The Crown Prince Chases His Wife
Chapter 83 Troubles
In Yangzhou City.
The news of multiple breaches of embankments along the Qingjiang River had spread, causing widespread panic. The citizens were anxious, unsure when this flood would finally be brought under control, and fearing that their own lives and homes might be next to suffer.
The Taizi’s urgent departure to Sanhe Town, the most severely affected area, was soon known to Qin Yan through Shen Ying.
In Cangxi Forest.
Qin Yan was in her study, flipping through an ancient scroll, while Shen Ying chattered nearby, “Everyone outside is saying how the Taizi is so diligent and cares deeply for the people…”
“Shen Ying.” Qin Yan’s cold voice cut her off mid-sentence.
Shen Ying froze and looked at her mistress.
Qin Yan’s expression was unreadable, her tone icy, “Do you remember who your master is?”
Shen Ying lowered her head in embarrassment. She was just trying to look out for her master.
In Shen Ying’s eyes, the Taizi’s presence seemed to bring a rare sense of relaxation and happiness to her master, as if she could temporarily set aside her usual responsibilities and burdens. Wasn’t that a good thing?
Shen Ying firmly believed it was.
At that moment, Ji Nanfeng knocked on the door and entered.
“Master, the grain and medicine have been prepared. Should I send them to the Prefect’s office?”
Qin Yan set the scroll aside, “No, send them directly to the counties and districts most affected by the disaster.”
“Understood, Master.” Ji Nanfeng noted the change. Normally, donations from Yu Qingfeng would be sent directly to the regional officials. This time, it seemed that the Prefect of Yangzhou, Lord Lin, had fallen out of favor with the mistress.
————-
On the official road leading from Lingnan to Yangzhou, inside a modest carriage driven by two young men dressed in tight-fitting outfits, a man and a woman sat facing each other.
The man wore a dark black brocade robe, exuding a powerful and commanding presence, while the woman was dressed in a pomegranate-red dress, her appearance strikingly beautiful, mature, and alluring.
Both had their eyes closed, resting inside the carriage. As the carriage slowed down upon passing a group of people traveling in the opposite direction, the two inside simultaneously opened their eyes.
The sound of the people’s casual chatter outside the carriage filtered in intermittently.
“Where are you coming from?”
“Lulin Town. And you?”
“We’re from Sanhe Town. Sigh…”
“Sanhe Town, huh? You’ve had it even worse.”
“Yeah, our houses were washed away by the flood, and our crops are gone too. We won’t be able to pay the grain tax this year, so we have no choice but to leave our homes.”
“I heard the Taizi himself went to your Sanhe Town. With such luck, are you still leaving?”
“Flood control isn’t something that can be fixed in a day or two…”
“We’re heading to Jingzhou. What about you?”
“Yizhou…”
…..
As the carriage slowly moved past, the voices outside gradually faded away.
Inside, the beautiful woman furrowed her brows slightly.
The Taizi?
It seemed that Junyan had mentioned something about Yan Yan and the Taizi having an unusual relationship.
Yan Yan was interested in… Feng Si’s son?
“Is Sanhe Town ahead?” the woman asked the driver.
“Yes, Lady Shen,” came the reply.
The woman glanced at the silent man across from her and spoke, not as a question, but as a statement,
“We’ll stop by Sanhe Town first, then proceed to Yangzhou.”
Despite being seated in the confined space of the carriage, the man still radiated an imposing aura. He looked at the woman opposite him, his gaze softened with a hint of affection and indulgence.
“Just remember, after this journey, you are bound by our agreement…”
His deep voice paused briefly before he continued, “You are bound to marry me as per our agreement. The itinerary is yours to decide.”
The woman cast a sideways glance at the man, then closed her eyes again, resuming her rest.
———-
Yangzhou City, at the Prefect’s office, the scene was bustling with people coming and going.
Chen Xun, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of War, had arrived in Yangzhou with a group of officials, including He Xiao, and a force of 50,000 soldiers.
Upon reaching the Prefect’s office, Chen Xun met with Prefect Lin Hui to coordinate the deployment of troops for river management and to prevent potential unrest among the displaced population.
Chen Xun then instructed He Xiao, “He Xiao, have your men rest and prepare. In one hour, we will head to Sanhe Town together.”
“Yes, Lord Chen.” He Xiao, though the eldest son of the Minister of War, He Yanming, held great respect for Chen Xun in his position at the Ministry.
He Xiao had learned from his father that this Chen Xun was a trusted confidant of the Emperor, specifically placed in the Ministry of War as the Emperor’s eyes and ears. In front of Lord Chen, He Xiao knew he had to be particularly cautious with his words and actions, not allowing any room for carelessness.
———
In a jewelry and jade shop in Yangzhou City, Qin Nian was lacking in interest. It wasn’t as grand as the capital, and it certainly couldn’t compare to the grandeur of the Imperial Household Department.
After leaving the shop, Qin Nian wandered aimlessly through the streets, bored. Her mother had been busy with something, and despite the ancestral rituals being over, there was still no sign of returning to the capital.
Outside the city, the 50,000 troops brought by the Ministry of War awaited further instructions. He Xiao, along with a few colleagues from the Ministry, entered a respectable-looking tavern.
He Xiao, maintaining his noble demeanor, opted not to dine in the common hall but instead chose a private room on the second floor overlooking the street. He ordered a few fine dishes but refrained from having any alcohol, knowing they would soon be heading to Sanhe Town, and he couldn’t afford to let alcohol cloud his judgment.
Seated by the window, He Xiao casually observed the bustling streets of Yangzhou City. Suddenly, a figure in light green caught his attention.
It was Qin Nian.
He Xiao’s expression immediately darkened, turning cold and sinister.
Qin Nian seemed to be in good spirits, leisurely strolling through the streets. He Xiao’s face twisted with malice as he abruptly stood up and strode out of the room.
The other officers exchanged confused glances before quickly following him out.
———–
Qin Nian was just about to step into a rouge shop when someone suddenly grabbed her wrist with a strong, painful grip.
Startled and wincing, she turned around.
“You?!” Qin Nian was both surprised and irritated to see He Xiao. She had followed her mother to Yangzhou for the ancestral rites specifically to escape the troublesome matters in the capital. To her dismay, it seemed this persistent annoyance, He Xiao, had followed her here.
He Xiao’s expression was dark and menacing, his grip unyielding and completely devoid of any consideration for her discomfort.
Qin Nian’s young maid recognized that this was her mistress’s fiancé and shrank back, thinking it was not her place to interfere in such matters.
Qin Nian was about to say something when a commotion suddenly erupted in the street ahead.
“Make way! Get out of the way, the carriage is out of control!” A man’s urgent shout grew louder as it approached.
Both He Xiao and Qin Nian looked up to see a carriage careening wildly towards them. The pedestrians on the street scrambled to get out of its path, some tumbling to the ground in their haste.
He Xiao narrowed his eyes but still didn’t release her wrist.
Qin Nian tried to pull away, but the disparity in strength between them made her efforts futile.
Suddenly, He Xiao turned his gaze back to her, his eyes cold and merciless. A surge of dread washed over Qin Nian, and before she could react, He Xiao abruptly released her, giving a slight push that sent her stumbling toward the center of the street. Qin Nian’s eyes widened in shock as she fell backward.
“Ah, Miss!” her maid cried out, covering her mouth in horror.
The carriage was nearly upon them. Qin Nian’s back slammed into the left wheel of the speeding carriage, sending a searing pain through her lower back before she was thrown to the ground, hitting the pavement hard.
The carriage continued barreling forward until it was finally brought under control at the corner of the street.
“Miss! Miss!” Qin Nian’s maid, panic-stricken, rushed to her mistress’s side.
He Xiao stood there, coldly watching the woman writhing on the ground, clutching her stomach. She was his fiancée, a woman he loathed with every fiber of his being.
Why hadn’t she died? If she had, this cursed engagement would have ended.
Qin Nian lay on the ground, weakly twisting in pain.
“It hurts… my stomach hurts so much,” she whimpered.
Onlookers began to gather around them, but most were just curious onlookers, wary of getting involved. No one stepped forward to help the woman lying in the street.
The maid, tears streaming down her face, cried out desperately, “Please, someone help! Help my mistress! She’s the Second Young Lady of the Right Prime Minister Mansion! Please, help her!”
Seeing that the crowd was more interested in gossiping than helping, the maid turned to He Xiao in desperation.
“Young Master He, you’re my young lady’s fiancé! Please, save her, Young Master He!”
But He Xiao remained unmoved, his eyes cold as he continued to watch.
The murmurs among the crowd grew louder, “Is this some kind of trick? The Right Prime Minister’s daughter?”
“That man is her fiancé? But he’s just standing there, doing nothing. That doesn’t seem right…”
———
At that moment, a woman dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, with an extraordinarily beautiful face, stepped out of the Yu Qingfeng Bank diagonally across the street. She was Princess Zhaoren, Qin Yan.
The murmurs of the crowd reached Qin Yan’s ears, causing her to frown, “Shen Ying, go see what’s happening.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Shen Ying made her way through the crowd and saw the woman lying on the ground—it was indeed the Second Young Lady of the Right Prime Minister Mansion, Qin Nian. She quickly returned to report.
“Mistress, it’s Miss Qin Nian from the Right Prime Minister Mansion, and Young Master He Xiao from the He family is also there.”
Qin Yan raised an eyebrow. How coincidental.
She began to walk forward, with Shen Ying clearing the way ahead. The crowd, recognizing the imposing presence of this noble and beautiful woman, instinctively parted to allow her through.
Qin Yan slowly approached the bedraggled figure of Qin Nian—her so-called sister—and looked down at her.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd cried out, “Look, there’s blood under her skirt!”
“Is she having a miscarriage?”
“Isn’t she engaged? Could it be an out-of-wedlock pregnancy?”
……
He Xiao’s face contorted in a mix of shock and rage, but he still didn’t move.
The street’s onlookers continued to speculate, “Look at her fiancé just standing there, watching coldly. Maybe the baby isn’t his—it could belong to some other man. He must be furious.”
“Seems likely.”
……
The onlookers seemed convinced by their own deductions.
He Xiao’s face darkened to the color of soot. His colleagues, seeing him unmoved, hesitated, unsure if they should step forward to help. After all, this was the Second Young Lady of the Prime Minister Mansion…
———–
Qin Nian lay curled up in agony on the ground, her maid’s cries growing increasingly desperate.
The young maid suddenly spotted Qin Yan and quickly crawled over, trying to grab the hem of Qin Yan’s dress, only to be blocked by Shen Ying.
“Eldest Young Lady, please save our Miss!” the maid cried, even bowing her head in a plea.
Qin Nian, who was about to lose consciousness in pain, forced her eyes open. The last thing she wanted was for Qin Yan to see her in such a pitiful state. She bit down hard on her lip, refusing to speak.
Qin Yan gave a cold, amused smile before speaking in a detached tone, “Take her to the medical clinic and report this to the authorities.”
Hearing this, Qin Nian suddenly found the strength to speak, her voice weak, filled with pain and desperation,
“No… not the clinic, not the authorities.”
“Miss,” the maid was confused and distressed. The Eldest Young Lady was finally willing to help, so why was her own mistress being so stubborn?
“You can’t do this,” Qin Nian forced out, using every ounce of strength she had left to get the words out.
Qin Nian was acutely aware that the sharp pain in her lower abdomen and the sticky sensation beneath her likely meant she had miscarried. But she couldn’t go to a clinic, and she definitely couldn’t let this be reported. If it became known that she was pregnant out of wedlock, her reputation would be ruined, and the engagement to He Xiao would become a foregone conclusion.
It would cement her fate…
“Let me die…” Qin Nian tried to provoke Qin Yan into leaving. The last person she wanted to see in this state was her noble older sister.
The crowd murmured in disapproval, “That young lady doesn’t know what’s good for her…”
“Indeed…”
Qin Yan stared down at Qin Nian, her voice cold and cutting, “Death is the easiest option. You don’t deserve that luxury.”
“You will live, and this life is long. There are still many… interesting things you have yet to experience.”
“Shen Ying, see to it,” Qin Yan ordered decisively.
Qin Nian, whether from the pain or the fury, finally passed out.
“Miss! Miss!” The young maid knelt beside Qin Nian, completely lost, unsure of what to do.
Shen Ying immediately signaled the people from Yu Qingfeng to carry Qin Nian onto the bank’s carriage. The maid, still crying, followed them as they headed to the nearest medical clinic.
Qin Yan cast one last glance at the stunned He Xiao before turning and leaving in her own carriage.
He Xiao’s mind was in turmoil. He clearly remembered that the first time he was with Qin Nian in the Imperial Garden, she was a virgin. Their engagement had been arranged quickly afterward, so it was unlikely that Qin Nian had been involved with anyone else. If she had indeed miscarried… by calculating the timing, the child would likely have been his.
And just now, he had killed his own child…
————
The next day, rumors spread rapidly throughout Yangzhou City. It was said that the Second Young Lady of the Right Prime Minister Mansion, Qin Nian, had been struck by an out-of-control carriage and miscarried. Worse, whispers circulated that she had been pregnant before marriage and that the child might not have belonged to her fiancé, He Xiao, the eldest son of the He family.
However, before this gossip could fully take hold, an even more shocking piece of news emerged from Sanhe Town.
The Taizi had been attacked while inspecting the river dikes in Sanhe Town. He fell into the river and was now missing.
This news, carried swiftly from Sanhe Town, soon reached Yangzhou—and, inevitably, the capital.
In response, Minister of War Chen Xun and Yangzhou Prefect Lin Hui immediately dispatched search parties to Sanhe Town to find the Taizi, but their efforts proved fruitless.
In the capital city, the news of the Taizi’s assassination and subsequent disappearance sent shockwaves through the court.
The dominance that the Taizi and his faction had held over the years now seemed on the brink of collapse.
At the An residence, in the study.
Grand Scholar An Shifeng and his son, An Wenjing, sat facing each other, engaged in a serious discussion.
“Father, is it truly wise to abandon years of careful planning just like that? Isn’t it too much of a loss?” An Wenjing was still hesitant about the next steps.
An Shifeng understood that his son was overly cautious and lacked boldness. However, having served through two reigns, he had weathered many storms, and none of them had been without peril.
“Wenjing, we must follow the instructions given by the Taizi.”
“For years, the Taizi’s policies have been repeatedly obstructed, with some of the resistance even coming from the Empress Dowager in Shou’an Palace. This deadlock must be broken.”
“Whether the Empress Dowager suspects that something has truly happened to the Taizi or not, she is a power-hungry woman. She will not tolerate a Crown Prince who is beyond her control. She will act, rather than passively wait for news of the Taizi’s safety.”
“This is our chance to force the Empress Dowager to make a choice, to drive a wedge between her and the Taizi. We need to make the wavering officials, especially the old ministers loyal to the Empress Dowager, choose a side.”
“We simply need to wait and prepare the list. The Taizi will make the final decision.”
An Shifeng’s old eyes narrowed slightly, filled with wisdom and determination.
“But what if… the Taizi really is lost…” An Wenjing was still hesitant, unable to shake his doubts.
An Shifeng glanced at his son, sighing inwardly. Wenjing still needed more experience.
“There are no certainties in this world. We can only do our duty, take action, and leave the rest to fate.”
“But, Wenjing, you must understand one thing.”
“There can be no creation without destruction.”
———-
At the same time, more dire news emerged from Sanhe Town, signs of a plague were beginning to appear.
Yangzhou’s Prefect, Lin Hui, was horrified. He had only been in office for two years, and now he was facing a series of catastrophic events. With Sanhe Town being just over a hundred miles from Yangzhou City, the potential spread of the plague could have devastating consequences.
Lin Hui immediately convened his colleagues to discuss how to handle the situation.
“We have to seal off Sanhe Town. If the plague spreads, it won’t just be our positions on the line—our heads will roll.”
“But the Taizi might still be in Sanhe Town…”
“Even if the Taizi is still there, we must seal it off. Besides, whether the Taizi is still alive…”
“Watch your words! Do you want to lose your head?”
“We don’t have time to wait for instructions from the capital. We must act quickly…”
“Prefect Lin, we need to make a decision immediately. There’s no time to waste.”
At that moment, one of Lin Hui’s aides hurried in.
“Prefect, an urgent decree has arrived from the capital.”
The aide handed Lin Hui a sealed letter, which he immediately opened and read.
Lin Hui’s brow furrowed deeply, but he also felt a sense of relief.
The Second Prince was on his way to Yangzhou to take over and manage the crisis in place of the Taizi.
The aide then whispered something additional into Lin Hui’s ear:
“Prefect, the messenger also mentioned that it seems the Empress Dowager Xiao is considering shifting her support to the Second Prince.”
Lin Hui’s eyes widened at the news. After a moment, he turned to the assembly and announced, “Seal off Sanhe Town.”
———-
At Cangxi Forest in Yangzhou City.
Qin Yan stood before a table in the garden, brush in hand as she worked on a painting. The image was originally meant to be a serene autumn garden scene, but as she continued, a figure of a man in a dark robe began to take shape in one corner of the pavilion.
Shen Ying, who was standing by, attending to the ink and brushes, was startled. That figure… it seemed to resemble…
She glanced at her master with a mix of surprise and understanding. At that moment, Qin Yan’s brush hesitated, and she seemed to notice the oddity in her work.
Frowning slightly, Qin Yan set down the brush and moved to the nearby basin to wash her hands.
Just then, Ji Nanfeng approached, followed by a tall man dressed in a dark brocade robe. Qin Yan looked up and paused briefly.
“Master,” Ji Nanfeng greeted her with a bow.
“Yan Yan,” the man addressed her in a gentle tone.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Qin Yan’s eyes, but it quickly disappeared.
“Junyan,” she acknowledged.
Qin Yan understood that Gu Junyan’s visit must be related to her mother. After washing her hands, she took the towel that Shen Ying handed her, dried her hands, and then set it down.
“To the study,” Qin Yan said, taking a step before pausing and turning back.
“Shen Ying, dispose of that painting.”
Shen Ying’s mouth opened slightly in dismay, clearly reluctant to part with the work.
Ji Nanfeng frowned and glanced at the painting on the table, but by then, Shen Ying had already rolled it up and set it aside.
Master never discards her painting. What could be wrong with this one?
———-
In the study, Gu Junyan skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.
“Yan Yan, Aunt Ying had already reached the outskirts of Yangzhou, but her last message said she was detouring to Sanhe Town. We haven’t heard from her in several days.”
Qin Yan and Ji Nanfeng both frowned at this news.
Sanhe Town… the area most severely affected by the recent floods.
The Taizi disappeared in Sanhe Town.
And now, there are reports of a possible plague…
Qin Yan pondered for a moment before speaking, her voice as calm and composed as ever.
“Mr. Ji, how confident are you in handling the plague?”
Ji Nanfeng understood immediately that his mistress had decided to intervene in the matters of Sanhe Town.
He quickly organized his thoughts and replied, “We’ll need as many physicians as possible, along with medicine, clean water sources, and food. As for diagnosing the plague, we’ll need to assess the situation on-site.”
Qin Yan tapped her fingers rhythmically on the desk and asked in a steady tone, “How much time do you need to prepare?”
Ji Nanfeng considered for a moment, “Give me half a day.”
Qin Yan was unsurprised by her subordinate’s efficiency.
“Good. We depart in half a day. We’re going to Sanhe Town.”