After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 58
“Master, this is your tenth cup of tea.”
Upon hearing the voice of the woman in white across from him, Xie Zhengqing let out an earth-shattering cough. After swallowing the tea that had choked him, the woman in white said, “Sir, you are quite different from other guests.”
Xie Zhengqing gave an embarrassed smile, “I… don’t often come to places like this.”
The woman smiled gently and rolled up her sleeves to pour tea for him. Startled, Xie Zhengqing hurriedly said, “How can I let you do that? I’ll do it myself.”
“Serving is my duty,” the woman glanced at him and smiled, “You seem surprised? Didn’t expect me to do such things?”
Xie Zhengqing didn’t expect this woman, who seemed untouched by worldly matters, to be so adept at serving. It was as if she was used to doing such tasks. After hesitating for a while, he said, “You seem to be admired by many… and yet, here you are.”
“Admired?”
“Your beauty is enchanting…” As soon as he said this, Xie Zhengqing wished he could slap himself.
“When a woman can only use her beauty as a weapon to survive, she is already defeated. People will only see her as a plaything—not for admiration, but for possession.” The woman lowered her sleeves, cupping her hands to offer the tea. “People will fight over a plaything but will never respect it. Even if it sways high on a branch, it is still at the mercy of the wind, never controlling its fate.”
Xie Zhengqing was stunned, unable to speak for a long time. The woman then smiled faintly, “It seems I’ve said something displeasing. If you don’t wish to drink this tea, I will drink it myself.”
Saying this, she covered her mouth with her sleeve and drank the tea in one go.
…
“There’s quite a commotion outside. I wonder who else has come upstairs,” the Emperor clumsily wrapped a bandage around Zhou Xun’s ankle, chattering, “Do you think it’s another courtesan? It’s not good to stay here so late. Let’s leave early tomorrow.”
The Emperor, usually talkative, was even more so tonight. It was unclear if he was particularly happy or hiding something.
Zhou Xun stared at his ankle: …
“What’s wrong?” The Emperor immediately looked up, cautiously, “Did I hurt you?”
Zhou Xun looked at his ankle, now wrapped so thickly that even his foot was almost entirely covered: …
He had watched the Emperor take the cloth strips and wrap them around his foot once…
“This side seems thin, and that side is too thick,” he heard the Emperor mutter to himself, “I need to even out the thickness…”
Then he saw the Emperor add another layer to the “thin” side.
Now the thin side became the “thick” side. With each layer added, the Emperor’s expression grew more serious, seemingly compelled by some thickness-averaging compulsion…
And now, it had become like this.
The Emperor: “How is it? Does it seem… a bit thick?”
Zhou Xun: …
He wanted to say “it’s fine,” but the words came out as, “Not quite impressive.”
The Emperor: …
“But it does have its advantages.”
The Emperor looked up: “Like?”
Zhou Xun: “It’s very warm.”
The Emperor: …
After standing against the wall for a while, the Emperor said, “I need to use the restroom.”
The Emperor left, and Zhou Xun was alone in the room.
He leaned on the chaise longue, staring at his overly wrapped ankle for a long time, and couldn’t help but laugh.
The room felt stifling. He pushed open the paper door leading to the balcony. The street below was still bustling, with carriages and people moving about.
Next to him, on the balcony, stood a man in purple. The man held a jade ruyi scepter, also gazing at the street below.
Hearing the door open, the man looked at Zhou Xun, and Zhou Xun glanced back.
It was just a casual look; their gazes parted quickly.
The capital truly lived up to its reputation as the city that never sleeps. Even at this hour, the streets were still lively. Zhou Xun watched the bustling street and suddenly noticed a man.
A middle-aged man.
Dressed inconspicuously and carrying a bundle, the man sneaked into a narrow alley. Beside the alley was a brightly lit brothel, where many courtesans sang and danced.
Shortly after, the man emerged from the alley without the bundle, hurriedly leaving the bustling street.
There were many middle-aged men like him on the street. Many men, despite reaching middle age, still sneaked around for affairs, teaching their children about propriety while indulging themselves in secret.
However…
“Zhou Tairan.”
Zhou Xun softly muttered his father’s name. After a while, he coldly smiled.
He wasn’t surprised to see his hypocritical father here. Zhou Tairan preached one thing and practiced another, gaining a sense of authority by lecturing his children. Though he sneaked around, he was a smart man. Why would he sneak out late at night, even risking disturbing his household?
Zhou Xun’s gaze deepened as he watched the alley. Shortly after Zhou Tairan left, a charmingly dressed woman emerged from the alley.
The woman, heavily made-up, was clearly a courtesan. She held the bundle Zhou Tairan had given her, her face showing undisguised delight as she gently caressed her abdomen…
Zhou Xun immediately understood.
He watched the woman enter a brothel named “Luhua Nong,” memorizing her appearance and smiling.
“The Zhou family lost a son and gained another. The balance is maintained,” he whispered, “I wonder when my good brother and stepmother will learn of this happy news?”
The bundle likely contained jewelry from the Zhou family. Zhou Xun assumed that Zhou Tairan, knowing the woman was pregnant and unable to openly take money from his wife, had secretly taken the family’s valuables to appease her.
Since the woman’s pregnancy wasn’t yet visible, Zhou Xun decided it wasn’t urgent.
Anyway, Young Master Zhou was still locked up in the prison of the Imperial Guard. Zhou Xun’s fingers tapped on the railing; he had been in that prison before, although only for a few days, he knew what it was like. Instead of hastening the judgment, it was better to let him suffer there a bit longer.
During this time, the entire Zhou family had been running around for the sake of the young master. Zhou Cai had begged everyone he could, Zhou Mother was frantic, and Zhou Little Sister, who had no other ideas besides clinging to powerful figures, was helpless. In such a situation, it was no wonder that Zhou Father had the courage to sneak out in the middle of the night to meet his lover—he probably even used the excuse of pleading for the young master as a cover when he returned home.
Zhou Mother was a formidable woman, no one knew this better than Zhou Xun—if she weren’t, she wouldn’t have maintained Lin Yan’s friendship for over a decade, nor raised a son like Zhou Cai. Unfortunately, now she was entangled in the young master’s affairs, unable to exert her power. By the time she turned her attention back, that brothel woman might have already given birth, and the situation would be irreversible.
A cold and sticky hatred surged up in Zhou Xun’s heart once more.
When the Zhou family wasn’t in front of him, he thought he could handle things calmly and rationally, treating them as mere obstacles. But when Zhou Father truly appeared before him…
He realized he still wanted to see the entire Zhou family dead.
He wanted to see them drowning in their own blood.
The man in purple on the opposite balcony seemed to sense something and looked in Zhou Xun’s direction.
The expression beneath his mask was like that of a snake recognizing its kin.
As Zhou Xun was lost in thought, he heard the sound of the paper door opening behind him.
He turned to see the Emperor walking in, instructing a servant, “Send some celery seeds and croton to the young master next door.”
Zhou Xun: ?
Emperor: “I ran into an acquaintance downstairs. When he saw me, his expression was a bit constipated.”
“By the way, you know him too,” the Emperor said, “Xie Zhengqing, you saw him in the imperial garden, remember?”
Zhou Xun thought for a moment, “I remember.”
He knew that Young Master Xie was a friend of Zhou Cai, and most of the well-known men in the capital were friends with Zhou Cai. The Emperor said, “I didn’t expect someone like him to come here… Shall we rest?”
Zhou Xun said, “He might think the same when he sees you in a brothel.”
Saying this, Zhou Xun realized he had casually used the word “you.” The Emperor yawned, “A gentleman is open and honest, while a petty man is always anxious. What do I have to fear? By the way, what were you looking at on the balcony?”
Zhou Xun was slightly startled and, for some reason, couldn’t find the words to reply.
The Emperor didn’t seem to mind his silence. He appeared sleepy and said to Zhou Xun, “Let’s sleep. We need to return to the palace early tomorrow.”
Zhou Xun nodded.
He blew out the candle. After a night of tossing and turning, they both quickly fell asleep. Zhou Xun watched as the Emperor was about to drift off and softly asked, “Is everyone in the world you come from like you? What kind of place is it?”
The Emperor, half-asleep, mumbled, “It’s a world… full of flowers and sunshine?”
Zhou Xun didn’t doubt it. He thought, only such a world could nurture someone like the Emperor.
He recalled the cruel and cold desire for revenge that had surfaced when he saw his father. He wanted to see him beheaded, to see them drenched in blood, to see them suffer ten times more than he had when he was left in the temple during the flood.
These were thoughts he would never dare to share with the Emperor, buried deep within his heart.
Fortunately, the Emperor knew nothing.
The Emperor seemed to be truly falling asleep. Zhou Xun watched his profile and softly said, “If I were born in your world, what would I be like?”
After saying this, he suddenly felt foolish.
He actually yearned for a place he had never seen, where the Emperor grew up.
“…Then you might not be called Zhou Xun,” the Emperor mumbled in his half-asleep state.
Zhou Xun: …
Emperor: “You might be called Zhou Zirui or Zhou Junjie.”
Zhou Xun: …
“Stop overthinking,” the Emperor’s hand suddenly patted Zhou Xun’s head, pushing him into his place, “Sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow.”
Zhou Xun: …
He didn’t know what Zhou Zirui or Zhou Junjie meant, but recalling the Emperor’s reaction to the name “Hao Yu,” these names were probably very common in his world.
If the Emperor could give a different answer, he wouldn’t be the Emperor. Zhou Xun gave up on pursuing the answer, closed his eyes, and prepared to sleep.
“By the way,” the Emperor said again.
“Tomorrow, I’ll have someone retrieve your mother’s dowry from the Zhou family. Not a single piece will be missing,” the Emperor said with his eyes closed.
Zhou Xun opened his eyes again, but as he thought of what to say, he heard the Emperor’s gentle snores.
He began to feel that the Emperor might not be as ignorant as he had imagined.
**Zhou Junjie** (周俊杰) could be interpreted as “Zhou, the handsome and outstanding one” or “Zhou, the talented hero.”
Both names suggest positive qualities, with “Zhou Zirui” emphasizing wisdom and insight, and “Zhou Junjie” highlighting physical attractiveness, talent, and heroism.
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