Longing for Home While Far Away…
Yun Shen waited for a long time but still did not see Yun Qi and the others catching up. Though increasingly irritated, he feared something might have happened to them and had no choice but to turn back.
He did not approach too closely. From a distance, he could see Yun Qi once again winning people over.
The target of this charm was a refugee. Yun Shen recognized him—the one he had seen lying by the roadside, nearly dead, when he passed by earlier. He had even instructed Du Xiao to give the man some of their food.
It wasn’t hard to recognize him. Though all the refugees were covered in dust and grime, this man was still holding a piece of dried meat in his hand.
—The dried meat Yun Shen had given him.
Yun Shen tightened his grip on the reins, feeling a stifling sensation in his chest. This only deepened his already low spirits.
He should have grown accustomed to it long ago. Since childhood, he had only ever received what Yun Qi had discarded. And if Yun Qi took a liking to something he owned, it would soon no longer belong to him.
Yun Qi seemed naturally capable of winning everyone’s affection. Anyone who met him even once would find themselves irresistibly drawn to him.
Even a friend he once considered his closest confidant, after meeting Yun Qi, had said to him, “Prince Qi is a kind-hearted person, Ah Shen. Perhaps you’ve misunderstood him?”
And so, his friend became one of Yun Qi’s devoted followers.
A bitter, self-mocking smile tugged at Yun Shen’s lips. He should have accepted it long ago—he should never have hoped to be treated the same as Yun Qi.
Perhaps Yun Qi truly was a good person. Maybe everyone else was right, and he was the one in the wrong.
He was gloomy, sensitive, and repulsive. Even his birth was a mistake. He shouldn’t exist in this world.
…But he wasn’t originally from this world!
He came from a place without emperors, without oppression, where everyone was equal. His country knew no war. There might be natural disasters, but they were quickly resolved. Everyone had enough to eat and wear, and there were no corpses by the roadside being gnawed on by wild dogs.
He came from a place filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, where spring brought warmth and blossoms. That was his home.
How he longed to return home.
Yun Shen tilted his head slightly, gazing toward the horizon. The blinding sunlight pierced his pupils, forcing him to close his eyes.
Sixteen years away from home, and his longing for it had never ceased for a moment—it only grew stronger with each passing day.
Du Xiao remained by Yun Shen’s side, never straying far. Seeing this scene, his expression turned indignant, feeling wronged on behalf of his lord. “That one is putting on another act, wasting a whole bag of food Your Highness gave away.”
“Enough,” Yun Shen said, opening his eyes. Once again, he was the calm and decisive general who commanded the battlefield.
He spoke evenly, “Du Xiao, you really must learn to hold your tongue. If the people in the capital heard you, even I wouldn’t be able to protect you.”
All Yun Qi needed to do was show a hint of sorrow, and there would always be someone rushing to serve him, like mindless mad dogs.
Du Xiao held his breath, repressing his frustration. “This subordinate understands. I won’t cause trouble for Your Highness.”
They had stood there long enough for Yun Qi and the others to notice them.
Yun Qi, who had been conversing with Shen Mingyuan, turned around and waved to Yun Shen from afar. “Imperial Brother, why don’t you come over? How about we distribute food to the people together?”
It was clearly Yun Qi’s own charitable act, yet he insisted on sharing half the credit with Yun Shen, calling it “together.” Who wouldn’t think Prince Qi was kind-hearted?
Unfortunately, the phrasing was too deliberate, making it seem insincere.
But it was still acceptable. After all, Prince Qi was open-hearted and straightforward, his mind unburdened by convoluted thoughts. Since his intentions were good, even if the outcome was less than ideal, one should still be grateful.
Similar tactics were used by Yun Qi with masterful skill. Pitifully, at the very beginning, Yun Shen truly believed Yun Qi was good to him.
Then, inexplicably, he ended up burdened with the reputation of "stealing credit from his younger brother."
Yun Shen said coldly, "If we don’t leave now, we won’t make it to Yuzhou City before sunset."
Yun Qi immediately wore a look of remorse: "I’ve kept my royal brother waiting too long. Let’s go now."
He ordered one guard to stay behind to distribute food and later escort this group of refugees into the city.
Such thoughtful care once again drew many grateful and moved gazes.
Yun Qi smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. Finally, he took a jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Shen Mingyuan: "This is a token. If one day you feel you have achieved something, you can take this jade pendant to the capital and seek me out. I will introduce you to my Crown Prince brother."
Shen Mingyuan accepted it: "Thank you, Your Highness."
"You’re too polite, sir." Yun Qi had always been impeccable in his superficial courtesies. Noticing the difficulty Shen Mingyuan had in swallowing the dry flatbread, he signaled Song Feng to bring over some delicate, delicious pastries and clear tea.
Yun Qi said gently and politely, "I am entrusted with the emperor’s orders and cannot stay long. I must bid you farewell now. As for my royal brother earlier… I apologize to you on his behalf."
Yun Qi’s words and actions here undoubtedly formed a stark contrast to Yun Shen’s.
Despite receiving Yun Shen’s cold treatment, he bore no grudge at all and even considered Yun Shen in every way. What magnanimity and generosity was this?
Following Yun Qi’s words, Shen Mingyuan turned to look at Yun Shen.
Meeting Yun Shen’s gaze, he curved his eyes and revealed the most sincere smile since waking up.
"Your Highness is too courteous. There’s no need to apologize. The Sixth Prince clearly seems like a good child." Shen Mingyuan’s words were utterly sincere.
Though they didn’t quite sound like it.
Yun Qi found this praise somewhat odd. Was a scholar so lacking in vocabulary that he could only describe someone with the incongruous term "good child"?
It was probably meant sarcastically, after all, his royal brother could hardly be called a "child."
From a distance, Yun Shen didn’t quite catch the words clearly. He only saw the look in Shen Mingyuan’s eyes as he gazed at him.
After a moment, Yun Shen rubbed his arm expressionlessly, feeling a sudden chill.
—Why was that refugee looking at him with the eyes of a father watching his son?
The System sighed: [I didn’t expect you to be so eloquent. So, you want to stir up Yun Qi’s ambitions, have him contend with Yun Rui, so your son can benefit from their conflict?]
[Watch your words.] Shen Mingyuan corrected it: [It’s not me stirring things up. Yun Qi already had those ambitions. Do you really think someone who eventually ascends the throne would lack ambition?]
The System said: [That’s how the storybook writes it. Yun Qi had no interest in the throne and only wanted to be a good younger brother to his Crown Prince brother. But unfortunately, fate is unpredictable. The Crown Prince died young, and only then did he succeed to the throne under the emperor’s high hopes and the ministers’ support.]
[The storybook is just a storybook. Once it evolves into a real world, it will develop its own logical consistency. Truly kind-hearted people wouldn’t always make decisions that just happen to be most advantageous to themselves.]
Shen Mingyuan suddenly sneered, speaking sharply: [Besides, what kind of trashy storybook is this? Is this plot reasonable? Even scattering rice for a chicken to peck at a keyboard wouldn’t produce something worse. If words knew they would one day be arranged like this, they’d rather never have been created.]
The System said: [Please retract your biased perspective as a doting father and look at the issue objectively.]
The universe is not a single plane on a sheet of paper, but a multi-layered, overlapping three-dimensional existence. Different dimensions operate under different laws, and within each dimension are scattered small worlds like scattered stars.
At every moment, some small worlds perish, while new ones are born.
Shen Mingyuan is the Heavenly Dao born alongside his world. Compared to other predecessors who have existed for tens of millions of years, he is undoubtedly too young.
His world has not yet given birth to intelligent beings like humans, though that day will come eventually, and he looks forward to it.
However, one day, his world suddenly became filled with many outsiders, such as Yun Shen.
All of them were Blackened protagonists, world-weary villains, or discarded side characters—seemingly anyone who had broken free from their original plotlines, deemed useless by their worlds but impossible to destroy, was dumped into his domain.
Shen Mingyuan, still a fledgling among Heavenly Daos, suddenly found himself with a house full of children and grandchildren.
Each of these children was abnormal—either wanting to destroy the world or wanting to destroy themselves.
Shen Mingyuan: "…"
How infuriating!
Well, even if they weren’t his biological children, they were still his children. He could only spoil them.
To keep this family from falling apart, Shen Mingyuan entered their stories to seek justice for them.
He would give them the most blatant favoritism and the supreme glory capable of dispelling their gloom.
Believe this:
—Even if the world is absurd, there will always be someone who loves you unconditionally.
—I will stay by your side until you flourish, bright and radiant.
Seeing his good big son, Shen Mingyuan was in a good mood.
He did not travel with the guards Yun Qi had left to escort them, instead finding an excuse to wander slowly toward Luming County on his own.
Along the way, seeing starving refugees, he distributed all the pastries he had, keeping only the dried meat and naan bread Yun Shen had given him.
He hadn’t gone far before reaching Luming County.
The porridge distribution was still ongoing, with a long line outside the city gates, mostly refugees from other towns.
Land is the root of farmers.
In a year of poor harvests, the people could not afford the high rents for farmland. When the land was reclaimed by powerful families, they became rootless drifters, wandering aimlessly.
Luming County was not the worst affected by the disaster, so as a relief team, Yun Shen and the others only used it as a transit point and did not stay long.
After entering the city, Shen Mingyuan noticed that although the people wore worried expressions, they were generally living and working in peace, with order well maintained—a sign that the local officials had put effort into governance.
Shen Mingyuan wanted to find a place to wash up and change clothes. He was covered in grime and could hardly bear it.
But first, he faced a major problem—he had no money.
Easy enough.
Without hesitation, Shen Mingyuan pawned the jade pendant Yun Qi had given him.
With the money, he booked a superior room at an inn, tipped the waiter, and asked him to prepare a set of clean clothes.
Having been a refugee for so long, Shen Mingyuan had to change the water three times before he finally cleaned himself up.
Looking at the clear-eyed, handsome young man in the bronze mirror, Shen Mingyuan nodded in satisfaction.
"Young master?" The waiter knocked on the door. "Are you finished?"
Shen Mingzhu opened the door. "What is it?"
"Outside…" The waiter began to answer but looked up and saw Shen Mingyuan’s face, instantly losing his composure.
Like the moon rising from the sea, illuminating the world in a single moment.
He was like a luminous pearl emerging from the depths of the ocean, its radiance brilliant, lighting up the mortal realm.
If not for recognizing Shen Mingyuan's voice, the waiter would have almost thought the person in the room had changed.
"Young master," the waiter forgot what he had intended to say and murmured, "Are you an immortal?"
Shen Mingyuan was both amused and exasperated. "What are you talking about?"
Only then did the waiter snap back to reality, lowering his head in embarrassment as he finally remembered the purpose of his visit. "Young master, there's someone outside who claims to have found something you lost and has come to return it."
"Oh?" Shen Mingzhu was not surprised, as if he had anticipated this. "Please ask him to come in."
The waiter couldn't help but add a few more words: "That person is wearing a Mili, as if he doesn't want to be seen. I offered to deliver it for him, but he refused, insisting on handing it over personally."
"Thank you, I'll be careful." Shen Mingyuan smiled faintly.
The waiter had no choice but to go downstairs to notify the mysterious visitor.
Before leaving, he couldn't help but glance back at Shen Mingyuan's face, turning around repeatedly as he walked away.
He thought to himself that he would definitely keep an eye on the situation here. If that strange person had any ill intentions, he would immediately call the authorities.
Little did he know that the visitor was none other than the very official he was thinking of—the magistrate of Luming County, Lu Shaozhi.
Author's Note:
System 007: So these biased old fathers are the most annoying.
System 007: Oh, it's my master. Well, that's understandable.
Everyone else: So biased Companion Systems are the most annoying!