IDWBE -Chapter 22 Typhoon

After daybreak, the weather finally cleared. Everyone still didn’t hurry to set out, waiting instead until noon, when the road had hardened, before departing.

“Sigh, it’s only been a few days and I’m already tanned,” Lin Yi said.

Sitting side by side with Hong Ying on the carriage, he held up a mirror, examined himself for a moment, then put it down and asked, “Have you seen that living ancestor?”

Hong Ying shook his head. “I haven’t seen her.”

“That’s strange. She said she’d come with us. How come she’s nowhere to be found?”

Lin Yi slapped his thigh. “Forget it, then.”

“You seem very happy?”

The voice suddenly sounded right beside his ear, frightening Lin Yi half to death.

He looked around—there was no one. Looking up, he saw a person sitting right on the roof of the carriage, swinging long slender legs and holding a fried dough stick, eating it with great relish.

“You are…”

Lin Yi found the gaze somewhat familiar. “Grandmother?”

“What an unfilial grandson,” Wen Zhaoyi sighed, shaking her head as she ate.

“You’re dressed so differently I couldn’t even recognize you.”

The Wen Zhaoyi before him wore a long white dress. The silver hair she once had was gone—now it was jet black, arranged in a bun. Most astonishingly, even the crow’s-feet at the corners of her eyes had disappeared.

She looked like a girl in the prime of youth; without careful inspection, one simply couldn’t recognize her.

“That’s because you don’t pay attention,” Wen Zhaoyi sighed. “If you did, you’d recognize my voice.”

“Grandmother, how could you say that? These days I’ve been busy traveling, exposed to wind and rain, my mind barely works anymore—but I still think about you day and night. Thinking of you nearly breaks my heart.”

Lin Yi forced a grin, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

This living ancestor really was impossible to shake off.

Hong Ying, beside them, remained silent. He had no idea when Wen Zhaoyi had arrived or how she had gotten there.

If she hadn’t spoken, he wouldn’t even have realized someone was sitting above his head.

His fists clenched tightly, his face flushed red.

“What are you standing there for? Don’t you have any sense? Hurry and make room for Grandmother—get down,” Lin Yi said, sending Hong Ying off the carriage before smiling ingratiatingly. “Grandmother, be careful coming down. Don’t fall.”

“It’s a pity—the view up there was quite good.”

Wen Zhaoyi bent one leg and lightly floated down beside Lin Yi. After finishing the fried dough stick, she wiped her greasy hands on Lin Yi’s clothes. “I haven’t eaten something this tasty in many years.”

“Grandmother, where have you been these past days?” Lin Yi asked, looking utterly resigned.

“I went to see an old friend,” Wen Zhaoyi replied leisurely, then added, “Since you want to conceal my identity, you mustn’t call me grandmother anymore.”

“Then what should I call you?” Lin Yi asked.

“Don’t you like calling people ‘older sister’?” Wen Zhaoyi said with a smile. “Call me sister.”

“…”

“Go on, let me hear it,” she teased.

“…Sister,” Lin Yi said with extreme difficulty.

Are you serious?

Trying to act young like this?

Even if she really did look young now…

Couldn’t she at least have some self-awareness?

Wen Zhaoyi sighed. “That reluctant tone makes me very unhappy.”

“Sister!” Lin Yi said promptly this time.

He’d better not anger a master who could leap about like this.

In fact, he felt a faint regret. If he had known earlier that Wen Zhaoyi was such a hidden expert, why hadn’t he learned a few moves from her?

Wouldn’t he now be less useless?

Why had he eagerly gone to seek that Offering Liu instead?

Thinking about it only brought tears.

“Mm, good grandson—no, younger brother now. Good younger brother…”

Wen Zhaoyi burst out laughing again, drawing curious glances from those nearby.

Like Hong Ying, none of them had noticed when this extraordinarily beautiful woman had arrived or how she had appeared.

Could it be the prince had been hiding a beauty in his carriage all along?

The more they thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

When the convoy reached Songyang, the county magistrate and several respected local gentry personally came out of the city to welcome them.

That evening, Lin Yi finally had a proper meal. After eating and drinking his fill, he lavished the magistrate with praise, commending his achievements as if compliments cost nothing.

As for whether the magistrate was good or bad, Lin Yi couldn’t be bothered to investigate, nor was it within his power—even if someone came to petition for justice.

The emperor was his father, yet even he couldn’t easily bring such matters directly to imperial attention; even the Ministry of Personnel wouldn’t necessarily pay attention to him.

That was reality.

If he insisted on enforcing justice by force, the only way would be to cut the man down with a single stroke.

And that would be no different from rebellion.

The local garrison wouldn’t care that he was a prince—they would arrest him all the same and escort him back to Ankang City according to the rules.

Compared with being punished for dereliction of duty and having one’s whole family executed, offending a prince was nothing.

Including Lin Yi, the group of sixty-seven people had traveled for half a month and still hadn’t covered even half the distance.

The farther south they went, the worse the roads became, and the more unpredictable the weather.

“Typhoon…”

That night, when Lin Yi arrived at Mabi Town, he saw collapsed houses, trees toppled in all directions, and people crying as they dug through the ruins.

Even the once-graceful woman who sold services on the heated kang now sat on the ground, covered in blood, her eyes vacant.

“Your Highness…”

Song Cheng trembled as he listened to children crying beneath the rubble.

“Rescue people first,” Lin Yi said. “No need to hurry on. Hulu—where’s Hulu?”

Hulu hurried over. “Your Highness, I’m here. What are your orders?”

“Implement epidemic prevention measures,” Lin Yi said. “Tell everyone to cover their mouths and noses with cloth. The bodies must be buried deeply, and lime must be spread. Don’t touch raw water, and absolutely don’t drink it. If an epidemic breaks out, all of us could end up dying here.”

“Yes, I will make sure everyone understands,” Hulu said, his whole body trembling. He knew Lin Yi was telling the truth.

Once an epidemic started, it could spread across a hundred li—no one would escape.

Before organizing the rescue, Hulu first found his family and the women of the prince’s household, sending them up the mountain to drink spring water and eat dry rations.

Everyone else stayed to dig through the rubble and save survivors.

“Sister, why don’t you go up the mountain too?” Lin Yi said, glancing at Wen Zhaoyi nearby.

“I’m not as frail as you think,” she replied.

Covering her mouth and nose with a white handkerchief, Wen Zhaoyi walked to a heap of ruins. With a casual flick of her fingers, she lifted and tossed aside a wall stone half the height of a man. Then she reached into the debris and lifted out a crying infant.

Hulu ran over and quickly took the child into his arms.

Everyone clicked their tongues in astonishment—how could such a delicate-looking woman be so strong?

Lin Yi, though also shocked, was more concerned about Mingyue and Zixia beside him. Irritated, he said, “Stop getting in the way. All of you go up the mountain.”

“If Your Highness doesn’t go, we won’t go either,” Mingyue and Zixia said at the same time, shaking their heads.