The Young Chancellor

The moment she entered the great hall, Jiang Nuan began searching for her Fourth Brother.

Before she could find him, however, her gaze was involuntarily drawn to someone else.

The young man wore flowing crimson official robes. His face was as fair as jade, his features gentle yet spirited. Sword-like brows swept toward his temples, and beneath them, his bright, deep eyes seemed to hold countless stars. Below his straight nose, his thin lips curved slightly upward, as though a warm smile might bloom at any moment.

Was this the young chancellor, Chi Hengji? Appointed chancellor at thirteen and still only fifteen now—he really was incredible. Not only were his essays and policy treatises first-rate, but his grasp of worldly affairs was exceptionally precise. He even knew something of astronomy and geography.

This time, he had noticed that several villages were likely to suffer a snow disaster and asked Imperial Father for an imperial decree allowing him and Brother Chengze to provide disaster relief, keeping the losses to a minimum.

Unfortunately, his constitution was a little weak, and he fell ill after returning. Imperial Father had specifically given him several days off and only let him attend court today after he felt better.

In her previous life, Chi Hengji had been her idol. Now that she was seeing him in person, she felt the same delighted thrill as a fan meeting her idol.

But when she thought of his fate, Jiang Nuan sighed inwardly.

What a shame. Someone so incredible ended up dying so young—even earlier than my Crown Prince brother, who died young himself.

When Jiang Chengze heard Jiang Nuan praising Chi Hengji in her thoughts, he felt a little jealous. Once he heard that Chi Hengji would die even earlier than he would, however, only regret remained.

After all, he knew he had less than two years to live. If Chi Hengji died before him, it might well happen soon.

In that case, he was also a key figure in Great Xia's downfall.

This sudden thought from Jiang Nuan shocked a whole crowd of people.

Could Chancellor Chi have...

Many officials could not believe it, but they still involuntarily moved farther away from him.

Chi Hengji, who had only just learned of his own death and was still deep in thought, was struck by Jiang Nuan's next words as though five bolts of thunder had crashed down on his head.

He was certain of his loyalty to Great Xia. How had he become a key figure in its downfall?

Chancellor Chi could wield his brush to govern the realm and mount a horse to bring peace to the world. He was a rare talent, and after his death, even Great Xia's court fell into chaos for a time.

After Great Xia fell, a great scholar once said that if Chi Hengji had not died, Great Xia's rule could have lasted at least another hundred years.

So that was what she meant by a key figure! Why did the Ninth Princess have to leave such a long pause when she spoke?

Once the other ministers realized they had misunderstood, they felt rather ashamed.

Jiang Yunsheng and Jiang Chengze, however, had not misunderstood.

One knew what sort of person Chi Hengji was and believed there had to be more to Jiang Nuan's words.

The other had come to know Chi Hengji through the snow disaster and felt certain he would never do anything to harm Great Xia.

After hearing Jiang Nuan's thoughts, Chi Hengji relaxed. For a moment, he had feared that one oversight amid a hundred precautions had caused him to miss something, destroying all of Great Xia in a single stroke and making him a sinner condemned through the ages.

As for his lifespan, he took it in stride. His only regret was that he had yet to see Great Xia flourish.

"My dear Chancellor Chi, you have only just recovered from a serious illness, and there happen to be Imperial Physicians here in the hall. Why not let them examine you?"

Jiang Yunsheng could not bear to let such a meritorious official die like this. Hearing Jiang Nuan's thought that Chi Hengji could preserve Great Xia's foundations for a hundred years excited him even more. Perhaps, if Chi Hengji survived, Great Xia would not fall seven years from now.

And so Jiang Yunsheng immediately ordered the Imperial Physicians to line up and examine him one by one.

After examining him, every Imperial Physician said that Chi Hengji was suffering from a wind-cold illness and needed only more rest, warmth, and regular doses of medicine.

A flicker of disappointment passed through Chi Hengji's eyes at that verdict, but he said nothing.

That's not right. I remember Chancellor Chi died from a congenital illness he had carried since childhood. How did not one of these Imperial Physicians diagnose it? Were their skills really that poor?

At those words, cold sweat instantly poured down the Imperial Physicians' backs. Their minds were filled with that one thought of Jiang Nuan's: Were their skills really that poor?

They had examined Chi Hengji with the utmost care, but they had indeed found only a wind-cold illness. They had detected no illness brought with him from his mother's womb!

When they saw the clear displeasure in Jiang Yunsheng's eyes, the Imperial Physicians could almost see their heads parting from their bodies.

A glimmer of hope flashed in Chi Hengji's eyes.

When he was three, a traveling physician passing through had diagnosed him with a strange illness, but even that physician had been helpless to treat it. His parents had later sought out many doctors to take his pulse, yet every one of them had concluded that he was healthy.

Later, he had met the greatest miracle doctor in the world, who also said after taking his pulse that there was a strange illness in his body. But so few people suffered from it that there was no effective prescription. Because of this, he remained in contact with the miracle doctor even now.

Knowing that he truly was ill, and that the illness might strike at any moment, Chi Hengji had long since put life and death out of his mind. He only wanted to accomplish more meaningful things within his limited time.

He simply had not expected the illness to strike so soon. He had less than two years left!

Host, this isn't their fault. Chi Hengji's condition is a genetic disease. Throughout history, the recorded cases could be counted on two hands. To treat it, medicine would need to advance at least another thousand years from its current level.

Guagua spoke up then.

The Imperial Physicians had never imagined any voice could sound so sweet. The heads on their shoulders were safe!

What? A thousand years! I don't have the ability to travel a thousand years into the future! Does he have to die?

Jiang Nuan spoke with some distress.

The hope that had just ignited in Chi Hengji was extinguished once more. So be it. Had he not anticipated this outcome long ago?

He doesn't necessarily have to die. That depends on you, Host.

Huh? Me?

Jiang Nuan could not believe it.

Yes, Host. You haven't looked carefully through the things in the transmigration treasure chest you brought, have you? There's a medical book in there that contains a treatment for this illness. But you'll have to read it yourself. I don't have enough energy after my upgrade, and this doesn't count as gossip, so I can't look it up.

Guagua said.

Once she heard there was a solution, Jiang Nuan felt relieved. Tonight, she would light her lamp and battle through the night. She would find a way to treat him!

Knowing her idol did not have to die eased Jiang Nuan's mood considerably. Then she remembered her Fourth Brother, Jiang Yehua, whom she had temporarily pushed to the back of her mind in her excitement at meeting her idol.

I spent so long thinking about Chancellor Chi that I nearly forgot my Fourth Brother. So where is he?

Standing below among the ministers, the Fourth Prince, Jiang Yehua, was rather surprised to hear Jiang Nuan's thoughts. Jiang Nuan was the Ninth Princess, so her Fourth Brother was naturally him. But when had they ever had anything to do with each other?

Moreover, from Jiang Nuan's words, it seemed she was quite fond of him. Though that made him happy, it also left him scratching his head.