Chapter 159: 112 Empress Dowager (first night watch)
On the return cow cart, Little Jingkong had a solemn expression on his little face.
Today, he had encountered a very ferocious female patron, who had spoken words too complex for him to understand, and seemingly not very pleasant at all.
But that wasn’t the main point.
It seemed that today he had been protected by Brother Gu Yan…
After all, he was much smarter than Brother Gu Yan, he had skipped grades, always ranked first in exams, and Brother Gu Yan was just a baby. However, when Brother Gu Yan crouched down to wipe his small hand, and later held his hand as they walked towards the private school, it gave him an illusion that he was the baby.
Little Jingkong fell into deep thought, feeling confused about his and Gu Yan’s positions for the first time.
Meanwhile, Prince An and Miss Zhuang returned to their villa.
Miss Zhuang was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Prince An ordered her personal maid: “Don’t let anyone disturb her rest, turn everyone away.”
The maid hesitated: “What if Miss Gu comes…”
Prince An’s eyes were icy: “Turn her away!”
“Yes.” The maid hurriedly agreed.
Prince An returned to his room.
Soon after, a man in black stealthily entered, saluting him: “Your Highness.”
Prince An poured himself a cup of tea and said calmly: “Any leads?”
The man in black shook his head: “I’ve secretly visited all the inns and medical halls in the town, and even the homes of the doctors, but there has been no trace of the Dowager Empress.”
Prince An muttered: “Perhaps she never visited the medical hall, nor sought any town doctors, and neither did she stay at an inn.”
The man in black was puzzled: “Then where could the Dowager Empress have gone? Could she be hiding in some commoner’s house?”
Prince An remained silent.
The man in black casually said: “Your highness, that’s impossible. Did you forget? The Dowager Empress has leprosy.”
Leprosy in its early stages only results in small red patches on the body and face, resembling frostbite or allergies, but as the disease progresses, the symptoms of leprosy become more and more apparent, and the inflicted person eventually looks completely different from healthy individuals.
A leper cannot hide, unless she decided to retreat into the deep mountains and forests to live alone.
But this is even more impossible.
The Dowager Empress has led a pampered and privileged life, she doesn’t even know how to cook. If she were to stay alone in the forest, she would starve to death before being taken by the disease or any wild beasts.
Prince An, seemingly lost in thought, said: “All you have said is true. But if she is not hiding, where else could she have gone? She has leprosy and would cause a stir wherever she goes.”
The man in black asked: “Are you really not considering the possibility of the Dowager Empress’s death?”
Prince An: “I’ve said it before, if she’s alive, there must be sightings; if she’s dead, there must be a body.”
The man in black had no arguments left.
“Perhaps, someone took her in and then cured her.”
The man in black pointed out: “Leprosy can’t be cured!” Even in the advanced medical practice of Chen country, the disease can only be delayed, with early interventions being the most effective – there are no known complete cures.
Prince An, of course, understands how absurd his own speculation is, but he is more reluctant to believe that the Dowager Empress has already died alone in some forgotten corner.
He ordered: “Go and check for old women who came to Qingquan Town last winter; don’t miss the villages either.”
The man in black carried out the investigation. His efficiency was much higher than Huang Zhong and his team. In a few days, he found two leads. One in Daniu Village and the other in Qingquan Village, both villages located to the north and south of the town, respectively.
“The one from Daniu Village was left destitute there last winter. When the villagers found her, she was curled up in an abandoned cowshed. They took pity on her and let her stay there, occasionally providing her with some food to prevent her from starving.”
Prince An asked: “What about the other one?”
The man in black continued: “The one from Qingquan Village is a scholar’s distant relative, she had misfortunes at home and had no one else to rely on, so she came to seek refuge with him.”
If judging by clues, the old woman from Daniu Village seemed to be the person they were looking for.
However, for some unknown reason, Prince An decided on Qingquan Village.
No reason, just a gut feeling.
To prevent alerting anyone, Prince An decided to go there in person, leaving the man in black and his subordinates waiting in the town.
Prince An arrived at the village on horseback.
The summer days were long, and the evening sky was still bright.
Prince An tied his horse to the old locust tree at the entrance of the village, and according to the map drawn by the man in black, he walked towards the house.
At the same moment, little Jingkong was feeding the chickens in the backyard and afraid the chickens would escape, he closed the door.