Chapter 101

"There is no need for Governor Zhang to be polite. The situation in Xiangzhou is serious, so there is no need to fuss over formalities." Qing Yun lifted the curtain to take a look. The father and daughter at the city entrance were brightly dressed, and their faces were rosy even under this harsh environment. It seemed that they did not live in the same world as the victims outside the city.

His eyes turned on the woman with her head down, and Qing Yun indifferently moved his eyes away. It seems that this father and daughter do not know that the one who came from the Capital is not just any imperial envoy but the Grand Prince himself. Otherwise, this Zhang Lin would not have treated him like any other imperial envoy. He would have presented his daughter, who is engaged to General Zhenbei.

Great Yan is not too heavy on the defense between men and women. Still, it is not approved by the public for unmarried women to expose themselves. For the sake of glory and wealth, this Zhang Lin does not even care about his daughter's reputation.

Zhang Lin and his daughter Zhang Luoyan glanced at each other and were a bit strange. Usually, all the envoys were aware of the marriage between Zhang Luoyan and Qi Yue. They often greeted Zhang Luoyan with a few words, but now it was just a cold sentence of dismissal.

There was a bad feeling in his heart, but Zhang Lin glanced at the carriage and the five or six guards behind it. Then, put his mind at ease and said, according to his usual method of dealing with these envoys: "Sir has been traveling for a long time, why don't you settle down first? This official has set up a banquet in the house, please come."

"Oh? That's very good." Qing Yun gently lowered the curtain, and he didn't have time to follow the Governor's play. The situation in Xiangzhou is serious and can no longer be delayed. Tonight, he will make the Xiangzhou governor spit out the disaster relief money he swallowed intact!

The group advanced to the Governor's residence, and the young guard at the end spat at Qing Yun's carriage. This group of imperial wimps looked like they were going to eat Zhang Lin's flesh at first glance. Still, after a meal at the Governor's residence, they were like defeated soldiers, ignoring the matter of Xiangzhou, and some even directly fled!

After the departure of these officials, Zhang Lin, the Governor of the people, began to collect the people's money even more. Therefore, in the eyes of the young guard, these officials from the court and Governor Zhang Lin are the same!

If only...if only the Third Prince could come, it would be nice, the young guard silently thought. Although this Zhang Lin returned to his old ways after the Third Prince left, he stops for a few moments, at least when the third prince is in. Just these few moments will be able to make the people of the whole of Xiangzhou grateful.

Not only did the young guard think so, but when they entered the city, the victims hunched over on the roadside at the city walls all looked over with hopeful eyes when they saw the officials from the Capital. Some bold people even asked the guards quietly, "Are they from the Capital? Is it someone sent by the Third Prince?"

"No..." the guard can only shake his head with a bitter face, "I heard that now the Grand Prince is in power, the one who came is the imperial envoy sent by the Grand Prince ..."

These words let the victims who came to inquire suddenly seemed to have exhausted bodies and sat disheveled in the corner. Such serious flooding, the farmland was destroyed by fire, the river banks were covered with floating corpses, and then there were imperial envoys who came to upset the Governor...

No one welcomed Qing Yun's coming because they were afraid of Zhang Lin's tactics. The officials came one by one, but none of them brought the result they wanted. Instead, they made Zhang Lin's exploitation more intensified.

The officials from the Capital are not good news for the people of Xiangzhou, but rather a huge piece of bad news. Seeing the carriage from the Capital advancing towards the Governor's residence, the people of Xiangzhou, who were standing on the street watching, even had resentment in their hearts towards the Grand Prince who had sent this imperial envoy. If the Grand Prince had ascended to the throne, they had no idea what their days would become...

When Qing Yun arrived at the Governor's mansion and saw the furnishings, he knew what kind of life Zhang Lin lived in Xiangzhou. The Governor's mansion was a place for Zhang Lin to entertain guests. It was probably even more "humble" than his private residence.

Zhang Luoyan secretly looked at her father, and her slightly shrewd eyes showed a burst of suspicion. She knew that the Grand Prince is in power, and it was not clear whether the official he sent were as good as the previous ones.

Zhang Lin gave his daughter a reassuring look and gave her a wink.

Zhang Luoyan got a sign from her father and immediately stumbled a little. The golden butterfly on her head immediately twitched and made a strange and pleasant sound, attracting the attention of everyone in the residence.

"Look at you, why did you bring out the jewelry from the bride price given by General Qi? What should we do if we drop it?" Zhang Lin reprimanded in feigned anger.

When Zhang Luoyan heard her father's words, instead of being frightened, she stomped her feet delicately and pouted with her red face, "The General gave it to me, why can't I wear it?"

With Zhang Luoyan's movement, there was another fluttering movement, and the two wings of the butterfly were flapping vividly. It is unknown if this is deliberate or not, but the fluttering butterfly was simply unobstructed in front of Qing Yun's face when she turned around.

Qing Yun swept a glance at the golden butterfly and sneered in his heart. Regardless of whether they personally went out to greet him or invite him to the banquet, this father and daughter were just using Qi Yue to pressure him.

"Oh? This is indeed a perfect match for Miss Zhang. Since it is a gift from her fiancé, it is appropriate to wear it at any time." Qing Yun finished his sentence with a cold tone and then looked at Zhang Lin, the Governor, with a sharp gaze, "I would like to talk to the Governor about disaster relief. I wonder if the Governor has time?"

The guards who followed Qing Yun from the Capital heard His Highness's different tone from the previous days and could not help but glance at Qing Yun in surprise. Afterward, they explained to themselves that the scenery of Xiangzhou must have made His Highness extremely annoyed. Otherwise, why did he show such coldness in his words?

Zhang Lin heard Qing Yun praises the hairpiece on Zhang Luoyan like the other officials and immediately smiled and stroked his beard. Qing Yun's obviously cold tone of voice was ignored.

Which of the imperial envoys from the Capital did not have opinions about him, only to flee with their tails tucked between their legs as soon as they were threatened by Qi Yue's name?

"Sir, there is no hurry. Let's have dinner first before we talk about business matters!" Zhang Lin guided Qing Yun toward the lobby.

Hearing Zhang Lin's words, the coldness in Qing Yun's heart could barely be concealed and spilled out. There were people dying of hunger in Xiangzhou every moment, but this Governor Zhang Lin still wanted to talk about the business after dinner?

He would be interested to see what the dinner is like at the Governor's residence!

The dinner began, and exquisite dishes were served on the table. Qing Yun looked at the big fish and meat on the table and had no appetite at all. Throughout Xiangzhou, the people were mourning and starving, but the Governor ate well, and his daughter also had the heart to worry about the decoration on her nails.

Even the guards following behind Qing Yun were angry at the sight of this whole dinner table. This entire Governor's residence, is it not made of flesh and blood of the people of Xiangzhou?

Qing Yun had no appetite as he looked at the table full of fish and meat. Still, this Xiangzhou governor did not think it was enough, rambling to Qing Yun to introduce the dishes.

Introducing the dishes was a pretense, and flaunting the utensils used to serve them was the real reason. Whenever he introduced something, he would reprimand the servant in a pretentious manner, "How dare you! How can you take out the things in the bride price given by General Qi?"

And that Zhang Luoyan seems to know what her father has done. From time to time, she helps out, either reprimanding her subordinates for spoiling the letters sent to her by General Qi or showing off the jewelry she carries.

Of course, this letter was made up by Zhang Luoyan. She was married off to Qi Yue by Emperor Hongming for nearly two years. At first, she was looking forward to when General Qi would marry her back to her family. But day after day, this Qi Yue seems to have forgotten her. They do not have the courage to go to the border to find Qi Yue to urge the marriage, so they can only hold back.

Zhang Luoyan was highly dissatisfied. Initially, she was a bit guilty of what her father had done, but now she feels that it is normal for her father to take advantage of Qi Yue's reputation to get some benefits.

This father and daughter, one after another, introduced every piece of furnishing in the house.

They thought these words were a deterrent to the officials from the Capital. After all, in Zhang Lin's opinion, those sent as imperial envoys are important officials who care about the country. The primary task of important officials is to take care of the overall situation, so they naturally do not dare to offend Qi Yue and cause unrest, especially in the case of Emperor Hongming's serious illness.

If other people, even Wei Lin, came, they might have been bluffed by this father and daughter and would be slightly concerned about the strength of Qi Yue's hands. But they met Qing Yun, who is the Grand Prince, so the father and daughter's words did not make him hesitate but ultimately ignited the anger in Qing Yun's heart.

He was expressionless, staring at the gold-colored jade glazed vase in the middle of the round table with indistinguishable anger. According to Zhang Lin, this jade vase is one of the most precious items in the bride price given by Qi Yue and is extremely loved by Zhang Luoyan, who likes to see it every day when she eats.

The Zhang father and daughter spoke until their mouths were dry. Seeing that there was nothing more to say, they stopped to drink water.

Qing Yun, who has not held the chopsticks, is sitting upright at the moment, with eyes full of majesty: "Have the Governor and his daughter finished? If you have finished, I have a few more words to say."

Looking at Qing Yun's attitude, Zhang Lin and his daughter froze in unison. Even the guards around Qing Yun held their breath and waited for Qing Yun to speak. They found that the previous anger of His Highness has been concealed and not shown. Now it is precisely a precursor of the Great Prince's anger.

Qing Yun's index finger tapped on the table. His gaze swept over all the things introduced by the two, and he sneered: "According to what the governor said, these are all the bridal gifts given by General Qi, but why are each of them engraved with the unique mark of an imperial gift?"

Zhang Lin paused, and cold sweat immediately ran down his face.

"Taking an imperial gift to entertain the guests, this crime of great disrespect by the governor cannot be excused." Qing Yun's voice became gloomy, "If the Northern General had taken these things to treat others, he would have been guilty of the same crime as you. Both are unforgivable sins!"

The Governor was dumbfounded by the phrase "unforgivable sins". He had never heard anyone say such a thing to him since the match with Qi Yue.

He naturally knew that these things are imperial gifts. Still, the ministers usually thought that if Qi Yue dared to use even the imperial gifts for the bride, he must be extremely in love with the Governor's daughter. But today, why is this official reacting in such an angry manner?

In fact, the bride price is not given by Qi Yue. Rather, after Emperor Hongming appointed the marriage, he thought that Qi Yue was far at the border, so he took it upon himself to give some goods and have someone from the General's residence send it. However, he didn't expect that Zhang Lin would think that it was Qi Yue who gave this bride price.

The tension at the table was high. Seeing that being soft would not work, Zhang Lin thought about the man's humble carriage when he came. He believed that this man was not of high status, so he simply threatened directly: "What do you mean by that, Sir? You should think carefully. No one can rival the Northern army in the hands of General Qi in the whole Great Yan. And General Qi is extremely loving to my daughter. If something happens to my Zhang family, General Qi will be furious, and it would be troubling if he revolts."

The more Zhang Lin said, the more confident he was in his heart. The words he said became more and more full of energy: "If I guessed correctly, Sir must be under the command of the Grand Prince, who will not dare to face General Qi if he wants to ascend to the throne."

Looking at Qing Yun's face getting worse and worse, Zhang Lin laughed and was incredibly proud: "Sir, you should see clearly. Even your master does not dare to touch me, Zhang Lin!"

As soon as Zhang Lin's words fell, he saw the noble youth across the table gently open his lips: "Oh, how come this palace doesn't know that he has to be afraid of that General Qi?"

At that, the youth untied the jade pendant on his waist and heaved it onto the table. On the lustrous white jade, the mighty dragon pattern is ringed with the word "Sa".

This "pop" sound rang out in Zhang Lin's heart. He looked at the jade pendant on the table in a daze.

This palace...this palace?

"Poof," the Governor of Xiangzhou, who was originally so confident, fell to the ground with his chair.