"No, no, that's not what I meant," Zhen Taishi mumbled in rebuttal.
Empress Zhaoyuan continued, "Duoduo is a princess, representing the face of Nanyang. Although the envoys from vassal states like Wusun are not present today, what would they think if they saw the little princess dressed in coarse clothes?!"
"Where is the dignity of Nanyang as the capital of the Celestial Empire?!" Empress Zhaoyuan stared at Grand Historian Zhen and said each word with a cold tone and a loud voice. After she finished speaking, she slammed her hand on the table and glared angrily.
After hearing Empress Zhaoyuan's words, the Empress Dowager's eyes flashed with approval, but it quickly disappeared.
Yun Beiye remained silent, only occasionally curling the corners of his lips, as if he were enjoying the sight of Empress Zhaoyuan scolding Zhen Taishi.
Yun Duoduo listened to Empress Zhaoyuan's brilliant debate, and looked at Grand Historian Zhen, who was speechless with his mouth agape and looked dejected.
She clapped her little paws and chuckled happily.
The Empress is so cool!
That's awesome!
Zhen Taishi was somewhat overwhelmed by Empress Zhaoyuan's scolding. Seeing that the criticism was directed at him, he couldn't help but glance at Consort Chen, casting a pleading look in his eyes.
Sister, say something!
[Didn't you tell me to frame the little princess as a jinx? But I never expected even the Empress would protect her!]
[How could the Empress be so undignified? Her mouth is like a machine gun, catching people completely off guard!]
younger sister?
Yun Duoduo looked at Zhen Taishi in surprise, then turned to look at the expressionless Consort Chen.
So it turns out that Grand Historian Zhen is Consort Chen's brother?
Are they cousins? They look worlds apart!
It turns out that Grand Historian Zhen from the Imperial Observatory was sent by Consort Chen. Good, she wants to drown her in her spittle. Once she can speak and walk, she will definitely pay double! None of them will escape!
Yun Duoduo clenched her little fists, and even thought of a solution in her mind.
When it comes to scheming and intrigue, Yun Duoduo is not afraid at all; in fact, she can be said to be quite experienced. She has watched a lot of palace dramas, and her eldest brother has read her many stories about domestic power struggles. In modern times, when she first graduated and started her internship, she worked in an office where politics were very serious. She had to avoid her boss making things difficult for her while also maintaining good relationships with her colleagues to obtain firsthand information from all sides.
What we're saying is, let's wait and see how she carves out her own niche in the world of intrigue and backstabbing.
"Does Grand Historian Zhen have anything else to say?" Yun Beiye looked at the Empress approvingly, not expecting her to speak up for Yun Duoduo, and that what she said was quite reasonable.
"No, that's all," Zhen Taishi stammered, large beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"Where are the others?" Yun Beiye scanned the crowd present.
The ministers who had been chattering and speaking righteously just moments before immediately lowered their heads and silently ate their rice when they heard that they were to take silver from their own residences to give to Wusun.
Jiang Shi, the Vice Minister of Rites, swallowed hard and nervously glanced at the Emperor. The topic of Wusun had been brought up by her, and he was very worried that Yun Beiye would take her anger out on him.
After a long silence in the main hall, Yun Beiye looked at everyone present with a hint of mockery.
Jin Jinzhi put down her chopsticks and stood up from the table.
The Jin family also came to the New Year's Eve banquet today. Jin Jinzhi sat with his father Jin Xiaoran, mother Xun Yunge, and younger sister Jin Zhuangzhuang.
Tonight, Yun Duoduo is being held by the Empress Dowager, so he no longer needs to protect her safety.
Seeing Jin Jinzhi step forward, Yun Beiye asked, "Oh, Jinzhi, do you have a plan?"
"Your Majesty, I believe that the problem with Wusun mainly occurs in the autumn and winter seasons. As far as I know, there have been no cases of refugees fleeing to the northern border of Nanyang without travel documents in the spring and summer, nor have there been any cases of the Zhenbei Army accidentally injuring refugees."
The Jin family's Zhenbei Army had been stationed in the northern border for many years without incident, but when the family returned to the capital, trouble broke out in the northern border.
Judging from the tone of the Vice Minister of Rites, the deaths and injuries of these Wusun people were caused by the obstruction of the Zhenbei Army. From this perspective, it is clear that the Jin family is involved.
Yun Beiye nodded, signaling Jin Jinzhi to continue.
"In my opinion, the fault of this accident does not lie with Nanyang. If we try to appease them with money, it will only make others think that Nanyang is trying to buy lives with money."
Yun Duoduo listened attentively to Jin Jinzhi's speech, blinking her eyes in agreement.
"Yes, that makes sense. If money were given, Nanyang soldiers might kill Wusun civilians to quell negative public opinion."
"Moreover, the winters are cold. This year, some refugees have fled, and if we encounter extremely bad weather next year or the year after, some disaster victims will not be able to eat or survive."
[Yes, yes, using money to solve the problem is only treating the symptoms, not the root cause.]
If we don't address the root cause of the problem, we can't just keep using money to solve the disaster victims' situation every year!
"I believe that the cattle and sheep of Wusun did not all die of freezing but of starvation, and the extreme weather has nothing to do with the little princess." Jin Jinzhi analyzed the situation based on what he had seen and heard in the northern frontier over the years.
"Hmm, does Jinzhi have any ideas?" Hearing Jin Jinzhi's words, Yun Beiye became interested. Finally, someone who could actually do something.
"I believe that the first step is to send a portion of the Zhenbei Army to set up tents and cook hot porridge near the city gates in the northern border region to help these desperate and impoverished people, ease the tense situation on the border, and prevent conflict from occurring," Jin Jinzhi said calmly from the center of the hall.
“You make it sound so easy. What if the Wusun people discover a place where they can eat and drink for free, and more and more people gather at the border?” one of the ministers at the table shouted out his question.
"Setting up a relief station at the border is a short-term, temporary solution. To solve this problem in the long term, we need the following approach. I would also appreciate your help in figuring out how to address this issue."
【Hmm, that makes sense. If you think I'm wrong, you'd better prove you're right, or suggest a better solution.】
Yun Duoduo listened attentively to the older boy's words.
Upon hearing that he was to help come up with a solution, the minister who had asked the question quickly shut his mouth.
"The second step is to have an envoy deliver a message to the Chanyu of Wusun, informing him of the situation on the border. If the Chanyu of Wusun is willing, we in Nanyang can send a team to Wusun to set up some tents for the herders to spend the winter in, and to build sheltered pens for the cattle and sheep to keep warm," Jin Jinzhi said, gesturing with his hands.
"The second step is to remind the Chanyu of Wusun to instruct the herders to stockpile fresh grass and hay as early as possible during the spring and autumn, lest their cattle and sheep go without food in winter. Winters in northern Xinjiang are exceptionally long, with cold days lasting five or six months, and grass won't grow in such cold weather."
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