After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 40

Zhou Xun looked at him through the rice paper. Outside the rice paper, the Emperor’s expression was awkward, mixed with horror and shame…

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

“I was wrong.” The Emperor admitted quickly, his expression very honest, deeply remorseful. “How could I have fallen so low! I forgot all about the study plan I made earlier…”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

“The great sage Confucius said, ‘At three times I have examined myself…'” 

 

Zhou Xun: “That was Master Zeng’s saying.”

 

But this Confucius… he noted the name down in his mind again.

 

“Oh, Master Zeng,” the Emperor scratched his head, “I can’t go on like this anymore. Tomorrow, I’ll definitely…”

 

“Coo, coo.”

 

A pigeon landed on the balcony of the study room, and the Emperor’s expression suddenly became “…”.

 

“I…” 

 

Zhou Xun sighed helplessly. “Your Majesty, you should go and see.”

 

The Emperor went to catch the pigeon, and Zhou Xun took down the rice paper covering his face. He watched the Emperor hopping around trying to catch the pigeon, feeling surprisingly calm.

 

Oh well.

 

If the Emperor wasn’t good at it, then so be it. Anyway… as long as he needed him here.

 

As long as the Emperor needed him, he would stay in the palace. Unless one day, the Emperor no longer needed him.

 

But by that time, perhaps the Emperor wouldn’t encounter spelling problems anymore, or maybe someone else would handle the issue for him.

 

The Emperor finally caught the unlucky pigeon. Though they were of the same root, yet their life paths diverged. But the Emperor looked happy when he held the pigeon in his hands.

 

The bamboo tube tied to the pigeon’s ankle was unusual, pure black in color. The deep black color exuded an ominous aura.

 

The Emperor didn’t hide anything from Zhou Xun, he simply unfolded the rolled-up paper hiding inside. The paper was clean and blank.

 

Seeing Zhou Xun’s puzzled look, the Emperor proudly said to him, “Xun’er, come here!”

 

He unfolded the blank paper, “Guess what’s written on it?”

 

…

 

“This is a new encryption method I came up with recently, I call it ‘the Emperor’s New Clothes’.” The Emperor said, then he removed everyone except Zhou Xun from the room and lit a candle.

 

He held up the paper, staring at the flickering candlelight, his eyes deep, his voice low. “As long as you put this paper over the fire, gently toast it…”

 

“What the heck?! Why is it burning?! The novel didn’t say this paper would burn?!”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

Luckily, Zhou Xun acted quickly and extinguished the fire on the paper. Then, he looked at the Emperor, who still looked shocked, and sighed, “Let me do it.”

 

The Emperor, full of ideas but lacking in execution, touched his flushed nose obediently and squatted next to Zhou Xun.

 

Zhou Xun held the paper carefully and began to toast it over the fire. Soon, a few lines of text appeared on the paper.

 

“Tian Luo… Secret Messenger?”

 

“Successfully infiltrated… setting up hidden posts…”

 

This was an organization Zhou Xun had never heard of before.

 

His intuition told him that he was hearing about…

 

Subtly, cold sweat began to seep from his back.

 

It was rumored that every Emperor had such a secret guard organization at his disposal. Different from the openly acting imperial guards who monitored officials, the Jiuwei, and the Mingjing Bureau, which held the supervisory and judicial powers, this unknown secret guard organization lurked in the depths, doing the bloodiest, dirtiest, and most secretive tasks for the Emperor.

 

Apart from the Emperor, no one could capture the tentacles of this deep-water behemoth, and no one could outline the contours of this organization. They only communicated with the Emperor, and only the Emperor could control them.

 

But now, in his hands…

 

was a secret message from this organization.

 

“No one can know the deepest secrets of the Emperor and still walk away unscathed. You must understand, to accompany the Emperor is like accompanying a tiger.”

 

In Zhou Xun’s mind, suddenly echoed the voice of the former court official he had apprenticed to in his youth, who had been demoted.

 

“You see it, don’t you?” The Emperor’s chilly voice sounded in his ears, his black pupils reflecting the candlelight, casting shadows on his deep face, making him look very different from usual.

 

Zhou Xun nodded, holding the rice paper.

 

The Emperor spoke softly, his expression obscure and unfathomable, “This is the legendary…”

 

Zhou Xun followed his gaze closely.

 

“The Empire’s Dark Side.”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

… Somehow, these were obviously very imposing five characters. However, at the moment the Emperor uttered these five characters, Zhou Xun seemed to sense a breath akin to “Dark Flame User” or “Black Flame Dragon” spreading.

 

… At least he couldn’t retrieve that sense of awe anymore.

 

“The Secret Messenger is an organization hidden in the shadows, responsible directly to me for assassination and intelligence gathering. They lurk in every corner of Da Jing and other countries like Bei Wei, collecting information for the central government. They are awakened only when needed to carry out assassination and other tasks,” the Emperor explained.

 

“Have they existed since the founding of Da Jing?”

 

“Of course not. I established them after coming here. Before that, they were dormant. As the saying goes, ‘Complacency breeds peril.’ Years of peace have made Da Jing too lazy. It’s surprising they hadn’t utilized such a useful spy network before.” The Emperor said proudly, “After I took over, I divided them into three parts.”

 

Watching the Emperor answer his own questions…

 

“The first part is Tian Luo. The Tian Luo organization mainly targets foreign forces, lurking in countries like Bei Wei and Da Liang, transmitting local intelligence to Da Jing regularly. For senior spies, I use a one-way communication model—unless in the most urgent situations, they won’t be awakened proactively. They can choose freely whether to send intelligence or remain silent based on their situation.” The Emperor said, “Many hidden posts have not been awakened for a long time. Their status and loyalty need further verification. The ‘Tian Luo’ network is still in the process of being woven. Once completed, the military, defenses, granaries, and other information of Bei Wei and Da Liang will be under our control!”

 

—Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will win every battle. With this information, assassinating local leaders before the war, or disrupting their supplies, it would be relatively easy to take down Bei Wei or Da Liang.

 

Zhou Xun thought.

 

Or perhaps, extend Tian Luo’s reach deeper into the internal struggles of Bei Wei’s royal family. To win by strategy, then by diplomacy, then by military force, then by siege… perhaps without spending a single soldier, they could contain the threat that had always loomed over Da Jing, the royal family of Bei Wei.

 

“The second part is ‘Tian Wang’—originally called ‘Di Wang,’ but considering a certain crime investigation program called ‘Tian Wang’… heh heh, let’s just call it Tian Wang.” The Emperor said, “The Tian Wang system is located within Da Jing, monitoring local officials for treason and observing their moral conduct. They are the ‘Emperor’s third eye.’ In addition to this, their other task is to find spies sent by enemy countries within our borders and deal with them quietly before they pass on the information.”

 

“And the third part is different from the first two. The objectives of the first two are silence and speed. They blend in with the public, indistinguishable from the common people, only awakened when needed,” the Emperor said, “But the third part of the Secret Messenger exists for deterrence.”

 

“All those who conspire in secret, or seek to defect to enemy countries, are handled by the third part of the Secret Messenger. Their existence is to publicly proclaim to the world, no matter who you are, no matter what your status is—” The Emperor’s voice turned cold and solemn, “Traitors die!”

 

A chilling coldness spread with the Emperor’s resolute words in the room.

 

“The third part of the Secret Messenger exists to make this known to the world, to enlighten the people with righteousness, hence…” The Emperor said slowly, “I named this part—”

 

“The Dawn Organization!”

 

After saying this, he suddenly revealed a subtle and delicate smile.

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

The Emperor: “I also made them standardized battle uniforms, cough, cough, but let’s not talk about that for now…”

 

“Zi Yi means black clothes. These patriots hidden in the dark are shadows, the cornerstone of the country’s development. Where there is light, there will be shadows.” The Emperor tapped the table with his fingers, “Now the overall situation of the Secret Messenger is promising, but there is still much to be done. I don’t want to rely on others. I need to find someone trustworthy, so…”

 

He glanced at Zhou Xun, hesitated, then stopped himself, “So…”

 

Zhou Xun was puzzled, “So…?”

 

“Never mind,” the Emperor changed the subject. He seemed to remember something, first lowered his head, then raised it with a radiant smile, “Rest assured!”

 

Zhou Xun:?

 

The Emperor: “This time I will definitely study classical texts seriously!”

 

As the saying goes, the Emperor’s words are like ghost tricks. However, when Zhou Xun returned to the side hall to rest, the next day, and the day after, he found the Emperor actually reading that blue book.

 

On the third day, the same.

 

On the fourth day, the same.

 

He seemed to have suddenly changed, really starting to study that book seriously, and really intending to understand those obscure and complex passages, or even more concise… and even more complex intelligence without Zhou Xun’s help.

 

This day, finally, it rained in the capital. The rain that had been accumulating in the humid air for several days suddenly poured down. Zhou Xun was originally reading a book in the hall, but the sound of rain hitting the rice paddies outside was too loud.

 

The rain outside was heavy, and several palace maids complained under the eaves. Their voices drifted into the room.

 

“This rain, when will the sun come out?” One of the palace maids said, “My bones are all wet from the rain.”

 

“You act like you really want the sun to come out.” Another palace maid sitting next to her teased, “Every time the sun comes out, you hide in the shade, don’t you? Or who’s the one carrying the umbrella?”

 

“I’m just afraid of getting tanned.” The teased palace maid sighed, “I envy those maids who work night shifts. They only work at night, never see the sun, and don’t worry about getting tanned… You know, those secret guards, all wrapped up tightly, do you think their skin is especially fair?”

 

Zhou Xun closed the book.

 

The sound of the door opening came from the side hall, and several palace maids turned to him, “Lord Zhou? What are you…”

 

“I’m going to the study.” The handsome young man’s voice was gentle and indifferent, “Please find me an umbrella.”