Chapter Fifteen: The Flood in South River

Xiao Limo sat up upon hearing this, his expression turning serious as he apologized, "It is Mo'er's fault. I have been under immense pressure from the Emperor lately, and unable to show it, I took my frustrations out on you, Uncle. Please forgive my disrespect."

Prime Minister Lu patted Xiao Limo’s shoulder with a look of heartache, "Think nothing of it. You only have your Uncle and your Imperial Father as elders. It is only natural to vent the anger you receive from him here with me." He sighed with a feigned, pitiful air, "Who else but your uncle would bear it?"

Xiao Limo knew that the person who loved him most in this world was his uncle. His mother had died young, and his uncle had not found it easy to support his rise. He rose and walked behind Prime Minister Lu to massage his shoulders, "Did you call me here for a specific reason, Uncle?"

Prime Minister Lu enjoyed being served by his nephew, squinting in comfort, disregarding the high status of the young man, "Nanjiang is flooded. They say it is the worst disaster in a decade. We have laid our trap for so long; it is finally time to pull the net."

Disaster relief was supposed to be handled by the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue, both of which were under the Prime Minister's faction. As for how it ended up in the hands of the Marquis of the Prime Minister’s Office, it was merely the result of Concubine Liu’s pillow talk while she was still in the Emperor’s favor.

"The Marquis has greedily taken enough over all these years. It is time he faced the consequences." Prime Minister Lu closed his eyes, the memories of the court debates on this matter still vivid in his mind.

Xiao Limo naturally understood his uncle’s thoughts, "Are the ledgers and witnesses secure?"

"They are perfectly safe. Your uncle is far more mature in his dealings than you young people. You may rest easy."

"Understood."

Xiao Limo recalled the beginning of the disaster relief efforts. The Marquis had not been so bold at first; it was only after the moles planted by Prime Minister Lu had encouraged him several times that he began to act. Under their continuous instigation, the Marquis's greed had only grown more gluttonous.

"The common people are to be pitied," Xiao Limo sighed.

"That is their destined fate. If they want revenge, they can go find the Marquis in the afterlife," Prime Minister Lu replied. He then asked with suspicion, "Since when have you become so sentimental?" He instructed his nephew as he had in childhood, "Those who aim for great things do not concern themselves with trifles or count the cost of sacrifice. If necessary, I would even sacrifice my own life for you; what do the lives of these peasants matter?"

Xiao Limo had heard these words countless times and, not wishing to dwell on the matter, changed the subject, "Then, when the news of the Marquis’s corruption breaks, who shall step forward?"

"Let it be Luo Yao, the Minister of War," Prime Minister Lu analyzed. "Doesn't he wish to plead for the people? Let us give him the chance. If the Emperor proves too biased, we can seize the opportunity to save Luo Yao. Will he not then be forced to join our faction?"

Xiao Limo did not answer. It was common for ambitious young men like Luo Yunyao, newly appointed to office and fresh to the world, to overstep their bounds. However, such people usually ended up demoted and driven away from the center of political power.

Although Xiao Limo felt a pang of heartache at the thought of the punishment Luo Yunyao would face, he also did not want her to stay deep in the political mire. This girl belonged under his own protection.

Seeing Xiao Limo silent, Prime Minister Lu assumed his consent and continued, "When the time comes, find a disaster victim from Nanjiang to weep for justice at the Ministry of War. When Luo Yao moves to investigate the Marquis’s corruption, just 'accidentally' hand the ledgers to him."

Xiao Limo nodded and smiled, "Uncle, do you believe that even if the Marquis has harmed so many people, the Emperor will not punish him too severely?"

"Then we shall have to wrong our newly appointed Minister Luo," Prime Minister Lu sighed, feeling helpless toward an Emperor who cared only for power and beauty rather than serving his people.

Xiao Limo did not want to discuss Luo Yunyao too much in front of his uncle, fearing his feelings would be discovered. Only when the matter was settled would his uncle perhaps accept Luo Yunyao as his Empress or consort.

"Then let us exacerbate the disaster. Since the people are already destitute, we might as well incite an uprising. A peasant revolt is always what an Emperor fears most."

Prime Minister Lu nodded in approval, continuing the analysis, "That way, even if the Emperor wants to protect the Marquis, he will have no choice; the uprising will make it impossible to keep him. Without the Marquis, those two women and that useless prince will be unable to stir up any trouble."

***

Xiao Limo smiled, "Once the Marquis falls, no matter how partial my Father is to Xiao Ming, I have plenty of ways to deal with him." His smile deepened, "Father, you love your second son so much, don't you? Do not worry, I will soon let you see exactly what kind of person your useless second son truly is."

Prime Minister Lu patted Xiao Limo’s hand, "Mo’er has grown up."

A few days later, the report of the severe flooding in Nanjiang reached the imperial court. The Emperor, perhaps due to the weather, did not pay much attention and casually handed the relief efforts to the Marquis.

The Marquis stepped forward with a display of reverence, his expression seemingly sacred. Luo Yunyao observed him, and as he retreated, she saw his oily, plump face crinkled in a wide, satisfied grin.

Disgusting.

In the days that followed, Luo Yunyao focused on her duties at the Ministry of War, though there was little to do. Qin Jinghao encouraged her to keep a calm mind and suggested she practice calligraphy, expressing his intention to come and inspect her progress. Luo Yunyao found it impossible not to settle down.

Meanwhile, Qin Jinghao and Luo Yunyao had quietly raised funds for Nanjiang and sent them regularly. The money was handled by men from Qin Jinghao’s army, so there was naturally no risk of corruption.

Luo Yunyao remarked with a smile that the way Qin Jinghao governed his troops was something the Emperor should learn for governing the state.

Qin Jinghao countered that an army was far easier to govern than a country. Soldiers lacked the convoluted, roundabout nature of scholars.

Luo Yunyao agreed deeply. It was the importance of military power and national defense that had led her to choose the position of Minister of War.

Hearing him speak this way, she said sadly, "Had I known, I should have joined the army."

Perhaps she could have been a legendary figure like Hua Mulan. "How can one distinguish if I am male or female?" Thinking this, she looked up at Qin Jinghao with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Qin Jinghao ignored her gaze; he was already accustomed to the strange thoughts this youth had from time to time. "You?" He swept his gaze over her slender frame, his disdain clear.

Luo Yunyao, provoked, began, "What is wrong with me? I am also..."

She wanted to stand tall and pound her chest like a man, but stopped midway, her eyes lighting up. "I could be a military strategist!" She said with pride, "A rare talent in three lifetimes; aren't you happy?"

Qin Jinghao nodded perfunctorily, as if merely humoring her.

In his heart, he thought: If he were truly a general and Luo Yunyao his strategist, how wonderful it would be to spend a lifetime in battle together? He would never let her touch the political world again.

Time flowed gently, like a warm string, like water.

Luo Yunyao felt this was quite good.

Busy with work, practicing calligraphy, meeting with Qin Jinghao, and caring for the people of Nanjiang.

One day, Luo Yunyao watched in boredom as Qin Jinghao carefully inspected the characters she had just written.

She sought a topic, "I haven't seen the little follower, Princess Yue Liuxi, lately."

Qin Jinghao spread the paper before her and pointed a long finger at the character for "banquet," "Your brushwork is too heavy, and it lacks spirit."

Luo Yunyao glanced at her calligraphy, "The world at peace," a phrase she had practiced for a long time. She was quite satisfied with it, so she nodded calmly at his critique, promising to try harder next time. She kept her burning gaze fixed on him, waiting for his response.

Seeing her expression, he reached out and flicked her forehead, "She doesn't know. None of them know."

Luo Yunyao was stunned, then realized her own foolishness.

How could the formidable Qin Jinghao let outsiders know he was associating with her?

Because his military power made the Emperor suspicious, Qin Jinghao had finally escaped the "hot potato" of being the Minister of War and was content to be a leisurely Prince at his estate. But if the Emperor knew the Great General and the Minister of War were in contact... it would surely give the Emperor a pretext to strike.

Luo Yunyao sighed with regret, not quite sure why she felt that way.

Qin Jinghao smiled, "Are you that disappointed? So afraid that people won't know we are in contact?"

He said it so lightly, but Luo Yunyao’s face flushed; she felt an inexplicable sensation, as if they were having a secret affair.

She had to regain her composure, "I’m just disappointed there’s no gossip or excitement!" But thinking of how much of a headache Princess Yue Liuxi was to him, she felt she might have gone too far and added, "Without the little princess, you’re so idle that you come to harass me every day. If she were here, you wouldn't be able to bully me." She made herself sound like a mistreated animal.

Qin Jinghao watched her blush, not at all annoyed by others teasing him about Yue Liuxi. "Princess Yue Liuxi naturally wishes to pay her respects to me every day. However, out of military camaraderie, I turned her away for your sake."

"For your sake, I turned away Yue Liuxi." Luo Yunyao thought of these words, and her face burned even hotter. She turned her head away.

She paused, then used the uninhibited tone of a man joking with a friend, "Princess Yue Liuxi is so beautiful, and you turned her away, Brother Qin? Are you too picky?"

Luo Yunyao punched him lightly with her small fist, "Brother Qin, with such high standards, I worry for your future."

Qin Jinghao did not want to discuss others with her, especially Yue Liuxi. This mindset... he realized he had truly fallen. It was not for a great beauty, nor a gentle girl, nor even feminine grace. It was for a youth. A slender, kind, and cunning youth. "I told you, I turned her away for your sake. If I end up alone for the rest of my life, will you not keep me company?"

He slowly enticed the youth into his embrace.

Luo Yunyao was startled by his shameless logic and stared at him wide-eyed, "You wrong me, Brother Qin! I still hope to live a life of wine and romance!" As she spoke, she wondered: was his daily visit to check her calligraphy really just out of boredom? Or was it to monitor her state of mind and train her to handle the political world?

Although Qin Jinghao could not promote her, his help was like a gentle breeze, yet vital.

Luo Yunyao did not want her reply to sound ungrateful, but she could not truly agree to his words. She was, after all, in the guise of a man; how could she easily promise to spend a lifetime with another man? What if... what if Qin Jinghao thought she was a pervert?