Novoland: Pearl Eclipse Episode 38 Recap
> Novoland: Pearl Eclipse Recap
The southwest region of Dazheng suffered a severe drought at the beginning of the year, leading to widespread crop failures. Refugees, starving and displaced, fled eastward, leaving a trail of suffering. Liu Changping, the newly appointed Prefect of Xiping Port, sent a memorial to Emperor Di Xu, requesting urgent assistance. An initial belief that local storehouses held enough grain proved optimistic, as the second harvest also failed.
By winter, the populace was scattered and desperate, prompting tribes in the southwest, particularly those in Leizhou, to eye Dazheng with predatory intent. During court, concerns were raised that even the garrison in Xiping Port faced supply shortages, demoralizing the troops. Whispers spread that the continuous droughts were divine punishment from the Dragon Tail for the extensive land reclamation efforts. Some ministers suggested that only the Dragon Tail’s messenger from Tianqi could alleviate the disaster through a sacrificial ritual.
They proposed Consort Chunrong, citing the legend of her childhood encounter with the Dragon Tail, which brought peace and fertility to the Yuezhou coast. Fang Jianming vehemently opposed sending a palace consort, arguing for practical solutions like transferring grain from Yuezhou. Di Xu, growing weary of the debate, declared he would handle the matter himself. Following the court session, Treasurer Wu reported to Di Xu that the Imperial Treasury was overflowing with gold.
Di Xu promptly issued an edict: for the next ten years, citizens would only pay thirty percent of their taxes, with the remainder fulfilled by corvée labor. Furthermore, half of the treasury's wealth would be allocated for constructing canals, dams, and granaries, with a significant portion designated for the southwest to bolster infrastructure and military preparedness.
Di Xu explained to Fang Jianming that this strategic release of funds would ultimately crash the price of gold, suppressing the ambitions of the southwest tribes without resorting to war, a conflict he wished to avoid. Meanwhile, Fang Haishi, seemingly unwell, received a letter. Declining food, she instructed her maid, Yuran, to find cypress wood. An attendant interrupted a discussion between Di Xu and Fang Jianming to report an incident involving Consort Chunrong.
Fang Jianming rushed to Fengwu Palace and found Fang Haishi under a cypress tree, her hands bleeding from self-inflicted wounds as she desperately tried to break the Baixi bond. He sternly advised her to cease her efforts, explaining that Baixi was an ancient, nearly unbreakable secret art. Crucially, he revealed that undoing it required the bloodline of the Fang Family of Liushang, a detail of which she was unaware.
The strenuous events took a severe toll on Fang Jianming’s already weakened body. Soon after returning to Zhaoming Palace, he collapsed, vomiting blood. Physician Li was immediately summoned and assessed his condition as critical, fearing he might not survive the night. Distraught, Di Xu rushed to his side and ordered the "Dragon Horn," a rare life-extending elixir, to be brought from the treasury. He cradled Fang Jianming, imploring him not to abandon him.
After being given the medicine, Fang Jianming’s pulse stabilized. Physician Li predicted he might awaken in three days but warned that the "Dawn Flower" poison remained, necessitating an even rarer spiritual medicine for a complete cure. To keep Fang Jianming's condition secret, Di Xu decided not to visit Zhaoming Palace for the time being. During this time, Fang Haishi, as Consort Chunrong, continued her research into the Fang Family of Liushang, seeking a method to undo Baixi.
Her intense focus was interrupted by a weeping palace maid from Xiping Port, who desperately pleaded for her help. The maid recounted how the famine had devastated her family and the widespread belief that Fang Haishi, as the Dragon Tail’s messenger, was the only one who could alleviate their suffering by performing a sacrificial prayer. The next day, numerous memorials demanding Fang Haishi’s dispatch to Xiping Port infuriated Di Xu.
Despite his initial reluctance to involve a palace consort in state affairs, Fang Haishi sought an audience and volunteered to go. She argued that while her chances of success were only thirty percent, she was confident she could raise them to fifty percent on site, a level of trust Di Xu would not grant other officials. Moved by her resolve, Di Xu relented.
He bestowed upon her the Seal of Inspection, granting her the authority to act as his proxy with full command over local officials in the disaster relief efforts. Before she departed, she sought out Shaozi to request personnel for her mission, discreetly asking him not to inform Fang Jianming. Shaozi agreed, concealing his master's comatose state by telling her Fang Jianming was not in the palace.
Unbeknownst to them, Prince Ji Chang had noted Fang Jianming's absence from court, suspecting he was secretly recuperating from an injury. He reasoned that with Fang Jianming incapacitated and Fang Haishi embarking on a dangerous mission alone, she would be vulnerable, making the unfolding situation all the more intriguing to watch. Five days passed, and Fang Jianming remained in a coma.
As Di Xu vented his frustration at Physician Li, he was informed that Consort Ti Lan had discovered something significant in an ancient text, the "Ming Dian." Ti Lan revealed that the text spoke of a miraculous cure for any poison through the "Dragon Tail’s blessing" and elaborated on a Leizhou legend that claimed the Dragon Tail’s hair, blood, or scales possessed healing properties.
Di Xu, remembering that Fang Haishi’s dowry included luminous pearls—said to be the Dragon Tail’s tears—realized they might hold the key. He immediately had the pearls ground into medicine and personally administered the elixir to Fang Jianming. Moments later, Fang Jianming vomited dark blood, a sign that the luminous pearls were successfully expelling the toxins. Physician Li confirmed that he was temporarily out of danger, though the complete eradication of the poison remained uncertain.
The following morning, Fang Haishi departed for the southwest. Upon reaching the border, she and her retinue witnessed the dire conditions firsthand, with countless suffering refugees lining the roads. Yuran remarked on a peculiar observation: while many refugees were from surrounding districts, Xiping Port’s own urban population had not decreased; instead, people seemed to be gathering within the city. This struck Fang Haishi as highly suspicious, especially given Prefect Liu Changping's reports of severe food shortages, and she instructed Yuran to monitor him closely.
