DCPRT Chapter 67

When it came to the matter of You Yuyi and You Yushan going missing during their investigation, the fact that You Yusui had not immediately prayed to every god and Buddha for them to die out there and never come back was already the height of his self-restraint.

“Can I get sick?” You Yusui asked, holding the imperial edict in his hand.

Eunuch Fubao looked at his Crown Prince with an expression of helpless difficulty, and finally said, “No, you cannot — because Imperial Physician Cui said Your Highness is fit for long-distance travel.”

Upon hearing this, You Yusui narrowed his eyes and said, “Oh~ Cui Yan, is it.”

He had noted this grudge, and decided to repay it immediately.

At the same time, news that the Prince Yan and Prince Wu had gone missing somewhere within Hedong Commandery, their fates unknown, reached the rear palace.

Consort Xian, who had been speaking with Princess Wu, went pale the moment she heard the news. The string of her prayer beads snapped in her hands, and the plump coral beads scattered and rolled across the floor like falling raindrops.

“Where is His Majesty? What did His Majesty say?” Consort Xian gripped the armrest and rose to her feet, looking toward the young eunuch who had come bearing the message.

It was no wonder Consort Xian was thrown into a panic — the matter had come so suddenly that she had never once imagined You Yushan could come to harm. You Yushan was her only capable child. If You Yushan were to die, her younger son was utterly unreliable, and all the glory and prosperity she had schemed for her family would dissolve into nothing but an empty dream.

Beside her, Princess Wu Su Yingying rose and took Consort Xian’s arm, her face filled with anxious distress. “Mother Consort, please do not panic just yet — His Majesty must have already sent people to find my husband!”

Consort Xian looked toward the young eunuch. “Has he?”

The young eunuch, rattled by the savage flash that had crossed Consort Xian’s face in that instant, forced himself to speak through his unease. “His Majesty has dispatched the Crown Prince to go and search for the Prince Yan and Prince Wu.”

“The Crown Prince?” Consort Xian lowered her head, her expression grave, then let out a cold laugh. The Crown Prince, who even wishes for her son’s death, going out of his way to find them? Hardly.

Consort Xian’s expression turned exceedingly serious. She turned to her most trusted attendant and said, “Go to the Li family. Tell my father to quietly send people to search for Shan’er. They must find Shan’er before the Crown Prince does — we absolutely cannot allow the Crown Prince to harm Shan’er.”

“Yes!” The attendant received her orders and departed the palace immediately for the Li family.

Su Yingying lowered her head. When she had heard the news of You Yushan’s disappearance, what had surged up inside her was far more delight than shock — she even found herself hoping You Yushan would simply die out there and never return.

After Consort Xian had gone through everyone in the palace and threatened them all into silence, she finally turned her gaze to Su Yingying. “Yingying…”

Su Yingying lifted her face, brimming with tears. “Mother Consort, I am so worried about my husband.”

Consort Xian looked at her expression and felt deeply satisfied. As long as Su Yingying’s heart remained with them, they had already won.

“Good child, do not worry.” Consort Xian patted Su Yingying’s shoulder.

Su Yingying said sincerely through her tears, “I wish to stay in the Prince’s Mansion’s prayer hall and offer prayers for my husband’s safety until I receive word that he is well.”

Prayers that You Yushan would best die out there and never return, leaving her to live out her days as a widow.

Consort Xian was naturally in agreement, and even offered Su Yingying a few words of comfort.

“The governor of Hedong Commandery was personally elevated by my father,” Consort Xian said, her composure now restored, as she slowly analyzed the situation for Su Yingying. “Even if Shan’er went missing within Hedong Commandery, the likelihood of something truly happening to him is not great. When the time comes, my father’s people will find Shan’er, and once the Crown Prince has traced the missing disaster relief funds, that credit will belong to Shan’er.”

Su Yingying understood at once that Consort Xian intended for You Yushan to steal the Crown Prince’s hard-won achievement — and that she likely planned to make a move against the Crown Prince while in Hedong Commandery as well. Inwardly, she quietly resolved to have the Huamei carry this information out.

“Mother Consort, when my husband’s whereabouts are found, could word be sent to me directly, so that I may set my heart at ease?” Su Yingying’s beautiful eyes glistened with tears, filled with an indescribable worry and fear that made it seem as though she had grown deeply attached to You Yushan.

“Of course it will be told to you, do not worry.” Consort Xian patted Su Yingying’s hand.

Su Yingying immediately let out a breath of relief. “Then I can offer my prayers for my husband with a settled heart.”

……

On the other side of the palace, the Imperial Noble Consort’s composure was nothing compared to Consort Xian’s. The moment she heard that You Yuyi had met with misfortune, the Imperial Noble Consort was thrown into complete disarray — to say nothing of recovering her wits the way Consort Xian had managed after her initial panic.

“Ruqiu, Ruqiu!” The Imperial Noble Consort called out at the top of her voice. “Go quickly and find my father — tell him to think of something!”

Then, when she learned that You Fengyun had sent the Crown Prince to thoroughly investigate the matter and search for You Yuyi, she grew even more impossible to calm.

The Imperial Noble Consort burst out cursing. “Do I not know what kind of child that lowborn woman raised? He must be nursing some wicked scheme to harm my son!”

Then she broke into loud sobs. “Had I known it would come to this, I never would have let him take on this investigation!”

When her weeping had run its course, she said to the palace attendants around her. “Prepare my palanquin. I must go and see His Majesty — I will beg him to send someone else to find my son.”

The rear palace was in constant turbulence. The Imperial Noble Consort went to You Fengyun’s side and alternated between weeping and creating a scene, begging You Fengyun to send her brother or father to thoroughly investigate the case and search for You Yuyi at the same time.

The result was that she received a thorough scolding from You Fengyun: Prime Minister Su had a mountain of state affairs to attend to each day — if he were roped into this investigation as well, did she want to work him to death?

In the end, the Imperial Noble Consort also earned herself several additional days of confinement.

……

In truth, You Fengyun had his own considerable headaches over who to send on the investigation. Surveying the entire court, civil and military alike, there was genuinely not a single one he could entrust this to without reservation.

Men of aristocratic families could not be used — after all, the great clans were all intermarried with one another, and who could say what connections the powerful households of Dayang County might have to those clans in the capital? Imperial relatives could not be used either — the Governor of Hedong Commandery was his maternal uncle’s direct subordinate, and officials shielding one another would likely see the matter come to a quiet, unresolved end. And among those of humble origins, aside from Prime Minister Su, which official had the prestige and capability to match him? Anyone else sent to Hedong Commandery might well be killed without anyone ever finding out.

And so it was that You Fengyun had no choice but to set his sights on You Yusui.

The Crown Prince had been convalescing for so many days now — surely his health had recovered? The Crown Prince had even been so furious upon hearing about the affair that he had coughed up blood — surely, sent to pursue the disaster relief funds, he would apply himself wholeheartedly?

And so, after gravely inquiring of Cui Yan about You Yusui’s condition, and concluding that his health was passable, You Fengyun entrusted the matter to You Yusui.

……

Meanwhile, in the Xie family’s garden, Cui Yan was peering around in all directions, then turned to Xie Tan beside him and asked, “Where is that peony of yours? I don’t see it anywhere.”

“What are you here for?” Xie Tan, dressed in a plain moon-white robe that made him look all the more cool and distant, looked at Cui Yan and said.

Cui Yan smiled and replied, “Your peony has likely been plucked by someone to go look for bugs.”

“What do you mean?” Xie Tan asked.

Cui Yan lowered his gaze to the teacup in his hands and said, “His Majesty summoned me today to ask whether the Crown Prince’s health could withstand a long journey.”

He then met Xie Tan’s eyes directly and said, “I imagine you can already guess what His Majesty means.”

Xie Tan’s expression shifted at once. “It is not as though the court is without capable men — why send the Crown Prince? I will go and request an imperial decree myself.”

Cui Yan reached out and stopped him. “You know His Majesty’s thinking as well as anyone. His choice of the Crown Prince has surely been weighed from many angles.”

If someone of humble birth were sent, they would simply end up dead. If imperial relatives were sent, officials would shield one another. If aristocratic families were sent, they might feel a fox mourning the death of a rabbit and deliberately go easy on their own kind. Furthermore, while the great clans entrenched in Dayang County had not managed to forge marriage alliances with the core lines of the top aristocratic houses, they still maintained connections with those noble families in the capital.

“And besides,” Cui Yan said, looking at Xie Tan, “if you were sent, you would probably just quietly arrange for those two idiots to die on the road.”

Xie Tan rubbed his temple. “But we cannot let His Highness go and suffer.”

“Suffer?” Cui Yan said with a meaningful look. You actually think the Crown Prince would allow himself to suffer.

…..

Just as Cui Yan had expected, once You Yusui had calmed down after receiving the imperial edict, he made straight for Xuande Hall, and the very first thing he did was bundle Cui Yan up and take him along.

“That Father Emperor has entrusted this matter to this son fills this son with trepidation,” You Yusui said to You Fengyun, adopting an expression of delicate helplessness. “Only, this son’s health is poor — might this son be permitted to bring Imperial Physician Cui along the way?”

“Granted,” said You Fengyun.

Such a reasonable request You Fengyun naturally approved without hesitation. Adding one imperial physician to the entourage was no great matter.

“This son is without any strength to his name,” You Yusui continued. “Might this son be permitted to bring additional guards?”

You Fengyun considered briefly and said, “Zhen will assign you twenty more shadow guards.”

“May I bring my own people as well?” You Yusui asked.

“You may,” You Fengyun agreed — bringing a few more along for the sake of safety was not unreasonable.

What You Fengyun had not anticipated was that by “a few more,” You Yusui meant half the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace guard.

…..

The last matter was that You Yusui asked You Fengyun for the military tally capable of mobilizing the garrison troops of the commanderies nearest to Hedong Commandery.

At this, You Fengyun set down the brush in his hand and looked at You Yusui. “What are you planning to do?”

You Yusui smiled at You Fengyun and said, “The situation in Hedong Commandery — Father Emperor has likely more or less guessed at it. What this son faces is a battle to the death.”

It was not impossible that the entire garrison of Dayang County had already fallen entirely under the control of the local powerful clans.

After a moment of silence, You Fengyun said, “Granted.”

“This is only a loan. Return it the moment you are done with it.”

Upon hearing this, You Yusui could not help but inwardly grumble: what a cheapskate — you handed the tiger tally to General Liu nearly ten years ago and showed no such urgency to get it back.

“Yes,” said You Yusui.

…..

On the other side, Xie Yi, who had only just learned that You Yusui was heading to Hedong Commandery, was beating his chest in a frenzy of indignation.

“How can my Suisui be sent all the way out there? The road will be so hard on him — is there truly no one left in the court?” Xie Yi said, wiping his eyes. “Quickly — go and pack Suisui’s luggage!”

The moment the words fell, Xie Ling, who had been singled out, had no choice but to go and busy himself with the task.

“Bring the manor’s cook along for Suisui, lest he find the food disagreeable along the way.”

“Understood.” Xie Ling diligently bundled up the cook.

“Bring along the storyteller we hired for the manor, so Suisui won’t be bored on the road.”

Xie Ling: “Oh.”

“Send all the winter furs from the manor to Suisui — the road will be bumpy, and he can use them to pad the carriage.”

Xie Ling: “Alright.”

“And bring along those chamber pots as well.”

Xie Ling: “Hah?”

“What do you mean, hah? I told you to bring them!”

“…Oh.”

……

And so, on the day of departure, the Crown Prince’s convoy stretched for several li, and the number of people in the entourage reached over a thousand.

At that moment, You Fengyun finally could not hold himself together. Was he going to investigate a case, or going on holiday?!