nycdaug Chapter 297 Meeting the Emperor about Last Night
Chapter 297 Meeting the Emperor about Last Night
Jia Daihua fed Jia Hu another piece of candy and said:
“Silly boy, look at your injuries, how could they not hurt? Don’t try to make your grandfathers happy with this.”
Did he not see that he was gasping for breath in pain when the medicine was applied?
Jia Hu smiled and pressed the brittle against his tongue.
"I didn't try to comfort you, but now that I've applied the medicine, it really doesn't hurt anymore."
Jia Hu, smiling, noticed Jia Daihua's furrowed brows and changed his words:
"Okay, it'll only be a little bit for a moment, just don't touch it."
Jia Hu wasn't lying; the area where the medicine was applied really didn't hurt anymore. The medicine must have started to work now. It felt cool and comfortable when applied.
This ointment was prepared by the imperial physician. It's a family secret recipe, and the medicinal ingredients used are extremely precious. It absorbs quickly after being applied, so you don't have to worry about it getting on your clothes.
Jia Daishan gently touched Jia Hu's face to check if the medicine had been absorbed, and then personally dressed Jia Hu.
Only then did everyone notice that Jia Zhen had been secretly crying while clinging to Jia Hu's arm.
Jia Hu shifted to a position that wouldn't press on the injury, and then pulled Jia Zhen to comfort him.
"Little brother, I'm fine now, don't cry, look how red your eyes are."
If you keep crying, you'll turn into a water sponge and need to hydrate.
Fearing that Jia Zhen might aggravate Jia Hu's injury, Jia Daihua pulled Jia Zhen into his arms, took a handkerchief handed to him by a servant, wiped Jia Zhen's face, and stuffed a piece of candy into Jia Zhen's mouth, saying:
"I just managed to appease your brother, and now I have to appease you. It seems my Jia family has really produced two 'water babies' (idiots)."
Jia Daishan smiled and said:
“Hu’er is awake now. Tell your grandfathers what happened last night.”
Jia Hu also became serious.
"Grandfather, have you caught the thief?"
Jia Hu asked out of curiosity, thinking that given the situation last night, the thief must have run away as soon as he saw something was wrong while in the water.
Jia Daishan frowned and shook his head, saying:
"Not yet. His Majesty didn't sleep a wink last night either, investigating this matter, but so far he has found nothing."
"How is Hu'er?"
A voice suddenly came from the doorway.
Upon hearing this, Jia Daishan said:
"Ru Hai, come in."
It turned out that the person who came was Lin Ruhai. He had drunk some wine at the banquet the night before, and when this incident happened, Lin Ruhai did not hesitate to go into the water to search and rescue.
Lin Ruhai was good at swimming. After hearing Jia Hu's words that he would die young, Lin Ruhai sought out a master to lighten his body and improve his health. However, being a scholar, he also drank alcohol and eventually became too weak to stand and had to be carried up by the guards.
He stood by the boat in the wind, and after the news of Jia Hu's discovery arrived, he collapsed.
After the servants took him back, he developed a fever, but he felt better and came over as soon as possible.
After Lin Ruhai entered, he first performed the proper greetings, but Jia Daishan stopped him, saying:
"No need for so much formality. How are you feeling?"
"Uncle, I am much better now. It's just a pity that my body is not strong enough and caused trouble yesterday."
Lin Ruhai said with some guilt.
Upon hearing this, Jia Daihua laughed and said:
"You only developed a fever yesterday because you were trying to save Hu'er, you didn't cause any trouble at all."
Jia Hu also laughed and said:
"Thank you very much, Uncle Lin."
Looking at Jia Hu's still somewhat pale face, Lin Ruhai felt a pang of heartache and came over to pat Jia Hu's head, saying:
"Those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune; our Hu'er is a blessed person."
"Hehe, definitely."
Jia Hu rubbed her face against Lin Ruhai's hand.
Lin Ruhai looked at his adorable nephew, his face beaming with an irrepressible smile.
After Lin Ruhai sat down, Jia Daishan said:
"Ru Hai has arrived just in time; we were just asking Hu'er about what happened last night."
Last night's events were truly thrilling, and Lin Ruhai was on edge.
After thinking for a moment, Jia Hu recounted the entire incident from the previous day in detail.
Everyone looked grave upon hearing this, but there were indeed no clues.
Jia Zhen held Jia Hu's arm tightly. Sure enough, his brother had done this because he was worried about him.
The hug pulled Jia Hu from his thoughts, and he gently patted Jia Zhen's head and said softly:
“This is not your fault. Someone wanted to harm your brother and used you as bait. Instead, it was your brother who caused you to be drugged.”
Jia Zhen pressed his little face against Jia Hu, thinking that he was too small and not strong enough, and that he needed to grow up quickly and become strong so that he could protect his brother.
"If that thief were in front of you right now, would you recognize him?" Jia Daishan asked.
“Yes!” Jia Hu replied immediately.
He couldn't guarantee anything else, but he certainly had this skill. If that person appeared in front of him, he would definitely recognize him at a glance.
Jia Daihua frowned and said:
"That person is probably not from this ship. It must be someone on this ship who is colluding with that thief."
Jia Daishan clenched his fist:
"I wonder how the Emperor's investigation is going?"
It wasn't that Jia Hu was pessimistic; he just felt that they probably wouldn't find anything. It was too easy to destroy evidence, especially since it was on the water. Given the darkness, the person in the water had probably already escaped.
Jia Hu then asked how they found him last night. Of course, Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua couldn't tell him that they had overheard his thoughts.
The part about listening to his heart was omitted; it was said that he was found because the fireworks illuminated the area and broadened his field of vision.
Jia Hu recalled the fireworks that filled the sky, and it was that sound that helped him regain his senses for a while.
Upon hearing Jia Hu's words, Jia Daishan also praised him, saying:
"It was the Twelfth Prince's idea to set off fireworks to light up the sky. He already helped us, and now he's even helping Hu'er. We should thank him properly."
Jia Hu agreed and said he really wanted to thank him.
After a busy period, no one had eaten breakfast. Now that the young master was alright, the steward knocked on the door to persuade the masters to have some breakfast.
Everyone ate breakfast together. Jia Hu ate his porridge with a bitter face. He really needed nutrition, so why was he only allowed to drink porridge? Even shredded meat porridge is still porridge! The only thing that comforted Jia Hu was that his uncle-in-law Lin was also sick and was drinking porridge just like him.
The shredded pork congee had been simmering for a long time, and the meat had dissolved into the congee, making it really delicious. Jia Hu took a sip and became even hungrier, drinking two bowls before putting it down. Seeing how much he enjoyed it, the others, who hadn't had much of an appetite before, also ate more.
After breakfast, Jia Daishan told Lin Ruhai to go back and rest, since he had just fallen ill.
Jia Hu also urged his grandfathers to go and rest. They had been through so much yesterday, going into the water and all that trouble, and they had stayed up all night watching over him. His grandfathers had worked so hard.
Seeing that Jia Hu was alright, Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua instructed the guards and servants to keep a close watch on him and then prepared to rest for a while.
Before they could even leave the house, the Emperor sent someone to invite them. It turned out that the Emperor had learned that Jia Hu had woken up and was now out of danger. After having breakfast, he sent people to invite them all over to inquire about what had happened the night before.
Jia Daishan wrapped Jia Hu tightly in a cloak and personally carried him to the Emperor.
The Emperor, who had also not slept all night, sat behind the table with a furrowed brow. When he saw them coming, he told them not to stand on ceremony and to ask Jia Hu about what had happened the night before.
Jia Hu recounted the story again, and the Emperor frowned upon hearing it.
He searched all night and only found out that two eunuchs were missing from the ship. What alarmed him was that these two eunuchs were veterans who had been in the palace for more than ten years; otherwise, they would not have accompanied him on this southern tour.
Who exactly has been planting people in the palace for over a decade, or who has the ability to bribe an old man for over a decade?
The emperor was alarmed and ordered his men to conduct a thorough investigation.
Dai Quan was naturally shocked; his men had made such a huge mistake.
After thorough investigation, it was discovered that the two eunuchs had been castrated and entered the palace in order to survive the natural disaster. Dai Quan concluded that the two had been bribed, and then thoroughly investigated the palace servants who had come with them, but found no problems.
When investigating this eunuch, the two palace servants had the impression that he was honest and law-abiding, and that he never stood out. No one would have suspected that the two were spies.
Upon hearing what the Emperor had uncovered, Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua were even more alarmed.
Jia Hu scoffed inwardly. Should he feel honored? For someone as insignificant as him, he had actually stirred up such a long-standing pawn. To be able to lie in wait in the palace for more than ten years was quite a remarkable trump card.
The Emperor and Jia Hu thought the same thing: the person couldn't possibly still be hiding on the ship. But he still ordered Dai Quan to gather all the guards and eunuchs and have them come to Jia Hu one by one so that he could identify the person.
Just as they suspected, there was no thief.
The Emperor rubbed his temples, looking troubled. Jia Daishan stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty, please take care of your health. We should investigate Hu'er's matter."
The Emperor's brows furrowed even deeper.
"No, I want to investigate this matter myself!"
The emperor was furious. There were parasites right under his nose, and he hadn't noticed them for over a decade.
Even when Prime Minister Ji and the ministers came to request his assistance today, he refused, insisting on investigating the matter personally.
Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua knew in their hearts that they would not give up the investigation, but they were now at a stalemate and worried that the emperor's health could not be overworked, so they tried to persuade him again and again.
The Emperor frowned, waved his hand, and said:
"You need not persuade me any further. I know my own body well. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. Anyone who dares to plot against members of the imperial family right under my nose, I'll see how many heads they have!"
When Jia Daishan returned, he encountered several princes in the corridor. The emperor had not slept all night, and the princes, as his sons, wanted to stay with him, but the emperor sent them away.
After inquiring about the Emperor's condition this morning, I naturally had to come and pay my respects in person.
It must be said that the princes were indeed brothers, as they all thought of the same thing. They bumped into each other as soon as they stepped out the door, and the group of them, each with their own thoughts, traveled together.
Upon meeting the two dukes, they inquired about Jia Hu's situation.
After exchanging a few polite words, Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua smiled at Situ Yi and then left with Jia Hu, who also shook hands with the young prince.
The eldest prince and the third prince walked ahead, while the seventh prince looked at Situ Yi with a disdainful snort and followed.
Situ Minghe pulled his uncle along quickly, and when they reached the Seventh Prince's side, he stomped hard on the Seventh Prince's foot, snorted at him, and then turned and pulled his uncle forward.