Chapter 64

Chapter 64: "Will You Help Her?"

As they traveled further southwest from Shuzhou, it seemed more distant from the turmoil in Daizhou. Day by day, the exile journey faded into the background, and making money became the main focus while traveling.

The group spent time drawing and carving seals, experimenting with spices, and distilling perfumes, while also being forced to study. Their days were busy and lively.

Though they were at ease, they didn’t realize that far away, many people were anxious about their affairs.

Emperor Jiang Qiqian tried hard, but solving the chaos in Daizhou and saving it were not things that could be done in a day. However, reports came back first from the two teams secretly sent to investigate Jiang Wu’s group, who were rumored to have died at the hands of vagrants.

The investigation team from the Capital, after entering Daizhou, first visited the cannibal village marked on the map attached to a letter. But after some time, more vagrants had passed through the village, making clues harder to find.

By the time the investigation team reached Hua’an City in northern Daizhou, the exile transport group mentioned earlier had already moved to Linzhou. The investigators tracked them to Linzhou’s vagrant shelter and caught up with the exile team.

Tan Wang, the leader of the guards, still had the bones collected from the cannibal village. Before the team arrived, the Han army near the shelter had already done another examination, with results similar to those from Hua’an City in Daizhou.

The team’s own expert did a third examination, and all agreed that the bones matched Jiang Wu’s group in age and gender.

From all the evidence, the possibility of Jiang Wu’s group dying at the hands of vagrants seemed likely.

But with no living witnesses and only bones as proof, the investigation team hesitated to draw a firm conclusion.

Besides reporting their progress and asking if they should continue the investigation, the team also mentioned another matter in their dispatch.

In the Linzhou vagrant shelter, they met two groups linked to the missing Jiang Wu group.

The first group was relatives of Chu Xiulan, Qin Taifu’s daughter-in-law. They arrived at the shelter a few days after the investigation team. They lived in Qiongzhou in the far south of Zhao Kingdom. When they heard about Chu Xiulan’s exile, they left right away. They traveled north through Jingzhou, Yuzhou, and Shuzhou, straight to Linzhou, avoiding troubled Daizhou.

The second group was Fan Zaizhi, the former fourth-ranked Loyal and Brave General, and his family. He had resigned soon after the palace banquet. He said he wanted to see the northern scenery of Zhao Kingdom and visit Deposed Crown Prince Jiang Wu and her former mentor, Qin Chongli, before returning to his hometown. That explained why he was at Linzhou’s vagrant shelter.

The team checked Fan Zaizhi’s route north. He mostly used official roads. When he entered Daizhou and sensed trouble, his group went straight north day and night. This didn’t overlap with the exiled group’s path, which took smaller roads to avoid vagrants.

The investigation found nothing suspicious about either group. The guards who escorted the exiled group said that when both groups heard about Jiang Wu’s death, they were very upset. They even fought with the guards, showing real shock and grief.

The report was so detailed that Emperor Jiang Qiqian could almost picture Fan Zaizhi’s angry outburst.

At first, when he heard Jiang Wu was captured and probably dead, Jiang Qiqian suspected Fan Zaizhi, who had resigned. The Qin family couldn’t help, and Jiang Wu hadn’t been able to build power under his rule. Fan Zaizhi was the only one who thought well of her after the relief work in Fengzhou. Without help, escaping exile seemed impossible.

But Jiang Qiqian quickly dropped the idea. He thought Fan Zaizhi was devoted to his wife and wouldn’t be so reckless as to chase after the Deposed Crown Prince.

Yet Fan Zaizhi’s rashness seemed real. However, the timing showed he couldn’t have been involved.

Could it be that the rebels and vagrants who attacked the ruined temple that night grabbed Jiang Wu’s group in the chaos and… ate them?

The Chu family and Fan Zaizhi being at the northern shelter made Jiang Qiqian believe more in this terrible outcome.

Should they keep investigating? Could it lead to a better result? Anyway, Jiang Wu was just a royal princess, not a prince who could start a rebellion.

If she died, so be it. Keeping the royal family’s honor was more important. Thinking this, Jiang Qiqian felt a new wave of frustration.

What were those guards thinking? For such a terrible matter, they should’ve secretly reported it to the Capital! Now everyone in Dai Prefecture’s Hua’an City, the Han army in Linzhou, and even that Chu family and Fan Zaizhi have all found out.

Sealing this information has become nearly impossible.

Yet impossible or not, it must be done.

The Emperor couldn’t justify executing Hua’an City officials or Han army personnel over this. He could only order both investigation teams to exert pressure, hoping those involved weren’t foolish enough to challenge the royal dignity.

Unbeknownst to Jiang Qiqian, the news emerging from Linzhou’s refugee camps hadn’t only reached the palace—it had also spread westward.

While he ordered the cover-up, details about the "Deposed Crown Prince’s disappearance" had already landed on desks across Yizhou and the Jin Kingdom.

Those he chose not to pursue, others were eager to find.

Jiang Wu and his companions, now the focus of many, remained oblivious.

Their current journey brought its own troubles.

After entering Yuzhou from Shuzhou, Qin Chongli refused to resume wearing male attire.

This wasn’t due to any fondness for women’s clothing…

Yuzhou was small, and traveling southwest would soon lead them into Yizhou—Prince Cheng’s domain.

After learning what happened to Jiang Wu’s mother, Qin Chongli believed Prince Cheng, who’d allowed Liu Yaozu to live for years and enabled Sun Xinang to torment Jiang Wu on the Empress’s behalf, was undoubtedly cunning and malicious. With agents like Xu Lv, Chen Gang, and Sun Xinang planted in the exile party, who knew what schemes Prince Cheng might unleash upon discovering Jiang Wu’s disappearance?

Yizhou’s vast territory made it unavoidable on their route to the Jin Kingdom. Wary of Prince Cheng, Qin Chongli preferred maintaining their disguise there.

Since they’d spend little time in Yuzhou anyway, why break character now? It would only disrupt his focus!

His poor beard suffered most—shaved clean daily, uncertain when his handsome whiskers might return.

Though compared to his beard, meat had become his greatest frustration lately.

No, this wasn’t just his problem—it plagued everyone except… Du Yinsui.

*Clip-clop, clip-clop.* A plain carriage sped down Yuzhou’s official road, vanishing quickly while leaving behind…

"So fragrant!"

"Stewed meat!"

"Was it that carriage?"

"Heavens, what meat smells that amazing?"

"Why so fast? Let me ask! After them!"

Murmurs from passersby faded behind the distant carriage.

Not that it mattered—they’d heard similar exclamations daily.

At noon, the carriage halted beneath shady trees.

As Chu Xiulan lifted a steaming clay pot from the small stove inside, she nudged the motionless Qin Chongli at the front: "Mother, time to eat."

"Stewed meat for over ten days straight… three meals daily…" Qin Chongli resisted leaving the carriage. The excessive meat had caused digestive troubles, though he felt too embarrassed to mention it.

"Meat is better than nothing. Want black flour buns tonight instead?" Chu Xiulan pushed her dawdling father-in-law firmly off the carriage.

Before Qin Chongli could grasp what happened, he was standing on the ground. "Where’s the courtesy?" he thought.

Chu Xiulan took a deep breath. "Today’s meat smelled wonderful," she said. "Du girl always aims for perfection. I thought the braised meat got tastier each day, but she still felt something was missing. I wondered if we’d need to try dozens of times when we started making perfume."

By the time they arrived, the others had set up for lunch under the tree with the pot and stools.

The pot held the same spiced braised meat they’d eaten for days. Qin Haoyang served the first piece to Du Yinsui.

Du Yinsui shook her head before tasting it. "It still lacks something."

Hearing this, Qin Chongli nearly blacked out.

Chu Xiulan tried a piece. The spices were rich, the meat tender, and the skin bouncy—the best she’d ever tasted! But it was just like before. So, what was missing?

Du Yinsui thought about what was wrong. She could smell all the ingredients, but to make perfect braised meat, she had to adjust cooking time, seasoning, and even when to add things.

It took many tries and small steps to get the best recipe.

Deep in thought, Du Yinsui saw another carriage stop near theirs. Traveling on official roads, meeting people was normal, and they were used to it, especially when cooking outdoors.

But today was different. The new carriage was fancy, made of fine mahogany with brocade curtains. The horses were tall and strong, their coats smooth like silk. Parked next to their plain carriage, theirs looked shabby.

A young maid stepped down, dressed in gold and silver, clearly from a rich family. She came over politely and asked about the meat.

It was just homemade meat, so there was nothing to tell. The maid left disappointed, but Du Yinsui glanced at the carriage again.

"What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with the carriage?" Jiang Wu, always alert, noticed after that extra look.

"The carriage is fine," Du Yinsui said. She watched as the maid set up a small table, chairs, and food under a nearby tree. It seemed they wanted to eat there.

Many people had come to buy meat these days, but Du Yinsui rarely cared. Like Jiang Wu, Qin Chongli and Chu Xiulan also felt something odd and tensed up.

The tension spread until Du Yinsui chuckled softly. "Eat while it’s hot," she said.

The braised meat had simmered all morning and was delicious. The broth was great too. They had brought rice from the inn and warmed it in the carriage, perfect for mixing with the broth.

Qin Chongli had said he was tired of eating it three times a day. But once he tasted it, he couldn’t stop. Inside, he promised to eat more vegetables later.

As he ate the rice with broth, a sweet smell caught his attention. He looked up and saw the maid coming back with a tray of oranges.

"My lady apologizes for earlier and sends these oranges as a gift," the maid said. She wasn’t sure where to put the tray, so she looked at the elders.

Qin Chongli glanced at Du Yinsui, not knowing what to do. This was the first time someone gave them food on the journey, and he didn’t want to decide.

To his surprise, Du Yinsui took it! After the maid left, Du Yinsui put the tray on her lap and looked at Jiang Wu. "The lady is pregnant, but her clothes smell of musk," she said slowly. She sensed shock and sadness around. "Will you help her?" she asked softly.