The White Moonlight Turns Out to Be a Black-Hearted Lotus - Chapter 18

When Ji Yuanhui stepped into the courtyard, he saw a scholar in elegant white robes sitting by a stone table under a tree.

Hearing footsteps, the man turned his head, his voice carrying a note of inquiry: “A-Ning? Are you back so soon?”

Ji Yuanhui noticed the white silk ribbon tied around the man’s eyes to shield them from light; his vision seemed impaired.

“The one who has arrived is not Zhou Shining,” someone stepped out from the house, “it is the Third Highness.”

Yu Yuancheng seemingly hadn’t expected Ji Yuanhui to visit. Somewhat overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, he bowed deeply in greeting. “Yu Yuancheng, a candidate from Huaizhou, pays his respects to the Third Highness. My eye ailment has not yet healed, preventing me from properly welcoming your prestigious presence. I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness.”

“A visitor is a guest; there is no need for such formality.” Ji Yuanhui gave him a slight upward gesture of support, offering a few polite words to test the waters. “The candidates who come to the capital for the imperial examinations are the future pillars of the state. We both serve the imperial court; in terms of both actions and intent, there is no difference between us. Rest assured and prepare for your exams here. If there is anything you need, simply inform the manor’s housekeeper at any time.”

“Your Highness is courteous to the wise and humble to the scholar; you are truly a model among princes.” Yu Yuancheng was deeply moved and encouraged. “Should the country have need in the future, this student is willing to exert his utmost effort and give his all for the court!”

These words were spoken with such impassioned heat and surging blood that Ji Yuanhui, who hadn’t seen such a greenhorn in a long time, couldn’t help but look at him a few extra times. Suppressing a sense of awkwardness, he patted the man’s shoulder: “Good, very good. Quite spirited.”

Ji Yuanhui took two steps forward, walking to the side of the man standing silently with arms crossed by the door. He familiarly leaned a hand on the man’s shoulder and whispered, “Cousin, where did you find this person?”

Zhou Shiming’s cold gaze fell upon the hand Ji Yuanhui had placed on his shoulder: “Let go.”

Zhou Shiming and his younger brother were two extremes. One was unapproachable to strangers and forbade even acquaintances from touching him; an accidental brush could leave one frozen by his icy aura. The other was a happy-go-lucky fool who looked none too bright.

Ji Yuanhui showed no sign of irritation. Withdrawing his hand, he shook his head. “It’s been so long, and you still won’t let anyone near. Where is Zhou the Second?”

Just as he spoke, Zhou Shining entered the courtyard carrying a plate of pastries. Seeing Ji Yuanhui, his expression brightened: “Hey! You’re back! What were you all doing during the day? Not a single one of you was in the manor…”

Zhou Shiming swept a glance over, and Zhou Shining’s voice immediately dropped. He shrank his neck, feeling a bit guilty: “What did I do now that you’re glaring at me again…”

Zhou Shiming’s brow furrowed: “Didn’t you say Candidate Yu was weary from his journey and that you were going to get a plate of pastries to tide him over?”

Zhou Shining muttered defiantly: “I brought them…”

Zhou Shiming looked at the plate, which was now only half-full. He said coldly, “Eating while carrying them? Is this how you take care of your friends?”

Zhou Shining was still clutching a half-eaten piece in his hand. He replied righteously, “He won’t mind me!”

After speaking, Zhou Shining pouted and peeked at his brother out of the corner of his eye. After a moment of stalemate, under that oppressive gaze, he finally set the pastry down and reluctantly rubbed his hands repeatedly against his clothes.

Seeing him wipe his hands on his clothes and then place the bitten pastry back onto the plate, Zhou Shiming’s frown deepened even further.

The veins on his forehead pulsed: “Why are you putting it back? You might as well have finished it.”

“Huh?” Zhou Shining didn’t know why his brother had suddenly changed his mind, but he replied cheerfully, “Right-o!”

Zhou Shiming was nearly dying of anger.

Ji Yuanhui pursed his lips and looked at the sky, pretending not to see.

“There is nothing more for you here. Go eat your pastries,” Ji Yuanhui heard a deep exhaustion in Zhou Shiming’s voice. “Take your friend with you and eat in the room. I have matters to discuss with His Highness.”

“Got it.” Zhou Shining pulled Yu Yuancheng along, quite happily leading him away. “Let’s go.”

Ji Yuanhui watched the two youths leave hand-in-hand like two little lambs, skipping away together.

Silence returned to the courtyard. Ji Yuanhui sat down at the stone table and couldn’t help but say, “A top scorer of a province… he is quite different from what I imagined. What is the background of this Candidate Yu?”

“His ancestors were officials for generations, but the family fell into ruin during his father’s time,” Zhou Shiming said slowly. “A few years ago, when the case of the Libationer of the Imperial Academy broke out, the entire Censorate was incensed. They wrote a joint memorial to impeach. His father was the one with the loudest and harshest voice, submitting memorials over twenty times in a single day, demanding the execution of traitors and the purging of the Emperor’s circle.”

“Subsequently, his father was banished to Nanzhou at the Prime Minister’s behest. He was demoted again and again, finally dying at his post. There are no close relatives in his family; his mother passed away before he was even a year old.” Zhou Shiming paused, then continued, “My father had some friendship with their family, and since he is close in age to Zhou Shining, he was brought into our home to be raised alongside my brother, living and eating together.”

“To think there was such a history…”

“His eyes were also affected by miasma when he followed his father into exile in Nanzhou,” Zhou Shiming said with some regret. “The Zhou family sought many physicians to treat him, but they could only manage to restore a bit of his sight. He still cannot endure strong light during the day, and as soon as it darkens in the evening, he cannot see.”

After a silence, Ji Yuanhui asked about another matter: “How did Cousin find the time to return to the capital?”

“I won’t stay long.” Zhou Shiming’s expression was neutral. “Things have been unstable everywhere lately. My father was worried that Yu Yuancheng would face accidents traveling to the capital alone, so he had me accompany and escort him. Once I have visited my grandfather at the Duke’s Manor, if there is no trouble in the capital, I will set out for Yujin County.”

Ji Yuanhui looked at the sky: “It is late today. Do you intend to return to the Duke’s Manor, or will you stay at my place for the time being?”

“I have traveled for half a month and am covered in the dust of the road. It would be disrespectful to see my elders in such a state.” Zhou Shiming raised his eyes to look at him. “I will go to pay my respects tomorrow after resting. Please prepare an extra guest room for me.”

“Consider it done.” Ji Yuanhui stood up, dispensing with further pleasantries. “If there is nothing else, I shall head back.”

Zhou Shiming gave him a nod: “Take care.”

Ji Yuanhui understood his coldness and detachment. A man who leads troops in battle would look quite out of place if he were all smiles and laughter. Zhou Shiming was just right; his words carried more weight because he spoke so little. He was tall, and when he stood there in armor, he was like a wall of ice.

Currently, the Jiangzhou navy is commanded by the Heir of the Duke of Wei, who is Zhou Shiming’s father, Zhou Yandong. Now that the old Duke is aged, should he pass away one day, Zhou Yandong will return to the capital to be enfeoffed and inherit the title. At that time, the Jiangzhou navy will likely be taken over by Zhou Shiming.

Ji Yuanhui had been tossed around by his father, and Zhou Shiming fared no better.

As a child, he grew up in Jiangzhou. Later, when the fighting against sea pirates in the south became fierce, he was sent back to the capital. During those years, the Emperor intended to support the Eldest Prince and wanted to draw in some noble scions of the same age. However, there were a few whose family backgrounds were strong enough to make the Prime Minister hesitate to poison them. Thus, as expected, Zhou Shiming was appointed as the Eldest Prince’s study companion.

A few years later, seeing the Eldest Prince’s power growing, the Emperor intended to balance the forces in court. Zhou Shiming’s father caught wind of the situation early and, fearing his son would be swallowed by those muddy waters, found an excuse to snatch him from the Emperor’s jaws and bring him back to Jiangzhou.

Both were caught in the power struggle, drifting here and there, their coming and going not of their own choosing. Ji Yuanhui felt a sense of sympathetic kinship toward him.

Returning to his quarters, Ji Yuanhui did not see anyone in the main hall. Estimating that Pei Xu had likely returned to the bedroom, he asked a familiar young servant he had seen by Pei Xu’s side: “Has the Young Master used the meal that was prepared?”

The servant shook his head, looking a bit dazed: “The Young Master said he was unwell and had no appetite. He couldn’t eat, so he went back to his room.”

Ji Yuanhui felt a surge of anger: “He said he wouldn’t eat, and you didn’t know how to urge him?”

The servant was young and was so frightened by the sharp tone that he knelt on the ground, not daring to rise: “Your Highness, forgive me, I was negligent in my duties…”

Ji Yuanhui was irritated by the noise: “Stop crying. If you cry any more, I’ll have you sold off tomorrow.”

Steward Zhang happened to arrive carrying a tray and advised from the side, “Why should Your Highness get angry with a servant? He is young and timid, easily frightened. The Young Master saw he was pitiful and had kept him by his side to serve for some time now. If he wakes up tomorrow and finds a person missing, he might not be used to it.”

“Remember to keep a close eye on your master’s meals in the future.” Ji Yuanhui’s face remained sour. “Fine, leave.”

“Yes, yes…” The servant wiped his face and retreated.

Ji Yuanhui’s expression softened slightly. His gaze moved to the items in Steward Zhang’s hands. “Uncle Zhang, what is this?”

“I thought that perhaps the reason the Young Master couldn’t eat was that the food was too greasy. So, I ordered the kitchen to prepare a light lotus leaf porridge. I was just about to deliver it to see if I could get him to eat at least a little.”

“You are very thoughtful, Uncle Zhang.” Ji Yuanhui took the tray. “I’ll do it.”

He carried the tray back to the bedroom. The light in the room was dim. Ji Yuanhui set the porridge on the table for a moment and walked softly to the bed to check. Pei Xu was curled up on the bed, clutching the brocade quilt, seemingly already asleep.

In the evenings when he was there, Pei Xu always wanted to hold him; when he wasn’t there, he held his quilt. Pei Xu was always like this, so pitiable, having been abandoned too many times, thus always desperately wanting to grasp onto something.

Clearly, he already lived very cautiously, even curling into a small ball when sleeping so as not to take up much space, yet there were still those who could not tolerate him.

There was a sort of forced maturity about Pei Xu. This maturity was not something that formed naturally with the accumulation of age, but something he had forced himself to imitate. During the day, he would put on the shell of an adult, wrapping himself in the model of a minister as described in the sacred books.

But at night, when no one was around, that maturity ceased to exist. He still hadn’t grown up; he was still a terrified child who needed to hug a quilt to sleep.

Ji Yuanhui sat by the bed for a while, then stood up to get some ointment. He gently pulled the quilt from Pei Xu’s arms as lightly as possible, parting his collar to apply the medicine.

This was the medicine the imperial physician had prepared during the day to promote blood circulation and remove the bruising on Pei Xu’s neck.

Ji Yuanhui applied it with very light circular motions. Pei Xu slowly lifted his eyelids. In the dim candlelight, his eyes seemed dark and difficult to read.

“You’re awake?” Ji Yuanhui’s voice naturally softened. “Why didn’t you touch a single bite of the meal? I brought some porridge. Would you like some?”

As he spoke, he moved to stand up, but his sleeve was caught by Pei Xu.

Pei Xu pointed to his throat and shook his head slightly: “It hurts.”

His throat hurt; he couldn’t eat.

Ji Yuanhui sat back down beside Pei Xu. He no longer looked like he did earlier in the day when he first saw Pei Xu covered in blood, like a man who had his weakness gouged out, lost in panic.

He had settled down, his expression calm and deep, looking very reliable.

“Why are you unhappy, Rongrong?” He saw the despondency in Pei Xu and said slowly, “You did very well. All those who wish to humiliate us should not be allowed to live.”

Pei Xu moved closer to him, burying his face in Ji Yuanhui’s palm. He asked in a very small voice, “But there will be so many more people who will die because of us in the future… they also have relatives and friends. Is this truly right?”

“Only the winners have the right to judge right and wrong. As long as we win, whatever we say is right, is right.” Ji Yuanhui’s thumb gently brushed over the side of his face. “We must keep winning.”

Pei Xu suddenly laughed, as if thinking of something: “Highness, if we do many bad things in this life, will we turn into cats, dogs, fish, or birds in the next?”

“Nonsense again.” Ji Yuanhui touched his cheek. “How are we doing bad things? We are removing evils for the people. What did Mencius say? ‘The feeling of commiseration is essential to man; the feeling of shame and dislike is essential to man…'”

He stopped: “What are the next two lines?”

Pei Xu said, “‘The feeling of modesty and complaisance is essential to man; and the feeling of approving and disapproving is essential to man.'”

“Mm.” Ji Yuanhui nodded. “Do they have those? They don’t. Therefore, they are not human, and you need not feel guilty.”

“Don’t be afraid. You are not wrong; do not think you are in the wrong.” Ji Yuanhui’s gaze fell upon him. He brushed the stray hairs from Pei Xu’s forehead and leaned down to kiss him. “Do not feel sorry for them. It is always they who owe you.”