Chapter 0040: Shen Yuan Gains a Grandfather, How Miserable I Am Xie Chengze

Influenced by Zhu Xiaobiao, the scholars began to follow suit, setting up stages throughout the city to narrate the story of The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains and extol the benefits of excavating Yu Ji Mountain.

The common people, who held scholars in high esteem, listened with rapt attention and gradually became more convinced that they should join the mountain-digging effort.

The fervor for digging the mountain within the city grew increasingly intense.

At the city gate, Xie Chengze stood alone atop the city wall. The scorching golden noon light draped over him like a shimmering, dazzling golden veil. His exquisitely androgynous face bore a gaze that seemed both sorrowful and compassionate as he looked far beyond the city walls, resembling a benevolent Buddha statue pitying the suffering masses.

Suddenly, the Buddha statue let out a deep sigh.

“I’m so hungry. It’s been so long since I’ve had meat—my mouth is practically tasteless enough to lure birds,” Xie Chengze lamented sorrowfully while gazing at the distant sky. “If someone could shoot a bird for me to eat right now, I’d be willing to call them Father.”

Then he could make Shen Yuan address that person as Grandfather. Hehehe.

“Your Highness, there are letters.”

Behind him, Wuhen landed silently and handed him two letters.

Xie Chengze glanced at the envelope on top. When he saw the four characters “To My Son,” he couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

What nonsense is it this time?

Upon opening the envelope, he found that this letter didn’t ramble on about state affairs but was instead filled with simple greetings. The densely inked lines were full of questions: Is my son tired? Is he craving good food? Has he lost weight? Does he miss his father? The court is dull without you, morning assemblies are utterly boring, and I feel like dozing off every day.

Xie Chengze: ?

So you’re saying I’m your entertainment? Back when I used to bounce around recklessly in the court every day, you attended morning assemblies with the enthusiasm of watching a thrilling drama, right?

Damn emperor.

Fuming, Xie Chengze wanted to write a sharp retort but raised his hand only to realize he had no brush or ink.

He glanced at Wuhen. “Go fetch me writing materials.”

Wuhen paused for a moment. Seeing that he didn’t leave immediately, Xie Chengze asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Wuhen reached behind his back with his right hand and untied a coarse hemp bag from his waist. Something alive was moving inside the bag, and Xie Chengze’s eyes lit up at the sight.

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

Noticing Xie Chengze’s delighted expression, Wuhen’s lips curved almost imperceptibly. “A wild hare.”

Xie Chengze: !!!

Wuhen! You are my god!!!

Xie Chengze immediately climbed onto his back excitedly. “Back to the residence, now! I want to eat spicy hare meat!”

He couldn’t wait another moment!

Inside the government office.

The tall Wuhen sat on a small stool, skillfully wielding a knife to skin and clean the deceased little wild hare. Xie Chengze found a brush on the desk and was about to reply to the letter when he caught sight of the pool of hare blood outside. Instantly, an idea struck him.

He hurriedly grabbed the letter and paper, trotted out, moistened the tip of the brush with his tongue, and dipped it into the hare blood. On the back of Emperor Jian’s letter, he wrote:

How miserable I am…

“Hmm~” Xie Chengze squinted his small eyes, rubbed his chin, and examined it for a while. Then, he added a few wavy vertical lines beneath the characters, enhancing the already fierce and distorted handwriting with an even more terrifying visual effect.

Not bad, not bad.

This time, the emotion was conveyed perfectly.

Satisfied, Xie Chengze nodded and reached for the second letter. Assuming it was another meaningless personal letter from Emperor Jian, he decided to reply to it as well.

But when he picked it up, he realized it was a letter from Shen Yuan.

“The plan is set, when will the merchant grain depart?”

Shen Yuan’s handwriting was elegant and proper, exuding a comforting aura between the lines. This was his calligraphic style from his initial appearance. Even if Xie Chengze knew nothing about calligraphy, a single glance would reveal its delicate freshness, like a spring mountain breeze brushing through willow branches—refreshing and soothing.

In contrast, Shen Yuan’s later calligraphic style felt wildly unrestrained yet constrained, like a fierce beast trapped in a cage tearing at old, rusted iron bars. Yet the chains around its neck and the iron balls shackling its limbs restrained its ferocious movements, choking it until it could barely breathe.

For Shen Yuan to deliberately write in such a manner now—he was clearly feigning innocence.

Ah~ how adorable~

Xie Chengze dipped his brush in rabbit blood again and wrote beside it: Bring me some delicious food from over there! Also, depart today.

Worried Shen Yuan might not understand, he added on the back of the letter: Your kitchen there! Empty it! Empty all of it!

After writing, Xie Chengze still felt unsatisfied.

The letter paper was too small—it couldn’t contain his large, clumsy handwriting.

Never mind, this would have to do for now.

Xie Chengze went to fetch an envelope. His gaze fell upon two letters: one addressed “To My Son” and the other “To His Highness.” A mischievous idea sparked in his mind, and he placed the reply to Shen Yuan inside the “To My Son” envelope.

After all, Shen Yuan was bound to lose the bet—calling him “son” was only natural~

As for the other letter, Xie Chengze carelessly smudged out the words “His Highness” from “To His Highness” before handing it to Wuhen.

After roasting the rabbit, Wuhen went to the courier station to deliver the letters. Two messengers were waiting there. Wuhen took out the letters and examined the inscriptions on the envelopes.

“To My Son”… was given by Emperor Jian. Last time, His Highness had directly stuffed the reply into the original envelope and sent it back, so this one must be the reply to Emperor Jian.

Wuhen then looked at the other envelope and thought to himself: As a prince, His Highness must treat Shen Yuan with due formality. That’s why he deliberately smudged out “His Highness”—to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

Thus, he sent the letter bearing only the words “To Be Opened” to Shen Yuan, who was far away at the Yi Province pass.

…

The following day, refugees from flood-stricken counties in the southern region arrived at Jiangdu Xian. Their own county magistrates had refused to distribute relief grain, but hearing that Jiangdu Xian had surplus disaster relief supplies, they came in person to seek survival.

Xie Chengze stood atop the city walls, watching them.

For these refugees to swarm in all at once in such a short time—someone must be pulling the strings behind the scenes. Likely, Shen Yuan had pushed certain people to desperation, prompting them to create difficulties for him. They would then use this as leverage to have court officials impeach him for incompetence, seizing the opportunity to install their own people.

He wondered if his “I’m so miserable” reply would accidentally lead Emperor Jian to misunderstand and actually send someone…

What a careless mistake…

As Xie Chengze pondered this while tapping his chin, a heavy hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, startling him so much he shuddered.

Who?!

Since arriving in this world, aside from Emperor Jian and the Crown Prince, no one had dared to place a hand directly on his shoulder. Xie Chengze swiftly turned around, only to meet a pair of bloodshot eyes filled with exhaustion.

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

Why was he here? Shouldn’t he be traveling with the merchants’ grain carts toward this direction right now?

“You…” Shen Yuan’s weary gaze swept over him, then frowned. “Are you alright?”

“What could possibly happen to this prince? What are you talking about?” Xie Chengze looked bewildered. His eyes swept over Shen Yuan’s hands and waist, finding no storage pouch, and he couldn’t help complaining discontentedly, “Where are my treats?”

How could he be so stingy? Was it too much to ask for some snacks? Even if he couldn’t clear out that bastard’s entire kitchen, could he not have brought at least one pastry or roast chicken to satisfy his cravings?

“What treats?” Shen Yuan frowned, a faint trace of irritation showing on his face as he shoved the letter into Xie Chengze’s hands. “Didn’t you write me a blood-letter crying for help?”

He had thought Xie Chengze was in mortal danger. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered Wuhen’s presence by Xie Chengze’s side, but given how Xie Chengze’s current behavior differed completely from his previous life, he had clung to the possibility that “perhaps Chengze sent Wuhen away on some mission and got himself kidnapped.” He had rushed back without stopping.

Never did he expect Xie Chengze to be completely fine.

Had he been fooled by him again?

Xie Chengze took the letter and stared at the blood-drenched words “I’m suffering terribly” followed by an ellipsis: …

Oh no.

Wuhen must have delivered the wrong letter.