vrcanaries Chapter 204 Departure back to Beijing
Chapter 204 Departure back to Beijing
The next day, Ning Yunxiao and Jiang Lige finally set out on their journey back to Beijing after being quietly seen off by everyone in the Xu family.
Ning Yunxiao got drunk yesterday and still felt a little dizzy today. Fortunately, Jiang Lige let him stay in the carriage to take a rest.
Manzhu sat on the other side of the carriage, glanced at the "farewell gift" in the carriage behind, and was speechless.
"Are you planning to take these up the mountain?"
"When we reach a place where we need to abandon the car and walk, we can just go our separate ways." Jiang Lige ate a piece of dessert and asked Manzhu, "Do you need me to take you back to Youyuan Valley?"
Manzhu was still as concise as usual, "I will go to the capital with you and will not return to Youyuan Valley."
Jiang Lige was a little surprised, "What about those people from Youyuan Valley?"
"I have handed over the affairs of Youyuan Valley to Dunzhu. My current mission is to protect you." Manzhu shrugged. "After all, our Chi tribe's revenge mission still depends on the young master."
Jiang Lige smiled, not minding Manzhu's "surveillance" and said with a smile: "Okay, then when you arrive in Beijing, you can stay in Chang'anfang first."
Jiang Lige's nonchalant attitude made Manzhu lose focus for a moment before she nodded, "Okay."
In this way, the three of them returned to Beijing together.
After two days of travel, the carriage entered the area of Man-Eating Mountain again. According to the previous arrangement, one group returned from the Man-Eating Mountain along the same route, while the rest of the people took the land route back to the capital.
With the experience from last time, Jiang Lige and his team were very familiar with the route through the Man-Eating Mountain this time, and it took them much less time than expected.
After leaving the Man-Eating Mountain, the three men bought good horses on the spot and rode back to the capital.
Two flowers bloom, one branch each.
While Jiang Lige and his group were riding back at full speed, Sheng Lingjing was also busy.
In the Golden Palace, Emperor Shengwu sat high on the dragon throne. Below him were four judges selected by Emperor Shengwu, and below them were four candidates for the crown prince.
Behind the candidates were Sheng Ling's civil and military officials, all standing very straight, waiting with bated breath.
The judges for the selection of the crown prince are:
Prime Minister Sheng Ling was Fu Jin; Chief Censor was Ye Huaizhang; General Weiyuan was Weiyuan; Minister of Revenue was Qi Suanzi.
The four of them were all Sheng Ling's trusted aides, so no one dared to object when they were chosen to be judges.
Such a grand ceremony shows that the whole country attaches great importance to this crown prince assessment.
With the sound of a loud bell, the selection meeting for the crown prince finally kicked off in front of the emperor.
The palace servants distributed the copied flood control report to everyone present.
Judging from the situation of flood control alone, King Zhao's second son Ning Yongyi spent the least money and grain.
In terms of manpower allocation, Ning Mingwu, the Little Ping Wang who commands the Ping Wang Army, is clearly superior.
In terms of total time, Prince Ning Wenyou of Prince Ke took the shortest time, but this was also related to the fact that the place he chose was closest to the capital.
In terms of post-disaster recovery, Prince Jing's son Ning Jingyan did the best job.
After everyone has finished reading the booklet in their hands, it is time to express their opinions.
The first person to speak was naturally Prime Minister Fu.
"The Crown Prince is a national treasure. He must have the world at heart, only then can he stabilize and secure the nation. I personally believe that Prince Jing was mindful of post-disaster reconstruction before he began his flood control work. This careful planning significantly accelerated post-disaster reconstruction, sparing the people the suffering of displacement. This is truly a sign of great wisdom."
General Weiyuan disagreed. He snorted and argued, "In my opinion, flood control is no different from marching and fighting a war. Deploying troops and generals is what a general should do. Prince Xiaoping's swift and decisive deployment of manpower and resources is the reason for the success of flood control. For this reason alone, I recommend Prince Xiaoping."
The Minister of Revenue, clacking his abacus, said with a smile, "I am a common man. I only know that the common people in this world just want to have enough food and clothing. The country is even more so. We need to have food in our pockets to feel at ease. Therefore, I will recommend whoever can complete the flood control task with the least amount of money."
The implication is that he is optimistic about Prince Zhao's second son, Ning Yongyi.
After the three of them finished speaking, the other ministers also expressed their opinions, and some even started arguing with each other.
In the Golden Palace, everyone was talking about all sorts of things. But Censor Ye, one of the chief judges, remained silent.
Upon seeing this, Emperor Shengwu could not help but nod at Censor Ye and asked, "Why are you so silent, Lord Ye?"
Censor Ye looked disappointed. He stood up and bowed to Emperor Shengwu, then replied succinctly, "Your Majesty, I simply feel that when it comes to the merits of flood control, Prince Ning Yunxiao of Prince Zhao should be ranked first."
Everyone in the court knew about Ning Yunxiao's death, so many people simply skipped over the part about Ning Yunxiao without even looking at it.
Therefore, when everyone heard Censor Ye suddenly mention Ning Yunxiao, they were all stunned.
Emperor Shengwu took a long while to come back to his senses. A trace of pain flashed in his eyes, and then he said in a deep voice: "What do you think, my dear ministers?"
After Emperor Shengwu asked this question, someone asked anxiously, "But... Prince Zhao is already dead."
"Yes, although Prince Zhao's achievements were remarkable, he has passed away after all. It is really inappropriate to mention him at this solemn moment!"
The implication is that it is unlucky.
The crowd's attitude completely infuriated Censor Ye. He slammed the table, stood up, and angrily shouted:
"Prince Zhao is dead, but he died protecting the people. He died a glorious death, worthy of the people, worthy of the emperor, and worthy of his conscience! How could such an upright man become something unworthy and unlucky in your mouths?"
In a rage, Censor Ye no longer cared about the rules. He unfolded the part about Ning Yunxiao in the booklet and spoke as he showed it.
"In terms of time, Prince Zhao is the farthest away, yet he saves more than half the time. Who can do that?
As for the allocation of manpower, before Prince Zhao set out from the capital, he had already made arrangements to borrow grain from Jingzhou, so as to ensure that rice and grain supplies could arrive at the border town smoothly.
In terms of financial expenditure, the border town did spend a lot, but if you calculate the average value, you will know that every copper coin was spent wisely and there was no waste at all.
Speaking of post-disaster reconstruction, you all know that Prince Zhao rebuilt not only the homes of the people, but also the damaged water conservancy projects in the border towns!
Besides, everyone knows that border towns have always been a place where unruly people are rampant. The fact that Prince Zhao has earned their trust is not due to any small effort, but rather a sincere heart for the people!"
Censor Ye's words were so deafening that all the officials present blushed.
In the silence, someone sneered, and like a sharp blade, it cut off the guilt that had just sprouted in everyone.
"Your Majesty Ye is wrong. No one has ever questioned the merits of Prince Zhao, but death is like the extinguishing of a candle. How can a useless person who can't even protect his own life become the crown prince?"