Chapter 52 – The Wandering World

The next day, Xu Chun was tired and didn’t insist on hiking and wading through water anymore. He just lounged lazily in the waterside corridor, reclining while flipping through a pile of play scripts and storybooks he had taken out.

Xie Yi, however, got up early to go fishing and came back carrying a big fish. He instructed someone to make fish soup and, upon returning, saw Xu Chun’s table covered in books. He couldn’t help but laugh. “What are you doing?”

Xu Chun gave him a mournful look. “These are new play scripts and storybooks sent over from Qianqiu Hall for me to review.”

Xie Yi, caught by his pouty and resentful gaze, chuckled and sat beside him, smiling. “Are you blaming me? Who kept saying how handsome Brother Nine looks? Who insisted on having me drink deer blood soup last night, talking about nourishing yin and curing deficiency? And now you can’t get up and blame me?”

Xu Chun grumbled, “My legs hurt. We were supposed to go back to the city to see the new plays today, but you wouldn’t wake me up this morning. I woke up to find you had gone fishing alone. I can’t exactly go watch a play by myself, can I?”

Xie Yi said, “You yourself said your legs hurt. Riding a horse or sitting in a carriage back to the city would be uncomfortable, and it’s crowded there. Wouldn’t it be better for us to stay here quietly reading and appreciating paintings?”

Xu Chun looked at Xie Yi’s gentle gaze and felt his heart soften as Xie Yi leaned in to massage his legs. Remembering the usually cold and distant features from last night that glowed with passionate allure, the resentment of waking up alone dissipated. He muttered, “I’ll have to satisfy my craving with these play scripts.”

Xie Yi picked up a book and asked, “Which one is good? I bet none of them compare to the writing of the top scholar.”

Xu Chun was startled. “Brother Nine, you know that the guest at Chu Pavilion is the new top scholar, He Zhiqiu?”

Xie Yi realized he had let slip something he shouldn’t have and tried to cover it up. “Didn’t those printing houses send you samples of the top three scholars? He Zhiqiu’s handwriting is identical. I guess since he became the top scholar, he wanted to repay your kindness and give you business.”

Xu Chun thought about it and laughed. “Brother Nine, you’re causing trouble for me. It’s not about gratitude. You don’t know, but when Scholar He became the top scholar, he immediately came to my publishing house to try and buy back his handwritten books. Where could I possibly find them for him? I had to lie and say my strict older brother disapproved of my reading frivolous books and had destroyed them. I assured him they hadn’t been printed.”

Xie Yi smiled at him. “Older brother?”

Xu Chun quickly kissed him affectionately and continued, “He left half-believing, half-doubting. Though he didn’t cause trouble, I suspect he thinks I’m hiding his books to extort money from him later.”

“At Prince Shun’s banquet, he recognized me and came forward to chat. That’s when he offered to let me publish his poetry collection. It was an attempt to curry favor. Now that he’s been demoted and I’m the Marquis’ heir, he has to flatter me to protect his reputation.”

“I was planning to talk to Brother Nine about it. If you still have those books, could we return them to Scholar He? You see, he’s a man who perseveres even in poverty. He might hold a grudge. My reputation isn’t great; why invite trouble? We should just return them and end the matter. Brother Nine, what do you think?”

Xie Yi thought, so there’s also the issue of not returning the books. It seems Xiaolin was harboring resentment from being targeted, and I was inadvertently involved. Fortunately, it ended up in my hands. Otherwise, Xiaolin would have been frightened for no reason, and this case was unjustly implicated… it seems like a year of bad luck. Should I take him to pray at the Empress of Heaven’s Temple?

He was naturally a man of many worries, but he only showed a relaxed demeanor. “It’s a small matter. Tomorrow, I’ll have Liu Fu and the others return to the mansion to retrieve the original copies and send them back to Scholar He’s residence. Will that set your mind at ease?”

Xu Chun sighed in relief and smiled. “Thank you, Brother Nine, for taking care of everything! I guessed that since you said the handwriting was good, you wouldn’t bear to destroy it. Indeed, you still have it. It’s truly the Empress of Heaven’s blessing. Next time I see Scholar He, it won’t be so awkward.”

Xie Yi thought, he’ll be the one avoiding you. He slowly stroked Xu Chun’s fingers and said, “What are you afraid of? I’ll protect you.”

Xu Chun said, “Brother Nine, you’re a gentleman, but you don’t understand that people’s hearts can change. He was once in a difficult situation, but now that he’s become the top scholar, he’s been demoted. When I saw him that day, he was still calm. It shows he has incredible resilience. People like him, who can bend and stretch, we dare not offend in the business world.”

He sighed. “Seeing Scholar He, one moment the top scholar known across the land, and then suddenly demoted by the emperor… Brother Nine, how can I not fear the political arena? Business may change in an instant, but it’s all about profit and human nature, and there’s always a way to turn things around. In politics, it’s all about the superior’s mood and the emperor’s whims. You taught me to read the Records of the Grand Historian. That Sima Qian merely defended Li Ling’s defeat and surrender, and then…”

He stretched out his hand and made a slicing motion, then shrank his neck. Xie Yi, who had been feeling somewhat heavy-hearted, couldn’t help but chuckle at his expression. “Then why don’t you display your talents and gain the emperor’s trust, becoming the highest official? Then everyone would look up to you.”

Xu Chun shook his head. “Easier said than done. And Brother Nine, you forgot the Annals of the Favored Attendants that you taught me to read. Han Yan, the son of King Han, how unjust. The empress killed him, and the emperor still said he liked him, but he still died in vain.”

Xie Yi was speechless.

Xu Chun whispered, “And Brother Nine, did you know? Among the top three scholars this time, there’s also one from the imperial relative’s family, the Fan family, Fan Mukun.”

Xie Yi’s expression turned a bit cooler. Xu Chun said, “Let me tell you secretly. I heard that his sister, the current Empress Yuan, the emperor’s wife, served the emperor since she was young, like Empress Zhang Yan during the Han dynasty. After so many years, why does the emperor insist on dethroning her?”

Xie Yi was silent.

Xu Chun said, “Everyone says the emperor is wise, but in this aspect, he’s rumored to be quite heartless. So, Brother Nine, it’s not that I don’t want to advance. Now that I’ve entered the Imperial Academy, the more history I learn, the more frightened I am. Look at the Ming dynasty’s imperial teachers; how many met a good end? Even more so in earlier times… I know my own worth. What talent for management? Brother Nine loves and cherishes me, seeing me as a treasure. But if I enter the court…”

After a while, Xu Chun whispered, “I’m not saying I’m inferior to others. Looking at those officials in the Imperial Academy, they’re just like that. But Brother Nine, I feel I would change.”

“Brother Nine loves me now because I’m simple. I’m unrestrained, without burdens or responsibilities. Brother Nine has many concerns, and being with me brings happiness and relaxation, which is why Brother Nine wants to be with me.”

“But since Brother Nine has grand ambitions, you may need to enter the court someday, or perhaps you’re already in a high position. If I also enter the court, Brother Nine would be restricted to protect me.”

“Furthermore, if I join the court, for the sake of power, I might become someone I don’t recognize, whether willingly or for the sake of the Sheng family or my mother. Would Brother Nine still be pleased with such a scheming and despicable me? Casual changes betray old hearts, yet people say old hearts easily change.”

“Why don’t you soar high like a swan, Brother Nine, and I’ll be a lazy fish swimming in the rivers and seas. You’ve endured for years, harboring great aspirations. Just focus on making waves in the court. I’ll be a wealthy idler, earning money for Brother Nine and assisting you. Wouldn’t that be better?”

Xu Chun looked at Xie Yi with clear, water-like eyes.

Xie Yi almost couldn’t meet his earnest and honest gaze—thinking he was young, naive, and needed guidance, he didn’t expect to be the one receiving the lesson.

Xu Chun smiled. “Fortunately, Brother Nine said this morning that you wouldn’t force me to enter the court.”

“I won’t ask for Brother Nine’s real name either. I’ll be with Brother Nine as long as possible. Whenever Brother Nine wants me to leave, I’ll leave. How about that? You’ve said before that a few true friends in life are enough. Xu Chun and Brother Nine, we can entrust our lives to each other, or we can forget each other in the wandering world.”