Chapter 205: Should I let my grandma ascend the throne?
Seeing his grandson's absent-mindedness, Yang Gong sighed again, "What have you thought of, kid?"
Of course, Xiao Ji couldn't tell everything without grandma's permission, so he started talking about another matter.
"Prince Wen has the support of the Marquis of Zhenbei, and Prince Ning is secretly colluding with the Minister of the Chancellery. Prince Wu will certainly not sit idly by and wait for death. Although I have the full support of the Yang family, this alone is not enough."
Yang Gong stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before nodding slowly. "If Xi Jingzhou could help you in the capital, it would be a great help. However..." The old man frowned slightly. "His transfer to Jingzhou was originally Your Majesty's decision. How could you easily let him return to the capital? Besides, there are no important positions vacant in the capital right now. Even if he returns, he has no power or position, so he won't be able to help much."
Of course Xiao Ji knew this, but he always felt that neither he nor Qingwu would be completely at ease until the issue of Qingwu's identity was resolved. He didn't want to wait until the last critical moment and then fail because of the exchange, and he had already thought of an excuse.
"I have a plan. The Emperor's birthday is in about two months. If... this way, my father-in-law can return to the capital early."
After hearing this, Yang Gong's cloudy eyes lit up. "Indeed, he is old now and prays for immortality. He has already shown signs of caring less about the common people and more about the gods. This excuse is indeed not bad, but it seems to be flattering. I wonder if Xi Jingzhou would agree to it."
But he heard his grandson say with certainty, "Father-in-law will definitely be willing..."
Here it comes again, here it comes again, but Yang Gong didn't want to ask too much, he believed that the child had his own reasons.
"In that case, then you can write a letter and have it delivered to you through the Yang family. If it succeeds, you should be able to return before the emperor's birthday."
"OK."
After the matter was settled, Xiao Ji was about to return, but unexpectedly, Yang Gong dropped another piece of news, "Your eldest cousin is serving as an official in Yingzhou. Yingzhou often floods in the summer. He has been in office for five years and has experienced flooding for three years. He wrote today, saying that the rain is heavier than in previous years, and there is a fear of another flood."
The letter arrived today. This place is a thousand miles away from Yingzhou. Even if the Yang family caravan tried its best to hurry according to the letter, it would probably take ten days.
"Cousin, what you mean is... that we should persuade the Emperor to allocate sufficient funds?"
Xiao Ji thought it must be for this reason. As a parent official, have you considered the local people and asked for help from your family? But he saw his grandfather shook his head, "No."
Yang Gong looked directly at Xiao Ji. "The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of allocating funds for disaster relief. Prince Ning is in the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of Revenue has allocated funds for each of the past three floods. Although it's not much, it's still acceptable..." Just as Xiao Ji was puzzled, Yang Gong continued, "If it's really the full amount..."
Before he finished speaking, Xiao Ji understood and his expression suddenly changed: "Are you saying that the Ministry of Revenue tampered with the disaster relief supplies?"
"It should be said that Prince Ning did something."
Yang Gong corrected him, pulling out another account book from the drawer. "The actual amount collected that your eldest cousin secretly recorded is quite different from the allocated funds announced by the court. He passed off inferior funds as good ones, claiming that a small amount was a large amount, and that he considered it a good thing to have received 70% of the announced amount."
Xiao Ji quickly flipped through the account books, becoming increasingly alarmed. If the records were true, the total amount of disaster relief funds withheld over the past three years would have been approximately 100,000 taels.
Almost instantly, Xiao Ji understood what his grandfather meant. Getting to the bottom of this matter was undoubtedly the best way to bring down Prince Ning. "But... this doesn't count as evidence, right? At least if the emperor is willing to cover it up, then this account book is a fabrication."
"Yes, so the possible flood this time is our opportunity..."
However, before Yang Gong could finish his words, Xiao Ji said, "This matter must be thoroughly investigated!" He closed the account book, "But the most urgent matter right now is..."
"We're trying to prepare before the disaster strikes," the old man continued with a smile. He patted his grandson's hand, "Your eldest cousin has experience and has been repairing waterways in recent years. The situation is much better than when he first took office, but you know, there are some things he can't do anything about..."
He wanted to develop water conservancy projects, build waterways for drainage, and build dams for flood control, but all these required money. Without enough money, even the best cook cannot cook without rice.
Xiao Ji naturally understood what his grandfather meant. Even though he had only been listening in at the court over the years, he knew what the emperor on the dragon throne had done. He used the money from the national treasury for his own pleasure, and at this age he was still taking concubines, becoming more and more arrogant and extravagant. Although disasters were frequent and small disasters continued, he felt that the world was peaceful and stable because there were no starving people.
"I will do my best," Xiao Ji took a deep breath, "This is indeed a good opportunity to seriously injure Prince Ning, but I still hope that natural disasters will not happen..."
At this moment, the young prince's eyelashes drooped, and his eyes, which were not completely covered, were full of compassion.
Seeing this, Yang Gong felt both relieved and sad. He raised his hand and gently patted his grandson's shoulder. His voice was low and firm: "It's good to care about the people, but some things... won't happen unless we don't want them to."
Da Sun served as an official in Yingzhou for several years, and it was definitely not without purpose.
At this moment, there was a faint sound of thunder outside the window. The grandfather and grandson looked at each other, both silent, and had an ominous premonition.
Even the joy he had felt earlier when he learned that his grandmother had control over another Hidden Phoenix Guard vanished into thin air. It was not until he returned to the palace and saw his wife and sister-in-law chatting and laughing together that he felt better.
Seeing her brother-in-law return, the little girl Qingmian immediately went back to her own courtyard. After she left, Qingwu walked over to Xiao Ji and gently nudged him with his arm, "What happened?"
Meeting Qingwu's concerned eyes, Xiao Ji felt a warmth in his heart. Thinking of the influence the person in front of him had on him, he couldn't help but hug him in his arms.
"What's the matter? Why are you so excited?" Qing Wu asked with a smile.
Xiao Ji opened his mouth and wanted to tell his grandmother that she owned the Hidden Phoenix Guard, but when the words came to his lips, he found it difficult to say them.
Qing Wu, who had been waiting for a long time but still couldn't hear him speak, felt something was wrong. She stepped out of his arms and looked up at him, only to see that Xiao Ji, who had gradually become thick-skinned, blushed again for the first time. Not only was his face red, but he also pursed his lips, making his lips even redder. Was this... shame between his brows?
This piqued Qing Wu's interest. She moved closer to Xiao Ji's face, squinting her eyes and staring into his, asking doubtfully, "What? Did you do something to offend me?"
The little prince in front of her was obviously half a head taller than her, but his aura was inexplicably inferior to hers. He shook his head repeatedly, which made Qingwu even more suspicious.
"If not, why do you look like this?"
After being interrogated for a long time, Xiao Ji's face turned red. He raised his eyelids and glanced at Qingwu again and again. After a while, he whispered the matter of Yingfengwei.
Hearing this, Qing Wu's brows were filled with joy, "Really?! Hey, isn't this a good thing? Grandma will definitely help us!"
Needless to say, Qingwu blurted out the affection between the grandfather and grandson, but it was precisely this certainty and confirmation that made Xiao Ji feel both lucky and more ashamed.
Qingwu had been with him through his downturn, never leaving him. She had already shown him immense gratitude, and her great aunt had also helped him return to the capital, another great favor that was difficult to repay. Now, her grandmother had another elite soldier at her disposal...
"Grandma, please help me again. I really can't repay you and I feel ashamed..."
Although Xiao Ji was ashamed, he did not lower his eyes. He just looked straight at Qing Wu, making the emotions in his eyes visible to her.
Qing Wu was stunned for a few breaths. She didn't expect that Xiao Ji was entangled in this. How many men took the support of their wives' families for granted? Song Yunhe was the most direct example. One of the reasons why he was willing to marry her was that he wanted the Xi family to take care of her, but the man in front of her actually felt ashamed of receiving too much care.
Honestly, if someone else had said this, Qing Wu would have thought it sounded almost fake. But as she stared into Xiao Ji's eyes, those peach blossom eyes meeting hers without blinking, Qing Wu knew he meant what he said, that he was truly ashamed.
"you……"
Qingwu opened his mouth. At that moment, complex emotions swirled in his heart, and finally turned into relief.
She was glad that Xiao Ji was such a husband, and her kindness to him was not in vain, at least, not yet.
Some assumptions don't need to be spoken out before they happen. Qing Wu suppressed those emotions and raised his lips teasingly: "Then you don't want it? If you don't want it, then I'll tell grandma..."
Before she could finish her words, the boy, who had just blushed and looked embarrassed, suddenly changed his expression and grabbed her wrist: "Yes! Of course!"
After Xiao Ji finished speaking, he realized that he had reacted too hastily. His ears suddenly became even redder, but he refused to let go. Instead, his momentum was even stronger than before.
"I...I feel unworthy of this. But Grandma's help is crucial to you, me, and the overall situation..."
It seems that he has become thicker-skinned and is no longer afraid to admit his own thoughts.
Qing Wu couldn't help laughing at his embarrassed and anxious expression. She teased him deliberately: "Oh? So how does Aji plan to repay Grandma? How does he plan to repay me?"
Xiao Ji was startled by her question, then he thought seriously: "I..."
"Okay, I won't tease you anymore." Qingwu patted the back of his hand gently, with a gentle smile in his eyes.
"Grandma is helping you for a reason. You're her great-nephew and a member of the Yang family, so she's closer to you. Besides..." She paused, her voice softening. "Even if Grandma doesn't want to, I'll ask her to help you."
This sentence undoubtedly exposed the girl's little thoughts. Hearing the preference in it, Xiao Ji smiled and his eyes curved. He couldn't help but move forward and pecked her again and again, muttering: "Thank you so much, Qingqing..."
"My dear, my lucky star."
"You are so kind, sir..."
This went on and on, making the girl feel embarrassed at first and then annoyed. Qingwu couldn't help but say angrily, "Okay, okay, stop kissing me."
This is so greasy and sticky.
But Xiao Ji didn't want to stop, so Qing Wu had to put on a stern face and said, "Then you should think about how to repay grandma and repay me!"
This sentence really stopped the young man. He stroked his chin and pondered for a long time, then suddenly said, "How about I give my Shadow Phoenix Guard to Grandma and let her ascend the throne?"
"Didn't she want the throne very much in the past?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
