From Jinyang to the capital, the contrast between the quietness and the noise was too strong. Hua Zhi stood at the bow and looked at the lively scene for a long time without moving.
She couldn't help but make comparisons in her mind, comparing Jinyang and the capital, comparing the prosperity here with the serious damage to Jinyang, comparing the peace and happiness of the people in the capital with the unknown life and death of Yan Xi... Whenever she thought of Yan Xi fighting desperately with others, she couldn't help but think about it, and even resented it.
Sometimes she really wanted to bury the palace with black powder and send them to heaven.
Chen Qing waited for a while but didn't receive any instructions, so he couldn't help but step forward, "Miss, the wind is strong on the boat, I'm afraid you'll catch a cold if you stay in the wind for too long..."
Hua Zhi closed her eyes, suppressed her violent emotions, turned around and handed him Yan Xi's seal, "Take this, bring the silver, Zhu Ling and Xu Ze to the palace, and report Jin Yang's affairs to the emperor in detail. Remember, the more detailed the better, and give all the credit to Yan Xi, and don't give Zhao Jingyu any chance, understand?"
"But you..."
"The emperor probably doesn't want me to have any credit for this. It's the same as giving the credit to Yan Xi. By the way, you have to make sure Zhu Ling's family and Xu Ze are well settled. There's also the identity issue of Zhu Ling and the others." Hua Zhi looked towards the dock again. "I'll have someone notify Xiao Liu to meet you outside the palace, and he'll come forward to resolve it."
"yes."
Hua Zhi was about to call Bao Xia to get off the boat, but when she turned around, she saw Xu Ze coming over and standing there, seeming to say something but stopping himself.
Yes, she called him over but didn't explain the reason, so it's no wonder that he was unsure.
Walking over, Hua Zhi bowed and said, "It's my fault. Lord Xu, don't think too much. I brought you to the capital because I wanted to know more about Jinyang's situation in recent years through you. After all, no one knows better than you."
As a former Tongzhi who arrived in Jinyang earlier than Yuan Shifang, Xu Ze was indeed very suitable for this task. He also... wanted to do this. His ideals, his ambitions, and his best years were all wasted in that archive. He also wanted the emperor to know of his existence.
Hua Zhi smiled and looked at the Zhu family father and daughter on the other side, "If Master Zhu trusts me, then let your daughter go with me first. You may not be able to take care of her later."
"I can't trust anyone, but I'll trust the young lady." Zhu Ling pushed her daughter. Perhaps because they had been told this before, Zhu Fang did not act capriciously. He obediently carried his bag and stood behind Hua Zhi with his eyes lowered.
Hua Zhi nodded at the two of them and got off the boat first. There was already a carriage waiting there, and the person waiting there was Xiao Shuang.
"The younger one has met the older girl."
"Excuse me, why are you here?"
Xiao Shuang glanced at the carriage and said, "The master thought you would come back in the next two days and has been waiting for you since early morning."
Hua Zhi's heart skipped a beat when she saw the carriage. Before she could make any move, the curtain was lifted. Xiao Liu jumped down from the carriage and bowed, "Master, you are finally back."
Hua Zhi was so angry that she poked him in the forehead. "So free? What are you doing here? Do you need me to teach you that a gentleman should not stand under a dangerous wall?"
Xiao Liu's eyes were full of joy. As he led the people to the carriage, he said, "I thought you would definitely dislike Zhao Jingyu and you would come back as soon as he arrived. Sure enough, you arrived before I had waited an hour."
Glancing at him, Hua Zhi finally supported his arm and got on the carriage. Thinking of Zhu Fang, she turned around and said, "Xiao Shuang, find a carriage to take Miss Zhu to the Hua family."
"yes."
Zhu Fang’s eyes quietly fell on the young man in front of him. Born in such a family, she had learned a lot, whether actively or passively. Naturally, she recognized that although the color was low-key, it was clearly the standard uniform for the prince. So Hua Zhi’s identity turned out to be... the prince’s teacher
Thinking of this, the last bit of resentment in Zhu Fang's heart disappeared. If she really was this person, he would accept it.
The carriage slowly drove out from the dock. In order to avoid suspicion, the curtain was not lowered. Xiaoliu sat by the door, being careful not to give anyone any handle to throw dirty water on him.
The carriage was thoughtfully filled with a thin blanket and a hot water bottle. Hua Zhi, who had felt cold on the boat, immediately covered herself tightly and hugged the hot water bottle to warm herself up. "Zhao Jingyu, the general manager of Jinyang, how did you decide?"
When talking about business, Xiaoliu's smile faded slowly, and he whispered, "It was chosen by my father himself."
"Nothing said?"
"Yes, it was decided directly during the Grand Court, and the general seal was also bestowed. At that time, many ministers asked the emperor to revoke the order, but the emperor ignored them and has never shown up since that day. Even I have never seen him."
"You haven't been to court yet? Have you received any reply to your memorial?"
Xiao Liu shook his head, "So none of the memorials submitted were approved."
Hua Zhi stroked the hot water bottle and began to think. Although the emperor did not do much and could not be considered a wise ruler, he was not a person who acted on his own. Otherwise, he would not have wanted to dig a canal so much but put it on hold for various reasons. Why did he so disregard his own wishes in this matter
What did the Fourth Prince do to make him lean towards him, even ignoring the most important balance? Or... was the problem with Haoyue
No, that would make them too passive.
Hua Zhi sat up a little, "Chen Qing will go to the palace to offer silver in a while, you need to take this opportunity to make the identities of Zhu Ling and others clear to the emperor. The emperor is in a good mood right now, so this matter will most likely be accomplished."
Xiao Liu could now think far ahead, and immediately said: "It would be more convenient for Father to erase the existence of these people..."
"That depends on how you explain it. These people may seem useless, but as long as they can come out of the shadows and no longer be controlled by Chaoli, helping them to do things will be the greatest help to Daqing. If they hide in the shadows, they will be the biggest hidden danger once the two countries go to war. It is better to have one more friend than one more enemy. You have to make the emperor realize this."
Xiaoliu nodded thoughtfully.
Seeing him like this, Hua Zhi took the opportunity to explain the reasoning more clearly, "Take Zhu Ling for example. If we regard him as a member of the Chaoli tribe, he will certainly regard us as enemies. How can we get a list of names he knows from him? How do you know if this list can implicate more people? If Zhu Ling hadn't told me that Pengkou was a trap and the real place where the silver was hidden was in Songzhu, who would know what price the Qixusi would pay this time, and whether Yan Xi could escape unscathed."
Gnashing her teeth, Hua Zhi suppressed her worries. "They have been plotted against since birth, and suffered all kinds of oppression during their growth. Some of their mother tribes have no people left. If someone can pull them out of the abyss, why would they be willing to be used by the Chaoli tribe? Even if we put aside these major issues, Xiaoliu, let me ask you, do you sympathize with them from a personal point of view?"