Corrupt officials, northern spies, strange incidents (?), and a magical system (?)... Huo Ling hadn't even laid eyes on the Yellow River, or even reached its banks, yet he had encountered a bunch of chaotic things.
The key point was, he hadn't done anything at all.
Filled with self-doubts, Huo Ling hugged "General Da" tightly after eating, and started to mumble, "Why me?"
Why couldn't he just be a happy and leisurely salted fish, not having to worry about anything?
At this moment, Huo Ling, just like the cat raised by Ye Xiao, was pitiful and cute as he pondered why he looked so different from the big dog. The "General Da", which was snoring, couldn't hear his "big brother's" words. And even if it could, it couldn't sympathize with his dissatisfaction. As for Ye Xiao, who was currently the only audience, feeling a itch in his heart, quietly rubbed his fingers and took the opportunity to pat his head when Huo Ling wasn't paying attention.
Indeed, the feeling was as good as ever.
Ye Xiao's mood suddenly improved, the frustration of not catching that elusive system suddenly dissipated. Noticing Huo Ling's disappointment, he hurriedly comforted him, "It's not your fault, you've been great all along."
"You encountered so many things today mainly because you are..." Tilting his head, Ye Xiao repeated the strange term he had learned from Li Yuexue, "uh, the male lead."
"The male lead?" Hearing the unfamiliar term, Huo Ling instinctively perked up his ears. "What's that?"
If it was because he had something strange on him that caused him to encounter all these chaotic things, could he not have it?
As the night fell and the candlelight flickered through the window, the dim light couldn't hide Huo Ling's anticipation. He gazed at Ye Xiao, even though he was once again being patted on the head by him, he didn't mind at all.
Ye Xiao lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. When he found a word that matched the peculiar meaning of "male lead," he spoke in an uncertain tone, "The chosen one."
"The chosen one?"
Instinctively repeating these four words, after figuring out their meaning, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes in front of Ye Xiao and just said, "Oh."
Although he didn't know exactly what the "male lead" was, Huo Ling vaguely understood one thing - the "male lead" wasn't something he could just get rid of.
Realizing this, Huo Ling couldn't help but hang his head.
He rubbed the head of the "General Da" beside him, which hadn't woken up no matter what he did. The warmth from the body, taller than him, as it pressed against Huo Ling's position, comforted him. Under Ye Xiao's assurance, Huo Ling recovered his spirits.
"It's okay," Ye Xiao promised to Huo Ling openly, shedding all pretense and leaving all the softness to his family, "I've got everything under control, no matter what."
Before Huo Ling could respond, he released "General Da" from his relentless tugging and went straight to Ye Xiao across from him.
"Cousin, you're the best!"
Indeed, it was the most correct decision he had made not to anger the emperor because of fear of death.
Thoughts flitted through Huo Ling's mind. He plopped into Ye Xiao's arms, which were suddenly tense and then relaxed, and proudly promised, "Cousin, don't worry! When we return to the capital, I will definitely help you find a beautiful and suitable wife." If he couldn't do it, there was still A-Yue to help.
Ye Xiao, who thought being alone was fine too, simply replied, "..."
Looking at Huo Ling, who volunteered and thought he was particularly considerate, Ye Xiao watched him silently for a while before lightly chuckling.
Huo Ling: "...?"
Before Huo Ling could understand why Ye Xiao suddenly smiled so sinisterly, he was too caught up in the joy of being far away from home, and in the next moment, he was lucky to understand what it meant to be "your cousin is still your cousin."
Pushing Huo Ling away, Ye Xiao's voice suddenly turned cold, "Stand properly."
"Okay." Reflexively raising his head and chest, Huo Ling looked at Ye Xiao, not understanding in the slightest what he had done wrong. He tentatively called out to him, "Cousin?"
Ye Xiao gave him a faint glance and made Huo Ling swallow all the words he had prepared to say, directly standing before Huo Ling with his hands behind his back. He then spent a quarter of an hour making Huo Ling understand what "not a child at such a great age" and "the importance of appearances" meant.
It had been a long time since he had been ruled by the words "mature behavior". Bathing in Ye Xiao's serious and earnest gaze, Huo Ling, feeling a sense of injustice, couldn't even bow his head. He could only stand tall and listen to Ye Xiao's "admonishment," and when Ye Xiao asked him if he had remembered, he loudly replied, "I have!"
He really did remember, he dared not forget!
Huo Ling's reply awakened the "General Da" beside him. The mastiff, which suddenly raised its head, looked around in confusion, then decisively rolled over and closed its eyes, not even noticing the "big brother" beside it hoping to attract Ye Xiao's attention.
Huo Ling: What use are you!
Completely forgetting its attitude towards the "General Da" not long ago, Huo Ling disdainfully glared at the drowsy mastiff, but under Ye Xiao's slightly teasing "en" sound, he not only withdrew his gaze but also directly admitted his mistake to Ye Xiao, "I won't do it next time."
Huo Ling's attitude made Ye Xiao very satisfied, and not until he had finished teaching Huo Ling did he suddenly realize that Huo Ling was no longer the transparent fifth prince who needed him to cover for him.
However, seeing that people tended to overlook that he was the crown prince, Ye Xiao swallowed the "admonishment" he was about to give and patted Huo Ling on the shoulder instead, "Go rest." If Huo Ling wouldn't change, then he wouldn't change either.
"Oh." Obediently bidding goodnight to Ye Xiao, Huo Ling turned and grasped the collar around the "General Da's" neck, attempting to drag it to the inner room. However, he had already exerted all his strength, and the "General Da" remained still on the floor, still looking dazed from being woken up by its owner.
Not knowing what game his owner was preparing to play with it, the awakened "General Da" moved its body. When it seemed like it was about to get up, the mastiff's buttocks sank down, and it sat directly on the reception couch, tilting its head to look at Huo Ling, eagerly anticipating the game its "big brother" was about to play with it.
Having eaten, drunk, and rested, it was time to play a game!
Not only did he not drag "The Great General," but almost ended up being dragged to the soft couch by Huo Ling: "..." Ignoring the low laughter that seemed to belong to Ye Xiao, Huo Ling, expressionless, reached out and grabbed the ear of "The Great General." Without waiting for the other party to come to their senses, he directly pulled them off the couch. "Since you don't want to share a bed with me, then you can stay wherever you like, hmpf!"
"Woof?"
Huo Ling, ignoring "The Great General," waved to Ye Xiao, "Cousin, you should also go to bed early." After saying this, he walked into the inner room.
Ye Xiao, standing in place, lowered his head and exchanged a glance with "The Great General," who looked confused after being pulled down. He patted the other's head and then ordered people to remove the soft couch from the room, leaving "The Great General" a room where they could either sleep under the table, on the table, or on a chair.
The attentive and thoughtful Ye Xiao always thought of things that Huo Ling didn't. After a final check around to ensure that not even a mosquito could enter Huo Ling's room and harm him, Ye Xiao left to deal with the accumulated affairs.
...
When there was a fierce argument at the morning court meeting over who would be in charge of the Yellow River's governance, it was naturally because it was a simple matter that could bring fame, and perhaps even leave a remarkable mark in the history books. After Huo Ling, who was "forced to take on a task," arrived in Yanchi County, the reason why this job made many ministers envious was fully demonstrated.
Disaster relief brought professional personnel and local volunteers - and everyone was already accustomed to the annual natural disasters; the governance of the Yellow River had Li Gongming and his specially brought water management experts, completely negating the need for Huo Ling, an outsider, to direct it; the daily affairs of the county were handled by the capable Li Gongming and the capable and efficient Gongsun Jun, similarly not requiring the absentee-landlord-like management of Huo Ling; the safety and maintenance of the porridge stalls had Ye Xiao, who gave people a sense of infinite security, and the many embroidered spring knives that made people back off even before they were drawn, belonging to the Jin Yi Wei... Moreover, the county also had resources that were not just for show.
Considering everything, Huo Ling only needed to do the most important thing - being a mascot... ahem, presiding over the scene!
The simple yet important thing Huo Ling had to do was simply to show his face when needed, according to Ye Xiao's arrangements. This was to reassure the officials who, upon the loss of the county magistrate, were not panicking but instead were happier; and to soothe the people who, in the next moment, were distressed by natural disasters, allowing them to fully feel the determination of the court to "never give up on any subject of Great Zhou" and the belief that "the Yellow River would be a mother river bringing benefits to the country and its people, not a 'ferocious beast'".
As long as the crown prince was present, the people's hearts were settled.
As for what Huo Ling did during this time, he might go to the fields to chat with the old farmers, or attend banquets held in the county town and make those "gentlemen" who were less distinguished than him spontaneously donate money and goods. He might also stroll through every corner of the county town in his white robes and easily recruit many "little brothers and sisters." Ye Xiao, after ensuring his safety and reminding him to maintain the image befitting a crown prince, allowed Huo Ling to do as he pleased - after all, he was also busy, and being able to make time to care about whether Huo Ling's collar was straight or not was the ultimate extent of Ye Xiao's "insistence."
Huo Ling: ... Thank you, you are truly my "good cousin".
On this day, as usual, Huo Ling appeared at the porridge stall, listening to the gratitude of the people as they bowed their heads, and letting them feel the "gentleness" that was characteristic of a crown prince. When he was done with what he needed to do for the day and returned to the county yamen, he hadn't even crossed the threshold when a handsome young man appeared in front of him, blocking his way.
Taking a closer look, it turned out to be Gongsun Jun.
Without waiting for Huo Ling to ask the usual "Do you have something to say," or preparing to reply with "Don't block the way if you have nothing to say," Gongsun Jun, with a serious expression, said, "Your Highness, I have something to tell you."
Huoling, who didn't see any problem and still believed he was being reasonable, took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure, "Your Highness, that's not what I meant."
"Hmm?"
Gongsun Xun looked directly into Huoling's eyes and said slowly, "Restless birds and beasts, panic among insects, dogs barking and chickens crowing, water with a strange smell...there may be a dragon stirring."
At the mention of "dragon," Huoling's face suddenly turned cold, "Are you sure?"
"I am sure."
As Gongsun Xun detailed his findings, Huoling not only forgot about the melon seeds in his hand, but also the tea sitting cold on the table.
Ten days ago, when he accompanied Lord Li Gongming on an outing, Gongsun Xun had noticed inexplicable sightings of insects everywhere. However, it was still early spring, and recently, there had been reports from the people that their chickens and ducks were dying inexplicably, and their dogs were barking incessantly at night. After consulting his knowledge and enlisting the help of two guards to investigate, Gongsun Xun finally confirmed his suspicions.
Gongsun Xun had not told Ye Xiao about his suspicion regarding the "dragon." Since discovering these subtle anomalies, he had been agonizing over whether to tell anyone about his theory.
If he was wrong, could he bear the consequences?
No, he couldn't.
If his theory was correct, could he bear the consequences of not warning anyone in advance?
Still, he couldn't.
Gongsun Xun had been struggling with this dilemma for days, and when Ye Xiao left today, he specifically greeted him as he passed by, asking him to keep an eye on Huoling. At that moment, Gongsun Xun suddenly remembered the day he was called to the Emperor's presence before leaving the capital.
"Take a good look. Is he the person you want."
What would the Crown Prince's reaction be if he told him?
Unpredictable. Inscrutable.
After sitting quietly for a whole morning, Gongsun Xun finally made a decision. He waited for Huoling at the county office, and when he finally spoke to the Crown Prince, he had only one thing left to do—wait for Huoling's reaction—fear, anger, indifference, or...
However, Gongsun Xun had never expected Huoling's reaction.
Huoling patted Gongsun Xun on the shoulder, looking displeased. "What are you standing there for? Go tell Ye Xiao! Why are you dawdling here?"
"Your Highness?" Surprised by Huoling's reaction, Gongsun Xun couldn't help but hesitate.
"Highness what? Go and tell Ye Xiao what you have seen and thought. Together, announce the news about the 'dragon' to the people in the name of the Salt Pool County. What's the matter with you? Don't you want to take responsibility? It's just a matter of notifying people, what are you dragging your feet for?"
Gongsun Xun blinked, then blinked again, finally realizing what Huoling meant. It was not in the name of the Crown Prince, nor in the name of Gongsun Xun, nor in the name of any individual, but in the name of Salt Pool County. He couldn't believe that Huoling would do this. Had the Crown Prince considered the significance of representing the court in Salt Pool County? Had he considered the implications of his role as the representative of the Crown Prince in Salt Pool County?
There was no anger at Gongsun Xun's nonsense or fear of being affected by the dragon, no intention to push him out and let him bear the consequences alone, nor any foresight to use the "dragon" for personal gain or to boost his own power. Huoling's unexpected behavior, showing that he felt "everyone should know, not just me," took Gongsun Xun by surprise, and it was not remarkable. It was neither far-sighted nor selfish.
He was cowardly and awkward, making it difficult to tell if it was real or feigned. But as he looked at the constantly "surprising" Crown Prince, Gongsun Xun felt as though his blood was boiling.
He thought he found it.
In that moment, Gongsun Xun looked into Huoling's eyes and saw a light, as if the moon were shining because of the sun, shining brightly and willingly.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Gongsun Xun's gaze made Huoling uncomfortable, and he instinctively stepped back. "I warn you, I have no intentions toward you, and you better not have any toward me!"
The moment Gongsun Xun thought he found it: "..." Sorry, I was just a bit confused by the wind.
...
On the other hand, Ye Xiao and Lord Li Gongming also discussed the topic of the "dragon."
Lord Li Gongming had also noticed the recent anomalies, but unlike Gongsun Xun, who had noticed the abnormal behavior of Huoling, a man who had been immersed in officialdom for many years, Lord Li Gongming was a sly old fox who knew the value of silence.
Not hearing, not seeing, not thinking, just doing what he should be doing.
Lord Li Gongming had a nice idea, but when Ye Xiao asked directly, all his ideas remained just that—ideas.
"Lord Li, do you think you'll be woken up by dogs barking tonight?"
With Ye Xiao's meaningful question, Lord Li, who had been preparing to greet him with a smile, gradually lost his smile.
Why did he recommend the Crown Prince in the first place?
Would none of this have happened if he hadn't recommended the Crown Prince?
Author's note:
*(1): This passage comes from the "Biography of Chen Sheng" by Sima Qian from the Han Dynasty, and describes the young Chen Sheng expressing his discontent with his current situation and his desire for greater things.
*(2): From "The Analects of Confucius": "He who learns in the morning can die in the evening." This phrase is used to describe the urgency and commitment to the pursuit of truth or faith.
He is very busy, so busy that he has no time and no desire to think about some questions that will test human nature.
Whether it's testing the humanity of the Crown Prince, or testing his own humanity... he just wants stability, after all, there's still Gongsun Xun.
However, Ye Xiao doesn't think so.
Standing by the Yellow River, where he has been appreciated and resented by others, looking at the people bustling with hope, and looking at Ye Xiao, who is deliberately blocking his way, Li Gongming sighed, "I, this old man... can't run anymore." Why does he have to express his opinion?
Li Gongming felt helpless, but there was no hint of it on his face, even his sigh seemed nothing more than a sigh, "I can't compare to you young people.”
"Lord Li, you are joking." Ye Xiao, seeming not to notice Li Gongming's implications, continued, "You are still young, you might enter the cabinet at some point."
Li Gongming suddenly raised his head, "What do you mean?"
As if casually chatting with Li Gongming, Ye Xiao didn't answer him, but instead asked, "What do you think?"
With a flicker in his eyes, Li Gongming fell silent.
Ye Xiao also did not speak again. With his arms crossed, he turned his head, looking at the somewhat hazy horizon, his gaze gradually drifting away, but his thoughts did not.
After a while, Ye Xiao heard Li Gongming's voice, "Why don't you go out yourself?"
Ye Xiao turned back, "I said, it's different from my perspective with yours."
Even if Gongsun Xun and Li Gongming noticed the anomaly, how could Ye Xiao, who was as sharp as ever, fail to notice?
Before leaving the capital, His Majesty saw Ye Xiao before seeing Gongsun Xun. If meeting with Gongsun Xun was to "take a good look", then meeting with Ye Xiao was to "assess whether he is qualified to be the Crown Prince, while ensuring his safety" ... His Majesty's meaningful look at that time also made Ye Xiao realize - His Majesty intends to train and test Huo Ling. So, he is not a suitable candidate. If it was he who approached Huo Ling, Ye Xiao could not judge Huo Ling's reaction to the news, whether it was purely because of "Di Long," or because of his own existence.
Lazy to wait any longer after finding Gongsun Xun may have retreated, Ye Xiao thought of Li Gongming. However, whether by chance or accident, when Ye Xiao and Li Gongming reached a tacit agreement to go back to the county yamen, Huo Ling and Gongsun Xun had also reached a tacit agreement, and were preparing to send someone to find Ye Xiao.
"Your Highness, Lord Li has something to tell you." Ye Xiao entered and brought Li Gongming with him.
"Ye Xiao, I have something to tell you." Seeing Ye Xiao, Huo Ling instinctively smiled.
As their eyes met, Ye Xiao's peripheral vision caught Gongsun Xun on the other side, who blinked in response, "You want to say something? Then you speak first."
Li Gongming, who was observing everything, tried to suppress a smile, and hammered his old waist, which had been sore recently due to his busyness, lowering his presence silently - Since Gongsun Xun had already spoken, he was no longer needed, right? Li Gongming’s thoughts were beautiful, but Ye Xiao did not satisfy him. Ye Xiao stepped aside, completely exposing Li Gongming in Huo Ling's line of sight, "Your Highness, it's not me who has something to tell you, it's Lord Li."
Suddenly becoming the center of attention, Lord Li said, "..."
Glancing at the unchanged and calm expression of Ye Xiao, even a cunning old fox like Li Gongming couldn't help but silently rebuke him for not being righteous. Despite his inner complaints, Li Gongming casually opened his mouth, "Your Highness, the animals are restless, and the rooster is crowing... what do you think will happen?"
Huo Ling blinked, “This sounds familiar.” He turned to Gongsun Xun beside him, took the brush from his hand, “What do you think?”
The brush, almost finished writing, was ruined with a large stroke by Huo Ling. After a while of silence, Gongsun Xun looked at Huo Ling quietly.
Huo Ling showed no reaction, completely unaware of what was wrong, and even urged Gongsun Xun, “I'm asking you a question.”
Gongsun Xun: "..." Alright, you are the Crown Prince, you have the final say.
After wiping the ink off his hands with a handkerchief, Gongsun Xun stood up and gave the exact answer to Li Gongming and Ye Xiao, "Lord Li, the matter you just mentioned, I have already told His Highness."
"What about His Highness…?" What does that mean?
"Of course, do whatever needs to be done." Blocking Gongsun Xun's line of sight, Huo Ling confidently told Li Gongming and Ye Xiao, "But I might not be of much help, so I need your help to arrange the specifics." Huo Ling clearly recognized his own incapability, and saw no problem in asking others for help.
"Your Highness?"
Huo Ling’s response to the "Di Long" that may or may not appear left Li Gongming tangled and confused. This was "Di Long," not just a normal matter like "there might be heavy rain tomorrow." Why did His Highness... always remain completely unpredictable? Is he really... getting old?
One question after another emerged in his mind. By the time Li Gongming came to his senses from his own thoughts, the three on the other side had already discussed almost everything. Gongsun Xun provided suggestions, Ye Xiao gave additional points, and Huo Ling made the final decision.
Looking at the three, Li Gongming suddenly couldn’t help but feel— the story of the three did not need his presence.
Just as Li Gongming was about to take his leave to continue his busy work with the water management, Huo Ling suddenly waved at him, “Lord Li, come and take a look.”
When Li Gongming approached, Huo Ling handed him the piece of paper, “What do you think of the ‘announcement’ written by Gongsun Gongzi?”
Even before Ye Xiao and Li Gongming had returned, Gongsun Xun had been preparing an announcement to be posted to the "people" about his dream, although it was later dealt with by Huo Ling. When Gongsun Xun realized what had happened, he wrote another one, and polished it a bit.
Li Gongming instinctively took the paper handed over by Huo Ling and, after reading the contents, couldn't help but commend, once he knew it was written by Gongsun Xun, "Great writing, great literary talent!" Indeed, he is the leader of the "Four Talents of the Capital."
What Gongsun Xun wrote was quite simple, the gist being that the Crown Prince Huo Ling had a dream where he visited Wonderland and had the fortune to see a sleeping Azure Dragon. As soon as the Crown Prince saw the Azure Dragon, it opened its eyes, rolled over and flew away in a cloud of mist. Upon waking up, the Crown Prince felt this was a warning from the heavens, and a sign of their goodwill towards Da Zhou. So the Crown Prince had released a public notice urging the people to temporarily leave Yanchi County, to witness the "miracle" of the Azure Dragon appearing within ten days.
Despite being under the name of Yanchi County, why, in the end, was it filled with the figure of the Crown Prince Huo Ling? This was a question that Huo Ling did not care about. What he cared about was—
Not being able to find approval from Li Gongming, Huo Ling snatched the paper back from him and patted it down in front of Gongsun Xun, “Do you think it's great too?”
“... Your Highness?” Gongsun Xun was somewhat puzzled, completely unaware why Huo Ling was suddenly angry. Was it because his description of Huo Ling in the document wasn’t perfect enough? But he really couldn't bring himself to be as shameless as Li Zhuang.
Huo Ling turned to Ye Xiao, “Ye Xiao, what do you think?”
“I think there's no problem.”
Ye Xiao also did not give Huo Ling the approval he wanted, so Huo Ling, looking unhappy, slammed the table, "I can't even understand this thing, and you expect the common people to understand it?"
Yexiao and the others had guessed for half a day about the reason why Huo Ling was angry, but they had never expected it to be for such a reason.
Helpless in his heart, facing Huo Ling's patience towards Gongsun Jun, he explained, "Your Highness, there will be a dedicated person to loudly announce and explain the posters during the announcement, as well as to make corresponding explanations."
"Oh." Huo Ling, with an expressionless face, looked at Gongsun Jun and asked, "Tell me, do these so-called dedicated individuals know a few characters? Are they scholars or intellectuals?"
Most of the common people do not know many characters; few can understand the government's announcements. However, the county government has limited resources, so they often arrange a few literate people to assist in pasting the posters and temporarily act as readers and explainers. The county government will provide these people with a certain reward. These temporary recruits vary in quality; the best ones could just about read the announcements fluently and then explain the contents to the people according to what the county government has instructed, while the worst ones can only recognize half of the characters... Not to mention the scholars Huo Ling mentioned, even the students without any official titles aren't found.
Huo Ling leisurely asked, "Tell me, do these people recognize the character '淼,' or do they recognize '龘'?"
The characters "淼" and "龘" were used to describe the so-called Qinglong by Gongsun Jun. These were characters that Huo Ling recently recognized after reading extensively, in addition to many other characters that he didn't even recognize half of.
Not denying that he didn't understand the article written by Gongsun Jun, Huo Ling scolded him without giving any face, "When showing off your literary talent, do you have any brains?"
As Huo Ling insulted Gongsun Jun in front of Li Gongming and Yexiao, Gongsun Jun's fair face inevitably took on a faint blush. He opened his mouth to explain to Huo Ling but even he knew that there was no need for any explanation. He had indeed made an extremely low-level mistake— when writing, he had habitually "showed off" a bit, subconsciously ignoring the fact that it was supposed to be an announcement for the common people.
Only through personal experience did Gongsun Jun realize that being an official was really not as simple as he had thought. He bowed his head and apologized to Huo Ling, "Your Highness, I'm sorry, it's my fault."
"You're only sorry to me for now, and I can choose to forgive you." With a serious look, Huo Ling, with an air of authority, even made Gongsun Jun feel the shadow of the Emperor Majesty in him.
Li Gongming, who had been quietly standing by, blinked, looking at the serious Huo Ling, and couldn't help but feel some anticipation.
However, the next moment—
Huo Ling: "I'm leaving it to you. Decide on the matters you can handle by yourselves, and for those you can't, discuss how to handle them yourselves. Don't come to me!"
He sincerely just wanted to be a carefree prince... no, crown prince.
Huo Ling just wanted to accomplish the "gilding" task given to him by the emperor, and hoped that after the "earth dragon," there wouldn't be much for him to do.
With this in mind, Huo Ling, trusting in them, patted Gongsun Jun's shoulder, nodded to Li Gongming, and lightly punched Yexiao's chest. "Do well. I believe in you all!"