Good Man Operation Guide

Up ahead, there was a rare moment of father-daughter affection. The Emperor stood at the second-floor window as he addressed his daughter who was in menswear, “Huyang, come and see, that good-looking boy on the left is the fuma I chose for you.”

Shen Huyang wasn’t interested.

But in front of her Emperor Father, she still stood up and, at the appropriate time, displayed some curiosity and shyness within her eyes. Seeing the Emperor’s affectionate smile, all she thought was, ‘Why is Emperor Father so abnormal today? Having been so indifferent for over a decade, why did he suddenly start to treat her well?’ And she went to lean out the window to see.

She glanced over just in time to see the warm sight of that man on a majestic horse as he raised his eyes.

As if he recognized her, the corners of his lips slightly lifted, and he gave her a very faint smile.

It was just a glimpse, but it was as if they had already previously met in a dream.

Shen Huyang was stunned, and even until the people below gradually left, she still didn’t manage to recover herself.

“How is the fuma I chose for you? He has good looks and is talented. This time, he wrote a good article about the incident involving the Yanjiang River. Huyang has always been fond of studying, otherwise, I wouldn’t have chosen him.”

The Emperor completely overlooked that he was only afraid that the balance of his four sons as they fought would be broken, which was why he specially chose such a marriage for his fifth son’s sister – a marriage that wouldn’t bring any support to the fifth son. Seeing as his daughter continued to stare down, seemingly to be very satisfied, his smile grew kinder and kinder.

When Shen Huyang regained consciousness from the future fuma’s stare and she saw such a kind smile from her father, she felt her back grow numb.

She wore a sweet look on her face and looked at the old Emperor with eyes full of admiration, but she felt a strangeness in her heart.

She never received much care from her Emperor Father since she was a child. And even this time regarding the selection of a fuma, he simply informed her after the fact that he would choose a scholar for her. Though, this time the fuma candidate…

Shen Huyang blushed red. Although she didn’t dislike the future fuma, it was just too strange for her Emperor Father’s attitude to change.

For more than 10 years, her life in the palace made her treat any abnormal person or act with great vigilance, but this time it just happened that the abnormal person was the Emperor, the greatest man in the world. So she could only deal with it by not letting up in the slightest, for fear of getting her brother involved if anything went wrong.

***

Soon, Shen Huyang found the reason why the Emperor was so abnormal.

He sent the Fifth Prince to Nancheng to try the plague prescription and ordered that if the prescription worked, he would lead the people in Nancheng to migrate.

Shen Huyang almost fainted when she heard the news.

Who didn’t know how dangerous the plague was?

Even if the prescription worked, the Fifth Prince grew up in the capital since childhood. No matter how unfavored he was, he was still a Prince. Apart from the Imperial Concubines and the Imperial Daughters, the people who served him wouldn’t have dared to neglect him. After all, this dynasty wasn’t like that of the late Emperor’s with numerous heirs in the harem, there were only five princes at the very most. Although the Emperor was biased towards the other Princes, the other three princes had their Consort Mother’s to take care of them, leaving only the Fifth Prince, who had no Consort Mother, who could only stumble along and survive with his sister. But at any rate, he still had the bloodline of the Imperial Family flowing in his veins, even if the other Prince and Princesses would bully him sometimes, how would those servants dare to ever neglect him?

Shen Hu’an had suffered back before he knew how to hide himself. But after his sister warned him that he would be a nobody, he grew up to be an honorable man, such that although he loved martial arts, he would still always have guards with him and never fought with outsiders. Yet suddenly, he was asked to go to Nancheng, which was full of plague.

Shen Huyang was almost laughing with anger.

She had just wondered how could Emperor Father suddenly become so nice to her all of a sudden… But it was just that he felt he was in the wrong after making that decision. So, that’s why he was so warm and affectionate towards ‘Hu’an’s sister’.

Immediately after the Nancheng incident, the imperial court sent people to seal off the city, then hesitated to choose between Yancheng and Beicheng. If the court sent people to take away their homeland at this time, the people might not be willing, but if they sent a Prince who represented the majesty of the imperial family, the effect would be better than if the officials went.

What’s more, Nancheng has the Fifth Prince’s maternal family, and he was the maternal family’s grandson, how could they not help him?

And this prescription for treating the plague was written by Princess Huyang’s future fuma, so it was ‘logical’ for her younger brother to go and try it out.

Shen Huyang stood by the window as her hands slightly shook while copying Buddhist scriptures onto the rice paper laid in front of her.

In the palace, the Empress loved to copy Buddhist scriptures, causing them, the imperial daughters, to also be required to love them.

Having copied these scriptures since she was a child, she had never been so unstable as she wrote.

Since this time a Prince had to go to appease them, Emperor Father decided to just push her youngest brother out.

Regardless of the fact that he was not yet 16 and regardless of the fact that he had never left the capital to take charge of soldiers.

Of the five Princes, the youngest and least experienced one was sent…

She looked at the brush and ink in front of her that was gradually showing the sharpness in her heart as she wrote and slowly closed her eyes. “Cai Qing.”

The palace maid waiting outside came in and bowed down. “Princess.”

“Go and burn this piece of paper.”

Cai Qing served at Shen Huyang’s side since she was a child, and she had a good relationship with her. She came forward, picked up the paper, and wondered, “Princess wrote so well, why burn it?”

Shen Huyang looked at the sharp handwriting on it, and there was bitterness in her eyes. “It’s too vigorous, take it and burn it.”

She was a princess. Her father was the Emperor, the greatest man in the world.

Therefore, no matter what he did, whether he almost pushed her brother to die without care, she couldn’t show any dissatisfaction.

They claimed to be father and daughter but got along with more cautiousness than anyone else.

Cai Qing didn’t ask any more questions and threw the paper into the brazier. Shen Huyang stood by the window and looked as the paper gradually burned and turned to ashes.

Emperor Father chose a good husband for her, but did it ever occur to him that this prescription for treating the plague was her future husband’s entry? If the prescription was invalid and something happened to Shen Hu’an in Nancheng, as Hu’an’s biological sister, how could she not feel remorse?

Maybe Emperor Father thought of it but just thought it didn’t matter. After all, he was always this ruthless.

She suddenly remembered that day when the Tanhualang was on his horse as he looked up at her amidst a flurry of colorful petals that had been thrown down.

He appeared like a painting wearing a warm and gentle smile.

From first glance, one would know that he was a radiant person with a clear temperament. She wondered how he would look once he found out about the sordid affairs within the imperial family.

She’s the one who implicated him…

It would be fine as long as nothing happened to Hu’an, but if something did happen, as a scholar who married a princess without any backing left, the scholar would only be able to tremble in fear.

Shen Huyang closed her eyes again, hiding the tears in her eyes, then gritted her teeth and got up. “Go and get my own private savings and give it to the Fifth Prince. Advise him to be careful on his journey.”

It wasn’t necessary for a Prince to go to appease the victims, but Emperor Father’s soft ears may have been provoked by others. And unfortunately, now that the decree has been issued and cannot be changed anymore, due to the urgency of the situation, he was only given one day to prepare.

(TNote: soft ears = someone easily influenced/easily provoked with words.)

No matter how unloved she was, Shen Huyang was still a princess nonetheless. So she could easily find out who led Emperor Father to give such an order.

It would be fine as long as Hu’an comes back safely, but if anything happened to Hu’an…

Shen Huyang expressionless walked to the brazier to look at the burnt ashes within.

Whatever the cost, she would make sure that man got what he deserved.

***

Shen Hu’an left early the next morning.

Yesterday morning, after he received the imperial decree, he was immediately sent to the northern mountain to arrange for soldiers and horses. The northern mountain was far away, and he stayed up all night with the military forces before having to return to the capital to visit his father in the morning before finally leaving the capital.

After all, it was to appease the victims, so the Emperor couldn’t give him too large of a military force. So Hu’an could only command 1,500, plus his 200 guards and some doctors. It was less than 1800 people.

For a Prince’s journey, this was considered a pitiful campaign.

Furthermore, this journey must hurry over to Nancheng, traveling both day and night, and the imperial physicians would need to begin their work immediately upon arrival. Shen Hu’an’s trip was equivalent to representing the Emperor, so, of course, he wouldn’t be able to just hide outside the city and not go in.

That was also to say, with such a small number of people, going to such a dangerous place, it was very likely that they wouldn’t be able to come back alive. A discerning person would already know that the Emperor didn’t seem to hold any affections for this youngest son of his. If any of the other Princes were sent for this kind of errand, the other maternal families would have protected their grandson like chickens protecting their eggs. But in the case of the Fifth Prince, who couldn’t be protected by his maternal family, as soon as the Emperor announced this, it was immediately settled without a word of objection.

Everyone knew that Shen Hu’an must have been abandoned this time, with a proud status of a Prince yet there was no one to see him off.

Shen Hu’an with a somber look on his slightly young face rode on his horse out of the city before he looked back at the city wall while holding the reins in his hand.

He knew without even needing to think about it that if something were to happen to him this time, his sister would certainly be even more mistreated.

So even if it was just for his sister’s sake, he had to return safely this time.

So what if no one was here to send him off? Someone is waiting for him to come back.

“Your Highness.”

The guard at the side warned, “There’s someone ahead.”

Hmm?

Shen Hu’an, who was immersed in the idea ‘The whole world looks down on me, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll come back alive to show you people that though today you ignored me, tomorrow I’ll make you a nobody’, was a bit confused.

He lifted his head, and sure enough, there was a young scholar in a white cloak quietly looking over under the chilly wind.

A bit familiar.

But he couldn’t remember where he had seen him.

The scholar bowed to him, his voice warm and mellow as he spoke, “This Junior Official has greeted Your Fifth Highness. May I ask Your Fifth Highness to dismount from his horse for a brief talk?”

Junior Official?

Shen Hu’an was a little confused. From first glance, this man was obviously a fragile civil official. Everyone knew that he had never been close to any of the civil officials, so what would an unfamiliar civil official want with him at this hour?

Was he a civil official close to Grandpa?

Although he didn’t quite understand what was going on, the person was polite, so he couldn’t have refused him. Shen Hu’an got off his horse and told the people behind him, “Wait here.”

When he came nearer, before he even had the chance to speak, the handsome civil official before him already took a letter out from his sleeve and handed it to him. Then in a gentle voice, he slowly and deliberately spoke, “This letter contains some methods of epidemic prevention. Your Highness can try it according to the written instructions within for those who are not infected with the plague, then 80% of them wouldn’t be infected.”

There were such good methods?

Shen Hu’an took it with a grain of salt and was about to open his mouth to ask something when Lin Shiheng pulled another letter out of his sleeve again. “Here are some words of wisdom. Your Highness is young, this is your first time at the helm of an army, and you’re going to a plague-stricken land, so your subordinates will inevitably be on edge. But that is precisely why, if Your Highness can take the lead in stabilizing the situation and follow the letter, you will be able to gather a following and these people will be willing to serve you even after you return to the capital.”

“Aside from these, the letter also contains some methods to pacify the people. Nancheng has suffered successive floods and plagues and has long been uninhabitable. After the city is moved, it will certainly be necessary to find a new place to live. At that time, His Majesty will definitely send down an imperial edict for Your Highness to be put in charge of this matter. Your Highness can have people research and investigate this as the treatment of plague carries along, so that the people could be resettled immediately after the arrival of the imperial edict.”

Shen Hu’an was confused and replied in confusion, “You…?”

The young civil official in front of him, however, simply bowed, “I wish Your Highness a safe journey and an early return.”

After finishing, he raised his head and with a faint smile on his jade-like face, cupped his hands again before turning and walking back toward the city wall.

Behind him, Shen Hu’an clenched the two letters tightly as he continued staring at the fading back of that official.

His face was quite good-looking, and the aloof gentleness from his back was also very convincing.

But the problem was…

Who was that?