In the Marquis’s residence, Ning’an Courtyard, the oil lamps were lit.
At the instant Jiang Ning heard the news, her face turned deathly pale, blood drained away, her body swayed. Though the oil lamps lit the room, her vision darkened in waves, everything blurred.
“The mountain has collapsed…”
“Chu Yunli has met with trouble…”
She murmured to herself, as if falling into an ice cellar, her whole body seized by cold.
“Miss…” Shuang Yue looked at her with worry.
Only after a long while did Jiang Ning recover. Struggling to rise, she draped on her outer robe and made to leave.
Shuang Yue hurriedly blocked her, “Miss, where are you going?”
“Chu Yunli is in trouble! I know medicine—I must save him!” Jiang Ning declared. In her mind there was only one thought: she had to bring Chu Yunli back alive. No matter how severe the injuries, as long as treatment was timely, there would be no problem.
At this moment Shuang Yue was deeply worried for the master, yet she suppressed her emotions and held Jiang Ning back.
“Miss, you cannot go. It is extremely chaotic and dangerous there… Even if you went, it would be of no use.”
Presumably the master shares the same thought, not wishing the young lady to take risks.
Jiang Ning’s steps halted, her whole body trembling slightly.
“Why…”
She had clearly lived a second life, knowing what the future would bring, yet still failed to change it.
Her heart sank uncontrollably, plunging into an abyss.
“Miss…” Shuang Yue hurried over to support her. Jiang Ning’s face was deathly pale, her figure swaying, about to collapse.
Just then, with a loud fluttering of wings, a dark shadow swooped in, landed by the window, and pecked at the wooden frame.
Jiang Ning heard the sound, walked over, and pushed open the window.
She discovered it was the black eagle raised by Chu Yunli.
The black eagle fixed its gleaming eyes on her and tilted its head.
“Xiaohei?” Jiang Ning spotted the black eagle. Instinctively, she glanced at its talons to see if a note was tied there—surely Chu Yunli had sent word.
Sure enough, a message was tied to its leg.
Jiang Ning’s heart eased greatly; calming herself, she took the note.
On the slip of paper was written: “I am safe, there is no need to worry.”
Seeing Chu Yunli’s own handwriting, Jiang Ning’s heart finally settled completely.
“He’s fine…”
Chu Yunli’s departure this time must have been well‑prepared; the report of the mountain collapse may be false.
Shuang Yue’s face lit with joy. “My lord is unharmed?”
“Mm, he’s fine.” A touch of color returned to Jiang Ning’s face as she reached out and stroked the black eagle’s head.
.........
Elsewhere—the Imperial palace.
Inside the palace, lights blazed brightly, yet everyone was tense and ill at ease.
A mountain collapse is no small matter. If Lord Chu’s troops and supplies were all buried and scattered… the trouble would be immense, and the treasury would face enormous losses.
In the imperial study, no one dared to utter a sound.
The Emperor’s brows furrowed tightly, his agitation plain upon his face.
After changing into fresh clothes, the crown prince hurried to the Imperial study. In the entire palace, only his face shone like spring sunshine—he nearly burst out in three hearty laughs.
He arrived at the entrance to the imperial study.
The crown prince quickly suppressed his joy, feigning a worried look before stepping inside.
“Father Emperor, your son has heard that Lord Chu’s troops met with a landslide… what has happened?”
At this moment the emperor’s heart was full of worry. With furrowed brows he said, “We do not yet know the exact news; General Rong has already been sent to investigate.”
The crown prince said nothing more and stepped aside.
In the imperial study, the atmosphere was so heavy and solemn it felt suffocating.
The crown prince stood aside, the corners of his mouth lifting uncontrollably as he longed to smile. He fought desperately to suppress it—for in such a solemn moment, he must not give himself away.
This time, Chu Yunli is truly finished.
Even if Chu Yunli survives by sheer luck and returns, punishment is inevitable—Father Emperor will never trust him again.
If he steps forward now to resolve the relief efforts in He Province, Father Emperor will look upon him with new respect…
The crown prince’s thoughts were so delightful that he felt light and buoyant all over.
All of this was thanks to Jiang Mengyue.
Fortunately, Jiang Mengyue could dream of future events, allowing him to make full preparations.
Once this matter is over, he is determined to keep Jiang Mengyue firmly under his control—granting her the position of a secondary consort would not be out of the question.
At that moment, a voice came from outside: “General Rong requests an audience!”
“Let him in,” the emperor commanded.
Rong Zhengyang strode in boldly, declaring, “This minister greets Your Majesty!”
The Emperor waved his hand, indicating that formalities were unnecessary—for now, the landslide was the most urgent matter.
“What is the situation? Is the landslide real? And what of Chu Yunli?”
Standing aside, the crown prince’s lips curved faintly as he thought to himself: surely the landslide has buried the relief supplies, the losses must be grave—Chu Yunli is in serious trouble this time!
With a grave expression, Rong Zhengyang replied, “The landslide is real…”
“What?”
The Imperial study was shaken, and everyone’s expression changed drastically.
The Emperor swayed, his face turning grim.
“But Your Majesty need not worry—Lord Chu’s men are safe and sound, untouched by the disaster,” Rong Zhengyang continued.
The emperor’s emotions surged like crashing rocks, nearly overwhelming him.
“You mean the team led by Chu Yunli is unharmed?”
“Yes.” Rong Zhengyang saluted and replied, “I went at once to investigate and found the landslide occurred elsewhere. Lord Chu’s men, as well as the village at the foot of the mountain, are all safe and sound.”
The Emperor let out a long breath of relief—so long as all was well, that was enough.
At the same time, he felt displeased—why did General Rong have to gasp so much while speaking? Wouldn’t it be better to just say it outright, instead of making everyone break into a cold sweat?
Rong Zhengyang never imagined his words would stir such turmoil—he had merely paused for breath mid‑speech, yet the emperor’s sinister gaze fixed upon him.
On the other side, the one most shaken was the crown prince.
The Crown prince stood dazed, his mind a blank, unable to recover.
What?
What is going on? How could Chu Yunli possibly be unharmed!
It shouldn’t be like this—Chu Yunli’s elite troops ought to have been buried and swept away… how could this be…
No one noticed that the Crown prince’s expression was off.
“Lord Chu truly showed foresight, avoiding this calamity and even aiding the villagers below. Otherwise, the losses would have been disastrous,” Rong Zhengyang continued.
Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately asked, “What does this mean?”
“Lord Chu, seeing the heavy rains this month and fearing the riverbank might collapse, led the villagers a few days ago to clear the waters. In doing so, he prevented this disaster.”
Rong Zhengyang’s words carried unrestrained praise.
The Emperor was startled at this. “So, if Chu Yunli hadn’t led the villagers to clear the river in advance, then the ones struck by the landslide… would have been them?”
Chu Yunli was astute, able to grasp the circumstances on the way to He Province with such clarity.
Admiration flickered in the Emperor’s eyes; he nodded with satisfaction. “He has done very well.”
The Crown prince’s face turned pale, drained of color, his hand trembling slightly.
It shouldn’t be like this…
Why was Chu Yunli able to escape this calamity… and even win Father Emperor’s praise…
“Damn it!”
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