Chapter 117

Chapter 117

The actor being carried off the stage by the old man was a young boy, eight years old this year.

He was someone Shen Yuan had brought in from outside.

Today, he would still be considered a child, but in ancient times, an eight-year-old already had to work to support the family.

Shen Yuan first encountered Feng Xiaoqi outside the city. The child was carrying a basket taller than himself, filled with fresh fodder. His small hands were dirty, stained with grass juice and dirt, as he tried to sell the fodder he had just cut.

Otherwise, that full basket would sell for just one copper coin.

Those who came to buy fodder were mostly servants from less affluent households, whose masters' horses needed fodder and expected them to gather it.

Those who didn’t want to gather it themselves would come to buy these small batches.

In such cases, the masters didn’t cover the cost; the servants had to pay out of their own pockets.

Naturally, they tried to drive the price down as much as possible.

Wealthier households had dedicated fodder suppliers or dedicated teams responsible for it. Occasionally, some might buy these scattered supplies, but it was rare.

They preferred to work with familiar contacts, skimming some kickbacks in the process, which also made them less prone to problems.

The second time Shen Yuan met Feng Xiaoqi was in the West City.

That day, Shen Yuan had gone to deliver food to his little uncle. Just after leaving the ghost market, he saw Feng Xiaoqi with his large basket—this time not carrying fodder, but his little sister.

Feng Xiaoqi, who lived in the West City, was carrying his sick sister because he had no money for medical treatment. He had been begging and kowtowing to passersby along the way.

Shen Yuan almost ran over, helped Feng Xiaoqi up, and took his sister to a doctor.

The moment he saw the bloodstain on Feng Xiaoqi’s forehead, he recalled the wound on Shen Dong’s forehead.

That day, had his younger brother pleaded like that, just to save a loved one’s life?

Shen Yuan covered the medical costs for Feng Xiaoqi’s sister and also gave Feng Xiaoqi a job.

The theater needed child performers, and Feng Xiaoqi was a perfect fit.

Every day, Feng Xiaoqi was reluctant to eat too much of the food provided by the theater, wanting to take it back for his older and younger siblings.

Shen Yuan never prevented them from taking their share of food home. He had come up the same way himself back then. Thanks to Brother Ping’an giving him work, and the kindness of Manager Ji and the aunts and uncles in the backyard, he and his younger siblings had managed to get enough to eat and survive.

Feng Xiaoqi now had a steady, legitimate job, and he valued it deeply.

He rose before dawn every day to train, arriving early at the theater to help out with chores, quick and hardworking.

His family watched him work from morning till night, yet he remained cheerful. Seeing him skip off happily to work at the theater, they felt joyful too.

The parents had passed away, and the siblings had been looking out for each other ever since.

The eldest brother was already over twenty but hadn’t married or had children yet, always taking care of his younger siblings.

The married sisters, pained to see their younger siblings struggle, often sent what help they could. Even if their in-laws frowned on it, scolding or even beating them, they bore it silently.

With such close sibling bonds, how could they watch them struggle without offering any help?

During his time at the theater, Feng Xiaoqi had saved five hundred coppers. He had many things to do and planned to buy meat for his married sisters.

Because of this job, the family no longer ate only one meal every two days; they could now have one solid meal a day.

Feng Xiaoqi valued this job above his own life.

It wasn’t just his job; it was the lifeline for his entire family.

When he was carried off the stage, Feng Xiaoqi’s mind went blank, his face filled with terror.

He had messed up the performance.

A perfectly good play had been disrupted because of his mistake. Feng Xiaoqi felt utterly hopeless.

To him, it was like the sky was falling.

The child trembled with fear, tears welling up in his eyes. He whimpered, “Grandpa, put me down. I need to go back and act.”

The old man was taken aback. “Child, why are you crying? Are you hurt somewhere?”

Feng Xiaoqi cried, “It hurts inside. I ruined the performance. The theater won’t want me anymore, sob, sob, sob.”

Trying to do a good deed by saving someone, only to realize he had saved the wrong person.

The old man also realized his mistake—the people on stage were indeed only pretending to be injured. Thinking about what the child had said, the old man felt as if the sky had fallen too.

Oh no, oh no! He, an old man, had ruined this child’s job. What should he do now!

As the actor was carried off stage, Shen Yuan hurried over, fearing something might have happened to the child.

Just as he reached them, he heard Feng Xiaoqi’s soft sobs, crying heartbrokenly.

The old man who had carried him down also looked as if he had done something wrong. Seeing Shen Yuan approach, he trembled and asked in a shaky voice, “Sir, are you the official in charge of this area?”

Shen Yuan patted Feng Xiaoqi’s head, first asking about the child’s condition. “Xiaoqi, are you hurt? Why are you crying?”

After quickly checking that Feng Xiaoqi had no obvious injuries, he nodded to the old man. “I am responsible. What is it, elder?”

“Sir, it’s this old man’s fault—my eyes are dim and useless. I’ve ruined this child’s job. I beg you, don’t blame the child. All the blame, this old man will bear alone.”

As he spoke, the old man was about to kneel and confess his fault. Shen Yuan pulled him up, understanding the reason after a few words.

“What blame is there to bear? Elder, you acted bravely and kindly, stepping forward to help others. That’s something to be praised and rewarded. How could I possibly punish you?”

Shen Yuan’s voice was clear and bright, carrying a soothing smile. The old man, who had been prepared to be punished and only hoped the child wouldn’t be implicated, looked at Shen Yuan in astonishment.

“S-sir…”

The old man had never imagined that someone of such high status would speak to him so kindly—not only not blaming him but comforting him, even praising and affirming him.

Shen Yuan turned to Feng Xiaoqi again, wiping the child’s tears. “You acted very well. Don’t worry.”

Feng Xiaoqi, who had managed to hold back his tears, felt his nose sting again at these words. “President, I didn’t do well. I wasn’t on stage; I ended up off stage in the middle of the performance, and I made it impossible for everyone to continue, sob, sob, sob.”

“I’ll accept any punishment or beating. President, please don’t fire me. Don’t stop giving me work, okay?”

Hearing the child’s sobbing pleas, Shen Yuan crouched down and clearly told him, “Xiaoqi, don’t be afraid. It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you. I won’t fire you, and I won’t beat or punish you.”

Feng Xiaoqi’s tears pooled in his eyes but couldn’t be held back any longer, falling drop by drop.

"President, you're so kind, sobbing..."

Shen Yuan smiled as he wiped Feng Xiaoqi's tears. The actors on stage, who had been watching with their hearts in their throats, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, Li Xing approached. Tall and robust, he exuded a powerful sense of intimidation.

The old man's grandson now stood beside his grandfather, looking apologetically at Shen Yuan and Feng Xiaoqi. Upon seeing Li Xing and the group of armed guards approaching, he couldn't help but tremble in fear.

His grandfather's outburst was practically causing trouble on the territory of a powerful figure.

The young man's heart was racing with anxiety, and the old man was also terrified.

Suddenly, Li Xing placed a hand on the old man's shoulder. Frowning slightly, Li Xing could feel the bones beneath his palm—the old man was frighteningly thin.

"State Preceptor Shen is right. Such a kind and brave person deserves a reward!"

Li Xing's expression was serious, as if he had been struck by a sudden thought. "Although the performance on stage was fiction, the willingness to step forward and help when seeing someone in trouble is genuine. I believe that in a real disaster, you, old sir, would also step up to save people from peril."

"Having such citizens in Wu Country is a blessing for the nation."

These words were far too grand for the old man and his grandson to accept; they quickly waved their hands and shook their heads in denial.

Li Xing said nothing more. He took a silver ingot from inside his robe and pressed it directly into the old man's hand.

"Keep it."

With that, he stopped watching the play and returned to the palace with his entourage.

Shen Yuan watched Li Xing's retreating figure, sensing that the winds of change were about to blow through Wu Country.

Beside him, the old man stared at the silver in his palm in disbelief.

The events had unfolded so quickly that the old man struggled to process it all.

"Sir, this silver..."

Shen Yuan turned back and said, "Keep it. It's for you."

The old man, both shocked and delighted, carefully tucked the silver away.

This silver was enough to support his entire family for half a year—it was an unexpected windfall.

Grinning from ear to ear, he looked at his still-dazed grandson. "Snap out of it."

The young man snapped back to attention, his heart pounding wildly.

Previously, during a royal street procession, he had accidentally caught a glimpse of the emperor's face in the crowd.

The man who had given his grandfather the silver looked exactly like him.

At first, he hadn't recognized him, but the more he looked, the more familiar he seemed. It was only as the man walked away that he looked at his back and remembered.

The young man looked at his grandfather excitedly, about to speak. Shen Yuan noticed that the boy had recognized Li Xing. He coughed lightly to get the young man's attention and then subtly shook his head.

Understanding Shen Yuan's meaning, the young man immediately nodded, covering his mouth to show he wouldn't say a word.

Li Xing walked all the way back to the palace.

On the way, he asked Ji Pingan, "Have you seen the play 'Snow Disaster'?"

Ji Pingan nodded. "I watched it at the theater with Xiao Yuan and the others the day before New Year's Eve."

Li Xing continued, "What are your thoughts on the officials in the play?"

Ji Pingan paused briefly before replying, "They were like divine soldiers."

Li Xing said nothing more, instead observing the common people coming and going.

Today, he had seen what he wanted to see.

The people of Wu Country were just like those in "Snow Disaster." For Wu Country to truly prosper, its officials and soldiers must also be like those in the play.

Shen Yuan didn't know what Li Xing intended to do, but he knew that Xie Yulin and Chang Linyan would soon practically be living in the palace.

He himself was busy with training and had no time for court assemblies, so he didn't attend them.

With the theater keeping him fully occupied, attending court would have exhausted him to the point of falling ill.

Xie Yulin kept his promise. Even when they had no time to meet, he sent Luo Yun to deliver a bowl of fried rice to Shen Yuan at the theater every day.

Luo Yun said Xie Yulin cooked it himself in the palace's small kitchen.

Shen Yuan also made food daily, asking Luo Yun to take it back to Xie Yulin.

For almost two weeks, they swapped food this way without meeting, yet they could taste each other's cooking every day.

The familiar flavors brought them peace of mind, even when they were apart.

Ji Shuang recruited a hundred people at once to learn painting, jewelry design, clothing design, makeup design, stage decoration, and prop making.

None of them had any background in these fields, so they had to start from the beginning. After teaching for a while, Shen Yuan found it a bit overwhelming.

His younger brothers could now write, and Shen Xi could even paint.

So, Shen Dong and Shen Nan taught the newcomers the basics of reading and writing, while Shen Xi taught fundamental painting. Once they could use a brush, Shen Yuan taught them design-related skills.

Shen Yuan himself only had a basic understanding of these crafts, so his teaching couldn't go very deep.

However, his basic skills were more than sufficient here. After all, he was the only one who knew them.

Shen Xi went to work at the Storytellers' Union with his brothers. As soon as he entered, he saw a design for a bracelet hanging on a bookshelf.

He stood in front of the drawing, staring at it for a good while.

Noticing Shen Xi hadn't followed, Shen Yuan turned back to find him.

Seeing the child staring at something, he joined him.

Shen Yuan knew why the Storytellers' Union had a bracelet design hanging up. He had seen it briefly before and found it somewhat familiar—it was a very common, simple style.

"What about this bracelet design?" Shen Yuan asked curiously.

Shen Xi tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said, "Big brother, don't you think the bracelet in the picture looks familiar?"

"Yeah, woodcarving stalls and shops are full of bracelets in this style."

After seeing so many, how could it not look familiar?

Shen Xi pointed at the drawing. "I'm talking about the pattern on the bracelet."

Only then did Shen Yuan carefully examine the bracelet sketch, taking it down to look at it together with Shen Xi.

Shen Yuan stared at the pattern without speaking, his frown deepening.

It was Shen Xi who broke the silence first. "The pattern on the bracelet looks like the one on the wooden bracelet my master gave me."

This was the first time the brothers had talked about Song Zijuan since Shen Xi learned about his true identity.

Hearing Shen Xi still refer to Song Zijuan as his master, Shen Yuan stroked his younger brother's head.

Shen Xi's voice was a bit soft. "Big brother, am I still allowed to call him master?"

"Whatever you decide, big brother will support you unconditionally," Shen Yuan said.

Shen Xi smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in his expression. "Master was really good to me. Others can hate or dislike him, but I can't be that person."

Song Zijuan's kindness toward Shen Xi was something Shen Yuan had witnessed firsthand.

Anything interesting, rare, or precious would be given to Shen Xi. When teaching him, Song Zijuan held nothing back, being thorough and attentive to every detail.

Shen Yuan could understand and support his younger brother's feelings.

No matter what wrongs Song Zijuan may have done, Shen Xi, who had been nurtured and cared for by him, truly had no reason to hate or resent him.

"This wooden bracelet sketch was left here by a Westmoon merchant, who said he was looking for his twin brother." Shen Yuan thought about Lu Yuan's appearance, which bore no resemblance whatsoever to Song Zijuan.

But then he considered that some twins are fraternal, in which case looking different wouldn't be strange.

Shen Xi said, "Let's take the bracelet sketch home when we go back. I'll compare it with the wooden bracelet to see if they're exactly the same."

Shen Yuan nodded. "That works."

"What if..." Shen Xi hesitated, "What if they are the same? Does that mean Master's brother is looking for him? Should we tell Master about this?"

Shen Yuan shook his head. "He is the Prime Minister of Westmoon now; he can't easily meet with us anymore. Big brother will have someone pass the message to Merchant Lu. What happens after that is up to him."

"Understood," Shen Xi nodded dejectedly.