HLnovel Chapter 392
Chapter 392
It was tantamount to undermining Great Yan to fatten outsiders during Great Yan's own difficult times. As one fell, the other rose; helping Dongyi tide over its crisis caused the prices of medicine and grain within Great Yan to soar significantly.Without the Sima family's subsidies, how could Dongyi have risen to power later on?
One must know that the supplies Dongyi received were originally meant for the disaster-stricken people in Great Yan's Jiangnan region. Dongyi flourished, while the people of Jiangnan suffered heavy casualties due to a lack of food and medicine.
Now, the grass on the graves of the Sima clan had withered and yellowed twice over. Without a traitor draining their own resources to help them this time, what would Dongyi use to survive this calamity!
Emperor Mingxi tapped his fingers lightly on the imperial desk, raised his eyes, and asked Huo Ying, "My dear minister Huo, what do you think? And my dear minister Ling, the students of the Imperial College seem quite active these past few days."
Hearing the Emperor call his name, Huo Ying stepped forward steadily, bowed, and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this humble subject feels that Lord Feng's words are reasonable."
He weighed his words and said slowly, "Dongyi is currently a place of trouble. As the rain continues to fall, internal strife is bound to arise.
Our Great Yan only needs to guard the coastline well to prevent 'pirates' from robbing the coastal people. Without supplies, they won't last long.
By then, a riddled and devastated Dongyi will be a good Dongyi."
Feng Tang's eyes flickered as he added, "If pirates really do come ashore, our dynasty's new naval forces can just use them for training."
Feng Tang cupped his hands toward Emperor Mingxi, his eyes suddenly astonishingly bright. He said, "Your Majesty, this subject suggests that we keep the captured 'pirates' well-preserved.
After Dongyi's floods and plagues have passed, we can issue a 'state letter' and take these people to Dongyi to demand an explanation. Dongyi's naval forces disturbed the peace of our dynasty's people; shouldn't we properly calculate the compensation with them?"
Everyone understood the hidden meaning in Feng Tang's words. They could only say that this kid's heart was truly black. Was this the reason why the Junior Preceptor valued him so highly?
Ling Yinghua also stepped forward and said, "Replying to Your Majesty, there is no shortage of erudite scholars among the students of the Imperial College. This humble subject suggests that we could also send some of them to the south in rotation.
Whether they personally go to Dongyi for disaster relief or stay in Great Yan to help the people in the south, we shall see their own choices."
Feng Tang stepped forward again to add, "If there are students who wish to personally go to Dongyi for disaster relief, Your Majesty is benevolent, and the imperial court can send ships to safely transport them to the island, and pick them up after the disaster.
Dongyi has the responsibility to guarantee the personal safety of our dynasty's students. If they meet with an accident... our Great Yan will definitely seek an explanation from the King of Dongyi."
Good heavens, Ling Yinghua, standing next to him, cried out inwardly. He looked at Feng Tang in shock and doubt, as if knowing him for the first time.
These venomous schemes came one after another. Speaking the gentlest words while doing the most ruthless things. With his words out, if any Imperial College student really lost their head and went to Dongyi...
That would truly be like hitting a dog with a meat bun—gone never to return. Even if they were perfectly safe in Dongyi, he could open his eyes wide and claim they died in Dongyi!
Ling Yinghua still had this bit of confidence and discernment!
Just like the members of the diplomatic mission still living in the post house. Minister You had people watching them in three shifts for twelve double-hours a day, not daring to stop for a moment, afraid that they would get injured, fall ill, or play disappearing acts, only to have their people demand them back.
In extraordinary times, every country was suffering from either droughts or floods. No one was having a good time. Great Yan could not afford to be extorted over this, but that didn't stop them from scheming against others.
The few members of the diplomatic mission being muttered about by Ling Jijiu were currently sitting around in the tearoom they had visited three days ago.
On such a cold day, they had the windows open. Outside were a few snow-white plum blossoms, faintly emitting a refreshing fragrance.
If one didn't know that despite the winter being as cold as ever, not a single snowflake had fallen, those trees full of flowers would be mistaken for winter snow.
Because they were guarding against eavesdroppers, they opened the windows. The surveillance personnel sent by You Mingmin didn't dare get too close and could only watch them from afar to ensure no one met with an 'accident'.
In the brazier before them, the burning charcoal made a soft crackling sound, which seemed especially loud in the silent room.
Gan Tang held his teacup with both hands to warm them. Lan Xuan'er stared blankly at the exquisite plum blossom pastries on the table. She remembered that Prince Ming, Xie Ying's favorite winter snacks were these various pastries made from winter plum blossoms.
Xi Ling looked at the snow-like plum blossoms outside the window, drinking tea brewed with freshly picked plum blossoms, feeling a sense of pity in his heart. If only it would snow now, how wonderful it would be.
His leisure formed a sharp contrast with the others who were frowning tightly at the note in the middle of the table.
Xi Yuanshan was the first to break the silence, saying, "So Brother Yanji, you speculate that even today, the heavy rain in Dongyi has not stopped?"
Although Yanji really wanted to deny it, rational analysis forced him to nod heavily. "Yes, I do have this concern."
With continuous torrential rain for days on end, let alone other places, even the capital where nobles gathered and the royal residences were located, the drainage capacity of the waterways there was worrying under such heavy rain.
In such a cold winter, after being drenched in rain, if it froze after the rain stopped, Yanji dared not imagine the consequences. And Oshima, who was sitting beside him without saying a word, had a somewhat dull gaze at this moment.
Not knowing what he thought of, he blurted out. Although his voice was soft, everyone present, including Xi Ling who only had half his mind on the matter, heard it clearly.
He murmured softly, "If only father were still here. Such a great man like him would definitely have a way to save Dongyi."
Except for Yanji, whose face showed a moment of awkwardness, the rest of them had faces full of question marks. Who was Oshima's father?
Someone who could save Dongyi single-handedly could not be an unknown nobody, yet they had never heard of this person!
Seeing their inquiring faces, Yanji didn't want to expose his own family's shortcomings and quickly changed the subject, saying, "How much do you all believe the rumors that Great Yan prepared for the drought two years in advance?"
Xi Yuanshan glanced at the people opposite him, lowered his eyes, and chuckled lightly. "I have met Yun Tianxing, the Director of Great Yan's Directorate of Astronomy. This person does have some ability.
But to say that he could predict a major disaster years later through star charts two years in advance, I don't believe it."
Bei Ye also chimed in, "In my opinion, Great Yan was just lucky. Their agriculture has developed quickly in the past two years, so the accompanying water conservancy projects naturally had to keep up. Thus... all these measures just happened to coincide with the severe drought, which was then over-interpreted by those with ulterior motives and spread as something miraculous."
For some unknown reason, Bei Ye didn't want Yanji to think too much, especially when it involved Yue Fuguang.
Yanji shook his head and said with a half-smile, "You haven't forgotten that Great Yan also has a 'Divine Maiden', right?"
Sure enough, speak of the devil!
He had long felt that they were hiding something from him. Ever since they returned from the hunting grounds, they had paid special attention to that Junior Preceptor. They thought they hid it well and that he didn't know!
Their attitude toward Junior Preceptor Yue was also very intriguing, being both respectful and fearful. As members of foreign royal families, they shouldn't have such feelings toward a minister of another country, even if she had been granted the title of prince and was hailed as a Divine Maiden by the commoners.
He firmly believed that Great Yan was 'creating a god', but their attitudes made him unable to resist testing the waters.
When Bei Yue heard the words 'Divine Maiden', his hand pouring tea paused for a moment. After slowly filling his cup with tea, he chuckled lightly and said, "Brother Yanji still believes the rumors of those ignorant and foolish commoners?"