Bao Ning spent the whole afternoon making a list. It included all the famous shopkeepers and nobles in Feng County, a total of eighty people.
She ate a quick dinner and went out with Liang Quan and Aunt Liu to borrow food.
As expected, they were turned away.
Bao Ning looked at those people who used to smile shyly and nod and bow when they saw her. Today, they still smiled, but their eyes were erratic, full of contempt and resistance. Most people cried to her and said some irrelevant words. A small number of people told her tactfully that she could sell some food first, but it was impossible to sell all of it. They also needed to keep some things to save their lives.
Bao Ning knew what they were thinking. The city had not been broken yet. Although the enemy was at the gates, it was different from having a knife on their necks. Those nobles were unaware of the suffering of the people and lived almost the same life as before. They were still complacent and unwilling to fight the enemy with all their strength. They wanted to save all the food until the end, waiting for the government to compromise and buy it at a higher price, or simply sell it to the people at a high price and make a fortune.
Whoever sells now is a fool. Not only will he be laughed at, but he will also be isolated by others.
At the second watch, Bao Ning smiled and said goodbye to the shopkeeper of the largest silk shop in Feng County, and returned to the palace tiredly.
Sitting at the table and drinking a cup of hot tea, Nanny Liu kneaded Baoning's shoulders distressedly and said angrily, "Those big merchants are all greedy. They don't even think about it. If the city is really breached, what's the point of them guarding those grains? The Huns can rob and burn them at will. They don't even know how they died. They are short-sighted like mice in a warehouse. The princess, who is of such a noble status, came to ask for help in person when she was pregnant, but they actually... Merchants are fine, but those generals, dushi, and clerks, who eat the court's salary, actually... "
Liang Quan said, "But no one wants to be the first to do something. It is understandable that they put us in the same situation as them. You are guarding 10,000 taels of silver. You know that it may become 100,000 or 1 million taels in the future. How can you be willing to sell it at the original price now? Compared with loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, most people care more about themselves. When the interests are in front of them, those who dare to give them up immediately are saints, and ordinary people will definitely hesitate. "
Bao Ning nodded and said, "Master Liang is right."
Nanny Liu asked anxiously, "What should we do?"
"No one wants to be the first to do this, so I'll do it." Bao Ning told Liang Quan, "Sir Liang, I'm afraid you won't be able to rest tonight. Please send soldiers to take away all the food in my granary. I will count all my properties and farms overnight. All the losses caused by buying and selling food this time will not be included in the official accounts. I will bear all of them. When my money is gone, I will make up for it from the public account. Tomorrow morning, I will go to the homes of officials above the fifth rank in the city and persuade them one by one to set an example for the people."
Nanny Liu was shocked and said, "Princess, have you thought it through? There are nearly 500,000 soldiers and civilians in the city. With this kind of transactions, the land in the mansion will be emptied in a month at most, this... "
Bao Ning interrupted her in a gentle voice: "For the sake of this war, so many people have lost their lives. I'm just giving away some money, which is nothing."
Liang Quan couldn't help but burst into tears. He had never thought that a weak woman could have such courage and determination. After listening to Bao Ning, he immediately stood up and saluted, saying: "I am not talented, but I am willing to do my best for the princess and Feng County. After I go back, I will count the money and food in my home and give them all to do my best!"
Bao Ning also felt sore in her eyes. She stood up and saluted to him and said: "Thank you, Lord Liang."
...
Before dawn, the palace was already busy. Countless people were coming in and out, and Aunt Liu was leading the registration of the items being moved out. Baoning sat on the couch holding Yuanzi in his arms, watching the valuable antique jades, jewelry, and jewellery being carried out one by one.
The house suddenly became empty.
It would be a lie to say that he didn't feel sad. Baoning closed his eyes, buried his face in Yuanzi's neck, and tried to calm himself down.
Yuanzi felt the wetness on his neck, he hugged Baoning's shoulders and comforted her softly: "Aunt, I think you are great. I heard Uncle Liang say that many uncles knew what you did. They didn't even sleep last night and donated all their things. Uncle Liang said that it was you who saved Fengxian, and it was all worth it. Aunt, don't cry, even if we have no money now, but we can make it back. When uncle comes back, he will definitely be very proud and will work harder to make money for you. If uncle is useless, then you wait until I grow up, and I will make a lot of money for you to spend."
"Yuanzi..." Baoning hugged him tighter and finally couldn't help crying.
The emotional collapse happened in an instant. Baoning thought of the helplessness during this period and the missing Pei Yuan, and she couldn't stop her tears.
In the morning, she went to the closet to get a scarf and saw the clothes that Pei Yuan had worn before. The clothes were neatly stacked on one side. Baoning felt that for a moment, she seemed to have an illusion. She saw Pei Yuan coming over with his usual stinky face, pointing at the clothes and getting angry, and said to her fiercely: "I don't like blue pants and don't want to wear them. I tore them on purpose. Why did you sew them?"
In the past, Baoning would definitely quarrel with him unhappily, saying that he had torn more than one or two pairs of pants, so how did she know he did it on purpose? Besides, what's wrong with the color blue? Blue trousers are the most fashionable among the young men in the city now. It's because he's old and his brain is not flexible, and he's still stubborn. He just wears whatever he's given. Why is he complaining so much? It's really annoying.
But at that moment, Baoning couldn't say anything. She stared at the phantom as if possessed, and didn't even dare to touch it, for fear that it would disappear if she touched it.
She listened quietly, hoping that he would say a few more words.
It turned out that the most ordinary and least cherished fragments of time in the past were also so happy.
In a corner that she didn't know, was Pei Yuan missing her?
She tried very hard not to embarrass him.
...
The heavy snow that had been falling for dozens of days finally stopped. Pei Yuan turned his wheelchair and walked to the window, squinting at the long-lost sunlight outside.
Le Xu was sitting outside, chatting jokingly with a little maid from the Suwei Mansion. Pei Yuan glanced at him and thought, this man looked like the white snow on the mountain at first sight, with a sense of alienation that kept people away from him. Unexpectedly, he was a playboy, flying around in the flowers all day long, and would talk to a girl if he caught her.
Pei Yuan looked at him, and Le Xu said goodbye to the shy little maid, turned around and walked into the house, asking, "How are you? Are you feeling better today?"
Pei Yuan said "hmm".
Le Xu raised his eyebrows and said, "What do you think about all day? You're like a wooden sculpture. We've been together for a month and I haven't seen you smile."
Pei Yuan asked back, "Why should I smile for you?"
Le Xu was speechless. After a while, he said helplessly, "Okay."
Pei Yuan ignored him and reached into his front to grope around. He took out a small wooden stick, then a dagger. He lowered his head and carefully cut a knife on it, then rubbed it back and forth to make the scratch deeper. He couldn't use his left hand, so his movements were slow and clumsy.
Le Xu saw that the small stick had been neatly carved with many marks, and asked in confusion: "What are you doing?"
"Counting days."
Pei Yuan blew away the sawdust on the stick and counted again from the beginning to the end, a total of 32 marks.
This means that he has not seen Bao Ning for 32 days.
Pei Yuan thought, when he left, Bao Ning was three months pregnant, and now it is a little over four months, her belly should be bigger. He measured it with his right hand in front of his lower abdomen, thinking that it should be this big, there is a little life living inside, it is their child, and it will be born in another five months. Bao Ning is so afraid of cold, she must wear a lot of clothes every day, wrapping herself up like a plush bear. Pei Yuan couldn't help laughing when he thought of her swaying in the snow while playing snowball fights with Yuanzi, and the time when Jixiang accidentally broke her vase and she angrily chased Jixiang around the yard with a small stick.
But then he thought again, Baoning is no longer with him by her side, is Fengxian's situation still okay, is she in good health, will she be unable to eat because of morning sickness, or unable to sleep because of worrying about him?
Pei Yuan couldn't laugh again.
He felt extremely distressed and guilty. He couldn't accompany Baoning through her most difficult time. He left Baoning alone in such a dangerous place. How scared she must be. She is still like a child who has not grown up and needs to be protected, but he is so irresponsible to push the heavy burden onto her.
Will Baoning be angry or cry?
How should he compensate her and coax her?
Le Xu watched the changes in Pei Yuan's expression in silence. He was used to it. He has been like this since the day he woke up. He was weird and muttering. As long as he didn't talk about anything, he would sit by the window in a daze. No one knew what he was thinking, and no one dared to ask.
The room was quiet and only the sound of burning charcoal could be heard.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps were heard outside.
Pei Yuan looked up and it was Su Wei. He looked anxious and held a letter in his hand. Le Xu saw at a glance that something important had happened. He could not stay in the room any longer. He took a few fruits from the table and hid them in his sleeves, then left with a look.
Su Wei said, "Your Majesty, the person sent to the capital to get information has just returned. It turns out something has happened!"
Pei Yuan put his small wooden stick back on his chest and said in a calm voice, "Tell me about it."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty is critically ill!"
Pei Yuan suddenly raised his head and looked over, repeating in disbelief, "Critically ill? What does critically ill mean? What did the imperial physician say?"
"That's right, it could collapse at any time." Su Wei said stiffly, "The Third Prince and the Fifth Prince have both returned to the capital, and the Eastern Palace is without a master. Now the palace is in chaos. On the surface, everyone is worried about the emperor's illness, but in fact, everyone is secretly making moves to seize the throne. Prime Minister Dong led his group of old ministers and said that the Fifth Prince is young and has no talent to be a monarch, so they proposed to support the Third Prince to ascend the throne. Empress Shen and her party refused to agree, but Prime Minister Dong was powerful, The Third Prince has many connections in the court, and Empress Shen has gained nothing and is already at a disadvantage. The messengers we originally sent were detained by Prime Minister Dong, and the grain and supplies that were supposed to be transported to Yanbei were also detained. Prime Minister Dong must have colluded with the Third Prince, and wanted to use this battle to trap you... so that the Third Prince can ascend the throne in one fell swoop!"
Su Wei said, becoming more and more angry: "I am blind, and I originally thought that Prime Minister Dong was a man who loved his people like his own children. "I thought he was a good official, so I was willing to submit to him. I didn't expect him to have such evil intentions! Now that I think about it, Dai Zeng must have been planted by him next to me a long time ago. Now he dares to intercept reinforcements and food. It's really shameless!"
Pei Yuan pondered for a while, and suddenly said: "No, although Dong Yushu is the head of all officials, he can't extend his hand to the army. The one who is in charge of the military camp in Beijing now should be General Feng Huchang. General Feng Xiang Zhengzhi, Pei Xiao also wanted to entangle him earlier, and he has always been shameless. Could it be that he is now in cahoots with Pei Xiao? "
Su Wei said: "Prince, this time the spy came back with a woman, saying that she is your sister-in-law, the fourth daughter of Rongguo Duke Ji Changping, and the former prince's concubine Ji Jiaying. Madam Ji said that she knows the news about General Feng and wants to see you. "
Pei Yuan was shocked for a moment, and quickly said seriously: "Let her in."