In the court, all civil and military officials were anxious, with fine beads of cold sweat oozing from their foreheads.
The emperor frowned, looked stern, and tried to suppress his anger.
On the small wooden bed next to the emperor, Su Qiqi was holding a pearl necklace in one hand and the candy specially made for her by the imperial physician in the other. She was having a lot of fun playing with it and eating it with relish.
There were also a bunch of fun things at her feet.
There are rattles with jade handles, nine-linked rings made of pure gold, a pony made of fine silk, and even an exquisitely carved ghost ball.
With these things right in front of us, things like being in a bad mood when waking up are nothing but clouds.
[At such a young age, he already owns a museum. Who in his family would understand?]
[Wow, our ancestors' aesthetic taste is amazing. What a beautiful ghost ball! I love it!]
Su Qiqi played with this, touched that, like a curious little baby, smiling brightly.
"Your Majesty, the plague has broken out in Licheng, causing heavy casualties. People are now suffering terribly, as if they were tigers. Your Majesty, please allocate funds and send more people to provide support."
Governor Liu Changgeng knelt in the hall, tears streaming down his face and a look of grief.
The emperor rubbed his aching head in dissatisfaction. "I remember that we allocated 100,000 taels of silver in February of this year. How come the plague hasn't been stopped yet and the money has been spent?"
"The plague is truly too severe. One hundred thousand taels of silver is but a drop in the bucket. Rat poison and the medicines the people take are both expensive, and resettling the people is a considerable expense. I dared to speak to the emperor because I could no longer bear it."
【fart! 】
Su Qiqi was extremely unhappy.
When the plague wasn't serious, they exaggerated the situation, defrauded the emperor of disaster relief funds, pocketed the money, and bribed officials. They left the people to fend for themselves.
When the plague became serious, the infected victims were simply left in dilapidated sheds to die! They also sold the relief rice distributed by the imperial court at exorbitant prices!
[Now you're putting on airs again! You're profiting from disasters and profiting from the misfortunes of others. You deserve a bad death!]
The emperor was already upset, and after hearing Su Qiqi's true feelings, he became even angrier.
What a bold Liu Changgeng!
"Come here, Governor Liu Changgeng is incompetent, drag him out and chop him off!"
The emperor roared, and Liu Changgeng, who was kneeling in the hall, was stunned.
He kowtowed quickly: "Your Majesty! I am innocent! Please give me another chance to redeem myself and make meritorious contributions. I am the only one who knows the situation in Licheng best. If I die, the people will suffer even more!"
No matter how he cried, the guards stepped forward and dragged him out.
"Your Majesty," Marquis Anding stepped forward, knelt, and said, "The plague situation is complicated. Lord Liu lacks experience, so his crime does not deserve death."
"You old scoundrel, Liu Changgeng is your relative. He gave you half of the money he coveted, so of course you're speaking up for him!"
[Officials protect each other, no wonder the country is doomed in the end! ]
Su Qiqi was extremely frustrated and looked up at the emperor:
Tyrant, please be more careful. If you don't kill corrupt officials now, they will kill you in the future.
“Wait!”
The emperor shouted.
Outside the hall, two guards brought Liu Changgeng back.
The emperor looked at Marquis Anding and smiled coldly, "My dear minister, I remember it was you who suggested that Liu Changgeng be put in charge of plague relief in Licheng. Now it seems that your vision was not so good."
"I underestimated the severity of the plague."
Marquis Anding was still quibbling, hoping that the emperor would be merciful and spare Liu Changgeng's life. After all, this man was his right-hand man.
Now that all his money had been taken away and he had no one to rely on, if Liu Changgeng died, he would be in a difficult situation.
"Your Majesty, please spare the life of the governor." Marquis Anding pleaded.
The emperor waved his hand and said, "Forget it. I will give you another 30,000 taels of silver. You and Liu Changgeng will go to Licheng together. You must stop the plague within three months."
"Your Majesty! I'm afraid my old bones can't stand the torture. Please think twice!"
"I, the humble minister, the Marquis of Anding, was panicking. Licheng was a hell of a place, even a dog wouldn't go there! Besides, thirty thousand taels of silver? What if he accidentally contracted the plague? It would be a loss!"
And they told him to stop the plague within three months? He was lucky to survive!
[What's going on? Giving money to this corrupt official again?]
[No, Tyrant, you must have some plan, right?]
Su Qiqi looked at the emperor curiously. She really wanted to know why the emperor did this.
The emperor smiled lightly and ignored it.
He looked at the Marquis of Anding and said, "My dear, you have extensive experience in disaster relief, and Liu Changgeng is most familiar with Licheng. The two of you will surely be even more powerful together. I await your good news."
"But……"
"This is a good opportunity to redeem yourself. Please don't let me down."
"...Yes, I obey your order."
Having said this, Marquis Anding had no room for refusal.
To redeem oneself refers not only to Liu Changgeng, but also to him.
After all, the emperor personally searched his estate for so much treasure. He must be guilty.
The emperor is not a fool. In fact, the less he says, the more he cares.
Now that the emperor has finally given him a chance, he has to do this well in order to regain the emperor's trust.
As for not having enough money...
He would always find someone to offer his help whenever he thought of something. Many people sought his protection.
Thinking of this, Marquis Anding obediently returned to his seat.
"Is there anything else?" the emperor asked, glancing at his ministers.
The Minister of Rites stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the abduction of Princess Chaoyang has become a public knowledge, and some are even secretly spreading rumors, saying...that the Imperial Concubine has found a random baby girl to impersonate the original Princess Chaoyang."
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