Changing the subject, Jiang Mian said, "However, it might be different for you."
She sighed. "I don't know when you'll wake up. It doesn't matter. When we reach the capital, I'll try to find out news about the Empress Dowager for you."
Xiao Jingcheng licked her palm, and couldn't help but wonder in his heart.
How was his mother doing now?
This flood had trapped them here for days, and he hadn't heard any news about the capital for a long time.
In the imperial palace in the capital.
Dark clouds loomed over the sky, and the air was so stuffy that it made people feel irritable.
In the night, a guard came under the guidance of a palace servant. He walked quickly to the outside of the Zichen Palace.
"Eunuch Wang, I have something of utmost urgency. I must see His Majesty in person!"
There was a strong sense of urgency in his voice, which made those who heard it unconsciously hold their breath nervously.
This man was Xu Qian, the deputy commander of the Jinyu Guards, and also the messenger sent by Xiao Tianchi to deliver a letter to Dongli Town in Cangzhou.
Sensing that something must have happened, Eunuch Wang didn't dare to delay. He immediately said,
"Commander Xu, please wait a moment. I'll go and inform His Majesty right away!"
The grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven would be held the next day, and the whole imperial palace was busy preparing for it. Moreover, because it was too stuffy in the capital, Xiao Tianchi hadn't been sleeping well these days.
In fact, when Xu Qian arrived outside the door, he had already opened his eyes with a premonition.
When Eunuch Wang lifted the curtain and walked into the room, Xiao Tianchi had already sat up. He casually put on a cloak, rubbed his forehead, and said,
"Let Xu Qian in."
Eunuch Wang responded and quickly asked someone to lead Xu Qian into the palace.
Xu Qian knelt down and saluted Xiao Tianchi. Xiao Tianchi noticed that his face was pale and his expression was panicked. The premonition that something big had happened became even more obvious.
Coughing lightly, Xiao Tianchi asked, "Did you deliver the letter to Dongli Town?"
Xu Qian's fingers were still trembling slightly.
"Your Majesty, a big disaster has befallen Cangzhou."
"Your subordinate was on his way south with the letter, about to head to Dongli Town. But halfway there, I unexpectedly learned that there had been continuous heavy rain in Cangzhou. The water level of the Xijiang River had risen sharply, the Jinning Canal had been damaged, and the flood..."
He gritted his teeth and continued, "The flood has washed away the towns downstream of the Caisang River. Most of the houses in Tianyuan County have been submerged by the flood. The road to Dongli Town has been completely cut off!"
"Boom—" A thunderclap roared through the sky outside. The flash of lightning made the palace as bright as day for a moment.
Xiao Tianchi came back to his senses from his shock. He turned his head to the side and coughed violently.
Eunuch Wang stepped forward to support him, but Xiao Tianchi waved his hand to stop him. Then he looked at Xu Qian:
"Did you try to find a way to cross the river and go to Dongli Town to see for yourself?"
Xu Qian said, "Your subordinate tried, but the rain was pouring down, and the river was flowing so fast that the boats couldn't cross at all. In desperation, your subordinate had to return to the capital first to inform Your Majesty of this matter!"
Xiao Tianchi's face was cold and solemn. "Such a big disaster has occurred, but no one has reported it. It seems that the military governor of Cangzhou has his own agenda."
The spies he had left in Dongli Town hadn't been able to send back any news in time. Presumably, they were either trapped or had lost their lives. But neither the military governor of Cangzhou nor the prefect of Cangzhou had reported this matter. There was definitely something fishy going on.
Cangzhou was adjacent to Ningzhou, and Ningzhou was a prosperous area in the south of the Yangtze River. Since ancient times, it had been a place that strategists fought over.
Normally, when such a big disaster occurred in Cangzhou, the local officials should have immediately rushed to the capital with an urgent report. However, if it weren't for Xu Qian's hasty return, Xiao Tianchi wouldn't have known when he would get the news.
Or...
He squinted his eyes slightly.
Or, they were waiting, waiting for a suitable opportunity to send this news to the capital and announce it in front of everyone, catching him off guard.
Tomorrow was the day of the grand ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven. He would proclaim himself the king of the Sheng Kingdom on this day. There couldn't be a more suitable opportunity than this.
Xiao Tianchi smiled faintly, his eyes full of coldness.
Back then, the Xiao family had risen in revolt. He had led his troops into the imperial palace and surrounded and killed the King of Chu. But he had almost lost his life because of an arrow that had come out of nowhere. When the army was leaderless, Xiao Tianye had directly taken the military amulet from his hand, ascended the throne, and seized everything that should have belonged to him.
Who would believe that it was just a coincidence?
If Xiao Tianye really had a clear conscience, then why was he so terrified when he led his troops into the capital again and re - enacted the scene of that day? In a hurry, he had fled through a secret passage with Concubine Feng and the Imperial Guards.
The struggle for imperial power had always been a battle filled with bloodshed and violence.
Sitting waiting for death wasn't his style. Xiao Tianchi immediately said, "Prepare the carriage to the Imperial Observatory. Also, this news must not reach the Jiaofang Palace. If I find out that someone has leaked the news to the Empress, I'll take his life."
Both Eunuch Wang and Xu Qian looked solemn and quickly responded, "Yes!"
The Jiaofang Palace was the Empress's bedroom. The furnishings and the number of palace servants were the same as before, but Shen Lingyun no longer regarded herself as the Empress. After returning from the prison, she had moved to the side hall to live.
No one could stop her. They sent someone to inform Xiao Tianchi, and Xiao Tianchi just said to let her do as she pleased. So the palace servants no longer bothered.
In the side hall of the Jiaofang Palace, Shen Lingyun was also awake at this time.
Or rather, she had been awakened by a nightmare.
She dreamed that there had been a great flood in Hexi. The flood had washed away all the houses in Hexi and turned the area into a vast ocean. Her family, the Shen family, had all died in this flood. She had even watched helplessly as her son, Xiao Jingcheng, had been swept away by the flood. She could only stand on the shore and watch him disappear under the water, powerless to do anything.
After waking up, Shen Lingyun's chest heaved violently. The feeling brought by the dream was so real that it felt as if her heart was being tightly grasped.
She couldn't fall asleep anymore. So she put on her clothes and sat in front of the table. She found some paper and a brush and planned to copy some scriptures to calm her mind.
But her absent - mindedness made her copy the words wrong several times. She knew that she couldn't calm down at this time. Finally, she put down the paper and the brush and made a decision.
"Zixi, Ziyan."
The two palace maids arranged by Xiao Tianchi to be by her side stepped forward. Shen Lingyun stood up and said, "Come with me to the Zichen Palace."
Zixi and Ziyan curtsied and said in unison, "Yes."
Shen Lingyun asked Biwu to stay in the Jiaofang Palace. Then she took Zixi and Ziyan and quickly walked out of the palace.
The Jiaofang Palace wasn't far from the Zichen Palace, the Emperor's bedroom, which was convenient for the Emperor and the Empress to meet. In order to see Xiao Tianchi as soon as possible, Shen Lingyun even stopped resisting the sedan chair arranged by Xiao Tianchi. Soon, she arrived at the Zichen Palace.
But when she asked to see Xiao Tianchi, the guard said, "Madam, you've come a bit late. Just now, some ministers entered the palace. His Majesty has gone to the imperial study to discuss matters. He probably won't be back for a while. Madam might as well return to the Jiaofang Palace first. After His Majesty comes back, your subordinate will send someone to inform you."
It was so late, and there were still ministers entering the palace to discuss matters with Xiao Tianchi. Could something really have happened?