After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 70
A tall girl floated away. Zhou Xun, however, led the Emperor to the garden behind the building.
It was midsummer, and there were few people on the road. Only white hibiscus flowers were in bloom. Zhou Xun stopped beside a cluster of hibiscus flowers.
Emperor: “The restroom isn’t over here… Ah, you have something to say to me?”
Zhou Xun: …Did His Majesty just now realize this?
…
“You want to help her?” The Emperor frowned. “It’s not that it can’t be done, but we’re not experts and can’t tell the quality of this formula…”
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I request that Your Majesty call two more highly respected imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital to review the formula?” Zhou Xun’s demeanor was unusually earnest. He lowered his gaze and spoke respectfully, “If the other two physicians also find the formula unfeasible, then we will stop here. If it is feasible, I would trouble Your Majesty…”
“We’re all on the same side; no need to mention trouble,” the Emperor said, scratching his head. He looked at Zhou Xun with a bit of confusion. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been this formal with each other…”
“Never mind.” He muttered quietly, “Forget what I just said.”
The Emperor summoned the attendants to find people from the Imperial Hospital and notify the people upstairs. The attendants complied and soon returned with a report, “Lord Lu and others are very pleased that Your Majesty personally went through the trouble of finding more physicians. Miss Zhang repeatedly bowed and expressed her gratitude for Your Majesty’s great kindness.”
The Emperor: “It’s nothing. As long as the Imperial Hospital doesn’t blame me for pulling them in on their day off.”
Zhou Xun also expressed his thanks to the Emperor. Just as he was about to return to his room with the Emperor, the latter, who had been standing behind him, suddenly said, “Hey, don’t leave just yet.”
Zhou Xun turned around.
“Let’s sit over there and have a chat,” the Emperor said, pointing to a nearby pavilion. “The physicians will take some time to arrive, so we might as well wait here.”
Zhou Xun: …
He followed the Emperor to the pavilion.
Indeed, the view in the pavilion was excellent, with a clear view of babbling brooks, lush bamboo, and large clusters of white hibiscus flowers.
After they sat down, the Emperor, who had called for them to come, remained silent. Zhou Xun noticed the Emperor’s troubled expression and guessed that he wanted to ask something earlier.
Just as Zhou Xun was about to bring it up, the Emperor looked at the sky and sighed in frustration, trying to sound relaxed. “…Forget it, it’s nothing. I’m being all fussy, like a little girl. Never mind, never mind(TL – Bro you jelly)!”
Zhou Xun: …
The Emperor turned to look at Zhou Xun with a relieved expression. “The scenery here is nice. Let’s just enjoy the view!”
“Does Your Majesty think I’m too concerned about Miss Zhang’s situation?” Zhou Xun directly addressed the question the Emperor hadn’t asked. “Is Your Majesty curious about why I care so much about her?”
Emperor: …
“Forget about it,” the Emperor said awkwardly with a dry laugh. “Ah, it’s nothing… There’s no need to ask. It makes me seem a bit nosy and small-minded, especially towards you, a friend. Just forget about it. You like helping others, being kind—this is a good thing! You like people, and…”
Zhou Xun: …
The Emperor: “And…”
The Emperor changed the subject. “Look at this scenery, it’s so nice. The hibiscus flowers are blooming so beautifully, and the birds are singing so sweetly! And the mosquitoes… there’s quite a few of them too.”
The Emperor started swatting at the mosquitoes. Just as he was about to slap one, he heard Zhou Xun let out a faint sigh. “Ah, troublesome…”
The Emperor’s hand missed the mosquito and ended up landing on his own thigh.
His leg stung sharply, but the Emperor didn’t even have time to yelp. He stared blankly at Zhou Xun, who had made the sigh, while Zhou Xun tilted his head, his black hair flowing smoothly, his pale face, and the sharp brows and eyes, and the lips that had touched his own in the carriage…
Emperor: …
Zhou Xun couldn’t help but smile at him. Then, he said earnestly, “I don’t like Miss Zhang. My helping her isn’t due to any particular kindness.”
The Emperor’s hand was still on his aching leg. “Then why…”
After finishing that sentence, the Emperor couldn’t help but show an expression of visible regret.
“…Before and after my imprisonment, I lost everything. I have nothing left. I have no parents, no family, no old friends. To others, I am someone who has shamelessly climbed the ranks by exploiting my appearance. I have no future, no prospects. In this world, everyone is either a stranger or my enemy. Even if I survive, there is nothing left in this world that connects to me; I am a living dead man.”
“Hey, don’t say such things about yourself…”
“However, Miss Zhang is the first person I dealt with after I died. She is the first person whose life has been changed because of me. She is the first positive change I have made in this world and made me realize that I am still alive and that my life has value. I still have a connection to the vast world, and I can still do something.” Zhou Xun looked at his own hands, his long fingers well-defined—hands perfect for writing. “Therefore, I want to see…”
“If I can give some people in this world a good ending. If I can push for a good story. Then perhaps I can believe a little more…”
—Believe that my destiny can be changed.
He looked at the mottled lines in his palm.
A fortune-teller once said that people with such palm lines are destined for hardship and won’t meet a good end.
A hand fell onto his palm, wrapping around his entire hand.
“You can do it,” the Emperor said earnestly, giving him the reassurance from another hand. “You can do it.”
Zhou Xun smiled. “Your Majesty speaks so decisively.”
“I am the Son of Heaven, and my word is law. You must believe me,” the Emperor said, holding his hand and becoming a bit boastful. “I am Dragon(Long) Aotian. If Dragon Aotian wants to do something, nothing is impossible. That’s the first law of time travel!”
“Actually, the reason I brought you here was to show you—there is someone who survived because of you. You successfully changed someone’s life.” The Emperor scratched his head and said, “This way… you’ll see that the world is still quite good. Just… I didn’t expect you to pull me out specifically to talk about this.”
—So the Emperor understood better than anyone.
“So, I didn’t help Miss Zhang because I liked her. Even if it were a young man sitting there instead of a young woman, I would have done the same thing.” Zhou Xun said earnestly.
Emperor: “Ah, ah, don’t talk about this anymore. I understand, I understand.”
The Emperor showed a self-assured “I understand” expression. Zhou Xun looked at his inexplicably silly smile, wondering if he truly understood everything.
The Emperor, after all, to him…
“Ah,” the Emperor’s voice came near his ear, “There’s a mosquito on your neck.”
Zhou Xun: ??
Before he could react, the Emperor had slapped his neck hard.
“Smack!”
…It hurt quite a bit.
Zhou Xun: “…Did His Majesty catch the mosquito?”
Emperor: “Uh…”
The Emperor spread his hands awkwardly and said, “It seems I missed it. It flew away.”
Zhou Xun: …
…Forget it, really troublesome.
His neck was a bit itchy, and it seemed he had already been bitten by a mosquito. The imperial physicians had not arrived yet. Sitting in the pavilion, Zhou Xun couldn’t help but scratch his neck.
It was quite itchy.
“Don’t worry, I’m here!” Seeing Zhou Xun’s restless state, the Emperor immediately said.
Zhou Xun: …
Zhou Xun was too lazy to respond and turned his face to show the Emperor the prominent red mark on his neck.
Emperor: …
The Emperor was silent for a while. After a moment, Zhou Xun looked up and saw that the Emperor had actually rolled up his sleeves and pant legs.
Revealing large patches of bare skin.
Zhou Xun: ?!
“I’m here for you.” The Emperor laughed generously. “Also, since there are too many people in the room, let’s not go back just yet. Let’s sit quietly here for a while.”
Zhou Xun: …
Zhou Xun and the Emperor returned to the room only after a while. The two elderly physicians had already finished examining the formula for Zhang Lingsu.
The outcome was surprisingly smooth. The young lady’s formula had actually been approved by one of the elderly physicians. This elderly physician’s apprentice was among the physicians sent to the West Continent, and recently, he had been studying these matters for his precious apprentice. Some of the ideas in the young lady’s formula aligned with his own recent research.
The elderly physician explained the pharmacology in detail, with every word and sentence precise and thorough, mentioning similar past cases that were not as refined as the current method, while also noting a few shortcomings. Miss Zhang took notes, and everyone was convinced. After discussing these points, the elderly physician looked at the standing He Taiyi and said, “He Taiyi has always been the most progressive and often comes up with ideas others dare not consider. Why has he been so negligent this time, even forgetting the reference book?”
He Taiyi looked very ashamed. The elderly physician looked at him and then at the young lady, meaningfully saying, “He Taiyi entered the Imperial Hospital at a young age and gained fame for curing a stubborn illness of the Protector Duke. If I remember correctly, He Taiyi was about the same age as this young lady when he joined the Imperial Hospital. Although Miss Zhang is a woman, in the field of medicine, women can be no less capable than men.”
The issue was thus resolved. Zhang Lingsu would make preparations and head to the West Continent in half a month. The formula was sent ahead by fast horse. The Emperor went to see off the elderly physician, while Zhou Xun stood among the crowd and noticed that the tall girl he had seen earlier was also present. She stood beside Lu Xiandao, seemingly whispering something to him.
“…The prison isn’t a suitable place for you to go…”
“Lord Zhou.”
Zhou Xun turned around to see the slender young lady looking at him. Seeing him turn back, Zhang Lingsu gave him a deep bow, “I am grateful for your help, Lord.”
She seemed not very good with words, and in the end, only sincerely promised, “If there’s ever anything I can do for you in the future, I will certainly do my utmost to repay you.”
Everything was understood without words. Zhou Xun looked at the woman whose life he had saved. She stood in the sunlight, her eyes resolute, a living person.
He should have ended up as a worthless life in prison, but now he had saved a person.
And this person would go on to save more people.
If the Emperor had pulled him back into this world, at this moment, Zhou Xun felt an even deeper sense of connection to the world—like light converging in the starry sky, rivers flowing into the ocean, like a single wave finally stirring more tides.
He smiled and said, “Thank you.”
“Why are you thanking me? I should be the one thanking you,” Zhang Lingsu said, puzzled.
Zhou Xun did not explain further. He simply said, “The young lady may have a hard time in the coming days.”
Zhang Lingsu misunderstood him as referring to the epidemic and said, “It’s fine. Proving my grandfather’s innocence and treating those people was my wish.”
Miss Zhang returned to the inn. Lu Xiandao, over there, seemed to have reluctantly agreed to the tall girl’s request, saying, “The trial is coming up in a few days; it cannot be delayed any further. If you want to see him, go ahead and see him. Since he is still in prison, you might as well take the opportunity to see him while you can.”
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