The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

Lu Yun recalled carefully, "That day, I was returning from a friend's house in a carriage. Halfway through the journey, the driver told me that a mad horse was pulling a carriage in the distance, and people in the carriage kept crying for help. In desperation, I threw the dagger. The mad horse, in pain, turned towards the farmland beside the road and eventually tripped and fell into a ditch."

"So, the knife wound on the horse's belly was done by the princess?" Earl Dingyuan hesitated.

Knowing he didn't believe her, Lu Yun explained briefly, "I've been a disciple of Taoist Master Qingxu since I was young, and have practiced martial arts for many years." Then, she bent down, picked up a small stone from the ground, and threw it at the courtyard wall. With a "puff," the stone was already mostly embedded.

Dingyuan Bo was obviously shocked by her move. He stood up and bowed, "Thank you, Princess, for saving my son's life."

Lu Yun personally escorted him to the mountain gate and did not turn around until the figure disappeared.

When Marquis Dingyuan returned home, the main room was still in a mess.

Cui first scolded her daughter-in-law for a while, saying, "This is a jinx who ruins the family." Then she turned her attention to her husband and said, "It's all your fault. You sent Mingyuan to Huaizhou on a mission. Now that something's wrong, you have to compensate me, you have to compensate me!"

Zhao Mingyuan lay motionless on the bed. "Wow, my Mingyuan, what should I do in the future?" Cui leaned over the bed and cried her heart out.

Xu Shiyun knelt on one side with her head down, wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

Dingyuan Bo breathed a sigh of relief. After days of searching, he had found nothing amiss except a wound on the horse's abdomen. The driver's body had also been found in a ravine. He must have jumped from the carriage in a panic and rolled down the hillside, succumbing to his injuries.

Zhao Duan has been so glorious for half his life, but now he has met such bad luck!

Returning to the study, Dingyuan Bo handed a letter to the old servant and said, "Be sure to deliver it to the Second Young Master personally."

"Master, someone from the palace is here to summon you." The servant came in hurriedly to report.

Inside the Purple Palace, Emperor Longqing sat behind his desk. "Wang Quan, pass this memorial around to the others for their perusal." The memorial circulated around and returned to the desk. "Do you have any comments, my dear ministers?"

Prime Minister Lu bowed and replied, "I believe that Huaizhou is suffering from a severe drought and we should make plans early to prevent the situation from worsening. Otherwise, it will inevitably affect the tax revenue in the autumn and winter.

Someone immediately followed up and proposed that the court raise funds to collect food in case of an emergency.

Emperor Longqing remained silent and looked at the Dingyuan Earl who had remained silent. "What do you think, Mr. Zhao?"

Dingyuan Bo bowed. "I believe that the drought in Huaizhou is just beginning to show. Preparing money and grain for disaster relief is a matter of course, but as to how to achieve the most effective results, we need to carefully consider."

"Lord Zhao is absolutely right," Prime Minister Lu agreed. "Huaizhou is one of the world's granaries. To appease the people, why not select one of the princes who has handled this matter before and have him take charge of the relevant matters?"

As soon as these words were spoken, people immediately began to recommend candidates.

Emperor Longqing smiled and said, "It seems that Prime Minister Lu has a candidate in mind?"

The crown prince cannot leave the capital at will. The fifth prince is a nerd and can only be one of the third and fourth princes. The fourth prince is the son of Concubine Li. He left the palace three years ago and currently works in the Ministry of Works, with mediocre performance.

Prime Minister Lu said sternly, "After the Luzhou case, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been confined to reflect on his mistakes for two months. I am worried that people are uneasy. How about letting His Royal Highness take charge of this matter, while His Royal Highness the Third Prince personally goes to Huaizhou to oversee all disaster relief matters?"

"Does Mr. Zhao have any opinion?" Emperor Longqing asked lightly.

Dingyuan Bo bowed and said, "Speaking of Huaizhou, I would like to recommend someone to Your Majesty."

"Oh," Emperor Longqing raised his eyebrows and said half-jokingly, "disaster relief is a tough job."

"The person I want to recommend is Lord Lu Lingcong. Lord Lu once served as the prefect of Huaizhou. During his tenure, he made outstanding achievements and enjoyed a good reputation." Earl Dingyuan said respectfully.

Prime Minister Lu said, "Although Lord Lu has many years of experience in local government, he has never been involved in disaster relief. Moreover, I heard that Lord Lu was kicked out of his home during the recent family division. I would like to ask, have you ever seen anyone kicked out of their home without reason?"

Ultimately, no conclusion was reached.

Prime Minister Lu stood in front of the hall and bowed to the others, saying goodbye. He looked at Earl Dingyuan with an ambiguous look. "Everyone says that Lord Zhao is a man of integrity. I have only just begun to understand a little bit today."

Dingyuan Bo remained calm and said, "Thank you, Master Miao Zan."

"Haha, I heard that Prince Zhao frightened his horse. If you need help, just let Lord Zhao know." Prime Minister Lu said behind him with a smile.

Eunuch Wang stood at the door and took everything in, then turned around and went in to answer.

Emperor Longqing stood up and paced around the room. "What has Xiaowu been doing lately? Last time, he excitedly told me that he wanted to participate in this year's Spring Examination. Come, follow me to his palace to take a look."

The Fifth Prince was still buried in his studies when Qing Bao hurried in. He bent down to pick up a paper ball from the ground and said anxiously, "Your Highness, His Majesty is here to see you."

The Fifth Prince woke up from his thoughts and looked at the mess in the room. A rare look of panic appeared on his chubby white face. He trotted out from behind the table to the palace gate to greet his father.

"Get up." Emperor Longqing walked without stopping, and the Fifth Prince followed him into the study.

When Wang Quan saw the situation in the room, he made a gesture of wiping his neck to Qingbao and said, "You little killer, how can you serve your master!"

"The exam is the day after tomorrow. How is my son preparing?" Emperor Longqing took an article and read it carefully.

The fifth prince spoke frankly, "I'm not sure either. I asked a teacher outside the palace for guidance. The teacher said I can pass the exam."

"There are so many senior teachers in the Hanlin Academy, but they are not enough for you. Why do you have to go outside the palace to hire a teacher?" Emperor Longqing frowned at him and said, "I'm afraid you have been deceived again." Compared with his brothers, the youngest son is simply too stupid. How can the old father not be worried?

"Well, I've learned from my mistakes. This time, I've chosen Master Lu Tongzheng. I've seen his writings, and they're much better than mine, and better than some of the masters in the Imperial Academy."

"Did you receive his guidance on this article?" Emperor Longqing showed a hint of approval. "It's much better than before. Tell me, what do you think is so good about Lord Lu?"

The Fifth Prince almost blurted out, "What he said is meaningful. Lord Lu's articles are never overly flowery, but every word and sentence can be found in contexts outside of the article, making it profound and easy to understand, and penetrating."

Emperor Longqing laughed. "I know that what you dislike most is 'brocade' articles. How can I know that this is not just a temporary preference of yours? It is ungentlemanly to judge based on just a few articles."

"It's not just my son's one-sided view." The fifth prince said embarrassedly, "When my son and Lord Lu first met, Lord Lu was fishing. After learning of my identity, Lord Lu was not at all frightened or flattering. He was almost the same as before, and he didn't ask for anything in return. He even--"

"Even what?" Emperor Longqing was very interested.

"Her wife even thought I was the son of a wealthy businessman in Kyoto and wanted to act as a matchmaker for me," the Fifth Prince said bluntly. "I suggest I take the imperial examinations to get a better chance of getting married."

Emperor Longqing couldn't help laughing any longer. "Compared to the Lu family, you, the son of a wealthy businessman, are indeed too low-class." He shook his head and looked at Wang Quan. "Tell me, the rest of us are burdened with paperwork every day, but he is free."

Eunuch Wang stepped forward and said, "The weather is beautiful and spring is coming back to life. Your Majesty, why don't you go to the palace and relax?"