The villain and the powerful official secretly read the diary and broke my plot every day

"I will listen to my elder brother. He is right. If we go out now, we won't be able to help much. It is better for us to wait in peace in the capital."

Jiang Jiang's eyes were red as she tried to comfort Huang E'er beside her. After a brief moment of anxiety, Jiang Jiang had completely calmed down.

Huang E'er looked at Jiang Jiang with some concern: "How about you stay at my house?"

Huang E'er was worried about leaving Jiang Jiang alone outside.

"It's okay. Brother Shen is my brother's good friend. He will look after me, right?"

Jiang Jiang said this and turned to look at Shen Guiyuan.

"Of course. I will do what I promised Brother Jiang." Shen Guiyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This little girl was quite sensible and did not make things difficult for him.

Finally, under Huang E'er's worried gaze, Jiang Jiang and Shen Guiyuan left the Huang family together.

"There's an inn nearby."

Shen Guiyuan seemed to be very familiar with the capital. Before Jiang Jiang had walked far, he helped her find an inn and readily booked a room with a good location for her.

"This street is patrolled every night, so it's very safe. You can stay here tonight. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. By then, the outer city should be fine, and I'll arrange for someone to take you home."

Shen Guiyuan arranged everything properly. Before leaving, he specifically asked the waiter to prepare some food and hot water for Jiang Jiang.

In the guest room, Jiang Jiang opened the window. She stood quietly by the window, watching Shen Guiyuan's figure disappear around the corner of the street. Only after she was sure that he had gone far away did Jiang Jiang feel relieved. She gently closed the window and hurriedly left the guest room.

Lin Jing was eating buns at the street corner near the inn. Seeing Jiang Jiang sneaking out of the inn alone, Lin Jing raised his eyebrows.

He knew that this little girl was not someone who would keep quiet.

After finishing the last bite of the bun, Lin Jing was about to catch up with Jiang Jiang when suddenly his expression changed. He felt a breath, vague and ambiguous, flash by near him.

Is it... an illusion?

Lin Jing hesitated for a moment, but finally followed Jiang Jiang's footsteps from a distance...

**

Imperial City.

In the council hall, Emperor Jianping was sitting on a high chair wearing a dragon robe. There were several figures standing on both sides of the hall. These people were all important officials of the court. Among them, the one standing in the first place on the left was the Minister of Revenue Meng Xiang. Behind him were several other important officials and veterans from the six ministries.

"My dear ministers have come to the palace in such a hurry to see me. Now that I am here, if you have anything to say, please speak up!"

Emperor Jianping spoke with some impatience.

He had also heard about what happened in the outer city and immediately sent people to deal with it. Now that these old guys have come to the palace together to pay homage to the emperor, it is obvious that they have bad intentions!

"Your Majesty, the ice is thicker than it was formed in a day. The number of refugees outside the city is increasing. If we can't resettle them in time, I'm afraid even greater chaos will break out!"

Meng Xiang took the lead and stepped forward, speaking in a heavy tone.

"Lord Meng is absolutely right!" Several ministers on the side whispered in agreement with Meng Xiang's words.

Emperor Jianping raised his eyebrows imperceptibly, then looked at Meng Xiang with a half-smile: "Then how do you think we should handle this aftermath, Lord Meng?"

"Your Majesty, those refugees are also pitiful people who have lost their homes due to the famine. I believe that we should prioritize comforting them," Meng Xiang said, sighing with sorrow. "Last year, natural disasters struck repeatedly, and the people of Qingyun Kingdom suffered greatly. They were forced into desperation, and only came to the capital, hoping for a chance to survive."

"Lord Meng is right." Several people behind him whispered in agreement with Meng Xiang's words.

Emperor Jianping glanced at those people, including the Minister of Rites Chu Guoan.

This old man from the Chu family has been doing nothing, but he is very successful in the court because he is very good at playing the role of peacemaker.

It is better to be a yes-man than to be the first to speak.

This is Chu Guoan's way of survival!

Emperor Jianping couldn't help but look at Chu Guoan a few more times, not because Chu Guoan was so special, but because Emperor Jianping thought of Gu Yanqing again.

Gu Yanqing asked for a female secret guard some time ago, saying that she was going to protect someone. It turned out that person was Chu Guoan’s eldest daughter, Chu Yunyue.

When did Gu Yanqing become involved with the Chu family?

Emperor Jianping was puzzled.

In the hall, Chu Guoan was originally playing his role of "yes man" calmly and smoothly, and he was doing it very well, but suddenly, he felt the gaze of His Majesty.

Why does Your Majesty keep looking at me?

Chu Guoan was secretly shocked——

What happened today really has nothing to do with my Chu family!

Although the Chu family, the Meng family, the Dongping family, and the Liu family are known as the four major families in the capital, in fact, the other three families have a deeper foundation than the Chu family. Moreover, by the generation of Chu Guoan, the Chu family has few members and their influence in the court is far less than before. Therefore, Chu Guoan now has no other ambitions except to marry into the Liu family.

After being stared at by Emperor Jianping for a few times, Chu Guoan was in a state of panic. Fortunately, the next moment, Emperor Jianping had retracted his gaze and looked in the direction of Meng Xiang again.

"Placating is the main thing? It seems that Lord Meng already has a solution?" Emperor Jianping looked at Meng Xiang and asked again.

In fact, he had already guessed in his heart that today's refugee riot was definitely the work of his Meng family.

Old man.

One day, I will kill you.

Emperor Jianping cursed in his heart, but a gentle smile remained on his face. Emperors are born to be the best!

"Your Majesty, the spring plowing season is approaching and the whole world is short of food. Your Majesty should follow the example of the late emperor and open up granaries to benefit the people, and provide relief and comfort to those refugees outside the capital. In this way, they will surely be grateful for your grace and there will be no more riots!" Meng Xiang's voice was passionate and resounding.

So you were waiting for me here.

Upon hearing Meng Xiang's words, Emperor Jianping's face was filled with joy. "Lord Meng, you are indeed very thoughtful. Let's do as you say. Lord Meng, you are in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, so... the matter of opening the granaries and releasing grain will be left to you! I am most confident in your work!"

"Your Majesty, I...I am guilty!"

Who would have thought that after hearing what Emperor Jianping said, Meng Xiang's face suddenly turned sorrowful. He fell to his knees with a thud and shouted, "Ever since Prime Minister Gu launched his new policy last year, he's opened up the Huimin granaries to distribute grain to farmers across the country. Furthermore... Prime Minister Gu also reduced agricultural taxes in eighteen prefectures and counties, causing the Ministry of Revenue to lose more than half its tax revenue this year. Now... not only is there little grain left in the Huimin granaries, but my Ministry of Revenue... can't even afford to buy grain to distribute to the refugees!"

Meng Xiang kowtowed as he spoke, "Prime Minister Gu's new policies and tax reductions are certainly good things, and I support him. But now... the treasury is empty, and the Ministry of Revenue is short of money and food. It's difficult to maintain! Your Majesty... what should we do?"

As Meng Xiang spoke, he suddenly burst into tears of grief.

What a concerned Minister of Revenue he is about the country and the people!

Emperor Jianping felt that this old guy was a better actor than himself.

In the hall, the other court officials did not dare to speak, and everyone watched Meng Xiang perform alone in silence.

At this moment, a clear male voice suddenly sounded behind everyone——

"Master Meng is right. The national treasury is empty, and the food in the Huimin granary is insufficient. This is indeed a major problem. But...Master Meng, you have seen many storms and waves. How could you be frightened by such a small storm?"

As the voice rang out, a slender figure slowly walked into the hall.

"Gu Qing, you are here."

Seeing Gu Yanqing's figure, the smile on Emperor Jianping's face finally became somewhat sincere.

"His Majesty."

Gu Yanqing bowed to Emperor Jianping, then turned to look at Meng Xiang who was kneeling on the ground.

"Minister Gu, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are until you run the household. So what if I'm the head of the Ministry of Revenue? Even the best cook can't cook without rice."

Seeing Gu Yanqing finally arrive, Meng Xiang subconsciously straightened his body, turned around and looked at Gu Yanqing with a serious face: "Now there is no money and no food. How do you expect me to provide relief and comfort to those refugees? Minister Gu just said it so easily, why don't you leave this matter to you?"

If you can do it, go ahead!

Meng Xiang looked like he wanted to watch a good show. He had left this mess specifically for Gu Yanqing.

"Okay."

To Meng Xiang's surprise, Gu Yanqing agreed without even thinking about it.