Chapter 134 A Gift

Qu Zhinian sneered inwardly upon hearing this. Disaster relief funds? Leaving aside whether any funds were even allocated, the fact is he received very little! If it weren't for the young lady's appearance, there would probably be very few survivors in Xihan!

Although that's what he was thinking, he still looked panicked on the surface.

"Angels, calm your anger! Angels, calm your anger!"

"How dare I! How dare I deceive the Emperor! Every penny of the relief funds has been recorded and used to resettle refugees, repair water conservancy projects, and purchase oxen and farming tools. Not a single penny has been embezzled! I guarantee it with my life!"

He suddenly raised his head, as if he had made up his mind, and lowered his voice, speaking solemnly:

"Your Excellency! The scene in Xihan today... all of this... is actually... for His Majesty! It is Princess Jianing's birthday gift prepared for His Majesty!"

"A congratulatory gift?" Gao Quan was stunned. "What congratulatory gift?"

Qu Zhinian then vividly recounted the arguments Xie Sangning had crafted in his letter:

"...The county princess was deeply concerned about the country and grateful for the emperor's boundless grace! When she was in Xihan, she devoted herself to secretly researching special grain varieties that could take root and sprout in barren land and produce stable and abundant yields!"

For the past two years, our entire Xihan area has been the county magistrate's largest testing ground! The magistrate said, "If this grain variety succeeds and is widely adopted, it will benefit the present and future generations!"

“But…grain seed cultivation is extremely difficult! Failure is common! The county princess is concerned for His Majesty and is afraid that if she reports the results rashly before she is absolutely certain that the grain seeds will produce a stable and abundant harvest and before it becomes a precedent, she will give His Majesty and the court great hope, only to have it all fall apart due to unfavorable weather and circumstances…wouldn’t that be letting His Majesty be disappointed? Wouldn’t that be… even more disrespectful?”

"The county princess...she doesn't want to disappoint His Majesty!"

"Therefore! The county magistrate has issued a strict order!"

Qu Zhinian's voice was filled with utmost reverence, "We must keep the news under wraps! We must keep a low profile! All the produce produced in Xihan, except for what is needed for the local people, must be secretly stored! All agricultural improvements and water conservancy repairs are for the purpose of testing this grain variety! If the experiment is completely successful this autumn, we will present this 'beneficial seed for saving the world' along with the bountiful harvest of Xihan as a gift to His Majesty on His Majesty's birthday! We will give His Majesty... a surprise! We will give Daqing a surprise!"

As he spoke, his voice trembled with excitement!

"Your Excellency! It is not that I intentionally concealed anything! It was only due to the strict orders of the County Princess that this matter concerns the Emperor's birthday celebration. I... I absolutely dared not reveal even a fraction of it beforehand! If it were not for your presence today, Your Excellency, that I could see it for myself, I... I would rather die than divulge this momentous secret! I beg Your Excellency to investigate thoroughly!!"

Dead silence.

The main hall was deathly silent.

The arrogance and skepticism on Gao Quan's face melted away like ice and snow, replaced by an irrepressible excitement!

Grain seeds?

This godforsaken place, Xihan... has actually become the secret experimental field for grain seeds of the Princess of Jianing?!

To prepare a birthday gift for His Majesty?!

Gao Quan's heart started pounding!

He wasn't stupid; he figured out the key to it instantly!

If this is true...

That Princess Xie Sangning of Jianing County was not only without fault, but was also a pillar of strength who was devoted to the country and loyal to the emperor!

This will be an unparalleled achievement! It will be worthy of being recorded in history!

And Gao Quan, as the first imperial envoy to witness this miracle and the first to learn of this earth-shattering plan, would have been a tremendous achievement to present this secret report to the emperor!

How will His Majesty reward him?!

A tremendous opportunity fell on Gao Quan's head like a pie, leaving him completely dizzy!

He looked at Qu Zhinian, who had a fearful yet loyal expression, and his eyes had completely changed!

"Magistrate Qu!"

Gao Quan's voice trembled slightly with excitement. He quickly stepped forward and helped Qu Zhinian up, a warm smile on his face: "Oh dear! Lord Qu! You and Princess Jianing... you really... you've gone to such great lengths! So much effort!"

He patted Qu Zhinian's rough hands and sighed repeatedly:

"To prepare such an extraordinary gift for His Majesty! To risk all dangers and work tirelessly in silence! To willingly bear misunderstandings and infamy! Such loyalty and righteousness are truly moving! I... I was just offended, please forgive me, Lord Qu! Please forgive me!"

Qu Zhinian was caught off guard by his sudden enthusiasm and could only bow repeatedly, saying, "I dare not! I dare not! It is only right and proper for the angel to investigate impartially and justly!"

Gao Quan rubbed his hands together and paced back and forth in the hall a couple of times.

"Lord Qu! The county princess and you possess such loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, which is truly a blessing for the court! I... am deeply impressed!"

"However... Lord Qu, as you know, this matter is of utmost importance! I came here by imperial decree and witnessed firsthand the tremendous changes in Xihan, and heard this earth-shattering secret with my own ears... If I do not report this to His Majesty in detail, then I would be... derelict in my duty and deceive the emperor!"

He stared into Qu Zhinian's eyes, a broad smile on his face.

"Therefore, Lord Qu, this detailed report... concerning the grain seed experiment and the preparations for His Majesty's birthday celebration... I will trouble you to compile it as soon as possible, and I will personally take it back to the capital for His Majesty's confidential review! What do you think?"

Qu Zhinian felt a chill run down his spine.

It's here!

The young lady had foreseen this in her letter! The eunuch would never actually help cover it up; he would definitely report it!

The key lies in the content and wording of the report!

His face immediately broke into a grateful smile, and he bowed repeatedly:

"Of course! Of course! It is only right! I will immediately write a detailed report myself, detailing how the county magistrate devoted herself to the experiments in Xihan, how she strictly ordered me to keep the preparations secret, and the efforts and progress Xihan has made in the past two years... I will not dare to conceal anything! However..."

He feigned a perfectly measured embarrassment, "Although the grain is growing well and a bumper harvest is in sight, it has not yet been fully harvested and bagged... In my report, I can only truthfully state the progress and expectations of the experiment, and dare not... dare not presume to claim great success... lest... whatever happens..."

"Understood! Understood!"

Gao Quan smiled like a Maitreya Buddha and nodded repeatedly.

He certainly understood Qu Zhinian's concerns. If things went wrong during the autumn harvest, he would be embarrassed if he spoke too confidently in advance.

"Rest assured, Lord Qu! I will report back to His Majesty in detail the fact that the experiment is not yet fully completed and that the county magistrate is striving for a safe and thorough approach. His Majesty is wise and discerning, and will only appreciate the county magistrate and Lord Qu's cautious and loyal efforts to ensure everything is perfect. He will certainly not hold it against you!"

The two looked at each other and smiled, and the atmosphere instantly became incredibly harmonious, as if the tense standoff had never happened.

"That's right!"

Gao Quan seemed to suddenly remember something, "Lord Qu, I wonder... could I... take a look at the fields where the experimental grains are grown?"

He must confirm it with his own eyes! This would be the most powerful piece of evidence in the report!

"If the angels wish to see, then of course they shall! It's just... the fields are outside the city, and the journey is bumpy..."

"It's alright! It's alright!"

Gao Quan waved his hand enthusiastically, "What's a little bump in the road for His Majesty! Let's go! We'll go right now!"