Qi Mingxuan held a black chess piece in his hand and remained silent.
A brief silence fell over the room.
Seeing this, the old man didn’t push him. His student always kept everything in his heart. It was rare that his emotions were exposed today, otherwise, the old man wouldn’t have asked anything.
The chess pieces made from fine black jade rolled between his fingers, indicating the master’s unsettled state of mind.
“I noticed… I noticed that I’ve been paying too much attention to someone recently.” After a moment of silence, Qi Mingxuan closed his eyes and voiced the problem that had been bothering him for a long time.
Not to mention that he hadn’t noticed it before, but he had indeed been paying too much attention on Li Shu. Li Shu repeatedly saved him, and his feelings were only gratitude and an indescribable emotion. If someone else besides Li Shu had saved him, his first reaction would definitely be vigilance, not the way it was now…
The old man gathered the chess pieces on the board, and upon hearing this, a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes. “Your Highness is troubled by just this issue?”
“I…I shouldn’t care so much about one person.” Leave alone his thoughts about Li Shu, based solely on their situations, he shouldn’t show such attention.
“Your Highness, if you can’t help but pay attention to someone, there is nothing wrong with the matter itself. Your Highness doesn’t need to worry about it; just let it take it’s course.”
The old man had an expression of “this is not a big deal,” but there were a lot of fluctuations in his heart. He heard that his usually stubborn disciple had solved a problem for the daughter of the Left Prime Minister at the Lu Ming Feast. Was this the iron tree finally blossoming?
He always said that there weren’t many conditions at the border, and once his disciple returned to the capital, he would find the right person and spend the rest of his life with them. How could it be like what that fortune-teller said, destined to be lonely?
As the pieces returned to their positions, the teacher’s words lingered in Qi Mingxuan’s mind. The hand hanging by his side moved slightly, and his brows relaxed a bit.
‘Let it take it’s course…?’
The calm surface would always be lifted by turbulent emotions. At the end of August, countless refugees flocked to the capital and clashed with the city guards. The long-hidden forces finally erupted.
Ping County, Songyang County… reports of the disaster situation of one place after another reached the emperor’s desk.
“Good! Very good!” The emperor stood up with a sweep of his sleeve, glaring at the memorial in his hand as if it could devour people. “Do We not exist? They dare to even touch the relief funds? This is money meant to save lives!”
He slapped the armrest of the dragon throne, his face turning red with anger. He lifted his head, looked down at the courtiers standing below and laughed angrily: “Look, look at what great deeds you’ve done! Loyal and patriotic, loyal and patriotic, is this how loyal and patriotic you are!”
No one expected the severity of this year’s disasters. After the drought, a widespread locust plague hit, and the people could only watch as the crops they had struggled to keep alive through the drought were devoured by locusts. The promised relief grains from the court were not arriving, leaving the desperate disaster victims with no hope, only despair.
“We remember,” the emperor casually read out a list of place names. “We dispatched aid to these places. Now, what’s happening there? Which one of you will tell Us?”
The emperor mentioned the places that were initially reported as affected. The court had dispatched aid promptly, and those areas should have seen some relief. However, the reality was that the situation in these places had worsened.
Other matters had to be put aside for now; dealing with the relief efforts was urgent. After the morning court, the official in charge of the previous relief efforts, Master Sun, was dismissed on the spot. In front of the enraged emperor, everyone felt danger, and no one dared to plead for mercy.
After the court dispersed, Li Shu was summoned by Eunuch An. “Master Li, His Majesty is waiting for you in the study.”
Li Shu paused slightly, turned around and walked towards the imperial study room.
Once his figure disappeared, someone commented enviously, “Master Li has truly won His Majesty’s heart.”
How many times had he been summoned to the imperial study alone after the morning court? Not to mention his rapid promotions, he was truly enviable.
At this moment, someone spotted Li Cheng’s carriage and walked over. Before he could say anything flattering, Li Cheng had already boarded the carriage.
From the moment he mounted the carriage, Li Cheng’s brow hadn’t relaxed. He always felt that some things were out of his control, like his good son Li Shu.
The extent to which Li Shu was being favored and his methods in office were beyond his expectations. He thought Li Shu would be the most obedient chess piece in his hands. Now, it seemed that controlling this piece might be difficult.
He needed to figure out a way. For now, he couldn’t afford to lose this chess piece, Li Shu.
Following Eunuch An to the imperial study, Li Cheng realized he wasn’t the only one here. Prince Qin Qi Mingxuan was also present.
The Emperor stood by the window, with his back to them. Upon hearing their footsteps, he turned around, his brows furrowed deeply.
“We called you here alone to assign you a task,” he rubbed his forehead and took a few steps forward. “Recently, many refugees have flocked to the capital. Because the consequences are inevitable, We must bear some responsibility. After much consideration, We entrust the task of settling the refugees to both of you, as We can trust you the most with this matter.”
With such a significant event, the refugees pouring into the capital must be settled properly; otherwise, there would surely be a major disturbance. In the end, all blame might fall on him. Thinking of this, the Emperor wished he could punish those who embezzled the disaster funds with a thousand knives.
He hadn’t touched those people yet, but they were rushing to their doom willingly.
There was a flash of killing intent flashed in the Emperor’s eyes. He looked at Li Shu and Qi Mingxuan standing straight in front of him, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became, especially with Li Shu, the minister he personally promoted—using him was like second nature.
“Do your best, and if there’s anything you need, come to Us.” He didn’t mind giving a little extra rewards to those who put his mind at ease.
“We, your humble subjects, will obey.”
While settling refugees seemed simple, the operation presented many difficulties. The Emperor assigned the task to the two, and in order to develop a workable plan, their interactions gradually increased.
So, as officials trembled, fearing the Emperor’s wrath, they suddenly noticed, “Huh? When did the relationship between Prince Qin and Master Li become so good?”
The two people who used to be incompatible with each other now actually came together to say a few words before going their separate ways after court.
[Host, the plot point “The Male and Female Protagonists Jointly Settle Refugees” is about to begin. Please prepare in advance.]
After the Lu Ming banquet, the male protagonist was sent away for a while. The system hadn’t mentioned anything related to tasks during this time, so Li Shu was caught off guard. The next plot point was starting sooner than expected.
[At what stage is the plot now? From what I know, the male and female protagonists haven’t had any contact during this time.]
[The female protagonist has been consciously avoiding any interaction with the male protagonist. However, after the last Lu Ming banquet, Li Cheng mistakenly thought the male protagonist was interested in the female protagonist and has been secretly trying to bring them together.]
Knowing Li Cheng’s personality, this was not impossible, especially when he(Li Cheng) realized he couldn’t control him(Li Shu). If he felt the situation was advantageous, he would undoubtedly exploit the female protagonist.
With Qi Mingxuan’s significant influence, Li Cheng wouldn’t easily let it go.
[Li Xinuo has made it clear she doesn’t want any involvement with the male protagonist, but Li Cheng is scheming to pair them up. Is this the power of the plot?] Li Shu lowered his eyes and pondered. Just like the last time, the female protagonist intentionally disrupted the plot, but it still ended up back on the original track.
[Are you worried that our efforts will be in vain? There’s no need to worry. While the small world is subject to certain plot constraints, it’s not irresistible. There’s still a considerable room for maneuvering.] 1314 explained.
Today was a day of rest. After handling official matters, Li Shu changed into casual clothes, ready to visit the outskirts of the city.
An open space south of the city had been allocated to temporarily house the refugees near the capital. Due to uncertainty about possible diseases among the refugees, they were placed outside the city for the safety of the city residents. They were given porridge at regular intervals every day and doctors were arranged to come and see them.
When Li Shu arrived, it was time to serve porridge. Though the refugees were shabbily dressed, they were in good spirits, and were lining up in an orderly manner to get porridge. Li Shu scanned the area, and at a certain point, he abruptly stopped.
Standing not far from him was a plainly dressed girl. She was facing him while talking to someone in front, and she had intense emotions all over her face.
Due to the angle, the person opposite the girl was partially obscured by an external object, so only a piece of dark clothes was exposed. Despite some disguise on the girl’s face, Li Shu immediately recognized her as the female lead, Li Xinuo.
Li Shu remained in place, not approaching further, just slightly intrigued: Why was Li Xinuo here? And who was she talking to?
Although the customs in Great Zhou were relatively open-minded towards women, there were still certain restrictions, especially in places designated for settling refugees. Generally, women were not allowed to come alone, especially those from prominent families.
Li Shu looked around and didn’t see any servants from the Left Prime Minister’s Mansion. He frowned. ‘Was Li Xinuo here alone?’
Indeed, Li Xinuo had come alone. She had left her maidservants and servants in the city and discreetly made her way to the northern outskirts.
—She just didn’t expect to meet this person again.
As Li Xinuo looked at the tall figure standing in front of her, a deep sense of powerlessness swept over her, and her chest heaved violently:
Why, why couldn’t she avoid him?!
Would everything from her memories happen again?
No, it couldn’t! She had to stay away from this person.
“Are you alright?” Li Xinuo’s complexion worsened, as if she were about to faint. Thinking she was Li Shu’s sister, Qi Mingxuan spoke up.
Startled back to reality, Li Xinuo stepped back, clutching her chest and gasping for breath. “I’m fine, Your Highness. Thank you for your concern.”
Qi Mingxuan looked on coldly, showing no intention of helping the staggering girl. If she weren’t that person’s sister, he wouldn’t waste his time standing here.
Especially…
Thinking of the rumors circulating in the capital, Qi Mingxuan’s eyes darkened. Previously, he didn’t know what kind of feelings he harbored towards the young man, but now he understood. And after such a beautiful dream, how could he not see his own feelings clearly?
He was shocked by his own thoughts, yet not disgusted in the slightest, as if it were meant to be this way.
This would explain why his attitude towards the young man was different from others, why he liked being around the young man, and why he would be happy to see the young man’s smile…
Qi Mingxuan was never one to back down from challenges. He liked Li Shu and naturally wanted a response from him. But before that, he would eliminate all obstacles between them, be it events or people.
For example, there are rumors in the capital that he is in love with the Left Prime Minister’s legitimate daughter.
Startled by Qi Mingxuan’s sudden imposing aura, Li Xinuo couldn’t help but stagger backward.
Thinking that the other party was his sweetheart’s sister, Qi Mingxuan reached out to steady her.
As he leaned forward, he happened to see Li Shu standing not far away.
“Zi Shu?”
I am soo sorry for missing yesterday’s updates. I actually confused the days and thought it was Wednesday instead of Thursday. (-_-;)
