Chapter 84

Chapter 84

The arguing stopped dead.

He Wenbo’s gaze flickered with shock and doubt. He had never expected the Crown Prince to step forward at a time like this.

In truth, throughout the dynasties, it was not uncommon for imperial princes to oversee disaster relief. The problem was that this was an exceptionally difficult assignment.

If it was handled well, the people’s hearts would turn toward him, and praise would rise from both court and country. That would inevitably provoke the emperor’s suspicion.

If it was handled poorly, then the reputation painstakingly built up over so many years would be scattered overnight.

Moreover, the road to disaster relief was full of hardship and danger. Encounters with roaming bandits and mountain brigands were common, and no small number of men had died halfway there.

So unless one intended to skim a profit from the mission, most people were unwilling to take on such a bitter task.

And that was all the more true of imperial princes who had been pampered from birth, raised in fine clothes and rich food. They could hardly endure hardship.

The Emperor of Wei clearly did not want him wading into these troubled waters either.

“The Crown Prince has important duties to attend to in the capital. It is inconvenient for him to go,” the Emperor of Wei refused outright.

Wei Heng frowned slightly. “Matters in the capital are far less urgent than disaster relief. At present, there is no suitable candidate in court to send. As a member of the imperial clan, this son naturally cannot shirk his duty. I should share the people’s hardship.”

The Emperor of Wei’s face turned livid with anger. Seated upon the dragon throne, he fell silent.

The assembled ministers also said nothing.

After a moment of thought, He Wenbo said, “If the Crown Prince volunteers to go, he is indeed the most suitable candidate.”

The reason no one had been chosen after all this time was simple: those with high rank were old and frail, unable to withstand the journey, while the younger officials mostly held low posts or lacked experience.

If the Crown Prince went in person, not only would it soothe the people’s hearts, it would also carry enough authority to deter those beneath him from harboring improper thoughts.

Wei Heng did not wait for the emperor to refuse. He knelt at once and petitioned, “Your Majesty, please permit this son to go.”

He Wenbo also stepped forward. “Your Majesty, please permit the Crown Prince to go.”

Seeing this, the ministers stopped arguing at once and spoke in one voice. “Please permit the Crown Prince to go.”

The Emperor of Wei drew several harsh breaths in succession. Seeing that the matter could no longer be turned back, he could only grit his teeth and say, “Good. Good!”

He forced his emotions under control, rose to his feet, and swept his gaze around the hall.

“From this day forth, the Crown Prince is appointed Governor of Three Prefectures. He will proceed to the disaster-stricken region with the imperial edict, grain, and funds.”

“In addition, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Revenue, the Court of Agriculture, and the Censorate shall each assign personnel to travel with the Crown Prince.”

“For this disaster relief mission, all of you must devote yourselves fully to soothing the people, distributing grain and funds, and relieving the people’s suffering. Anyone found guilty of embezzlement, fraud, negligence, or perfunctory work will be punished without mercy!”

Everyone knelt and answered in unison, “Your Majesty is wise!”

…

And so the matter of disaster relief was settled.

News that the Crown Prince would soon depart personally for the disaster-stricken region quickly spread through court and country.

The emperor sent additional manpower in wave after wave, and also dispatched the Twelve Guards of the Imperial Guards to accompany and protect him, leaving only a portion behind to guard the Capital.

When Sheng Zhaoning received the news, the hand holding her brush paused slightly.

The three prefectures hit hardest by the disaster were Shizhou, Shuozhou, and Jizhou. Though the three prefectures bordered one another, they were far too distant from Capital City. The land there was bleak and desolate, with many mountain roads, rugged and difficult to traverse.

For the Crown Prince to go this time, the dangers were unknown. Some unforeseen change might occur.

For no clear reason, Sheng Zhaoning felt somewhat uneasy.

She set down her brush and stared blankly at the shifting shadows of the trees outside the window.

For some reason, the Plum Blossom Seal appeared in her mind. Vermilion, vivid as if dripping with color.

The scene from the day she had been drunk surfaced before her eyes again.

After she sobered, she vaguely remembered a few fragments.

At the palace banquet, she had leaned against him.

Inside the carriage, she had curled up in his arms.

Together with what Zhou Wei had said, that he had carried her back to her bedchamber and had not been seen leaving until the early hours of the next day, as well as the outline she had faintly recognized while half asleep and half awake, and the steady warmth that had kept flowing into her palm…

Sheng Zhaoning could roughly guess what had happened that night.

Her feelings were too complicated to describe.

Toward Wei Heng, there had always been an emotion in her heart that she could neither explain nor define. She could not tell what kind of feeling it truly was.

All she hoped was that he would return safely.

This journey was fraught with danger, and Sheng Zhaoning could not help worrying.

She rose and walked out through the gates of the Hanlin Academy. Before she realized it, she had arrived in front of Wenhua Hall.

The Fifteenth Prince had long since begun receiving lessons from the scholars alongside the other princes. Sheng Zhaoning had not come to Wenhua Hall in a long time, and for a moment, she felt something almost like the timid unease of returning home after a long absence.

She stood at the entrance for a while, but in the end, she did not step inside.

Lowering her eyes, she was just about to turn and leave when she suddenly noticed that a cat had appeared by her feet at some point.

The cat’s fur was mottled yellow and white, and it was astonishingly plump. It sat obediently beside her feet.

Sheng Zhaoning paused. After studying it for a while, she recognized it as the very same cat Wei Heng had saved when they first met.

Back then, it had been so thin and tiny, a kitten small enough to fit in one’s palm. Now its belly was round and full, its limbs sturdy, its face broad and perfectly round.

Wei Heng had truly raised it well.

Her gaze softened before she knew it. She crouched down and stroked it, and the cat showed no fear of strangers, rubbing affectionately against her hand.

Sheng Zhaoning played with it for a while and was just about to stand when, behind her, the sound of footsteps slowly came to a stop.

“Lord Sheng.”

A familiar voice sounded behind her.

Sheng Zhaoning’s back stiffened, and her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

Her fingertips curled unconsciously. She stood, drew a quiet breath, and turned back, meeting those clear, handsome eyes.

“Crown Prince,” she said softly.

Wei Heng looked at the familiar cold stillness returning to her eyes and sighed inwardly, though none of it showed on his face. He only smiled gently and said, “It still remembers you.”

Sheng Zhaoning lowered her head to look at the cat by her feet. “Your Highness has kept it by your side all this time?”

Wei Heng nodded. “After I carried it back to the Eastern Palace that day, I kept it there.”

In the blink of an eye, several months had passed.

Sheng Zhaoning looked at him. After a moment of thought, she said, “Your Highness, on this journey to the Northern Territory, please take good care of yourself.”

Sheng Zhaoning knew full well that this road would not be an easy one for him.

Wei Heng had grown up in the palace since childhood. Perhaps he had only left Capital City a handful of times. Now he was suddenly going to a barren land, and no one knew what he would face there.

What was more, he was the noble Heir Apparent. With such a unique status, who knew how many people coveted what he represented?

This departure from the capital was likely the best opportunity for those lurking in the shadows to strike.

Wei Heng was not unaware of all this.

Yet he only said, “I do not know when I will return. Lord Sheng, while you remain in the capital, you must also take care of your health.”

Wei Heng recalled the day she had been drunk, her cheeks flushed red, her eyes dazed and unfocused, and those hands that had clutched his for an entire night. He emphasized his warning. “Do not indulge in the cold. Do not drink.”

Selfishly, he did not want anyone else to see Sheng Zhaoning like that.

Sheng Zhaoning naturally did not know what he was thinking. She only answered in a low voice, “Yes.”

Wei Heng stared at her for a long while, as though he wished to engrave her appearance firmly into the depths of his heart.

After this farewell, who knew how long it would be before they met again?

Even with a thousand words in his heart, he could not easily speak them aloud. That secret, flowing affection was something he did not dare voice, for fear of disturbing her peace.

If these feelings could not be accepted by the world, he did not want her to bear those accusations.

All the restraint, all the self-control, all the feelings that could never be declared aloud–it was enough for him alone to endure them.

As for Sheng Zhaoning, it was enough for her to remain just as she was, clear as the wind and bright as the moon, Lord Sheng untouched by the dust of the world.

Wei Heng smiled as he bid her farewell, concealing the bitterness in his eyes, then turned and left.

Sheng Zhaoning watched his silent figure recede into the distance. In that moment, she felt as if even ten thousand rays of brilliance could not conceal the heavy loneliness around him.

A sharp pain pierced her heart. Almost without thinking, entirely on instinct, the words slipped from her lips.

“Your Highness, what if I wished to go with you?”

Before her, that figure suddenly froze in place.