Several days later, I finally saw Lu Jingze again, looking travel-worn.
Feeling pity, Wang Xiuxiu did a good deed and prepared some food for Lu Jingze while he went to wash up.
After Lu Jingze finished washing up and returned to his room, he saw the neatly arranged food on the table and asked, "Did you prepare this?"
"Well, there's nothing I can do to help, that's all I can do."
After saying that, Wang Xiuxiu turned around and prepared to leave.
"Wait, if you have nothing else to do, stay and chat with me." His tone was slightly tired, but mostly gentle.
Wang Xiuxiu sat down and waited for him to speak first.
"How have you been while I was gone?"
"Everything is fine, but I'm a little worried," Wang Xiuxiu replied softly, her tone tinged with unease.
Lu Jingze raised an eyebrow, looking at her with interest. "Worried? Worried about what? Worried about me?"
As soon as these three questions were uttered, Wang Xiuxiu's mind went blank.
When she came to her senses, she hurriedly explained that she was worried about the people of Liangzhou.
However, in Lu Jingze's eyes, Wang Xiuxiu looked more like a shy little girl who was annoyed that her thoughts had been exposed.
Wang Xiuxiu could no longer tolerate his burning gaze and asked, "My lord, how do you think the Emperor will deal with these royal relatives and nobles?"
Finally, Wang Xiuxiu racked her brains and came up with a good question.
Lu Jingze didn't respond. He looked down at her and asked, "You have ideas?"
"I wouldn't dare!" Wang Xiuxiu lowered her head guiltily.
"Don't be afraid, you're just saying it to me. If you do well, I'll reward you; if you don't, just take it as a joke," Lu Jingze promised, his tone encouraging.
Is this really true?
A gentleman's word is as good as his bond.
"Okay, then I'll tell you."
“In my opinion, they should be severely punished.” Wang Xiuxiu gritted her teeth. “They are greedy and insatiable, and they don’t care about the lives of ordinary people. They deserve to be severely punished.”
Lu Jingze nodded slightly. "You're right. These people disregard the law and deserve to die a thousand deaths! But if they are severely punished, it will damage the face of the royal family and may cause turmoil in the court and the country."
Wang Xiuxiu paused for a moment, then continued, "Then let's wait until things calm down a bit, then secretly investigate their past crimes and settle accounts later."
A hint of appreciation flashed in Lu Jingze's eyes, and he nodded. "That makes sense, but Liangzhou is in grave danger now. If you were in his shoes, what would you do?"
"I have a bad idea, but you promised you won't blame me."
"certainly."
"This matter requires the Emperor's personal intervention. He should make a show of severely punishing the families involved in the disaster in court, and then spread the word that the Emperor is prepared to pardon those families who have performed well in disaster relief, giving them a chance to redeem themselves. These families have great influence in the local area, and in order to avoid punishment, they will surely do their best to help resettle the disaster victims. At that time, the court will only need to send officials to supervise."
"Well said. Your thoughts coincide with Zhou Yun'an's," Lu Jingze said softly, a slight smile playing on his lips.
“Zhou Yun’an? Who is that?” Wang Xiuxiu blinked and looked at Lu Jingze with a puzzled expression.
"The grain magistrate of Liangzhou was sentenced to death by a thousand cuts for exposing collusion among the officials in Liangzhou. His friend risked his life to deliver a handwritten letter in blood for him."
Lu Jingze's tone was heavy, and his eyes were filled with undisguised anger.
"Lingchi" (death by a thousand cuts)?
Wang Xiuxiu's eyes widened, her face filled with shock and reluctance.
Lu Jingze gently patted her head. "It's alright, we arrived in time, he has already been rescued."
"That's good, that's good. Good people should be rewarded." Wang Xiuxiu breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Lu Jingze suddenly sighed, and his tone became serious: "But there is one thing that Zhou Yun'an and I disagree on."
He seemed hesitant, and after much deliberation, he decided to tell Wang Xiuxiu his thoughts.
"Are they the disaster victims who looted the granaries and made mistakes?"
Wang Xiuxiu astutely guessed the problem.
Lu Jingze chuckled and ruffled her hair: "Your little brain is quite sharp. Zhou Yun'an requested a pardon for them, but my thoughts are completely different."
"Why?"
Lu Jingze's face darkened: "The granary is the responsibility of the state government. Unauthorized seizure is tantamount to treason. If it is not severely punished, others will follow suit."
Wang Xiuxiu frowned upon hearing this.
She understood the stakes involved, but also the helplessness of the disaster victims.
After a long silence, he sighed silently, "My lord, when people are facing life and death, they can't think about so many things. Like when I was fleeing before, I encountered bandits who stole grain. Even though I was unarmed, I was willing to fight to the death for that little bit of food..."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jingze's heart tightened.
"When chaos breaks out in the prefecture, local officials do not organize disaster relief and grain distribution because they are afraid that the crime of arbitrarily moving official granaries without permission will implicate them. They are the parents of the prefecture, yet they are all wary and do nothing. The people have no home and no hope in the present, so why would they care about the future safety of the prefecture?"
“I understand what you mean, but a country has its laws. If we condone them this time, what will happen when disaster strikes again? Will they become even more brazen? What will become of the dignity of the imperial court?”
Wang Xiuxiu took a deep breath. "What you say is very true. However, while punishing them, could we also grant them some leniency? Especially those who are truly repentant. After all, they were driven to desperation. If we could give them a chance to reform, it would perhaps better demonstrate His Majesty's benevolence."
Lu Jingze was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Well, what you said makes sense. I will consider it carefully."
Wang Xiuxiu breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on her face: "Your Excellency is wise!"
Looking at her ingratiating expression, Lu Jingze couldn't help but pinch her cheek: "You're quite good at flattering people."
Hehehe!
"That's well said. What reward do you want?" Lu Jingze asked with a smile as he changed the subject.
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu immediately snapped out of her worries: "There really is a reward!"
"Of course."
Looking at her expectant expression, Lu Jingze's smile deepened.
"Then I want money," Wang Xiuxiu said excitedly.
"Are you short of money?" Lu Jingze frowned slightly.
He was secretly puzzled. Judging from the girl's living expenses in Jiangnan, there was no way he could tell that she was someone who was short of money.
"We don't lack it, but we don't mind having too much either. The more the better!" Wang Xiuxiu had a greedy and mercenary look on her face.
Looking at her money-grubbing appearance, Lu Jingze not only didn't feel disgusted, but found it quite cute and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Wang Xiuxiu naturally assumed that it was a mockery of her.
When he couldn't see, Wang Xiuxiu silently rolled her eyes at him.
Are you cursing me in your heart?
Wang Xiuxiu trembled and quickly retorted obsequiously, "No, no, you're so good to me! You even gave me a reward, how could I dare! I'll serve you faithfully from now on!"
"Good to know, but there's one thing I really need your help with," Lu Jingze said, changing the subject.
"Please speak."
Wang Xiuxiu also looked at Lu Jingze with a rare serious expression, waiting for his next words.
"That concerns Zhou Yun'an. Although his treatment this time was adequate, the torture he suffered was quite severe. I have temporarily placed him in the county government office. Although Qingzhou appears calm, there are undercurrents. I have sent a trusted confidant to look after him, but manpower is limited and it is difficult to be thorough in every aspect. If you have time in the future, please keep an eye on things for me."
"Okay, I will definitely keep a close eye on the situation there, and report to you immediately if anything unusual happens," Wang Xiuxiu nodded in response.
"Alright, it's late, get some rest."
Wang Xiuxiu obediently lay down, and Lu Jingze tucked her in before getting up and leaving.
As he reached the door, he glanced back and saw Wang Xiuxiu staring at him with her big eyes wide open.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"My lord, you should get some rest too," Wang Xiuxiu said softly.
Lu Jingze smiled slightly and nodded: "Okay."
Wang Xiuxiu did not sleep well that night.
In her dream, she seemed to see the suffering of the people of Liangzhou, and those people of Liangzhou who were driven to desperation.
Lu Jingze stood in the courtyard, surrounded by a chilling aura.
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