After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 79

Zhou Xun hurried back to the side hall. His quick pace startled Ning Meng and Lian Rong, who were about to fan him. Before Ning Meng could express concern, Zhou Xun quickly waved them off and said, “You two may leave.”

 

The two obediently left the hall. Zhou Xun sat alone in the inner chamber, unable to calm down for a long time.

 

At first, his face showed embarrassment and shame. Anyone who witnessed such a scene would feel the same way.

 

Indeed, for the past month, the emperor had never entered the harem, nor had he shown any interest in women. Zhou Xun had almost forgotten—the emperor was also a… normal man.

 

…A normal man, in the prime of his life, would inevitably have such needs. Moreover, as the ruler of the world, the emperor could have anyone he desired.

 

—Yet there he was, pitifully looking at an erotic picture book.

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

For some reason, he suddenly found the scene rather comical.

 

Besides, it was his fault for barging into the imperial study without announcement.

 

However…

 

After a long time, Lian Rong came in with tea. She saw Zhou Xun sitting at the desk, backlit, and was about to approach when she was startled by his sudden gesture of slamming his arm onto the desk.

 

“…If you want to look, just look. Why not hide it better? And using my book as a cover…” she heard him sigh, “Silly…”

 

Lian Rong: ??

 

…Why does Master Zhou seem both angry and not angry at the same time?

 

After drinking a bowl of tea, Zhou Xun heard commotion in the courtyard. Lian Rong cautiously watched his expression and whispered, “Master Zhou, the emperor has returned.”

 

Zhou Xun nodded. He held the teacup, feeling a mix of embarrassment, frustration, helplessness, and… displeasure.

 

Logically, it was he who accidentally witnessed such a scene. The emperor is the ruler, and he is the subject; he has no right to be displeased. But at this moment…

 

He was indeed displeased.

 

—And guilty.

 

These two completely different emotions intertwined. Sometimes he felt justified in his displeasure, sometimes he felt entirely in the wrong.

 

His mind was a turmoil of emotions, and the courtyard was noisy. Whenever the emperor came, his world became lively like this. Outside, it seemed Xiao Lizi said something and got kicked by the emperor, pleading repeatedly.

 

“…Less talk, more work.”

 

The next moment, Zhou Xun heard the emperor’s footsteps approaching his direction!

 

Zhou Xun’s entire back tensed. He maintained the posture of holding the teacup, but held his breath, trying to discern the emperor’s path through the footsteps. The closer the footsteps came, the faster his heart beat—he even forgot the tumultuous emotions.

 

—He wasn’t ready to face the emperor, only wanting to pretend he wasn’t there.

 

But when the footsteps grew fainter, indicating the emperor wasn’t heading his way, Zhou Xun felt a strange sense of loss amid his relief.

 

Even he didn’t know… whether he wanted to see the emperor or not.

 

This sense of loss didn’t last long. There was a knock at the door.

 

Zhou Xun unconsciously tensed up again. He heard Ning Meng conversing with someone at the door, then turned back and reported to Zhou Xun, “The emperor wishes to come in and chat…”

 

“Tell him I’m asleep,” Zhou Xun said.

 

Ning Meng turned back and relayed, “Master Zhou says he’s asleep.”

 

Zhou Xun: ………

 

He almost threw the cup to the ground.

 

“Oh, he’s asleep.” The emperor’s voice came from the door, “Then… convey my goodnight wishes to him?”

 

Zhou Xun: ………

 

…You believe such a poor excuse?!

 

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to feel “survived the ordeal” or “disappointed in the emperor’s intelligence.” He listened to the emperor’s footsteps gradually fade away. Only then did he sigh again and returned to his bed under Lian Rong’s concerned gaze.

 

He sat on the bed for a long time, looking at the bright moonlight outside the window, and suddenly recalled Lao Shen’s words.

 

“I wonder if the moonlight in Northern Wei tonight has a breeze ringing the wind chimes?”

 

Somehow, he too began to wonder if the moonlight seen from the main palace bedroom was the same as the moonlight from his window?

 

Would the emperor be appreciating the moon at this moment?

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

No, the emperor wouldn’t do that. He would only collapse onto his bed and sleep soundly, carefree and peaceful.

 

Zhou Xun felt a bit annoyed. Somehow, the thought of himself being so troubled here while the emperor was (in his imagination) sleeping soundly over there made him quite irritated.

 

His mind felt like a ball of yarn tangled by a cat. Finally, Zhou Xun buried his face in his knees.

 

“What kind of person does the emperor like?” he thought drowsily before sleep overtook him.

 

Just before he fell asleep, he vaguely remembered that when the emperor heard the phrase “Master Zhou says he’s asleep,” his response wasn’t “Oh, alright then.”

 

Instead, it was, “Then… tell him goodnight for me?”

 

The emperor had someone tell him “goodnight.”

 

The emperor knew he wasn’t asleep and let his servant make up that poor excuse, yet chose to use his kindness to fulfill this small, clumsy lie.

 

…

 

The next day, Zhou Xun woke up early.

 

He was supposed to go to Lao Shen’s place to study—after all, there was nothing else to do if he stayed in the palace. However, even considering his diligence, he woke up a bit too early.

 

Lian Rong saw that he was awake and brought him his clothes, asking if he wanted breakfast. Zhou Xun looked at the sky outside, estimating that it was now the transition between the Mao and Chen hours. Normally, the emperor wouldn’t wake up until halfway through the Chen hour, so he said, “No need, I’ll eat outside the palace.”

 

He had the Phoenix Waist Token, and the emperor had already informed the guards, so he could come and go freely… no need to have breakfast with the emperor.

 

…It also avoided another encounter with the emperor.

 

“But the emperor…”

 

“I’m leaving early; the emperor might not be awake yet…”

 

As Zhou Xun said this, he opened the door—

 

“Hey!” The emperor waved at him from outside, “Shall we have breakfast together?”

 

Zhou Xun: …??

 

His hand gripping the door frame almost broke it.

 

Why was the emperor up so early today?

 

In the sunlight, the emperor’s expression was open and bright, without any hint of having been caught red-handed the previous night. Zhou Xun paused, then nodded, accepting the emperor’s invitation.

 

The emperor, who had made a point of getting up early, showed a satisfied smile.

 

Breakfast was their usual favorites. While Zhou Xun sipped milk slowly, the emperor had already finished his share. He stared at Zhou Xun, scratching his head, puzzled by Zhou Xun’s unusual silence.

 

He knew Zhou Xun seemed upset last night and didn’t want to talk to him, only pretending to be asleep. Although he had understood what Zhou Xun meant, he hadn’t exposed him.

 

—Sleep would solve everything. The emperor thought optimistically.

 

However, after this sleep, Zhou Xun seemed even quieter than yesterday. The emperor pondered for a moment, then decided to engage him based on his interests, applying what he had learned the night before to spark a conversation.

 

“Yesterday, I was bored after returning from the guard station, so I passed by a book market and bought some books…” Zhou Xun was about to put down his bowl when he heard the emperor say, “I bought quite a few books. Do you want to see if there are any you’re interested in?”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

The emperor continued, “I know you love reading, haha.”

 

Zhou Xun nodded in agreement. The emperor, scratching his nose, enthusiastically added, “That book market had lots of good stuff, all kinds of books, novels, pictures, martial arts secrets, even books on flowers… Haha, and those are your expertise. I’ll have someone pick a few good ones for you. If you like them, tell me, and we’ll go buy more.”

 

Zhou Xun: “Mm.”

 

The emperor talked a lot, but Zhou Xun mostly responded with “Mm” or “Ah.” The emperor scratched his head, asking, “Are you in a bad mood?”

 

Zhou Xun: “No.”

 

The emperor: “Oh, that’s a relief. I have a meeting with the Minister of Justice today. Remember to drink more hot water and get some sunlight.”

 

Zhou Xun: “Mm.”

 

…And so this awkward breakfast came to an end. Just as Zhou Xun was packing up to leave, the emperor suddenly said,

 

“Oh, right, I read a book yesterday that had some interesting methods. If you’re in a bad mood, we can try them!” The emperor turned to him before leaving, his smile sincere.

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

He nearly fell off his chair.

 

Even when he reached the Youhuang Alley, Zhou Xun was still pondering one question.

 

How could the emperor be so nonchalant? He had caught him looking at an erotic picture book, hiding it inside a book he gave him… How could he still be so nonchalant?

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

This confusion stayed with him throughout his entire day at the bookshop. Lao Shen, as usual, had him organize the library and later gave him some books to read.

 

Zhou Xun read for a long time before Lao Shen suddenly said, “Forget it, you can stop reading.”

 

Zhou Xun looked up, hearing Lao Shen say, “With your mind elsewhere, reading won’t help.”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

He felt a bit embarrassed. Lao Shen didn’t seem to mind, though. He sent Zhou Xun to watch the shop and sat beside him on a stool. “Got something on your mind?”

 

Zhou Xun nodded, then shook his head. Lao Shen, fanning himself leisurely, said, “It’s about the emperor, isn’t it?”

 

Zhou Xun wasn’t surprised Lao Shen could tell. After all, there were only a few things that could concern him, and a process of elimination would lead to the emperor. Seeing Zhou Xun neither confirm nor deny it, Lao Shen chuckled and said a few dismissive words before fanning himself out the door.

 

Left alone to watch the shop, Zhou Xun’s thoughts finally settled down. As he flipped through a book, he heard the sound of wind chimes at the door.

 

A young man in deep green clothes with a slightly frivolous expression entered.

 

Zhou Xun nodded at him, and the young man’s eyes lit up with surprise upon seeing Zhou Xun.

 

“It’s you?”