Nightwatcher-Chapter 453: Southern Garden

The old woman watched them walk out of the courtyard, their figures disappearing beyond the gate. She hugged her grandson tightly and muttered, “When did this pack of running dogs from the authorities suddenly grow a conscience?”

Then she looked at her daughter-in-law and saw her still staring at the gate, whereupon rage flared to her head and she shrieked:

“You little whore, you see a handsome man and can’t even keep your legs closed! So long as I’m still breathing, don’t you dare dream of remarrying, don’t even think of sneaking around with another man. You’ll live as a widow till the day I die!”

…

After parting with Li Yuchun, Xu Qi’an mounted his beloved little mare and sped back to Xu Manor.

He rushed into his room, found the late emperor’s records left behind by Erlang on the bookshelf, and flipped rapidly through the pages, stopping at the 26th year of Zhende.

He couldn’t read the cursive well, but he could just about decipher the dates.

*I wasn’t mistaken. It really was the 26th year of Zhende. That year, the Daoist Leader of the Earth Sect entered the palace. That year, Earl Pingyuan officially began supplying people to the palace. That year, King Huai and Yuanjing were attacked by a bear in the Southern Garden...*

*Also, the late emperor’s records end in the 30th year of Zhende, which means he passed away four years later. Hm... I haven’t read the official histories. Better ask the top scholars.*

Xu Qi’an sat down at his desk, took out the fragment of the Earth Book, and just as he was about to send a message, his finger paused, and he changed it to a private message, mentally linking to Number One.

Number One ignored him, and gave him a “slap”.

But Xu Qi’an persevered with the private message. Seeing this, Number One no longer refused and accepted the message: 【What is it?】

【THREE: When did the late emperor pass away?】

【ONE: Zhende 30. Why are you asking this?】

【THREE: It’s related to a case I’m investigating. I’ve got a few more questions. Tell me everything you know about the Southern Garden. The more detailed, the better. Especially the situation in the 26th year of Zhende. Also, how was the late emperor’s health while he was alive? Did he have any hidden illnesses? What did he die of?】

【ONE: The Southern Garden is the royal hunting ground, located in the southern suburbs of the capital, spanning 260 li. There are four temporary palaces inside, named after the cardinal gates, east, south, west, and north. The Southern Garden is a restricted zone. Almost no one lives there, and it’s not cultivated. Only the “sea households” manage it.】

*Sea households? Hah, specialist fish-breeders? Then I’m a sea household too…* Xu Qi’an gave a chuckle and wrote:

【THREE: What are sea households?】

【ONE: Eunuchs the palace couldn’t accommodate.】

Xu Qi’an squeezed his thighs together: “……”

【ONE: As for the situation in the 26th year of Zhende, I don’t know. At least, I can’t tell you for now.】

After a pause of a few seconds, Number One messaged again: 【The year before the late emperor passed, his health was already terrible. He hung on for a year before dying of illness. As for any hidden conditions, I’ll need to check the records to answer you.】

【THREE: I’ll leave that to you. I hope you can give me an answer soon. I’ve found some clues on my end, but I can’t be certain yet, I need your input.】

With Huaiqing’s boundless curiosity, she would surely throw herself into completing the task, then ask him for the latest developments.

That was the advantage of working with Huaiqing. If it were Biaobiao instead, she’d get distracted by a romance novel and forget everything.

…

Of the three northeastern nations, Jing was the furthest north, bordering the northern Yao territories. Yan lay in the centre, directly facing the Great Feng’s three provinces. Kang was to the south, a coastal nation.

Each of the three has its own strengths. Jing was famed for its invincible cavalry. After the Battle of Shanhai Pass, the northern barbarians lost their place as the strongest cavalry in the land, and Jing seized the top spot.

Yan was full of steep peaks and towering mountains. Most major cities were built in strategically defensible locations, and with the natural terrain, their defence was unsurmountable.

In addition, the people of Yan lived by hunting and were skilled archers.

Beyond the advantage of terrain, Yan also boasted an elite aerial force, the Flying Beast Army.

_Geographical Records of Jiuzhou: Eastern Records_ states:

> Mount Dongtong is rich in azure jade. There grows a tree resembling a poplar with red-grained bark and sap like blood. It is called Qi. The Qiegou feeds on it.

The qiegou was a strange beast with a wingspan of three metres, a dog’s head, a rat’s tail, and could fly five hundred li in a day.

Mount Dongtong lay in central Yan. Like the Feathered Spiders of the Jinmu Tribe, Yan possessed an air force.

Their drawback was that the qiegou army were even scarcer than the Fire Armour Cavalry and were usually used as a trump card.

At the border of Yan was Dingguan City.

As a major frontier city, Dingguan City had ample manpower, supplies, and military equipment, more than enough to fend off attacks from the Great Feng. If the Church of the Warlock God needed to stop an army from advancing into the Central Plains, Dingguan could swiftly launch a strike, as it was always in a state of readiness for war.

Two days ago, Dingguan City entered maximum alert. Merchants from both nations were barred from entering or leaving. Civilians were forbidden to pass. The city’s troops patrolled without rest, and scouts outside the walls constantly relayed secret messages.

The army of the Great Feng had arrived!

After years of peace on the northeastern border, war was finally returning.

Tuwohei, clad in brilliant armour and sabre at his waist, climbed to the top of Dingguan’s city wall surrounded by deputies and subordinates. He looked out across the distant plains.

He was Dingguan’s commanding officer, the highest-ranking military figure.

The morning sun rose. It was early autumn, and the verdant green of the hills had begun to turn faintly yellow with withering.

“They all say Wei Yuan is the Great Feng’s god of war. I’ve always wondered if he can truly swallow my impenetrable Dingguan City,” Tuwohei said calmly.

He belonged to the younger, more vigorous faction of Yan’s military. During the Battle of Shanhai Pass, he had still been a low-ranking officer tasked with defending the homeland.

He had long heard of Wei Yuan’s name.

“No one on the battlefield can outmatch Wei Yuan in strategy now. Even someone like Xiahou Yushu, in my opinion, falls far short of him,” the bearded deputy general sighed, then sneered,

“But the clash of armies is a different matter from attacking and defending cities, General. If Wei Yuan were to suffer defeat at Dingguan City, you would become the most sought-after figure in the nine provinces.”

Warfare had always been difficult, and sieges most of all. Often it required ten or even several dozen times the manpower. If the defenders occupied favourable terrain... even the most formidable general would be vexed and daunted.

If one insisted on pressing the attack, the outcome of an entire war could be changed.

History had seen many such examples.

Tuwohei chuckled, then said slowly, “We must not be careless.”

His heart was ablaze. He had no confidence in defeating Wei Yuan in a pitched battle, but defending a city—that was his specialty. Otherwise, he would not have earned the Yan King’s favour and become the frontier’s commanding general.

Dingguan City was flanked by a surging river to the left and steep mountains to the right, its defences as solid as iron. To further exploit the terrain, Tuwohei had sent men into the mountains to carve the rock over two years. Now, apart from the main road, the flanks of the city walls were strewn with jagged stone.

Siege engines and ladders couldn’t get near; and clearing the rubble would make the attackers sitting ducks.

“Awoo…”

A deep, thunderous howl came from the distant sky. The officers and soldiers on the wall at once recognised it as the cry of a qiegou.

They looked toward the sound and saw a black shadow flying in from afar. It gradually came into focus, a qiegou handler.

The winged beast, with a dog’s head and a rat’s tail, landed on the broad rampart, folding its wings. Its blood-red eyes were fixed straight ahead, like a soldier on guard.

Strapped to its body was a sturdy leather harness, connected to the scout on its back. The scout undid the safety belts at his thighs and waist, leapt off the beast, and ran to Tuwohei, cupping his fists:

“Great General, the Great Feng army is only twenty li from Dingguan City.”

The expressions of those on the wall grew solemn.

Tuwohei pondered for a moment, then said, “Pass along my letter: I am Tuwohei, commander of Dingguan City. I have long heard of your great name. But in my eyes, you are nothing but a fame-stealing eunuch…”

His aide quickly unfurled paper and prepared ink, writing swiftly.

Tuwohei’s letter had no other content, it was merely an extended stream of abuse against Wei Yuan. He claimed Wei Yuan only won at Shanhai Pass through sheer luck; accused him of being a fraud and a childless eunuch; he even cursed his ancestors.

The more vile, the better. The more venomous, the better.

At the end, he issued a challenge, saying he would personally defeat Wei Yuan, that the God of War of the Great Feng would have his spear broken and sink into the sands. In plain terms: “If you’ve got guts, come at me.”

The aide finished, dried the ink, and smiled. “Is General’s intent to provoke Wei Yuan?”

Tuwohei nodded. “That is one of the aims.”

The aide asked humbly, “And the other?”

Tuwohei sneered arrogantly. “I just want to curse this cockless man out.”

Laughter rang out along the wall, dispelling some of the tension.

Tuwohei added, “Wei Yuan’s not that easy to provoke. So, every quarter of an hour, we’ll send another letter. All of us will take turns cursing, more mouths, more words.”

The deputy general roared with laughter. “To shame the God of War of the Great Feng—that’s something to celebrate!”

The laughter on the wall grew louder.

…

In the capital.

In the Eastern Palace, Lin’an was playing Five-in-a-Row with her elder brother, the Crown Prince. He was growing impatient but still endured, humouring her. After all, few elder brothers could resist spoiling a coquettish and beautiful younger sister.

“I’m done, I’m done!”

Lin’an flung down her pieces in a huff, cheeks puffed in protest. “You’re so distracted—you don’t really want to play with me at all.”

*Is it that storybooks have lost their charm? Or are shuttlecocks not fun anymore? Or has Huaiqing not been annoying enough lately?* The Crown Prince wondered, and replied helplessly:

“Lin’an, We are busy with state affairs. We’ve no time to play these childish games.”

Lin’an furrowed her delicate brow. “What’s the point of playing with servants? I want to play with you, big brother.”

No palace maid or eunuch could compare to a sibling’s company.

Lin’an had followed the Crown Prince like a shadow when she was little, a tiny figure in skirts tagging after him wherever he went. When she grew older, Consort Chen would egg her on to cause trouble for Huaiqing.

Just then, a eunuch arrived at the door and said softly, “Your Highness, Princess Huaiqing has come.”

The siblings exchanged a glance. The Crown Prince muttered, “What’s she doing here in the Eastern Palace?”

He promptly had someone lead Huaiqing in. Before long, the princess stepped over the threshold—dressed in plain palace attire, her features breathtakingly beautiful, serene as a painting. She curtsied to the Crown Prince, then glanced at Lin’an.

“Huaiqing, what brings you here?”

The Crown Prince asked coolly.

Huaiqing gave a faint smile. “We heard the crown prince has Master Yan’s _Autumn Hunt_ painting, and since the autumn hunt is nigh, we’ve taken a sudden interest and wished to borrow it for copying.”

The Crown Prince hesitated briefly. “We shall send it to you shortly.”

Though their mothers were at each other’s throats in the rear palace, a superficial sibling relationship still had to be maintained.

*Ah, it’s time for the autumn hunt…* Lin’an’s eyes lit up. She said happily, “Big brother, let’s go hunting at the Southern Gardens!”

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

The Crown Prince frowned and shook his head. “What for? It’s a long way.”

Lin’an swayed her hips, wheedling, “It’s not far at all, not far at all. We can ride there. Come on, big brother, take me!”

The Crown Prince could never resist her antics—just like Emperor Yuanjing. He gave in. “Alright, alright. I’ll make arrangements today, and we’ll go first thing tomorrow.”

He still had matters to attend to and wanted to send Lin’an and Huaiqing away.

The autumn hunt was a grand event. Ever since Emperor Yuanjing became obsessed with Daoist cultivation, it had seldom been held. In recent years, the princes and princesses would go to the Southern Gardens on their own, only needing to report it.

To Lin’an, hunting was the most joyous of activities, and whether she could actually shoot an arrow didn’t matter.

It was like in Xu Qi’an’s past life, some girls were obsessed with video games, even if they were terrible at them.

Back at her residence, a young palace maid quickly came forward and reported, “Your Highness, Princess Huaiqing came to see you earlier.”

*Huaiqing looked for me? Then why didn’t she say a single word to me in the Eastern Palace just now?* Lin’an blinked, putting on a bewildered little face.

*Ah, never mind that. Time to read a storybook. Going to the Southern Gardens tomorrow…*

…

Late at night.

In his sleep, Xu Qi’an felt as though someone had tapped his brain. This was a reaction in the soul, not a literal knock on the head.

Only two beings in the room could knock him on the head: Zhong Li, who would gently prod him with her leg and whisper his name, or the Taiping Sabre, which would jab him with the blade tip while going “ding ding ding.” Neither would be so gentle.

A spiritual reaction like this meant someone was contacting him privately…

Half-opening his eyes, he reached for the Earth Book fragment. At once, he knew who was calling him.

Number One: Huaiqing.

After accepting the private message request, he wrote back:【What are you doing messaging me in the middle of the night? Don’t you have a sex life?】