After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 72

Until the four people walked out of the long, dimly lit corridor, Zhou Hong in the deepest cell did not make any more sounds.

Throughout the journey, the other three were unusually silent. Zhou Xun knew that they must have heard his conversation with Zhou Hong, the derogatory insults Zhou Hong had hurled at him, and the false rumors Zhou Hong had concocted.

He himself had no intention of explaining anything to them. After so many years, if he still didn’t understand that a few words couldn’t change people’s opinions, he would have wasted his life.

Out of sight in front of him, Shangguan Mingjing nudged He Lian with her elbow. He Lian turned to look at her.

Shangguan Mingjing: ‘Say something. Aren’t you usually the one who talks the most?’

He Lian: ‘Oh.’

Shangguan Mingjing prodded him several times, and he, after enduring these nudges, smiled and poked Lu Xiandao, who was walking ahead of them.

Lu Xiandao: …

Zhou Xun continued walking in the corridor. He glanced at the dim lights on either side and suddenly felt a certain small path looked familiar.

Just as he was about to focus on it, he heard Lu Xiandao’s voice:

“You’ve managed to stay alive until now; that’s quite an achievement.”

Zhou Xun: …

…Why is he bringing up this “sad topic” again?

“Thanks to the Emperor’s mercy,” Zhou Xun replied.

Lu Xiandao: …

Shangguan Mingjing: …

He Lian chuckled, saying, “Young Master Zhou, what Lord Lu means is that it’s quite something that you’ve managed to survive until now without being driven to death by the Zhou family.”

Zhou Xun: ?

“Indeed,” Shangguan Mingjing added, “I knew your relationship with the Zhou family was poor, but I didn’t realize it was this bad. The things he said just now didn’t sound like what a younger brother would say to an elder. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you two were enemies. However…”

She laughed again, “Ah, seeing him so cowardly earlier was really satisfying! Good thing I remembered to go down that alley. This was quite the reward!”

Unlike the other two young men, Shangguan Mingjing, though seemingly aggressive, was actually a straightforward and honest girl. Zhou Xun understood why the three of them had brought him here.

They didn’t bring him here out of sudden fondness or merely because Miss Shangguan was in the mood. The reason was inevitably related to his current status. Initially, when he was imprisoned here, the three of them knew he was now a favored figure of the Emperor, so they brought him here to get some personal satisfaction and let him see some of the suffering he had endured here, thus alleviating some of his old grievances.

However, if one were to view human interactions as merely cold exchanges of benefits, life would be rather meaningless. It was undeniable that Zhou Xun could sense Shangguan Mingjing’s genuine sense of injustice regarding Zhou Hong’s treatment of him, and he could also feel the underlying concern in Lu Xiandao’s blunt words. Their interactions with him were not purely driven by rational calculations.

That was enough.

After all, not everyone would unconditionally help a… stranger.

A certain person’s image flashed through his mind again, and Zhou Xun couldn’t help but smile, his eyes curving up.

On the other side.

Shangguan Mingjing watched Zhou Xun smiling at a prisoner being interrogated and couldn’t help but shiver. She whispered to He Lian, “Why does Young Master Zhou have such a strange smile?”

He Lian: …

“By the way,” Zhou Xun turned to Lu Xiandao, knowing he was the decision-maker among the three, “I have a small request…”

“You want to see your former cell?” Lu Xiandao raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Xun didn’t hide it: “Yes.”

“Ah!” Shangguan Mingjing exclaimed, “You’ve just managed to get out of there, and now you want to go back in?”

Zhou Xun smiled and shook his head, not explaining why. Lu Xiandao said, “The cell you were in was the highest level of prison, deeper inside past an iron gate.”

“Follow me,” he said.

Zhou Xun stood again in front of the cell where he had once been held.

Unlike the cell where Zhou Hong was confined, his former cell was specially prepared for high-profile prisoners, and it was quite empty. Lu Xiandao and the others stopped at the iron gate and did not go inside, so only he walked up to the cell.

The cell had no new occupants. He stood in front of the bars, watching the daylight falling through the ventilation window. Dust danced in the sunlight, and through the window, he could see the sickly peach tree outside.

When he was first imprisoned, it was late spring, and he had thought the peach tree would die. Unexpectedly, by summer, it had come back to life and was thriving.

He stood in front of the cell for a long time, then turned and walked away without any nostalgia.

…From the depths of the cell, another voice suddenly sounded.

It was the cough of an old man. Zhou Xun followed the sound and saw the man imprisoned in the deepest part of the cell.

Zhou Xun had seen this man the day he was imprisoned. This man’s confinement was even deeper than Zhou Xun’s, who was charged with regicide. He always sat there with drooping eyelids, not very old, but his posture was already frail. He seemed indifferent to everything happening outside, not even lifting his eyes when Zhou Xun was taken out and brought back.

Yet, an instinct told Zhou Xun that this man’s cough was because of him.

Lu Xiandao and the others waited at the entrance, unable to see Zhou Xun’s actions inside. Zhou Xun walked step by step towards the old man, keeping a safe distance.

“You’ve come,” the man rasped, “and you’re still alive.”

His words were disjointed, and Zhou Xun frowned, remaining silent.

He wanted to wait for the man to speak first; he was curious to know what the man’s intentions were.

Seeing that Zhou Xun did not respond, the man smiled: “The Emperor must have spared you, right?”

Zhou Xun did not speak. The man continued, “The current Emperor is a merciful ruler. He could easily have ended your life, but…”

The man lifted his head, and Zhou Xun noticed that amidst the man’s beard, he had eyes as deep as a pool: “Do you think your life will always be this fortunate?”

“Boring,” Zhou Xun said coldly.

For some reason, the man’s gaze made him feel offended.

After saying this, Zhou Xun turned and walked away without looking back. The man remained seated in the deepest cell, a strange smile curving his lips.

Zhou Xun exited the prison with the other three, and they went their separate ways. Before leaving, Shangguan Mingjing cheerfully said, “Young Master Zhou, if you need anything in the future, come find us. Oh, especially if it concerns the Zhou family.”

Lu Xiandao lightly tapped her head with the hilt of his sword and said to Zhou Xun, “If you need anything in the future, remember to report it to the authorities.”

He Lian and Shangguan Mingjing had official duties and took their leave. Shangguan Mingjing was about to leave as well. Zhou Xun thought for a moment and then called out to her from behind.

Shangguan Mingjing turned around, “Young Master Zhou, is there something you need?”

“I’d like to inquire about the merchant who was injured by Zhou Hong. Where is he now?”

Shangguan Mingjing looked him up and down and exaggeratedly said, “Young Master Zhou, you can’t be serious.”

Zhou Xun: ?

Shangguan Mingjing continued, “Are you so saintly? That incident was clearly caused by Zhou Hong; you shouldn’t get involved and risk being harmed. Zhou Cai will drag you into it, claiming that you’re stirring up trouble with the merchant.”

“Don’t laugh; he could definitely do something like that.”

Zhou Xun couldn’t help but laugh. Shangguan Mingjing’s words were indeed something Zhou Cai would do.

“Or are you trying to atone for the Zhou family? Despite how they treated you, you want to clean up their mess?” Shangguan Mingjing said. “If that’s your intention, I definitely won’t guide you! I’m hoping for the Zhou family to come to misfortune; I can’t let you ruin my plans.”

“That’s not the reason,” Zhou Xun hastily explained as Shangguan Mingjing seemed about to explode. “I want to see him for another reason.”

Shangguan Mingjing then looked at him seriously, “What reason?”

“I heard that the merchant, who drifted at sea for a long time and survived on a deserted island, must be a highly capable person. But recently, I heard that he was pushed into a well by Zhou Hong, injuring his leg, and now he walks with a limp, correct?” Zhou Xun said.

“Yes, that’s true. He’s had a rough time. He returned from overseas with some money, intending to buy a new house for his mother, but now all that money has gone into treating his leg,” Shangguan Mingjing shrugged. “This is all Zhou Hong’s fault…”

“I truly want to help him heal his leg,” Zhou Xun said, seeing Shangguan Mingjing’s irritation. “But it’s not for the sake of the Zhou family. It’s because I feel pity.”

“Pity?”

“Pity for a talented person, a filial son, who ends up as a cripple. Moreover, the Emperor is currently looking for talents who have experience at sea, and this man’s background and character make him a very suitable candidate. At the very least, he could provide some experience to assist the Emperor. If he is discarded because of this incident, it would be a loss for our dynasty.”

Shangguan Mingjing: “…Oh.”

After thinking it over, she agreed to Zhou Xun’s request and arranged a carriage for him. However, on the way, she still said, “You can look after him, but remember not to say you’re from the Zhou family. That person now hates the Zhou family very much. He wouldn’t know that you’re their enemy and might end up kicking you out as well.”

“Also, don’t get involved with the Zhou family’s mess. I’m eager to use this to deal with them!” she added.

Zhou Xun agreed. He thought for a moment and asked, “Is the merchant with the surname Lu not living at his original residence?”

“His original residence was taken over by some servants, and with those bloody incidents, there was no way he could stay there. But those servants have been imprisoned by us, so the original house is now empty. After a few incidents, we found him a new place to stay.”

“A few incidents?”

Shangguan Mingjing seemed to remember something and rolled her eyes. “Of course, it was Zhou Cai. His family kept causing a ruckus at the old residence, claiming they were seeking forgiveness, which is why the place was changed.”

She continued, “Don’t reveal the new residence to them, or they’ll come after you again.”