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Lu Cong was stunned and glanced at Lu Xuan subconsciously.

Lu Xuan was also a little surprised. He opened his mouth and asked, "Chen Sheren, has the princess asked me to go with you?"

Chen Jinyu smiled without changing her expression: "That's not true."

Lu Xuan: "..."

I got used to it when I lost my face. Lu Xuan silently closed his mouth.

Lu Cong was excited and worried, so he got up and followed Chen Sheren to see the princess. Jiang Shaohua spent most of his time in his grandfather's study during the day. The subordinate officials come to the study room every morning to hold meetings.

Lu Cong stood outside the study, feeling excited again.

Chen Jinyu went in and called Lu Cong into the study.

In addition to the princess, there were also Chen Changshi and Feng Changshi in the study. The princess was giving instructions to the two chief historians: "... In two days, I will set off to inspect the military camp and the fourteen counties. I expect to return in four or five months. In these months, the two chief historians will have to worry about the official affairs of the palace. ”

Chen Changshi is in charge of foreign affairs, while Feng Changshi is in charge of domestic affairs! They are all routine errands.

"Princess, just go and inspect with peace of mind," Chen Zhuo took over with a smile: "Since I and Feng Changshi are here with all matters in the palace, Princess does not need to worry too much."

Feng Changshi quickly added: "If there is something important, I will definitely send someone to deliver a letter to the princess and wait for the princess to make a decision."

After nearly a year of getting along with the princess, the two elders already had a tacit understanding. The two of them can make decisions on small matters. When it comes to royal palace decisions and important internal affairs, or when there is movement in the court that needs to be dealt with, the princess must make the decision.

Jiang Shaohua smiled and nodded: "Thank you, Mr. Shi."

Lu Cong stood aside and waited very wisely.

After the princess and the two chief historians finished talking about business and glanced over, Lu Cong stepped forward and bowed his hands: "Lu Cong has met the princess."

Jiang Shaohua nodded slightly: "Sit down and talk!"

Chen Zhuo and Feng Wenming looked at each other, stood up and left together.

Chen Jinyu and Ma Yaozong, the two ministers, did not need to shy away from giving in, and each stood beside the princess. The princess asked Lu Cong unhurriedly: "Are you really coming to the palace as an errand?"

Lu Cong perked up and immediately stood up to respond.

Jiang Shaohua twitched the corner of his lips and said slowly: "It is the custom of the imperial court that guilty officials are not allowed to return to officialdom. If this princess uses you as an errand, it will inevitably lead to a bad reputation. You should also know this in your heart."

A look of embarrassment flashed across Lu Cong's face, but he did not flinch.

In just three years, he fell from the sky to the bottom of the valley. He was lucky enough to save his life, but he also experienced the warmth and coldness of human nature. Now that he has taken this step, he is fully mentally prepared to be made difficult and mean.

"That's what the princess said." Lu Cong changed his title naturally: "I made a big mistake in my time in office and was dismissed from office by the court. This is already a light sentence. My life was saved by the prince that day. For the rest of my life. Serving the prince's errands can be regarded as repaying the prince for his life-saving grace."

A smart man indeed. He worked hard in front of Lu Xuan behind his back, but in front of her, he didn't mention Lu Xuan at all, only the kindness of King Nanyang that day.

It can be seen that in the past half month, Lu Cong has figured out Lu Xuan's dilemma in the palace.

Jiang Shaohua smiled and said bluntly: "I would like to ask you first, how much of your fault do you feel about the riot that day?" Lu Cong, a veteran in official circles, was also stunned by the question. He wanted to come up with a way to deal with the court, but before he could open his mouth, the princess said again: "I want to hear the truth."

Lu Cong's intuition told him that his next answer was very important. It's about whether he can stay in the palace.

Lu Cong took a deep breath, and the tragic scenes that happened three years ago flashed through his mind. When he opened his mouth, he was filled with a heavy and obscure heart: "I did nothing wrong."

"The flood was a natural disaster, and I tried my best to provide relief. However, there were too many victims and the government could not save them. On the day when the governor's house was attacked by the mob, I was still giving porridge in the porridge shed. Suddenly I was shocked to hear the bad news. I didn't even have time to clean up the corpses of my wife and daughter, so I ran for my life in a panic..."

"When the court inquired about the crime, I was filled with pain and grievances, and had nowhere to complain. I could only bow my head and admit my guilt to avoid implicating the Lu family."

"But in my heart, I feel really wronged."

Lu Cong's eyes were red, his voice was trembling, and his eyes were watery.

Chen Jinyu felt pity in his heart when he heard this, and Ma Yaozong also sighed secretly.

Jiang Shaohua listened to Lu Cong's tragic past, but he was not moved. His words were still direct and sharp: "You think so in your heart, which shows that the court's treatment of you is not unfair at all!"

Lu Cong: "..."

"As the head of a county, do you know nothing about the situation under your control? If there are rivers in the territory, the rivers should be dredged every year to prevent floods."

"Even if floods are unavoidable, the subsequent relief efforts are also very problematic. With the human, financial and material resources of a county, why can't it cope with tens of thousands of refugees? The people have lost their homes and land, have no place to stay, and no food to eat. Isn’t this the fault of you, the county governor?”

"What's the point of serving porridge yourself in the porridge shed? You're putting on a show for the court and everyone to see, and you want to prove that you are a good official. Unfortunately, the refugees who are about to starve to death don't recognize this. They only know , I was about to starve to death, I rushed into the houses of wealthy families to grab food, and rushed into the county offices to riot, all in order to survive."

"The court's treatment of you is indeed lenient. If it were in my place, you would have been beheaded long ago."

The water in Lu Cong's eyes disappeared, replaced by beads of sweat on his forehead and a red face. I don’t know whether it was because he was unwilling to accept it, or because he was embarrassed and ashamed because he had been hit on a sore spot.

Chen Jinyu secretly took a breath.

Ma Yaozong looked thoughtful.

Jiang Shaohua's eyes were sharp and his tone became more fierce: "In the whole thing, the most innocent ones are your wife and daughter. They lost their lives because their husband and father were a mediocre official. As for you, the county chairperson really can't see that there is anything wrong with you." There’s nothing worth feeling wronged about.”

No matter how thick-skinned Lu Cong was, he couldn't resist such heart-wrenching words and subconsciously retorted: "May I ask the princess, if she were the princess, how would she deal with such a natural disaster?"

"First ensure that all the affected people have a house to live in, clothing to cover their bodies, and food to eat." Jiang Shaohua said lightly: "Don't say it can't be done. As long as you want to do it, there are plenty of ways."

"You can borrow accommodation in temples, government offices, and houses of wealthy families. Even ordinary people's homes can accommodate a few refugees."

"The government offices don't have enough grain, so they ask the prominent families to come up with grain."

Lu Cong was speechless again.

The princess is right. These are all ways to cope. only……

"You can't do this." Jiang Shaohua seemed to be able to see through all the ambiguity and weakness in Lu Cong's heart, and every word hurt his heart: "Because you are from the Fanyang family, in your heart, the clan must be ranked ahead of the imperial court. If you don't want to take action against the big families, you can only let the common people starve to death."