The Empress Dowager wasn't stupid; she had already realized what was going on. All that talk of unwavering loyalty and filial piety was just for show.
Apart from Consort Hui, who was genuinely filial, which of the other concubines didn't have ulterior motives?
Since they wanted to make things difficult for her, the Empress Dowager, then she wouldn't hold back. She wanted to see just how capable these young maids really were.
Zhu Xi said, "So the Empress Dowager sent Consort Hui to curry favor with the Emperor, firstly for the sake of the offspring, and secondly to prevent Consort Hui from being implicated."
"The Empress Dowager truly dotes on Consort Hui."
When Shen Meizhuang was mentioned, the Empress Dowager's expression softened considerably, and her tone became somewhat indulgent. "This child is gentle and kind, and her mind is always on the right path, unlike other concubines who are scheming and calculating."
"If I don't protect her, she will suffer a lot of injustice."
"To dare to use the plague to harm people shows that they do not value the lives of everyone in the harem, and they do not even care about the safety of the emperor."
"I absolutely cannot tolerate such a person remaining by the Emperor's side in the harem!"
*
Hall of Mental Cultivation
Sun Miaoqing wore a mask and, for aesthetic reasons, covered it with a silk handkerchief embroidered with orchids as she reported on her work to Da Pangju.
As for the hot air balloon, Sun Miaoqing knew the matter but not the reason, so she handed it over directly to the Imperial Workshop.
The hot air balloons now made are the size of Kongming lanterns and can fly at low altitudes, without flying higher and higher.
However, further research is needed to control the height artificially. Once these issues are resolved, we can then consider scaling it up.
This can save a lot of time and costs.
The epidemic is the most urgent matter, but other matters cannot be neglected. Looking at the immediate situation, every day of delay means the loss of a fortune.
Looking at the bigger picture, it seems like there's no progress. They're not making any progress, while the other side of the world is bustling with activity.
Rounding up means they've fallen behind again, this is unacceptable!
After telling all this to Big Fatty Orange, Sun Miaoqing continued,
"An epidemic broke out in the capital, which greatly affected the business of Mitangzhai. Although the imperial court had made preparations in advance, the price of grain more than doubled in a short period of time."
"I have thought it over. Money can be earned anytime, but human lives must be taken more seriously."
"After taking out that 400,000 taels, there wasn't much silver left. Winter is already tough, and if we don't even have anything to eat, we won't be able to get through it."
"Therefore, I will contribute another 50,000 taels of silver, and the Empress and the sisters in the harem will also contribute generously, bringing the total to 100,000 taels of silver."
"We hope to prepare more food and distribute it to each household according to the number of people. Especially those families living in the countryside, who live far away and have no way to get porridge."
Distributing porridge is a good thing, but if only a few porridge stalls are set up inside and outside the city, the money spent can only feed a small portion of the population.
More than half of the people still live in the village, and it takes them a whole day to walk to the city gate. Moreover, gathering together and queuing in long lines to drink porridge makes it easier to spread the virus.
She has taken out so much money, so she wants to save as many people as possible.
Once the factory is built, these people will be our human resources. Because of her kindness today, they would work overtime until they die without feeling that she is exploiting them.
Sigh, I suddenly feel like I'm becoming more and more like a capitalist; I see everything as something to be exploited...
Big Fat Orange said, "Consort Cheng's consideration is very correct. The court cannot ignore the farmers in the countryside around the capital."
"I have already ordered people to handle the matter of grain prices. I will definitely not allow those unscrupulous merchants to profit from this national crisis."
"I thank you on behalf of the people for your kindness."
Sun Miaoqing said, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? Doing good deeds always brings benefits. My sisters and I are just doing our part. This illness is chronic, and we'll feel much more at ease if it ends sooner."
Big Fat Orange rubbed his hands, wanting to give a smile, but seeing the folded documents on the desk, he couldn't bring himself to smile.
In less than ten days, nearly ten thousand people had fallen ill, and three thousand had died. The Imperial Medical Academy still did not know when it would be able to develop a cure.
"A cure for the epidemic has not yet been developed, and the latest prescription can only prolong life by a few more days."
"Although we had prepared a batch of herbs beforehand, there were just too many people infected. Physician Lu and the folk doctors were simply too busy to keep up."
"As soon as the disease was discovered, Prince Chun immediately summoned the medicine merchants in the capital to deal with this problem."
"But there are always people who are greedy and forget morality, secretly raising the price of medicine. Many others bring out some kind of ancestral prescription and claim that it can cure all diseases and cure all ailments instantly."
"In reality, they were selling inferior goods as superior ones, deceiving the people. Some people were so desperate to survive that they even sold their children and went bankrupt to obtain the medicine, but in the end, it was all in vain."
"Whenever I think of this, my heart aches. What have the people done wrong? The unscrupulous merchants deserve to die!"
After the fat orange finished speaking, his eyes seemed to glisten. How could he, the emperor, still call himself a wise and enlightened ruler when such a thing happened right under his nose?
The chubby orange tree looks like it's genuinely saddened by the plight of the people. It's all because agricultural societies are so vulnerable to risk; with layers of exploitation, it's no wonder they suffer.
[But if these powerful families were repeatedly overthrown, imperial power would be centralized and stable, and the people could breathe a sigh of relief. But would he dare to do that?]
If he succeeded, he'd be like Zhu Yuanzhang; if he failed, he'd be like Yang Guang. He was probably afraid of death too...
Big Orange gritted his teeth; how could he dare not! The policy of merging land tax and poll tax into a system where gentry and commoners paid taxes offended countless people, yet he endured it all!
The problem was that the deep-seated problems of the Qing Dynasty were difficult to reverse and maintain. After these powerful families were purged, new nobles would naturally take their place; whether or not to take action depended on whether it was worthwhile.
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