Prince Ning was indeed quick-tempered and overbearing, but he was not foolish.
Feeling the look Qin Fang gave him, his heart sank, and he called out even louder, "I want to see the Emperor, I want to see the Emperor! Yuan Zhi is framing me."
Qin Fang said coldly, "Your Highness, you should first think about how to answer the Emperor’s questions!"
"I haven’t done it, I haven’t done anything," Prince Ning insisted.
Qin Fang thought about the solid evidence. It didn’t matter whether Prince Ning answered or not, the Emperor just wanted him to understand why he was confined. Qin Fang didn’t press further. As long as Prince Ning, who had fallen from grace, didn’t add more to the story and replied truthfully, that would suffice.
He made up his mind, gestured to the eunuch who had brought Prince Ning to release him, took the imperial decree, and raised it toward the direction of Qianqing Palace, saying with a smirk but not smiling, "Your Highness, I will just reply as you wished."
Then he signalled with his eyes to the people around him, turned around, and quickly left the courtyard.
Prince Ning stood in the middle of the courtyard with a complicated expression, and after a long while, he loudly called for Min Fu.
He was confined, and either his staff officers and colonels were dispersed or isolated, only Min Fu, as an attendant, stayed with him in this small courtyard and still served by his side.
"Can you think of a way?" he asked Min Fu quietly, his gaze somber, "We should find a way to get back to Nanchang Prefecture."
Min Fu, terrified, his voice changed, "But, but how could the Emperor possibly let us return to Nanchang Prefecture?"
"That’s why we need to think of a way," Prince Ning said lowly. "Things don’t look good. I am confined; outsiders can’t reach me and no news can spread from here. Whether I live or die depends solely on his word. If we go back to Nanchang Prefecture, there may still be a way out. If we stay in the Capital City, I’m afraid I won’t live many years."
It was precisely because Min Fu was shrewd that he had been able to stay by Prince Ning’s side all these years; he was of course a clever person.
Biting his teeth, he replied, "Your Highness, wait two or three more days; I will try to find out about the situation outside."
Now, other than Min Fu, Prince Ning had no one else he could rely on. Although he nodded, he still pondered in his study for several days. It wasn’t until Min Fu reported that the Prince of Ruichang would soon be entering the capital that Prince Ning really panicked.
"Did you find out for sure?" he repeatedly confirmed with Min Fu.
"It’s true!" Min Fu was also struck hard by the news, saying, "I heard it’s Yuan Zhi leading the people from the Ministry of Rites handling this matter."
"It’s Yuan Zhi again!" Prince Ning hissed through clenched teeth. He picked up the jade pendant on his waist and rubbed it for a long time before his gaze darkened. Finally, he tore off the jade pendant and handed it to Min Fu, saying, "Take this to the colonel, tell him to come see me."
His colonel was a loyal retainer inherited from old Prince Ning, very reliable in handling matters.
Min Fu bowed in response.
*
Song Jiyun took the Eldest Imperial Son for breakfast at the mouth of their alley, encountered someone selling goldfish and koi, and bought him a few goldfish. Then she took him to the Studio of Calligraphy and Painting at the next alley to pick out a few ink brushes and several pieces of Xuan paper.
It wasn’t that they lacked these items at home, but she felt that a child of his age shouldn’t always stay indoors; they should go out whenever possible.
The Eldest Imperial Son was indeed very happy, holding the goldfish she bought him and looking at them every now and then while choosing ink brushes.
On the way back, Song Jiyun smiled at him and said, "In a few days, I’ll ask around to see if I can find a book about keeping goldfish for you. Then you’ll know how to care for them."
The Eldest Imperial Son’s eyes sparkled as he said, "Is there really a book about keeping goldfish?"
"There should be!" Song Jiyun laughed, "If there isn’t, I’ll have Young Master Yuan write one for you."
The Eldest Imperial Son smiled shyly, "I’ve heard people say that Young Master Yuan is very knowledgeable."
"I don’t know about that," Song Jiyun chatted with him, "I only know that he paints well and writes beautifully. Sometimes, I enlist him to help me sketch designs."
The Eldest Imperial Son laughed, "I know. You make pottery. It’s used on the pottery."
Song Jiyun nodded and said, "Do you like porcelain? Let me show you how to pinch a cup!"
She wanted to find something to distract the child, so he wouldn’t have to think about the troublesome matters in the palace.
The Eldest Imperial Son nodded happily.
When they returned home, they found that the door of the neighboring house was half-open, with three mule carts parked outside, unloading rice, flour, and vegetables.
Seeing them, the steward kindly advised them, "You should hurry and store some necessities. I’ve heard that many refugees have arrived, and the soldiers at the Guard Station can’t drive them all away. Our master said that if this continues, the city might be sealed off."
If Song Jiyun remembered correctly, a Vice Minister from the Ministry of Revenue lived next door.
She couldn’t help but signal Zheng Quan with her eyes.
Zheng Quan went forward to thank the steward and started discussing the refugees, "How could there be refugees this season? The Capital is right under the emperor’s nose, and even if there were refugees, there shouldn’t be a need to hoard food and clothing, right?"
"Oh, seeing that you came from outside the Capital City, the owner is quite kind, either sending us fruits or pastries, so I thought I’d give you a heads up..."
Song Jiyun led the Eldest Imperial Son into their house.
The Eldest Imperial Son asked worriedly, "Sister, what are refugees? Why does everyone need to stock up when they arrive? Can’t the soldiers just arrest them all?"
Song Jiyun patiently explained to him what refugees were, adding, "I’ve only told you the basics, if you want to know more, we can ask Young Master Yuan when he comes."
The Eldest Imperial Son laughed, "Sister, you always ask Young Master Yuan."
"That’s because Young Master Yuan is well-read and has traveled extensively." Song Jiyun always believed that children’s education should be meticulous, as she did not know much about the world herself, and didn’t want to mislead the child.
The Eldest Imperial Son nodded.
Then, when Zheng Quan came to tell her, saying that he had personally gone to the city gate to check, he found that there really were many refugees. The soldiers would drive them away only for them to return once the soldiers left. They swarmed the people entering and leaving the city gates begging, making it so that now people were afraid to freely come and go through the gates.
"I also heard," Zheng Quan said after gulping down a cup of tea, "that these people fled all the way from Hebei, Henan, and Shandong."
Song Jiyun frowned deeply.
She wondered whether it was that the Imperial Court was not managing the situation, or if the local officials were hiding the truth and not reporting it?
She sent Zheng Quan off to stock up on some supplies for the home.
She then taught the Eldest Imperial Son how to read a map in the house, explaining where Hebei and Henan were located.
The Eldest Imperial Son kept looking forward to Yuan Yunzhong’s arrival, "When Young Master Yuan comes, he will know what happened!"
Song Jiyun smiled graciously and nodded, sending Zhou Zheng to fetch some kaolin clay and told the Eldest Imperial Son about playing with mud.
Yuan Yunzhong arrived at the time of lighting lamps, bringing with him a lot of food, clothing, and other necessities.
Song Jiyun was quite surprised, "Is the situation outside the city really so severe?"
Yuan Yunzhong whispered to her, "There are nearly fifty thousand people. The emperor dispatched the Vice Minister of War and the Deputy Censor-in-chief of the Metropolitan Censorate to the outskirts of the city. Both my maternal grandfather and grandfather said, ’It’s better to be safe than sorry.’"
Seeing the Eldest Imperial Son approaching, he changed the subject, speaking gently, "Boss Song said you wanted to know what refugees are?"
Leading the Eldest Imperial Son to the study.
Song Jiyun, however, stood there, staring at the Jade Hairpin Flowers in the courtyard, lost in thought for quite a while.
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