After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 13

“U can U up, no can no BB…” The Prime Minister recited this phrase in a curious manner and then bowed, saying, “I’m a man of limited knowledge, Your Majesty. I don’t understand what this foreign language means. Would Your Majesty be willing to explain?”

 

The Emperor cleared his throat and replied, “What is learned on paper is shallow, to truly understand something, you must experience it yourself.”

 

Several ministers paused, and then one of them bowed, saying, “Your Majesty is exceptionally knowledgeable, and we all admire you!”

 

“U can U up, no can no BB…” The Prime Minister whispered it quietly to himself, trying to commit it to memory.

 

Grand Scholar Gu, who had been sitting and sweating, dared not speak further. He cast a furtive glance at Zhou Cai beside him and quickly averted his eyes, as if afraid of being noticed.

 

The Emperor was right; Grand Scholar Gu had indeed sought Zhou Cai’s help privately.

 

Grand Scholar Gu had a nephew with limited experience who wished to enter the Hanlin Academy to “gain some experience.” While the previous emperor was alive, the administration was well-regulated. However, after the previous emperor’s early demise, and the young Emperor’s accession to the throne, he seemed to indulge in leisure. Nevertheless, he could still manage state affairs effectively. For his nephew to enter the Hanlin Academy, he needed Zhou Cai to make it happen.

 

Under normal circumstances, Zhou Cai was favored by the Emperor. Any words he spoke were never disregarded. Moreover, Zhou Cai’s advice usually brought a smile to the Emperor’s face. So what had happened in these few days?

 

Zhou Cai sat there, his hand trembling slightly as he held the teacup. Soon, he smiled and said, “Grand Scholar Gu has always been inclined toward a cautious approach. He witnessed the effectiveness of the previous proposal last year. As the old plan had good results, Grand Scholar Gu became more conservative. After all, the new plan’s effectiveness has not yet been confirmed…”

 

In a few words, he disclosed his private relationship with Grand Scholar Gu and explained the unusual behavior as a result of Grand Scholar Gu’s conservative nature and the success of the old plan.

 

“That’s enough idle talk,” the Emperor handed the teacup to a palace maid and said casually, “As for the matter of the epidemic in the Westlands, do you gentlemen have any other opinions?”

 

Seeing that the ministers were temporarily silent, the Emperor suddenly smiled brightly, his mouth curved with a hint of youthful innocence, “You should speak your minds freely. If there is anything that needs to be supplemented, please speak out—of course, you should have your own perspective. By the way…”

 

“I have a preliminary plan here. You can read it.” The Emperor had a plate of documents brought forward, which was the result of his discussion with Zhou Xun the previous day.

 

The ministers received the documents and began to read. The Prime Minister read it and exclaimed, “What a good plan! Did Your Majesty come up with this plan all by yourself?”

 

“Prime Minister, you’re overestimating me.”

 

The ministers exchanged glances, and the Prime Minister continued, “Did Your Majesty have the assistance of an extraordinary advisor?”

 

“I really want to meet that person.”

 

The Emperor chuckled and watched the ministers praise him. For some reason, Zhou Cai felt that the Emperor’s gaze held a hint of pride…

 

Pride?

 

Zhou Cai’s mood became increasingly strange. He gazed at the Emperor’s profile and pondered the events of the day. Even the humiliation he had suffered earlier was temporarily forgotten.

 

An advisor, which advisor could it be?

 

“The person is not feeling well today. When the time is right, I will bring him here,” the Emperor said. “The matter has been settled for today.”

 

“Long live the Emperor.”

 

The Imperial Council meeting came to an end. The ministers bid farewell to the Emperor and left the meeting hall one by one. Zhou Xun stood behind a tree, watching the high-ranking officials, who he once wanted to meet but had no chance to see.

 

A young man in purple appeared suddenly at the door of the council chamber, and Zhou Xun’s face turned pale.

 

He…

 

He took a step backward, but inadvertently stepped on a dry twig.

 

Upon hearing the noise, the man in purple turned around, and then…

 

He froze.

 

“Who’s there?” The Duke of Huguo, who walked beside the man in purple, also turned his gaze.

 

“Lord Zhou,” Little Li behind Zhou Xun whispered, “This…”

 

Zhou Xun lowered his head and then sneered.

 

“Now that you’re here, why bother avoiding me?”

 

He walked out from behind the trees.

 

“Is that… you?” The Duke of Huguo was utterly shocked, raising an eyebrow. “What are you doing here? Is this where you belong?”

 

His voice was extremely stern, and he looked down on Zhou Xun, as if he were observing something utterly loathsome.

 

However, Zhou Xun was not surprised by this reaction.

 

Zhou Cai was highly regarded by the Duke of Huguo, and the two shared a deep friendship despite their significant age difference. The Duke of Huguo admired Zhou Cai’s talent. However, he had one significant grievance against Zhou Xun, his younger brother who was considered disgraceful, having served as a male companion and brought disgrace to the Zhou family.

 

To him, Zhou Xun was like a flea that had landed on a magnificent robe, while Zhou Cai was the innocent robe unjustly subjected to the flea’s presence.

 

“Duke of the Fifth Rank, I know you have a fondness for this… male companion. But this is a crucial military location!” The Duke of Huguo scolded the Fifth Prince, “You’ve brought him here. Do you realize that Zhou Hanlin is still in the council chamber? Have you thought about Zhou Hanlin’s reputation? Do you want everyone to know that he has a degenerate brother?”

 

The Fifth Prince was berated by the Duke, but he remained silent. He looked at Zhou Xun in the distance through the dappled sunlight.

 

Zhou Xun, upon hearing the Duke’s words, did not let them affect him. He had survived many hardships in his life, and words from an unkind man would not trouble him.

 

“Duke of the Fifth Rank!” The Duke of Huguo was irritated by Zhou Xun’s silence, and he said, “You…”

 

“What’s all the commotion in the courtyard?” The Emperor’s voice rang out from nearby. Zhou Xun turned around, and the Emperor, wearing a red embroidered robe with a dark base, emerged from the council chamber.

 

He was momentarily surprised when he saw Zhou Xun in the shadows. He quickly ran toward him, displaying an almost childlike enthusiasm.

 

The Prime Minister, who had also come out with the Emperor, frowned and watched the Fifth Prince head towards Zhou Xun. He said to a court lady, “Do you know who that person is?”

 

The court lady smiled mysteriously but remained silent.

 

Before the Emperor reached them, the Duke of Huguo exclaimed, “Rong Fen!”

 

Then he turned to Zhou Xun and said, “This is not where you should be. If you understood some manners, you would know…”

 

“Know what?” The Emperor said coolly, “Zhou Xun is my cherished one. Is there something wrong with that? Wherever I can go, he can go as well.”

 

“Your Majesty!”

 

With these words from the Emperor, the entire assembly was astonished. The Duke of Huguo gaped, seemingly at a loss for words. He moved his mouth, first looking at the Emperor, then at the Fifth Prince, and finally addressed the Emperor, “Your Majesty, are you saying that he… is now your cherished one?”

 

“Is there a problem with that?” The Emperor asked, looking towards Zhou Xun and smiling with considerable pride.

 

As if…

 

He were a precious treasure worth showing off.

 

Zhou Xun…

 

He tugged on his sleeve.

 

“This…” The Duke of Huguo was left flabbergasted, seemingly at a loss for words. He appeared to have temporarily lost the power to articulate his thoughts, with his brain temporarily malfunctioning. “This…”

 

The Emperor seemed rather pleased with the impact he’d had. He turned to Zhou Xun, but before he could speak, the Duke of Huguo’s trembling voice rang out in a resolute tone, “Your Majesty, I have some blunt advice, though it may be unpalatable…”

 

Before the Emperor could interrupt with a “then don’t say it,” the Duke of Huguo gritted his teeth and continued, “I have watched Your Majesty grow up. However, Your Majesty’s recent actions are absurd! Utterly absurd!”

 

The Emperor responded with a puzzled expression, “What?”

 

The Duke of Huguo said, “Your Majesty, you are the ruler of all, and all the lands under the heavens are Your Majesty’s. But… this Zhou Xun, he is the concubine of the Fifth Prince! If the Emperor desires beauty, there are beautiful people all over the world. Why…”

 

The Emperor replied, “Huh?”

 

The Duke of Huguo continued, “Emperor Taizong accepted the Empress of Emperor Taizong, which led to Empress Wu usurping the throne. Emperor Minghuang took his daughter-in-law as a concubine, which led to the An Lushan Rebellion. Your Majesty making Zhou Xun a noblewoman… isn’t it repeating the same mistakes…”

 

The Emperor replied, “I’m not quite sure I understand what you’re talking about…”

 

The Duke of Huguo implored, “Your Majesty! Having a male companion is one thing. But this is a place of great importance to the state. Your Majesty should not lightly prioritize personal feelings over the nation! If the Emperor likes him, you can make him a concubine, but the people in the harem should not interfere in state affairs…”

 

The Emperor: ???

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

It seemed the Duke of Huguo had misunderstood the Emperor’s use of “noblewoman.”

 

While the Emperor argued with the Duke of Huguo, the Fifth Prince’s gaze remained fixed on Zhou Xun.

 

“Caixu.”

 

The Fifth Prince’s voice gently rang out in front of Zhou Xun.

 

Zhou Xun didn’t want to look at him.

 

He chuckled bitterly and said, “So you really are in the palace. I was surprised when I heard about it back then. What have you been doing these days?”

 

Finally, Zhou Xun looked at him, his eyes cold.

 

Cold to the point of showing no emotion.

 

The Fifth Prince, seeing that Zhou Xun had finally looked at him, smiled bitterly, “At least you’re willing to look at me now. You refused to respond to me, are you still resentful?”

 

Zhou Xun gave a cold smile.

 

“Why are you looking for Caixu? What does it have to do with me, Zhou Yuwen?”

 

The Fifth Prince made a sound of surprise when he heard this, and the Emperor, standing nearby, choked on his sip of water.

 

The Emperor coughed, and the Duke of Huguo was sprayed in the face with water.

 

Coughing, the Emperor said, “The weather is hot, and you’re feeling a bit heated, so it’s good to cool you down… Haha, haha…”

 

The Duke of Huguo protested, “Your Majesty!!”

 

The Emperor said, “Cough, Cough, Xiao Fu, help the Duke of Huguo down to change.”

 

Duke of Huguo: …

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

The Emperor looked at Zhou Xun and gave him a thumbs up.