Chapter 42 – Guardian

The night had fallen, and Xie Yi rode his horse to the Bamboo Branch Workshop to knock on the door. However, Sheng Lao Liu said, “Young Master, it’s unfortunate timing. Young Master Xu went to the Idle Cloud Workshop.”

Xie Yi paused, thinking that perhaps some corrupt officials from the Jingzhao Fu had taken the opportunity to cause trouble. He was worried. After all, when he saw Jiang Xian earlier report that a bookshop called Idle Cloud Workshop had been found to have banned books, he thought it might be due to the set of Zhuo Wu’s books he had given Xu Chun that had caused trouble.

Who could have guessed that the disaster would arise from those few storybooks? The so-called poetry anthology by Luo Hai Zhen, even though it has been nearly a century since the Shizu dynasty, this dynasty also treats scholars well, and they no longer pay much attention to these banned books. But since it was still listed as banned by the Shizu dynasty, no emperor would dare to go against the ancestral decree and say that they were no longer banned. Nowadays, what is strictly prohibited is mostly books that contain obscene content.

Even though Xie Yi had seen many people in half of his life, he still felt heartache for Xu Chun, who had gotten into trouble for his chivalrous actions… He had to find a way to fix his habit of saving women from brothels.

Riding his horse along the lake, Xie Yi went to the Idle Cloud Workshop in the northern part of the city. At this time, shops like bookshops that did little business had already closed. He rode his horse to the alley entrance and saw under the lantern at the Idle Cloud Workshop, a woman in blue holding a lantern, looking up and talking to Xu Chun, who was on horseback.

The woman was about twenty years old and wore her hair in an unmarried style, clearly very familiar with Xu Chun. She wore a simple yet expensive silk dress with narrow sleeves. There was only a silver hairpin in her hair, and a string of green jade carved into copper coins hung from her waist.

Xu Chun looked down at her with a smile on his face, not knowing what they were talking about. Chun Xi and Xia Chao followed him, both smiling. It was a pleasant atmosphere.

Xie Yi watched quietly for a while. He knew that Xu Chun was innocent and unpretentious. If he said he liked men, he certainly wouldn’t have any ambiguous relationship with a woman.

But.

Xie Yi, sitting on his horse, looked at Xu Chun’s vibrant smile and bright eyes, thinking that such a spirited person must be liked by everyone, right? He could have a wonderful future ahead of him, as long as someone protected him along the way.

He didn’t come out, just watching as Xu Chun finally finished talking to the woman and left. He stood quietly in the darkness without moving forward, until Xu Chun and his entourage disappeared into the night, and the woman also walked in with the help of a young maid.

The night in the capital was dark. He liked the habit of riding alone in the darkness where no one knew him. Unconsciously, he reached the night market. The Dragon Boat Festival was approaching, and there were still some people selling cold drinks and sweet water, calling out. This was the peaceful era that the ministers praised. Since childhood, the tutor had taken him to stand on the Huibin Tower in the palace and look down at the scenery of the capital, telling him that these were his subjects, his world, and his responsibility.

Everyone taught him to be a good emperor, regardless of their intentions. But no one taught him how to act as a man when he had someone he liked.

Because emperors had no private desires.

The Book of Documents states: “No favoritism, no party, the imperial way is broad. No favoritism, no self-interest, following the king’s righteousness.”

In the transition between spring and summer, the wind was a bit cool. He slowly rode his horse through the crowd, heading back to the palace, but suddenly heard the sound of hooves coming from the lakeside.

He held the reins and stopped the horse on the side of the road, feeling a premonition and looking up. Indeed. As the horse approached, he saw Xu Chun riding towards him, his eyes shining as he saw Xie Yi. “Ninth Brother!”

“I heard from Sheng Lao Liu that you came looking for me and then went to the Idle Cloud Workshop. I guess we missed each other. I hurriedly turned around.”

The young man was drenched in sweat, but his eyes shone like stars, looking at Xie Yi with admiration.

Xie Yi couldn’t describe the joy he felt seeing Xu Chun rushing towards him. He clearly felt his heart pounding, knowing that this wasn’t a feeling an emperor should have. He also knew for sure that he absolutely didn’t want this young man in front of him to marry or take concubines.

He smiled and said, “I’m taking a walk along the lake. It’s rare to have such a night, why don’t you accompany me for a walk?”

Xu Chun was enthusiastic. “Okay.”

Xie Yi asked, “What did you go to the Idle Cloud Workshop for? Aren’t bookshops usually closed at night?”

As Xu Chun controlled his horse, he said excitedly, “My mother gave me a great manager! She’s someone my mother trusts very much, and now she’s working for me. It saves me a lot of trouble!”

Xie Yi: “Oh? What kind of talent do you cherish so much?”

Xu Chun said, “Sister Qing Qian, she serves my mother, but my mother doesn’t treat her like a servant. She’s a top-notch business expert. The Sheng family selects the most skilled children in arithmetic from their servants to work as accountants. They send the best ones to serve my mother, and my mother personally teaches them. My mother manages all the stores and estates; she knows them all. She often represents my mother at the monthly meetings of the chief managers to review accounts. She stayed in the mansion, but the dowager always had something to say, complaining that my mother kept the maidservant too long. But she didn’t want to get married, so my mother let her leave the mansion to help me manage things.”

Xie Yi nodded. “Your mother wants to give you her wealth, but she doesn’t want you to personally run a business or manage accounts, so she gave you this person.”

Xu Chun rubbed his hands together. “Don’t underestimate me, Ninth Brother. If I personally handle these businesses, I won’t be worse than my mother and Sister Qing Qian!”

Xie Yi shook his head. “You’re going to inherit the title of Marquis. If you do business, it’s competing with ordinary people for profit, which isn’t appropriate.”

Xu Chun: “…The court won’t give me any proper official positions, and I don’t plan to seek any in the court.”

Xie Yi looked deeply at him. “If you hold the title of Marquis and also engage in commerce, countless resources, whether you want them or not, will flow towards you, regardless of whether you instruct it or not. Bureaucracy and commerce colluding is already a major problem for the country. When they become one, they are parasites of the state. If you buy large amounts of land, it’s a path to death.”

“The Sheng family relies on marriage ties to gain fair competition opportunities and has become the imperial merchant, which is not very outrageous. But if you personally enter the business arena, it’s different.”

Xu Chun: “…” He said awkwardly, “Others are doing it too. As far as I know, which noble doesn’t have industries? Even Chancellor Ouyang, I heard he has forty thousand taels invested in a soy sauce shop! And Yunyang Hou, do you know, he has shares in pawnshops, banks, and antique shops.”

Xie Yi sighed. “It’s not something that can be fixed overnight. It’s a chronic problem that every dynasty faces. If we focus on agriculture and suppress commerce, our national strength will weaken, and we will be unable to withstand the harassment of barbarians from all sides, making us vulnerable to attack. But if we facilitate commerce and show concern for merchants, it’s difficult to avoid the phenomenon of using power to seek personal gain.”

Xu Chun whispered, “Then what should we do?”

Xie Yi said, “I don’t know either. I think there should be someone without personal desires to benefit the entire country, but humans aren’t perfect, and sages aren’t human.”

Xu Chun was completely lost, staring blankly at Xie Yi. Xie Yi smiled at him gently. “You don’t lack money now. I don’t want you to prove yourself by personally running a business. If you want to display your talents, you can enter the government and serve as a chancellor, using your economic skills to serve the country. Governing the world and its people is more interesting than your small business.”

Xu Chun pursed his lips. “Alright… The court won’t use me. I have a bad reputation.”

Xie Yi said, “How could that be? Didn’t the estate just receive a commendation from the emperor? Both sons of the Marquis of Jingguo are extremely outstanding.”

Xu Chun laughed. “Alright, alright, Ninth Brother, if you praise me any more, I’ll blush.”

Suddenly, Xie Yi fell silent. Xu Chun thought he had more to teach, and secretly hoped this path would be slow. He leisurely controlled his horse, unwilling to go too fast.

There was no one on the road, and the lakeside was quiet. Willow trees swayed in the wind, reflecting the moonlight on the water. Insects chirped in the grass, and only the sound of hooves could be heard.

Xie Yi suddenly asked, “Am I teaching you too much every time, am I too pedantic, do you find it annoying?” This young man was only attracted to him because of his appearance. Now that they met daily, seeing Xie Yi lecture him every time they met, he probably had no romantic thoughts anymore.

Xu Chun shook his head. “How could that be? No one taught me when I was young. My grandmother only taught me to bring glory to our family, all big principles. My mother occasionally taught me arithmetic, but she was afraid of being scolded by my grandmother, so she didn’t really teach me much. My father didn’t care about anything, and my brothers and sisters were distant and estranged. My maternal grandfather did teach me, but he only talked about ways to make money and the meaning of business. No one ever told me that as a marquis, if I also engaged in commerce, I wouldn’t leave any room for ordinary people to live.”

“Only Ninth Brother treats me as an insider, carefully explaining the principles to me, hoping I read and understand them, walk the righteous path, and display my talents. He explains the principles very clearly.”

Xu Chun looked at Xie Yi and smiled to please him.

Xie Yi: “…” He was treating him like a father, brother, or teacher. Thinking about marrying a queen who would lecture him about being a ruler every day… life wouldn’t be enjoyable. Xu Chun would eventually realize this. For a moment, Xie Yi sighed at his own worries, but also felt a sense of relief.

After all, he was a pillar of the country, a loyal minister of the state. To be a famous pair of monarch and minister in history, needing each other like fish need water and reaching the same destination by different paths, wasn’t bad. Unknowingly, they arrived at the Bamboo Branch Workshop’s gate.

Xie Yi pulled his horse to a stop. “You go back first. I’ll get something from Fang Zixing and then go back.”

Xu Chun was reluctant to part. “Ninth Brother, come in for a while.”

Xie Yi said, “There’s no need. By the way, today I came because I heard that the court is planning to strictly investigate banned books. I came to remind you that since you run a bookshop, you need to carefully check. Take the list of banned books and carefully verify it to prevent anyone from framing you with false accusations.”

Xu Chun said, “Okay, thank you for reminding me, Ninth Brother. I’ll have someone check tomorrow.”

Xie Yi took out a piece of paper from his sleeve, which was the list of banned books copied by the Hanlin Academy today. “Just check according to this. Now that you have helpers, it should be convenient.”

Xu Chun took it, moved in his heart: Ninth Brother was so busy, yet he cared about his small business. He treated him sincerely. But he couldn’t resist reminding Xie Yi, “Ninth Brother, you really don’t have to worry about such trivial matters. Doctor Zhou previously told you, ‘A lion uses all its strength even to catch a rabbit.’ Your illness originally came from worrying too much. This small bookshop isn’t even in my name. It’s registered under the name of the manager. Even if there’s trouble, it won’t involve me. There’s always time to deal with it. Besides, I heard that His Majesty is very lenient in this aspect. He never punishes people for their words or writings. You really don’t have to worry about these things.”

Xie Yi stared at him for a moment and smiled faintly. “It’s fine. Your affairs are also my affairs. I don’t care about other things.”

Xu Chun’s heart pounded like a drum, his face burning red. He was only grateful that tonight’s moon wasn’t very bright. Ninth Brother probably couldn’t see his expression.