After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 9

“Your Majesty!”

 

The bright yellow robes flashed at the door, and Zhao Yue was shocked.

 

Turning his head, Emperor had already walked in from the doorway, his face full of anger. “What’s this? Is the Zhao family so impressive?”

 

It was quite odd. Normally, when the Emperor entered the Yangxin Hall, someone should have reported it on the way. Zhao Yue should have heard about the Emperor’s arrival and stopped his actions. However, when Zhou Xun looked towards Xiao Li, he squeezed his eyes, showing a very obedient smile.

 

Zhou Xun:…… 

 

So it turns out that Xiao Li sold this favor to him.

 

He turned to look at the face-palming Zhao Yue and said coldly, “I don’t care who you are. In any case, from today onwards, you remember. There’s no relationship between me and Rong Fen.”

 

Rong Fen was the Fifth Prince.

 

“You…”

 

“As for the Zhou family… I have already severed all ties with them long ago,” Zhou Xun said casually. “I, Zhou Xun, have nothing to do with the Zhou family anymore. As for Zhou Cai, he’s the top scholar, and I’m just a commoner unrelated to him. Don’t associate his name with mine.”

 

Zhao Yue:…

 

He wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by the Emperor’s loud voice: “What are you two doing?”

 

Zhou Xun turned his head and didn’t respond.

 

“Your Majesty…” Zhao Yue leaned towards the Emperor, his voice full of grievances. “Your Majesty, this person slapped me for no reason…”

 

The Emperor took a step back: “Don’t come any closer. Your voice is disgusting.”

 

Zhao Yue:…

 

Then the Emperor continued, “How can a language teacher just hit someone for no reason? If he hits you, it means you deserve it.”

 

“Your Majesty!” Zhao Yue stomped his foot and wanted to approach. “You…”

 

“General Zhao expanded the territory and has been loyal to the country, a great talent for the nation,” the Emperor said. “But his descendants have been running wild under the shelter of his reputation, abusing their power, and suppressing others. It’s really worth shedding a tear for General Zhao.”

 

Zhao Yue, who was stomping his foot, was finally stopped. The Emperor added, “Before you criticize others, take a look at whether you’re worthy of the Zhao family name.”

 

The Emperor seemed annoyed. Zhao Yue wanted to say something more, but the Emperor angrily said, “Go down!”

 

Zhao Yue was about to leave. The Emperor looked at Xiao Li and said, “Someone who acts arrogantly everywhere, it seems like he has been eating too much meat. Starting tomorrow, let this Mr. Zhao… Zhao, eat vegetarian food for a month.”

 

Xiao Li: “I will follow your command.”

 

“Good,” the Emperor was very satisfied. “You have to understand that if Mr. Zhou lives comfortably in the palace, you will live comfortably as well. If Mr. Zhou enjoys a comfortable month, I will give you a raise.”

 

Xiao Li retreated. Once again, the room was only left with the Emperor and Zhou Xun. The Emperor comfortably sat down and rubbed his arms. “Oh my, a grown man acting so spoiled… it scared me…”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

The Emperor continued, “Yi-yi-yi, it’s so disgusting.”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

Then the Emperor turned his head again. “Are you used to living in the palace, Mr. Zhou?”

 

For Zhou Xun, it didn’t matter where he lived now; it was all the same.

 

But he didn’t want to brush off the Emperor’s goodwill, so he nodded. The Emperor continued, “That’s good. If there’s anything uncomfortable about where you’re staying, just tell me. No need for all that formal politeness. If there’s any issue, I’ll solve it for you.”

 

Zhou Xun rambled on about various things, and the Emperor looked at him. Suddenly, Zhou Xun asked, “Did you come here for something else today, Your Majesty?”

 

The Emperor lifted his head in surprise. “Wow, how did you figure it out?”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

“It’s quite obvious,” he said quietly.

 

The Emperor laughed, “Ah, Mr. Zhou, you are truly brilliant, almost supernatural… No, you already were. We understand each other so well, hehe.”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

“In fact, this is good news,” the Emperor rubbed his nose. “I was planning to… well…”

 

Zhou Xun listened quietly.

 

The Emperor said he wanted to help Zhou Xun ascend to the Jade Disc, becoming the legitimate Fifth Prince’s consort. However, he never expected Zhou Xun to say that he had no relationship with the Prince.

 

“This… after all, it’s a matter of your personal feelings. I don’t want to interfere. If you’re going through a sentimental crisis, I don’t want to disturb… It’s just that…”

 

He was curious after all.

 

He was inevitably curious.

 

As if an old and painful scar had been torn open again, Zhou Xun didn’t want to discuss his most unbearable memories. He chose silence.

 

How much courage does it take for someone to reveal their most painful past to another person in all its gruesome detail?

 

People can talk about their trivial “misfortunes” from the past to friends and acquaintances because they’ve come to terms with it, maybe even laugh about it, or because they trust the other person enough to allow themselves to be vulnerable.

 

But for him…

 

“That’s all in the past,” Zhou Xun finally said. “I can’t change what happened in the past. I just don’t want to see him anymore from now on. This whole affair was a mistake from the very beginning. I can only say it was a disaster that ruined my entire life.”

 

Those past events might be intriguing or sensational stories to others, but for him, they were the deepest, most painful scars. He had no intention of turning his wounds into a spectacle.

 

Perhaps Zhou Xun once wanted to confide in someone, but he had remained silent for too long.

 

Moreover, even now, he found it difficult to place complete trust in the Emperor.

 

However…

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

He didn’t understand why he hastily and heavily uttered this word to the Emperor.

 

But it was just because he… couldn’t bring himself to reveal everything to him.

 

He bit his lip and looked at the Emperor, who nodded without pressing further, displaying no concern about Zhou Xun’s reluctance to open up.

 

Observing Zhou Xun’s gloomy demeanor, the Emperor tried to cheer him up by patting him on the back and said, “It’s alright. Who hasn’t had a few bad past relationships? It’s no big deal. They say that people and…uh…you know… individuals who are… different share the same joys and sorrows.”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

“People and individuals who are different?” Zhou Xun wondered what the Emperor was talking about.

 

The Emperor continued, “Stories about people being cheated on or doing the cheating, NTR, and being NTR’d, there are plenty of them in this world. I see you as my brother, and I genuinely want to tell you…”

 

He rambled on with some words that Zhou Xun didn’t quite understand.

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

The Emperor seemed to be apologizing for something or explaining his thoughts about relationships. Zhou Xun was perplexed.

 

“But I genuinely want to say that I think you’re wonderful,” the Emperor declared. “It’s not because of your status, but because I feel I owe you something, that I think you’re wonderful. You’re really, really wonderful. I might seem like a fool, but I genuinely mean it.”

 

“Being able to be naively romantic is actually a good thing,” Zhou Xun said.

 

He lowered his head and said, “If every young person could keep such an innocent and romantic heart, this world would be a better place.”

 

The Emperor paused, moved by Zhou Xun’s words, and grasped Zhou Xun’s hand, looking into his eyes as if they had just found a kindred spirit.

 

“People always say I’m silly. They think I’m a daydreamer, always saying nonsense,” the Emperor held Zhou Xun’s hand for a while and then smiled, “You’re the first one to say such kind words to me, to praise me.”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

The Emperor continued, “You don’t talk much, but you’re gentle and accommodating. I’m so grateful to you, genuinely, from the bottom of my heart. Meeting you has been such a blessing.”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

“So from now on,” the Emperor warmly embraced Zhou Xun and patted his shoulder, “we’re best friends for life! Like brothers! Best buddies! Great pals!”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

The Emperor chuckled and laughed heartily.

 

The Emperor’s enthusiasm rose, and he had Deng bring in wine and snacks, intending to have an in-depth conversation with Zhou Xun.

 

“Mr. Zhou, how do you see this dynasty?”

 

The Emperor suddenly spoke seriously.

 

Zhou Xun asked, “In what way?”

 

“Recently, I’ve reviewed the accounts of these years, and I’ve noticed that our productivity is not up to par!” the Emperor lamented, “The illiteracy rate is as high as 96%, land is fertile but ownership is concentrated, science and engineering disciplines are suppressed, people prioritize literature over martial arts, and the blueprint for the cannon hasn’t been updated in over a decade. The dam construction methods are still inherited from the previous dynasty. Even our royal family is engaging in, uh, relationships of the same gender, and we’re giving away our princesses as tributes to ensure stability in the remote and desolate regions of the North… What kind of system is this? We’re sending our own princess to those remote, isolated areas to suffer?”

 

“No, this cannot go on. It really can’t,” the Emperor stated.

 

Zhou Xun had a hunch about the Emperor’s intentions, but he kept his head down and said, “I’m just a commoner; I’m not fit…”

 

“Why are you calling yourself ‘a commoner’? Call yourself ‘I’!” the Emperor responded. “And you’re not really a commoner…”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

The Emperor said, “You are the best… language instructor!”

 

Zhou Xun felt uneasy with the “Uncle” term used by the Emperor, so he replied, “Your Majesty, you can directly call me by my name.”

 

“Alright,” the Emperor happily said, “Yuwu… no, is this your name for this lifetime?”

 

It had been a long time since anyone had called him by his name.

 

Yuwu.

 

Back in their school days, classmates, teacher, Zhou Yuwu.

 

The Emperor’s eyes were so bright.

 

“I’m willing to serve Your Majesty with all my heart,” Zhou Xun lifted the hem of his robe and gave a deep bow.

 

The Emperor was delighted. He held Zhou Xun’s hand and earnestly said, “May you, in your lifetime, witness me ruling the world! And may you receive respect and educate others!”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

The Emperor continued, “A flourishing era, just as we desire!”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

The Emperor exclaimed, “Our glory will never end!”

 

Zhou Xun:…

 

The Emperor coughed and said, “A little atmosphere… Cheers!”

 

Zhou Xun raised his glass and downed it.