Upon hearing this, Liu Caiqing also stood up and saw Qin Yu off.
As night deepened, Qin Yu returned to the palace and enjoyed a good night's sleep.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, he had to prepare to go to court.
In the imperial court, all the officials had arrived.
Qin Yu walked out dressed in a dragon robe, sat casually on the dragon throne, and stroked the hand of the maid beside him, looking completely absorbed in the moment.
"Attend court!"
All the civil and military officials knelt down and respectfully said, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
After Qin Yu sat down, Sima Lie swaggered in late.
"Greetings, Prime Minister!"
All the officials then bowed to Sima Lie in unison.
"Rise," Sima Lie said calmly.
After the officials expressed their gratitude, they stood on both sides and waited quietly.
Qin Yu sat upright on his desk, completely accustomed to everything. His face showed no sign of anything amiss. Instead, he yawned boredly and said absentmindedly, "My dear ministers, if you have something to say, please speak. If not, the court is adjourned. I'd like to go back and take a nap."
Seeing Qin Yu like this, others couldn't help but secretly despise him.
The officials had become immune to Qin Yu's incompetence.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"
Suddenly, a minister with a mustache stepped forward.
Qin Yu looked up and saw that the face was somewhat unfamiliar.
This must be the imperial censor sent from Longxi.
"Who are you? I've never seen you before."
Qin Yu feigned surprise as she looked at the man who stepped forward, and said with a blank expression.
"Your humble servant is Liu Guocheng, Imperial Censor of Longxi, who has come to the capital to pay homage to Your Majesty."
The man cupped his hands in a respectful bow and said.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu nodded and asked, "What does Minister Liu have to report?"
Liu Guocheng smiled slightly, straightened up, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I have brought the latest intelligence from the front lines."
"oh?"
Qin Yu immediately perked up and stared intently at Liu Guocheng.
All the officials turned to look at him.
Liu Guocheng smiled and said with his head held high, "Your Majesty, under Zhao Hu's command, the border troops have won one victory after another, causing the Xiongnu to flee in disarray, their men and horses falling in disarray, suffering heavy losses..."
He went on and on praising the battle situation at the border.
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.
"As expected of Zhao Hu of Longxi, he is incredibly brave and fierce, and he has made the Xiongnu people suffer a lot."
"Yes, yes, our border region can finally hold its head high."
...
Qin Yu became increasingly pleased as he listened, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He stood up and praised, "As expected of my father-in-law, you are truly a divine general, bringing glory to our Great Xia! I will reward you, I will reward you handsomely!"
At this point, Qin Yu paused, took a few steps to the left and right, and announced, "Guards, write this down: I will reward him with a yellow riding jacket, and I will also reward him with fine silks and satins, and in addition..."
Qin Yu talked at length about bestowing gifts like precious swords and yellow jackets, but didn't give him a single penny.
But Liu Guocheng remained agitated upon hearing this and knelt down on the ground with a thud.
"On behalf of General Zhao, I thank Your Majesty for your great favor!"
He kowtowed with obvious delight.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
All the officials bowed in unison.
In the arena, only Sima Lie remained expressionless, his eyelids twitching incessantly.
He really wanted to stand up and refute all of these ridiculous and nonsensical rewards.
The problem is that Zhao Hu has made such great contributions, and it seems he can't refute it.
Finally, he simply put his hands behind his back and closed his eyes to avoid seeing or worrying about it.
"Your Majesty, I have another matter to report!"
Liu Guocheng, who had just stood up, suddenly spoke.
"What else is there? Speak!"
Qin Yu glanced at him and asked with a faint smile.
"Your Majesty, a great disaster has struck the three southwestern prefectures, leaving the people displaced and various uprisings and rebellions breaking out. Those who cannot survive have even begun to eat clay and exchange their own children for food."
Liu Guocheng paused, then continued, "Your humble servant suggests that the court should open the granaries as soon as possible to provide disaster relief, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable!"
Before Qin Yu could speak, Sima Lie, who had just closed his eyes, suddenly opened them.
Two sharp glints flashed in his eyes, and he stood up, patting the armrest.
"Nonsense! How dare you, a mere censor, spout such outrageous and alarmist remarks in the imperial court?"
He questioned coldly!
Liu Guocheng trembled with fear.
Sima Lie snorted coldly and said to Qin Yu, "Your Majesty, I believe he is simply talking nonsense."
Qin Yu frowned, sat back on the dragon throne, and remained silent for a moment, seemingly hesitant.
Liu Guocheng, sitting below the stage, immediately became anxious and quickly said, "Your Majesty, what I said is not a lie. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may send people out to investigate. The most urgent task is to provide disaster relief as soon as possible, Your Majesty."
"shut up!"
Sima Lie waved his sleeve, glared at Liu Guocheng, and shouted, "You are clearly spreading alarmist rumors and misleading the king. You are just trying to swindle money and grain from disaster relief. You deserve to die!"
"Your Majesty, I have been wronged."
Liu Guocheng shouted immediately.
Sima Lie narrowed his eyes. It seemed that the Zhao family was clearly going to oppose him.
This move, which cuts off the enemy's supply lines, is a clever strategy.
If the court spends all its money on disaster relief, how can it then seek peace with the Xiongnu?
If he cannot make peace, what will he do if the Xiongnu attack his Youzhou in the future?
Based on the above considerations, Sima Lie was determined not to let the disaster relief work be accomplished!
And Liu Guocheng? Faced with Sima Lie's power, he was surprisingly resolute at this moment.
He still didn't back down, but knelt down with a thud, bowed his head and said loudly, "Your Majesty, this matter is extremely urgent. Every second of delay will cause countless disaster victims to starve to death. We cannot delay any longer, Your Majesty!"
Silence. The silence in the Golden Palace was terrifying.
Liu Guocheng waited for a long time, but there was still no response.
He looked up suspiciously, and then froze.
On the dragon throne, Qin Yu seemed not to have heard his words, and lecherously tugged at the hand of a palace maid beside him, playing with it in his hand.
In front of so many people, the palace maid lowered her head in embarrassment, not daring to breathe.
She tried desperately to pull her hand back, but she was too weak and couldn't break free.
Moreover, the emperor had a strong grip, squeezing the palace maid so hard that she felt unbearable pain, and her delicate body trembled slightly.
However, the palace maid did not cry out; she simply gritted her teeth and endured the emperor's lewd behavior.
Liu Guocheng's expression was blank; he didn't know what to say.
This is the Imperial Palace!
I had heard in Longxi that the emperor was lustful and incompetent, but I never imagined that he would be so absurd.
They've completely abandoned any semblance of royal dignity!
After a long while, seeing that Qin Yu still didn't move, he finally reacted, gritted his teeth, and shouted, "Your Majesty, please issue an order to provide disaster relief as soon as possible!"
Qin Yu finally raised her head and met Liu Guocheng's expectant eyes.
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