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Wei Yunlan did not know that if the Crown Prince had not died prematurely, many of the tragedies that befell the Great Yong Dynasty in the years that followed could have been avoided.
She only knew that for both the Wei family and the common people, having the Crown Prince alive would be far more beneficial than detrimental.
At the very least, a Crown Prince who had been personally raised by the late emperor and was known for his virtuous reputation would certainly be better than the Second Prince, who would go to any lengths to seize the throne, even if it meant disregarding the lives of commoners.
Moreover, and most importantly, if the Crown Prince were to ascend the throne one day, he would surely investigate the palace witchcraft case from five years ago that led to the Queen’s tragic death. At that time, the baseless charges against the Wei family would be cleared, allowing them to return to the Capital without shame.
Wei Yunlan did not place all her hopes solely on the Crown Prince, but if there were a shortcut available, why not take it?
The Crown Prince had died in the palace, and the cause of death had not been officially announced. However, Chen Feng and Xue Linglong had discussed the matter privately, both speculating that the Crown Prince’s death was likely the work of someone within the palace—either the favored concubine, the Second Prince, or even the current emperor, who had long held a grudge against the Crown Prince.
Regardless of who had acted, the palace was filled with danger, and a way had to be found to warn the Crown Prince in advance.
But now that she was far from the Capital, how could she possibly establish contact with the Crown Prince?
Wei Yunlan furrowed her brows in thought, unaware that she had already diffused this crisis without realizing it.
…
The rumor that “the earth dragon turned due to the incompetence of the current emperor, resulting in divine punishment” was spreading rapidly in the Capital.
No one dared to openly discuss the emperor’s faults, but privately, this rumor was widely accepted.
After all, the disasters that had struck the Great Yong in recent years were more numerous than those of the past several decades combined. This year alone had seen the flood in Tanzhou followed by this earthquake disaster, affecting almost half of the Great Yong’s territory.
Adding to this were the Northern Barbarians stirring restlessly and the occasional incursions from the Western Liang. In just ten short years since the late emperor’s death, the once-prosperous Great Yong had fallen into such a precarious state.
It was truly tragic.
In the court, the atmosphere was even more tense than among the common people, as reports of the disaster conditions in various prefectures piled up on the emperor’s desk.
The cabinet ministers were losing their hair over the situation.
Not to mention the casualties in Hanzhou alone, which far exceeded ten thousand, with one county suffering so severely that half of its residents were buried alive due to ground fissures.
Even with all military officers mobilized under the command of Hanzhou, they could not save everyone.
How to provide disaster relief and comfort the affected commoners was a significant challenge.
An even greater challenge was what to do with the grain supplies that needed to be sent west and north.
“Hanzhou has always been known as the largest granary in the northern region of the Great Yong. How could this disaster happen there!” Lord Cao, the Grand Scholar of the cabinet, sighed for the umpteenth time that day.
If only this disaster had occurred after the autumn harvest, things would have been much better.
“The three prefectures most severely affected—Hanzhou, Suizhou, and Qizhou—have seen almost all their people fleeing to other prefectures. Forget about collecting taxes from these three this year.”
“With the grain supply at the border tight, losing the harvest from these three prefectures means that if other affected prefectures further reduce their grain taxes… how will we supply the front lines?”
As the problem was raised, the cabinet fell into silence.
Everyone knew that with the harvest from those three prefectures gone, it was impossible for the others to reduce their taxes any further.
In fact, some areas that had been affected less would not only refrain from reducing taxes but would have to increase them.
But how could they then comfort the common people?
“Unless… His Majesty is willing to follow the example of the late emperor and issue an edict of self-reflection.”
The speaker was a cabinet minister surnamed Lu. As soon as he opened his mouth, he was pulled back by a colleague beside him, who whispered, “You’ve gone mad!”
“Have you forgotten the fate of Inspector Wei?”
The emperor had become increasingly prone to fits of rage in the past two years. Who dared to suggest that he issue an edict of self-reflection at this time? They must be tired of living.
Fortunately, the emperor was not present.
After being reminded by his colleague, Minister Lu quickly shut his mouth. After all, he was not like Inspector Wei, who had a cousin who was a concubine in the palace and a daughter who had been sent to a foreign land. If he angered the emperor, no one would plead for him!
However, no matter how much Minister Lu hoped that his previous words would not reach the emperor’s ears, Emperor Xiaoren still learned of the cabinet’s discussion that day.
“Edict of self-reflection?”
Emperor Xiaoren’s face darkened, and he said coldly, “Lu Guangwei must not want his head anymore.”
“Your Majesty, please calm down.” Concubine Ling personally poured a cup of cool tea to clear the heat and quench thirst, handed it to Emperor Xiaoren, then walked behind him, gently kneading his shoulders, and soothingly said, “If blame must be placed, it can only be on the bad weather. These disasters are not man-made. How could they possibly be blamed on Your Majesty?”
These words hit Emperor Xiaoren right where it hurt.
Emperor Xiaoren’s anger was calmed by these soft words. He gently patted Concubine Ling’s hand on his shoulder and sighed, “My dear, you are the most reasonable. It would be great if all the officials and commoners were as sensible as you.”
Concubine Ling followed Emperor Xiaoren’s movements, stopping her hands but still leaning against him, and said softly, “But it’s not entirely their fault, Minister Lu and the others came up with this idea. After all, the people’s anger also needs to be calmed…”
Emperor Xiaoren subconsciously furrowed his brows, but then he heard Concubine Ling change her tone. “Witchcraft goes against the laws of Heaven. Since Heaven is punishing, it’s not Your Majesty who is being punished, but the true culprit. Why doesn’t Your Majesty expose this person?”
Emperor Xiaoren’s furrowed brows immediately relaxed. He slammed his hand down on the armrest of his chair and laughed loudly, “My dear, you are truly resourceful!”
“Someone, call the Crown Prince!”
In the East Palace, Qi Xu, who had already made preparations, slightly raised the corners of his lips when he heard Palace Attendant Liu, the emperor’s personal attendant, come to call him.
Concubine Ling was indeed not going to miss any opportunity to overthrow him.
And his father, as expected, was as foolish as ever.
Everything was going according to plan.
Soon, he would be able to break free from the cage he had been trapped in for ten years and see the magnificent rivers and mountains of the Great Yong that his grandfather had spoken of.
In Xiaya Village, in the west room of Old Uncle Xue’s house.
The two maids gently wiped Wei Yunlan’s legs with handkerchiefs, their eyes red. “Miss, does it hurt?”
Of course, it hurt. This was the first time she had ridden a horse for such a long time, and she had been on horseback for so long. The insides of her legs were red and raw, with some areas even grazed. But she didn’t show it, never even frowning.
If they hadn’t seen it when she took off her clothes, Ningshuang and Tingxue wouldn’t have known how badly her legs were chafed.
Sitting nearby, Seventh Lady Yu heard the maids’ exclamations and glanced over. Seeing the wounds on Wei Yunlan’s legs, a hint of surprise crossed her eyes.
This Miss Wei was truly different from other pampered noble ladies. Her endurance alone was far superior to ordinary women. No wonder the Master had taken a liking to her.