By late July, Gu Qingling's hands were already able to hold chopsticks.
"The wizard's medical skills are indeed superb."
Gu Qingling had no idea what price he would pay for this rapid healing.
"Xu Dong, where is Father?" Gu Qingling got out of bed, wanting to share the good news that she was about to recover with Gu Heng.
"Your Highness, His Majesty... His Majesty is still in Jinwu Palace."
The smile on his face froze instantly, and the atmosphere in the room became awkward.
Meanwhile, the Jinwu Palace was filled with laughter and joy.
"Your Majesty, I've calculated the time; it's still quite a while before I see the child in my womb," Consort Yi said with a charming smile. "Next month, during the autumn hunt, will I have the honor of accompanying Your Majesty?"
The resemblance between Consort Yi and Consort Rong is becoming more and more pronounced.
Gu Heng was often lost in thought, as if he had imagined it.
"Your Majesty..." Consort Yi timidly called out, "If it is inconvenient for Your Majesty, I will stay in the palace."
However, Gu Heng, who had been granting Consort Yi's every request during this period, refused her for the first time.
"My beloved concubine, the autumn hunt is not suitable for you. You should stay in the palace."
After saying this, Gu Heng said that he still had court affairs to attend to and turned to leave Jinwu Palace.
After an incense stick had burned, Gu Heng's imperial carriage stopped outside Zhaoning Palace.
"Is the Empress feeling any better?" Gu Heng asked, looking at the gleaming plaque. His tone was so indifferent that Cen Hai could barely hear him.
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician at the Marquis's residence says that Her Majesty has fully recovered."
"I'll go in and have a seat."
When Jiang Yu left the palace, she took away her two trusted confidantes, Ling Mama and Wan Ji, while leaving the rest of the palace staff behind in Zhaoning Palace to take care of Gu Qingyan.
Upon Gu Heng's sudden arrival, all the palace servants knelt down in fear.
"Go on with your work, I'll just sit here in the courtyard."
With Jiang Yu absent, Gu Heng sat at the stone table where Jiang Yu usually sat, imagining the scenes of Zhaoning Palace on ordinary days.
If he hadn't known the whole truth back then, perhaps he would still be the one doting on Lingxi Palace.
Consort Yi was gentle and kind, and came from a respectable family, so he trusted her completely.
After sitting for a long time, Gu Heng suddenly stood up, and Cen Hai quickly followed behind him.
The moment Gu Heng stepped out of Zhaoning Palace, he knew in his heart that he and Jiang Yu would never have a day when they could treat each other with respect.
She was not only his savior, but also a daughter of the Jiang family.
He would remember that life-saving grace, and on the day he dealt with the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion, he would still retain Jiang Yu's position as empress.
No matter who he chooses as his successor, she will always be the Empress Dowager.
But his slightly reddened eyes were filled with resentment. Why did he have to see Jiang Yu's good side?
......
On the other side.
"My lord, there are specialists in flood control, so why did the Emperor send you here personally?"
Floods struck the Hongjiang area, but Gu Heng issued an imperial edict sending Jiang He, who was fighting in the war, away from the capital.
"Have you found the person I asked you to find who is skilled in flood control?" Jiang He asked anxiously. The floodwaters were raging, and many people had been displaced.
Anxiety leads to endless disappointment.
The emperor of a nation treated natural disasters as a joke, showing no concern for the safety of his people.
"Found it! Found it!"
Another wave of floodwaters struck, and Jiang He quickly pulled his subordinates back, saying, "Let them come and see the flood situation for themselves. I will accompany them."
At Jiang He's insistence, the Yuzhou government opened the granaries to distribute grain, but many beggars could still be seen on the streets.
How did you deal with floods in the past?
Faced with Jiang He's question, the Yuzhou government could only bow their heads and give perfunctory answers. The Hongjiang area was frequently plagued by floods, and they... they were used to it.
"I don't care what you did before. Now that I'm here, you have to deal with it the way I do it!"
The Empress's elder brother, the Marquis of Dingyuan of Daqing.
His words were absolute, and no one dared to utter a single word of dissent.
"Sir, please have pity on me! My father has starved to death, and I don't even have the money to buy a straw mat!" A woman with a white cloth tied around her arm rushed out crying.
"Insolence!" The prefect of Yuzhou turned pale, and the guards behind him immediately stepped forward to surround the woman, after all, who did not know the name of Miss Bai in the capital?
"I only ask for two taels of silver to bury my father, and I'm willing to be his slave after that."
"good."
Jiang He's voice rang out as he looked thoughtfully at the woman in front of him, whose body was covered in dirt but whose face was clean.
"After you have buried your father, go to the prefectural government office to find me."
......
The woman's name was Xie Zhiqing, and she was beautiful.
After settling in, Jiang He made a special, gentle trip to visit Xie Zhiqing, while his subordinates followed behind him looked like they'd seen a ghost.
"My lord, that Miss Xie..." The subordinate wanted to speak but dared not, his already dark face turning even darker from holding it in.
"Gentle and virtuous in nature, and well-educated and reasonable, let's keep her."
Jiang He flicked his sleeves, completely disregarding his petrified subordinates.
"Keep it...keep it?"
"Does my word no longer carry any weight?"
A sly glint flashed in Jiang He's eyes as he strode toward the study.
Within an hour, news spread throughout Yuzhou that Marquis Dingyuan had brought a commoner girl back to the prefectural government office. The prefect of Yuzhou went to Jiang He and said that the local wealthy people wanted to host a banquet for him.
"Let's do it tonight." Jiang He studied the flow of the Hongjiang River on the map. "I can spare an hour at the yamen tonight."
As evening fell, the yamen was filled with beautiful women of all shapes and sizes, and the pungent smell of rouge almost made Jiang He lose his smile.
“Well…” the prefect of Yuzhou forced a smile, “They all brought their nephews and nieces.”
Nephews? Jiang He's lips twitched.
After several rounds of drinks, Jiang He's eyes became hazy. "This Marquis...this Marquis will obey Your Highness in everything. Your Highness likes women with kind hearts. Now that the floods have broken out, I feel heartbroken seeing those displaced people."
After saying this, Jiang He became completely drunk and unconscious.
The next day, the prefect of Yuzhou, carrying his jiggling fat, his already small eyes narrowed into slits, excitedly knocked on the door: "My lord, the wealthy gentry have started distributing porridge, and it's the young ladies themselves who are doing it!"
"The people have food!"
"My lord, my master got drunk last night and is still not awake."
Inside the house, Jiang He, showing no signs of a hangover, finally let out a long sigh of relief as the corners of his mouth turned up.
He could not have peace of mind as long as the people could not have enough to eat.
With the disaster relief grain from the capital arriving late, he had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.
It will only trouble Ayu... when the imperial decree is issued to reward these daughters of wealthy families, Ayu's decree will make their marriages smoother in the future.
"My lord, you are truly amazing!"
The subordinate ran into the house, grinning and showing his white teeth. "By the way, the people have enough to eat now, so it's time to let that Miss Xie go."
"Didn't I say I would keep her?"
"ah?"
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