Chapter 238: The Flaw

Chapter 238: The Giveaway

When the emperor arrived, even on a "private excursion," security measures and grandeur were never lacking. Though Qiu Huanian could only see a cavalry escort of a dozen or so on the surface, he knew that beyond his sight, the emperor's secret guards and imperial troops had already completely surrounded the small estate.

Emperor Zhaoxin was originally scheduled to visit Tianjin Prefecture's new academy three days later, yet here he was now, appearing ahead of time at the estate outside the city. Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse were puzzled but had no time to ponder or discuss it—they first led everyone to greet the emperor.

The estate's tenant farmers had been herded away to avoid disturbing His Majesty. Emperor Zhaoxin's retinue rode straight toward Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse.

Qiu Huanian heard the sound of hooves stop about six or seven meters ahead, raising no dust. Jia Hongyuan's voice followed shortly after, "Rise, all of you."

Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse stood first, with the others following suit. Apart from these two, everyone present was meeting the emperor for the first time. The adults were more or less nervous or fearful, while only the three children remained unaffected, gazing curiously at the sudden appearance of strangers with innocent eyes.

Du Yunse stepped forward and made a respectful salute. "What brings Your Majesty out of the capital today with such leisure?"

Jia Hongyuan was dressed in informal imperial robes, wearing a black gauze hat with folded corners. His appearance had not changed much since Qiu Huanian first met him, but compared to his days as a frustrated crown prince, his first impression now was no longer his striking good looks but his commanding presence.

Jia Hongyuan smiled faintly. "Today, I received harvest reports from the provinces and suddenly realized autumn had arrived. The imperial palace only has red walls and golden tiles—no way to mark the seasons' turn. After being buried in paperwork for so long, I felt an urge to take a stroll and enjoy the autumn scenery."

"My Imperial Uncle and Cousin are both far beyond the borders, leaving Me with nowhere to go. Since I was due to visit Tianjin Prefecture in three days, I decided to come early."

Jia Hongyuan truly seemed to be here for leisure. Feudal society often deified the emperor as the "Son of Heaven," but beneath this splendid crown was still a mortal with emotions and desires.

Jia Hongyuan dismissed his attendants. The nursemaids and servants of the Du household grew uneasy, but after a glance from the emperor, they too were told to withdraw.

The nursemaid passed the children to Qiu Huanian. Jia Hongyuan said with curiosity, "Let Us see them."

"Has Your Majesty not seen many children before?"

Jia Hongyuan shook his head. Noticing Yang Yang staring at the jade pendant on his waist, he untied it to tease the child. Before Qiu Huanian could stop him, Yang Yang had already reached out and grabbed it with both hands.

"...Children like grabbing things," Qiu Huanian explained helplessly.

Before he could finish, Yang Yang snatched the pendant and stuffed it into his own collar.

"It matters not. When these two were born, I even sent gifts..." Jia Hongyuan paused. "How quickly they've grown so much."

Back then, he had not yet ascended the throne, with the situation unsettled, enemies surrounding him, and internal and external troubles unceasing. The gift for Qishu County Princess had been delivered personally by Sixteen.

Jia Hongyuan's gaze drifted absently elsewhere, passing over the unusual baby carriage in the corner, finding something to divert his attention.

"What is this?"

Wei Li, who was watching over the carriage, felt his heart lurch. Qiu Huanian replied calmly, "She is an orphan my steward Wei Li found near the city gates. Being kind-hearted and unable to locate her family, he took her in as his own younger sister."

"This humble servant Wei Li greets Your Majesty."

Jia Hongyuan nodded and stepped closer to look. Wei Li stood frozen in place while Qiu Huanian signaled behind the emperor's back for him to stay still and silent.

Qingmei, tired from playing, sat in the carriage with her eyes closed, dozing against the cushioned backrest.

Jia Hongyuan blocked the sunlight ahead, casting a shadow over her. Qingmei instinctively glanced up, smacked her lips, and went back to sleep, completely ignoring the august presence.

Qiu Huanian said, "This child dislikes being held—she’s a half-year old and doesn't cling to others. She’s been out most of the day and is a bit tired."

Jia Hongyuan lowered his head and quietly observed Qingmei for a while. No one knew what he was thinking, leaving even Qiu Huanian, who hadn’t initially seen any issue, somewhat perplexed.

Without prior knowledge of her parentage, logically, no one should be able to discern her familial connection to her two fathers based on appearance alone.

"How old is this child?" Emperor Jia Hongyuan suddenly asked.

"We don't know her exact birth date since she was found, but judging by her size, she's probably around eight months old."

Qiu Huanian deliberately added two months to Qingmei's age. After all, Qingmei was more advanced than typical infants, and there were no professionals present familiar with the developmental milestones of infants, so he wasn’t afraid Emperor Jia Hongyuan would notice anything amiss.

Emperor Jia Hongyuan nodded. "For parents to abandon a child so young—what heartless wretches they must be."

"I rule over all under heaven, priding myself on effective governance and a prosperous, peaceful nation. Yet unseen among the common folk, such tragedies still occur. It's truly lamentable."

Du Yunse said, "Your Majesty, civilizing the people is not an overnight task. There’s no need for you to distress yourself over this."

Emperor Jia Hongyuan smiled. "I know. Perhaps even our generation may not live to see the results. The next generation..."

The emperor, still unmarried, paused mid-sentence. Those who knew the circumstances, like Du Yunse, remained silent.

"This child, so young yet so composed, neither cowed nor arrogant—she may achieve great things in the future. Since you found her, raise her well."

On a whim, Emperor Jia Hongyuan asked Wei Luo, "If there are any difficulties in raising her, you may speak, and I shall decide."

This time, the emperor addressed Wei Luo directly, leaving Qiu Huanian unable to answer for him. Those present held their breath for Wei Luo, but fortunately, his years of experience had not been wasted. A thought occurred to him—a request that would serve yet risk nothing.

"The county princess treats her subordinates well, and my family wants for nothing. If there’s any difficulty—since Your Majesty says she has great potential, might I ask Your Majesty to decree that Minister Du take her as his personal disciple and guide her properly?"

Qingmei’s current status was somewhat low, which would hinder her future prospects. Though Du Yunse and Qiu Huanian wished to elevate her, they had to be cautious about drawing suspicion.

Having the emperor personally decree Qingmei as Minister Du’s disciple would ensure that no one would find it strange, no matter how favorably Du and Qiu treated her in the future.

Emperor Jia Hongyuan turned to Du Yunse. "Yun Se, I wished to bestow a favor, yet it has become your responsibility."

Du Yunse smiled. "Qingmei has been raised in my household, and she has bonded well with my husband and me. If Your Majesty commands it, I would be delighted."

"Then I shall send a gift for the formal discipleship ceremony later, on her behalf—"

Emperor Jia Hongyuan glanced at Wei Luo. Qingmei’s name would be easily discovered if inquired about, and hiding it would only arouse suspicion. Wei Luo bowed his head and said, "Qingmei. Her name is Qingmei."

"Qingmei..." The emperor repeated the name softly, his tone softening slightly as if recalling something.

"—to formally apprentice under the six-time top graduate, unprecedented in history."

Emperor Jia Hongyuan looked at Qingmei just as she opened her eyes. His gaze met the child’s jet-black eyes, and for a fleeting moment, it felt as though an old friend was looking back at him.

"Your Majesty?"

"I was merely passing through en route. I won’t disturb your family’s outing any longer. I’ll head to Tianjin city first."

Emperor Jia Hongyuan mounted his horse and departed. The crowd bowed in farewell, only relaxing slightly once the yellow-bannered imperial procession vanished from sight.

After leaving the estate, the emperor did not immediately take the main road to Tianjin city. Instead, he reined in his horse by the roadside and spoke calmly.

"Dark Nine, you signaled earlier. What did you wish to say?"

A remarkably inconspicuous imperial guard from the retinue came forward silently, dismounted, and reported, "Your Majesty, your servant has made a discovery, though I cannot be certain of its truth."

Emperor Jia Hongyuan leaned slightly forward on his horse. "Speak."

Dark Nine was one of the men he had specially selected from the palace’s guard training academy a few months after the fire in Jinshen Hall. They all possessed a unique skill—identifying people through portraits.

After the initial fury and terror, Emperor Jia Hongyuan had calmed down and quickly identified clues and direction amidst the chaos of events.

During his time in the palace, Sixteen personally erased all information about the descendants of the Mei family. As the person most familiar with Jia Hongyuan's influence and methods, he acted decisively, leaving Jia Hongyuan with no useful leads to this day.

Yet this very fact revealed one truth—someone from the Mei family must still be alive outside the palace, someone who bore no apparent connection to the Mei name. Only then would Sixteen go to such lengths to protect them.

Had there been no unexpected survivors, Sixteen would never have needed to take such drastic measures.

And if someone from the Mei family still lived, Sixteen would never have willingly embraced death. Finding that person would likely lead to Sixteen himself.

Jia Hongyuan knew that, aside from Sixteen, the only other person with even the slightest chance of survival was his elder sister, Mei Zhengchun.

Jia Hongyuan dispatched multiple teams to the Mei ancestral lands in Guzhu County, interviewing those who had once known Mei Zhengchun, painstakingly piecing together her likeness.

Mei Zhengchun had been seventeen or eighteen when she left Guzhu County. If she were still alive now, she would be in her forties, her appearance undoubtedly changed. Yet the bone structure and features of an adult would not differ drastically.

The portrait of Mei Zhengchun captured only a fraction of her essence—useless to ordinary eyes, but not difficult for those with specialized training to recognize.

Jia Hongyuan sent out guards skilled in identifying faces from images, searching the region, but so far, no good news had returned.

Jia Hongyuan narrowed his eyes in thought, considering that Dark Nine’s presence on this trip had been coincidental. What had he discovered at Du Yunse’s estate? And why had he hesitated to speak?

Dark Nine knelt on one knee, drawing a steadying breath before speaking in a low voice, "Your servant encountered Qishu County Princess for the first time today… Her features bear an uncanny resemblance to the elder sister of Her Majesty the Empress."

A heavy silence descended, broken only by the ceaseless autumn wind, scattering dried leaves and dust across the ground. Cold sweat pricked at Dark Nine’s forehead as he dared not lift his head for a long moment.

"..."

"So that’s it... So that’s how it is…"

"To Tianjin Prefecture," Jia Hongyuan heard himself say. "We depart at once—ride at full speed, have the Imperial Guard clear the way—no, strike the imperial banners, change into plain clothes. Alert no one."