Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

The emperor had made the decision long before the court session. He didn't know where Chu Shiyu would use his method of paying people based on work, and he had been playing tricks about worrying about floods all the time. So he might as well let him deal with the real flood to see if he would reveal his true purpose.

However, what the emperor did not expect was that Chu Shiyu, who always took the lead in everything, did not send his letter of recommendation. Perhaps it was a few days late or he did not receive the news of the river bursting in Xingzhou... But it did not matter. As long as there were ministers who stood on Chu Shiyu's side, they would definitely take the initiative to stand up and fight for opportunities for their master, and the emperor would agree.

The emperor first glanced at all the ministers, and then his eyes fell on Lu Daqing seemingly casually. He had previously strongly advised to send troops to suppress the bandits, and he should have been speaking for Chu Shiyu. Perhaps the warrior was not smart enough and did not think of fighting for his master.

"Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, tell me, which prince is more suitable to provide disaster relief?"

Lu Daqing didn't expect that the question would be asked to him. These matters were always handled by civil officials. He took a step forward, but his burly body shrank a little. He hesitated for a while and said, "I think any prince is good."

The emperor on the high throne narrowed his eyes, waved his hand to let Lu Daqing leave, and scanned the hundreds of officials. Chu Shiyu didn't have a single follower? ! Not even one?

The emperor knew that Chu Shiyu did not like to form cliques for personal gain, which was why the emperor could tolerate him even though Chu Shiyu was almost more successful than the emperor. Chu Shiyu only fought openly, and he fought more fiercely than anyone else, but he fought openly. If others tried to do something insidious, he would find a way to find out and take revenge openly.

However, Chu Shiyu has made great achievements over the years, such as disaster relief and winning the top spot in the imperial examination. No other prince can match him, so it is impossible that no one would take the initiative to curry favor with him.

The emperor had many speculations in his mind, but no one had come forward to mention Chu Shiyu, and he could not mention him himself. As an emperor, showing preferential treatment to any prince would lead to an imbalance, especially when Chu Shiyu himself was outstanding.

"Since there is no suitable prince yet, my dear ministers, please adjourn the court and think about it. We must come up with a candidate tomorrow." The emperor ended the morning court directly. How could he change the decision he made because of such a small trouble?

In the imperial study after court was dismissed.

"Xu Jin, is Chu Shiyu on the official ship in Dajiang?" asked the emperor.

Eunuch Xu immediately responded, "Your Majesty, according to the information from the local spies at the dock where Prince Duan set out, Prince Duan's destination is Wuyang Prefecture, and he should be on the ship for at least two or three days."

It is indeed closer to Wuyang first and then Xingzhou. The emperor was convinced that Chu Shiyu was going to fight for it, otherwise he could go directly to the Grand Canal along the river and return to Beijing without stopping in Wuyang. It may be that the pigeon that recommended himself had an accident, which is not uncommon.

"Send a message to Wuyang immediately and prepare 200 good horses. Let Chu Shiyu lead the cavalry as soon as he arrives on the shore and rush to Xingzhou within seven days to preside over the disaster relief."

The emperor made arrangements in an orderly manner: "Also, have the Censorate send someone to deliver a message when the court goes to court tomorrow, saying that Prince Duan is willing to go to provide disaster relief and is on his way."

If there is a problem with the cover letter, then help him fix it.

At Guandu Wharf in Wuyang Prefecture, many large ships have been docked in the boathouse, ready to be transported back to their original prefecture tomorrow.

Chu Shiyu looked at the secret decree in his hand with a gloomy face, asking him to go directly to Xingzhou to provide disaster relief? ! And he had to arrive within seven days?

If the whole team rode, seven days would be more than enough, but the carriage was not fast enough! If they forced the carriage to move fast, not to mention whether the carriage would fall apart, the people inside would get sick. It would be better to ride horses! Should Liu Rusi and the others ride horses with him through wind and rain? !

"Your Highness is so wise! Compared to recommending yourself, it is obviously more respectable to be directly entrusted with an important task! I guess Your Highness expected that His Majesty would choose Your Highness because of the previous experience of disaster relief, so he did not send a letter of recommendation, right?"

Sun Zhizhao was overjoyed. It turned out that the prince was more insightful than ever before. It was he who failed to keep up with the prince's pace!

Chu Shiyu glanced coldly at Sun Zhizhao, but did not deny it. The secret decree was also an imperial decree. Unless he did not want to stay in the Great Xia Dynasty, he could not disobey the decree. He had to go to Xingzhou. There was no point in refutating Sun Zhizhao.

Sun Zhizhao could not see the subtle expression on the prince's face, but Liu Rusi at the side could see that Chu Shiyu was very unhappy and guessed that he might still be superstitious about the fortune written on the note.

"If it is destined, it cannot be changed, but the note suggests that there is hope. Even if you go to Xingzhou, you may not be in trouble."

Chu Shiyu looked up at Liu Rusi, his eyes still full of worry, well, say more~

Sun Zhizhao started to feel awkward again. He was also present at the incident with the note, but was the prince a coward? On the battlefield, swords and knives were blind, but the prince had never retreated.

"Mr. Chu is extremely talented and a pillar of society. He is definitely the best choice to save the people from dire straits. Since you have received the order, why not go upstream and take on the task of a thousand miles?" Liu Rusi encouraged. She hoped that Chu Shiyu could go to the disaster relief. With his ability, he should be able to help the people affected by the disaster better.

The worry in Chu Shiyu's eyes faded a little, but he was still hesitant.

Liu Rusi vaguely felt that he might have done it on purpose. She looked at Chu Shiyu for a while with a complicated expression.

"Mr. Chu, I hope you can go to Xingzhou." Liu Rusi looked at Chu Shiyu with hope and encouragement in her eyes. The fate of the people in one area was too heavy, and her insignificant love and hatred should not become an obstacle. Besides, it was just a small concession.

"Okay, I'll go." Chu Shiyu agreed immediately. That's enough, for now! He couldn't suppress the smile on his face. Liu Rusi finally asked him for something! Although it was for the sake of the country, it was also a great start!

Sun Zhizhao couldn't help but look at Liu Rusi with approval. Madam Liu was very understanding and could play a very positive role for the prince!

They were definitely going to go, but the question was what to do with Liu Rusi and the other two. Chu Shiyu would never accept being too far away from her. If that was possible, there would be no need to take her away by force...

But he also didn't want Liu Rusi to suffer the hardship of traveling!

At the same time, King Kang was granted fiefdom.

"Ah!"

A group of beauties knelt on the ground. They could not hear any sound, but they could see the jade bottle shattered all over the ground, and their master, King Kang, had a terrifying look of anger on his face.

Zhou's staff, who used to offer frank advice, also knelt nearby with their heads lowered, not daring to say a word.

"Before our third brother arrives in Wuyang, there are already 200 horses waiting for him! According to regulations, the number of cavalry accompanying the prince cannot exceed 120! Even if he wants to overstep his authority, no one in Wuyang will provide him with any!" Prince Kang gritted his teeth and stared at the sharp and glaring fragments on the ground.

The court sent an urgent message to recommend himself. This was indeed Chu Shiyu's style. Even he would believe that Chu Shiyu was someone who could rush to the disaster area to grab the credit! If Chu Shikun didn't have Wuyang's power and eyes and ears!

This time, it was clear that the emperor had already decided on Chu Shiyu! He was still performing the play of seeking talents in the court!

King Kang suddenly calmed down his anger, and in the blink of an eye his face became gentle again. He turned around and asked Zhou Muyou who was lying on the ground, "What do you think, should I learn from my third brother?"

Zhou's assistant looked up in panic, but didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"These years, I have been just waiting, waiting for my father to see my talent. I have worked hard to manage this ordinary place. The people live and work in peace and contentment, and business is booming. Tax revenue has tripled in six years." Chu Shikun didn't want to hear Zhou's answer. It seemed that he just treated him as a puppet who could listen to his heart.

"But my father seems to be blind and deaf, and he has said nothing about my achievements. But he has eyes and ears everywhere! There are people everywhere who can speak for him!"

Feeling that his tone was rising uncontrollably, Prince Kang quickly adjusted his attitude and asked in a gentle voice: "What do you think, should we be like our third brother? Show off your talents in a big way, and even your father cannot turn a blind eye and pretend to be deaf and dumb."

Zhou Muliao wanted to say hello, but when he opened his mouth and moved his lips, no sound came out, as if he, like the beauties beside him, had been given a mute drug.

Prince Kang continued to talk to himself, "Maybe it's because the third brother is so eye-catching, so father thought of him first. Maybe because Chu Shiyu was destined to fight for it, he just decided on it... So this is almost an opportunity tailor-made for me, but because of the hypocritical excuse of fearing the loss of my beloved son, it just slipped away."

"I don't care about the gain or loss once, and I can tolerate it twice or three times, but it can't be like this every time, forever, until the end!"

King Kang's eyes gradually lost focus, and he said to himself: "Six years, six years of illness, long enough..."

In the wilderness, it was pitch black and silent, with only the cuckoo calling "buhu" and "buhu".

But in one corner there was a lot of movement, the sound of horses' hooves, the sound of people talking, and the sound of the wooden door of a carriage closing.

Then there were shouts that were much louder.

"Your Majesty! His Majesty has ordered that we must arrive within seven days! At our current speed, we will be late if we are not careful!" The campfire nearby reflected the anxiety on Sun Zhizhao's face.

Chu Shiyu and his party were already on their way to Xingzhou. The cavalry consisted of more than 300 people, all of whom were riding good horses with good endurance. However, they only ran 150 miles in the whole day!

If we maintain this speed evenly every day, we can arrive in exactly seven days. But in this case, it is better to arrive early than late. The earlier we arrive, the more active we are in disaster relief! If we arrive just in time, it will be considered as negligence! If something happens on the way and we are late, it will be considered as dereliction of duty!

Chu Shiyu turned a deaf ear to it. This was already the result of his best efforts to strike a balance, controlling the speed of the carriage to a level where the bumps would not be uncomfortable, and extending the daily travel time.

"Your Highness... Madam Liu herself has strongly requested to go with the walking team! Wouldn't it be more comfortable and safer for them to go with the people behind? The walking team will catch up later!" Sun Zhizhao simply couldn't understand. Was the prince going to tie Madam Liu to his belt? Could they not be separated for a few days? !

Chu Shiyu pretended not to hear anything. He put the naan he had baked on a plate, picked up a pot of broth made from dried meat, stood up, walked to the carriage with its doors and windows closed, and gently knocked on the wooden door.

"Rusi, Qin Hao, and Caiyun, come out and eat something." Chu Shiyu said softly.

"Godfather, Mom said she's not hungry. I... am full from the snacks in the car, and so is Sister Caiyun." Little Qin Hao's childish voice came through the wooden door.

"You didn't come out to eat at noon, how can that little food be enough? Just open the door and get the food. You can eat in the car." Chu Shiyu knew that Liu Rusi was angry, but there was no way he would leave her and go first, even if she was angry. He could only try his best to make amends.

This time, Xiao Qinhao did not answer. Although Xiao Qinhao and Chu Shiyu were usually very close, they were still very different from their biological mother. If they had any disagreements, Xiao Qinhao would definitely stand on Liu Rusi's side unconditionally. Caiyun was similar. She usually pretended to be deaf and dumb anyway.

Chu Shiyu was not angry, but it was not a solution for them to not eat. He thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll open the door from the outside. Take your hands away and don't get caught."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a "click" sound, the sound of the latch being locked. The doors and windows of this carriage all have latches...

Anyway, now the question is, how is he going to get the food in?

As Prince Duan, his travel safety does not depend on the car doors, so the design of the car doors is mainly based on other considerations. In fact, they are not very strong. Even with the latch, this hollow wooden door can be kicked off.

But he can't kick it in, right? !