Chapter 35 Birds of a feather flock together
The door to Huai Leju's room was tightly closed, and there was no sound coming from inside.
Zhou She stopped at the door and politely knocked.
A clattering sound came from inside the room, as if someone had overturned a chair. After a moment, the door opened, and Huai Leju, dressed neatly, stood in front of him.
Seeing Zhou She standing outside, Huai Leju remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Does His Majesty want to use you?"
He was clearly referring to the promotion.
Zhou She couldn't help but marvel again at how fast the news spread.
"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty." Anyone can say nice things, especially to Huai Leju, so of course one should say nice things to the emperor.
After Zhou She finished speaking, it was clear that Huai Leju's hand, which was gripping the door, was tightening slightly, and his knuckles were protruding.
This really made me furious.
Zhou She found it amusing, pushed Huai Leju inside, and closed the door behind him, blocking the curious gazes of the group of people behind him.
Is it appropriate to treat him like a monkey and not pay him?
Zhou She leaned against the door, looking at Huai Leju's pale face. Holding onto the idea that they would work together in the future, he spoke first: "Lord Huai, I'll have to trouble you to come with me to Zhuang Shi's matter."
Huai Leju frowned: "His Majesty agreed to release him?"
Although he had long known that His Majesty had been hesitant to make a decision because he didn't want to kill anyone, and given Tianmu's current statements, it didn't seem like usurpation was a serious crime, so letting him go wasn't too surprising.
As expected, Zhou She smiled and said, "He didn't commit any serious crime. His Majesty is very benevolent, so of course he let him go."
This tone of voice made Huai Leju frown deeply.
He stopped talking, squeezed past Zhou She, and pushed open the door to see a group of seemingly passersby. His face instantly turned frosty again.
Zhou She followed closely behind, and the two boarded the carriage. Huai Leju sat in the corner, his eyes closed, as if he wanted to avoid seeing anything.
The carriage drove through the bustling street.
The carriage had been completely silent until suddenly it came to a screeching halt, the carriage shaking violently. A sharp shout rang out from outside: "Who's so blind?! Don't they know how to make way?"
Then came two more shouts of abuse, and Zhou She barely realized that they were being cursed at.
In the past, when Zhou She went out, no matter how luxurious or ostentatious his attire was, it was always obvious that he was from a prominent family.
Unfortunately, he was riding in Huai Leju's carriage today. This man was low-key and didn't even have a brand name. He was even less noticeable in the capital.
Upon hearing the sound, Huai Leju immediately got up and walked out of the carriage, while Zhou She was a step behind him.
Two arrogant men stood by the roadside, arguing with the coachman and pointing at the carriage across the street, shouting angrily, "Do you know whose carriage this is? How dare you go first?"
Huai Leju was in a bad mood: "This road is so wide, why do people insist on squeezing in this way? What's the meaning of this?"
Although the crowd was a bit dense, it was not impossible to drive side by side as long as you drove slowly.
Then look at that magnificent carriage; it's completely silent inside. It's another troublemaker.
Zhou She glanced at the markings on the car opposite and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart: He wondered why it looked so familiar, it turned out to be an old acquaintance.
As soon as Huai Leju finished speaking, the driver of the car opposite, who had been sitting still, lifted the curtain, revealing a familiar face.
Zhou She sat down next to the coachman, and the smile on his face vanished instantly.
That man was dressed in flamboyant clothes and covered in gold and silver; who else could he be but the heir apparent of Prince Su?
Zhou She found this person annoying.
Prince Su sat upright in the carriage, clearly not expecting that the person opposite him was Huai Leju.
The memory of being beaten not long ago was still fresh in his mind. Just as he was about to slide to his knees, he suddenly remembered something, and his worries vanished, replaced by a smug smile: "Lord Huai and Young Master Zhou are out too? Why hasn't His Majesty arrested you both yet?"
It seems his information network is really outdated.
Zhou She laughed along, "Your Highness is quite the troublemaker. Why hasn't His Highness Prince Su broken your legs yet? I heard that another brother has been born into your family, Your Highness, but I forgot to offer my congratulations. That's really inexcusable of me."
The Crown Prince of Su's face darkened.
Prince Su was in remarkably good health, and among the emperor's brothers, he had the most offspring. He had over a dozen brothers; even without Zhou She mentioning it, the crown prince himself probably couldn't sleep at night.
Huai Leju: "..."
After Zhou She finished speaking, he remembered that Huai Leju's family was in the same situation. A boomerang struck both of them at the same time.
The Crown Prince of Su snorted coldly and waved to leave.
The carriage moved slowly, and the two carriages passed each other. Suddenly, his sarcastic voice rang out: "You two are birds of a feather! Tianmu talks about the future, but I see you've already colluded!"
Zhou She: "???"
Huai Leju: "..."
As if in response to his voice, the previously silent sky suddenly lit up.
Prince Su's heir: "...?" Was it him who confessed?
The screen displayed lines of text without sound, and everyone, as always, read it by guessing and deciphering.
Thank you all for your support! I was planning to release a new video today or tomorrow, but I have some unexpected plans and I'm going on vacation!! So I'll have to postpone it for now. I'll make the new video when I get back! I'll record a short clip of myself here, but my return date is uncertain!
After reading that line of text, Zhou She continued to look at the pictures.
It's a screenshot from a mobile phone, and it shows...
His eyes widened.
These are the reservation records for the current mausoleum!
You went to visit his grave?
Huai Leju remained silent as well. He noticed another picture behind it, with a name written on it, which appeared to be his grave.
After a brief silence, the Crown Prince of Su turned and left, leaving behind the words, "What's so great about that?!"
Zhou She: "?"
Huai Leju's face looked even more like a spilled dye shop, making him want to laugh.
Zhou She sat back down, about to speak, when Huai Leju returned to the original topic, saying, "Since His Majesty values you so highly, you should strive even harder from now on."
What NPC's quest is this? Why does everyone have to say this to him?
"Thanks for the reminder," Zhou She replied perfunctorily.
Zhou She didn't want to say more, but Huai Leju seemed to have his Ren and Du meridians opened by the words of the Prince of Su.
Even the usually taut-mouthed gourd was willing to utter a few extra words. He lowered his eyes and slowly said, "Zhou She, if you achieve success in the future, you should treat Miss Gu better."
Zhou She was so angry that he almost fell backward, wanting to grab Huai Leju by the collar, but he managed to hold back: "What exactly do you misunderstand about me?"
Huai Leju fell silent again.
"Moreover..." Zhou She sat down again and said solemnly, "The marriage alliance has not yet been decided. For you to tell me these things is not only detrimental to Miss Gu, but also tarnishes my reputation!"
Huai Leju paused, his expression changing slightly.
He remained silent for a long time, until Zhou She thought he wouldn't say anything more, before he finally said, "That's good then."
Although Zhou She used to flaunt his wealth and influence, he never missed any of the gossip in the capital. Just as he knew that the Gu and Huai families were not related by blood, he also knew that Huai Leju and Gu Er were old playmates.
But whether their engagement is valid or what the future holds is not for Huai Leju to decide.
Zhou She was also somewhat annoyed. Staring at Huai Leju's lifeless face, he said coldly, "Lord Huai, are these the kinds of topics you should be discussing with me?"
The carriage jolted, and Huai Leju looked up at him, her lips moving for a long time before she finally said, "I'm sorry."
Zhou She's anger came and went quickly. He believed Huai Leju was a smart man, and in the blink of an eye, he smiled and said, "It's nothing."
Huai Leju swallowed back his words, "Since we'll be birds of a feather in the future," and looking at Zhou She again, he realized that Zhou She indeed had a certain... theatrical talent to come and go as he pleased.
Huai Leju realized his rudeness, apologized, and was about to pretend nothing had happened when he heard Zhou She say, "Actually, I was just about to ask Lord Huai, the Imperial Guards should be very familiar with the defense of the capital, right? Are there any key points?"
Caught off guard, Huai Leju's thoughts were interrupted, and the carriage fell into a brief silence.
The sounds of casual conversation from the street reached their ears, and a child's clear voice asked, "Mother, is His Majesty Emperor Zhongzong still alive? Can I see him?"
Hearing the sound, Huai Leju turned around and lifted the carriage curtain. The young girl who had spoken was swept away by the middle-aged woman, who gently patted the girl's face: "Silly girl, you can see His Majesty? That's an immense blessing! How could we possibly have such an opportunity?"
"Fufen" himself was sitting opposite Zhou She.
As the carriage gradually disappeared into the distance, Huai Leju lowered his eyes and gripped the carriage curtain tightly. Zhou She was almost worried that he would tear the cloth to shreds.
Fortunately, he finally caught his breath: "Prefect Xie Chaoxian of Shuntian Prefecture, you should know, right? The imperial examination is of great importance. He is very familiar with this matter, so there is no need to worry. We just need to cooperate."
Zhou She nodded; the emperor had also mentioned this person to him.
In truth, he also felt that the preparations for the imperial examinations should have been handled by Xie Chaoxian. However, he tacitly accepted that this was a test for him, so everything proceeded as expected.
Huai Leju paused, and seeing that Zhou She was still looking at him seriously, he added two more sentences: "You only need to do two things. First, seal off the examination hall and increase patrols. Second, strictly investigate the refugees."
Zhou She kept both matters in mind and planned to visit Xie Chaoxian's place after picking up Zhuang Yuanchu.
Just as he was pondering this, the carriage stopped.
Although I was only away for a day, revisiting the place still brought back some unpleasant memories.
The prison was still dark and gloomy. When the clerk saw him enter, he almost thought that Zhou She had entered the palace for the second time. Only when he saw that Zhou She was dressed in official robes did he realize that he had committed another crime.
Zhuang Shi's cell was even deeper. Seeing Huai Leju nod, he approached the cell, took out a key from his pocket, and unlocked it.
Zhou She strode into the prison cell.
Zhuang Shi sat with his back to the main entrance, two beams of light shining directly on his legs. He leaned against the wall, and his hair was surprisingly not too messy.
Hearing footsteps, Zhuang Shi rolled his sleeve over his face, his voice trembling slightly but with a certain backbone, and said stiffly, "Fine, are you going to execute me today? Come on!"
Zhou She stopped in response and silently watched his retreating figure.
Zhuang Shi waited for a while, and then the footsteps stopped. He immediately raised his voice guiltily, "Come on! Why aren't you coming?!"
"..." Zhou She was speechless. He kicked him so hard he fell flat on his face and said coldly, "Well, Zhuang Yuan Chu, so you've wanted to die all along. Lord Huai, I don't want this man anymore. Take him to the execution ground."
"..." Huai Leju said speechlessly, "His Majesty has ordered—"
Before he could finish speaking, Zhuang Shi recognized the voice and jumped up, grabbing Zhou She's trouser leg. His expression changed drastically: "Good brother, I knew you hadn't forgotten me!"
Zhuang Shi's wailing was practically the same as a theatrical performance; it hurt Zhou She's ears, and not wanting to spoil the gloomy atmosphere of the prison, he quickly took the man away.
Zhou She dragged Zhuang Shi along, and the man's legs were still trembling, showing no trace of the courage he had shown when facing death.
Zhou She even felt a little regretful. His own leg still ached, yet this guy, who hadn't even broken a skin, was shaking even more violently than him?
Where did your backbone go?
Zhou She picked up Zhuang Shi and dumped him into the Zhuang family mansion. Not wanting to see the Zhuang family members crying and sobbing, he left quickly, only instructing Zhuang Shi not to cause trouble and that he would come back to pick him up the next day.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now," Huai Leju said after Zhou She had put the person down.
Zhou She had no reason to stop him.
Although Tianmu said that he and Huai Leju would settle their scores in the future, and even have some relationship as ruler and subject, sorry, they are not familiar with each other.
It's not that he didn't want to make changes sooner, but once in a while, he was met with indifference.
To avoid another fight, which would only make us a laughingstock.
Zhou She bid farewell to Huai Leju and took a detour to find the government office, but he arrived too late and it was past the end of his shift, so he had to come back the next day.
The carriage wheels passed the government office, and the gate was slowly closing. The sun was about to set, and the sky was a dim yellow. Zhou She turned his head inadvertently and caught a glimpse of several simply dressed middle-aged men walking out of the gate. Although they looked like they had been carefully disguised, they were clearly not ordinary people.
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