Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Zhu Qinghou was speechless...

He pursed his lips, finally realizing that Li Zhen was teasing him.

Before Zhu Qinghou could react, Li Zhen stopped, the laughter in his eyes fading as he said calmly, "Let's go out for a stroll in a few days."

Since arriving in Yongzhou, Zhu Qinghou had hardly left Prince Su's manor. The last time he went out was during the Shangsi Festival. Thinking back carefully, nearly two months had already passed.

"Where to?" Zhu Qinghou asked.

Considering his current reputation, he feared the people of Yongzhou held deep prejudices against him. Once he appeared in public, he risked provoking their anger.

"To the city's market."

The so-called market was a folk trade that emerged alongside the bilateral trade between the two dynasties. Merchants from the Wei, having obtained passes, brought goods to the border, to the designated area in Yongzhou, to exchange with the local people.

Colorful banners were hung on all sides, bronze bells tinkled softly, shimmering under the blazing sun. Stalls were set up along the road, their awnings shading a dazzling array of goods.

Zhu Qinghou wore a simple dark purple robe and a veiled hat, his hair casually tied with a ribbon into a low ponytail that hung to one side.

Li Zhen also wore a snow-white veiled hat, his plain, elegant robe light as flowing wind and returning snow. He walked at a leisurely pace by Zhu Qinghou's side.

On the long street, one could occasionally see Wei people bargaining with Yongzhou locals in halting Jin language. The people of both dynasties shared the same black hair, fair skin, and delicate features. If one ignored the language, it was almost impossible to tell any difference.

Zhu Qinghou found it novel and kept looking at those Wei people. Some noticed and looked back at him.

A gust of wind lifted the veil of Zhu Qinghou's hat. One person inadvertently caught a glimpse of a small part of his face, became a bit flustered, and was the first to look away.

Zhu Qinghou didn't understand why but didn't bother speculating. He took Li Zhen's arm; the latter was already accustomed to it and quietly squeezed his hand gently.

Zhu Qinghou looked around as he walked, stopping to examine every stall he passed. Spotting something, his eyes lit up, and he dragged Li Zhen over to take a look.

Beneath a straw awning lay a pile of dazzling jade pieces. Perhaps polished by flowing water, their surfaces were smooth and delicate, glowing with a subtle sheen. However, their quality was still far from that of precious jade.

Zhu Qinghou liked beautiful jade and wasn't particular about its quality. He stopped at the stall and began picking through the pieces with great interest. Holding up one, he lifted Li Zhen's hat veil. "Look... is it pretty?"

Mentioning jade, Zhu Qinghou couldn't help but recall Li Zhen's previous remark about them being "cold, lifeless things." Those had all been carefully chosen by him, and he wondered where Li Zhen had put them all.

In Zhu Qinghou's hand was a piece of dark jade, white with black inclusions, resembling an elegant ink painting, radiant and truly beautiful.

Li Zhen lowered his gaze, studied the dark jade for a moment, and nodded slightly. "It's pretty."

He was always inscrutable, making it hard to tell if he genuinely liked it or not. Still enthusiastic, Zhu Qinghou reached into his sleeve. Before leaving, Li Zhen seemed to have put some silver there, though he didn't know how much.

He casually pulled out a gold ingot and handed it to the merchant, whose eyes lit up as he hurriedly reached out with both hands to receive it.

As the merchant bent his head to count out change, Zhu Qinghou had already taken the dark jade and pulled Li Zhen away. Only after walking several dozen steps did it hit him, "Was he about to give me change just now?"

Li Zhen nodded.

Zhu Qinghou quickly pulled Li Zhen back. In the past, he had no concept of money. Whenever he was invited to banquets outside, it was customary for the host to pay.

Whenever he offered to treat, a group of noble scions would fight to settle the bill, even coming to blows until they were bloodied.

He found it utterly annoying. Several times he went out alone, but most shopkeepers wouldn't accept his money. The next day, news that he had visited a particular shop would spread throughout Yejing. Later, when he wanted to go back to that shop, he'd find it surrounded by crowds...

Since he was spending Li Zhen's money now, he should be a bit more careful. After all, maintaining an army was a bottomless pit for devouring funds.

The shopkeeper, seeing the two veiled young men return, quickly handed over the change, joking, "You two left in such a hurry, you even forgot your change."

Speaking of which, although these two young men wore veiled hats hiding their features, their stature and the aura surrounding them clearly indicated they were no ordinary people. They seemed like celestial beings descended from heaven.

The veil swayed slightly. As Zhu Qinghou reached out to adjust it, the shopkeeper caught a fleeting glimpse of the face beneath the hat. His eyes widened slightly, and he murmured, "Truly celestial beings descended..."

Zhu Qinghou took the change, not noticing the shopkeeper's expression. He handed both the returned silver and the dark jade to Li Zhen, saying proudly, "Isn't this jade beautiful? It suits you well."

Li Zhen accepted the dark jade. Remembering how Zhu Qinghou had been enamored with it, looking at it over and over, his heart stirred slightly.

"Where did you put the jade I gave you before? Don't lose this one carelessly again," Zhu Qinghou said offhandedly.

The past was the past. Even if Li Zhen had smashed all the jade pendants he'd sent over the years in a fit of anger, he wouldn't mind. Moreover, Li Zhen wasn't that kind of person.

Li Zhen said calmly, "I didn't lose them."

Zhu Qinghou raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, recalling that earlier comment about "cold, lifeless things." They were probably tossed into some corner of the storeroom.

After buying the jade, the two continued forward. The aroma of various delicacies wafted over. In porridge stalls and wine shops, people held bowls, eating meals of snowy white rice.

"In the past, sorghum was scarce. The common people's staple food was mostly smoked meat and flatbread," Li Zhen said.

Having been a Feudal Prince in Yongzhou for four years, he understood the people well.

Zhu Qinghou glanced sideways and happened to overhear some commoners discussing: "It would be best if Yejing exiled all the officials to our Yongzhou."

His companion asked, "Why?"

The commoner replied, "Haven't you noticed that since the Zhu Faction was exiled to Yongzhou, our lives have improved quite a bit?"

A commoner at the next table chimed in, "That's true. Who would have thought that besides Lin Hanyi, the Zhu Faction had capable people too? I wonder what happened to that Zhu guy. He's probably long dead, right?"

"He was all show, good for nothing but a pretty face. He even harmed His Highness like that. Serves him right if he's dead."

"Are you all talking about Zhu Qinghou?" A young man's voice, soft and light, suddenly rang out, making the group jump.

The one who had first mentioned Zhu Qinghou looked up. The first thing that met his eyes was a snow-white veiled hat. The youth was slender, tall, and elegant, his face hidden behind the thin veil like a flower seen through mist, impossible to discern clearly.

For some reason, the man felt awkward. He stood up flustered, standing stiff as a post, his voice lowering slightly. "And you are, sir?"

Although he couldn't see the youth's face, his aura was radiant and dazzling, certainly no ordinary person.

"Go on, say whatever else you have to say."

Zhu Qinghou ignored his question, casually tossing some silver onto the middle of the table. He picked a clean stool and sat right among the group. Turning his head, he saw Li Zhen still standing where he was and beckoned him over with a hook of his finger.

His actions flowed smoothly, without the slightest hesitation. The group was so cowed that they found nothing strange about it. They started talking again, chiming in.

Zhu Qinghou, bored, rested his chin on his hand and listened absentmindedly.

Li Zhen sat beside him. He was extremely tall, half a head taller than Zhu Qinghou. Even silent and still, he exuded a strong sense of pressure.

"Talking about this Zhu Qinghou, three days and three nights wouldn't be enough."

Zhu Qinghou was speechless...

He had indeed thrown things as a child, but never at anyone's forehead.

"They say he was graded at seventeen, unanimously rated by all the Zhongzheng officials in Yejing as 'of illustrious lineage, uniquely peerless in handsomeness.' They even specially composed poems of praise for him." The commoner said mysteriously, "Actually, he secretly bribed all the Zhongzheng officials."

"That's not quite right," someone interjected. "Just considering those eight characters—first, 'distinguished lineage and prominent family.' At that time, the Zhu family indeed held immense power, like a roaring fire and flowers on brocade. As for 'unrivaled in elegance and looks,' I wonder if any of you have seen Zhu Qinghou. He truly embodies those words."

The conversation briefly shifted to Zhu Qinghou's appearance. Zhu Qinghou propped his chin on his hand, listening with a smile throughout.

Li Zhen sat quietly, peering through the thin, snow-white curtain at Zhu Qinghou. From this angle, he could only see the top of Zhu Qinghou's hat, not his face.

He had brought him out hoping to cheer him up and show him the changes in Yongzhou after the tri-dynasty trade agreement. Little did he expect Zhu Qinghou to show such keen interest in the commoners' gossip.

Everyone chattered away, but no one managed to convince the others. The topic soon circled back to Zhu Qinghou's crimes.

Last time, Zhu Qinghou had listened to officials discussing him in the study. Now, sitting in the porridge shed and hearing the commoners speak ill of him again, he gained a different perspective.

The people hated him, primarily because the Zhu family had embezzled a staggering thirty million taels of silver.

To restore his reputation, he first had to clear his name.

Otherwise, no matter what he did, the people of Yongzhou—and indeed the entire Jin Dynasty—would never forgive him.

The most urgent task now was to overturn the unjust verdict.

Lost in thought, Zhu Qinghou unconsciously tapped Li Zhen's palm.

Li Zhen gently clasped his fingertips and held his hand. "What are you thinking about?"

His voice was low, composed, calm, and refined.

The surrounding commoners couldn't help but glance over. The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Prince Su made time every month to travel incognito through Yongzhou, to address the people's hardships.

Over the years, the commoners had grown somewhat familiar with Prince Su's voice. But this man wasn't using a cane, and his walk was no different from anyone else's—he wasn't blind.

Surely, this couldn't be their Prince Su.

Zhu Qinghou snapped back to reality. The street was crowded and full of prying eyes; it wasn't the place for lengthy discussions. "Let's walk a bit more and then head back."

The two stood up and turned to leave the porridge shed. The commoners behind them didn't immediately scramble for the silver ingots on the table, instead staring thoughtfully at the departing figures.

"Don't you think those two look somewhat familiar?"

Anyone in the world who had ever seen Zhu Qinghou would never forget him.

Just as they began to doubt their own suspicions, several pieces of broken silver were tossed onto the table with a clatter, some rolling under it. The newcomer wore an arrogant expression.

"What did those two just say to you? Tell the truth."