Without Shen Qingwan, there was nothing to worry about in the court. Fu Huaiyu was also happy and free in Jiangnan, and the flood in Jiangnan did not harm him. After all, he was a prince, so he would naturally receive a lot of protection.
However, when he was practicing archery as usual that day, he received an imperial edict from Fu Yuheng who was far away in the capital. "The Emperor, in compliance with the will of Heaven, proclaims: The flood in Jiangnan is severe, and I am very worried. As the Ninth Prince is in Jiangnan, I have issued a special decree. I hope that the Ninth Prince Fu Huaiyu can come up with a way to alleviate the disaster in Jiangnan. It can also be regarded as helping me relieve my worries. If you succeed, you will be rewarded. I decree this."
"I accept the order." Fu Huaiyu received the imperial edict from the messenger, but he was full of doubts. He didn't know what Fu Yuheng was going to do this time. He no longer had the heart to shoot arrows, so he put down his bow and arrow and returned to his room.
"What does the emperor mean by this?" Looking at the imperial edict, Fu Huaiyu couldn't help but talk to himself. He had never been able to understand Fu Yuheng's thoughts, even when the two of them had a decent relationship.
Because he couldn't see through it, he had been keeping a low profile, trying to pretend to be an idle prince. Fu Yuheng didn't seem to have any suspicions, but how could he trust him with such an important matter
"Fu Yuheng, you asked for this. You gave me this opportunity, and if anything happens in the future, you can only blame your bad luck. In fact, this was originally mine, wasn't it?" But no matter what the reason was, Fu Huaiyu knew that this was his best chance.
He can get in touch with the ministers in the court by handling the flood issue in the south of the Yangtze River, and if he succeeds, his reputation will surely soar, and the people in the south of the Yangtze River will also be grateful to him, and then it will be much easier for him to do something.
"Come here, prepare horses for me. I want to go to the flooded areas myself." Having decided to do something, Fu Huaiyu immediately asked someone to prepare horses and prepare to go to the disaster area himself. When he arrived at the disaster area and saw the victims everywhere, his mood also became bad.
However, he also had a solution. He ordered people to dredge the floodwaters, and then to rescue the victims. In just a few days, the disaster was under control.
When the imperial edict reached Jiangnan, Fu Huaiyu gladly accepted it, taking this opportunity to win over the ministers. However, the people in the court were not satisfied when they heard it, and they all gave advice to Fu Yuheng.
"Your Majesty, Jiangnan is such a big matter, it would be inappropriate to send an idle prince to take the charge." The Central Commander was the first to object.
"Yes, Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince is just an idle prince. He is used to eating, drinking and enjoying himself on weekdays. I am afraid he will not be able to handle these matters. I beg Your Majesty to select another brave and resourceful person." The Minister of the Chancellery also came out to echo.
"Your Majesty, I think what you two gentlemen said is very true. You must know that Jiangnan is a prosperous place. Most of the fine products that our dynasty will offer as tribute next year will come from Jiangnan. And Jiangnan happens to be a water town. I am afraid that the Ninth Prince will not be able to control the disaster this time." The Minister of Revenue also came out to object.
Seeing the three leaders speak out, the others also opposed. In fact, their worries were not unreasonable. In their eyes, Fu Huaiyu was a person who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun, and didn't care about the affairs of the court.
It was difficult for him to attend court on normal days. He had never dealt with anything, let alone this flood. If he was left to handle it, I'm afraid it would only get worse.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, why don't you say anything?" After everyone tried to persuade him for a while, Fu Yuheng still did not respond. He just looked thoughtful, which made people feel anxious.
Fu Yuheng had actually been listening to the discussion, but he still asked Prime Minister Liu who was silent. Normally, he would be the one who talked the most.
"Prime Minister Liu, why are you silent? What do you think about this?" After throwing the words to Prime Minister Liu, all the officials stopped talking and looked at him. They all hoped that he would speak up to persuade the emperor.
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with what you did. Although the Ninth Prince is an idle prince, I feel that the Ninth Prince is not as useless as you gentlemen say. Besides, the matter has not even started yet. How can you gentlemen sentence the Ninth Prince to death?" Unexpectedly, Prime Minister Liu agreed with Fu Yuheng's approach.
This shocked all the officials. Prime Minister Liu was actually helping the Ninth Prince, and seeing Fu Yuheng nodding, he actually agreed with this statement. Prime Minister Liu has always had a high status in the court, so after this statement came out, the voices of opposition were much smaller.
"Okay, no need to say more. I have made up my mind, and I will leave this matter to the Ninth Prince. Report to me if you have anything to say, and leave the court if you don't." Fu Yuheng interrupted the topic that everyone was still discussing, making it clear that he had made up his mind.
In his heart, he sneered at these people. They usually only saw what happened in the court, but they didn't know anything about Fu Huaiyu. What's more, they talked about the foundation of the country. Seeing Fu Yuheng's persistence, Prime Minister Liu thought that his words had worked. He also looked at everyone coldly, but he was very happy in his heart.
"If not, how can I see his movements..." His fingers tapped out rhythmically on the table, but the gleam in his eyes was not noticed by anyone.
The imperial edict had been issued for several days, and the Empress Dowager in the Cining Palace had naturally already known the news. She had also been hearing about Fu Huaiyu's actions in Jiangnan, but she still couldn't help feeling a little worried.
"Empress Dowager, it's been long enough, you should get up." Nanny Wu saw that the Empress Dowager had been kneeling in front of the Buddha statue for a long time and couldn't help but speak. The Empress Dowager was awakened by Nanny Wu and found that she was absent-minded and couldn't help but feel sorry for the Buddha.
"What a sin, what a sin." He waved towards the Buddha statue a few times before turning to the ancestral hall. He looked at the tablets of his ancestors and became absent-minded again.
It is said that the winners are the kings and the losers are the bandits. Fu Huaiyu is her son, so she naturally knows him. He seems to be an idle prince, but in fact he is very ambitious. And Fu Yuheng's actions this time, could it be that he discovered something...
She no longer had the heart to continue bowing, she just wanted to find Fu Yuheng to ask for clarification. "Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, what's wrong with you?" Aunt Wu was also startled by her sudden nervous expression and hurriedly stopped her.
"It's okay. Help me go find the emperor. I have something to ask him." He was anxious, but after all, he was old and used to a life of luxury in the palace, so he didn't have the strength for a moment.
"Go, call the emperor over and tell him that I'm looking for him." She had no choice but to ask Nanny Wu to go over. She was really worried about Fu Huaiyu.
After all, Nanny Wu was an old lady by the Queen Mother's side, and she knew that she must have something urgent to worry about. She carefully instructed the palace maid to take good care of the Queen Mother, and then she hurried to find Fu Yuheng.