How could the emperor not have heard a word of it? He was used to the constant infighting among those powerful families. As long as it didn't affect the court, he didn't want to get involved in many things. Otherwise, he would have died from exhaustion long ago.
However, the conflict between the Zhao and Bai families seemed irreconcilable, which had already affected normal official business, prompting even Lord Gu to personally report the matter.
This matter also involves the Qiao family.
"In that case, let the Dali Temple investigate. Your brother-in-law was hit by the carriage some time ago, and many of the traces from that time are no longer there. We can only say that we have done our best."
Qiao Lian'er said, "The carriage my brother-in-law was riding in had been smeared with a drug that could drive the horses mad. To make it easier to investigate later, the carriage was kept as it was and was not cleaned or treated. We should still be able to identify some clues."
"That's good. Eunuch Qi, go to the Dali Temple and convey my decree."
After Eunuch Qi left, Lord Gu also withdrew.
The Emperor said, “This time, we did not make a big mistake in the matter of Xiufeng Kingdom, thanks in part to you. As you saw that day, the guests from Xiufeng Kingdom were very satisfied with the reception and praised us highly. They later came to see me privately and said that this year’s design was not only lifelike, but also no different from what we saw in Xiufeng Kingdom, and even better.”
"When they left, they took the flags, cut off that part of the floral carpet, and took the other trinkets and decorations with them as well."
Generally speaking, two countries are far apart, and as long as they don't make mistakes on major issues, minor deviations are acceptable. However, this year, for Xiufeng Kingdom, Daze Kingdom's performance was too perfect and impeccable, and the guests were very grateful.
Qiao Lian'er said, "I have received the reward sent by His Majesty. It is my duty to help His Majesty and relieve his worries."
The six chests of gold and silver jewelry contained more than those of Lord Gu and Mu Xinghe.
The emperor looked thoughtful. He felt that Qiao Lian'er had more opportunities to use her talents. He had hesitated earlier because she was a woman, and having obtained the status of a princess and commanding elite troops was already an extremely high status and honor for her.
But now he has gradually come to terms with it. Just as Qiao Lian'er said when she requested to recruit female soldiers, regardless of whether they are men or women, they are all his subjects and have the heart to serve him. They should shine and contribute within their own capabilities.
Especially with someone as capable as Qiao Lian'er, their talents should be put to good use; this is the art of employing people that an emperor should possess.
He wanted to test Qiao Lian'er, so he said, "There is something I have not yet decided on and would like to discuss with you."
Qiao Lian'er's expression became serious and respectful.
The emperor said, "Liuzhou suffered from drought last year and this year, resulting in poor harvests. This year is particularly severe, and the people have exhausted their surplus grain. They can only wait for the local government to open the granaries for disaster relief."
"However, the local government did not have much grain in storage and could only buy it from grain merchants. The grain merchants took the opportunity to raise prices, which put a burden on the local government."
"Liuzhou is close to the northwest and too far from the capital. Although the capital can provide aid, it is costly, time-consuming, and expensive to travel back and forth. It is not the best option. Does the princess have a better plan?"
This is a problem that has been giving the emperor a headache recently. Liuzhou is a large prefecture, and if the people don't have enough to eat, they will cause unrest, which will make things even more complicated.
He considered the court's relief as a last resort because, in order to ensure the prosperity and operation of the country, the annual fiscal revenue and expenditure were kept in a state of barely balancing. Liuzhou was equivalent to three other prefectures in size, so to really provide relief would be to tear a huge hole in the treasury.
Qiao Lian'er thought of the story of Fan Zhongyan raising prices to relieve disaster, which was similar to this case.
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