Chapter 89
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“Your Highness… help! Your Highness!”
The choked-up voice of the little child prodigy snapped Xie Duo awake. He looked around and realized he was still in Seventh Brother’s backyard.
“Your Highness!”
The cry for help came from the window. Xie Duo rushed in like an arrow, breaking through the glass.
In the dimly lit room, a group of black-clothed individuals were tugging at the young man’s clothes on the floor.
Even though the room was quite dark, Xie Duo could clearly see the tears glistening in the young man’s peach blossom eyes. “Save me, Your Highness…”
“How dare you!” Xie Duo’s anger flared instantly. He stepped forward in three quick strides, kicking away the group of black-clad people. “Get lost! All of you, get lost!”
Xie Duo bent down to pull the young man on the ground, but in a surprising turn, the young man grabbed hold of his collar. An unusual force made him instinctively bend down.
“Your Highness…” The young man held onto his collar, burying his soft cheek in his embrace, choked up as he said, “I’m so scared…”
Xie Duo instinctively held onto the young man’s supple waist and comforted, “Don’t be afraid, I won’t let them off lightly.”
“Clothes… clothes…” The young man murmured softly in his embrace.
Xie Duo, in a daze, felt around in the darkness and asked in a hoarse voice, “Where are your clothes?”
“Didn’t Your Highness undress me?” The young man looked up at him with a helpless expression. “I’m so scared of Your Highness…”
Xie Duo suddenly became more alert and immediately scolded, “When did I undress you? Just now, it was them—” He angrily pointed around, but found that the black-clothed people had all disappeared. He was back in his chamber, kneeling on the bed, with a young man in nothing but a white undergarment in his arms.
“Why are you treating me like this, Your Highness?” The young man’s eyes glistened with tears.
“I… I…” Xie Duo’s face turned red, and he stammered, “I didn’t…”
The young man gazed at him with a look of accusation. “It’s you, Xie Duo! Don’t you know why I’m afraid of you?”
“It wasn’t me!” Xie Duo suddenly woke up from the nightmare, his forehead drenched in sweat.
“Your Highness!” The eunuch on night duty outside the tent quickly lit the lamps, pushed aside the curtains, and secured the bed railing.
The plump-faced eunuch wore a kind smile. “Did Your Highness have a bad dream? This old servant is here!”
Xie Duo sat up, feeling uncomfortably overheated, and quietly instructed, “Open all the windows.”
“Your Highness, it’s still dark outside, and the night is chilly.”
“Hurry.”
The eunuch wanted to say more.
“I said,” Xie Duo turned to the attendant, “Open the windows.”
The eunuch had no choice but to comply.
As the north window was opened, the cool night breeze rushed into the chamber, making the old eunuch shiver. He reluctantly went to open the window on the other side.
The wind entered from both ends of the room, lifting the heavy curtains on either side of the sandalwood screen. The fragrance from the incense burner scattered in bursts, wafting through the room.
Xie Duo still felt too hot, so he pushed aside the thin blanket, got out of bed, and walked barefoot around the screen, reaching out to feel the cool breeze.
“Oh, Your Highness! Please don’t do that!” The old eunuch rushed forward, grabbing the prince’s arm and, forgetting about etiquette, anxiously pulled him back.
Xie Duo, irritated and wanting to shake off the eunuch’s grasp, noticed the eunuch’s clumsy, overweight body and realized he might stumble and get hurt. He furrowed his brow and allowed himself to be pulled back onto the bed.
The old eunuch, in a panic, picked up a thin blanket from the bed and wrapped it around the prince. As he bent down, he suddenly noticed the proud presence of the “little brother” standing upright below the prince’s abdomen, and the eunuch instantly understood.
Setting down the blanket, the old eunuch gently coaxed, “Your Highness, this inner heat is hard to dispel with just the cool breeze. Perhaps you could summon a maid to help relieve it.”
“I don’t want to,” Xie Duo replied with closed eyes.
The old eunuch sighed and said, “Your Highness, you’re getting older, and this is a common occurrence. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Sooner or later, you’ll have to understand these matters. Your elder brothers from the past…”
“I don’t need it,” Xie Duo calmly said, opening his eyes to look at the old eunuch. “Isn’t it like this every morning? If I need assistance, I’ll call for it.”
The old eunuch opened his mouth to offer a gentle reminder, “It’s still the middle of the night. It’s not yet morning…”
“Just go rest!” Xie Duo, in his frustration, lay down on the bed. He pulled the blanket over his awkward area and scolded in a hushed tone, “Stop being so noisy!”
•••
After daybreak, Han Jiao noticed that his headache had lessened, but he felt a discomfort and tightness in his chest that he couldn’t quite describe.
It was really strange. It wasn’t like he had an alcohol allergy, and the rice wine wasn’t strong. How come he felt so unwell after just three cups?
Plus, every time he woke up, he found that he had cried, even though he didn’t have any hidden emotional pain. Why did he turn into a “melancholic and despondent man” every time he touched alcohol?
He tried to recall what he had been thinking while drunk, but every effort to remember made his head ache intensely. He had no choice but to give up.
It would be best to have someone observe and record his actions throughout the entire time he was drunk.
But it felt embarrassing, not knowing how he might lose control.
Never mind, he didn’t want to think about it. He had to get up and go to work. He could just avoid drinking in the future.
Lately, the imperial court had been buzzing due to the “Rebellion of Luozhou’s Chieftain.”
The government’s policy of funding education in the Sichuan-Guizhou region was just announced. Most tribal areas were implementing it smoothly, but a few unruly regional chieftains found various excuses to hinder education, essentially trying to get extra benefits from the government.
Among these obstinate chieftains was Luozhou’s Chieftain Zhang Mushan, known for his arrogance.
The Zhang family had ruled Luozhou for generations, spanning hundreds of years, becoming local rulers like Emperors. Their arrogance had grown, relying on the geographical advantage of the rugged terrain.
Moreover, Luozhou wasn’t a desolate land. It was wealthy and its people were hardy. The Zhang family had fortified the region over the years, privately constructing eleven strongholds as defensive fortresses, displaying an unbearable arrogance.
For centuries, the imperial court had ignored Zhang’s provocations, mainly because it wasn’t worth it.
Speaking of larger tribes, due to the treacherous mountain roads and lack of proper paths, launching an attack would require building supply routes and clearing the mountain roads first. It would cost a tremendous amount of money to send and maintain troops, and there were no significant benefits to outweigh the losses.
So, generations of hotheaded Emperors chose to turn a blind eye to these matters and let Zhang Mushan do as he pleased.
Recently, the Chieftain of Luozhou caused a major issue that left the Great Chu Emperor unable to eat for three days.
The reason was that two months ago, Zhang Mushan twice demanded over ten thousand taels for “wood collection and mountain clearing” fees from the Governor-General of Sichuan-Guizhou. He verbally promised to assist the imperial court in promoting education. However, when officials from the local administration were dispatched, he suddenly turned hostile and killed more than a hundred scholars and candidates recruited by the court.
A month ago, the Governor-General of Sichuan-Guizhou swiftly reported this matter to the imperial court, inquiring whether anyone should be held accountable.
After contemplating for several days, the Emperor decided to hold back. He secretly ordered the Governor-General of Sichuan-Guizhou to collaborate with the local administrative office in persuading Zhang to come up with a reason for his actions and acknowledge his mistake. This time, the imperial court would not pursue the matter further.
Rather than showing gratitude, Zhang Mushan, who continuously tested the limits, became even more audacious. He seized control of several small tribes in the southwest and openly started constructing more fortified strongholds.
After reading the memorial from the Governor-General of Sichuan-Guizhou, the Emperor nearly overturned his desk. He urgently summoned the court and the Ministers of War, summoning them to Xiyuan Hall.
The Emperor did not allow the ministers to deliberate. He issued an imperial decree directly, “Exterminate the clan, break their bodies into pieces!”
Inside the Xiyuan Hall, not a bird or mouse made a sound. No one dared to respond or offer advice.
“Have you all lost your tongues?”
“Your Majesty is wise,” Senior Minister Li stepped forward, braving the Emperor’s wrath. “The Zhang family of Luozhou is utterly lawless and has defied divine authority. They have brought this destruction upon themselves.”
The Emperor stood up. “Discuss how to wage this war right here in front of me, my ministers.”
Senior Minister Li nodded and replied, “That treacherous Zhang Mushan is deliberately provoking the court as the year-end approaches. He’s exploiting the fact that the northwest border is tight on resources and hard to manage, aiming to divert our military defenses. In my opinion, we need to recruit local militias in the Sichuan-Guizhou region to prepare for war.”
The Emperor’s expression turned cold. His dragon-like gaze slowly fixed on Senior Minister Li. “Minister, you don’t want to send reinforcements?”
Senior Minister Li, undaunted by the Emperor’s wrath, maintained his stance. “To avoid falling into Zhang’s schemes, we must take a deliberate approach to secure our victory in this battle.”
“They have already carved out their territory, seized cities, and pillaged. Do you want to wait until they conquer the entire Sichuan-Guizhou region before taking action?”
Seeing the rare opportunity, Senior Minister Xu, without hesitation, stepped forward to advise, “Your Majesty, I believe that although Minister Li has been careful in his considerations, this matter concerns the nation’s prestige. If we continue to allow this, the tribes in the Sichuan-Guizhou region with ill intentions may join forces in rebellion, and the consequences would be immeasurable. We must spare no effort and swiftly suppress the rebellion in Luozhou.”
The Emperor’s dragon-like face softened slightly, and he nodded to Senior Minister Xu.
Seeing the Emperor’s resolve, others began to support Senior Minister Xu’s counsel.
After a thorough discussion, the Emperor, for the first time, entrusted the authority to appoint and deploy the five military commanders to Senior Minister Xu.
This was truly an unprecedented move.
Over the past few days, the internal affairs within Prince Duan’s party had turned into a complete mess.
Even Elder Lin, in private discussions with Han Jiao, felt that this was Prince Yan’s faction seizing an advantage.
Han Jiao was completely clueless about matters of war. Listening to his colleagues analyze the geography of Luozhou nearly put him to sleep. Finally, when class time arrived, he gathered his spirits to meet the adorable little princes.
Xie An, overjoyed to see Han Jiao, radiated happiness, even blowing rainbow-colored kisses. Obviously, the Ninth Prince had informed his brothers about the improvement in Prince Duan’s condition.
However, the big boss himself didn’t seem very enthusiastic. After completing a class, Xie Duo remained quietly engrossed in his books, occasionally chatting with Xie Jing and Xie An.
But… he didn’t look at Han Jiao once.
This was quite unusual.
Since Han Jiao became a lecturer, the big boss had shown much more eagerness in his classes compared to Xie Jing. However, it wasn’t because he was excited about gaining knowledge but because he seized every opportunity to challenge Han Jiao.
Han Jiao had almost grown accustomed to the piercing amber eyes that seemed to burn with intensity, so this class felt awkward, with the stinky little brother engrossed in his books and avoiding eye contact.
Was it because he was upset about being sent back to the palace yesterday?
There was some apprehension in his heart.
During the free discussion time, Han Jiao took the initiative to go to his usual spot, pulled out a chair, and sat down next to the big boss.
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