Chapter 58: The Girl Who Wanted Sugar-Coated Hawthorn

Hongxiu handed the letter to the princess. Li Ning’an noticed that the envelope was quite thick and wondered what Yan Ziqi had written this time. Although it wasn’t quite time to sleep, she was exhausted after spending the entire day playing with Ning Zhao and just wanted to lie down.

Today, Li Ning’an had taken Li Ningzhao to a villa, playing hide-and-seek with Hongxiu and others. In the afternoon, she and Ning Zhao brewed a jar of wine and buried it under a tree in the main courtyard. In two or three years, they would return and open the jar to enjoy its aged aroma.

Ning Zhao was especially happy today, talking much more than usual, more like a carefree child.

Li Ning’an lay on her bed, propping her chin on the pillow as she reached out to open the envelope. The letter began:

“Li Ning’an, I’ve read all the letters you’ve sent me recently.

The northwest winds are fierce, and the winter is cold. Even if one stays near the fire all day without moving, there’s still a chill.

In sparring matches, I often lose. Talking strategy on paper can never compare to real combat.

The people suffer because of the ongoing war.

During a break, I went into the city and saw a little girl who wanted to eat candied hawthorns.

Her mother pulled her away, refusing to buy any for her.

So I asked, and guess how she answered.”

Reading this, Li Ning’an couldn’t help but wonder what the answer could be. Yan Ziqi, such a handsome young man among weathered soldiers, likely made the woman too shy to answer.

Yan Ziqi continued in the next part of the letter. Li Ning’an, full of curiosity, eagerly read on:

“She said her family didn’t have enough money to afford candied hawthorns and that they should buy rice first.

I thought, although Beiyue has captured General Tong, the Iron Cavalry Army is still intact, and Uncle Ge was rescued by me.

There hasn’t been another war, so why would the people in the city be so impoverished that even a little girl can’t afford candied hawthorns?

I wanted to give her the money to buy it, but the woman refused.

She said that if her daughter tasted something sweet today, she would want it again later, and if she couldn’t have it, she’d be disappointed. It’s better to never have tasted it at all.

The Iron Cavalry guards the border, protecting the nation and its people, so that the people of Great Qi can live in peace, with meat and wine.

But now, they can’t even afford candied hawthorns.

After questioning her further, I learned that the woman’s husband had been conscripted into the army and died in the battle led by General Tong.

The Ministry of War should have reported this, and by now, the Ministry of Revenue should have sent out the compensation.

But she hadn’t received it, and could barely afford rice.

I wanted to help, but even if I did today, what about the future?

I can’t always be here for her, and she won’t always meet someone like me.”

Reading this, Li Ning’an couldn’t help but think of the ledgers from the Ministry of Revenue. Where had the money gone? Whose pockets had it lined?

She finished that part of the letter and picked up the next page. Yan Ziqi continued:

“Tong Linian invited me to a brothel, clearly intending to cause me trouble, so I refused immediately.

He knows which courtesan is the most beautiful but has no idea how the people at the border are living.

He made things difficult for me, dumping all kinds of trivial military duties on me. The military reports were filled with nothing but good news.

Except for the capture of General Tong, which he couldn’t hide, everything else was lies.

Before, when I mentioned helping, it was because my father had passed, and the Iron Cavalry was bullied by the Tong family. I thought I had to assist.

But now I see it goes beyond that.

Corrupt officials and parasites aren’t just harming the Iron Cavalry.

My power is limited, but you must help.

Don’t let my status as your ‘external husband’ be for nothing!!!”

After finishing the letter, Li Ning’an sat up, cross-legged. Hongxiu noticed that the princess’s expression had grown serious, but she had no idea what Young Master Yan had written.

Li Ning’an carefully put the letter away and asked, “Is the ledger from the Ministry of Revenue still here?”

Hongxiu nodded. “No one from the Ministry has come to retrieve it. Without your permission, I left it in the study.”

Li Ning’an hummed in acknowledgment. The account book the Minister of Revenue had given her probably wasn’t that important, but it still revealed significant problems within the Ministry.

Li Ning’an instructed Hongxiu to wake her up early the next day so she could catch Yan Suo and find out where the old Daoist had gone.

After a dreamless night, Hongxiu woke her, and Li Ning’an, still half-asleep, blinked at her groggily. She tried to shake herself awake but felt so drowsy that she considered going back to sleep. “Maybe… we should wait until after Father finishes court,” she suggested.

Hongxiu pulled her up firmly. “If you sleep any longer, I’ll never be able to wake you.”

Who knew? She had already called out to the princess over ten times.

Li Ning’an, like a puppet, let Hongxiu help her dress, wash up, and nibble on a few cakes. She looked outside and saw that it was still dark. Yawning, she remarked, “Father truly has it hard.”

Getting up so early every day to manage the affairs of the state and review memorials—Li Ning’an couldn’t imagine the weight on his shoulders.

She waited at the path between Qiankun Palace and Xuanzheng Hall, where the imperial sedan chair stopped. Yan Suo spotted Princess Ning’an and realized there was no escape.

Li Ning’an greeted her father with a sweet smile, “Father, please go to court; I only need to speak with Eunuch Yan.”

Seeing the emperor abandon him so easily, Yan Suo was left to face the princess with a forced smile. “What brings the princess out so early?”

Princess Ning’an was never one to rise so early. Had he known, he would have had someone keep an eye on Chang Le Palace or feigned illness to avoid accompanying the emperor today.

Li Ning’an didn’t waste time and went straight to the point, “Eunuch Yan, you’d better tell me where that Daoist is, and how my father’s health is. Is there a cure for his poison?”

It was clear she wouldn’t let him go without getting the truth.

Yan Suo, remembering the emperor’s orders, dared not reveal everything to the princess. “That Daoist was indeed a fraud. When he learned he was treating the emperor, he tricked the eunuchs guarding him and escaped the palace.”

Li Ning’an studied Eunuch Yan’s seemingly serious expression, but she didn’t believe him. If the Daoist were a fraud, he wouldn’t have entered the palace with Xing’e in the first place.

“I don’t believe you, and you know that,” Li Ning’an replied firmly.

Realizing this wasn’t the best place to talk, she brought Yan Suo back to Chang Le Palace. “Xing’e, serve Eunuch Yan some hot tea. It’s freezing, and he’s worked hard.”

Sitting in the main seat, Li Ning’an motioned for Yan Suo to sit down, leaving him no choice but to obey. After Xing’e served the tea, Li Ning’an resumed, “You personally verified whether he had medical skills before taking him away.”

She continued, her tone more somber, “Eunuch Yan, you’ve been by my father’s side for so many years. You must know more than anyone… surely you don’t want him to… die young.”

The last part was hard for her to say, but she forced it out.

Yan Suo, frightened, fell to his knees. “How could I dare? I pray every day for His Majesty’s long life.”

Li Ning’an waved for him to rise. “Just tell me where the Daoist is and how he’s treating my father.”

Seeing the princess exude a newfound authority, Yan Suo couldn’t help but think that, given time, she might indeed have the potential to lead. He sighed inwardly, hoping for the Ninth Prince to grow up soon.

Yan Suo truly wished for the emperor’s well-being. The Daoist had examined the emperor and concluded he had only a few months to live. He prescribed a remedy that would at least extend his life by six months.

Once the matter with the Second Prince of Beiyue was resolved, the emperor planned to cleanse the court, paving the way for the Ninth Prince’s future. Just this morning, the emperor had coughed up blood and instructed Yan Suo to conceal it.

Even the Imperial Physician had praised the Daoist’s prescription.

Yan Suo confessed everything. Li Ning’an clenched her hands tightly. Could it be that even after reliving her life, she couldn’t save her father? She had found the Daoist, hadn’t she?

“Where is the Daoist now?” she asked.

“At Duke Ding’s residence,” Yan Suo replied.

The emperor might be beyond saving, but Shui Liulang still had hope. The Daoist was indeed a miracle doctor, but not an immortal. The emperor only wished to do as much as possible for his children in the time he had left.