Chapter 228 – Old Place

Xu Chun was particularly rowdy when he was drunk at night. One moment he wanted water, the next he complained about the smell on his body and insisted on taking a bath in the Yutang Pool. Xie Yi tried to dissuade him, explaining that bathing while drunk could harm his health. He personally took hot towels to wipe his body and change his clothes, but Xu Chun still complained that his hair smelled too. He grumbled incessantly, leaving Xie Yi no choice but to take more hot towels to clean his hair.

It wasn’t until they finally got into bed that things quieted down. Xie Yi thought Xu Chun had fallen asleep and got up to change his own clothes. But when he came back, he found Xu Chun still awake, staring at the rain chimes by the window, his eyes darting around as if lost in thought.

As he lay down, he asked, “Still awake? What are you thinking about?”

Xu Chun scooted closer. “Brother Jiu, let’s go fishing at Bai Xi tomorrow. We haven’t been there in ages.”

Xie Yi was taken aback. He wanted to say that he wouldn’t be attending court tomorrow, but seeing Xu Chun’s intense gaze, it seemed this was important to him. Reflecting on it, Xie Yi couldn’t help but find it amusing. This was still about the jealousy. Bai Xi was where their love began, distinct from other places. He reached out to touch Xu Chun’s head. “Alright. We’ll go fishing at the villa tomorrow.”

The rest of the night passed quietly. The next morning, Xu Chun woke up with a splitting headache. Memories of how he’d acted foolishly in front of Brother Jiu the previous night flooded back, making him reluctant to get out of bed. Xie Yi touched his forehead, concerned. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Xu Chun mumbled, “Brother Jiu… You go ahead. Let me rest for a bit… I lost my composure last night… Please don’t blame me…”

Xie Yi chuckled. “I had already arranged something for today’s court session, so it can’t be canceled. But I’ve ordered tomorrow’s session to be skipped. After court today, we’ll go to the villa to rest. Today, tomorrow, and the day after are originally days off. We can fish for three days straight.”

Xu Chun covered his face in shame. “Brother Jiu, forget what I said last night when I was drunk. Please prioritize state affairs; how dare I put personal matters before public duty. I’m sorry.”

Xie Yi noticed Xu Chun’s reluctance to meet his gaze, as if he wanted to bury himself under the covers. His long hair, which Xie Yi had wiped the night before, loosely draped over his smooth shoulders. His legs, unsure where to rest, had retreated under the blankets. Clearly, he knew he was acting jealous, and now he felt both guilty and embarrassed. Xie Yi wanted to laugh but held back.

“It’s alright. I also want to rest properly. If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have suggested it myself. I just didn’t know where to relax. The imperial hunting grounds are best visited in autumn. In the past, the previous emperors spent their summers at the summer palace. But being mindful of expenses, I cut the costs for the guards and maintenance there, so I barely visit every year, forgetting that Bai Xi isn’t bad either. Why not spend a few days resting with you near the capital?”

Xu Chun lowered his hands, his eyes filled with disbelief. “Really?”

Xie Yi said, “We are one, your matters are my matters, my matters are the matters of the realm. An emperor should rule with ease; when the emperor is healthy, the realm is healthy. Naturally, when it’s time to rest, we should rest.”

Xu Chun was quickly consoled, saying cheerfully, “Brother Jiu is right. Seeing you toil over state affairs day and night, and now with the cabinet and military ministers, why should you work so hard?”

Xie Yi smiled, thinking to himself: Rule without a ruler, perhaps I should try it.

Xu Chun happily got dressed, washed up, and had breakfast with Xie Yi before heading to Donghua Gate for court in a carriage.

Today’s early court session was lively. He Zhizhou, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Justice, presented a memorial detailing the investigation at the Zhuang family estate. He listed the Zhuang family’s illegal acts, their harm to the locality, their arbitrary abuse of power, and their oppression of the common people. He also detailed their collusion, secret communication, and the formation of factions, their murder of officials, forgery of remonstrances, defamation of the monarch, and their attempts to sow discord and disrupt state affairs.

The court was stunned. Before, they had only heard rumors, but now He Zhizhou clearly laid out each accusation, backed by evidence, testimonies, and witnesses. The sinister intentions behind these acts were truly shocking.

Xie Yi remained expressionless and commanded Zhuang Zhan to appear in court to clarify the matter.

Zhuang Zhan appeared in plain clothes and a simple cap, not wearing his official attire. Kneeling down, he did not dare rise and recounted the events of that night.

As a young zhuangyuan, he was handsome. With tears in his eyes, he spoke in a clear voice like jade beads rolling, “I am deeply indebted to Your Majesty’s grace, yet I have achieved no merit. I consume the country’s rations daily but have failed to repay your kindness. How could I seek fame at the expense of my colleagues, implicating Your Majesty in injustice? I dare not harbor private feelings and ignore public righteousness. Even though I was commanded by my elders, I prefer to be a disobedient son rather than a traitorous subject. I would rather be unfilial than disloyal. The Zhuang family has used Your Majesty’s name to enhance the Zhuang family’s reputation, which is truly disrespectful. I have no face to live in this world. Please grant me death to redeem the sins of my entire clan!”

He bowed deeply, his voice echoing like a mourning crane.

The high-ranking officials were moved. Li Meiyao stood up and sternly declared, “Defaming ministers, slandering the monarch, sowing discord, and disrupting state affairs must not be tolerated. Such private interests and factionalism, such deceitful tactics, are horrifying. I implore Your Majesty to charge the Zhuang family with treason, to eliminate the rampant arrogance and shallowness among the literati, their pursuit of fame, and their distortion of right and wrong! The law is strict, justice shines bright. Please issue an edict, Your Majesty!”

The ministers fell silent.

After a while, Ouyang Shen stood up and repeated the usual rhetoric about cautious punishment and benevolence.

Xie Yi watched as the court quieted down before slowly saying, “The Zhuang clan, instead of pondering the grace of the nation and the virtues accumulated by their ancestors, harbored wild ambitions and deceived the world for fame. The law is strict, and leniency cannot be easily granted. However, as the ruler of the realm, I teach the people with loyalty and kindness, promoting a path of righteousness and light. I do not punish people for their words. The case shall be deliberated upon by the three judicial offices. The main culprit shall be executed immediately, their assets confiscated, adult males sent to serve at the border, women and children not pursued, left to their own devices.”

At once, all the court officials hailed the emperor’s mercy, even Zhuang Zhan thanked the emperor through tears.

However, Xie Yi continued, “Since Zhuang Zhan entered the imperial service, instead of devoting himself to serving the nation and exerting effort diligently, he relied on his talent to belittle his superiors, sought fame, and colluded with others to commit evil deeds. He repeatedly made false accusations against the government and attacked meritorious officials, attempting to control public opinion and criticize the government. This is due to your poor family conduct, lack of integrity, and vile intentions, which led to today’s calamity. Now, considering your repentance and willingness to reform, and with Linhai Hou overlooking past grievances and extending a helping hand during adversity, I shall spare your life and cherish your talents, but you must atone for your crimes. How can one repay kindness with resentment? Your salary shall be suspended for three years, and you shall receive twenty strokes. Reflect on your mistakes and maintain fairness in your heart. If you stubbornly refuse to mend your ways, there will be no further pardon!”

Zhuang Zhan bowed deeply. “I thank Your Majesty for your great grace.”

Court was dismissed. Xu Chun saw Zhuang Zhan being dragged away by the guards for punishment. He realized that Brother Jiu had been holding this grudge since Tianhaiwei and was now taking revenge for him. He couldn’t help but marvel. Thinking about how two consecutive zhuangyuans had been punished by Brother Jiu, and all for his sake… This time, even He Zhizhou investigated the Zhuang family’s case. These officials treated him generously and were loyal to Brother Jiu to the point of death—Brother Jiu’s skills in managing people were indeed something he had much to learn.

He leisurely went to the Military Affairs Office to register his attendance. He noticed that Fang Zijing looked at him with displeasure today, reprimanding him, expressing disappointment that he wasn’t living up to his potential. Xu Chun didn’t know who had provoked him.

The Imperial Household Department reported that there were no important memorials today and requested that the officials of the Military Affairs Office return to their respective offices. There was no need for them to check in daily anymore. Important matters would be discussed when the Imperial Household Department summoned them.

Thus, the Military Affairs Office dispersed, with each official returning to their office, and Fang Zijing hurriedly left.

Looking at the sky, Xu Chun remembered that he had been busy with court earlier and only instructed Chunxi to prepare the villa. He didn’t know how it was going, so he should hurry and check it out himself. He also needed to inform his father and mother.

He quickly rode back to the Duke’s mansion. Xu Anlin was, as usual, not there, enjoying himself outside. Lady Sheng said she was in Jiangnan, apparently attending a silk competition and planning to purchase some fine goods.

Returning to the Duke’s mansion for nothing, he felt even more free. He rummaged through the mansion, gathered delicious food and fun items, loaded them onto the carriage, and immediately left the city, heading straight for White Deer Mountain’s Bai Xi villa.

The waterfall still cascaded over cliffs resembling bent horns, the mountain stream flowed, and the entire mountain was lush and green. The clear breeze of early summer blew gently. Riding his horse and basking in the wind, he thought about revisiting the old place with Brother Jiu. Memories of their sweet moments flooded his mind, filling him with joy.

Riding all the way to the foot of the mountain, he saw the imperial guards stationed along the way. As he approached the mountain gate, there were more and more sentries. Soon, Fang Zixing came out to greet him. “Why did you come alone? Where is the Emperor?”

Seeing him, Xu Chun said delightedly, “Brother Zixing! After court, Brother Jiu still had some matters to discuss before he could leave. I was worried that it might be improper not to have checked the villa for too long, so I came first. Didn’t you just return to the capital? Why are you on duty again? Too hardworking.”

Fang Zixing retorted, “What do you think? Regarding the Zhuang family incident, the Emperor said that Zhuang Zhan’s guards weren’t enough, so He Zhizhou and I traveled far to raid their home. We’ve only been back in the capital for a couple of days, and suddenly, I heard about coming to the villa for a break. The Emperor decided to come to the villa on a whim, so even though I was on leave, this is outside the palace and your Linhai Hou’s residence. If I didn’t come out to oversee, how could the brothers dare to offend you? If anything goes wrong, it wouldn’t be a laughing matter.”

Xu Chun approached with a flattering expression. “It’s all my fault, troubling the commander. Yesterday, I had dinner with Fan Mukun, He Zhizhou, and others. We really feel sorry for you. You were married, but we couldn’t attend. Now that you’ve just returned to the capital, we couldn’t gather with you, yet you’re busy with my matters again.”

Fang Zixing laughed. “Forget it, not only because of the imperial command, but also for your sake. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t have come. This time, when we raided the Zhuang family, we seized many ancient books and paintings. The Emperor said they should be added to the collection in the Jiuchou Academy library. But he also said you liked calligraphy and painting, and since you were a victim in this case, you deserved some compensation. He had selected some good ones for you to choose from. Whatever you like, keep them. It doesn’t matter if you keep them all.”

“I don’t understand these things. I had them make a list, but I wanted my brother and sister-in-law to take a look. Fortunately, my wife knows a bit about calligraphy and painting, so she selected some and had them brought here. They’ve already been hung up. Tonight, you can carefully select what you like.”

Xu Chun said, “In recent years, I’ve been so busy at Tianhaiwei, dealing with military equipment, machinery, silver, and mundane affairs like a spinning top. I’ve become so mundane that I haven’t had time to look at paintings! Thank you, Brother Zixing. Since Sister-in-law understands these things, why not ask her which one she likes? I’ll choose it for Brother Zixing, giving you a pleasant surprise for Sister-in-law.”

Fang Zixing hesitated. “That wouldn’t be right. If the Emperor finds out, he might think I’m using my position for personal gain.”

Xu Chun said, “Since it’s compensation for me, why can’t I gift it to you? Consider it a belated wedding gift for you and Sister-in-law. It wasn’t convenient to make a big fuss before, so the gifts were too simple. Now, I’ll make up for it.”

Fang Zixing thought for a moment. “Let me ask my brother.”

Xu Chun, “…” He smiled. “Duke Wuying won’t oppose it.”

They walked and talked, entering the villa. Indeed, the place was heavily guarded. The Longxiong and Fengxiang Guards had taken over the villa’s protection, creating airtight defenses.

Xu Chun arrived at the entrance of his courtyard, opposite Brother Jiu’s. On one side was “Envy Fish,” and on the other was “Hide Scale.” After the characters were written, he had instructed someone to make a plaque and hang it up. But he had been busy and hadn’t had a single day to return and take a look.

Recalling the days when they first experienced romance, fishing by the lake, riding through the forest, and talking about their aspirations, he never imagined that he would later be busy chasing fame and profit, unable to find a moment’s peace.