newbobooks Chapter 780 Zhao Chen'an is furious
Chapter 780 Zhao Chen'an is furious
Gu Lu turned his gaze to Gu Qingchen, his eyes filled with approval, but even more so with the admonition of an elder brother to his younger sister: "Qingchen, have you thought this through? Once you say these words, there is no turning back."
"I don't need to think about it." Gu Qingchen's answer was crisp and clear. "Brother Lu, you heard it too. This is a man-made disaster! My Zhenguo Duke's Mansion has been loyal and virtuous for generations. My father and brother protect our country. What is it all for? Is it just to let these parasites prey on the people and treat human life like dirt in the capital?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear and resonant.
"If I don't stand up today, my father and brother will have lost all face!"
Gu Lu gave her a deep look, then nodded heavily: "Good! Well said! You truly are a daughter of the Gu family!"
Without saying another word, he turned and loudly ordered the constables behind him: "Re-register the disaster victims! Compile statistics on the casualties and damage to houses! Also, send a team to all the major grain and rice shops in the city immediately, and tell them that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is funding the purchase of grain at high prices, and that they want as much as they can get! Also, send people to all the major pharmacies to buy all the medicines for injuries!"
"Yes!" the constables responded in unison, their morale soaring, and they immediately split up to get to work.
With the prestigious name of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and the tangible promise of money, the scene that was originally filled with despair and chaos was instantly infused with powerful order and vitality.
Qian Zhenyun looked at the scene before him, and at Gu Qingchen who was speaking to Gu Lu in an orderly manner, and felt a mix of emotions.
She's always like that—unpredictable, yet always making the right decisions.
He painstakingly planned and took every step carefully, wanting to protect her behind him, but in the end, she rushed to the front and cleared a path for him.
"Get lost," Gu Qingchen said, turning to look at him after finishing her instructions. A sly smile appeared on her lips.
"Now that we have manpower and funds, shouldn't you, as the Crown Prince's appointed Minister of Disaster Relief, get down to business?"
She deliberately emphasized the words "Minister of Disaster Relief," and the teasing tone in her voice eased the tension and solemnity of the moment.
As Qian Zhenyun looked at the snowflakes on her face and her eyes, which were even brighter than the snowflakes, his tense heartstrings finally began to relax.
He sighed softly, a helpless yet indulgent smile on his face: "Miss Gu, you've really given me a huge problem."
"A difficult problem?" Gu Qingchen raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want to investigate those corrupt officials? Don't you want to save these people?"
"I do want to," Qian Zhenyun replied earnestly, looking at her. "But I don't want to involve you."
"Too late." Gu Qingchen shrugged, looking completely matter-of-fact. "Your business, Qian Zhenyun's business, is my business, Gu Qingchen's business. Anyone who wants to mess with you will have to ask me for permission first."
Her voice was clear and crisp, with a girlish charm, but the weight of her words made Qian Zhenyun's heart skip a beat.
He stared intently at her, his usually gentle and calm eyes now churning with deep emotions that no one else could understand.
He wanted to say something, but all the words that came out of his mouth were just a low "okay".
That "okay" was his response to her, and also his promise to himself.
East Palace, study.
"Snapped!"
A fine celadon teacup was smashed to the ground and shattered into pieces instantly.
Zhao Chen'an's face was so dark it seemed to drip water. His chest heaved violently, and his eyes were filled with barely suppressed rage and humiliation.
"What did you say? Say it again!" His voice, as if squeezed out from between his teeth, carried a chilling intent.
The kneeling eunuch trembled with fear, repeating in a shaky voice, "Your Highness, Miss Gu... Miss Gu went to the south of the city and publicly promised that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would cover all disaster relief expenses, and... and threatened to thoroughly investigate the Ministry of Works' Construction Department..."
"Fine, well done, Gu Qingchen!" Zhao Chen'an laughed in anger, kicking over the low table in front of him, scattering the writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone all over the floor.
"Who does she think she is? Just because she's the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, does that give her the right to act with impunity and interfere in court affairs?!"
His original plan was flawless.
They sent Qian Zhenyun to provide disaster relief, but gave him no soldiers, no money, and no food. They wanted to put him in a desperate situation, to let him die of exhaustion amidst the people's curses and despair.
Gu Lu's intervention, though unexpected, was not a major issue. As a junior official of the Court of Judicial Review, he could only mobilize a limited number of people; at most, it would only allow Qian Zhenyun to hold out for a few more days.
But he never expected that Gu Qingchen, whom he had always thought was just a good-for-nothing who would only act recklessly because of his status, would break his trap in such a decisive and direct way!
She wasn't helping Qian Zhenyun; she was slapping the Crown Prince across the face in front of the entire capital!
She used the money and grain from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to win people's hearts.
She used the prestige of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to suppress his people.
She made everyone see how ridiculous and powerless his so-called "benevolence" as the crown prince was in the face of the Zhenguo Duke's mansion's thunderous methods!
"Your Highness, please calm down!" A nearby advisor quickly stepped forward to persuade him, "Gu Qingchen's actions, though seemingly grand, are in fact extremely foolish!"
Zhao Chen'an turned his head sharply, his scarlet eyes fixed on him: "Foolish? She's become a living bodhisattva now, and what have I become? I've become a laughingstock, watching the people suffer while doing nothing!"
"Your Highness, that's precisely why she gave us a huge handle against us!"
The advisor's eyes flashed with a sinister light. "She's an unmarried woman, without any official position, yet she's pointing fingers in the disaster area, arbitrarily allocating funds and supplies, and making promises. What is this called? This is usurpation! To put it more bluntly, this is interference in state affairs and contempt for imperial authority!"
"The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is wealthy and powerful, but disaster relief is a matter of state. How can a mere woman interfere with it? She is placing the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion above the law! As long as we seize this point and impeach her before the Emperor, even the Duke of Zhenguo cannot protect her!"
The anger in Zhao Chen'an's eyes was gradually replaced by a cold, calculating look.
He slowly sat back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.
"You mean, you want me to go and complain to the Emperor?"
“Exactly!” the aide bowed. “Your Highness, you don’t need to argue with her now. If she wants to spend money, let her spend it. If she wants to save people, let her save them. The more she does, the more mistakes she makes!”
"Once the disaster situation stabilizes, we will list out all the charges against her for misappropriating the treasury, interfering with disaster relief, and even directing the Dali Temple in handling cases, and present them to the Emperor!"
"At that time, with witnesses and physical evidence, even if Gu Qingchen has made great contributions, it won't outweigh the crime of 'usurpation'! At that point, whether she is killed or tortured will be up to Your Highness's word."
Looking at the swirling snow outside the window, Zhao Chen'an said in a low voice, "Let her be smug for a few more days. I want to see what she'll use to fill that bottomless pit in the south of the city."
There was a gleam of ruthlessness in his eyes.
"Issue this order: the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, the Capital Prefecture, and all other government offices—without my command, no one is permitted to provide any assistance to the south of the city. Not even a grain of rice, not even an inch of cloth!"
"I want everyone to know who really calls the shots in this capital!"
South of the city, on the ruins.
With Gu Qingchen's strong intervention and the financial support of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, the rescue work is proceeding in an orderly manner.
A campfire was lit in the makeshift shelter. Steaming hot meat porridge was distributed to every disaster victim. The injured also received proper medical treatment from Doctor Qian and his apprentices.
Gu Qingchen did not leave.
She took off her luxurious fox fur cloak, wearing only a smart dark outfit, and personally moved among the disaster victims.
Unlike those showy noblewomen who simply stand at a distance and offer a few perfunctory words of comfort, she was not like those who put on a show.
She would squat down and listen attentively to an old woman's tearful account of her husband being buried under the rubble.
She would take a clean handkerchief from her bosom and wipe the mud off a child's face.
She would even personally hold the medicine bowl and feed the bitter medicine, spoonful by spoonful, into the mouth of a seriously injured person.
At first, the disaster victims treated her with awe and distance. But gradually, they discovered that this legendary spoiled and willful young lady from the Duke's mansion was not at all as arrogant as they had imagined.
Her eyes were sincere, and her concern came from the heart.
Qian Zhenyun stood not far away, silently watching all of this.
He saw her directing the servants to distribute cartloads of quilts and winter clothes, which had been brought from the mansion, to the poorly dressed disaster victims.
He saw her holding a booklet, carefully checking something with Gu Lu, her brows furrowed and her expression focused.
Seeing that she was tired, he found a relatively clean rock to sit on, picked up a cold, hard steamed bun, and ate it with large mouthfuls of snow water.
At that moment, Qian Zhenyun felt as if he was truly getting to know her for the first time.
"What are you looking at?" Gu Lu walked up to him without him noticing, followed his gaze, and smiled knowingly. "You didn't expect that, did you? Our Qingchen has this side to him too."
Qian Zhenyun withdrew his gaze and nodded slightly.
"Brother, thank you for your hard work."
"What hardship do I have to endure?" Gu Lu patted the snowflakes off his clothes. "The ones who are truly suffering are you. Especially you, His Highness the Crown Prince, he probably won't let this go easily."
Qian Zhenyun's eyes darkened: "When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it."
"It's good that you think that way." Gu Lu looked at him. "Qingchen is determined to protect you this time. You mustn't let her down."
Qian Zhenyun didn't speak, but his gaze fell on that petite figure again.
To let him down? How could he bear to?
Just then, a constable from the Court of Judicial Review came running over quickly, his expression solemn.
"Young Master Gu, Young Master Qian, someone from the palace has arrived!"
Both of them felt a chill run down their spines at the same time.
"Who?" Gu Lu asked.
"It's Granny Li, who serves the Empress."
The Empress's people!
Gu Qingchen also heard the commotion. She quickly walked over, a hint of wariness on her face.
"What is she here for?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the crowd in the distance parted to make way for them. An old nanny dressed in dark palace attire, with her hair neatly combed and a serious expression, was walking towards them, surrounded by a group of eunuchs and palace maids.