Tiao Hong understood nothing else, only that Song Chaoyu’s decision was hers to follow.
Without the Gu family’s interference, Lord Lei and General Zhang could not stir up any significant trouble.
Especially General Zhang, who seemed afraid of "drawing fire upon himself," acting as docile as a cat in front of Mu Changxi.
The disaster relief affairs in Haizhou City became much easier, almost entirely handed over to Xu Yuan and Qiao Feipeng.
And so, the next step… was Yuezhou City.
—
When the matters in Haizhou City were nearly concluded, Mu Changxi had people spread the news that one hundred thousand taels of disaster relief silver had been lost.
Mu Changxi had not initially intended to announce such a large sum, but the items discovered from the Gu family and the amount of money Gu Xuezhuo had extorted over the years were truly staggering!
Therefore, Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu thought that even to pressure Lord Han in Yuezhou City, this figure was absolutely justifiable!
The loss of disaster relief silver was an outrageous and shocking affair!
Mu Changxi was the first to report it to the capital, ensuring the Emperor was aware of the incident, making it impossible to conceal.
In an instant, the public resentment, which had already subsided, began to boil again.
Especially in the three most severely affected prefectures of Yuezhou, Yizhou, and Haizhou, one could hear people in every street and alley cursing the insidious villain who had "stolen" the disaster relief silver.
What Mu Changxi could now tell everyone was that he had divided the disaster relief silver into three batches for transport. Two batches had already arrived with him, and the last batch had disappeared within Yuezhou City.
This news naturally caused a huge uproar.
The Emperor personally issued a decree, bestowing upon Mu Changxi a military token, granting him the authority to mobilize fifty thousand troops stationed in the southwest, to ensure the whereabouts of the one hundred thousand taels of disaster relief silver were found.
By the time the military token was in hand, Mu Changxi had already handed over all affairs in Haizhou City to Xu Yuan and Qiao Feipeng.
Although the two currently held no official positions, it would not be long before they did.
Especially for Xu Yuan, now that the Emperor knew of his situation, his appointment edict was likely already on its way.
He was a capable person, and he had managed the entire Haizhou City in an orderly fashion, earning the praise of the populace, far better than the previous Lord Gu.
Naturally, this also owed to Mu Changxi’s "contributions."
If Mu Changxi had not helped and valued him, who knew if the people of Haizhou City would even know who Xu Yuan was?
Song Chaoyu also understood that Mu Changxi was thus recruiting talent for the Crown Prince.
Xu Yuan was a rare talent who might be of great help to the Crown Prince in the future.
Xu Yuan was also an upright person with a sense of justice, fitting the Crown Prince’s expectations of his ministers.
If sovereign and minister could share the same vision, it would be for the best.
Song Chaoyu also hoped that after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would be a wise ruler.
Of course, these were matters for the future; the present concern was the task at hand.
—
Just as they had arrived, even when leaving, Mu Changxi decided to depart "quietly."
Although this method might no longer be effective for Yuezhou City, Song Chaoyu guessed that the seemingly smooth Lord Han was likely on pins and needles.
Indeed, as soon as their carriages departed from Haizhou City, Lord Han sent someone with a message.
He stated that Lord Han knew the disaster relief silver had been lost in Yuezhou City, had submitted a memorial of self-accusation to the Emperor, and expressed his certainty that he would assist Mu Changxi in recovering the disaster relief silver.
Upon hearing this, Song Chaoyu scoffed, "Lord Han is quite quick to pledge his loyalty."
Mu Changxi also sneered, "He was trained by Prince Ning, so it's natural he speaks so readily."
Song Chaoyu lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside, "The situation in Haizhou City has now stabilized. Once the Emperor’s decree arrives, Xu Yuan will be able to control the entire Haizhou City. At that time, neither Lord Zhang nor Lord Lei will pose any threat to him. As for Yuezhou City, once we arrive, we will naturally have to bring down Lord Han. That leaves only Yizhou City. How does Your Highness plan to deal with it?"
Mu Changxi frowned, tapping his finger on the side, "Mu Hansu’s visit to Haizhou this time was surely not just for you and me. He knew I would act against these people and came to offer advice. We handled Gu Xuezhuo too simply and too easily before. Lord Han, I fear, will be a tough nut to crack. If we fail here, we won't be able to move on to Yizhou City."
Mu Changxi rubbed his forehead, having been extremely worried and exhausted these past few days. "If we succeed, breaking through in Yizhou City will likely be even more difficult. Let it be. We will spare Yizhou City for now; there will be other ways to deal with it later. If we completely dismantle Prince Ning’s influence in these three prefectures this time, I fear he might resort to desperate measures and harm the Crown Prince."
That was true.
Song Chaoyu agreed with a nod, "Very well, we will let Yizhou City go for now. We must conserve our strength and focus on dealing with Yuezhou City."
Mu Changxi looked at the understanding Song Chaoyu, a pang of sadness in his heart.
He reached out and took Song Chaoyu’s hand, "A’yu, marrying you should have been about shielding you from the storms, but now I must have you experience the storms with me."
Song Chaoyu frowned, but with a smile in her eyes, "If you say such things to me again in the future, we need not talk anymore."
In their exchanged glances, their hearts were clearly understood.
—
The carriage traveled towards Yuezhou City at full speed, taking considerable time to reach their destination.
This time was different from their first arrival in Yuezhou City. At the city gates, Lord Han, along with the officials of Yuezhou City, was waiting for their carriages.
As soon as the carriages stopped, Lord Han, with his entourage, knelt down, "Your subordinate Han Luoyang, along with the people of Yuezhou, pays respects to His Highness the Prince and Her Highness the Princess! Wishing His Highness the Prince and Her Highness the Princess eternal life!"
This widespread kneeling made Song Chaoyu somewhat uncomfortable.
However, Mu Changxi did not even lift the carriage curtain, merely sitting inside and coldly snorting, "Making such a grand display, Lord Han, if you have such capability, why not quickly dispatch people to search for the whereabouts of that one hundred thousand taels of disaster relief silver!"
He had thus given Han Luoyang a "show of force," ensuring the people of Yuezhou City dared not slight them.
After their previous "confrontation," Han Luoyang naturally knew that Mu Changxi was not the incompetent prince they had imagined.
He quickly stood up and stepped forward ingratiatingly, "Last time, it was this subordinate who was remiss in his duties towards His Highness the Prince and Her Highness the Princess. This time, naturally, I dare not repeat such a mistake. I beg Your Highness not to mind. The officials of Yuezhou City are all awaiting Your Highness’s guidance!"