Jiangnan was in dire straits, and it wasn't long before the disaster relief team set out from the capital, bringing relief funds and rations to Jiangnan.
This disaster relief team carried the hopes of the entire court. The Cabinet urged them every day, and the relay stations were on alert. But no matter how long everyone waited, no news related to the disaster had come.
Even though Xu Wen had sent a memorial to the throne, it was full of flowery, bureaucratic phrases. Regarding the flood and disaster relief, Xu Wen had only said a few words. The Emperor thought that the capital and Jiangnan were very far apart. Perhaps Xu Wen was too busy settling the victims and had no time to write a memorial, so there had been no news. Thus, the Emperor suppressed his anxiety and patiently waited.
But the patience of the civil and military officials did not bring news that the flood had been cured or that everything was back on track. The official that Li Seung-kyung had placed at Xu Wen's side as an assistant tried to persuade him, but to no avail. Taking the risk of being disrespectful, he sent an urgent memorial back to the capital. His memorial was escorted several times, and in the end, only one reached Li Seung-kyung's hands. Li Seung-kyung's face immediately darkened when he saw the memorial. The next day, he publicly handed this memorial to the Emperor during the morning court session.
"Your Majesty, Jiangnan has an urgent report. Xu Wen was rash and greedy, embezzling the relief funds and replacing new rice with moldy rice. After eating, the victims began to vomit and have diarrhea. In just ten days, the death toll has soared to more than one thousand three hundred. Xu Wen tried to cover up the disaster he caused, not mentioning it in his memorial and even suppressing his subordinates, forbidding them from reporting it to the court. In the end, because the corpses were not disposed of in time, a plague broke out. Jiangnan has been raining continuously these past few days, and the weather is humid. The plague spread extremely quickly, and before Zhao Liang risked his life to submit a memorial, an entire village had already been infected. "
"Plague!" Everyone in the court was alarmed. After a flood or drought, what people feared the most was a plague. Throughout history, it was not uncommon for one in ten households to survive and corpses to fill the fields. If a plague was not dealt with properly, it would be a calamity that would harm the fate of the country.
Like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, the officials of the Imperial Court immediately exploded. Yang Fucheng swung his sleeves and shouted, "Ridiculous! Zhao Liang was only a deputy and did not have the authority to report to the court. Now that he had gone above his rank, he had already committed the crime of disrespect. This person is not trustworthy. We should remove him from his position immediately and never use him again. "
"Grand Secretary, you are wrong." Li Seung-kyung did not back down at all. "It's not that Zhao Liang didn't report it to his superiors, but Xu Wen was obstinate and self-opinionated. He was greedy for credit, so he didn't use it, causing the disaster to spread and the plague to break out. If Zhao Liang stubbornly adhered to the rules and did not report to the court, could it be that he would have to wait until Jiangnan's people were all dead and Xu Wen could no longer suppress them before Yang Shoufu sent people to care about the lives of the people? As an official of the imperial court, the first thing to do was to be loyal to the emperor, the second thing to do was to love the people, and the third thing to do was to respect their superiors. If Yang Shoufu did this, what would happen to the common people? What about Daqi's imperial court? "
"He reported above his rank, which shows that his character is not good. Who knows if he deliberately made up an excuse to frame the officer in order to steal the credit?"
"Whether it's true or not, we'll know once we send people to Jiangnan to investigate. Yang Shoufu wants to remove him from his position without knowing the situation. Could it be that he wants to cover for someone? "
…
The arguments in the morning court lasted until noon. In the end, the Emperor revealed a headache and reluctantly ended it. Even though the two sides stopped discussing, the smell of gunpowder still enveloped the palace. The atmosphere was tense for the entire afternoon.
Li Seung-kyung saw the Emperor's tired face and left with him. He stayed by the Emperor's side for the entire afternoon, calling for an imperial physician and sitting in on the six cabinet meetings. He was busy until nine in the morning before returning.
Although Cheng Yujin stayed in the inner palace, she knew that something big had happened outside. The flood had not stopped, but it had actually caused a plague. At this time, herbs were scarce, and there were even fewer doctors who had learned traditional medicine. When the common people fell ill, they had to rely on their bodies to survive, not to mention a plague that was highly contagious and had a high death rate. Just hearing the word 'plague' made the palace maids and eunuchs shudder with fear.
Li Seung-kyung returned late at night. As soon as he heard the door open, Cheng Yujin immediately put on a cloak and walked out. "Your Highness!"
Li Seung-kyung saw her and hurriedly reached out to support her. "Why did you come out?"
"I saw that Your Highness had not returned for a long time and was really worried."
Li Seung-kyung's expression was heavy. He had just returned from outside. Even though he had held an umbrella on the way, his hands were still cold from the rain. He gripped Cheng Yujin's hand tightly. The coldness of the water droplets in his palm almost seeped into her heart. "It's nothing. Come in first."
After entering the hall, Cheng Yujin immediately ordered the palace maids to prepare the water. She personally poured ginger soup to dispel the cold and brought it to Li Seung-kyung. Li Seung-kyung was sitting at the table and rubbing his forehead tiredly. When he heard the sound, he coldly raised his head. Only when he saw Cheng Yujin did he let down his guard.
Cheng Yujin sat beside him and watched him drink the ginger soup with her own eyes. Only then did she softly ask, "Your Highness, how is it?"
Li Seung-kyung did not speak. He remained silent. Cheng Yujin also sat beside him to accompany him. After a while, Li Seung-kyung said, "Yujin, I might have to make a trip to Jiangnan."
"What?" Even Cheng Yujin was shocked. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Your Highness!"
"I know." Li Seung-kyung gripped Cheng Yujin's hand tightly and said, "I also know that there is a plague in Jiangnan right now. It is very dangerous to go to the disaster area at this time. However, I have to go. "
Cheng Yujin's brows furrowed. It was clear that she still did not agree. "Your Highness, the plague is not a joke. Right now, no one knows what the situation in the disaster area is like. What if the plague spreads again during the time when the memorial is sent? No one knows how the plague started or how it spread. No one knows what medicine to use or how to prevent it. Your Highness, I know that you care about the people, but you are the stabilizing force of the world. Only when you are well can more people be saved. You really can't take the risk. "
Li Seung-kyung sighed and said, "I understand your misgivings. If it wasn't for the fact that there is no time, why would I take this risk?"
Cheng Yujin frowned. She instinctively felt that something was wrong. "Your Highness, what do you mean?"
"When court was dismissed today, the Emperor's expression was not right. The courtiers thought that the Emperor was angry, so they could only forcibly stop the quarrel and disperse the court. However, when I followed the Emperor back to the palace, he … … at that time, he was not pretending. "
Cheng Yujin sucked in a breath of cold air. The blood in her body turned cold. Cheng Yujin could not understand what kind of information was contained in these few words.
Cheng Yujin could not help but lower her voice and quietly ask, "Your Highness, you mean … …"
Li Seung-kyung nodded with a heavy expression. "I also did not know before. The Emperor was surrounded by his own people and this matter did not spread outside. It was not until today that I followed the Emperor and personally saw the Imperial Physician take the Emperor's pulse that I found out that his body was unwell for some time. "
"His Majesty, he … …"
"It is not a serious illness, but it cannot be cured. He will often have headaches. When the headaches are severe, he will not be able to sit or rest and won't be able to eat. In the past, it was not frequent, but recently, there has been a lot of court affairs. The Emperor was originally worried about the water in Jiangnan. Now that he found out that not only was the flood not cured, but the plague had also broken out, in his anger, his headaches became even more serious. I personally saw the Emperor summon the Imperial Physician in the Palace of Heavenly Purity and drink several doses of medicine before going out to discuss matters with the officials. The Imperial Physician said that the Emperor's illness required a long period of rest and that he should not tire himself out. However, the plague is not a small matter. When I left tonight, I could clearly feel that his headaches were acting up again. "
Cheng Yujin sighed. The Emperor's poor health was not good news for them. The Eastern Palace was able to smoothly advance until today because of the Emperor's support. Right now, the Yang Family had not fallen, Yang Fucheng controlled the court, and Empress Dowager Yang covetously watched from the palace. At this juncture, if the Emperor fell, then the Eastern Palace's situation would immediately worsen.
Cheng Yujin vaguely understood why Li Seung-kyung said that he did not have time and that he had to go to the disaster area.
Li Seung-kyung saw that Cheng Yujin had understood and sighed in his heart. His two hands tightly wrapped around Cheng Yujin's hand. "I don't have much time left. I need to prepare for the worst as soon as possible. I originally thought that there was still a long time left. Uprooting the big tree that is the Yang Family is not something that can be done in one day. But right now, I don't have time. I need to make contributions that can match the achievements of the Yang Family. "
Cheng Yujin looked at him. Although she didn't say anything, her eyes were watery. She wanted to say something, but she didn't. Cheng Yujin naturally didn't want Li Seung-kyung to take such a risk. The plague was not a joke. It wouldn't be lenient just because Li Seung-kyung was the Crown Prince. But she knew that Li Seung-kyung was right. They were already at the edge of a cliff. It was too late to think about it. He had to make a big gamble, and the bargaining chip was his own life.
Cheng Yujin didn't persuade him in the end. She stood up and said, "I'll go prepare the mugwort and incense for Your Highness. Your Highness's scented sachet and clothes also need to be changed. "
Li Seung-kyung's expression relaxed. This was his wife. Even if she didn't want to, she would still understand and support him. Li Seung-kyung stood up and hugged Cheng Yujin from behind, saying, "It's already late. Don't worry about these things. When I had this idea, I felt the most sorry for you. If it was before I was married, I would be a loner without any worries. I would gamble with my life without hesitation. But now that I have you, I'm actually afraid. I'm afraid that I won't be able to come back, that I won't be able to see the birth of our child, that I won't be able to see you again. "
"Your Highness!" Cheng Yujin furrowed her brows and gave a clear sigh, saying, "What are you saying? You will definitely come back safe and sound. I'm still waiting for you to come back so we can name our child. "
"I know." Li Seung-kyung lowered his head and buried it in Cheng Yujin's neck. He murmured in a low voice, "How could I not come back?"
Because of the plague, many families in the capital were shrouded in dark clouds. The next morning, when they came to court, all the officials' expressions were grave.
Not long after the morning court began, the officials quarreled again over the disaster relief. The quarrel that was forcefully stopped because of the Emperor's departure didn't disappear because a day had passed. Instead, it fermented over the night and became more aggressive. Just as the officials were arguing over whether they should send someone else to the disaster relief, the Crown Prince volunteered to be the special envoy and go to the disaster area to investigate the situation and pacify the people.
The stench in the court froze because of this one sentence.
Yes, who else could be more convincing, more trusted, and more able to pacify the people than the Crown Prince? In this kind of mess, no matter which side was sent, it would cause a factional struggle. Those with less experience couldn't order the local officials around, those with more experience couldn't travel long distances due to old age, those with lower status couldn't convince the people, and if it wasn't handled well, the disaster victims would suspect that the court wasn't doing anything. Those with higher status didn't want to take the risk.
But Li Chengqian met all the conditions. He was young, had a high position, and had the ability. At the same time, because he was a member of the imperial family, he was the best at pacifying the people. The most important thing right now was to pacify the people and show the world that the court would never abandon the people. And Li Seung-kyung was the Crown Prince, so this was the most effective.
As long as the people were united, the rest of the matter would be half solved. No matter what disputes there were in Jiangnan's officialdom, as long as the Crown Prince stood there, who would dare to oppose him? Whether or not Li Seung-kyung could find out the truth was not important. The halo that he brought was the most important.
After Li Seung-kyung said this, the court quickly quieted down. After a while, everyone praised the Crown Prince for his righteousness, saying that it was a blessing for the court. The Emperor took this opportunity to finalize the candidates for his deputy. Not long after, the special envoy team was assembled.
The disaster relief could not be delayed. On the day that Li Seung-kyung asked to be sent, he was busy gathering the team to familiarize themselves with the situation. On the third day, they set out from the capital.
After Li Seung-kyung left, Ciqing Palace seemed to be half empty. Cheng Yujin looked at the green leaves outside the window. Every day, she calculated in her heart where he was going and what he was doing today.
She had always lived alone, so why did she never feel that the room was so empty? She could practically hear the echo of footsteps.
Because Li Seung-kyung wasn't there, Cheng Yujin was even more lazy to go out. Other than paying respects to the Empress and Empress Dowager, she didn't take a step out of Ciqing Palace.
As the days passed, the rain in the capital stopped, revealing the bright sun. As usual, Imperial Physician Zhao came to take the Crown Princess' pulse. After returning to the Imperial Hospital, he personally watched the medicine boy brew medicine. When he came back, he suddenly found that his medicine box seemed to have been rummaged through.
Imperial Physician Zhao frowned. He suddenly had an ominous premonition.
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