Part 2
Huo Xian’s focus wasn’t on Emperor Haoyuan asking his dad to discipline him, but on the word “see.” He had a bad premonition; he felt that ultimately, the task of suppressing the bandits would still fall on his father’s head.
The conversation ended there. Emperor Haoyuan didn’t continue on the topic of the Black Wind Mountain bandits. Instead, he tested the two princes and Huo Xian on policy essays. With the original host’s memories, it wasn’t difficult for Huo Xian to answer.
Huo Xian had originally planned to take Huo Yuan out for a good meal after “class,” but unexpectedly, Emperor Haoyuan kept them for a meal. He and the princes were qualified to dine with the Emperor, but Huo Yuan was not. He didn’t even get the treatment of scrapping a bite to eat.
Thus, by the time Huo Xian took him out of the palace before the gates locked, Huo Yuan was starving.
Under Emperor Haoyuan’s nose, Huo Yuan couldn’t take out the snacks hidden in his purse to eat.
“Huo Xian, let me tell you something, don’t be too surprised,” Huo Yuan said, temporarily ignoring his rumbling stomach.
Huo Xian reached out and rubbed his belly for him, asking casually, “What is it? Next time I enter the palace, I won’t bring you. You can eat and drink well at home… The weather will turn cold soon; I need to have some thick clothes made for you first.”
Huo Yuan was almost distracted by the latter part of the sentence. He quickly grabbed the hand rubbing his stomach and frowned, saying, “Don’t interrupt me. I want to tell you…” He suddenly remembered the two guards following behind him, so he switched to consciousness communication: [The Fourth Prince, Xiao Jinchi, isn’t blind. Or rather, not completely blind.]
Huo Xian was slightly stunned, then frowned slightly. He also asked via consciousness: [How do you know?]
In the original host’s memory, the Fourth Prince Xiao Jinchi was born blind. All the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital and famous doctors across the world, including the “Medical Immortal” Du Hanxu, had examined him. Everyone said the Fourth Prince’s blindness was brought from the womb and incurable. Why did Huo Yuan say the Fourth Prince wasn’t completely blind?
Of course, Huo Xian didn’t disbelieve Huo Yuan; he was just curious how he knew.
Huo Yuan didn’t hide it. He explained how he sensed the Fourth Prince’s gaze and secretly used points to test him. He then added: [I wasn’t using points recklessly. I just felt he was very suspicious. According to the thousands of historical literary works, unofficial histories, novels, and film works I’ve watched, the ancient imperial court is the most dangerous place. One must be cautious.]
[I’m not blaming you for using points.] Huo Xian wanted to rub his hair, but seeing Book Boy Huo Yuan with his hair tied up, he wasn’t as pettable as when he was a cat. He felt a moment of regret, then said seriously: [Can you tell if he was never completely blind or if he is gradually recovering?]
Huo Yuan replied: [He is congenitally blind. There are many causes for fetal congenital blindness. The mother might have been sick with a bacterial infection during pregnancy, or alcoholism during pregnancy might have caused incomplete eye development leading to blindness. But now, his atrophied optic nerves show a trend of recovery.]
Congenital blindness wasn’t impossible to treat, but generally, a cure was very difficult. Since the Fourth Prince lived in the palace, the only ones he could contact were imperial physicians, and no imperial physician had ever said they could cure his eyes. Therefore, the Fourth Prince’s recovery was worth pondering.
[Can you find out the cause of his recovery?] Huo Xian asked.
[I can reverse time, but,] Huo Yuan hesitated here, [It would cost at least 5000 points.]
Huo Xian: [………………]
Huo Yuan said sincerely: [Huo Xian, I don’t think it’s necessary. Really, not necessary. The protagonist of this world has only one wish. We might not even get that many points for completing the mission. I still want to exchange for a physical body in the next world.]
That made a lot of sense.
Huo Xian: [I suddenly realized, you haven’t told me what the mission for this world is yet.]
Huo Yuan: [Uh… I forgot.] He quickly pulled up the mission screen and shared the mission with Huo Xian.
Mission:
- Retrieve the luck belonging to the Son of Destiny and repair the World Law.
- Burn Xiao Jinli’s bones and scatter his ashes.
[Burn his bones and scatter his ashes?] Huo Xian raised his eyebrows slightly. Aside from caring about affairs during life, ancients placed extra importance on affairs after death. Particular families would select ancestral graves with good feng shui generations in advance, believing in resting in peace in the earth. To burn bones and scatter ashes could be considered a cruel torture, a malicious revenge.
Huo Yuan nodded: [The original host has extremely deep resentment.]
Parents died tragically, family ruined and dead—how could the resentment not be deep?
Upon returning to the Princess’s residence, before Huo Xian could mention Emperor Haoyuan’s intention to have Marquis Huo suppress the bandits, he received two pieces of news—Qiu Chenghan was dead, cause of death: poisoning; the body of Qiu Chenghan’s follower, Zhang Yong, was also found in the mass graves outside the city.
The clues, unsurprisingly, were cut off.
Marquis Huo’s overall air pressure was so low that even the Eldest Princess didn’t want to speak to him. It wasn’t out of fear, but fear that she couldn’t control her temper and would curse. Yes, the Eldest Princess had that kind of violent temper.
Huo Xian had known the result would be this way. While he lamented the loss of two lives, he was also helpless.
To divert Marquis Huo’s low pressure, he mentioned the Black Wind Mountain matter. Hearing this, Marquis Huo’s two thick black eyebrows knitted together. The Eldest Princess also raised her willow eyebrows: “Absurd! Your father hasn’t led troops in years. Touching his upper and lower lips together to send him bandit suppressing—does he think your father has lived too long?”
Marquis Huo was still pondering Emperor Haoyuan’s intentions, but hearing the Eldest Princess shout like that, he laughed speechlessly: “There’s no need to curse your husband like that.”
The Eldest Princess immediately shot him a glare. He shrank his neck and added with a dry laugh, “Besides, His Majesty only mentioned it briefly to Yi’er. He hasn’t issued a decree. It doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll really make me go.”
“That man… he has always done whatever comes to mind, never caring about other people’s opinions,” the Eldest Princess said with a frown.
Huo Xian was somewhat surprised. The Eldest Princess referring to Emperor Haoyuan as “that man” was not a very respectful attitude.
Marquis Huo pondered for a moment and said, “The bandit trouble on Black Wind Mountain is indeed a major disaster that must be resolved. However, Black Wind Mountain’s location is special. The forest at the foot of the mountain is shrouded in poisonous miasma year-round, and the mountain roads are rugged. Without a guide, one might get lost immediately upon going up. Those bandits use this exact point to defeat the government troops sent to wipe them out.”
“By your description, haven’t the bandits of Black Wind Mountain formed their own kingdom?” the Eldest Princess said.
Marquis Huo wanted to correct her phrasing, but realized that what the Eldest Princess said didn’t seem wrong. The Black Wind Stronghold Chief occupied the mountain as a king; if he declared himself emperor, Black Wind Stronghold would be called the Black Wind Kingdom.
“Dad, if His Majesty issues a decree for you to lead the troops, do you have a way to deal with it?” Huo Xian asked without showing emotion on his face, though he inevitably worried inside. Compared to the original host, the Eldest Princess, who grew up with Emperor Haoyuan, should understand her imperial brother’s character better. If she said Emperor Haoyuan did whatever came to mind, then it was likely nine out of ten that Emperor Haoyuan would make Marquis Huo lead the troops.
“I do, but…” Marquis Huo looked hesitant.
Huo Xian and the Eldest Princess asked in unison, “But what?”
Marquis Huo let out a heavy breath. After a long while, he said with a complex expression, “Relying on numbers. As long as there are many people, well-equipped gear, and the momentum and fearless courage used to fight the Hu people, Black Wind Stronghold can naturally be taken down.”
“That method won’t work,” Huo Xian immediately vetoed. Before the couple could ask, he added, “Currently, the court’s military forces are mostly used to resist foreign tribes at the border. Local garrisons cannot be easily mobilized. Leaving aside whether His Majesty would transfer troops from other regions for Black Wind Mountain, just the grain and fodder required for the army might not be something the Ministry of Revenue can produce. ‘Grain and fodder go before troops and horses.’ Without grain support, the army entering the mountain is just delivering vegetables to the bandits.”
“Garrisons protect the peace of a region. Unless enemy troops kill their way into the Imperial City, they won’t be mobilized,” the Eldest Princess said calmly.
Marquis Huo nodded lightly, saying somewhat heavily, “I only know that Black Wind Mountain is easy to defend and hard to attack. I haven’t seen it personally. If I saw it with my own eyes, I might be able to think of other methods.”
“You are not allowed to go!” The Eldest Princess glared.
Marquis Huo comforted her helplessly, “We are just discussing it as a family at home. Think on the bright side: with all the civil and military officials in the court, perhaps His Majesty has another candidate.”
Although Marquis Huo spoke according to the Eldest Princess’s wishes, the solemnity flashing across his face betrayed his thoughts. He had no interest in holding military power, but letting the bandit trouble run wild would only hurt the common people. Based on emotion, reason, and the people, the bandit infestation had to be eliminated.
Three days later, the imperial decree for bandit suppression arrived amidst the Eldest Princess’s rejection.
The suspended giant stone smashed heavily onto the Eldest Princess’s heart, causing the blood to drain from her face almost instantly. After recovering for a moment, she moved to go to the palace but was stopped by the quick-eyed and quick-handed Marquis Huo.
The veins on the Eldest Princess’s forehead pulsed prominently. She roared, “Three hundred elite soldiers! He only gave you three hundred elite soldiers! Is he sending you to lead these three hundred soldiers to die?”
Marquis Huo smiled bitterly. He had expected to lead troops to suppress bandits, but he hadn’t expected the military force given to him to be so small.
[Huo Xian, didn’t Emperor Haoyuan say he would meet your dad first?] Through Huo Xian’s previous analysis, Huo Yuan knew Emperor Haoyuan had actually made up his mind, but implied he would discuss it privately first. But now, issuing a direct decree was simply too sudden.
Coldness gathered in Huo Xian’s eyes: [He calculated that I would tell Dad about the bandit suppression, using my mouth to prepare Dad mentally.]
[Huh? How can Emperor Haoyuan be like this? That’s too despicable, isn’t it?] Huo Yuan was indignant.
[The heart of an Emperor can never be guessed by others,] Huo Xian said coldly. Although he said this, he still felt a sense of strangeness in his heart.
Huo Yuan was a bit anxious: [The decree is down; your dad can’t refuse. But what can a mere three hundred men do? Huo Xian, can you think of a way?]
Huo Xian pursed his lips, the corners of his mouth slowly curving into a thin, cold arc: [My method will dye the Liang River red.]
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