Chapter 543: Controlling the Little Prince (1 update)

The four of them avoided the prefect Qin An at first because he was difficult to bribe. The newly appointed officials in Jiangnan were all stubborn.

They offered silver, but he refused it. They offered women, but he refused them.

This made the aristocratic families and wealthy merchants very worried.

Isn't it obvious that these officials will not stand on their side and protect them?

Since you don't want to stand on our side, then we naturally don't need to bleed and cut flesh for your political achievements.

That's right, in the eyes of these aristocratic families, donating grain to help the people is all for the prefect Qin An to gain political achievements. In the eyes of these people, human life is not worth mentioning at all!

These family heads had a very simple idea. Since you don't accept bribes and are not prepared to open the door for them, then they should replace you with a sensible prefect. As

long as the disaster relief is not done well this time, Qin An, who has just taken office for a short time, will definitely be blamed by the emperor. At the least, he will be demoted, and at the worst, he will be dismissed.

When the new prefect takes office, they will assist the prefect in disaster relief and establish a friendly relationship with the new prefect. By then, the relationship between the two sides will naturally be established, and they will not be afraid that the new prefect will not continue to stand on their side.

They calculated very well, but no one expected that after Qin An's disaster relief was unsuccessful, the court did not immediately remove Qin An from his official position and send a new official to provide disaster relief, but directly sent His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Thinking of the prince who would confiscate all property if he didn't do what he wanted, the four heads of the families felt their heads buzzing. If I go crazy, no one can stop me even if they have connections in the court.

This is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the next emperor!

Everyone was a little panicked.

The head of the Tang family was the most worried, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is personally doing disaster relief. If His Royal Highness personally asks us to provide food to help the people, what should we do?"

The head of the Chen family sighed, "If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally asks you and me for food, then it's fine, because it means that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will not care about our initial behavior. I'm afraid that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince simply doesn't bother to ask you and me for food!"

The head of the Zheng family was quite stable, "Don't worry too much, everyone. "You and I have not violated the laws of the court, and we have not committed murder or robbery. Food and silver are our property. It is our freedom to donate or not to donate. Even the crown prince cannot blame you and me for this."

The head of the Yang family stroked his beard and nodded with a smile, "Yes, Master Zheng is right. Even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince cannot come to our house in person and force you and me to take out food and donate it to the people! Otherwise, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would be robbing!" "

Don't forget, everyone. You and I are both citizens of Daliang. As the crown prince, it is not a good reputation for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to rob the people of their property."

The other two nodded after hearing this, and they felt a little more at ease. "

Everyone, please stay calm. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is personally providing disaster relief. For you and me, it may be a greater opportunity!"

The head of the Yang family smiled mysteriously, and everyone became more and more curious.

The head of the Tang family was the youngest, and he couldn't keep his temper at all. Hearing this, he immediately asked, "Don't keep us in suspense, Brother Yang, tell me quickly, I'm almost dying of anxiety!"

The head of the Yang family stroked his beard and began to explain.

In fact, the reason is very simple. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is personally providing disaster relief. This is the first time that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has presided over disaster relief, and it is such a big disaster. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince must want to do things beautifully and leave the impression that he cares about the people and loves them like his own children.

However, nowadays, the area outside Gusu City is in a state of desolation. Only one out of ten villages in the surrounding area survives, and the riverbank needs to be rebuilt, which requires a large amount of food and money.

The court has already allocated 1.5 million taels of silver, and it is almost impossible to continue to allocate money.

Besides, it is not only the Jiangnan region that is suffering from the disaster, but also the drought in Shandong

. If the court is asked to pay more money for disaster relief, the national treasury will definitely not be able to bear it.

Don't forget, it is already autumn, and the military pay from all over the country has to be received one after another. The court must first guarantee the military pay.

Therefore, the matter of disaster relief depends entirely on the prince.

If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to do things beautifully, gain praise from everyone, and leave a good impression in the hearts of officials and the people, he can only rely on these Jiangnan noble families.

Patriarch Yang's eyes shone with ambition, "As long as you and I fully support His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in disaster relief, then you and I will be members of the Crown Prince's faction. Think about it, when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince ascends the throne, what will our future be like?"

Patriarch Chen also began to get excited, "Brother Yang, what you mean is that we take the initiative to donate money and food to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and sell ourselves to him?"

Patriarch Yang immediately shook his head, "No, no, taking the initiative to come and passively fight for it are completely different situations."

"The reason is very simple, just like a woman, if she takes the initiative to offer it, will you keep it in your heart and cherish it all the time?"

"Compared to the women you have tried your best to marry, which one will you love more and care more about? I don't need to say more, right?"

After hearing this, several people immediately stood up and bowed, "Brother Yang is very talented, thank you for your guidance."

The four of them gathered for a short while, and then immediately returned to their homes, full of excitement, fantasizing about their future success and waiting for the summons from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

On the first day, the four families did not make any move, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not summon any of them.

The four heads of the family were not in a hurry at all. It was only the first day, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had not yet realized the seriousness of the matter.

Instead, the government officials went out one after another to count the victims affected by the disaster inside and outside the city.

On the second day, the four families still did not make any move, and the four heads of the family were still very calm.

This is just the beginning. It is not time for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to use food yet. After the people affected by the disaster are counted, food should be distributed. At that time, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will definitely think of these aristocratic families.

The government has already started to distribute food for disaster relief.

Yes, the fourth and fifth princes came to Gusu, while the second and third princes, who are both civil and military, went to Shandong to protect the safety of the fragile third prince.

After all, no one can guarantee that the Shandong patrol will not be desperate and directly attack the third prince.

It still takes a person who is both civil and military to protect and escort. The little prince does not want his third brother to be injured again.

Although the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince are not as capable as the Second Prince and the Third Prince in handling state affairs, they are both very capable in execution.

They did whatever the little prince said, and they executed it 100% without any detours.

They would not question his orders.

Moreover, these were the fourth and fifth princes, two princes! They

were in high positions and had great power. No one could restrict them, and no one would dare to play tricks on them or be hypocritical.

Therefore, the policy was implemented very smoothly.

The victims were also very honest. They were almost starving to death. At this time, someone gave them a bite to eat, and that was their adopted parents. Who would be so upset as to cause trouble?

Even the heads of the four major families who got the news felt that something seemed to be wrong.