“Indeed,” An Qingyun stood up, no longer blaming himself, “It is really inappropriate to use one million catties of grain for disaster relief. I need to go to the palace. Would you like to come with me, Brother Zhong?”

"That's natural."

Seeing the two arrive together, Ji Xuan frowned. "Are you two ministers quite free?"

The disaster relief efforts in Sichuan are extremely urgent, and everything needs to be arranged. How come his two ministers are so leisurely?

This thought-provoking question caused An and Zhong to slightly change their expressions.

“Your Majesty may not know this,” An Qingyun said, bowing. “This old minister has come only because I have some questions about your decree and would like to ask for details to avoid any mistakes in the mission.”

"Oh?" Ji Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't Qi Yong clear enough?"

"Of course not," Zhong Ping quickly explained, sensing the emperor's cold aura. "It's just that one million catties of grain is really too much. If we send it to Shu, the national treasury will be empty and we may not be able to cover other expenses."

"Didn't Qi Yong explain this to you?" Ji Xuan frowned even more. "With the Protector of the Nation's methods, the autumn rice will be stored in the granary soon, which will alleviate the food shortage."

Ji Xuan was already getting impatient.

The two Grand Secretaries, mindful of their status, always had their own ideas, which he could understand but wouldn't indulge them indefinitely.

Ultimately, the world belongs to the Ji family. No matter how prestigious the Grand Secretary is, he is still just a subject, there to assist the monarch, not to be above the monarch.

Ji Xuan's changes were quickly noticed by the two experienced people.

Realizing this, the two exchanged a glance and immediately lowered their posture.

“Your Majesty, the Lady Protector’s methods are truly admirable, but,” Zhong Ping changed the subject, expressing his concerns, “such heaven-defying methods are unprecedented. I cannot rest easy until there is a definite result.”

“This old minister agrees,” An Qingyun tentatively said. “Your Majesty, how about this: first arrange for 500,000 catties of grain to be sent over, and after a few days when we see the effect, we can arrange another 500,000 catties.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Xuan's face immediately stiffened. "Minister An, I have two questions for you."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

How far is Sichuan from the capital?

"A thousand miles away."

"And what about the journey?"

"The journey was rugged and arduous."

"In that case," Ji Xuan said indifferently, looking at the two of them, "are you sure you want to waste your time?"

If Ji Xuan hadn't known that the two had already arranged most of the things, she would have already considered dismissing the Grand Secretary.

Human lives are at stake. The people of Sichuan are living in dire straits every day, and countless people are waiting for food to save their lives. Instead of wasting time discussing these trivial matters, it would be better to load the food onto the carts and transport it away as soon as possible.

Upon hearing this, the two Grand Secretaries, An and Zhong, were immediately stunned.

After understanding the meaning behind Ji Xuan's words, he immediately lowered his head and said, "This old minister knows his mistake and will make the arrangements immediately."

"Go on, don't delay!"

"As you command."

After the two left, Qi Yong said disdainfully, "The older you get, the more senile you become. Is this the time to worry about such things? Even if the Lady Protector of the Nation were to say something untrue, so what? The people of Shu can be saved, and that is a great achievement."

"There are indeed too few officials in Shu who can speak with authority," Ji Xuan said, pressing his temples. "This is my oversight, and I must pay more attention to this in the future."

“That’s true,” Qi Yong agreed. “It hurts whoever’s flesh is cut, but it’s not on your own body, so it’s not the same.”

Besides their own masters, who else can treat all the people in the world equally?

This idea wasn't just shared by one person.

"Husband of the Protector of the Nation," Jiang Nuan said, turning away as soon as she saw the middle-aged man kneeling before her.

"Su Yangguang, right? Get up first."

"Thank you for your understanding, Madam." Su Yanguang's voice was choked with emotion.

Ever since he learned of the earthquake in Shu, he had been restless and exhausted all his connections to inquire about the situation. Even though he knew that the possibility of the imperial court providing full-scale disaster relief was very small, he still clung to a sliver of hope.

Unfortunately, he was only a fourth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue, which was not high enough for him to do anything but wait for news.

"It's nothing," Jiang Nuan said, somewhat puzzled. "Did you come here today for something?"

Having been in the capital for so many days, this is the first time anyone has come to visit the Lady Protector of the Nation's residence.

Of course, not many people in the capital know that she is there.

"I came here specifically to thank you, Madam, after receiving guidance from Grand Secretary Liu," Su Yangguang said, his eyes reddening. "If Shu can survive this calamity, I will definitely have the villagers build a shrine for you."

"Are you from Sichuan?"

"I am a native of Xing'an in Sichuan."

“You’ve thanked the wrong person,” Jiang Nuan said, not feeling that she had made any great contribution. “Even without me, the court would not have abandoned Shu. Your ancestors have worked hard for generations to provide so much grain for the national treasury. His Majesty will not forget these contributions.”

Upon hearing this, Su Yanguang did not take it seriously.

Southern Henan made significant contributions to the Great Zhou Dynasty and was a vital strategic location, yet it still didn't end up like this...

"In any case, I will always remember and be deeply grateful for your contributions to Shu."

Noticing the stubbornness and fervor in his eyes, Jiang Nuan said helplessly, "Whatever you want."

How exactly did Liu An deceive people?

I always felt that this person had joined a heretical sect, and that I was the leader of that sect.

“Madam…” Su Yanguang hesitated before speaking.

"Just say what you want to say. There's no need for all this beating around the bush."

Upon hearing this, Su Yanguang nervously said, "This humble official would like to ask you for a favor."

"Do you want to go to Sichuan for disaster relief?"

“Yes,” Su Yanguang lowered his head and explained uneasily, “There are very few officials from Sichuan in the capital. Including the ministers, there are only eight in total. They are all of low rank and have little influence. Without a recommendation, they cannot be transferred.”

He didn't trust anyone else to provide disaster relief besides himself; those who weren't from Sichuan wouldn't understand his plight.

“Okay,” Jiang Nuan agreed after a moment’s thought. “Go back and pack your things. I’ll go to the palace soon. Just wait for the transfer order.”

"Mrs. Xie, thank you so much."

As he spoke, he was about to kneel down again.

Seeing this, Jiang Nuan quickly signaled for someone to pull him up, "You should hurry back and pack up, don't miss the deadline."

"Um!"

After Su Yangguang left, the old man voiced his concerns, "Girl, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"Father thinks I shouldn't interfere in court affairs, right?"

“That’s right,” the old man nodded emphatically, “The status of the Lady Protector of the Nation is already high enough. If she were to become involved with court officials as well, it might…”

The old man glanced at the servants around him, but didn't blurt out all his words at once.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nuan smiled, "This time is different. Didn't you hear him say that Liu An instructed him to come here?"

Upon hearing this, the old man looked bewildered. "What's different?"

"Liu An is a Grand Secretary, so recommending someone would be easy and would earn him favors, yet he chose to send this person over."

“Yes,” the old man said, even more puzzled, “why is that?”

"This person may have something special about him."

"What makes it special?"

“I don’t know either,” Jiang Nuan said helplessly. “I haven’t had anyone investigate. You can’t tell anything from just one meeting.”

"Too!"