Chapter 144 But those people all deserved to die…
Even though Ming Er told him not to see her off anymore, Ming Sheng still stubbornly accompanied her for quite a long time, almost to the gate of the Marquis's residence.
When Ming Er looked up, he saw Ming Xi standing not far away.
Mingxi's gaze passed over Ming'er and landed on Mingsheng. Mingsheng also saw her, looking somewhat surprised. Seeing her face, which resembled the eldest brother's, he understood Mingxi's identity.
This is the child who was switched at birth with Ming'er, her biological granddaughter.
Mingxi didn't acknowledge them, but Mingsheng didn't think much of it. Compared to Mingxi, didn't they also prefer Ming'er, who grew up by their side?
Being switched at birth was an accident in itself.
If I hadn't met them, I might never have known.
The Marquis of Jing'an's family is much better off than theirs; those are things they can't give Mingxi. If the two families were in similar circumstances, they might have just gone along with the mistake.
Alternatively, you can just treat each other as relatives and visit each other regularly.
The gap between the two families was too great, and when Marquis Jing'an came to demand Ming Er's return, they didn't have the confidence to ask him to stay.
Since the Marquis of Jing'an didn't mention sending Mingxi back, it was tacitly agreed that he would keep her in the Marquis's residence. Neither of them brought it up; they weren't familiar with each other to begin with, and it wouldn't be comfortable for them to be together.
When Mingzhuo said that Ming Er seemed to have been wronged in the Marquis's mansion, Mingsheng couldn't help but complain about the Marquis of Jing'an. He had already taken Ming Er back, so why couldn't he treat her better?
"Azu, let's go back."
"I'll watch you leave."
Just like before when she escorted Ming'er to the examination hall, she had to watch her enter the examination hall with her own eyes before she could leave with peace of mind.
Ming Er did not try to persuade him further and turned to enter the Marquis's residence.
Mingxi paused for a moment, knowing that Mingsheng was watching her, but she did not stop. Instead, she followed Mingsheng into the mansion.
Ming Er suddenly stopped ahead and turned to look at her.
Mingxi looked at Ming Er, a sarcastic smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "You knew all along that I was the one who instigated Ming Yu and Ming Tong to deal with you, didn't you?"
What are you trying to say?
"Mingyang, you must be very proud of yourself. I went to great lengths to sow discord between you and everyone in the Marquis's mansion, but now everyone in the mansion is afraid of you and doesn't dare to mess with you at all."
Marquis Jing'an repeatedly urged Ming to leave, but she ignored him.
Others would avoid Mingyang altogether.
Even if the people in the Marquis's mansion ignored Mingyang, she didn't care.
It was only at this moment that Mingxi seemed to realize that Mingyang had not returned for the sake of Marquis Jing'an.
"Oh, you're only just realizing that now?" Ming Er said in a flat tone.
“You’re very smart,” Mingxi said, looking at Ming Er with a complicated expression.
She felt that Mingyang's eyes seemed to see right through people's hearts; her schemes could not hide from her, nor could they outwit her.
"Of course, I am the first scholar and military champion in a hundred years."
Mingxi didn't say anything. Ming Er was always like this, saying things that were infuriating in a calm tone.
"You came to me just to praise me?" Ming Er asked Ming Xi.
Mingxi paused for a moment, then said, "Of course not."
She clearly came to warn Mingyang. She wanted to tell him not to be smug. Even if she was now a favorite of His Majesty, her mother and the rest of the family would ultimately stand by her side.
"You're not here to warn me, are you? To warn me not to even think about competing with you for the family's affection?"
Mingxi looked at Ming'er in surprise, and blurted out, "How did you know?"
"I'm really curious. Before your background was revealed, you were the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Jing'an, a well-known noblewoman in the capital. Shouldn't your confidence come from your own experience?"
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Mingxi asked coldly.
“You are the second-highest ranked scholar in the imperial examination. Even if you are not the daughter of the Marquis of Jing’an, your future will not be affected. You can display your talents in the court. But now, you are acting like a man in the inner quarters, trying to compete for favor with his wife just to get her to look at him more. Don’t you think you are ridiculous right now?”
"Shut up!"
Ming Er ignored him and walked towards Ming Xi.
"Why do you want me to shut up? Is it because my words touched a nerve? I want to know, if you have enough confidence, why do you still see me as an enemy? Mingxi, before this, we never knew about our own backgrounds. Where does your deep resentment towards me come from?"
Mingxi felt her mind was in a mess.
Yes, it shouldn't be like this.
She is Mingxi, a woman from a renowned family in the capital.
She has her own talents and ambitions, so why, after Ming Er appeared, did she resort to such low-class methods of vying for favor, just like the men in the inner quarters?
Even when she's competing, she's competing for her own future and for a higher position.
Why did she hate Mingyang for fighting in the Marquis's mansion?
If they are going to fight, they should fight in the officialdom.
Cold sweat beaded on Mingxi's forehead, and a voice inside her seemed to be telling her not to believe what Mingyang said.
But... but she felt that Mingyang was right.
Thinking back carefully, even her mother felt something was wrong after learning about her and Mingyang's background; her mother had never been so arbitrary in the past.
Why did it turn out this way?
"Think about it carefully yourself, whether it's worth it or not."
Watching Ming Er's departing figure, Ming Xi was so angry she laughed.
She needs Mingyang to teach her a lesson.
Mingyang's words still made Mingxi think.
"Ah Xi." When Ji Yun came in, she saw Ming Xi and walked over happily.
He also saw Ming Er's departing figure, and thinking of the last time he came, he was kicked out by Ming Er, so he couldn't help but frown.
"Ah Xi, did Mingyang bully you again?"
Mingxi frowned. "When did I say she bullied me? Where did you hear that from?"
Ji Yun didn't say anything. "Anyway, I know. She even kicked me out last time. If it weren't for Hou Jun speaking up, I wouldn't have been able to come in to see you."
Mingxi's brows remained furrowed.
“Ah Xi, Mother said… said that if Lord Hou approves of that Ming Yang, my wife might have to be replaced. Ah Xi, shall we get married soon? I hate that Ming Yang, if it weren’t for her…”
"Shut up!" Mingxi looked at Ji Yun and said confidently, "You bribed the people around me?"
Ji Yun didn't want to admit it, but Ming Xi's gaze made her scalp tingle, so she hurriedly tried to explain, "I was just worried about you."
The more anxious he became, the calmer Mingxi became.
"Don't let this happen again. This is between Mingyang and me, and it's none of your business. Ji Yun, you are only my fiancé, not my husband. If you overstep your bounds again, there's no need for this marriage to continue."
After Mingxi finished speaking, her gaze fell on the book in Ji Yun's hand.
Looking at Ji Yun again, she felt something was wrong.
“You are a man, you should be reading books like ‘Male Virtue’ and ‘Male Admonitions’ in your daily life. Don’t read these books that you shouldn’t be reading. Even if you do read them, do you think you can take the imperial examination?”
"Why can't I participate in the imperial examination?" Ji Yun asked anxiously.
Mingxi looked at Ji Yun, saw his anxious expression, and recalled the past events, feeling that something was wrong.
At first, Mingxi thought that Ji Yun was reading these books to please her, his future wife. The two were childhood sweethearts and knew each other's family backgrounds well, so Mingxi didn't think much of it.
But looking at Ji Yun's current appearance, I always felt that things weren't so simple.
"You want to take the imperial examination?" Mingxi asked coldly.
Ji Yun hesitated for a moment before tugging at Mingxi's sleeve and laughing, "Axi, there are more women than men in this world. Why can't we men participate in the imperial examinations just like women? What you can do, we men can do too."
"That's ridiculous! We women can give birth, so why can't you men?"
Ji Yun was rendered speechless by the rebuttal.
"Yes, we can't have children, but there are many things we can do. Why can't we men have that opportunity?"
Mingxi's gaze toward Ji Yun grew increasingly cold.
She suddenly remembered the story of the emperor's attendant's rebellion. She had learned some of it from her mother. It was said that the attendant uttered some treasonous words before he died.
It shouldn't be men who support their wives and raise their children, but rather women who support their husbands and raise their children.
Men should be the masters of the world, and women should obediently stay behind them. Men are born to be emperors; what nonsense do women know about politics?
Now even Ji Yun has such thoughts. Does he want to overthrow the Empress?
What do you want to do?
Ji Yun carefully observed Mingxi's expression before speaking after a while, "I want to disguise myself as a woman to participate in the imperial examination. I just need to prove my abilities. Ah Xi, please help me."
To prevent cheating, students are required to take off their clothes for inspection before entering the examination room. He couldn't pass this hurdle alone and could only hope that Mingxi could help him.
"Why did you come to me? Your mother should be able to handle things better than I am, right?"
"My mother was unaware of this matter."
“Ji Yun.” Mingxi felt a chill run through her body.
Ji Yunming knew that what he was doing was wrong. He shouldn't have asked his mother, who had raised him, for help. Why should he ask her, his future wife, for help?
“Ah Xi.”
"I'll pretend I never heard about this. If you insist on going, I won't let you into the exam room."
“Ah Xi.”
"Go back now, and don't come here again."
Mingxi ignored Ji Yun and left directly, feeling that her thoughts were in a mess.
She always felt that this was a contest between her and Mingyang, and that she had indeed used the wrong methods before; some of the inner court tactics should not have been used.
She will have a fair and square contest with Mingyang in the imperial court.
With her abilities, she might not necessarily lose to Mingyang.
Ji Yun watched Mingxi's departing figure, feeling both angry and anxious, but she had no choice but to go back first.
*
The reason why Emperor Ming Er was personally selected by His Majesty to go to the south of the Yangtze River with the Third Princess was actually to investigate a corruption case.
Floods struck the Jiangnan region, and local officials had been trying to cover it up for a long time, but the truth finally came out recently.
They changed their route halfway through, knowing that the journey would be fraught with danger, so they had to be extra careful to ensure their safe arrival.
The two women even disguised themselves and had their guards impersonate them to take a shorter route.
The flood caused countless deaths and injuries. Initially, the people below tried to keep it a secret, but as the refugees fled to the capital, the truth could no longer be concealed, and that's when it reached the ears of His Majesty the Emperor.
The officials below deceived their superiors, causing countless deaths and injuries among the disaster victims, and His Majesty the Emperor arrested many people.
However, the interrogation revealed that the issue stemmed from the disaster relief funds.
Almost none of the disaster relief funds allocated by the Ministry of Revenue reached the hands of the disaster victims.
Therefore, His Majesty the Emperor ordered the arrest and interrogation of a group of people.
But all that came out of the interrogation were low-level thugs or scapegoats.
Her Majesty the Emperor was furious; they were treating her like a fool. She hated nothing more than people who treated their people like ants, and she wanted to see who dared to do such a hypocritical thing.
Ming Er knew that if this case continued to be investigated, many people would definitely die.
But those people deserve to die!
Because they embezzled disaster relief funds, so many people died. Even killing them ten or a hundred times would not bring back the lives of those innocent people.
Zhong Lishuang's expression was also very solemn. She and Ming Er did not dare to delay along the way and traveled overnight to the disaster-stricken area.
When they saw the scene over there, both of them fell silent.
After the flood, corpses of the starving were everywhere.
Dead bodies were everywhere, and the air was filled with the stench of decay when exposed to the sun.
She knew how to perform dissections, but she still felt very sad when she saw those rotting and stinking corpses lying on the roadside.
Xiang Bei gave Ming Er two masks and told her to wear them first.
Ming Er took one and gave it to Zhong Lishuang.
"What's this?"
Ming Er took it first and demonstrated it to Zhong Lishuang.
"Your Highness, wearing this will help block out some of the smells."
Zhong Lishuang nodded and put on a mask, just like Ming Er.
As they walked forward, they saw an old woman holding her granddaughter tightly in her arms. The child's eyes were closed, and her breathing was very weak.
As they passed by, she suddenly grabbed Ming Er's clothes tightly. Her hair was disheveled, her face was covered in wrinkles, and her lips were dry and chapped. She looked at Ming Er and Zhong Lishuang with pleading eyes, "My two esteemed ladies, please, give me some food, just one bite, to save my poor granddaughter."
Although the two of them had changed into ordinary clothes, they were still dressed very well among the disaster victims.
Zhong Lishuang pursed her lips and didn't move. She had once been a refugee and had experienced a lot. She knew that if she gave the grandmother and grandson a bite to eat, it could indeed save the child's life, but if she did, other refugees would swarm around and snatch it.
They had traveled a long way, day and night, and hadn't brought much food with them. She knew Ming Er could protect her, but was she supposed to harm these innocent civilians when they were surrounded?
Ming Er didn't move either.
She shared the same thought: once the aid was given, even more disaster victims would flock to it.
She half-squatted down to examine the child. His breathing was already very weak. She took out a pill, poured one into the child's mouth, and gave him some water so that the child could hold on a little longer.
Zhong Lishuang was surprised that Ming Er also knew medicine, but she didn't ask any further questions.
They continued walking into the city, quickening their pace as they approached, noting the fewer refugees they encountered.
Zhong Lishuang casually asked about Ming Er's medical skills.
"My female tutor said, since we've already paid tuition, what's wrong with learning a variety of subjects?"
Xiang Bei glanced at the system and said that the system was just teaching some nonsense.
Although Zhong Lishuang didn't quite understand what tuition and fees were, she still nodded, "Your female tutor is quite interesting."
This topic didn't last long.
Ming Er looked at the city ahead and said, "Third Prince, the wealthy households in the city must have grain in their hands. We must make them hand over the grain as soon as possible."
“I know, but it’s not easy to get those people to willingly hand over their grain. If we delay getting the grain, more people will die outside the city.”
Those merchants were more shrewd; they had stockpiled grain, but they were unwilling to give it away for free.
Looking at the grain prices at the rice shops here, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they're astronomical.
Outside those rice shops, there were mostly ordinary people sighing and complaining.
Holding a few copper coins in his hand, he couldn't even afford rice.
It all started because the person buying the rice asked if they could get a discount.
The rice shop assistants arrogantly chased the people away with brooms, saying, "Go away, go away, where did these stinking beggars come from? If you don't have money to buy rice, why are you dirtying our boss's place?"
Ming Er cracked his knuckles and laughed, “Your Highness, I do have a way to get them to produce the grain, but the method is rather despicable.”
"At this point, we shouldn't worry about the methods used."
"Then let's go to the county government office to find out what's going on. If they really are passing the buck, I'll have to take action tonight."
Zhong Lishuang meant the same thing.
Therefore, she went to the county government office and directly revealed her identity as the third daughter of the emperor.
The county magistrate hurriedly led his men out to greet them; even the magistrate's official robes were patched.
Zhong Lishuang didn't say anything after seeing this; she didn't know if this person was using a ruse on her. She asked the magistrate to summon all the wealthy merchants in the city and persuade them to hand over their grain.
"Your Highness, I have already advised them, but the wealthy merchants all say they have no surplus grain at home." As he spoke, the magistrate shed tears.
"Just call them over. Perhaps if I persuade them a little more, they'll change their minds?"
The magistrate agreed; after all, this was the third daughter of the emperor, and since the princess herself had spoken, the wealthy merchants couldn't very well refuse.
He immediately ordered people to invite all the local wealthy businessmen over.
Although the flood caused some losses to these wealthy families, these people were very shrewd, and Zhong Lishuang did not believe that they were unprepared.
These wealthy businessmen even wore patched clothes to feign poverty, each trying to outdo the other in claiming how poor their families were.
"Gentlemen, I don't ask for much. I only hope that everyone will work together. 100,000 shi of rice will be enough. You should be able to raise that amount together."
“Your Highness, we have also suffered heavy losses. If we had any at home, how could we not take them out?”
Zhong Lishuang offered him a glass of wine, and then drank it down first, making a watch as her representative.
Since the princess drank it, they naturally followed suit.
After finishing her drink, she continued to cry and complain about her hardships, saying that after the disaster, her family was almost starving.
"Gentlemen, please lend me your help. I, the King, am here. I'll drink this first as a sign of respect." Zhongli Shuang didn't give them a chance to argue and downed her drink in one gulp.
They couldn't possibly drink any more of that wine.
Drinking it would mean agreeing to provide the food, rendering their previous claims of poverty futile.
"Your Highness, it's not that we're unwilling, it's just that we don't have the means."
"Yes, yes, we are also powerless to help."
When Zhong Lishuang saw Ming Er return, she immediately laughed, toying with the wine glass in her hand, and her tone turned cold.
"I'll ask you one last time: are you going to take this grain or not?"
The wealthy businessmen still insisted that they didn't have it and couldn't produce it.
"Since you refuse to listen to reason and are forced to drink the penalty cup, then I will have no choice but to resort to some means."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
