Captured by the Emperor After a Successful Faked Death - Chapter 18

“Every time I encounter the little Emperor, I lose all my bottom lines…”

The elderly man was a Confucian scholar; for those who have students all over the world, propriety is paramount.

Seeing the Feiguang Pavilion reduced to a sea of fire, he lost his composure, his cane thumping as he angrily shouted, “Xie Chengyun, I believed there was no enmity between us. When you demanded the submission of the scholar-official clans, I led the Li clan to pledge allegiance to the imperial court. You yourself benefited from the grace of the Feiguang Pavilion in your youth; why must you now reduce the century-old foundation of our scholars to ashes?”

Xie Chengyun stood in place, his face pale as snow. As the wind stirred his robes, he appeared even more gaunt.

He held the book he had brought out from the Feiguang Pavilion, wordlessly tossing it onto the ground. The oil paper packets scattered everywhere.

A young member of the Li clan immediately picked up a packet, opened it, sniffed the white powder inside, and handed it to the elder with a look of panic. “It is Wujin Powder.”

The elder’s expression soured. Xie Chengyun spoke slowly, “Millions of volumes in the Feiguang Pavilion are all the same.”

He walked up to the elder, his gaze sharp. “Elder Li, I respect you as a great Confucian scholar. But regarding this, shouldn’t you also give me an explanation?”

Elder Li was advanced in years and stooped. Xie Chengyun stood before him, tall and straight as a bamboo, looking down at the crowd.

The wind stirred his ink-black hair. Though his white robes were stained with dust, it could not hide the bearing of an immortal.

Had no one noticed before that Xie Chengyun was this tall?

Elder Li gritted his teeth. “The matter of Wujin Powder can be investigated further; that is not a reason for you to burn down the Feiguang Pavilion. Do you have any idea how many rare, world-treasured manuscripts were inside?”

He knew, of course, but he was powerless.

Leaving the Feiguang Pavilion in the dead of night with the book in hand—in all the world, he was likely the only one with the audacity to burn the place down.

The Feiguang Pavilion was managed by the scholar-official clans, and coincidentally, both he and Gu Minsheng held personal grudges against those clans. If he said he wasn’t the one who set the fire, who would believe him?

Furthermore, burning the Feiguang Pavilion was too much like something he would do; he had indeed wanted to burn such filth to the ground, but he had held himself back.

Seeing Xie Chengyun remain silent, Elder Li assumed he was feeling guilty. He turned and knelt before Zhu Yunyin. “I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice for us; do not chill the hearts of your old servants!”

Zhu Yunyin stared fixedly at Xie Chengyun, his mind elsewhere. Watching the weeping scholar-official clansmen kneeling on the ground, he felt nothing but impatience, though he dared not show it.

Zhu Yunyin was angry, too, but his anger was directed at the Prime Minister for letting himself become so wretched. He had finally managed to nurse the Prime Minister’s health back, and now, after today, he would surely fall ill again.

Xie Chengyun looked up at Zhu Yunyin, ignoring both him and the kneeling Li clansmen, and started walking away.

Gu Minsheng followed behind Xie Chengyun, and Zhu Yunyin hurriedly chased after them.

“Prime Minister, Prime Minister!”

Xie Chengyun did not look back, striding toward the Prime Minister’s residence. Zhu Yunyin grabbed Xie Chengyun’s hand. “Prime Minister, I do not believe you burned the Feiguang Pavilion. I will punish them in the morning court session.”

“Then the world will say that I am abusing my power to slight the young ruler. That is a charge I cannot bear.”

With that, he shook off Zhu Yunyin’s hand and walked forward with a cold face.

Zhu Yunyin trotted alongside him, anxious but unsure why.

He noticed Gu Minsheng at his side, winking and signaling toward the stars. Zhu Yunyin, quick-witted, intercepted Xie Chengyun in two steps and said, “I did not go to the Zhaixing Pavilion to linger in pleasure houses.”

Xie Chengyun looked at Zhu Yunyin—this time he looked very carefully, and his eyes seemed to glint with cold stars. He said slowly, “You are the ruler, I am the subject. You are grown now; presumably, you find me tiresome and feel that I interfere too much. From now on, I will no longer manage you. If you wish to go, then go. You do not need to explain yourself to a subject like me.”

He pushed Zhu Yunyin aside and started to walk again, but was suddenly pulled into the young Emperor’s embrace.

Xie Chengyun frowned, but before he could flare up in anger, he felt the young Emperor trembling against his shoulder.

His eyes were as red as a rabbit’s pitiful to behold.

Between hiccups of grief, he sobbed, “I went to the Zhaixing Pavilion because I heard the son of the Hu tribe was there having a night meeting with the Cuckoo Blood cult. I know the Wujin Powder in the capital is impossible to ban, so I went to investigate.”

Though he was already taller than Xie Chengyun, he now clutched at his sleeve, bending his knees to act spoiled. “The Prime Minister fell gravely ill because I fell off the boat; I do not want the Prime Minister to worry. I have grown up, and I can protect the Prime Minister now.”

Xie Chengyun lost his temper completely as he watched him, only able to say, “Say what you must, but why cry? A dignified ruler of a country, how can you cry on the street like this?”

“B-but… the Prime Minister does not want me anymore. You said you would no longer manage me.”

Xie Chengyun sighed, stroking his head helplessly. “Your Majesty, I was not just saying empty words. In two months, you will reach your majority; after that, you must govern the state yourself. You have grown up, and I cannot stay by your side forever.”

Upon hearing these words, Zhu Yunyin felt an inexplicable pang of agony in his heart. Forgetting to play the victim, he glared. “No! You will always stay by my side. We shall share the same quilt in life and the same grave in death. No one can take you away! I am the Son of Heaven, I am the Emperor. Even the gods shall not drag you away from me!”

Xie Chengyun found this remark utterly adorable, like a cat letting out a muffled, spoiled “Awoo.” He smiled faintly. “But Your Majesty, one day I will go before you.” Upon reaching this point, he seemed to think of something amusing. “Hmm… but I shouldn’t be so certain; what if I am lucky enough to live longer than Your Majesty?”

Zhu Yunyin simply held Xie Chengyun tightly without speaking. After a long while, he pulled his hand and walked forward. “Prime Minister, I am tired. Let us go back to sleep.”

Gu Minsheng hugged his saber and followed them in silence. The moonlight stretched their three shadows long and thin.

In the darkness, Zhu Yunyin jumped through the window into Xie Chengyun’s room, following the moonlight.

He came to the Prime Minister’s bedside, stroked Xie Chengyun’s face, and kissed him gently. It was the same as those countless nights and days when the Prime Minister was ill, though now, for fear of waking him, he could only kiss him lightly.

Zhu Yunyin licked Xie Chengyun’s neck and whispered, “A-Yun, I will not die before you. If I die, I will take you with me. The mere thought of you marrying a wife, having children, and forgetting me… it hurts so much.”

“Stay with me a little longer, then die before me, will you? If you die before me, once I have completed my late Father’s last wishes and settled everything, I will come to find you. I have loved only you my whole life, so you must love me, too—you must love me well…”

A nameless fragrance spread through the air. Zhu Yunyin’s cheeks were flushed, his fingers interlaced with Xie Chengyun’s. He squeezed onto the bed, nestling in Xie Chengyun’s arms to listen to his heartbeat.

“Thump!”

“Thump!”

“Thump!”

Not until the light of dawn did Zhu Yunyin reluctantly leave.

Xie Chengyun was not yet awake when, in his drowsiness, he heard the sound of suona horns.

The funeral music pierced the clouds, the wailing was earth-shaking, and drums were beating.

Most eerily, the sound did not come from outside the mansion, but from within.

Damn, someone couldn’t have actually died, could they?

Xie Chengyun sat bolt upright in his sickness, pulled back the curtain, and hurried out.

He saw a group of people in the courtyard, dressed in white mourning clothes, kneeling on the ground and weeping around a coffin. Yellow paper fluttered like snow, and white flowers were everywhere.

The steward looked at the crowd in complete bewilderment, begging them with every possible plea to stop, to no avail.

Xie Chengyun asked in shock, “What on earth is going on!”

Before he could vent his anger, he saw Han Cizhi entering in mourning clothes, carrying a bowl, and the two stared at each other in bewilderment.

More footsteps sounded as Gu Minsheng and Zhu Yunyin arrived.

Gu Minsheng looked at the scene, thinking he was hallucinating, and hurriedly pinched himself. Zhu Yunyin, however, furrowed his brow. “What is going on?”

Han Cizhi leisurely walked up to the coffin, knelt, and wailed, “Prime Minister Xie, Xie Chengyun, you died such a miserable death! To pass away at such a young age, what is this crowd of people supposed to do now?”

Xie Chengyun was so frightened he retreated three steps, thinking he had become a wandering soul.

The Prime Minister’s mansion steward sobbed, “Master Han, please, stop! What would outsiders think if they heard this? Master Han, Grandfather Han, I beg you!”

Han Cizhi did not even glance at him, continuing to shout. The people beside him, seeing this, were not to be outdone and wept even louder.

Xie Chengyun managed to clear his head and walked over cautiously. “Cizhi, what are you doing?”

Han Cizhi ignored him, hugging the bowl and making a scene without shedding a single tear.

“If you came, you came, but why bring a bowl? Someone, bring Master Han some tea to soothe his throat.”

Hearing this, Master Han finally condescended to grant Xie Chengyun a few words. “You are the one who needs water; do you think I care about your few sips of tea?”

“Then why are you hugging that bowl?”

“You are an old bachelor with no children nobody will care when you die, so I came to smash a bowl for you.”

Oh, how loyal.

Xie Chengyun was completely drained of temper. Helpless, he asked, “Cizhi, what do you really want?”

Han Cizhi squinted at him. “Didn’t you want to die? I have even prepared the coffin for you. A coffin prepared for a Duke of Loyalty and Filial Piety is more than enough for you—get in.”

Zhu Yunyin knew Han Cizhi loathed him; he had been standing off to the side watching for a long time, but upon hearing this, he could no longer hold back.

He strode over. “Master Han, please watch your tongue.”

Han Cizhi did not buy it, only looking coldly at Xie Chengyun. “Are you getting in or not?”

Han Cizhi was genuinely angry now. Xie Chengyun looked at the coffin and gritted his teeth. “Open the coffin; I will get in.”

This, this, this is simply preposterous.

Gu Minsheng hurriedly blocked Xie Chengyun. Given his poor health, there were all sorts of taboos to consider; how could he actually let him get in?

He pulled Xie Chengyun with one hand and Han Cizhi with the other, pleading miserably, “Master Han, I beg you, stop this. Prime Minister Xie, it’s one thing for Master Han to be acting up, but why must you join him? The Emperor is still here.”

His words were a clear hint for Xie Chengyun to set a good example and not lead the child astray.

Only then did Xie Chengyun suddenly notice Zhu Yunyin standing there. He felt a bit embarrassed and stood in place, pretending nothing had happened.

Han Cizhi ignored Gu Minsheng, clutching the bowl and preparing to smash it on the ground.

But he was stopped by Zhu Yunyin.

He looked at Han Cizhi, his expression already possessing the dignity of an Emperor, and frowned. “I will ensure the Prime Minister recovers his health properly.”

Believe that, and you’ll believe anything. Han Cizhi prepared to smash the bowl again.

Zhu Yunyin continued, “I will banish the Prime Minister to Suizhou.”

“What? Say that again.” As soon as Han Cizhi spoke, the clamoring crowd finally went silent.

“I said, I will banish the Prime Minister to Suizhou.”

“How are you going to banish him?” “On what grounds would you banish me!”

Xie Chengyun and Han Cizhi’s voices rang out simultaneously. Zhu Yunyin glanced at Xie Chengyun and said slowly, “You should know that yesterday, someone framed you for burning the Feiguang Pavilion. Under pressure from the court, I will banish you to Suizhou to recover from your illness.”

Xie Chengyun was just about to go and argue with the little Emperor when he was pulled back by Gu Minsheng, who said, “Suizhou is good! The scenery in Suizhou is the most beautiful. It is also close to the frontier, so it’s like going home. Maybe you can even go visit your older brother and General Zhou.”

Han Cizhi was quite satisfied with this outcome, though he still didn’t trust Zhu Yunyin. “I want you to issue the decree now.”

Watching as Zhu Yunyin wrote the imperial decree and proclaimed it, Xie Chengyun shouted, “Don’t you even care to ask for my opinion?”

“Your opinion is unimportant. I am going to prepare the medicine for your long journey.”

With that, Han Cizhi led his troop away in a grand procession. Gu Minsheng felt the atmosphere was off, so he swiftly made his exit as well.

In an instant, the vast courtyard was left with only Xie and Zhu.

The little Emperor slowly walked forward and hugged Xie Chengyun. “Prime Minister, don’t be angry; I will go with you.”

Before the refusal could leave his lips, the little Emperor added, “My eighteenth birthday is coming soon. Prime Minister, you know I have never been far from the capital. Once I reach my majority, I will be even less able to go out. I want to spend my birthday in Suizhou with you. I want to see the place where you grew up.”

With those two sentences finished, Xie Chengyun’s heart shamefully softened, and he agreed without any bottom line at all.