That night, inside the prefect's mansion, Guang Yuanwei stood in the study. The expression on his face was no longer the kind and submissive one he had in front of Yan Qing. Instead, it was full of sinister calculations.

He asked gloomily, "How are the preparations at the refugee camp going?"

"Don't worry, sir. Everything has been arranged properly. I'm sure Her Royal Highness the Princess won't notice anything."

The person who answered was Shi Dechu, one of the officials who followed Guangyuan to greet Yan Qingchu when he first arrived.

Guang Yuanwei was satisfied and said, "That's good."

Shi Deqi hesitated and said, "Sir, how long will Her Royal Highness stay here? I can keep it a secret for a while, but over time, I'm afraid something might change."

Hearing this, Guang Yuanwei's eyes dimmed for a moment, but returned to normal after a moment.

He said unconcernedly, "It's only a few days, no need to worry too much. Doesn't Princess Di want to comfort the refugees? Let's prepare the 'refugees' for her."

"Besides, how can a noble man stay in Xuzhou forever? Moreover, I have heard that the court is not very peaceful. It is impossible for him to stay here for long."

Shi Deqi lowered his voice and asked, "Sir, does Her Highness Princess Diji have any suspicions?"

Guang Yuanwei: "No, her carriage was two days slower than the one that came to report the news. I originally thought she was suspicious, but after testing her, I realized that I was just worrying too much. Princess Di is no better than that."

Shi Deqi felt relieved and expressed his other concern: "Sir, some refugees are getting sicker, and more and more people are getting sick..."

Hearing Shi Deqi talking about this, Guang Yuanwei became a little annoyed: "Wait until the princess leaves, then gather them together and burn them all down."

If the flood in Xuzhou had not been so severe that it could not be concealed, he would never have reported it.

As for the rumors circulating among the refugees, he had naturally heard them, but he agreed with those statements in his heart. The emperor was unjust, so he was punished by heaven.

The imperial power is in the hands of a woman. Isn't it a coward for the little emperor?

If she didn't have the An family army, how could she become an imperial princess? How could a man as tall and mighty as himself be submissive and respectful to a woman?

Shi Deqi was unable to follow Guangyuan's thoughts, and immediately complimented him: "Your Excellency is wise. This will solve a major problem. By then, Xuzhou will still be under your control, and those young ladies will surely be impressed by your grace."

Guangyuan stroked his beard with great pleasure. When he was in the capital before, he had several huge Buddhas above him and had to be careful.

Now that he has come to Xuzhou, he is truly happy. After the princess leaves, the sea will still be wide enough for fish to leap and the sky will be high enough for birds to fly. Then he will only have others to flatter him.

And when Guangyuanwei thought of those beautiful ladies hidden in his mansion, he felt like he was being scratched by a cat.

No rush, after this storm is over, he will go and pamper them.

The two of them whispered for a while, not noticing the black shadow that flashed by the window...

When Fuyun returned from the prefect's mansion, he did not alarm anyone, including Liang Tao who was guarding outside Yan Qing's door.

He climbed in through the window without making any sound. The candle in the room had gone out. Before he left, Yan Qing drank a bowl of medicine prepared by Lin Huaigu and fell asleep.

Fuyun did not want to disturb Yan Qing's rest, so he hung himself on the beam quietly and recalled the conversation between Guangyuanwei and his men in his mind, preparing to report to her after the princess got up tomorrow.

My thoughts drifted away and I remembered what His Highness said to Liang Tao. His Highness said that he needed Liang Tao's protection.

Tsk, a big and strong bruiser who didn’t even know when he came in. How could he possibly protect His Highness?

His Highness still needs him to protect him...

A dreamless night.

Yan Qing was a light sleeper and got up before dawn.

After washing up, Yan Qing listened to Fuyun's report of the news he had heard in the prefect's mansion last night. She lowered her eyes, as if thinking about something.

The situation was much more complicated than she thought.

"Your Highness, do you want me to send someone to capture Guangyuan?"

Liang Tao naturally also heard the results of Fuyun's investigation, and he was very unhappy with Guangyuan's actions.

Yan Qing frowned and said, "No, if we take Guangyuan now, it will alert the enemy. Besides, the situation in Xuzhou is still unclear, so we can't act rashly."

Hearing this, Liang Tao also knew that he was anxious, he could only sigh: "Yes."

It was just daybreak when Guang Yuanwei arrived at the residence where Yan Qing was staying and waited for him. His behavior was extremely considerate.

Yan Qing arranged a small team of imperial guards to accompany officials from the capital's water conservancy bureau to investigate the water conditions, while he himself prepared to go to the refugee camp with Guang Yuanwei.

Although she had learned from Fuyun that the people she would meet in the refugee camp this time might not be refugees, she still wanted to go and see what Guangyuan was going to do for her.

Moreover, if she went there in the open, it would just lower Guang Yuanwei's vigilance and make it easier for Fu Yun and others to investigate in the dark.

The refugee camp was built outside Xuzhou City. Yan Qing sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain and looked out.

Most of the people they met on the road were strong and had ruddy complexions, unlike the skinny refugees that Fan Qiao had brought with him before.

Yan Qing smiled and said, "Guang Taishou has governed well, and the people in the city seem to be peaceful and prosperous."

Guang Yuanwei also noticed Yan Qing looking outside. His eyes flickered and the words he spoke sounded like a good official serving the people.

"Your Highness is too kind. If it weren't for the support of the court, the people in the city wouldn't be so peaceful."

After he finished speaking, he sighed again: "It's a pity that the spring rains this year have been continuous, and the dams have collapsed, causing some people to be displaced. I was very sad when I learned about it."

Yan Qing put down the curtain in her hand and looked back at him, with emotions in her eyes that others could not clearly see: "I am very pleased that the governor of Guang cares about the people, but why are there no refugees in the city?"

Guang Yuanwei smiled bitterly and replied: "It is a blessing in disguise. Not many people were affected by the flood. I have resettled them outside the city. This will not affect the people who are still alive in the city."

"Thank you for your concern, Governor Guang."

Yan Qing nodded, looking very satisfied.

If you don't know that Guang Yuanwei's actions are not as simple as they seem, you will think that there is nothing wrong with the current arrangement.

Guang Yuanwei immediately said modestly: "We are all serving the court, and it is more tiring for Her Highness the Princess to come all the way here. If the people knew that the court cared about them, they would certainly be very grateful in their hearts."

Yan Qing did not agree with what he said, but seemed to have remembered something and asked with interest: "But why did I hear that some people said that the emperor was unjust, so God sent down heavy rains and caused floods?"

Guangyuan didn't expect Yan Qing to tell this matter at this time. He didn't react for a moment and his expression was a little stiff.

Fortunately, he was able to adapt quickly and turned that stiffness into anger and panic.

"This is absurd. I have never heard of it."

Yan Qing just smiled and didn't say whether he believed it or not. He didn't ask Guangyuan anything else afterwards. The carriage fell into silence.

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