The pull of strict law and the forbidden impulse collided violently in Wen Zhuo’s mind. He allowed himself to return Shen Zheng’s kiss, but then twisted free from that warm embrace, the tips of his ears burning hot, and dashed back to the rear courtyard.
Caught off guard by his sudden retreat, Shen Zheng paused for a moment. Watching that flustered figure flee, he couldn’t help but laugh.
Yet after studying him for a while, Shen Zheng’s gaze gradually turned solemn and profound.
Only belatedly did he remember the peculiar nature of this dynasty, Great Qian.
What seemed to him a perfectly natural surrender to love was, in Wen Zhuo’s eyes, a transgression against the authority of the law.
He had to cherish and protect the response Wen Zhuo had given him. This was entirely different from the mutual affection of the modern world. It meant Wen Zhuo had placed his future, his prospects, his reputation, and his honor—the most vulnerable weaknesses of a man in his position—into Shen Zheng’s hands.
In returning his kiss, Wen Zhuo had abandoned the “safety” most valued by anyone in a position of power.
Jiang Mannü and Liu Qiying heard the commotion and turned back in surprise.
“Your Highness, what happened to our lord?”
The sensation of Wen Zhuo’s waist still lingered on Shen Zheng’s fingertips. He quietly savored the warmth remaining in his arms and replied unhurriedly, “I provoked him. It’s nothing serious.”
Some time later, Wen Zhuo had washed his face again and emerged from the rear courtyard with a composed expression. Apart from the faint flush at the peak of his lips, there was no sign that he had just been caught up in an intimate embrace.
As though nothing had happened, he walked straight toward Six Monkeys, who was standing with his head bowed in thought.
“Do you still remember where the Wen family keeps the children they buy?”
Six Monkeys had always been cleverer than other boys his age. In the past, it was merely his limited experience and the lack of anyone to guide him that had allowed others to deceive him. But now, after Shen Zheng and Wen Zhuo questioned him from every angle, he began to consider the suspicious details for himself.
“I remember! At Dongyazi!” Six Monkeys answered at once.
Wen Zhuo frowned slightly. “How did you escape from a place like that?”
Dongyazi was a small-to-medium-sized island.
A great river flowed through Liangping County. The locals called it Wangtiangou. Its currents were swift, and it ran straight into the sea. The people of the region drew drinking water from it, but many had accidentally fallen in and died. In private, they also called it the “Soul-Reaping Ravine.”
Dongyazi was an isolated patch of land in the middle of the ravine. After years of being battered by the current, it was visibly shrinking. Dangerous shoals and treacherous waters surrounded it on every side; without a boat, an ordinary person could hardly get near it.
“Heh, you wouldn’t know!” Six Monkeys declared proudly, thumping his chest. “I grew up in the water. I can swim faster than a fish! To other people, Wangtiangou is a vicious monster, but to me, it’s no different from my own backyard. I can hold my breath for a quarter of an hour. With just two or three breaths, I can swim from the island to the shore!”
No one had expected the boy to possess such a skill.
Wen Zhuo considered this for a moment. His warm, expressive eyes curved slightly as he took out the piece of ambergris from earlier and held it out to Six Monkeys.
“Six Monkeys, would you be willing to return to Dongyazi and help yesterday’s old man find Little Zhi?”
Six Monkeys’ face flushed bright red. He hurriedly turned away, afraid to look directly at Wen Zhuo’s handsome features, and stammered, “Why wouldn’t I? I miss Little Zhi too. I’ve wanted to go back and see her for ages. It’s just that my mother still hasn’t been found. I can’t exactly sell myself, can I?”
Wen Zhuo gave Jiang Mannü a meaningful glance, then said to Six Monkeys, “I’ll find someone to disguise himself as your father and accompany you there. Remember: once you give this keepsake to Little Zhi, swim back immediately. Then report to me the number of children on the island and the conditions they’re living in. As for your mother’s whereabouts, we’ll help you find her.”
Six Monkeys accepted the piece of ambergris carefully and lowered his head to look at it. The entire lump was grayish-white and hideously plain.
Yet this unimpressive object had cost that old man his life.
He clenched it tightly, his knuckles paling. After hesitating for a moment, he raised his head.
“Do you think Liu Kangren… might really be a good person?”
“I don’t know,” Wen Zhuo answered honestly.
Six Monkeys lowered his head, his voice tinged with frustration and remorse. “I cursed him so many times before. I even spat several times in his courtyard and kicked his wall. If he… if he really isn’t a bad man, I want to apologize to him in person.”
With that, he raised a hand to wipe his eyes, then turned and ran into the room. He sat down cross-legged with his back to everyone and refused to say another word.
Suddenly, the curses of yamen runners rang out from the mouth of the alley. Everyone fell silent in perfect understanding, holding their breath as they listened.
“Damn it! Can’t even get a full night’s sleep in peace. Every day it’s one blasted official matter after another!” one of the runners complained, his grating voice carrying a long way.
“Ah, stop whining and hurry up! Lord Wen is pressing us hard. If we catch them, that thirty-tael reward will be real silver!” Clearly, the other runner had been blinded by the prospect of money.
“Isn’t it strange? There are only a few of them—a consumptive, a refined-looking young master, and two women. Yet it’s as if they’ve vanished into thin air. Nobody’s seen them!”
“Jiangzhou Prefecture is huge. Is it really so hard to hide a few people? Stop wasting time. Search every household properly. We’ll flush them out eventually!”
A moment later, a loud series of knocks rang out. Across the street, a courtyard gate was being pounded so violently that the whole neighborhood shook.
“Open up! Government inspection! Hey, have you seen these two people?”
The gate across the street creaked open, and a well-dressed woman stepped out.
The runner unfurled two wanted portraits and held them before her. The woman narrowed her eyes and examined them for a long while before shaking her head repeatedly. Soon afterward, she slammed the gate shut.
“Hey, what about that courtyard diagonally across the street? Haven’t we searched it yet?”
“Are you an idiot? That’s Liu Kangren’s house. It was seized a few days ago. The man himself is still in prison awaiting execution.”
“Oh… right. I’d forgotten.” The runner who had asked the question clicked his tongue in annoyance. “What rotten luck! I heard that when they confiscated his property, they couldn’t even find a decent silver hairpin. All that work for nothing. And he was the son of a high official and a former general, too. What a penniless wretch!”
“So what if he was a general? Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Fortune changes, that’s all.” The other runner gave a derisive snort.
Their chatter and footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Wen Zhuo withdrew his gaze from the street outside. He brushed an unruly lock of hair back behind his ear, then cast an almost imperceptible glance at Shen Zheng before speaking leisurely.
“If Your Highness wishes to see Liu Kangren, all you need do is reveal your identity to Lou Changsui. But saving him will be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.”
“If Liu Kangren truly embezzled the grain, then the evidence Lou Changsui submitted is flawless. Once His Majesty’s fury is aroused, the three-stage review will proceed with great speed. I expect the imperial approval from the capital to arrive within ten days at most.”
From Wen Zhuo’s expression, Shen Zheng knew that in the brief time since they had begun speaking, he had already devised a plan.
What a brilliant little cat.
Shen Zheng quickly dragged over an old wooden chair left behind by Liu Kangren. He gently pressed a hand to Wen Zhuo’s shoulder, inviting him to sit, and said in a respectful voice laced with mischief, “Since the matter is so troublesome, it seems that of all the people under Heaven, only Teacher can think of a way to solve it.”
Wen Zhuo shot him a sidelong glance. A string of tender yet irresistible kisses flashed through his mind, and the tips of his ears grew faintly warm.
He turned his face away to steady himself, then said solemnly, “Though Your Highness holds the Imperial Sword, if you defy the law and insist on protecting Liu Kangren, you will surely incur His Majesty’s displeasure. His Majesty may even suspect that you harbor ulterior motives and are attempting to win over Duke Liu. Therefore, Your Highness cannot bear the risk, nor can you be the one to release him.”
Liu Qiying’s brows drew tightly together, her face filled with confusion. “By that logic, doesn’t this mean there’s even less hope?”
She had been hesitating earlier. If she went to see Liu Kangren rashly, she might expose her identity and ruin the covert investigation they had planned. Yet after Wen Zhuo’s analysis, it seemed that intervening by any means would lead to certain disaster. The road ahead appeared narrower with every step.
“Then… this student begs the teacher for your guidance.” Shen Zheng bent down until his eyes were level with Wen Zhuo’s, listening attentively.
A glint of keen calculation flashed through Wen Zhuo’s eyes, vanishing in an instant as his expression returned to its usual calm. “Therefore, our only option is to make Lou Changsui send the man into our hands of his own accord. From beginning to end, we must merely accept him passively—completely innocent of any wrongdoing.”
“How could that possibly work?” Jiang Mannü blurted out.
Wen Zhuo casually rolled up his sleeve, revealing a section of an arm as fair as jade.
With a slight turn of his wrist, a palm-sized ivory tablet appeared before everyone’s eyes.
The tablet was milky white, its texture smooth and warm. Delicate ruyi cloud patterns were carved along the top, while a vermilion cord passed through a hole in its center. Beneath that, seven bold regular-script characters were clearly engraved: “Wen Zhuo, Director of the Hanlin Academy.” On the back were two lines of smaller engraved text: “Officials attending court must wear this tablet visibly. Loss shall be punished.”
It was noon, and sunlight pierced through the bare branches of the old tree in the courtyard, spilling over the tablet. The sharply carved characters shimmered beneath the light, and the weight of official authority came crashing down upon them.
The corner of Wen Zhuo’s lips curved upward. “There is nothing in this world that is absolutely impossible.”
Shen Zheng was especially fond of that faint smile concealing Wen Zhuo’s clever schemes. In front of other people, he could not kiss him, so he took out a handkerchief and wiped Wen Zhuo’s cheek, still damp from washing.
“I have always had complete faith in you, Teacher.”
That very afternoon, as the sun began to sink westward, a guard dressed in coarse, short clothing quietly left the Liu residence, leading Six Monkeys, who was dressed just as shabbily. They headed straight for the southern gate of Mianzhou Prefecture.
At the city gate, the archers held portraits and checked each person leaving the city one by one.
The two men blended in with the departing commoners. Their faces were grimy and their clothing worn. The archers glanced carelessly at the portraits, then looked them over. Seeing no resemblance whatsoever, they impatiently waved them through.
The two men lowered their eyes and passed through the gate. They then raced westward toward Liangping County.
At dawn the following day, just after the city gates opened, five more guards disguised themselves and left Mianzhou Prefecture in three separate groups.
One of them had an object hidden close against his body beneath his lapel.
It was Wen Zhuo’s tablet identifying him as Director of the Hanlin Academy.
Ten days earlier.
Beneath the same cloudless sky, Mianzhou was still enjoying mild weather, while snow had already begun to fall in the capital.
Inside Wuying Hall of the Forbidden City, the air was bitterly cold and the atmosphere oppressive.
Duke Liu knelt in the middle of the hall. His face was haggard, and the dark hair at his temples, once black as ink, had turned completely white and hung disheveled around his head.
He crawled forward on his knees for two steps, then slammed his forehead against the cold golden bricks. The dull, terrifying impact instantly raised a glaring red bruise on his brow.
“Your Majesty, I beg you to spare my son’s life. I am willing to accept his punishment in his place!” His voice was hoarse as he pleaded in grief.
Emperor Shunyuan sat upon the dragon throne, trembling with rage. He brought his palm down hard upon the memorial from Mianzhou lying on the desk.
“Liu Yuanqing, how dare you still plead for him!”
As if that were not enough, he flung the memorial into Duke Liu’s face and shouted furiously, “Look at what your son has done!”
Before the words had even faded, Emperor Shunyuan began coughing violently. His shoulders shook with every cough, and blood stained his phlegm.
Liu Quan hurried forward with a handkerchief, but the emperor viciously slapped it away.
“I wondered before why Du Yanbei had returned so thin and gaunt. Now I know—it was all because Liu Kangren was causing trouble in Mianzhou! He is the culprit behind everything!”
“If Heaven had not protected Great Qian and shown its warning through those portents, would the people of Xing and Jing Prefectures not all have been killed by him?” The emperor’s voice grew increasingly sharp, brimming with hatred. “The people were made to suffer, and the Fifth Prince and Wen Wanshan were unable to borrow grain, delaying disaster relief. I cannot forgive them either! Every one of these debts and grievances arose because of him. Liu Kangren could die ten thousand deaths and still not atone for his crimes!”
Duke Liu’s tears flowed freely. Murky trails ran down the deep furrows of his face, while the bruise on his forehead had broken the skin and begun to bleed. The heroic figure who had once commanded armies on the battlefield and swept all before him was nowhere to be seen.
He slowly straightened and gazed at Emperor Shunyuan high above him. Then, suddenly, he raised a hand and tore open his official robe. In a few pulls, he stripped away his upper garments, revealing a body covered in mottled, gruesome scars.
The scars had been carved by blades, axes, and other weapons, crisscrossing one another in a horrifying display. Every one of them was a mark of his lifelong service and sacrifice for Great Qian.
“I know that Kangren’s crimes are grave and that he deserves ten thousand deaths. Yet I beg Your Majesty—considering all the years I spent risking my life for Great Qian, allow me to trade my life for his!”
“Liu Yuanqing, you are forcing my hand!” Emperor Shunyuan’s chest heaved violently with rage, and he nearly vomited blood.
He still remembered that if Liu Yuanqing had not once led the military in giving his full support, joining forces with Liu Changbai to bring order to the realm and suppress the restless ambitions of the imperial uncles, he would never have been able to sit securely upon the dragon throne.
Otherwise, Liu Yuanqing would never have been granted the title of duke on the strength of his southern campaign victories alone.
Yet now it seemed that Liu Yuanqing was no different from Liu Changbai. Both relied on their meritorious service to threaten the sovereign. Their hearts were traitorous and deserving of death!
Duke Liu slowly shook his head, his eyes filled with despair and pleading. “I am not blind to right and wrong, nor am I stubbornly shielding my son. My eldest son has been bedridden with illness for many years and requires someone to care for him attentively. Both my wife and I are advanced in years, with little time left to us. I fear that once we are gone, the rest of our eldest son’s life will be unbearably difficult. I ask only that Your Majesty show mercy and spare Liu Kangren’s life, allowing him to care for his elder brother in our place. Even in the afterlife, I will be eternally grateful!”
Emperor Shunyuan’s face darkened. He remained silent for a long while. The golden bricks reflected the dead morning light from the corner of the hall, and the suffocating silence made it difficult to breathe.
After a long time, he slowly spoke. “What do all of you think? Should I forgive Liu Kangren?”
Bu Zhangyi was a man of exceptional shrewdness. Seeing how matters were unfolding, he immediately understood that the old fox Lou Changsui had prepared several escape routes, and that Liu Kangren had been made the scapegoat.
That was fine by him. Everything in Mianzhou would remain unchanged, and it would continue to serve as Prince Xian’s purse in the future.
At that moment, an investigating censor stepped forward. With a sweep of his sleeve, he declared righteously, “This minister believes that, as Son of Heaven, Your Majesty must place the realm above all else and uphold the law. You must not abandon the public good of the world for your own personal feelings!”
Duke Liu’s heart sank, as though he had fallen into an icy abyss.
He closed his eyes. Abandoning all the dignity expected of a court official, he staggered around and knelt before the censor, utterly humbled.
“Lord Helian! I, Liu Yuanqing, beg you to leave my son a way to live!”
The censor wore an expression of helpless sorrow, though his tone remained cold and unyielding. “Duke Liu, it is not that I intend to target you. This matter concerns the laws and principles of the state—there is absolutely no room for leniency!”
“Indeed!” another remonstrating official stepped forward. “As the ancient saying goes, ‘When a prince breaks the law, he is guilty of the same crime as a commoner.’ Liu Kangren has acted recklessly, brought chaos to Mianzhou, stirred up public resentment, and unsettled the people, thereby shaking the foundations of Great Qian. If he is not severely punished to uphold the law, how can we appease the fury of the realm or live up to the hopes of the people and the trust placed in the state?”
Duke Liu dragged his battered, wounded body around once more and knelt deeply before the official. “Lord Bai! Please, say a few words on my son’s behalf!”
The censor turned his head away, his expression icy.
One official after another stepped forward, each speaking with unwavering conviction. “Your Majesty must promptly issue an edict and punish him according to the law, as a warning to others. Only then will Your Majesty live up to the hopes of the people and the trust of the realm!”
Duke Liu felt as though lead had been poured into all five of his viscera and six of his bowels. One by one, he went down on his knees before the officials in the hall, his forehead striking the cold golden bricks again and again. Blood snaked down the bridge of his nose.
“My lords! I beg you, please show mercy! Leave my Liu family a way to survive! My son was wrong—he truly was wrong…”
Seeing the battered old general—once as tough as iron and fearsome on the battlefield—standing bare-chested and suffering such humiliation, Jun Dingyuan found it unbearable.
He knitted his brows and was about to step forward to help Duke Liu up.
But the moment he moved, someone seized his wrist and held it fast.
Jun Dingyuan turned his head and saw Mo Shu standing behind him, gently shaking his head.
The two had not been standing together. Clearly, Mo Shu had anticipated that he would be unable to restrain himself. He would rather risk being recorded and held accountable by an official of the Court of State Ceremonial than come over to stop him.
Jun Dingyuan’s lips moved, and the veins on his forehead bulged. But when he saw Mo Shu’s expression grow even more solemn, he had no choice but to lower his head in dejection and return to his place, clenching his fingers until his knuckles turned white.
Emperor Shunyuan watched Liu Yuanqing’s miserable state. The last trace of sympathy in his heart vanished.
He closed his eyes and said coldly, “When Liu Kangren was defeated in battle, he should have been punished according to the law and executed. Remembering that he was descended from a family of military commanders, I spared him and demoted him to a captaincy in the Mianzhou Thousand Household Office, hoping he would turn over a new leaf and atone for his former crimes. Yet who would have thought that his ambition would remain untamed? He showed no gratitude for imperial favor, stole government grain, and left the disaster relief effort helpless, causing public resentment to boil over. His actions show utter disregard for the law, bringing ruin upon the state and suffering upon the people. Issue the decree at once. Have the Mianzhou authorities bind Liu Kangren and escort him to the execution ground. He is to be beheaded immediately, without pardon!”
Duke Liu listened to the edict in a daze. He felt all the strength drain from his body, as though he were trapped in a hazy, unreal dream.
Then his vision went black. His body swayed, and he crashed onto the golden bricks, unconscious.
After court was dismissed, Jun Dingyuan strode out with anger written across his jade-like face.
Mo Shu exchanged a few quiet words with Gu Weizhi. When he looked up, Jun Dingyuan had already disappeared.
With a quiet sigh, Mo Shu nodded farewell to Gu Weizhi and quickened his pace. He caught up with Jun Dingyuan at the long street outside the imperial hall.
“Huai Shen!”
Jun Dingyuan whirled around and said anxiously, “Senior Brother, why did you stop me in the hall just now? We have both fought on the battlefield. Seeing all those scars on his bare torso, I truly couldn’t bear it!”
Mo Shu shook his head with a smile.
He was still acting on impulse, unchanged in the slightest.
He softened his tone. “Huai Shen, let me ask you this: according to the memorials, was Liu Kangren guilty and deserving of punishment?”
“Yes!” Jun Dingyuan replied decisively, then hurriedly explained, “I wasn’t trying to help him. I simply couldn’t stand watching Duke Liu lower himself like that in the hall.”
“He humbled himself to save his son. If you helped him up, would that accomplish anything? He would only kneel again, or beg you to speak on his behalf. Would you plead for Liu Kangren?”
“No! That man caused my elder sister and her son to be separated. Now he has harmed the people as well. He deserves to die.” Jun Dingyuan gritted his teeth.
“You see? You could not restore his dignity, but that one gesture would have brought endless trouble,” Mo Shu said, analyzing the situation calmly. “You are the maternal uncle of the Fifth Prince, and the fact that you will serve His Highness in the future is already an open secret. You and the Fifth Prince have been targeted repeatedly before. In His Majesty’s eyes, you are wronged, but safe. If every civil and military official in the court stood by coldly while you alone stepped forward, and Duke Liu became grateful to you for it, then ‘Southern Liu and Northern Jun’ would both become people of His Highness. Would His Majesty still not grow wary?”
Jun Dingyuan was rendered speechless.
Mo Shu urged him onward. “Besides, even if you helped him up and Liu Kangren still died, Duke Liu would not necessarily remember your kindness. For the sake of ensuring that his bedridden eldest son has someone to rely on in the future, he will eventually throw his lot in with another prince. When that happens, he will become His Highness’s greatest threat.”
Jun Dingyuan let out a heavy sigh, his face filled with regret. “Senior Brother is right. I acted rashly and nearly ruined everything.”
Mo Shu shook his head, his expression grave. “Forget it. We still don’t know what the situation in Mianzhou is like, or whether His Highness and the Director of the Hanlin Academy have succeeded. I fear matters may not be as simple as they seem.”
They walked side by side for a while. Suddenly, Jun Dingyuan stopped, scratched his head, and said in a low voice, “I got you recorded by the Grand Court of State Ceremonial again. How about… you punch me twice to vent your anger?”
Mo Shu could not help laughing. “Forget it. With your temperament, this isn’t the first time you’ve dragged me into trouble.”
That same day, a commandant of the Imperial Guard shouldered the imperial edict and rode a black Wuzhui warhorse, heading straight for Mianzhou.
Meanwhile, an entirely different scene was unfolding inside Prince Xian’s residence.
The members of Prince Xian’s faction could not help rejoicing when they learned that the situation in Mianzhou had changed.
“Things have settled down on Lou Changsui’s end,” Bu Zhangyi said with a smile. “That saves us quite a bit of trouble.”
Prince Xian had been gloomy for days, but at last he was in high spirits. He paced back and forth across the residence, calculation flickering in his eyes, and waved a hand as he gave his instructions.
“Since that is the case, we may as well do Lou Changsui a favor. Send him a letter informing him that Wen Zhuo and the Fifth Prince have taken a detour to Liangzhou to obtain grain. They will proceed to Yingjing first to provide disaster relief, and only afterward take a roundabout route to Mianzhou. Tell him to prepare in advance, clean up all traces, and make sure not to leave any evidence behind.”
Bu Zhangyi said, “Your Highness’s foresight is impeccable. I will make the arrangements.”
Prince Xian’s personal attendant immediately accepted the order, turned around, and rode out of the residence. He followed behind the Imperial Guards, no more than half a day’s journey away.
—
The sunlight in the courtyard was warm and pleasant, while a gentle breeze brushed across the grounds. Neither cold nor hot, the weather was perfect.
With everything arranged, Wen Zhuo felt completely at ease. He took a scroll of writing from his travel bag, found a stone bench, and sat down to read, turning the pages delicately.
But after a while, the gaze beside him began to distract him.
Shen Zheng propped up his chin and stared at him without blinking. At times he smiled; at others he seemed lost in thought. The deep pools of his eyes concealed none of his dazzled admiration.
Unable to bear it any longer, Wen Zhuo said, “Time is pressing. This was the only plan I could think of. We don’t even know whether it will work. Shouldn’t Your Highness be worried?”
Rather than restraining himself, Shen Zheng leaned closer and murmured, “Between Bo and Zhong, one sees Yi Yin and Lü Shang; with command so steady, one forgets Xiao He and Cao Shen. At this moment, I only want to write a biography of my teacher and leave it for posterity.”
What scholar would not love to have someone write a biography of him?
That would make his name immortal!
Wen Zhuo was no exception. He could not stop the faint smile from rising to his lips, but then he felt it was rather improper and quickly straightened his expression, pretending indifference.
“That poem was Du Fu praising Zhuge Liang.”
“The poem belongs to someone else, but I’ll certainly write the biography myself. I’ll make sure they all know just how—just how remarkable you are!” Shen Zheng deliberately drew out his words to cheer him up, though his eyes shone with unusual brightness.
Once he had written down everything they had experienced and passed it on, those scholars of later generations ought to stop calling the cat a treacherous minister, making baseless judgments and slandering him to the utmost.
He wanted Wen Zhuo to leave behind the finest, most moving reputation.
Wen Zhuo quietly pricked up his ears. Unable to resist, he shifted his knees and turned toward him, asking curiously, “…How does Your Highness intend to write it?”
Shen Zheng was just about to speak when he haughtily added, “It’s not that I care about such empty fame. I merely fear Your Highness’s literary skill is lacking.”
Shen Zheng suppressed the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. After pretending to ponder for a moment, he cleared his throat. “Well… ‘My teacher, Wen Wanshan, is as pure and elegant as orchid and jade, flawless in character. In office, he is incorruptible and self-disciplined, possessing not a penny to his name. His wisdom and strategic insight are unparalleled; whenever faced with affairs, he plans with near-perfect foresight.’”
Wen Zhuo’s brows lifted slightly, and he felt rather pleased.
Shen Zheng was actually being serious?
As he spoke, Shen Zheng turned over the book resting on Wen Zhuo’s lap, his words flowing like a spring. “…‘He is also quick-minded and eager to learn, steadfast and tireless in putting knowledge into practice. He has devoted deep study to the classics and histories, the collected writings of the sages, and the principles of governing the state. He is a rare and worthy talent in this world.’”
Wen Zhuo listened, utterly absorbed. A limpid gleam danced in his eyes, and the corners of his lips nearly curved into a broad smile!
Shen Zheng suddenly felt that his literary talent was actually quite passable. Judging by Wen Zhuo’s expression, if he had possessed a tail, it would surely have been swishing with satisfaction.
So Shen Zheng abruptly changed tack, speaking slowly with a hint of teasing. “…‘Yet he is not without flaws. He has an insatiable fondness for sweets and is exceedingly particular about fine food. From time to time, he deceives Your Highness and acts in outward compliance while secretly doing otherwise. More often still, he disregards his own well-being and acts recklessly, making others worry over him.’”
“?”
Embarrassment and indignation instantly flared in Wen Zhuo’s eyes. He flicked his sleeve and moved to stand.
How could he let future generations know that he was utterly addicted to sweets? Where would his dignity be then?
Shen Zheng reacted swiftly, catching him by the sleeve and pulling him into his arms. In a gentle voice, he coaxed, “Don’t be angry, Teacher. The first part is what I’ll write for the world to see. The latter part is what I’ll quietly keep in my heart. After all, I truly do worry about you.”
