Chapter 129 Promise me to stay in the mansion
She knew that Gu Huailing wanted her to take the initiative to tell him about her relationship with Yan Xi.
If he really knew the relationship between him and Yan Xi, how would they get along?
Yan Xi is a descendant of the Southern Chu royal family, and she is Yan Xi's sister.
Once their relationship is made public and exploited by someone with ulterior motives, Gu Huailing will certainly be implicated.
The air pressure in the Prime Minister's Mansion was extremely low for several days.
Gu Huailing forced her to eat every day, but it was obvious that Shen Yuan was getting thinner day by day.
Neither of them spoke during lunch.
Gu Huailing put down his chopsticks and said, "I'll send someone to get Miss Liu to come and talk to you."
Chen Yuan shook her head, looked at Gu Huailing with a faint dark blue in her eyes and said, "My Lord, I have something to tell you."
When they were together, they rarely let servants serve them.
Gu Huailing looked at her steadily.
"Yizhou is about to be hit by a flood. In his previous life, Gu Jingchu was able to preserve the hereditary title of Marquis because of his contributions in disaster relief."
"I have already ordered all the Shen family shops to stock up on food around Yizhou. My Lord, you should also prepare in advance."
Gu Huailing's expression turned serious. "What were the casualties in Yizhou in the previous life?"
"A lot of people."
In the court, Emperor Tiansheng looked at Gu Huailing and asked, "My dear minister, why did you suddenly think of building a dam in Yizhou?"
"Your Majesty, last night the Imperial Observatory reported that Yizhou will experience heavy rain soon, and if it continues, there will be flooding. Since the Imperial Observatory has said so, the court should also make early preparations."
The director of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory came out and knelt on the ground. "Your Excellency, the Prime Minister is absolutely right. I observed the stars tonight and found that Yizhou is in danger of flooding."
Emperor Tiansheng did not express his opinion immediately.
Building dams means money.
The Minister of Revenue stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, you may not know that the constant war in the northwest has depleted the national treasury. If we build a dam now, I'm afraid we will be unable to do so even though we have the will."
Gu Huailing stood motionless with a frosty face.
After the Minister of Revenue finished speaking, he pulled the Minister of Works out again and said, "Besides, the Ministry of Works has always done a good job in dam construction. I think there will be no problem with the heavy rain."
The Minister of Works immediately stated: "There will be no problems with the dam built by the Ministry of Works."
Emperor Tiansheng waited until the courtier finished speaking before turning his attention to him, "Huai Ling, you heard it too. The dam doesn't need to be reinforced now."
"Your Majesty, there are tens of thousands of people in Yizhou. It won't cost much money just to reinforce the dike."
Emperor Tiansheng didn't have much patience. He waved his hand and said, "There's no need to discuss this matter further."
Outside the hall, rain fell.
Gu Huailing returned home in the rain.
Seven days later, the report on the flood in Yizhou was delivered to Gu Huailing.
Emperor Tiansheng sent him to control the flood.
The rain in the capital has never stopped, which also foreshadows that the rain in Yizhou will be even heavier.
Chen Yuan stood in the corridor with his hands stretched out into the rain.
The raindrops fell on her hands, feeling a little cold.
Through the rain curtain, Shen Yuan saw Gu Huailing walking towards her with an umbrella.
As soon as Gu Huailing walked to the corridor, Sijiu took the umbrella.
His expression was still calm and composed, and that noble and extraordinary face always looked good.
He held Chen Yuan's hand and wiped the raindrops off her hand bit by bit with a handkerchief.
He spoke softly, "The Emperor sent me to Yizhou to control the floods. Madam will be alone in the capital for the next few days."
There was a trace of worry in Chen Yuan's eyes. "There are so many people in the Ministry of Revenue. You are the Prime Minister of the dynasty. Why did you send you?"
Gu Huailing held Chen Yuan's slightly cold hand, "Don't worry, Madam. Just promise me one thing: don't leave the house, okay?"
He looked at Shen Yuan with dark eyes, wanting to get a positive answer from her.
"I'll go with you."
"No, it's dangerous to take my wife with you on this trip. I'll be distracted."
Under Gu Huailing's gaze, Shen Yuan finally nodded.
Chen Yuan turned and walked into the room, "When are you leaving? I'll go pack your bags for you."
"Let's go now."
Outside the Prime Minister's Mansion, Gu Huailing and others were riding on horseback.
Shen Yuan stuffed a jade pendant into Gu Huailing's hand and said, "Master, take this jade pendant. With this jade pendant, you can command all the businesses of the Shen family."
"I have sent word to the shopkeepers near Yizhou. The rice and grain have already been prepared. You can contact them anytime if you need anything."
Shen Yuan looked at him and said, "I hope you return safely, sir. I will wait for you at home."
Gu Huailing's eyes were filled with warmth, and he opened his thin lips slightly, "Okay."
"Madam, let's go back to the house. The rain is too heavy." Taozi whispered beside Shen Yuan.
Chen Yuan looked up at the rain-covered sky and said, "I feel uneasy if I send a few more letters to Yizhou Merchants."
"Madam, are you going to leave the capital again?" Taozi asked cautiously.
Chen Yuan shook her head, "I promised you that I would wait for him at home, and I will keep my word."
Gu Huailing traveled at full speed through the night, galloping towards Yizhou.
Before reaching Yizhou, the road became muddy and difficult to travel on.
Some of the refugees fleeing on the road were dressed in rags and had numb expressions.
Sijiu pointed to the vaguely visible city wall in the distance and said, "Sir, the border of Yizhou is just ahead."
The rain was heavy and the disaster was more serious than he had imagined. He whipped his horse and urged it on, "Hurry up and make sure we get to Yizhou before dark."
There was chaos in Yizhou City, with water everywhere, and the sky was still wet and it was raining all the time.
Gu Huailing's eyes grew more serious. "After the flood, there will be an epidemic. Sijiu sent a message to the capital. I need enough herbs that can fight the epidemic."
His brows furrowed. "Send another message to Madam, asking her to secretly collect herbs to combat the disease."
The road was full of water. Upon learning that Gu Huailing had entered the city, the prefect of Yizhou hurried to greet him in his official uniform.
"Your humble servant, Ma Youcai, the prefect of Yizhou, respectfully welcomes the Prime Minister."
He was covered in fat and had a greasy face.
Gu Huailing knew what kind of person Ma Youcai was at a glance.
Gu Huailing's face was calm, his voice cold, "The relief money and grain allocated by the court will arrive soon. We have opened the Yizhou granary and built porridge tents on high ground for the people to live in."
Ma Youcai's chubby face was covered in cold sweat. "It's not that I don't want to, it's just that the rain is so heavy. We have limited manpower in the government office, so we've sent out everyone we can."
Gu Huailing gave Ma Youcai a cold and sullen look.
"Someone will do it. Now take me to see the breach in the dam."
Ma Youcai was even more troubled. "Master Prime Minister, it's getting late and the road is not easy to walk on. Why don't we wait until the rain subsides tomorrow?"
Sijiu drew out his steel knife and placed it across Ma Youcai's neck. "Lead the way."
Ma Youcai fell to the ground, then quickly got up and said, "Yes, it's the Prime Minister."
Gu Huailing stood at the broken dam, his face as cold as water. He suppressed his anger and looked at Ma Youcai.
"Master Ma, this officer needs an explanation."
The dam in the distance has been in disrepair for a long time. The flood was caused by corruption.
Ma Youcai's legs softened and he knelt on the ground, crying, "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, please understand. I am just a small-time prefect. I dare not interfere in the construction of the dam."
Gu Huailing looked at him without a trace of warmth in his eyes, "Get up and answer properly."
After receiving Gu Huailing's letter, Chen Yuan immediately went to Huichun Hall.
What shocked her was that, except for Huichuntang, all the herbs that could treat the epidemic in other pharmacies in the capital had been taken away.
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