Chapter 377 – The Dongqing Earthquake (Nine)
“Huaiyu.” She spoke up, interrupting Feng Jin’s inner thoughts, “Help me.”
Feng Jin’s heart trembled as he replied, “What does Lan Ting need from Jin? Just say it.”
To speak of it, they were not just close friends; Lan Ting had saved him and his family’s lives.
“I want to stay in the capital.”
As soon as she said this, Feng Jin responded firmly, “No, you should leave as soon as possible.”
He couldn’t bear for his wife and daughter to suffer, so he had to choose a more prudent plan, but Jiang Pengji was different.
She should just avoid provoking the bandits and mobs, and safety was guaranteed — there was a good chance of leaving the capital for Chongzhou.
“Let me finish speaking first.”
“You speak, Jin is listening.” Feng Jin steadied his emotions.
Jiang Pengji said, “You’ve seen it too; the Official Master wants to abandon the common people of the capital and move the capital. Right now, the Imperial Guards are his lifeline and won’t be dispatched easily. We can’t expect him to suddenly repent and turn into a benevolent sovereign. Huaiyu, have you thought about how the surviving common people in the capital will live if we don’t act? So, I want to stay and help them.”
If the Emperor of Dongqing wanted to relocate the capital, then she would relocate the common people who survived in the capital too.
Feng Jin sighed, dousing her enthusiasm with cold water, “Lan Ting, Jin knows your kind heart, but you cannot accomplish this alone.”
Where would the manpower needed to rescue the common people come from?
Where would the food for the surviving common people come from?
What about the medicinal herbs needed to treat the wounded?
These are just the most basic needs.
And how would they handle the bodies of the deceased common people?
Now, in the scorching summer, bodies decompose rapidly; if not dealt with properly, it would lead to an outbreak of disease.
If a plague strikes, there will be a large number of patients, and there are no miracle doctors here to treat such diseases!
The common people are mostly foolish and easily swayed; even if Jiang Pengji has her heart set on helping them, there will always be those who love to stir trouble, impatient for the released grain, or who criticize her for not doing enough while favoring looting and killing. How would one suppress these mobs?
Even if all those problems were solved, how did she plan to settle those rescued common people?
The capital is a wasteland, and the common people are displaced; this mess is difficult even for the emperor to handle; how dare she take it on?
Feng Jin truly didn’t know how to advise her.
“Huaiyu, I can do it.” Jiang Pengji’s voice was calm.
Feng Jin suppressed the inexplicable anxiety in his heart, looking sharply into Jiang Pengji’s eyes, his voice hoarse and breath heavy.
“You are just an ordinary person; you cannot take on such a huge task. If you save them, you must take everything into account. Have you thought about how to finish this?”
The Emperor of Dongqing has abandoned the common people and chosen to relocate the capital, and she dares to step up? Is she truly so reckless?
“I know how to finish it.” Jiang Pengji remained unmoved, her expression unchanged, “This capital is uninhabitable now; rebuilding will require immense energy and manpower. Given the magnitude of this earthquake, it will likely affect more than just Shangyang County, but perhaps an entire state. Rebuilding homes on the ruins can’t wait, so I want to move them to Chongzhou…”
As soon as she finished speaking, Feng Jin’s expression drastically changed, and he slammed his palm onto the low table beside him.
The low table flipped in the air, crashing down with a loud bang, waking Wei Jingxian and Changsheng, who had just fallen asleep.
Changsheng’s weak cries rang out, her red and wrinkled little face steaming, and her cries sounded incredibly wronged.
Wei Jingxian lifted the tent flap, soothing the child while looking fearfully at the two.
“Husband, Lan Ting… what is happening?”
Had they been fighting?
“There’s nothing for me to worry about…” Feng Jin was pulled back to his senses, his hardened expression turning guilty as he lowered his voice, “Just calm Changsheng down…”
At this moment, there were still aftershocks; even adults were afraid, let alone a newborn child.
This father couldn’t control his emotions and flipped the table, scaring the child like this; how could he not feel guilty?
“Lan Ting, let’s talk somewhere further away.”
Feng Jin’s expression reverted to calm, yet his tone was no longer gentle, but stern.
“Okay.” Jiang Pengji got up to follow.
The audience in the live stream were taken aback by the atmosphere between the two, and the comment section suddenly fell silent.
【Nutritional Fast Line】: How did Feng Jin suddenly become so terrifying?
In an instant, he transformed from a gentle young noble to a ruthless man, shocking a bunch of viewers!
【Beef Soup No Ginger】: Did the streamer say something taboo, hitting a nerve?
【Old Driver Alliance】: Tsk, worrywart. Feng Jin’s mind is actually pretty easy to read; the streamer really did say something taboo. No matter the time, rebellion isn’t approved, right? The streamer just indirectly said she didn’t want to endure that foolish Emperor of Dongqing anymore, and she’s ready to strike out on her own. Feng Jin, raised with proper education, shouldn’t just accept it without question.
【I Am Avalokiteshvara】: With that wretched demeanor of the Dongqing Emperor, if you don’t rebel, you just want to celebrate Qingming?
【Whose Vibrating Egg】: Oh, even so, there’s no need to be so shocked, right? Look at Xu Ke; he adjusts pretty well.
【Musician Zhuge Qin Demon】: Tsk, but the problem is, does Xu Ke know the streamer is a woman?
As this comment popped up, countless ellipses followed, as if the viewers were trying to process the connection.
What’s wrong with a woman? Did she eat your family’s rice?
After a while, once the audience got what that meant, they fell speechless.
The streamer is a reliable friend in Feng Jin’s mind; if she were male, she could undoubtedly take action and scheme for the world. After all, the Dongqing Emperor is quite foolish. If rebellion occurs, so be it. But the problem is she’s female; Feng Jin probably doesn’t have a concept of rebellion in his mind about a woman!
After a moment, a viewer revealed the truth.
【Female Emperor Marry Me】: Why do I feel like… Feng Jin baby was scared by the streamer?
Feng Jin was indeed scared, his heart a swirl of complex emotions, which ultimately led to him accidentally flipping the low table.
“Lan Ting, why…” Feng Jin’s expression was one of unspeakable conflict.
He knew his dear friend was restless, always stirring up trouble, but he never expected she harbored such ambitions.
“This would be fine.” Jiang Pengji’s expression was indifferent as she threw out her reasoning, “Can you imagine a day when I will stay at home to support my husband and teach my children, washing rice and cooking for a stranger man, always being dependent on him, acting like a virtuous wife?”
Feng Jin looked like he had swallowed a bug, struggling to say, “You don’t need to say anymore…”
With a lack of imagination, he simply couldn’t picture it.
If there was a burly man being dependent on her, well, a little grievance and she’d be punching his chest—all right, that would be a normal picture.
“So, I could never live the life of an ordinary woman. Huaiyu, I cannot keep hiding and, even less, marry a woman just to hide my identity and muddle through life.” Jiang Pengji continued, “I am a person first, and then a woman. Since I am a person, why shouldn’t I have the right to be an Empress? When the emperor is unkind, and the court is corrupt, the state will perish; why should I be content with mediocrity?”
Feng Jin opened his mouth several times, but under Jiang Pengji’s words, he couldn’t find the courage to respond.
