Chapter 937 He fell for her
Just then, another guard brought an urgent report. Without reading it, he anxiously knocked on the door. "Your Majesty, Prefect Zhang Qian of Yuzhou has sent an urgent message. Something has happened in Yuzhou."
A moment later, Jiang Fenghua followed Xie Shang to the Imperial Study. Xie Shang had summoned his ministers to the palace overnight to discuss the flood in Yuzhou.
Xie Shang and Jiang Fenghua were busy with the flood in Yuzhou until dawn. Wuxin then delivered the dragon robe and busied himself serving the emperor as he dressed and washed.
Jiang Fenghua calmly walked up to Xie Shang and took the belt from Wuxin's hand: "Let me do it!"
Xie Shang suddenly said, "Did Ruan Ruan forget to give me a birthday present?"
Jiang Fenghua gently fastened his belt and straightened his dragon robe. "Your Majesty's birthday gift was prepared long ago, but I was too busy yesterday to give it to Your Majesty."
"The gift Ruan Ruan gave me was that bathrobe, I've already seen it." Xie Shang's voice was full of dissatisfaction. "If I remember correctly, Ruan Ruan prepares the same gift for me every year."
A hint of embarrassment flashed in Jiang Fenghua's eyes, "Actually, I..."
"Ruan Ruan must be tired from accompanying me on official business last night, go back and rest early!" Xie Shang said and was about to leave. He didn't want to hear any of her excuses for not caring about him.
"Your Majesty, I actually have another gift to present to you," Jiang Fenghua called out to him.
Xie Shang spread his hands, "Ruan Ruan has a gift, so give it to me!"
Jiang Fenghua tiptoed and lightly kissed his cheek, saying, "I'll give it to Your Majesty when you're done with your work!"
Xie Shang thought of the erotic scene from last night, but was interrupted by an unexpected event. He changed the subject: "Actually, I have something else to discuss with Ruan Ruan."
"Your Majesty, please speak your mind! I will obey Your Majesty's every command," Jiang Fenghua said.
“Since Xiao Chuanyun is here for Ruan Ruan, you can go and talk to him alone. What evidence does he have to prove that the Yinchuan Ancient Kingdom really existed? We have always been reluctant to believe that such an absurd thing could exist, but the fact is... I can no longer deceive myself that such a strange thing really happened. Perhaps Ruan Ruan really has some connection with the Yinchuan Kingdom!”
"Does Your Majesty trust me?" Jiang Fenghua asked directly.
"Of course I trust Ruan Ruan, and Ruan Ruan won't let me down." He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Actually, Ruan Ruan is my best gift, a gift sent to me by heaven. So I don't care what Ruan Ruan gives me, as long as Ruan Ruan is always by my side."
Jiang Fenghua smiled broadly, “I know that the Great Zhou will face difficulties in the future, and Your Majesty will be very busy. I also know that the flood in Yuzhou is probably not a problem that can be solved by money alone. If the Northern Xiao Kingdom takes the opportunity to attack the Great Zhou, it will also be detrimental to us. Therefore, keeping Xiao Shang alive may be helpful to us.”
Xie Shang said in a deep voice, "Xiao Chuanyun is not that important to Bei Xiao Kingdom now. Bei Xiao Kingdom is not under his control. The Xiao family has other clan princes. If they want to attack Da Zhou, they have to consider whether they will suddenly make a mistake. If Bei Xiao Kingdom dared to send troops, they would have sent troops long ago. Why would he come to alarm Da Zhou? It is true that he has ambitions, but he does not have the ability to contend with Da Zhou at this time."
The reason Xie Shang called him Xiao Chuanyun was because Xiao Shang deliberately gave him the same name, which made him feel uncomfortable.
Jiang Fenghua said, "Since the Emperor knows, what are you worried about? We don't need to be frightened by what he said."
Xie Shang grasped her hand. "I don't want Ruan Ruan to be in any danger. It would be best if the mark between your eyebrows disappeared."
They were actually quite worried, but they were just comforting each other.
Xie Shang went to the morning court session, but Jiang Fenghua did not return to Kunning Palace. Instead, she went to the imperial prison to see Xiao Shang.
She understood Xie Shang's meaning. Xiao Shang had clearly come prepared for this trip to the palace. The heavy rain and the disaster that befell the Great Zhou were both accurate in Xiao Shang's predictions.
In the Golden Palace, Xie Shang listened to the report with a hint of weariness between his brows.
"Even more serious news came from the morning court session this day. Not only Yuzhou was affected by the disaster, but many other places in the Great Zhou were also affected."
"The torrential rain caused floods that destroyed thousands of acres of farmland. It was the busy farming season, and many newly planted crops were destroyed overnight. The rivers were overflowing, breaching the river dams and flooding the villages."
One piece of bad news after another arrived at Xie Shang's desk: torrential rains swept through many prefectures, counties, and towns of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
The Director of the Imperial Observatory stepped forward, his face filled with fear. "Your Majesty, the celestial phenomena are abnormal. There is sudden rain followed by drought, and a locust plague may appear after the rain. Strange noises have been heard in Yongzhou, with mountains collapsing and the earth cracking, and then there is torrential rain. This is a very ominous sign!"
Such an unusual phenomenon has never occurred before. I fear it is related to the rumors circulating recently. The natural disaster is not actually a natural disaster, but rather a man-made one that has triggered it.
The courtiers inside the hall were in an uproar, discussing the matter animatedly.
Jiang Jinyan stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, “Your Majesty, the most urgent task at present is to order officials in all regions to do their utmost to provide disaster relief and reinforce the dikes. The Ministry of Revenue should immediately coordinate the allocation of grain and fodder to prepare for any eventuality. It is not enough for the court to simply allocate funds for disaster relief; manpower and effort are also required. If the people of Great Zhou are united as one, they will surely be able to overcome this natural disaster.”
Upon hearing Jiang Jinyan's words, Xiao Yu stepped forward and said, "I second that proposal."
Immediately afterwards, other officials stepped forward and echoed their sentiments.
Xie Shang's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. He said in a deep voice, "Follow Minister Jiang's suggestion, everyone should devote all their efforts to disaster relief..."
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The Heavenly Prison.
Xiao Shang was tightly bound to the iron wall by special cold iron chains. When he saw Jiang Fenghua arrive, a wanton smile appeared on his lips. "Empress Jiang, my prophecy has come true, hasn't it! A great calamity has descended from the heavens..."
His face was pale, but his eyes were unusually bright.
Jiang Fenghua noticed the injuries on his body, clearly indicating that he had suffered some physical pain the previous night. She thought to herself: So even though Xiao Shang was reborn into Xiao Chuanyun's body, he was just an ordinary body that could bleed.
He knew this natural disaster would happen, simply because he had experienced it in his previous life. But this time, Jiang Fenghua guessed wrong.
Jiang Fenghua didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "There are no outsiders here. I want to hear how Prince Xiao judged that Great Zhou is about to suffer disaster. If Prince Xiao tells me the truth, I can save your life."
"Jiang Fenghua, just admit it! You're not the same person you used to be. You're actually just like me. Don't you want to find out why?"
Jiang Fenghua remained calm and composed. How could she possibly admit it? "I don't know what Prince Xiao is talking about, and I don't have time to beat around the bush with him. Let's get straight to the point!"
"What does Your Majesty wish to discuss?" Xiao Shang asked again. "If Your Majesty requests my help, I can tell you the truth."
"Besides the Ice Phoenix Jade Seal you gave me, what other evidence do you have to prove that what you said is true? Otherwise, I cannot save your life." Jiang Fenghua's voice was calm and unwavering.
"Didn't Your Majesty read the books I gave you?"
Jiang Fenghua asked knowingly, "I don't know? What book?"
He said, "The words in the book have come true, haven't they? This disaster was brought about by Empress Jiang. Xie Shang didn't take his anger out on you?"
Jiang Fenghua smiled faintly, "No, His Majesty and I have always had a very good relationship."
Xiao Shang suddenly felt a little jealous, "He has so many women, aren't you angry?"
“Prince Xiao must have many women too! Doesn’t your beloved woman get angry?” Jiang Fenghua retorted.
Xiao Shang stared at her beautiful face, thinking that whether in his past life or this life, he had never had a beloved woman, nor many women.
Until he met Jiang Fenghua, he fell in love with her.
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