Chapter 208 United We Stand
"Your Majesty..." Qi Heng still wanted to insist, but seeing the emperor's firm attitude, he had to give up, his heart full of reluctance and worry.
He looked up at Minglan, only to see that Minglan's eyes were also full of reluctance, but she could only suppress her emotions and turn her face away.
Gu Tingye requested to accompany the army for guarding, but the emperor was afraid that if there was unrest in the capital at this time, there would be no one available, so he kept Gu Tingye. After some discussion and consulting the empress dowager, it was decided to send Cao Shi to the disaster area to be in charge of the guard work. After
everything was arranged, the ministers of various departments received the order and went back to prepare. Minglan also said goodbye to the emperor and the empress dowager and left the palace to prepare.
When they reached Daqing Gate, in the pouring rain, Qi Heng finally caught up with Minglan. He stood in the rain, looking a little bleak, with a look of confusion and persistence: "Why are you so determined not to let me accompany you to the disaster relief?"
Seeing this, Minglan hurriedly ordered the palace maids to hold an umbrella for Qi Heng, and she looked at him solemnly, "This trip is dangerous."
"Because it is dangerous, I want to go with you and protect you..." Qi Heng retorted.
"Qi Yuanruo!" Minglan interrupted him, her voice carrying a hint of severity, "As the only son in the family, you carry the high hopes of the princess and the duke. If you encounter an accident while providing disaster relief, how will they bear the pain? Besides, I am accompanied by soldiers from the Song Dynasty for protection, and I also have martial arts skills, so I can still protect myself. There is no need for you to take risks yourself!"
Minglan's words were like a basin of cold water, which instantly cooled Qi Heng's enthusiasm, and a look of frustration appeared on his face.
Seeing his lost look, Minglan still felt sorry for him, so she softened her voice and explained, "Brother Yuanruo, disaster relief is important on the front line, but the supply of materials in the rear is equally important. When the rain stops, I will lead the advance team and take some materials with me.
Whether the subsequent materials can be delivered in time is not only related to my safety, but also directly affects the livelihoods of the people in the disaster area. I need you to stay. In the capital, she will stay behind to ensure that every grain of food and every piece of clothing can be accurately delivered to the disaster area, and to resist the evil spirits behind who may take the opportunity to cause trouble. "Brother Yuanruo, do you understand?"
Minglan's words were not meant to deceive Qi Heng. She was really worried that there would be termites who would take advantage of the national disaster to enrich themselves. She really needed someone who could quickly report to the emperor and was upright to stay behind.
Qi Heng heard this and knew that what Minglan said made sense, so he was no longer disappointed, regained his spirits, sent Minglan home, and left in a hurry.
When Minglan returned to Sheng Mansion, everyone had already received the news that she would go to the disaster area to provide disaster relief on behalf of the emperor.
When people heard that she was about to go to the disaster area on behalf of the emperor, they felt mixed emotions. This was supposed to be a great feat that showed patriotism and benefited the people, but the situation in the disaster area was still unknown, and with the earthquake and floods intertwined, the road ahead was dangerous and distressing. Rulan hugged Minglan and burst into tears. She was too worried about Minglan. Even Molan, who was married, got the news and rushed back from Liang Mansion. The two of them hugged Minglan, both of them were worried.
Minglan was in the care of everyone, and her eyes gently swept over everyone, but Mingxi was not seen. After calming everyone down, Minglan returned to Chengxin Garden.
Mingxi was sitting at the desk, concentrating and writing furiously.
"Mother, what are you writing?" Minglan asked curiously.
"Disaster relief manual!" Mingxi did not even raise her head, and tried to record all the disaster relief knowledge she knew in modern times into a book, hoping that it would be helpful for disaster relief.
After she finished writing, she explained it to Minglan one by one, making sure that Minglan remembered every detail. Afterwards, Mingxi got busy again, packing Minglan's bag, carefully decorating the necessary personal belongings, and personally went to the warehouse to select a large number of medicinal materials in case of emergency.
Seeing Mingxi busy, Minglan felt a warm current in her heart, and couldn't help asking: "Aniang, why don't you ask me why I insist on going to the disaster relief?"
Mingxi stopped her work and looked at Minglan with tenderness and depth: "This is a great thing that benefits the country and the people and will benefit future generations. If Aniang was not a weak woman, she would also go with you to the disaster area. You have the ability and status. This is your mission and your honor. How can I stop you, and how can I question your decision?"
Minglan was deeply moved when she heard this. She knew that no matter what choice she made, Aniang would always be the one who understood her the most and supported her the most. She walked gently to Mingxi, snuggled in her arms, acted coquettishly towards her, and enjoyed this rare warmth and peace.
Perhaps it was God's will that the rain finally stopped in the evening, and the sky was filled with gorgeous sunset glow, like a fiery red satin, so beautiful that it was intoxicating. Mingxi told Minglan that this was a good sign, and the trip would be successful!
On the second day, the sky cleared up, the sky was clear and the sky was blue, which was more conducive to the preparation of supplies by various departments. As
the hour of Chen approached, Qi Heng unexpectedly appeared in front of the Sheng Mansion, with fatigue and determination from a sleepless night. Minglan went forward and found out that he had left in a hurry yesterday to collect supplies in person. Outside the door, fully loaded carriages were lined up, piled with food, quilts, clothes and medicinal materials, all of which Qi Heng had collected as much as he could.
"After listening to you yesterday, I realized that the six ministries would not be able to gather supplies so quickly, so I gathered all the supplies that Qi Fu could. Although it is a drop in the bucket, it is better than nothing." Qi Heng's voice was a little hoarse, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look even more haggard.
Minglan looked at the dark circles in front of his eyes, and a wave of tenderness and pity surged in her heart. "You didn't sleep all night?"
Qi Heng shook his head gently, not wanting to worry her, but Minglan saw through him, and couldn't help but step forward and hugged him tightly.
At this time, Rulan and Chang Zhang happened to come to the door, and they quickly covered each other's eyes when they saw this, but they couldn't help but peek at this warm scene through their fingers.
Chang Zhang slapped Ru Lan's hand and asked Ru Lan, "Fifth sister, you said that Second Brother Gu, Third Brother, Third Brother, and Fourth Sister are all married, and even you have an engagement with Brother Yun Ting, why Sixth Sister and Brother Yuan Ruo are not engaged yet?"
Speaking of this, Ru Lan didn't know how to answer Chang Zhang. After thinking carefully, she replied, "Maybe good things come hard!"
Ru Lan and Chang Zhang also came to deliver supplies to Ming Lan. The old lady and Wang Ruofu sorted out their own and Sheng's accounts and sent all the supplies that could be mobilized to Ming Lan. Not long after, Hai Chaoyun and Liu Wenxuan also sent a lot of supplies.
Because Qi Heng sent supplies in a grand manner in the morning, by the evening, many families in Bianjing had collected supplies from their homes and sent them. Ming Lan saw that everyone was united and worked together, and believed that this disaster relief would definitely return safely.
On the second day, Minglan was dressed in riding clothes, looking heroic and valiant, and the whole team was ready to go. The emperor and the empress brought all the civil and military officials to the scene and personally saw off the disaster relief team, showing their deep concern for the disaster victims.