After the envoys from the two countries departed from Da Jing, news arrived from Xichuan that the plague had not been contained and had eventually broken out, beginning to spread. Qu Linglong and the physicians were trapped within the city, facing grave danger.
The Prince of Jiangbei volunteered to go to their aid, and Emperor Mingde agreed.
To prevent unrest, Xiao Shan dispatched an additional team, led by Du Ling, to accompany them.
Chen Kui was originally scheduled, but considering Chen Kui's feelings for Qu Linglong at the border years ago, Xiao Shan replaced him with Du Ling.
Chen Kui expressed his displeasure: "General, you look down on your subordinates too much. No matter how incompetent I am, I wouldn't harbor such disgraceful thoughts. Your actions are an insult to me."
"Insult your ass! Who cares about your thoughts? The Prince of Jiangbei is going this time. Who is the Prince of Jiangbei? He's Qu Linglong's man. Whether you have thoughts or not is unimportant, understand? What's important is that you pursued the same woman, and that's not allowed!"
Xiao Shan thought he was being considerate of Chen Kui, but it turned out to be counterproductive.
Even without ulterior motives, there was camaraderie among fellow soldiers. Chen Kui felt he couldn't help but care about Qu Linglong. He thought the general was right; he had heard the Prince of Jiangbei didn't treat her very well, so it was best not to add fuel to the fire.
Xiao Shan cared deeply for his subordinates of many years.
"Have you taken a liking to any girl in the capital? If you have, speak up. No matter if she's from a noble family, I'll sell everything I own to marry her for you."
Noble families? Which noble family was as esteemed as the Divine Maiden? Worthy of the general selling everything?
"General, I heard that marrying a young lady from a prominent family requires an eight-bearer sedan chair and a dowry of ten miles. How much did you spend when you married the Divine Maiden?"
Xiao Shan paused.
"Never mind, you and the Divine Maiden have a good relationship, so marriage is irrelevant. Besides, you are marrying into her family now; it's the Divine Maiden who married you. However, I see that the one surnamed Song is still not giving up. You need to stay alert and not let him take advantage. What if the Divine Maiden, to compensate, grants him a title? Then you'll have another brother—Ouch, my mother!"
Chen Kui was kicked flying by Xiao Shan.
"Chen Kui! I think you've been neglecting your duties lately. Why haven't you reported the increased number of refugees at the city gate? You are fined half a year's salary. Get going and keep an eye on it!"
"General!"
He had just said he would find him a wife! How could he be punished with a salary cut so soon? How would he ever save enough money?
At Fengque Tower, Ling Yao received news from Emperor Mingde.
The Prince of Runan had committed suicide in prison.
However, he had been rescued and was now under guard, insisting on seeing the Divine Maiden.
He didn't commit suicide immediately after being imprisoned, but now he did after such a long time. Ling Yao found it strange.
"Imperial sister, that child... is he really dead?"
"You know?"
Ling Yao remembered that Fengluan Palace had been sealed off tightly, and there should have been no leaks.
Emperor Mingde gave a wry smile, "I may be weak, but I'm not stupid. It's unheard of for a legitimate Empress not to be buried with the Emperor. I had people investigate this long ago."
He had also handled the burial very well, without arousing the suspicion of the court officials.
"Imperial sister, you don't have to bear these burdens alone. Although you are the Divine Maiden, in your imperial brother's eyes, you are still the little sister who needs protection. Your imperial brother is truly trying his best to become a qualified emperor."
"Yes, I see it. Imperial brother, you have handled everything very well these past few days."
Emperor Mingde seemed pleased by the acknowledgment, his handsome face losing some of its sternness.
"However," he frowned, "regarding Uncle's matter, I still need to discuss it with you. He is also a pitiable person. Let's consider his suicide attempt as if he has already died this time!"
"Yes, let's go and see what the situation is."
Ling Yao and Emperor Mingde went to the dungeon. The Prince of Runan was held in solitary confinement. His hair had turned completely white, and his face was gaunt, resembling a man in his fifties or sixties. No one could recognize him as the Prince of Runan, who was less than forty, refined, and admired by the noble ladies of the capital.
Emperor Mingde spoke first: "Uncle, Imperial sister is here. You can ask whatever you wish!"
He could never bring himself to be harsh with this uncle. Although he had made mistakes later, the warmth he had received from him in the past was genuine.
"Ling Yao, no, Divine Maiden." The Prince of Runan stood up, his eyes lighting up.
"Uncle, please call me Ling Yao."
"Ling Yao, Ling Yao." The Prince of Runan was somewhat agitated, his dry eyes even welling up with tears. "Someone told me that child, that child was kept in a cage by you..."
He didn't seem to believe it himself, looking at Ling Yao expectantly, hoping for a definitive answer.
Ling Yao frowned. "Who told you that?"
"It's not true, is it? I knew that person was lying to me." Seeing her expression, the Prince of Runan was relieved. "I don't know who it was, but I know it must be related to the court. There are still hidden dangers in the court. You must be careful."
Emperor Mingde asked, "Uncle, so you deliberately attempted suicide?"
"Yes, that person could enter the imperial prison. I wanted to remind you..."
Ling Yao interrupted him. "Uncle, why do you trust me so much?"
He had feelings for his imperial brother, but no affection for her. Wasn't he afraid she was deceiving him?
"I trust you. You and Zhong Yi were kind children from a young age. No matter how much you change, your inherent kindness will never be lost."
"How could the Emperor's and your child's hearts be wicked..."
"There's also something else, the clue that suddenly appeared after twenty years, all pointing to the Emperor colluding with the Prince of An to assassinate me. Now that I think about it, it was also deliberately done by someone. Ling Yao, you were right; given the Emperor's nature, he could never have done such a thing."
"Uncle, I don't understand," Emperor Mingde said confusedly. "You are already a prisoner. What is the use of trying to sow discord between us now?"
"That is why I wanted to see you. He is not trying to sow discord between us; he is after something."
"For a tiger tally."
"You don't know, back then, I had no desire for the throne and wanted to travel the Nine Provinces. Your Imperial Grandfather gave me a tiger tally. The 200,000 troops in Yan Prefecture were directly under the Emperor, but they obeyed the person holding the tiger tally. He was probably afraid that the empire would fall into the hands of the Prince of An, especially since your Imperial Grandfather considered the Emperor too weak and unfit for use. Giving me the tiger tally was a precaution."
"Little did I know that later, the Emperor inherited the throne. Due to my inner turmoil, I didn't disclose the matter of the tiger tally. So many years have passed, and I've tossed the tiger tally aside somewhere. It's probably covered in mold by now," the Prince of Runan said with a few bitter laughs.
So, there was such a hidden matter. Ling Yao truly believed that the Prince of Runan was not power-hungry. If he had wanted to rebel, it would have been easy.
"I don't know how that person found out. I think you should start by questioning those old officials. Ling Yao, come closer..."
"The tiger tally is placed..."
After speaking, the Prince of Runan seemed to have unburdened himself of a great weight.
"It's all entrusted to you. Truly, I feel so much lighter." He had never felt so relaxed!
"Ling Yao, before I die, can I see the child?"