“Father, based on the experience in Suzhou, if this heavy snow only lasts for two or three days, it’s fine. The real problem is that it might turn into a natural disaster.”
Yinreng nodded. "Father, those people don't seem to be prepared for the cold weather. It's snowing now. How will they live?" Wenxi was also worried.
"You should all go back first. Hongyu, it's safer for you to stay at Yuqing Palace for now."
Hongyu nodded, then left with the two children.
Hopefully, this snow will stop soon, otherwise the Ministry of Revenue will be in trouble again.
Yinreng couldn't help but smile wryly. Hongxi was so young, yet he already knew how to understand the people's plight and was starting to worry about the Ministry of Revenue's finances. If the Ninth Prince knew this, he would praise the boy again.
"He Yuzhu, call Lao Jiu and Lao Shi over here."
After returning to his room, Hongxi began to rack his brains, trying to figure out what he could do given the current situation.
He wrote down his thoughts as he pondered, and by the time he had finished writing several pages, it was already late at night.
Zhang Quan stood aside and changed the candles several times, but did not make a sound to disturb them.
Why didn't you advise me to rest earlier?
Zhang Quan respectfully said, "Master's daily routine is very regular. He has been busy ever since he returned from outside today, so this matter must be very urgent. In that case, this servant will just do his duty and not disturb Master."
Hongxi thought Zhang Quan was really smart and resourceful, so she pulled off the purse and threw it to him, saying, "Here you go."
A purse is nothing special, but it was filled with loose silver coins.
Zhang Quan secretly weighed it in his hand; it was more than his annual allowance.
"Thank you, Second Prince."
Hongxi got up and stretched. "What's the situation on Father's side right now?"
Zhang Quan's face fell. "This servant didn't send anyone to keep an eye on things. Should this servant go and check now?"
Hongxi glanced at the night outside, thinking that his father probably couldn't sleep either. "Let's go together."
Sure enough, the lights were still on in Yinreng's study, and voices could be heard coming from inside from time to time.
When the guards saw that it was Hongxi who had arrived, they did not stop him.
"Who's inside?" Hongxi asked.
The guard replied, "Ninth Master and Tenth Master are inside."
"Is that Hongxi?" Yinreng's voice came from inside. "Come in."
Hongxi kept Zhang Quan there and went inside himself.
Although it's just snowing and there's no wind right now, my cloak is still covered in snow after walking this far.
After helping her take off her cloak, Yin'e laughed and said, "Why isn't my nephew asleep yet?"
Hongxi pulled a chair to the brazier before saying, "I was thinking about some things, and I figured Father wasn't asleep yet, so I came over. I haven't paid my respects to my two uncles yet."
Old Ninth waved his hand and said, "Sit down quickly. Tell your uncles what you've thought of."
“My nephew thought that if the heavy snow stopped soon, it wouldn’t affect people’s lives. If the snow continued, we could think about disaster relief later. But after returning to his room, he felt that this was not a good idea.”
Yinreng personally poured Hongxi a cup of hot tea, saying, "Have a sip of hot tea to calm your nerves."
"Thank you, Father." Hongxi said happily, taking a couple of sips of tea before continuing, "On the way back, I heard some people talking about strange celestial phenomena, saying that disaster was imminent. So, even if we don't consider disaster relief right now, we must try to dispel this rumor and reassure the people."
The ninth and tenth brothers nodded repeatedly, "Good nephew, you've thought of everything."
Yinreng glanced at his two younger brothers with a smug look. "Look, are your sons as outstanding as mine?"
Hmph.
"Father will send someone to handle this matter. You should go back and rest early." Yinreng looked at his son's tired appearance and felt a pang of pity.
Hongxi bowed to his two uncles before putting on his cloak and leaving.
[My father was in a coma for over ten days, and now this kind of rumor is circulating. I don't know if it's intentional or just malicious.]
Whether intentional or unintentional, there's a fear that it might be used by malicious individuals to attack Father.
Yinreng's eyes darkened. Yes, the snow had just fallen when the rumors started. Was this really just a coincidence?
"Ninth Brother, you should start preparing now according to the disaster relief plan and draft a plan for me as soon as possible."
He then looked at Yin'e and said, "Tenth Prince, go to the Imperial Observatory tomorrow and see what's going on with this sudden heavy snowfall. Why wasn't it reported before?"
The two brothers accepted the order in unison.
The heavy snow lasted for five days before gradually stopping, causing quite a stir in both the imperial court and the inner palace.
In the pavilion in the garden, Hongxi and his two companions were enjoying a pleasant meal by the fire and eating hot pot.
Note that it's not yet winter; even though it's snowing, it's not very cold.
The pavilion was surrounded by thick cotton cloth, leaving only one side open for the master to enjoy the view.
Each master had a charcoal fire placed in front of and at their feet, and with the hot pot food, how could they feel cold?
"Big brother, have you already gone out of the palace with Uncle Ten on business?" Hongxi looked at Hongyu expectantly.
Hongyu felt a little proud, but also a little embarrassed when he met his younger brother's envious gaze.
"My second uncle wanted me to gain some experience under my tenth uncle, so I've been following behind him all this time."
It's not too early for him to go out on official business at his age, since he'll be 13 after the New Year. But if no one mentions it, he can only stay in the palace school.
"What is Uncle Twelfth doing?" Hongxi asked curiously.
“Uncle Twelfth was working at the Ministry of Revenue, following behind Uncle Ninth.” Seeing that Hongxi still wanted to speak, Hongyu continued, “Uncle Thirteenth was ill, so he did not participate in this mission.”
Hongxi frowned.
[How did Uncle Thirteen fall ill after just one heavy snowfall? He wasn't this frail in his previous life.]
As Yinreng approached the pavilion, he stumbled. "You brat, what do you mean by being delicate and frail?"
"Ahem," Yinreng coughed lightly as he entered the pavilion. Seeing the three children about to get up, he quickly waved his hand and said, "Please sit down."
He sat down beside him, glanced at the food on the table, and joked, "You guys really know how to enjoy yourselves. Eating hot pot in this kind of weather is the best thing ever."
Wenxi hugged Yinreng's arm and said coquettishly, "Father, please eat with us too."
The palace servants immediately brought a new set of bowls and chopsticks. Yinreng took a couple of bites but was somewhat dissatisfied.
"Why is it all vegetables? Why is there no meat?"
Everyone...
Oh, I forgot, His Highness the Crown Prince is a carnivore.
He Yuzhu immediately ordered someone to bring out fresh slices of mutton, which were carefully placed into the pot one by one.
"Father, what's the situation outside the palace?" Hongxi put down his chopsticks and looked at Yinreng seriously.
Yinreng was troubled.
My dear son, you've already eaten your fill, but your father has only taken one bite, and it was just vegetables. Why don't you wait a while before asking?
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