Xuejian frowned slightly, seemingly not quite understanding Qin Yu's plan.
Qin Yu didn't explain further; he picked up a list.
This is a list of ministers who paid money and pledged to take on national debt.
As Qin Yu looked at each of the names, his gaze grew colder and his expression became extremely unpleasant.
"These parasites are the reason why the people of Great Xia are living in such a miserable state."
Even as an emperor, Lao Tzu was so poor that he had to resort to extortion and digging up people's ancestral graves to make money!
These parasites, who were rolling in money, have finally been exposed!
Qin Yu gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Your Majesty... but if the national debt to the officials is not repaid, and they start making a fuss, it could cause a huge political upheaval!"
Xuejian's eyes were filled with worry.
Qin Yu took a deep breath and sneered.
"Don't worry, I've already made plans. Someone will naturally take the blame for me when the time comes."
He had planned everything in advance, and even devised an escape route.
Just then, Anfu approached again, his brows furrowed.
Seeing this, Qin Yu waved his hand and asked in a low voice, "What, is there anything else to report?"
"There is indeed one more thing, Your Majesty, Li Geng has returned."
Anfu reported in a low voice.
Qin Yu's face showed a hint of anticipation: "Li Geng, you're back?"
In recent days, Li Geng has been sent to the three southwestern prefectures to learn about the latest situation in the disaster area.
After all, being in this deep palace, Sima Lie's spies were everywhere.
It was unrealistic to want to know the extent of the disaster; the information he could get was mostly what Sima Lie wanted him to know.
Qin Yu had no choice but to find another way, and asked Li Geng to personally make a trip to the three southwestern prefectures on his behalf.
Li Geng is highly skilled in martial arts and extremely loyal.
Now that Li Geng has returned to Beijing after achieving his goal, Qin Yu is naturally overjoyed.
He pondered for a moment, then asked, "Has any intelligence been received?"
"Of course there are."
Anfu nodded, then took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Qin Yu, continuing, "When General Li returned, he sent a secret letter, saying it contained detailed intelligence about the three southwestern prefectures."
Qin Yu took the letter, unfolded it, and carefully read its contents.
The letter provided a detailed account of the situation in the three southwestern prefectures.
Even though he had long been mentally prepared for the disaster in the three southwestern prefectures, his pupils still trembled violently when he saw the scene described in the letter!
The once prosperous three southwestern prefectures have now become ruins, littered with corpses and filled with the cries of the dying!
In this immense catastrophe, the number of civilians who died was countless.
The bark of trees throughout the three southwestern prefectures was completely eaten, and even the heinous practice of exchanging children for food is a thing of the past.
It has now developed to the point where people really... eat whatever they see.
Anfu and Xuejian saw Qin Yu's expression gradually turn ashen, exchanged a glance, and both saw the fear in each other's eyes.
The situation in these three southwestern prefectures is probably a hundred or a thousand times worse than they imagined!
After reading it, Qin Yu slammed the letter to the ground.
"This is absolutely outrageous!"
Qin Yu's eyes were bloodshot, and his chest was burning with rage, his resentment almost unbearable.
Xuejian and Anfu exchanged a glance. Anfu went over and took the intelligence report to read it. After reading it, he was equally furious.
Finally, the information was passed on to Xuejian.
Xuejian, being a woman, was deeply moved upon seeing this information, and her whole body trembled.
"My God, the disaster in the three southwestern prefectures has become so severe, yet the government and the public are all concealing this fact."
Qin Yu's eyes were bloodshot. "These corrupt officials are utterly inhuman! They deserve to die, they deserve to be torn to pieces!"
"With so many people losing their lives, natural disasters are secondary; in my opinion, man-made disasters are the primary cause!"
With so many people dying, the drought could have been overcome if the imperial court had provided timely disaster relief.
However, under Sima Lie's instructions, the court and the public concealed the truth and did not provide disaster relief. Instead, they continued to exploit the people, which led to this great tragedy!
Qin Yu clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.
If the time hadn't been too short, he would have had the urge to go on a killing spree and massacre the Golden Palace!
"Your Majesty is right. These corrupt officials deserve to die!"
Anfu was also filled with righteous indignation and said in a resentful voice.
Qin Yu took a deep breath to calm his raging emotions. Then, he opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "This disaster relief effort is of utmost importance. We absolutely cannot afford any more mistakes! We must save the people of the three southwestern prefectures!"
Xuejian and Anfu responded in unison, their expressions solemn.
Qin Yu's expression softened slightly. Fortunately, the money was now secured. The key was to keep Zhang Tang's position as Imperial Envoy. He couldn't let Sima Lie's men take it, or the disaster relief funds would be embezzled by them!
He originally intended to use this opportunity to bring Zhang Tang back to power, but now that the disaster is so severe, it is necessary to have a loyal minister like Zhang Tang to handle things.
After thinking everything through, Qin Yu's expression finally softened a little.
He looked at Anfu and became concerned about another extremely important matter.
"How's the situation at the Lishan hunting grounds?"
This was the perfect training ground he had chosen for Li Geng's men! It was also the secret armed force used to protect Zhang Tang on his journey to the southwest for disaster relief!
Upon hearing this, Anfu immediately cupped his hands and replied, "Your Majesty, everything is going smoothly. The two hundred assassins have all been secretly deployed."
"Well done!"
Qin Yu nodded slightly and then said, "Go back and tell Li Geng that I will go there in three days and have him organize the two hundred assassins and train them secretly."
"Your servant obeys the decree."
Anfu bowed and accepted the order.
Qin Yu paused for a moment, then continued, "Tell Li Geng again that time is of the essence, and I can't give them much time to train. Disaster relief is urgent, and I'm afraid I'll soon have a task to assign to them!"
After giving all the necessary instructions, Qin Yu dismissed the two men and emerged from the secret room.
After thinking it over, Qin Yu decided to go to Qingyun Temple first.
The trip to Qingyun Temple was for official business, and it also provided an opportunity to secretly visit the Heavenly Prison.
Especially at times like these, he needs to rely on these few remaining loyal ministers!
However, before he could even leave the house, a beautiful figure bumped into his arms, and a soft, fragrant touch enveloped him.
"This servant, Ziyan, greets Your Majesty."
Upon seeing Zi Yan, Qin Yu smiled slightly and asked in return, "Does the Empress wish to invite me over again?"
Zi Yan lowered her head and said respectfully, "The Empress heard that Your Majesty has finished court and was worried that Your Majesty might be hungry, so she sent me to invite Your Majesty to dine with you."
"oh?"
Qin Yu was surprised, and said with a half-smile, "The Empress actually knows how to care about me now. Alright then, let's go."
After saying that, he set off for the Empress's palace.
Are you worried that he's not hungry?
He definitely wouldn't believe that reason unless he's hopelessly narcissistic.
As for what Zhao Lan was planning, he had a rough idea.
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