Chapter 12: Kneeling in Punishment
Outside the city, Feng Qi led his men to the mouth of the Tonghua River for an inspection. Bei Miao was a coastal nation, and not far from the river mouth was the sea. Feng Qi looked around and saw many arched stone structures spanning the river mouth.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, these are still in their early stages. This humble subject dares to speculate that the project will be completed in two years, probably around late August then,” said Xu Binghua, the Minister of Works, smiling as he followed beside Feng Qi.
Bei Miao’s main industry came from the sea—seafood, fishing nets, and ships. Its income was inseparable from the sea, and the equipment for the navy and port docks was very complete. Therefore, Feng Qi wanted to start putting some effort into inland agriculture.
A dam was an excellent choice. It could not only work with the canals for flood control but also irrigate the fields.
And for this important project, Feng Qi planned to personally supervise it. After all, the person in charge was Xu Binghua of the Xu family. If he wasn’t careful, there was no telling how much silver Xu Binghua could embezzle. In the long run, the national treasury would sooner or later be devoured by these gluttons!
In this life, not only did Feng Qi want to uproot both the Xu and Li families, but he also wanted to share an era of prosperity with Wen Ning’an, possessing a magnificent country of thousands of miles. With his beloved in his arms and the country in his hands, wouldn’t that be wonderful?
Seeing Feng Qi’s thoughtful expression, Xu Binghua asked cautiously, “Your Majesty?”
Feng Qi waved his hand, and Xu Binghua continued to explain the structure of the dams to him.
“Ah—”
As he was speaking, a woman’s scream came from not far away.
When the emperor went on an inspection tour, besides bringing his escort and the Imperial Guard, he naturally had to have eunuchs and maids to serve him. This voice came from a maid at the end of the procession. Fu Che immediately had one of the escorts go to the back to see what had happened.
In less than an incense stick’s time, the escort returned.
“What’s wrong?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, a floating corpse has appeared in the river behind us.”
A floating corpse?
Feng Qi raised an eyebrow and turned as if to walk back.
Fu Che said worriedly, “Your Majesty, a dead person is bad luck. I’m afraid it will clash with Your Majesty’s noble aura!”
“Clash?” Feng Qi laughed loudly, as if he had heard something ridiculous, and said dismissively, “I wonder if it’s me who’s afraid of bad luck, or that dead person who’s afraid of me.”
Feng Qi went to the place where the scream had occurred and indeed saw a corpse with an unrecognizable face in the river. The body was completely decomposed, with white bones showing in many places. The remaining flesh was blackened and swollen. One could only barely make out that it was an adult male.
Some of the maids could no longer bear it and began to vomit at the side.
Feng Qi turned to Xu Binghua and asked, “Beloved Minister Xu, why don’t you tell me how a floating corpse appeared here?”
Xu Binghua dropped to his knees with a “thud” and said in terror, “Your Majesty, this subject does not know, I truly do not know!”
“I was just asking casually. Why be so alarmed? It’s not the first time a floating corpse has appeared in the river, and it couldn’t possibly have anything to do with Beloved Minister Xu, right?”
“Your Majesty is right, you are right…”
A gasp came from a maid beside him. Feng Qi subconsciously looked at the Tonghua River and saw more floating corpses drifting down from upstream…
Fu Che frowned and said in a low voice, “Truly bad luck, bad luck…”
Feng Qi said to Fu Che, “Find some people to retrieve these bodies. Have the coroner examine them, and then hand them over to the Ministry of Justice for investigation. I want to know where these bodies came from and why they died.”
“Yes.”
Feng Qi shook his head and was about to take a closer look when he saw one of his escorts make a gesture to him.
Feng Qi nodded slightly, and the escort came to his side and whispered a few words.
“Fu Che.”
Feng Qi’s eyes darkened, and he said in a displeased tone, “Back to the palace.”
In the palace, some troubling events had occurred while Feng Qi was out on inspection.
The Empress Dowager, of the Xu family, was Feng Qi’s biological mother and had contributed greatly to his ascension to the throne. This was why the Xu family’s power in the court was so strong, their prominence almost overshadowing the deeply rooted Li family, who had founded the nation alongside the first emperor.
At this moment, the Empress Dowager was sitting in a private seat in the Buddhist hall, sipping the Pu’er tea served by a servant.
It was fine tea tributed from the frontier, personally delivered to the Empress Dowager by Feng Qi. The Empress Dowager knew in her heart that Feng Qi could not be completely unwary of the Xu family, but no matter how wary he was, her own son would never touch her. This was why the Empress Dowager dared to challenge Wen Ning’an, who was currently the apple of Feng Qi’s eye.
No matter what, she was the mother of the nation. The Empress Dowager refused to believe that she couldn’t even make a subject kneel for a while.
Xu Huayi obediently took the tea set from a servant and prepared tea for the Empress Dowager. Burning incense, rinsing the tea, pouring the tea, presenting the tea—her movements were elegant and proper. A look of appreciation and affection flashed in the Empress Dowager’s eyes.
The two of them were in perfect harmony, while Wen Ning’an knelt on the stone steps outside the Buddhist hall, silent.
The afternoon sun was venomous, and the stone steps had long been baked scorching hot. The heat seeped into Wen Ning’an’s body through his knees, giving him the illusion that even his bones were burning.
Sweat soaked his clothes, and he felt sticky all over. That wasn’t important. What was truly unbearable was the scorching sunlight hitting his body. His exposed skin ached dully, and his scalp felt as if it were about to explode.
Drops of sweat hit the stone steps. Wen Ning’an began to feel dizzy and nauseous.
If it were an ordinary person, they would have fainted after kneeling for nearly two hours, but Wen Ning’an, having been on the battlefield for years, was strong and healthy and could still endure it.
His knees ached as if they were about to tear. Wen Ning’an guessed that the skin had probably been rubbed raw by the heat.
Feng Qi…
Wen Ning’an thought to himself, Feng Qi has sent shadow guards to follow me in secret. They won’t appear unless it’s a critical moment or my life is in danger, but reporting my status is definitely a daily task. My situation will surely reach Feng Qi. But Feng Qi was far outside the city. By the time he returned, it would probably be dusk.
Wen Ning’an turned his head slightly to look at his shadow. He had arrived at noon, and it was now just entering the hour of Shen…
[Translator’s Notes: Hour of Shen : An ancient Chinese time measurement corresponding to 3 PM – 5 PM.]
The Empress Dowager looked at Wen Ning’an’s straight back. His face was expressionless, showing neither fatigue nor impatience or anger. She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
This child’s will is quite firm.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand, intending to let Wen Ning’an leave. But just as she raised her hand, it was caught by Xu Huayi. Xu Huayi affectionately held the Empress Dowager’s arm and leaned against her, cooing, “Empress Dowager, Wen Ning’an harmed Uncle Xu Ren and made Huayi suffer so many grievances. Can you let Huayi teach him a lesson?”
The Empress Dowager said nothing, neither opposing nor agreeing.
Xu Huayi took a stack of Buddhist scriptures, walked in front of Wen Ning’an, and threw them on the ground, saying haughtily, “Copy these scriptures to prove your repentance to the Buddha!”
Wen Ning’an didn’t move, not even giving Xu Huayi a direct look.
He was kneeling here because of the Empress Dowager, Feng Qi’s biological mother, not because of this woman.
Xu Huayi was so angry that she raised her hand to strike Wen Ning’an, but before she could touch him, her wrist was grabbed fiercely by him.
“You… let go!”
Xu Huayi’s slender wrist ached from Wen Ning’an’s grip. She couldn’t break free and was even dragged downwards by him.
“Wen Ning…”
Before she could finish, she saw Feng Qi standing not far away, looking at her with a face as cold as frost.
