Chapter 43: Entering the Dream Zhao Huaixu's eyes curved up, and he smiled tenderly: "Actually...
"I will definitely report this to His Majesty!" Yang Hao climbed up from the ground with a bruised face and nose, his body covered in mud and grass debris. He yelled fiercely and left in a dusty state.
Xun Yun's face was filled with worry. He walked over to Fang Yilan and said in a low voice, "If we let Yang Bo leave like this, he will definitely exaggerate the situation before His Majesty, which will be detrimental to you, General."
Fang Yilan said calmly, "Don't worry about him for now. Disaster relief is the top priority right now. Once this is over, I'll have a way to deal with him."
As the sky darkened, the surroundings became increasingly dark. The road was soaked in mud and the hidden potholes were difficult to avoid. Fang Yilan had no choice but to lead the soldiers back to the temporary resettlement site.
But unexpectedly, he saw a familiar figure. Zhou Ting'an was wearing a green robe with some mud on the corners. He was holding a few packets of medicine in his hand and was talking with Liang Qian and several local officials.
"Many civilians have been injured in the disaster. Medicines must be used with caution. A thorough check of the current number of civilians is needed, and each one must be verified. No one should be left out."
Several doctors he brought with him were moving among the crowd, checking the injuries of the injured people and distributing medicine.
Fang Yilan asked, "Master Zhou, why are you here?"
"General Fang, thank you for your hard work," Zhou Ting'an said with a bow. "Yang Bo and I came here to see if there's anything we can do for you. We're also investigating a corruption case."
Zhou Ting'an noticed that Fang Yilan's face was still covered in mud and sand. He then pulled out a silk handkerchief from his sleeve, pointed at his eyes, and said softly, "General Fang, wipe your face first."
As soon as he said this, Zhou Ting'an realized that his action might be a bit presumptuous, and was afraid that Fang Yilan would have concerns and be unwilling to accept it, so he quickly added: "This handkerchief is clean and has never been used."
Fang Yilan was stunned for a moment, then smiled. She raised her arm, wiped her face with her sleeve, and said cheerfully, "Thank you for your kindness, Master Zhou. But I'm covered in sand and dirt, and I really don't want to ruin your handkerchief. I'll just use my sleeve to deal with it."
Then her expression straightened and she asked, "Wen Bin is currently suffering from a flood. How could it be connected to the corruption case?"
Zhou Ting'an's expression instantly darkened. He gave a helpless smile and hid his entire hand, including the handkerchief, under his sleeve.
Then he gestured for Fang Yilan to go to a secluded place. When they reached a deserted corner, he slowly began to explain, "General Fang, you should know about the money Emperor Jingwen donated to Wen Bin for disaster relief a few years ago."
"A few days ago, we received a secret letter reporting that the Jinyu Restaurant in Shangjing was secretly hoarding government silver. We went to investigate and indeed discovered a large amount of government silver in the cellar. The date and origin of the silver, engraved on it, turned out to be the money used for disaster relief that year. We followed the clues and discovered that the restaurant had close ties with the Jinling Bank, which is why you saw me there that day."
Fang Yilan frowned, pondered for a moment, and then raised his doubts: "But Wen Bin did use this money to buy grain and rice, which solved his urgent need. The grain is there, so it must be real. But if the money was not actually spent, then where did the grain come from?"
Zhou Ting'an nodded slightly, his expression equally solemn. "That's exactly why I came to Wenbin. I wanted to check the records of Sir Liang's grain purchases back then to see if I could find any clues."
Wait, Fang Yilan’s heart suddenly moved.
She remembered Lu Qi saying that the grain truck sent to the northwest was empty, but that batch of grain couldn't just disappear. Could it be that He Huaijiu secretly transferred that batch of grain to Wenbin? But why did he do that?
There are too many events and forces involved behind this, and the clues are so confusing that it is difficult to make sense of them.
Just then, Zhuang Gu came running over and said, "General, this is bad! The stone bridge on the west side that carries goods is showing signs of collapse. If it breaks, it will be very difficult to transport supplies."
Fang Yilan secretly said that this was not good, so he could only put the matter aside for the time being: "Master Zhou, wait until I come back to talk about this."
"Okay." Zhou Ting'an nodded. Looking at Fang Yilan, who looked exhausted and had to rush to the rescue, he felt a little worried: "General, remember to protect yourself."
Fang Yilan put on her hat, smiled and made an incomprehensible gesture to him: "Don't worry."
Then he turned and ordered, "Everyone, carry all the sandbags and rocks to the stone bridge. We must hold on through tonight."
Fang Yilan picked up a bag of sand and ran towards the stone bridge with the soldiers.
The rain was getting heavier, and the flood was constantly hitting the stone bridge. Fang Yilan and the soldiers carried sandbags back and forth, piling them up in front of the stone bridge.
But the river was turbulent and had a great impact. Blocking it with sandbags had little effect. It was so dark around that one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. It was too late to open the river channel again. If steel nails were hammered in to reinforce it, it would most likely cause the stone bridge to further disintegrate.
Fang Yilan stood on the bridge, racking his brains for a solution, when suddenly a loud bang came from below. Fang Yilan suddenly lowered his head, and a gap appeared under his feet. The next moment, the river roared out, instantly destroying the stone bridge.
The soldiers on the embankment were scattered in an instant. Fang Yilan felt her feet go empty and she was swept into the surging torrent. Just as she was about to rush out of the water, she was hit on the forehead by the oncoming debris and was suddenly thrown into the depths of the flood. She tried to grab something, but there was only endless mud and water and rolling waves around her.
"Yi Lan!" Zhou Ting'an's voice came from a distance, with unprecedented panic.
"General!" Zhuang Gu and Xun Yun on the shore screamed in horror.
Xiao Yue didn't have time to think about it. He reached out and grabbed the hemp rope beside him, tied it around his waist, jumped into the water, and swam in the direction where Fang Yilan disappeared. However, the water flow was too fast, and the hemp rope on Xiao Yue's body quickly became tight. The soldiers on the shore grabbed him, and at this time Fang Yilan's figure had been washed away.
...
Outside the window, the rain was falling incessantly. The shadows of the trees were like green tents, and the raindrops were hitting the eaves with a crisp sound.
Zhao Huaixu lay on the couch, his head groggy. He had been soaked in cold water all night, and even though the medicine he'd taken had dispelled some of the chill, it still left him feeling sick. He felt as if his body was bound by shackles, and even the strength to open his eyes seemed to have been drained away.
"Yuan, why are you sleeping in broad daylight?"
A soft voice floated into his ears, seeming far and near, but he recognized that it was the person he was dreaming about.
Zhao Huaixu's body suddenly stiffened. He wanted to respond immediately, but he couldn't open his eyes. His throat was blocked. What if he didn't respond in time and she misunderstood that he ignored her and made her sad?
After struggling for a long time, he finally opened his eyes with all his might. His forehead was already covered with cold sweat, which slid down his cheeks and fell on the brocade beside the pillow, spreading circles of dark water stains.
"What's wrong? Are you still not well?"
What caught his eye were a pair of clear, star-like eyes, smiling at him. There was a sly, youthful quality to them, a smile only she could possess. The woman sat beside the couch, her eyebrows and eyes as picturesque as a thousand stars twinkling in them, a gentleness so gentle it almost melted him.
Zhao Huaixu involuntarily moved his body, wanting to get closer to her. He rested his head on her knees and looked up at her smiling eyes.
He reached out his hand, wanting to caress her cheek, but his fingertips touched nothingness.
His palms were empty, and his heart sank into the abyss.
When I opened my eyes again, the room was dark and depressing, without a trace of light. The sound of rain was still there, but there was no one by the couch.
It was indeed a dream.
Zhao Huaixu stared blankly at the empty bed, his heart feeling empty and even his breathing became heavy. He stretched his fingertips in the air, but all he touched was cold air.
This corner of the palace was eerily quiet.
He slowly sat up, put on an outer robe, and stood by the window. Outside the window, the rain was like a curtain, and the distant mountains melted into the rain and mist.
The night is dark, the sound of rain hitting banana leaves is heard, but it cannot penetrate the coldness of the room. A few drops of cold rain are caught in my palm, and the chill is biting to the bone.
Zhao Huaixu's eyes curved up and he chuckled softly, his smile tender and affectionate: "You are willing to enter my dream."
"My Lord!" An urgent cry suddenly broke this illusory beauty.
"General Fang was washed away by the flood and cannot be found at the moment!"
The medicine fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
...
"My Lord, would you like to take a short rest? Your health is very important."
Zhao Huaixu remained silent, his eyes were red and almost bloodshot, and the reins in his hands creaked. The shadows did not dare to persuade him anymore.
The horses' hooves crushed the rain flowers as the small group of people galloped in the rain. They ran non-stop for a whole day and night, and finally arrived in Wenbin on the afternoon of the second day.
Yang Bo spotted Zhao Huaixu from afar and immediately stepped forward with a broad smile, saying respectfully, "Your Highness, Seventh Prince, why have you come in person during such a storm? Did His Majesty receive my memorial so quickly?"
Zhao Huaixu didn't even look at him. He looked at Liang Qian who was coming towards him and asked, "Where is the person? Have you found him?" His voice was extremely hoarse.
Liang Qian bowed slightly and said nervously, "Your Highness, we have sent soldiers to search along the river, but they haven't found anything yet..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Zhao Huaixu.
"Increase manpower and expand the search area!" Zhao Huaixu ordered sternly.
After saying that, Zhao Huaixu ignored everyone's obstruction, got on his horse again, and personally joined the search team.
The rainstorm was like a torrential downpour in the sky, and mud splashed on Zhao Huaixu's clothes. The brocade robe embroidered with dark patterns had long lost its original color, and the rain flowed along his brows into his eyes.
Halfway through the search, they met Zhou Ting'an who was also leading a search. Zhou Ting'an also looked embarrassed. For the first time, the two did not look at each other with a tense look. They just exchanged glances and searched in two different directions.
"Your Highness!" Shadow rushed over to report to Fang Yilan, "The general's sword was found ten miles downstream, but..."
Zhao Huaixu paused abruptly and said, "Lead the way."
The sword body was stuck in the mud on the shore, and the sword tassel rose and fell with the rushing water. Looking from this place, Zhao Huaixu saw only cliffs in front of him and no flat road.
If you want to continue searching along the flood, you must wade across the river.
Liang Qian approached, holding a map of the tidal river. "There are steep cliffs ahead. If the general really gets swept away, I'm afraid..."
The voice stopped abruptly, and the sword in Zhao Huaixu's hand was already against Liang Qian's throat, and a pair of scarlet eyes were reflected on the sword.
"Get the rope."
When Yang Hao heard that Zhao Huaixu really wanted to go over there himself, he quickly knelt on the ground and said, "Your Highness, you absolutely cannot do this. We don't know how deep the flood is. If anything unexpected happens, how can I explain it to His Majesty?"
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