After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 76

“I understand that great achievers do not concern themselves with trivial matters,” Zhou Xun said before Old Master Shen could speak again. “What Master says, I understand. But how should these trivial matters be defined? And who gives me the right to define someone else’s life as a trivial matter to be sacrificed for future prospects?”

 

Old Master Shen squinted at him and asked, “Have you ever thought about why you survived?”

 

Why did he survive?

 

“… To seek revenge, to gain respect, to no longer be a piece on someone else’s chessboard that can be manipulated at will.”

 

The library was as quiet as if a single hair falling to the ground could be heard. Zhou Xun knew his words might anger Old Master Shen, but he slowly approached a chess table in the library.

 

On the chess table was an endgame scenario. Zhou Xun picked up a pawn and said, “Just as Master said, life is like a game of chess. If today I discard this pawn to stay behind the scenes, without necessity…”

 

He moved a pawn off the board.

 

“… Then the next moment, I would discard a knight.”

 

He moved a knight off the board.

 

“More and more things would be discarded as trivial matters. It starts with a pawn, and then a knight, a cannon, a chariot, a scholar…” He continued to remove each piece from the board.

 

In the end, on the red side of the board, only the “king” remained.

 

It stood silently on the vast chessboard. Behind it was only the empty grid. In front of it, separated by a river of Chu, was the dark enemy.

 

“Eventually, except for myself, nothing else will be in my heart.” Zhou Xun lowered his eyelashes, “I don’t want to become like this. Regarding the Zhou family, I will stay behind the scenes from now on, subtly influencing the storm to achieve my goals. But Lu Bin… He should not be just a pawn. If I view others’ lives as pawns, others will also see me as a pawn. Even if we…”

 

He smiled, “Are already on the chessboard.”

 

— I was once the most insignificant piece in the story, the one most suited to be sacrificed.

 

— Yet someone pulled me back. He said, ‘Those with ambition will achieve their goals.’ He said he didn’t want me to stay here.

 

— Therefore, I don’t want to think only about myself, step by step widening my own limits. I don’t want to see others as insignificant ‘trivial matters.’

 

The library was silent for a long time. Just as Zhou Xun thought Old Master Shen was no longer willing to speak, Old Master Shen finally spoke.

 

“… I was as foolish as you when I was young,” he said, but a smile appeared in the wrinkles of his face.

 

“If Master hadn’t been so ‘foolish,’ he wouldn’t have spent the rest of his life clearing General Shen’s grievances,” Zhou Xun smiled, knowing his answer was correct. “And… I have a small selfish wish.”

 

“What selfish wish?”

 

“The Zhou family uses any means necessary. If I also succeed in revenge through unscrupulous methods, even if I watch them bleed, it will only be a story of ‘the victor is king and the loser is a bandit.’ It’s just a matter of victory or defeat. The decisive factor is merely the skill of the strategist.” Zhou Xun said softly, “But now, I want them to see—”

 

“A story where a person can walk into the sunlight with dignity, without fault in action or heart. Even the most critical observer cannot fault it, and besides them…”

 

He suddenly smiled again, this time with a touch of cunning.

 

“I also want another person to see it.”

 

…

 

Zhou Xun finished tidying up the library more than two hours later. He had arrived in the afternoon, and by the time he left, it was already night. As he walked out of the library, he saw Old Master Shen staring at the chessboard in a daze.

 

He bid farewell to Old Master Shen but couldn’t resist asking about the chessboard. Old Master Shen grunted, “How dare you ask! If you’re going to reason, then reason, but why did you mess up the chessboard?”

 

Zhou Xun: OAO

 

Zhou Xun repeatedly apologized, feeling a bit anxious, “I don’t know if the chessboard has been restored?”

 

Old Master Shen laughed, then his expression quickly turned sinister, “If it’s not restored, do you think you’d still be standing here safely?”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

“This chessboard, every piece’s position, every spot, I know like the back of my hand.” Old Master Shen picked up a piece and said leisurely, “This is a game I’ve played for half my life…”

 

“Who?” Zhou Xun thought to himself, trying to guess the identity of that person. He noticed Old Master Shen was looking at the red side but picked up the black side’s king, staring at it as if deep in thought.

 

Red side and black side…

 

For some reason, he suddenly remembered something.

 

He recalled that Zhou Cai’s teacher was also a great Confucian scholar. This scholar, when young, was also a prominent figure in the court but, after being rendered speechless on the lectern by someone, submitted his resignation to the court the next day and left the court.

 

Could this piece…

 

But he quickly shook his head and smiled, thinking he was being overly imaginative. The world is so large, how could such a coincidence happen? However, Old Master Shen was right; he was indeed too concerned about the Zhou family, to the extent that even small matters were considered in relation to them.

 

“… You said,” Just as Zhou Xun was about to push open the library door, Old Master Shen’s voice came from behind.

 

Zhou Xun turned around.

 

“Under the moonlight of the Northern Wei, would there be wind blowing through the wind chimes?”

 

That question was like the sound of distant wind chimes in a secluded alley, drifting away into the night.

 

By the time Zhou Xun returned to the palace, it was already late at night. On the way, he had been preoccupied with his thoughts, which delayed him. Due to the heat, he had opened the car window to let in some fresh air and to take a look at the scenery outside.

 

As he passed a particular road, Zhou Xun lifted his gaze from his thoughts and asked the guard at the front of the carriage, “What is that place over there?”

 

“What place?” 

 

Zhou Xun pointed to a rather chaotic estate among the neatly arranged mansions, which looked particularly rebellious, with its surrounding wall partly torn down. The guard looked over and said, “This place… looks somewhat familiar. Let me think. This area is now called ‘Tongfu Lane,’ where most of the residents are court officials. Because it is close to the Hanlin Academy, many Hanlin Academy members live here. And although this mansion looks a bit strange, it seems to be a new construction from a few years ago. So…”

 

The guard continued talking, but Zhou Xun noticed that he suddenly fell silent at a certain point.

 

— And he looked at Zhou Xun cautiously and furtively.

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

He didn’t understand the guard’s expression, so he couldn’t help but look at him in confusion. Seeing Zhou Xun’s calm demeanor and remembering that this young master had a grudge against the Zhou family, the guard suggested, “If Young Master Zhou wants to see it, we could go take a look?”

 

“No need to see it.” Zhou Xun said firmly, “We need to return to the palace. Shouldn’t we take another route?”

 

The guard nodded, and Zhou Xun added, “Let’s take a detour. Passing by here is troubling.”

 

The guard then led the way on a different route. On the road, Zhou Xun reflected on what he had just seen.

 

The Zhou mansion, once so solemn and inviolable in his eyes, was now just like this. Actually, Shen Haiju had a point; in a certain sense, he wasn’t wrong.

 

He wanted to take revenge on the Zhou family… he really didn’t need to act personally.

 

… For example, the emperor had already taken care of one-eighth of the demolition work.

 

Thinking of this, Zhou Xun couldn’t help but recall the legend of King Zhou of Shang building the deer platform to win Daji’s smile(the story is in the end).

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

He felt a bit uneasy.

 

He rubbed his fingers and eventually grasped his wrist, wondering why he had such absurd associations.

 

Daji was a demon concubine, and he… he…

 

By the time Zhou Xun returned to the palace, it was already deep into the night, just in time before the gate was closed. As he entered the East Hua Gate, the guard who opened the door for him, seeing no one else around, whispered, “Today,  Zhou Hanlin came to the palace and met with His Majesty.”

 

After saying this, he opened the door for Zhou Xun.

 

— Zhou Cai?

 

— What did he come to the palace for?

 

Zhou Xun sat in the carriage, his mind like still water. After getting out of the carriage, the guard asked him, “Young Master Zhou, are you going to rest now or meet the emperor?”

 

“Let’s meet the emperor first.” Zhou Xun said after a moment’s thought.

 

He wasn’t surprised that Zhou Cai came to the palace to see the emperor—if he were in Zhou Cai’s place and saw his home torn apart like this, he would also come to see the emperor.

 

The emperor was still in the study, and the room was still filled with the scent of hibiscus incense. As Zhou Xun entered the hall, Xiao Li bowed to him and said, “Young Master Zhou.”

 

Zhou Xun nodded. He saw the emperor sitting at the desk in the distance, reading a book. For some reason, this scene warmed his heart.

 

He approached the emperor, who seemed engrossed in the book and hadn’t noticed his arrival. Zhou Xun saw that the book was actually the classical literature manual he had previously written for the emperor, which made his heart feel even warmer.

 

Zhou Xun didn’t even realize it himself—his steps became lighter. He watched the emperor focused on the book and, for some reason, felt a strong urge to quietly sneak up behind him and give him a…

 

Surprise?

 

This fleeting thought was quickly suppressed. Zhou Xun thought to himself that he couldn’t do something so out of line, so he just approached the emperor and greeted, “Your Majesty…”

 

He didn’t expect that his greeting would make the emperor jump in surprise.

 

“Ah, hehe, you’re back…”

 

Zhou Xun looked down.

 

He saw a book, which had popped out of the emperor’s hand—the very book he had been reading.

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

And it had landed beside him.

 

“No—” The emperor, seeing Zhou Xun reaching for the book, was greatly alarmed, “Don’t look—”

 

**Author’s Note:** Zhou Cai has discovered that Zhou Xun is a “substitute”!

 

The famous story behind King Zhou of Shang building the Deer Platform to win Daji’s smile. This tale is rooted in Chinese mythology and history, particularly associated with the fall of the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC).

 

### The Story:

 

**King Zhou of Shang** (商纣王, Zhòu Wáng), the last ruler of the Shang Dynasty, is often depicted as a tyrannical and debauched ruler in Chinese legends. His reign is associated with excessive cruelty, indulgence, and the eventual downfall of his dynasty.

 

**Daji** (妲己, Dájǐ) was a beautiful woman whom King Zhou became infatuated with. According to the legends, Daji was either a human woman who became the king’s concubine or a fox spirit in disguise, sent to corrupt and destroy the king. Under her influence, King Zhou became increasingly cruel and extravagant, neglecting his duties as a ruler.

 

### The Deer Platform:

 

To please Daji and win her favor, King Zhou ordered the construction of a magnificent structure known as the **Deer Platform** (鹿台, Lùtái). This lavish palace was built with the sole purpose of indulging Daji’s whims and desires. The Deer Platform was adorned with treasures and luxuries, and it became a symbol of King Zhou’s obsession with Daji and his neglect of governance.

 

The legend goes that King Zhou even had rare and exotic animals, including deer, brought to the platform to amuse Daji. The platform and its extravagant features were designed to elicit a smile from her, which further demonstrates the king’s descent into decadence and tyranny.

 

### The Fall of the Shang Dynasty:

 

King Zhou’s excessive behavior, fueled by his obsession with Daji, led to widespread discontent among his people and his court. His cruelty and neglect of state affairs contributed to the weakening of the Shang Dynasty. Eventually, the Zhou Dynasty, led by King Wu of Zhou, rose in rebellion and overthrew King Zhou, bringing an end to the Shang Dynasty.

 

This story serves as a moral lesson in Chinese culture, illustrating the dangers of excessive indulgence, the corrupting influence of power, and the consequences of a ruler’s neglect of his responsibilities.