Chapter 499
“It's not just you, to be honest, this official has also sent his family away.” Zhou Zhifei first came clean with the few of them, considering it a way to align their interests. Since they were all on the same side, it made what came next much easier to discuss.
The men sincerely cupped their fists in deference, “Your Excellency is most wise!”
Zhou Zhifei shook his head. “From what this official knows, it's not just the few of us. Even those above us—every single household—has sent away some of their younger kin?”
Even those who didn't believe the words of the Goddess Yue had, at the very least, secretly sent away one or two promising descendants.
He tapped the imperial edict on the table. “The messenger is still unconscious. According to the laws of the court, we shouldn't have laid eyes on this edict yet!”
The men froze for a moment, then their eyes all lit up, and they nodded in rapid succession.
Seeing this, Zhou Zhifei continued. “It's not that we won't close the city gates. At the latest, the messenger will awaken by noon the day after tomorrow, and only then will we carry out the edict as instructed.”
He slapped the armrest of his chair vigorously. “By that time, those who want to leave should have already gone. Those who don't, will stay in the city and let fate take its course!”
He had done his best, and had given these people a chance. If they chose not to leave, whether they lived or died was up to fate!
Zheng Yu asked quietly, “Your Excellency, is the word of the Goddess Yue really that reliable?”
Because of court decrees, they, as officials, were forbidden from enshrining statues of the Great Yan Goddess at home. So even though they'd heard she had the power to control the rain, they never truly linked her to divinity.
They had studied the teachings of the sages. They had never seen a ghost or monster, and gods existed only in paintings and myth—how could they believe in a living goddess?
A faint smile crept onto Zhou Zhifei's otherwise grave face. “This official has some connections with the prefect of Fengcheng. What you've heard doesn't even amount to a tenth of the truth.”
The merchants traveling between the two kingdoms were mostly common folk, unlettered. Their descriptions of the Goddess's manifestations naturally fell short of the mark.
Hearing Zhou Zhifei's matter-of-fact words, the men were so startled they nearly jumped out of their chairs.
“Your Excellency, are you telling the truth?” Zheng Yu felt his face burning with embarrassment. He had just been about to scoff at the notion that no goddess could exist, and now Prefect Zhou was telling him she did—and not only that, many people had witnessed her with their own eyes!
Zhou Zhifei gave him a meaningful glance. “Whether or not it's true, you will all see for yourselves in due time.”
With that, he picked up a cup of tea and took a sip, his face gradually turning serious again. “There is one more matter. This official had not intended to say much about it, but given the years we've worked together, I would hate to see you all kept in the dark and lose your lives over it.”
He set the cup down and lowered his voice. “So I might as well tell you!”
The men exchanged glances, cupped their fists, and adopted looks of rapt attention. “We thank Your Excellency for your consideration. We will hold this kindness in our hearts forever.”
Zhou Zhifei's voice was low, every word clear and deliberate: “I have heard that Her Majesty the Empress fell gravely ill five days ago, and all court affairs have been handed over to several of the imperial heirs.”
“The Empress's illness is no simple bedridden state! Those heirs, seeing her condition deteriorating, are fighting among themselves fiercely!”
He pointed again at the edict on the table. “Whether this edict even came from the Empress is another matter entirely!”
The three men, suddenly hearing such life-threatening news, widened their eyes in shock. “Your Excellency, is what you say true? Then... then that edict sent to the Sixth Princess in Dayan a few days ago...”
Zhou Zhifei gave a cold laugh. “Either the Empress has recalled the Princess for some other arrangement, or someone is trying to use the Empress's name to ambush and kill her! A great upheaval is coming, and some people are already too eager to make their move!”
“Then... what should we do?” A change of the imperial bloodline was always the most perilous of affairs, especially now with troubles from within and threats from without. Though they were far from the capital, they were equally cut off from information, and it would be all too easy for them to be used as cannon fodder.
“Alas!” Zhao Gong sighed. “If Her Majesty had left behind an edict of succession, whether it be for a crown prince or a crown princess, we would at least have someone to rally behind!”
Once the dynasty had a clear heir, at least they would know whom to obey!
Zhou Zhifei shook his head. “The Empress fell ill suddenly...” She probably hadn't expected someone to move against her so quickly.
[Master, is the Empress of Nan Zhao about to die? Isn't Lan Xuan'er in danger then?]
Yue Fuguang shook her head. “As long as she stays in Dayan, her life is safe. The fear is that she might make a rash decision and come back.”
“As for whether the Empress is on her deathbed, judging by this Zhou Zhifei's demeanor, the Empress's condition is no mere illness.”
[So some prince or princess has laid hands on their own mother?]
“Perhaps someone is seeking to seize power amidst the chaos. The question is whether they can hold onto the throne!”
“Let's go.” Yue Fuguang glanced at Feng Tang. No doubt he would quickly report the news of the Empress's 'grave illness' to Emperor Mingxi.
The spies Dayan had left in Nan Zhao, due to various reasons such as strict checks on those leaving the region, might have discovered the news but been unable to send it out. Otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to make this journey themselves.
The flying carriage had just left the City of a Hundred Blossoms when, high in the sky not far below their feet, several arrows whistled through the air, striking precisely the pigeons flying above.
[Master, what are they doing?] Twenty li ahead lay the Southern Zhao army camp—surely they weren't out hunting here!
“Probably preventing messages from being sent by carrier pigeon.”
[Ah, so that's why Dayan's spies haven't sent word back lately! By the way, Master, what did you write in the letter you left for Zhou Zhifei earlier?]
“Naturally, urging him to leave a path of survival for the common people, and also to leave a way out for himself!”
Back with Zhou Zhifei, after frightening his subordinates, he waved the shell-shocked trio away and walked alone toward the rear courtyard.
Beyond the second hall, a tall wall separated off Zhou Zhifei's private residence.
The garden behind the official compound was small and delicate, planted with a few stalks of bamboo and an old locust tree. At present, both the bamboo and the locust, along with the flowers in the corner flowerbeds, had withered and lost all vitality.
The main room served as his living quarters, elegantly furnished with bookshelves, a tea table, and a qin desk—a world apart from the stern authority of the front hall. Unfortunately, this usually lively residence now felt profoundly desolate.
“Sir, you've returned?” The steward Chen Fu poured Zhou Zhifei a full cup of tea and stood waiting at his side to report.
“Uncle Chen, has everything been taken care of?”
“Rest assured, sir. The old madam, the mistress, the young master, and the young miss have all been settled safely.”
Zhou Zhifei nodded. “Did I not tell you to have Ada come back instead? Why did you return as well?”
Chen Fu smiled. “Those youngsters are rash and careless. I couldn't rest easy leaving you here alone, sir.”
Chen Fu looked around before continuing, “Time is short, so we could only find two boats. Sir...”
Zhou Zhifei set down his teacup. “Uncle Chen, speak your mind. It's fine.”
“Since you are so certain of the Goddess's words, why do you insist on staying in the city? It's hardly as safe here as on Mount Baibao.”
Even with a boat, hiding out on the mountain would be safer than this.
“I am the prefect, the parent official of this region. If I leave, what about the common people who remain? And the court's laws are still weighing on us.”
He had barely finished speaking when the master and servant saw a letter slowly materialize on the table where there had previously only been an empty teacup.