Chapter 173: Emperor Qinglong Gets Angry
As soon as he went to court the next day, Lu Zhiheng presented the matter to Emperor Qinglong in front of all the civil and military officials.
"The snowstorm in Yingzhou has caused countless casualties among the people. The end of the year is drawing to a close, and the officials below are aware of the situation but are failing to report it, causing the tragedy to escalate. I implore your Majesty to open the treasury for disaster relief and not allow the people to continue to be displaced."
The moment Lu Zhiheng finished speaking, some officials who knew the situation looked at him with indescribable expressions.
He also knows that the end of the year is approaching!
Why would you offend His Majesty at this time?!
Are you crazy!
Emperor Qinglong's eyes and expressions are also very interesting.
Lu Zhiheng knew that he could have reported this matter to him first, but he chose to say it in front of all the civil and military officials.
Emperor Qinglong looked a little unhappy, but he couldn't say that he was pretending not to see it, because in his opinion, he had other more important things to do with the money in the national treasury than disaster relief.
Some things can be left unspoken.
But once it is put on the table, the nature is different.
Emperor Qinglong had no choice but to swallow his anger and open the national treasury to provide disaster relief. He was a little troubled when choosing the imperial envoy.
Lu Zhiheng volunteered and said that he was willing to go to Yingzhou with relief grain. He would only feel at ease after seeing with his own eyes that the people were safe and sound.
Emperor Qinglong held back his anger and agreed.
He could not suppress his anger and dismissed several ministers.
When the matter was almost settled, other officials came in to report other court affairs.
Emperor Qinglong was still angry.
But he could only suppress his anger and gave a wink to the palace servant beside him when leaving the court.
The palace maid beside him understood the emperor's intention, and after the court was dismissed, she signaled Lu Zhiheng not to leave yet, as Emperor Qinglong had something to tell him.
Lu Zhiheng didn't seem to have any intention of leaving.
…
Inside the Purple Palace, Emperor Qinglong dismissed his attendants and fixed his gaze on Lu Zhiheng. He frowned and asked, "I didn't even know about the snowstorm in Yingzhou. How did you find out?"
He was suspicious by nature. Although he had known about this matter for a long time, in the eyes of everyone, he was clearly kept in the dark. However, Lu Zhiheng became the one who knew the dire situation of the people of Yingzhou better than the king.
His own people were in trouble, but he, the emperor, was completely unaware of it.
My own son knows it very clearly.
Lu Zhiheng's mind is a little too active!
However, Lu Zhiheng still looked as nonchalant as before, fanning himself with a fan and sighing, "Those local governors just collect salaries and do nothing."
"He even stopped the prefects and county magistrates from submitting memorials. The victims rioted and killed several county magistrates. Such a serious matter was concealed."
"It is also God's blessing on the people of Dongchu. My wet nurse returned home to visit her relatives and unfortunately saw corpses everywhere and people suffering. So she deliberately wrote a letter to me, letting me know the situation outside."
"After I learned of this, I dared not delay even a moment and will report to you today."
He was trying to please everyone and just said some silly words nonchalantly.
Emperor Qinglong felt a lump in his heart, but he couldn't say anything. His brows only furrowed deeper.
"Then why don't you go to the palace and report to me first?"
"This sudden incident in the court today completely caught me off guard."
Emperor Qinglong seemed to be suppressing a hint of anger in his words.
Regardless of whether Lu Zhiheng was really stupid or just pretending to be stupid, he was unhappy that the other party had brought the matter to the court without consulting him.
He was currently taking elixirs, and needed a large amount of money to collect precious medicinal materials to make elixirs for him.
If the money and food used for disaster relief were used to make elixirs for him, it would at least extend his life by another twenty or thirty years.
Emperor Qinglong was not unconcerned about the people.
If he were ten or twenty years younger, he would have opened the national treasury to provide disaster relief without hesitation.
But his health is deteriorating day by day, and sometimes he always feels powerless and can no longer work hard as before.
He is an emperor.
Take care of yourself first.
Only when you are well can you have more energy to take care of the people under you and control their lives.
Lu Zhiheng heard the hint of blame in Emperor Qinglong's voice, but he still curled the corners of his lips and looked nonchalant.
He spread his hands at this moment and sighed helplessly.
"Father, I also want to report to the palace immediately, but I dare not."
Emperor Qinglong's brows furrowed, and his serious gaze immediately fell on Lu Zhiheng, "What nonsense are you talking about again!"
He still doesn't dare to get up?
There is nothing in this world that he dare not do!
When I wanted to arrange a marriage for him, he made an excuse to go out and see the world, but I didn't hear from him for a whole year.
When he came back, the woman next to him was pregnant.
He was even so bold that he threatened death to force himself to grant the marriage and give the woman the honorable title of Princess Chen.
Everyone knows that Lu Zhiheng is the son of Empress Yuan, and she loves him deeply. What else can she do about such an unreliable son except to accept it?
Lu Zhiheng dared to do such a heinous thing, so what else would he not dare to do?
Lu Zhiheng still sighed.
"Your Majesty, you don't know, these people in the court, one by one, are all playing dirty tricks, killing people without leaving any blood. I, your son, really can't handle it."
"Speaking of which, I don't know if there are any spies in Prince Chen's mansion."
"If I were to enter the palace without any scruples, and if I were to die on the way for no apparent reason, who would I turn to for redress?"
Emperor Qinglong: “…”
The more Emperor Qinglong looked at Lu Zhiheng, the more annoyed he became.
He frowned and waved his hand, "Alright, alright, alright. I must have done something sinful in my previous life, and that's why I raised a useless thing like you in this life. Get out of here as far as you can, even to the end of the world!"
Lu Zhiheng remained unmoved, still acting like a child who was not afraid of boiling water. "Father, I am a loser."
"But the death of this useless son is a minor matter. If the people of Yingzhou never have anyone to redress their grievances, that would be a major event!"
Emperor Qinglong was so angry that he almost fainted.
He smashed an inkstone and said, "Get lost! You'd better get this done for me, or you'll be beheaded!"
Lu Zhiheng was as slippery as a loach, and more like a shameless snake, who actually took advantage of the situation to attack the snake.
"I understand, Father. Since you are unhappy to see me, I will not stand here and annoy you."
"Your Majesty, please take care of yourself!"
After saying that, Lu Zhiheng started beating him while waving his fan.
Emperor Qinglong held his forehead and sighed, a helpless voice sounded behind Lu Zhiheng, "Stinky boy, I wonder when you will understand things and let me rest assured."
Lu Zhiheng did not stop, still looking as if he didn't care about anything.
He really looks like a child whose mind will never mature.
But he is lucky, his father will always tolerate him.
The immense wealth left to him was for him to squander for several lifetimes.
At least, that's what it looks like to outsiders.
As soon as Lu Zhiheng walked away, Emperor Qinglong's face darkened.
He frowned and asked someone to call Master Ye in.
At this moment, Emperor Qinglong no longer looked like the kind father he was when he was joking with Lu Zhiheng.
His face was cold and gloomy, and his whole body exuded a gloomy aura. When Master Ye came in, his gaze was like a poisonous snake, staring at Master Ye fiercely.
"Calculate how Lu Zhiheng knew all this."
Is it possible that the disaster victims in Yingzhou rioted and caused such a big incident, but the entire capital was completely unaware of it?
Most officials are aware of this.
It's just that they all chose to keep it to themselves.
But this time, Lu Zhiheng seemed to have lost his mind and made everything clear.
This forced Emperor Qinglong to issue an order for disaster relief.
He suspected Lu Zhiheng of colluding with local officials.
He also suspected Lu Zhiheng and needed to use this incident to build up his own reputation.
Emperor Qinglong's eyes were grim. He was the emperor yet to die, and he would never allow anyone to covet his throne.
Master Ye counted on his fingers.
After a moment, he secretly exhaled, his eyes slowly fell on Emperor Qinglong, and then he knelt down.
"Your Majesty, do you want to hear the truth?"
Emperor Qinglong frowned even deeper. Could it be that, as he guessed, Lu Zhiheng was colluding with someone?
"Just say it straight. I allow you to speak frankly."
Master Ye smiled and said, "Someone used a sound transmission talisman to pass the news from Yingzhou to the capital."
"Your Majesty also recognizes this person."
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