AWB Chapter 520 Completely different
Chapter 520 Completely different
Life at Li Xi's place was nothing like comforting refugees. Not only were there delicious meals carefully prepared by someone, but there were also mellow wines for him to taste, and beautiful women were by his side, allowing him to fully enjoy this extravagant life.
However, in stark contrast to the Li clan, Li Chu's situation was the worst. Jinling, once a prosperous and affluent city, had suffered heavy losses and become a disaster zone. When Li Chu and his entourage entered the city, they were surprised to find many beggars lining the streets. The former prosperity was long gone.
Upon learning that Li Chu and his entourage had arrived in Jinling, Jinling Prefect Du was horrified. He hastily pushed aside the beauties beside him, hurriedly tidied his clothes and appearance, and then hurried out to greet Li Chu.
When Li Chu was walking on the road, he happened to meet Du Daren, the prefect of Jinling. When Du Daren saw Li Chu, he immediately wanted to kneel down and salute.
Li Chu, upon seeing this, quickly asked him to stand up and said they should return to the government office to discuss further. At the same time, Li Chu specifically instructed Du: "I have come to Jinling to handle official business. While I am here, Du must not reveal my true identity to anyone. Just tell them I am an official who has come to supervise the work."
Lord Du nodded repeatedly, not daring to be negligent. He quickly stood up and led Li Chu and his group back to the government office.
Lord Du had heard from others that His Royal Highness the King of Chu was a man who handled his affairs impartially, so he did not dare to bribe Li Chu and others.
When they arrived at the government office, Lord Du said, "Why don't you take a rest first?"
In order to test whether the poor appearance of the government office was just an act, Li Chu said, "Well, we are indeed a little tired after the long journey. I wonder where Lord Du will arrange for us to stay?"
Lord Du sighed and said, "Ah, you gentlemen have seen the state of Nanjing now. If you had come here earlier, I could have arranged accommodations for you. However, people are in a state of panic now, and I have exchanged all my cash for food in less-affected areas next door or in more distant areas. That's how we've managed until now."
Upon hearing this, Guo Ziyi frowned and asked, "Then why didn't Lord Du report it earlier? It wouldn't have gotten to this point."
Lord Du quickly knelt and said, "Oh, my Lords, I didn't expect this frost disaster to be so severe. Besides, we in Nanjing have always had good tax revenues and a prosperous life, so I figured we could just hold on and it would pass..."
The Minister of Revenue was speechless. With this prefect, how could Jinling's tax revenue be so high every year? It seemed like he was just living off his past achievements.
Li Chu said, "Master Guo, since the incident has already happened, blaming Master Du will be of no use. Why don't we work together to figure out how to remedy the situation when the time comes?"
Lord Du thought to himself, "That's exactly what I want." He thanked them profusely, "Aren't you here? The snow has stopped, but we're running low on supplies. You're a lifesaver for the people of Jinling!"
Li Chu asked Lord Du to stop talking. He said, "But Lord Du, we came here quickly because we wanted to help Jinling as soon as possible. We only brought a part of the supplies, and the rest is still on the way."
Upon hearing this, Lord Du's expression was a little awkward, but as a veteran official, he quickly adjusted his attitude and said, "It's okay, it's better than nothing. If you guys don't come soon, I'll probably have to sell the house to raise money... But in the current situation, apart from the wealthy merchants before, who else can afford to buy it? Sigh!"
Li Chu, the Minister of Revenue, and Guo Ziyi naturally saw that this Lord Du was putting on an act. Li Chu didn't want to waste any more words with him, so he asked, "Where are we staying this time?"
Lord Du said, "If you don't mind, you can stay at my house for the time being. This is probably the best place I can offer you right now. At least this house was inherited by my family."
Li Chu waved his hand and said, "It's okay. Anyway, we are here to provide disaster relief. Once the disaster situation stabilizes, we should go back. We won't be staying here for long."
Lord Du stood up and led the way, saying, "Please follow me, everyone."
Li Chu and the others followed Lord Du back into the carriage. After about a quarter of an hour, the carriage stopped. Lord Du got off first, then walked to the front of Li Chu's carriage and said, "Sir, we're here."
Li Chu said "hmm" and got off the car, and the others also got off one after another.
Standing at the door and taking a look, Li Chu said, "Master Du is really modest. I think your mansion is an excellent place to stay, much better than the inn outside."
When Lord Du heard what Li Chu said, he felt a little uneasy and quickly explained: "It is all thanks to the family fortune accumulated by my elders in the past."
Guo Ziyi saw that Lord Du looked a little guilty, so he said, "Lord Du, you are probably feeling guilty. After all, Jinling was once very wealthy, so having a mansion like this is not excessive."
Lord Du finally reacted and said, "Yes, yes, that's what you are saying. Why don't you all follow me into the palace? Although the snow has stopped, it's still very cold."
Li Chu nodded slightly and said, "Okay." Then several people followed Lord Du into the mansion.
As soon as he entered, Guo Ziyi suddenly understood why Lord Du was in such a hurry to explain. It turned out that from the outside, one could only tell that the house was not small, but as soon as he entered, he discovered that the specifications of this mansion were not even inferior to those of some viscounts or earls.
A servant saw Master Du coming back and came forward to greet him: "This servant greets the master."
Lord Du raised his hand and said, "Get up. I've brought back a distinguished guest. Have you finished tidying up the room I asked you to clean?"
The maid replied, "It's all packed."
Lord Du nodded and said, "Well, you go down first."
Lord Du led Li Chu and the others on their way forward. Li Chu sighed, "They say Jiangnan is home to beautiful women. It's true. Even a maidservant is so beautiful."
Lord Du was stunned when he heard this. Wasn't it said that the Prince of Chu and the Princess were very affectionate, and even the other women in the mansion rarely visited there? Could it be because the Princess of Chu was more beautiful than the others?
Seeing that Lord Du did not reply, Guo Ziyi teased, "Lord Du's maids are all so beautiful, isn't your wife angry?"
Lord Du came back to his senses and said, "Lord Guo, you are joking. I rarely manage the affairs of the mansion. The shopping chores of these servants are all handled by Madam."
As they were talking, Madam Du came over and saluted them: "I pay my respects to you gentlemen."
When they saw Madam Du, Li Chu and others understood why beautiful women were arranged to be maids, and Madam Du was no longer angry.
Mrs. Du's appearance can be said to be as beautiful as a fairy. To be honest, she is more beautiful than Dugu Jingyao, Shen Zhenzhu, Cui Caiping, Murong Linzhi and others.
Li Chu raised his hand and said, "Mrs. Du, there's no need to be so polite."
After thanking her, Madam Du stood up and said, "I'm really sorry, everyone. The weather in Jinling has been cold recently. A few days ago, I went to distribute porridge with my master and accidentally caught a cold, so I'm late." After saying this, she coughed twice.
Li Chu smiled and said, "It's okay. Since Madam Du is not feeling well, she should rest more."
The Minister of Revenue also echoed, "Yes, Lord Du, there is no need to let Madam Du catch a cold. Let Madam Du go back and rest first."
After Lord Du and Madam Du expressed their gratitude, Madam Du left accompanied by her maid.
Lord Du quickly led the group to their respective courtyards. "I'm truly sorry, everyone," he explained. "Due to the recent disaster relief efforts, some of the silver charcoal we had in our house has been exchanged for more charcoal to distribute to the refugees. As a result, we're a bit low on charcoal. However, I've had my servants prepare a hot water bottle, some quilts, and cloaks. Please bear with me."
Li Chu and others said it was okay. After all, it was good to have such living conditions in the disaster area.
Lord Du said, "Then you all should rest first. If you need anything, please ask someone to come to me."
Several people said they understood. After Lord Du left, Guo Ziyi asked, "Your Highness, are we really going to rest?"
Li Chu said, "Everyone is very tired after the journey. Let's rest for a while. However, I will arrange for people to investigate the disaster in the city and the character of this Lord Du."
The Minister of Revenue and Guo Ziyi agreed and went out first, leaving Li Chu alone in the room to rest.