, saying, “How dare you touch these flowers? These flowers are… they are…”

 

“Like you,” Zhou Xun sneered, “both infatuated with the same ‘object.'”

 

The Fifth Prince’s face stiffened, his words turning icy. He spoke coldly, “At least you know.”

 

With that, he left, and Zhou Xun sat in the dimly lit room, absentmindedly playing with his cup.

 

…

 

Zhou Cai liked peach blossoms; he admired their festive and radiant beauty. Peach blossoms were associated with good times, and he always seemed to live in good times.

 

Originally, plum trees were planted outside the imperial study, as it was known that the late Emperor’s favorite concubine had a fondness for plums.

 

Zhou Cai commented that plums had a mournful quality that was too pronounced, so the Emperor casually switched them to peach trees.

 

Peach blossoms heralded the arrival of spring, but they were not Zhou Xun’s.

 

Zhou Xun gazed at the peach blossoms for a long time. Behind him, the Emperor’s voice sounded, “What are you looking at?”

 

Zhou Xun turned and the Emperor continued, “Are these jujube trees? These jujube flowers really resemble peach blossoms…”

 

Who would plant jujube trees in the palace? Zhou Xun was a bit speechless.

 

The Emperor continued, “So many flowers; they must yield a lot of peaches in the autumn, right?”

 

“Jujube trees do not bear peaches,” Zhou Xun replied.

 

The Emperor said, “Oh, then it’s not very cost-effective. It would be better to replace them with jujube trees, which can produce jujube fruits.”

 

Zhou Xun remembered that during his time at the Prince’s residence under the guise of being Zhou Cai’s younger brother, he had been in the Prince’s home during the peak season for peach blossoms. The Prince had treated him with courtesy, occasionally engaging in casual conversations.

 

The Prince was amazed by Zhou Xun’s talent, praising him for his scholarly demeanor and acknowledging that he truly lived up to the name of Zhou Cai’s brother. Zhou Xun, accustomed to praise from a young age, was taken aback, only able to respond with modesty, saying that the Prince’s praise was unwarranted.

 

In the Prince’s residence, there were many peach trees. The two strolled through the peach grove, conversing, dressed in green and purple attire, and found themselves quite compatible. As they reached the end of the grove, Zhou Xun asked the Prince, “With so many peach trees, you’ll yield plenty of peaches in autumn, right?”

 

It seemed that Zhou Xun had made the Prince chuckle, who replied, “These are ornamental green peaches, not fruit-bearing peach trees. They cannot produce peaches.”

 

Seventeen-year-old Zhou Xun felt somewhat embarrassed, wondering why he had said something so silly. The Prince continued, speaking as they walked, “Zhou Cai said you were a bookish introvert, but after these few days, I’ve realized you’re rather interesting. When the autumn tribute from Yuhua arrives, we’ll collect several dozen of the finest water honey peaches and send them to the Zhou family since you seem to like peaches.”

 

Zhou Xun replied, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

 

Zhou Xun continued to walk with his head down. The Prince pushed aside a branch of peach blossoms that blocked their path, saying, “We’ll send more than a dozen directly to your courtyard, so you don’t have to share them with others… Acai?”

 

He moved the blossom aside, revealing Zhou Cai at the end of the peach grove, dressed in white, who was smiling at the two of them.

 

“Your Highness,” Zhou Cai nodded to the Fifth Prince and then turned to look at Zhou Xun.

 

“Axun.”

 

…

 

Zhou Xun waited for those peaches, but in the end, he did not receive the peaches he was waiting for. Instead, he faced the Prince, drunk and storming into his room, followed by an accident and a severe illness. He faced the disaster that ruined his entire life.

 

“…In this world, having flowers does not necessarily lead to having fruits,” he murmured while caressing the prickly branches of the peach tree.

 

Just as he had spent seventeen years waiting in the Zhou household and had not yet achieved a good outcome.

 

He felt somewhat disheartened.

 

The Emperor exclaimed, “A brilliant insight, Mr. Zhou!”

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

The Emperor continued, “Indeed, it is true that having only flowers is not enough. Pollination must occur, with pollen from the anther uniting with the stigma and reproductive cells to achieve the process of fruiting.”

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

The Emperor added, “Although peach blossoms are hermaphroditic flowers, they still rely on cross-pollination through bees and natural wind to complete the process. Therefore, to achieve results, besides having flowers, you also need to utilize the assistance of bees and the wind, which is what you referred to as the ‘strange…’

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

The Emperor: “The ‘strange…’? I can’t remember that word, but you were implying that to deal with the situation in the West Isles, it’s not enough to simply list good policies. We also need to use the power of bees and the wind, just like Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War,’ in the section about exploiting advantages.”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

Zhou Xun, residing in ancient times, was clearly unaware of the term “weird brain,” otherwise, he might have thrown that word right in the Emperor’s face. The Emperor continued, “Are you all right, Mr. Zhou?”

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

“Just now, I saw the look on your face, and you seemed quite sad.”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

He had thought that the Emperor hadn’t noticed his sadness, so he pursed his lips and replied, “I’m fine.”

 

“Oh, then I’m going to the meeting,” the Emperor nodded and didn’t inquire further. “You should take a rest. Little Li, you’ll come with me, Little Deng…”

 

Little Deng arrived, saying, “Here I am, Your Highness.”

 

The Emperor instructed, “Fetch a few cups of health-boosting hot water for Mr. Zhou. Mr. Zhou, please drink more hot water.”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

After the Emperor hurriedly left, Zhou Xun remained alone in the side hall of the study. He felt a sense of restlessness.

 

After sitting in the side hall for quite some time, he decided it would be best to go out for a walk. Staying cooped up in his room would only lead to more rumination.

 

As Zhou Xun was about to stand up, he heard a commotion outside the wall.

 

“Hurry up! Quicker!”

 

“This one… and this one, use them all.”

 

“It’s here, it’s here, all these… use them all?”

 

“Use them all.”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

Could it be that someone else was about to get “arubed”? And with so many trees and people involved?

 

An odd scene played out in Zhou Xun’s mind: a whole street, a whole grove of trees, a whole “aruba,” and Little Li screaming…

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

He couldn’t let his mind wander, as it would be undignified.

 

Stepping out of the side hall, he was startled to see several baskets of peaches being brought in.

 

Peaches?

 

So many baskets… of peaches?

 

“Put them all up, all of them,” a eunuch dressed in black silk directed the others to hang the peaches on the trees. Seeing Zhou Xun standing nearby, he immediately showed respect and said, “Master Zhou.”

 

“What’s all this?”

 

“These are the Emperor’s orders to have us hang them,” the eunuch explained.

 

Zhou Xun stood outside the peach grove, silently observing the bustling scene created by the eunuchs. Honestly, the situation appeared rather comical.

 

The Emperor had ordered… to hang peaches on the trees.

 

The peach trees, filled with leaves, blossoms, and now fruit. The fruit followed the Emperor’s aesthetic, each one round and plump, resembling chubby babies. With the gentle breeze of late spring, the peaches swayed gently, almost like a dream.

 

Zhou Xun chuckled softly, shaking his head.

 

He then lowered his gaze.

 

If he didn’t lower his gaze, his eyes would start to well up.

 

“Although many things in this world may not yield fruit even if they have flowers, it’s ultimately up to people,” the eunuch mimicked the Emperor’s tone, “As long as someone is willing, even on the peach trees of late spring, they can be filled with peaches—provided someone cares about these trees and is willing to make the effort for them.”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

The eunuch continued imitating the Emperor’s voice, “This… Mr. Zhou, what is subjective initiative? What does it mean?”

 

“Subjective initiative means… things depend on human actions,” Zhou Xun said, “It means…”

 

It means that someone put a lot of peaches on the tree, and that someone else was kept deep in their heart.

 

Zhou Xun clenched his hand beneath his sleeve, then released it, and clenched it again.

 

Many times.

 

“Master Zhou,” the eunuch’s voice spoke softly, “The Imperial Council’s meeting hall is to the right after leaving.”

 

Zhou Xun raised his eyes.

 

The eunuch continued, “The Emperor is waiting for you there.”

 

“Why?”

 

“That’s the plan you and he co-authored,” Little Li chuckled. “That’s the glory you share with him.”

 

“He said that?” Zhou Xun asked.

 

He then chuckled to himself.

 

“He said that.”

 

…

 

The building where the Imperial Council met was located in the eastern part of the palace, adjacent to the study, so it wasn’t far away. When Zhou Xun entered the meeting hall, discussions were already in full swing.

 

Zhou Xun was dressed today in a pale blue middle garment with a white outer robe, which was intricately embroidered with crane and cloud patterns in extremely light gold and silver threads. As he stood outside the meeting hall, the first voice he heard was that of Grand Scholar Gu: “I believe that Zhou Cai’s plan is excellent.”

 

From behind the layers of tree shadows, Zhou Xun saw the Emperor shaking his head and said, “Addressing the symptoms without addressing the root causes, can that be praised?”

 

“But…”

 

“But what?” The Emperor waved his hand impatiently. “Since Grand Scholar Gu is so full of ideas, how about we send you to the Westlands? You can lead the political affairs of the Westlands for the next ten years. As for the other ministers, if any of you wish to go, raise your hands.”

 

The Emperor’s stern words silenced everyone in the room. Grand Scholar Gu wiped his sweat, bowing nervously, “Your Majesty, please forgive me. I… I dare not…”

 

“I see you’re quite audacious. You even dared to argue with me, and now you say there’s something you dare not do.” The Emperor looked at him with a smirk that wasn’t really a smile. “I’m not an autocratic ruler. If you genuinely have ideas, I’m very welcoming. Of course, I’ll consider your advice. However, Grand Scholar Gu, at other times you remain silent but you’re continuously nodding in agreement with Minister Zhou’s suggestions, and yet, your support isn’t making any sense. It’s making me somewhat suspicious…”

 

Private collusion among the cabinet ministers was a serious crime, and Grand Scholar Gu turned pale. He immediately knelt and said, “Your servant… Your servant really…”

 

“Don’t be so guilty, little Fu-zi, help Grand Scholar Gu up,” the Emperor chuckled. Although he appeared to be laughing, there was a strong sense of intimidation in his laughter that made everyone avoid eye contact.

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

So the Emperor has this side as well?

 

Grand Scholar Gu was trembling as he was helped to his feet. The Emperor casually blew on his teacup and continued, “I came across a great line in a foreign language while perusing the documents earlier. I’d like to share it with all of you.”

 

The Prime Minister said, “Please enlighten us, Your Majesty.”

 

The Emperor said, “U can U up, no can no BB. Understand?”