Chapter 165 Backflow
Rong Que had a long dream.
He dreamed of the year when the mountain flowers were in full bloom. He saw the person smiling like a flower among the peach blossoms. She was a general fighting on the battlefield. Her every frown and smile was full of boldness that ordinary girls in the boudoir did not have. Her every move was quick and decisive. He was fascinated by her.
He stared at the man's smile, and the corners of his mouth also rose, as if he could never see enough of it in his lifetime.
He watched helplessly as the man spotted him in the crowd, and walked towards him with a smile on his face.
With a trembling heart, he opened his arms, wanting to hug the person tightly.
He strode forward.
But in the blink of an eye, he could no longer see anyone.
In his dream, he searched everywhere anxiously. He walked through thousands of mountains, crossed thousands of rivers, stepped through jungles, and crossed swamps. When he was exhausted, he finally found a sea of fire amid the screams of crows.
There were cries and howls in the sea of fire, and he saw her in the raging flames.
Her whole body was on fire, burning fiercely. She just stood there in the air where the flames were rolling up. She looked down at him, with bright red blood flowing from all her orifices. She looked compassionate and sad.
She asked, "Do you really love me?"
Rong Que woke up from his dream with a start.
Do you really love me?
Do I really love you?
Who on earth do I love...?
His whole body was soaked with sweat, and he was like a drowning man who suddenly got some air. He gasped for air, but still felt like he was still short of breath.
The noise here startled Minglu who was twisting a handkerchief nearby. Minglu ran over with the wet handkerchief in his hand, "Your Highness is awake?"
Rong Que seemed to have lost his soul. He turned his head blankly and looked at Ming Lu stiffly and blankly, as if he didn't recognize him. He looked for a long time before his eyes focused, "It's you."
Minglu felt a pang in his heart. Who did His Highness mistake him for?
Minglu reached out and touched Rongque's forehead. It was covered with sweat, but he no longer had a fever.
With a slight sigh of relief, Ming Lu placed the handkerchief in his hand on the table beside him and poured a cup of tea, "Your Highness, have a sip."
Rong Que shook his head. He threw back the quilt, got off the bed, put on his shoes and walked to the window.
The plain white pajamas hung on him, and although they fitted him well, they made one feel a strong sense of loneliness.
It was pitch black outside. In the moonlight, the twisted branches were swaying in the cold wind like ghosts.
"What time is it?"
"It's almost the morning hour." Ming Lu stood behind Rong Que and looked at him worriedly, "Your Highness, please have something to eat. The kitchen is cooking porridge."
"No need, prepare your clothes, it's still in time for the morning court."
Ming Lu suddenly raised his eyes and looked at his prince. Rong Que's face was pale, and even his lips had no color. He looked like all the blood had been drained out of him, and he looked like he would faint at any moment.
“Your Highness…”
Rong Que's face was tense and expressionless. "Go and get ready."
There was not a single gleam of life in those empty eyes.
Minglu had a thousand words he wanted to say to dissuade Rong Que, but when he looked at Rong Que's face, he couldn't say a single word.
He knew his prince's temperament too well.
Whatever.
Let’s go to the morning court.
If you have something to do, you won't have any random thoughts.
He rode his horse quickly back to Kyoto from the manor in Fengtai, and by the time Rong Que stood on the throne, the time was just right.
Kneeling three times and kowtow nine times, kneeling and bowing, Rong Que did everything he should do as usual.
He looked no different from usual, but he gave people a strange feeling.
It’s like... I’ve lost my soul and become a puppet.
The emperor frowned and looked at him, "The prince looks unhappy, but is he ill?"
Xiang Zheng looked towards Rong Que.
Rong Que clasped his fists and said respectfully, "I'm sorry to have worried you, Father. I just have a slight cold, but it's nothing serious."
The emperor frowned and said, "Your Highness has been exhausted from fighting bandits and providing disaster relief recently. You should take a few days off and come to court after you recover."
"Thank you, father, for your grace."
As Rong Que finished speaking, Jingzhao Yin Huang Zhaozhong stepped out and reported, "Your Majesty, there was a heavy snowfall a few days ago, and the snow in the west city of Jingdu has not been cleared. The weather has gradually warmed up in the past few days, and the snow has melted. The drainage in the west city seems to be blocked again. The roads in the residential areas of the entire west city, especially the alleys, are basically frozen at night and melted during the day, making the roads very difficult to travel."
The Minister of Revenue immediately said, "In the fall, the Ministry of Revenue paid for the dredging of the canal. How come it is clogged again just a few months later? How can the winter snow water compare to the summer rainstorm? There was no rainwater clogging the canal in the summer."
The Minister of Works followed up by saying, "I personally led the team to clear the blockage. I made sure that the drainage in the west city was intact. There were a few damaged areas, which I have already repaired."
The Jingzhao Yin reported the problem, the Ministry of Works passed the buck, and the Ministry of Revenue did not want to pay.
For a moment, the entire court was in turmoil.
Rong Que only felt a buzzing in his ears until a voice jumped into his ears from the noisy sound.
"Your Majesty, over in Tongqian Hutong, snow and water have flooded several houses, and there have been casualties."
Tongqian Hutong.
Tongqian Hutong.
Rong Que suddenly turned his head and looked at the person who spoke.
Xiang Zheng looked at Rong Que's reaction calmly.
The person who spoke was Jingzhao Yin Huang Zhaozhong. "Your Majesty, it is still winter now, so just repair and dredge the blockage and the problem will be solved. If we wait until spring, when the snow melts and it rains, or if we are unlucky and there is a rainstorm, I am afraid there will be an epidemic."
The emperor frowned and made a decision amid the quarrels among his court officials. He asked the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds and the Ministry of Works to cooperate with the Jingzhao Yin to carry out the repairs.
As soon as the court was over, Rong Que caught up with Huang Zhaozhong and asked, "Master Huang just said that snow water has already flooded into people's houses?"
Huang Zhaozhong sighed and walked out with Rong Que. "I didn't expect something like this to happen. The people living in West City are all ordinary people, and their houses are not very solid. But there have been heavy snowfalls in previous years, but there has never been a backflow of snow in the cold winter. But this year is a warm winter, and the midday sun is shining..."
Rong Que had no time to listen to his long-winded talk, "Which house was flooded? Are there any casualties?"
Huang Zhaozhong said, "There is a bun shop over at Tongqian Hutong. It has been there for a few years. They let us fill it."
Steamed bun shop.
Rong Que just felt as if he was blown through by a cold wind.
"No one was killed, but one girl was a little slow in escaping and got injured."
Is there a girl?
There was only one girl in that bun shop.
Rong Que felt a sharp pain in his heart.
"Where are they...?"
"That house cannot be lived in. After the incident, the government sent people to check every house there. Anyone who is in danger has been moved to the guest rooms at Qingquan Temple. Your Highness does not need to worry too much. I will meet with the Minister of Works later to discuss and clear the way for it."
The prince had fought against bandits and provided disaster relief several times, and was usually considered to be honest and caring for the people. Huang Zhaozhong did not think much about it and just thought that he was concerned about the country and the people.
Rong Que turned pale and didn't ask any more questions. He walked out of the palace in a daze.
Ming Lu saw his prince coming out from afar like a zombie, and was so scared that he hurried to meet him, "Your Highness, what happened?"
