After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 38

Zhou Xun was seriously talking to Chu Yunkuo. He was focused on the topic of “Ferar,” and although Chu Yunkuo had moved a bit closer, Zhou Xun didn’t notice anything unusual.

 

Unexpectedly, the Emperor, who had been quietly sitting beside them, suddenly pushed Chu Yunkuo’s head away as soon as he made a move!

 

Zhou Xun: ??

 

He looked over in confusion. After making a comment about “petroleum,” the Emperor just hummed without any further explanation.

 

Chu Yunkuo awkwardly sat back down. Zhou Xun asked, “What is petroleum?”

 

“Petroleum…” The Emperor paused for a moment. “Oh, right, it’s from a chemistry book, you wouldn’t know. Petroleum is an industrial raw material, black in color, found underground, with high energy value. By distilling it, various products can be extracted. In short…”

 

After a brief explanation, he continued, “As for the compass malfunctioning, it might be related to the local magnetic field. There could be many minerals, like magnetite, buried underground.”

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

The Emperor’s words were indeed strange. He glanced at Chu Yunkuo, who also looked bewildered, realizing this must be some unique knowledge the Emperor possessed.

 

“There are no ghosts or gods in the world. Since that’s the case, I’ll have someone investigate the ‘Ferar’ matter later,” the Emperor said, staring at the map. “Trade routes aren’t limited to just these two. We’ll convene a cabinet meeting to discuss new routes. Or maybe…”

 

Chu Yunkuo suddenly had an idea and exclaimed, “Your Majesty, perhaps we could reach the West by sea!”

 

Emperor: ?

 

“A few years ago, I obtained a scroll from Europe with a novel idea. We in Dajing have always believed the world is square with a round sky, but the scroll suggests the world is round!” Chu Yunkuo said excitedly. “Instead of traveling west over land, which is troublesome, the court could build a large ship, set sail from the East Coast, head east, and perhaps find a new route to Western countries—”

 

“Pfft!” The Emperor spat out his water.

 

Chu Yunkuo, now drenched: …

 

“You…” The Emperor trembled as he looked at him. “Do you have an older brother named Lunbu?”

 

Chu Yunkuo, confused, explained that he didn’t have a brother named Lunbu and didn’t have the courtesy name Lunbu. The Emperor coughed for a while before finally recovering.

 

… Seeing the Emperor cough so much, could it be he thought of something?

 

Zhou Xun moved his fingers, wondering if this “Brother Lunbu” was another acquaintance of the Emperor from heaven, possibly another deity in disguise?

 

“You…” The Emperor raised an eyebrow. “Your idea is good, but with the current productivity, building such a ship might be challenging.”

 

As Chu Yunkuo wiped his face, the Emperor waved his hand and instructed the scribe, “Note down his idea. When the large ship is invented, we’ll head north, along the Bering Strait, to reach America…”

 

Zhou Xun looked at him.

 

The Emperor corrected himself, “To reach the beautiful, hard new continent.”

 

Zhou Xun: ??

 

Instinct told him the Emperor was hiding something.

 

“If these two land routes are unfeasible, there will always be another way. Nothing is impossible,” Zhou Xun consoled. “There were no trade routes initially…”

 

“Once many people travel a path, it becomes a road,” the Emperor quickly added.

 

Before Zhou Xun could respond, the Emperor gave him a profound look.

 

The Emperor said, “Your essay mentioned it.”

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

The Emperor, seeing his confusion, patted his shoulder happily, “I told you, no one knows literature better than me!”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

The Emperor continued, “I’ve memorized all your content deeply!”

 

As the Emperor and Zhou Xun talked, Chu Yunkuo, listening on the side, felt inexplicably a bit disappointed and blushed.

 

The atmosphere felt a bit tense.

 

“New routes need to be explored, but the issues on the old routes cannot be ignored,” the Emperor said, calling over the scribe to take notes. “First, regarding ‘Ferar,’ check if the Ministry of Works has capable explorers to form an expedition team to investigate.”

 

“Your Majesty,” Chu Yunkuo reminded, “An expedition team alone might not be safe. After all, it’s a whirlpool of no return…”

 

“Then send some elite guards to assist them,” the Emperor waved his hand. “With their support, even approaching the so-called whirlpool will be safe.”

 

The scribe took notes, and the Emperor continued, “Then there’s ‘Atar.’ Who is in charge of ‘Atar’? We cannot allow the land to continue desertifying. Send some laborers there to plant trees, poplars specifically, as they are hardy, grow well, and can resist the sand. If ‘Atar’ becomes a desert, other cities will be affected too…”

 

He sipped his tea and said, “It’s hard to maintain Beijing’s clear air without sandstorms. If everyone plants a poplar tree, someday the desert will turn into a forest oasis.”

 

The scribe thought for a moment and said, “‘Atar’ is under the jurisdiction of Yunzhou, managed by the prefect Ma…”

 

The Emperor: ?

 

The scribe recalled the name, “Prefect Ma Yi.”

 

Zhou Xun was taken aback as the Emperor spat out his tea again, coughing for a while. Finally, the Emperor gave a sincere thumbs-up, “Great! Great name, Ma Yi… With him, the desert will surely become a forest oasis!”

 

Scribe: ??

 

Chu Yunkuo: ??

 

The Emperor said, “This name, it sounds like the arrangement of God… no, Marx!”

 

Neither of them knew where the Emperor’s confidence came from, but he was indeed very confident.

 

“Let Ma Yi take charge of planting the forest in the desert…” the scribe continued to write.

 

The Emperor added, “Not only that, tell him if ‘Atar’ is restored to an oasis, the entire oasis will be named ‘Ma Yi Forest’ in his honor.”

 

Scribe: “Yes!”

 

Chu Yunkuo observed the Emperor’s expression. After the Emperor finished arranging the trade routes and discussing a few more things with him, he suddenly asked the scribe before Chu Yunkuo left, “Does this Prefect Ma Yi have a younger brother?”

 

A younger brother? Chu Yunkuo was stunned. Why was the Emperor so interested in this Prefect Ma Yi?

 

The scribe thought for a moment, and the Emperor continued, “Like Ma Yun or Ma Huateng… does he?”

 

The scribe bowed and said, “I will immediately have people investigate this in detail.”

 

“Investigate, of course, we need to investigate,” the Emperor said excitedly. “If there really is such a person, bring him to the capital. Then, the Silk Road matters will be handled by him and Chu Yunkuo together!”

 

Chu Yunkuo: … ??

 

Why was the Emperor so invested in a younger brother he had never met?

 

This piqued Chu Yunkuo’s curiosity. He decided that when he returned home, he would have his servants investigate this Prefect Ma Yi thoroughly to find out what was so special about his brothers.

 

After Chu Yunkuo and the scribe left, only Zhou Xun and the Emperor remained in the room. The Emperor sat in his chair, looking as if his soul had left his body. After a long while, he turned to Zhou Xun and said, “Sir…”

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

The Emperor continued, “I now feel you are the embodiment of the world’s will!”

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

The Emperor exclaimed, “This world is full of surprises!”

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

The Emperor added, “Water can carry a boat, but it can also sink it. If these two people really exist, I must carefully consider what to do, because…”

 

He looked at Zhou Xun sincerely, “They are different from you.”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

“Why,” Zhou Xun looked at the Emperor’s profile, and finally, hesitantly but resolutely asked, “Why…”

 

Why are you so good to me?

 

Why, without any reason, are you so good to me?

 

“Why?” The Emperor was stunned. “Because we are friends.”

 

“And besides that answer?” Zhou Xun pressed on.

 

The Emperor seemed taken aback by this question, “This… I…”

 

He looked into Zhou Xun’s persistent yet clear eyes, speechless for a moment. After a long while, he cautiously asked, “Did I… did I do something wrong?”

 

—He hadn’t done anything wrong.

 

But…

 

Zhou Xun closed his eyes, maintaining his outward calm as if preserving his unassailable dignity, while inwardly, he breathed deeply.

 

People often think that facing pain requires great courage. But what they don’t know is that for some who have been hurt, the courage to face happiness is far greater than the courage to face pain.

 

In the past, he had sunk into a cold abyss, his body encased in ice, devoid of light. His mother died tragically, the Zhou family was unkind, the prince was unjust, his brother was disrespectful, and others believed the rumors… No one in this world was good to him, and he didn’t believe he could ever be happy again. He hysterically attempted to assassinate the Emperor, seeking the execution of his entire clan…

 

He could muster the courage to be an outcast because he knew he had nothing to lose, having already fallen into a dead end with no future.

 

But now…

 

He began to believe he could wait for a miracle.

 

He began to believe he could walk into the light.

 

He feared letting the Emperor know that he harbored such thoughts, such wavering and trembling in his heart. Admitting to another person one’s innermost softness and weakness is far more difficult than donning armor to face the accusations of thousands.

 

For many, the Emperor’s favoritism and grace might be enough to accept without question. Why seek the reason?

 

Perhaps being such a person would be a happy and stable thing. Unfortunately, Zhou Xun could never be that person.

 

He just truly wanted…

 

To walk in the sunlight openly, without any reservations, and smile at others.

 

“In fact…”

 

He heard the Emperor’s voice.

 

“In fact, I originally…” The Emperor hesitated, “I can’t quite explain this feeling, but…”

 

“The first time I went to review the memorials, I turned around and saw you standing under the eaves. It was very dark under the eaves, but the ground outside was bright with sunlight. You looked at that patch of ground as if it was something that didn’t belong to you. Even though there was nothing there, you couldn’t step into it, as if something was holding you back. At that moment, I suddenly felt like you didn’t belong to this world and would soon fly away.”

 

“I didn’t know why, but I wanted to walk over to you, to stand beside you. And before I could do that… you suddenly smiled, stepped into the sunlight with one foot, and then…”

 

“From that moment on, I just wanted to stay with you,” the Emperor said. “I wanted to see you… happy and brave, confident enough to go anywhere.”

 

“No matter if I’ve met you before or who you are. I want you to always walk in the light, without fear.”

 

In Chinese, a “scribe” can be referred to as “书记官” (shūjì guān). This term is used in the text to describe the person responsible for taking notes and recording the Emperor’s instructions and discussions.