Because of the incident of losing the bracelet yesterday, I was worried that if I made another mistake, I would lose my head. Therefore, before leaving the inner room last night, I checked it carefully again. If Emperor Beichen hadn't come, I would have loved to sleep with those jewelry. So when I heard the Empress's question, I quickly replied.
"Your Majesty, when I checked last night, the headdress was indeed still there..."
Upon hearing the maid's words, the Empress's eyes flickered, and she waved her hand.
"Get down, and shut your mouth..."
After the maid left, the Empress turned to the maid beside her and spoke.
"Go and have Xiao Dezi go ahead and find out if anything has happened in the previous dynasty recently..."
The maidservant acknowledged and withdrew, and returned with Xiao Dezi less than half an hour later.
Upon learning that Emperor Beichen had issued an edict ordering merchants to make donations for the refugees outside the city, the Empress's eyes narrowed slightly.
Thinking of Emperor Beichen's unusual behavior these past two days, and the things that had suddenly disappeared from her palace, the Empress couldn't help but laugh. She was now certain that the missing items had been "taken" by Emperor Beichen.
However, the Empress became somewhat curious at this moment. The pair of jade bracelets were easy to take, but where did he hide the jewelry and other old things when he took them?
However, as curious as she was, the Empress would never expose the truth; in fact, she would help cover it up.
When Emperor Beichen heard Han Yiyi say that there was enough food, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. There was no other way; if it wasn't enough, his small body wouldn't be able to handle it.
Just as Emperor Beichen saw Nangong Yuan and Han Yiyi off, he heard a eunuch announce that the Empress was requesting an audience outside the Imperial Study.
Upon hearing that the Empress wanted to see him, and thinking of what he had "taken" from her, Emperor Beichen instinctively wanted to speak up and have the eunuch find an excuse to send her away.
Before he could even speak, the Empress outside the palace spoke softly.
"Your Majesty, I heard that the refugees outside the city are lacking food and clothing, and their houses need to be rebuilt. Some merchants have also made donations. So I took the lead and, together with my sisters in the palace, donated 100,000 taels of silver, hoping to do my part for the people outside the city..."
Upon hearing the Empress's words, Emperor Beichen's eyes lit up, and he quickly summoned the person in.
"The Empress is truly kind-hearted. It is our good fortune to have such a queen as our people of Beichen..."
For the sake of the money, Emperor Beichen really gave his empress a good beating. When the empress heard Emperor Beichen's praise, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up, and she thought to herself, it seems that she made the right move.
With the medicine, the refugees recovered quickly, and the donated silver had been deposited into the national treasury. The most powerful merchant family in the capital was the Yun family, and this time, the Yun family had spent a lot of money to obtain the title of imperial merchant. Naturally, the result was as they wished, and they became the imperial merchant of Beichen.
With the matter resolved, Emperor Beichen was overjoyed. To fulfill his promise, he directly bestowed upon Han Yiyi the title of Princess Changning and even granted her a princess's residence.
In fact, the reason why Emperor Beichen bestowed the title of princess upon Han Yiyi was not only because he genuinely felt that she had saved the people outside the city, but also because he did not want to reward her with gold and silver.
Han Yiyi was delighted to see that the imperial edict not only conferred upon her the title of princess but also bestowed upon her a certain amount of silver. After all, she had never considered being a princess in the capital. In the end, she would still return to Ping'an Town, so in her opinion, silver was the most practical thing.
Han Yiyi was stunned when she saw the ten taels of silver in the eunuch's hand. She thought to herself, "This is what they call a certain amount of civil silver. It's just ten taels of silver. How can a dignified emperor like me afford to spend so much?"
If Emperor Beichen knew what Han Yiyi was thinking, he would definitely say, "If you don't want it, then give it back to me..."
Actually, you can't blame Emperor Beichen for being stingy. This flood was nationwide, and a large amount of grain was destroyed. This is a huge disaster for a country, and if it is not resolved in time, it could very likely cause social unrest.
Therefore, it is necessary to purchase a large amount of grain and distribute it to various places so that the people can get through this difficult period.
Han Yiyi has been in Kyoto for almost a month now. The matter has been resolved, and the two children have recovered from their illnesses. Thanks to Han Yiyi's hard work in cooking during this time, the two little ones have finally gained some weight, and even Nangong Ling and his wife have almost gotten a lot fatter.
Seeing that the two children had fully recovered, Han Yiyi wanted to take them sightseeing in Kyoto for a few days, since even though it was her second time in Kyoto, she hadn't explored the city yet.
Now that the Princess's Mansion is available, Han Yiyi felt it would be a waste not to stay. Besides, she felt a little awkward living with the Nangong family. Therefore, seeing that the two children were well, she moved into the Princess's Mansion, and the two children moved in with her. Seeing this, Old Madam Nangong kept giving Nangong Yuan meaningful glances, meaning that she wanted Nangong Yuan to move in as well.
Nangong Yuan received a meaningful look from his grandmother, and a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes. He wanted to, too, but he wondered if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that Han Yiyi was intentionally or unintentionally avoiding him this time...
Now that the Yun family has become imperial merchants, they are enjoying unparalleled prestige, and everyone in the family, whether masters or servants, gives off an arrogant and haughty feeling.
In particular, Madam Yun specially prepared a banquet, inviting dignitaries and nobles from Kyoto.
On the day of the banquet, the Yun family was brightly decorated and bustling with activity. Madam Yun, dressed in gorgeous clothes, greeted the guests with a beaming smile.
"Madam Yun, congratulations!"
"The Yun family is truly blessed to have become imperial merchants."
The guests offered their congratulations to Madam Yun, who was overjoyed to hear such compliments.
Yun Yong, the head of the Yun family, stood to the side, also beaming with joy as he toasted the guests, his eyes brimming with pride.
Yun Xiao, who had been claiming illness and staying indoors since returning home, looked saddened upon hearing the lively sounds from the front yard.
Yunlai's business spans the entire Beichen. He naturally knows that doing business sometimes requires certain tactics, but he never imagined that the Yun family would also have a part in raising grain prices after the flood. No, it should be said that Yunlai was the one who orchestrated it.
However, the money donated this time was all hard-earned money from the people. Thinking about how he got the title of "Imperial Merchant," Yun Xiao felt only irony. It really was "taken from the people and used for the people"...
Thinking of how Han Yiyi risked exposing her secret to help the people in Ping'an Town so they wouldn't go hungry, Yun Xiao felt even more ashamed...
Han Yiyi really disliked having people following her when she went shopping, so she ordered all the servants the emperor had arranged for her to stay at the princess's residence, and she took only her two children to wander around the city at will.
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