Chapter 66 Disaster Relief
As soon as Lu Weiqing arrived in Qingzhou, someone in Chang'an reported him, saying that he was delaying disaster relief and extorting money from the people.
In the imperial study, two minor clerks prostrated themselves on the ground.
They were supposed to be in the disaster relief team and go to Qingzhou together, but they left the team secretly and returned to Chang'an.
"Your Majesty, I saw with my own eyes that the relief grain was burned, and the relief money has also disappeared."
"Lu Qinchao acted as if nothing had happened and said he wanted to push his nephew out to take the blame."
The emperor exuded a chill, his dark eyes scanning the two of them.
The two clerks were so frightened that their legs couldn't stop shaking, but they still insisted, "Your Majesty, I have deserted my post. Please punish me."
"We know this is impossible, but we insist on doing it. If the victims are displaced or even riots occur due to Lu Qincha's dereliction of duty, we will be held responsible even if we die!"
The emperor looked at them deeply and his attitude softened.
At this time, Marquis Yongqing stepped forward and made a speech.
The governor of Qingzhou recently sent an urgent secret report. Lu Weiqing, on the pretext of being ordered by the emperor to inspect Qingzhou, requested that the Qingzhou government build him a palace of ten thousand feet in length and organize all officials to line the streets to welcome him.
In order to build the palace, the governor had to mobilize the people and provide work in lieu of relief, which made their lives miserable.
The governor wrote a letter in blood, begging the emperor to send troops to arrest Lu Weiqing.
The emperor flew into a rage upon hearing this and threw the secret report onto the table.
"What a great Lu Weiqing, what a great Imperial Envoy!"
"Drag him away and put him in the imperial prison."
The two minor officials were escorted away by the Jinwu Guards.
Marquis Yongqing took the opportunity to suggest that the General Auxiliary State was willing to lead troops to suppress the Lu family rebellion.
The emperor pondered for a while but did not express his opinion.
"Your Majesty, Lu Weiqing is so arrogant. I'm afraid this action is related to his alliance with the Jiang family!"
Marquis Yongqing acted as if he was deeply distressed, and hinted in his words that Lu Weiqing had set his sights on the Jiang family's military power and intended to rebel.
The emperor was indeed shaken and seemed to be persuaded by his words.
He knew that if he said more, it would be superfluous, so he waited quietly for the emperor's decision.
Unfortunately, the emperor did not agree to let the General Auxiliary State lead the troops in the end. Instead, he said that perhaps there were special situations on the way and he had to wait and see what happened.
Marquis Yongqing obeyed the order and took his leave.
As soon as he left the imperial study, he put away his respectful look.
He cursed in his heart, saying that the emperor was incompetent and had been completely brainwashed by Lu Weiqing. Even when it came to military power and rebellion, he couldn't bring him down.
Marquis Yongqing was so angry that he wanted to see the result. He decided to let that idiot see the consequences of the Qingzhou disaster victims' riot.
What he didn't know was that the emperor rejected his request to send troops, but summoned another person to give him advice overnight.
The man took the Xuan Ge Army's military token and rode a fast horse south at night.
In Qingzhou, a welcoming banquet was held in a fierce competition.
Before they became close friends, everyone could see that the Qingzhou Governor was a brainless and arrogant fool.
While drinking and chatting, nine out of ten of his sentences were telling others that he had someone superior to him.
Lu Weiqing had already found out his bottom line before coming.
This man was just a local rich man. Somehow he got in touch with a treacherous minister who sold official positions and titles, and bought a small official position.
The previous governor was an old man who had always been incorruptible. He had been an official all his life and had only managed to become a governor.
When the prince arrived, the two of them worked tirelessly and finally brought the disaster under control.
But as soon as the prince left, he was stripped of his official hat and accused of corruption and poor governance. In a fit of anger, he jumped into the river and died.
The incompetent Wu Wei took office and transformed himself from a small ninth-rank official into the governor of Qingzhou.
As for the person above him, it goes without saying that it is Marquis Yongqing.
The one who wanted to kill him so badly was that old man.
After three rounds of drinks, Wu Wei became more and more excited, saying one thing after another that could be punished by death, and everyone could no longer hold back their anger.
Lu Weiqing always maintained his composure and sometimes even seemed to appreciate his compliments.
"Sir Wu, thank you for your hospitality."
"We all know the situation. As you said, the disaster in Qingzhou was completely exaggerated. The people are living and working in peace and contentment now, right?"
Wu Wei nodded in agreement, feeling that Lu Weiqing was not as the Marquis said. He was a very easy-to-deal-with person and very understanding.
"That's the truth, but we have a mission to fulfill, so we have to put in some superficial effort."
"I also hope that Governor Wu can understand and be accommodating."
Wu Wei smiled so hard that his teeth were showing, and he raised his glass repeatedly while burping.
He had seen many people like this. They burned their food without making a sound, and even had the nerve to come with a cart full of food.
What’s the use of a cart of grain?
In his opinion, this imperial envoy was just the same as him and had no intention of doing his job properly.
"Sure, sure. If you need any help, feel free to borrow from me."
"One more thing, calling him an official title is too distant. Brother Lu and I can just call each other brothers from now on!"
Lu Weiqing actually nodded in agreement.
"Brother Wu."
This shout made Wu Wei feel relieved, while Lu Yu was angry and smashed the plate to the ground with a loud bang.
This bastard official dares to call my uncle his brother. What does he think of him?
What a bastard, he doesn't deserve it.
Wu Wei glanced at him and squinted his eyes and said, "Why did you neglect this little brother?"
The maid who served tea to Lu Yu had no time to beg for mercy before her hands were chopped off at the base of her palms, and blood splattered all over Lu Yu's face.
Guards immediately came up and dragged her away and cleaned up the scene.
The other maids seemed to be accustomed to such situations. They didn't even glance at it and continued to serve the distinguished guests at the table numbly.
Lu Yu was so frightened that his legs were shaking, but he tried hard to stay together to maintain his dignity.
Everyone also had their own thoughts. The guards around Wu Wei were all very skilled in martial arts, and their food and drink were spent in a luxurious and extravagant manner, which was completely not the level of an ordinary local official.
It is indeed as he said, the power behind him is not small.
The banquet lasted until midnight.
On the second day, Wu Wei actually sent a team of people to help them set up tents and distribute porridge.
People were coming and going on the street, almost all of them carrying hoes, axes, and chisels, and carrying stones and mud on their backs. The construction site was in full swing, and almost no one cared about this small porridge stall.
Lu Yu received orders from his uncle and stayed there closely.
The sun was blazing, and after two hours of guarding, I couldn't help but want to back out.
The people Wu Wei sent to monitor them couldn't stand it anymore and hid in the shade to cool off.
At this time, Lu Yu finally saw the real victims. They were ragged, pale and thin. They looked at the steaming white porridge warily, swallowed hard, but did not dare to step forward.
Suddenly, a dusty kid couldn't help but rush to the porridge stall. He didn't care that it was hot and wolfed down a big bowl of porridge in one gulp. Then he begged for more porridge and drank five bowls in a row.
Seeing that he had no abnormalities after drinking the porridge, the victims hiding in the corners began to crowd in to get the porridge.
The child didn't run away after drinking the porridge, but huddled beside the porridge shed.
Lu Yu went up to talk to him and asked him why he didn't go home.
The child calmly told him, "No one is home."
"Everyone in my family has died. They died from drinking this porridge distributed by the government."
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