Without thinking, Xin He furrowed her brows. This heavy atmosphere – could something else have happened?
In the study, there were seven to eight people scattered about. Xin He vaguely recognized them, most likely they were some high-ranking officials from Yu State. At this time, they all stood there, faces paler than ever, heads drooping and not daring to look up.
Marquis Mu Houchu sat leisurely at the main table, his expression unchanging. But from his thin lips, lightly sipped, Xin He guessed he might be slightly agitated.
"Why are you here?" Mu Houchu looked at Xin He, his cold gaze showing a hint of softness.
"I heard you haven’t eaten all day and have been in the study, so I had food brought over," Xin He spoke softly as she walked over to him.
Upon hearing these words, the faces of the officials standing below changed once again.
Not understanding, Xin He asked, "What happened?"
Mu Houchu responded calmly, "Nothing major, just eat first."
At this, several officials, whose faces were previously pale, looked utterly shocked. Among them, a few particularly agitated ones inadvertently looked up.
Gazing upwards, it met with Mu Houchu’s cold stare. "You may all leave." he said, "We will discuss this matter tomorrow."
The officials deferentially replied, scrambling to leave, "Yes, yes, we will come back tomorrow. We will take our leave now."
Marquis Mu nodded slightly, and the officials filed out as if they would suffocate if they stayed in the study any longer.
Once they were out of the room, they all breathed a sigh of relief. One of them muttered, "Today, the word is thousands of refugees have starved to death. The Princess talked about eating as soon as she came in. I thought given his anger, the Prince would..."
He paused, then said, "It seems the outside rumors are indeed true."
A second official sniffed, "If it had been anyone else, they wouldn’t be able to live or die properly after this. Of course, it’s different for the Princess. We were lucky today. If the Princess hadn’t arrived, I doubt we could’ve walked out of here while still breathing."
"Who could deny that? I heard rumors that Prince Pingyang, despite being married for six years and having a daughter, hasn’t taken any concubines due to his devoted love. I took it as a joke, but now it seems there was truth to it."
A gossiping official couldn’t resist commenting, "Does that mean Minister Duan, who has been married for six years without a child or a concubine, is even more devoted? I never expected our Da Qian to produce so many romantic men."
The expressions of others cooled, "Why mention him? Are you unaware of who His Highness is most annoyed with at present?"
——
Xin He couldn’t hear their discussions. After they left, she ordered the servants to bring in the food.
There was a side room in this study. Xin He had it specially prepared for Houchu’s meals, knowing that once he immersed himself in work, he would completely forget about his own physical needs.
This dining side room only proved effective when Xin He was present. When she was absent, who would dare to remind this grim figure about eating? Would they find amusement in risking their lives?
After instructing the servants to serve the dishes, Xin He gently guided Houchu to sit, "Eat first, you’ve not had anything for an entire day. Do you think you are immortal?"
Xin He let out a huff, visibly annoyed.
She had only been gone for a day, and this man was already showing his irresponsibility!
Mu Houchu curved the corners of his mouth into a smile, "Even immortals are not as fortunate as me."
Xin He retorted, "If I’m not here, perhaps no one would care if you starved to death. When will you take care of your health? Aren’t you more important than any issue? Couldn’t you just eat a little?"
All the while, she continued serving him food.
Houchu felt a warmth creeping into his heart, deepening his amused smile, "If you’re not here, I might actually starve. Don’t abandon me in the future."
Xin He glared at him, "Hurry up and eat!"
Only then did Houchu leisurely begin to eat.
Watching him eat, Xin He finally asked, "Were you discussing some difficult issues earlier? Did something happen?"
"Lian City is in dire straits." Marquis Houchu said blandly.
Xin He frowned, "Lian City? What does that have to do with us?"
Marquis Houchu coldly replied, "The enemy forces around Lian City have been stirring lately. It seems that our border defenses can’t hold them off much longer. The city gate has fallen, allowing the enemy to invade, causing mayhem and destroying everything. Although the court has since sent reinforcements, driving the enemy out of Lian City and securing the city, the common people have already suffered heavy losses, lost their homes, and even lost their family members. There are countless refugees with nowhere to go. Some are heading towards the capital, while others are coming to Yu State."
Xin He was quiet; she didn’t know what to say.
Ultimately, they were all pitiful people.
But she hadn’t realized that even our powerful Da Qian Empire could be so easily shaken, letting a small tribe like Rouyi bully them.
"The soldiers guarding Lian City must be quite incompetent." Xin He couldn’t help but say.
"Whether the city’s guards are capable or not, I am not sure. But looking at this seemingly minor incident, it would appear that our Da Qian Empire has been rotting from the inside for some time now." Mu Houchu’s voice turned colder.
Lian City had a hundred thousand soldiers guarding it, yet a mere thirty thousand Rouyi soldier could easily invade. In the end, Da Qian had to send reinforcements to drive off the invaders. It’s a massive joke.
Those one hundred thousand soldiers, who knows how much of that number is real.
Xin He pondered, but finally shook her head. She simply did not have time to worry about it right now. Her primary concern was herself.
"So, should we take in these refugees?" Xin He asked before she could stop herself.
The face of Mu Houchu darkened slightly, "We do need to take them in. However, once we open the city gates to the refugees, Yu State will inevitably become chaotic. After all, it is a large influx of outsiders, and it’s hard to guarantee they won’t cause trouble. If the problem was minor, I wouldn’t mind, but Duan Lan is currently in Yu State and the emperor still wants to get rid of me. If refugees enter and cause chaos, Yu State might not be able to maintain peace. If Duan Lan takes advantage of this, it would lead to endless troubles."
Xin He felt a chill in her heart as she listened, and in a serious voice said, "But if we don’t shelter the refugees, it’s not right either. They’re already victims of natural disaster and conflict. If they come to Yu State and are turned away, how will they survive?"
"And if we don’t take them in, it might also discourage the hearts of our own people."
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