The concubine is a man, and the illegitimate son of a divine physician has a spatial ability.

Meanwhile, Yin Jingyi parted ways with Sheng Yixuan at the gate of the East Palace. He went to Yanxi Palace, where Consort Yin resided, to pay his respects, and then went to Changchun Palace to find the Fourth Prince, Sheng Yiming.

Upon entering Changchun Palace, Yin Jingyi was guided by the eunuchs to the palace where the Fourth Prince resided. At that moment, Sheng Yiming, dressed in a silver-white robe, was leisurely lying on a low couch, eating chilled watermelon and drinking mellow wine.

Upon seeing Yin Jingyi arrive, Sheng Yiming immediately spoke up, "Jingyi, you've arrived! No need for formalities, come and sit down, and have a drink with me."

Yin Jingyi clasped his hands in a simple bow and then sat down opposite Sheng Yiming.

Once Yin Jingyi was seated, Sheng Yiming personally poured him a glass of wine. As he poured, Sheng Yiming said, "Jingyi, it's been a long time. How have you been? Is there something you need from me?"

After drinking a glass of wine, Yin Jingyi spoke, "To be honest, I do have something to trouble Your Highness with. This matter concerns my younger sister, and for the sake of her reputation, I hope Your Highness will not spread it."

Sheng Yiming asked with a smile tinged with doubt, "Oh? Jing Yi, what you said has piqued my interest! Tell me about it."

Yin Jingyi nodded and looked around. At this moment, Sheng Yiming continued, "Don't worry, there's no one in the room. When I'm having a drink alone, I don't like having a bunch of maids and eunuchs."

"It seems Jingyi, you really dote on your sister! You're so careful and cautious."

After hearing what Sheng Yiming said, Yin Jingyi felt relieved and told Sheng Yiming what had happened. Sheng Yiming became more and more serious as he listened, and he couldn't help but sit up straight.

Yin Jingyi concluded, "Fourth Prince, it's actually my younger sister who wants to see you, but she lives in the inner quarters and can't come in person, and besides, she's in poor health..."

Upon hearing what Yin Jingyi said, Sheng Yiming understood what Yin Jingyi meant and said with a smile, "I understand. Jingyi wants me to be a lecherous man, a wall-climber, to climb over your wall!"

Very well! I, too, wish to go and see, to see that woman.

Anyway, I have no interest in politics; drinking wine and tea are my real business. Otherwise, my father would always call me to every meeting, so I have plenty of time.

Yin Jingyi said, "Then I will thank you on behalf of my younger sister."

Sheng Yiming said with a smile, "I never thought that I, the fourth prince of the Great Sheng Dynasty, the Prince Jing, personally appointed by my father, would also be climbing over walls now..."

Half an hour later, Yin Jingyi left Changchun Palace and walked towards the palace gate. After exiting the palace gate and getting into the carriage, Yin Jingyi let out a long sigh of relief. He thought to himself, "Zijin, I've almost finished handling things for you. Now I'm just waiting for His Highness the Crown Prince's reply."

Meanwhile, in the study of the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Sheng Muxu, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat on the dragon throne, looking expressionlessly at the ministers standing below him.

Standing next to Sheng Muxu was Feng Sanxiang, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial. Below them, according to rank, stood Crown Prince Sheng Yixuan and the eldest prince, Prince Lu, Sheng Yize. The cabinet consisted of five members, plus the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Personnel.

The minister standing below was very puzzled. The emperor must have something urgent to tell him!

Sheng Muxu asked gently, "Minister Yang, you are the Grand Secretary. I would like to ask whether the drought in the four northern provinces is under control."

Yang Xi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the drought in the four northern provinces is under control. Your Majesty can rest assured."

Sheng Muxu snorted coldly, grabbed the inkstone from the table in front of him, and smashed it on Yang Xi. He said angrily, "But I received another message: the drought in the four northern provinces is very serious, there is no harvest, the rivers have dried up, the starving people are eating each other, and epidemics are frequent."

Many starving people flocked to the capital to survive, threatening the safety of the capital and shaking the very foundations of the nation!

But Minister Yang actually said the disaster was under control. I'm wondering whether Minister Yang has been misled by his subordinates, or whether he himself is involved, colluding with officials from the four northern provinces, a den of snakes and rats, lining his own pockets..."

Yang Xi had already knelt down trembling the moment the Emperor smashed the inkstone on him. Hearing the Emperor's increasingly serious words, Yang Xi stammered, "I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly. My loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as day and night. The information I received is indeed that the disaster is under control."

Sheng Muxu sneered and said, "Alright, I don't want to hear these words. Minister Yang, pack your things and go to the disaster area tomorrow to see if the disaster is as you say it is under control. Also, conduct a secret investigation to find out who is deceiving the emperor, disregarding the safety of the people, and attempting to shake the foundation of the Great Sheng Kingdom. This will atone for your crime of not investigating."

Yang Xi hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, I will go back now." Then Yang Xi retreated hastily.

Then Sheng Muxu called out, "Minister of Revenue, come out."

Wang Hu, the Minister of Revenue who was standing at the very back, quickly stepped forward, knelt before Sheng Muxu, and replied, "Your subject is here."

Sheng Muxu immediately ordered, "Wang Hu, go back to your Ministry of Revenue immediately, gather everyone in the Ministry, and immediately draft a disaster relief plan. At the same time, mobilize grain and fodder from all over the country, set up resettlement points in the north and other places, and ensure that the disaster victims have basic food and clothing, as well as deal with the problem of epidemics."

"The Prince of Lu will be stationed at the Ministry of Revenue to ensure that everything is implemented effectively."

Upon receiving the order, the two immediately replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, we obey the decree. Yes, Father, we obey the decree."

Sheng Muxu stood up, walked to Prince Lu, patted him on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "Ze'er, the Ministry of Revenue is of paramount importance, and your responsibility is heavy. Do a good job, your father believes in you."

Sheng Muze bowed and said, "Yes, Father. Your son will not disappoint you."

Sheng Muxu waved his hand and said, "Go!"

Having received the order, Prince Lu and the Minister of Revenue quickly withdrew.

"Minister of Personnel!"

Minister of Personnel Zhang Tu hurriedly stepped forward, knelt down tremblingly, and said, "Your Majesty, I am here."

Sheng Muxu looked at Zhang Tu with icy eyes and said in an unfriendly tone, "Zhang Tu, you are the Minister of Personnel. You are responsible for all communication and performance evaluation of officials throughout the country."

Now, the disaster victims are silently heading towards the capital, completely unknown to the court. Did the officials in those four northern provinces bribe you? "Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the roads, frozen corpses lie." Zhang Tu, what do you think?

Zhang Tu hurriedly begged for forgiveness, saying, "Your Majesty, it really has nothing to do with me! But the Ministry of Personnel is indeed greatly at fault, and I am willing to atone for my sins with meritorious service..."

Sheng Muxu sighed and said, "Zhang Tu, you should know what to do!"

Zhang Tu quickly kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Sheng Muxu said, "Let's go back!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I take my leave."

Sheng Muxu looked at the remaining people and said, "Your Highness, Minister Lu Yin, please stay. Qi Kan will temporarily take charge of the cabinet affairs. He should not go home for the next few days. He should seize the time to coordinate with all parties and ensure that the disaster relief work is carried out effectively."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Qi Kan then led the cabinet members out.

After everyone left, Sheng Muxu looked at Sheng Yixuan and Yin Xu and said earnestly, "Xuan'er, Minister Yin, I have left you here because I have a very important task to entrust to you."

Sheng Yixuan said, "Father, please give your orders. Your son will certainly do his job well."

Yin Xu replied, "Your Majesty, please give your instructions. The disaster is critical, and the people are suffering. I am also very worried about them."

Sheng Muxu said, "In the court today, the four northern provinces are indistinguishable from the real thing, and there are many corrupt officials. If it weren't for Xuan'er's concern and suggestion to send the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate, we wouldn't have known that the disaster had reached such a serious level. If we hadn't sent anyone to investigate, the disaster victims might have already flooded into the capital before we found out."

Sending Yang Xi there is not reassuring to me. Minister Yin, I hereby appoint you Imperial Commissioner, to inspect the land on behalf of Heaven. Secretly investigate the four northern provinces, expose corrupt officials, and ensure that all orders issued by the court are implemented. I also bestow upon you the Imperial Sword, granting you the authority to execute first and report later. Minister Yin, you must not disappoint me.”

Yin Xu immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty. Your subject will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust."

Sheng Muxu helped Yin Xu up from the ground and called out, "Feng Sanxiang, go and announce the imperial decree to summon Liu Jun to the palace for an audience with the emperor."

He then instructed Sheng Yixuan, "Xuan'er, I know you'd rather go to the front lines of the disaster. But defending the capital is equally important. According to the report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the disaster victims will arrive at the gates of the capital in three or four days."

Xuan'er, your task is to guard the gates of the capital city, prevent disaster victims from entering the city, set up resettlement points outside the capital city to settle the refugees, and do a good job in disaster relief and epidemic prevention.

This is dangerous; they will definitely send the Imperial Guards to protect you and Minister Yin separately.

Sheng Yixuan said, "Father, I will definitely do my job well and not let you down."

Sheng Muxu patted Sheng Yixuan on the shoulder and sighed, "It's fine if you don't have that kind of interest."

-----------

After returning home, Yin Jingyi went straight to his mother, Zhang Shi, because the Crown Prince's words had shocked him. If his family held a banquet at this critical juncture, the censors would surely criticize them.

Therefore, now that Yin Jingyi knew, he needed to immediately inform his mother and prepare a countermeasure. Upon entering Yimei Courtyard, Zhang Shi was lying on a rocking chair under a paulownia tree, leisurely eating chilled grapes and watermelon. Two maids were fanning her, and another was lighting mosquito coils. Purple trumpet-shaped flowers from the paulownia tree occasionally fell to the ground.

Yin Ziyue sat next to Zhang Shi, occasionally using delicate gold skewers to skewer fruit for her.

Zhang lay back in her chair with a happy expression and said, "Yue'er, you should eat too. There's ice cream on the small table. It will help you cool down."

Yin Ziyue smiled and said, "Yes, Mother."

Zhang glanced over and saw Yin Jingyi walking towards them. Upon seeing him, she quickly sat up and asked with a loving expression, "Jingyi, what brings you here? What's the matter?"

Yin Jingyi walked up to Zhang Shi and said solemnly, "Mother, I have something important to discuss. Let's go inside and talk!"

Zhang immediately stood up and said, "Okay, let's go in!"

Yin Ziyue quickly went to Zhang's side and helped her into the inner room. Once inside, after Zhang was seated, Yin Jingyi dismissed all the servants and quickly told Zhang what His Highness the Crown Prince had told him, suggesting, "Mother, I think the drought in those four provinces is severe, and it's not advisable to hold a banquet. Mother, let's cancel the banquet!"

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang said, "It's too late to cancel now. The people from the three major families are already on their way, so we can't cancel. However, I haven't sent out the invitations to the capital yet. I originally planned to send them out tomorrow, but now that a disaster has occurred, we will not send any invitations to the capital."

Yin Jingyi nodded and said, "That's good. If our family were to hold a big banquet at this critical juncture, we would definitely be criticized by the censors, which would greatly affect Father's career."

Madam Zhang nodded and said, "Alright, we'll discuss it with your father when he returns. Oh! By the way, Yi'er, you just got back from the palace, have you eaten?"

Yin Jingyi nodded and said, "I have already eaten. I paid my respects to Consort Yin and ate in her palace."

Zhang said, "It's good that it's been used. I saw it in Consort Yin's palace..."

Knowing what his mother wanted to say, Yin Jingyi quickly said, "Mother, did Father tell you yesterday that he wanted you to lift Zijing and Niao Niao's confinement as soon as possible? Zijing and Niao Niao both know they were wrong, and besides, Zijing is weak, and it's already quite good that Niao Niao has been able to hold on this long."

Zhang thought that Yin Zijing had already taken the medicine he needed, and his body had been transformed according to his wishes to be able to bear children and menstruate. In the future, he would also have bound feet and large breasts. Even if he wanted to live as a man, he would not be able to. People would only see him as a monster. He had no choice but to live as a woman.

Madam Zhang then said, "Yi'er, your father and I have made a decision. After the banquet, we will lift Zijing and Niao Niao's confinement. By then, Zijing's health will also be better."

Yin Jingyi said happily, "Mother is so thoughtful. Yi'er thanks Mother on behalf of Niao Niao and Zi Jin..."

So the three of them chatted idly until it was past midnight, and Yin Xu still hadn't returned. Seeing that Yin Ziyue and Yin Jingyi, who were waiting with her for Yin Xu's return, both looked exhausted, Zhang Shi couldn't help but say with heartache, "Yi'er, Yue'er, it's getting late, you should go back and rest!"

Yin Jingyi said wearily, "Okay, then we'll go to sleep first. Father might not be back tonight, so you should go to sleep early too. Don't stay up too late, it's not good for your health."

Madam Zhang nodded, watching Yin Jingyi walk away with great satisfaction. She couldn't help but think, "My husband can't give me romantic love, but with these children like Yi'er, I am happy and content."

After Yin Jingyi and Yin Ziyue left, Granny Zhou led her maids and servants into the inner room and quickly helped Zhang Shi wash up and go to bed.

Zhang, who was sleeping on the bed, couldn't fall asleep no matter what she did. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so she put on her clothes, got off the bed, and walked around the room.

Zhou, the old woman on night watch, also woke up and asked Zhang, "Madam, can't you sleep?"

Zhang's heart pounded, and she said with great concern, "Granny Zhou, this disaster must be very serious. Otherwise, the master wouldn't have been discussing matters for so long. If it's something important, no matter how late he comes home, he'll come to Yimei Courtyard."

Oh, Granny Zhou. Go to the small kitchen in Yimei Courtyard and ask the cook on night watch to make some ginseng soup and some pastries. When the master arrives, give him something to eat.

The master has been in the palace for so long; he must be tense and not eating well. Let's prepare everything well so that he can be more comfortable when he gets home.”