feeling of anxiety
Because of the urgency of the situation, the elders practically grabbed Cui Sugong by the collar and forced him to make a decision within half an hour, and issued an imperial edict on the spot.
An edict of self-reproach was inevitable, followed by a general amnesty, reductions in the expenses of the imperial harem, reductions in corvée labor and taxes in disaster-stricken areas, and, as Cui Shenzhi suggested, sending surrounding generals with soldiers to the disaster-stricken areas to maintain order and rescue survivors.
They thought that would be enough, but when news of the specific situation in Nanzhou arrived, they realized it wasn't.
That's far from enough.
—The earthquake in Nanzhou killed hundreds of thousands of people and affected hundreds of thousands or even millions more.
Upon hearing this news, Cui Sugong couldn't help but feel fortunate that the elders had forced him to take those measures that day. If he had waited until he learned the specific details before taking action, his already poor reputation would have been further damaged.
Then he summoned Cui Shenzhi, and the two of them changed into plain clothes, fasted, and went to the Imperial Observatory to perform a sacrificial ceremony on the nearest auspicious day.
In the harem, Shen Meiwu also took off her dazzling and exquisite jewelry and clothes, and changed into something simpler. She also used the excuse of this natural disaster to give the concubines in the harem a good scolding, and donated a batch of supplies to Nanzhou in the name of the harem.
However, none of this had anything to do with Ping An, so she didn't spare a single thought for the disaster-stricken people of Nanzhou; her heart was still focused on Cui Shenzhi.
However, not long after, the Nanzhou earthquake affected Ping An.
— Cui Shenzhi volunteered to take the imperial court's disaster relief supplies to Nanzhou.
Upon learning of this, Ping An laughed in anger.
Has Cui Shenzhi gone mad?! Hasn't he heard the saying, "A son of a wealthy family should not sit under a dangerous roof"? Even if he wants to appear to care for the people, there's no need for him, as the crown prince, to venture into such a perilous place! Besides, the emperor only has one son. If something happens to him on his rash trip to Nanzhou, what will happen to the throne? What will happen to the court?
Most importantly, what about all the effort she's put into Choi Shin-ji during this time!
Ping An was so angry that she gritted her teeth, wishing she could get some medicine from Lu Fengping and force it down Cui Shenzhi's throat. But she couldn't. Not only would Lu Fengping not give her the medicine that made her sick, but even if she did get it, she might not be able to get it into Cui Shenzhi's mouth. It would also leave Lu Fengping with a handle against her, which would be a loss.
She couldn't force Choi Shin-ji not to go, so she could only try to persuade him.
Ping An found the study and approached Cui Shenzhi with a worried look: "Shenzhi, I heard from Sister Ju'an that you are going to Nanzhou, but didn't a huge earthquake happen in Nanzhou?"
Cui Shenzhi reached out and rubbed Ping An's head: "Yes, a major earthquake occurred in Nanzhou, which is why I have to go there."
"Why would you go even after a major earthquake?
"Because I am a member of the royal family, I am supported by the whole country. This is my duty. Moreover, with me here, no one will falsify the disaster relief efforts or embezzle the disaster relief funds and grains issued by the court. Local officials will not dare to line their own pockets, and the disaster relief officials will do their best."
"But Shenzhi, I heard that there will be more earthquakes after the big one. Wouldn't Nanzhou be very dangerous? Can you go later? Wait until it's safe before you go? Otherwise, I'll worry about you, I'll be so worried that I can't eat or sleep. Little Fairy will also be very worried about you, as will Young Master Lu, Sister Ju'an, Sister Siwei..."
“Ping An,” Cui Shenzhi interrupted Ping An, patiently saying, “No matter how dangerous it is, I will go. This is my duty and responsibility as the Crown Prince.”
Seeing that Cui Shenzhi was determined, Ping An almost couldn't suppress her anger, and her expression became somewhat out of control. She simply buried herself in Cui Shenzhi's arms without a care.
"Shenzhi, then... then promise me you'll be extremely careful, and absolutely nothing will happen to you, or I'll be heartbroken, heartbroken to the point of crying and crying, even more so than Meng Jiangnu, and no one can comfort me!"
Hearing this childish 'threat,' Choi Shin-ji was both amused and exasperated.
"Okay, I promise you, I will be careful and never venture into dangerous places. I promise I will come back safely. So, we must be good and listen to Ju'an. Eat well, drink well, rest well, and remember to practice your calligraphy. I will check when I get back, understand?"
Having concealed her emotions, Ping An stepped out of Cui Shenzhi's embrace, pouted, blinked, and nodded.
Cui Shenzhi rubbed Ping An's head before instructing Ju An to take her out. Then he led Si Wei back to his bedchamber to pack his belongings. He also sent Qi Kang to Chengqian Palace to deliver a message, asking Cui Lingxian to visit Ping An at the East Palace from time to time while he was in Nanzhou.
*****
After Choi Shin-ji left, Ping An's life became stagnant.
With Cui Shenzhi absent, Cui Lingxian had no reason to run to the East Palace every day. In addition, Lu Fengping's interruptions meant that she only came to the East Palace once every half month. However, Ping An didn't have any objections to this. Since Cui Lingxian didn't come, she didn't have to deal with her stupidly, and she was happy to have some peace and quiet.
Siwei and Qikang went to Nanzhou with Cui Shenzhi. Ju'an had to manage the affairs of the East Palace. Ping'an, apart from writing a few crooked characters as instructed by Cui Shenzhi, could only wander aimlessly around the East Palace under Yuesheng's care.
But Ping An had been in the East Palace for almost half a year, and she had been to every place there. However, she couldn't read books, since in everyone's eyes she was barely literate. It would be a bit unreasonable for her to be engrossed in reading a book. So she could only spend her days with the palace maids who cleaned and swept the East Palace, passing the time by listening to all sorts of gossip in the palace.
As Ping An listened, she learned about Shen Meiwu's life and her 'love story' with Cui Sugong.
She was initially very interested in this, after all, her goal was to become the next Shen Meiwu, so of course she should listen to the experience of her senior. But as she listened, her brows furrowed.
— Shen Meiwu and Cui Sugong met when Cui Sugong, dressed in white dragon robes, rescued a beautiful girl outside the palace. The pitiful girl in distress and the handsome young prince were destined to be together.
Ping An couldn't help but think of Cui Shenzhi, who was far away in Nanzhou.
Cui Shenzhi is not only equally handsome, but his reputation is also much better than that of Cui Sugong back then. Nanzhou has just suffered a disaster, and there are too many pitiful girls in distress. In the meantime, when Cui Shenzhi returns to the capital, he may not be alone, but two or even several people.
Compared to the people from Nanzhou, she had no advantage whatsoever. After all, they had just suffered a disaster and could easily use the earthquake as an excuse. By simply talking about her longing for her deceased relatives and her fear of earthquakes, she could gain Cui Shenzhi's boundless pity.
Thinking of this, Ping An's face slowly darkened.
She couldn't let that happen, but how could she gain the strength to fight back? She was in the Eastern Palace, under Ju An's care, Cui Lingxian's concern, and Yue Sheng's constant companionship. What could possibly happen to her?
Wait a minute, Ju An is busy with the affairs of the Eastern Palace. Although they see each other every day, they don't exchange more than a few words. Cui Lingxian sees him less than twice a month. In other words, the only person she actually wants to get rid of is Yue Sheng.
Then things become simple.
Ping An revealed a confident smile.
*****
That day, Ping An was chatting with the palace maids who were cleaning and sweeping when she suddenly let out a heavy sigh.
The palace maids immediately asked with concern, "Ping An, what's wrong? Did something upset you?"
Ping An nodded, then shook his head.
“It’s not that I’m unhappy… it’s just,” Ping’an gathered the palace maids together and whispered, “I just feel a little uncomfortable.”
"uneasy?"
"Yes, Sister Yuesheng is always with me. The other day I just wanted to climb a tree and she scolded me for a long time, saying that I would fall and that it was against the rules. I used to be the kind of person who would climb walls and sit on them all the time, and nothing happened to me."
After exchanging glances, the palace maids, like Ping An, whispered, "But Sister Yue Sheng wasn't wrong..."
"I know, so I didn't say anything bad about Sister Yuesheng. I just felt uncomfortable and wanted to take a walk by myself, but Sister Yuesheng just wouldn't agree."
The palace maids quickly advised, "Ping An, it's His Highness's order for Sister Yue Sheng to follow you, so of course she can't leave you. Just bear with it for now, and talk to His Highness about it when he returns."
“But there’s not a single word from Nanzhou, and we don’t know how long we’ll have to wait. Maybe…” Ping An blinked and gave a sly smile: “Why don’t you guys help me? It won’t take long, just a day, no, no, half a day, half a day will do. I just need to catch my breath.”
"this…"
"I can't leave the East Palace, I'm just strolling around. What do you think could happen to me in half a day? Just promise me~ I'll share any good food Sister Ju'an gives me with you!"
Ping An tugged at the sleeves of the palace maids and acted coquettishly for a while, and the maids finally couldn't resist and agreed.
"Then how do you want us to help you?"
"It's simple. We'll just play hide-and-seek with Sister Yuesheng. While we're playing, you guys pretend you've found me, and then we'll move on to the next round. I'll sneak away, and I'll definitely be back before dinner so Sister Yuesheng won't notice anything amiss."
The palace maids immediately sprang into action, pulling Yue Sheng into a game of hide-and-seek. After two or three rounds, seeing that Yue Sheng had lowered her guard, Ping An secretly slipped away.
After returning to her residence, she rummaged through her belongings and found Siwei's waist token. She changed her clothes, put some effort into her appearance, and looked completely different from her usual self. Then, with her head down, she held the waist token and said that Cui Shenzhi had instructed her to deliver something to Cui Lingxian before leaving. She then left the East Palace openly and legitimately.
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