Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 340 - 337: Townsfolk_1

Chapter 340: Chapter 337: Townsfolk_1

Wei Zhong saluted Bai Qingyan and then retreated properly to stand behind Nanny Jiang.

She looked at Wei Zhong, who was standing demurely with lowered eyes, and knew that her grandmother wanted to show Wei Zhong’s competence so that she would employ him.

"Wei Eunuch is very useful. With you staying by grandmother’s side to care for her, we would be much more at ease when we return to Shuoyang," Bai Qingyan said.

Nanny Jiang’s lips moved slightly. Before the Eldest Princess could speak to Bai Qingyan, she was preempted by Bai Qingyan, forcing Nanny Jiang to leave with Wei Zhong after paying their respects.

"Eldest Sister..." Bai Jinzhi tilted her head and looked at Bai Qingyan in confusion. "The message Second Sister sent wasn’t as detailed as what Wei Zhong found out. Since he’s so useful, why not keep him?"

"There’s an old saying that a loyal minister doesn’t serve two masters. Wei Zhong... is loyal. It’s useful to have him by my side, but I fear he might hold back at critical moments. It’s better not to have such a variable around," Bai Qingyan raised her teacup and slowly blew away the rising tea leaves.

Also, Bai Jinse, Little Seventh, needed to stay by their grandmother’s side. Having someone like Wei Zhong around meant Little Seventh had someone reliable to use.

Bai Qingyan had no intention of letting Bai Jinse threaten the Lin family’s rule. As long as she stayed by their grandmother’s side... she would be safe.

At this moment, she was most worried about the famine in Yanwo.

In her previous life, she had never heard of it.

Reports from the county magistrates of Pingyang, Guangling, Luohong, and Hushui all came in simultaneously. This indicated the severity of the disaster. Countless people were starving to death.

Now, the urgent matter was disaster relief.

But selecting someone for disaster relief was difficult; such a large crisis could easily lead to civil unrest. The person in charge could be ruined if anything went wrong. It was hardly a good job.

In the palace, the Emperor pressed an ice pad to his head as he listened to the reports of the disaster in Yanwo. His headache was so severe that he couldn’t open his eyes, and his chest heaved with anger.

"From the end of last year to this year, not a single day of peace! Not a single day!" The Emperor threw the ice pad in his hand and stood up in anger. "Concealed the disaster for the sake of promotion! Absolutely intolerable! Kill! Have Min Zhongsheng executed by slow slicing!"

After paying his respects, Minister of Revenue Chu Zhongxing said, "Your Majesty, I believe the urgent matter is disaster relief. Your Majesty needs to determine the person for relief efforts. Given the enormity of this disaster, it might require a member of the Imperial Family to calm the people’s hearts."

The Crown Prince only nodded slightly but didn’t step forward to take charge of the disaster relief.

This relief effort was different from previous years... it was no easy task.

Now, with the famine in Yanwo growing too severe and refugees spreading, disaster relief... was also crowd control. It required very careful handling. Any misstep could trigger civil unrest. The Crown Prince dared not take on this responsibility.

"Father, I think... we could let Third Uncle try," the Crown Prince whispered to the Emperor. "Third Uncle has always been clean and kind. In such dire times, he would surely do his best in disaster relief and prevent others from embezzling funds."

"The Crown Prince speaks reasonably, but in my humble opinion... if the Crown Prince could personally oversee the relief efforts, it would surely boost the people’s morale," Chu Zhongxing suddenly changed his tone. "However, the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne. The disaster is so severe that any mishap could endanger your safety."

The Crown Prince’s heart pounded. He quickly told the Emperor, "I am not afraid of endangering my safety. However, I lack experience in disaster relief. Given the gravity of this situation, I fear I am not up to the task. I believe someone with disaster relief experience should be appointed to ensure stability. As Chief Minister Chu suggested, a member of the Imperial Clan should be involved to boost morale. I am willing to assist the person in charge and share your burden, Father."

With these words, the Crown Prince expressed his loyalty to his father by showing his willingness to take risks for him, while also indicating that he had no disaster relief experience and would only be a figurehead. Thus, even if something went wrong, he couldn’t be blamed. Truly clever.

The Emperor appreciated this approach. He sat down, took the ice pad Gao Demao handed him, pressed it to his head, and closed his eyes. "The Crown Prince is the nation’s heir, the cornerstone of the country. He must not be endangered!"

Chu Zhongxing contemplated for a moment and then said, "I do have a few candidates for relief efforts. However, since Your Majesty’s accession, rarely have we faced such a major disaster, so it might be hard to achieve perfection."

In the past twenty years, the most significant disaster was the plague in Jiaozhou. Back then... Bai Qishan personally handled the disaster relief, and the Bai family army sealed off Jiaozhou. Bai Suqiu volunteered to enter the city. The plague in Jiaozhou was alleviated, and the people recovered. But Bai Suqiu remained there forever.

The Emperor’s eyes suddenly turned misty, his previous anger shifted to grief. He closed his eyes and said, "In such a vast Jin court, can we not find someone capable of disaster relief?"

Normally, candidates for disaster relief could be discussed in the next morning’s court session. But now the situation was urgent. With each passing moment of delay, the more likely unrest would occur.

The Crown Prince suddenly thought of King Liang. King Xin had been deposed, and now the only adult princes other than him were King Liang.

"Father, besides needing a person to lead the relief efforts, a member of the Imperial Clan is needed to stabilize the situation. Since I cannot go, I recommend someone else. Please, do not be angry." The Crown Prince carefully spoke, "Though King Liang’s earlier attempt to frame the King of Zhen broke your heart, he was misled by those beneath him. He has since been reflecting on his mistakes in his residence and even attended to your birthday wholeheartedly. Please, give King Liang a chance to redeem himself and allow him to atone for his faults through meritorious service."

The Emperor looked at the Crown Prince, who kneeled on the ground pleading for King Liang, and had no time to think deeply. The Minister of Revenue immediately agreed. "The Crown Prince is right. Prince Liang, as His Majesty’s son, would surely boost morale more than a prince."

Gao Demao stepped forward to replace the ice pad for the Emperor. The Emperor frowned and nodded. "Then it will be King Liang. Who will be in charge?"

"For the person in charge of disaster relief, I propose one civil and one military. A general to command the troops for deterrence. General Zhang Duanrui is already leading troops to Chunmu Mountain, so General Shi Panshan from the southern frontier, who has merits from the southern war, is suitable! As for the civil candidate... we can select from those who have overseen disaster relief in recent years and performed well," Chu Zhongxing tightened his fists and said firmly, "I believe... the Left Prime Minister’s son, Li Mingrui, is suitable."

The Emperor’s head throbbed fiercely. He waved his hand. "It’s settled! Gao Demao... issue the decree! Call Lady Qiu!"

Lately, the Emperor had frequent headaches. The medications from the Imperial Physician were ineffective. Only Lady Qiu’s massages brought some relief.

The Crown Prince sighed with relief. As long as the duty didn’t fall onto him, anyone could take it.

Soon, the Emperor’s decree was publicly announced.

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