The official road through the forest was fairly level. Mu Jue lightly flicked the whip, making the old horse run a bit faster, with two Imperial Guards following closely by his side.
The young man’s robes flapped loudly in the wind, and his half-loose black hair swayed behind him.
He felt the cold wind pricking his face like tiny needles—a sharp, freezing sting.
The back of a horse was far bumpier than a carriage. Since it was his first time riding, the skin on the inside of his thighs soon began to ache from the rubbing.
Mu Jue breathed deeply of the cool, fresh forest air. As he pulled the reins, his heart seemed to wake up from the heavy scent of medicine, beating with a fierce heat.
The scenery on both sides changed as the horse sped along. He saw a tiny village at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by peaks and wrapped in thin, swirling mist. It looked like a place that only existed in books.
There was a small field and a few trails of smoke from cooking fires.
He pulled the reins. The old horse ran a bit further before coming to a slow stop.
Mu Jue gazed silently at the village below. For a brief moment, his soul seemed to break free and return to his body.
The two guards stopped with him, looking at each other as they watched the young man stare down the mountain for a long time.
“…Did the Sixth Prince learn to ride before this?”
Mu Jue replied, “I have never learned.”
One guard muttered under his breath. He had taught many princes archery and riding in the palace; most took five or six days just to ride for a short while, and even then, someone had to lead the horse.
The Sixth Prince was learning for the first time, yet in only half a day, he could already ride off on his own.
It was a pity that such natural talent for riding belonged to a sickly person and a hostage destined to be trapped in Northern Di forever.
“The Sixth Prince has been out for a long time. It is time to go back.”
A few days later, the report of Mu Jue riding on the road was placed on the desk of the Eastern Depot.
Lu Shiting was reading through the memorials delivered from the morning court. The report drifted on the edge of the desk, nearly falling to the floor before Cao Yi quickly caught it.
The sound of the paper cutting through the air startled the man holding the red ink brush and imperial seal. Cao Yi swallowed nervously and handed the report over under his master’s cold gaze.
“It’s about the Sixth Prince,” Cao Yi added softly. “The report from the physician says the Prince is quite ill and his high fever won’t go down. I don’t know why he suddenly went out to ride a horse in such a state.”
The report contained only a few words. Mu Jue had said nothing while riding, and after going a short distance, he returned quickly. Naturally, the Eastern Depot spy had little to write about.
Cao Yi waited for a while, but the Chief did not speak.
On the desk were mountains of memorials and a plate of dried fruit. The fruit Mu Jue had sent was long gone; the servants, thinking the Chief liked them, had specifically asked the imperial kitchen to make more.
But the Chief hadn’t touched a single piece in days.
“Chief, could it be that the Sixth Prince is faking his illness? Is he trying to make the guards relax so he can escape on horseback?”
“The physicians sent are all from the Eastern Depot. They wouldn’t dare lie about the medical records.”
Lu Shiting picked up another memorial, but after a moment, he hadn’t written a single word.
Cao Yi peeked curiously, wondering what difficult political matter was in that file. He caught a glimpse of two lines, but it was just a common memorial filled with flattery and praise for the Chief.
Usually, when the Chief saw such a file, he would glance at the sender’s name and toss it aside.
In a few days or months, the Eastern Depot would find evidence of corruption against that flattering official, and he would be left waiting for a sentence from the Ministry of Justice.
“Is the memorial that interesting?”
Cao Yi flinched and pulled his gaze away with a forced smile.
“I just wanted to help share your burdens, Chief.”
“What are the Northern Di troops doing at the border?”
“Since they heard our hostage started his journey, the Northern Di border camp has been feasting and celebrating for three days. Once the Sixth Prince’s convoy enters Northern Di territory and their army takes over the escort to their capital, the Black Armor Army will launch a surprise attack on their camp as planned.”
Lu Shiting nodded.
“Before he is handed over to the Northern Di people, the Sixth Prince must remain alive.”
“The physician says that in his current state, using ginseng and such to keep him going should get him to Northern Di.”
However, once he reached Northern Di, things would change. Originally, if there was no war, a hostage’s life wouldn’t be in danger.
But their Black Armor Army was about to raid the border camp. Regardless of who won, Northern Di would surely be enraged and use the Sixth Prince as a sacrifice for their war flags.
Rather than dying by a Northern Di blade where his bones could never return home, it might be better if he just died of illness on the road.
The tip of Lu Shiting’s brush touched the paper again, the scarlet ink spreading across the page.
“Since this group of quacks isn’t sure they can keep the Sixth Prince alive until Northern Di, replace them with a new group of physicians. This concerns the war, the border cities, and the lives of our people. There must be no mistakes.”
Cao Yi bowed and obeyed.
One group of physicians after another was swapped out to care for Mu Jue. Half a month passed, but the smell of medicine in the carriage only grew thicker.
A few days ago, Mu Jue could still go out to ride when his spirits were high. Now, his time awake wasn’t even long enough to eat much or drink his medicine.
The physicians had never seen a patient like this—he followed orders perfectly and cooperated with the treatment. No matter how bitter the medicine or how painful the acupuncture, he endured it without a word.
Occasionally, when they spoke words of comfort, he would even smile and reply.
But the “illness of his heart” never improved.
Fragmented and hidden beneath a quiet shell, his worsening condition and the bowls of useless medicine were the only things that let people glimpse the deep-seated pain in the young man’s soul.
The closer they got to the northern border, the more deserted the towns became.
It was Mu Jue’s first time seeing the desert and the rocky wilderness. The rolling yellowish-brown earth stretched toward distant, holy white snow-capped mountains. In the early morning or at sunset, it possessed a soul-shaking beauty.
“Master, once we pass the city ahead, we will be in Northern Di territory.”
At that point, the Da Ning convoy would turn back. Only he would continue toward the Northern Di capital under the escort of Northern Di soldiers.
“Xia Ming, you should go back.”
“We haven’t left Da Ning’s land yet, Master. I can…”
Mu Jue’s Adam’s apple moved slightly as he interrupted softly, “I miss my mother. Go back and check on her for me.”