Ping Zhao Lu

Chapter 143 Zhuang Shaoqing's Sweetheart

When everyone heard that there was food to eat, ecstatic smiles instantly broke out on their tired and hungry faces.

They hurriedly moved to make way for the convoy.

Before long, a simple but practical porridge stall was built.

Under the earnest advice of Shi'an and the officers and soldiers, many people consciously lined up in long queues and waited in an orderly manner to receive their own share of life-saving food.

After Shi'an had arranged everything properly, he hurried back to the carriage where the prince was.

As soon as the car curtain was lifted, what came into view was Chu Heyuan's solemn face. It seemed that he was pondering some crucial issues.

"Your Highness, have you noticed anything wrong?" Shi'an asked cautiously.

Chu Heyuan slowly raised his eyes, a hint of hesitation and doubt in his eyes, and said softly, "This place is only a few hundred feet away from the Lianzhou city gate. Logically speaking, they should know that I will be coming today. But until now, the Lianzhou governor, Sima, and other officials have not appeared to greet me."

Upon hearing this, Shi'an said indignantly, "I believe there must be something fishy about these people. The large amount of supplies allocated by the court to provide relief to the victims were quickly consumed. It's easy to imagine that there must be some greedy 'rats' hiding among them!"

Chu Heyuan: "And outside this city, there are innocent people everywhere fleeing Lianzhou City in search of refuge and survival, and this governor has simply sat back and watched, letting them fend for themselves. How can someone so irresponsible and indifferent to the suffering of the people be worthy of the heavy responsibility of being the governor of a state?"

*

In the past few days, Zhuang Yan often went to Fengluan Palace, and spent his time chatting with Xu Zhouye and helping him relieve his boredom.

Even though the emperor had returned to the palace from the camp for many days, Zhuang Yan still did his own thing and appeared in Fengluan Palace on time as usual.

This made Chu Yunxiao very depressed. He hadn't been able to get close to his queen for several days.

Every time I excitedly wanted to visit the Queen, I would always run into the lingering Zhuang Yan on the way!

Out of consideration for the Queen's favor, even though Chu Yunxiao was extremely reluctant and angry, he dared not speak out.

There was no other way, so he had to turn back to the imperial study in frustration and bury himself in dealing with the mountains of memorials to vent his dissatisfaction.

Zhao Dequan saw the emperor's gloomy face and naturally knew what was going on. So he wisely stepped aside quietly, trying to reduce his presence as much as possible to avoid accidentally bringing bad luck.

Chu Yunxiao frowned, holding a red pen, and was making circles on memorials one after another, but from time to time he would suddenly stop what he was doing, as if he was lost in thought.

After a long while, he finally broke the silence and spoke: "I feel that the bandit suppression in Muzhou is really complicated. Isn't it a bit unwise to send Shang Jiu alone to handle it?"

Zhao Dequan understood the emperor's words, realizing they were veiled in his ulterior motives. He quickly stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "Your Majesty is absolutely right! In my opinion...why not transfer some more men to assist the general? I venture to suggest that Junior Secretary Zhuang is a good candidate!"

Chu Yunxiao remained calm, seemingly nonchalant, but in fact, he was already overjoyed. However, he pretended to be calm and asked, "Oh? What about the Supreme Court..."

"Donghu County Magistrate Pei Qi once served as the Minister of Justice and is very experienced. Why not let him handle it temporarily?" Zhao Dequan replied quickly.

Chu Yunxiao raised his lips slightly, "Well, I'll do as you say."

At that time, Zhuang Yan was still joking with Xu Zhouye.

Xu Zhouye's originally fluctuating mood gradually improved because of his enthusiasm.

He smiled slightly and poured a cup of hot tea for Zhuang Yan. "It's hard for you to come to my place every day. Come sit down and have some tea to moisten your throat."

Zhuang Yan sat down as he was told, took the tea that Xu Zhouye handed over without hesitation, and drank it all in one gulp. "I'm not worried that you'll be bored. You're free anyway."

Xu Zhouye looked at him meaningfully, "Are you worried that I'll be bored, or are you hiding something?"

Zhuang Yan's hand, gripping the teacup, paused involuntarily when he was asked this question. For a moment, he was speechless, unsure how to respond.

Xu Zhouye smiled and said, "In the past, I often heard about Shang Jiu from you. Why have you been acting out of character these past few days and not mentioned him at all? If I even mentioned him, your expression would change..."

"Ahem..." Zhuang Yan cleared his throat, trying to act nonchalant. He deliberately raised his voice and said, "Why do you mention him? He's been away for the past few days, and I've been feeling very relaxed. It's so nice to have no one to control me!"

"Really?" Xu Zhouye smiled slightly, gently lifted his chin with his hand, and stared straight into Zhuang Yan's eyes.

Zhuang Yan felt uneasy when he looked at her. "You...why are you looking at me like that?"

Xu Zhouye didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Your eyes can't lie. Just admit it. You're thinking about him."

As if his thoughts were revealed, Zhuang Yan spoke nervously and incoherently, "Who... who misses him, and who is he..."

Seeing Zhuang Yan's embarrassment, Xu Zhouye couldn't help but laugh out loud, and while laughing he teased, "He, of course he is...Zhuang Shaoqing's...sweetheart!"

"Nonsense!" Zhuang Yan jumped up suddenly like a cat whose tail was stepped on, and his originally fair face turned red.

Seeing this, Xu Zhouye slowly lowered his hand from his chin, a hint of regret deliberately showing on his face. He said softly, "If that's the case, just treat it as my nonsense. Don't take it to heart."

After hearing this, Zhuang Yan felt something was amiss, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Just as he was pondering this, Zhao Dequan hurried over.

"Your servant pays homage to the Queen!" Zhao Dequan said as he bowed respectfully.

Xu Zhouye was puzzled by the sudden appearance of someone at this time, but he quickly stopped joking with Zhuang Yan and asked calmly, "Excuse me, but I wonder what's the important matter that has brought you here so suddenly, sir?"

Zhao Dequan first bowed his hands in thanks, then stood up and replied respectfully, "Your Highness, I have come here to carry out your Majesty's instructions."

Upon hearing that it was the emperor's oral order, Zhuang Yan's face instantly became serious, and then he followed Xu Zhouye and knelt down to listen to the order.

Zhao Dequan cleared his throat, holding the jade token, and read aloud, "Your Majesty has decreed that banditry has been rampant in Muzhou recently, and the situation is becoming increasingly urgent. To quickly quell the rebellion and maintain peace in the area, we are dispatching Junior Justice Zhuang Yantong as the vanguard officer to suppress the bandits. He will immediately depart for Muzhou and fight alongside General Guide to completely eradicate the banditry! This is decreed!"

After hearing this decree, Zhuang Yan's eyes flickered slightly, and for a moment he stood there in a daze.

Xu Zhouye smiled and said to Zhuang Yan, "Zhuang Shaoqing, this shows the trust and respect His Majesty has for you. Why don't you accept the order and express your gratitude!"

After being reminded by Xu Zhouye, Zhuang Yan finally came to his senses, kowtowed in thanks, and took the jade order from Zhao Dequan.

Zhao Dequan smiled happily and prepared to leave.

After Zhuang Yan and Xu Zhouye stood up, they saw Zhao Dequan was about to leave, so they hurriedly called him to stop.

Zhao Dequan paused and turned around.

Zhuang Yan stepped forward, took out a purse from his pocket and quietly stuffed it into Zhao Dequan's arms, "Thank you for making this trip, eunuch."

Zhao Dequan remained calm, nodded, and said with a smile, "Young Master, you are too kind."