Within a few days, the delegation to Wumiao returned to the capital.
The Minister of Ceremonies went directly to the palace for an audience without even stopping at home.
“Minister Ma, you’ve spent several months in Wumiao. How are things there?” Emperor Jingming, though slightly recovered after a few days, still appeared numb. Only the return of the Minister of Ceremonies and his team seemed to rouse his spirits somewhat.
Unaware of the Crown Prince’s situation, the Minister of Ceremonies was secretly shocked by Emperor Jingming’s aged and weary appearance. He chose to recount amusing anecdotes from the South to entertain the Emperor.
As he listened, Emperor Jingming’s face grew darker.
So he had sent these people to Wumiao just for them to go sightseeing?
Thinking of the dark days he had endured and looking at the animated Minister of Ceremonies, Emperor Jingming felt the urge to throw a paperweight at his face.
Sensing the tension, Pan Hai coughed lightly.
The Minister of Ceremonies caught Pan Hai’s subtle head shake from the corner of his eye and felt a jolt of alarm.
Damn, he had tried to cheer up the Emperor but had instead put his foot in his mouth.
Come to think of it, how had the Emperor aged so much in just half a year?
Something was off. As he had entered the palace, the entire place had been unnervingly quiet. It was not right.
The Minister of Ceremonies made a mental note to inquire about the current situation in the capital as soon as he left the palace.
Had he fallen so out of touch after just half a year away from the capital?
Seeing the Minister of Ceremonies lower his voice, Emperor Jingming’s anger subsided slightly. He asked, “How did the Wumiao people treat you?”
“Your Majesty, the Wumiao people were very courteous to us. They were not negligent in their hospitality…”
Emperor Jingming listened to the Minister of Ceremonies for nearly half an hour without hearing any valuable information. His face expressionless, he said, “Minister Ma, you must be tired from your journey. Go home and rest well.”
The Minister of Ceremonies secretly breathed a sigh of relief and bowed, “This humble servant takes his leave.”
After the Minister of Ceremonies left, Emperor Jingming immediately said to Pan Hai, “Later, go to Kunning Palace and have the Empress summon Prince Yan’s wife. I have some matters to instruct her on.”
Pan Hai immediately acknowledged the order.
“Call Han Ran in.”
For this mission to Wumiao, the Minister of Ceremonies and his team were the official envoys, while members of the Jinlin Guard were mixed in to conduct covert investigations.
Soon, Han Ran entered with a subordinate, who was the leader of the Jinlin Guard team that had gone to Wumiao.
“Your servants greet Your Majesty.”
Emperor Jingming raised an eyebrow slightly and said calmly, “No need for formalities. Did you find any trace of Elder Hua and his grandchild in Wumiao?”
The escape of Elder Hua, who had run a small shop in the capital for over a decade, from the imperial prison had been troubling Emperor Jingming.
Han Ran’s subordinate replied, “Your Majesty, we found no trace of Elder Hua and his grandchild in Wumiao.”
Emperor Jingming frowned.
There were only two possibilities for not finding any trace of Elder Hua and his grandchild. One was that the Wumiao tribe was well aware of their actions in the capital and had hidden them away upon the arrival of the Zhou envoys. The other possibility was that Elder Hua and his grandchild were still in Zhou.
Neither possibility improved his mood.
“Was there anything unusual in Wumiao?” Emperor Jingming asked, already feeling somewhat dejected.
Why did everything related to Wumiao become so confusing? Would sending the Jinlin Guard undercover with the envoys to investigate yield any results?
Emperor Jingming wasn’t hopeful, but Han Ran’s subordinate’s response gave him a surprise.
“Your Majesty, during our months in Wumiao, we happened to be there for their grand triennial worship ceremony. However, the Wumiao Holy Maiden did not appear.”
Emperor Jingming raised his eyebrows.
Wumiao bordered Zhou and possessed mysterious powers. Emperor Jingming had long ago familiarized himself with some Wumiao customs.
The triennial worship was a grand event in Wumiao, traditionally presided over by the Wumiao Grand Elder, with the Holy Maiden serving as the officiant.
For the Holy Maiden not to appear at such an important occasion was indeed highly unusual.
“Continue,” he said.
Han Ran’s subordinate went on, “Due to the Holy Maiden’s absence from the worship ceremony, many Wumiao people seemed very uneasy. Your servant even accidentally overheard one elder arguing with another, demanding to know why the Holy Maiden had been in seclusion for years without being seen…”
“So, the Holy Maiden’s absence has caused unrest among the Wumiao people?”
Han Ran’s subordinate nodded, “That’s correct. Although the Wumiao elders tried their best to conceal it due to our presence, the unease seemed to spread. Your servant could sense the agitation among the Wumiao people, with some even gathering to demand to see the Holy Maiden.”
“Did you find out when the Wumiao Holy Maiden stopped appearing?”
“From a young Wumiao girl, we learned that the Holy Maiden hasn’t been seen for at least three years.”
“Any other anomalies?”
Han Ran’s subordinate shook his head, “Your humble servant is too foolish to have noticed anything else unusual.”
Emperor Jingming smiled slightly, “You’ve done well. Han Ran, this was a good choice of personnel.”
Han Ran quickly said, “Your Majesty is too kind. He happens to understand some of the Wumiao language…”
To be a good spy, brute force alone is not enough; knowledge cannot be neglected. It wasn’t in vain that he had selected a group of clever young people two years ago to learn foreign languages from the staff of the Court of State Ceremonial. It had finally proven useful.
Seeing that there was nothing more to ask, Emperor Jingming nodded slightly.
Han Ran’s subordinate promptly withdrew.
Emperor Jingming looked at Pan Hai and Han Ran, and asked in a deep voice, “What do you two think?”
Pan Hai and Han Ran exchanged a glance.
After a while, Han Ran spoke, “Your servant believes something has happened to the Wumiao Holy Maiden. Otherwise, there’s no reason for her not to appear at such an important event as the worship ceremony.”
The status of the Wumiao Holy Maiden was equivalent to that of the Crown Prince in Zhou, perhaps even more important. The prolonged absence of the Holy Maiden would not only cause unease among her people but also invite covetous eyes from other tribes.
“How many of our people remain there?” Emperor Jingming asked again.
Han Ran quickly replied, “Six remain, but they’re all disguised as ordinary merchants. They haven’t shown their faces from the beginning.”
The Wumiao people were close-knit, and with their small population, outsiders appearing in their territory would be very conspicuous and impossible to conceal. The best method was to disguise themselves as border civilians to have a chance to interact with them.
“Have them keep a close watch on Wumiao, especially matters concerning the Holy Maiden. Any developments should be reported urgently.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Emperor Jingming rubbed his brow, “Pan Hai, go to Kunning Palace now.”
Pan Hai made a trip to Kunning Palace to inform the Empress of the Emperor’s wish to see Prince Yan’s wife.
The Empress was slightly startled but nodded in agreement.
Prince Yan’s wife was different from the princes; it would be too conspicuous for the Emperor to summon her directly. It was more convenient to do so through the Empress.
Jiang Si soon received the Empress’s summons.
Yu Jin was somewhat displeased, “Why is the Empress suddenly summoning you?”
He didn’t want Ah Si to go to the palace too often, given the recent tumultuous events there.
Jiang Si smiled, “We’ll know when I get there. Don’t frown. How can I refuse when the Empress wants to see me?”
Yu Jin pressed his thin lips together and muttered, “The Crown Prince is below the Empress, the Empress is below the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. Thinking about it, it’s frustrating.”