The next morning, Daxi brought the meal. Chao Ge didn’t say anything, but it was Daxi who couldn't hold back and asked, "Lord, are you upset? Before, Yan Xiaoguan used to eagerly bring the food and watch you finish it."
‘Eagerly? He’s just too moral and treats me like a patient,’ Chao Ge thought angrily. "It’s nothing. Did you notify Yongning Hall?"
"I did. Are you really not taking Yan Guan?"
"I'm not."
Daxi was helpless, his expression worried, wondering if the Lord’s first love would just end without a trace. After bringing the items back to the dining room, he saw Yan Guan standing by the railing, looking out. So he stepped forward to greet him.
"Daxi," Yan Guan smiled and pointed to the carriages in the distance. "Are you leaving soon?"
"Yes, everything’s packed."
Yan Guan nodded.
Looking at him, Daxi bit his lip and said, "You should go with him. The Lord might need you."
Yan Guan was startled and turned his head, but his expression remained calm: "But the Lord ordered me to return to Yongning Hall." Daxi was a little anxious. Yan Guan, feeling some pity, asked, "Is it very important? If I need to go... it's not impossible."
Last night, Yan Guan had tossed and turned the entire night. Chao Ge, the ruler of a nation, could take lives easily, and getting a man would be even more effortless. He couldn’t escape, no matter what.
"Ah, Brother Daxi, I just don’t know how to face the Lord," he sighed.
"Oh? Did the Lord bully you?" Daxi teased, with a hint of mockery.
Yan Guan hadn’t expected him to be so sharp and could only change the subject. "Going to Sangta—is it very harsh there?"
Daxi shook his head and looked toward the distant snowy mountains. "Beyond them lies the beautiful Sangta Grasslands. There are herds of cattle and sheep, lush water and grass. People gather around bonfires to sing joyfully, praising the gifts of Changshengtian (Eternal Heaven). At night, the stars are very bright, and you can even see ghostly green fireflies and glowing stones." Daxi paused, his expression suddenly softening, "And of course, my beloved is also there."
Yan Guan blushed a little. He still wasn’t used to the Wugan people's direct expressions of love.
"It sounds wonderful. Even if something happens, the Lord will take care of it, right?"
Daxi smiled, "Of course. I’ve never seen the Lord fail at anything." The people of Wugan held deep admiration for their young king. "In your Liang Dynasty’s words, this is called 'preparing for a rainy day,' isn’t it?"
Yan Guan jumped down from the steps and looked up at Daxi. "I understand now. I’ll ask the Lord to let him take me with him."
Daxi was clear-headed about the important matters. He knew that if Yan Guan had come to beg him to go along, it meant that this journey wouldn’t be easy. He thought to himself that he would simply consider this as repaying a favor.
But things didn’t go quite as he expected. Before Yan Guan could even find Chao Ge, someone from Yongning Palace arrived.
"The Lord said his illness is already cured and has sent someone to take you back to the Second Prince," said the gentle maidservant.
"But..." Before he could finish, the maidservant took hold of him. "Alright, just go quickly. The Second Prince is still waiting."
Upon returning to Yongning Hall, the ever-concerned Second Prince naturally didn’t let him off easily. He asked a series of detailed questions, confirming that the elder brother's illness had indeed improved.
When Yan Guan mentioned that Daxi hoped he would accompany Chao Ge to Sangta, Chao Lun was silent for a few seconds. Then, with some hesitation, he asked, "If no one from Yongning Palace had come for you, would you be willing to go?"
"Of course. I was already planning to ask the Lord for permission."
Chao Lun frowned, suddenly stood up, and pulled Yan Guan into the inner chamber. "Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. I have a way to ensure you can stay by my brother’s side, but you must promise to guarantee his safety. There’s likely to be an outbreak of plague in Sangta this year, and I’d feel more at ease with you watching over him."
Yan Guan quickly suppressed the surprise in his heart—this information absolutely couldn’t be leaked.
"My brother must have treated you well. You mustn’t..."
"That won’t happen, Your Highness, don’t worry," Yan Guan interrupted him. "I come from a good family. Since I studied medicine as a child, I was taught that human life is of the utmost importance. If there really is an outbreak of plague, I cannot just save myself and ignore others."
Chao Lun was somewhat relieved and immediately went to find Daxi. The two of them discussed it and decided to bring him along anyway—after all, with one more person, he wouldn’t attract much attention.
In short, by the time Chao Ge realized, they had already traveled hundreds of miles. Even if he wanted to act out, it was too late.
Yan Guan was hauled into the carriage, and Chao Ge, with a dark expression, asked if Chao Lun had forced him to come. Yan Guan had never seen Chao Ge suppress his anger like this, and nervously murmured that he came of his own accord.
"I told you to go back, and you insisted on coming?! How stupid are you? What—didn’t you get enough of a lesson last night?"
Yan Guan choked, quickly sneaking a glance at Chao Ge’s expression before lowering his head again. It was the first time he had seen him so furious.
Chao Ge wasn’t letting him off easily. "Did I not make myself clear enough? Or do you think I’m some kind of righteous gentleman?"
"The Second Prince said there might be a plague, and they’ll need me," Yan Guan said hurriedly when he saw Chao Ge was about to speak again. "Of course I’m scared, but when it comes to saving lives…"
Yan Guan’s confidence faltered, and his voice grew softer and softer. He had been in Liangzhou for six months, and the people around him had actually treated him pretty well. He was well-fed and clothed, and had even made some friends. Many of their families lived in Sangta, so naturally, he was worried for them. If there was something he could do, it would be worth it.
Chao Ge stared at him for a long time, but in the end, didn’t say anything more.
Yan Guan lowered his head and stared at the wooden lattice pattern on the carriage window, deep in thought. Was it really just the compassion of a healer, or a case of repaying a kindness?
The group traveled on and off for several days, eventually reaching the Sangta Grasslands. Yan Guan spent most of the journey following the Medical Bureau cart. When he got tired, he would get on the cart and lie down for a while. The older gentlemen laughed at him, calling him a little kid.
"I'm seventeen!" Yan Guan protested, feeling indignant.
"You are not even as big as my grandson," Wuritu laughed. His grandson was fifteen, so he was clearly teasing Yan Guan for being short.
Yan Guan wasn’t happy about it and thought to himself, ‘I wasn’t considered short back in Yangzhou! It’s just that people from Liangzhou grow so tall, it makes me look shorter.’
As they made stops along the way to rest, the snow on the grasslands hadn’t melted. Yan Guan trudged through the snow, his feet sinking deeply with every step, as he made his way toward the tent.
The weather really didn’t look good. It’s been far too cold this winter. If the cattle and sheep froze to death, once the snow melted in the spring, wouldn't those carcasses start to spread diseases?
"Sovereign, several households have already lost half their cattle and sheep to the cold," Geqi reported back with a few subordinates after scouting.
"Did they bring the felt blankets and bedding straw?" asked Chao Ge.
"They were taken, but the wind is so strong at night that it often blows the tents away."
How could this happen? This weather was really strange.
"Send more people, and distribute the clothes and medicines first. Call Dai Qing over."
"Yes," Geqi replied and went off to carry out the orders.
Not long after, a lean, young man lifted the tent flap and entered. "Your Highness, everything is frozen, and the dirt and rocks are difficult to dig through."
"Dig anyway. The enclosures aren't stable. Do you want to wait for the wind to blow the cattle and sheep to death? As for those already frozen, buy them at market price and burn them all. Do not bury them on the spot."
This kind of weather is rare. Even the herders, despite their preparations, couldn’t have predicted it.
Even so, Chao Ge’s group was limited in number, and the households on the edges of the Sangta Grasslands couldn’t be attended to. Meanwhile, the plague spread quickly, with one case leading to a hundred others.
"It’s still this cold even after spring has started," Yan Guan muttered. He was bundled up, stepping carefully on the crunchy ice.
"The Lord said we should continue walking East. The Scouts reported that there are signs of disease there," Wuritu said, busily sorting through the herbs.
"Why does the Lord put himself in danger? Wouldn’t it be better to let subordinates take a Physician there? He could return to the Court sooner and take charge of the overall situation."
Wuritu shook his head and quickly bagged the herbs. "Perhaps he has his own considerations. How can we know?"
They had been in Sangta for four or five days, and Chao Ge’s group had traveled south. Though some herders had been affected by the snowstorm, the relief efforts had been timely, and there were no casualties. The frozen cattle and sheep had been properly handled.
Chao Ge had been away from the capital for nearly a month. The snowstorm was so fierce that the messenger hawks couldn’t fly through, and communication with the capital had been almost completely cut off. Yan Guan couldn’t understand what kind of Prophecy could make Chao Ge take such risks. If it was a plague, it would get far worse.
No comments:
Post a Comment