After the Crybaby Married the Disabled Villain - Chapter 18

“What is the meaning of this?”

Lu Mufeng suddenly opened the door, startling the two women, who hurriedly saluted: “Greetings, Your Highness.”

“What was that you were just talking about?”

The two maidservants exchanged a glance, and the one who had been speaking slowly began: “In response to Your Highness, early this morning I heard the servants at the gate saying that the Crown Princess seemed out of sorts upon waking. He said the deity who gave him the poem in his dream the other day visited him again. The deity said a flood is soon to occur in Jiangnan and told him to pass the message to His Majesty so preparations could be made early.”

Shen Heng, standing not far away, also heard their conversation. Recalling what An Yu had said yesterday, he asked: “How did that servant find out?”

“It seems the Crown Princess felt it was too surreal, so he treated it as a mere dream and told the Crown Prince about it. The servants nearby overheard it; then, while they were chatting idly during their gate duty, the news spread until now the entire capital knows. His Majesty has already summoned the Crown Prince to bring the Crown Princess to the palace.”

Lu Mufeng pursed his lips. This news had spread a bit too smoothly.

A slight smile touched the corners of Shen Heng’s mouth. As the two turned to go back into the room, he whispered: “The Crown Princess truly stirred up some commotion today.”

The Imperial Palace.

An Yu had truly not expected that, in just a few short days, this would already be his third time entering the palace.

Emperor Hongchang, true to his habit of consuming various life-extending supplements year-round, was already able to sit up after two days of recuperation. However, at this moment, two men—both of whom would cough twice if they spoke too much—were still affectatedly inquiring after each other’s health.

“Cough, Shiyan, has your health been any better lately?”

“In response to Father Emperor, your son… cough, your son has had no major issues lately. It is merely an old, stubborn ailment that is difficult to cure, cough cough.”

Lu Shiyan lowered his head and coughed twice more, making An Yu wonder if the man was somehow incompatible with this palace; every time he came, his condition seemed to worsen, despite being well-controlled at the manor.

“How is Father Emperor’s health? After the banquet that day, your son suffered a flare-up of his old illness and could not share Father Emperor’s burdens, cough cough. I hope Father Emperor will forgive me.”

“It is no matter. I am mostly recovered.”

Emperor Hongchang’s gaze shifted, landing on An Yu, who was off to the side lost in a daze. He said in a deep voice: “I summoned the two of you because I heard a strange tale this morning. I heard the Crown Princess dreamed of that deity again last night?”

Suddenly being called upon, An Yu looked as though he hadn’t yet reacted. After Lu Shiyan gave him a light pat, he seemed to “come back to his soul,” his expression a mix of terror and helplessness: “In, in response to Father Emperor. That is correct.”

Lu Shiyan seemed to think An Yu’s reaction was not dignified enough and was about to apologize when Emperor Hongchang waved a hand: “It is no matter. This matter has been a subject of much discussion since morning. Crown Princess, why don’t you tell me exactly what that deity said?”

“In response to Father Emperor, the deity… the deity said: ‘Soon, Jiangnan shall face a month of continuous heavy rain. The river embankments will rot and burst, and the floodwaters will surge. A flood disaster is certain. Pass this to the Son of Heaven, so he may protect and shield the people.'”

Having said that, An Yu immediately added: “Father Emperor, the embankments and dams of our Great Shang are such sophisticated engineering projects; how could they be washed away by mere rain? When I woke up, I simply treated it as a dream. I only mentioned it to His Highness as an interesting tale; I did not expect it to be spread by others.”

Emperor Hongchang remained silent for a long time, his aged eyes staring fixedly at An Yu as if trying to judge whether he was lying.

“This is the second time you have dreamed of that deity?”

“Indeed. The last time was the night before Father Emperor’s birthday banquet.”

“Can the Crown Princess guarantee that every word said is true? Why does that deity visit your dreams so frequently? Since I am the Son of Heaven, why do they not come to find me?”

An Yu said in fear and trepidation: “Father Emperor, every word your son-in-law has said is true. If there is a single false word, may I be left without descendants.”

Emperor Hongchang: “…” Lu Shiyan: “…”

An Yu continued: “As for why the deity does not seek Your Majesty directly, your son-in-law does not know either.”

“Cough cough—”

Emperor Hongchang coughed twice more, and the head eunuch hurried to order someone to bring medicine. Seeing this, Emperor Hongchang couldn’t think of anything else to ask for the moment and waved them away.

The palace walls surrounded them, the vermilion and azure scenery reflecting each other’s beauty.

An Yu was surprised as they walked; he hadn’t expected Emperor Hongchang to let them go after only a few questions.

Last night, when he told Lu Shiyan about this plan, An Yu had been acting on a bit of a gamble. He hadn’t expected Lu Shiyan to agree without a second thought—the man hadn’t even asked how An Yu knew about a flood in Jiangnan, or how he would make it happen.

The level of trust was somewhat unexpected.

Finally, he couldn’t help but ask: “Why does Your Highness believe me so implicitly?”

After An Yu asked, Lu Shiyan lowered his eyes and smiled. It was a long moment before he looked up, his sickly eyes full of warmth and laughter. He said:

“Xiao Yu has saved me from danger several times. Should I say that I already believe there is an immortal in Xiao Yu’s dreams, or should I say that the person before me is that immortal? Forgotten? I said before—Xiao Yu came from the heavens.”

An Yu acted as if it were a joke, sitting across from Lu Shiyan with eyes full of laughter. His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the two of them to hear: “Then Your Highness must always believe me. My Prince is a youth as pure as the wind and moon, a general who charges into battle, and a wise ruler who will leave his name in the annals of history.”

Lu Shiyan laughed for a long time after hearing this. Across a gap of nearly a month, the image of the drunken youth saying, “I have admired Your Highness for a long time,” flashed in his mind again.

As the two walked out of the palace, they saw Mo Ying waiting ahead with the carriage.

Mo Ying’s driving was as steady as ever. Upon entering the carriage, An Yu saw a food box placed in the center and his face lit up with surprise: “Your Highness? Are these pastries from Wangfeng Pavilion?”

“Mhm.”

An Yu immediately opened the box with great excitement. After taking a bite, it was indeed that familiar taste.

After two bites, his taste buds were fully satisfied: “Your Highness, given our current situation, are we just going to leave Second Prince Xi Chen be for now?”

“Until the real mastermind is found, he naturally cannot be released. However, counting the time, the message has already reached Xiliang. Once the Xiliang Imperial family sends someone else, he will have to be released whether they want to or not.”

An Yu nodded. “Then why did Your Highness promise Luo Sang to rescue the Second Prince?”

“That man was certainly not one of Xi Chen’s people. How could he entrust a token, of which there are only a few, to a common servant? If he had brought Xi Chen’s Imperial Prince token, I might have believed him a little more.”

This was something An Yu hadn’t known, but he didn’t take it to heart. Xiliang was not mentioned much in the book; it was merely a “tool” nation that appeared on the battlefield.

An Yu thought for a moment and was about to speak again: “Your Highness…”

Lu Shiyan couldn’t help but chuckle. He said in a low voice: “Alright, no more ‘Your Highness’. Just eat your food.”

“Xiao Bai, eat more. I feel like you’ve lost weight these past few days.”

Every time the old butler saw An Yu visit the snow leopard, his heart skipped a beat with fear. Though he was terrified himself, he felt he had to follow along, fearing some accident might befall An Yu.

“Young Master, the snow leopard has gained several pounds these past few days; how could it have lost weight? Sigh—”

Seeing An Yu reach out to scratch the snow leopard’s chin again, the butler nearly had a heart attack. He didn’t dare stop him loudly, fearing it would startle the beast and trigger its predatory nature.

The butler was at a loss when he saw Mo Ying walking over from the side gate. He hurriedly said: “Young Master, Lord Mo Ying is here. He must have business with you. Quick, go and see.”

Mo Ying walked over, and An Yu looked up.

“Young Master, His Highness asks you to come over. Someone from Xiliang has arrived.”

“Alright.”

An Yu hadn’t seen much of Lu Shiyan these past few days. On one hand, he spent most of his time petting the leopard; on the other, the healing of Lu Shiyan’s legs was proceeding more smoothly. Yun Liang had modified a set of acupuncture techniques and was currently in the experimental phase.

Walking in, An Yu felt a sense of “long time no see.”

“Your Highness, is someone from the Xiliang Imperial family here?”

Lu Shiyan closed his book and laid it flat on the table. “Mhm. It is the Seventh Princess.”

“The Seventh Princess!”

An Yu’s sudden look of joy was somewhat unexpected to Lu Shiyan.

Could it be that An Yu had some connection with the Seventh Princess of Xiliang?

An Yu was indeed delighted. Although the Seventh Princess of Xiliang was a princess, she had a personality like a man’s; she loved practicing with weapons and had even gone to the battlefield.

In the original text, when mentioning the wars between Great Shang and Xiliang, the general most frequently cited on the Xiliang side was the Seventh Princess.

However, the Seventh Princess’s ultimate ending was not good. Because she loved her own brother, she was expelled from the capital by the Xiliang Emperor and vanished from the world thereafter.

“Does Xiao Yu happen to know this Seventh Princess?”

An Yu smiled. “Naturally, I do not. However, I have heard quite a bit about the Seventh Princess of Xiliang. In the wars between our country and Xiliang, the only two famous generals mentioned in the end were Your Highness and that Seventh Princess.”

“Xiao Yu truly knows a great deal.”

“Of course. I also know the Seventh Princess has a straightforward and bold personality. She frequently mingles in the military camps, and even many of Xiliang’s famous generals are afraid of her.”

Lu Shiyan smiled without speaking and pushed a cup of tea toward him. An Yu thanked him, took a sip, and continued:

“Did Your Highness call me here today just to tell me the Seventh Princess has arrived?”

“Naturally, it is more than that.”

“The Seventh Princess arrived in the capital alone this morning, a full two days ahead of the officials following behind her. As soon as she entered the palace, she demanded the Emperor release her brother. Xi Chen has already been released; he is currently at the guest house nursing his injuries. Yun Liang has already gone over.”

An Yu frowned, puzzled: “They actually used torture?”

“A prison guard took a bribe and used private torture.”

An Yu knew exactly who this person was without even thinking. Aside from the male lead, Lu Youqi, who else played so dirty?

“There is one more thing that I imagine Xiao Yu will be more interested in.”

This successfully piqued An Yu’s curiosity. He asked quickly: “Is it good news?”

The man in the wheelchair turned his head, his eyes knowing. “It cannot exactly be called a good thing. Urgent reports have arrived from Jiangnan. Three days ago, a sudden storm began, and it hasn’t stopped since. As Xiao Yu predicted, the dams have collapsed and were washed away. The people of Jiangnan are suffering.”

“Indeed, the Emperor didn’t believe my words after all. The commoners of Jiangnan have suffered for it, but this time, he should finally believe it.”

Lu Shiyan did not quite agree. No one understood Emperor Hongchang better than he did. He shook his head:

“He will not believe so easily. He believes in gods and spirits, but only because he wants to become an immortal himself and enjoy this endless prosperity. If we want him to believe completely, I’m afraid we’ll need a few more incidents like this.”

An Yu curled his lips. Incidents like this? Those aren’t hard to find. I’ll just say whatever comes to mind.

Footsteps approached slowly. An Yu turned to see Yun Liang, followed by Mo Han acting as the laborer, carrying a large medicine chest.

“Your Highness, Young Master.” “Rise.”

The two sat at the table. Seeing that they showed no signs of fatigue, Lu Shiyan signaled for them to explain the situation at the guest house.

“Second Prince Xi Chen’s injuries are not very heavy, but they were all struck in vital areas. I have prescribed medicine, but he will need to recuperate for half a month.”

Yun Liang then smiled and continued: “However, this Seventh Princess is truly good to her brother. One is born of the Empress, and the other of a Noble Consort. I heard the two mothers are like fire and water, yet the relationship between the siblings is actually this good.”

An Yu had a suspicion, but it was only a suspicion, so he analyzed it rationally: “Seventh Princess Xi Qing’s temperament is closer to a man’s. The righteousness of her home and country weighs more in her heart than the trivial matters of the inner palace. Naturally, she wouldn’t care about such things.”

“The Young Master is right. As soon as the Seventh Princess entered the palace this morning, she demanded His Majesty release him. After His Majesty failed to put her off several times, he released him. I heard the Seventh Princess’s aura was as though she had brought hundreds of thousands of troops with her.”

It was just as the book described. It seemed the Seventh Princess’s anger would be very difficult to quell.