The front hall!
As soon as the three sat down, servants brought tea, fruits, and pastries, and discreetly withdrew. In the time it takes to steep tea, Fan Zehao arrived!
Hu Yue was about to kneel again, but he waved it away: "Kneeling back and forth is too troublesome. With that time, just tell me why you've come to my Xiangyang!"
As he finished speaking, he sat down in a grand armchair, his gaze sharp on Hu Yue!
"Your Highness, your humble servant brings the people of all of Jinzhou to pledge allegiance to you. This humble servant wishes to be a subject of the inner city, and would rather be an ordinary citizen than a prefect of a city in Yun Country!"
Fan Zehao chuckled, "Hu Yue, by doing this, aren't you making Huangfu Xi resent me!"
Hu Yue swallowed, then stole a glance at the man seated above. He finally spoke the truth: "Even without my affairs, Huangfu Xi already resents Your Highness. Besides, Huangfu Xi is too preoccupied with his own troubles now; he's swamped!"
Heh, that was indeed the truth!
However, few dared to speak such truths to him face to face. Hu Yue was quite audacious!
Fan Zehao, unsure of how to proceed, looked to the person he considered his pillar of strength!
"Wife, how do you think we should handle this matter!"
Zhao Jiaqi turned her head, observing her husband's hesitant expression!
It didn't seem like he hadn't made up his mind, but rather needed a push from behind. As a pusher, she wouldn't refuse!
"Do as you intend in your heart; I will give you my full support!"
With his wife's support, Fan Zehao felt as if the path before him was clear of any obstacles, completely smooth and unimpeded, filling him with newfound strength!
"Hu Yue, I want people who are loyal to me. If you are two-faced, I am never lenient with traitors!"
Hu Yue solemnly replied, "This humble servant is absolutely loyal to Your Highness. If I ever harbor intentions of betraying Your Highness, may lightning strike me and may I die a horrible death!"
Such a fierce oath!
But Zhao Jiaqi didn't believe it at all. Still, this was Hu Yue's declaration of his resolve.
Fan Zehao nodded, a smile spreading across his face. He laughed heartily, "From now on, you, Hu Yue, are my man. Effective immediately, Jinzhou Prefecture falls under the jurisdiction of my inner city. I will issue a public notice shortly. You go back and prepare to receive refugees. General Shi and General Xiao will assist you!"
With one more city, he could protect the people of another city. This was Fan Zehao's original intention. He believed that if his wife were making the decision, she would do the same!
That day, the Prince's mansion issued a public notice. The people of Jinzhou City were overjoyed upon seeing it, dancing in the streets, some banging pots, others beating gongs, spreading the news to each other!
The next day, the gates of Jinzhou City were filled with soldiers, registering the arriving refugees.
Meanwhile, at the Prince's secondary residence!
The four princes gathered again, discussing the relief efforts for the indigenous people of Jinzhou City!
Huangfu Xian scoffed, "It's quite strange. Xiangyang and Jinzhou are separated by only one city gate. Xiangyang had rain, while Jinzhou was bathed in sunshine. Eldest Sister-in-law, do you think even heaven disapproves of Huangfu Xi's conduct!"
Zhao Jiaqi offered no opinion!
As the saying goes, rain doesn't fall across a mountain range. While uncommon here, she had encountered many such occurrences in modern times, so it wasn't entirely peculiar!
However, here, it was considered a punishment from heaven!
Fan Zehao said, "Never mind the useless talk. Jinzhou now belongs to us, and its people are our subjects. We cannot stand by and watch them suffer while we feast and drink. Therefore, each of your three fiefdoms will contribute five thousand jin of grain. Any remaining grain is on us!"
She strongly agreed with her husband's words. They had made ample preparations beforehand. The people in all four fiefdoms had harvested their crops. Although there was a slight reduction in yield, the issue of having enough to eat was not a problem!
The grain they had prepared thus became military provisions, partly for preparing for war, and partly for all the city's populace!
Under the current circumstances, the people wouldn't need it!
The three princes did not object and unanimously agreed. Rescuing an entire city of people would bring immeasurable merit. They were happy to do good deeds!
That afternoon, Fan Xudong, Huangfu Xian, and Huangfu Xu each sent people back to fetch grain, while they formulated plans at the secondary residence for distributing the relief supplies!
Fan Xudong suggested that the relief grain should be boiled into porridge, similar to the porridge served in Xiangyang, which was simple and efficient!
Huangfu Xian shook his head, "That won't do. Serving porridge is for refugees. The people of Jinzhou City have homes and families. It cannot be done this way; it would cause chaos!"
Huangfu Xu shrugged, shaking the fiery red fan in his hand, and responded readily, "As you say, so I will do. You don't need to consider my opinion!"
With that, everyone's lips twitched in unison!
This man was typically lazy, and prone to being thrashed!
Forget it, listening to him speak would shave ten days off their lives; it was better for him to remain silent!
Zhao Jiaqi furrowed her brows and thought for a moment. She proposed a plan: "Have Hu Yue create a roster of all the people in Jinzhou. We will distribute grain according to the number of people in each household. For those who are able-bodied, let them go out and work, with food, lodging, and slightly reduced wages. This will help them get through the year, and things will improve by next year!"
This idea was similar to what Fan Zehao had originally considered, but he immediately rejected it: "Wife, refugees are flooding in, and they are also looking for work. The fiefdoms that can accept these refugees are almost at their saturation point. If we add the labor force from Jinzhou City, there will likely be a situation where there are more people than jobs!"
Let alone work, he feared that the streets would be teeming with people, which might then lead to looting and robbery, compromising public safety!
After his analysis, Zhao Jiaqi realized the validity of his words!
For a moment, the room fell silent again!
Huangfu Xu, who had been silent for a long time, let out a chuckle, drawing the attention of everyone in the room!
Fan Xudong, in particular, despised his leisurely demeanor. He was indeed the Carefree Prince, unhurried by any predicament!
"If you have something to say, say it. If you have gas, let it out. Stop being sarcastic. Don't you see everyone is annoyed!"
Huangfu Xu clicked his tongue twice, "Prince Fan, you need to change your fiery temper. It's truly strange, how my sister fell for someone like you!"
"Don't think that just because you're my brother-in-law I won't beat you. When it comes to martial arts, I'm not afraid of you!"
"Give it up. Fighting with a brute like you would be an insult to my refinement!" Huangfu Xu was not worried at all that his brother-in-law would actually lay hands on him!
The two bickered, and Fan Xudong's eyes became crossed with anger. Huangfu Xu, however, took it all in stride, still fanning himself and leisurely eating grapes!
"Both of you shut up! Squabbling amongst yourselves. If you keep arguing, you can all go out and work. I see you're all full of energy and have nothing better to do!" Fan Zehao glared at the two of them angrily!