Chapter 642 Returning to the Capital
"This Prefect Yang is all he knows how to do is be polite to Yun Yichen. Doesn't he know we are princes?"
Lu Yuanbin felt somewhat frustrated. Despite being the emperor's son, he was somehow inferior to Yun Yichen in Suzhou.
Upon hearing this, Lu Changqing turned to look at him and saw that his cheeks were slightly red, as if he was angry. He couldn't help but shake his head slightly: Sure enough, stupidity is contagious.
As Yun Yichen approached on horseback, Zhong Lin, the leader, gave a loud shout, and the wheels of the carriage rolled, setting off in a grand procession towards the capital.
Along the newly built official road, people who had heard the news came to see him off, some even shedding tears.
"Father, will Lord Yun never come to Suzhou again?"
The speaker was Yun Yichen's son, whom he had just met for the first time. He was currently supporting the white-haired old man as they stood by the roadside.
The old man looked at Yun Yichen, who was sitting on a tall horse, and nodded to his son. "My son! A son of heaven like the Grand Secretary is destined for great things. We are already very fortunate to have met him."
The old man showed no regret; he simply wanted to see off the good official who had guided him back to the city and helped him quickly overcome the natural disaster.
Yun Yichen was unaware of the old man's words. As he rode his horse and looked at the people seeing him off, he felt a strange pang of sorrow in his heart.
He knew that what he did was what an official should do, but the people were so grateful to him. Didn't this just show that the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty were corrupt and the people were living in hardship?
Perhaps this country should get some serious reforms sooner rather than later!
A large group of people were traveling on the road. They had come with only a few simple belongings, but on the way back they went on a shopping spree. By the time they arrived in the capital, they had turned into a huge convoy.
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the disaster relief team returned to the capital. The emperor and his officials personally greeted them in front of the imperial city, showing Yun Yichen great respect.
Yun Yichen, naturally, could not be reserved. Upon seeing the emperor from afar, he led everyone in the procession to pay their respects to him.
After Yun Yichen gave a brief report on the situation in Suzhou, the emperor turned to his two sons.
"Your two sons have worked hard this time."
After being nourished along the way, the traces of the damage that Yun Yichen had caused to Lu Yuanbin and Lu Changqing had almost disappeared, but their complexions still looked somewhat dark.
Although the emperor didn't think Yun Yichen would really do anything to his sons, he couldn't help but glance at Yun Yichen with some displeasure at his sons' behavior.
"Your Majesty, the two princes have contributed a great deal to this disaster relief effort. Especially when it was inconvenient for me to deal with local officials, the two princes not only lent their own manpower to me, but also took the lead and personally built roads for the people."
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you reward the two princes."
Yun Yichen had served as the Grand Secretary for many years, and he could accurately discern the emperor's emotions from any change in expression.
Upon hearing this, the emperor's expression softened considerably. He had initially thought that Yun Yichen had caused his son's condition, but it turned out that the two children had volunteered themselves.
The emperor, with a heart full of satisfaction, said, "It seems my sons have grown up! A reward is a must! Hahaha!"
With the emperor pleased, Lu Yuanbin could no longer secretly badmouth Yun Yichen. Not only that, he had to put on a smiling face for the emperor.
Lu Changqing couldn't help but glance at Yun Yichen. This man was truly a dangerous presence. It seemed he would have to make some careful plans when he got back.
Before entering the city, Gu Shuyan and Yun Yichen split up. Because Yun Yichen had to go to the palace to report first, she returned to the Yun residence by herself.
However, before the carriage even reached the gate of the Yun residence, it was stopped by Madam Ji and her men.
"Mother!" Gu Shuyan noticed that Madam Ji seemed a little guilty. It seemed that her departure without saying goodbye had worried her mother.
"You silly girl, you finally decided to come back! You've been worrying your mother to death."
As soon as Ji saw Gu Shuyan, tears streamed down her face. She cried and wiped her tears with a handkerchief.
The old lady glared at her sideways and said, "Don't you have any taboos about death? The child just came back and you're already crying and wailing. Is it proper for you to curse a child like that?"
"Yes, Mother, my sister is back. Let's go inside!"
Ouyang Jing stood to the side holding the child, and seeing Ji Shi crying so sadly, she couldn't help but offer some words of comfort.
Only then did Madam Ji realize what was happening, and she hurriedly pulled Gu Shuyan towards the mansion.
"You've been in the disaster area for so long, you can't be careless when you come back. Come in first, I've already had someone prepare water for your bath. Take a good shower and change your clothes before you come out."
As Ji Shi spoke, she led Gu Shuyan to a charcoal brazier that was burning bright red. Gu Shuyan knew that Ji Shi wanted her to cross the brazier.
In the past, she could have used some trickery to get away with it.
But since he had made a mistake first, he had no choice but to obediently follow Ji's arrangements.
By the time I finally finished showering, it was already time for dinner.
"Granddaughter greets grandmother and mother."
Upon entering, Gu Shuyan respectfully kowtowed to the two women before being helped by her maid to sit beside the old lady.
"I heard the disaster was very serious. I thought you two were going to stay there for the New Year. I didn't expect you to come back so early."
The old lady has experienced a lot at her age, but she is truly the first person in history to handle things so well as Yun Yichen.
"Actually, the reason this went so smoothly is really thanks to my second aunt's father!"
It's said that good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. He Yin's father's exile had long been the talk of the town. Even if the old lady didn't leave her house, the news still reached her ears.
"What does this have to do with her father?" the old lady asked, puzzled.
Seeing that she couldn't guess, Gu Shuyan simply told her about how Yun Yichen had smuggled out the grain and money that He Biyou had hidden for disaster relief.
Everyone then realized, "No wonder Yichen was able to keep so many people here even before the imperial grain supplies arrived. Food is the most important thing for people, so it makes sense."
The old lady had actually prepared some food in advance, intending to set up a soup kitchen to do her part if any disaster victims fled to the capital.
But no matter how long they waited, apart from the occasional wandering civilian, there was no influx of refugees.
"Moreover, Suzhou is already a prosperous place. If all the people leave, the fields that were not destroyed will be left unattended and will yield no harvest. When food becomes scarce next year, the Great Zhou will surely face a sharp rise in rice prices."
Even though rice prices would rise sharply after the harvest, it did alleviate the situation somewhat.
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