Just as Fu Xiaoguan finished speaking the key clauses of the policy paper, the doorman came to report that the Ninth Princess had arrived.

Qin Bing had a million questions in his mind, but he could only stand up and lead everyone to greet them.

Yu Wenjun stood in the front hall, with her hands behind her back and tiptoeing. When she saw Qin Bingzhong and his group coming, she immediately walked over.

Qin Bingzhong was about to bow when Yu Wenyun suddenly supported him. "Mr. Qin, please don't be like this. Wenyun came here abruptly because I have something urgent to discuss with Mr. Fu."

Then Yu Wenjun winked at Fu Xiaoguan and Dong Shulan, and followed Qin Bingzhong into the study again.

"Well, the emperor has read your proposal and he wants to use you."

Fu Xiaoguan was delighted and said with a smile: "See, Your Majesty still has some vision."

Yu Wenjun glared at him, thinking that she was worried sick about him, but he was still chatting and laughing.

"Did His Majesty say when he would see me?"

"No, I guess we have to wait until the end of the Autumn Examination."

Well, there are still two days left, so Fu Xiaoguan put the matter aside and started chatting with Qin Bingzhong again.

"As far as I know, after the devastating disaster along the Yellow River this year, grain prices in nearby counties and even prefectures have indeed increased at least fivefold. Using the grain originally allocated for disaster relief to stabilize grain prices is a good idea. But there's one thing I don't understand: do the victims have money to buy food? They've lost their homes, and the first thing they'll do after the disaster is over is rebuilding. Even if they have extra money, they'll probably use it for construction, not buying food."

"Let me explain this. After a disaster, victims will flee to the nearest county and settle down there. Don't underestimate the resilience of the working people. They'll build simple houses for temporary residence, hoping to return to their homes as soon as the flood passes. At this point, they need to buy food, but prices are already manipulated, even food originally intended for disaster relief is now priced high. Survival is the primary need, and no matter how high the price, food is essential. Consequently, they quickly deplete their remaining money, and to survive, they'll sell their land. Once the money from the land is gone, they'll have no choice but to flee."

"The crux of the problem lies in grain prices. Landlords or grain merchants, in collusion with the government, withhold grain for disaster relief. This leaves the victims hungry, forcing them to pay high prices until they go bankrupt. The landlords or grain merchants then take advantage of this opportunity to buy the land that the victims are selling at low prices. This is their ultimate goal! Note that all this is done to buy land at a low price! But if grain prices remain stable, the victims can use their remaining money to survive the famine, and the land remains in their hands, allowing them to continue to survive on their own land."

"If the imperial court needs to win over the people at this time, then building houses for them for free will make them grateful for the rest of their lives."

"The common people don't ask for much; just a roof over their heads and food to eat is all they have."

"This will solve the problem of most of the victims. If we're more careful, we can register women, children, the elderly, and the young, and offer them some benefits. If the prefecture and county officials are capable, they can even provide them with employment opportunities, such as... building dikes or repairing city walls, allowing them to exchange their labor for wages. This will create a virtuous cycle and naturally solve the problem of the displacement of disaster victims."

Fu Xiaoguan said a lot. Qin Bingzhong frowned and thought for a long time, then nodded.

"But if you do this, the land will no longer be annexed. If your majesty adopts this good idea, you will offend even more people."

Of course Fu Xiaoguan had thought about this. Since he had already offended these people, he didn't mind offending them further.

Yu Wenjun entered the scene halfway through, not knowing the previous cause, but only hearing the consequences. He felt that the policy proposal was indeed amazing, no wonder it caught the eye of his father.

Dong Shulan was a little worried. The officialdom was like a vast web, with every move affecting the entire system. While Fu Xiaoguan's strategy might seem to have prevented the landlords from annexing the land, it actually affected the interests of those officials. Who knew which factions those officials belonged to? Who knew which family or which high-ranking official was behind them?

Afterwards, Fu Xiaoguan and Qin Bingzhong talked about some other issues. Qin Bingzhong suddenly understood and thought that his friend, regardless of age difference, was indeed an extraordinary person. If this disaster relief strategy could be implemented, it would be a blessing for the people and the country.

It was already late, so Fu Xiaoguan and others said goodbye and left the Qin Mansion.

Yu Wenjun and Dong Shulan rode in the same carriage. In the carriage, Yu Wenjun spoke apologetically about his visit to Dong's house. Dong Shulan did not blame Yu Wenjun. After all, Yu Wenjun did not know that he was under house arrest.

"I haven't left the house since I came back from Linjiang. Mom's been watching me closely. She seems to have discovered something."

"What should we do then?"

"It's okay, but don't think too much about it. I really can't go out. I can't tell you that I'm coming to the capital, so I can only sneak out at night."

"Isn't it exciting?"

"Do you want to try it?"

"I think so. How about...I can sneak out tomorrow night too?"

…

Dong Shulan walked into the Dong Mansion through the front door in broad daylight.

The lights in the front hall were still on. She took a deep breath, remained silent for a moment, and walked to the door. Minister Dong and Madam Dong were sitting inside.

When she walked in, Minister Dong put down the book in his hand, looked at her, and asked, "When did Fu Xiaoguan come to Shangjing?"

Dong Shulan was startled, and Minister Dong continued, "He had a conflict with Yan Xiwen at Lantingji, and then went to Sifanglou with Yan Xiwen and others. This is nothing, but Dad wants to ask you, why did he tell Yan Xiwen that you were his fiancée?"

It seems that this matter has already spread out. Dong Shulan was prepared for this, but she did not expect it to happen so soon.

"My daughter has already decided to spend her life with Fu Xiaoguan."

Dong Shulan originally thought that it would take great courage to say this, but now she realized that it was not that difficult, and she even breathed a sigh of relief.

"absurd!"

Dong Kangping slammed the book in his hand onto the table. "How can you mess around with such an important matter? I'm telling you right now, there's no chance for you and Fu Xiaoguan!"

Dong Shulan listened calmly. Dong Kangping sighed and lowered his voice. "You're supposed to be smart, so how could you be so foolish in this matter? Fu Xiaoguan's family is a landlord, and he's just a scholar without any official position. Now, because of his ignorance, he saved over 30,000 disaster victims. Do you know that disaster is imminent?"

"Father is telling you this: within a month, the Linjiang Fu family will be wiped out. So no matter what your reason is, you absolutely cannot marry Fu Xiaoguan!"

"Yan Shidao came to see me today. Yan Xiwen is about to be sent out as an official. Your relationship must be settled before Yan Xiwen leaves the capital!"