Chapter 105 News

  The people in the government also have their own sources of information, and each has their own way of getting news. The Wen family started it off, and then everyone else began to move. The rumors were all over the place, some saying that the Shun River had flooded and the dikes had been destroyed, inundating several counties. Others said that the area was already filled with starving corpses, bandits were rising up everywhere, and the government granaries and offices had all been smashed, looted, killed, and burned.

  Rumors are always exaggerated as they spread, for example, Zhang San accidentally almost stepped on a chicken when he went out, by the time he got home in the evening, the rumor had already become that Zhang San was trampled to death by a chicken.

  But all rumors have one thing in common.

  That's why Shunhe indeed has a water disaster, and the situation is not good.

  There is a map in the study of the fourth prince.

  Chao Sheng can understand it. The Fourth Prince also knows she can understand it.

  This picture is very old, I don't know where the fourth prince found it from, the silk color has turned yellow, but the lines of the words on it are still very clear.

  Chao Sheng crouched over the map with great care. The line from Jing City to Shunhe had been studied by her countless times, and she was so familiar with it that she could draw it with her eyes closed.

  Perhaps this old map is not very accurate, the place names may be incorrect, and the direction of the river may have changed, but some basic things can be understood.

  The fourth prince went from Luzhou to Cangzhou, a distance of... um, 800 li by fast horse, which is an approximate number. With the flying horse relay system, it's possible to cover 300-500 li in one day. So, it would take four or five days for news from there to reach the capital.

  But the gloomy rainy weather in Beijing has lasted for at least ten days, and it may be even longer in the south. There is still no news from the fourth prince.

  If it's due to rain, the relay station can't deliver normally, and even if we double the time, it should have arrived.

  Chao Sheng sat down, her hands clenched tightly together.

  Floods in this era and military affairs should be reported to the emperor at the first time.

  The message has yet to arrive...

  Of course, the best scenario is that the flood damage isn't severe — this is highly unlikely.

  Another possibility is that no message was sent from there.

  Well, why didn't you send it out then?

  Is it that you don't want to send it out, or do you want to send it but can't? For example, if the person sent to deliver a message encounters an unexpected situation on the road, and neither side is aware of this.

  It's also possible that it is this way.

  Chao Sheng took another close look at the map of that area, and it was clear that Lu Zhou was upstream. The Fourth Prince and his party should have started their inspection from Lu Zhou. From Xiao Su's tone last time, the Fourth Prince would not return for a long time, otherwise there was no need to prepare so much food.

  According to the itinerary, we should have arrived in Cangzhou by now.

  Cangzhou is also reinforcing and repairing river dikes, but it's not as long as that section in Luozhou.

  According to his itinerary and schedule, where should he be now?

  Chao Sheng hesitated for a moment.

  No way, she knows too little about it.

  This era is not any dynasty in history that she was familiar with. The geography here is also apparently different from what she knew.

  Besides, she couldn't guess where the fourth prince would stay for a longer period of time.

  The afternoons are long and stifling, especially on rainy days. Even doing needlework indoors feels suffocating, but opening the window lets in a torrent of rain blown in by the wind.

  The room is too dark to even do needlework.

  It's been a long time since I've done any needlework - or rather, haven't put my heart into doing anything.

  She originally wanted to sew a few yarn bags, and cover up some books on the bookshelf that the fourth prince didn't often read. However, holding the needle, she was stunned for half a day without threading the line.

  There was someone knocking at the door, but it wasn't very clear in the sound of the wind and rain.

  "Who?" asked Chao Sheng.

  The person outside responded with a single word, which sounded like Chun Mo.

  Chao Sheng hurriedly went over to open the door.

  Chun Mo was standing at the door, although she had an umbrella, but her skirt and shoulders were quite wet.

  "How did you come out in such heavy rain?"

  "What are you doing in the house?"

  "Nothing's going on, Spring Ink sister, please take a seat."

  Fortunately, there was still tea in the teapot, and Chao Sheng poured him a cup.

  Chun Mo didn't have the mind to drink tea and she also didn't have the patience to beat around the bush, so she directly asked: "Is there any news here?"

  Chao Sheng was taken aback for a moment, shook his head: "Those rumors can't be trusted, and I haven't heard any reliable news."

  "Don't deceive me." Chun Mo's face didn't look good, he grabbed Cang Sheng's hand and gripped it tightly: "Little Su didn't say anything to you when he came back last time?"

  Chao Sheng shook his head, his hand hurt by Chun Mo's grip: "Nothing was said---"

  Chun Mo stared at her for a few moments before slowly releasing his grip.

  "Sister, don't worry, His Highness has a good destiny, he will be fine."

  Chao Sheng thought this saying was the most unbelievable.

  But now it also applies to the fourth prince.

  The fourth prince's status is noble and he follows Bao Shi Lang, in short, it's just to follow him to learn and gain experience, which will also be a valuable asset in the future.

  Bao Shilang probably didn't expect this trip to be so unlucky, bringing the prince out, only to encounter a flood.

  If the fourth prince has any mishaps, Bao Shilang will be finished. Even if he doesn't lose his life, his official career will come to an end. Local officials must also be extremely nervous, putting aside other matters, they must ensure the prince's safety above all else.

  It was just a comforting phrase, but Chun Mo grasped it like a lifeline: "You're sure the prince will be alright?"

  He choked back a sob.

  How can she be sure the fourth prince is all right?

  Alright, she can understand it, Chun Mo is worried about being in a mess.

  "Sister, don't worry, the prince is a royal son, can his subordinates not take good care of him? The rain is too heavy, and it's temporarily impossible to send news, sister doesn't need to be anxious."

  Chun Mo nodded: "With such a big rain, wouldn't it be fine if Your Highness returned early in the morning..."

  "It's precisely because of the heavy rain that Your Highness probably won't return early."

  Chun Mo furrowed his brow: "What's going on now?"

  Chao Sheng sat down and said patiently, "Sister, think about it. This is the first task assigned to the prince, so we must make a good impression. Let the emperor be pleased and feel that he didn't misjudge or misassign the task. If the prince were to retreat back to the capital during this rain, what would the emperor think? Even if he doesn't blame us, wouldn't he think that the prince is incompetent?"

  "Right, right, you're absolutely right. If the prince had returned early, it wouldn't have looked good, not just for the emperor, but also among brothers." As she spoke, she became indignant: "Why do others get easy jobs, while the second prince spends his days playing with birds and listening to music, and people still say he's elegant? Our master has to suffer and toil, going to such a remote place..."

  "Hey, sis, don't complain randomly."

  Chun Mo hummed: "There's no one else here, who would come out in such a big rain?"

  But although he said so, Chun Mo was like taking a tranquilizer, and was no longer as anxious as when he came.

  The rain slowed down a bit and Chun Mo bid farewell and left. Chao Sheng closed the door, feeling that talking to her for this short while was more tiring than working continuously for a whole day when brewing Yang Mei wine.

  Chun Mo was always someone who couldn't hide her concerns. She worried about the Fourth Prince, so she went around asking questions, feeling anxious and uneasy.

  Chao Sheng touched his chest.

  She was also uneasy in her heart.

  But she didn't show her emotions as clearly as Chun Mo did.

  Was it because she wasn't as concerned about the Fourth Prince as Chun Mo was?

  No... She is also concerned.

  Last night, she had a nightmare. She saw that everywhere was a vast expanse of water, and she stood on a small patch of dry land. She vaguely knew she was looking for someone, but didn't know where the person was or how to find them. As she became more and more anxious, she thought about jumping into the water when she suddenly woke up.

  It was pitch black all around, with rain pouring down outside, as if I were the only person left in this world.

  She didn't sleep much for the rest of the night.

  The recent heavy rain has caused the price of vegetables in the capital to rise, and the price of rice has also increased. Of course, for the imperial prince's mansion, it is not necessary to buy rice or flour, but vegetables, fish, and meat must be purchased. The purchasing officer returned and complained that even eggs could not be bought. The kitchen maid laughed: "Ha! On rainy days, these hens are also on holiday, they will only lay eggs when the weather clears up."

  Everyone in the house is laughing.

  The hen is unknown, but this is indeed due to the heavy rain causing inconvenience in transportation. The supply of rice and grains in Beijing mainly relies on river transportation, and vegetables are also from surrounding areas. Even in modern times, when there is heavy rain or snow, vegetables are scarce and expensive.

  The heavy rain continued for several days before stopping, and as soon as the sun came out, the weather suddenly became scorching hot. Due to the heavy rain, water accumulated in the city, and the temperature was high, making it even more sweltering than before, with mosquitoes breeding prolifically.

  The capital city is already like this, I don't know how it is in the south.

  Fortunately, after the sky cleared up, the fourth prince finally sent a letter over.

  That was a piece of good news that lifted everyone's spirits

  The fourth prince is coming back. He has already set out on his journey and will arrive in the capital city soon.

  At the current speed of sending messages, if the fourth prince had set out when the message was sent, it would be a matter of these few days to return to the capital.

  The whole house was filled with smiles, and even Madame Wen's smile grew wider. While busily cleaning the courtyard and tidying up the house, she also sent someone to ask around and find out exactly which day they would arrive, so that she could send someone to welcome them.

  Chunmo laughed and ran over: "Chaosheng, you really said it accurately. The prince indeed has a auspicious appearance."

  Chao Sheng nodded and said: "Sister is right, Your Highness is indeed a blessed person."

  The fourth prince is safe and sound, which is of course a good thing.

  But when he comes back, what attitude will the emperor have? Will he feel sorry for his son's suffering or think that he is not capable enough and something like this happens on his first trip out?

  The emperor's mind is not something that others can guess.

  But no one had expected that the fourth prince would make good on his word, and on the second night after receiving the letter, he returned.

  Chao Sheng returned from the kitchen and had just reached her own door when someone called out to her from the shadows of the porch: "Chao Sheng."

  Suddenly, Chao Sheng was startled and took a step back.

  The man emerged from the shadows, his clothes dusty and disheveled, and Chao almost didn't recognize him.

  "Xiao Shun? You, how did you come back?"

  Xiao Shun smiled, his dark and thin face revealing two rows of white teeth: "Those slow words, the lord has also returned, but it's late now and doesn't want to disturb people. You go get some food, from noon till now haven't eaten anything."

  "Alright, alright." Chao Sheng slowly clapped his hands and then suddenly remembered: "Has Your Highness returned as well?"

  "Uh," Xiao Shun didn't say much: "Just bring back the food and send it to the study room."

  "I'm going right away, don't worry."

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  It's really enjoyable to read comments... I wish there were posts to read from morning till night every day.