After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 142

Chapter 142: Finely Chop Ten Thousand Taels of Silver into Minced Pieces

 

This sudden incident disrupted Zhou Xun’s original plans. Looking at Prime Minister Lu, who was covered in blood, Zhou Xun called for a carriage and sent him back to the Lu residence.

 

The Lu residence was far less lavish than Zhou Xun had imagined. Many of its furnishings and decorations were unexpectedly simple, considering Prime Minister Lu’s status. Since the blood-soaking incident had been partly caused by him, Zhou Xun felt obligated, both out of courtesy and sentiment, to stay at the Lu residence.

 

What’s more, Prime Minister Lu surprisingly extended an enthusiastic invitation for him to stay for dinner.

 

While Prime Minister Lu was still changing clothes and washing up, Zhou Xun found himself sitting alone in the main hall. To his surprise, the courtyard outside was bustling, with servants moving items back and forth.

 

Noticing Zhou Xun’s gaze, the steward of the Lu residence explained, “Please pardon the disorder, Sir Zhou. The master only returned from Jiangzhou this morning, and the servants are still unpacking his luggage.”

 

He just returned from Jiangzhou? According to the steward, did Prime Minister Lu come to the Ministry of Revenue to see him right after returning from Jiangzhou?

 

“Jiangzhou?” Zhou Xun probed. “So Prime Minister Lu is from Jiangzhou?”

 

As he spoke, his gaze landed on a scroll hanging in the main hall, prominently displayed. It bore a line of poetry.

 

“‘The road ahead is long and winding.’”

 

“Sir Zhou is also from Jiangzhou?” the steward asked.

 

“Did Prime Minister Lu return to Jiangzhou for a family visit?” Zhou Xun inquired.

 

“Not to visit family, but to seek out an old acquaintance,” the steward replied.

 

Zhou Xun turned his head as Prime Minister Lu entered the main hall. Seeing Zhou Xun, he seemed a bit uneasy. “This old acquaintance of mine… was a childhood friend. We hadn’t met in twenty years.”

 

“Not meeting for twenty years—Prime Minister Lu must have gone to great lengths to find them,” Zhou Xun commented politely. “Time changes everything; even one’s address might have shifted. Prime Minister Lu truly has a devoted heart.”

 

Despite his polite words, Zhou Xun couldn’t help but wonder what kind of friend could remain unvisited for twenty years.

 

This wasn’t a matter of a few years but two whole decades. Jiangzhou and the capital weren’t that far apart. If it were a truly close friend without other complications, wouldn’t they have met at some point?

 

“Did you find this old acquaintance, Prime Minister Lu?” Zhou Xun asked.

 

“…I did,” Prime Minister Lu replied. “I went to…”

 

He lowered his eyes, smiling faintly. “To pay my respects.”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

So, this so-called friend of Prime Minister Lu’s had already passed away.

 

Listening to this unrelated story, Zhou Xun could only offer, “My condolences, Prime Minister.”

 

Beyond that, he had nothing else to say.

 

“You were looking at this piece of calligraphy earlier, weren’t you?” Prime Minister Lu shifted the subject.

 

Zhou Xun nodded. “Yes. The Prime Minister’s calligraphy has a remarkable sense of vigor and integrity.”

 

“‘The road ahead is long and winding; I will search high and low.’ These were the first words my friend ever said to me when we met and also the last words they said to me before we parted. Just now, while washing up, I lost quite a bit of hair—some strands were already white. Seeing those strands, I realized it’s been twenty years.”

 

Prime Minister Lu traced his fingers over the calligraphy, as if lost in a memory. “Many years ago, I hated rainy days. Whenever it rained, no one would come to my calligraphy stall, no matter how good the oil-paper umbrellas were. On sunny days, I could earn a few silver coins selling calligraphy; on rainy days, I’d return home with just a few copper coins. Those coins had to be meticulously budgeted: one portion for my mother’s medicine at Lin’s pharmacy, another for daily living, and the rest saved for my journey to the capital to take the imperial exam.”

 

“This…” Zhou Xun listened to the story of Prime Minister Lu’s youth and said, “I heard that the Prime Minister also comes from a family of scholars. How could…”

 

“My family wasn’t well-off, and to make matters worse, my father took a fancy to a courtesan and made her his concubine. She controlled the household finances. My mother and I had to scrape for every coin,” Prime Minister Lu explained briefly.

 

Zhou Xun’s fingers began to clench the hem of his robe. He wasn’t close to Prime Minister Lu, yet the man suddenly chose to share such personal details with him—so unexpectedly candid, so unexpectedly kind.

 

This made him uneasy and wary—Zhou Xun wasn’t the kind of naive, good-hearted person who blindly accepted all unearned kindness. He needed to understand the reasons behind such gestures; otherwise, he couldn’t feel at ease.

 

Besides, he still remembered how Prime Minister Lu had criticized him in the past—calling him the son of a concubine.

 

Yet now, Prime Minister Lu appeared old, like an elder eager to connect. He looked at Zhou Xun with care, hesitantly asking, “Would you like to hear about my relationship with that friend?”

 

Zhou Xun coldly mocked himself in his heart. He thought, Zhou Xun, you have no reason to listen. Spare yourself.

 

But in the end, he nodded.

 

Prime Minister Lu said he met his friend on a rainy day. His father, angered by his defiance, had sent thugs after him. While dodging them, he accidentally bumped into a young woman returning from worshipping at a temple. Instead of being angry, she encouraged him after hearing his story, saying, “Young scholar, ‘The road ahead is long and winding.’ You must work hard.”

 

Afterward, he often set up his calligraphy stall in that spot—a path frequented by temple-goers returning to the city. He never spoke to the girl again but felt reassured whenever he saw her carriage pass by. He once overheard her telling her servants, “Bodhisattvas bless those with kind hearts.”

 

One day, everything seemed to improve as if by magic. Someone paid for his mother’s medicine at Lin’s pharmacy, and a steady customer started buying his calligraphy regularly.

 

“Of course, it had everything to do with her… my friend,” Prime Minister Lu said.

 

Zhou Xun nodded.

 

He could now roughly piece together the story. This so-called “friend” of Prime Minister Lu was a wealthy, kind-hearted young lady. Over the next twenty years, the two likely never saw each other again due to societal constraints.

 

But Lin’s pharmacy… Lin…

 

Moreover, given the disparity in their family backgrounds at the time, it was only natural that they didn’t end up together.

 

But Lin’s pharmacy.

 

Lin…

 

“Later, I learned that the pharmacy belonged to her family, and the person buying my paintings was also one of her household servants. She… was someone I couldn’t even dare to dream of. Eventually, her brother invited me to their home to evaluate a painting. My mother was delighted and told me to seize the opportunity. I took out all the silver coins I had saved, counted them over and over again, and finally used five to have a new set of clothes made. I spent another three on a new pair of shoes. As for the remaining coins, I gritted my teeth and carried them in the pouch on my belt. I still remember the exact number—thirteen coins in total. In truth, there was no need to bring money to her residence. But that day, I couldn’t stop worrying. What if her brother invited me to a restaurant or some other place? Would I have enough money? The thirteen coins were all I had that I could spend. My plan was to leave right after evaluating the painting. If they suggested going elsewhere, I would say I had something urgent to attend to,” Prime Minister Lu said with a bitter smile. “I didn’t want to take advantage of others, nor did I want to be looked down upon. That’s just how I was.”

 

“The closer I got to the Lin residence, the more nervous I became. But hearing the clinking of the coins in my pouch gave me a sense of dignity and confidence. Those who have never lacked money cannot understand this feeling. When you have money in your pocket, even if you know you won’t use it, you feel braver going anywhere. My clothes were all brand new, bought with several silver coins. When I entered the Lin residence, I had never seen a house like that before. I followed the servants through the halls. On the way to the Lin residence, I had been afraid of dirtying the soles of my new shoes. But once I arrived, I was worried about my shoes dirtying the pristine carved corridors of the Lin residence.”

 

“When I entered the study, she wasn’t there. I only saw her brother, who asked me to examine a painting. After I looked it over, made some corrections, and added a few strokes, I finally gained some confidence. But after a while, I heard voices of women arguing in the courtyard. Her brother went out, and I followed.”

 

“It turned out that one of her younger half-sisters had been bullied by a snobbish steward. The half-sister had accidentally damaged a pearl necklace that had been gifted to her. The steward berated her harshly. When she happened to pass by and heard the story, she was furious.”

 

“That pearl necklace was very valuable, made entirely of large and lustrous pearls from the South Sea. But she simply cut the string of the necklace and scattered the pearls across the garden, telling the steward to pick them up. The steward spent the entire afternoon collecting the pearls, which she then gave to the household servants as rewards. She took her half-sister by the hand and left. On my way back, listening to the coins clinking in my pouch, I suddenly realized that all the money I had couldn’t even buy a single pearl from that necklace.”

 

Zhou Xun said nothing.

 

“Later, I met her at the lantern festival. She was wearing a mask and was with her cousin, the legitimate son of a noble family, to whom she was betrothed. She asked her cousin to play pitch-pot to win her a jade pendant. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t hit the target. I stood nearby, watching over and over again. I had memorized the position of that jade pendant. If I had thrown, I was certain I could have hit it. But… eventually, the stall owner gave the pendant to her. It wasn’t a particularly high-quality piece, but she took it anyway…”

 

“Later, they left. The stall owner replaced the jade pendant, and I squatted there throwing randomly, irritated and distracted, so I didn’t hit the target even once. Then, I heard her voice. She said she would throw for me, and then—she hit it.”

 

“Turns out, her aim was that good. She left with her friends, and I saw her cousin with Miss Ye from another family…”

 

Prime Minister Lu spoke in a low voice.

 

“What happened to your friend afterward?” Zhou Xun suddenly asked.

 

He stared at Prime Minister Lu, his lips trembling slightly. “What happened next?”

 

Afterward…

 

Things didn’t end so well after that.

 

The Lin family was falsely accused, their fortune shattered, and relatives abandoned them like rats leaving a sinking ship. Her engagement was broken off, leaving her family in utter ruin. Secretly, he tried to help them, anxiously waiting for the next imperial exam two years later, but it was already too late for her. A small sedan chair carried her into the Zhou household. She went from being a fiancée to becoming a concubine, in exchange for the Zhou family’s protection for her father and brother.

 

It wasn’t until the day before her wedding that he learned she had always known it was him helping them in secret. But she neither could nor would give him any chance.

 

On her wedding day, it rained heavily. He stood in the rain and saw her lower her head as she entered the sedan chair. The sedan entered through the Zhou family’s side gate, burying her past life along with the setting sun.

 

The day before, she had smiled at him and said:

 

“The road ahead is long and arduous. Little scholar, you still have a long journey to walk.”

 

—And yours?

 

“I have no road left, but my cousin will treat me well. Don’t worry.”

 

—And so, this is the end of the story.

 

Zhou Xun thought of the jade pendant his mother had treasured, the one she had believed symbolized her engagement to his father.

 

As for Prime Minister Lu’s jade pendant…

 

“That day, when I entered the palace, I wore the wrong pendant and nearly lost it. But unexpectedly, it seemed that fate had already… ordained this,” Prime Minister Lu said, looking at Zhou Xun with difficulty. “I once wanted to repay your mother, but I lacked the ability and the opportunity. Now…”

 

Now, would you let me have that chance?

 

What a touching story. But Zhou Xun laughed.

 

So, that’s how it is. He finally understood. He finally understood Prime Minister Lu’s sudden kindness, his protection, the jade pendant, and the buried past of a once-wealthy young lady and an impoverished scholar.

 

What a profoundly moving story. But Zhou Xun felt no emotion, only emptiness and sorrow.

 

“In fact, Prime Minister, you could have learned of my mother’s passing as early as six months ago, when you lost your jade pendant, couldn’t you? If you had truly cared, you could have sought out news of her situation long before now. But for twenty years, not once did you.”

 

“I…” Prime Minister Lu paused and admitted candidly, “It’s true. I was careless. In my youth, I was too immature, and later, too… hesitant and self-righteous.”

 

“After returning to Jiangzhou, I finally learned how she had been treated and eventually found out everything related to you. Zhou Xun, you are… a good child. I have already ordered a thorough investigation into the Ye family. And as for you…” Prime Minister Lu said, “Even without personal feelings, the Lin family has been kind to me. You are the last descendant of the Lin family, and I should repay that debt.”

 

Zhou Xun looked at Prime Minister Lu’s white hair. He paused, then finally bowed and said, “Enough. If that’s the case, Zhou Xun thanks the Prime Minister for honoring my mother’s memory. My mother, even in her grave, would surely be happy to have an old friend visit her tomb. As for the rest, let’s leave it at that.”

 

“Why…”

 

“The matters between the Prime Minister, my mother, and the Lin family are matters of the past and have no connection to me. There’s no reason for me to inherit them—nor do I wish to. How others perceive me concerns only Zhou Xun himself, unrelated to anything else. I am who I am, and that is enough,” Zhou Xun said. “Prime Minister, you once insulted me out of prejudice, and now you praise me for my mother’s past kindness. In the end, none of this has anything to do with me. You have a good story, and now you have achieved great success, which counts as a good ending. Now that the story is over, I don’t wish to be part of it.”

 

With that, Zhou Xun stood up and said, “Thank you, Prime Minister, for saving my life today. I will repay this favor with a generous gift. For now, I have matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”

 

…

 

Zhou Xun’s attitude was resolute.

 

The next day, he sent a generous gift in return and even returned the gifts sent by Prime Minister Lu. For the less significant items, he kept them, offered courteous thanks, and reciprocated with small tokens of appreciation.

 

—He maintained an unassuming yet dignified stance, like that of ordinary colleagues.

 

Prime Minister Lu’s guilt only deepened, and he continued to offer assistance. Zhou Xun simply treated it as professional goodwill.

 

The only thing that puzzled him was that he hadn’t seen Old Shen in the alley for a long time. Old Shen’s errand this time had lasted quite a while.

 

Day by day, Prince Kang somehow managed to gather the one million taels of silver. A portion of it was substituted with gold, jewels, and fine horses.

 

When Prince Kang saw the chests of gleaming silver, he was ready to redeem the captive the next day. Yet, he felt irritable. After some thought, he left the task of verifying the silver to his servants and wandered into the courtyard alone.

 

As he walked, he realized he had unconsciously arrived at Snow’s quarters.

 

He actually remembered Snow’s name: Hong Xue, like the phrase “a swan stepping on snow,” a beautiful name.

 

The former prince of Xinyue sat on the bed with his knees drawn up, staring into the distance. His complexion was pale, and he looked frail.

 

“Still refusing to beg for mercy?” Prince Kang asked the servant beside him.

 

The servant shook his head. “The snow slave says… he’s sick.”

 

“Sick? Sick with what? What illness could he possibly have?” Prince Kang sneered. “Yesterday, when he was arguing with me, didn’t he seem full of life?”

 

A few days ago, Snow had suddenly gone berserk, quarreling with him about Zhou Cai and mocking him with every word. By the time Prince Kang came to his senses, Snow was already lying on the ground after being slapped.

 

Since then, Snow had stayed in his room, claiming to be ill. Prince Kang, deciding to teach him a lesson, ignored him.

 

Prince Kang looked at him from a distance and suddenly recalled the scene of whipping him.

 

“If, back then, he hadn’t whipped me but treated me the way Zhou Cai did… would things have turned out differently?”

 

He remembered the first time they met. When he was still called Hong Xue, he had been someone who smiled a lot.

 

If only he could be as obedient as Zhou Cai… would they still be like this?

 

The same scene, yet such a different outcome. And Zhou Cai, in the end, was a hundred times more noble.

 

Thinking this far, Prince Kang realized it was pointless to dwell on it. He instructed the servant, “The day he crawls out of his room, kowtowing with every step to apologize to me, I’ll let him out.”

 

Finally, Prince Kang left. After he was gone, the man on the bed moved his eyes.

 

He laughed coldly.

 

…

 

The next day, Prince Kang brought the gold, silver, and jewels to the meeting place. Sure enough, the ones receiving him were the Emperor and Zhou Xun.

 

“Everything is here,” Prince Kang said indifferently, gesturing to the chests. “Does the Emperor want to have them counted?”

 

The Emperor replied, “No need. Bring each item forward.”

 

Prince Kang smirked coldly.

 

“Oh, by the way,” the Emperor suddenly said, “didn’t I say the specifications for the wealth had to meet certain standards? Did Prince Kang bring someone to refine the gold and silver?”

 

“I did.”

 

“Good.” The Emperor clapped his hands and said, “Then let’s start. Please bring ten pounds of gold and carefully cut it into mince-sized pieces. There must not be a trace of copper, silver, or sand mixed in.”

 

“Then bring ten pounds of silver and carefully cut it into mince-sized pieces. There must not be any oxides or platinum mixed in.”

 

Author’s Note: Next Chapter Preview:

 

Emperor: I want to be the light of justice!!

 

Zhou Xun: I’m the Minister, I’ll be the ally of justice! (Unnecessary joke reference)

 

Shirou: ???