In the imperial court, Ying Zheng sat upright, a beaded curtain hanging down to cover half of his face, and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, please speak about the solution to this severe drought."

After he finished speaking, the court fell into a brief silence.

The officials stood frozen in place, motionless like statues, none daring to speak for a moment, and a cold and solemn atmosphere settled over the hall.

Throughout history, natural disasters have been a formidable challenge for humankind, and even after years of exploration, they have yet to find effective solutions.

Among natural disasters, drought is particularly terrifying due to its immense power and destructive force.

Ying Zheng's voice was slightly cold, "Prime Minister Feng, do you really intend to do this?"

Feng Quji trembled, and his brows furrowed instantly.

Ever since the incident involving Consort Li, he had been living in constant fear, afraid of offending Ying Zheng in any way.

But what I feared most came to pass. The Guanzhong incident was of a heinous nature, and I, as the Right Chancellor, was completely unaware of it, for which I cannot escape blame.

"Not only are you completely oblivious to the situation, but you're also helpless in the face of problems. Is this how you act as Right Chancellor?"

Ying Zheng's voice was like thunder.

Feng Quji, covered in sweat, quickly stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, I believe that the most urgent issue to be resolved is the food supply. Since the drought has resulted in insufficient food, we must purchase more grain.”

"As long as we procure enough supplies, we can prevent famine from occurring. Although this will temporarily leave the national treasury empty, the stability of the Qin Dynasty is more important than that."

Ying Zheng's gaze was calm. "The amount needed to stop the famine? Do you know how much that is?"

Feng Quji remained silent; he naturally understood that it was a massive amount.

It is unimaginably huge.

Ying Zheng continued, "If such a large quantity is produced, it will inevitably expose the weakness of Qin's food shortage. In that case, will the foreign enemies such as the Xiongnu and Baiyue, as well as the former nobles of the six states and the rebels of the Hundred Families, still choose to spy in the dark?"

Food is the foundation of a nation; insufficient food means a decline in combat power.

This is a golden opportunity for the enemy; if discovered, the Qin Dynasty will surely suffer annihilation.

Feng Quji cupped his hands in greeting, "Your Majesty, I will find a suitable reason and try my best not to expose this..."

"With so many forces and such a large volume of purchases, are you sure you can keep it completely secret?"

Ying Zheng's question immediately silenced Feng Quji.

Yes, with such a huge volume of purchases, even ordinary people would probably suspect something fishy.

What about those cunning and treacherous forces?

The entire court fell silent once again.

As Ying Zheng's gaze swept over the crowd, all the noise seemed to be shut out, and the officials were enveloped in a chilling atmosphere.

This is understandable. Since ancient times, drought has caused food shortages, and now that the food problem is difficult to solve, people will naturally fall into a predicament.

Li Si stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, I think it would be better to cooperate with those small countries like Miao and Fusang. While purchasing grain from them, we could also establish a protective obligation and promise to provide assistance if needed. Perhaps that would be feasible."

Ying Zheng pondered for a moment, then said, "If they realize something is wrong and try to raise the price, can the Qin treasury afford such a large quantity of grain?"

Li Si frowned and fell silent again.

Solving the famine is important, but emptying the national treasury as a result would be extremely foolish.

After the two prime ministers suffered consecutive setbacks, all the officials immediately shrank back, and no one dared to step forward again.

For a moment, the hall was completely silent.

Just then, a eunuch hurriedly entered the hall, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Shu requests an audience, saying that she wants to report on the drought."

As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Quji frowned. "The inner palace and the court have always kept to themselves. It's not appropriate for Your Majesty to appear in the court."

He was talking about rules, and also about the right principles.

But to say that he harbored no resentment towards Consort Shu regarding Consort Li would be a lie.

Although she had only herself to blame, that was still her daughter, so naturally he wouldn't side with Consort Shu, who was his rival.

Li Si frowned. "It is indeed inappropriate for Your Majesty to come to the court to participate in politics. If word gets out, people will say that the Qin royal family has no manners."

He wasn't dissatisfied with Consort Shu; he was simply stating the facts.

Ying Zheng snorted coldly, "What time is it and you still care about those damn rules!"

"allow!"

Consort Shu strolled into the palace, wearing a light green orchid-patterned purple silk dress. Her black hair was neatly tied up with a jade hairpin, and she had bright eyes, a delicate nose, and skin as white as snow.

Bathed in orange light, her figure appeared even more graceful, as pure and immaculate as a lotus emerging from the water.

With her arrival, the cold and solemn atmosphere in the hall eased considerably.

Ying Zheng looked at her and said, "No need for formalities, just speak."

Consort Shu cupped her hands and said, "As a concubine, I should not be involved in court affairs. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"When I inquired about the drought, I discovered a remarkable coincidence."

“Since Li Tuo took office, he abolished the worship of the rain god, and since then, the Guanzhong region has never seen rain again for several years.”

Ying Zheng's gaze darkened slightly. "A sacrifice?"

He had previously heard from Ying Ziyu's inner thoughts that as long as the sacrificial rites were resumed, it would rain again in Guanzhong.

This matter sounded very far-fetched, and it was even a child's idea, so for a moment, Ying Zheng hesitated.

Li Si stepped forward and asked, "Does Your Majesty mean that the Guanzhong region has been suffering from drought for so long because the sacrificial rites have been cancelled?"

Feng Quji also stepped forward, saying, "Drought is a natural disaster. To link it with sacrifices is, in my humble opinion, utter nonsense."

Consort Shu's gaze was indifferent. "How do you two prime ministers know that this wasn't Li Tuo's deliberate act? If there's truly no connection, then why would Li Tuo deliberately cancel the sacrificial ceremony?"

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!