Chapter 215: Madness

Chapter 215: Frenzy

The autumn rain poured relentlessly, with dark clouds blanketing the sky. The rain fluctuated between heavy and light all the way from the capital to Tianjin, never stopping.

Qiu Huanian was puzzled to hear from the gatekeeper that Bing Qi and Wei Li had come to Tianjin in the rain.

Bing Qi was known for his calm demeanor, and Wei Li had grown significantly over the past couple of years. They wouldn't have rushed over unless it was urgent.

After a moment's reflection, Qiu Huanian sent Xing Mi to inquire with Du Yunse if anything was amiss in the capital. He also had the servants open the side gate, letting Bing Qi drive the carriage straight into the courtyard.

After getting off the carriage, Bing Qi explained that Wei Li had caught a chill on the way and feared spreading the illness to the two young masters. He dared not disembark at the main courtyard and asked Qiu Huanian to arrange a quiet courtyard for him to rest overnight.

Noticing Bing Qi's discreet hand signal, Qiu Huanian sensed something was amiss. After a moment's thought, he directed them to a secluded courtyard in the rear residence, near the garden, usually deserted.

The small courtyard had just three tiny rooms on one side, with a century-old tree towering in the center. Its sprawling branches cast deep shadows, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

The former prefect had turned it into a chess courtyard with simple beds inside. After Qiu Huanian moved in, the courtyard and rooms were too small to repurpose right away. They just gave it a quick clean and added a few pieces of furniture.

While ordering someone to light the charcoal fire in the courtyard, Qiu Huanian also sent someone to fetch a doctor.

When the carriage entered the chess courtyard, Qiu Huanian found an excuse to dismiss the attending servants. Wei Li immediately jumped down from the carriage.

Seeing that Wei Li didn't appear ill, Qiu Huanian's mind raced with various speculations. "Is there someone else in the carriage? Did you come specifically to deliver him?"

Wei Li nodded and then shook his head. "He suddenly appeared at the estate, seriously ill. Bing Qi said we had to bring him to you immediately."

At the estate? Seriously ill? As if sensing something, Qiu Huanian suddenly felt a pang in his heart. His body moved before his mind could process, and he stepped forward to lift the carriage curtain.

He froze in place, unable to believe his eyes.

Raindrops fell like broken beads from the eaves, pattering like a runaway heartbeat.

Bing Qi's voice, filled with pain and hope, came from behind. "Township Lord, do you... know who he is?"

Qiu Huanian turned sharply, looking at Bing Qi as if seeing him for the first time.

"Three years ago, when I returned from Du Village, my uncle already knew who I was. Later, when I was granted the title of Township Lord, it was with the help of the Crown Prince. You and your brother were among the craftsmen rewarded at that time. You... are also descendants of disgraced officials who were sent to the palace."

Hearing the term "uncle," Bing Qi's body trembled violently, and his resolute eyes instantly turned red.

He forced a smile, somewhere between crying and laughing. "The Township Lord is even smarter than my elder sister. There's no hiding anything from you."

"Are you really descendants of the Mei family?" Qiu Huanian's voice unconsciously rose.

"Our mother was a lady of the Mei family, making her your great-aunt," Bing Qi replied, shaking his head, unwilling to elaborate. "Township Lord, let's move Shu Geer inside first and find a way to get a doctor to see him."

Qiu Huanian quickly snapped out of his thoughts and stepped aside to make way for Bing Qi. "Don't call me Township Lord anymore. Like my uncle, call me Huanian, cousin."

Bing Qi paused almost imperceptibly, lowering his head slightly.

Qiu Huanian entered the room first. The charcoal fire had already been lit, and he took out the bedding from the cabinet, quickly spreading it on the bed with Wei Li's help.

The bedding had been recently washed and aired by Qiu Huanian, and the cotton inside was from this year's harvest, soft and dense. Bing Qi placed the person on the bed, and the light figure immediately sank into the bedding.

Qiu Huanian sat at the head of the bed, lifting the person to lean against his chest. He brushed aside the hair on the forehead and felt the temperature.

"He still has a fever. I don't know how my uncle left the palace, but it certainly wasn't through ordinary means... No matter what, we must get a doctor first."

Just as Qiu Huanian was about to ask Bing Qi to check on the doctor's arrival, his right wrist was suddenly grabbed. He quickly looked down and found that the person in his arms had woken up.

"Little Uncle!" Qiu Huanian exclaimed with joy, "You're finally awake! Don't worry, you're safe here with me."

The man in his arms struggled to lift his head, his pupils dilating and contracting several times, as if trying to etch the image of the person reflected in his eyes into his soul.

"Huanian..."

"I'm here!"

"No... doctors..."

Qiu Huanian was taken aback and instinctively advised, "You're so sick, how can we not call a doctor?"

The pale-faced man remained silent but struggled to reach for something hidden inside his clothes. Qiu Huanian quickly helped him, pulling out a small vial from the hidden pocket inside his garment.

"What is this?"

"Antidote. Give it to me." Just saying these few words nearly exhausted all the strength he had mustered.

Wei Li silently turned and poured a cup of tea from the pot warming on the stove. After a brief hesitation, Qiu Huanian fed him the medicine.

The medicine, of unknown origin and effect, took effect quickly. Within minutes, Qiu Huanian felt the man resting on his shoulder breathing more steadily, his body gradually relaxing.

"Little Uncle?"

"Hmm." The man in his arms still sounded utterly exhausted, but at least he could speak coherently now, "I'm alright."

Qiu Huanian couldn't hold back his flood of questions any longer, "What kind of antidote did you take? Is it harmful? How did you get out of the palace, and why are you in this state?"

The man being questioned didn't open his eyes but managed a faint smile, "Don't cry, Huanian."

"...I'm not crying."

"Good, you're not."

Qiu Huanian sniffled, "You... you chose to leave the palace, didn't you?"

"I burned down the Hall of Caution." He replied calmly.

Qiu Huanian was stunned, not expecting to hear such earth-shattering news. Bing Qi and Wei Li were also instinctively frightened to the point of dizziness.

Qiu Huanian opened his mouth and suddenly said, "Burned it down, so what? The emperor has plenty of palaces, he can't live in all of them."

The forced smile on Mei Wangshu's lips softened slightly, his consciousness gradually sinking into a soft, dark, sweet dream. He couldn't remember the last time he had dreamed.

It was a long-awaited, otherworldly good dream.

"Let me sleep." He murmured, "When I wake up, I have so much to tell you."

...

Only when the person in his arms was completely asleep did Qiu Huanian carefully place his head on the pillow and quietly stand up.

Qiu Huanian gently moved his numb shoulders and signaled to Bing Qi and Wei Li, who had remained silent, to speak outside.

"What you just heard must not reach anyone's ears." Qiu Huanian emphasized, "I'm not discussing or suggesting, I'm informing."

Bing Qi had already regained his composure, "Don't worry... Huanian, I've been a useless cousin and uncle, but I won't hold you back. If it's for your good, I can give up my life at any time."

Wei Li also emerged from his shock and panic, took a deep breath, and said, "My life was given by the county lord, I will never betray you, not even—not even the true dragon emperor!"

Qiu Huanian, upon hearing their words, felt the turbulent negative emotions in his heart subside somewhat. He sighed and said, "I believe you. I was too harsh earlier."

"Don’t worry, things aren’t as dire as you imagine," he comforted them in return. "Don’t talk about life and death. We’re not planning to betray the country or rebel, raising a banner and shouting 'I want to rebel' while waiting for the troops to surround us."

Wei Li realized he had misunderstood and blushed in embarrassment, lowering his head.

Qiu Huanian smiled, "Leave this to me. Life will go on as usual, and nothing will go awry."

Qiu Huanian instructed Wei Li to stay at the chess academy feigning illness, while also taking care of Mei Wangshu. Bing Qi was to stand guard nearby and quickly inform him if anything happened.

He returned to the main courtyard, intending to go directly to find Du Yunse, but only to find that Du Yunse was already in the main room.

After dismissing the onlookers and ensuring no one was eavesdropping, they turned to serious matters.

"Earlier today, I received three urgent reports from the capital," Du Yunse shared the secrets without any concealment. "The first one is about the remnants of the rebels staging an uprising in the capital. His Majesty already knew about this and planned to lure them out to capture them in one fell swoop, so he didn’t stop it in advance."

"The second one is that some rebels infiltrated the imperial city and set fire to the palace. Since His Majesty dislikes having too many servants in his residence, the fire in the Jinshen Hall wasn’t put out quickly enough, and when the fire was extinguished, the side hall was almost completely burned down. This caught His Majesty off guard."

"The third report just arrived." Du Yunse glanced at Qiu Huanian, seeing his calm expression, already had a guess in his heart.

"The third report states that when the side hall was burned down, my uncle was trapped inside and did not come out. The servants sifted through the ruins and found his remains, but His Majesty refuses to believe he’s dead."

"His Majesty has ordered the entire Great Yu to search for Mei Wangshu in all prefectures, counties, towns, and villages, and at the same time issued an edict to establish Mei Wangshu as the empress."

"Has he lost his mind?!" Qiu Huanian couldn’t care less about how rebellious his words were in a feudal society.

Du Yunse looked at the falling rain outside the window, "Perhaps."

"He’s not seeking advice or consulting anyone. He is just notifying everyone of his decision. Resistance will be met with death."

Qiu Huanian was speechless for a moment, then smiled and shook his head, "So what? If Mei Wangshu doesn't want to, even if he is the emperor, he can’t get his way."

Du Yunse's tone was equally calm, "Where is my uncle now?"

"At our home."

Du Yunse nodded, "That’s good. No need to look for him. We need to find a way to cover his tracks as soon as possible."

Qiu Huanian looked at Du Yunse, "Sorry for dragging you into danger with me."

Du Yunse slightly lowered his head and kissed the red mole on his forehead, "Your family is my family, your wishes are my wishes."

Qiu Huanian smiled and asked him, "More important than loyalty to the emperor?"

Du Yunse, under Qiu Huanian's bright gaze, nodded solemnly, "Above all else."