amaotonovel Chapter 39 Perhaps a Good Man
Chapter 39 Perhaps a Good Man
"What are you looking at? You seem lost in thought." Changsun Boyu nudged Chu Qiu with his elbow. Chu Qiu shook his head and coldly uttered a single word: "Nothing."
Changsun Boyou followed Chu Qiu's gaze and saw Wu Ziyan's profile. In this depressing environment, her eyes shone in the dim light, making her look incredibly attractive, yet there was an indescribable sense of distance between them.
Instead of looking at his own hands, he gripped them tightly. He remembered what his brother had said: perhaps Wu Ziyan was a good match. He wanted to give it a try; maybe it really was?
Huang Ziliang walked into the tent and saw that the group was so silent. He broke the silence by saying, "There has been no rain these past few days. Once the water recedes a bit, we can repair the dike. However, dike repair is very time-consuming and expensive. I'm afraid we'll have to report it to our superiors first."
Wu Ziyan was also thinking about this matter, but now that things had settled down, he needed to appease the people first.
They are already struggling to feed themselves and have no clothes to wear. If we build a dam, they will have to provide their labor, which is something no one wants. If not handled properly, it could even lead to a riot.
"Tomorrow, have those officials who were previously in charge of the dike construction come to see me!" Wu Ziyan instructed the messenger.
The messenger accepted the order and withdrew.
"It's too late to hold people accountable now," Huang Ziliang said.
"Didn't I say we should appease the public first?" A cunning glint flashed in Wu Ziyan's eyes.
Huang Ziliang nodded as if he had just realized something. The others didn't know what they were talking about. Huang Ziliang walked out, and the guards by the tent whispered among themselves: "What great things can a man do? Why is he pointing fingers here?"
"That fourth princess is something else. She's gone to the countryside for disaster relief, yet she's still enjoying herself with these men. Sigh, she's probably just another one who's eating without working."
Although he spoke softly, Chu Qiu heard him, for he had excellent hearing. But unfortunately, the world was full of injustices and prejudices against men.
Han Yuxiu also walked back from outside at this time, looking dejected. He went into the tent with a sigh. Wu Ziyan put down her bowl and asked, "What's wrong, Yuxiu?"
"There was a patient whose legs were completely useless, but just because I'm a male doctor, she wouldn't let me treat her. It's incomprehensible! Sigh!"
Wu Ziyan stood up and walked towards Han Yuxiu, brushing aside the drooping hair on his forehead. After such a long journey, they hadn't even had the chance to wash up, and their faces were covered in a layer of dust.
Wu Ziyan felt a pang of sadness, her gaze different from usual. She turned to look at the group and said, "You've all worked so hard, thank you." She returned their warm smiles.
Her words were light and gentle, yet carried a weight that pressed down on everyone's hearts. Han Yuxiu remained silent, her eyes sparkling. Upon reflection, she realized that she had never once questioned him because he was a male doctor.
Meanwhile, local officials on the other side discussed countermeasures overnight. Some were afraid, and some were not, but they eventually reached a consensus.
"I heard that this princess is a ruthless character."
"What are you afraid of? We have our backers!"
"Sigh, she'll definitely ask about the dam tomorrow, so we need to find a scapegoat."
"Yes, that makes sense."
Inside the tent, a woman was threatened: "If you don't take the blame, your whole family will die." The woman had no choice but to comply, but she secretly wrote a letter and gave it to her family.
The night passed, and the next morning was a bright and sunny day. Wu Ziyan got up very early and had people spread the word that a meeting would be held in the open space.
Wu Ziyan led Chu Qiu and the others with him, ignoring the gossip around them, and continued walking towards the open space.
When the common people saw that Wu Ziyan was accompanied by so many men, their hearts sank. In the past, people would have known to try to hide their presence, but now that the princess had arrived, it seemed that she would care less about their lives.
As they walked further, seeing no glimmer of hope in the eyes of the common people, Wu Ziyan shook his head. The human nature set up by this system, no matter how the genders were reversed, could not escape the stage of discrimination.
The officials also arrived, bowing and scraping to Wu Ziyan, while Chu Qiu and Changsun Bo secretly observed both sides to see if there were any suspicious people.
Wu Ziyan stepped onto the high platform and felt the burden was too heavy. She had only just begun, yet she was already under so much pressure. If she were to become the empress, she would be exhausted to death. She shook her head and sighed.
She stood on the high platform, surrounded by men. Although they were reluctant to go up, Wu Ziyan forcibly pulled them up. Han Yuxiu awkwardly lowered his head, and Wu Ziyan whispered, "Stand up straight! Let them see what it means for a man to be strong!"
The deep, serious voice made everyone straighten their backs unconsciously. Looking at the crowd below, Wu Ziyan cleared her throat: "I am the Fourth Princess of the current dynasty, appointed by the Empress to provide disaster relief. I know your doubts, and now I will explain them to you one by one."
Firstly, these people beside me include the son of General Situ, the son of the Grand Secretary, the imperial physician, and the son of the philanthropist Huang!
"So what? They're men!"
Despite the loud protests from below, Wu Ziyan remained calm. The officials, thinking he was probably a fool, were secretly gloating.
"Yes, they are men, but now they are doing things that women do, and even surpassing women in some aspects. Ask yourselves honestly, don't you feel ashamed!"
Wu Ziyan spoke each word with force and conviction, and the murmurs below gradually subsided.
Huang Ziliang was someone who didn't have much of a concept of the difference between men and women. He was used to dealing with these common people. He looked at Wu Ziyan.
Wu Ziyan nodded to him, and Huang Ziliang then spoke: "There is no difference between men and women. Who says that only men can follow women's virtues? I am a good example."
"And Brother Han, his medical skills are unparalleled; I dare say that none of the doctors here are better than him. Brother Situ, with his courage and bravery, has been guarding the border with his mother since childhood. And Brother Changsun, with his extensive knowledge, innovative ideas, and what more could a man ask for?"
At this moment, there was complete silence below as everyone listened quietly to Huang Ziliang's impassioned speech.
After a while, Wu Ziyan was somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected Huang Ziliang to be so eloquent. If this were in modern times, he would definitely be a top-notch debater.
After listening to Huang Ziliang's words, Han Yuxiu also mustered up his courage, but his voice was not loud: "I can teach you some basic medical skills so that you can detect diseases in advance and avoid unnecessary casualties."
Wu Ziyan patted Han Yuxiu on the back and said loudly, "Any man who wants to learn a skill can sign up. That's all for this matter. Now, let's move on to the second thing."