Chapter 116
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The next morning, as Gu Yuanbai prepared to leave Xue’s residence, he didn’t expect to see Xue Yuan again.
But when the door opened, he met Xue Yuan’s bloodshot eyes and stubbly face. Xue Yuan forced a smile despite the cold, his shoulders damp with dew. “Your Majesty, I wish to enter the palace.”
“…” Gu Yuanbai asked, “What for?”
Xue Yuan replied, “To protect you.”
Gu Yuanbai toyed with the jade ring on his finger, his gaze shifting from Xue Yuan’s face to his stubble and dark circles. “Do you need a salary?”
“Just food and shelter will do, Your Majesty,” Xue Yuan answered.
Gu Yuanbai nodded decisively. “Follow me then.”
Thus, the group leaving the residence grew by one. Xue Yuan tightened his boots, adjusted his blade, and rejoined the ranks of the imperial guards.
He watched Gu Yuanbai’s back, lowering his gaze and gripping his blade hilt tightly.
Upon returning to the palace, Gu Yuanbai summoned the Donglingweis. Before he could order a thorough search of the sleeping quarters and the Xuanzheng Hall, officials from the Supervision Bureau came to see him.
These officials had returned from the coast. Gu Yuanbai had sent them to investigate the salt and brine pools there, seeking ways to produce more salt, as Xixia’s black salt was becoming increasingly prevalent. He was always looking for new resources.
In addition, they had a special task: to search the coastal areas for previously unseen crops and to see if seeds from other continents had been carried by the waves to the borders of Great Heng, or perhaps brought by seagulls, taking root and sprouting along the coast. If they could indeed find potato or corn seeds along the coast, it would be a great joy.
This group had been at the coast for two years and was returning for the first time. Gu Yuanbai ordered the Donglingwei to wait aside and had the officials from the Supervision Bureau come forward.
After the officials from the Supervision Bureau paid their respects, they wasted no time. They first reported on the salt-drying activities along the coast and then presented a map to Gu Yuanbai. As Gu Yuanbai looked at the red dots on the map, he asked, “These are the newly discovered rock salt and salt ponds?”
“Yes,” replied the official from the Supervision Bureau. “We discovered a salt lake in a mountain hollow in the Liangzhe area. After countless years of exposure to the scorching sun, the lake water had long since evaporated, leaving only salt crystals as bright as snowflakes. There are many such salt lakes in the area, and after some testing, we found that the salt is indeed edible.”
“Natural sun-dried salt,” Gu Yuanbai’s eyes lit up. “Is there a lot?”
“A whole mountain range of varying sizes,” the Supervision Bureau official cautiously responded. “We’ve already had the garrison surround the area. We discovered that the local animals love to lick a particular mountainside before noon. When we went to check, just a few scrapes with a blade revealed dirty salt crystals, but scraping further uncovered pure white salt. Those mountain peaks seemed covered in snow, but it was actually rock salt. However, we didn’t have enough manpower to fully investigate, so we came back to report to Your Majesty.”
Gu Yuanbai’s breathing became heavier. “And these mountains with salt lakes?”
“Yes,” the official couldn’t help but smile. “We boldly speculate that these mountains are massive salt mines.”
This unexpected joy made Gu Yuanbai beam with happiness. The officials from the Supervision Bureau, seeing the emperor’s delight, felt gratified and brought out a wooden box. “Your Majesty, when we returned from the coast, we found that the wealthy families by the sea favored a particular spice. It has a pleasant fragrance and can invigorate the mind. We brought some as a tribute to Your Majesty.”
Gu Yuanbai happily agreed, instructing Tian Fusheng to take the box. He had the palace incense extinguished and the hall ventilated before lighting the new spice on his desk for appraisal.
Wisps of smoke rose gracefully from the incense burner, filling the room with a subtle and elegant fragrance. Gu Yuanbai’s smile froze, slowly fading into an expressionless mask.
As his expression cooled, the atmosphere in the hall seemed to freeze as well. In the vast palace, only the ethereal smoke swirled gently in the wind.
Gu Yuanbai leaned back, resting against the chair, his emotions unpredictable. “Is this incense from the coast?”
The official from the Supervision Bureau straightened. “I wouldn’t dare lie, Your Majesty. This incense indeed came from the coast.”
Gu Yuanbai’s breathing quickened, his hand clenching the armrest until his fingertips turned white, barely containing his anger. “I see. You’ve worked hard. You may withdraw now.”
The officials, visibly worried, obediently retreated.
Once they left, Gu Yuanbai looked at the Donglingweis, his eyes cold as ice. “Summon the Seventh Prince of Xixia! Tell him I invite him to enjoy the Imperial Garden with me.”
The Donglingweis promptly obeyed, while Gu Yuanbai’s expression grew darker, almost menacing. He suddenly grabbed the incense burner and hurled it into the hall. It landed with a crash, making the palace servants kneel in fright.
“Incense from the coast, coastal incense!” The veins on Gu Yuanbai’s forehead bulged with rage. “How did it become the national incense of Xixia?”
Xixia, located inland in present-day Ningxia and Shaanxi, was far from the sea. How could an inland nation have a coastal incense as its national scent?
The incense burner rolled across the floor, stopping under Xue Yuan’s foot. His face shadowed with anger, Xue Yuan stepped forward to support the trembling emperor.
Gu Yuanbai, with Xue Yuan’s help, sat back down. He gazed at the scattered ashes, his mind racing until a thought flashed through: addiction.
***
The wind blew through the palace doors, making hair and robes flutter. The midday sun stretched shadows across the floor, yet Gu Yuanbai felt a deep chill.
He clutched Xue Yuan’s hand, leaving deep indentations on the back of it.
Addiction, what exactly was addiction?
The most notorious was opium. The well-known addictive substance hated and feared by the Chinese, made from the poppy plant.
And then there was Five Minerals Powder.
Five Minerals Powder was popular in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, though now rarely used. But opium had been tributed from foreign nations since the Tang Dynasty, always regarded as a good medicine. Right, opium wasn’t called opium then; it was known as “poppy seeds.”
A chill penetrated Gu Yuanbai’s mind, clouding his organs with darkness. He felt icy cold, losing the strength to hold Xue Yuan’s hand, which was then grasped by Xue Yuan.
Suppressing his emotions, Xue Yuan said, “Your Majesty.”
Gu Yuanbai looked up at him in confusion and said, “Xue Jiuyao, I think I’ve been poisoned.”
Addictive substances, when used sparingly, could be beneficial medicine. Gu Yuanbai believed that if someone had secretly exposed him to an addictive substance, it must have been in minuscule amounts, deemed beneficial by the imperial physicians.
However, the heart palpitations, shortness of breath, weakness in the limbs after leaving the palace for a while, and the dry heaving—all these symptoms clearly indicated an addiction.
Xue Yuan’s grip suddenly tightened. He clenched his teeth, his jaw muscles bulging as if he was about to explode. “Incense?”
Seeing him ready to fight at any moment, Gu Yuanbai, on the contrary, calmed down. “Not necessarily.”
If he were truly addicted, yesterday’s episode wouldn’t have been so easy to overcome. Even though Gu Yuanbai had never used drugs, he knew what withdrawal symptoms looked like.
Even if the incense from Xixia was problematic, the imperial physicians hadn’t detected any harm, indicating the dosage was too small to affect a normal person’s health, only to “invigorate the mind.”
His overly sensitive and frail body might have overreacted to such substances.
Gu Yuanbai felt a sense of relief thinking about it, “Let’s wait for the Seventh Prince of Xixia to arrive.” For the first time, he was thankful for his poor health. “As for the matter of Xixia’s national incense, I don’t believe they would dare to harm me so blatantly.”
Xue Yuan’s breath caught, “Aren’t you going to summon the imperial physician first?!”
Gu Yuanbai was taken aback and glanced at him, “Wait a moment.”
Xue Yuan didn’t say more. He gave Gu Yuanbai a deep look, flicked his sword, and stood by his side, waiting.
Gu Yuanbai recalled Xue Yuan’s words from the previous night about blocking the road to the underworld for him, and his expression shifted slightly. “Tian Fusheng, call for the imperial physician to wait in the side hall.”
Let’s avoid any unnecessary risks.
Two people squeezing onto the road to the afterlife, it’s quite cramped.
***
The Donglingwei went to fetch the Seventh Prince of Xixia, but they also brought along the Second Prince.
The Second Prince of Xixia appeared anxious, his smile timid. “I followed on my own accord. Please forgive my presumption.”
“No need for such formality,” Gu Yuanbai said with a pleasant smile, “Someone, bring seats.”
The two Xixia princes sat down, and Gu Yuanbai chatted with them about Xixia customs. Suddenly, he asked, “Seventh Prince, do you find the scent in my hall familiar?”
Li Angshun’s eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the scent. He smiled, “It’s certainly familiar. This is our national incense. In Xixia, from my father the emperor to the officials and wealthy, everyone loves this scent.”
Gu Yuanbai repeated, “From the emperor to officials and wealthy…”
His heart sank.
“Exactly,” Li Angshun said, “The incense in my father’s palace is even more intense than the one here in your majesty’s palace. He is truly fond of this scent; even while asleep, he needs the palace attendants to continuously replenish the incense. If the incense runs out in the middle of the night, my father will wake up in a panic.”
Gu Yuanbai closed his eyes. “I also find this scent pleasant.”
It’s already a slow-acting poison.
Li Angshun’s eyes showed a hint of satisfaction. “This incense has a refreshing effect, and our esteemed ministers praise it highly.”
Gu Yuanbai lost interest in the conversation and, claiming to feel unwell, had the palace attendants take the princes to stroll in the Imperial Garden.
The Second Prince obediently rose, while Li Angshun looked disappointed. At that moment, he sensed a hostile gaze. Looking up, he saw an exceptionally handsome guard behind the Emperor, staring at his fingers.
Li Angshun frowned, but before he could react, he noticed two large black wolves in a corner, standing as tall as humans, their eyes fixed on his fingers as well.
Chilled, Li Angshun turned and followed the attendants out of the hall.
Shortly after, the imperial physicians arrived and checked the Emperor’s pulse. Gu Yuanbai, eyes closed, was still troubled by Li Angshun’s words about the “national incense.”
The emperor of Xixia was deeply addicted. Haven’t the Xixia people noticed the incense’s dangers? Who traded such addictive substances with Xixia and brought them here to Gu Yuanbai?
Is this why Xixia could produce such a large amount of reparations?
“Investigate,” Gu Yuanbai said hoarsely, burdened with immense pressure. “Find out where these incenses are being transported from to Xixia, and also trace how they are entering Great Heng from the coast.”
This kind of addictive substance is almost the highest symbol of power, a tool to dominate and control others.
It must not be tolerated. We absolutely need to find out who is coveting Great Heng and who has such a large appetite that they even want to devour Xixia in one bite.
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