bullyxtreme Chapter 362: A Word of Advice
Chapter 362: A Word of Advice
"I'm Zhou Ziqi!" The man who came to stop the carriage was wearing a straw raincoat. In the rainy night, the straw raincoat was washed by the rain and then reflected by the light of the wind lantern, with some bright reflections.
Zhou Chengjun was sitting in the carriage. When he heard the name, his brows furrowed and his heart began to lift.
"How dare you, a commoner like you, block our lord's carriage? I think you are courting death!" The guard standing in front of Zhou Ziqi shouted, "Get out of the way quickly, don't lose your life in vain!"
"Zhou Chengjun, I know you can hear it. Come out, I have something to advise you. If you can listen, then listen. If not, just pretend you haven't seen me tonight!" Zhou Ziqi's face was hidden under the heavy straw hat, with only his chin clearly visible.
Zhou Chengjun's hands trembled, and there was suddenly a hint of panic in his eyes.
"Uncle!" Zhou Chengjun lifted the curtain of the carriage and then half of his face stuck out. "I knew that my uncle was in Mangcheng, but I have been busy with official business for many days and have no time to visit him. Today, I want my uncle to come to see me, which is really rude. It's raining outside, please get in the car and have a chat!"
"I won't get on your carriage. Since you still call me little cousin, come down and talk!" Zhou Ziqi said coldly.
"Yes!" Zhou Chengjun's expression changed slightly, but he finally got off the carriage in an orderly manner. His attendant followed him and held up an umbrella for him.
Zhou Chengjun glanced at Zhou Ziqi who was standing in the rain in a straw raincoat, but he still took the umbrella and bowed to Zhou Ziqi, "It's been a long time since we last met, little cousin. After you were exiled, there was no news of you. The ancestors and uncle at home are still waiting for you to return!"
"Don't say that." Zhou Ziqi waved his hand, and the rain flowed down the edge of his raincoat. "Come with me, I just want to talk to you for a few words."
"Yes." Zhou Chengjun nodded quickly, and followed Zhou Ziqi to a flying eaves on the street. His followers wanted to follow, but were stopped by Zhou Chengjun. They could only stay beside the carriage and watch from afar.
Under the eaves, Zhou Ziqi took off his hat, revealing a handsome but slightly pale face.
Zhou Chengjun then carefully looked at his cousin who had been missing for several years under the light of the eaves.
In memory, the original Zhou Ziqi was like a celestial being in the clouds. In the eyes of the Zhou family's side branches, he was always spotless, as if he was born to be a nobleman who was high and mighty.
People in the clan often talked about how talented this little cousin was. He could write poems at the age of three and had read a lot of books at the age of five. They originally thought that this little cousin would embark on a career in politics like the other members of the Zhou family and rise to the top, but they didn't expect that he would choose to study medicine. He was the only one in the clan who entered the Imperial Medical Bureau before he was even twenty!
This person has always been a legendary figure in the Zhou family. Even though he did not follow the usual path of the Zhou family to enter the court, he took an unconventional approach and became a close minister to the emperor. This was also a great honor for the Zhou family. In those years, whenever the Zhou family members heard about festivals, the name that was mentioned most often was Zhou Ziqi.
However, he was sentenced to exile to Mangcheng just a few years after he entered the Imperial Medical Bureau. Since then, the Zhou family has been very cautious about mentioning this name.
Everyone thought that this young cousin would die in Mangcheng.
Later, after Mangcheng was occupied by Wei Ling, news was reported that someone had seen the younger cousin with Wei Ling. The clan also sent people to look for him, but those who returned said that the younger cousin had left the Zhou family on his own and no longer considered himself a member of the Zhou family!
Zhou Chengjun saw that Zhou Ziqi was a little absent-minded. Zhou Ziqi cleared his cough and Zhou Chengjun came back to his senses.
"My little cousin is indeed as the rumored person says. After so many years, he hasn't aged at all." Zhou Chengjun quickly covered up with a smile and said, "I had the honor of meeting my little cousin during the Chinese New Year. He even helped me cure a cold."
"I don't remember." Zhou Ziqi said calmly.
Zhou Chengjun was not angry. He didn't even admit that he was a member of the Zhou family. It was normal for people to treat him like this.
"My cousin came to see me today. Is there something important?" Zhou Chengjun knew that his age was not much different from Zhou Ziqi. Although Zhou Ziqi was now dressed in white, as simple as a poor scholar, he still seemed to be a head shorter than him when standing in front of him.
The year Zhou Ziqi became the imperial physician, he also passed the imperial examination and won the title of Jie Yuan. However, everyone in the clan praised Zhou Ziqi for his ability, but few people mentioned him as Jie Yuan!
Thinking of this, Zhou Chengjun straightened his back, as if this would make Zhou Ziqi look up at him.
"I advise you." Zhou Ziqi glanced at Zhou Chengjun calmly, "You have been busy all these years. It is not easy to become a supervisory censor. The Zhou family has spent a lot of energy and financial resources on you. So I hope you don't look at things so superficially and simply. When others say something good to you, you really think that you are very capable. The sea is different from the river. You don't know how deep the water is. I also advise you not to get involved easily. You are not the only talent cultivated by the Zhou family. If something happens to you, the Zhou family will abandon you without hesitation. You should take my previous experience as a warning. That's all I have to say. If you can figure it out when you go back, then think about it. It doesn't matter if you really can't figure it out. You chose your own path! It's not your fault. I just hope you can bear the consequences."
After Zhou Ziqi finished speaking, he put the heavy bamboo hat back on his head, covering most of his face. Without waiting for Zhou Chengjun to say anything, he turned around and plunged into the street again.
The night rain was rustling, and the bluestone pavement around him made a series of sounds like a pipa. The moment Zhou Ziqi turned around, it seemed as if these sounds also penetrated Zhou Chengjun's heart, causing him to feel annoyed for no reason.
But he suppressed this mixed feeling of anger and annoyance.
After watching Zhou Ziqi's somewhat detached back leave for a long time, Zhou Chengjun's brows were tightly locked together.
Zhou Ziqi would not say such nonsensical things to me for no reason!
It was indeed as Zhou Ziqi said. It was only after Zhou Ziqi got into trouble that the Zhou family turned their attention to him.
At that time, he had already been appointed as a minor county magistrate in Huizhou, but within a year he was transferred back to the capital and joined the Censorate.
Three years later, he became one of the youngest censors in the Censorate. The Zhou family had indeed invested a lot of time and money in him, which was why he was able to be promoted so quickly and move forward so steadily!