Rebirth: So what if my husband is a little crazy? He loves me.

Chapter 197 Backyard on Fire

Emperor Cheng's eyes lit up, and he immediately smiled and said, "Truly, heroes emerge from among the young! The Crown Prince has greatly pleased me. You shall immediately go and quell the rebellion, and bring back Minister Lin."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Upon hearing Lin Wan'er's name, Xiao Qi felt even more urgency, so he bowed and left the main hall.

"What is the situation in the other two provinces?" Emperor Cheng asked.

"Your Majesty, the rebellion in Cangzhou has not yet been quelled. His Highness Prince Rui, fearing too many lives would be lost, has not taken drastic measures. As a result, the disaster has not been well controlled, and the epidemic is indeed too severe," Zhou Zhen reported.

Emperor Cheng nodded. After all, the rebelling refugees were local people. If they went to extremes, they really couldn't act recklessly, otherwise it would only incite greater public anger.

“Your Majesty, the rebellion in Xuzhou has been quelled. Although the epidemic is not yet under control, only about a thousand people are infected each day, and the death toll is decreasing, with only a few dozen people dying each day.” Shen Zizai stepped forward.

He is usually modest when talking about himself, but when he talks about his daughter, he can't hide his pride.

His daughter is amazing.

"Oh?" Emperor Cheng was somewhat surprised: "Shen girl did a good job, she lived up to my trust in her."

Gu Chang'an didn't even have the energy to feel proud when he heard these numbers. Weren't they terrifying enough? Ah Li was at the epicenter of the epidemic. The better she did, the more effort she had put in, and the more susceptible she was to illness.

He was anxious.

“Your Majesty, I grew up by the water and have some experience in managing riverbanks. I request permission to repair the river.” Gu Chang’an stepped forward.

Even though he knew the chances were slim, he just couldn't hold back any longer.

"I know you are loyal, but the epidemic is not yet under control. There is no rush to repair the river. Let's wait until the epidemic is over before we talk about repairs." Emperor Cheng rarely disregarded Chang'an's opinions.

But this time he rejected it without hesitation. He could see what Gu Chang'an was anxious about, but he couldn't bear to let him go to such a dangerous place. If something happened to him, who would care that the Ministry of Revenue could manage so well?

"Your Majesty..." Gu Chang'an was still unwilling.

Shen Zizai had already shaken his head at him; this was clearly not rational, and His Majesty would not agree to it.

Gu Chang'an swallowed back what he was about to say, but he was unwilling to do so.

He wanted to see Ah Li.

Emperor Cheng eventually dispatched several imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy to the site and ordered the recruitment of folk doctors, promising a generous reward to anyone who could cure the epidemic.

After the court session ended, Shen Zizai walked half a step ahead of Gu Chang'an and said, "I've never heard you say anything out of line before. How come you lost your composure today?"

"It was my recklessness." Gu Chang'an admitted his mistake but did not regret it. He would only regret it if he did not try to fight for it.

“You,” Shen Zizai patted his shoulder, “you are quite a man of character.”

Although he did not approve of Gu Chang'an's way of being an official, he saw how good Gu was to his daughter, and from a father's perspective, he approved of this son-in-law.

Gu Chang'an acted impulsively because he hadn't been sleeping well lately, so he simply set up a bed in the study, lit calming incense, and only felt a little sleepy late at night.

“Miss, the master is busy, you can’t go in.” Chunsheng quickly stopped Liu Yue as she approached with the food box.

Liu Yue glared at him and said, "My cousin sent me to deliver the soup. If you know what's good for you, get out of the way."

"Please wait a moment, Miss. I'll go in and ask." Seeing that he couldn't get rid of her, Chunsheng had no choice but to think of a solution.

"What do you mean by that? Do you think I would lie?" Liu Yue glared at him and said, "Get out of my way, I'll go ask my cousin myself."

She not only spoke but also pushed him with her hands, causing Chunsheng to retreat repeatedly, not daring to let her get close.

Liu Yue pushed him all the way to the corridor, then triumphantly opened the door and went inside.

Chunsheng was still in shock; this young lady's behavior was just too...unrestrained...

This is just like a quarreling shrew in the village. Why did she even resort to violence? If he doesn't let her go, he's afraid Liu Yue will accuse him of molesting her. After all, she's a relative of an adult, and he really doesn't know how to handle this situation.

We should go back and ask the adults for a set of rules so that he can follow them in the future.

Gu Chang'an was a very light sleeper. Hearing the door open, his brow twitched, but he didn't open his eyes and asked, "What is it?"

"Is my cousin asleep?" Liu Yue asked, walking around the screen to the bedside.

Gu Chang'an caught a whiff of a strong incense scent, and immediately frowned, looking at her with a cold gaze: "What are you doing here?"

Liu Yue smiled innocently and stepped forward: "I..."

"Don't come forward, just say it there." Gu Chang'an's voice was cold and deep, his eyes sharp.

Liu Yue almost retreated when she felt that icy aura and terrifying intimidation. He wasn't like this when she saw him interacting with her cousin-in-law. It seems that the reputation of him as a living Yama is not unfounded.

It's very scary.

She calmed herself down before forcing a smile and said, "Cousin, why are you being so fierce? I just saw you worked hard tonight, so I specially made some soup for you and brought it over."

"Is there anything else?" Gu Chang'an frowned even more as he caught a faint whiff of the greasy smell emanating from the food box.

"Isn't this important? Cousin, your body can't take it if you keep staying up like this. Drink the soup and rest." Liu Yue said, placing the food box on the small table and reaching out to open the lid.

"If there's nothing else, leave. You're not allowed in the study anymore." Gu Chang'an's expression was stern, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Why? I meant well. It's one thing if my cousin doesn't appreciate it, but why is he being so harsh?" Liu Yue's eyes were red. "Was it wrong for me to care about my cousin?"

"I have no intention of arguing with you about right and wrong. What I can guarantee is that if you say another word, I will have someone help you move tonight." Gu Chang'an's expression calmed down, and his tone was indifferent, without any intimidation.

But those who have been around him for a while will know that this is just a sign that he is about to take action; his calmness is because he already has a plan in mind.

Liu Yue inexplicably felt a deathly cold atmosphere around her. Although she didn't know why, she shut her mouth, turned around, and went out.

"Chunsheng," Gu Chang'an said in a deep voice.

"My lord." Chunsheng knelt down as soon as he entered: "I know I was wrong, but she is, after all, your relative. I really don't know what to do with her."

"Go and get ten strokes of the cane. Tell your men that if she wants to see me in the future, they must inform me first, and they cannot let her in directly." Gu Chang'an rubbed his temples.

His headache was caused by not sleeping well all night, and this ordeal meant he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight either.

"Yes, I know I was wrong. Thank you for your magnanimity, sir." Chunsheng kowtowed repeatedly. He could tell that the magistrate disliked this young lady very much, and ten strokes of the cane were too lenient for him.

He also concluded that all women would have to be stopped in the future, as the master would get angry whenever he saw them, except for his wife, of course.

Speaking of the lady, he looked at the master's pale face and sighed inwardly.

The master is only happy when his wife is around; when she's not, it's as if his soul has left with her.

"Did Shadow send back a message?" Gu Chang'an asked, his tone languid.