Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Influenced by Zhu Xiaobiao, the scholars began following his example. They erected stages throughout the city and told the story of Yu Gong moving the mountains, along with the benefits of excavating Mount Yuji.

The common people looked up to the educated. They listened with great interest and grew increasingly convinced that they ought to dig the mountain.

Enthusiasm for the excavation surged ever higher throughout the city.

Atop the city wall, Xie Chengze stood alone. Scorching golden noon light spilled over him like a shimmering, dazzling veil. On his face, so beautiful that masculine and feminine blurred together, his sorrowful, compassionate gaze extended far beyond the city. He resembled a benevolent Buddha looking down with loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity upon all suffering beings.

Suddenly, the Buddha heaved a deep sigh.

“I’m so hungry. It’s been so long since I ate meat, a bird’s about to fly out of my mouth.” Xie Chengze stared mournfully at the distant sky. “If someone shot down a bird for me right now, I’d call him Daddy.”

Then Shen Yuan would have to call that person Grandpa. Hee hee hee.

“Your Highness, letters have arrived.”

Behind him, Wuhen landed silently and held out two letters.

Xie Chengze glanced at the envelope on top. The moment he saw the four characters reading “For Our Son’s Eyes,” he wanted to roll his eyes.

What bullshit was it this time?

He opened the envelope. This letter contained no chatter about affairs of state, only personal inquiries. The page was packed with questions: Was Our son tired? Was he craving anything? Had he lost weight? Did he miss his father? Court was terribly dull without him, audiences were no fun at all, and the emperor wanted to doze off every day.

Xie Chengze: “?”

So what, I’m your entertainment? When I used to jump around making a spectacle of myself at court every day, attending court was like watching a serialized drama, and you felt bright-eyed and invigorated?

Dog emperor.

Xie Chengze angrily wanted to fire back. He raised a hand, only to realize he had no brush or ink.

He looked at Wuhen. “Go fetch a brush and ink.”

Wuhen paused. When he did not leave immediately, Xie Chengze asked in confusion, “What is it?”

Wuhen reached behind his back and untied a coarse hemp sack from his waist. Something living wriggled inside, making Xie Chengze’s eyes light up.

“What is it?” He reached out to touch the sack.

Seeing Xie Chengze’s delight, the corner of Wuhen’s lips curved almost imperceptibly. “A wild rabbit.”

Xie Chengze: “!!!”

Wuhen! You are my god!!!

Xie Chengze immediately climbed onto his back and cried excitedly, “Back to the yamen at once! I want spicy rabbit!”

He could not wait another instant!

Inside the prefectural yamen.

The tall Wuhen sat on a little stool, wielding a knife to skin, gut, and clean the dead wild rabbit in his hands. Xie Chengze found a writing brush on the desk. Just as he prepared to reply, he noticed the rabbit blood spilled outside and immediately had an idea.

Clutching the letter paper, he hurried out in small steps, extended his damp tongue to lick the brush hairs, dipped them in rabbit blood, and wrote on the back of Emperor Jian’s letter:

I’m so miserable…

“Mm~” Xie Chengze narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin as he studied the words. Then he added a vertical series of wavy tear lines beneath them, making the already hideous, twisted handwriting even more visually horrifying.

Excellent, excellent.

The emotion came through perfectly this time.

Xie Chengze nodded in satisfaction and picked up the second letter. It was probably another pointless personal letter from Emperor Jian. He might as well answer both together.

But when he lifted it, he discovered that the letter was from Shen Yuan.

“The plan is in place. When do the commercial grain convoys depart?”

Shen Yuan’s handwriting was graceful and restrained, every stroke conveying a soothing quality. This was his style when he first appeared in the novel. Even though Xie Chengze knew nothing about calligraphy, a single glance revealed its delicate freshness, like a spring mountain breeze brushing over willow branches and leaf tips, refreshing the heart.

Shen Yuan’s later handwriting, by contrast, felt wild and unrestrained yet somehow confined. It resembled a savage beast trapped in a cage, tearing at rusted bars, while the iron chain around its neck and heavy balls shackled to its limbs restricted every fierce movement and choked away its breath.

Now Shen Yuan was deliberately writing like this. Was he pretending to be young and innocent for Xie Chengze?
Aww~ How adorable~

Xie Chengze dipped the brush in rabbit blood again and wrote beside the message: Swipe – he crossed that out – bring me something tasty from over there! Also, depart today.

Afraid Shen Yuan would not understand, he added another sentence on the back: Your kitchen over there! Empty it! Empty the whole thing!

After writing, Xie Chengze still felt unsatisfied.

The letter paper was far too small. It could not even hold all of his enormous ugly characters.

Forget it. This would do for now.

Xie Chengze picked up the envelopes. His gaze fell on one marked “For Our Son’s Eyes” and the other “For Your Highness’s Eyes.” Inspiration struck again, and he slipped Shen Yuan’s reply into the envelope marked “For Our Son’s Eyes.”

Shen Yuan was bound to lose their wager anyway, so calling him son was perfectly reasonable~

As for the other envelope, Xie Chengze perfunctorily inked over the words “Your Highness,” leaving only “For ___’s Eyes,” before handing both letters to Wuhen.

After roasting the rabbit, Wuhen went to the courier station to send the letters. Two couriers were waiting there. Wuhen took out the correspondence and studied the inscriptions on the envelopes.

“For Our Son’s Eyes”… Emperor Jian had sent this one. Last time, His Highness had simply put the reply into the original envelope and sent it back. This letter must therefore be for Emperor Jian.

Wuhen examined the other envelope. His Highness was a prince, so he certainly could not treat Shen Yuan carelessly. He must have deliberately crossed out “Your Highness” to avoid an unnecessary misunderstanding.

Thus, Wuhen sent the letter whose envelope now read only “For ___’s Eyes” to Shen Yuan, far away at the Yizhou pass.

…

Refugees from the flood-stricken southern counties arrived in Jiangdu County the following day as well. Their County Magistrates had refused to distribute grain, so when they heard Jiangdu County possessed surplus relief grain, they came in person in search of a way to live.

Xie Chengze stood atop the city wall and watched them.

So many refugees converging within such a short time had to be the work of someone behind the scenes. Shen Yuan had probably pushed certain people too far, leading them to create a difficult problem for him. They could then use the crisis as ammunition, have their people at court impeach Shen Yuan as unworthy of his position, and seize the opportunity to install one of their own.

He wondered whether his reply saying “I’m so miserable” might cause Emperor Jian to misunderstand and truly send someone here…

Careless. He had been careless…

Xie Chengze was tapping his chin and pondering when a hand suddenly fell heavily on his shoulder, making him shudder.

Who was it?!

Since coming to this world, no one except Emperor Jian and the Crown Prince had dared place a hand directly on his shoulder. Xie Chengze turned quickly and met a pair of bloodshot eyes filled with exhaustion.

“Shen… Yuan?” Xie Chengze said in surprise, staring at him in disbelief.

Why was he here? Wasn’t he supposed to be setting out with the merchants’ grain convoys right now?

“You…” Shen Yuan’s weary gaze swept over him. Then he frowned. “You’re unharmed?”

“What could possibly be wrong with this prince? What are you talking about?” Xie Chengze looked baffled. He glanced over Shen Yuan’s hands and waist. Seeing no storage pouch, he immediately grew displeased. “Where is my delicious food?”

Why was he so stingy? Xie Chengze had merely asked for something to eat. Even if Shen Yuan could not empty that bastard’s kitchen, he could at least have brought a pastry and a roast chicken to satisfy his craving!

“What delicious food?” Shen Yuan frowned. Irritation faintly surfaced on his face as he shoved the letter into Xie Chengze’s chest. “Did you not write a plea for help in blood?”

He had believed Xie Chengze was in mortal danger. It was not that he had forgotten Wuhen protected him, but everything Xie Chengze said and did now differed from his previous life. Shen Yuan had clung to the possibility that Xie Chengze might have sent Wuhen away on some task, allowing someone to abduct and threaten him, and had raced back without stopping.

Yet Xie Chengze was perfectly fine.

Had he been fooled again?

Xie Chengze took the page and stared at the four blood-soaked characters spelling “I’m so miserable,” followed by an ellipsis. “…”

Oh no.

Wuhen must have mixed up the letters.