"After the great disaster, a great plague will follow."
These eight words had become an everlasting truth.
Due to the proper response from Huoling and others, the impact of the sudden flooding and the unexpected "earth dragon" uprising in the Yinnan region were incomparable to what they had been previously. Even when all the effects were tallied, including casualties, the total didn't exceed a thousand. However, used to always having at least three plans for any given situation, Ye Xiao, during the period where everyone was hoping to rebuild the county amidst the ruins, sent a message to the Medicine King Valley.
Different from the common people, the attitudes of the martial arts community towards the Brocade Guards varied greatly: some loathed them, some admired them, and others were indifferent. The Medicine King Valley, often referred to as the "wandering physicians' residence," remained neutral but also didn't hold the Brocade Guards in high regard.
When the person Ye Xiao had sent arrived at the Medicine King Valley, the people there actually wanted to turn them away. However, a question, "Aren't you, the Medicine King Valley, guided by the principle 'living in poverty and benefiting the world in prosperity'?" and a sigh, "So it's just empty talk," made the Brocade Guards, dressed in fish-patterned attire with embroidered spring knives in hand, become honored guests of the Medicine King Valley.
Ye Xiao's message to the Medicine King Valley Master was incredibly simple: "After the flood recedes and the earth dragon rears up, can you save lives?"
Straightforward and incisive.
Based on this message, the lone Brocade Guard left with thirty physicians from the Medicine King Valley and three carriages of medicinal herbs, for which only a deposit had been paid.
Thanks to Ye Xiao's foresight, when the epidemic in the Yinnan region was just beginning to rear its head, the professionals, worthy of being called "wandering physicians," from the Medicine King Valley, managed to squash it. Even when Huoling sneezed one day out of the blue, the second sneeze was nipped in the bud by a passing physician from the Medicine King Valley.
With the people united, the court showing concern, and the disaster not snuffing out life, along with numerous professionals being present, the most important thing was that the Crown Prince was there.
Everyone held onto hope, believing that there was still "tomorrow," and even looking forward to "tomorrow."
In addition to doing what he ought to do, Li Gongming also paid attention to the common people. When he discovered that the people, who were "living for today," urgently needed some festivity to let the hope they harbored blossom, he promptly chose a day when Ye Xiao was free and invited him to enjoy the revitalized scenery of the county yamen's backyard.
The gazebo had collapsed, but the remaining lotuses were still there.
The flowers were in full bloom once more, carrying an abundance of hope for life. The scenery in the county yamen's backyard had changed, but Li Gongming believed that the restored vitality would make it even more beautiful.
Taking advantage of the favorable atmosphere, Li Gongming, with a smiling expression, suggested, "Commander Ye, everything is back on track now. You've worked hard these days..."
"The atmosphere is excellent, and people's hearts are unified. Why don't we hold a victory celebration to liven things up?"
With a glint in his eyes, Ye Xiao nodded nonchalantly, "Alright."
Receiving Ye Xiao's agreement, Li Gongming decisively concluded, "In that case, I'll have Commander Ye propose it to His Highness."
Why send Ye Xiao to propose it? Oh, it's a different concept for him to propose it versus me or Gu Sunjun. Locking eyes with Ye Xiao, Li Gongming felt as if he could hear the sound of the torrential Yellow River. Remembering the friendly and enthusiastic conversation he had with Li Gongming by the Yellow River, Ye Xiao lazily swept his gaze over Li Gongming and then casually accepted his suggestion, proceeding to explain to the Crown Prince the necessity of holding a victory celebration, despite his aversion to such events.
The thing that Huoling detested most in his life was various types of banquets. When he was still a prince, Huoling couldn't figure out his purpose at banquets and when faced with banquets that also had two princes or the presence of the Crown Prince, his role often became an inexplicable "arbiter," forced to choose sides. After becoming the Crown Prince, he became the focus of events, which was uncomfortable enough, but he also regularly encountered people who tried to court favor with him but spoke in a way that he couldn't understand.
Over time, Huoling's attitude toward banquets had become to avoid them whenever possible and deal with them when he had no other choice.
When Ye Xiao, who had come to inquire about the victory celebration, was the one facing the issue, Huoling's first consideration was the possibility of not holding it. "Can it not be done?"
Showing no surprise at Huoling's reaction, Ye Xiao remained calm and offered a reason he had long since thought through, "Your Highness, the people need festivity."
The people need a celebration to forget their sorrows and strengthen themselves to move forward.
The soldiers, the Brocade Guards, and the many contributors also need a celebration to be rewarded for their efforts and to look forward to the future.
For the Crown Prince, this victory celebration was an excellent opportunity to mobilize support and develop his own power. However, for Huoling, the Crown Prince, after realizing the imperative of hosting the celebration, he began to probe Ye Xiao for the possibility of negotiating terms.
"In that case, can I remain out of sight?"
"You cannot."
Ye Xiaohui replied decisively, and Huo Ling, who had anticipated this, did not linger and quickly asked the next question, "Can I just show up for half a stick of incense?"
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Ye Xiaohui did not respond decisively this time.
Seeing a clue from Ye Xiaohui's attitude, Huo Ling, eager to try, cleared his throat and looked at the unmoved Ye Xiaohui, continuing to probe, "Can I have half a stick of incense?"
Ye Xiaohui did not reply, but calmly asked back, "What do you think?"
Huo Ling, quick to change tack, said, "One stick of incense?"
"..." Ye Xiaohui lowered his gaze.
"Or a cup of tea?"
"..." Ye Xiaohui glanced at Huo Ling, then lowered his gaze again.
Unable to fathom Ye Xiaohui's thoughts, Huo Ling shrugged his shoulders and made a concession, "How about half an hour?" This concession by Huo Ling was quite significant, as any more and he would start to get upset.
Truly, Huo Ling could be very fierce, and Ye Xiaohui definitely did not want to see him in that state.
Puffing up his face, Huo Ling expressed, "Half an hour" was his bottom line.
Seeing the considerably more pronounced puffiness of Huo Ling's face due to his disgruntlement, Ye Xiaohui resisted the imminent smile welling up from the bottom of his heart, tried hard to control his expression, and seized the opportunity to end the conversation, stating that it was their honor to have the prince agree to attend the celebration banquet, even if he just showed up and then left.
Huo Ling: "Okay."
Totally clueless about what he could say, he finally committed to, "I will definitely show up at that time." Averting a yawn, he held back his weariness and said, "As for other matters, you can handle them on your own."
Noticing Huo Ling's weariness, Ye Xiaohui subtly moved the hand hanging by his side. He did not vocalize to remind Huo Ling that it was not proper to yawn in front of others, but swiftly ended the topic, "Your Highness, rest well. I won't disturb you any longer."
Huo Ling shook his head, banished the drowsiness from his mind, and made an effort to maintain composure as he lightly acknowledged Ye Xiaohui.
"Your Highness, it's getting late. Rest early."
"Alright." Huo Ling waved at Ye Xiaohui. "You too."
Watching Ye Xiaohui leave the room, Huo Ling suppressed a yawn and turned to go back inside. However, just as he was about to turn around, the previously departed Ye Xiaohui suddenly turned back, devoid of any emotion or color, and said to him, "Your Highness, if you need, you can practice swordsmanship with me tomorrow."
Taking a moment to process what was just said, Huo Ling couldn't believe that Ye Xiaohui was also finding fault with his weight gain. Annoyed, he was about to confront Ye Xiaohui, but when he turned around, he found that aside from the yard dimly lit by the partially concealed moonlight, there was no sign of Ye Xiaohui.
Even the voice, which was supposedly kind but lacked any emotional color, made Huo Ling think that it was all his imagination.
As events unfolded, it became apparent that this was not just a figment of Huo Ling's imagination.
Ye Xiaohui was very busy, and the time allotted for sword practice was absolutely when Huo Ling was unable to rise. Yet, Huo Ling still felt the "kindness" from Ye Xiaohui.
For the sake of Huo Ling's stomach, "General" finished the meat and bone provided by Ye Xiaohui, not only obediently leaping onto Huo Ling's bed per the instructions, fully waking up the still-drowsy Huo Ling, but also following him closely until Huo Ling had run around the room for half an hour, at which point it wagged its tail and left to find someone else to play with.
"Woof!"
Every day, the first thing Huo Ling heard upon waking up was the voice of "General," with the diligent and incorruptible "General" completely waking him up, leaving no room for bribery.
Given the situation that allowed for close contact with "General," there was no need for Ye Xiaohui to come over, and amidst running around, sweating profusely and losing the layer of fat on his belly went unnoticed by Huo Ling.
When Huo Ling appeared at the celebration banquet, what everyone saw was a graceful and impressive prince.
As for the extent to which "General" had played a role in this, a glimpse could be obtained from its face, which showed no sign of getting fatter despite eating so much meat and bone.
Having no desire to be too close to "General," Huo Ling handed it over to a royal guard for care, while maintaining the demeanor of a prince, or rather imitating the daily conduct of the former prince, Hou Liping. He made an effort to suppress the discomfort stemming from past shadows, dutifully displayed his presence at the banquet, thanked the hardworking leaders, listened to the voices of the people, and expressed gratitude for the divine favor that allowed them to host the celebration banquet.
Although at times it may have seemed a bit exaggerated, the approach of smiling when at a loss for words prevented any accidental compromising of his status as a prince.
Both Li Gongming who noticed Huo Ling's behavior and Ye Xiaohui, who paid close attention to Huo Ling in secret, were actually quite satisfied with it.
Unnoticed, half an hour had passed.
Catching sight of the hourglass in the corner, Huo Ling's eyes lit up at the half-hour mark, and upon seeing Gongsun Jun, he used the pretext of needing to privately discuss something with him, and took the opportunity to leave the lively banquet.
Taking Gongsun Jun away from the banquet and returning to the calm, Huo Ling stepped into the courtyard. Before Gongsun Jun, who harbored doubts in his heart, could ask what he wanted to discuss privately, Huo Ling first saluted him with a fist, "I am grateful for your great kindness."
Gongsun Jun: "...?"
Before Gongsun Jun could utter the perplexed "Your Highness," Huo Ling directly said, "I take my leave," and turned to leave.
However, just as Huo Ling turned around, he suddenly plunged into darkness.