Chen Zhaoci asked him in surprise, "Have you not eaten all day?"
Xu Rao wiped her mouth and said, "Yes, it was this morning when we had that bowl of millet porridge together. We didn't have time to eat lunch or dinner, and we didn't even have time to eat. By the time we had time, the food was ice cold, and we really had no appetite or desire to eat. It was so tragic. Many houses collapsed, and some homeless people living in dilapidated temples froze to death. I never expected that this year would be so unpleasant."
Chen Zhaoci asked, "What about His Majesty? How is His Majesty now?"
Xu Rao sighed and said, "What can he do? He's praying to Heaven right now. If you ask me, we should get moving. We should provide disaster relief if necessary, and mobilize the army if needed. That's just how things are in Heaven. What else can we do by praying?"
Chen Zhaoci quickly glared at him and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up and drink another bowl of this tea. It's good for your spleen and stomach."
Xu Rao took a couple of sips and said, "This snow disaster has affected a wide area. I'm afraid that the disaster relief reports from various places will be sent over one after another tomorrow. But the national treasury is already out of money. What can we use to provide disaster relief? We can't even guarantee a full supply of grain in the granaries in various places. Alas!"
Nothing happened that night. Xu Rao ate breakfast early the next morning and went to the yamen. Chen Zhaoci, thinking that some people had frostbite, had a few recipes for making frostbite ointment, so she went to the pharmacy in the backyard to find the ingredients. In the middle of the morning, Xu Zhi came over. She had kowtowed to the old lady to wish her a Happy New Year, and then came to Chen Zhaoci's place. Seeing Chen Zhaoci looking for ingredients again, she sighed and said, "Mother, what are you planning to do?"
Chen Zhaoci said, "I'm going to make some frostbite ointment and have the person in charge take it to see who needs it and give them some."
Xu Zhi felt uneasy thinking about what Emperor Liang Chengdi had just told her. Emperor Liang Chengdi wanted to use some money from the cake shop for disaster relief. The cake shop and the orphanage had a dedicated financial channel, which was agreed upon from the beginning, and the funds were for this purpose only. Emperor Liang Chengdi didn't actually need to tell Xu Zhi about his desire to use the money, but considering that Xu Zhi was the one who initially established the cake shop and that it later brought Emperor Liang Chengdi great profits, he still sent someone to explain the situation to Xu Zhi.
Xu Zhi leaned against Chen Zhaoci and told her mother what was on her mind. Chen Zhaoci thought for a moment and said, "So what do you mean? You don't want to give it to me?"
Xu Zhi shook her head and said, "Of course not. I just feel that being an emperor is not a very good thing. Although the Great Liang is his territory, he can't do whatever he wants. He has to make all sorts of trade-offs and consider all sorts of checks and balances. Just thinking about it is exhausting."
Chen Zhaoci felt a pang of heartache thinking that Chen Yuyuan would one day sit in that position as well. She said, “Yes, to outsiders, they seem high and mighty, but in reality, they bear such great responsibilities. With such a large country and so many court officials, they not only have to manage affairs but also manage people well. Last night, your father came back and told your mother that the national treasury was already empty. His Majesty was forced into a corner and that's why he thought of using the money from the cake shop. You should be more understanding.”
Xu Zhi breathed a slight sigh of relief and said, "It's not that I don't understand. I just feel that in the past, the princes used so much money to do so many things that were useless and even harmful to the country and the people. I feel that children should be properly educated from a young age. Yes, it's not good to not compete or fight, but you can't squander the people's hard-earned money like this. Look, now that it's time to use the money, not only can't they afford it, but they also have to borrow from outside. I feel tired for His Majesty."
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