When Gu Yunrong heard the news, she nearly fell apart.
They had already completed ninety-nine out of a hundred steps. They were so close to the end, yet everything had suddenly come to a halt!
Huan Che had always been in excellent health. He rarely fell ill, even once throughout the year. He had shown no signs of struggling to adapt to the local climate either, so she could not understand why he had suddenly become sick.
She even wondered whether he had accidentally triggered his unusual medical condition. But after thinking it over, she decided that was unlikely. Huan Che was not the kind of person who would be so careless.
Then again, he was physically strong. Perhaps he only needed a few days of rest to recover.
However, another half month passed, and the information Song Wenxuan gathered remained unchanged: the prince was still ill and had not returned to the government office.
Gu Yunrong could no longer sit still.
If things continued like this, who knew how much longer her father would have to remain in prison? A prison was no place for someone to stay for long. In her previous life, Gu Tongfu had suffered severe damage to his health because he had been imprisoned for so long. She could not allow the same thing to happen again.
Since it was inconvenient for her to go out alone, she repeatedly begged Gu Jiayan to take her to Listening to the Maples Retreat so they could find out what was happening.
Gu Jiayan immediately refused. His expression darkened.
“I think you’ve simply been missing him because you haven’t seen him for so long. Do you think I can’t tell? Little Sister, you need to come to your senses. Look at his status and then look at our family. Even if he finds you beautiful and wants to keep you, at best, you’ll become one of his concubines. You might not even receive a proper title. He could simply play with you and discard you. Have you ever thought about that?”
Gu Yunrong’s little face scrunched up.
Her brother had completely misunderstood her intentions.
She had already given up on Huan Che. Even if she had not, she was perfectly aware of the enormous difference between their positions. She would never entertain any unrealistic hopes about him.
She spent a long time explaining that she had no romantic intentions toward Huan Che. She only wanted to find out what had happened to him and why he had suddenly fallen ill. She did not want her father’s release to be delayed because of it.
Gu Jiayan thought his younger sister must have lost her mind. She could not even come up with a convincing excuse.
“Even if everything you said were true, how could an ordinary commoner like you enter a prince’s private residence? And what could you possibly accomplish by going there?”
Gu Yunrong pressed her lips together.
“I just want to find out what’s going on. Besides, I’ll only become more anxious if I stay at home doing nothing.”
After trying unsuccessfully to persuade her for so long, Gu Jiayan finally gave in and took her out.
There was no way they would be allowed inside anyway. Perhaps letting her make the trip herself would finally put an end to her obsession.
When they reached the back entrance of Listening to the Maples Retreat, Gu Yunrong waited for quite some time before two older female servants finally came out.
She instructed Qiutang to approach them.
Following her mistress’s orders, Qiutang first slipped a little silver to each woman. Then she introduced herself as someone whose family dealt in medicinal herbs. She explained that she had heard the prince had been ill for more than half a month and wanted to find out what illness he was suffering from. If possible, they hoped to offer him some medicinal herbs and earn his favor.
One of the women, who was wearing a mustard-yellow vest, looked Qiutang up and down before shaking her head.
“We don’t serve His Highness directly, so we don’t know what illness he has.”
Qiutang tried to ask them if they could help make inquiries, but the two women simply walked away.
Unable to accomplish anything, Qiutang returned to Gu Yunrong with a troubled expression.
“Miss, what should we do now?”
Gu Yunrong let out a soft sigh.
She had known from the beginning that this would not be easy, but facing the situation herself still left her feeling helpless.
The incident of Qiutang stopping the servants outside the back entrance was soon reported to Wuwu.
Every little movement inside or outside Listening to the Maples Retreat was reported to him and Nayun. They would then pass the information on to Huan Che.
When Wuwu told the prince what had happened, Nayun quietly watched his master’s expression.
It had been more than half a month since the prince had last seen Gu Yunrong. Nayun had assumed the matter was over. But now the young lady had come looking for him herself. He wanted to see how His Highness would react.
Huan Che was organizing the documents and letters on his desk. His expression was calm, and his complexion looked perfectly normal. There was not the slightest sign of illness.
After listening to Wuwu’s report, he paused briefly, lowered his head, and continued reading the letters.
“There’s no need to pay attention to it.”
Wuwu and Nayun exchanged glances.
Recently, their master had not been sleeping well at night. During the day, he occasionally lost himself in thought.
At first, they had assumed it was because of the military situation in Zhejiang. But after observing him for a while, they began to suspect that something else was bothering him.
Naturally, their thoughts had turned toward the young lady from the Gu family.
However, neither of them had the courage to voice such an unreliable guess in front of the prince.
Wuwu might have been rather straightforward, but even he was waiting to see whether His Highness would change his mind. He stood there for a while, hoping the prince might say something else.
But Huan Che simply continued reading the documents without looking up again.
After leaving the study with Nayun, Wuwu waited until they had walked some distance before lowering his voice.
“I thought Miss Gu might be an exception.”
“It’s hard to say,” Nayun replied thoughtfully. “His Highness had Gu Tongfu and Yu Sixian transferred from the prison to the interrogation chambers for temporary detention. Their treatment is quite different from that of ordinary prisoners. Yu Sixian is an important court official, so giving him special treatment is understandable. But Gu Tongfu is only a clerk from a county office. Why was he treated the same way?”
“His case has already been investigated. Besides, his case is connected to Yu Sixian’s. It wasn’t strange to bring him out of prison at the same time.”
Nayun’s lips twitched slightly. He did not want to waste more words arguing with Wuwu.
“Don’t jump to conclusions so quickly. We’ll see what happens.”
Inside the study, Huan Che’s hand paused briefly. He looked through the half-open window toward the outside for a moment.
During this period, he had been following the trail connected to Kou Hu and had made considerable progress.
Just as he had expected, Kou Hu was an intermediary between the group of corrupt officials and merchants who were betraying the country and the Japanese pirates.
Although the boatman himself did not possess much wealth, he had connections everywhere. He used those connections to pass information between the two sides and earn money from their dealings.
Later, when he had accumulated enough money, he began engaging in smuggling as well.
That was how Kou Hu had managed to improve his financial situation.
After considering the matter, Huan Che had sent men disguised as the captured Japanese spies to approach Kou Hu.
Through them, he had managed to obtain an important piece of information.
Three days later, a secret transaction involving a shipment of saltpeter, copper, and iron would take place somewhere in Hangzhou Prefecture. The buyers were Portuguese merchants.
Unfortunately, he had not been able to find out the exact location of the transaction.
Based on the reports he had received over the past several days, this was a common method used by the group of corrupt officials and merchants who were selling out the country.
Copper, iron, and saltpeter were essential materials for manufacturing firearms and other weapons. The imperial court had always strictly controlled their trade.
However, local gentry and unscrupulous merchants had been using their influence and positions to sell the country’s high-quality copper, iron, and saltpeter to Portuguese traders.
The Portuguese then used these materials to manufacture firearms, which they supplied to the Japanese pirates. The pirates used those weapons to support their smuggling operations and raids along the coast.
This was one of the reasons the Japanese pirates had managed to equip themselves with firearms that could rival those of the imperial army.
However, Huan Che did not consider these secret transactions to be the most troublesome problem.
The real difficulty was that Zhejiang itself did not have enough military forces. If the Japanese pirates launched another large-scale invasion, the province would have a hard time resisting them.
Huan Che lowered his head and studied the map for a while. Then he took out a sheet of fine paper and began writing a letter.
After he had overturned the cases of Yu Sixian and Gu Tongfu, all sorts of scheming people had begun showing themselves.
Numerous high-ranking officials and low-level clerks had come seeking an audience with him. Huan Che had simply claimed to be ill and shut his doors to everyone.
There was another reason he had kept Yu Sixian and Gu Tongfu temporarily detained at the government office after clearing their names.
Apart from using them as bait to lure out the hidden traitors, he also knew that the corrupt elements within Zhejiang’s government had not yet been completely removed.
If the two men were released immediately, something might happen to them. For the time being, it was safer to keep them at the government office.
He had already sent a letter to his father, the Emperor. Once this new letter was dispatched, several newly appointed provincial governors and senior officials would probably already be on their way to Zhejiang, carrying the Emperor’s imperial edicts and the Ministry of Personnel’s appointment orders.
Huan Che lowered his eyes.
There were many forces involved in the struggle along the coast, but the greatest winner would still be his father, the Emperor.
After handing the letter to Wuwu, he immediately ordered someone to prepare his horse and headed straight toward the back entrance.
He felt that he should inspect the naval camp and the coastal watchtowers once more. He wanted to examine the terrain and determine where the Japanese pirates might land during their next invasion.
While he was at it, he could also look for a suitable location for the secret transaction scheduled three days later.
His pace grew faster and faster. Nayun, who followed behind him, could barely keep up.
When they reached the back entrance, Huan Che first glanced around.
Only the soldiers guarding the gate remained outside. There was no one else.
Nayun clearly saw a trace of disappointment flash across his master’s face.
He could not help thinking that His Highness was truly hopeless.
A moment earlier, he had been walking so quickly that it was almost as if a pack of wolves were chasing him. He had probably been hoping to see Miss Gu.
But now that he had finally come outside, the girl had already left.
And wasn’t it His Highness himself who had refused to see her earlier?
Nayun thought for a moment, then cautiously began, “Your Highness…”
He wanted to suggest that perhaps the prince could ride out and look for her. She might not have gone far yet.
But seeing that Huan Che was already in a bad mood, he hesitated. If His Highness refused to admit what he was thinking and ended up scolding him, that would be troublesome.
Huan Che turned around and asked distractedly, “What is it?”
Nayun replied with a completely serious expression.
“I only wanted to say that Your Highness was walking so quickly because you were eager to inspect the naval camp. You truly devote yourself wholeheartedly to the country and its people. I was simply worried that you might exhaust yourself.”
Huan Che shot him a cold, threatening glance.
Then he turned around, took the reins from a servant, and mounted his horse.
Gu Yunrong was leaning against the carriage window, listening helplessly as Gu Jiayan lectured her from outside.
She had already given up trying to explain herself to him.
All she wanted to know was what exactly was wrong with Huan Che. Could it be that he was only pretending to be sick?
Although Song Wenxuan had some ability to gather information, he was still only a low-ranking clerk. There were many details he simply could not find out.
As a result, Gu Yunrong had no way of knowing what was happening to Gu Tongfu. Her worries grew heavier by the day.
She did not want to return home, so she told the driver to take the carriage around the city. Gu Jiayan had no choice but to accompany her.
It happened to be the time of Hangzhou’s annual West Lake Incense Fair.
Hangzhou was famous for its many Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries. Every year, large numbers of pilgrims came from other regions to offer incense and pray.
Some came from nearby prefectures and counties such as Jiaxing, Huzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou. Others traveled from distant places, including various prefectures in Shandong.
The number of visitors could easily reach several hundred thousand, making the event a spectacular occasion.
Although West Lake itself was not located within Qiantang County, Hangzhou was one of the major commercial centers of the Jiangnan region, famous for its luxurious goods and prosperous markets. Since Qiantang County was where the prefectural government was located, many pilgrims passed through it and stopped at its temples to offer incense.
As a result, the temple fair in Qiantang County was just as lively.
Halfway along the way, Gu Yunrong happened to meet her cousin Xie Yi, who had come to offer incense.
Xie Yi was a kind person who had always treated her well. Although Gu Yunrong had already broken off her engagement to Xie Jing, she could hardly pretend not to recognize his cousin when they happened to meet.
Gu Yunrong had assumed Xie Yi would speak up for her brother and try to persuade her to give Xie Jing more time to convince his parents.
To her surprise, Xie Yi did not mention the engagement at all. Instead, she asked with genuine concern about Gu Tongfu’s situation.
Gu Yunrong sighed inwardly.
Xie Yi’s temperament was completely different from that of Xie Gao and his wife.
As they continued chatting, Xie Yi suddenly brought up the Marquises of Runan, the Shen family.
“I heard that starting tomorrow, the people from the Marquis of Runan’s residence will be holding a Guanyin ceremony at Mount Putuo. The religious rites will last for seven whole days.”
She lowered her voice.
“They say it’s to pray for blessings for His Majesty and the common people.”
Gu Yunrong suddenly understood. At the same time, she remembered something.
The current Emperor had quite a few children, but he had very few grandchildren.
Five of his sons were already married, yet together they had given him only one grandson. That child was the second prince’s illegitimate son. The Crown Prince himself had no children at all.
This had become a major source of worry for the Emperor. He had even changed the purpose of his religious cultivation. Instead of praying only for longevity, he now prayed for both a long life and a grandson.
Unfortunately, it had not helped.
The imperial princes usually held their coming-of-age ceremonies early and married young. Most of them selected their consorts and married around the age of fourteen or fifteen. The Crown Prince had also married early.
However, his first Crown Princess had died only a few years after their marriage. He had subsequently married Shen Biwu.
His first wife had left him no children. At the time, the second prince’s child had not yet been born either. Therefore, the Shen family had been eager for Shen Biwu to give birth to the Emperor’s first legitimate grandson.
But two years had passed since Shen Biwu entered the Eastern Palace, and she still had not become pregnant.
Seeing that the Emperor was preparing to choose another secondary consort for the Crown Prince, the Shen family grew anxious. They began searching everywhere for ways to help Shen Biwu conceive.
After much searching, they had finally turned to Mount Putuo.
Guanyin ceremonies were held in many places, but they were especially prominent at Mount Putuo in eastern Zhejiang.
The Shen family therefore arranged a seven-day religious ceremony there. Officially, they claimed it was being held on behalf of the Crown Prince to pray for the Emperor and the common people.
In reality, they were praying for a child.
However, no matter how much the Shen family tried, they could not solve Shen Biwu’s infertility.
Gu Yunrong suspected that perhaps the problem lay with the Crown Prince himself.
Still, the affairs of the Crown Prince’s household had nothing to do with her.
She had simply remembered something else.
During the Shen family’s stay in Hangzhou, one of their collateral branches had committed a particularly disgraceful act.
In her previous life, a branch of the Shen family had abused the Marquis’s influence to conduct a smuggling operation in secret.
The smuggling itself was not even the worst part.
When purchasing goods from the Portuguese merchants, the Shen family member had repeatedly forced them to lower their prices. Eventually, he even began delaying payment and refusing to settle the outstanding debts.
This drove those desperate merchants to join forces with the Japanese pirates and launch a brutal revenge attack.
They came to Hangzhou and carried out a bloody raid, killing and looting along the way.
The several dozen mu of farmland belonging to the Gu family had been devastated. It took them a long time to recover.
Her father’s case had also been delayed even further because of the incident. By the time he was finally released, the family had spent a huge amount of money treating his damaged health.
They also had to continue supporting Gu Jiayan’s studies. Their financial situation grew worse and worse, eventually becoming one of the reasons Gu Yunrong had been driven into such desperate circumstances.
Later, that entire branch of the Shen family had been crushed by Huan Che during the power struggle.
The Crown Prince had taken it as a personal insult and believed his younger brother was deliberately humiliating him. From then on, the conflict between the two brothers had become even more intense.
Judging by the current timeline, the next Japanese pirate invasion would take place in about a month.
Gu Yunrong realized that she needed to make preparations in advance. Ideally, she should find a way to warn Huan Che.
Although many things in this life had already changed, some events remained exactly the same as in her previous life.
On a smaller scale, preventing the disaster would protect her and the Gu family. On a larger scale, it would save the people of Zhejiang from suffering.
The problem was that she currently had no way to meet Huan Che.
Xie Yi had not seen Gu Yunrong for a long time, so she decided to ride in the same carriage with her and explore the temple fair together.
Noticing that Gu Yunrong seemed rather gloomy, she guessed that the girl was still worried about Gu Tongfu. She did her best to comfort her.
Then, suddenly, she paused and lifted the carriage curtain to look outside.
“Doudou, look! Aren’t those the two young masters and Miss Yanyu from the second branch of your family?”
Gu Yunrong followed her gaze.
Her spirits immediately lifted.
Her two male cousins from the second branch were leading a group of people toward several men holding the reins of their horses. They gradually surrounded them, seemingly arguing about something.
Gu Yanyu was standing nearby as well.
Gu Yunrong looked more carefully.
Among the men holding the horses, she recognized two familiar figures.
One was Huan Che.
The other was Nayun.
Even from a distance, she could feel the cold, intimidating aura radiating from Huan Che.
Seeing that Nayun had already drawn his sword and stepped forward to clear a path for the prince, Gu Yunrong hurriedly turned around and climbed out of the carriage.
“Brother, come with me! Let’s go and see what’s happening!”