Chapter 46: Scholar Mu, startled by the perilous situation...
"You actually dared to come and spy on a prince's room? You gave me quite a fright just now."
As Qi Chengming furtively climbed over the wall in front of the back building, using a guard's knee as a foothold, he was also fiercely criticizing Young Master Wen.
"That's like saying you're the one who climbs out the window but doesn't want to come with me to climb over the wall—hurry up!"
Wen Zhongnan stood outside the wall with his hands on his hips, urging them on. His long hair, which was tied up, swung behind him, exuding a lively, youthful energy.
“I’m not as agile as you,” Qi Chengming said matter-of-factly. The imperial guard who was helping him by forming a human ladder also cautiously reminded him, “Your Highness, slow down…don’t rush.”
The young prince was clumsy and struggled with his arms. It took him a while to climb over the wall in a rather unseemly manner. He then sat on the wall and forced himself into a proper position before finally lowering his legs and jumping down.
"..." Wen Zhongnan turned his head away disrespectfully, winked at someone who couldn't see him, and did a very funny thing.
"I know you're trying not to laugh," Qi Chengming said quietly as he jumped down. Although he didn't turn in this direction, he seemed to have X-ray vision, which startled Wen Zhongnan. He quickly relaxed his nose and eyebrows, not daring to make any small movements.
The imperial guard who jumped down right after the two was much more skilled at scaling the wall. After landing, he obediently stood behind Qi Chengming, looking like he was there to protect him. There was no other way; no matter how Qi Chengming tried to sneak out with the Second Young Master Wen by climbing through the window, they couldn't avoid the imperial guards stationed at the back of the building.
Of the two imperial guards, one stayed behind to explain his whereabouts to the others, while the other was the one who had aided and abetted Qi Chengming and helped him scale the wall.
"Call me Qi Er outside, or just call me Young Master if you really can't," Qi Chengming instructed, and the three of them began to walk along the outer wall of the Prince's Mansion.
In less than a day, it seemed that most of Liuzhou had heard the news of the approaching "hurricane," and the atmosphere on the streets had completely changed. Pedestrians hurried by, the streets were deserted, and the once bustling streets with merchants and carriages had vanished. Only the rice shops had long queues outside, with people noisily arguing and arguing.
“Everyone is stockpiling food. This is the most urgent thing right now. If the flood spreads outside the city, it’s a question of how long we can hold out with our stored food.” Wen Zhongnan’s gaze fell over, and as he spoke, another group of Imperial Guards rushed over to maintain order.
Qi Chengming subconsciously lowered his head and replied, "Water is even more scarce than food. It's very difficult to get water during hurricanes, including rainwater."
He calculated silently in his mind.
According to Doctor Bian's estimate, the typhoon is expected to arrive in a few days. He just wrote a letter and sent a secret envoy to Lingnan to investigate. If the journey is fast... the envoy should return with results by tomorrow morning.
Only then can we determine whether they are defending the city or... relocating.
If they were defending the city, they wouldn't have time to worry about drilling wells in early spring next year; they would have to work overtime in the next few days to catch up.
The three of them quickly arrived at the city gate. Rain was still falling, but the area around the gate was bustling with activity. A group of imperial guards, looking no different from mud-slicked monkeys, were diligently clearing the abandoned drainage ditches.
Under Mr. Huang's loud commands, several craftsmen were shaping the huge logs into suitable forms. He held up the blueprints and explained with a look of exasperation, spitting as he scolded them, leaving everyone speechless.
"Dr. Bian?" Qi Chengming asked in surprise. He saw an unexpected person standing on the high wall. A young apprentice was holding an umbrella beside the old man, but the old man stubbornly stood in the rain, staring intently at the sky, as if assessing the weather.
Qi Chengming thought for a moment, then climbed up as well. He awkwardly stood next to the other person and asked, "Aren't you going to rest some more?"
Doctor Bian withdrew his gaze, rested his dry and red eyes, turned around and bowed: "Greetings, Your Highness. A few hours of sleep is enough. This old man just wanted to come out for a stroll and see if there is anything else I can do to help."
"Doctor Bian, there's no need to worry too much. I've already sent people to Lingnan to investigate the situation, and I've also had them notify the other towns one by one. We've discussed how to deal with it... If something really happens, we'll face it together calmly." Qi Chengming said calmly, his tone understated yet powerful.
He no longer felt any pressure.
When others seemed more anxious and stressed than he was, Qi Chengming miraculously felt that his mind was clear and calm, and he could even comfort others.
“Other towns…” Doctor Bian muttered to himself for a moment, then suddenly said, “Your Highness, I have a good friend’s son who has been newly transferred to Liuzhou Prefecture as a county magistrate. He is a very capable man. My old friend also has some influence in the court; perhaps they can be of some help…”
"Hmm?" Qi Chengming immediately became interested.
Doctor Bian then stated the names and official titles of the father and son. Before he could continue the introductions, Qi Chengming's heart skipped a beat: "...!"
The highly respected Grand Tutor to the Crown Princes of two dynasties, Mu Jiemu, was a renowned scholar!
In the novel about the struggle for the throne that Qi Chengming read before his transmigration, it was written that when the seemingly insignificant male protagonist, the Seventh Prince, later rose to become the new emperor, that old man was still alive. Although he was old, having lived longer than Emperor Hongren, he was not pedantic and possessed a fierce and martial spirit reminiscent of ancient scholars.
He was like a banner in the court. Whenever the new emperor's seventh son wanted to implement a controversial policy that was beneficial to the people, the old man would stand up against the majority of the opinions, which was extremely helpful.
Since Qi Chengming had transmigrated into the book, he naturally wanted to secretly accumulate power to rise to the throne and prevent himself from being killed by the original male lead, the Seventh Prince, after he ascended the throne. However, unfortunately, Grand Scholar Mu was an important minister whom Qi Chengming coveted but could not do anything about.
After all, one of them was in the capital and the other in Liuzhou. In the original novel, the Seventh Prince could find ways to win over and gain favor with certain talented individuals, but Qi Chengming was simply too far away to do so. When he was considering his options, he could only focus his efforts on those who were easier to win over first.
But now things are different… This Divine Physician Bian actually knows Grand Scholar Mu. Perhaps through this incident, they can make contact. Even better… Grand Scholar Mu genuinely cares about the people. Once he learns of the dire situation in Liuzhou and Lingnan, he will definitely not turn a blind eye. Perhaps if he speaks up in court, Emperor Hongren might even send some disaster relief or aid.
Qi Chengming wasn't picky; their situation was truly dire, and they were willing to accept any kind of rescue.
"Alright, Doctor Bian, I'll leave the contacting of them to you." Qi Chengming solemnly entrusted him, "If the hurricane becomes critical, you must make Magistrate Mu act in the same way as the county government of Liuzhou, prioritizing the lives of the people."
Despite the magnitude of the event, the prefect and governor of Liuzhou remained remarkably silent, issuing a perfunctory message to the county governments: take the hurricane disaster seriously, and advise the people to evacuate as needed. That was the end of it. They showed absolutely no concern or oversight regarding the specifics.
Qi Chengming still has to worry about how to deal with the county governments in other regions.
"I understand," Doctor Bian slowly replied, bowing slightly. "I will write a letter to Magistrate Mu immediately."
He took a deep look at the young prince before him, whose face was still youthful yet who remained calm in the face of danger. For a moment, he seemed to see the demeanor of the late emperor, and his heart finally calmed down.
When Doctor Bian became friends with Mu Jie, the young master of the Mu family, he was fortunate enough to meet the late emperor a few times. However, he was used to a life of leisure and wandered around the capital. His friendship with the Mu family lasted for several decades.
This time, Old Mu wrote to him, asking him to help Prince Rui of Liuzhou. Doctor Bian was traveling in the south when he received the letter and remained suspicious for a long time. He was quite certain that his old friend was very upright, never involved in the struggle for the throne, and would never gamble for his children's or grandchildren's future. In other words, his earnest advice to that…second-ranking prince—was the prince truly exceptional?
If that's the case, then he should really learn more about the Second Prince before approaching him; there's no rush.
That's why Doctor Bian took a detour, gradually learning about the new happenings in Liuzhou City—
Merchants vied to curry favor with the prince, who was also a voracious eater and a fastidious man. He demanded new bathing methods and even disapproved of the city's roads, insisting that so-called "public toilets" be built wherever he went, allowing no filth whatsoever…
At first glance, one can only conclude that this young prince is very spoiled.
But Doctor Bian was stubborn; he insisted on continuing to inquire in detail and learned that this young prince had turned the collected filth into fertilizer, promising to distribute it to the people. He was also deeply engrossed in farming and seemed to care about people's livelihoods. At least since his arrival, the methods of exploiting people under various pretexts that were commonly used in the Liuzhou government office... had all stopped.
It turns out that the young prince had planted his own people in the government office. This method is extremely sensitive, but everything he did was for good.
Doctor Bian's nerves were pounding; only now did he realize that this young prince was no ordinary man... Those traits of extravagance and fastidiousness were probably just a deceptive facade. This prince was no simpleton.
With his doubts gone, Doctor Bian decided to go to Liuzhou City to see for himself how bad the Prince Rui's health was, as his old friend had so earnestly advised him, and how to treat it. This delay led to the arrival of the hurricane.
Poor old man, the first two days he was running ahead by sheer willpower, and the next day he was being carried by two apprentices as they chased after him. They rushed as fast as they could, but managed to deliver the message in time... The hurricane was approaching with overwhelming force, what a tragedy!
Since this is the prince you, Old Mu, were worried about, and now that he's in trouble, it's your turn to worry about him!
After agreeing, Doctor Bian returned to the Prince's Mansion and promptly wrote two letters. Steward Song politely accepted them, saying he would send them out as soon as possible, and a worry was finally put to rest.
Not to mention that he was at ease.
Four days later in the capital.
Suddenly, news arrived from the Marquis of Weiyong's residence: a letter from Physician Bian, who lived a thousand miles away, had arrived. Mu Jie was startled and gave the messenger a deep look. The experienced and shrewd man first glanced at the signature on the letter: "..."
Judging from the timeline, unless the Marquis of Weiyong's household kept a flock of carrier pigeons, even a letter delivered by the 800-li express courier wouldn't be able to arrive this quickly. But the Marquis of Weiyong's household just took them out like that; the matter was so urgent that they couldn't afford to worry about that now.
Mu Jie felt a heavy weight in his heart, but after reading the letter, the feeling went far beyond just being heavy. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he couldn't help but gasp for breath.
'A hurricane?'
'It's appeared in Lingnan, and it's about to affect Liuzhou?'
—What about the new ruler?
Mu Jie had absolutely no recollection of this event from his previous life... Oh no, is this a change brought about by a strange encounter in his previous life?
Mu Jie forced himself to calm down, then looked at the messenger who was waiting quietly, and finally understood that the man had not left. He said firmly with a stern face, "Go back. I understand the meaning of the Marquis of Weiyong's mansion. Tomorrow at court, I will petition for disaster relief. The prince's misfortune will turn into good fortune, and nothing bad will happen to him."
That's what they say.
But the letter arrived... four days had passed. The hurricane might have already hit, and it was too late for them to send relief efforts now.
Mu Jie's face was ashen, her heart clenched slowly, and she could barely breathe.
Is His Highness the Second Prince truly safe and sound right now?
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Author's note: Grand Scholar Mu (slumped into a chair, his face ashen as he thought): — It's over.
If anything happens to the new emperor, he will immediately go to apologize to the late emperor!
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[Many people still can't tell the difference, so I'd like to emphasize this:]
All the "new emperors" in the text are referred to from Qi Chengming's perspective, referring to the victor in the succession struggle novel he read before his transmigration, the original male protagonist, the seventh prince.
"New Emperor" was the title used by Qi Chengming's subjects after his ascension to the throne many years ago, and this title continued after his rebirth.
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