Chapter 0016: Street Bully Zhu Xiaobiao, The Finest Gentleman Zhu Xiaobiao
After the two departed, Shen Yuan, who had been hiding on the roof beam, lowered his gaze and sank into deep thought.
In the 79th year of Jian’an, when Pingcheng was struck by disaster, Emperor Jian allocated 600,000 taels of silver for relief. The Ministry of Revenue offered silver to Second Prince’s faction to pledge allegiance. Xie Chengze personally went to Zhuolu County to inventory the silver, but unexpectedly, he was publicly harassed by the county magistrate’s son, Zhu Xiaobiao.
Enraged, Xie Chengze ordered Zhu Xiaobiao to be beaten to death on the street.
This was an extremely trivial matter. Even Shen Yuan himself, upon hearing that Zhu Xiaobiao had forcibly taken commoners’ daughters, believed he deserved his fate—that evil would be met with evil.
However, in the 85th year of Jian’an, six years after the incident, the top scholar at the Qionglin Banquet conspired with several dancers to assassinate Xie Chengze. After interrogation, it was revealed that the newly crowned top scholar and these dancers had once been Zhu Xiaobiao’s cherished concubines.
Most of them came from impoverished families, neglected by their parents, and some, due to their exceptional beauty, were forced into submission by true bullies and sold for mere taels of silver.
It was Zhu Xiaobiao who, hearing the commotion, arrived in time, kicked the bullies aside, and rescued them, taking them into his home.
The handsome top scholar was once the youngest son in his family. Due to his father’s favoritism, to secure his elder brother’s future as a scholar-official, he was sent to an official’s household. This official had peculiar tastes and subjected him to frequent beatings and abuse. After managing to escape and flee to Zhuolu County, he was pursued by the official’s men.
Just as he was about to be beaten to death, Zhu Xiaobiao happened to pass by and saved him.
Zhu Xiaobiao housed him outside the main compound, provided for him monthly, and even secretly hired a tutor for him. The world mocked the county magistrate’s son for being indiscriminate in his affections, but he knew that Lord Zhu was the finest of men.
He simply had his own hardships.
And such a good man was beaten to death on the street by Second Prince.
They were mere commoners, with no one to rely on. They could only endure humiliation for six years, until the newly crowned top scholar attempted to assassinate Second Prince in court to avenge Lord Zhu.
They failed, yet they succeeded.
The newly crowned top scholar, loyal and righteous, shed his blood at the Qionglin Banquet. Nine years earlier, the Tanhualang (Third-Rank Scholar) had merely composed a poem in praise and was executed on the execution grounds, thoroughly enraging scholars across the land. They mourned for them, raged for them, and wrote condemnations denouncing Xie Chengze, hoping the Emperor would seek justice for the two deceased scholars.
By then, Emperor Jian was gravely ill, and the matter was eventually dropped. But Xie Chengze had lost the hearts of the people, and those who lose popular support are doomed to a bitter defeat.
And now, Xie Chengze, who should have killed Zhu Xiaobiao, had spared him.
What was he scheming? By taking Zhu Xiaobiao away, did he intend to use him for his own purposes, or was he planning to eliminate the threat permanently?
Would those so-called “cherished concubines” meet their end after they left?
How could he protect these people’s lives?
His mind quickly settled on a plan. Shen Yuan jumped down from the roof beam, intending to leave this place first. However, when he pushed the door, it didn’t budge.
Shen Yuan: ?
…
After leaving the county office, Shen Yuan returned to the convoy that had entered the city.
“Lord Shen! Where is my royal brother?” Xie Zimiao rushed over in a flurry, asking anxiously.
“Second Prince is resting in the county office’s family quarters.”” Shen Yuan was quite polite to Xie Zimiao, after all, this child was simple-minded, possessing a kind of innocence untainted by worldly affairs, which made him rather easy to deal with.
“Oh.” Xie Zimiao had initially intended to go find Xie Chengze immediately, but couldn’t suppress her curiosity. Turning back to Shen Yuan who stood facing her with hands clasped behind his back, she asked, “Lord Shen, what are you hiding in your hands?”
Shen Yuan: …
“Nothing.” Just a certain someone’s outer robe that got dirtied when he threw it in frustration after being locked in the silver vault.
“Alright then, I’m off to find my royal brother!” Showing proper restraint, Xie Zimiao dashed off in her usual whirlwind manner.
The carriage convoy had taken lodging at the county magistrate’s residence, with Shen Yuan being assigned a single room in the family quarters.
The incessant chirping of cicadas filled the night, and the room was so stuffy that he tossed and turned unable to sleep. Combined with his troubled thoughts, he simply got up and went outside to cool off.
He hadn’t taken more than two steps when he spotted two figures crouched at a corner turn – one slender form in dark red and one stout golden figure. Their heads, one large and one small, were pressed together as they whispered furtively, occasionally emitting low, mischievous chuckles.
Somehow quite amusing.
Shen Yuan cleared his throat lightly, and saw the dark red figure startle like a wild kitten, immediately straightening up and turning to look. Those narrow phoenix eyes widened noticeably, resembling two small lanterns suddenly lighting up in the darkness, captivating to behold.
Shen Yuan’s eyes flickered, his mood inexplicable.
Only after recognizing who had made the sound did those little lanterns quickly dim. The figure turned to say something to the golden one, then stood up with feigned composure and sauntered toward him.
“Can’t sleep at this hour, Your Highness the Second Prince? Chatting here with grain-stealing mice?” As he approached, Shen Yuan crossed his arms and leaned against a pillar, watching him leisurely.
Different from daytime, the sleepless man carried more steadiness and danger in the deep night. The elegance of his white robes with blue lining couldn’t conceal the hostility and scrutiny in his eyes, like a black panther lurking in shadows waiting to strike, contemplating how to toy with this cunning prey once caught.
Beneath his white robes lingered shades of “black.”
Xie Chengze stopped before him, his bright, clear eyes directly meeting Shen Yuan’s gloomy gaze.
After a moment, his rosy lips parted slightly, “Odd changes to even remains unchanged?”
Shen Yuan frowned, “What?”
Not a fellow traveler…
Xie Chengze took another step forward. Shen Yuan’s tall frame stood half a head taller, so he tilted his head up, continuing to press closer while staring at Shen Yuan with a curiously examining look, as if observing some novel, amusing object.
Shen Yuan instinctively recoiled in distaste, but forgot the pillar behind him. Just a moment too slow, he found himself trapped between Xie Chengze’s arms, his gaze unexpectedly meeting the other’s increasingly brilliant eyes.
He watched as Xie Chengze slowly spoke, his smile tinged with amusement, “Not as refined as a certain roof-top gentleman’s tastes, though I imagine secret chambers offer their own unique charm?”
Shen Yuan’s expression darkened, “You did it on purpose.”
The silver vault guards had been deliberately dismissed, County Magistrate Zhu was away from the residence, leaving no one in charge of the vault affairs. Xie Chengze had intentionally had Zhu Xiaobiao lock him in the silver vault, hiding in the shadows to watch his embarrassment.
Xie Chengze now played innocent, blinking as he pressed closer, “I don’t understand what riddles Lord Shen is speaking. Nor do I know where my robe might be. If it’s soiled, I’ll trouble Lord Shen to clean it for me.”
He had even seen him taking out his anger on the robe.
A flush of heated shame crept across Shen Yuan’s face. In their decade-long rivalry, he had rarely acted so impulsively—and to be caught red-handed by the very person involved.
“Lord Shen?” Xie Chengze raised an eyebrow, his smirk growing more teasing.
Shen Yuan gazed at him with profound intensity. The man before him smiled so triumphantly, like a kitten that had won a battle, unable to resist revealing its hidden little tail, swaying it provocatively before him.
Since that was the case, he might as well seize that tail.
Shen Yuan gripped Xie Chengze’s shoulders and spun around abruptly, instantly reversing their positions and the dynamics of their encounter.
Trapping Chengze within his arms, Shen Yuan leaned close to his face, a wicked smile curling at the corner of his lips. “Then why doesn’t the Second Prince properly enlighten this humble official? How did that perfectly good ten thousand taels end up back in Your Highness’s hands?”