Yesterday, Qu Qingxi was talking to He Liufeng about Ren Nuanyun distributing porridge outside the city. Today, Qingdai rushed over and said that Ren Nuanyun and the Crown Prince met again, and this time, they both left with smiles on their faces.
Qu Qingxi could only hear the conversation between Ren Nuanyun and the system, but she couldn't hear Ren Nuanyun speaking on her own. So, Qu Qingxi didn't know what Ren Nuanyun was up to, but she didn't care.
He Liufeng had long ago arranged for people to monitor Ren Nuanyun, so Ren Nuanyun's every move was under He Liufeng's surveillance. Whenever Qingdai had time, she would go and ask Lingmu about Ren Nuanyun's news, so no matter what happened to Ren Nuanyun, Qingdai could know in time.
"Qingdai, has the Prince arranged for someone to monitor the Crown Prince?" Qu Qingxi narrowed her eyes slightly, wanting to know what Ren Nuanyun and the Crown Prince had said, and would see what the Crown Prince would do next.
Ren Nuanyun is a transmigrator with a system, so she naturally knows the upcoming plot and story development. Perhaps she also knows that the crown prince is not really favored by the emperor.
To truly win the Crown Prince's heart, Ren Nuanyun would have to inform him of certain things beforehand. Once the Crown Prince was certain that these things would happen, he would naturally trust Ren Nuanyun even more.
"Uh, well..." Qingdai coughed lightly, then glanced guiltily at Qu Qingxi, "Yes."
Qingdai hadn't expected Qu Qingxi to ask this question, and for a moment she really didn't know whether to tell the truth or not. But thinking about the relationship between the prince and the princess, and the prince's attitude towards the princess, she felt that it wasn't a big deal.
"Then keep a close eye on the Crown Prince and see what unusual things he does next. What the Crown Prince does will tell you what Ren Nuanyun has said."
"Yes, Your Highness." Qingdai nodded.
Strangely, in the following days, the Crown Prince became unusually quiet, and after attending court in the morning, he went straight back to his residence.
The quieter it is, the more abnormal it is. Qu Qingxi understands this principle, and so does He Liufeng.
Sure enough, ten days later, news came from the south that the Linghe area had experienced five days of torrential rain. The dam was washed away, the surrounding farmland was destroyed, and the people's houses were swept away. The people were displaced and cried out in despair.
With less than half a month to go before the grain in the fertile fields could be harvested, this incident occurred at this critical juncture, enraging the emperor.
"They sent special personnel to build it, spending a great deal of money, manpower, and resources, and the result is so useless!" After reading the memorial in his hand, the emperor threw it to the ground.
The ministers all knelt down, pleading, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
"How can I appease such a serious matter?"
The court remained silent for a long time.
The Emperor glanced at the kneeling crowd in the hall, suppressing his anger as he slowly spoke, "Who is willing to resolve the flood issue?"
The ministers fell silent again; this was simply a thankless and arduous task.
In the past, not only did they need to subdue the local officials, but they also had to deal with assassinations that could come from anywhere. Moreover, this matter was inherently difficult to handle, requiring them to maintain good relations with the officials above and to settle the common people below.
Just as the atmosphere was tense, the crown prince stepped forward.
“Father, I am willing to go to Linghe to solve the flood problem.”
The Crown Prince's supporters were all surprised that he would step forward. They looked at him with astonishment, wondering why he would suddenly take on this task without consulting them.
He Liufeng looked up at the Crown Prince but said nothing.
The Emperor quickly exchanged a glance with He Liufeng, then stared at the Crown Prince, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Very well, since you are willing to go and share my burdens, then you shall go and take charge of this matter and appease the common people for me."
If someone is willing to go, then things will be much easier.
The reason the Crown Prince took on this task was because of Ren Nuanyun.
When they met before, Ren Nuanyun said that there had been continuous heavy rains in the Linghe area recently, and there was a high possibility of flooding. If this really happened, the Crown Prince should take the initiative to take responsibility.
If this matter is handled well, the Crown Prince can not only win the support of the people, but also demonstrate his abilities to the Emperor and regain the Emperor's favor.
The Crown Prince naturally understood this principle and knew that handling this matter well would bring him many benefits, but this matter was too thorny and was not easy to deal with.
Ren Nuanyun first mentioned a few things to the Crown Prince, and then solemnly promised that as long as the Crown Prince agreed to these matters, she would help him overcome this difficulty.
The Crown Prince returned to his residence with the suggestions Ren Nuanyun had given him. He briefly discussed them with his advisors, who all agreed that the suggestions would be almost perfect should a flood actually occur.
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's affection for Ren Nuanyun grew even stronger. He had recently heard that the Marquis of Dingguo intended to elevate Ren Nuanyun's concubine to the status of a secondary wife, so that in terms of status, she could be considered a match for him.
If the flood is resolved well, the emperor will be pleased, and he will surely regain his father's favor, making his position as crown prince more secure.
He Liufeng had no idea what the Crown Prince was up to. He didn't think the Crown Prince had the ability to solve the flood, but this time he suddenly acted as if victory was in his grasp, taking on the task in front of all the court officials, which was very unusual.
"Ling Mu," He Liufeng called out.
Ling Mu appeared quickly. "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
"Has anything unusual happened with the Crown Prince lately?"
“No, the Crown Prince has been staying in his residence most of the time, except for the morning court sessions. People inside say that ever since he met with Marquis Dingguo’s Ren Nuanyun, he has been reading books about floods.” Ling Mu quickly relayed the news to He Liufeng.
"It only started like this after you met Ren Nuanyun?" He Liufeng frowned. So, the problem lies with Ren Nuanyun?
The news of the Linghe River flood only arrived today; I only learned about it a day in advance. It's impossible for the Crown Prince to have known about it more than ten days ago, before the incident even occurred.
However, it was as if Ren Nuanyun could predict the future, and she had the Crown Prince prepared well in advance. If he was right, the Crown Prince taking on this matter today was also related to Ren Nuanyun.
“Yes, the Crown Prince rarely reads books before, let alone books about floods.” Ling Mu nodded.
"Continue to monitor the situation on the Crown Prince's side, and report back immediately if anything unusual happens."
"Yes, Your Highness." Ling Mu left.
He Liufeng sat in his study, deep in thought. If the Crown Prince really had a solution, he would be relieved. But if the Crown Prince only wanted a hollow title and disregarded the lives of the people, then he would not be so polite to the Crown Prince.
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