Soon, Han Xun came back to report:
"Your Majesty, there are civilians all around..."
People?
Helian Qi and Ning Wanyin were both stunned.
When the emperor travels, it is not as in the stories, with the people lining the streets to welcome him...
Otherwise, if one wanted to assassinate someone, wouldn’t it be very convenient to blend in among the people?
When the emperor of Da Yan traveled, the road was always closed in advance, and no outsiders were allowed on the entire street. After the emperor left, the road was unblocked...
Therefore, under normal circumstances, there would be no civilians nearby, and civilians did not dare to hang around nearby, lest they be arrested as suspicious persons.
Helian Qi stood up, walked out of the carriage, stood on the frame, and looked into the distance.
I immediately understood what Han Xun meant.
The streets he traveled on were still cleared and blocked off, with no one in the area.
But in the streets and alleys farther away on both sides of the road, many people were kneeling.
Ning Wanyin also came out with Helian Qi and looked at the people in the distance.
The people were very quiet, they didn't dare speak loudly, the scene was silent, but she seemed to understand everything.
After a while...
The prefect of Jingzhao hurried over to report, "Your Majesty, these are the people who were saved from the flood and plague. They heard that Your Majesty and the Imperial Concubine left the city to pray at the pagoda today, so they came from afar to kneel and thank you."
More than two months have passed since the end of the plague.
Ning Wanyin had long forgotten about raising funds for charity.
But the people are the most simple people in the world.
They remember the kindness you have shown them.
Ning Wanyin's eyes were inexplicably sore at this moment, even though she had always been cold-hearted.
She was just doing something insignificant, but to others, it was a matter of life and death.
Helian Qi watched this scene in silence and attentively.
For this monarch who has been on the throne for seven years, this is actually the first time he has been so close to the people.
…
After leaving the city gate, the two returned to the carriage.
No one knew what Helian Qi was thinking, and his expression was unreadable.
Ning Wanyin should have said something to flatter him, but she thought that anything she said now would constitute flattery.
Silence is better than words at this time.
Arrival at the pagoda.
The abbot and Cheng, who had been waiting at the pagoda long ago, greeted them with greetings:
"This humble subject pays homage to His Majesty and His Majesty the Imperial Concubine."
Helian Qi followed the host to pray and light the lanterns.
Ning Wanyin and Cheng went to a nearby pavilion and sat down to talk.
"Wanwan, I'm glad you're okay--" Cheng looked at Ning Wanyin with red eyes.
When she heard that the plague had spread to the palace, Cheng was so worried that she couldn't sleep at night. She was afraid that her daughter would be infected with the plague...
Although the mother and daughter haven't seen each other for a long time, they still care about each other equally.
Ning Wanyin also looked at her mother carefully and said, "Mom, you have worked hard. You must take care of yourself."
Cheng looked a little older.
This was inevitable. There were floods, plagues, worries about the daughters in the palace, and the government was busy providing porridge to the people.
The first two months for Cheng were exhausting...
"I don't need to worry about that. Don't worry, you have to take good care of yourself too." Cheng said with concern.
The two chatted for a while.
Nanny came out of the carriage holding the Fourth Prince, "My Lady, the Fourth Prince is awake."
The little guy stared with his round eyes, looking around curiously.
Don't cry even when you see a stranger.
Ning Wanyin looked at Cheng and introduced, "Mother, this is Xier——"
"Fourth Prince, you look so much like you when you were a child..." When Cheng saw her grandson, her eyes were filled with joy.
Ning Wanyin laughed. Last time, Nanny Ping said that Xier and His Majesty were cut from the same mold when they were children.
Does this little guy look like both her and the emperor?
The grandparents and grandchildren played for a while.
Cheng felt a little sad. She always felt that her daughter was still a child, but in a blink of an eye, she had become a mother.
She was happy for her daughter, but also felt sorry for how difficult her journey had been.
"Wan Wan, I have something to discuss with you. Recently, a few merchants want to register our family as a member... What do you think?"
The so-called nominal.
He would get half of the business profit, and the business would from then on be under the name of Shou'an Earl's Mansion.
The rich and powerful have never lacked money. The Shou'an Marquis's Mansion was in decline and only did its own business. But those noble families had many such merchants who were closely related to them.
There is no big merchant who does not have someone in the court. If there is no one in the court to look after you, no matter how good your business is, it can be schemed against and closed down.
This matter has been going on for a long time, and even the censor would not come out to criticize it.
Cheng had never made decisions easily on these major matters. And the old lady, who loved to meddle in other people's affairs, was in seclusion praying for blessings, so she couldn't interfere even if she wanted to.
"No, everything in our family remains the same." Ning Wanyin shook her head.
A trace of worry flashed across Cheng's eyes. "Our business is booming, so we don't lack money... but we can't give you much help..."
What she has always been concerned about is that she can't help her daughter. Other concubines have family support...
Only her daughter didn't.
How can a mother not feel distressed?
So she was somewhat tempted by the business. If she had more money, her daughter would be able to use it to pave the way for whatever she wants in the future.
"Everything is fine with my daughter in the palace. She doesn't need any help from the family." Ning Wanyin reminded her implicitly.
These merchants joined the Ning family because Ning Wanyin was powerful in the palace.
But if they want to have a worry-free business, they need to cultivate official relationships. Of course, with Ning Wanyin's influence in the palace, if the Ning family wants, they can form cliques in the officialdom...
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