Besides lying down, I also know a little about power struggles

Chapter 22 Trouble comes from the mouth
Dark clouds rolled in the lead-gray sky, with lightning flashing through them from time to time.

The strong wind blew up dust and sand, and the curtains on both sides of the road swelled and surged, as if they could be blown away by the wind at any time.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites ran back and forth, holding their hats, shouting at people to reinforce the curtains.

A group of people were busy driving piles and tying ropes when there was another thunder in the sky.

The thunder had not yet ceased, and the rain was pouring down, crackling on the roof.

Someone under the shed looked up and asked: "Why is the rain so heavy?"

Before he finished speaking, Guo Yin, who had just gone out, quickly turned back.

He covered his forehead with one hand, and a trace of bright red seeped out from between his fingers.

"Hey, Deputy General Guo, what's wrong with you?"

Guo Yin gritted his teeth and said, "Please call the doctor for me."

Xiaonian sneaked out of the shed to take a look and was delighted.

He returned to Feng Twelve and said in a voice that everyone could hear: "Your Highness, it's hailing outside."

As soon as these words were spoken, many officials rushed to the side of the shed.

Outside the shed, it was raining heavily, and a white fog formed between the sky and the earth. People walking more than three meters away could not be seen clearly.

The heavy rain was like a flood, with countless particles mixed in it, some as big as eggs and some as small as the size of a thumb nail.

Everyone turned around to look at Guo Yin. Needless to say, the wound on his forehead was caused by hail.

A few chuckles were heard from the crowd. Guo Yin was furious and wanted to see who was laughing at him, but the officials here were all cunning. Wherever he looked, everyone had a solemn expression, and some even showed a bit of compassion.

"Hail fell from the sky in early spring. This kind of phenomenon has not been seen for many years. I am afraid it is not a good sign."

"How did the Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculate the date? Why did they let Your Majesty return to the capital today? What if His Majesty is injured?"

"If this heavy rain doesn't stop, the farmland outside Beijing will be ruined."

"And in the city," someone else said, "there are a lot of shanties in the northwest corner. There are many people and the houses are dilapidated. I wonder how many houses will be destroyed by this hailstorm."

As they were talking, a red-robed official walked past the crowd and hurried out of the shed.

"Sir Wang, it's raining so hard outside, where are you going?" His colleagues grabbed him.

"I'll take some people back to have a look," said Wang Pu, the prefect, with a worried look on his face. "I'm afraid the rain won't stop for a while, and many places in the city may be affected."

"You can just send someone into the city to keep an eye on it. Why bother making this trip in person?"

"No," Wang Pu said anxiously, "The Baixifang flooded not long ago, and the people there are still being housed in a charity hall. There is a river next to the charity hall. If the river floods, it will be another disaster."

As the saying goes, fire and water are merciless. The fire at Baixifang has already put his official hat in jeopardy. If there is trouble again today, it might not be his official hat that will fall off, but his head.

Wang Pu broke away from his colleagues, called the servant and left.

He had only taken two steps when he was stopped again.

"Don't worry, Lord Wang," Wei Baichuan said, "His Highness asked me to take you back."

Wang Pu was stunned and looked at Feng Twelve behind him.

Feng Twelve nodded slightly: "Take my carriage."

Wang Pu was shocked: "How can this be done?"

Everyone knew that although the twelfth prince was a member of the prince's party, he was a loner and did not interact much with court officials. Wang Pu had no friendship with him and was very surprised to suddenly get his help.

Wei Baichuan smiled and said, "You don't have to be polite, Lord Wang. You came here in a sedan chair. In such a strong storm and hail, the sedan chair cannot withstand it. Your Highness's carriage is stable and strong, and we guarantee that we will take you back to the city safely."

"Then... I would rather obey your orders than be respectful."

Wang Pu was anxious and didn't care about other people's eyes. He bowed to Feng Twelve and left with Wei Baichuan.

When he left, the shed was quiet for a moment. Someone stamped his feet suddenly. It was an official from the Ministry of Works: "Lord Wang is right. The open and underground canals in the city are all connected to the Bian River outside the city. If the river overflows and the canals are blocked, there will be floods in the city."

He suddenly looked at Feng Twelve and said, "I wonder if Your Highness could borrow your car? I will go with Lord Wang."

Today, in order to welcome the emperor, court officials gathered outside the city. It was inconvenient to park the car, so many people rode horses or took sedan chairs. However, heavy rain fell unexpectedly, trapping them outside the city.

The officials from the Ministry of Industry had no choice but to borrow a car from Feng Twelve.

Feng Twelve nodded: "Yes."

The official from the Ministry of Works was delighted: "Thank you, Your Highness."

Guo Yin stood under the shed, holding his head. He had a splitting headache, but the doctor had not arrived yet. Seeing Feng Twelve generously lending his car to the official, he could not help but sneer: "Your Highness is so generous. We are here to welcome His Majesty, but you send everyone away one by one. I wonder what your intention is?"

"Your Majesty always says that the people are the foundation," Feng Twelve said calmly, "Didn't General Sui teach you that?"

Guo Yin paused.

Of course he knew that the emperor often said this, but he believed more in what Sui Yongdao said, that emperors since ancient times have always talked about righteousness, but in fact they are all calculating. This was true for the emperors of the past and for the emperor of today as well.

But he couldn't refute what Feng Twelve said.

Guo Yin gritted his teeth in hatred.

Who said that the twelfth prince is not good at speaking? His mouth is simply poisonous.

Guo Yin turned his head away, determined not to say anything more.

Xiao Nian walked over with a smile and said, "Deputy General Guo, look at how bloody you are. You are the envoy of General Sui, you cannot be disrespectful in front of the emperor. Come, I have some excellent medicine for wounds, can I lend it to you?"

He took out a porcelain bottle and handed it to Guo Yin.

Seeing the smile on his face, which seemed to be mocking but not mocking, Guo Yin became angry and raised his hand to brush it away.

With a "clang", the porcelain bottle fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

The crisp sound attracted a lot of attention. Everyone was trapped under the shed and had nothing to do. When they saw Guo Yin and Feng Twelve's guards clashing, they all looked surprised.

But Xiaonian shrugged and said, "You don't need to appreciate His Highness's kindness, so why bother breaking his medicine bottle?"

He shook his head every few steps as he walked back to Feng Twelve: "Don't be surprised, Your Highness. In my opinion, Deputy General Guo definitely didn't do it on purpose."

Guo Yin's face turned pale and blue, and he wished he could shut Xiaonian's mouth.

He looked at Feng Twelve warily, fearing that he would use this opportunity to attack Sui Yongdao again.

Feng Twelve's expression was calm: "It's okay, I'll ask King Ping for compensation."

Guo Yin's mind buzzed. He came here to get advice from Feng Wuqiong in person and ask him to help him deal with the prince. How come he got into trouble with Feng Twelve, the evil star, before he even met Feng Wuqiong?

He regretted it too late, fearing that what happened today would be heard by Feng Wuqiong, causing him unnecessary trouble.

"Your Highness, please forgive me," he bowed his head, "I just had a headache and my hands were shaking, so I broke the medicine bottle. It was not intentional."

"Yeah." Feng Twelve said.

His voice was neither loud nor soft, and Guo Yin could not tell whether he was happy or angry after trying for a long time. He could only bow hastily and step aside, as far away from the twelfth prince and his guards as possible.

By the afternoon, the heavy rain had not stopped.

The good news was that the hail stopped, but the bad news was that the rain was getting heavier and heavier, and water was getting under the shed where everyone was staying, so the officials had to retreat to a higher slope.

"Looking at this situation, Your Majesty may have to rest halfway today."

The officials from the Ministry of Rites were discussing when they saw several fast horses galloping towards them in the rain and fog.

Look at their attire, they are exactly the emperor's guards.

(End of this chapter)