Chapter 178: Chapter 178
"So, is this all right now? You’ve been running circles around these ministers and the envoys from Bei Xia. They’ve been terribly wronged by you, and now they might not even be able to attend court sessions. They’ll have to stay home in quarantine and treat their illnesses."
"How should your brother speak of you, hmm?"
The Crown Prince stepped forward and grabbed Jun Ning, his eyes filled with reproach, resentment, and anger. His aura was as if he wished to strangle Jun Ning. But in reality, his grip on Jun Ning’s small hand was very gentle.
Jun Ning, feeling guilty, hung her head low, not daring to look at her Crown Prince brother, always staring at the tips of her shoes.
To outsiders, it seemed she was so ashamed by the Crown Prince’s scolding that she couldn’t lift her head. Alternatively, it appeared that the Crown Prince was so fierce it frightened her into this state.
Regardless, the surrounding ministers were all delighted by the spectacle.
The princess is indeed too mischievous and should be properly reprimanded.
Moreover, her actions have caused them significant loss.
The ministers, discontented in their hearts, began discussing with the Crown Prince.
But they were all dignified people, very concerned with face, so even though they wanted Jun Ning to compensate for various losses they would incur, they didn’t say it outright and instead spoke in circles.
The Crown Prince listened for quite a while before understanding what they wanted. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥
Compensation for losses? Isn’t it just money they want?
Whenever Jun Ning calls on the Emperor, she can receive a good amount of rewards, so how could she lack money? Of course, she didn’t lack any at all.
If this issue could be resolved with money, the Crown Prince didn’t object and was very supportive.
"You want the princess to pay compensation, right?" the Crown Prince asked bluntly.
His question was direct, without any subtlety, practically dragging the ministers’ pride through the mud. The ministers’ faces turned green upon hearing this, yet since it was said, they could not deny it.
They all nodded simultaneously, looking at Jun Ning with their chins raised.
"Isn’t it just about paying compensation?" Jun Ning snorted coldly, tilted her head in a small show of arrogance, and said, "This princess has plenty of money. Each person present will be rewarded fifty taels of gold, and then all will go home to recover!"
There were about twenty people gathered at the palace gate, and with fifty gold taels per person, Jun Ning would only need a thousand taels in total.
A thousand taels of gold to avert a disaster, to save Dongchu from destruction—it’s very worthwhile.
As the saying goes, problems that can be solved with money aren’t problems at all.
The young girl faced such matters with generosity.
She didn’t regard money as money at all.
Casually, she promised to give away a thousand taels of gold.
With a bittersweet feeling, the Crown Prince remarked, "Even I, the dignified Crown Prince, don’t have such boldness, nor dare to spend like that little girl. Alas, the root of it is simply because I lack money."
The Crown Prince sighed deeply.
Upon hearing there would be a reward of fifty gold taels per person, the ministers no longer cared about the grievances; smiles spread ear to ear.
Bear in mind, their monthly salaries were only ten gold taels, and the princess was suddenly bestowing upon them fifty taels, nearly equivalent to half a year’s wages.
Everyone was very pleased and prepared to accept. Taking the chance, the Crown Prince persuaded them, and they all willingly went home for isolation and recovery, being very cooperative.
Looking at it from another perspective, with money received and free time at home with family, while also being able to leisurely develop personal interests and hobbies... it doesn’t seem like a bad deal...
Some quick-witted ministers had figured it out and were laughing on their way home.
As for whether they had contracted any illness, these ministers had seen a lot in their careers; trivial matters wouldn’t frighten them. They viewed it calmly.
Once the ministers had left, the envoys from Bei Xia wanted to linger, claiming the princess hadn’t come near them so they hadn’t been infected. But ultimately, this was Eastern Chu’s territory, not for them to decide.
The Crown Prince ordered, "My sister contracted the plague, yet the envoys of Bei Xia accidentally had contact without protection. They may have been exposed to the plague. To prevent further spread, they should be sent back to the inn for quarantine and treatment immediately."
This reasoning was very convincing and appropriate.
If things were taken to that level and the envoys insisted on meeting Emperor Yongning, one might question their motives.
Of course, the guards stationed around would not stand idly by and let the envoys from Bei Xia act with ill intent.
If they refused to leave, guards would forcibly escort them to the inn. These individuals wouldn’t even know how to resist, nor could they think of a reason to justify resistance.
They could only be confined in the inn, subject to quarantine and treatment.
The Crown Prince took the opportunity to assign special guards to watch over them, ordering them not to go out casually and risk spreading the plague to others. Otherwise, if discovered, they would be executed.
Should anyone venture out, the guards would have a rightful reason to kill.
Even if Bei Xia learned of this, there would be no fault to find, nor could they use it against them.
In the short term, those individuals would not be able to meet the Emperor.
This matter was thus thoroughly resolved.
The next step was to have the guards keep a good watch on the replacement envoys from Bei Xia.
The Crown Prince returned to the National Guardian General Mansion with Jun Ning and Jing Shu. Upon entering, everyone had a smoke steam bath, changed clothes, and drank medicine that could strengthen the body to avoid the plague.
"Sister, this matter is settled," the Crown Prince said, relieved, hugging Jun Ning and pinching her cheeks. "Finally, your brother can sleep well. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep these days."
Because of this issue, even though the Crown Prince showed no outward signs of tension, he had been mentally strained, always anticipating unexpected incidents and fearing that despite his best efforts, he wouldn’t be able to solve the situation.
He fretted daily and couldn’t sleep well at night.
Now that the situation was resolved, the burden in his heart had been lifted. Muttering something to Jun Ning, he closed his eyes and fell asleep on the chair.
He was still holding Jun Ning in his arms!
Jun Ning had to extract herself from his arms, find someone to carry the Crown Prince to bed, and cover him to let him sleep well. She, meanwhile, went out to play with Jing Shu. With the matter concluded, she could finally relax and enjoy herself.
But while Jun Ning could finally relax, Emperor Yongning couldn’t.
He had just returned from court and was in the middle of reviewing memorials. He had sent someone to investigate why the envoys from Bei Xia couldn’t meet him today, still waiting for the result.
He feared something had happened and was uneasy at heart.