Phi-Fic Chapter 300 The sky in the capital is about to change!
Chapter 300 The sky in the capital is about to change!
"The emperor is still in good health, let the crown prince and the third prince fight first, and then look for an opportunity later."
The Duke of Zhenguo sighed softly.
He is not a pedantic person. What he is guarding is not the emperor's kingdom, but the homes of millions of people in the Great Zhou.
It doesn't matter to him who sits in that position. What matters is that he can protect the entire family of the Duke of Zhenguo.
When Lu Zhen heard him say this, his eyes immediately lit up.
"Then let's just sit back and watch the fight."
"Stop baring your teeth. Go and replace the third brother. When the border is more stable, let him return to Beijing."
The Duke of Zhenguo glared at him unhappily and walked towards the military camp with his hands behind his back.
Bai Youyou and Lu Chen traveled non-stop for days, but when they arrived near Quzhou, they met many refugees on the road.
"What's going on here?"
Lu Chen reined in his horse and asked an old man in black who was carrying a large package beside him, "Master, what are you doing?"
"The Quzhou Canal dam collapsed and flooded the village. We had no choice but to seek refuge with relatives."
The old man was covered in mud, and the people following him, young and old, all looked tired and listless.
"The Quzhou Canal Dam collapsed?!"
Lu Chen took a breath of cold air.
The imperial court allocated one million taels of silver to repair and reinforce the dam the year before last, but it collapsed only two years later. It goes without saying that those people took the silver but did not use it to repair the river.
If he remembered correctly, the person in charge of repairing the river was General Yongwei's eldest son, Guo Molin, the Minister of Works.
The weather in the capital is about to change!
Lu Chen squeezed the horse's belly and said to Bai Youyou, "Let's go. Let's continue on our journey."
The two worked day and night and finally returned to the capital half a month later.
When the old lady saw Bai Youyou and saw that she was safe and sound, she finally let go of the worry in her heart.
"There has been a lot of unrest outside these days. If you have nothing else to do, don't leave the house."
"Is it because of the Quzhou Dam incident?"
The old lady nodded and said, "This matter involves a great deal of consequences. The emperor has ordered the execution of General Yongwei and his entire family in the autumn."
"The entire family of General Yongwei was executed?!"
Lu Chen had just swallowed the tea in his mouth when he heard the news and was stunned.
General Yongwei is the Queen's brother, and has an army of 300,000 men under his command...
He knew the matter was serious, but he didn't know that the emperor had actually ordered the killing of the entire Yongwei family!
Lu Chen thought of the Angong Emperor Huang Pill and frowned, "Has the Third Prince come to me regarding this matter?"
“Never been here.”
The old lady looked heavy-hearted. "The year before last, the imperial court allocated one million taels of silver for repairing the river. Guo Molin was so audacious that he secretly withheld 500,000 taels. The remaining 500,000 taels of silver were embezzled by those people. Less than 100,000 taels were actually spent on the river."
"This year, the Quzhou flood caused a dam to burst overnight, killing many people and displacing countless people from their homes. The people's livelihood was completely destroyed. If these people were not killed, it would not be enough to appease the public anger. He also knew that it would be useless to bring this matter here."
Lu Chen was a little worried, "Without the Third Prince's support, I'm afraid the Crown Prince will dominate the court in the future."
The old lady sneered, "Lord Xu has already figured out the matter of the Immortal Powder found in the West City Villa. We just need to wait for some time and collect more evidence. The Crown Prince will not be able to escape unscathed."
"Have you found out anything about the Qingling Mountain incident?"
"We have found out that it is Prince Rong's men."
When Prince Rong was mentioned, the old lady's face turned three shades colder.
Originally, she wanted to use the Qingling Mountain incident to deal a heavy blow to the Third Prince, but she didn't expect that those people were Prince Rong's men.
Now that the Third Prince had his arm cut off by the Crown Prince, this matter cannot be mentioned anymore.
When Lu Chen thought about how Bai Youyou was almost raped by that beast Jiang Hui, the muscles on his cheeks tensed up.
The old lady glanced at him and said calmly, "The third son of the Bai family already has a clue. As long as we find him, Prince Rong will not be able to escape."
"Youyou has suffered a great crime this time, this revenge must be avenged!"
Lu Chen gritted his teeth. On the other side, Bai Youyou asked Xiaoju to prepare a large bucket of hot water and soaked in the bathtub comfortably.
Xiaoju wiped her back with a handkerchief and kept muttering about what had happened during the days she was away.
"Miss, you don't know that Bai Yaoyao opened a Mingzhu Tower specifically to oppose our Baozhu Tower."
"Didn't someone smash our store before? You might not know that just half a month ago, someone did it again."
Xiaoju laughed and said, "But they didn't succeed the second time. They were caught by the people arranged by Master Qilian."
"How's business in the store?"
Now he needs money to buy food and fodder, and this is what Bai Youyou is most concerned about.
The weather there was cold, and winter clothes had to be made and sent over right away. Everything required money.
"At the beginning, the business was bleak due to the suppression of Mingzhu Tower. However, with the help of Miss Zhao and the good management of Master Qilian, it has now turned losses into profits."
"That's good."
Bai Youyou estimated that an army of 400,000 would need at least 200,000 taels of silver to survive the severe winter.
The imperial court delayed the payment of military salaries. Apart from the fact that the old emperor did it on purpose, the main reason was probably the empty treasury.
Now there is another flood in Quzhou, and the money the court can provide is very limited. For now, we can only find ways to solve the current difficulties on our own.
Bai Youyou was thinking about how to avoid being seen by others and quietly deliver the food to her grandfather. Outside the house, the crisp sound of green bamboo came in.
"Miss, His Royal Highness Prince Xian is here."
Lu Huaizhen!
Yes, didn’t my grandfather say that he has been helping to transport food and fodder? It’s just right to ask him for this job.
Bai Youyou quickly put on her clothes and came out of the room.
Xiaoju followed her and shouted anxiously: "Miss, your hair is not dry yet!"
Mrs. Lu came out of the small kitchen carrying a tray and saw her hair wet and falling on her shoulders. She said, "Hurry up and dry your hair. Be careful not to catch a cold later."
Bai Youyou stopped, took the dry towel from Xiaoju's hand and rubbed her hair hard a few times.
"Come on, come on, eat quickly. Weren't you hungry just now?"
Cuizhu also came out of the small kitchen, holding a small earthenware pot in her hand. She smiled and said, "Miss, don't worry. Prince Xian has gone to the Seventh Young Master's place. It's the same if you eat first and then go."
"Mom, I have something important to discuss with him. Please keep the rice warm on the stove. I will come and eat with my cousin later."
Bai Youyou gave instructions and hurried to the front hall.
Lu Chen was also talking about this with Lu Huaizhen.
"Your Highness, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you for help this time."
"You mean the food and wages?"
Lu Huaizhen's lips curved up, "I have asked people to buy a batch of food and fodder from various places. It should be enough to last for a month."
Lu Chen didn't expect that he had already prepared food and fodder, and a look of joy immediately appeared on his face.