Empress Fucha was completely bewildered after only finishing her sentence. Unable to understand, she asked, "What do you mean? What does famine and poor harvest have to do with Hongshi's meritorious service?"

Empress Fucha sighed, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Your Majesty, think about it. During a famine, the people are scattered and their hearts are unsettled, which can lead to a sudden uprising. For the Emperor, what could be worse than a peasant uprising? If the Second Prince can step forward in time, take the initiative to solve the Emperor's problems, and quell this matter, what will the Emperor think of the Second Prince?"

The Empress nodded in realization: "Hmm... what you said makes a lot of sense..."

Lady Fucha smiled and said, "In this way, the Emperor will definitely change his opinion of the Second Prince. If the Empress then steps forward to say a few good words for the Second Prince, the court will back down, and things will be much easier to handle..."

The Empress pondered for a while, then felt uneasy and said, "The method is good, but whether the harvest is bountiful or not is up to Heaven. No matter how capable I am, I cannot change the will of Heaven..."

Empress Fucha chuckled a few times, unconvinced, and reminded her, "Your Majesty, although you cannot change the will of Heaven, you can manipulate people's hearts..."

The Empress was even more confused, so Lady Fucha explained, "Your Majesty can utilize the local grain merchants. If you mobilize them now to hoard the grain, you can buy it all at a high price when there is a bumper harvest. The local farmers will naturally rush to sell their grain. When there is no rice to buy or sell in the market, famine will naturally occur..."

The Empress was slightly taken aback. After careful consideration, she realized that it was indeed feasible and couldn't help but admire Fucha's cunning in her heart.

“Yes… When the famine occurs, we can send Hongshi to provide disaster relief. As long as Hongshi can quell the unrest and alleviate the disaster, the Emperor will look at Hongshi with new respect…” The Empress thought it was feasible more and more, and she became excited, exclaiming that Fucha’s idea was good.

But upon further thought, the Empress hesitated, saying with concern, "If we proceed according to the plan, a large number of disaster victims will appear. If the situation develops out of control, I fear that Hongshi will not be able to suppress it... Moreover, every disaster season results in countless deaths and injuries, and the imperial power becomes unstable..."

A flash of malice crossed Fucha's eyes as she coldly said, "Even at a time like this, does Your Majesty still care about so much? In every dynasty's struggle for the throne, which one hasn't been filled with bloodshed and tears? What does it matter if some commoners die? As long as our Second Prince can ascend to the position of Crown Prince, all of this is insignificant..."

Seeing the Empress's kindness and hesitation, Empress Fucha hurriedly said, "Isn't Your Majesty just worried about whether Hongshi can suppress the disaster area? That's easy to solve. As long as Your Majesty is willing to spend money, money will make the world go round at that time. Besides, a few grain merchants..." Empress Fucha paused and continued, "Even if some don't want money, then all of them..." Empress Fucha made a "kill" gesture in front of her neck.

The Empress was immediately terrified, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. A sense of fear welled up within her, and she thought to herself in alarm: This Fucha woman is cunning and ruthless; she shows no mercy when she does things. It's fortunate that I took Fucha under my wing before, otherwise she would have been a menace sooner or later.

Although the Empress felt somewhat guilty, she had no other choice but to follow Empress Fucha's plan for Hongshi's sake. The next day, the Empress found an excuse to invite the Duke of Yingguo to the palace…