Chapter 618 Everything is fine
"You want to haul away the disaster relief food?"
Besides preventing them from returning to the capital to report earlier, such delays in construction also mean that the court needs to allocate grain and silver for the basic needs of so many people, which indirectly depletes the Great Zhou from within.
In the past, such a loss would not have been a major blow to the Great Zhou, but Suzhou suffered a major disaster this year and was in dire need of relief.
Under these circumstances, grain prices in the Great Zhou Dynasty will inevitably rise sharply, and military grain reserves will also be affected.
Soldiers who are not well-fed naturally lack energy. If foreign enemies were to invade the border again at this time, even with the Ji family army stationed there, they would probably not be able to resist.
Yun Yichen dared not think any further, because he knew that if the Fourth Prince was indeed the old man's disciple, then foreign invasion would definitely be the next move by the other side.
His gaze swept across the Fourth Prince's face, and he said in a commanding tone, "Stop doing this kind of thing."
Although Yun Yichen also had a feud with the royal family, he also had his own principles. Now that the people of Suzhou were suffering from disaster, he could not let so many people live in dire straits for his own selfish reasons.
After saying that, Yun Yichen waved to the Fourth Prince, signaling him to leave.
When the Fourth Prince saw that Yun Yichen did not intend to make his affairs public, but instead ordered the release of the guard Gao, a strange feeling welled up in his heart.
The next morning, those disaster victims who had been bedridden and showing no signs of improvement seemed to have suddenly recovered, and one by one they were able to sit up in bed.
When Yun Yichen received this news, he knew that the Fourth Prince had removed the curse from their bodies.
But to laymen, it seemed as if the doctor's medicine had worked and cured the plague.
Uncle Mu simply smiled at the praise from the disaster victims. However, due to the prolonged losses, although the poison had been neutralized, the victims were still somewhat weak.
In response, Yun Yichen prescribed some medicine to replenish qi and blood, and gave it to Uncle Mu to help those people recuperate.
The capital city, the residence of Marquis Yi'an.
About a month after Yun Yichen left, on August 26th, the marriage between the eldest son of the Marquis's mansion and the young lady of the Meng family was finally settled.
On the day of the betrothal, in order to show the importance attached to it by the Marquis of Yi'an, Marquis Gu Jin, personally brought his eldest son to the Meng residence, and the Marquis's wife, Lady Ji, also personally went to the Meng residence.
Since the eldest daughter, Gu Shuyan, had already married, Madam Ji took Gu Yuxin with her.
The front courtyard of the Meng family mansion was bustling with activity. The old lady, who was very talkative, got up early to prepare. Once all the Meng family members had arrived, the betrothal ceremony finally began.
Gu Yuxin accompanied Ji Shi only to make up the numbers. Seeing the bustling scene in the front yard, Gu Yuxin, who disliked crowds, asked a maid for directions and went to the Meng family's garden alone.
The gardens at Montgomery House are in a typical southern style; although not large, they are very elegant and unique.
Unconsciously, Gu Yuxin thought of the years they spent outside, when they would occasionally go out to do odd jobs for rich people, and those families were all set up like this.
Deep within the artificial hill in the garden, a boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old leaned against the hillside, quietly basking in the rare, gentle sunlight.
"Young master, the master and mistress are asking you something up ahead! Would you like to go and see them?"
The servant beside him, seeing his young master looking so content, didn't want to disturb him, but he was afraid that if he didn't speak up, he would be blamed by the master and mistress.
“No way! The betrothal ceremony is the most complicated thing ever, I’m too lazy to be a wooden stake there.”
The young man waved his hand, dismissing the servant, and continued to enjoy this rare moment of peace and tranquility.
"Miss, let's not go any further!"
Seeing that there was no one in the entire garden, Huai Xiang couldn't help but remind Gu Yuxin.
"It's alright. There's still some commotion ahead. Why don't we stay a little longer and then go back?"
As Gu Yuxin spoke, she sat down in the pavilion next to the artificial hill. A ray of sunlight shone on her, adding a touch of color to her appearance.
To be honest, after two years of recuperation, Gu Yuxin, who is already thirteen years old, has not only lost her dark complexion, but her facial features have also matured considerably.
At this moment, she subtly revealed a hint of coquettishness. Aunt Qiao had attracted Master Gu to elope with her with her beautiful face, and as their daughter, Gu Yuxin was naturally also a rare beauty.
As her gaze wandered through the long-unseen garden setting, Gu Yuxin was surprised to find that her state of mind had undergone such a dramatic change.
Having grown up in the south, she used to think every day about how to gain the appreciation of her employers in order to earn more money.
But now, sitting in the pavilion, Gu Yuxin felt a sense of ease for the first time, an ease of being one with all things without any worries.
Gu Yuxin was so engrossed in the comfortable feeling that she didn't notice the boy leaning against the rockery looking at her.
Her profile was beautiful, and bathed in sunlight, she looked like a fairy descended to earth. The young man suddenly felt that this was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
He didn't make a sound to disturb the tranquility, but just stared at the woman intently until she left.
When Gu Yuxin returned to the front yard, the formalities had just ended. Looking at the smiling Ji Shi, Gu Yuxin slowly walked over.
"You're back? Your sister from the Meng family just sent someone looking for you. Would you like to come over and have a chat?"
When Madam Ji saw Gu Yuxin return, she didn't ask her where she had been, but simply told her about Meng Wei looking for her.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yuxin glanced at the time and, seeing that it was still early for dinner, bowed to Madam Ji and said, "Then I will go see Sister Meng first."
After Gu Yuxin finished speaking, she found a maid to lead the way and headed towards the backyard.
As Gu Yuxin passed by the side gate, she didn't notice and accidentally bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry, are you alright?"
Gu Yuxin didn't have time to see who it was before she reached out to help them. Only after she had already reached out did she realize that the person was actually a man.
Embarrassed, Gu Yuxin withdrew her hand and quickly asked, "Is the young master alright? Should we find a doctor to take a look?"
Gu Yuxin's voice was gentle, yet it sent a shiver down the spine of the person who heard it.
His face flushed involuntarily, and he dared not look Gu Yuxin in the eye.
"It's alright, Miss, don't worry about it."
After saying this, the other person clasped their hands in a fist salute and left.
Gu Yuxin didn't take this little incident to heart. She was only thinking about seeing Meng Wei. Since Meng Wei said she was fine, she wouldn't insist on taking her to see a doctor.
Meng Wei's courtyard wasn't small for the Meng family, but it was still smaller than the Gu family's.
As soon as Gu Yuxin entered the courtyard, she saw Meng Wei, dressed in a formal suit, come to greet her.
"I sent people to look for my sister just now, but they couldn't find her. Did she secretly go somewhere to find some peace and quiet?"
Meng Wei looked at Gu Yuxin with a coquettish expression, clearly showing a hint of intimacy.
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