Li Xi's heart stirred, and she understood the emperor's intention.
She bowed and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, we will certainly take this opportunity to demonstrate the majesty and determination of the court to those powerful families."
The emperor nodded in satisfaction and said, "Very well, I'll wait and see. Also, there's one more thing I need to tell you."
Li Xi quickly replied, "Please give your instructions, Your Majesty."
The emperor said in a deep voice, "This fundraising effort by the charity is of great importance. If anyone harbors ulterior motives and tries to take advantage of the situation for personal gain, you must deal with them decisively and without leniency."
She quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I will obey your command and do my utmost to ensure the smooth progress of the fundraising."
The emperor nodded slightly and said, "Alright, you may leave now. Take this with you."
A eunuch placed a tray in front of her; it contained a token symbolizing imperial power.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Xi took the token and left the Imperial Study.
It was still early, so the three returned to the Qiyang Chamber of Commerce.
"Xiao Xi, what did His Majesty say to you?" Chairman Wang asked curiously.
There are only the three of them here right now, so there's nothing they can't say.
Li Xi placed the token on the table and sighed, "They're just telling us to do things well and providing us with security."
Chairman Wang picked up the token on the table, and the four large characters "As if the Emperor were present" on it were very eye-catching.
She clicked her tongue in admiration: "It seems His Majesty takes this matter very seriously, even bestowing upon you such a token. With it, we will encounter far fewer obstacles in carrying out our tasks."
“Yes,” Li Xi nodded, “Jingyuan is currently beset by internal and external troubles, and the national treasury is empty.” This was the emperor’s explanation.
In fact, the battle at the front was intense. Not only in Rongcheng on the border, but the Geri tribe was also coming on strong, causing the Jingyuan army to suffer repeated defeats.
Meanwhile, Yancheng, which borders the Gobi Desert, is frequently invaded by the Xiongnu. Small groups of Xiongnu troops have even broken into villages near Yancheng, burning, killing, and looting, causing great fear among the people of Yancheng.
Meanwhile, banditry broke out again within the country...
The world may seem peaceful on the surface, but in reality, undercurrents are surging.
The powerful and wealthy families possess immense wealth, yet they only care about their own interests. Behind the scenes, they engage in activities that harm Jingyuan, disregarding national security and the lives of the people.
The emperor also wanted those people to bleed money to fund the military and quell the banditry.
"Does Master Feng have a good plan?"
Li Xi never expected that it was the emperor who approached him first, and that the favor Qin Xiaolin had asked her to do was actually about this matter!
Although she had already agreed to His Majesty's request, she was still somewhat uncertain about the outcome.
After all, she had no experience dealing with those powerful and wealthy families, let alone trying to squeeze military funds out of them.
Master Feng seemed to see what Li Xi was thinking. He lowered his head and pondered for a while before slowly saying, "This matter is indeed very troublesome, but it is not without a solution."
Upon hearing this, Li Xi's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Oh? Then, Master Feng, do you have any good suggestions?"
Chairman Wang, standing to the side, also looked at Master Feng with anticipation, as if he could really come up with some good ideas.
"Didn't His Majesty just say he wanted to donate 500,000 taels to the charity? We can use His Majesty's influence to do this. Tomorrow, you can go to the palace and talk to His Majesty..."
Meng Zhelan, who led a group of people to collect medicinal herbs in Huangshi Village, unexpectedly encountered Prince An.
These days, he has accompanied her up and down the mountain every day to collect and dry medicinal herbs, and he has long been accustomed to this way of life.
Seeing Meng Zhelan's busy figure, Prince An thought to himself that it wouldn't be bad if life could continue like this...
"Your Highness, could you please hand me that winnowing basket?" Meng Zhelan now ordered him around without any hesitation.
Prince An smiled slightly and obediently handed the winnowing basket in his hand to Meng Zhelan.
Sunlight shone on his gentle face, and his eyes were full of doting affection for her.
Meng Zhelan took the winnowing basket and began to carefully sort through the freshly picked medicinal herbs.
“By gently shaking it like this, those that are not plump or have flaws will naturally be sifted out,” Meng Zhelan explained softly as she demonstrated.
He looked at her as if she were the most beautiful painting in the world.
Those hands, though not delicate and fair, had slightly yellowed fingertips—a unique mark left from years of contact with medicinal herbs.
“It would be nice to work at sunrise and rest at sunset every day like this.” He suddenly spoke, his voice deep and magnetic. “Every time I see you doing these things, I think how wonderful it would be if time could stand still at this moment forever.”
Meng Zhelan raised her head slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, which then turned into a gentle smile.
She didn't say anything, but continued with her work.
Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing them in a golden halo.
At this moment, Lu Yi, who was busy in the courtyard, felt extremely anxious.
Such a good opportunity, yet His Highness did not express his feelings to Doctor Meng. What is he hesitating about?
Upon hearing that Doctor Meng had gone to Huangshi Village, His Highness did not hesitate to rush there overnight, even temporarily setting aside his affairs in the capital, and followed him in and out every day.
However, His Highness simply followed silently. In the dead of night, he would stare blankly at Doctor Meng's door.
This was something Lu Yi found hard to understand.
"Your Highness, when are you going back? Please take these pills to Xiaoxi for me," Meng Zhelan asked.
This medicine can neutralize the toxicity of those who have taken counterfeit drugs. After testing it last time, she found that long-term use of this medicine would cause irreversible damage to the body.
The imperial court has publicly dealt with the matter of counterfeit medicines, and all the dens that sold counterfeit medicines have been shut down.
The victims not only lost money, but their health also deteriorated due to the delay in treatment caused by the fake drugs.
Therefore, entrusted by the retired emperor, she came here to collect medicinal herbs and refine the antidote.
The geology of Huangshi Village is very suitable for the growth of medicinal herbs. The herbs here are diverse and of high quality, making them an indispensable source of medicinal materials for refining antidotes.
Perhaps this place could be developed into a base for cultivating medicinal herbs.
A thought popped into her head: if she could develop the medicinal herb industry in Huangshi Village, it would not only bring more income to the villagers, but also help treat illnesses and save lives.
Moreover, she had already expressed to the Empress Dowager her desire to establish a women's medical college to train female doctors who specialize in treating women and to solve the problem of women's difficulty in accessing medical care.
With the Emperor's support, anyone with ulterior motives would have to think twice before trying to use the device.
"Dr. Meng, take a look at this herb, is it what you want?" Da Niu's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Meng Zhelan snapped out of her daze, took the herbs from his hand, and examined them carefully.
The leaves of the herb are dark green with clearly visible veins and emit a faint fragrance.
She sniffed it gently, then nodded, a delighted smile on her face, and said, "Yes, this is it. Thank you, Brother Da Niu."
Da Niu scratched his head and said with a smile, "Don't mention it, we're all friends. I don't know what these herbs are for, but seeing you so happy makes it all worthwhile."
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