amaotonovel Chapter 409 Trying to Steal His Credit
Chapter 409 Trying to Steal His Credit
Your humble servant, Yuan Xiaomiao, Prefect of Chuzhou, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince! May Your Highness live a thousand years!
Yuan Xiaomiao took a few steps ahead and knelt on the ground with a "plop," her movements swift and efficient.
Wang Qinian also quickly knelt down: "Your humble servant, Wang Qinian, the Vice Prefect of Chuzhou, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince! Long live the Crown Prince!"
Shen Yanzhou looked at the two of them, his brows furrowing instantly, and the coldness in his eyes almost overflowing.
He had heard on his way here that when the flood was at its most critical, almost none of the officials in Chuzhou, big or small, showed up on the dike, except for a female official named Shi Wanxia who took the lead.
At this moment, I saw that the two people were dressed relatively neatly and had deliberately ingratiating smiles on their faces.
Thinking of the wounded and exhausted soldiers and civilians on the dam, and the missing Shi Wanxia, an indescribable sense of disgust welled up in my heart.
He didn't even bother to make them get up, but looked down at the two kneeling in the mud, his voice as cold as ice: "Oh? Prefect Yuan, Vice Prefect Wang? I didn't expect you two would know to come see me."
Yuan Xiaomiao's smile froze for a moment, and her heart skipped a beat. She realized that something was wrong with His Highness the Crown Prince's tone.
He quickly forced a smile and said obsequiously, "Your Highness is too kind. I was overjoyed to hear of Your Highness's arrival and came to greet you immediately."
"Your Highness must be tired from your journey. Please come into the city and rest. Your humble servant has prepared hot tea and a meal..."
"Take a break?"
Shen Yanzhou sneered, interrupting him, his gaze sweeping over the two like a knife, "I ask you, where were you when the flood peak passed through?"
Yuan Xiaomiao's face paled, his eyes darting around, and he said awkwardly, "Your Highness, this humble subject... this humble subject was at the government office organizing people to prepare provisions to ensure supplies for the front lines..."
"Prepare provisions?"
Shen Yanzhou pressed on relentlessly, his voice suddenly rising, "How come I heard that at the height of the flood, there weren't even enough people to fill sandbags on the dike? The people and soldiers were carrying broken logs by hand to plug the breaches, while the officials of Chuzhou Prefecture were all huddled in safe places 'preparing for provisions'?"
He stepped forward, looking down at the two men with undisguised contempt: "Prefect Yuan, Magistrate Wang, as the officials of Chuzhou, you are paid by the emperor and should share the burdens of the people."
"But when disaster strikes, instead of standing with the people and protecting this dike, you only care about your own safety, hiding behind and trying to survive!"
"Look at this dike!"
Shen Yanzhou suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the ravaged embankment behind him, where there were still broken logs and bloodstains that had not been cleaned up.
"Look at the soldiers who collapsed from exhaustion in the mud, look at the civilians who were injured while protecting their homes! And look at yourselves!"
His gaze finally settled on the two of them, filled with deep disappointment and anger: "A grown man, salaried in the imperial court and in charge of the people's livelihood, is not even as good as a woman!"
"Even Lady Shi, a mere woman, managed to hold out in the floodwaters for several days, risking her life against the flood. What about you? Besides hiding in the back and scheming how to claim credit, what else can you do?"
Yuan Xiaomiao and Wang Qinian were so embarrassed by the scolding that they lowered their heads even further and didn't dare to breathe.
They hadn't expected His Highness the Crown Prince to know so much about the situation, and panicked for a moment, only able to kowtow repeatedly: "Your Highness, please forgive us! This humble subject knows his mistake! This humble subject deserves to die!"
"He deserves death?"
Shen Yanzhou snorted coldly, "It's useless to say these things now."
"I don't have time to argue with you about these things,"
His tone shifted, regaining its cold and authoritative tone.
"Prefect Yuan, immediately mobilize all available yamen runners and militia in Chuzhou to join the search for Lord Shi. Zhao Hu will be in charge of the overall command. Anyone who disobeys will be punished as a traitor!"
"Prefect Wang, immediately take inventory of all the medicinal herbs and provisions in the government office and transport them all to the disaster relief sites. Lord Cui will then coordinate their distribution. If anyone dares to withhold even a single penny, I will execute them without mercy!"
"Your humble servant... Your humble servant obeys!"
The two hurriedly agreed, their foreheads covered in cold sweat. They scrambled to their feet, not daring to say another word, and quickly turned to leave to make arrangements.
Watching their hasty retreat, Shen Yanzhou's expression remained unchanged.
He turned around and looked at the surging Huai River. The raindrops hit his face, cold and piercing, but the anxiety in his heart was even greater than the flood.
"Wanxia, my little sister," he murmured the name in his heart, his eyes resolute, "you'd better be alright."
Despite the wind and rain, the search party continued to stretch along both banks of the river. Prince Shen Yanzhou stood on the embankment, gazing at the vast rain curtain. His figure appeared particularly lonely under the gloomy sky, yet he carried an unwavering determination.
He knew that if he couldn't find Shi Wanxia, his heart would forever be in turmoil, and the battle against the flood was far from over.
The rain was still falling, the fine raindrops hitting the bluestone pavement and splashing up tiny water droplets.
Yuan Xiaomiao and Wang Qinian walked out of the riverbank's field of vision one after the other, and turned into the path leading to the backyard of the government office. The surrounding noise was instantly shut out by the sound of rain, leaving only the dull sound of their footsteps in the mud.
Yuan Xiaomiao paused, then suddenly turned around.
The obsequious and timid demeanor he had shown in front of the Crown Prince was completely gone. His triangular eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze was fixed on Wang Qinian behind him like a venomous snake. A sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
The frustration he felt from being reprimanded by the Crown Prince earlier was now channeled into his hostility towards his subordinates.
"Wang Qinian,"
Yuan Xiaomiao's voice was low and chilling, "Have you completed the tasks I previously assigned you?"
Wang Qinian's heart tightened, and he subconsciously lowered his head, secretly clenching his hands under his sleeves.
He knew what Yuan Xiaomiao was asking about—before the flood peak arrived, Yuan Xiaomiao secretly instructed him to withhold the bundles of straw and boulders transported to the dike, daring only to use ordinary sandbags instead, euphemistically called "keeping them for backup," but in reality, he was afraid of wasting the government's "private property."
It was that section of the embankment where materials were withheld that became the first place to breach during the flood peak, and also the last place where Shi Wanxia held firm.
"Yes, sir. I have done everything you instructed."
Wang Qinian's voice trembled slightly, not because he was afraid of Yuan Xiaomiao, but because he thought of the raging flood at the breach and the possibility that Shi Wanxia had disappeared in the flood. An indescribable sense of guilt welled up in his heart.
"Did you do as instructed?"
Yuan Xiaomiao stepped forward, grabbed Wang Qinian's chin, and forced him to raise his head. The viciousness in her eyes was almost overflowing.
"Wang Qinian, you better remember this: if this matter is exposed in the slightest, not only will you lose your official position, but your old mother in the countryside and your precious sister—your whole family—will also be executed along with me!"
He pressed down with his fingers, and Wang Qinian felt a sharp pain in his jawbone, his face instantly turning pale.
He endured the pain, not daring to struggle, and could only squeeze out a few words from his throat: "This humble official...this humble official understands."
Yuan Xiaomiao then let go of Wang Qinian's hand and patted his cheek, as if examining an object.
Suddenly, something occurred to him, a lewd glint flashing in his triangular eyes. A disgusting grin spread across his lips, and his voice was sickeningly sweet: "Speaking of which, I quite like your sister's body."
"I tried it a few days ago, and it was very delicate, much better than those ordinary beauties in the mansion."
Wang Qinian was startled, and suddenly raised his head, his eyes instantly turning red.
His younger sister had just turned fourteen this year, and was in the prime of her youth. Last month, she was tricked into the prefectural government office by Yuan Xiaomiao under the pretext of "bringing her to the mansion for education," but she ended up being defiled by this beast.