After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 128
After helping each other all night, Zhou Xun woke up the next day.
Upon feeling the person lying beside him, Zhou Xun closed his eyes again. His eyes were a bit swollen, looking like he had cried. He felt a bit confused and also a bit annoyed because…
Last night was completely different from their first night together.
The first time, the emperor had been very gentle and careful, and also very inexperienced. The two of them fumbled under the covers, and in the end, Zhou Xun was left quite sore. Even though it was Zhou Xun who initiated things, whenever he flinched in pain or felt the slightest discomfort, the emperor would stop and comfort him. Compared to the so-called “cloud nine” happiness described in romance novels, what he felt more was the gentleness of being embraced.
But last night… even when he cried, the half-drunk emperor did not stop—instead, he kept kissing Zhou Xun’s eyes or sealing his crying lips with kisses. Although Zhou Xun had to admit that, in the end, he did feel more pleasure than the last time, just thinking about the few cries of “Brother Yu” he was forced to call out in surrender made him…
…A bit angry.
And…
Soon the emperor woke up too. They woke up almost simultaneously. Zhou Xun kept his eyes closed, listening to the emperor’s voice beside his ear: “Ah Xun?”
“Xun’er? Brother Xun? Xun Ge? Xun Kitty? Meow meow? Woof woof? Wife?”
Zhou Xun: …He actually called me a raccoon.
He made up his mind to stubbornly pretend to sleep. The emperor seemed to understand that you can’t wake someone pretending to be asleep. Shortly after, Zhou Xun felt the weight beside him lighten…
The emperor actually left?
Zhou Xun: …
When the emperor returned, he saw Zhou Xun lying under the covers, looking like someone who knew he was being unreasonable but couldn’t help sulking, with his eyes closed, pretending to sleep. The emperor scratched his head, got back on the bed, and began rolling two peeled eggs over Zhou Xun’s swollen eyes, whispering, “Don’t worry, no one will notice you cried…”
“Cut it out…”
Zhou Xun finally opened his eyes, and the emperor removed the eggs, flashing him a bright smile.
The emperor climbed onto the bed and began to rub Zhou Xun’s back through his inner clothes, as if soothing him. The red top scholar robe Zhou Xun wore was now in tatters, covered with strange marks. The emperor sheepishly said, “Well, drinking caused trouble. Are you angry? Was I too much last night?”
Zhou Xun: …
Emperor: “I thought you were enjoying it… I won’t dare do it again next time!”
Zhou Xun: …
After a while, Zhou Xun hugged his knees and said, “Why have you become so…”
Emperor: “So?”
Zhou Xun held back for a long time before he finally uttered a word: “Skilled.”
The emperor replied frankly, “Oh, after the first time, I remembered every step and detail. I reviewed it ten times in my head, summarizing all the shortcomings and proper procedures. I even simulated it in my mind many times. I also remembered all your more sensitive spots and reviewed the process…”
Zhou Xun: …
The emperor’s simple and straightforward description of this matter, claiming to have reviewed it many times… Zhou Xun nearly lost his breath, his face turning crimson.
“How do you…” After a long time, Zhou Xun hesitated, “How do you… never mind, I overthought it. I actually understand; you were drunk, and… just don’t do it again next time.”
That final “don’t do it again next time” was said softly and quietly. And after saying it, he felt… actually, the emperor didn’t really do anything wrong to him.
“You didn’t overthink.” The emperor suddenly lifted Zhou Xun’s hair and kissed the back of his neck, “I was just…”
Zhou Xun: …
Emperor: “Being a rogue to you, hehe.”
…The emperor, who Zhou Xun had always thought of as somewhat unreliable but a gentleman, had his image shattered.
…He actually “bullied” me.
Although they snuggled and kissed sweetly for a while after, Zhou Xun remained in a state of shock from having been “bullied” by the emperor until he returned to his own mansion. At the entrance of Zhou Xun’s house stood Tu Run. Zhou Xun saw him from a distance, standing there rubbing his hands.
Seeing Zhou Xun, Tu Run’s face brightened. Zhou Xun was just about to greet him when he heard Tu Run joyfully shout, “Master!”
Zhou Xun: …
He couldn’t help but laugh, “What master?”
“Now that you’ve become the top scholar, you’re a master!” Tu Run said, “I’ve also passed the exams, although it’s the lowest rank, but at least it’s an official position. In a few days, I’ll be leaving to take up my post, so I came to say goodbye today.”
Zhou Xun bid him farewell as well, giving him some parting gifts. Tu Run then said, “By the way, have you heard? Zhou Cai is going to marry the Minister of Rites’ daughter. They’re making quite a big deal of it. Minister Yan even took out a painting, saying it’s a family heirloom he recovered with great difficulty. It’s a piece by Lin Mingxi from the previous dynasty, a gift from a benefactor, so he’s keeping his promise and marrying his daughter to Zhou Cai, even though Zhou Cai has fallen on hard times…”
He went on to describe the painting at length, talking about the landscapes depicted, the painting’s history, the pavilion with black tiles in it, and added, “Zhou Cai is really lucky to have such a loyal and righteous father-in-law. But it’s a pity for Miss Yan to marry Zhou Cai and eventually return to the frontier. If it were me, I wouldn’t want my daughter to live a hard life. But with Minister Yan’s abilities, maybe Zhou Cai can stay in the capital.”
After Tu Run finished, he remembered another topic, winking and asking Zhou Xun if any princess or noble lady had taken a fancy to him. Zhou Xun laughed helplessly and told him to focus on his own future.
Finally, he saw Tu Run off. After closing the door, Zhou Xun returned to the Bamboo Language Hall. He sat in his study, took out the painting that Xiao Wu had brought back last time, and examined it carefully.
After a whole night of mutual support, Zhou Xun woke up the next day.
Upon feeling the person lying beside him, Zhou Xun closed his eyes again. His eyes were a bit swollen, showing signs of crying. He felt somewhat confused and annoyed because…
Last night was completely different from their first night together.
The first time, the emperor was very careful and gentle, and quite inexperienced. The two of them fumbled together under the covers, and in the end, Zhou Xun was in a lot of pain. Even though it was Zhou Xun who initiated it, whenever he winced in pain or felt even a bit uncomfortable, the emperor would stop and comfort him. Instead of the so-called “cloud nine” pleasure described in stories, what Zhou Xun felt more was the tenderness of being held.
But last night… even after Zhou Xun cried, the half-drunk emperor didn’t stop—despite continuously kissing his eyes or sealing his crying lips with kisses. Zhou Xun had to admit that, in the end, he did feel more pleasure than the last time… but just thinking about the few times he was forced to call out “Brother Yu” in pleading made him…
… a bit angry.
And…
The emperor woke up shortly after. Zhou Xun kept his eyes closed, listening to the emperor call out next to his ear: “A-Xun?”
“Xun-er? Xun-er bro? Xun cat-cat? Meow meow? Woof woof? Wife?”
Zhou Xun: … He actually called me a tabby cat.
He decided to stubbornly pretend to be asleep. The emperor seemed to realize that he couldn’t wake someone pretending to sleep. Soon after, Zhou Xun felt the weight beside him lighten…
The emperor actually left?
Zhou Xun: …
When the emperor returned, he saw Zhou Xun lying under the covers, pretending to sleep with an expression that said, “I know I’m being unreasonable, but I can’t help sulking.” The emperor scratched his head, got on the bed, and gently rolled two peeled eggs over Zhou Xun’s eyes, whispering, “Don’t worry, no one will notice you’ve been crying…”
“Go away…”
Zhou Xun finally opened his eyes. The emperor removed the eggs and gave him a bright smile.
The emperor climbed back onto the bed and started rubbing Zhou Xun’s back through his underclothes as if soothing a cat. The red top scholar robe was now in shambles, covered in strange marks. The emperor sheepishly said, “Uh, you know, alcohol makes things messy… Are you mad? Was I too much last night?”
Zhou Xun: …
Emperor: “I thought you were enjoying it… I won’t do it again!”
Zhou Xun: …
After a while, Zhou Xun hugged his knees and asked, “Why have you become so…”
Emperor: “So?”
Zhou Xun hesitated for a long time before finally saying, “Skilled.”
The emperor replied honestly, “Ah, after the first time, I remembered every step and detail, reviewed it in my head dozens of times, summarized all the shortcomings and necessary steps, and conducted many mental simulations. I also remembered all your sensitive spots. I reviewed the process through various paths…”
Zhou Xun: …
The emperor’s simple and straightforward description of the matter, claiming to have reviewed it many times… Zhou Xun nearly choked, his face turning red.
“How did you…” Zhou Xun hesitated for a long time, “How did you… forget it, I’m overthinking. Actually, I understand, you were drunk, that’s why… don’t do this next time.”
His last “don’t do this next time” was said softly and hesitantly. After saying it, he even felt… the emperor didn’t really do anything wrong.
“You weren’t overthinking.” The emperor suddenly grabbed his hair and kissed the back of his neck, “I was just…”
Zhou Xun: …
Emperor: “Being a rogue to you, heh heh heh.”
…The image of the emperor in Zhou Xun’s heart, though usually unreliable, but as a gentleman, crumbled.
…He actually “bullied” me.
Although they cuddled and kissed sweetly for a long time afterward, Zhou Xun was still in a state of shock over being “played a rogue” when he returned to his own residence. Standing at his doorstep was Tu Run, who was rubbing his hands together. Seeing Zhou Xun, Tu Run’s face lit up. Just as Zhou Xun was about to greet him, he heard Tu Run joyfully call out, “Master!”
Zhou Xun: …
He chuckled, “What master?”
“Now that you’ve become the top scholar, you’re the master!” Tu Run said, “I’ve also earned a title, though it’s the lowest rank, but at least I have an official position. In a few days, I’ll be leaving to take up my post, so I’m here today to bid farewell.”
Zhou Xun also bid him farewell and gave him some parting gifts. Tu Run then said, “By the way, have you heard? Zhou Cai is going to marry the daughter of Minister Yan. They’re making quite a big deal out of it. Minister Yan even brought out a painting, saying it’s a family heirloom he finally recovered. It’s a piece by Lin Mingxi from the previous dynasty, a gift from a benefactor. So, despite Zhou Cai’s fall from grace, he won’t break the engagement and will marry his daughter to him…”
He went on to describe the painting in detail, talking about the landscape, the story behind it, and the black-roofed pavilion depicted in it. “Zhou Cai is really lucky to have such a sentimental and righteous father-in-law. But marrying Miss Yan is going to be tough. She’ll have to go to the border again in a few years. If it were me, I wouldn’t want my daughter to live a hard life. But with Minister Yan’s influence, Zhou Cai might just stay in the capital.”
After saying this, Tu Run remembered another topic and, with a knowing look, asked Zhou Xun if any princesses or noble ladies had taken a liking to him. Zhou Xun chuckled and told him to worry more about his own love life.
Finally, after sending off Tu Run, Zhou Xun returned to Bamboo Whisper Hall. He sat in his study and took out the painting that Xiao Wu had returned to him, carefully examining it.
He looked at it for a long time, then closed the painting, smiled, and said, “This landscape painting was created by Lin Mingxi when he resigned from office. It was for Emperor Wu, who had usurped the throne by killing his own brother, Prince Pingxi. Lin Mingxi was a minister of the previous dynasty, yet Emperor Wu treated him with great favor. In his agony, Lin Mingxi painted this piece as his resignation gift. The painting depicts the mountains and waters outside the old capital, and interestingly, it was made five years after Emperor Wu ascended the throne. However, the pavilion in the painting is still the old Smoky Pavilion, which was completely destroyed during Emperor Wu’s invasion of the capital. Although Emperor Wu later rebuilt it, the original pavilion had a stone blue roof, and the new one had a black roof due to the unavailability of the original stone. Yet, the pavilion in the painting retains its original stone blue roof. After receiving this painting, Emperor Wu allowed Lin Mingxi to leave. Because of this, even though the painting depicts smokeless mountains and waters, Lin Mingxi titled it ‘Smoky Painting.’ It’s quite interesting. A fake painting being flaunted as the real one?”
Xiao Duo was dumbfounded. He seemed to have never heard this story before and could only stammer, “So there’s such a story… But the difference between stone blue and black is so small, how did Emperor Wu notice?”
“Perhaps smart people enjoy playing puzzle games with each other. For Emperor Wu, Lin Mingxi was an untamable beast of the previous dynasty. He was delighted to hide puzzles in every conversation with him or to solve his puzzles, seeing it as a means of taming him. But he didn’t realize that just because Lin Mingxi played along didn’t mean he would always play along. So Lin Mingxi left his final puzzle as his farewell gift. After that, he went with the rebellious minister loyal to the late emperor, Xie Yushan, to open an academy—this is what my mother told me. The Lin family are descendants of an abandoned child later adopted by Lin Mingxi, considered his descendants. My mother was once a famous talented woman in Jiangzhou.” He turned to Xiao Duo and instructed, “Take this painting to the largest auction house in the capital, Duobao Pavilion, for auction. Lin Mingxi’s works are treasured heirlooms, and many scholars take pride in owning his pieces. Surely, many will be willing to pay a high price for it? The scene will be quite lively, won’t it?”
“Master Zhou.” Xiao Duo was startled, “This painting is very valuable, right? Is Master Zhou short on money? Should we tell the emperor…”
“Such a fine treasure deserves to be the finale. The owner of Duobao Pavilion will start promoting and preparing for the auction a few days in advance, right? Just tell him he has a landscape painting by Lin Mingxi from a Lin family descendant, without specifying which one. He’ll know how to hype it up. Duobao Pavilion hasn’t had a good auction item for a long time; if they don’t auction something soon, they’ll be surpassed by the rising star, Chu Yunkuo’s auction house, Zhaixing Tower.”
“Then… if you’re going to auction it, why not go to Chu Yunkuo? He has a good relationship with the emperor
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