Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Huo Yu thought for a moment that he was seeing things, and his master seemed to be smiling?
“Go, you don’t need to worry about this anymore.”
Li Yantong was a smart man; he knew how to suppress this matter and how to do it without affecting his future reputation.
Huo Yu stood motionless in front of the desk.
Mu Zhao glanced at him. “What else is there?”
Huo Yu’s face fell. “Your Highness, we recently found some traces of the Xuan Yin Sect and then led people to search near Qiong Mountain for several days, but we still couldn’t find the Heavenly Sound Master.”
“This Xuan Yin Sect disappeared from the martial world more than ten years ago, and now we can’t find a trace of it at all.”
“We finally managed to find some information, but alas, we still found nothing.”
Mu Zhao nodded, his face indifferent. “There’s nothing we can do. Whether the Heavenly Sound Master exists or not, no one really knows. We can just let things take their course and not force it.”
Huo Yu almost jumped up. “How can we just let things take their course? Your Highness’s injury can’t be delayed.”
If they could force someone, they would even kidnap them and bring them to the Highness!
Huo Yu looked conflicted and troubled. “Your Highness, don’t worry, I’ll lead more people to look.”
Mu Zhao waved his hand, knowing that whether it was the Xuanping Marquis’s Mansion or them, they would do their best to handle this matter.
Even though he repeatedly advised against wasting time, his parents wouldn’t listen. They would still send people and search everywhere as before.
Oh well, let them be.
Mu Zhao was about to bathe and change when he suddenly remembered something. He got up and called Chang Qing inside, asking, “Did something happen to Lord Lu later? He didn’t look too good when he returned.”
Chang Qing nodded quickly, “Tonight, we cooked over a hundred buckets of millet and bean porridge for the disaster victims outside the city. It was a good thing, and Lord Lu even went to supervise the work himself. But unexpectedly, Lord Lu discovered that there were many fine sand particles mixed in the porridge, and he immediately got very angry.”
Mu Zhao lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Chang Qing continued, “Lord Lu questioned several workers, and only then did he learn that it was the chief clerk above who had ordered them to be deliberately mixed in, and the reason given was utterly absurd. He said he was worried that some well-off commoners in the city were deliberately dressed in rags to line up for porridge, robbing the disaster victims of their food.”
“Lord Lu was furious! He had a private argument with that Chief Clerk He. Just imagine, such a refined and elegant young man, pointing his finger at Chief Clerk He and berating him for being irresponsible, for wanting to save time and effort, and for being a lazy and incompetent official. He completely berated Chief Clerk He!”
Mu Zhao: …
He couldn’t imagine Lu Xiwen cursing.
He thought this man never had a temper!
Just then, a soft knock came from outside, and Lu Qian’s voice reached their ears.
“Huaizhi, are you asleep?”
Chang Qing silently glanced at his young master.
He felt like he’d been caught red-handed gossiping behind someone’s back.
Mu Zhao nodded slightly to him, and Chang Qing quickly went to open the door, bowing respectfully, “Lord Lu, please come in. I’ll make you both some tea.”
Lu Qian looked sullen, which Mu Zhao found amusing.
After Chang Qing brought the tea and left, Mu Zhao personally poured him a cup, teasing, “You gave Chief Clerk He a thorough dressing-down, even making him dizzy, and you still look so sullen?”
Lu Qian sighed and looked up at him, “Did you know this would happen all along?”
Mu Zhao raised an eyebrow.
“I see you’re not surprised at all. Did similar things happen in the army before?”
Mu Zhao lowered his gaze and picked up his teacup. “When starving, one would chew on anything, even clods of earth and withered branches, let alone grass and sand.”
“So you think Chief Clerk He’s actions were not wrong?” Lu Qian narrowed his eyes, his gaze slightly sharp. “I asked the steward, and they’ve been doing this since the first day the rice porridge was distributed. So this hasn’t been going on for just a day or two.”
“These starving people have been eating and drinking porridge mixed with sand for the past few days.”
He stared at Mu Zhao for a long time, his hands clenching involuntarily, and he let out a long sigh.
He should have known!
Who was Mu Huaizhi? He was someone the Emperor himself praised as having the talent of a Prime Minister.
What in Weizhou City didn’t he know?
He had known all along, but he just didn’t say anything!
“You condoned what Chief Clerk He did, you think he was right!”
“Mu Huaizhi, did you see how miserable those starving people were?”
“I saw it and I know it, but we can only face reality.” Mu Zhao sighed softly, “The fact is, we only have this much food, but the starving people keep coming. Let alone rice porridge mixed with sand, even if it’s just muddy soup mixed with rice, we’ll drink it if it can keep us alive.”
When Mu Huaizhi said this, Lu Qian felt that his eyes were particularly cold and piercing.
It was as if he was saying that even if it was a bowl of poison in front of him, as long as it could keep him alive, he would drink it.
“We are currently building wooden sheds outside the city and have been sending batches of people to nearby counties and villages to clear land and plant trees.”
“Even if we plant the winter wheat now, it won’t be harvested until next year.”
“The court has allocated three batches of grain, totalling not more than a thousand shi.” Mu Zhao lowered his eyes slightly and said calmly, “Even if all the kind people in the counties and villages near Weizhou City donated together, it would still be far from enough.”
“The starving people are coming in droves. Can we ignore those behind while taking care of those in front? Xiwen, have you thought about using this grain to exchange for medicine and other living supplies?”
“The starving people have come all the way through wind and rain. We can’t just ignore them when they fall ill, can we?”
Lu Qian’s face was solemn. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed deeply, “You’re right. Your wisdom is far beyond my reach. I can only see three steps ahead, but you can see three hundred steps ahead.”
“In the past few days, the number of starving people who have died has indeed increased. I… Huaizhi, you are not in good health. I shouldn’t bother you with these trivial matters.” Lu Qian’s mood sank.
Mu Zhao chuckled, “These are just minor matters. The main thing is to maintain order inside and outside the city and prevent any unrest.”
“The last batch of grain will arrive in three days. I’ve already discussed this with Governor Yu; tomorrow we’ll invite the wealthy families of the city to our residence for a gathering. It would be even better if we could raise more funds.”
Lu Qian asked somewhat apologetically, “Then…should I apologize to Chief Clerk He?”
Mu Zhao shook his head with amusement, “No need. I’ll go and appease him later.”
Lu Qian felt even more guilty for causing trouble for the young master.
Taking a sip of tea, Lu Qian asked softly, “Are we going to the Chang Le gambling den tomorrow morning?”
“Yes.” Mu Zhao nodded, “I’m a little curious; I wonder if Miss Yu’s bone-reading might reveal any clues.”
Lu Qian didn’t say anything, but he was also incredibly curious.
The two had a frank and open conversation, and Lu Qian felt less stifled than before.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, after having breakfast, the two ordered their carriage to be prepared and headed to the Chang Le gambling house. They could see the Yu family’s carriage had already arrived in the distance.
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