Knowing the current situation in the capital, Old Madam Xu was anxious and worried for Duke Rong and Xu Yunci. If something were to happen to Old Madam Xu, Duke Rong and Xu Yunci would be even more uneasy while they were away.

Zhou's intentions were quite clear: the marriage of Xu Yunyao and Xu Lingqing was the most important thing to her right now.

Between the Rongguo Duke's Mansion and the Xu Mansion, the former naturally had a more prestigious reputation due to the presence of the eldest branch of the family.

Ultimately, no mother would want to see her child suffer, especially after her daughter gets married. As long as the Rongguo Duke's Mansion exists, the Yang family will always have to carefully consider the consequences of their treatment of Xu Lingqing.

However, with the current pandemic, it's not so convenient to move around.

Fortunately, the epidemic did not sweep through the capital, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. But other places were different. In some places, due to the officials' failure to report and their deliberate deception, villages became barren and bustling towns became desolate.

Suddenly, it seemed like there were many more people going to the capital, most of them disheveled and crowded on the streets.

The plague and typhoon were almost over, but the resettlement of these people became a major problem.

"The imperial court proposed to donate money to build soup kitchens for the displaced people and to fence off this alley to accommodate them."

Xu Yun resigned from the morning court session, still wearing his official robes.

He quickly returned to Tongxin Hall and went straight to the point, stating the Emperor's decision that morning: "His Highness and my elder sister have contributed three thousand taels, while the Cheng'en Duke's Mansion and several other families have not yet made a decision."

"I discussed with my father that the amount should be less than that of His Highness and my elder sister, but it can't be too little. How about two thousand taels?"

Li Shiyue pondered for a moment: "Since the Cheng'en Duke's Mansion and the Grand Tutor's Mansion cannot match the amount donated by Chonghua Hall, we should at least see how much these families have donated."

“The Rongguo Duke’s Mansion is also a first-rank noble family. You and your father both hold important positions. If you have too few positions, it’s inevitable that people will have some complaints about the Xu family.”

Xu Yunci nodded, looking at her with admiration. He hadn't said these words aloud, and it was quite surprising that Li Shiyue could think of them.

Although two thousand taels is not a small amount, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion has accumulated wealth over generations, so they could easily come up with twice that amount.

But now is not the time to show off who has money. It's time to save face and build relationships. Being ripped off will only make people resentful. If we offend the emperor, wouldn't that bring disaster to the Duke's mansion?

In the end, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion and the other two families agreed on two thousand taels, and the rest contributed money according to their official ranks.

Perhaps it was Heaven's will that was in sync; with the money, the Ministry of Works sped up its work, and the refugees quickly gathered in the alleys of the southwest, in a newly built cluster of houses.

Although the shelter was simple, it provided a place for the refugees to live, and clean clothes were provided to each family according to the number of people. They no longer looked as disheveled as they had been on the streets.

Young and able-bodied men are strong enough to work together to build new houses, and they can buy their own food by paying wages.

With the emperor's worries resolved, the atmosphere in the palace became much more relaxed.

She entered the palace again, her hair styled in a woman's bun, and walked along the long street of the palace. This time, she entered the palace alone, unlike before when she was accompanied by Xu Yunci or Lady Yang.

"Princess of Yichang County? No, I should call you the Lady of the Heir Apparent of the Duke of Rongguo."

Sitting in the sedan chair was the dignified and elegant Consort Fu, who appeared to have just returned from the Funing Palace.

With her striking makeup and slender fingers, she glanced at him indifferently from the sedan chair before looking away.

Her lips were painted with red lipstick, making them appear even brighter than the sun overhead.

"This humble woman pays her respects to Your Highness, the Noble Consort."

Li Shiyue remained calm, concealing the surprise in her eyes. She never expected to encounter Consort Fu here.

"Your Highness, no need for formalities. I haven't yet congratulated you on your marriage. Why didn't you accompany your wife to the palace today?"

Consort Fu showed no intention of getting out of her sedan chair to chase after her. She admired her bright red nail polish, then looked up at Li Shiyue with a scrutinizing gaze.

It was an indescribable feeling, completely different from the dignified feeling I had when I first met Consort Fu.

Li Shiyue remained unfazed and smiled slightly: "The refugees have not yet settled down, so the young master should naturally prioritize the Emperor's decree. Going to the palace to pay respects to the Crown Princess is not like going to see a flood or a ferocious beast, so there is no need for anyone to accompany you."

Consort Fu paused in admiration of her own red nail polish, her smile freezing on her lips. She looked up at her and found her smile utterly irritating.

"Does the Crown Prince's wife think that speaking up for the Princess in front of the Emperor will make the matter go away?"

Li Shiyue raised her head, looking at Consort Fu with some confusion in her eyes. In the past, she was not allowed to raise her head directly according to the rules, but now it was different, as she still held the title of the wife of the heir of the Duke of Rongguo's mansion.

"Whether it's appropriate or not depends entirely on the Empress and the Princess's decision."

It wasn't her who made the mistake; if the Zhao princess continues to be incorrigible, she will inevitably incur the emperor's wrath sooner or later.

As the saying goes, "Those who do evil will not live."

Before Consort Fu could speak again, Li Shiyue had already curtsied: "This humble woman still needs to pay her respects to Her Highness the Crown Princess. It is not appropriate to delay the time. This humble woman will take her leave."

Even without a palace maid to guide her, Li Shiyue could roughly remember the way to Chonghua Palace.

Hearing the palace maids in Chonghua Palace call her "Lady of the Heir Apparent" from inside, a slight ripple stirred in her heart.

Accompanying Xu Lingyu was Liu Zhaoxun, whose belly seemed to have grown even larger. When she saw Li Shiyue walk in, she stood up, supporting her belly.

"Zhaoxun, please don't stand on ceremony. You seem to be quite far along in your pregnancy."

Li Shiyue sat beside Xu Lingyu, looking at Liu Zhaoxun's obvious lower abdomen, which was round and bulging as if it were stuffed with thick cotton.

“You’ve come at the right time. There are some things that it’s better for Liu Zhaoxun to ask. The messenger can’t explain them clearly in just a few words.”

After Xu Lingyu finished speaking, she turned to look at Liu Zhaoxun.

She looked quite well during her pregnancy, but her eyes held a mixture of anxiety and gratitude.

"There is something I need to trouble you and the Crown Prince with. I have a younger uncle who received a message a few days ago claiming to be the one who came to the capital with the refugees."

“I am in Chonghua Palace and cannot leave the palace, so I have come to Your Majesty for help. I have heard that Prince Xu has been assisting the Ministry of Works in settling the refugees in the southwest alleys. I was wondering if I could ask the Xu family for help in finding my uncle.”

Liu Zhaoxun's family background wasn't exactly good either, and the thought of having relatives in the world made her burst into tears.

"Don't cry, don't cry. You're pregnant. If you cry, you'll hurt your body and the baby will suffer." Xu Lingyu quickly said, and a maidservant beside her hurried over.

With gentle words of comfort, Liu Zhaoxun managed to hold back his tears.