After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 15

“Committing a public assault in broad daylight like this, have you no sense of decency? If it weren’t for my keen observation, you might have fooled me!” the Emperor angrily scolded.

Prince Jingchao tried to defend himself, “Your Majesty, I truly didn’t…”

Standing on the side, Little Li was silently thinking, “Your Majesty, unless it’s broad daylight in your eyes, I almost got fooled too.”

The Emperor continued, “A grown man like you, unable to even admit to his own actions, where is your sense of responsibility?”

Prince Jingchao attempted to explain, “Your Majesty…”

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear your explanations. I can see that you’re not good at handling things. You express your opinions inadequately, but when it comes to violence and temper tantrums in the palace, you’re quite proficient. Heaven has closed one door on you, so you better open a window in your head; do you have so many windows in your mind that you’re made of Swiss cheese?”

“Your Majesty.”

Zhou Xun’s calm voice resonated. The Emperor finally shifted his attention to him, concerned. “Are you okay? Is it painful? Did you sprain your foot?”

Zhou Xun shook his head.

He looked past the Emperor and directed his gaze at Prince Jingchao. As he stared at him with a chilling glare, Prince Jingchao felt like he was submerged in icy water.

“Ah Yu, I…,” Prince Jingchao opened his mouth, but he realized he couldn’t find the words. “I truly didn’t… it was all…”

The highest form of contempt is silence. Zhou Xun looked at him coldly for a long while, and Prince Jingchao suddenly spoke in defeat, “No matter if you believe it or not… I genuinely wanted to be good to you. I thought we could have been on the same path.”

Tenderness and warmth are more nauseating than cold violence. But Zhou Xun discovered that, to his surprise, he remained calm.

“On the path?” he sneered.

“During anger, a brave person resists a stronger opponent, while a coward, when angered, only vents on a weaker one by lifting his blade. Rong Fan,” Zhou Xun uttered his full name slowly, “like you, a coward, why should we ever be on the same path?”

His voice carried a piercing, bone-chilling intensity, and Prince Jingchao stood in the early spring breeze feeling as if he had been stripped bare, all the dark and vile aspects of himself exposed, drying out in the sunlight. “You are smitten with Zhou Cai, but he is the new imperial scholar, the legitimate son of the Zhou family. You know that the Emperor favors Zhou Cai, so you dare not compete with the Emperor, and you only dare to return and vent your frustrations on me, seeking a male power you feel inferior to and powerless within the realm of the emperor…”

Prince Jingchao’s face turned ashen. Zhou Xun’s words had pierced through the deepest, most hidden vulnerabilities in his soul.

His own incompetence.

Because the harsh words were all true.

“We were never on the same path, so why do you think we are on the same path?” Zhou Xun continued methodically, “You don’t deserve to be on the same path with me.”

Zhou Xun was amazed to realize that he was no longer afraid of him.

What was Rong Fan, the highborn aristocrat, what was his dignified appearance? He was nothing more than a cowardly weakling!

Zhou Xun wasn’t even afraid of death, so why should he fear him?

“Good!” the Emperor applauded from the side. “Well said, Mr. Zhou!”

Zhou Xun, hearing the applause:…

The Emperor noticed Zhou Xun’s gaze and cleared his throat. “But, Mr. Zhou, how can you slander someone without evidence?”

Zhou Xun: ???

“I have no emotional relationship whatsoever with that Zhou Cai!” The Emperor spoke with frustration. “Why does everyone keep saying I’m having an affair with him? We are merely colleagues. He’s like an ordinary employee, or at most, a neighbor within a three-block radius!”

“Clap!”

Something he held in his hand dropped to the ground. Zhou Cai, who was standing beside the council chamber, turned pale. The Assistant Grand Secretary Gu Xiao, walking beside him, let out a small gasp of surprise.

After the meeting, he took the time to apologize to Zhou Cai for the incident, causing a slight delay in his departure. Zhou Cai, still gentle and amiable, didn’t hold it against him and reassured him that he didn’t need to worry too much.

Zhou Cai’s eyes reflected softness and elegance, but they carried a hint of sorrow. Gu Xiao thought about the Emperor’s subtle relationship with Zhou Cai in recent days and tried to inquire a little. However, Zhou Cai hesitated to speak, shook his head, indicating that he didn’t want to say much.

Zhou Cai didn’t say much, so Gu Xiao didn’t press further. Compared to Prime Minister and Assistant Grand Secretary, Zhou Cai wanted to know more about the “mysterious expert” who came up with the new plan.

Lately, after the incident involving Zhou Xun, the Emperor seemed to be aware of his relationship with Prince Jingchao, and he had become somewhat distant from Zhou Xun. Although Zhou Cai had some talent, the fundamental reason why he had maintained his position in the political arena, not being surpassed by those more talented than him, was due to the Emperor’s favor.

Thus, when the epidemic resurged in the western province, Zhou Cai immediately recognized it as an opportunity to regain his lost ground. To that end, he even pretended to have caught a minor cold, working tirelessly to the point of staying up all night so that the Emperor would think he was dedicating himself heart and soul to the kingdom’s well-being.

Initially, the Emperor was quite satisfied with his plan, and Zhou Cai saw hope in further solidifying his position.

However, in just a few days, everything changed.

After seeing that proposal, which was flawless and even more comprehensive and effective than he had imagined, Zhou Cai was both amazed and filled with jealousy and panic.

Who was this person, so perfect that even the Emperor himself couldn’t find any fault with their work, and to whom the Emperor spoke with such intimate and trusting tones?

And what frightened him even more was his own lack of belief.

Even he, the most widely recognized person among all, and the Emperor’s most favored subject for many years, didn’t know the true identity of this person.

This sudden feeling of being left out in the cold and excluded from the world made him feel a deep-seated fear and resentment. For the first time, his life of ease and luxury felt out of his control.

…He must find out the true identity of this person, Zhou Cai thought, and then…

There’s also Zhou Xun… Zhou Cai’s eyes darkened.

After witnessing everything in the Palace of Preservation, he felt like a thorn had been embedded in his heart. Since then, he knew that Zhou Xun hadn’t left the palace and was still being kept there by the Emperor.

Zhou Cai consoled himself, thinking that the Emperor was merely trying something new. Zhou Xun inherited his mother’s beauty, earning her the title of “the most beautiful woman in Jiangzhou.” On top of that, he had an assassin’s background. The Emperor might have been temporarily infatuated with him, but it was just a phase. The Emperor’s unpredictable temperament would eventually lead him to become disenchanted with Zhou Xun. 

Everything Zhou Cai had endured was all due to Zhou Xun.

Zhou Cai believed that, sooner or later, these two men…

“Zhou Xun?”

“Yes?”

Zhou Cai turned back, and Grand Secretary Gu was staring at him with a bewildered expression. When Zhou Cai faced him again, Gu Xiao awkwardly said, “It’s, uh, nothing…”

Even he was now having doubts.

I must have misread him, Gu Xiao thought. Zhou Cai had always been amiable, gentle, and kind-hearted. He had never shown anger, and his speech was always graceful and gentle. Gu Xiao had a good impression of him, even beyond his role as the Emperor’s favorite.

Why would he show such a malicious expression on his face?

Gu Xiao shook his head, trying to forget the illusion he had seen. Nevertheless, a subtle thorn remained in his heart.

As the two of them stood up, they heard commotion in the courtyard. Gu Xiao frowned and said, “Who is making a ruckus in the courtyard? They don’t understand proper manners!”

“It’s the Emperor’s new favorite…” Zhou Cai, realizing he had spoken carelessly, chuckled hurriedly and fell silent.

Gu Xiao was taken aback. He turned his eyes and built a somewhat self-assured chain of logic.

He looked out the window. Outside, next to the Emperor, stood a man in blue attire. The man was well-built and probably in his early twenties. He was remarkably handsome, but when he spoke, his words were overly sharp, making Gu Xiao naturally dislike him.

“Is this the… new male consort in the palace?” he said.

He then heard the Emperor’s words.

“I have no relationship with Zhou Cai…”

The fan in Zhou Cai’s hand fell to the ground.

Gu Xiao, thinking he had seen the truth, believed that Zhou Cai was upset. He turned to Zhou Cai and said, “Zhou Xun, he’s just a male consort. What can he do?”

Then he was silenced with just a single sentence.

In his eyes, the usually gentle Zhou Cai was now glaring fiercely towards the courtyard, like an avenging ghost!

The Emperor finished speaking and turned to Prince Jingchao, saying, “Now you, get out of the palace immediately. You won’t need to attend any more cabinet meetings.”

“Your Majesty!” Prince Jingchao was momentarily stunned and turned pale. “I…”

“Go back and write the Three Character Classic ten thousand times. I don’t think you need to enter the palace for a while. You should start by studying elementary textbooks.” The Emperor said coldly. “Xiao Li, have the guards lock down the Wang residence. He can’t leave until he finishes copying. Don’t let him litter in the streets; it affects the city’s appearance! Hmph!”

Prince Jingchao said, “Your Majesty, I repent. I’m willing to take charge of the epidemic in the western province…”

The Emperor replied, “It’s not a matter of your guilt.”

Prince Jingchao continued, “Your Majesty…”

The Emperor sternly said, “I meant, it’s not a matter of your guilt. Disperse, disperse. I don’t want to hear your voice anymore. You can leave now.”

Prince Jingchao opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn’t say anything more. “I… I’m taking my leave.”

Before he left, he looked at Zhou Xun. Zhou Xun met his gaze without fear, and in the end, it was Prince Jingchao who averted his eyes.

“Zhou Xun,” he suddenly said, “Are you truly not forgiving me… or do you not want to leave?”

Zhou Xun questioned him, “What are you saying?”

“You and the Emperor…”