Emperor Hui's heart was bleeding. Four hundred coins! How could the common people afford that?
"Which grain store did you find out?"
"The Duke of Cheng'en's mansion, the Wu family, and..."
"The Crown Prince?"
"right!"
"He's incredibly audacious, not even bothering to hide it! He's the crown prince!" Emperor Hui pounded the edge of the bed. "Profiteering from the national crisis, competing with the people for profit, blinded by greed... How can I entrust the empire to him!"
Leng Luo supported him and said, "They changed shops and it seems like they have nothing to do with them, but the Imperial City Guard found out that they are the ones behind it."
"They've been hoarding food?"
"I estimate that they were stored there after the autumn harvest, in six warehouses, scattered throughout. I haven't been paying attention to them."
The Imperial City Guards weren't omniscient; they focused more on whether the ministers were loyal.
It's unclear when these grains were stockpiled.
Emperor Hui closed his eyes, sighed, and said, "Alas, high prices are fine, but it's better than having no grain at all."
Leng Luo looked at Emperor Hui, whose temples were graying, her eyes darkened, but she still spoke.
"The Crown Prince's presence in Zhongzhou has not been conducive to disaster relief. According to reports from the inspectors there, the Crown Prince only met with officials from Zhongzhou in Wancheng because he was afraid of danger when he arrived in the disaster area."
"Open the granaries and distribute grain free of charge."
"It was said to be given to the people, but in reality, most of it ended up in the hands of grain merchants and certain officials."
"Right now, those people are selling grain at high prices, and ordinary people simply can't afford to eat any grain."
"The torrential rain caused the riverbank to breach, and those who were buried in the ruins could not be buried. When it rained, an epidemic broke out."
...
He said helplessly that it was his duty and he couldn't lie.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Hui coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
The entire palace was in chaos.
When the Duke of Cheng'en heard that His Majesty had fainted and that the imperial physicians had been summoned, he hurriedly went to see him as well.
If His Majesty is not well, he must immediately summon the Crown Prince back.
Both Prince Qi and Prince Jin are eyeing the throne covetously. If the crown prince doesn't return, these people might seize the opportunity to usurp the throne.
The imperial physicians filed into Emperor Hui's bedchamber, while General Wei Ziying of the Thousand Bull Guards led his men to guard the palace gates, keeping all the court officials outside.
Gu Shaoyu was also waiting outside the hall.
After court, not only did no one leave today, but even those low-ranking officials who used to just coast along didn't dare to leave.
The women of the harem were also waiting anxiously outside the palace.
Especially Consort De and Consort Xian.
They quickly sent messages to both Prince Qi and Prince Jin, instructing them to immediately come to the palace to attend to the ailing prince.
Whether it was to care for the sick or something else, it's hard to say.
Upon receiving the letter, Prince Qi initially intended to rush to the palace, but after some thought, he decided against it and instead urgently summoned his trusted confidants, including those who had been pre-arranged at the camp outside the capital.
None of the imperial physicians in Emperor Hui's bedchamber came out.
People outside couldn't find out anything they wanted to know.
Princess Yu Rong, accompanied by six guards and maids, swaggered into the palace and boldly went to the Emperor's bedchamber, demanding to see Emperor Hui.
Wei Ziying stopped him: "His Majesty has decreed that no one may enter without being summoned."
"How dare you! Didn't you say Father Emperor had fainted? How could there be an imperial edict if he was unconscious?"
Wei Ziying said sternly, "Your Highness, be careful with your words and do not speak recklessly about His Majesty's health."
"Then let me in and take a look. His Majesty is my father. Are you planning a rebellion? Is this empire still under the Zhou family's control? Do you think you can take it over?"
Grand Secretary Liu and Gu Shaoyu were outside the hall when they heard her making a scene. They hurriedly went up to her to advise her not to say anything that might cause trouble.
Princess Yu Rong didn't argue with him. She moved closer to Grand Secretary Liu, her high, firm breasts heaving in front of the old prime minister.
The poor old prime minister, nearly hit by two meat balls, blushed and angrily rebuked, "A prime minister has skin like a rat, but no manners like a human! What is the point of living if one has no manners?"
Princess Yu Rong glared angrily at the old prime minister: "How dare you insult me?"
Gu Shaoyu blocked her from approaching Grand Secretary Liu and said sternly, "Princess Yu Rong, you are not allowed to enter the palace without being summoned. You have already committed a serious offense. Do not make a loud noise here. Please leave immediately."
Princess Yu Rong was about to get angry after being reprimanded by Grand Secretary Liu when she suddenly heard Gu Shaoyu reprimanding her. Staring at the tall, dignified, and incomparably handsome young Grand Secretary, she suddenly felt a surge of desire.
"I didn't mean anything by it, I was just worried about my father. Since Grand Secretary Gu thinks I'm wrong, then I'll go to my mother's palace and wait for her to summon me."
After Gu Shaoyu saw her leave, he continued to wait outside the palace with the other officials.
At the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), dark clouds gathered and the air was bitterly cold; many ministers were so cold that their noses were running.
Princess Meatball stormed into the royal kitchen, fuming: "Are you all blind? It's so cold, don't you know to bring everyone a bowl of hot rice porridge?"
The head of the imperial kitchen said obsequiously, "Your Highness, it's not that we servants are blind, it's just that none of us are in the mood to eat or drink right now!"
"Father has always valued his ministers. He is only slightly ill. If all the ministers catch a cold in the wind, who will handle state affairs?"
The people in the imperial kitchen cursed Princess Yu Rong in their hearts, thinking she was a bastard who was trying to win over ministers when her own father was inside and his life was uncertain.
Soon the hot rice porridge was prepared, and the eunuchs delivered it to the ministers one by one, with Princess Yurong swaying as she followed.
"I'm getting you food, so don't think I'm being unfilial to my father! I'm very filial, and it's your illness that's the real problem. Drink it all up, and don't let any of you get sick or fall ill. If anyone does, I'll whip them to death."
Despite her grand and eloquent words, no one listened.
Is this reasonable? His Majesty's life hangs in the balance, and they still have the mind to drink porridge?
The Duke of Chengen suppressed his anger and said, "Princess Yurong, now is not the time to be foolish. If Your Highness has nothing else to do, it would be better to return to the Princess's residence and wait for good news."
In the end, no one drank any of the tea. Princess Yu Rong clapped her hands, and immediately a eunuch brought hot tea, one cup for each person.
"If you won't eat porridge, you should at least have a cup of hot tea, right?"
Many ministers drank it this time.
A young eunuch brought tea to Gu Shaoyu, but Gu Shaoyu did not take it, saying, "I am not thirsty."
The young eunuch lowered his eyes and said, "Your Excellency, it's cold. Have a drink to warm yourself up. His Majesty will need you to discuss state affairs when he wakes up."
Gu Shaoyu accepted the tea, his eyes seemingly glancing out unintentionally. He saw the Imperial City Guards hurrying in from outside, so he took the teacup and went outside.
In the blink of an eye, he poured the tea onto the inside of the wide sleeve of his court robe.
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