Chapter 311: Falling Apart

Chapter 311: Collapse

Marquis Yongning hastily brought the deranged Lu Mingchao back to the mansion.

As if troubles never came alone.

Marquis Yongning pursed his lips slightly, his jaw clenched tight. He cleared his throat, hoarse from anger, and turned his gaze to the frowning Physician Feng. "Physician Feng, is there still hope for my daughter's condition to be cured?"

Physician Feng wore a troubled expression and said gravely, "The case is grave."

"Your daughter seems to have suffered a tremendous shock, leading to mental derangement and confusion."

"Marquis, you may request Imperial Physician Yang from the palace to examine your daughter. He is most skilled in treating shock-induced mental disorders."

"Thank you, Physician Feng," the Marquis said quietly.

"Dai Liang, prepare the payment for Physician Feng and escort her out of the mansion."

Marquis Yongning gazed at Minghui, who had been forcibly fed a sedative and fallen into a deep sleep. His eyes revealed equal parts helplessness and disgust.

Ever since Minghui was acknowledged as his daughter, the once-peaceful residence of Marquis Yongning had known no peace.

Maybe her madness was for the best.

But how was he to explain this latest rumor to the Emperor?

Floods and epidemics.

Natural disasters, in the eyes of the people, were divine retribution for the ruler's lack of virtue.

The current Emperor, whose ascension was illegitimate, was most wary of such mystical omens.

This spelled trouble.

Marquis Yongning realized that the sword of Damocles over his house was about to fall.

The Marchioness pleaded tearfully, "Marquis, please use your token to summon Imperial Physician Yang to treat Minghui, won't you?"

"I beg of you."

"Minghui is, after all, my own flesh and blood."

Marquis Yongning said coldly, "Both you and your daughter are a curse upon this house."

"Mark my words. It won't be long before His Majesty secretly summons Minghui to the palace."

"Minghui is mad and babbling—she might confess without prompting. You should start praying, Madam."

The Marchioness froze.

Perhaps it would be better if Minghui died.

A glint of cold calculation crossed the Marchioness's eyes.

A disfigured, barren madwoman—rather than letting her uncontrollably make disastrous mistakes, it would be cleaner for her to die, shouldering the blame for eliminating loose ends on behalf of her mother. It would not be in vain, given the months of coddling and excuses she had shown.

After all, someone like Minghui was suffering just by being alive.

Minghui had always been filial—she'd want it this way. (For improved readability, the internal monologue has been broken into shorter paragraphs.)

Just as the Yongning Marquis said, the Yongning Marquisate must not collapse.

If her maternal family admitted to killing civilians to fake military merits, and Minghui confessed to killing to cover up crimes, both she and the Yongning Marquisate could walk away unharmed.

As long as the Marquisate stood, her family would have a chance to rise again someday.

"She cannot die yet," the Yongning Marquis stated decisively.

"The one in the imperial palace is not one to be fooled."

The next day.

Messengers came from the palace.

Lu Minghui was forcibly brought into the palace.

There was no other way—a person with an unstable mind could neither understand words nor be reasoned with.

In the main hall, apart from Lu Minghui, there were also Master Xuanxi from Chengchan Temple and the Chief of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

The whole city was abuzz with talk of the impending floods and epidemics in Wanxing and Beiba. No matter what the Emperor truly thought, he had to appear utterly solemn on the surface.

Lu Minghui tilted her head, giggling mindlessly, repeating numbly and tirelessly, "In mid-May, Wanxing and Beiba counties under Yicheng will suffer through half a month of torrential rain, leading to devastating floods and outbreaks of disease, leaving nine homes in ten left empty."

The Emperor's expression darkened, his fingers curling unconsciously on the armrest as he fixed a sharp, brooding gaze on Lu Minghui.

Lu Minghui's reputation was infamous.

Among all the young ladies of noble houses in the capital, none had ever been as infamous as Lu Minghui!

A wicked woman who had gone to Chengchan Temple for religious cultivation, only to flee down the mountain in madness, spouting nonsense.

Could the Yongning Marquis not teach his daughter properly?

"Chief Yan, in your nightly celestial observations, did you foresee endless storms and floods in Wanxing and Beiba?"

The gray-haired Chief of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau kept his eyes lowered deferentially, his throat dry.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau was not omnipotent.

Sudden weather anomalies were not something he could predict at will.

"Your Majesty, the celestial signs show no abnormalities."

"Perhaps the signs are too subtle and obscure, and my humble skills are insufficient to discern the will of Heaven."

Chief Yan wouldn't speak definitively.

"If Your Majesty permits, this old official is willing to travel to Yicheng to further observe celestial and water patterns."

What the heavens did not reveal could perhaps be read in the local flora, mountains, rivers, winds, and clouds.

The Emperor gave no immediate answer, turning instead to Master Xuanxi of Chengchan Temple. "What is Master Xuanxi's learned opinion?"

Master Xuanxi murmured, "Amitabha."

"This old monk believes that the world is vast and full of wonders."

"It is not strange for Benefactor Lu to have had supernatural experiences."

The emperor's eyes flickered. "Master, are you implying that the prophecy from the daughter of the Yongning Marquis household is true?"

Master Xuanxi maintained his serene, gentle demeanor, chanting softly, "Amitabha."

"It cannot be spoken, cannot be spoken."

"When true seems false, false seems true; when false seems true, true seems false."

"Until it occurs, all outcomes are possible."

The emperor's gaze darkened.

He understood clearly—Master Xuanxi had already given his answer.

That is, there was a high likelihood of floods and plague.

After a moment of contemplation, he said quietly, "In that case, I must trouble Master Xuanxi and Imperial Inspector Yan to personally visit Wanxing and Beiba counties in Yicheng."

"This official obeys the decree."

"This monk humbly accepts the decree."

The emperor nodded and added, "Mid-May is not far off. You two shall depart immediately. If there is news, send it to the palace by the swiftest courier."

Pausing briefly, he frowned at Lu Minghui. "In Master's opinion, how should this young woman be handled most appropriately?"

The emperor was truly indecisive.

If the disaster proved true, it would mean Lu Minghui had indeed revealed divine secrets, rendering her a benefactor to the people of Daqian—worthy of being honored as a celestial maiden.

"Your Majesty, all effects spring from causes; all retributions stem from karma."

"Good and evil each bear their own fruit; fortune and misfortune follow one another. Each reaps what they sow; none can take another's place."

"All is governed by cause and effect."

"Your Majesty need not vex yourself."

The emperor's lips twitched slightly. It seemed as if much had been said, yet nothing at all.

When would Buddhist masters ever speak plainly? Their words cloaked the mountains in mist, like gazing at the moon from a towering height—one might think they could grasp the stars, yet they remained impossibly distant.

He felt he almost understood, yet also as if he grasped nothing.

"Master, do evil deeds inevitably yield evil fruits?" the emperor suddenly asked.

He thought of those who perished during his rise.

"Your Majesty, fate is wrought by one's own hands."

"Amitabha."

As Master Xuanxi's figure retreated, the emperor narrowed his eyes slightly.

Fate made by one's own hands?

The fruits of virtue and vice?

He merely wished to command his own fate, not the heavens'—what was wrong with that?

Don't they always say man can conquer nature?

That whole Buddhist mumbo-jumbo—believe it and it exists, don't believe it and it doesn't.

After a long silence, the Emperor raised his hand and said coldly, "Take her away. By any means necessary, wring more information out of her."

"Keep her alive."

If she truly could prophesy, then he would surely become a ruler for the history books.

If it was just some lunatic's ramblings...

The Emperor's eyes flashed with cold ruthlessness.

Suddenly, a figure clad in light armor with a horizontal sword at his waist appeared silently in the hall and escorted Lu Minghui out.

Empress Dowager Xie's ace in the hole.