Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

The tall and straight officer with a serious expression walked in quickly. When he saw that the person in front of him was Zhang Jingwei, his face was instantly filled with respect. He quickly gave a standard military salute and shouted loudly, "Sir!"

Zhang Jingwei waved his hand slightly and said with a smile: "It's okay, I just came here to chat with the craftsmen. Cough cough cough..." Accompanied by a violent cough, his already slightly pale face became even more bloodless.

Seeing this, the officer's eyes flashed with worry, and he hurriedly advised: "Sir, you have been outside this city for a whole month. It's so hard. You must take good care of yourself!"

Zhang Jingwei nodded, took a deep breath, and said, "Okay, I'll pay attention. Also, be kind when you talk to these workers in the future. Don't let the people run away in fear when they see our army!"

The officer replied seriously, "Sir, your teaching is very correct. I will keep it in mind."

At this moment, Zhang Jingwei turned around and prepared to return to his tent to rest. However, Mu Tou suddenly approached him, wanting to take him to the city. Zhang Jingwei hesitated, but ultimately let Mu Tou lead the donkey forward. After all, he had been so busy lately that a day off to relax and unwind was indeed necessary. Moreover, his cold had lasted for over a week. Given the current state of medical care, if he continued to suffer from it, he might die.

As they walked, Zhang Jingwei suddenly remembered something and asked, "Zhao Xuan should also know about the rumor I just heard, right?"

Gao Ying, who was following beside him, immediately replied, "I know!"

Zhang Jingwei raised the corner of his mouth slightly, looked at Gao Jiong with a half-smile and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this incident must have been caused by you, right?"

Gao Jiong boasted proudly, "Yes, it was me who did it. Ever since the news broke, the workers have been working incredibly hard. The construction project, originally estimated to take six months, is now nearly complete in just one month."

Zhang Jingwei knew very well that there were many craftsmen in the Celestial Empire and the construction industry was amazing. As for why it took a year or even several years to build some city gates, it was because the workers were "slacking off" and not working hard, and the supervisors could also squeeze some money out of them. This was the case from the bottom up, so the court lost its money and nothing was done.

Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but sigh, "Thank goodness my father-in-law is such a smart man. If it were any of those other nobles, I'm afraid there would have been a real mess."

Gao Jiong smiled slightly and responded, "Of course. I've always been very measured in what I do. Besides, I never said you were going to rebel."

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei burst into laughter and said, "Haha, Zhao Xuan, stop kidding! Rebellion is a capital crime, and they're not stupid!"

Gao Jiong nodded in agreement, but then changed the subject and said seriously, "But if you're talking about stupidity, you're the real fool. It's been a whole month, and the disaster relief funds we've been eagerly awaiting are still nowhere to be found. Although the grain tax for the people of Yunzhou has been exempted for a year, the commercial and transportation taxes still need to be paid as usual! Just the basic expenses of food, clothing, housing and transportation for these disaster victims have already cost a full 200,000 strings of cash. Moreover, many of them are sick and need medical treatment, and there are also expenses for resettlement, etc. If this trend continues, even if you have a million-dollar fortune, you won't be able to sustain it for long."

Zhang Jingwei showed a trace of determination on his face, and comforted him, "The situation will definitely get better slowly! When we first took them in, there were only about 20,000 refugees here, but now the number is almost 40,000! There are also some newborns, and we have to allocate additional funds specifically for nutritional supplements for mothers and babies. Winter is about to come, and the charcoal quilts..."

Gao Jiong roared in rage, "Enough! Do you even know what's going on? The shareholders have already started transferring their shares to each other! The military bank has been burning through cash like crazy since its founding! They've been businessmen for generations, how could they risk everything to play this ridiculous game of robbing the rich and giving to the poor! You're just a scholar, how dare you drag them all into this abyss!"

Facing Gao Jiong's rebuke, Zhang Jingwei stood firm and argued, "Are we just going to sit there and watch those people become homeless?"

Gao Jiong's eyes widened as he roared, "Once a real war breaks out, who will you care about?" Perhaps realizing he had lost his composure, he softened his tone and said, "The people of Wuzhou will naturally be taken away and properly resettled by the imperial court. And your so-called heroic game will then be over!"

Zhang Jingwei responded firmly: "Then let me be a hero for a few more days!"

Gao Jiong was so angry that he stomped his feet and said, "Whatever you want!" Then he ignored Zhang Jingwei, rode his horse by himself, galloped away without looking back, and left Zhang Jingwei far behind in an instant.

As soon as they entered the city, Zhang Jingwei said, "Zhao Xuan, you've been really hard-working during this period. I, as the head host, am really incompetent."

Gao Jiong ignored him and continued walking on his own.

Qian Ming, who was standing by, couldn't help but sigh when he saw this. "I've been following the shopkeeper for so long, and this is the first time I've seen him lose his temper like this."

Mu Tou softly echoed, "Perhaps the young master is indeed a little too willful..."

Zhang Jingwei said to the people around him with a serious face: "You guys go back first, I have to go get some medicine!" Mu Tou, who was standing nearby, hurried forward and said respectfully: "Master, how about I lead the donkey for you?"

Zhang Jingwei waved his hand and sighed helplessly, "No need. I accidentally upset Lingmei today. I should go home and comfort her. I won't go out of the city tonight."

Mu Tou looked embarrassed after hearing this, but before he could say anything, Qian Ming on the side interrupted and said, "Well, let the young master go out and relax. Let's go back to the mansion first." As he said that, Qian Ming reached out and pulled Mu Tou, turned around and quickly left in the direction of the Marquis' Mansion.

After the two men walked away, Zhang Jingwei did not ride his donkey to get medicine as he had said before. Instead, he took the reins in his hand and slowly led the donkey into a quiet and deep alley. Meanwhile, Qian Ming and Mu Tou, who had just left, did not really return to the mansion. They hid in the corner of the street, quietly observing Zhang Jingwei's every move.

Qian Ming frowned slightly and muttered in confusion, "Didn't the young master say he was going to get some medicine? Why did he end up in this alley? It's really confusing."

Mu Tou seemed a little worried and asked timidly, "If we follow the young master secretly like this, what if we get caught? Will we get scolded?"

Qian Ming replied nonchalantly, "Just scold me if you want. The young master just likes to act like a child sometimes. Maybe after he lets out his anger, he'll feel better."

As they were talking, they saw Zhang Jingwei leading the donkey deeper and deeper into the alley. Mu Tou couldn't help but get anxious: "Oh no, the young master has gone deeper into the alley again."

Seeing this, Qian Ming made a quick decision and said, "Don't dawdle any longer. Hurry up and catch up. The roads in this deep alley are complicated. If you delay any longer, you might lose them."

So, the two of them quickened their pace and followed Zhang Jingwei closely.