Gao Yuexing entered the palace to meet the Emperor. The black robe she wore had become quite unsightly after many days of travel. When she arrived, she had prepared a speech to deliver, but the Emperor looked at her and suddenly said kindly, “Ah Xing, you’ve worked hard.”
The rapid-fire words Gao Yuexing had been ready to say stopped at her lips and couldn’t come out for the moment.
The Emperor continued, “You’ve done well at the Haitang Villa in the suburbs of the capital.”
Gao Yuexing knew that the Emperor must have already met with Kong Shishu and the Prefect of Jingzhao, and they must have explained the entire sequence of events to him.
Then the Emperor said, “I heard you even went past the Lushu Mountain and then turned back. Is there something that you couldn’t let go of?”
Gao Yuexing felt something was amiss.
The Emperor seemed to know her every move, and that wasn’t normal.
She decided to ask directly, “Your Majesty, did you place spies to follow me?”
The Emperor smiled and said, “Within the shadow of the Imperial City, everything is under my control.”
Hearing this, Gao Yuexing unexpectedly felt relieved.
She briefly recounted the events and then said to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, I feel like something might happen in the capital.”
At this moment, there was no one else in the imperial study.
Other than the Emperor and Gao Yuexing, only Xu Xiude was present.
Gao Yuexing spoke without reservation, “Li Fuxiang has taken all the troops to the western frontier, and General Zheng has fallen ill at this critical moment. Meanwhile, the commander of the imperial guards by your side has taken some soldiers south to Jiangnan. The capital is practically an empty city right now. Why does it feel like a setup to lure the tiger away from the mountain?”
The Emperor stared at her for a long time before smiling and saying, “You truly are clever.”
He gave Xu Xiude a nod, and Xu Xiude immediately understood. He turned to the bookshelf, twisted a jade ruyi, and the next moment, the bookshelf slowly moved aside to reveal a hidden door. Behind the door stood an old man with white hair and beard, his back to them. Gao Yuexing held her breath, and when he turned around, she gasped and covered her mouth in shock.
Zheng Qianye looked healthy and vigorous, nothing like someone seriously ill.
The Emperor leaned forward slightly and whispered to her, “Don’t worry, child. I have my trump card.”
The worry on Gao Yuexing’s face finally disappeared, and a rare genuine smile appeared.
Only with Zheng Qianye in charge could she truly feel at ease.
The Emperor said to her, “Don’t worry, go and do what you need to do. Once you step out of this door, pretend you don’t know anything.”
Gao Yuexing understood that it was a critical time now, and she absolutely couldn’t alert the enemy. She composed herself, bid farewell to the Emperor, and left. When she saw Kong Shishu outside, she sneered disdainfully and said, “You explain yourself to the Emperor.” Her entire demeanor exuded arrogance.
Kong Shishu felt a heavy weight in his heart.
When the Emperor summoned him again, Kong Shishu presented the explanation he had prepared. The Emperor listened indifferently, his expression revealing nothing—neither approval nor disapproval. After Kong finished speaking, the Emperor let out a long sigh.
Kong Shishu’s heart tightened.
The Emperor said, “I will have someone thoroughly investigate this case, but it has nothing to do with Princess Xiang. You, a dignified second-rank official of the court, can’t even sort out something this simple?”
Gao Yuexing’s earlier arrogance upon leaving was justified. It turned out the Emperor had already sided with her.
The Emperor asked, “Where is my son?”
Kong Shishu froze. Among the Emperor’s sons still alive, one had gone to the western frontier, and the other had just been escorted back to the capital. Naturally, the Emperor was referring to the one in the capital.
Kong Shishu bowed his head and replied, “Your Majesty, Prince Xin has already returned to the capital with us and is currently awaiting your summons.”
The Emperor sighed. “Bring him here. I have some things to say to him.”
Prince Xin was soon brought in.
Although he had not yet been convicted, no one dared to treat him with outright disrespect. However, Prince Xin’s condition seemed poor. His hair was disheveled, and he ignored anyone who spoke to him. His appearance resembled that of a madman wandering the streets.
Kong Shishu stood at the door of the imperial study, opening his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately held back.
Before entering the study, Prince Xin appeared unsteady, causing onlookers to worry. Yet, he still remembered there was a threshold at the entrance of the imperial study. Supporting himself against the doorframe, he stepped in with exaggerated care.
The Emperor dismissed everyone serving in the room, including his most trusted Xu Xiude.
Once outside, Xu Xiude stood by the door and noticed that Kong Shishu had not yet left. He cupped his hands and gave a polite bow.
Kong Shishu, hoping to extract some information, approached and asked, “May I ask, Eunuch Xu, what does His Majesty intend to do?”
Xu Xiude spread his hands. “His Majesty hasn’t said, and this servant wouldn’t dare to speculate.”
Kong Shishu probed further, “Does His Majesty look angry?”
Xu Xiude sighed. “It would be better if His Majesty were angry. What’s worrisome is that he’s holding it in and can’t get past it. After all, at his age, he values the bond with his children. No matter what, they’re still his own flesh and blood.”
Kong Shishu had a rough sense of the situation. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he took his leave.
Inside the imperial study, Prince Xin knelt and bowed his head before the Emperor, seemingly asleep and refusing to rise.
The Emperor lowered his gaze and looked at him, speaking in a neutral tone, “Are you trying to feign madness, my eldest son?”
Prince Xin responded, “This son… would not dare.”
The Emperor said, “Sit.”
Prince Xin replied again, “This son does not dare.”
He refused to rise, and the Emperor did not force him. The Emperor avoided mentioning the issue of the disaster relief grain and, after a moment of silence, said, “Your wife is ill. Did you know?”
Prince Xin finally reacted, “What? She’s ill?”
The Emperor continued, “Your princess is pregnant. However, due to her frail constitution and severe blood deficiency, the child died in her womb. She has been bedridden for nearly half a month, and you didn’t even know.”
Prince Xin stared blankly. “Weixiao… This son only knew she was unwell recently but never imagined…”
The Emperor interrupted, “Did you think your father wouldn’t know about the foolish things you’ve done? You were once the son I placed the most hope in—and you still are. Do you think I am unfair to you?”
Prince Xin, frightened, bowed his head repeatedly. “This son would not dare.”
The Emperor said, “You weren’t this timid before. Today, I don’t want to hear those words again.”
Hearing the Emperor mention the past, Prince Xin suddenly felt as though it were a lifetime ago. He could barely remember what he had once been like.
The Emperor said, “Fuxiang, he was born without a mother, but you had yours. He was imprisoned in the Xiaonan Pavilion, living ten years in utter darkness—a life you never experienced. He never drank a single drop of breast milk after birth, which left him with chronic illnesses. He nearly swallowed the poison bestowed by me and almost died. When I brought him out of the Xiaonan Pavilion, he was a ten-year-old child, yet no taller than a six-year-old girl from the Gao family. His hair would fall out in handfuls with the slightest touch. He had not been educated, could not even speak, and at such a young age, he had suffered the cruel torture of spies, leaving all his fingers broken. Do you think he lived well? If you had to trade your life for his, would you take it?”
Li Fuxiang had earned his current favor and honor because he survived.
Had he died, all of it would have been for nothing.
To endure such torment and still live was nothing short of a miracle.
And yet, Prince Xin could not bear his father’s bias.
How, then, could Li Fuxiang’s experiences not justify even greater resentment?
Prince Xin’s thoughts slowly began to shift.
The Emperor, observing him closely, said, “Return to your manor and think it through carefully.”
Prince Xin did not know how he made it back to his residence.
Lu Weixiao stood at the entrance to welcome him. She was as thin as a piece of paper. When she saw him return, her eyes were filled with worry, though she said nothing.
Prince Xin touched her cold hands, collapsed onto the threshold, and suddenly embraced her, crying out loud.
The Emperor immediately ordered the imperial guards to secure the gates of Prince Xin’s residence, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving.
In a way, it was another form of protection.
Meanwhile, Gao Yuexing rode hard for several days and nights, finally returning to Jiangnan. Along the way, she saw large groups of displaced refugees heading north—people forced to flee their homes because of the floods.
Gao Yuexing asked around and learned that the flood situation in Jiangnan had mostly stabilized. However, another town, Jiangluo, had been submerged after the previous efforts. Thankfully, the local prefectural government had made early preparations, minimizing losses and saving the lives of most residents.
Gao Yuexing asked how many people had died.
A man in his prime replied, “About a hundred.”
He paused before adding, “Among those hundred, half were government clerks and laborers working to dredge the waterways.”
Most of them had died trying to rescue civilians swept away by the floods.
Gao Yuexing steeled herself mentally.
She had given no notice before her return to Jiangnan, so naturally, no one came to greet her. Upon arriving at the relay station, she immediately sensed something was amiss. It was far too quiet. The officials who had accompanied Li Fuxiang on his southern tour were nowhere to be found, and the relay station’s reception hall was eerily silent.
Gao Yuexing went up to the second floor and knocked on doors one by one.
The room nearest the staircase belonged to Kong Rangchen.
She thought that reckless young man must surely be busy, but still, she held out hope as she knocked.
To her surprise, Kong Rangchen was still in his room. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Come in.”
The door was not latched.
When Gao Yuexing pushed it open, the rickety door swung wide on both sides.
As she entered, an unbearable stench hit her.
Kong Rangchen was lying in bed wrapped in a quilt. As a nobleman from the capital, he would never breach etiquette like this unless there was no other option—he must be too ill to get up.
Gao Yuexing quickly stepped forward and pulled open the curtain surrounding the bed. The moment she saw Kong Rangchen’s face, her heart sank.
He was groggily half-conscious, unable to open his eyes fully. He seemed feverish, and clusters of tiny, red bumps had appeared on the skin of his forehead. Upon closer inspection, these bumps seemed to be crawling out from his hairline.
Plague.
Gao Yuexing immediately realized the worst had come.
She quickly found something to cover her nose and mouth, then went to check the rooms of the other officials. Without exception, they had all been infected.
As for the commoners outside, there was no need to even ask.
The city’s only medical clinic had already shut down because the physician inside had also fallen ill—there was no one left to treat the sick.
Gao Yuexing mounted her horse and rode to the prefectural office. There were no guards stationed at the entrance, and she couldn’t be sure whether the people inside had also been infected. Worried that she might carry the contagion and spread it to those still healthy, she stayed outside, holding her horse at a distance, and called out, “Is anyone still able to move?”
Surprisingly, someone responded.
Zhao Tongsheng, a guard of the same rank as the imperial guards, heard her voice and came out. “Your Highness!”
Gao Yuexing shouted, “Stay where you are—don’t come any closer!”
Zhao Tongsheng didn’t understand but stopped in his tracks.
Gao Yuexing asked, “Is anyone in the prefectural office infected with the plague?”
Zhao Tongsheng looked puzzled. “Plague? What plague?”
It seemed the office was unaffected.
Zhao Tongsheng explained, “The clerks and I just returned this morning after distributing grain to the commoners downstream. Your Highness, what exactly is this plague you’re talking about? An epidemic?”
Gao Yuexing nodded. “It seems the outbreak is currently limited to this area. Take some men and immediately seal off all the roads. Do not allow anyone to enter or leave—we cannot let the plague spread.”
Zhao Tongsheng stepped forward. “Your Highness, you—”
Gao Yuexing snapped, “Don’t come near me!”