Jun Huailang pushed him several times, but could not get him to let go.
He could not help letting out a soft sigh. Then he raised his hand and patted Xue Yan’s shoulder and back.
The two of them were this close together, and he could feel how tightly the man holding him was embracing him. He could even hear the pounding of his heartbeat, like a drum.
His arms were trembling, and his breathing was somewhat unsteady. His entire body was soaked through. Clearly, he was such a large man, yet he held Jun Huailang so tightly that not even a gap remained between them, looking as though he were the one who had been wronged.
As if the ferocious demon from just moments ago had never been him.
Even though Jun Huailang had made up his mind to sever his feelings for him, at this moment he still could not help softening.
Although he wanted to push him away, his hands seemed unable to summon any strength.
“…All right,” he said. “It’s fine.”
Xue Yan said nothing, but he did not loosen his hold either.
Only he himself knew how dangerous the situation had been when he arrived.
Early that morning, he had left the city with Duke Yongning’s party, with Duan Shisi accompanying him. Only a small contingent of Brocade-clad Guards had remained in the city.
Not long after they left the city, the carriage became stuck on the road outside. The guards and servants accompanying them busied themselves pushing the carriage.
After they finally managed to get back on the road, Brocade-clad Guards hurriedly arrived with news that the embankment north of the city had collapsed, flooding nearly half of northern Jinling.
The moment Xue Yan heard this, he knew something was wrong.
The embankment had collapsed at precisely the time when they were not in the city. Although Xue Yan did not understand water conservancy or engineering, he knew that Magistrate Shen would not be so unreliable. Someone must have tampered with it behind his back.
But Xue Yan could not worry about any of that.
There was only Jun Huailang in his mind.
Jun Huailang was at the academy, which happened to be at the extreme north of Jinling. Once the embankment collapsed, there would be flooding, and there would be displaced refugees. None of their people were in the city, and Jun Huailang was there alone.
Without even waiting for Magistrate Shen and Duke Yongning to make a decision, he got out of the carriage, led the Brocade-clad Guards, mounted their horses, and raced all the way back to Jinling.
The road was extremely difficult to travel, yet he did not slow down in the slightest. Even the Brocade-clad Guards, who were excellent riders, had one or two horses stumble and throw their riders onto the road.
And so he rushed all the way back to the academy.
From a distance, he saw a large crowd gathered around the academy gates. Every one of them was a vigorous, robust man. At a glance, it was obvious they were taking advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble.
Xue Yan only had time to entrust the situation at the gate to Duan Shisi. Before he had even reached the academy, he stepped onto his horse’s back, took several strides, and flew over the crowd at the entrance, landing atop the wall.
And there he saw someone holding a sword, thrusting it straight toward Jun Huailang.
That flash of cold light made Xue Yan’s eyes ache, and his mind went completely blank. All reason and thought ceased to matter.
He only wanted to kill someone.
He wanted to cut that person apart, one slash at a time, while he was still alive.
Thinking of this, Xue Yan lightly flared his nostrils and tightened his embrace around Jun Huailang.
Jun Huailang gently patted his back.
Only then did Xue Yan seem to come back to himself. He said quietly, “Go home.”
Jun Huailang was puzzled.
He continued, “Go home and stay there. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll send all my men to your residence. No one will be able to touch you.”
Naturally, Jun Huailang would not listen to him.
Once Xue Yan had calmed down, Jun Huailang raised his hands and pushed him, separating the two of them.
Jinbao, who had been hiding far away, finally saw that the two of them had finished embracing each other after what seemed like an eternity. Only then did he very tactfully grab an umbrella and run over to hand it to his master.
As for why he had not brought two umbrellas?
There would naturally be as many umbrellas as they needed, but when there were two perfectly good people standing together, why would they need to hold separate umbrellas?
Jinbao handed over the umbrella.
“Master, the carriage is waiting at the gate.”
Xue Yan nodded, and Jinbao quickly retreated again.
“I’ll take you home first,” Xue Yan said as he opened the umbrella and held it over Jun Huailang’s head.
Jun Huailang said, “I still have something to do.”
He had seen today’s bandit leader before. Since that man had been involved in the road repairs that day and had gathered people here to harm others today, he must have some connection to the collapse of the embankment as well.
Even if he had not personally done it, someone who had arrived at the scene so quickly would certainly know what was going on.
Besides, the embankment had collapsed suddenly, and even the timing was different from that of his previous life. The weather could not change, but people could.
There must be someone behind the embankment’s collapse.
He had to find the evidence and traces.
Xue Yan asked, “What else do you have to do?”
Jun Huailang answered truthfully, “There is something suspicious about the collapse of the embankment. I want to interrogate the leader.”
“I’ll interrogate him,” Xue Yan said without hesitation.
Jun Huailang’s voice was not loud, but it was extremely firm.
“No. There are some things I must ask him myself.”
He paused, then asked, “Has all of the northern part of the city been flooded?”
Xue Yan asked, “Why are you asking that?”
Jun Huailang said, “Before the interrogation, I need to go to the river embankment first.”
Xue Yan immediately frowned.
“The dam has already collapsed, and you still want to go?”
Jun Huailang said, “It won’t all have collapsed. The embankment was built high and won’t be submerged by the water. Moreover, this collapse was very likely caused by human interference, so the other sections should still be sturdy. Going now is to collect evidence. If the embankment is washed by the river for several more days, it may be eroded and the evidence could be damaged.”
He needed to confirm the evidence immediately so that he could use it to obtain the bandit leader’s confession.
After all, physical evidence made of stone could not survive being washed by the river for very long, but a written confession could.
Yet Xue Yan said, “Since you think it was done by someone, there’s no need to investigate it. Whether there is evidence or not doesn’t matter. Just interrogate him.”
Jun Huailang’s brows drew together.
“How can that work? The case record has to be submitted to His Majesty. Naturally, the physical evidence must be recorded. Mere speculation isn’t enough.”
Xue Yan, however, said, “You’re soaked.”
Jun Huailang was confused.
Xue Yan continued, “You’ll develop a fever. And it’s dangerous over at the embankment. You’re not allowed to go.”
——
Jun Huailang still successfully made it to the river embankment north of the city.
But in exchange, he had to return to the residence and change into a clean set of robes, and then Xue Yan had to accompany him.
Jun Huailang did not want to, but Xue Yan simply refused to leave until he agreed.
Jun Huailang had always been unable to withstand Xue Yan’s shameless stubbornness. In the end, he could only compromise and travel with him in the carriage.
They departed through the western city gate, which had not been flooded, climbed onto the embankment at a section untouched by the water, and traveled eastward.
Along the way, there were already many displaced people around them. They carried whatever belongings they had managed to rescue, bringing along the elderly and children while sheltering beneath the eaves of houses by the roadside.
Amid the heavy rain, mournful cries could be heard all around them.
Traveling in the opposite direction from the fleeing refugees were already groups of soldiers heading north. Presumably, Magistrate Shen had sent them to provide disaster relief and rescue the people.
The embankment had collapsed so suddenly that many civilians had not even had time to escape.
Judging from the situation now, the casualties would certainly not be small.
Jun Huailang’s hand resting on his knee gradually clenched.
If they wanted to suppress officials and form factions for personal gain, they could fight it out in the imperial court.
Yet they had to use such despicable methods and, for the sake of the power in their own hands, harm so many innocent people and families.
Just then, Xue Yan spoke.
“Jinbao.”
Outside the carriage, Jinbao hurriedly answered, “Master, what are your orders?”
“How much spare money do we have on hand?” Xue Yan said. “Take it all. Find Shen Zexun and have him find a vacant plot of land in the south of the city. Build tents and take in the refugees.”
Jun Huailang froze.
Shen Zexun was Magistrate Shen’s personal name.
He looked at Xue Yan, only to find Xue Yan looking back at him as well.
Then Xue Yan forcibly took the hand resting on Jun Huailang’s knee and pried open his clenched fingers one by one.
“Whatever you’re worrying about, just say it,” Xue Yan said calmly. “There’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Only then did Jun Huailang notice that his palm had already been cut open by his fingernails.
He was speechless.
The two of them continued riding in the carriage and eventually climbed onto the embankment outside the western city.
The embankment had been built wide enough for carriages to travel along it. They continued eastward, and from far away, they could already see the collapsed section.
There was a huge gap.
The surging river water rushed through it, like a wild beast that had broken free of its cage, charging into Jinling City.
The embankment stood high above the surrounding land. From a distance, they could see a small section of the city reduced to a vast pool of water.
Houses and towers protruded slightly above the surface. Some less sturdy buildings had already been washed away, while all kinds of objects floated chaotically across the water.
In his previous life, Jun Huailang had only seen the historian’s brief description of the flood in the case records.
【The Jinling River embankment collapsed, destroying half the city. The people were displaced, numbering in the tens of thousands.】
Jun Huailang’s lips involuntarily pressed into a tight line.
The carriage slowly stopped not far from the gap.
Xue Yan got out first, holding an umbrella as he helped Jun Huailang down.
When they reached the area nearby, Jun Huailang bent down and saw the river water rushing through the remnants of the embankment.
Xue Yan pulled him backward.
“Be careful. Don’t stand too close.”
Jun Huailang could only retreat a little.
He carefully examined the area below and, sure enough, saw that there was something suspicious about the broken section of the embankment.
Normally, when an embankment collapsed, it was because it had been washed away by the river. Even if the damaged section was on the inner side, the river water would still erode it from the outside, meaning the break would have formed from the outside inward.
But the cracks in this section of the embankment were clearly from the inside outward.
There were also obvious traces of deliberate damage and excavation.
Jun Huailang looked outward.
On the inner side of the collapsed section was actually the official road that had been built only recently.
There were still some pieces of lumber and oilcloth floating on the river, materials that had not yet been removed from the road construction site.
…His guess had indeed been correct.
He asked Jinbao for paper and a pen and carefully recorded the damaged section beside the embankment, even drawing the patterns of the broken area.
Once Jun Huailang started working, he completely forgot about everything else.
Xue Yan simply stood quietly beside him, holding the umbrella and shielding him completely from the pouring rain.
Only after Jun Huailang finished drawing and recording the evidence did he rub his aching neck and stand up.
Only then did he notice that Xue Yan had been standing beside him without moving the entire time.
The oil-paper umbrella was tilted over Jun Huailang’s head, while half of Xue Yan’s shoulder had been soaked through.
“You…”
Before Jun Huailang could finish speaking, Xue Yan naturally took the drawings from his hands.
“Finished?” he asked. “If you’re done, get in the carriage.”
As he spoke, he led Jun Huailang toward the carriage.
Jun Huailang followed him inside.
The moment he lifted the carriage curtain, warmth and the fragrance of tea rushed toward him.
He had been soaked by the rain for so long today that he had already lost all sensation in his body. Only now did he suddenly realize that he was freezing from head to toe.
Jinbao, who was holding the curtain open beside them, deliberately added fuel to the fire.
“His Highness the Heir Apparent doesn’t know, but His Highness the Prince ordered this servant to prepare warming tea long ago, because he was worried that His Highness the Heir Apparent would catch a chill!”
Xue Yan glanced at Jinbao.
Jinbao wisely lowered the curtain and withdrew, having accomplished his mission.
Jun Huailang looked at Xue Yan and saw him sit down as though nothing had happened, beginning to pour tea for him.
The small tea brazier gave off warm steam, slowly warming Jun Huailang’s chilled bones.
And it also made his heart waver uncontrollably.
It wavered badly.
Jun Huailang could not help speaking, as though reprimanding himself. His voice was soft.
“…I can’t be with you.”
Xue Yan looked up at him.
The next moment, the warm teacup was placed beside his hand.
“Did I force you to be with me?” Xue Yan slowly leaned back, one corner of his lips lifting.
“I didn’t ask you to be with me. I asked you to drink your tea.”