The Abandoned Wife of a Military Family: Your disguise has been exposed again.

Chapter 159 Replacement

“I was just thinking that if all the officials and wealthy people in the world loved the people as much as you do, then the world would be a much better place.” Rong Zhen’s tone was somewhat heavy.

What he didn't say was that when he stepped into Yangzhou, he saw corpses of the starving everywhere.

Those starving people could not even leave Yangzhou.

Because corrupt officials, fearing that the news would leak out, sent people to guard all the intersections, preventing the starving people from leaving Yangzhou.

This is why the people of Yangzhou were suffering terribly, yet the imperial court received no news of their plight.

If it weren't for the starving people risking their lives to escape the officials' interception and deliver the letter, he would never have known that so much disaster relief money allocated by the imperial court had been embezzled by those corrupt officials.

Whenever Rong Zhen thought of this incident, he would become extremely angry and want to go on a killing spree.

Noticing his emotional fluctuations, Yunwei tightened her grip on his hand. Although this man held a high position, he cared deeply for the people and wanted to do things for them. The matter in Yangzhou must be very serious for him to be so furious.

“I didn’t do anything. On the contrary, it is you who love the people so much and cares about them. You are the one who brings blessings to the people. I believe that the people of Wei will have a better and better life in the future,” Yunwei said.

"You trust me that much?" Rong Zhen was taken aback.

“You are willing to think about the people, and you deserve everyone’s trust.” Yun Wei said earnestly.

Rong Zhen felt all her weariness vanish because of her words.

He smiled and said, "I only realized today that you are so good at comforting people."

"So you were comforted by me?" Yunwei raised an eyebrow.

"Mmm." Rong Zhen took her hand.

“However, I’m speaking from the bottom of my heart, not just trying to comfort you,” Yun Wei said seriously. “Besides, what I said earlier was also sincere. If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know. I also want to do my part for the people.”

Rong Zhen nodded, "Then I won't stand on ceremony with you. The people of Yangzhou are currently in dire need of medicine. Many people are sick. If it were possible..."

“I’ve instructed Steward Ding to immediately lead a team to Yangzhou to set up a branch. During this time, we’ll treat it as a free clinic for the people of Yangzhou. All the people in Yangzhou affected by the disaster will receive medicinal herbs donated by Qianjintang,” Yunwei interrupted him.

Rong Zhen chuckled, "Do you even know how many people in Yangzhou have been affected by the disaster? Yet you dare to agree so readily, aren't you afraid that your Qianjintang will be 'looted clean'?"

"Of course I'm not afraid. At worst, I'll just lose all the money I've earned over the past few years. Money can be earned back, but life is priceless," Yunwei said nonchalantly.

Rong Zhen looked at her with emotion.

He felt like he had struck gold.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Yunwei asked, puzzled.

"Weiwei, you've always surprised me since we met." Rong Zhen put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his arms, his tone full of affection.

Yun Wei was taken aback for a moment, but did not push him away.

However, she didn't quite understand which of her words had touched him so deeply.

“Life is priceless…” Rong Zhen softly savored her earlier words, “but some people treat human life as worthless as grass.”

Upon hearing this, Yun Wei looked up at him and asked, "Is there something else going on in what happened in Yangzhou this time?"

"Hmm." Rong Zhen nodded, not hiding anything from her. "The reason why the matter in Yangzhou was kept so tightly under wraps and the officials acted so recklessly is because someone gave it their permission."

Yun Wei's heart skipped a beat. "The...Emperor?" "To deal with me, you can disregard the lives of ordinary people. Your crimes are truly heinous." Rong Zhen's eyes were filled with anger.

"Could it be that the disaster relief funds ended up in his hands again?" Yunwei wondered.

“Yes.” Rong Zhen nodded. “He secretly had people train troops in secret, and the disaster relief funds were used here.”

Yunwei frowned. How dare the emperor use disaster relief funds to train troops?

He didn't know that the disaster relief funds were the life-saving money for those disaster-stricken people.

"Isn't he afraid of incurring the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people with such behavior?" Yunwei felt angry.

"Of course he's not afraid, because I was in charge of the Yangzhou affair. If something goes wrong, he can just pin the blame on me. Not only can he absolve himself of all responsibility, but he can also win the sympathy of the people. After all, I'm the one in charge of the government, and he has no choice in the matter. If I don't notice the Yangzhou affair in time, it will cause public outrage and inevitably lead to a riot. In that case, I will become the target of everyone's anger, and the people of the world will come to condemn me."

To quell public anger, he would have a reason to remove me from my post. A cold sneer flashed in Rong Zhen's slightly narrowed phoenix eyes.

"What a clever scheme! But he's so selfish and self-serving, he doesn't deserve that position," Yunwei couldn't help but say. "Instead of being passive, why don't you take his place sooner?"

Rong Zhen was taken aback. "To take his place?"

“Yes.” Yunwei nodded. “Only by sitting in the highest position can you avoid being restricted in what you do, and only then can you act more legitimately and bring more benefits to the people.”

Rong Zhen remained silent.

Yunwei glanced at his face and saw that he wasn't angry, but he was probably still hesitant.

After all, with his current power, it would be an easy thing for him to take his place.

"What are you afraid of?" Yunwei tugged at his sleeve.

Rong Zhen came to his senses and said with a wry smile, "Back when my father was still on the throne, he saw that Crown Prince Mingde was in poor health and unable to shoulder the great responsibility. He originally intended for me to inherit the throne. However, Crown Prince Mingde knew about this but pretended not to know. He came to me and asked me to assist his son, who is now the emperor."

I had no interest in the throne at the time, but because Crown Prince Mingde had saved my life when I was a child, I agreed and even rejected my father's decision.

I never imagined that my respected elder brother would poison me…

"Did he cast the Yin Qi on you?" Yun Wei asked in surprise.

“Hmm.” Rong Zhen sighed. “If it weren’t for you, I would be dead by now. Crown Prince Mingde cleared away this obstacle for his son without lifting a finger.”

"What a clever scheme! They're using kindness to blackmail you while simultaneously poisoning you with a slow poison." Yunwei said indignantly. "So what are you hesitating for? They don't even care about brotherly affection."

"You're right." Rong Zhen nodded, and the slight hesitation in his heart vanished completely.

"What do you plan to do?" Yunwei asked, somewhat curious.

Rong Zhen smiled slightly, "Actually, there's no need to do anything. He'll eventually be unable to resist making a move against me. Then, I can deal with him openly and legitimately."

Seeing his confidence, Yunwei said nothing more.

As long as he has a plan in mind, that's fine.

"Are you hungry? I'll have someone make you something to eat," Yun Wei said, changing the subject.

Rong Zhen paused, looking at her with a deep gaze, "Hungry."