Jiang Mian couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.
That meant the former emperor, Xiao Jingcheng's biological father, had rallied several military governors south of the Xijiang River to establish a small imperial court and was once again vying for the throne with Emperor Guiyuan in the capital.
No wonder she'd felt something was off ever since they'd neared Tianyuan County. So this was the reason!
Mo Zhizhang narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingers idly twirling the edge of his sleeve as he seemed lost in thought.
"Anyway, going north is out of the question. I advise you all not to go any further," the young monk said.
Jiang Mian snapped back to her senses and nodded. "Thank you, Master, for the warning. I'll discuss with my father and uncle to figure out what to do next."
After the young monk and the other novice monk had delivered the supplies, they took their leave. But once they were gone, the main hall fell into a heavy silence.
It was so quiet that it was almost suffocating.
Jiang Mian couldn't help but turn to look at the sleeping Xiao Jingcheng.
While she'd been oblivious, such a drastic change had taken place outside. Hiding in the mountains, they'd seemed completely cut off from the world.
If what the young monk said was true and the former emperor had raised an army to challenge Emperor Guiyuan in the capital, was their decision to go to the capital the right one?
At this moment, Xiao Jingcheng was also deeply shocked by the news brought by the young monk.
Rumors were spreading that the torrential rain and floods in Cangzhou were a result of the regent's usurpation of the throne!
His father had actually used this as an excuse to instigate a mutiny with the support of several military governors in the south?
If it had been before, he would have thought such a reason utterly absurd. But having experienced an out-of-body experience himself, Xiao Jingcheng no longer considered it a far-fetched tale.
Moreover, Taoist Yuanzheng had told him that this rain was not a natural disaster but man-made. This made him feel even more ridiculed and angry!
He couldn't be sure who was behind this torrential rain, but he was certain it wasn't the regent!
After all, it was Xiao Yixuan who had blown up the Jinning Canal, turning the towns and villages along the Sangsang River downstream of the Xijiang River into a vast expanse of water!
Furthermore, when the regent had taught him in the past, he'd always emphasized the importance of loving the people, respecting the virtuous, and appointing the capable.
How could such a crazy and inhumane act be the work of the regent?
But if the torrential rain and floods in Cangzhou had nothing to do with the regent and were man-made, then who was behind it?
Who had the power to control the weather?
Xiao Jingcheng looked at Taoist Yuanzheng, and suddenly, the face of another solemn-looking Taoist priest in a Taoist robe flashed through his mind.
- Yuanzheng's senior brother, the evil Taoist priest Yuanqi, who had imprisoned his soul and tried to wear away the purple aura around him!
As if sensing his gaze, Taoist Yuanzheng looked over at him, then let out a huge yawn, looking utterly exhausted and on the verge of falling asleep.
Xiao Jingcheng, controlling the yellow dog's body, trotted up to Taoist Yuanzheng and stared intently at him with his beady eyes.
He was immediately certain that this stinky Taoist priest must know something.
Taoist Yuanzheng felt his scalp tingle under the dog's stare. Knowing that it must have many questions, he forced a laugh and scratched his cheek.
"Um, I'll go to the toilet. You guys do as you please."
He jumped up and walked out quickly. The yellow dog barked and took off after him.
The stuffy atmosphere in the hall was broken by the sudden actions of Taoist Yuanzheng and the yellow dog.
Mo Zhizhang picked up the bedding and said to Jiang Mian casually, "Little sister, stop standing there. Come and help me make the beds."
Jiang Mian snapped back to her senses and temporarily pushed aside her troubled thoughts. She helped Mo Zhizhang spread the bedding brought by the young monk on the floor.
This would be their beds for the night.
Li Zhao laid the sleeping Jiang Zhiqing on one of the beds and gently stroked her temple.
After getting up, Jiang Mian sat down on the other side and handed him a plain steamed bun. Then she lowered her head and took a small bite of the one in her hand.
Sensing that she was in a bad mood, Li Zhao reached out and ruffled her hair, waiting for her to speak.
Sure enough, after a while, Jiang Mian spoke up. "Father, what should we do next?"
"On one hand is his biological father, and on the other is his biological mother. If it were him, which side do you think he would choose?"
"Is Emperor Guiyuan... that is, Prince Mu, really a good person?"
"If this disaster was really caused by his usurpation of the throne, then if we take him back to the capital, aren't we sending him into the lion's den?"
"But if we send him to the former emperor's side, will the former emperor reuse a comatose son and let him continue to be the crown prince?"
Noticing that she'd completely taken Xiao Jingcheng's affairs to heart, Li Zhao felt rather headache. He asked gently,
"What if it were you, Mujin? If you were the crown prince and had experienced all this, what would you choose?"
"I..." Jiang Mian frowned tightly. "I don't know."
"Actually, people are always afraid of making choices," Li Zhao said. "If you make one wrong step, every step after that will be wrong."
"However, we can't stop moving forward, looking back and forth, and being timid just because we're afraid of taking the wrong path."
As Li Zhao said this, he also looked up at Mo Zhizhang not far away.
He knew that Mo Zhizhang must be able to hear what he was saying to Jiang Mian.
And these words were not just meant for Jiang Mian.
"Do you mean that even if it's the wrong choice, we still have to make it?" Jiang Mian looked at Li Zhao, half understanding.
Li Zhao smiled and asked, "Why did you decide to take Xiao Jingcheng back to the capital in the first place, Mujin?"
Jiang Mian replied, "To save him."
Li Zhao said, "You just wanted to save him. Taoist Yuanzheng said that only by returning to the place with the strongest dragon vein and being nourished by the dragon vein's energy could he have a chance of waking up, right?"
Jiang Mian nodded vigorously.
There seemed to be a glimmer of understanding in her eyes. "That's right. I just wanted to save him, so we must go back to the capital."
"The capital is the center of the Sheng Kingdom. The former emperor's raising an army to challenge Emperor Guiyuan is also because he wants to take back the capital and the imperial palace, right?"
"Since the goal is the capital, why not just go straight for the result? Why get tangled up in choosing the left or the right path here?"
The more she talked, the brighter her eyes became. Li Zhao couldn't help but ruffle her hair again.
"You're right, Mujin. You're very smart. You understand as soon as I explain."
After figuring it out, Jiang Mian finally felt more at ease. She smiled and said, "Father is the truly wise one! By the way, Father, what did you do in the past? How are you so smart?"
She only knew that Li Zhao came from the Li family of Luozhou but didn't know that he'd once held the position of Chief Minister of the Secretariat, the highest rank among civil officials.
"Me?" Li Zhao let out a哑然 laugh. "I've just read a lot of books. There are many people in this world who are smarter than me. This is nothing."