"Fine, don't tell me then."

Shen Mingzhuang didn't want to pay any attention to the chubby boy.

Although the Empress Dowager had confined her to her quarters, it did not affect her freedom in the Hehuan Palace. As the weather grew colder, she remembered the vast plum groves described in a novel she had read before, and her heart was stirred. She instructed Tan'er and Zhu'er to go to the Imperial Household Department to ask for winter plum blossoms, specifically the common yellow kind.

When winter comes and it gets cold, you'll see vast fields of beautiful, glistening winter plum blossoms.

The two men were initially worried that their mistress's condition was serious, but now that they saw she had recovered and was even in the mood to personally decorate the courtyard, they were naturally delighted and immediately went to help.

Not only winter plum blossoms, she also had people find all sorts of trinkets outside the palace and bring them in, and even built a swing in the courtyard.

When Jiang Wang heard that the Empress Dowager had confined his maid to the Hehuan Palace, he said nothing. Instead, he turned to ask how the preparations for Princess Jiayuan's marriage to the Lin family were going.

Tan Yonglin then said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Observatory has set the wedding date for the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, while Princess Xian'an's wedding date is the 26th of the twelfth lunar month. The wedding dates of the two princesses are close together, and the Imperial Textile Bureau began preparing their wedding dresses two years ago. However, Princess Xian'an's dress still has some finishing touches to be completed, but it can be finished before the wedding date."

"Submit Princess Jiayuan's dowry list to me when you have time."

When the two princesses got married, part of their dowry was drawn from the national treasury. As for how much or how little, it all depended on how much the princess was favored. There was no doubt that Princess Jiayuan's dowry would be quite substantial, but Jiang Wang had other arrangements.

When the dowry lists for the two princesses arrived, Jiang Wang's expression grew even colder. Although Princess Jiayuan's status was more noble than Princess Xian'an's, was it really necessary for her dowry to be more than three times that of Princess Xian'an? Was this nearly three hundred loads of dowry intended to be the entire national treasury?

Without blinking, Jiang Wang ordered, "The people of Huainan are suffering terribly from the disaster. The weddings of the two princesses should be kept simple. Have the Imperial Household Department prepare a new list."

The people in the Imperial Household Department are all shrewd and as soon as they heard His Majesty's words, they immediately knew what to do.

However, the dowry reduction still needed to be approved by the Empress Dowager. When the Imperial Household Department sent the prepared list to Cixi Palace, the Empress Dowager kicked Xu Fuhai, the head of the Imperial Household Department, in the face and cursed him as a brat!

Xu Fuhai knew he wouldn't get away with anything good at Cixi Palace, but he never expected the Empress Dowager to kick him personally. Thinking of Consort Ming's actions a few days ago, Xu Fuhai's lips twitched. This harem is truly in chaos.

"Go ask the emperor, which princess gets married with a dowry of sixty loads? It's not even as good as the dowries of daughters from noble families outside!"

Hou Linghai shrank back and stammered, "His Majesty said that special times call for special measures. The princess is supported by the whole country, so she should also care about the common people..."

"Bullshit!"

The Empress Dowager couldn't help but swear, her heart filled with turmoil. She paced back and forth in the room like a trapped beast, her mood at its worst.

Hou Linghai had been working in the Imperial Household Department for twenty years, and this was the first time he had ever heard the Empress Dowager speak such vulgar words.

But what could she do even if she was dissatisfied? The emperor had already brought up the fate of the people. If she didn't agree, wouldn't that mean she had no heart for the country?

She was unwilling to swallow this insult.

"Please invite the Duchess of Wen and the Duchess of Wei to the palace."

The next day, in Jiang Wang's study, Wei Chen requested permission from His Majesty to allow the princess's dowry to be jointly borne by our Wei State Duke's Mansion and Wen State Duke's Mansion.

Share the burden? This is probably a way for the Empress Dowager to save face for her daughter after racking her brains. Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow: "Now that the country is in crisis, I intend to ask all the ministers to set an example and contribute to disaster relief. As for the princesses' dowries, they will naturally be provided by the royal family. However, I will not discourage my beloved ministers from being loyal to the country."

Wei Chen was not surprised. He had said that the Emperor would definitely take this opportunity to make the two Dukes' families bleed money. But his mother said that this was the Empress Dowager's wish. They were relatives of the Empress Dowager. If they did not help the Empress Dowager now, when would they?

He felt that this was like offering himself up for free, and it wasn't worth it at all.

Song Yi stood expressionlessly to the side, not saying a word to help. Wei Chen couldn't help but curse him in his heart. Both families had agreed to it, but he was the one who took the lead. He really knew how to scheme!

"I will obey Your Majesty's orders." Song Yi stepped forward and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly. He felt it didn't matter. Rather than giving the silver to a narrow-minded Princess Jiayuan to save face, he would rather use it for disaster relief. At least it would be a good deed and he could also win the hearts of the people. It was much better than throwing good money after bad.

What is an empress dowager? She's just a concubine in the palace who uses her family's influence to her advantage. She's fighting with the emperor. What does she want to do? Does she want to turn herself into the empress? We'll see if she has the ability.

She spends all her time arguing about the ins and outs of the harem, unaware that her vision has been swayed by Consort Ming. The mere appearance of Consort Ming can disrupt her plans, showing that she is not a capable person. The only thing he can admire about her is her ruthless heart.

It's a pity that the Empress Dowager is no longer as decisive and ruthless as she used to be. She is hesitant and indecisive, and is becoming more and more like a stay-at-home wife.

My father did not support the Duke of Wen's family getting involved in this mess, but my mother disagreed and spent all her time in the Duke of Wei's mansion, serving the Empress Dowager.

Wei Chen looked up and glanced sharply at Song Yi. Their eyes met, and Song Yi smiled without any emotion. "I suppose the Duke of Wei's mansion is also of one mind with His Majesty, Your Highness?"

Wei Chen was only surprised for a moment before quickly calming down. "Your Majesty, I and the Duke of Wei's mansion are of one mind. The Duke of Wen's son's question is superfluous."

Jiang Wang watched the two suddenly turn against each other, but he didn't really take it seriously. Large families are all deeply intertwined, and even if the two families have some disagreements, they won't part ways. After all, when family interests are involved, nothing is simply black and white.

"In that case, I will entrust this matter to Commander Yin. I trust you. The officials who have served for many years have accumulated some savings at home. The court needs this matter, and it is time for them to contribute."

Wei Chen's face was bitter! Whoever likes this job should take it, but Song Yi was the first to agree, so why didn't the Emperor ask him to go?

Thinking that he had just been tricked by Song Yi, Wei Chen couldn't refuse any longer and agreed with a smile, but that smile was somewhat bitter.

When Jiang Wang arrived at Hehuan Palace that evening, he saw his maid looking bored, so he told her about the interesting things that had happened in the court recently. Shen Mingzhuang listened and couldn't help but frown: "Is the national treasury already empty?" Otherwise, why would they need the ministers to contribute funds? You know, this is no easy task.