Chapter 22 Xiao Mingzhang finally fell ill (Second update...)
A few months ago, when Xiao Mingzhang had just returned from Jinling, Yan Qian was still advising him to get rid of Yunzhu. Now, seeing the couple so affectionate, it's impossible for him not to have some thoughts.
But he still had a smile on his face.
So Xiao Mingzhang pretended not to know what he was thinking, nodded slightly to him, and went into the house first.
"..."
Yan Qian and Lou Kongcheng were left standing there, looking at each other and shaking their heads.
Today, this group of strategists has gathered here again to discuss the locust plague in Qingzhou. Originally, it was thought to be a simple locust plague, but now it seems that if it is not dealt with properly, it is only a matter of time before the surrounding prefectures are also affected.
Yunzhou currently has enough financial resources and grain reserves, but winter is just around the corner. If the situation in Qingzhou is not handled well by winter, the number of refugees fleeing the disaster will be far greater than it is now.
"I heard that His Majesty sent Prince Yi and the Minister of Agriculture to Qingzhou. Well, this is terrible. He originally wanted to give them an opportunity to make a name for themselves, but Prince Sui lied about the disaster. His Majesty has now shot himself in the foot."
They had barely exchanged a few words when one of the advisors suddenly began to ridicule the emperor and Prince Yi over the matter.
Xiao Mingzhang glanced at the man, and soon heard someone else chime in: "That's right, if you ask me, His Majesty is really getting old and blind. The Prince of Sui is also his son. He knows the Prince of Yi very well and has carefully cultivated him. How could he forget what kind of person the Prince of Sui is?!"
These words were full of sarcasm and irony, and brimming with disrespect for imperial power.
Xiao Mingzhang frowned slightly, feeling a dull ache in his forehead.
Since Yunzhu married into Yunzhou, the loss of advisors in the Huanwang Mansion has become more and more serious each day. Those with a little temper are unwilling to stay in Yunzhou and each seek a better master elsewhere. Apart from a few people such as Yan Qian and Lou Kongcheng, the remaining advisors are all newly recruited into the mansion in recent months.
I thought they were here to get things done, but all they did was spout treasonous nonsense.
"If you have any opinions about His Majesty, you can go to Jinling and speak to the Emperor in person. What we need to resolve now is the matter of Qingzhou. Those who do not wish to discuss it may leave!" Finally, he could no longer tolerate it and warned the group.
The group then kept their mouths shut, not daring to utter another word of this nonsense.
They continued to discuss the locust plague.
This locust plague in Qingzhou cannot be solved by Qingzhou itself. If the Sui King were truly capable, he would not have concealed the extent of the disaster and only reported half of it. Furthermore, the court allocates manpower and resources based on the disaster situation he reports. The Sui King's false reporting of the disaster situation directly resulted in the court sending far too few personnel.
But what can Yunzhou do now? Take in the disaster victims from Qingzhou, but what else?
Should they send reinforcements directly? But the emperor has already sent people. Now, Qingzhou not only has the Prince of Sui, but also the Prince of Yi. If they send people and supplies directly, the Prince of Yi might feel that they are stealing his thunder.
What if they contacted the Prince of Sui, asking him to invite them over under the guise of seeking help, and then provide assistance to Qingzhou? No, this man dared to lie even about the disaster. Xiao Mingzhang no longer trusted his imperial uncle at all, unless he could personally oversee the entire matter in Qingzhou from beginning to end, or send his trusted confidants there...
In comparison, the second idea seems more feasible.
As long as there are trusted confidants who can go there to handle matters on behalf of Xiao Mingzhang and Yunzhou, and supervise effectively, it should be able to resolve many of Qingzhou's current predicaments.
"But what if it doesn't rain in Qingzhou?" someone asked again. "We can solve the food problem, we can solve the supply problem, but it hasn't rained for two months in a row. What if there's another drought next year..."
This is something everyone is worried about.
Xiao Mingzhang rubbed his temples, also troubled by this matter.
Yunzhou and Qingzhou are inextricably linked; his current efforts to save Qingzhou are also for the sake of saving Yunzhou in the future.
What if Qingzhou truly suffers a drought? What if no crops can grow in the fields anymore? The people will surely leave.
Where to go?
Jeju, Nakju, Unju.
Yunzhou's water resources are not very abundant, and each year they are barely enough. Regardless of whether Yunzhou itself will experience drought, Yunzhou, which has received a large number of disaster victims, will certainly not be particularly wealthy next year.
This question caused everyone to fall into deep thought for a moment. After all, Yunzhou was just a small Yunzhou, not a protective umbrella that could cover everyone in the world.
"If only I could have ten thousand mansions, to shelter all the poor and needy and bring them joy." This is indeed the ideal of every strategist who cares for the people, but it remains just an ideal.
Apart from the emperor, no one in the world has the ability or the qualification to complete this mission.
Emperors, oh emperors, in the end, you have to be the emperor yourself.
As everyone pondered this, their own secret intentions began to surface. They secretly observed Xiao Mingzhang, hoping to discern any hint of ambition in the young prince's face regarding his desire to seize the throne.
But unfortunately.
No.
He is now only thinking about the affairs of Qingzhou and Yunzhou, and has no interest in the throne or anything else.
Everyone could only sigh inwardly and spend a long time with Xiao Mingzhang in the study.
By the time the meeting ended again, several hours had passed, and it was getting dark outside.
They've been busy until this time lately. Everyone's gotten used to it. After Xiao Mingzhang saw off wave after wave of people, only Yan Qian and Lou Kongcheng remained, standing behind him.
Yan Qian seemed to have something more to say, but Lou Kongcheng stopped him. The two respectfully bid farewell to Xiao Mingzhang and left without saying anything more.
Xiao Mingzhang saw them off and returned to the house alone.
He wanted to review the day's events again, but when he walked to his desk, he found a bowl of chicken soup lying quietly in one corner, with a food box next to it.
Xiao Mingzhang remembered that Yunzhu had repeatedly told him to finish drinking it before she left.
He had forgotten about the chicken soup because so many people had rushed into the study at once.
He picked up the chicken soup, which had gone completely cold, with a thick layer of solidified grease floating on top.
Xiao Mingzhang stared at the chicken soup for a long time, carefully skimmed off the oil with a spoon, and drank half a cup of the soup directly from the bowl.
Without being the master of this world, it becomes extremely difficult to gain people's complete trust, or even to intervene and help others in their territory.
Xiao Mingzhang was well aware of what these strategists wanted to say to him today, and what they hoped to see on his face.
But this was something he would have to abandon all his past conscience and morality to accomplish, and he really didn't want to do it.
He then took another sip of chicken soup, letting the icy broth slide down his throat into his stomach, and was about to begin another night of hard work.
—
Xiao Mingzhang finally fell ill.
Because he had been too tired lately, and it was the season when the weather in Yunzhou was changing from hot to cold and getting colder every day, he had to travel between Qingzhou and Yunzhou every day to handle various matters. Finally, he fell ill in the government office in Yunzhou.
Upon learning this, Madam Ying immediately summoned Yunzhu and Xiao Ming'an to visit him at the government office.
In reality, it was just a cold, but Xiao Mingzhang hadn't been sick for many years, so Ying couldn't help but be very nervous.
When she arrived at the government office, she saw Xiao Mingzhang lying on that simple daybed, surrounded by office furniture, and she couldn't help but frown.
"Living in a place like this, it's no wonder you get sick!"
Xiao Mingzhang wanted to explain that it had nothing to do with where he was staying; he was simply exhausted, and the doctor had already spoken up for him.
He said, "Your Highness, the young master's cold is not related to the shared residence, but rather because he has been too tired lately, traveling back and forth and working hard. In addition, it is cold outside now, so he fell ill."
"What more is there to say?" Ying said. "Hurry up and pack your things and go home! Go home and rest for a few days. Leave everything to your father!"
“Going back to rest is probably not an option!” Xiao Mingzhang was about to reply when the doctor spoke up for him, “The young master has caught a cold and is not fit to move around. If he goes out, he will be exposed to the wind, which will be even more detrimental to his recovery.”
"Does that mean we have to live here forever?" Madam Ying looked around Xiao Mingzhang's study. No matter how tidy it was, she couldn't bring herself to like it.
Besides, if Xiao Mingzhang continues to live here, the yamen is full of rough and uneducated officials. Now that he's sick, who will take good care of him? It would be good enough if he didn't get even sicker!
As Ying was thinking, she suddenly glanced at Yunzhu.
Yunzhu finally had a moment of spiritual connection with Ying.
In front of everyone, she volunteered, "I'll stay and take care of my husband."
She's still somewhat presentable; it's no wonder Mingzhang argues with his father every day for her sake.
Ying could barely breathe a sigh of relief.
With Yunzhu's words, she finally agreed that Xiao Mingzhang could continue to live in the government office for the time being.
But Yunzhu was, after all, a young girl, and a pampered princess in the past. She certainly had no experience in taking care of people. So before leaving, Ying called her out of the house and gave her a long list of detailed instructions.
Yunzhu listened attentively.
This was the most carefully she had ever heard Ying speak.
She remembered everything she said, and only after she and Xiao Ming'an had finally left did she return to the study and to Xiao Mingzhang's side.
Xiao Mingzhang was still awake and talking to them just a moment ago, but now, in the time it takes for her to send someone away, he has fallen asleep.
Seeing that his face was still a little flushed, Yunzhu couldn't help but reach out and touch his forehead.
But as soon as she reached out, her wrist was grabbed.
Xiao Mingzhang opened his eyes, his gaze slightly hazy as he looked at Yunzhu.
"You're not asleep?" Yunzhu asked, somewhat surprised.
"It's not that easy to fall asleep," Xiao Mingzhang chuckled.
Yunzhu had just gone out to see Ying Shi and Xiao Ming'an off, right at the door of this study. He could hear their conversation clearly, so how could he fall asleep so easily?
But he was indeed very sleepy.
Yunzhu stared at him for a moment, and seeing that he wasn't really that awake, she patted the back of his hand and stuffed his restless hand back into the blanket.
"You didn't even tuck yourself in before you went to sleep," she complained.
"Are you really going to stay with me tonight? It'll be hard work." Xiao Mingzhang was tightly wrapped in the quilt by Yunzhu. In an instant, apart from his head and mouth, nothing else on his body could move.
"Of course I know that!" Yunzhu also looked around Xiao Mingzhang's study. You could see the whole room at a glance. The bed was so small that two people had to squeeze in to fit.
But there was not a trace of disdain in her eyes. Instead, she tilted her head and said, "Then you, the young master, will have to make do with me, the young master's wife, and squeeze in with me!"
"Pfft—"
Xiao Mingzhang couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He looked completely different when he was sick. His loose black hair depicted extreme gentleness, and the light ink painting made his features look much softer than usual.
Yunzhu liked the gentle Xiao Mingzhang.
However, he disliked Xiao Mingzhang when he was sick.
"Xiao Mingzhang, you need to get better soon." She suddenly leaned over Xiao Mingzhang's bedside and said.
"Yes, I know." Xiao Mingzhang couldn't help but reach out from under the covers to find Yunzhu's hand.
Yunzhu, however, did not call him Ruyi once again.
She was as impartial and incorruptible as a reincarnated righteous official, her face stern, and she shoved Xiao Mingzhang's hand back under the covers.
Xiao Mingzhang was about to speak when he heard Yunzhu say righteously, "Xiao Mingzhang, you really need to get better soon, otherwise I'll find out all the secrets of your palace!"
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Author's note: Second update! Got it!
Almost there, almost there! We're about to finish writing about Yunzhu leaving!
Finally, let's lay the groundwork for an emotional connection!
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