Captured by the Emperor After a Successful Faked Death - Chapter 11

Xie Chengyun slept until evening. He was shocked and flustered, “Why didn’t you wake me up? Do you not know I have things to attend to?”

Han Cizhi heard the shouting and knew Xie Chengyun had woken up, so he brought the medicine into the bedroom. “I’m the one who told them not to wake you.”

Seeing it was Han Cizhi, Xie Chengyun fell silent.

“Vomiting blood after the spring hunt at Buzhou Mountain, getting drunk at the Star-Picking Pavilion. Xie Chengyun, do you want to die or live?”

“Of course, I want to live…”

Seeing Xie Chengyun bowing his head, Han Cizhi handed him the medicine: “Since you want to live, listen to me and drink your medicine.”

The medicine was getting increasingly bitter. Xie Chengyun strongly suspected Han Cizhi was engaging in retaliation, but he had no proof. Once again, he grimaced and gulped down white water, hoping to alleviate the disgusting taste in his mouth.

“Remember when you go out this time: no drinking, no blowing in the wind, no drastic emotional swings, and be back before the Hour of the Bo (9:00 PM).”

Xie Chengyun nodded repeatedly. He gave his word, but as for whether he could actually pull it off, he would worry about that later.

Little did he know, Han Cizhi had a backup plan.

“I borrowed a captain from the military under the Marquis of Dingyuan. From now on, he will follow by your side, responsible for your safety and various chores. You can consider him an acquaintance, so you can rest easy.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man walked in from outside the door.

He looked to be just over twenty, with sword-like brows and starry eyes, looking full of spirit. He wore the standard armor of the Zhou Family Army. Upon seeing Xie Chengyun, he immediately cupped his hands and knelt. “This subordinate greets the Prime Minister.”

When Xie Chengyun took a look, it really was an acquaintance.

He immediately smiled: “Get up quickly. Where did all these formal courtesies come from? How is your brother?”

Gu Minsheng couldn’t help but reveal a smile: “My brother is a deputy general under the Marquis of Dingyuan. I had originally returned to the capital to handle miscellaneous matters like provisions and war horses. Just as Han Cizhi wrote a letter saying you were short of someone reliable with martial arts skills, they sent me over.”

Xie Chengyun reached out, gesturing for Gu Minsheng to come closer: “It’s good that you’re following me. There are only two of you brothers in the Gu family. With your brother braving life and death on the battlefield, you staying by my side in the rear means you won’t be in danger. It’s a way to leave a descendant for the Gu family and put your parents at ease.”

“Our lives were saved by the Marquis of Dingyuan. For a man to defend his country and build a career, what does it matter even if he dies?”

A youth with high ambitions, unaware of how difficult the world is.

Xie Chengyun stroked his hair and sighed: “You’ve grown up and become sensible. Go change your clothes; today I’ll take you out to broaden your horizons.”

Watching Gu Minsheng walk away, Han Cizhi slowly spoke: “Deputy General Gu said he hopes he can stay by your side. He doesn’t seek fame among the nobility; he only wishes for peace and safety year after year.”

“I understand.”

Xie Chengyun sat in the carriage, wrapped in a cloak, letting his mind go blank. Since Gu Minsheng arrived, Han Cizhi had resolutely abandoned the Xie Chengyun who used to let words go in one ear and out the other.

He kept droning on to Gu Minsheng about various messy instructions. Although he wasn’t talking to him, Xie Chengyun had the illusion that a “Monk Tang” was chanting a spell.

Finally, Monk Han let go of Brother Disciple Gu, standing where he was and watching them leave.

The “Winding Stream Party” originated from the Shangsi Festival. Literati would feast by the water, and everyone would sit by the stream, letting the wine cup drift with the current. Whoever the cup stopped in front of had to drink and compose a poem, or else pay a forfeit of drinking.

Xie Chengyun couldn’t drink, so he prepared to be an observer.

Gu Minsheng presented the invitation card. This time, the party was scheduled at the Mingwei Garden.

The garden had a rustic charm; although it was in the capital, it looked like scenery in the mountains.

There were no attendants or singing girls. Willow trees swayed in the garden, and everyone sat by the winding stream, waiting for the wine cups to drift by.

Xie Chengyun couldn’t reveal his identity. After all, he was the Prime Minister and the Dean of the Liurong Academy; since the Youlan Terrace Incident, his reputation was so bad that everyone despised him.

Moreover, not knowing who he was made it easier to hear people’s true voices.

He didn’t even need to listen, Xie Chengyun could guess with his toes that the evaluation of him was definitely polarized.

After all, Xie Chengyun had indeed become famous at a young age; he was the undisputed leader of the literati in Shangliang, but he was also a powerful minister who could cover the sky with one hand a Regent 2.0.

The Emperor was young, and Xie Chengyun was a member of the conservative faction; the reformists wanted to reform Xie Chengyun the most.

He found a corner to sit down. With a wall to block the wind and willow branches to cover his face, it was perfect!

But Xie Chengyun didn’t know that by hiding here, it gave him a touch of “a beauty half-hidden behind a pipa.” With his white robes fluttering and willow branches hanging down, such unique elegance was hard to find.

Su Yingxi happened to be sitting opposite Xie Chengyun, thinking back to when the late Emperor had just passed away.

Xie Chengyun used thunderous means to execute the Regent who was attempting to seize power, blood-washed Jinyang City, and sent the late Empress to the Jing Mountain Palace far away from the center of politics, which stabilized the situation in the imperial court.

There was little fresh blood in the court, and it was a scene of stagnation. Xie Chengyun began to hold the spring imperial examinations frequently to select talent.

He was one of the policy-question examinees from that examination and was fortunate enough to participate in the palace examination. The young ruler didn’t know the affairs of the state, so Xie Chengyun presided over the palace examination on his behalf. Xie Chengyun was only twenty at the time, but he was already nearly thirty.

Now, after twists and turns, he was still unrecognized and accomplished nothing, while Xie Chengyun remained as elegant as ever.

Xie Chengyun leaned halfway against a willow tree, listening to people reciting poems.

A faint, subtle fragrance drifted over. It was very familiar, but he couldn’t say where he had smelled it before.

This poetry party was a waste of time. There were no “thousand-mile horses,” just a group of sour scholars getting drunk in the shade of flowers, feigning sorrow for poems.

The cup drifted down and stopped in front of the person opposite him.

He saw the man calmly pick up the wine cup and begin to recite a poem.

Originally, Xie Chengyun was half-closed in his eyes, mindlessly watching the fallen flowers and flowing water. But who knew, this man actually had some talent.

After the poem was finished, Xie Chengyun had been staring at the man for a long time.

This person was very familiar; he must have seen him before.

Xie Chengyun waved for Gu Minsheng to lean over and whispered: “Go check; I want all the information on that person.”

Just as his legs were going numb, Xie Chengyun stood up, preparing to stroll around.

Although the place just now had a rustic mountain charm, walking elsewhere revealed more pavilions and towers.

Xie Chengyun squatted down at a small bridge, lying on the stone railing to look at the fat koi in the pond.

The koi thought he had fish food in his hands and gathered at the bridge one after another. Xie Chengyun’s ink-colored hair fell all over the ground, and some even fell into the pond.

He leaned down and put his fingers into the water.

The fish came to nibble on his hands. Seeing how easily fooled the fish were, Xie Chengyun couldn’t help but reveal a smile.

“This young master.”

A voice came from behind. Xie Chengyun was suddenly startled and almost fell into the water.

Fortunately, the person caught him in time and added: “I see that you look very familiar, Young Master. May I ask your name?”

Xie Chengyun was helped to stand straight, still a bit shaken: “Xie Liuzhi.”

He secretly felt lucky that he hadn’t fallen in, otherwise, he would be scolded by Han Cizhi again when he got back.

“Greetings, Young Master Xie, I am Zhu Zhao.”

Only then did Xie Chengyun have the mind to look at the person in front of him. The man was dressed in green, holding a folding fan, looking like a typical scholar, except he was a bit short.

“Young Master Zhu, thank you just now.”

“Young Master Xie, don’t be so polite. I should be the one apologizing. If it wasn’t for me suddenly calling out to you, you wouldn’t have almost fallen into the water.”

So you knew, Xie Chengyun resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“May I ask, Young Master Zhu, what did you want with me?”

“I saw that you looked very familiar from afar. Once I heard your name, we certainly know each other,” Zhu Zhao said with a smile.

“Oh?” Xie Chengyun was somewhat surprised. He was certain he had never seen Zhu Zhao before.

“Young Master Xie doesn’t know me, but you must know my wife.”

“Your wife… your wife wouldn’t be…” Xie Chengyun widened his eyes, incredulous.

Zhu Zhao opened his folding fan: “Exactly, my wife is Yu Lianlian.”

Is the world this small? Damn.

“But I have never met you before, Young Master Zhu; how do you know me?”

“To tell you the truth, Young Master Xie was drunk at the time. I was waiting for my wife in the carriage and caught a glimpse of you from afar.”

Having such a disgraceful scene witnessed by others made Xie Chengyun feel somewhat embarrassed. But he felt secretly lucky that he hadn’t reported his real name in his panic.

Zhu Zhao took two steps forward, “This isn’t a place for conversation; why don’t we go to the pavilion for a sit?”

Xie Chengyun nodded. The small bridge was narrow, and they were a bit too close.

Xie Chengyun smelled the fragrance on Zhu Zhao’s body; it was that same familiar scent again.

As soon as they sat down in the pavilion, Xie Chengyun couldn’t wait to say: “The fragrance on you, Young Master Zhu, is very unique; I wonder what incense you are using?”

“This isn’t incense,” seeing Xie Chengyun’s confusion, Zhu Zhao smiled: “It’s the scent of Wujin Powder.”

“Wujin Powder? What is that?”

“It is made of crushed gold mixed with various fragrant orchids and herbs. Now, everyone takes Wujin Powder as a fashion. After consuming it, one’s entire body becomes fragrant, and one can even see things from one’s dreams. Everyone is taking it now; if Young Master Xie is interested, why not go try some too?”

Xie Chengyun was stunned; wasn’t this an ancient version of drugs?

“Does the imperial court not prohibit it?”

Hearing this, Zhu Zhao seemed to have heard a joke: “Young Master Xie is really joking. Wujin Powder isn’t a poison; on the contrary, it can strengthen the body and spark inspiration. It is rumored that Prime Minister Xie Chengyun takes Wujin Powder too.”

My ass. Where do these rumors come from?

Xie Chengyun’s eyebrows twitched, and he made up his mind that when he had time, he would definitely catch all the rumor-mongers and throw them in jail to make an example of them.

Just then, Gu Minsheng found him and bowed from a distance. Xie Chengyun knew that Gu Minsheng had finished investigating and returned.

So he bowed to Zhu Zhao and said: “Young Master Zhu, I have matters to attend to, so I will take my leave.”

Zhu Zhao waved his hand and smiled: “Safe travels, Young Master Xie. Remember to come play at our mansion when you have time.”

Xie Chengyun was almost frightened into the pond again by this sentence.

There was nothing worth seeing in a group of people gathering to take drugs, and it was just about time for the home-returning time prescribed by Doctor Han.

So Xie Chengyun prepared to take Gu Minsheng straight back home, asking as they walked: “Who was that person reciting poems just now?”

“He is called Su Yingxi. It’s also fate; he happened to be a palace examination examinee from the first year of His Majesty’s reign.”

“He is a man of great literary talent, why would he be here?”

“That is a long story. His status as a successful candidate was approved by you. Everyone thought he was your man, but later he was accidentally involved in factional struggles. With no one to protect him, he became a victim of the power struggle between the noble families.”

Xie Chengyun had a headache; it turned out that he had a hand in this too, and the man must hate him to death.

“Keep an eye on him. If he still intends to serve as an official, introduce him to Brother Zhuang.”

“Yes.”

Just out the door of the Mingwei Garden, a spring breeze struck.

A few children skipped and sang nursery rhymes, walking past them.

Second day of the second lunar month,

Flower Festival.

Everyone comes to pretend to be a Hundred Flower Fairy,

The Hundred Flower Fairy comes to the Chu River.

There are big boats on the Chu River bank,

Releasing lanterns together on the boats.

Flames are blazing to show a miracle,

Goddesses and fairies welcome the Flower King.

At this time, it was only three days away from the Flower Festival, and the girls on the street were all preparing to dress up as Flower Fairies.

The lanterns were dim, and there was laughter and chatter. But for some reason, this scene of peace and prosperity made Xie Chengyun feel uneasy deep inside.