Su Wanwan raised an eyebrow.
Sun Qingyu was known to be somewhat kind-hearted; she had even stood up for Lu Xingjian at the Huguo Zifu Zen Temple.
I have no grudge against her, and I'm deliberately trying to be friendly, yet she avoids me like the plague.
Something's not right.
"Heying, keep a close eye on the movements at Renshou Palace. We, the entire Kunning Palace, must also be cautious."
Su Wanwan had a headache.
She had only been in the palace for a short time and had little influence or manpower.
Those left behind by the Zhou family back then have long been eliminated by the late emperor and Empress Dowager Zhang.
There are many things that I feel powerless to do now, and I feel constrained.
He Ying frowned deeply: "Your Majesty, Ma Ji has been poisoned. Who was responsible?"
"People in the palace are saying that you were the one who ordered it. If the Emperor also suspects you, then things will be very bad."
"Why don't you go and explain things to the Emperor?"
When couples argue, one of them always has to be the first to swallow their pride and make peace.
The Emperor hasn't come over for several days; he's probably still holding his breath.
Thinking back to their unpleasant parting last time, Su Wanwan remained silent for a while before saying:
"No need."
Those who are clean will be clean by themselves.
She was already being very tolerant, but he wouldn't let it go and insisted on arguing.
What more do you want from her?
This way, everyone can live their own lives, and everyone retains their dignity, which isn't so bad.
...
Su Wanwan's birthday is in mid-March, known as the "Empress's Birthday Festival," when ladies from both the inner and outer courts gather to offer their congratulations.
The crowd was buzzing with discussion, with the most frequent topic of conversation being the price of grain.
Meanwhile, Madam Han, from the household of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was surrounded by the crowd in the very center.
"What are your plans, Vice Minister Han? Do you really think the price of grain can rise to one tael of silver per shi (a unit of dry measure)?"
"Exactly, exactly. During Emperor Yingzong's reign, the price of grain was four shi (a unit of dry measure) for one tael of silver. It has increased considerably since then, but it shouldn't be this outrageous. What exactly is Minister Han thinking?"
"At the end of last year, the soldiers in the capital were given grain at a price of four shi (a unit of dry measure) for one tael of silver. Those who did not want grain could take silver instead, which is why the price of grain in the capital has remained low. Could it be that the price of grain outside the capital has risen to such an outrageous level?"
The recent surge in grain prices has caused widespread panic.
If it really is one tael of silver and one shi of grain, then all the noblewomen will have to be very frugal to prepare for the impending famine.
Whether the famine will trigger a popular uprising is anyone's guess.
Pressed by the crowd, Madam Han had no choice but to explain:
“Every year, Huguang transported more than 300,000 shi of grain to the Jingtong Second Warehouse, and the consumption of people and horses on the road was about twice that amount.”
"But the grain that the Beijing army received, when sold, only amounted to a little over one shi and three qian."
"That's why my master submitted a memorial requesting that the grain from Huguang be converted into silver and sent to the capital. One shi of grain plus one shi of transportation costs would be counted as two shi, and each shi would be priced at five qian of silver. That would be one shi of grain for one tael of silver."
The crowd was skeptical and discussed the matter extensively.
"Huguang has always been a land of fish and rice. It doesn't seem right to leave the grain locally instead of transporting it to the capital at such a high price."
"Have grain prices over there risen to such an outrageous level that local officials can profit from it?"
"If grain prices in the capital also rise to this level, and there's still no grain to buy, how will we survive?"
“We are alright, as the imperial court provides us with a stipend of rice. But I fear that ordinary people will have no surplus grain and will have to go bankrupt just to survive.”
The ladies of the court were all looking rather grim.
The air fell silent for a moment.
Someone quipped, "Is there any grain left in the Jing-Tong granary? Is it enough for us to draw upon?"
The faces of all the noblewomen changed.
If the Jingtong Granary is empty and grain from other places is not transported to the capital... wouldn't the capital be in chaos?
Considering the recent surge in food prices, everyone's mood became heavy.
The food at the palace banquet tasted bland.
Su Wanwan didn't seem to be in much spirits either. Although she was the birthday girl, she only had a faint smile on her face and her eyes looked a little absent-minded.
Neither Madam Yu nor anyone from the Su family came today.
Zhou Wanxiu came over, using the pretext of offering a toast to Su Wanwan.
He casually tugged at a jade whistle hanging from his chest, his words tinged with pride.
"Your Majesty, this is a new item I recently acquired. Do you find it pleasing to the eye?"
Su Wanwan's gaze fell on the jade whistle, and her pupils contracted sharply.
This is Xiao Bin's jade whistle.
I gave her one before, for emergency contact, and she has always treasured it.
How did his jade whistle end up in Zhou Wanxiu's hands?
Su Wanwan forced a smile: "This jade whistle is quite nice."
Zhou Wanxiu then smiled and said, "This humble woman has some private matters to discuss with Your Majesty."
She looked around hesitantly, "But..."
This is not a place for speaking in public.
Su Wanwan said, "Then you can stay here for a while, and we can have a chat."
Zhou Wanxiu smiled broadly and gracefully bowed, saying, "Yes."
She had to find a way to stay in the palace.
Otherwise, she would have no way to get in touch with the Emperor.
At this point, she doesn't really have any other options.
Why not take a gamble and resolutely enter the palace to try and secure a better future?
Given Maggie's example, she refused to believe that Lu Xingjian could remain devoted to Su Wanwan without ever getting tired of her and wanting to try something different.
At least she was someone he knew well, someone he grew up with, and she had no intention of harming him. She was much more trustworthy than those strange women outside.
Su Wanwan lowered her eyes to hide her emotions.
Xiao Bin appeared.
That means the grain she had her stewards buy from overseas has arrived safely.
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