The Queen Mother picked out a jade hairpin from the box and asked the nanny to put it on her.

"Prince Xiang has not achieved any notable political achievements since entering the court. He married Princess Murong a few months ago, but unexpectedly, she died in Prince Xiang's mansion a few months later."

"Although the emperor suppressed this matter, those ministers may not say it out loud, but they certainly harbor a lot of resentment towards the Prince of Xiang. You also mentioned that others were unwilling to take the initiative to petition and go to Qianzhou during this severe drought. But if the Prince of Xiang took the initiative to take this matter, it would solve a hot potato for them."

The Queen Mother paused, then continued, "And if he handles things well this time, he'll leave a good impression on the people. If things really get to the point where they have to abdicate, Prince Xiang will still have a good impression on the people."

"They won't feel any repulsion towards him as the new emperor. If Prince Xiang remains inactive and ascends the throne, he'll inevitably be compared to Yuwen Ran. Then, resentment against him will grow, and his reign as emperor will be over."

"I was inconsiderate. The Queen Mother has been incredibly kind to Prince Xiang. She's even paved the way for him. Even if Prince Xiang isn't very ambitious, I think he won't have any major problems if he follows the path the Queen Mother has laid." The nanny inserted the hairpin for the Queen Mother and asked, "What do you think of this position?"

The Queen Mother carefully examined herself in the bronze mirror and felt that the position was exactly what she wanted. It made her look a few years younger, and then she smiled.

But he said, "Even if I pave the way for him, if he doesn't live up to his expectations, all my efforts will be in vain. I'm counting on the Prince of Xiang to help me live up to his expectations this time, and not always be like this useless guy who can't be helped."

The nanny advised, "Your Majesty, what you said is true. I have seen that since Qin Ranran was beheaded by Your Majesty, the Prince of Xiang has calmed down a lot. At least in recent days, he has come to the palace to see you more often. Before, when Qin Ranran was around, the Prince of Xiang might not come to the palace for ten days or half a month."

"He feels that he has caused me a lot of trouble these days, and he feels guilty about my cultivation of him. That's why he has been coming to the palace so often."

The Queen Mother sighed.

"Do you think he's going to improve? When I saw the Minister of Justice yesterday, he told me that the Prince of Xiang hasn't lost the scent of rouge and powder in the past few days. He enters the palace every day at the exact time, and sometimes he even rushes in after Yuwen Ran has arrived. Do you think he's going to improve in the slightest?"

If Prince Xiang's actions hadn't been so well-known, the Queen Mother wouldn't have feigned illness and begged Yuwen Ran to send Prince Xiang to Qianzhou for disaster relief. Wasn't she unaware of the chaos in Qianzhou? If Prince Xiang hadn't always been so disappointing, she wouldn't have resorted to such extreme measures, asking him to find another way to win over the people.

As long as she waits until the disaster relief is over, she will spread some rumors about Prince Xiang in Qianzhou, so that Prince Xiang's image in the hearts of the people will become more prominent.

The Queen Mother felt a headache when she thought of Prince Xiang's actions. She rubbed her forehead and said tiredly, "After the court session tomorrow, you must call Prince Xiang. No matter what, he must not mess up this time."

"Yes, Queen Mother." The nanny agreed.

The next day, when Prince Xiang went to court, he received a letter from the Queen Mother the day before, stating that Yuwen Ran had agreed to be sent to Qianzhou for disaster relief. The Queen Mother said that Yuwen Ran's agreement was not enough, and ordered him to step out immediately after Yuwen Ran finished speaking and volunteer to go to Qianzhou for disaster relief. This would leave a good impression on the court officials.

Although Prince Xiang was extremely reluctant to go to Qianzhou for disaster relief, he still obeyed the Queen Mother's advice. After Yuwen Ran finished explaining the severe drought in Qianzhou, the failure of the autumn harvest, and the situation of having to gnaw on tree bark and eat loess, Prince Xiang immediately stepped forward and said, "I am willing to go to Qianzhou for disaster relief. I will not refuse even if it means death. I implore the emperor to issue a decree."

Everyone thought that in the eyes of King Xiang, the so-called drought in Qianzhou was just a lack of water. He could solve it by bringing water and food to Qianzhou, and maybe even make a fortune from it. If this was solved, it would be a political achievement in the future.

Seeing that Prince Xiang had volunteered to go to the disaster relief, the other ministers resolved the issue by passing it on to Yuwen Ran. However, some ministers felt that Prince Xiang was too incompetent and unreliable a disaster relief candidate. They feared that Yuwen Ran, lacking other options, would actually send Prince Xiang to the disaster relief effort. That would be a complete mess!

The Prime Minister was the first to speak up. "Your Majesty—I believe Prince Xiang is still too young to command the support of the people. Sending him to carry out disaster relief is inappropriate. We should wait until the cabinet has discussed the candidate and then let Your Majesty make the final decision."

Prince Xiang had never expected such a roadblock to appear halfway, and he sneered, "Prime Minister, that's easy to say. Didn't you hear what His Majesty just said? The people of Qianzhou have reached the point where they have to gnaw on tree bark!"

"The Prime Minister can wait, but can the people of Qianzhou wait that long?"

"By the time your cabinet ministers have dithered and decided on the list, I'm afraid many people in Qianzhou will have already starved to death. If you ministers think I'm not reliable enough, you can ask His Majesty to send another disaster relief minister to accompany me to Qianzhou to provide disaster relief!"

After the King of Xiang finished speaking, he knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I really want to do something for the people of Qianzhou."

Yuwen Ran was annoyed by the noise from the people below. He had clearly promised the Queen Mother yesterday to send Prince Xiang to the disaster relief. Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother asked Prince Xiang to intervene again today, causing a commotion in the hall. "All of you shut up! I already have a candidate in mind for the disaster relief!"

The court officials in the hall gradually quieted down after Yuwen Ran's shout. Yuwen Ran glanced at the court officials below, and when they were completely quiet, he spoke, "Just do as the King of Xiang said, and send him and the Minister of Revenue to Qianzhou to provide disaster relief."

This Minister of Revenue was Yuwen Ran's own man, so he felt at ease sending him to keep an eye on Prince Xiang.

Yuwen Ran issued the imperial edict very quickly, and King Xiang seemed to accept it readily.

As soon as he returned to Prince Xiang's Mansion, he started complaining to the housekeeper.

"I don't know what Queen Mother was thinking. She actually wanted me to take on the difficult task of disaster relief in Qianzhou. I just got to know Qianzhou, and it's clearly a poor and remote place. You won't get any benefits there."

"Yuwen Ran is also the same. He clearly doesn't trust me. He even sent the Minister of Revenue to accompany me to Qianzhou to provide disaster relief."