Chapter 31
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Feeling the shift of the aggressive gaze toward him, Fu Nian hurriedly lowered his head again, afraid to meet Chu Zhaoyi’s eyes.
Shackles…
For a moment, it seemed as if he was back in the previous life, imprisoned in the Chengyuan Hall, also bound like this. He was truly like a dog, unable to go anywhere except for lying next to his master.
Hearing the metallic sound from the entrance, Fu Nian’s trembling legs betrayed his tension.
This deep-rooted fear made it difficult for him to maintain his composure.
Feeling Chu Zhaoyi’s gaze shift away from him, as if he was going to retrieve the shackles from the entrance, Fu Nian instinctively took a couple of steps backward, pushing further into the bed. He was so nervous that he didn’t even dare to ask for permission to rise.
In a daze, he seemed to see Chu Zhaoyi’s dark expression, slowly approaching with the shackles. Without thinking, Fu Nian retreated two steps, pushing the screen divider aside and moving toward the window.
When he found the window couldn’t be opened at all, his breath grew even heavier. The sweat on his forehead quickly soaked his hair. He nervously murmured, “I beg you, please don’t shackle me…”
“What’s wrong?” Chu Zhaoyi remained in place, not moving at all. He observed Fu Nian’s strange reaction and his muttered words with some confusion. After a moment, he asked with a slight frown.
Only then did Fu Nian regain his senses.
He noticed that Chu Zhaoyi was still standing in the same spot, his hands behind his back, and he hadn’t brought any unusual shackles or chains. He stared at Fu Nian with a puzzled expression.
Had he started having hallucinations… Fu Nian steadied his breath, knelt back down, and lowered his head to gaze at the mat, remaining silent.
For so many years, Fu Nian hadn’t felt afraid of anything. Even death, at most, would have left him regretful but not fearful.
Besides feeling ashamed, Fu Nian began to scrutinize himself. What was wrong with him?
“Apolog… apologies, I lost control for a moment,” he hurriedly replied, “Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I indeed violated the palace rules this time. I know I deserve punishment. In the future, I will strictly adhere to the palace rules, refrain from petty theft, refrain from going out during curfew hours, refrain from… indulging in such illicit literature. But please, Your Majesty… hand me over to the Ministry of Punishments. Please don’t shackle me here.” As he reached the end, Fu Nian’s voice was trembling, and after finishing his plea, he swallowed nervously several times.
Upon hearing this, Chu Chaoyi furrowed his brows slightly. The perplexity between his eyebrows only deepened. “Tied up? You’re not afraid of the myriad of tortures according to palace rules for doing something wrong, yet you fear being tied up here?”
Fu Nian didn’t respond.
Seeing the skeptical expression on Chu Zhaoyi’s face, he quickly averted his gaze.
This self-incriminating behavior made Fu Nian want to splash himself with cold water to wake up.
“Was this method often used in the Xi Wang’s residence? Did Xi Wang often employ this kind of punishment?” Chu Zhaoyi inquired further.
“Never. His Highness Xi Wang seldom punishes his subordinates.” Fu Nian hastily replied.
After speaking, Fu Nian didn’t hear the other person respond for quite some time.
After a while, he saw Chu Zhaoyi walk to the threshold, pick up the chains and shackles, and in silence, he tied one end of an iron chain to a slender pillar in the room and tossed the other end onto the bed. But he didn’t approach Fu Nian with them, nor did he order anyone else to do so.
Fu Nian didn’t understand, and he raised his head slightly.
Chu Chaoyi’s expression remained stern. “I have always shown compassion to all living beings,” he said, then turned his gaze towards the metallic ankle cuffs, before looking back at the person in front of him. “This won’t be the norm.” After that, Chu Chaoyi picked up the nameless book from the bed. “As for this book — explain its origins after you’ve recovered in a few days. Who gave it to you, where did you get it? Apart from you, who else possesses such a filthy object?”
Fu Nian remained silent for a moment, thinking that he was supposed to put on the shackles himself. He had no choice but to tremble as he picked up the anklet.
Before he could even put it on, he saw the man in front of him hastily leave the room and stride outside.
Fu Nian released the shackles with a sigh of relief only after Chu Zhaoyi left.
“Are you alright, Guard Lian?”
In a short while, he heard the voice of the medicine child.
“I’m fine,” Fu Nian regained his senses and answered calmly.
The medicine child glanced at the shackles beside him, “His Majesty didn’t punish me this time! He even rewarded me with two taels of silver! He also mentioned that due to your injury, he won’t punish you for now, but if there’s a next time, he’ll have to shackle you…”
“Thank His Majesty for his mercy,” Fu Nian replied.
After witnessing his constant dodging just a moment ago, Chu Zhaoyi seemed to transform into a different person, and the fierceness in his eyes dimmed instantly, replaced by emotions that Fu Nian couldn’t quite read.
“Please don’t wander around recklessly anymore. When His Majesty suddenly came here tonight, I woke up and couldn’t find you. I was so scared. And what’s that hidden book you have? How did it make His Majesty so angry?”
Fu Nian: …
He glanced at the medicine child’s age, with his youthful round face still not fully matured. He didn’t know what was considered normal for someone his age.
“Next time, if you want to read something, tell me. I’ll find it for you.”
“No need,” Fu Nian interrupted, seeing the sincere look in the medicine child’s eyes. “It’s not something you should know at your age. It was indeed my fault this time, and I’m sorry to have involved you.”
***
Leaving the Imperial Hospital, Chu Zhaoyi absentmindedly handed the confiscated “forbidden book” to Li Gonggong. “Keep this for now. We’ll settle accounts after he recovers. What about Little Royal Uncle?”
“Upon hearing that Your Majesty didn’t allow anyone to enter and thought you’d be staying for a while, Ze Wang left first. He asked me to inform you,” Li Gonggong said, accepting the somewhat hot book with a strained expression. His lips twitched a bit, but he still put the book away in his embrace.
Chu Zhaoyi showed no particular reaction, his narrow eyes still cast downward, his face expressionless. He nodded slightly after a moment’s contemplation.
After a brief moment of thought, he spoke again, “By the way, tell Chu Yao to stop kneeling. Reward him according to the first-class merits.”
Li Gonggong was somewhat slow to grasp the situation. Just a while ago, he was talking about giving Chu Yao an unforgettable punishment, and now he was talking about rewards? Without daring to ask further, he could only respond, “I’ll inform Lord Chu immediately.”
“Also, gather all the sorcerers, alchemists, and diviners left behind by the late Emperor. Those who played with deception and fortune-telling, summon them back to the palace. Have them all come to see me this afternoon.” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice remained calm, devoid of emotion. “Li Gonggong, do you think there’s life after death?”
“Well, Your Majesty, you’ve never been one to believe in gods or ghosts…,” Li Gonggong remembered that Chu Zhaoyi always detested these superstitious matters. One of his first actions after ascending the throne was to expel the superstitious from the palace. He spoke without thinking, then quickly apologized, “This slave spoke out of turn…”
Chu Zhaoyi wasn’t angered by this and merely seemed lost in thought, as if recalling something. His absent-mindedness was fleeting, and he soon refocused on the path ahead, speaking softly, “It’s fine. I used to not believe it. But now… it seems I do, a bit.”
Fu Nian laid back on the pallet, hearing the footsteps of the crowd outside gradually fading away, only then releasing a sigh of relief.
Watching the medicine child tidy up the knocked-over screen, close the opened window, and straighten the disheveled bedding, he let out another sigh.
Today was truly a day of misfortune. First, he was tricked by Fu Zhen, then he encountered Chu Zhaoyi while carrying a forbidden book, and he even nearly ended up shackled to the bed, just like in his previous life. In the end, he had heavily implicated the medicine child as well.
Once his injuries healed, he would have to personally go to the Chengyuan Hall and face the charges related to this “forbidden book.”
Fu Nian closed his eyes and sighed. Today was simply a benchmark of shame in his career.
For the following period of time, due to Fu Zhen’s announcement that he wasn’t available and his deep-rooted fear of the shackles, Fu Nian unusually obediently stayed on the pallet day after day.
It wasn’t until his bones were mended, and he was allowed to leave the Imperial Hospital, that Fu Nian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
His right arm healed quite well, and there was no nerve damage. At the entrance of the Imperial Hospital, Fu Nian repeatedly expressed his gratitude and even handed a pouch to the medicine child as thanks for taking care of him during this period. Then, without looking back, he hurriedly left the Imperial Hospital.
He returned to his familiar living quarters. Taking advantage of the morning when everyone was out on duty, he began to organize his belongings that had collected dust.
Apart from money and valuables, the most valuable items were the concealed possessions he had hidden in the palace in his previous life—hidden weapons and items for disguise. After meticulously packing a full chest and triple-checking that nothing was left behind, Fu Nian fastened his waist token and prepared to report to the Chengyuan Hall.
Just as he locked the box, he heard a knocking sound at the door.
“It’s not locked, come in.”
The door cracked open, and Fu Nian saw Rendong. He proactively asked, “You’re not on duty this morning?”
“Rest day today. I heard you were finally released from the Imperial Hospital, so I came to see you. After I went to see you last time, I was barred from entering the Imperial Hospital. I even had to visit the Ministry of Punishment. Fortunately, after the matter was clarified, His Majesty personally ordered my return and even granted me a reward… Speaking of which, what’s that waist token the person gave you? The Ministry of Punishment has been questioning me about it,” Rendong seemed unable to contain his words upon seeing him.
Questioning?
Fu Nian didn’t rush to reply.
The handwriting on that waist token belonged to his senior brother. Anyone who had seen his senior brother’s handwriting would remember it for life and recognize the origin of that waist token.
Fu Nian could only discern a subtle connection between his senior brother and the palace, but he couldn’t fathom the nature of their interdependence.
One more thing to investigate, Fu Nian thought.
With this in mind, Fu Nian quickly pretended to be concerned and asked, “Did the Ministry of Punishment trouble you? I also don’t know what that is. After receiving it, I was suddenly summoned in the middle of the night for questioning. Even the people from the Ministry of Punishment came… Anyway, in the future, if anyone asks you to pass something on, don’t accept it, even if it’s a colleague. Why not just come to me directly? Don’t you think?”
Rendong nodded, “They didn’t trouble me. I’ll remember next time.”
Hearing this, Fu Nian felt relieved and gave Rendong some comforting advice. He left some money for him, instructed him to come to him if anything happened, and then left for Chengyuan Hall.
At this hour, the atmosphere in Chengyuan Hall was relatively relaxed. Chu Zhaoyi was still in a meeting with his officials, and he hadn’t returned to his study yet.
Fu Nian found the steward and moved all his belongings to the designated room. Returning to the room where palace maids usually listened to teachings, he sat at the table and waited for the aunt to come and explain the protocols of Chengyuan Hall.
While waiting, Fu Nian grew bored and flipped through the books on the table. He realized that they were densely packed with characters.
After reading for a while, Fu Nian realized he couldn’t comprehend the content. He thought these were probably serious books, so he gently put them back where they were.
Although the place for attendants’ daily activities was said to be in Chengyuan Hall, in reality, it was quite a distance from the main hall. There were several walls between them. If there was no duty to fulfill, there would be no chance of encountering that man, his officials, or the awkwardness of meeting in the eyes.
As he was contemplating, Fu Nian suddenly heard movement outside.
The window was right next to him. He carefully opened a gap to look outside.
“Hurry up, move these discarded drafts to be burned. The incinerator is on the east side. Can’t you be more efficient?”
Fu Nian saw a familiar face, seemingly the chief palace maid from Ze Wang’s side, called Lu Yi or something. Well, Fu Nian only remembered her being held up high by Chu Zhaoyi when she was a child.
“East side! I already said the east side! His Majesty and Ze Wang will be back soon,” Lu Yi impatiently ordered and glanced at the direction of the sun before hastily running outside.
Discarded drafts, incinerator…
Could this be an opportunity for investigation? Was there a chance of finding decrees written by Chu Zhaoyi among those discarded drafts?
Thinking of this, Fu Nian didn’t care about the palace training he had come for today. He quickly got up and headed outside.
The two palace maids carrying the discarded drafts were murmuring to themselves.
“Aunt hasn’t given us any orders, yet there’s so much work to do every day…”
“You’ve just arrived, so you don’t know. Although Lu Yi is a chief palace maid by Ze Wang’s side, she’s practically half a young lady in Ze Wang’s residence. She finds burning drafts dirty, so she only assigns us non-literate ones to this…”
Fu Nian followed behind them and cleared his throat, then asked deliberately in a composed manner, “Need any help?”
As he finished speaking, he saw them both turn their heads simultaneously, forcing a smile that was visibly strained.
He naturally had good facial features, and the scars from his previous injuries had healed quite well. Although his appearance was somewhat fierce, it didn’t affect his overall handsomeness.
“Is this… the guard who won the martial tournament during the Mid-autumn Festival?” one of the palace maids, upon seeing his prosthetic limb, questioned with a mix of disbelief.
“It is I.” Fu Nian bowed with clasped hands and lowered his head, attempting to make his tone sound docile and innocent, “I was injured some time ago and was at the Imperial Hospital. I just arrived today and haven’t started my duty. I didn’t know what to do, so I thought… I’d come to learn a little from the elder sisters.” He added a bit of effort to make his voice sound bashful, but after many tries, he still couldn’t quite get it right.
Trying to sell his looks… this was Fu Nian’s first attempt, and he wasn’t sure if it would be successful.
“It really is the guard!”
Seeing them blush a bit, Fu Nian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“In that case, we’ll trouble you. The incinerator is on the east side.”
“Thank you.” Fu Nian tried to make his voice sound softer.
Afterwards, Fu Niang listened to the two palace maids utter a few slightly improper words to him. He forced a smile while pretending not to understand. Once they had left, he looked up, rubbed his face, and reverted to his usual expressionless demeanor. He patted the clothing that had been touched by the scented handkerchief carried by one of the maids.
Moving the paper basket to a corner, Fu Nian paused his steps and began searching inside for anything he might need.
While searching, Fu Nian’s mind was elsewhere.
Even if they were discarded drafts, it was likely not allowed for them to be taken out. Especially considering the reigning emperor was Chu Zhaoyi, and his relationship with his former master who hadn’t mistreated him. Judging from various events, it was apparent that Chu Zhaoyi and Fu Zhen had a strained relationship.
He flipped through for a while, and indeed, Fu Nian found a half-torn piece of bright yellow silk, but there were no discernible words on it.
Looking at the silk in front of him, torn between keeping it or burning it, Fu Nian felt somewhat conflicted.
When he had betrayed his sect, there were also underlying factors and conflicts with his master that had paved the way.
But now, for the sake of obtaining benefits not yet realized from Fu Zhen, did it really warrant harming his former master, whom hadn’t wronged in their master-servant relationship?
Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get up to 5 more chapters of The Shadow Guard is also the White Moonlight [Rebirth] right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Thank you for the triple update! 💕