Although Lu Yunxiao’s path through the civil and military imperial examinations and his subsequent promotions were all high-profile, his personal attitude toward life was actually very low-key. His aloof and arrogant demeanor was a result of his family background and personality, not because he was proud or complacent about his own talents and achievements. Therefore, Lu Yunxiao did not quite understand this arrangement by the Emperor. The Shouning Marquis Manor was already in a state of "boiling oil," and now was the time to restrain himself; why was the Emperor desperately adding fuel to the fire? If he did not understand the temperament of this Emperor Brother-in-law, Lu Yunxiao would have truly suspected that the other party was intentionally promoting him, only to wipe out the entire Shouning Marquis family and eliminate the threat of the maternal relatives once he became arrogant and domineering due to imperial favor.
Thinking this in his heart, Lu Yunxiao naturally had to decline the Emperor's appointment, using the excuse that he was too young. However, it seemed the Emperor had already made up his mind, and with a single sentence, "I will assign you two experienced deputies," he dismissed his brother-in-law's refusal.
Thus, the matter was settled. The ministers still had their own tasks to attend to, and it was clear that talking too much about this matter would only invite trouble, so after discussing some disaster relief issues with the Emperor, they withdrew one by one.
After all the ministers had withdrawn, the Emperor Xiao Guan kept only Lu Yunxiao behind and smiled, "It has been a while since you last saw your sister, right? Come, go with me to see her. Your little nephew is chubby, even sturdier than his brother was at that age, and he giggles when you tease him. He is adorable."
"Your Majesty, I am a male outsider; would that be appropriate?" Lu Yunxiao bowed and performed a salute, but heard Xiao Guan laugh, "In the imperial court and the Imperial Study, we are monarch and subject. But after the morning court session, once we leave the study, we are family. What 'male outsider' are you talking about? It is not as if I am asking you to go see your sister alone. Furthermore, regarding this disaster relief, I still have some things to remind you of. Come with me."
Only then did Lu Yunxiao understand the Emperor's intention, and he hurriedly followed him to the Ruikun Palace, which was the residence of the Imperial Noble Consort. Unexpectedly, the Empress and several Imperial Concubines were also there, which made Lu Yunxiao feel very uncomfortable. After the Emperor spoke a few words to the Empress and the Imperial Noble Consort, he came out and brought Lu Yunxiao to the rear garden, where he asked calmly, "After you return from this disaster relief, I intend to promote your father to a higher peerage. The Shouning Marquis Manor will be changed to the Shouning Duke's Mansion in the future. What do you think?"
"Your Majesty, absolutely not." Lu Yunxiao was greatly shocked and was about to remonstrate and stop him, but the Emperor waved his hand to interrupt him. He heard him say in a deep voice, "Appointing your father as the Duke of Shouning is not because of the Imperial Noble Consort, but for you. Yunxiao, you are smart, brave, and resourceful. You will certainly be a pillar of the nation in the future. A monarch, no matter how wise or ambitious, is useless if there is no one to expand the territory and build achievements for him. You are my brother-in-law, and you are also a sharp sword in my hand. In terms of family affection, I hope you can just live a life of ease and comfort until old age; however, who told you to be born into the imperial family? Since you are a royal relative, enjoying wealth that ordinary people cannot, you must bear responsibilities that ordinary people cannot. This disaster relief is nothing; in the future, the threats from the South Sea, Western Xia, and the Northern Frontier will all need to be swept away by you for me."
"Your Majesty..."
This time, Lu Yunxiao was not just shocked, but frightened. Such a heavy burden—is this more than just being a pillar of the nation? If it were anyone else, they might be ecstatic at such trust and heavy responsibility from the Emperor, but for Lu Yunxiao, he only felt that the burden on his shoulders was heavier than ten thousand pounds, pressing down on him until he felt overwhelmed.
Xiao Guan still did not let him continue. He raised a hand to interrupt Lu Yunxiao and began to give instructions directly: "Jiangnan has always been a wealthy land, so the Jiangnan officialdom has never lacked a foul atmosphere. Officials forming cliques and acting domineeringly for a time—these things exist. If ordinary people go, they cannot suppress them. Your identity, keenness, and upright nature are the main reasons I am sending you to provide disaster relief. In addition, there is another important reason: on this trip to Jiangnan, you must carefully understand the local geography, the garrisons, and the background of those gentry, wealthy merchants, and clans."
"Is Your Majesty intending to... suppress the Sea Bandits?" The so-called Sea Bandits were entities similar to Japanese Pirates, with very complex compositions, including local refugees, pirates from across the ocean, and ronin from Japan. These people gathered together and often harassed the coastal areas, their cruelty and greed being appalling. However, these people were proficient in water warfare; they killed when they met civilians and ran when they met large groups of soldiers. If they met small groups of soldiers, they were not even enough for them to cut down. Therefore, the Imperial Court had never had a good solution, and the strength of the local garrisons was becoming weaker and weaker. No one expected that the young Emperor would be determined to wipe out those troublesome jackals. In the eyes of some conservative ministers, this was likely a thankless task.
"Yes, although the Sea Bandits only harass the coastal areas, how can the subjects of our Great Chen allow those wolf-like people to bully them? Therefore, the act of suppressing bandits is imperative. Your disaster relief mission this time will serve as preparation for this matter."
"Yes, I understand." Lu Yunxiao bowed and agreed. Thinking of what the Emperor had just said about the "South Sea, Western Xia, and Northern Frontier," he had some calculations in his heart. Just as he was pondering, he heard Xiao Guan say again, "Alright, I have no other instructions. You should go back and prepare quickly. The disaster situation is urgent; you will likely set off in two or three days. Yunxiao, although these are peaceful and prosperous times, we should not be slack because of it. One must be prepared for danger in times of peace. Neither Western Xia nor the Northern Frontier are easy to deal with, and those in power there now are all ambitious. As a monarch, who does not hope to expand their territory? Especially when there is such a big, delicious piece of meat like our Great Chen State nearby, war is inevitable. However, most of the generals in the court are old. I have trained you several times before, and I know your capabilities in my heart. You will definitely be able to shoulder heavy responsibilities. Your brother-in-law believes in you; do not let me down."
"Yes, I will do my utmost, even if it means sacrificing my life, I will certainly serve until my last breath..."
"Hmm, there is no need to talk about dying. You must live well for me, otherwise, your sister will hate me to death, right?" Xiao Guan laughed, patted Lu Yunxiao on the shoulder to show encouragement, and after his brother-in-law took his leave, he looked up at the blue sky. He suddenly stretched out a hand, slowly swept it across his eyes, and muttered, "Ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers, a vast and beautiful expanse, hehe..." As his voice fell, that elegant hand suddenly clenched into a fist.
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"What is going on here? Is... is the Official Road always this busy?"
It was just noon. Xia Qingyu, Bai Kou, and Bai Wei were heading south. Since the few of them left the inn this morning, they had seen groups of ten or dozens of people on the road every so often, supporting the old and the young, dressed in rags, and listlessly heading toward the North.
"I don't know."
Bai Kou and Bai Wei had also grown up in wealthy families since they were children. Although they were maidservants, they never stepped out of the gates. How would they know about the state of the people? Therefore, seeing these people, they were also confused.
"Grandmother, there is a pavilion ahead with many people sitting in it. We have been walking all morning and are all hot. Why don't we go over and rest?" Bai Kou was already so hungry that her stomach was sticking to her back, and she had no interest in being curious. Seeing a large pavilion ahead, she pointed at it and said: Everything is difficult when traveling, but there was no way to care about the dozen or so men sitting in the pavilion. Anyway, as long as there were women, even if there were only three, they could keep each other company.
"Hmm, okay." Xia Qingyu nodded and walked a few steps quickly with Bai Kou and Bai Wei into the pavilion. Unexpectedly, it was truly a case of "you don't know until you enter, and you are startled once you do." There were far more people in the pavilion than they had seen. Right under the wall, dozens of people were sitting on the ground, crowding the large pavilion to the brim.
"Forget it, let's just sit on the steps. There is no need to be too particular right now." Xia Qingyu pulled Bai Kou and Bai Wei to sit on the steps, but the two maidservants refused, wanting to go to a tea stall not far away to buy tea first. So she sat down first and stretched out her legs, gently pounding them: It is really hard to make a living in ancient times. They had been walking for so many days, and she did not know if it was three hundred miles, but her legs were sore. Fortunately, women in this era did not bind their feet, otherwise, this life would probably be unbearable.
Some people in the pavilion were chatting, and among them were many who looked like refugees traveling in groups. From their conversation, Xia Qingyu finally understood where these people came from.
"So, there was a flood in Jiangnan." She muttered to herself. At this time, Bai Kou and Bai Wei bought three bowls of tea from the tea stall not far away, carefully brought them over, and handed one to Xia Qingyu. Bai Kou said, "Grandmother, it turns out there was a flood in Jiangnan. These people are all leaving their hometowns, either coming to the Capital City to rely on relatives and friends, or coming to the Capital City to make a living."
Xia Qingyu took a sip of tea and nodded, "Hmm, I just heard the people in the pavilion discussing it too. Sigh! I really didn't expect that Jiangnan, the land of fish and rice, would actually have a flood. Is even Heaven not helping?"
Bai Kou and Bai Wei whispered, "Then... are we still going to Jiangnan? I'm afraid the road ahead is not peaceful."
"Go, why wouldn't we? Not only are we going, but we must also speed up our journey and try to get to Jiangnan as soon as possible." Xia Qingyu nodded firmly. The next moment, she heard the exclamation of the two maidservants: "Why, Grandmother?"
"Because after a flood, people are very prone to getting sick. I am a doctor, the talent most needed there. How can I retreat in the face of difficulties?" Xia Qingyu waved her hand in a righteous and awe-inspiring manner, her low voice revealing a sense of generosity and heroism.
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It is a new week again. Continuing to sprint on the new book list, strongly asking for recommendation tickets and collections.
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