Chapter 0112: The Upright and Imposing Powerful Minister Shen, and the Missing Shen Yuan
With the vanguard troops assembled, Shen Yuan, the Crown Prince, and others were to proceed with the emperor’s decree to various prefectures to prepare for disaster prevention.
Xie Chengze and Xie Zimiao personally saw them off at the city gate.
Xie Jinyu carefully fastened the ties of Xie Chengze’s red fur coat to protect him from the cold wind, his eyes filled with concern as if it were Xie Chengze who was being dispatched. He earnestly advised, “Second Brother, take good care of yourself alone in the capital. Do not make enemies with the court officials. Wait for my return.”
Xie Chengze nodded. “Crown Prince, be careful out there.”
Xie Jinyu suddenly smiled, reached out, and embraced Xie Chengze. His gaze drifted toward the white-clad figure leading a horse behind Xie Chengze as he gently nuzzled his shoulder. “Then I shall take my leave.”
After reluctantly releasing Xie Chengze, he turned to Xie Zimiao and instructed, “Little Fourth, take good care of Second Brother while I’m away.”
Xie Zimiao pointed at himself: Huh? Me?
But just two days ago, didn’t you tell me to stay away from Second Brother?
Scratching his head, Xie Zimiao obediently replied, “Understood, Royal Brother.”
Xie Jinyu boarded the carriage and departed with the group for Yingzhou. Xie Chengze watched him until the sound of scattered hoofbeats echoed behind him, then turned to see the belated arrival of Shen Yuan.
Clad in a white fur coat, the hilt of his ever-present Azure Sword faintly visible at his waist, Shen Yuan’s tall, tied-up black ponytail and his sturdy, towering black horse complemented each other, making him appear dashing and strikingly eye-catching.
“Shen Shilang,” Xie Zimiao greeted him. “Take care on your journey.”
“Thank you, Fourth Prince,” Shen Yuan raised his hand in a salute of gratitude, then turned to Xie Chengze. “Second Prince.”
“Shen Shilang,” Xie Chengze echoed perfunctorily, repeating Xie Zimiao’s words verbatim. “Take care on your journey.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “Just now, I saw Second Prince bidding farewell to the Crown Prince with an embrace. From afar, I felt quite envious. I wonder if I might be honored with the same?”
“If Second Prince would grace me with such encouragement, my journey to Liaozhou would surely be blessed with divine aid. I would travel with doubled speed and return triumphant in no time, to the relief of His Majesty.” The man stepped closer, undoing the neatly tied fastenings of the red fur coat. With deft fingers, he twisted the cords into two tight knots.
He looked satisfied with his handiwork. “Surely Your Highness isn’t so petty?”
Xie Chengze: …
Who’s the petty one here? He’d only made a sarcastic remark, and now Shen Yuan had to retaliate with this!
Nevertheless, Xie Chengze agreed to his unreasonable request, lifting his chin haughtily. “Fine, you can hug me.”
But he certainly wouldn’t make the first move!
Shen Yuan’s eyes crinkled into a smile. The sky was shrouded in gray-white clouds, and snowflakes began to drift down, settling on his lashes, lending him a gentle, snow-dusted appearance.
He stepped forward and drew the young man into his embrace.
“Does Your Highness truly not wish to go to Liaozhou?” Shen Yuan lowered his eyelids, gazing with a half-smile at the red-coated youth in his arms who said one thing but meant another. “Revisiting old haunts might hold a unique charm.”
“…” Xie Chengze slipped his hand inside the man’s white fur coat and pinched his waist hard, muttering under his breath, “Shut up and get lost already.”
Shen Yuan did not evade, allowing him to vent his frustration until his subordinate urged their departure. Only then did he lower his head and whisper softly by his ear, “Your Highness, alone in the capital, you must be careful.”
Xie Chengze’s eyes flickered briefly before he released his embrace. “No need for your concern.”
Shen Yuan chuckled deeply, then swung onto his horse, clasping his fists in farewell. “Your Highness, take care.”
Amid the snowy landscape, the man rode away, his black long whip coiling through the biting wind and snow, his dark hair and white fur coat fluttering. The demeanor he displayed was as upright and imposing as described in the books.
Wherever he went, it would become a place of justice and safety.
The figure of the man and his horse gradually faded into the distance. Suddenly, a cold gust of wind blew, and Xie Chengze instinctively tightened his red fur coat, feeling the capital had grown even colder.
It seemed this was the first time he and Shen Yuan were separated by distance.
For some reason, he felt an emptiness within, as if missing a protective shell. Standing alone in this vast, unfamiliar capital, he sensed danger on all sides, his mind restless, with no one to confide in or rely on.
“Second Brother, let’s return.”
Beside him, Xie Zimiao’s voice brought him back to reality. Xie Chengze responded softly.
Shen Yuan…
Please come back quickly.
…
…
…
Hahahahaha! Shen Yuan! On second thought, take your time coming back!
In Cheng Huan Palace, Xie Chengze sat on the warm heated kang, facing a large copper pot bubbling vigorously with hotpot.
Zhu Xiaobiao, Jing Ze, and Wuhen Wuji gathered around. Xie Chengze sat cross-legged, holding a small bowl, tilting his head back to stuff a spicy slice of meat into his mouth.
Ah! So satisfying!
The days of lazily attending court and indulging in food and drink were simply too delightful!
“Painter, is it finished?” While eating, Xie Chengze didn’t forget to ask the court painter nearby.
“Your Highness, no rush, just a bit more,” the painter replied, sketching the scene of everyone gathered around the hotpot but feeling something was missing.
Xie Chengze carried his small bowl over, observed for a moment, and said, “Add more steam to make it look warmer.”
Liaozhou was extremely cold—Shen Yuan must be freezing there. If he saw this painting sent to him, he’d surely break down, right?
Xie Chengze thought mischievously.
The painter added wisps of steam around the figures as instructed, and the entire painting instantly felt warm and inviting, making one wish to step inside and experience it.
Xie Chengze was very pleased and was about to send someone for a reward when a guard stumbled in from outside, bringing a blast of cold air that made him shiver.
“Your Highness! Your Highness, it’s terrible! A message from the palace—Lord Shen has gone missing!”
“Crash—!”
The jade bowl in his hand fell to the ground, shattering into three pieces. Xie Chengze rushed over, grabbed the guard by the collar, and shouted, “What did you just say? Who’s missing?!”
“Shen Shilang! Lord Shen Yuan!” The guard swallowed hard and hurriedly replied.
He hadn’t seen the Second Prince this angry in a long time—and there was even a hint of panic in it.
“How could he go missing?”
Xie Chengze felt his mind go blank. In the original book, Shen Yuan had never gone missing in Liaozhou!
“It must have been bandits. Lord Shen was escorting supplies back to the city when he was attacked by bandits from the mountains! By the time the state officials realized, a sudden heavy snow had completely covered Lord Shen’s tracks!”
Xie Chengze’s expression instantly turned stern.
In the original text, there was no mention of mountain bandits. Perhaps because the Heavenly Decree came too late, and it was unclear how many regions it covered, when the heavy snow arrived, those bandits in Liaozhou were unprepared and ended up freezing or starving to death in the mountains.
But this time, with news of the impending snow disaster spreading, those bandits, in order to survive, descended the mountain early to stockpile winter provisions and even targeted the official grain reserves…
Even though Shen Yuan possessed exceptional martial skills, he was still outnumbered. However, since he was missing rather than confirmed dead, it indicated that Shen Yuan was likely still alive but incapacitated—perhaps injured…
Or perhaps he was hiding in the bandits’ lair, waiting for rescue, but trapped in the snowy mountains with no means to send word…
Whatever the case, Xie Chengze had to see for himself.
He feared that if he did nothing, Shen Yuan might truly perish in Liaozhou.
Here, only Shen Yuan retained memories of their past life, and only he could purge the court of treacherous officials, allowing Xie Chengze to comfortably remain a hands-off ruler without fearing matters of life and death.
He could place his trust in no one else.
Sweeping the crimson fur cloak over his shoulders, Xie Chengze issued a cold command: “Prepare the carriage. This prince is going to the Golden Luan Hall!”
He would see for himself which reckless bandits dared lay hands on his man!
Inside the Golden Luan Hall, ministers stood in circles, arguing fervently.
Shen Yuan’s disappearance and the robbery of official grain meant not only was Liaozhou left without its commander to combat the snow disaster, but the imperial prestige had also been challenged and humiliated. The idea that a dignified Ministry of Justice official could be “killed” by bandits was utterly disgraceful to the emperor.
“Your Majesty, the priority now is to quickly appoint someone to take charge of Liaozhou, dispatch troops to eliminate the bandits, and search for Shen Shilang!”
“That’s unwise! Liaozhou is already experiencing heavy snowfall. Sending troops up the mountain now to hunt bandits and search for someone would only result in unnecessary casualties—the losses would outweigh the gains!”
“Are you suggesting we abandon Shen Shilang?”
“That’s not what I meant! I’m merely stating facts! While Shen Shilang’s life is important, the lives of Liaozhou’s citizens and soldiers are equally valuable!”
The ministers argued until their faces turned red, none willing to yield. Some insisted on suppressing the bandits and searching for Shen Yuan, while others suggested that Shen Shilang might already be dead. Though regrettable, they argued, the urgent task was to address the snow disaster and continue transporting supplies.
Emperor Jian grew weary from the disputes and finally asked, “Is there anyone willing to take charge of Liaozhou’s affairs?”
The hall fell into immediate silence.
Everyone knew that taking over Liaozhou now meant not only reorganizing disaster prevention measures but also later dealing with the bandits, searching for Shen Yuan’s whereabouts, and potentially recovering the stolen official grain.
Such a massive mess—anyone with a clear mind would know to avoid it.
“Is there truly no one willing to go?” Emperor Jian glared at the ministers, who kept their heads down like quails, and slammed his hands on the dragon desk in fury. “What use are you all to me?! I might as well have you all beheaded and let your warm blood melt the thick snow in Liaozhou for its people!”
The ministers murmured meekly, not daring to meet the emperor’s gaze.
Just then, a clear, resolute voice rang out from outside the hall, like heavenly music rescuing the ministers from their predicament—
“Your son is willing to go to Liaozhou!”