As soon as Queen Pei saw Li Ying, she greeted her with a beaming smile and motioned for her to sit down.
She took Li Ying's hand affectionately and said softly, "A Ying, you've finally seen the light after all the hardships."
Seeing Li Ying looking puzzled, Queen Pei didn't beat around the bush. She told her all about what the emperor had said just now.
"Thus, you and Lord Lu will finally be united as lovers."
There was a hint of relief in Queen Pei's eyes. After a pause, she continued, "Since that's the case, you can go back and wait for your wedding in peace. I think His Majesty won't make things too difficult for you. Once he arrives at the fishing village in the southern border and sees the 'mulberry-dike fishpond' you've mentioned with his own eyes, he'll be overjoyed and issue an imperial edict to bestow the marriage."
Li Ying thanked her profusely and managed to make Queen Pei burst into laughter. However, she had already made up her mind.
It seemed that the emperor was still being petty. He remembered Lu Xunguang's act of defying the marriage proposal. So, even though he had already approved their marriage, he still made it uncertain, making the two of them feel anxious for some time.
This wasn't a difficult matter. Since she had learned about the emperor's will from Queen Pei, she had plenty of proper ways to make the emperor feel comfortable and refreshed.
Li Ying thanked Queen Pei again and again, then exited the cabin with her head respectfully lowered.
Now, everything in Huan City was in order. The emperor acted with great determination and appointed a new prefect. Recommended by Su Buchi, the new prefect was upright and diligent. Every day, he led the people of Huan City to rebuild the oyster-shell houses, taking the lead in every matter. Naturally, the emperor was very relieved.
As a ruler, the emperor cared about all his people. To the south of Huan City, the various counties in Yuan City had also been hit by the hurricane. It was still unknown what the situation was like there.
This southern tour was originally intended to show the emperor's boundless grace. The emperor had to set sail in a hurry to go to Yuan City for an inspection.
Princess Yongning and Lu Xunguang had both left some of their subordinates to take care of the matters regarding the breeding of water buffaloes in Huan City. At this moment, they led the people of Huan City to line up neatly on the embankment to bid farewell to the emperor.
The emperor was quite pleased to see the eager looks in the people's eyes and hear the shouts of "Long live the emperor" ringing in his ears.
It was not until dusk the next day that the imperial barge finally docked smoothly. The prefect of Yuan City knelt respectfully on the dock to welcome the emperor.
He had also heard about the crime of the former prefect of Huan City. Naturally, he was extremely cautious at this moment. He had prepared a feast in his mansion early on to welcome the emperor and his entourage.
Li Ying was quite happy to be idle and didn't have to prepare the imperial meals.
She stood behind Queen Pei and stole a glance at the full table of delicious dishes, which indeed looked, smelled, and tasted wonderful.
The emperor took a sip of the snow clam and bird's nest soup, but he only felt it was a bit greasy. Looking at the various dishes on the table, all of them were bright red and oily, mostly meat such as chicken, duck, and fish. He couldn't help but frown slightly.
Li Ying was also a bit curious.
Yuan City was not far from the southern border's coastal defense. There should be plenty of shark fins, abalones, and sea cucumbers. The emperor and the empress dowager preferred a light diet and the sweet taste of seafood. It was really strange that there wasn't a single seafood dish among all the imperial meals prepared by the prefect of Yuan City.
Princess Yongning was extremely observant. Just by glancing at the surprise in Li Ying's eyes, she immediately understood. She said with a smiling face, "Father, I have a question. I wonder if I could ask the prefect to clarify it for me?"
Since she had taken on the matter of "adopting the water buffaloes in Huan City" and was currently in the emperor's good graces, the emperor naturally nodded and said, "Yongning, just ask."
Princess Yongning said gently, "I've long heard that the conch in Yuan City is extremely delicious..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the prefect of Yuan City immediately knelt down on the ground with cold sweat on his forehead.
"Your Majesty, Princess, please investigate clearly!"
"It's not that I deliberately neglected your needs. I also wanted to prepare imperial meals with conch, but... after the hurricane hit the other day, all the snails and shells in the sea were empty shells!"
The emperor had issued an imperial edict to warn the people. Naturally, the prefect of Yuan City didn't dare to be negligent. He led the people in the city to higher ground to avoid the disaster, so the lives of the people in the city were safe.
However, a lot of the grain in the city was still soaked in water and couldn't be eaten.
The people had originally planned to rely on the sea for food and go to the beach to pick up some snails and clams to fill their stomachs. But just as the prefect of Yuan City had said, after the hurricane, there were only large areas of empty shells left on the tidal flat. There was no snail meat at all!
The prefect of Yuan City didn't know what to do. After much thought, he could only manage to put together some decent dishes to welcome the emperor. As for what to do next, he was really at a loss.
During this southern tour, the emperor had punished the evil and promoted the good along the way, dismissing many corrupt officials. All the local officials were extremely diligent and cautious.
Although the prefect of Yuan City thought that he had been an honest official for many years and had a clear conscience, he couldn't help but feel nervous when faced with this disaster. He was afraid that the emperor would punish him for his inefficiency.
Li Ying had heard Lu Xunguang briefly mention the night before that the prefect of Yuan City was just a bit timid and wasn't a corrupt official who oppressed the people. She didn't want him to be unjustly blamed because of the natural disaster. So, she quickly lowered her voice and whispered in Princess Yongning's ear.
Their actions naturally couldn't escape the emperor's eyes.
Seeing his imposing gaze fall on her, Princess Yongning calmly said, "Father, Miss Li seems to have some insights on this matter. I think it might be a good idea to listen to what she has to say."
With her paving the way, Li Ying bowed respectfully and then asked softly, "Prefect, I dare to ask if you drained all the rainwater accumulated in the city into the sea after the hurricane?"
The prefect of Yuan City didn't understand her meaning, but he was honest. He nodded and said, "That's right."
Thinking that the emperor would arrive in Yuan City soon, he didn't dare to be negligent at all. He even sent his own sons to help. Finally, before the emperor's arrival, he managed to drain all the high-level water in Yuan City into the sea.
Li Ying suddenly understood. "No wonder."
"The death of the conch and other shellfish, leaving only empty shells, is not your fault, Prefect."
"You did the right thing by draining the floodwater with all your might. However, a large amount of fresh water from the city rushed into the sea overnight, which inevitably changed the salinity of the near - shore tidal flat. These snails and shells are very sensitive to water quality. Since the salinity of the sea water was not suitable for them to survive, they naturally died."
She explained the reason clearly in just a few words.
Seeing the emperor's expression gradually soften, the prefect of Yuan City also let out a sigh of relief.
However, he immediately frowned again.
"May I ask, Miss, if what you said is true, after this incident, will the seafood in the tidal flat of Yuan City be able to regain its former vitality?"
Li Ying smiled casually.
The sea is generous and selfless. It will surely return to its former state within a few months.
The prefect of Yuan City finally felt relieved, but he said helplessly, "It's just hard for the people in the city. They've already suffered from the flood and are hungry. Now, they can't even rely on the sea for food. Their lives will be very difficult."