When had Lord Gu ever been treated like this?
Although he was merely the prefect of Haizhou City, he was practically a "local emperor" here.
He always felt that the emperor was far away, enjoying his days of leisure.
Even when people like Prince Ning visited, things were usually handled with a semblance of respect.
To be treated so disrespectfully by Mu Changxi was a first!
However, Lord Gu could do nothing. He could only suppress his displeasure and enter the schoolhouse.
Inside the schoolhouse, everyone was busy with their own affairs, and no one paid any attention to Lord Gu.
After entering, Lord Gu wanted to find someone to ask, but he couldn't even grab the person in front of him as they passed. It was quite awkward.
In fact, he had seen many disaster victims outside.
But these disaster victims had suffered hardship. How could they not know that it was precisely because of Lord Gu's inaction that they had ended up in this state?
Therefore, they paid no attention to Lord Gu and his entourage, leaving Lord Gu and his party feeling very awkward.
—
In reality, Song Chaoyu had seen Lord Gu and his people enter much earlier.
However, she was busy verifying the identities of each disaster victim and simply didn't have the time or energy to deal with Lord Gu.
After entering, Lord Gu stood by the side, feeling somewhat lost.
He watched the people coming and going, busy with their tasks. He wanted to approach Mu Changxi but found that everyone was too busy, and they had no opportunity.
They stood there like a few fools, at a loss, feeling extremely awkward.
The advisor accompanying Lord Gu coughed lightly, feeling equally lost, and whispered to Lord Gu, "My Lord, you see... should we go forward and greet Prince Changxi?"
Lord Gu nodded and was about to step forward.
But he was gently pushed aside by a busy subordinate of Pingjiang: "Please move aside, don't block the way!"
The advisor puffed out his chest, wanting to "argue" with the person. However, the person completely ignored the advisor and only hurried on his way.
Angrily, the advisor rolled his eyes at the person and then muttered to Lord Gu again, "Lord Gu, what do they mean by this? They invited us here, and now they're making us stand here at a loss. What exactly are they trying to do?"
Lord Gu's brow furrowed, "I've long heard that this Prince Changxi has a peculiar temper and disposition. Now we've finally witnessed it. Since he wants us to stand here, we shall stand here. I also want to see what he intends to do!"
With that, Lord Gu straightened his back even further!
In fact, Song Chaoyu knew what Lord Gu was thinking. He probably assumed they wouldn't let him stand there indefinitely.
But neither Mu Changxi nor Song Chaoyu were people who followed convention.
Seeing Lord Gu standing there for a long time without moving, Tiao Hong walked over to Song Chaoyu and whispered, "Wangfei, are you just going to let Lord Gu stand there? They look like they can't stand it anymore!"
Song Chaoyu let out a scoff, "How long have they been standing, and they can't stand it anymore?"
She glanced over and indeed, Lord Gu's legs had started to tremble slightly.
"Never mind them."
Song Chaoyu withdrew her gaze, "If he has the intention, he will naturally find what he should be doing. If he has no intention and is only concerned with their so-called official matters, then let him stand there indefinitely."
Tiao Hong understood Song Chaoyu's meaning, "Wangfei is right. If they still have even a shred of concern for the people, they would know what they should be doing right now."
Unfortunately, it seemed that in the end, Lord Gu didn't know what he should be doing.
He stood until his legs were trembling, and the advisor beside him also seemed to show a hint of anger, "What does this Prince Changxi mean? Is he planning to make us stand here indefinitely? We are the parents of Haizhou!"
Lord Gu couldn't understand either. He looked with a heavy gaze at the busy Mu Changxi, "Let's go, we'll go and ask Prince Changxi now!"
With that, he lowered his head and tapped his leg.
Then, he led the advisor forward.
Mu Changxi was still busy, not even glancing in Lord Gu's direction.
"Cough cough!"
Lord Gu coughed heavily, as if trying to attract Mu Changxi's attention.
Mu Changxi finally looked up. Lord Gu loudly said to Mu Changxi, "This subordinate, the prefect of Haizhou City, greets Prince Changxi. Your Highness, peace be upon you!"
"Tsk—"
His voice was loud, making Mu Changxi frown, "I saw you long ago. Why are you speaking so loudly? Do you think this King isn't busy enough?"
Lord Gu was stunned, not expecting Mu Changxi to have such an attitude.
He became even more awkward, "This... what does Your Highness mean? Since you saw this subordinate long ago, why have you been ignoring me?"
Lord Gu's tone already carried a hint of resentment.
Song Chaoyu also stepped forward with a teapot, refilled Mu Changxi's tea, and then smiled lightly at Lord Gu, "What are you saying, Lord Gu? Can't you see how busy we are?"
Song Chaoyu's attitude was not good, and it naturally embarrassed Lord Gu.
Lord Gu lowered his head, momentarily unsure of what this couple meant.
Seeing that he didn't understand, Song Chaoyu sighed, as if helpless, "May I ask, Lord Gu, what is your purpose in coming here?"
Lord Gu truly didn't understand Song Chaoyu's meaning. He was very angry in his heart, but he didn't dare to provoke this couple. He could only frown and reply, "Naturally, I am here to pay my respects to Prince Changxi and Wangfei, and to discuss disaster relief with His Highness."
His answer made Song Chaoyu shake her head helplessly, "Since that is the case, shouldn't Lord Gu also take a look at the situation around us? Aren't people already busy with disaster relief? How is it that after standing there for so long, I thought Lord Gu was learning from everyone? I didn't expect that even though your legs are unsteady, your mind is still thinking about who knows what. I truly don't know how you do your job as the parent official of Haizhou City!"
Song Chaoyu had no intention of giving Lord Gu any face.
As expected, Lord Gu's expression suddenly turned ugly.
Tiao Hong, who had seen the pitiable disaster victims along the way, also sneered at Lord Gu, "If Lord Gu knew what to do, perhaps these disaster victims wouldn't be like this now. This servant thinks, Your Highness and Wangfei should not trouble Lord Gu anymore!"
It sounded like she was speaking up for Lord Gu, but in reality, she was mocking him. Who couldn't tell?
Lord Gu hadn't expected that he, the esteemed prefect of Haizhou City, would be mocked by a mere maid!