HXC Chapter54

“The plague in the south is really severe. People are dying and getting sick. His Majesty ordered many towns to be sealed off and sent heavy troops to guard the city gates every day. Even so, the epidemic has appeared in the capital. It’s truly dangerous.”

 

“Jinzhou is the most terrifying place; how is it any different from a living hell?”

 

Ji Zhen stood by a stone trough, scooping water. He pricked up his ears to listen to two young soldiers sitting on a large rock not far away chatting. He filled the wooden ladle with water and poured it with a splash into the bucket.

 

“My brother just came back from the south the other day. When he passed through Jinzhou, he asked about it and heard that the official in charge of treating the plague was also infected and has been bedridden for half a month already…”

 

The ladle dropped into the stone trough with a ‘dong,’ and the splashing water droplets wet Ji Zhen’s cheeks. The sound also attracted the speaking soldier’s attention. “Little Brother Qin, are you alright?”

 

Ji Zhen forced a smile and shook his head. He picked up the full bucket and prepared to return to his tent.

 

After a few steps, he heard their discussion again and finally couldn’t restrain himself from turning back. He asked very carefully, “What’s the name of the official in charge in Jinzhou?”

 

The soldier scratched his head. “I think the surname is…” He slapped his forehead. “It’s that top scholar who achieved first place in all three examinations a few years ago! The surname is Shen!”

 

The other soldier immediately chimed in, “Shen Yanqing, right?”

 

The guess in Ji Zhen’s heart was confirmed, and his face instantly paled. His voice hoarse as he opened his mouth. “He’s infected with the plague?”

 

“It’s not surprising to get sick after staying in a place like that for so long, especially now that His Majesty has sealed the city.” The soldier sighed. “If it’s truly because of this… he would have died a worthy death.”

 

After they finished speaking, they saw Ji Zhen standing there, pale and dumbfounded. They asked curiously, “Little Brother Qin, do you know that top scholar?”

 

Ji Zhen’s throat bobbed. “I don’t.”

 

He carried the wooden bucket and returned to his tent, looking distraught. Ji An was inside tidying up the bedding, when he suddenly heard a loud thud and turned his head in alarm. He saw Ji Zhen standing there blankly with the bucket full of water having fallen to the ground, soaking half his clothes, and the ground was covered in water.

 

Ji An ran over. “Young Master, just let me do the water-fetching. You need to quickly go change your clothes. I’ll clean this up.”

 

Ji Zhen’s mind was filled with the four words, ‘died a worthy death,’ and he was in a daze.

 

He had long decided to cut ties with Shen Yanqing, but upon hearing that the other party might be dead, he still inevitably felt his spirit sink.

 

“Young Master?”

 

Ji An called again. Ji Zhen looked at the muddy ground and said in a low voice, “I really, really can’t even do a small thing such as this properly.”

 

He then walked over to a low cabinet, mumbling to himself as he rummaged for clothes, using the chatter to hide his sorrow. “Which one should I wear? This belt is not bad…”

 

Ji An saw Ji Zhen’s strange behavior and sighed as he cleaned the floor.

 

They had been in the desert for over a month, and Ji Zhen really liked the vast expanse of the desert. Jiang Yunyu and Ji Jue had important matters to attend to and couldn’t always accompany Ji Zhen, so he and Ji An would go to the market for fun. Each time, he’d come back with large bags, and the previously empty tent was now filled with new and interesting things.

 

Ji Zhen cried many times on the way to the desert, but he has smiled more often lately. Yet, Ji An, who has been with Ji Zhen since childhood, felt that his young master was not as happy as he appeared to be.

 

What was so good about that Lord Shen that his young master was so fixated on him?

 

But how could Ji An understand the principle of an involuntary love?

 

The master and servant were each lost in their thoughts and, for once, didn’t chatter non-stop as they usually did.

 

Inside the military tent, the atmosphere was solemn. A detailed map was laid out on the long table, stretching from south to north, with high mountains, dense forests, flowing water, and yellow sand. The terrain was complex and varied.

 

A slender fingertip traced the desert expanse, sliding all the way down until it pressed upon a city.

 

Ji Jue said softly, “This route should be the best.”

 

Besides Jiang Yunyu and Deputy General Lin, there were several other generals in the tent, all with serious expressions on their faces.

 

Jiang Yunyu looked closely and said, “Master Qin is absolutely right. Although the previous route had many dense forests, the terrain was also very treacherous, and it would have consumed too much of the soldiers’ stamina. The gain wouldn’t have been worth the loss.”

 

Deputy General Lin waved his hand. “I’m a rough guy and not good at strategizing. I’ll listen to Master Qin and the Young General.”

 

The other generals all agreed. “We are willing to be dispatched by the Young General.”

 

Jiang Yunyu said gratefully, “You are all heroes who are willing to shed blood and sweat. It is my fortune to have your trust.” He said with great emphasis, “I also thank you on behalf of His Highness the Crown Prince.”

 

Since ancient times, if a traitor failed, it was a grave crime punishable by the execution of the entire family. All those standing here had already hung their heads on their belts, ready to be sacrificed at any moment.

 

Ji Jue rolled up the map and said, “This matter still needs to be deliberated at length.”

 

The generals bowed and took their leave, leaving the two of them in the tent.

 

Jiang Yunyu lifted his robe and sat down. His brow was tightly furrowed as he said in a low voice, “I didn’t expect we would come to this last resort.”

 

Ji Jue’s expression was composed as he calmly said, “Since a decision has been made, we must not retreat or shrink back.”

 

Jiang Yunyu agreed. “Now that the border is stable, we must cleanse the ruler’s side, support the legitimate heir, and quell internal troubles… I have already secretly written to my father, and he also agrees with what I’m doing. The Jiang family is full of loyal and brave people. If we can’t even escape, what is there to fear in death?”

 

The two of them talked about some more official business before Ji Jue left the military tent. He had forgotten the time while they were talking, and the sky was already adorned with stars and the moon.

 

He walked slowly, and the past half a year vividly appeared before his eyes.

 

The suffering of exile was unspeakable. His thin clothes couldn’t fend off the biting cold wind, the stones on the road tore his straw sandals, and his feet were rubbed into one blister after another, making it difficult for him to sleep day and night. The pain of his body was secondary. The prison guards escorting him, suddenly empowered, treated him like roadside mud and dirt underfoot, constantly jeering, cursing, and mocking.

 

Ji Jue’s character was resilient. He knew that one who accomplishes great things must endure what others cannot and treated their insults as wind passing by their ears.

 

There was only one time when a prison guard humiliated Ji Zhen, mocking him for willingly degrading himself and submitting to another. Ji Jue reacted like lightning, snatching the prison guard’s long whip. Before the other party could react, the whip was already wrapped around the neck of the foul-mouthed prison guard. From then on, the prison guards never dared to mention a single word about Ji Zhen, but they treated Ji Jue even more harshly.

 

Two months ago, when the plague was spreading, Ji Jue was about to arrive in Ningzhou. This great opportunity finally brought a turn for the better.

 

The person Jiang Yunyu sent to meet Ji Jue was ambushed on the exile route, allowing Ji Jue to fake his death and escape. The prison guard who had insulted Ji Zhen with his words also “unfortunately” died of the “plague” on the way, and his body was left on a hill to be devoured by wild dogs.

 

The Third Prince, Li Muhui, inherited his father’s bloodline and had a mediocre background. Though ambitious and resourceful, he was both arrogant and self-critical, unable to escape his inherently suspicious nature. The officials who had once supported the deposed Crown Prince were so suppressed they had no power to fight back. When the Third Prince ascended the throne, their fate would be sealed.

 

Just as Jiang Yunyu had said, if they hadn’t been trapped with no way out, they wouldn’t have been pushed to the path of rebellion.

 

Ji Jue strolled through the camp. The soldiers gathered together, drinking and chatting, and hailed him, “Master Qin, want some wine?”

 

He got a small jar of warm wine and headed toward Ji Zhen’s tent.

 

The moonlight was like water. He stood outside the tent and, before he could speak, heard a barely audible sob. It was an extremely small and weak sound, mixed in with the loud shouts from nearby, and if one wasn’t paying close attention, no one would notice it.

 

Ji Jue’s hand, which was about to lift the curtain, slowly retracted. He just stood silently in the silvery light.

 

Inside the tent, someone was secretly weeping for a distant person. Outside the tent, someone was silently drinking wine to suppress their earnest feelings.

 

The wine slid down his aching stomach, carrying with it countless partings and reunions, all steeped in futile sorrow.

 

—

 

Spring gave way to summer, and the heat gradually intensified.

 

Shen Yanqing had been in Jinzhou for almost half a year treating the plague. Just as the arrow wound on his shoulder blade was about to heal, the plague treatment also showed some progress.

 

The head imperial physician of the Imperial Medical and many other physicians worked tirelessly day and night to develop a cure, testing over a hundred different prescriptions. Their hard work finally paid off; the cough symptoms of the infected people who had taken the new medicine for three consecutive days were reduced, and their fevers no longer persisted. Coincidentally, several severely ill patients also showed signs of recovery after taking the medicine.

 

As soon as this news was released, people celebrated all over the land.

 

The emperor allocated ten thousand taels of gold from the national treasury and also widely issued a call for officials to donate funds for disaster relief.

 

In late summer and early autumn, after the plague had been rampant for more than half a year, this calamity, which had claimed countless lives, was finally under control.

 

When the city gates of Jinzhou were opened, the people who had been trapped for months cried with joy. On the day the officials and imperial physicians who had been treating the plague returned to the capital, there were so many people seeing them off that one couldn’t even see the end of the line.

 

Lu Chen and Wang Lingzhi rode side by side on their horses. Recalling the painful experiences of the past few months, they looked at each other and saw the bond of friendship that had been formed between them through life and death.

 

Shen Yanqing was just recovering from a serious illness and was not suited for strenuous activity. He sat in the carriage with his eyes closed, resting. The joints of his hands, resting on his legs, were sharp and bony.

 

Yu He leaned his head out and laughed. “My Lord, the people are thanking you.”

 

Shen Yanqing heard the calls from behind but did not respond. He only coughed softly a couple of times.

 

The plague, combined with that arrow, had ultimately caused irreversible damage to him. The imperial physician honestly told him that his heart and lungs were damaged and that from now on, he could not be exposed to wind or rain and could not overexert his mind either. The physician also spoke earnestly, “Lord Shen, a physical illness can be treated, but a mental one is hard to cure. Your thoughts are too heavy and deep. If you can’t resolve them yourself, this old physician is also helpless.”

 

Yu He pulled the carriage curtain tightly shut and said worriedly, “Why are everyone else all well, but you’re still coughing, My Lord? Could it be that you haven’t fully recovered? The Old Madam will be so worried again.”

 

Shen Yanqing thought of his parents and replied, “You are not to tell Father or Mother anything about what happened in Jinzhou.”

 

After traveling for a day and a night, the carriage finally arrived in the capital.

 

Li Muhui had been ordered to welcome the plague-treating officials. In addition, the officials’ families were also eagerly awaiting their return.

 

When Wang Lingzhi saw her parents, she dismounted and ran toward them, saying tearfully, “Your unfilial daughter made you all worry.”

 

When the Shen parents saw their emaciated son, they also shed tears. Mother Shen held her son’s hand. “It’s good that you came back safe and sound…”

 

After comforting his parents, Shen Yanqing turned back and bowed to Li Muhui. “Thank you, Your Highness, for coming to greet this minister.”

 

After the riot at the city gates that day, Shen Yanqing went to chase Ji Zhen and was then seriously injured. He then went to Jinzhou to treat the plague. This was the first time the two of them had seen each other in nearly half a year.

 

Li Muhui said, “By imperial edict, Lord Shen, you have had a tiring journey and may return to your mansion to rest first. You can enter the palace to meet His Majesty tomorrow.”

 

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

 

“Lord Shen, you have performed a meritorious service in treating the plague. It is the people’s good fortune to have such a minister in our Great Heng Empire.”

 

Shen Yanqing was not arrogant about his achievements and said indifferently, “Your Highness flattered this minister. This plague treatment was the result of the efforts of many, not just my own.”

 

The two exchanged pleasantries. Although their tone was the same as usual, they both knew that the trust between the master and subject was no longer what it used to be.

 

After bidding his farewell to Li Muhui, Shen Yanqing returned to his mansion with his parents, feeling both mentally and physically exhausted. He mustered his spirits and replied to his mother, “Mother, please rest assured. Son is perfectly fine…”

 

The author has something to say:

Lord Shen’s clam-like mouth treats everyone equally!