After settling everything at home, Shen Qingyu and Qi Yunxiao set off for the capital to report on their work.

With the imperial sword still in his hand and the process of buying grain so arduous, if Qi Yunxiao didn't hurry to the capital to return the sword, the emperor might harbor resentment.

In this era where imperial power is paramount, if His Majesty the Emperor is unhappy, then no one else will be happy either.

As Shen Qingyu traveled towards the capital, she noticed a significant decrease in the number of refugees along the way.

It seems that the grain they brought back played a role.

Buying grain from Daxia can only solve the short-term problem, so naturally more grain needs to be bought back from Daxia.

The two traveled on and arrived in the capital without incident. As soon as they returned to Xinghua Hutong, they ran into the palace eunuchs and the imperial guards who had come ahead of time to guard the capital.

Nothing else, His Majesty summoned Qi Yunxiao and Shen Qingyu to the palace immediately.

The two exchanged a glance. Fine, let it be a little dirty. Let's go into the palace first.

The two men entered the palace, covered in dust and dirt, and knelt before the new emperor, which startled him: "You two go and change your clothes first."

The two went next door, where palace maids and eunuchs served them and helped them change their clothes.

I had just finished changing and came out when Consort Rong arrived.

The new emperor secretly breathed a sigh of relief: luckily, he had told them to change the clothes quickly.

If they were any slower, and Consort Rong saw them looking disheveled, she would be given the cold shoulder again.

Consort Rong wanted to call Shen Qingyu away, but since today's events were also related to Shen Qingyu, His Majesty the Emperor refused to let her go, so Consort Rong had no choice but to wait in the back.

The new emperor first listened to Qi Yunxiao recount his trip to Da Xia. Apart from not mentioning Shen Qingyu's space, Qi Yunxiao did not hide the Da Xia king's ulterior motives, and even the details about the servants were thoroughly explained.

Then Qi Yunxiao recounted his killing of Jiang Hai, the deputy commander of Zhenjiang Pass, and finally knelt down with a thud, pleading guilty to the new emperor: "Your Majesty, I acted first and reported later; I beg Your Majesty's punishment."

His Majesty the Emperor had already received the memorial Jiang Hai sent before his death, which described Qi Yunxiao as a traitor colluding with foreign powers, almost to the point that His Majesty the Emperor should issue an order to execute him.

If it weren't for the unseen Consort Rong as Qi Yunxiao's backer, and Qi Yunxiao's shamelessness in calling the new emperor "father," it might have truly deceived the emperor and directly led to Qi Yunxiao's death.

Therefore, when the new emperor heard Qi Yunxiao recount what had happened, his face darkened: "How dare a mere collateral branch of the Jiang family risk the lives of countless people in the Great Xia Dynasty!"

Clearly, the new emperor intends to punish the Jiang family.

Qi Yunxiao didn't respond. In such matters, it was up to the Emperor to make the decision; it wasn't appropriate for him to speak.

After finishing this, the new emperor told Qi Yunxiao, "Next, we need to go to the Great Xia Kingdom again to buy more grain so that we can help the Great Qi overcome its difficulties."

Of course, at the same time, you can give more gold, silver, jewelry, soap, chili sauce, and the like, but you can't give more strategic materials such as iron and warhorses.

Qi Yunxiao, a businessman who had been in business for many years, naturally understood this and immediately said he understood.

Then the new emperor's gaze fell on Shen Qingyu.

Shen Qingyu had been waiting silently to the side when she heard the new emperor's voice suddenly soften: "Qingyu, it would be excellent if you let those refugees make soap, make chili sauce, raise rabbits...

"I wonder if you could bring out a group of people, just like you, to provide more opportunities for migrants to work?"

Shen Qingyu: "..."

So Your Majesty, are you planning to take my job away and let someone else do it?

Of course, Shen Qingyu dared to think these words but dared not say them aloud; she pondered them carefully.

To completely solve the food shortage problem for the next six months, it is not enough to just buy low-priced grain from Xia Kingdom and for the court to sell grain at a reasonable price. We also need to provide people who are short of food with ways to earn money and opportunities to work.

Otherwise, even the cheapest grains wouldn't be affordable for them.

After careful consideration, Shen Qingyu cautiously spoke up: "Your Majesty, there are countless refugees in various places now. If everyone were to make chili sauce and soap, where would we sell all this chili sauce and soap?"

The new emperor naturally knew a little about it, but he just felt that Shen Qingyu must have a way: "Do you have any other methods?"

Shen Qingyu thought for a moment and said, "Currently, there are several channels we can explore. The first is to solve the water shortage problem in the drought-stricken areas this year."

"I believe the Ministry of Works of the imperial court must have capable people who can help find some groundwater, so that people won't die of thirst. If we can find groundwater in higher areas, we can irrigate some places."

"The second method is to take advantage of the current time to encourage the refugees to return to their hometowns and plant some sweet potatoes or other foods that can stave off hunger. This way, they can harvest a batch of sweet potatoes before the New Year, and many people will be able to survive."

"The third method is that if the imperial court is willing, it can take this opportunity to recruit people from the villagers to repair the river and reclaim wasteland. They can be paid with grain, so they won't starve."

"Also, some migrants in our village raise rabbits. They reproduce quickly, producing a litter every month, and they produce many offspring without needing to be fed. If anyone is interested, you can raise rabbits."

"Rabbit meat is edible, and its fur can be tanned to make winter coats and blankets. If His Majesty were to grant them permission to bring rabbit meat and fur to the capital to sell, and have all the major families buy them, it would be equivalent to asking them to help farmers."

"If you're worried about the long distance and the difficulty of transporting rabbit meat to the capital, you can ask a skilled cook in the countryside to stir-fry it with plenty of chili oil until it's dry. It will be very flavorful and easy to eat cold. Then you can sell it in the capital as a snack to enjoy with drinks while watching a play, and it will fetch a better price."

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