Rushing day and night, Ji Yuluo arrived at Runing Prefecture in mid-July.
As reported in the military dispatches, Runing Prefecture had just endured a fierce battle. The city gates were wide open, and as far as the eye could see, there were ruins and debris everywhere, with much work needed for reconstruction. Fortunately, there were not many casualties, as Xiao Cheng was not truly intent on a massacre in Runing. He aimed for the throne, and thus public sentiment was very important to him, so he did not go on a killing spree.
But in this regard, he was no match for Xie Subai. When ruthlessness was required, Xiao Cheng was not ruthless enough, almost delivering the fattened sheep to her doorstep.
They destroyed the homes of the people in Runing, thinking that by sparing their lives, they would be grateful?
No, they hated it deeply.
The people would only feel gratitude towards Cuixue Tower, which extended a helping hand afterward.
Ji Yuluo entered the city, first finding a residence to stay in, and then ordered her subordinates to carry out disaster relief, poverty alleviation, and post-disaster reconstruction. She missed nothing, thus becoming a living Bodhisattva in the eyes of the people.
At that time, Xiao Cheng had already led his troops north, reaching Huaijing Prefecture.
Unlike in Runing Prefecture, where they stayed for three to five days, their speed of capturing cities increased. This was because the northern prefectures, having heard of the events in Runing, were terrified. They also heard that the rebels did not burn, kill, or plunder the cities, so to avoid greater damage, they pretended to resist briefly before raising the white flag and opening the city gates.
However, Xiao Cheng, perhaps realizing that Cuixue Tower was following behind and picking up the pieces, decided not to easily abandon the northern cities. Instead, he left people to guard the cities, thus delaying Cuixue Tower’s progress.
As a result, it took Cuixue Tower a bit more effort to enter the cities.
But these were not the most troublesome issues. The most troublesome was that the mixed “troops” given by Xie Subai were not fully compliant with military orders or, more precisely, the orders of the commander.
In the past, they were loyal to Xie Subai and followed his commands without question. If he said to go east, they would never consider going west. But with a young girl in command, it was a different story.
Several leaders among them were from the martial world, with rebellious natures. The further north they went, the more their disobedience became apparent, starting with laziness and slackness, and eventually escalating to open defiance. This insubordination was vividly reflected in the lower ranks. Within three days of entering Huaijing Prefecture, there was an incident of abducting women.
Chaolu, well-informed about all the major and minor affairs in the city, quickly reported, “Miss, the culprits are under Zhou Baihu. This is not the first incident, but fortunately, they did not commit crimes under the name of Cuixue Tower.”
Ji Yuluo remained silent.
The general public knew little about martial world factions. Cuixue Tower’s deliberate image management over the years had led them to believe it was a righteous organization benefiting the people. However, the hidden bloody deeds were known only to those within the martial world.
Especially in recent years, with constant expansion, the increasing number of people made it hard to manage. As long as the reputation of Cuixue Tower remained intact, Xie Subai turned a blind eye to those who acted disgracefully.
He once said, “A pond too clear has no fish.”
As for Zhou Baihu, he was a notorious bandit leader who had once ruled a mountain. When the imperial court sent troops to annihilate him, he escaped with the help of Xie Subai and had since settled in Cuixue Tower.
However, the bandit behavior remained unchanged, and the underlings followed their example.
But times were different now. Every step was crucial to Xie Subai. Despite her strict prohibitions, these people disregarded the rules. They didn’t deliberately sabotage Xie Subai’s plans; they just didn’t take her seriously.
Ji Yuluo toyed with the gold bead in her hand for a long time before she said softly, “Those who disobey orders and ruin the master’s grand plan are useless and should be killed.”
The maid beside her asked, “And Zhou Baihu…”
As she spoke, Ji Yuluo caught a glimpse of a piece of fabric at the corner of her eye. She looked at the shadow outside the door, and the gold bead in her hand paused in her palm.
Raising an eyebrow thoughtfully, she said, “Pingxi, do you think if I spare them, the master will also let them go? Tell me, when the master ascends the throne in the future, what will he be?”
The maid named Pingxi replied, “He will be the emperor.”
“Yes, the emperor.” Ji Yuluo nodded and said, “At that time, those with criminal records will only be a burden to him. They shouldn’t expect to get a share of the court’s power, not fearing that the wealth might be poisoned. They are so foolish, not knowing how to keep a low profile, they are courting death. Even if I want to protect them, I can’t.”
The shadow flickered twice, then disappeared from the window.
Ji Yuluo retracted her gaze and said, “Go ahead, don’t be afraid.”
With her reassurance, the maid felt confident and left with her orders.
Ji Yuluo’s expression did not relax. She knew this was just the beginning, and she couldn’t retreat. If she stepped back today, she would only continue to retreat in the future.
She leaned back in her chair, looking at the bead, and brought it close to her nose to sniff. It had been too long; it no longer carried Huo Xian’s scent.
“Miss,” someone said as they pushed the door open, “that person still refuses to eat. It’s been three days now, and I’m afraid he might starve to death.”
Ji Yuluo slowly put the bead back between her fingers, showing an expression of annoyance.
****
With a clatter, another bowl of rice porridge spilled over.
“I won’t drink it. You… you all go away!” The young boy on the bed, with delicate and refined features, was precisely the missing servant of Xiao Yuanjing. His head was wrapped in a bandage, a result of him slamming into the wall three days ago when they first arrived at Huaijing, in a moment of inattention from his captors.
Fortunately, he had only been unconscious for a day and was not seriously injured.
But after waking up, he refused to eat, trying to starve himself to death.
The maid guarding him was infuriated, slapping the table, “Will you eat or not? If you don’t, I’ll kill you!”
Chang’an, looking haggard, listlessly lifted his head, “Go ahead, kill me.”
He knew these people had captured him to use against Xiao Yuanjing, so he tried every means to end his own life. He did not want to cause trouble for Xiao Yuanjing, nor did he want Xiao Yuanjing to suffer any harm because of him. So he repeated, “Kill me, kill me now.”
The maid was exasperated, “You—”
The door to the room was wide open, and the standoff inside continued. After a moment, Ji Yuluo walked in from outside.
She glanced at the mess on the floor and met Chang’an’s hateful gaze.
She chuckled softly and said, “Put it away. If he doesn’t eat, he doesn’t eat. When he’s close to dying, we can just force some ginseng soup into him. It’s a pity though, such a fine, delicate face—he’s getting so thin it’s changing his looks. I wonder how Xiao Yuanjing will feel when he sees it.”
Chang’an gritted his teeth and said, “You vicious woman!”
Ji Yuluo didn’t respond, calmly observing him.
Back in the capital, she had seen him twice. Once on the long street outside a teahouse, he was following behind Xiao Yuanjing, who was holding a lantern. The second time was at the Jiuzhen Temple, where he was delivering a meal to Xiao Yuanjing, but it was Xiao Yuanjing who carried the food box the entire way, only returning it to him before they parted.
At that time, she had wondered what kind of master-servant relationship they had, where the master carried things for the servant.
People said Xiao Yuanjing was reserved in his actions, clean in his conduct, and even in his late twenties, he kept away from women. Even Ji Xianyu praised him for his rarity.
But there’s always something strange when things seem too good to be true. Not everyone is like Huo Xian… and Huo Zhe’an was no paragon of virtue either.
She had initially just wanted to test the waters, not expecting that Xiao Yuanjing would go mad after losing a servant, even causing a huge commotion by searching the palace. And this servant named Chang’an was so loyal that he didn’t even want to live.
The depth of their master-servant relationship surprised Ji Yuluo somewhat, though it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
The maid put away the porridge and brought over a bowl of medicine, “Miss…”
Ji Yuluo said, “Force it down his throat. Knock him out if you have to.”
****
The rebellion led by the Duke of Zhenguo, as reported urgently from Runing Prefecture, left the court in utter confusion. An army that was supposed to be returning in triumph had turned traitor halfway, leaving everyone in the capital stunned. What was going on?
Many people refused to believe it until emergency reports for help flooded in from the northern prefectures. Only then did they have to accept the truth.
With the rebel army having reached Huaijing, everyone was in a state of panic. If things continued this way, it would be less than half a month before they reached the capital’s gates!
At this moment, the capital was utterly unprepared and had to dispatch troops to fend off the enemy.
With no emperor on the throne, the cabinet had to make decisions on its own.
However, with the throne vacant and the people’s hearts unsettled, the atmosphere of impending doom spread rapidly throughout the city. Without an emperor, what was there to defend?
As a result, the court was divided into two factions: one urgently discussing the southward campaign to resist the enemy, and the other fervently advocating for the immediate ascension of a new emperor.
As for the new emperor…
This ignited another fierce debate.
Xie Subai, as if unconcerned, continued his lectures at the Imperial Academy every other day. His white robes were immaculate, and his demeanor was as serene as a chrysanthemum, resembling the legendary Crown Prince Huaijin to an uncanny degree. This stirred the emotions of those who had and had not seen Crown Prince Huaijin.
The students were eager to hear his lectures. Initially, they came out of curiosity, but they soon discovered that despite his leg ailment, this eldest grandson indeed possessed remarkable talent and learning, proving the rumors true.
For a time, Xie Subai became the center of attention at the Imperial Academy.
That day, just as he arrived at the academy, his wheelchair had not yet made it inside when a row of students knelt at the door. They eloquently and passionately petitioned for the eldest grandson to ascend the throne, causing such a commotion that even the imperial guards were alerted, leading to a significant disturbance.
Xie Subai declined, citing his incapacity, and left with a wave of his sleeve.
The news spread quickly. The populace, always revering scholars, began to rally behind the students’ cause. Public sentiment shifted dramatically, and this fervor even reached the court, gradually influencing many officials.
The cabinet, under pressure, found it difficult to bring up the old case of the Eastern Palace’s rebellion. In the current situation, with the rebel army approaching and the court without a leader, those old matters seemed insignificant.
“Back then, Emperor Xianzhen didn’t implicate the entire Eastern Palace. If not for that great fire, who knows, perhaps the throne would have passed directly to the eldest grandson.”
Everyone chimed in, trying to rationalize the situation.
Even Ji Chongwang, seeing the turn of events, was stunned. The ability to rally public sentiment was clearly mastered by the serene and enigmatic eldest grandson.
Huo Xian, residing in his mansion, was well aware of the situation in the capital. However, he merely listened without issuing any orders, truly resembling a fallen man without support. Even Nanny Liu was worried, attending to him daily, afraid he might be troubled.
Yet, Huo Xian continuously played with a black waistband in his hand.
Nanny Liu asked in confusion, “Isn’t the gold bead on this waistband missing?”
Huo Xian glanced down and replied, “Yes,” smiling, “It was stolen.”
Nanny Liu, not catching his jest, was shocked, “Who would be so bold as to steal from our mansion?”
“Indeed,” Huo Xian stood up and said, “Now that I’ve fallen out of favor.”
