Chapter 290 Why

Chapter 290: Why

Emperor Jingping had not yet recovered, his health improving and worsening.

The palace no longer featured pleasing songs and dances, and the Fragrance Pavilion where the Emperor often visited had fallen silent. Daoist priests began to appear frequently within the palace.

The Emperor often summoned True Men from the imperial Daoist temple and several famous Daoist temples to listen to them lecture on scriptures, discuss the Dao, and talk about immortality.

The once varied and pleasant incense in the palace gradually gave way to Jiangzhen incense.

Such changes were noticed both in the court and the harem.

The consorts in each palace, those with children quietly urged their offspring to be cautious in words and deeds, while those without children grew even more quiet and low-key.

They did not know if the Emperor would recover, nor did they know how long this calm would last. The dark clouds that had dispersed after the death of Honored Consort Yu began to gather again over the harem, and not knowing when a thunderbolt might strike.

Much like the rainy spring and summer that year.

In contrast to the oppressive gloom of the harem, the court officials were in much better spirits.

While the Emperor's health was certainly worrying, it was reassuring that the Crown Prince was overseeing state affairs. During this time, the Crown Prince's handling of government matters had been quite appropriate.

Indeed, the Crown Prince was now twenty-six, several years older than the current Emperor was when he ascended the throne.

Those ministers who realized this immediately warned themselves not to think further—this was too treasonous. Yet, when they exchanged glances with colleagues, a hint of mutual understanding would inadvertently slip into their eyes.

Somehow, rumors began to circulate that the Crown Prince was more virtuous than the Emperor.

On the first day of the fourth month, a day off for officials, Qiu Heng arranged to go boating with Xue Han.

They were not on the Green Lotus Lake but on the Green Wave River.

The weather was pleasant at this time of year. The river was crowded with boats drifting to and fro, and the shouts of vendors along the shore mingled with the occasional calls of boatmen selling goods. Now and then, faint singing could be heard.

Qiu Heng tilted her head slightly, letting the breeze caress her face: "The Green Wave River is much livelier than Green Lotus Lake."

Xue Han coughed: "Green Lotus Lake is also quite lively."

He had heard many ghost stories about it.

"Xue Han, let's stay out a little longer today."

Xue Han happily agreed but noticed that she seemed distracted.

He docked the boat to buy a sugar-coated hawthorn stick. A Heng bit into one half but forgot to eat the rest, holding it in her hand. He bought a bouquet of fresh flowers from a boatwoman; A Heng took them, but while chatting, she let them drop.

Xue Han caught the flowers just before they fell into the river.

"A Heng, are you feeling unwell?"

Qiu Heng was silent for a moment before nodding slightly. "A little uncomfortable."

"Then I'll take you back. We've been out quite a while."

Qiu Heng looked up at the brilliant sunset clouds on the horizon, then withdrew her gaze. "Alright."

Xue Han escorted Qiu Heng to the gate of the Earl Yongqing's mansion and said goodbye to her.

Qiu Heng asked, "Are you going home, or to the yamen?"

"To the yamen. Although it's a day off, the Imperial City Bureau often has urgent matters to handle."

"Don't overwork yourself. If—"

"If what?" Xue Han looked into Qiu Heng's eyes.

"If you're not busy tomorrow, let's go eat noodles together after you get off duty. Fang Zhou found a newly opened noodle shop that she says is excellent."

What she really wanted to ask, she could not bring herself to utter.

A smile involuntarily curled Xue Han's lips. "I shouldn't be busy. I'll send you a message then."

Under Xue Han's gaze, Qiu Heng entered the Earl's mansion. On her way back to the Cold Fragrance Residence, she sat down in a pavilion.

Wind chimes hung from the eaves of the four-cornered pavilion. The wind made them tinkle, a crisp, pleasant sound. Outside the pavilion, flowers were in full bloom in clusters—the scenery was at its best.

Qiu Heng propped her chin on one hand, staring out of the pavilion, but her gaze was unfocused.

Something was wrong.

According to the records, Emperor Jingping was supposed to have passed away at noon today.

An emperor's death was like a mountain crumbling. Now it was almost evening, so why was there no sign at all?

Could she have remembered wrong?

Impossible. The key people and events were deeply etched into her mind; she could not have misremembered.

Could it be that the Emperor had died too suddenly, and the time of the bell-toll announcement was disputed?

That shouldn't be. The Crown Prince had been overseeing state affairs for a while and was well-accepted. It wasn't a chaotic situation with no successor after the emperor's death.

Then why?

After ruling out various possibilities, only one answer remained: Everything was calm. The only reason for that was that Emperor Jingping had not died.

Emperor Jingping hadn't died?

After reaching this conclusion, more doubts surged in her mind.

Why had he not died?

Was his physical condition better than at this time in the original timeline? Had the miraculous medicine he had taken changed? Or had Xue Quan not presented the medicine at all?

No matter the situation, the hope that the Unwise Monarch would die as recorded in the book, and that the Crown Prince would succeed him, had been dashed.

Dark clouds drifted across the sky. Thunder rumbled, and soon rain poured down.

It seemed as if Qiu Heng did not hear the thunder or the rain. She sat motionlessly in the pavilion.

She had intervened and changed the Crown Prince's premature death. She had done nothing, and Emperor Jingping had not died.

A sense of absurdity enveloped the young girl in the pavilion. Even though the torrential rain did not fall on her, she seemed like a traveler walking through an endless rain curtain.

"Sixth sister, why are you here?" Qiu Ying closed her umbrella, shook off the water droplets, and stepped into the pavilion.

"Fifth Sister, why have you come out in the rain?"

"Tangyuan ran away. I was worried and brought people out to look for him. I saw Sixth Sister sitting in the pavilion, so I came to check."

"Tangyuan is the tabby cat raised by Qiu Ying."

Qiu Heng casually explained, "I was sitting here enjoying the view and got trapped by the rain."

"Then let me walk you back to Lengxiang Residence first."

"Fifth Sister, that nightmare you had before—have you had it again since?"

Qiu Heng's sudden question caught Qiu Ying off guard. She paused before shaking her head. "I haven't had such a terrifying dream again."

Seeing Qiu Heng's puzzled expression, Qiu Ying moved closer. "Sixth Sister, is something on your mind?"

Qiu Heng was silent for a long while before she spoke. "If something was supposed to happen but ultimately didn't, why do you think that is, Fifth Sister?"

"Why?" Qiu Ying found the question odd, but thinking of the lifelike nightmare Qiu Heng had just mentioned, she answered casually, "There must be something different. For instance, the biggest difference between my nightmare and reality is that in the nightmare, Sixth Sister wasn't there."

Something different—Qiu Heng muttered to herself.

The biggest difference is that the Crown Prince is still alive!

With the Crown Prince alive, when Emperor Jingping dies, he will succeed the throne smoothly. But if the Crown Prince were dead—Qiu Heng clenched her fists tightly.

Without the Crown Prince, once Emperor Jingping dies, the young Fifth Prince would take the throne.

Who doesn't want Emperor Jingping to die at this moment? The forces behind the Fifth Prince? The enemy nations hoping for turmoil in Great Xia? Or something else?

"Thank you, Fifth Sister, for clearing that up."

Qiu Ying was completely baffled. "I didn't say anything. Sixth Sister, this rain won't let up for a while. Let me walk you back to your place."

"Alright."

Qiu Ying opened the umbrella and tilted it mostly toward Qiu Heng as they stepped into the rain together.

"Fifth Sister, move the umbrella more toward yourself."

"Getting a little wet in the rain won't hurt me. Sixth Sister, you've been ill for so long. You need to take care of yourself."

The two figures gradually disappeared under the bamboo umbrella as the sky turned completely dark.

After a night of wind and rain, the next day dawned clear. Qiu Heng, too impatient to wait for word from Xue Han, went directly to the Imperial City Bureau to wait.

The Imperial City Bureau was situated inside the imperial city but outside the palace. The familiar vermilion palace walls came into her view. With Honored Consort Yu dead, she would rarely enter the palace again.

Lost in such thoughts, Qiu Heng waited until Xue Han finally came out.