Chapter 27 In three days, it will be her birthday…
Xiao Mingzhang is a gentleman at times, but at other times he is quite immoral, actually eavesdropping on her conversation with Xiao Ming'an.
Yunzhu followed him back into the house, and after a while, she asked, "Who said that? Maybe I said those things specifically for Ming'an to hear?"
"Is that so?" Xiao Mingzhang replied casually, letting Yunzhu know that she had really let go of a good opportunity to tease him.
It's too late to answer now; if I had answered earlier, I could have truly discerned his thoughts.
Does he care about those so-called lovers? Or does he really not care?
Unfortunately, it was too late to regret it.
Fortunately, Yunzhu was always able to comfort herself well. Her and Xiao Mingzhang's New Year's Eve vigil in the Prince's mansion was always nothing new; they would simply stay up together in the room until midnight, listen to the fireworks and firecrackers outside, and then the year would be over.
While indoors, Xiao Mingzhang usually liked to read, while she would do whatever she wanted. She would touch anything that interested her, waiting for midnight to arrive.
That night, Yunzhu sat down beside Xiao Mingzhang and embroidered a round fan that Xiao Ming'an had given her during the day.
She said this was something that noble ladies from prominent families in the Central Plains would do. Yunzhu neither agreed nor disagreed, and although she had never learned any embroidery, she was somewhat interested and brought it back.
It was a very simple embroidery, but she struggled to do it, and the result was crooked and uneven.
As midnight approached, deafening firecrackers began to sound again outside. Yunzhu and Xiao Mingzhang looked up at the window at the same time and said, "Xiao Mingzhang, another year has passed!"
This is another year for her and Xiao Mingzhang. Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, she and Xiao Mingzhang have been sharing a bed for three years!
“Hmm,” Xiao Mingzhang said.
Yunzhu turned back and looked deeply at Xiao Mingzhang. Although they had been together for three years, she didn't really think she understood Xiao Mingzhang that well.
Often, her confidence in him stemmed entirely from her own speculation.
This year, things seemed to have progressed between her and Xiao Mingzhang. In the new year, she hoped for even more progress with him, whether it was having a child or something else...
So Yunzhu asked, "Xiao Mingzhang, if you could make a wish for the New Year, what would you want to do?"
"Me?" Xiao Mingzhang said solemnly without any hesitation, "May the seas be calm and the rivers clear, and may all the people of the world be happy and peaceful."
"..."
Yunzhu originally wanted to share her little thoughts with Xiao Mingzhang, but she didn't expect Xiao Mingzhang to make such a big wish as soon as he arrived.
If she were to then share her own thoughts as a young woman, it would seem rather narrow-minded.
She could only nod and echoed, "Yes, the people are far from at peace these days. So, my wish for this year is for all the people in the world to be happy and for peace and tranquility to prevail!"
Xiao Mingzhang smiled at Yunzhu with satisfaction, put down his book, and finally held her hand tightly again.
—
Yunzhu and Xiao Mingzhang both wished for the happiness of the people and for peace and tranquility in the land.
However, things didn't go as planned. In April of that year, Qingzhou, which had just escaped the locust plague a few months earlier, was plunged into drought again.
It is said that spring rain is as precious as oil, and spring is a good time for all things to sow and grow. However, since winter, Qingzhou has not seen a single drop of rain since spring began.
The land, which had been unable to be cultivated due to the locust plague since last year, was expected to see new growth in the new year. However, no one expected that what awaited them in the new year was a dried-up water source and an incredibly stingy God.
The people of Qingzhou were once again plunged into misery.
Many people left again, heading to Jeju, Nakju, or Unju.
Last year, receiving some disaster victims from Qingzhou wouldn't have been a big problem for these places, but this year, the increasing number of disaster victims has made the pressure on these places incomparable.
Because they don't have much water left either.
Jeju Island, in particular, is close to Cheongju Island, and since the beginning of spring, it has only experienced two rain showers.
Although it was better than Qingzhou, it was still not much better. The vegetation was barren, the grass was withered and yellow, and the crops in the fields were in a terrible state.
The legendary drought seems to have arrived quietly.
Yunzhu felt caught off guard. Even though she had read the history books early on and had made predictions about everything, when the disaster actually struck, she still felt an indescribable panic and helplessness.
Is the land in Qingzhou truly cracked and parched? Are the people truly unable to return to their homes?
What can she do? What can she possibly do?
Xiao Mingzhang has not been home for two days in a row. Hearing that the number of disaster victims pouring into Yunzhou recently is more than the previous year, Yunzhu is also aware of his pressure and difficulties.
She wanted to help Xiao Mingzhang, but had no idea what she could do.
"Princess, the Princess of Qingyuan has sent someone to tell you whether you will still go to distribute porridge today?" Just as Yunzhu was thinking, Ayan came and interrupted her thoughts.
Yunzhu snapped out of her daze and immediately said, "Go!"
Since the number of disaster victims pouring into Yunzhou began to increase, the government has been distributing porridge more and more frequently. As the heir apparent of the royal family, Yunzhu has gone out to distribute porridge with Ying Shi and Xiao Ming'an for three consecutive days.
The princess, along with the crown prince's wife and the county princess, distributed porridge to the people. The bowls of porridge handed to them were no different, but they greatly reassured the people and let them know that no matter what, the Huan Prince's Mansion was behind them, and Yunzhou City would always be a stable and reliable city.
But is it really stable?
After Yunzhu finished distributing porridge that day, she heard a subordinate come over and tell Ying that the government's granary was almost empty.
It turns out that since last autumn, Yunzhou has been receiving some people from Qingzhou one after another, and the distribution of porridge has been almost continuous since then. Even though the Yunzhou government has a lot of grain, after such a long period of time, it is almost used up.
Not to mention that the number of disaster victims is increasing every day.
Ying Shi's expression faltered slightly, but as the Princess Consort of Huan Wang's Mansion, she was capable of managing the overall situation. After nodding slightly, she ordered someone to carefully count the remaining grain. As for the new grain, she would figure out a solution.
Yunzhu wondered what options she could have: buy grain from private grain merchants in the city, or borrow or buy grain from other royal courts or prefectures?
But no matter which one it is, you can't lack money, right?
After returning to the palace, she didn't hesitate for long and immediately asked Ayan to accompany her to the small storeroom to retrieve a box.
Yunzhu was, after all, a princess. When she got married, her father and mother prepared a very generous dowry for her, which would ensure that she would never have to worry about food and clothing for the next few lifetimes, and would live a life of luxury and ease.
She casually picked one and presented it to Ying, whose eyes were immediately dazzled by the overflowing golden light of the jewels.
Ying asked in surprise, "What are you doing?"
"Didn't they say the government office was short of food?" Yunzhu said. "This is part of my dowry. It should be enough to buy a lot of food. Mother, please take it. Consider it my way of doing something for the people."
"you……?"
Ying looked at Yunzhu hesitantly, seemingly doubting her sincerity. But in truth, she had never met such a pure-hearted person.
Did she think that the Prince Huan's mansion would be short of money to buy food? Or did she think that the matter of food was really a difficult problem for the mansion?
That's nothing at all. Putting aside the fact that the Huan Prince's Mansion has never lacked money, among all the emperor's sons, the Huan Prince's Mansion is the wealthiest. Her shock at the time was only because she was surprised by the speed at which the grain was being consumed. In fact, Xiao Mingzhang had already made arrangements to borrow new grain from the Chen Prince, and it would arrive in another day.
"Mother?"
When Ying remained silent for a long time, Yunzhu became somewhat suspicious, wondering if she was unwilling to accept her things.
Since some events last year, Yunzhu and Prince Huan's Ying Shi have remained lukewarm towards each other. She still calls him "Father" and "Mother" as usual, and follows the usual rules, but she is not expected to be more obedient or compliant.
Ying finally snapped out of her daze.
She took another close look at the box of dazzling jewelry that Yunzhu had brought out. It contained everything from gold ornaments to pearl necklaces. Moreover, the lid was almost too heavy to close. If it weren't for her father and mother's doting love for her, she would have secretly added some more jewelry herself.
Although it was simple, it was truly made with care.
Such thoughtfulness was hard for Lady Ying to refuse, so she said, "Alright, I'll accept the things first, but don't worry too much about the grain. Prince Chen has already agreed to lend us grain, and the new grain is on its way."
"Really?" Upon hearing this, Yunzhu's face immediately lit up with joy, as if her box of jewels was nothing compared to the grain.
"Hmm." Ying didn't want to talk to Yunzhu about the grain, but since Yunzhu had put in so much effort, it would be unreasonable for her to deliberately avoid her.
She then briefly explained to Yunzhu the current sources of grain. Prince Chen, Prince Yu, and several other families with good relations with Prince Huan's mansion had all agreed to lend grain to Yunzhou. However, since Prince Chen was the closest, they borrowed some from him first.
Yunzhu nodded. It was good to have a source of food. If Yunzhou itself ran out of food, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"What are you thinking?" Madam Ying scoffed at her naive idea. "Even if everyone in the world starves, our Prince Huan's Mansion will definitely survive until the end. You want to make Prince Huan's Mansion run out of food? That's just wishful thinking!"
For the first time, Yunzhu felt extremely fortunate because of Ying's confidence.
“In that case, I will leave this box of jewels to Mother. I will not disturb you any longer. Please continue with your work.”
Ying wanted to say a few more words to Yunzhu, but Yunzhu had already stood up and gracefully took her leave.
Ying opened her mouth, wanting to keep her, but not knowing how to say it.
She could only watch Yunzhu's figure gradually disappear, then look at Cuilan in silence, bitterly smiling and mocking her own thoughts.
When did she start wanting her to stay and talk to her?
—
After leaving the Ying family, Yunzhu slowly returned to her and Xiao Mingzhang's courtyard.
Ayan accompanied her the whole way, and as soon as they entered the courtyard, she couldn't wait to ask, "Princess, is it necessary for us to give these things away? I don't think the Huan Prince's mansion is short of money at all."
“Whether we lack money or not, we are ultimately working for the people. The money we give out doesn’t go to the royal palace; it goes to the people,” Yunzhu explained patiently.
Ayan fell silent, but after following Yunzhu for a few more steps, she suddenly said, "By the way, Princess, you've been busy distributing porridge these past few days. Miss Cui and Miss Yu actually came to the government office today. They asked me to ask you if the small gathering we agreed on for your birthday in three days is still going to happen?"
"birthday?"
Yunzhu stood there, suddenly realizing what had happened.
Yes, it's her birthday. She's been so busy these past few days that she almost forgot. Her birthday is in three days!
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