Chapter 52

If the high priest set up a formation for divination, he would bathe, burn incense, open the altar of heaven, lay out offerings, and pay homage to the heavens. At Ji Yunlou, he saw him arrange black and white pieces in strange patterns, completing the entire divination process using only a Bagua plate.

Ling Huanchen stared at the Bagua plate. Although he couldn't understand it, he didn't miss any of Ji Yunlou's movements.

A stick of incense had burned out, and Ji Yunlou frowned slightly, as if he was stuck in some kind of deadlock.

"How?" Ling Huanchen couldn't help but ask.

"The hexagram indicates danger all around." Ji Yunlou looked up after closing the market. "There's good in the midst of misfortune, and misfortune in the midst of good fortune. It's not a sign of great fortune, but it's not a sign of great misfortune either."

Ling Huanchen tried to understand the hexagram he was talking about. "Does it mean that after all the ups and downs, life will prevail?"

"Your Highness is absolutely right." Ji Yunlou rearranged the chessboard. "Divination is never foolproof; there are many variables involved. But judging by the hexagram, the likelihood of a good outcome is higher."

Ling Huanchen nodded. Winning and losing are commonplace in the military, let alone when it comes to determining who will ultimately rule the world. Divination is merely a way to gain peace of mind. He didn't hope that Yu Xi would become the unifying emperor, but he had no other choice. Since ancient times, divisions have always led to unification, and the victors will reign supreme, while the victors will vanquish the invaders. When that time comes, Yu Xi, as the ruler of a city, will face certain death if he doesn't ascend the throne.

"Your Highness suddenly summoned me to do divination. Could it be that the Ghost City..."

Ling Huanchen smiled, "Don't worry about it, Yunlou. I just had this thought when I was bored. Don't let anyone else know about what happened today, just treat it as a pulse check."

Ji Yunlou bowed and said, "I understand. Your Highness, rest assured. Your Highness has been very kind to me. I will be loyal to whomever Your Highness is loyal to."

Ling Huanchen could see that Ji Yunlou was a stubborn person. Once he made up his mind, no one could change it even with ten bulls. There was one advantage to using such a person: a promise from the king was worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.

After sending Ji Yunlou away, he leaned on the chaise longue. He wanted to read a book for a while, but he took a nap without realizing it.

"Xiao Qi, what time is it now?"

At lunchtime, Fu Changshi sent word that Yu Xi was in the front court meeting and would not be back for lunch. Judging from the weather, he might not be back for dinner either.

"My Lord, Chief Servant Fu just sent a message saying that the King is in Ziyi Palace discussing matters with his ministers and will not be coming for dinner."

Ling Huanchen thought about it and couldn't remember any major events recently that required such attention. He inadvertently saw Xiao Qi holding two dry branches in his hands, not only hiding here and there, but also mumbling something to himself.

"What are you going to do with the branch?"

Seeing that he could no longer hide his true feelings, Xiao Qi stepped forward and said, "Master... I just wanted to pick two new peach blossoms and put them in the hall. But I don't know why, the peach blossoms that just arrived this morning are already wilted. Look."

As he spoke, he held the peach branch in front of Ling Huanchen, and sure enough, he saw two withered peach blossoms drooping on the branch.

Logically speaking, it is the season when peach blossoms first bloom, so how could there be withered petals?

Ling Huanchen frowned slightly, "Is it just one or two branches, or are they on other trees as well?"

"It's not just one or two branches, several peach trees are dead. I'm thinking, should I ask someone to water them? There hasn't been any rain lately, and although spring rain is as precious as oil, we can't have no rain at all."

"You go and arrange it." Ling Huanchen said so, but he felt in his heart that this matter was not that simple.

When Yu Xi came back, it was already late. Ling Huanchen guessed that Yu Xi had forgotten to eat, so he asked someone to prepare some food.

The government affairs had not been completed yet and were all moved to the Yuluan Palace. Yu Xi had a simple snack and continued to bury himself in the memorials.

Ling Huanchen quietly accompanied her by the side, taking a book to read, flipping through a few pages, and looking up at Yu Xi.

Yu Xi put down a folder and inadvertently met Ling Huanchen's concerned gaze. Then she smiled slightly and said, "If you are tired, rest early."

"I'm not tired. I want to read for a while longer." Ling Huanchen felt something was wrong.

Even when busy with government affairs or facing numerous difficult challenges, he had never seen Yu Xi look so tired. The only explanation was that something serious had happened.

Ling Huanchen didn't ask any questions and just stayed quietly by her side. He didn't read the book in his hand at all, and all his attention was on Yu Xi.

Seeing Yu Xi pressing his brows, Ling Huanchen hurriedly said, "Is Your Majesty tired? Why not wait and see, I will press your brows for you."

Yu Xi was about to refuse, but when she met Ling Huanchen's eyes, she couldn't utter a word of refusal, so she put down the memorial in her hand and rested her head on Ling Huanchen's lap.

Maybe it was because she was too tired, but under Ling Huanchen's gentle massage, Yu Xi gradually fell asleep.

Seeing that the person was asleep, Ling Huanchen used less strength in his hands, for fear of waking the person up.

After pressing for a while, he withdrew his hand, looked up at the memorials on the table, and became thoughtful.

What on earth could make Yu Xi so upset?

He picked up the last memorial that Yu Xi had just read and frowned when he saw the contents of the memorial. He read several memorials in succession, which were submitted by different states and counties, but the contents were surprisingly consistent.

Drought struck more than a dozen prefectures and counties simultaneously, drying up water sources, cracking the ground, and essentially killing crops. Although Yu Xi had allocated funds for grain and diverted water from other sources, it wasn't a long-term solution.

Just as Ling Huanchen was frowning and thinking carefully, Yu Xi woke up.

"Your Majesty." Ling Huanchen put down the memorial, "Why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Yu Xi stood up and said with a smile, "I won't sleep anymore. I still have a lot of memorials." Seeing Ling Huanchen's heavy face, he raised his hand and gently pinched his face. "I didn't want to tell you, but natural disasters and man-made disasters are unstoppable, but other places can still provide supplies, so we won't be completely destitute. Huanchen, don't worry. It's getting late, Huanchen, go and rest."

Ling Huanchen heard him say it lightly, but he knew it wasn't that simple. There must be something he didn't know. But for now, to reassure Yu Xi, he followed his instructions and went back to sleep. Although he was in bed, he couldn't fall asleep.

It was almost the middle of the night when Yu Xi returned to the bed, gently hugged him, and his warm breath fell on his neck.

Ling Huanchen opened his eyes but did not move his body, so as to prevent Yu Xi from discovering that he was pretending to be asleep again.

Perhaps because she was truly exhausted, Yu Xi lost her usual alertness and didn't notice anything unusual about Ling Huanchen. The two of them fell asleep in each other's arms, and after only two or three hours of sleep, Yu Xi went to attend the morning court again.

Ling Huanchen actually woke up at the same time as Yu Xi, but he kept his eyes closed. He felt Yu Xi gently kiss him when she left, and he got up only after he was sure that the person had left.

Yu Xi was hiding something from him.

This incident is not only related to the sudden drought, but is also likely closely related to Yu Xi's long-term nightmares.

After much thought, Ling Huanchen decided to find an old man in the palace to ask.

He suddenly remembered Aunt Zhang who served in Ziyi Palace in his previous life. It was from Aunt Zhang that he learned that when Yu Xi was eleven years old, a big event happened in Youcheng, but he still didn't know what it was.

Ling Huanchen then hurriedly ordered Xiaoqi to fetch Nanny Zhang and told her not to make a single sound. It was the first time Xiaoqi had seen his master so serious, and without delaying for a moment, he immediately ran to Ziyi Palace to fetch someone.

When everyone arrived, Ling Huanchen dismissed the rest of the palace servants, leaving only Nanny Zhang in the hall.

"This old servant pays homage to His Highness."

"Please stand up." Ling Huanchen was eager to know what happened when Yu Xi was eleven years old, so he didn't play Tai Chi with her and asked directly, "I have something to ask Madam."

"Your Highness, please speak." Nanny Zhang nodded and said, "I will tell you everything I know."

"What major event happened in Youcheng when the king was eleven years old?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Aunt Zhang's face changed instantly, and she stammered for a long time and couldn't say a complete sentence.

Seeing this, Ling Huanchen didn't blame him. "Madam, don't be alarmed. I won't mention what happened today to anyone. Just answer my questions."

Nanny Zhang hesitated for a moment, then dropped to her knees with a thud. "Your Highness, please forgive me! It's not that I don't want to tell you, but this matter has become a taboo in Youcheng. Anyone who reveals it will die. I dare not offend the king."

The more she acted like this, the more Ling Huanchen resolved to find out. "I've already said this. You and I both know what I said today. Even if the king investigates, I'll take the blame and will never let Madam be implicated."

Seeing Ling Huanchen's assurance, Nanny Zhang was silent for a moment and sighed softly, "That's all old news. We dare not mention it because that incident nearly cost the king his life more than ten years ago."

Ling Huanchen couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in his heart, recalling that he had once rescued Yu Xi. These two things seemed to be inextricably linked.

Nanny Zhang recalled the past, her eyes becoming distant. "When the king was eleven years old, a drought struck Youcheng. All the crops in the prefectures and counties dried up, and water was scarce. The people were living in dire straits. Back then, the previous king was still on the throne. He tried every possible means to save the people, but was unable to do so. He had no choice but to send people to the outer cities to seek water. This request resulted in the sacrifice of several prefectures and counties in exchange."

No wonder Yu Xi was so worried about this drought. It was most likely because he was reminded of his childhood experiences.

Once Nanny Zhang started talking, she couldn't stop. "At the time, the queen was promoted by a concubine. She had a son three years younger than the king and was in great favor. Many court officials took advantage of the situation and sided with the queen, speaking and acting on her behalf and for the second prince. Meanwhile, the king, with the young prince, had no mother to rely on and didn't enjoy the favor of the late king. He lived in dire straits."

Ling Huanchen thought about Yu Xi's childhood situation, which was not much different from what Aunt Zhang said, but after hearing it confirmed by others, he still couldn't help but feel distressed.

He sighed almost inaudibly, and then listened to Nanny Zhang say, "The high priest at that time was not the same high priest as today. He was also a member of the queen's party. The late king ordered the high priest to pray for rain, but the high priest failed several times, and the late king was displeased. One day, the high priest suddenly gave the late king a warning."