Chapter 38

Chapter 38

All the civil and military officials at court heard Lu Yunqi's gag, and everyone turned to look at him.

The Crown Prince's face turned livid with rage, but he dared not lash out. He only said darkly, "Does the Young Marquis find something wrong with my disaster relief plan? Throughout history, has the court not always provided relief in this manner?"

Lu Yunqi rubbed his chest to calm himself, waving a hand. "No, no, you misunderstand, Your Highness the Crown Prince. My stomach is just a bit off. Maybe I ate something that upset it, or maybe I'm pregnant—who knows!"

The assembled officials were all: ??????

Heh, this Lu Yunqi really would say anything.

The Emperor said nothing, though his expression was less than pleased. He said in a deep, grave voice, "Does any of my other beloved ministers have something to say? If not, we'll proceed with the Crown Prince's proposal."

Lu Yunqi quickly spoke up, "I do, Your Majesty. Why not hear my husband's suggestion? He's been worrying about the refugees for days and has stayed up several nights to devise a foolproof plan! I'll stake my reputation on it—it's far better than the Crown Prince's approach."

The Crown Prince frowned and said with some irritation, "What good plan could that foreign mongrel possibly have?"

Hearing this, Lu Yunqi immediately snapped, "Silence! How dare you call the Emperor's own blood a mongrel? He is your own brother—does that make you a mongrel too?"

"You—" The Crown Prince was stunned speechless, thinking that this Lu Yunqi fellow was truly so lust-struck he'd lost his wits, forgetting how the Sixth Prince had treated him before, all for his sake.

Was he not afraid that the Sixth Prince could never be tamed and would seek revenge later?

Besides, the Sixth Prince was a spineless good-for-nothing who could do nothing but meekly endure whatever came his way!

The Emperor, seated on his dragon throne, said impatiently, "Enough. Since Prince Cang has an idea, let him speak."

Murong Jie didn't hold back. He directly presented his plan, combined with Lu Yunqi's work-in-exchange-for-relief scheme: "Drafting able-bodied young men into the military will ensure the refugees cannot mutiny. Relief through work eliminates the practice of supporting idle good-for-nothings, preventing them from waiting daily for relief rations and eventually breeding laziness."

As he finished speaking, many ministers looked at him with unexpected surprise.

They thought that this prince, who had never been favored, could actually come up with such a disaster relief strategy. No one had taught him this—could he truly be a prodigy sent by heaven?

An elderly minister even stepped forward, praising repeatedly, "Brilliant, brilliant! Conscripting men into the army and relief through work—this is indeed far better than simply handing out grain as before."

But the Crown Prince's faction objected, sneering, "That's easy for you to say. Relief through work—where exactly are you going to find workshops for the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled to work in?"

Lu Yunqi chuckled. "Minister Chao needn't worry about that. The Lu family is fully willing to support His Highness the Sixth Prince's relief plan. We can provide... ten thousand jobs! Your Majesty, what do you think?"

Hearing Lu Yunqi's words, the Emperor's expression brightened immediately. Ten thousand jobs were far more practical than fifty thousand taels of silver.

"Oh? Little Yunqi has matured, learning to share your Imperial Uncle's burdens. If the Lu family can truly provide ten thousand jobs, then it's certainly worth trying."

The Crown Prince stepped forward again. "Father, what if the Lu family can't deliver? What if... ten thousand refugees gather and cause trouble? That's not something to take lightly, Father!"

The Emperor thought for a moment, then said, "Very well, then. Prince Cang and the Crown Prince will each be responsible for the refugees in the southern and northern parts of the city. Whoever handles it better, I will reward handsomely."

Left with no choice, the Crown Prince accepted the Emperor's proposal. "Your son obeys the imperial decree."

Murong Jie also responded, "Your son obeys the imperial decree."

After the court session ended, Murong Jie said to Lu Yunqi, "You didn't have to do this. I have my own ways of getting everything I want."

Lu Yunqi slung an arm around his shoulder. "What's yours is yours, but what I give you is a gift from me—how can that be the same?"

Murong Jie's expression grew complicated. "Why do this? I refuse to believe that someone who has hidden his true nature all this time is truly just a dissipated playboy blinded by lust."

Lu Yunqi looked innocent. "I'm not, truly. I'm so blinded by love. I love you so much I'd give up everything, and I'd fight against anything for you. Please believe me—love is blind."

Murong Jie didn't understand love, but he felt that Lu Yunqi like this might as well be insane.

If he knew that Murong Jie thought of killing him at every moment, waking or sleeping, could he still say that word—love?

Murong Jie didn't respond to that, only asking, "What do you plan to do next?"

Lu Yunqi snapped his fingers. "Don't you already know? I've already started hiring. Liu Bao and Yuan Pingya are helping me. But I'm not taking just anyone—those who are suitable go to my workshops, those who aren't get sent to the military camps for training. Those even less suitable get sent to the Crown Prince's side to mooch off and do nothing. And the worst ones—well, those I need to check for criminal records."

Murong Jie asked, "So you sort people into different tiers?"

Lu Yunqi said, "Not exactly, but I divide them into four tiers based on moral standards. I only want the first tier. The second tier can still be saved if sent to the military. The third tier, unless they encounter some great fortune, will sink to the bottom for life. As for the fourth tier—ha, those are the truly wicked, beyond saving!"

Murong Jie: "You're an interesting one. Can you really tell who belongs to the first tier you speak of?"

Lu Yunqi leaned close with a sly grin. "That's something you wouldn't know. A wise man has his—" He suddenly broke off. "Urgh... blegh—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Yunqi clutched his stomach and rushed to the wall to vomit.

Murong Jie frowned and hurried after him, asking, "What's wrong? Did you eat something bad this morning?"

Lu Yunqi chuckled twice. "I don't know. But we ate the same thing this morning, didn't we? If you didn't get sick, how could I? No... wait..."

Lu Yunqi's expression suddenly shifted. A thought occurred to him, and he quickly asked the system, "Xiao Jiu, check for me—am I pregnant?"

Xiao Jiu popped out and replied, "Yes, Master! Xiao Jiu will check your body right away!"

A dozen seconds later, Xiao Jiu exclaimed in shock, "Master! Master! Master ah ah ah ah ah!"

Lu Yunqi's head was ringing from the noise. "Alright, stop shouting. Just tell me—am I pregnant or not?"

Xiao Jiu hmmed twice. "You're pregnant, Master! About a month along!"

Lu Yunqi broke into a grin. "Not bad—this marquis's belly knows how to deliver!"

With that, he grabbed Murong Jie's arm and said, "I didn't eat anything bad! Murong Jie, I'm pregnant—are you happy?"