After the first snowfall, the Imperial Noble Consort hosted a palace banquet, inviting the families of officials to participate, with the aim of raising funds for the Grand Canal.
Everyone knows the purpose of this banquet, but no one dares not go. Not going now is escaping a disaster, but next time they will only suffer even greater losses.
But they also knew that this was the first time, and it wouldn't be the last. So before attending the palace banquet, the ladies from each household communicated with each other and donated a small amount, so that the others wouldn't be strapped for cash or lose face.
Song Yaozhu also attended the palace banquet; after all, she really wanted to participate in the lively event that made others bleed money.
On the day of the palace banquet, Xie Liwei, this "carefree guy," accompanied her to the palace. The two were dressed in palace attire, one wearing a silver fox cloak and the other a black bear cloak, looking like a perfect couple from afar.
Thinking back to two years ago, when Song Yaozhu had just married the Prince of Xiaoyao, they were all watching with amusement and privately betting on how long this princess would live.
Now, the carefree prince is deeply in love with his princess, dismissing the harem and doting on her alone. This is the dream of so many ladies!
Which woman in this world doesn't wish for her husband to love only her?
Look at the life of this carefree princess. She has no in-laws to cause her trouble, and no concubines or mistresses to cause her problems. Compared to when we first met two years ago, this carefree princess has become much plumper, and her almond-shaped eyes are full of starlight. She looks like someone who has never suffered.
"It's a life that people make themselves. If someone else had married the Prince of Leisure, they probably wouldn't have been able to handle it."
"Yes, yes, but the princess really has such ability. It doesn't matter who she marries, she can still live a very successful life."
Song Yaozhu didn't hear their chatter, otherwise she would definitely have complained that she must have lived a terrible life in her past life. Even with the best methods, you still need to meet the right person.
Imperial Noble Consort Lu Yinghong arrived with other concubines, and everyone bowed before taking their seats.
"The drought in Yunzhou this year is evident to all. Thanks to everyone's generosity in distributing relief grain, Yunzhou is where it is today. Today, I offer tea in place of wine to thank you all."
No one expected that Lu Yinghong would state her purpose for the day so bluntly without even asking any questions. Didn't she feel embarrassed?
Lu Yinghong knew this job was difficult. No matter what she said, these officials' wives would hold a grudge against her, since it involved taking money out of their pockets!
After stating her purpose directly, Lu Yinghong set an example by taking out a set of pure gold jewelry inlaid with rubies.
Everyone understood that the highest value of their donation was the set of jewelry.
The palace maids and eunuchs beside Lu Yinghong carried trays down the stairs, and many ladies and young women took off their precious jewelry.
When it was Song Yaozhu's turn, she smiled and then took out a few sheets of paper from her sleeve and placed them on the tray.
Those who were far away thought, "Could this be worth several thousand taels?"
The Lunar New Year is almost here, isn't it bad to have such a large hemorrhage?
The eunuch was illiterate, but he could tell that these weren't banknotes. After they had looked around, they presented the items to the Imperial Noble Consort. The stack of papers stood out conspicuously among the pile of gold and jade.
Lu Yinghong picked up the paper and looked at it, her face stiffening.
"Princess Consort Xiaoyao, I am holding this palace banquet today to raise funds for the canal from Jiangzhou to Yunzhou. What is the meaning of this?"
She slammed the stack of papers on the table, as if preparing to lash out at Song Yaozhu and make an example of her.
Song Yaozhu calmly looked at Lu Yinghong, and when their eyes met, a smile appeared on her lips.
"Does Your Highness not consider this money?"
What she gave out was none other than government bond certificates.
Lu Yinghong's face twisted slightly. Of course, she couldn't deny it. If she did, wouldn't it mean that the Yuwen royal family was reneging on their promise? But if she admitted it, who would pay for it? The Ministry of Revenue? The Ministry of Revenue was already strapped for cash, which had forced the Imperial Household Department to cut their expenses.
After taking a few deep breaths, Lu Yinghong said, "Your Highness is very kind, but these cannot be converted into money immediately."
The implication was that she should bring out some gold and silver.
Song Yaozhu asked her, feigning confusion, "These can also be exchanged for gold and silver, right?"
Lu Yinghong felt her temples throbbing. Xie Liwei had gone to the Ministry of Revenue to confront Tong Qian before, but he hadn't gotten anything out of it. Would she be able to get results if she took this thing there?
Even if there were, what if it turned out to be all donated silver by your Xie family? Wouldn't the Emperor be furious?
Lu Yinghong thought to herself, "No money is easy to get."
"Your Highness, you should know what I want."
"If Your Majesty doesn't tell me, how would I know?"
Everyone: The carefree princess is really something, actually going up against Lu Yinghong like that.
"Princess Consort Xiaoyao!" Lu Yinghong was losing her temper. In front of so many officials' wives, she took a deep breath and suppressed her anger. "You're very thoughtful."
"It is our duty to share the burdens of the Empress."
After the ladies' donation event concluded, the young ladies from each family would compete in a talent contest, such as creating a calligraphy or painting on the spot, which would then be auctioned off to the male guests.
This is not just a fundraising event, but also a great opportunity for these young ladies to gain fame. Imagine if their paintings were sought after by many people; wouldn't that indirectly demonstrate their exceptional artistic skills?
This would bring them fame and raise money at the same time, killing two birds with one stone. If they gained a good reputation, their marriage would be even more successful.
So all the unmarried young ladies present were eager to show off their talents.
Just as the young ladies from various households were getting up to choose the talents they would perform, Consort Shu, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "Princess Xiaoyao, please choose one as well."
Everyone looked at Consort Shu. This empress usually didn't talk much, so why did she have such a strong presence today?
When Lu Yinghong heard her speak, her sharp gaze filled with hatred turned to her. But Lu Yinghong saw her smiling and looking calm and serene, which made her grit her teeth in hatred.
It was this wretched woman who ruined her life by leaving her childless!
Just wait, once she's done with this busy period, then we'll deal with her!
“Sister’s suggestion is excellent, Your Highness. We haven’t seen your talent yet, so please show it to everyone.”
She handed over such a pile of useless scraps of paper, and she didn't know how to explain it to the Emperor. If she had written something or painted something and auctioned it off to the male guests, she could have at least gotten away with it.
However, she completely forgot that "Song Yaozhu" had no special talents.
The lady who was on good terms with Song Yaozhu couldn't help but look at Song Yaozhu with concern.
"Your Highness, if it's difficult, then let's just leave it at that."
Song Yaozhu's gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Consort Shu. The two looked at each other across the distance. How could she let her down?
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