Gu Nanjiao felt a warmth in her heart, and her fingers, which were clasped together with Lu Yanzhao's, tightened involuntarily.

"What did you say?" Princess Fuyang could hardly believe her ears. What did she mean by saying that she was inferior to this ugly woman who only knew how to wear a veil to cover her face?

Are you kidding me?

The Emperor of Chu was furious and slammed his fist on the imperial desk: "This is outrageous! How can you humiliate my sister like this? Believe me or not, I will dismiss you from your post."

Lu Yanzhao's eyes turned cold, and he calmly said, "Your Majesty once said that it was a blessing for Great Chu that I was able to speak frankly and offer advice. Now, I have only spoken the truth, but Your Majesty wants to dismiss me from my post and investigate me. I have nothing to say and can only leave with regret, never to set foot in the court again."

The Chu Emperor was inherently suspicious and disliked those who could fathom his intentions. The main reason he valued Lu Yanzhao was because of his boldness, outspokenness, and refusal to flatter.

The court needs people like this now.

Princess Fuyang had been married off to the northern kingdom, and the Chu emperor had promised her that if she found a man she liked, he would grant her the marriage. Now, however, he was going to break his promise. The Chu emperor was worried that his reputation would be damaged, so he had to pretend to be furious no matter what.

Lu Yanzhao's blunt rebuttal has put the Emperor of Chu in an awkward position, and he will surely be punished.

Gu Nanjiao anxiously peeked at the door many times, wondering why Consort Yue hadn't arrived yet.

Left with no other choice, she forced herself to kneel on the ground, her voice tinged with sorrow: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Lu Yanzhao and I made a vow to be together for life, that if we broke this vow, our bones would be scattered to the winds. My husband is single-mindedly focused on passing the imperial examinations, bringing prosperity to the people, and serving the court. I have been influenced by your example, receiving your salary and serving you faithfully, bearing your burdens. Whether it's improving firearms or manufacturing agricultural tools, I always try to do things to alleviate Your Majesty's worries."

She paused and then said, "If Your Majesty insists on separating my husband and me, then I will have no choice but to divorce Lu Yanzhao and travel far away to other countries. I will never set foot in the Chu Dynasty and offend the princess."

After saying that, Gu Nanjiao burst into tears, her eyes filled with determination.

The Emperor of Chu gasped for breath. He had never intended to separate the two of them. He had only said the words of dismissal because he couldn't save face in front of Princess Fuyang. Now Gu Nanjiao was saying that if they were separated, she would travel around the world.

If one were to truly travel to various countries, wouldn't that benefit those from other nations?

He was not the kind of emperor who would destroy what he could not have. On the contrary, he cherished talent. The Lu couple were able to bring about a qualitative leap for the Chu Dynasty, and their contributions were far greater than those of Princess Fuyang.

Princess Fuyang's previous marriage alliance only brought temporary peace, while the Lu couple could guarantee the prosperity of the Chu Dynasty for generations to come.

At this moment, a palace attendant came to report that His Highness Prince Cheng had arrived.

"Father, something terrible has happened!" Just as the Emperor of Chu was summoned into the hall, Prince Cheng rushed in, covered in sweat, and knelt down with a thud.

The Prince of Cheng was not old, around eighteen years old, and his amorous peach blossom eyes were filled with panic.

"What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disorganized!" The Chu Emperor at the head of the table shouted angrily, startling King Cheng into stammering and not daring to speak.

After calming himself down, King Cheng cautiously looked at the Emperor of Chu: "Father, it has been raining heavily in Nanling for more than a month. The floods have destroyed houses and caused people to be displaced. Your son begs you to think of a way to save the people from this crisis."

The Emperor of Chu's expression was solemn; this matter concerned the people, and he was always very cautious. After pondering for a moment, he asked Lu Yanzhao, "My dear minister, do you have any solutions?"

Lu Yanzhao paused, then cupped his hands and said, "In my opinion, the most urgent task is to open the granaries and distribute grain, then send people to appease the people. Finally, I propose that everyone donate."

The King of Chu frowned, disagreeing with this method.

Princess Fuyang couldn't sit still any longer. She had come to request a marriage decree, but how had it turned into a matter of court politics? However, seeing the Chu Emperor's gloomy face, she dared not bring up the matter of a marriage decree.

Thinking of fundraising, Fu Yang glanced at Gu Nanjiao and said with ill intent, "I heard that Madam Lu's Jiaoniang Pavilion is making a fortune every day. Madam Lu also said that one should be loyal to the emperor if one eats his food. Why don't you set an example, Madam Lu?"

Is this a request for her to donate money?

Gu Nanjiao took a deep breath: "Of course, but I am just a small merchant. In terms of status, I am inferior to Your Highness. If my donation exceeds Your Highness's, I'm afraid the world will laugh at the princess for being inferior to me. I wonder how much Your Highness plans to donate? I will donate slightly less than Your Highness."

Princess Fuyang's eyelids twitched. If she didn't donate, wouldn't she be even worse than a merchant's daughter?

Fu Yang wanted to impress Lu Yanzhao and also wanted the Emperor of Chu to think she was someone who had contributed to the country. She raised her head and said, "Your Majesty, I plan to donate 10,000 taels of silver for disaster relief."

After saying that, he gave Gu Nanjiao a provocative look.

Gu Nanjiao glanced at Fuyang with feigned surprise: "The princess is indeed a princess, so wealthy and powerful. This humble woman is completely humbled."

Gu Nanjiao's words made Princess Fuyang feel a little smug. She was just about to take the opportunity to bring up the matter of a marriage decree when, unexpectedly, Gu Nanjiao knelt down and said to the Emperor of Chu, "Your Majesty, I have a good plan regarding disaster relief!"

The Emperor of Chu waved his hand, signaling her to continue.

"The method my husband just mentioned can only temporarily solve the immediate problem. That place suffers from floods every year, so wouldn't we have to donate money for disaster relief every year?"

"I once read in a book about a method for diverting water from the south to the north. It involves building canals and digging ditches. Although it is somewhat laborious, it can permanently solve the problem of flooding."

Lu Yanzhao told her about this method. Today, the two of them were singing in unison in the Golden Palace, all to show His Majesty that Gu Nanjiao's usefulness was in no way inferior to that of a man, thus canceling the idea of ​​bestowing a marriage upon Princess Fuyang.

The King of Chu frowned: "But this move is wasteful of resources, time, and effort, and burdens the people."

"Your Majesty can let the disaster victims who are able to work do the work themselves. The court will pay them wages every day, and their names will be recorded in detail. Local officials will be responsible for recording where the canal is being built. Furthermore, Your Majesty's trusted confidants will be sent to supervise the entire population. A supervision post will be set up every hundred li, so that people in need can write letters to petition. In this way, we will not have to worry about anyone having any ulterior motives."

Lu Yanzhao suddenly looked up and stared intently at her, as if he didn't recognize her and wondered what was going on in her head.

He didn't teach us the part that came next.

The Emperor of Chu looked at Gu Nanjiao with admiration, his eyes narrowing slightly. It was a pity that she was a woman, and an ugly one at that.

Even if she is a woman, as long as she can help the country, the Chu emperor will cherish her talent.

The emperor was immediately delighted and issued an edict to confer upon Gu Nanjiao the title of Third-Rank Lady.

Fu Yang's face twisted in resentment as she glared at Gu Nanjiao, then knelt on the ground, stammering, "Brother, didn't you say you were going to bestow a marriage upon Fu Yang? Why have you already made her a concubine? Doesn't that mean Fu Yang will become a concubine?"

The Chu Emperor was preoccupied with disaster relief and canal construction, and had long forgotten about the marriage proposal. When Fu Yang brought it up, he looked somewhat embarrassed.

The Lu couple had been relieved of their immediate crisis, yet he still wanted to break them up; this was somewhat unreasonable.

Princess Fuyang persisted, but Consort Yue arrived right on time.

Upon entering the hall, she went straight to the point: "Princess Fuyang is looking to get married. Fortunately, my nephew is handsome and is also the third-ranked scholar in this year's imperial examination. He is a perfect match for the princess. I heard from the Crown Prince's concubine that Princess Fuyang has inquired about the name of the third-ranked scholar many times. So, I've come to act as matchmaker for you."

Princess Fuyang's face turned cold. After the palace examination, she had indeed inquired about the name of the third-ranked scholar.

She had heard that all the third-ranked scholars were handsome and virtuous, so she inquired about them. She never expected that the third-ranked scholar was Zhou Ping, which disgusted her.

Having found a way out, the Chu Emperor immediately issued an imperial edict, bestowing marriage upon Princess Fuyang and Zhou Ping, fearing that if he delayed, Princess Fuyang would pester him again to separate Lu Yanzhao and his wife.

He doesn't have that kind of face!