Chapter 64: Shower of Rain

The cloak was too large, slipping off his shoulders. Shen Zechuan caught it, feeling the warmth wrap around him, immersing him in Xiao Chiye's scent.

Shen Zechuan pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the moisture from his face that Xiao Chiye had left behind. Amidst the noisy rain, he couldn't help but sniff the handkerchief again.

It was all Xiao Chiye's scent.

Shen Zechuan lowered his gaze for a moment, gently rubbing the cloth with the tip of his nose. The gloominess around his eyes and brows dissipated.

In the food box, the top layer held golden and silver rolls, while the bottom held hot medicinal soup. When the lid was lifted, a cloud of steam rose immediately. Preparing a warm meal tonight was no easy feat. Even Xiao Chiye would have had to run tirelessly to make it here and back.

Ge Qingqing had intended to pour tea for Shen Zechuan but was surprised to see him taking medicine when she climbed up. She then said happily, "I'm glad you've made arrangements. I was just thinking of sending someone to buy some medicine."

Shen Zechuan finished the medicine and wiped his lips with his finger. He asked, "How far has the demolition reached on this street?"

"We've just passed Lotus Flower Pavilion. It's hard to dismantle the parts that have collapsed badly," Ge Qingqing said, rolling up her sleeves. "Something's fishy about this."

"It's another unclear account," Shen Zechuan sat up straight, composing himself before continuing, "Only the Emperor knows who sent him out. If he refuses to speak, the case will be at an impasse."

In my opinion, this collapse doesn't seem like a coincidence. East Dragon Street floods every year, yet it was the Lotus Flower Pavilion that crumbled last night," Ge Qingqing observed the rainy night before turning to Shen Zechuan. "Do you have any leads?"

Shen Zechuan had been pondering over this matter since early morning. The collapse wiped away all traces of what happened at the Lotus Flower Pavilion – it couldn't be just a stroke of bad luck. Xi Hongxuan valued his life; he had recently renovated the pavilion, and very few knew about the excavation beneath.

Opening his eyes, Shen Zechuan gazed into the rain as if speaking to himself. "Patience is key. There must be more to come. We still don't know who this is really targeting."

* * *

The imperial physician retreated from the emperor's chamber, bowing respectfully to Empress Dowager and her entourage. Behind the screen, she leaned forward to inquire about Li Jianheng's condition. After the physician's detailed report, she relaxed upon learning that the bleeding had stopped.

"It's a strange affair," the Empress Dowager straightened up, remarking. "An emperor leaves the palace, and no one knows? How can we feel reassured about the security within and outside the palace walls?"

None of the elder officials dared to speak, standing with their heads bowed in silence, like statues made of clay.

"I reside in the Inner Palace and should not meddle in political affairs," the Empress Dowager continued. "But this time, the emperor's safety is again at stake. As a mother, my heart is filled with white hair and tears. Can I endure another such scare? Gentlemen, you must give me an explanation this time!"

Hearing this, Pan Xiangjie's heart tightened.

After a moment of silence, Kong Qiu spoke up, "The imperial guards might not have been able to stop the emperor even if they tried. In my view, Xi Hongxuan deserves severe punishment! If he hadn't tempted the emperor with those foreign monsters, why would His Majesty have left the palace?"

"Indeed," said Wei Huaigu, the Minister of Revenue and the eldest legitimate brother of Wei Huaixing, who had previously attacked Xiao Chiye. As the current head of the Wei family, he rarely spoke up, but this time, he remarked, "Xi Hongxuan deserves punishment, but not death. In my opinion, it is the Ministry of Works that should be held accountable this time. The repair work in Qidu falls under their jurisdiction. Minister Pan, how did the official drain end up in such a state?"

Pan Xiangjie knew that Wei Huaigu was about to shift the blame, and immediately knelt down before the Empress Dowager, saying, "I humbly beseech Her Majesty the Empress Dowager and His Majesty the Emperor to discern the truth! The matter of the obstructed palace drains has long been reported by our Ministry of Works to the Ministry of Revenue during the Xiande era, with the hope that they might allocate some silver for repairs. However, the Ministry of Revenue has persistently withheld their approval. What is the Ministry of Works to do? This is no trifling maintenance task!"

Wei Huaigu was not in a rush. He was far more challenging to deal with than Wei Huaixing. He simply said, "The transactions of our Ministry of Finance must go through cabinet discussions. Back then, no one dared to allocate funds casually without Elder Huaguo's approval. Furthermore, during those years, Qiu had to clean up the mess in Zhongbo's Six Provinces, which nearly emptied the treasury. We were simply incapable of doing more despite our willingness to help."

"We all have our challenges," Pan Xiangjie said. "Why single out the Ministry of Works? The Left censorate supervisor Cen Xunyi is accusing us of neglecting water management, claiming we didn't fortify the Kaoling River's dykes properly. Has it collapsed today? No! That proves the Ministry of Works hasn't cut corners; we've been working diligently! If we had the funds, we would have long completed the canal improvements."

The Ministry of Revenue refused to acknowledge the responsibility, while the Ministry of Works declined to bear the blame. Both parties consisted of elders from the Eight Great Families, and neither was willing to back down. As a result, they stood there, futilely deflecting blame onto one another.

Kong Qiu almost sneered. He had humble origins and was solely promoted by Hai Liangyi. Though he could work alongside officials from influential families, they didn't share the same intentions. Hearing them discuss the matter now, he felt irritated.

Yes, the Ministry of Works did report it. But who reported it? It was a minor official who didn't attend court sessions. Did Pan Xiangjie take it seriously? If he had, he would have personally brought it up with the Ministry of Finance, but he didn't. Does the Ministry of Finance know? They do. What's the relationship between Wei Huaigu and Hua Siqian? Their families are connected by marriage, though they seem distant in recent years. Yet, Wei Huaigu is much more skilled than Wei Huaixing and can discuss political matters with Hua Siqian. However, he hasn't seriously discussed this issue with Hua Siqian. It has always been swept under the rug, and if it's buried now, you deserve it; that's your bad luck!

The Empress Dowager sat behind the screen, clearly seeing through everyone's thoughts. Hua Xiangyi stood behind her, listening intently.

Finally, Hai Liangyi coughed a few times, covering his mouth with a handkerchief, and said, "There was indeed such an entry in the cabinet's records. However, it only appeared once, and later, no one pursued the matter. Now that the dam has collapsed, everyone suddenly remembers. Was this the first time the water rose this year? Let's not talk about previous years, but did it rise during the spring last year or the year before? Did the Ministry of Works report it?"

Pan Xiangjie turned away, regretful. "With the Prime Minister pointing this out... it's true that our Ministry of Works was negligent. But there's no use dwelling on it now. The priority is to urgently address the situation."

"The Ministry of Revenue has also allocated funds for the disaster victims," Wei Huaigu said. "The situation is critical now; we can investigate accountability after the canals are cleared. Are the Eight Banners troops still doing the digging?"

The Minister of Military Affairs, Chen Zhen, spoke succinctly, "It's the Imperial Guards. Governor Xiao is still immersed in the water."

Just as the Empress Dowager was about to speak, a palace maid rushed out from inside, kneeling on the ground and reporting, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has suddenly come down with a fever, and his back is covered in red rashes!"

The Empress Dowager shot up, startled. "What?!"

Hai Liangyi began coughing violently, and Hua Xiangyi supported the Empress Dowager, making a swift decision. "Summon the imperial physicians! Help Lord Chancellor up!"

* * *

Xi Hongxuan also developed rashes, which were first noticed by the doctors of the Eight Banners. They immediately lifted their robes and hurriedly reported it to Han Jin.

Han Jin wiped his face, still somewhat dazed. "Is it eczema? Won't it go away once the cold is relieved?"

"It's not eczema," the doctor stomped his foot in distress. "How could it be? It's an epidemic!"

Not only Han Jin, but all the soldiers of the Eight Banners in the water turned pale. Han Jin turned and saw the Imperial Guards still working nearby. He waded over, grabbed Chen Yang, and yelled, "Where's the governor? Call for him quickly, I have an urgent matter!"

Xiao Chiye pushed aside the broken plank and walked over, asking, "What’s the matter?"

Han Jin’s hands trembled. He smeared the dirty water on his clothes and said, "We can’t dismantle it anymore! The water is contaminated too! Governor, there’s an outbreak of disease!"

A chill ran through Xiao Chiye’s eyes as he asked, "Who was the first to fall ill?"

"Xi Hongxuan," Han Jin panted. "Is it… His Majesty?"

"Gu Jin!" Xiao Chiye immediately commanded. "Hurry and rush to the palace to report this to Elder Hai!"

Gu Jin scrambled onto the bank and leaped onto the roof, bounding across the ridges towards the palace gates.

"Take me to see Xi Hongxuan," Xiao Chiye said calmly. "Now!"

Xi Hongxuan was burning up with fever. His injured leg, which had just been treated, was now drenched in sweat, and he had started muttering nonsense while lying in bed.

The military doctor wiped his sweat and said, "Two hours ago, he only seemed to have caught a slight cold. We fed him medicine, and his temperature dropped. But who would’ve thought that when I touched him just now, his fever had worsened! I changed the dressing on his leg, and when I pulled down his pants, they were covered in red rashes!"

Xiao Chiye looked at the red rashes and asked, "Are you sure it’s an infectious disease?"

The military doctor replied, "During the Yongyi era, Dan City had an outbreak of this disease. The reports were sent to the Imperial Medical Institute, and they have records of it. Governor, once this rash spreads over the body, it leads to a persistent fever. Within another hour or two, the patients will become unconscious and vomit nonstop. I'm worried that there might be more infected among the victims. Zhaozui Temple must quickly prepare the appropriate herbal decoctions just in case!"

Han Jin grew anxious and asked, "What caused it? There has to be a reason. Otherwise, how can we continue digging the ditch?"

The military doctor answered, "It's currently the transition from winter to spring, and it's damp and cold. The low-lying areas are always filled with stagnant, foul water. Their houses are crammed together without any windows, so they don't get sunlight. People are more prone to fall ill in such conditions."

Xiao Chiye frowned. "If that's the case, how did he contract the illness? The Lotus Flower Pavilion is far from the low-lying area. The back alley is cleaned regularly, and they didn't come into contact with anything unclean. Could it just be because they were soaked in swill for those few hours before the collapse?"

The military doctor hesitated, wiped his sweat, then mustered up the courage to say, "I'll be honest with you, Governor. This illness wasn't contracted during the collapse but before that, when they were fooling around in the pavilion. Young Master Xi is already in such a state. As for His Majesty—"

"Governor!" Meng Rui entered with the curtains drawn aside, his expression grave. "Suddenly, more than ten people at Zhaozui Temple have fallen ill, and two officials from the Ministry of Finance have also collapsed!"

Just as Xiao Chiye was about to issue orders, Chen Yang barged in, drenched in rain. "Your Highness, even the tiger has fallen ill with a fever!"

The sound of rain outside suddenly grew intense, like war drums beating fiercely from all directions, pounding relentlessly against the darkness of night.

Xiao Chiye flung the curtains aside and said, "There's no time to wait for approval. Go directly to the major pharmacies on Divine Martial Street and get the medicine. Anyone with a cold, fever, vomiting, or weakness should be taken to Zhaozui Temple. Evacuate the rest and let the Ministry of Finance officials start boiling the herbal decoctions immediately! Ding Tao!"

Ding Tao responded, "Young Master!"

Xiao Chiye pulled Ding Tao close, his breathing heavy in the rain. He whispered urgently, "Tell Shen Lanzhou to leave immediately!"