Chapter 279: News

Chapter 279: News

Annam was, after all, a small nation, and its medical capabilities were inferior to Yu's. Chu Ci's poison-craft was taught by the Strange Taoist, so how could any run-of-the-mill physician possibly catch a whiff of it?

Everyone was of two minds—scared of ending up like Lord Shen if they didn't take it, but also worried it might add another layer of poison.

After much deliberation, they figured it was better to die from poison than end up a shell of a man like Lord Shen. Biting the bullet, the gutsy Chen Zhenlong was the first to take it.

When the others saw that he didn't die from it, and that when he went back to the physician for a check-up, the physician said he was fine, only then did they dare take it one by one.

Meng Wan never really wanted to use poison to strong-arm people anyway—that was a desperate low blow. It'd just make enemies, and the intel you'd get might not even be legit.

Might as well just hand out the antidotes, build some goodwill and trade it for something solid and real.

"Lord Meng, are we really just gonna sit pretty in Guang'an Prefecture and let those merchants do our legwork to find the Prince?" Xia Yuan started getting anxious again.

Meng Wan thought, should I just storm the Annamese capital and demand answers from the King? Or march to the front and grill the Annamese generals myself?

He was roasting them in his head but had to soothe them out loud: "Lord Xia, you know best—I honestly can't come up with a better plan. It's all up to you, Lord Xia."

He was just a run-of-the-mill official's husband with a bit of cash, after all—he couldn't shoulder any huge responsibility. He'd chip in money and effort to save the Crown Prince, but he wasn't about to take the fall.

"Well..." Xia Yuan's head was spinning too. "How about sending Feng Chu and Chi Yu to the Annamese capital to sniff around?"

Meng Wan's face showed his reluctance. "Lord Xia, we're a bunch of Yu folks already sticking out like a sore thumb on Annamese turf. If we don't keep a top-notch fighter by our side, and something actually goes down..." They'd be hard-pressed to save their own skins.

Xia Yuan could be all loyal and patriotic if he wanted, but Meng Wan wasn't about to risk his own neck. Everything Meng Wan did was with an eye to keeping himself safe. Feng Chu could go, but Chi Yu absolutely couldn't leave.

"Then let's send Feng Chu out to check things out first, and if we hear anything about the Prince, we'll figure out our next move," Xia Yuan could only concede.

With everything handled, Meng Wan slept like a log at the inn. The next morning, Miss Shen came by to say goodbye.

"Wan Geer... I mean, Lord Meng, I've come to say goodbye." Miss Shen had heard others call Meng Wan that, and though she didn't get it, it sounded impressive, so she went along and called him "Fulang" too.

She had a cloth cap wrapped around her head, her face was sallow and gaunt—gone was the commanding Miss Shen of before. Her eyes were full of fear and unease.

Lord Shen's trip to Cat Ba Island was a cover—buying mermaid pearls was the real deal. Now without the pearls, he was no better than a junkie—when he wasn't sleeping, he was screaming his head off at the inn they'd rented.

The whole Shen clan relied on Miss Shen to keep things together, and she was mentally and physically drained. She'd decided to charter a boat and head home soon, but back home, an uncertain future awaited her.

"Once you're back, have you thought about how you'll get by?" Meng Wan invited her into his room to talk.

Miss Shen gave a bitter smile. She pulled off the cloth wrap, revealing a patch of bare scalp on top of her head. "Look at me now—how could I possibly get by? And with my father in this state, if he doesn't come to his senses, I'm afraid the household will fall into chaos."

The one silver lining was that with her appearance, her stepmother wouldn't be marrying her off anytime soon. If she went out bald, it would only make her a laughingstock for other families.

"Such is the way of the world—life is hard for women. If you're unwilling to accept it, find a proper path, or scheme a way out for yourself while Lord Shen is still out of his wits," Meng Wan suggested. He thought Nie Zhiyao's idea of marrying in a husband was quite good, though Miss Shen clearly lacked Nie Zhiyao's boldness.

Miss Shen seemed lost in thought. She rose and bowed formally to Meng Wan. "I can never repay the lifesaving kindness of Physician Chu and Lord Meng. I have nothing of value, and I don't know how I'll ever repay you both."

"No repayment is needed—we simply helped when we could. Don't dwell on it, miss, and do take care on your journey home." Meng Wan's tone was polite but distant.

After Miss Shen left with a heavy heart, the other merchants, seeing that they were indeed unharmed, went their separate ways. Only three local Annamese merchants remained, doing their utmost to gather information for Meng Wan.

No one would commit treason, but idle gossip from the capital was fair game.

Chen Zhenlong was the closest to Xia Yuan and the others. Before he left, Xia Yuan and the rest saw him off at the dock. "Brother Xia, thanks to your men's courage and cunning this time, and for curing us of that strange poison, I'm deeply grateful." Chen Zhenlong clasped his fists to Xia Yuan.

Xia Yuan glanced at Meng Wan beside him, cleared his throat, and said, "Ahem, Brother Chen is too kind—it was all Wan Geer's doing."

Chen Zhenlong naturally knew it was Meng Wan who had extended a helping hand; he just wasn't sure of Meng Wan's status. Hearing Xia Yuan say this, he took the opportunity to offer Meng Wan a solemn thanks.

Meng Wan accepted it without hesitation—he had, after all, saved their lives. "I heard earlier that Brother Chen once did business in Luzon?"

Chen Zhenlong didn't understand why Meng Wan was asking about Luzon, but he answered honestly: "It wasn't really business—I just shipped a batch of tea leaves over there."

"Good. In that case, I'd like to ask a favor of you, Brother Chen. Would you be willing?" They say gratitude is repaid later, but where would he find these people later? Meng Wan wasn't going to wait—he wanted them to repay him now, one by one.

Chen Zhenlong said readily, "Young master, just say the word. If I can do it, I'll certainly agree."

Meng Wan phrased it delicately: "It's not difficult, just a bit troublesome. I'd like to ask you to make another trip to Luzon to find me some good crop seeds." In front of Xia Yuan, Meng Wan recounted how his workshop had taken in several people from Luzon earlier.

"Those people said the grain yields are extremely high. If we could bring them back to Yu, they might benefit our people as well."

Luzon was a small country, far away, and without knowing the dangers there, Meng Wan didn't dare risk going alone. Better to have Chen Zhenlong, who had experience, make the trip for him.

Hearing that Meng Wan wanted him to go to Luzon for seeds, Chen Zhenlong was quite surprised. It further confirmed that Meng Wan was no ordinary person. He clasped his fists and agreed: "Even if you hadn't asked, young master, I would have brought seeds back to Yu if I came across any. Just let me return home to settle things and prepare properly before heading to Luzon. If I find the seeds you mentioned, I'll certainly come to inform you."

After all, Luzon wasn't like Annam, which bordered Yu territory. Going to Luzon required hiring a seagoing vessel and a helmsman familiar with the sea routes—at least a month of sailing to get there, with considerable risk. It truly needed careful preparation.

Meng Wan broke into a genuine smile. "Then I'll trouble you for this trip, Brother Chen. If you do find the seeds, just come to Shijian Post Station in Xi Wu Prefecture to find me."

"Shijian Post Station? That sounds familiar. Alright, I'll remember that." Chen Zhenlong boarded the passenger ship bound for Fuzhou with his servants.

Meng Wan sincerely prayed for his safe journey. Finding another merchant with a good heart who had been to Luzon wouldn't be easy.

Xia Yuan stared at Meng Wan's retreating figure, his expression complicated. Meng Wan actually had such concern for the nation and its people—such righteousness that even his own students couldn't match.

What a pity he was a xiaoge.

Annam was a small country—its entire territory was smaller than half of Lingnan—and news traveled fast. Three days later, letters began arriving one after another, and some even sent servants directly to deliver reports.

Xia Yuan asked urgently, "Lord Meng, what do the letters say? Is there any news of the Crown Prince?"

Meng Wan finished reading the letters with a furrowed brow. "Lord Xia, you'd better read them yourself."

They couldn't reveal to others that they were searching for someone, so the information in the letters was a jumble of trivialities—even mentioning that the King of Annam's younger brother had married his seventh concubine.

Yet amid all this noise, a few unusual details could be spotted with careful attention.

"Last midsummer, the King of Annam conscripted many physicians and sent them to Dingli County." Dingli County was on Annam's front lines, bordering Yu territory. Sending so many physicians there suggested that their country had suffered an epidemic during the heavy summer rains, and only later did they come up with the scheme to harm the soldiers of Qinzhou.

Xia Yuan pointed at another letter. "But within just two months, the border epidemic should still have been under control—why were all the physicians recalled to the capital?"

Meng Wan pondered aloud: "The royal city must have imperial physicians. If even they couldn't cure it, it seems like they were at their wit's end and resorted to desperate measures... Could it be that some member of the Annamese royal family is gravely ill?"

Xia Yuan stroked his beard. "With such a large-scale mobilization, it would have to be the King or the Crown Prince who's ill."

"With that kind of effort, they probably can't save them, right? If that person has already died—a royal death, national mourning—it should be very easy to investigate." After speaking, Meng Wan frowned, feeling a sense of foreboding.

"No need to investigate further." Feng Chu slipped in silently through the window. It had only been eleven days since he'd set out for Annam—he must have traveled day and night without rest. His chin was covered in rough stubble.

Feng Chu's expression was grim. "Last year, none of the Annamese royal heirs were seriously ill."

Xia Yuan could tell he'd uncovered something and went to close the window. "Did you find news of the Prince? Is he really in Annamese hands?"

Feng Chu nodded. "When I reached the capital, I contacted a merchant that Lord Meng had saved on the island. He brought me to a soldier who'd been wounded and sent back from Dingli County. According to that soldier, when they were on the battlefield, they did indeed capture the Crown Prince."

Xia Yuan slammed the table and rose to his feet. "What!"

Meng Wan was taken aback by Feng Chu's sudden revelation, but he quickly recovered. "Wait, that doesn't add up. If the Crown Prince had truly been captured by Annam, wouldn't they seize the opportunity to make demands of Yu? Why would they be keeping it under wraps?"

Unless... something had happened to the Crown Prince.

Annam dared to engage in minor skirmishes with Yu, but if the heir to Yu's throne died in Annam, that would be a catastrophic offense—one that could easily lead to the annihilation of their nation.

Feng Chu clasped his hands and said, "I only managed to uncover this much, nothing more."

This vague, half-hidden truth was even more agonizing. Xia Yuan spent the night in his room, calming himself down, and when he went to discuss with Meng Wan the next day, he seemed to have made some kind of resolution.

"Meng Fulang, we must go to the Annam capital to confirm the Crown Prince's whereabouts." Xia Yuan's purpose in this journey was the Crown Prince; how could he turn back empty-handed just to keep himself safe?

Meng Wan advised, "Lord Xia, I understand your urgency to find the Crown Prince, but even with Brother Chu's martial prowess, relying solely on him and Chi Yu won't be enough to break into the imperial palace."

Annam was not without its own experts. The palace was sealed up tight as a drum; even ten top-tier masters like Ge Quan probably couldn't get in.

Xia Yuan had already thought it all through. "Meng Fulang, next, Feng Chu and I will head to the Annam capital first. You'll take a boat directly back to Beihai Ferry and seek help from the local authorities. Then return to Qinzhou and have General Qin and the others apply pressure on the Qinzhou border to force them to hand over the Crown Prince. We'll hit them from both sides and we're bound to find the Crown Prince."

Meng Wan was surprised. "But didn't you say we couldn't let word of the Crown Prince's disappearance get out?"

Xia Yuan sighed heavily. "Oh, at a time like this, who cares if it leaks? If... if something happens to the Crown Prince in that small Annam nation, it would be a huge national crisis!"

Meng Wan didn't want to keep wasting time in Annam, so he agreed immediately. "Lord Xia, don't worry. I agree. I'll have Chi Yu and Ambo go check the dock for passenger boats, and we'll head out this afternoon."

Chi Yu didn't speak the local Annam language, and Ambo was an excellent translator. Meng Wan and Chu Ci packed some food to bring on the boat, and before they left, Meng Wan left Ambo with Xia Yuan, since a dependable translator wasn't easy to find.

Once everything was ready, Meng Wan boarded a medium-sized passenger ship and waved goodbye to Xia Yuan and the others.

"Ah, finally heading home." Meng Wan stood on the deck with a long sigh.

Chu Ci, worried he'd catch a chill from the wind, waved at him from below to come down.

The ship hadn't even left the ferry yet, and the wind wasn't particularly strong, but not wanting to disappoint his son's good intentions, Meng Wan headed back into the cabin.

Along the way, he encountered a few passengers, all surprisingly looked like they were from Yu. Unfortunately, they were all men, so it wasn't easy to chat them up and fish for information.

This passenger ship was an ordinary medium-sized vessel, capable of carrying sixty to seventy people round trip. It was lighter and faster than the Fu ship they'd taken on the way here. After just four days, they'd already reached the halfway point between Guang'an Ferry and Beihai Ferry.

One day, Meng Wan was teaching Chu Ci how to play Dou Dizhu on the ship, using cards they had drawn on plain paper. They looked quite authentic, and these past days, they had passed the time with these cards.

Chi Yu pushed open the door and came in, carrying a pot of boiled water. He remained silent for a long while.

Meng Wan glanced down at his hand and tossed out the smallest card, a 3. "Oh, really?"

With that question, Chi Yu thought carefully and then confirmed, "It really seemed like him. Master, if he didn't die on Ji Po Island, why hasn't he gone back to find Lord Xia and the others?"

Chu Ci covered Meng Wan's 3 with a 10, still holding a pair of Kings in his hand.

Meng Wan had seven cards left. He played a Jack over Chu Ci's 10, repeating Chi Yu's words, "Indeed, if he's alive, why hasn't he gone to find Lord Xia?"

Chu Ci hesitated for a long time and ultimately didn't split his pair of Kings. Then Meng Wan threw down all seven remaining cards in one go.

Meng Wan grabbed a spare cloth and wrapped it around the base of the "cups" to prevent them from spilling water everywhere as the ship swayed. "Xiao Ci, sometimes being too cautious isn't good either. Taking a risk might just bring an unexpected surprise. Of course, it depends on the occasion and the opponent."