[The latest news I've received is that the emperor plans to have Sixth Master Xie, Xie Zhifei, marry Gan Tang. Although he is a year younger than Gan Tang, among the princes, he is the most suitable candidate.]
They certainly couldn't have the Crown Prince take her as a secondary consort—she is, after all, a princess, and a legitimate one at that. Before Dayan was unified, Xie Zhiyan didn't have the audacity for such a thing.
[As for Oshima and Yanji, the King of Dongyi has urged them several times to return east as soon as possible. But those two, upon hearing that the floodwaters in their homeland haven't fully receded and that a plague has broken out, flatly refuse to go back.]
Finally, there's Lan Xuan'er. In Nanzhao, her siblings have joined forces to prevent the Empress from recalling her, so she has stayed behind with the others.
Yue Fuguang nodded. Good heavens—every single one of them had a solid reason not to return to their countries. They were treating Dayan as their temporary refuge.
If those people knew that Dayan was bound for war with their nations, and that they would automatically become hostages at that time, he wondered if they would pack up and flee overnight.
Shen Jian and Feng Tang, along with the others, listened to the reports coming back from the system while traveling. Upon learning that the generals of Beili and Xiqiang had both died, they felt immensely relieved.
Shen Jian, in particular, secretly sighed in relief upon hearing of Zhuang Xiu's death, even though he regretted not being able to kill the man himself.
In this life, he would never walk the same old path!
The Junior Preceptor was right—having too many women in the household was indeed the root of chaos.
They were thoroughly engrossed in the conversation when, suddenly, the voices went quiet.
Those keeping an eye on the situation noticed that the Junior Preceptor, who had opened a window for some air, had somehow already 'fallen asleep' leaning against a soft cushion.
Just as Yue Fuguang and his group were about to leave Hezhou, the joint forces of Xiqiang and Beili were barely able to stand and walk. However, most of them, due to eating and then vomiting, had withered down to mere sticks over the past few days, so thin that a gust of wind could knock them over.
As for the deaths of Feng Wuhuan and Zhuang Xiu, the rulers of the two countries began bickering the moment they learned of it. With Dayan's spies stirring the pot behind the scenes, the two sides were on the verge of falling out completely.
At this point, a rumor spread through both armies and beyond: Dayan's Junior Preceptor Yue was a true Divine Maiden, not to be touched; anyone who did would be punished.
The inexplicable diarrhea that had struck both armies, along with the deaths of Zhuang Xiu and Feng Wuhuan, became irrefutable proof of this.
Yes, up to now, the finest physicians and poison masters of both nations had been unable to identify the poison or drug used.
The System cackled with laughter: Of course they can't find out. The ingredients in the Abdominal Clearing and Calming Pill don't exist in this world's botanical database.
Moreover, the Abdominal Clearing and Calming Pill is, strictly speaking, not a poison. It's just that it was used on the wrong targets—mortal bodies simply cannot withstand its potency!
"Old Qian, has Fuguang reached Jizhou?" Emperor Mingxi put down the border military report just delivered by Huo Ying and immediately thought of Yue Fuguang.
Because Dayan was set to officially launch an attack on Nanyue at midnight tonight, the Emperor felt a bit uneasy without Yue Fuguang at court to hold things down.
He gazed at the bright sky outside the hall—it was only early May, yet the heat was unbearable. Without Yue Fuguang's rain along the way, Dayan would be even hotter across the board, and they would have no spare strength to wage war on Nanyue.
Eunuch Qian carefully added some cool tea to the Emperor’s cup before replying with a smile, "Your Majesty, if we calculate the time, Junior Preceptor Yue and his party should have entered Hezhou territory yesterday."
Setting down the teapot, he picked up an ink stick and began grinding ink slowly. In his heart, Qian Gui knew that ever since the Junior Preceptor had left the capital over two months ago, His Majesty had not slept a single peaceful night.
Emperor Mingxi glanced at the map on the wall, chuckled, and said, "Jizhou is small. At Fuguang's current speed, he should reach the capital in less than seven days."
Qian Gui: Dayan is still in drought. Had His Majesty forgotten that even if the Junior Preceptor returned, he would soon have to leave again to alleviate the drought?
Never mind—Qian Gui didn't dare pour cold water on the Emperor while he was in a good mood. That would just be asking for trouble.
But thinking of the drought, Qian Gui suddenly remembered something. After some hesitation, he couldn't help but speak up. "Your Majesty, this old servant recently heard a rumor and isn't sure if it should be mentioned."
Emperor Mingxi set down his cup. "Oh? What rumor? Speak freely—I grant you immunity."
Qian Gui bowed and said, "This old servant heard among the common folk that 'the great drought across the land, thousands of miles of barren earth, is a sign of the drought fiend's emergence.'"
"The drought fiend's emergence?" Emperor Mingxi's lips curled into a cold smile. "I have already issued a self-criticizing edict, and yet there are still those who won't give up, who wish to shake the foundation of our state?"
It wasn't just one province of Dayan suffering from the drought. This so-called 'drought fiend' could appear anywhere, but not in Dayan.
Otherwise, it would give their enemies a reason to attack them.
Though they had already begun operations against Nanyue, they didn't want to open up a full-scale war on all fronts.
"Have you traced where this rumor started, and who it targets?" Dayan had a 'Divine Maiden,' which seemed like a blessed land. After all, a large number of Nanyue civilians had recently been fleeing across the border to Dayan.
The dirty nickname of 'drought fiend' should never have been thrown at them.
"According to the Shadow agents, the news first originated among the people of Nanzhao. Your Majesty knows that Nanzhao is rich in shamans, and its populace believes in such things more."
Eunuch Qian cautiously glanced at Emperor Mingxi's expression before continuing, "Somehow, the rumor spread into Dayan's borders. However, thanks to Junior Preceptor Yue steadying them, our people are not too worried about the drought fiend's influence."
"So they still believe it," Emperor Mingxi said helplessly. He had no better solution for the ignorance of the common folk.
But Dayan now had thousands of civilian schools, and many people were willing to part with a few catties of grain or a few coins to let their children learn some characters and gain a bit of knowledge.
The next generation of Dayan's people had hope of not being as ignorant and foolish as their parents.
Emperor Mingxi's fingers tapped lightly on the desk. After a moment, his voice rang out, "Old Qian, handle this matter carefully. Don't let the people do anything unwise because of it."
In the past, this would have been a perfect opportunity to eliminate rivals.
Nowadays, with Yue Fuguang at court, none of the civil and military officials dared to make waves. But among the common people, though Dayan's territory wasn't large compared to the six states, it was still sizable. With all kinds of people, he couldn't guarantee that no one, discontented with their comfortable lives, would use this to stir up trouble.
As it turned out, Emperor Mingxi's concerns were not unfounded.
While Yue Fuguang was still spreading rain in the far north of Dayan, in the far south—Flower City, a border town near Nanzhao, and its surrounding villages and counties—the rumor of the drought fiend grew louder.
In the streets and alleys of Flower City, a piece of news had been circulating for days.
This news seemed to sprout from the corners of teahouses and taverns, leap from porters' carrying poles, and crawl into everyone's ears through the mutterings of old women under village locust trees.
"A great drought across the land, thousands of miles barren—this is a sign of the drought fiend's emergence!" one person said mysteriously, sharing the gossip he'd just heard.