A Foodie Transmigrated into the Palace Chapter 1109: Perilous Journey Ahead

Once the court session ended.

Inside the Imperial Study, Zhao Junyao called upon Xia Tingfeng.

They delved into the Northwest issue together.

"This trip holds great peril; will twenty thousand troops be adequate?"

Xia Tingfeng thought briefly before replying with respect.

"Your Majesty, a larger force would attract notice; ten thousand ought to be plenty!"

Zhao Junyao gave a nod and passed over the document from the night before to Xia Tingfeng.

"Have a glance!"

Xia Tingfeng accepted it, skimmed it rapidly, shock flooding his gaze.

"The scope is enormous; with all the arson, murder, and plunder—Your Majesty, these don’t act like typical bandits!"

"Oh?"

Zhao Junyao appeared confused.

In truth, though scholarly and adept at rule, he lacked insight into bandit ways.

Xia Tingfeng proceeded to elaborate thoroughly.

"First off, bandits generally chase riches, sparing lives. They hit travelers on paths, not storming villages and towns openly."

"Second, bandits stick to their own turf for robbery; they never invade rivals’ grounds!"

"Third, such widespread arson, slaughter, and pillage screams hidden orchestration!"

"Your Majesty, someone’s surely disguising themselves as bandits to plot rebellion..."

Zhao Junyao agreed with a nod.

"No surprise it seemed strange!"

He’d long sensed these bandits were overly bold.

Yet he never suspected they weren’t real bandits, but a structured uprising instead.

"Rebellion demands vast funds, army recruitment, food hoarding..."

Xia Tingfeng went on.

"That explains looting silver and cash alike, even stripping the destitute!"

Scraping every scrap of gain showed dire silver shortage!

And who needs such heaps of silver if not rebels? What other possibility?

Zhao Junyao mulled it over.

"Then I won’t decree it openly; here’s a covert order instead!"

"On the surface, you’re a trader hauling goods northwest!"

"Pack a wagon with grain to lure out the snake!"

"Yes!"

Xia Tingfeng cupped his hands!

"This servant shall meet Your Majesty’s trust!"

Zhao Junyao nodded.

"Make ready and set off without delay!"

"This servant obeys!"

Xia Tingfeng cupped his hands once more and retreated!

Right then.

Li Shengan rushed inside, clutching a missive.

"Your Majesty, a confidential letter has arrived!"

Zhao Junyao seized the letter tube, its odd form creasing his brow.

"From where does this secret message hail?"

Li Shengan shook his head fast.

"The servants are unaware. The Hidden Guard discovered it outside the Imperial Study!"

Zhao Junyao examined the markings intently; they resembled Western Xia writing.

A thought struck him, and he tore open the seal at once.

"Emperor of Great Chu, long live Your Majesty! Beholding this letter is as beholding you; years have passed since our encounter, and longing grips me!"

"I dispatch this in desperation, unable to restrain the intrusion! Western Xia’s King Jin covets power amid my father’s crisis!"

"He now grips the court fully and wields the army!"

"Father ages frail, my crown prince sibling lacks vigor, and I’m caged like a cornered beast!"

"Our fates matter little, yet Western Xia’s folk deserve mercy..."

The slim sheet bore hundreds of scrawled, hasty characters, ending with Western Xia’s Hai Tang.

Zhao Junyao scanned the letter twice, fully grasping each word’s intent.

His face shifted abruptly, eyes chilling.

"Western Xia’s King faces peril, King Jin usurps the throne, musters forces to assault Great Chu’s untamed Northwest!"

Suddenly, Zhao Junyao grasped it all.

"No wonder!"

"No wonder Northwest bandits rage unchecked; it’s a masquerade for sinister aims!"

He rose sharply, paced to the candles, and ignited the paper slowly.

Then fists balled hard, stare frosty.

"Far too negligent!"

"A year back, Northwest bandits stirred; fruitless probes led me to dismiss it!"

Regret gnawed deep now.

Great Chu had basked in peace for years, bandits popping up now and then.

Local officials nabbed them, or garrisons swept them away if needed.

Rarely did they plague the capital or vex the sovereign.

Thus, his oversight!"

After quelling the disturbance, he ceased to dwell on it.

He ought to have realized it sooner!

Zhao Junyao stared with intense fury, his gaze filled with remorse and bitterness.

"Had I worked harder and stayed more vigilant, wouldn't those ordinary folks have been spared death?!"

Such reflections made it impossible for him to keep reviewing the paperwork.

He set aside his brush, changed into ceremonial robes, and proceeded to the imperial ancestors' shrine behind Taihe Hall.

Portraits of the royal lineage were enshrined year-round in this hall for worship.

Zhao Junyao lit incense for his forebears, then knelt within the shrine, shut his eyes, and offered atonement.

Candles in the dimly lit shrine flickered gently.

Ancestral portraits lined the walls in neat rows—some kind and majestic, others fierce and commanding, some profoundly solemn, others radiant and straightforward.

All seemed to gaze down upon the prince kneeling rigidly before them.

A grave and weighty atmosphere prevailed.

Were they still alive, what would they think? Would they fault him?

They likely wouldn't; after all, he had exerted himself fully!

…

Duanning Palace.

The private kitchen had dinner fully prepared.

It needed only Xia Ruqing's command to be served right away.

Since Zhao Junyao hadn't shown up yet, they opted to delay the meal a little longer.

Xia Ruqing tutored her daughter in reading, going over the "Book of Thousand Poems".

This child proved remarkably bright; while girls her age stuck to the "Three Character Classic", she had progressed to the "Book of Thousand Poems".

"Mother, why hasn't Father Emperor come yet!"

The little girl wearied of studying and flung the book down, inquiring.

Xia Ruqing pondered briefly.

"Your Father probably hasn't finished his tasks yet!"

"Your Father's been extremely busy of late, Yue Er, don't make a fuss!"

"Oh!"

Yue Er nodded and resumed leafing through the tedious book.

She couldn't fully comprehend it.

Why did her parents force such basic, dull books on her?

Why couldn't she simply skip them?!

Xia Ruqing retrieved the book and passed it back.

"No way!"

"Girls must study books!"

"I don't expect you to turn into a famed female scholar later on, but at least... don't shame your mother!" Xia Ruqing stated sternly.

Yue Er pursed her lips.

"Alright, alright!"

…

A quarter-hour later, Zhao Junyao rushed in like a gale.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the outer chill whooshed in after him.

Xia Ruqing and Yue Er both shuddered.

"So cold!"

Having stood to greet him, Xia Ruqing swiftly arranged for the evening meal.

Yue Er dashed toward him upon sighting him.

"Father Emperor!!"

Zhao Junyao stooped to lift his daughter, pressing kisses to her cheek twice.

Yue Er beamed with delight, wriggling happily, and called out once more.

"Father Emperor!"

Zhao Junyao grinned and questioned his daughter.

"What were you up to?"

Yue Er proudly thrust the book upward.

"Daughter has been memorizing poems, Father Emperor; do you want to hear me recite them?"

Zhao Junyao glanced at the "Book of Thousand Poems".

Setting surprise aside, he took his daughter's intelligence in stride.

"Sure! Recite them!"

Yue Er bobbed her head, cocked it sideways, and began reciting with great enthusiasm.