Jiang Jiuniang's mood wasn't affected this time. After all, she had done everything she could and had no regrets. As for the rest, she could only leave it to fate.
Lu Baichuan returned shortly after, and the two ate together. Lu Baichuan told her about matters in the imperial court.
"More than a month ago, a major earthquake struck the southwest region, causing heavy casualties. The imperial court is preparing to send people to provide relief."
The southwest region is far from the capital. For something that happened a month ago, it's actually not slow for the news to reach the capital now.
The emperor was very worried about the situation there and was eager to understand it before preparing to allocate funds to distribute grain.
It must be said that the emperor was truly good to the people; he was never stingy in this regard.
Jiang Jiuniang, who had been enjoying her meal, suddenly lost her appetite upon hearing this and asked, "The Emperor wouldn't be asking you to go, would he?"
The emperor never expects Lu Baichuan to do good things, but he's definitely involved in all the bad things.
Natural disasters like earthquakes are sure to cause horrific deaths. Under normal circumstances, Jiang Jiuniang would definitely go to see the situation in person. However, she is currently pregnant and it is not suitable for her to travel long distances. Besides, she is not the only doctor in the world. There are many highly skilled imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital, so it would be fine to send them.
Another reason was that the emperor, that scoundrel, was wary of her and Lu Baichuan. When she worked for him, he was afraid that her achievements would overshadow his own. When she didn't work for him, he felt that he had no one to rely on and couldn't stand Lu Baichuan being idle. This contradictory emotion made Jiang Jiuniang too lazy to pay attention to him.
"He did mean that, but he probably didn't say anything because he was thinking about your pregnancy."
When the emperor heard about this, he instinctively looked at him. After all, he was capable and his wife was a highly skilled doctor. If the couple were willing to go, it would definitely be twice as effective.
However, his wife was in the early stages of pregnancy and was not suitable for long-distance travel. The emperor still had some conscience, so even if he had that idea, he did not say anything.
"It's best if he didn't say anything, otherwise I could really go to the palace and give him a piece of my mind."
Jiang Jiuniang rolled her eyes; she just couldn't stand the emperor no matter what.
Lu Baichuan smiled and reassured him, "Don't worry, we'll send someone else."
He was a man who was about to resign from his official post, so he wouldn't take on such hard work. Besides, he couldn't bear to leave his wife.
Jiang Jiuniang nodded and said, "But this is a natural disaster after all. It would have been fine if we hadn't known, but now that we know, we can't just ignore it. Here's what we'll do: have the workshop bring out all the wool sweaters they prepared beforehand, put them in my name, and give them all to the people in the disaster area. It's autumn now, and sweaters are just right."
The wool sweater workshop was a joint venture between her, Peng Yuan, and the Empress. Without their consent, she couldn't donate directly in the workshop's name, but she could donate in her own name, and then it would be considered as her purchase.
"Also, I'll write a few prescriptions in a bit. You can send someone to buy some medicinal herbs and send them all to the disaster area. At this time, medicinal herbs are also very scarce."
"By the way, tomorrow in court we can ask the emperor which doctors he plans to send, and tell them that if they are willing, they can come to our house, and I will give them short-term training on how to quickly treat external injuries, so that we can save a few more lives."
She didn't go, but her love went.
Lu Baichuan frowned: "I can arrange everything else, but the training is too tiring..."
"It's alright, I'm just doing my part."
She offers free training; anyone who wants to learn can come, and she hopes to save as many lives as possible.
Seeing her insistence, Lu Baichuan thought to himself that his wife was truly a bodhisattva reincarnated. She said she wouldn't help the dog emperor, but in reality, she couldn't bear to see the people suffer.
"Alright, I'll bring it up at tomorrow's morning court."
He couldn't stop his wife from making decisions, so he could only help her share the burden.
Surprisingly, the next morning Prince Jing volunteered to go to provide disaster relief, which was unexpected by everyone.
However, the emperor and his ministers breathed a sigh of relief; with someone else handling this arduous task, they were safe.
"Sixth brother, have you thought this through? Disaster relief is not a game."
To prevent him from changing his mind later, the emperor asked again.
"Your Majesty, I have made my decision and I will certainly not disappoint you."
It was clear that Prince Jing hadn't been getting enough rest lately, with dark circles under his eyes, but his attitude was resolute and he didn't seem to be joking. The emperor immediately agreed and ordered that all the necessary supplies for disaster relief be prepared in the shortest possible time and taken to the refugees in the disaster area.
Lu Baichuan stepped forward and spoke, conveying Jiang Jiuniang's meaning in front of all the civil and military officials.
Immediately, someone stood up and said that Jiang Jiuniang was righteous and that her method was commendable and would be of great help to the people in the disaster area.
Of course, there were also those who deliberately argued, directly saying, "If Madam Lu truly cares about the refugees in the disaster area, she should personally go to the southwest region. His Highness Prince Jing is about to depart, so what's the point of teaching in this short period of time?"
"If you're going to spew nonsense, then shut up. Instead of standing here making sarcastic remarks, why don't you go to the disaster area and do something practical for the refugees? My wife has donated sweaters to the refugees, prepared prescriptions and medicines, and even offered to teach medical skills to the doctors going to the disaster relief efforts. May I ask what you have done for the refugees?"
Normally, when someone criticizes him, he pretends not to hear it. At other times, Mr. Kang and other people from his own circle would speak up for him, but now, he doesn't recognize Mr. Kang at all.
You have to protect your own wife.
The man was surprised that Lu Baichuan, who was usually quiet, would suddenly confront him, and for a moment he didn't dare to utter a word.
Just when he thought Lu Baichuan would let him off the hook, he heard him continue, "Last year, the Eastern Court offended my Northern Yan River Mountain. This general led his troops to reclaim the lost cities and defeated the Eastern Court people repeatedly. The Eastern Court's third prince and the princess who was sent for a marriage alliance are still in the capital. Have you forgotten about this?"
"During that time, my wife's little black ball made countless contributions and saved the lives of countless soldiers! While I was fighting on the front lines, my wife was helping the local people improve their lives in the rear. She set up workshops and led the people to make money together. Now, the people on the border are more prosperous than many people in the capital. Is your contribution to this?"
The man was forced to retreat, sweating profusely. He thought that if Jiang Jiuniang could go to a place like the border, why couldn't she go to the southwest? So he spoke up subconsciously, but he didn't expect to be scolded like this by Lu Baichuan.
"You...you...I was just saying..."
He tried to defend himself, but seemed quite powerless.
"Yes, you just said it casually. Do you know how much mud you've smeared on my wife? You, who receive a salary from the court, don't want to do anything, but instead expect my wife, a weak woman without a salary, to do those things. It's utterly ironic!"
Everything was fine until they heard that last sentence, and many people couldn't help but grin.
He called a remarkable woman like Jiang Jiuniang a weak woman?
Sisters, please don't rush me to finish! There's still content to write. This is a very long story, and the supporting characters also need to be developed. However, I know you don't really like this kind of story, so each supporting character won't have much screen time. The main focus is on the male and female leads' families. I'll try my best to reach three million words before finishing it, hehehe~
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