"Why? They're all princesses, and when you ask them, they just talk about it. But when it comes to me, I'm banished to the frontier without even asking?"

Qin Minghuang said calmly, "Because I am the Empress, I am willing. If you don't like it, you can try to see if you can sit on this throne."

Forget it, I thank your ancestors for eight generations.

Empress: !

Qin Zhaoyue sighed deeply. "Fine, for the sake of the 500,000 disaster victims."

“I think my fourth sister is right, fundraising is a good thing.”

However, conventional methods are not fast enough and it is difficult to raise enough disaster relief funds.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Whether they will succeed depends on whether the Empress Dowager has evidence against a certain type of person.

The corruption, which hadn't been eradicated for some reason, is now being used as a warning to others.

Among civil and military officials, very few are truly not corrupt; the difference lies only in whether they are extremely corrupt or only slightly corrupt.

A prefect can amass a fortune in three years, and that's not even mentioning the high-ranking officials in the court.

Cleaning up officialdom doesn't mean eliminating all corrupt officials; if the water is too clear, there will be no fish.

Qin Zhaoyue knew that the Empress controlled multiple intelligence agencies, and how could she possibly hide the truth from the Empress's eyes? However, she did not take action for various reasons.

For example, being able to get things done, having a strong background, being involved in too many things, or being harmless, and so on.

"Propose fundraising at the morning court tomorrow. Nothing else is needed; just keep a clear eye on the target."

"After court, send the Qilin Guard to arrest him. The evidence is conclusive; just confiscate his property. A little maneuvering will suffice."

Qin Zhaoyue stopped talking at this point. The method sounded simple and straightforward, but in reality, there were many twists and turns involved.

But she didn't believe her mother was ignorant, so she stopped there.

Silence fell once again in the imperial study as the other four princesses pondered.

As expected, the Third Princess, who was the most quick-witted, was the first to react, casting a complicated glance over, but Qin Zhaoyue pretended not to notice.

After waiting for a long time without the Empress Dowager responding, she spoke again:

"Furthermore, donating grain is worse than donating money; 10 coins equals one dou."

If we were to be even more ruthless, we could have all the officials sent to the disaster area for inspection, but that would involve too many people and offend too many.

It would be fine to have officials spend some money and pull some strings to buy grain, but then there would be trouble with transportation and inspection, so it's better to forget about it.

Leaving aside the drastic measures, the suggestion of replacing silver with grain alone was enough to shock them.

Of course, this can only be achieved with the support of the first point; otherwise, it would be impossible to implement.

Qin Zhaoyue gritted her teeth, hesitated for a long time, but still chose to continue:

"Furthermore, bran can be used to replace a certain proportion of coarse grains."

What! This time, the reaction in the Imperial Study far exceeded that before.

"Sixth Sister, bran...that's for the livestock!"

Qin Zhaoyue's face remained firm, showing no sign of wavering. Of course, she knew that bran was for livestock.

If good rice is used, it will inevitably be skimmed off at every level, and it's uncertain how much will actually reach the disaster victims.

Using whole grains would be slightly better, but mixing in bran would probably deter many people from trying it.

Moreover, are disaster victims... even human beings...?

Qin Zhaoyue didn't think there was anything wrong with her older sister's questioning at all. When she was a child, she also felt that what she did was inhuman.

The disaster victims are already suffering enough, but to replace the disaster relief grain with bran and chaff, how are they any different from animals?

But as I gained more social experience and deepened my thinking, I suddenly realized:

It turns out that the words spoken by the biggest corrupt official in that drama were the truth, but are the disaster victims still human?

It's cruel and hard to accept.

The silence was eerily unsettling. Qin Zhaoyue stood solemnly, offering no explanation whatsoever.

Qin Minghuang was moved once again!

I thought I had gotten to know my sixth daughter again, but I didn't expect it was still far from enough.

Are disaster victims still human?

She could read helplessness and determination on Xiao Liu's face; this was definitely not sarcasm.

Such inner beauty!

At this moment, Qin Minghuang's emotions were as turbulent as an earthquake, and it took her a long time to barely suppress them.

"Fifty thousand taels were drawn from the imperial treasury."

The princesses were confused at this point, but upon hearing this, they all agreed to donate money.

The eldest princess, the third princess, and the fourth princess each received 20,000 taels of silver, and the ninth princess received 10,000 taels of silver.

Qin Zhaoyue looked pained, "I'll also contribute one hundred taels."

Everyone: ...

Alright, Qin Minghuang's emotions calmed down considerably.

Laziness, aversion to sleep, extravagance, and greed for money—the accumulation of these flaws quietly shattered her initial shock, giving her a sense of reality.

The daughter is still the same daughter, only she has hidden her wisdom more deeply, and her character remains unruly.

"Ten thousand taels," Qin Minghuang said through gritted teeth.

"No, really, my expenses are... a bit high."

Qin Minghuang immediately came up with an idea, "Considering your helpful suggestion, I'll acknowledge ten thousand taels, but I don't actually have to give it to you."

"Really?"

"A promise is a promise."

"Alright, then ten thousand taels it is!"

After the audience in the Imperial Study ended, Qin Zhaoyue strode out.

The fact that the prime minister's son had been drugged was made public before the Empress Dowager, and the tragic beginning had been completely rewritten.

She couldn't help but stretch, thinking that putting in some ideas was worth it.

The five sisters walked out, and the others looked at the sixth sister with strange expressions.

"Little Six, you..."

"Eldest sister, third sister, fourth sister," Qin Zhaoyue interrupted, "I support you all, keep up the good work! Looking forward to you carrying me!"

Turning to look behind him, he saw Xiao Jiu's misty eyes, just like a puppy's. He couldn't help but pat her hair. "Take Xiao Jiu with you too, she'll starve if she relies on her brain."

Wow!

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