Situ Feiyu, whose name was called, was startled and had no choice but to step forward. “Your Majesty, I have devoted myself to the Fengze Kingdom for decades. I have not made any great contributions, but I have certainly worked hard. I swear that I have not done anything to betray the Fengze Kingdom, I have not neglected my supervision, and I have not cut corners. The construction of the dike was completed entirely according to the quota. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may ask the local prefect to clear my name.”
Situ Feiyu spoke with force and conviction.
If Xi Xizhi hadn't witnessed him using immoral means to harm a helpless infant, she would have also thought he was a loyal and righteous man of impeccable character.
The little paws scratched An Honghan's thigh twice and began to write: "Do you think it's true or false?" An Honghan withdrew his attention and glanced at the white little mink. Compared to Xi Xizhi, this mink, An Honghan knew much more about Situ Feiyu.
Situ Feiyu is a man who does things by any means necessary. Apart from being ambitious and eager for quick success, he has absolutely no ulterior motives towards Fengze Kingdom. However, compared to a down-to-earth person like Liu Fuqing, he prefers to use methods that yield quick results.
Therefore, An Honghan believed that Situ Feiyu was not lying, but she also did not tell the whole truth, and there must be something she was hiding from him.
"I have decided to go to Fengzhou to see the extent of the disaster," An Honghan said after a long silence.
Not only was Xi Xizhi dumbfounded, but so were the officials below him.
However, An Honghan seemed to think that was not enough, and continued, "The Left Prime Minister and the Right Prime Minister will accompany me. I will give you one hour to go back and pack your belongings."
"His Majesty……"
"His Majesty……"
Situ Feiyu and Liu Fuqing shouted at the same time.
The ruler of a country should be stationed in the capital, how could he possibly leave to deal with a disaster? They all felt that this was too frivolous.
Xi Xizhi kept tugging at An Honghan's dragon robe, not knowing what An Honghan was up to.
"Didn't you ask me if it was true or false? Let's go and see for ourselves, then we'll know the truth," An Honghan said in a low voice.
The volume was so low that only Xi Xizhi and he himself could hear it.
Furthermore, Master Feng needs his help, and it's obvious he wants him to go there in person.
Therefore, the trip to Fengzhou was imperative.
"Dismiss the court." After saying these two words, An Honghan stood up and walked out of the hall, ignoring the kneeling officials.
An Honghan seemed to have made up his mind long ago. Xi Xizhi watched as Lin En took out two bundles from the cabinet and placed them on the table, clearly having prepared them in advance.
Xi Xizhi leaped and landed steadily on the table.
The little paws slapped open the bundle with a thud.
Inside, besides a large stack of silver notes, there were only a few pieces of clothing belonging to An Honghan.
"Chirp chirp..." Xi Xizhi looked up and roared at An Honghan.
Isn't this burden too simplistic?
An Honghan saw through Xiao Diao's thoughts at a glance. "These things are enough. The silver notes are for the journey. Once we get to Fengzhou, I'm afraid even if you have a lot of silver, you won't be able to buy any food."
That's true," Xi Xizhi said, plopping down on the table.
Lynn looked at the bundle that had been turned into a mess, and resignedly tidied it up again.
No one can stop An Honghan from doing what he wants, and Xi Xizhi is no exception. Moreover, the flooding in Fengzhou is too strange and cannot help but arouse suspicion.
However, Xi Xizhi dared not draw a conclusion easily, since such a thing would not easily appear in front of humans.
An hour passed quickly.
An Honghan carried Xi Xizhi into the carriage, accompanied only by Hu Qu, the head guard in charge of driving the horses, and Lin En, the chief steward in charge of taking care of her daily needs.
The carriage soon arrived at the palace gate, where Situ Feiyu and Liu Fuqing were already waiting.
“Your Majesty, this matter should be discussed further. You are of noble birth, and going to Fengzhou for disaster relief is fraught with danger. You should not take the risk,” Liu Fuqing continued to earnestly persuade him.
To prove his innocence, Situ Feiyu was willing to go to Fengzhou again, but he did not support His Majesty's personal trip.
"Your Majesty, it is enough for me and Lord Liu to go to Fengzhou. The capital still needs you, and the court still needs you. Please stay in the palace." Situ Feiyu knelt down on both knees.
An Honghan's face turned cold. "I will not take back what I have said. Grand Chancellor Situ, your recent actions have greatly disappointed me. If there is really a problem with the Fengzhou dike, you will be held responsible. As for Grand Chancellor Liu, if you do not want to go to Fengzhou to take a look, I will not force you. You can go back to your Prime Minister's residence now."
Having said all that, Situ Feiyu and Liu Fuqing dared not say anything more.
Both bowed their heads, "Your humble servants dare not, but your humble servants are willing to go together."
Liu Fuqing and Situ Feiyu boarded their respective prepared carriages and set off for Fengzhou with An Honghan.
Because His Majesty was present, Liu Fuqing and Situ Feiyu restrained their tempers and dared not argue in front of him.
They had been spending their days in the carriage, subsisting on dry rations.
In fact, what Lin En prepared was not just silver notes and a few clothes. Most of the things had been sent into the carriage by the eunuchs on his orders before An Honghan finished his morning court session.
For example, there are at least several varieties of dry rations.
Lynn didn't forget the spicy jerky, the delicious and non-perishable pastries, and even the fruit.
Fengzhou is not too far from the capital. If one travels day and night, it will only take half a month to reach it.
Lynn and Hu Qu sat outside the carriage, responsible for watching the road and driving.
Fortunately, the weather wasn't scorching hot in summer, otherwise I would have been sweating profusely from the sun.
"Your Majesty, there's a tavern ahead. Shall we stop here to rest?" They'd been traveling for three days, and apart from sleeping in an inn on their first night, they hadn't encountered any shops. Now that they'd finally found one, Lynn naturally wanted to rest there.
However, he was not the one who made the decision; he could only consult His Majesty before making a final decision.
"Go order a few side dishes, preferably with meat." An Honghan stroked the ferret in his arms, the little ferret lying weakly and listlessly on him.
Xi Xizhi's mouth was so bland that she couldn't taste anything. She was a true carnivore, but for the past few days, she could only gnaw on those shriveled jerky pieces, which was no different from chewing wax. It was so bitter that she was dying.
An Honghan noticed that she hadn't eaten much lately, and guessed it early on. So when he came across a tavern, he naturally wanted to feed the ferret before continuing his journey.
Before they even stepped out of the carriage, they heard a noisy argument outside.
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