After Rescuing The Sickly White Moonlight - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Li Su, a trusted subordinate of Liang Yi’an, led his men at a breakneck pace, arriving at Shichuan City shortly after Zheng Qingyun’s group had reunited with Guanyue.

Guanyue’s boat had traveled swiftly, making no stops despite Lin Yu’s seasickness, so they were only half a day behind Zheng Qingyun. Li Su was just fretting over how to find them in a city as large as Shichuan when he spotted Guanyue and his men acting suspiciously nearby.

He strode forward and grabbed Guanyue by the collar. The latter instinctively turned to strike back but pulled his hand away the moment he recognized the face.

“Guard Li? What are you doing here?” Guanyue asked.

Li Su grabbed his arm. “Never mind that. Is your Second Young Master here?”

Guanyue looked confused. “Yes, I’ve been following him this whole time, haven’t I?”

Li Su breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Take me to him at once. His Highness sent us to find you.”

Hearing it involved the Crown Prince, Guanyue immediately led them to the inn. Zheng Qingyun and the others were preparing to set out the next day when Guanyue walked in with Li Su.

Li Su explained their mission, concluding: “The Crown Prince sent us to escort you and ensure your safety. If you are ready, we can depart immediately.”

Lin Yu interjected, “We appreciate the Crown Prince’s kindness, but Qingyun is physically weak right now. He won’t be able to handle the jolts of riding a horse, and a carriage would take several days.”

Li Su quickly replied, “That is no issue. Going slow is fine. Once we reach Shichuan, the Crown Prince will send more guards to escort you back to Changzhou. The plague there is still not under control, and the Young Master wouldn’t be able to rest properly if he returned now.”

Zheng Qingyun tugged at Lin Yu’s sleeve and gave Li Su a small smile. “Then we shall trouble you. We can leave as soon as we finish packing.”

As Li Su stepped out, Zheng Zhili leaned against the table. “The plague has hit Changzhou, Shichuan, and Zhongqing. Nowhere is safe. It’s better to find the Crown Prince and wait for this to settle before heading to the ancestral home.”

Lin Yu understood the logic, but his concern for Zheng Qingyun’s health remained. Zheng Qingyun squeezed Lin Yu’s fingertips. “Don’t worry. I feel alright. I won’t gamble with my own health, I promise.”

Lin Yu took a deep breath and looked at Zheng Zhili. “Second Brother, may I have a private word with Qingyun?”

Zheng Zhili nodded and closed the door behind him. Once the door was shut, Lin Yu turned around and held out his pinky finger.

Zheng Qingyun understood immediately. “Pinky swear.”

Lin Yu hooked his finger and shook it. “Pinky swear, hang yourself, don’t change for a hundred years.”

Zheng Qingyun laughed. “Aren’t you going to say the next part?”

Lin Yu pursed his lips. “Zheng Qingyun promises Lin Yu that he will always put his own health first. If he breaks it, he’s a little dog.”

Zheng Qingyun found it hilarious to hear Lin Yu say such childish things with such a straight face. “How old are you exactly?”

Their thumbs pressed together.

The seal was set.

The Palace Examination was difficult for Zheng Yanzhang, but his performance was well above his usual level. To be fair, he felt he had done his best. He had done all that was humanly possible; the rest was in the hands of fate—and the grading officials.

He returned home, tidied himself up, and went to see Deng Yuan. The rankings would be announced in about five days. He wasn’t in a hurry.

Ever since Suo Lou had burst into the Zheng estate like a madman and been humiliated by Zheng Heng, he hadn’t returned. It was as if they had gone back to the old days of having no contact. Having some free time, Zheng Yanzhang decided to ask Zheng Heng what had actually happened back then.

That night, Zheng Heng gazed at the moon and let out a deep sigh. Zheng Yanzhang sat beside him in silence. Since Zheng Heng had to attend court the next morning and Yanzhang had to study, neither intended to drink, though to Yanzhang, his father seemed almost intoxicated by his own thoughts.

“Back then, the last battle Suo Lou fought in Suzhou… it was a disastrous defeat. He barely made it back alive,” Zheng Heng said slowly.

“And then?” Zheng Yanzhang added tea leaves to the pot and poured in water at the right temperature.

“People accused him of losing on purpose and filed several memorials against him. That battle should have been a great victory, but seventy percent of the army’s grain had been replaced with moldy rice. Short on supplies, Suo Lou’s vanguard was trapped. In the end, only twenty-eight people survived.”

“Those twenty-seven survivors became Suo Lou’s dead-sworn guards, following him to the death.” The veins on Zheng Heng’s hands bulged, his voice nearly hoarse. “But who could have guessed? The investigation finally revealed that the embezzlement of the military grain was done by his own men. He presented a list of ‘guilty’ subordinates to the late Emperor and, just like he did that other day, he wept and lamented his own ‘failure to notice’ their crimes.”

Zheng Yanzhang was puzzled. “Then why has he been targeting you all these years, Father?”

Zheng Heng smiled bitterly. “Because I was supposed to lead that campaign. But Zhili fell gravely ill—you might remember—and I had no choice but to request leave to return to the capital. The late Emperor granted it, and Suo Lou took my place. Perhaps that is why…”

Zheng Heng stood up and sighed. “But whatever the old grievances are, he should not have laid a hand on you children.”

A cold glint flashed in Zheng Yanzhang’s eyes. “Whether he should have or not, he did it.”

Zheng Heng said softly, “It’s not that I don’t want to strike back, but Suo Lou has deep ties with Consort Zhang, and the relationships between the great families are intricate. Too many interests are involved; one move could affect everything. Besides, I have a faint feeling there is someone even bigger behind Consort Zhang.”

Zheng Yanzhang nodded vaguely. Zheng Heng patted his shoulder. “Yanzhang, I am waiting for the day you stand beside me in the imperial court.”

Five days later, in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the candidates stood in formation as the Grand Proclamation Ceremony began. The first name called wasn’t the Top Scholar (Zhuangyuan), but the first name of the second tier, who would announce the names of all the successful candidates.

“First Tier, First Place: Zheng Yanzhang.” “First Tier, First Place: Zheng Yanzhang.” “First Tier, First Place: Zheng Yanzhang.”

After the third call, Zheng Yanzhang paused for a second before stepping forward. The “Zhuangyuan”—the crown that every scholar in the world spends their life chasing—was now his. He felt somewhat dazed. The memory of being framed for cheating seemed like it happened only yesterday; today, he had completely cleared his name by becoming the Top Scholar.

This year, he was seventeen years old.

As the ceremony concluded, Zheng Yanzhang stood at the very front, followed by the second and third-place winners, leading the new graduates in the ritual of three prostrations and nine kowtows to the Emperor. From this moment, a new generation entered the court.

When the news of Zheng Yanzhang becoming the Top Scholar reached Zheng Qingyun and the others, they had just uncovered a shocking discovery. Cinnabar had been found in the paper packets submitted by Liang Yi’an’s secret guards.

Cheng Yizhong had refused the Prefect’s offer to accompany him into the mines and had personally inspected the area several times. When Zheng Qingyun’s group arrived, Liang Yi’an was about to lead a team to inspect the quarantine area. Seeing Lin Yu and the others looking bright-eyed and energetic despite their journey, he brought them along.

The group approached the quarantine area silently. Liang Yi’an whispered, “Li Su discovered that every night at midnight, men wrapped in heavy clothing carry stretchers out of the quarantine ward. They dump the bodies in one spot and leave.”

Zheng Qingyun adjusted his position and whispered back, “Shall we go look there?”

They waited for the men to leave before moving in to investigate. They found a large pit piled high with corpses. Lin Yu stepped forward to observe. “Prefect Liu lied. The bodies weren’t cremated at all. Why is he gathering them here?”

Liang Yi’an shook his head, but then, under the moonlight, a body in the pit suddenly twitched. Cheng Yizhong nearly fainted from fright; luckily, Zheng Zhili caught him before he tumbled into the pit.

Liang Yi’an was also startled but didn’t show it. After steadying his heart, he ordered Li Xiu to pull the body up. Lin Yu checked the neck for a pulse and tested the breathing, confirming the person was definitely dead. However, as he examined the body more closely, his expression turned grim.

There was dark red powder on the jaw, the fingernails were black, the body was slightly curled, and the face was a gray-ash color with red spots. This wasn’t a disease. He turned over several more bodies; without exception, they all showed the same symptoms.

“Your Highness, this isn’t a plague. It’s poisoning! It’s mercury poisoning refined from cinnabar,” Lin Yu said urgently.

Zheng Qingyun tried to step forward, but Liang Yi’an blocked him. Lin Yu also kept his distance from the group to prevent any potential contamination. The accompanying imperial physician also checked and confirmed the poisoning.

Cheng Yizhong rubbed his face to calm his nerves, but upon hearing the news, he flew into a rage. “How dare they! To deceive the throne and flip right and wrong in broad daylight! Guards! Arrest Prefect Liu at once!”

Liang Yi’an raised a hand to stop him. “Prefect Liu tried to stop us from investigating because he was afraid of exposure. He is just a small fish; catching him now would only alert the masterminds. Better to test him further and see who is really behind this.”

Cheng Yizhong hesitated but eventually nodded. The group hurried back to their lodgings under the cover of night. The guards brought back a fresh corpse that was still warm, seemingly having died only moments ago.

Lin Yu silently pulled out a piece of gauze and handed it to Zheng Qingyun. Accustomed to this, Zheng Qingyun took it and expertly covered his nose and mouth.

Liang Yi’an rolled his eyes at Lin Yu, speechless. “You protect him like he’s your own beloved heart and soul (心肝兒).”

Zheng Zhili looked at Zheng Qingyun sitting calmly in his chair and Lin Yu standing beside him like a loyal guard dog, then looked up at the sky. He felt a bit redundant.

Wait, aren’t I the actual biological brother?

Cheng Yizhong, a veteran official in his late forties, had grown quite weary from running around with Liang Yi’an. Without wasting time on pleasantries, Liang Yi’an produced the reddish-brown ore collected from deep within the mining area and the transcripts of their conversations with surviving miners.

Liang Yi’an said, “Three months ago, the Ministry of Revenue petitioned to reopen the silver mines in Shichuan City. My Father approved it.”

Lin Yu looked at the reddish-brown ore and thought for a moment. “If I remember correctly, cinnabar ore was once heavily distributed in Suzhou. Why would it suddenly appear in the South?”

Cheng Yizhong narrowed his small eyes. “Unless this cinnabar ore wasn’t transported from elsewhere.”

“There’s something wrong with the silver mine in Shichuan. Your Highness, this might not be a silver mine at all!” Zheng Qingyun realized.

Liang Yi’an mused, “If the mine maps were altered, the Ministry of Revenue would think they were mining silver, while they were actually mining associated ore rich in cinnabar.”

Zheng Zhili suggested, “The Prefect is definitely involved. Why don’t we do a night raid on his manor?”

Liang Yi’an agreed. He summoned Li Su and Li Xiu. “Be careful tonight. Don’t alert them, and return as quickly as possible.”

Zheng Zhili was eager. “I want to go too.”

Liang Yi’an cruelly refused. “You stay. If you get hurt, how am I supposed to explain it to your eldest brother?”

Zheng Zhili promised, “Your Highness, I swear I’ll protect myself. Please let me go.”

Liang Yi’an ignored him, acting as if he couldn’t hear a word. Lin Yu cleared his throat and said to Zheng Zhili, “Second Brother, we just arrived in Zhongqing. Let’s rest first, hear what the Crown Prince has to say, and we can discuss our plans tomorrow, okay?”

Zheng Zhili thought it over and agreed. He felt fine, but Qingyun and Lin Yu both looked quite pale. It was better to rest. Liang Yi’an brought over a map and began explaining their situation in detail.

That night.

Li Su and Li Xiu, dressed in night-traveler attire, slipped into the Prefect’s manor. The estate was shrouded in darkness, with only a faint light coming from the study. The two exchanged a look; one went to the roof while the other eavesdropped by the wall.

Peering through a gap in the roof, they saw two people inside the study: Prefect Liu Yang and someone who looked like a trained martial artist.

“My Master sent me to tell you to send those two back as soon as possible,” the martial artist said.

Liu Yang gave a cold chuckle. “Is Lord Suo in such a hurry? What is he afraid of?”

The martial artist remained calm. “My Master is in no rush, but you might be. Even if you aren’t the one who spread this cinnabar, now that the Governor has been arrested, you are next.”

Liu Yang burst into laughter as if the threat didn’t move him. “Then let Lord Suo wait. By the way, I remember Lord Suo also experienced cinnabar poisoning back in Suzhou, didn’t he? I’m sure he’s quite familiar with it. I just wonder how many people know that he lost that battle on purpose back then—and how many know it was my poor brother who took the fall for him!”

The martial artist seemed provoked. “Liu Yang, have you lost your mind?”

Outside, Li Su and Li Xiu were stunned. Suo Lou had intentionally lost the battle back then! And the one he used as a scapegoat was Liu Yang’s brother! Furthermore, it sounded like the poisoning of the miners was also connected to Suo Lou.

Heavens!

The two widened their eyes, determined not to miss a single shred of information. The room fell silent for a moment before the martial artist’s voice came again: “Lord Liu, you’d best look out for yourself.”

Li Su and Li Xiu quickly vanished into the shadows and slipped out of the manor under the cover of night.