After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 44
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- Chapter 44 - Demolishing a Temple
How is the Zhou family doing these days?
Between the two of them, the facade of brotherly respect and friendliness had been torn apart. They stood close to each other, with no one else present, and Zhou Cai no longer concealed his usual pretense of brotherly affection.
“Younger brother, you seem to be doing well in the palace,” he said slowly, his eyes fixed on Zhou Xun. “What’s the situation with the Zhou family now? You must be aware.”
Zhou Xun glanced at him while adjusting the carriage curtain leisurely. “I really don’t know much about the affairs of the Zhou family. After all—”
He smiled at Zhou Cai. “The Emperor hasn’t informed me about matters unrelated to me, nor does he intend for me to worry about such trivial matters.”
Zhou Cai’s expression twisted for a moment, then he chuckled. “After a few days in the palace, you’ve become quite sharp-tongued. It’s quite different from how you used to be.”
Zhou Xun didn’t rush to respond. He knew that between the two of them, it was Zhou Cai who was more anxious.
The Zhou family had risen as new nobles in the court. Zhou Cai was busy consolidating their power and showcasing their prominence. But standing out alone was precarious; if he wanted to elevate the entire Zhou family, Zhou Xun couldn’t afford any mishaps.
—Earlier, when he had come over here, waiting to check his waist tag, he had already heard about Zhou Xun’s situation from the whispers of the nearby guards.
Sure enough, Zhou Xun remained silent for a long time. Zhou Cai spoke first, “Brother, you should know, one cannot achieve greatness without the support of the clan’s strength.”
“Alone in the court, no matter how insightful you are, you are still ‘one person’. If something goes wrong, others with family backgrounds have their clansmen to rely on, providing a lifeline. But you, if you act alone like a lone wolf, when trouble comes knocking, you won’t even have a chance to fight back. You’ll be thrown into hell in an instant,” Zhou Cai said. “You were always smart since childhood; you should understand this principle.”
Zhou Cai was clearly anxious. Unable to resolve Zhou Xun’s situation, he couldn’t find peace for even a day. Now, he had turned his attention to Zhou Xun himself, crafting such a lofty set of arguments.
If another person stood here now, they might seriously consider these words. Though Zhou Cai often pretended, his words were not entirely unreasonable.
In Chinese culture, there is a strong emphasis on circles and clan ties. Clans naturally form circles based on blood relationships, integrating personal and collective interests to increase the group’s influence and resilience against risks. Among the factors that promote these circles, nothing is more natural and logical than blood ties. Therefore, most officials who rise to prominence cannot do so without the support of their relatives.
However…
“As a court official, one should serve the Emperor and the court. In one’s position, planning for the state, if one does not think about the welfare of the court and instead forms a small clique…” Zhou Xun said, “Brother Zhou, are you trying to form a small court?”
—Such a big accusation of “forming a clique”!
With this accusation hanging over him, Zhou Cai dared not say anything more. Even if he accused Zhou Xun of neglecting family ties, it would be unreasonable—after all, the Emperor is the ruler, and in the face of national affairs and righteousness, what significance does such a trivial familial sentiment hold?
He couldn’t use this matter against him anymore.
“However, when my elder brother talks about the affairs of the Zhou family, I am indeed very concerned,” Zhou Xun said after this sentence, leisurely. “Elder brother says I’m not concerned enough about family matters, which is not entirely wrong. In that case, please ask Xiao Li Gonggong to inform me more about the… interesting things happening in the Zhou family in the future.”
He emphasized the word “interesting” casually: “Seeing how you all are doing, I will be reassured.”
“You…!”
“How about it, elder brother,” Zhou Xun smiled ambiguously. “Since you took the initiative to find me, you should know what kind of response I would give. Now that the Emperor or others are not here, you can spare the effort of pretending to be sad. On this point, we can still maintain our ‘brotherly respect and friendliness’. Guard—”
He let go of the curtain. “Let’s go.”’
The carriage rolled on steadily. Sitting inside, the young attendant who followed Zhou Xun observed his indifferent expression. Having been by Zhou Xun’s side for over ten days, growing closer to him, he couldn’t help but speak up, “Master Zhou, since you dislike those people, why not ask the Emperor to…”
“Relying on the Emperor’s favor can only bring temporary glory,” Zhou Xun interrupted. “Whether it’s Zhou Cai or… me.”
He tapped his knee, as if reminding himself to pay attention to this point. “Those who persist in wrongdoing will bring about their own destruction. The Zhou family has often overstepped in the capital due to Zhou Cai’s favor. Now, Zhou Xiaodi’s situation is just a time bomb. Sooner or later, the Zhou family will self-destruct. This is a matter of justice, so why should I intervene? Besides…”
—Don’t you think being a spectator is more interesting than being an actor? The longer their drama unfolds, the more captivating it becomes.
The struggles of insects before their death are the most hopeless and painful. Since death is inevitable, the longer the struggle, the more glimpses of hope one might see, yet unable to break free, it becomes even more agonizing than death itself.
“I actually hope they can hold out a bit longer,” Zhou Xun unexpectedly spoke. Leaning his chin on his hand, he looked out of the window of the carriage. “If they can see me ascend while they remain stuck in the mud, that would be even better. Knowing their personalities, seeing me doing well might be worse for them than experiencing their own downfall.”
In the astonished gaze of the attendant, the young master in green smiled. On his usually cool face, there was now a hint of playfulness.
“Looking at it this way, I’m not exactly a gentleman. Sometimes, I can be quite bad,” he said softly, without any hint of remorse in his words.
Left far behind at Donghua Gate, Zhou Cai twisted his face in resentment.
“Toasting without drinking brings punishment. When the time comes, there will surely be a use for the Zhou family,” he thought bitterly. “Blood ties, marital relations…”
In these past few days, Xie Zhengqing had been busy with military affairs, and despite his visits, he hadn’t been able to get in touch with him. Yet at this moment, he thought of a better candidate.
His fiancée, the daughter of Minister Yan.
The carriage stopped on a street outside Moyuan. Zhou Xun got off the carriage, leaving the others waiting there for him, except for one attendant who kept his distance, watching over him.
Standing on the bustling street crowded with people, Zhou Xun felt a sense of being in a different world. For the first time in two years, he walked among the crowd.
He walked faster and faster, as if the wind was carrying him along.
He walked into the throngs of people.
Moyuan looked the same as it did two years ago, with many willow trees lining the streets. Under the willow trees were both reputable shops and struggling artists selling paintings and calligraphy. After a few steps on the street, he quickly found the desolate shop hidden deep in an alley.
Upon seeing the shop, Zhou Xun’s steps quickened like never before—not because he was overly excited, but because along the way, people’s gazes made him somewhat uncomfortable. He repeatedly checked if his attire was inappropriate, if he had misunderstood some customs of the capital after being away for so long, or if he had taken some wrong steps…
Little did he know, the reason he attracted so much attention was simply because of his outstanding appearance and demeanor. Two years ago, newly arrived in the capital, he had been cautious everywhere and had no fine clothes. Now, after two years, he had grown taller, and his unique cold and refined temperament had become even more pronounced. People on the street hadn’t seen such a face, and they speculated about which noble family’s young master he might be.
“…A few days ago, I passed by the Fifth Prince’s Mansion, and it was still heavily guarded. It seems the incident caused by the Fifth Prince in the palace was quite significant!”
On the second floor of Linfeng Tower nearby, a few young men were chatting. They all looked like sons of officials in the capital.
“Anyway, I heard that the Fifth Prince caused trouble in the palace and offended someone he shouldn’t have. The Emperor was furious!” one of them whispered mysteriously. “The identity of this person is quite extraordinary.”
“Who is it? Could it be one of the palace consorts?” another man with a flirtatious demeanor raised his eyebrows, showing a hint of romance. “Is the Emperor pleased with a new beauty?”
“You think everyone is as lustful as you?” the mysterious one sneered disdainfully. “I heard this from inside sources—this person is a talented scholar brought in by the Emperor. He is highly admired, which angered the Fifth Prince for disrespecting him.”
“A scholar?” the flirtatious man said. “Then why keep him in the palace? Oh, where did you hear this news from? Is it reliable?”
“Of course, it came from my aunt’s house. Her daughter entered the palace and serves in the Palace of Eternal Joy. She wrote about it in a letter,” the informant was annoyed by the skepticism. “The Emperor has reasons for keeping him in the palace. This person has poor health, so the Emperor arranged for him to recuperate in the palace, with the imperial physician taking good care of him!”
“Hey hey, brothers, don’t argue,” a simple-looking man tried to mediate. “Brother Ren knows people in the palace. What he says shouldn’t be false. Brother Ren may gossip a bit, but he never says things he isn’t sure about.”
This Brother Ren, mentioned by them, was the one who had connections and knew Red Lotus from before. He was an interesting character among scholars and was quite famous among the examinees. If others who loved gossip were like small horns, then he was certainly a horn that blew a hundred birds. Anything he knew, even about the underworld, he would spread it all over.
Brother Ren proudly waved his fan back and leaned over. The frivolous and lewd Brother Liu also shut up and stopped talking. After fanning himself for a while, Brother Ren turned to the young man next to him, “Brother Yan, you’ve been preparing for next year’s Spring Festival for the last few months. It’s like, even after you’ve been sitting and talking about it, are…
The young man called Yan Di hurriedly said, “My father’s discipline is strict, so…”
Anyong was just making an offhand comment, but Yan Di apologized profusely. He quickly said, “No, no, I was just joking with you. Your father is Yan Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, and naturally has high expectations of you. We all know that.”
Yan Di sighed. Seeing his troubled expression, the honest and kind-hearted person decided to lighten the mood. “By the way, Yan Di, is your sister getting married soon?”
Yan Di replied, “Yes…”
“Your sister is going to marry Zhou Cai, the top scholar from three years ago who shattered the dreams of countless young girls in the capital.” Anyong nudged him with his elbow, congratulating him, “They are a match made in heaven, envied by everyone! I heard that your sister and Scholar Zhou met because of a heroic rescue…”
As they chatted cheerfully, one of them noticed that since a certain point, the dashing Yu Lin had not participated in the conversation. He was staring downstairs, seemingly captivated by someone, even pausing his incessant fanning.
“Yu Lin?” Anyong leaned over to see, “What are you looking at?”
After Yuzhe’s vision caught something unusual, Anyong also seemed surprised, “Who’s that young master? Why have I never seen him before? Look at his clothes, only officials from prominent families can afford such fabric…”
Rubbing his eyes, he murmured, “Hmm, this person looks vaguely familiar… Where have I seen him before?”
Yu Lin calmly closed his fan and stood up, saying, “Excuse me, gentlemen, I’ll take my leave.”
“What do you mean ‘take your leave’? You want to go meet that young master!” the others teased him.
Without further explanation, Yu Lin left. Following suit, Yan Di also stood up.
“I came out this time to find a book in Moyuan,” he apologized and bowed to the group, “I’ll take my leave.”
With their departure, the atmosphere in Linfeng Tower quieted down. The remaining guests also lost interest.
As Yan Di descended the stairs, thinking about the annotated collection he wanted to find and his sister’s wedding, his face showed a trace of worry.
In the eyes of others, his sister’s marriage was a joyous occasion… but only he knew.
This matter was far from the beautiful picture painted in others’ eyes!
Yan Yan smiled gently as she approached, looking happy and content a few days ago, but inexplicably she had hanged herself!
Author’s note: The preliminary formation of Zhou Xun’s circle of friends.
Red Lotus’s kind heart had an impact.