After Becoming the Cannon Fodder Live-in Spouse A (GL) - Chapter 43: The Forty-Third Day

Chapter 43: The Forty-Third Day

The Xu family case gradually approached its end. When Xu Yi died and the position of Minister of Rites became vacant, filled by one of Yang Bo’s people, more important matters in the court gradually occupied the attention of the ministers.

This year, just after the beginning of spring, the rainfall around the Yangtze River was more than in previous years, causing the flood season to arrive early. Coincidentally, during the early summer season, the plum rain arrived ahead of schedule, coinciding with a continuous downpour, which led to floods in the Jiangning Prefecture area.

Initially, the reports mentioned only five or six affected counties. When the court allocated silver as per usual, waiting for the transport officials from the Su and Yang areas to send urgent reports on the flood situation by fast horse, they did not receive news from Yingtian Prefecture. Instead, they first received a memorial from the censor of Haizhou, which accused the five prefectures of Yingtian Prefecture of colluding and concealing the disaster situation.

It not only mentioned the number of prefectures and counties submerged due to the breach of the lower Yangtze River embankment but even pointed out that because the transport officials of these several prefectures protected each other and mishandled the disaster relief, the displaced people scattered in all directions and headed north. In less than half a month, they could reach Yong’an City. It also described the miserable conditions of the disaster victims, nearly a million in number, making it unimaginable that such a situation occurred under the rule of the current Mingde Emperor.

The memorial was full of incisive words, completely depicting the devastation of the disaster in the Jiangnan area, and earnestly requested the emperor to send a special envoy to thoroughly investigate the corrupt vermin in these three prefectures!

In Chenji Hall, Shen Jingming was furious.

He first questioned Yang Bo and the Censorate: What had the governor sent to Yingtian Prefecture been doing with the court’s money and grain? Then he asked the Three Departments: Why had the transport commissioners along the routes known but not reported? Furthermore, year after year, these places requested money to repair roads and widen the canal. How could a little rain this year cause flooding?

What were the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue doing?

Throughout the entire morning court, the high-ranking and powerful officials either had their hats removed or knelt down. Everyone in Chenji Hall was terrified. Even Wang Xuyao, who now held sway over the court and controlled the Privy Council, could not escape the emperor’s reprimand—

Because he and Li Yanlin had been the ones who accompanied the emperor to Yong’an from Jiangnan back then and started their careers in the Yingtian Prefecture area. These several prefectures and counties were all the fiefdoms when Shen Jingming had been enfeoffed as a king, equivalent to his second hometown. Now that such a major scandal had occurred in his own hometown, where was the emperor’s face?

Anyway, except for Qiwang who stood there as an ornament, all the civil and military officials in the court trembled under the emperor’s double anger.

…

The court successively sent two special envoys to investigate the Jiangnan flood disaster and specially bestowed the emperor’s Shangfang treasured sword, accompanied by the imperial guards.

As a result, the first special envoy had just boarded the canal when he encountered a hidden reef halfway, and the ship sank. Even the black-armored imperial guards on the ship did not return a few. Because it was the flood season, the water level in the canal rose very rapidly and gathered the water volume from several rivers and streams. In just one night, it suddenly surged, even causing heavy losses to several merchant fleets doing water transport business in the canal.

The second envoy chose to take the mountain road. On the way, due to the continuous rain, he encountered a flash flood. Near Xiangzhou, he was blocked by displaced people and delayed in reaching Yingtian Prefecture.

When Shen Jingming saw the official gazette, he almost laughed in anger.

However, good fortune never comes in pairs, and misfortune never comes singly.

Just seven days later.

The prefect of Jiangling Prefecture, also impacted by the disaster victims, submitted a report, mentioning that these disaster victims seemed organized. He suspected that folk cults were plotting and asked the court whether to suppress them with military force.

Memorials from various places flew to the court like snowflakes: those requesting money for disaster relief, those petitioning for grievances, those reporting disaster situations and epidemics. The attendants running errands in the Department of State Affairs did not even have time to drink tea, while Mingde Hall was shrouded in the emperor’s low pressure, with the terrifying Qianyuan incense filling the entire hall.

–

“Haha.”

In Jiangning City, inside a waterside pavilion courtyard.

The beautiful woman with a red mole on her lip corner and a beauty that could topple cities heard the reported matter, put down the bowl of fried silkworm beans she had been snacking on, clapped her hands, and showed a sense of taking pleasure in the misfortune.

“Doesn’t Shen Jingming excel most at strategy? How could a mere flood disaster stump him?” She picked up another fried silkworm bean but casually threw it to smash the person speaking. The bean with salt grains hit the other’s face and then fell to the ground.

The person hit by her thrown bean did not make a sound. Instead, it was Imperial Physician Mi Yun, who was supposed to arrive in Jiangnan with the first special envoy but had also disappeared midway when the large ship sank. At this moment, he had changed out of the official robes he usually wore in Yong’an, somewhat unaccustomedly touched his collar, and said to her:

“Why must the little princess make things difficult for him?”

“Moreover, this current emperor is not as devoid of tricks as you think.”

Is that so?

She did not think that way.

Among the high-ranking and powerful people in the current court, either they originated from Yingtian Prefecture and protected the prestigious families here, or they received tributes from here every year and sold official positions. Even if their official hats were removed, they would not dare to take assignments here. Even those with hard necks would not live to reach here.

But these words were unnecessary to say to Mi Yun, this outsider.

Su Wanqiu picked up a handkerchief and wiped the traces on her hands, thinking that there was nothing particularly delicious in this Jiangning City. She heard that this was a local specialty that the child who had grown up here since childhood liked to eat, but she indeed could not understand the tastes of people here.

She glanced at Mi Yun and smiled brilliantly. “Don’t you know in your heart why he is being made difficult?”

“Which number one divine physician from the northern borders previously guaranteed to me and assured me that even if Shen Jinglan woke up, she would be better off dead, mad as an ox?” She beckoned to Mi Yun with a very friendly smile. “Come, Imperial Physician Mi, explain it to me.”

Mi Yun saw that she intended to settle accounts with him, remained silent for two seconds, but still walked to her front, imitating the Central Plains etiquette of serving her by kneeling down, and even wanted to take her handkerchief to wipe her hands for her.

He spoke to explain, “There was no problem with that prescription. There are also people watching day by day at the emperor’s side. Shen Jinglan’s symptoms have already appeared; they are just not obvious—”

“I guess she was lucky enough to have a Qianyuan by her side who could suppress her symptoms. You also know that the incense of Qianyuan and Dikun is inherently mysterious. When the compatibility is high, they can harmonize with each other, and it is not uncommon to use it for treatment.”

No sooner had the words fallen.

That handkerchief was drawn across his face.

Clearly, it was a soft Dikun item from the boudoir with no lethality at all, but thinking of the cheap snack flavors it had just wiped off and left behind, Mi Yun took a deep breath.

He knew this was not a reward but humiliation.

“So coincidental?”

Su Wanqiu said this, but she also recalled the snow in Plum Garden at that time, falling heavily and coldly, yet able to soothe that bewitching and dangerous red camellia.

She indeed should have dealt with both of them at that time.

Thinking of this, she no longer looked at this wild dog suppressing his temper in front of her, smiled slightly, turned her head, and instructed someone, “Buy another bowl of this specialty.”

Mi Yun asked her, “Didn’t you just say you didn’t like this?”

“I do not like it—”

Su Wanqiu narrowed her eyes, not knowing what she thought of, but her smile grew even more. “However, soon I can use it to welcome a guest who was born and raised in Jiangning soil.”

After a pause, the palace education she had once received seemed to emerge shyly at this moment, reminding her how she should politely treat guests.

So she changed her words. “Hmm, entertaining guests with this kind of thing seems somewhat inappropriate.”

Then he could not be treated as a guest.

Su Wanqiu felt slightly regretful but seemed to have already decided someone’s fate. “Then use the next bowl of fried beans to feed a little pet. I happen to lack a very obedient and very compliant little dog.”

Especially thinking that this little dog had also been kept by Shen Jinglan’s side and had bared its teeth at her, Su Wanqiu liked it even more.