"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has already allocated more than enough funds for disaster relief. Most of it was already used for the war against the Three Feudatories," the Vice Minister of Revenue replied tremblingly.
"Why are you only telling me now? The disaster is spreading rapidly. If I can't even protect the people of the world, how can I talk about a prosperous world?" Kangxi learned of this news as soon as he arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The Ministry of Revenue was out of money, and Kangxi's heart sank into despair.
"Alright, all of you, go down! Go back and think of a solution." I feel dizzy just looking at them now.
"We take our leave." What could they possibly do? Increase taxes?
While Emperor Kangxi urgently summoned his ministers to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for a meeting, Consort Wan in the Palace of Eternal Longevity slept until late morning.
"It's nice not having to pay respects to the emperor, but unfortunately, there aren't many days left when I can sleep in." Wanyi stretched before calling Hongxiu in.
"My lady, I heard from Eunuch Wei that His Majesty flew into a rage after court today," Hongxiu said, handing a damp handkerchief to Wanyi.
"Has Wei Zhu contacted us?" Frequent contact might alert Liang Jiugong.
“My lady, no, it was Eunuch Wei who delivered the reward on behalf of the Emperor. He whispered a few words to me, but he was in a hurry to get back to his duty and didn’t wake you up.” Hongxiu immediately shook her head vigorously.
"Do you know what it's about?" Wanyi asked curiously, wondering if it was about the Three Feudatories or something else.
“Eunuch Wei didn’t mention it, but there are a few people from the Ministry of Revenue inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.” After saying this, Hongxiu took the wash water out.
"Ministry of Revenue?" Who cares, it's not because of her anyway. After Ye Ming helped her get dressed, Wan Yi went to have breakfast.
In the morning, it was the height of summer, with bright sunshine and a clear blue sky without a single cloud. But as noon approached, the sky suddenly turned gray, dark clouds gathered, and a torrential downpour began.
"Everything was fine when I went out, how did it suddenly start raining so hard?" Wanyi looked at the torrential rain outside speechlessly, and she was trapped in Qianqiu Pavilion.
"My lady, let me go back and get the umbrella!" Ye Ming volunteered.
"No, the rain is too heavy. I don't want to catch a cold."
After all, there were no imperial physicians to treat palace maids when they fell ill; only a few female healers with some medical skills would give them a cursory examination, and whether they could pull through depended on their own efforts.
"Yes." Ye Ming obediently stood to the side like a wooden statue. She and Ye Fang were both from the Lower Five Banners, and their backgrounds were not good. She and Ye Fang were neighbors. One year, there was a drought and their whole family fled. In the end, only she and Ye Fang escaped to the Forbidden City. Just then, news of the palace selection was announced. With nowhere else to go, they submitted their names. Originally, the positions of second-class and third-class palace maids for concubines were not meant for two people with no background. However, at that time, Wanyi fell ill, and the two palace maids in front of her used their connections to leave. Ye Ming and Ye Fang, who had just been trained, were then put in place.
"This awful weather, it started raining without warning." Consort Li went to deliver some soup to Emperor Kangxi as a token of her affection. She hadn't seen him in a long time, but unfortunately, even after delivering the soup, she didn't see him. So, on Siyu's suggestion, she came to take a walk in the Imperial Garden. Sure enough, it started raining heavily as soon as she entered the Imperial Garden.
"If the heavens were to make a sound, it would surely frighten Sister Li." Because Consort Li entered from this side and looked outside, she did not see anyone in the Thousand Autumns Pavilion.
"Who is it? You startled me!" Consort Li turned around and saw that it was Wanyi. She patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Greetings, Sister Li!" Wanyi gave a polite bow, as if apologizing.
"Sister Suo Zhuolun, I didn't know you were here too." Consort Li was genuinely unaware; thankfully, she hadn't done anything rude, or she would have been terribly embarrassed.
"I was thinking of taking a stroll in the Imperial Garden, but I didn't expect it to rain so heavily, so I came here to take shelter." Consort Li was senior and had a powerful background, so Wanyi always addressed Consort Li as her elder sister.
"It's quite a coincidence. I thought it would be a sunny day, so I came for a walk. Now that the rain is so heavy, it doesn't seem like it will stop anytime soon. But with my sister by my side, I don't think I'll be too bored." Consort Li is now hostile towards Wanyi, after all, it was Wanyi who served the emperor last night.
"Yes, with Sister Li here, I'm not bored anymore. Please have a seat, Sister Li."
Consort Li meant that she treated Wanyi as a pastime, and Wanyi retorted that she was the same way, a pastime for her.
"I heard a few days ago that there was a major flood in Hebei. The Emperor has already sent people to provide disaster relief and resettle the people. If you can see such heavy rain here, you can imagine how terrible it must be in Henan. The Emperor must be busy again."
Consort Li didn't care whether Henan was safe or not; she only cared about Emperor Kangxi's health. After all, she didn't want to become a Dowager Consort so soon; she still wanted a child!
"There's a major flood in Henan?" Wanyi wasn't unaware of the news; it was just that Hongxiu had told her she didn't care.
"It seems that Sister Suo Zhuolun is quite out of touch with the news! This happened just yesterday, and she doesn't seem to care at all," Consort Li said with some disdain.
"The women of the inner palace are not allowed to interfere in politics, so I will not inquire too much about the affairs of the previous dynasty." Wanyi was not angry; it was just that she hadn't paid attention, hehe.
"I was merely concerned about the Emperor and overheard some court affairs." Consort Li was startled by Wan Yi's words and almost jumped up. The inner palace must not interfere in politics!
“Yes! I am also very concerned about the Emperor. I heard that he was furious after the morning court session this day. Such anger is harmful to one’s health!” Wanyi said as if she had suddenly thought of something.
"Really? I didn't hear about it when I went today," Consort Li asked in confusion.
"So Sister Li has been to the Hall of Mental Cultivation! It must be that the Ministry of Revenue can't allocate the funds. With Lord Zhang about to depart, isn't His Majesty anxious?" Consort Wanyi did have a way to help Kangxi, but the way couldn't come from her mouth. However, Consort Li would have to pay a price.
"What are these Ministries of Revenue doing? Where has all this money gone?" Consort Li never expected that a country as powerful as China would be short of money. Who would believe it if she told others? Everyone says that the wealthiest city is the capital, and the most luxurious and glorious city is the Forbidden City.
"The Three Feudatories battlefield requires a lot of silver to support it, and disaster relief also requires silver. Even mountains of gold and silver are not enough!" Both places are burning money, especially since soldiers have died. Kangxi has increased the compensation for the dead, which is another expense.
"If only there were a way to help the Emperor," Consort Li sighed helplessly. That way, the Emperor would notice her and might even bestow a high position upon her!
"It's not like there's no other way," Wanyi said without revealing her answer, waiting for Consort Li to ask.
"Do you have a solution?" Consort Li asked excitedly, pulling Wanyi's hand. Seeing Wanyi looking at her, she awkwardly let go of her hand and said shyly, "Sister Suo Zhuolun, why don't you tell your sister? Your sister can also do her part for the Emperor."
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