"Big picture! Listen to my wife, you can't go wrong!"
With Xiao Che's full support and the unanimous approval of the three core ministers of the cabinet, the decree to establish the national-level orphanage "Yuyoutang" spread throughout the capital at an unprecedented speed.
This imperial edict, brimming with benevolence and warmth, was like a spring breeze, instantly warming the hearts of countless ordinary people. Families struggling on the poverty line, and those displaced by war, were especially grateful, regarding the emperor and empress as living bodhisattvas.
In an instant, public sentiment was in an uproar, and the emperor and empress's prestige was once again pushed to a new peak.
However, there is always shadow under the sun.
When the spring breeze of new policies blows across the land, some rotten roots entrenched in dark corners will feel uncomfortable.
On the third day after the imperial decree was issued, strange rumors began to spread quietly in the capital.
"Have you heard? The orphanage is going to be built in the Hundred Herbs Garden in the west of the city!"
"What? Hundred Herbs Garden? That...that's the mass grave from the previous dynasty, isn't it? I heard it's filled with yin energy, and you can always hear ghosts wailing at night!"
"Yes! Orphans are already destined for misfortune, and they are often seen as unlucky. Now, gathering so many 'unlucky people' in such a 'gloomy place'... isn't this going to bring about a great disaster?"
"That's right! If the yin energy clashes with the dragon vein and disrupts the feng shui of the capital, none of us will have a good time!"
These rumors, originating from nowhere, spread rapidly like a virus through teahouses, taverns, and streets of the capital. They cleverly linked the people's awe of ghosts and gods and their fear of the unknown with the new concept of "orphanages," precisely striking at the most superstitious and ignorant nerves in people's hearts.
At first, most people were skeptical. But as the rumors intensified, and even a few hooligans who claimed to have "seen the will-o'-the-wisp in the Hundred Herbs Garden" appeared on the streets to give their accounts, panic began to spread like a plague.
Inside Kunning Palace, Qin Zheng reported the intelligence she had gathered to Lin Wanwan one by one, her pretty face full of anger.
"Your Majesty, it must be those conservative officials who are behind this! They dare not openly oppose His Majesty in court, so they resort to such despicable means to incite the people! They are truly shameless and despicable!"
Lin Wanwan listened to the report, but her expression remained calm. She gently stroked the rim of her teacup with her fingertips and said lightly, "As expected. Any reform will affect interests, but it will also affect ideas. Sometimes, stubbornness in ideas is more difficult to deal with than struggles over interests."
She knew this was just the first wave of probing counterattacks. The other side, not daring to directly confront imperial power, was trying to use "public opinion" to blackmail her and force her to back down.
"Then what should we do?" Qin Zheng asked anxiously. "Should we have the Prefect of the Capital arrest those thugs who spread rumors, torture them severely, and find out who is behind it all?"
“No need.” Lin Wanwan shook her head, a wise glint in her eyes. “Using force to suppress it will only make the people think we are guilty, and will only confirm the rumors. The best way to deal with rumors is not to block them, but to guide them.”
She put down her teacup, stood up, and spoke calmly yet with an undeniable authority.
"By imperial decree, tomorrow I will personally leave the palace to select a site for the 'Orphanage'."
...
The news that the Empress would personally select a site for the orphanage spread like wildfire the next day.
Lin Wanwan's imperial carriage, escorted by the Imperial Guards, slowly drove out of the palace gates. However, she did not go directly to the Hundred Herbs Garden in the west of the city, but instead stopped at several alternative locations in the capital.
Finally, when her entourage arrived at the gate of the Hundred Herbs Garden, it was already packed with people who had come after hearing the news.
Most people were just watching out of curiosity, but there were clearly some people in the crowd who were agitated and had unfriendly eyes.
"Long live the Empress!"
Supported by Qin Zheng, Lin Wanwan stepped down from the imperial carriage. She glanced at the somewhat dilapidated garden before her, abandoned for many years, and nodded in satisfaction. The open terrain and tranquil environment made it an excellent choice for establishing an orphanage.
Just as she was about to speak, several thugs suddenly rushed out from the crowd, followed by some agitated and incited civilians.
"Your Majesty! You mustn't!" The ringleader of the thugs dramatically knelt on the ground, crying out, "This is an extremely inauspicious place! Adopting orphans here is inviting evil spirits into the capital, ruining the fate of our Great Liang Dynasty, and bringing disaster to the capital!"
His shout immediately caused the people behind him to join in the commotion.
"Yes, Your Majesty, let's go somewhere else! This place is unlucky!"
"Your Majesty, please reconsider! Do not disrupt the feng shui of the capital!"
In an instant, the crowd surged with emotion, and the scene descended into chaos. The imperial guards immediately stepped forward, shielding Lin Wanwan behind them, their spears pointed at the crowd, and the atmosphere became tense and volatile.
However, faced with this chaotic scene, Lin Wanwan not only did not panic at all, but a knowing smile flashed in her eyes instead.
The fish has taken the bait.
Instead of using guards to forcibly suppress them, she raised her hand to signal them to step back.
She took a few steps forward, her gaze calmly sweeping over the group of "righteously indignant" people before her, especially the few thugs who were leading them. Her voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"I know that you all care about the peace and tranquility of the capital, and that is a good intention."
The moment she spoke, she acknowledged the other person's "goodwill," instantly easing the tense atmosphere.
Seeing the Empress's "kindness," the thugs grew bolder and prepared to continue their lamenting.
Lin Wanwan changed the subject, her face showing just the right amount of "difficulty" and "pity".
"However, I really have no other choice. Although His Majesty is benevolent, the national treasury is only just full and there are expenses everywhere. Building an orphanage is already a great effort, and we really... have no money left."
Her apparent weakness stunned everyone. The Empress, in public, was feigning poverty?
"You all don't know this," Lin Wanwan continued with a sigh, "raising a child involves expenses for food, clothing, daily necessities, tuition, and medicine. If we were to adopt all the orphans in the city, the expenses would be like mountains of gold and seas of silver. What the national treasury can allocate now is just a drop in the ocean. These past few days, I've been so worried about this money that I haven't been able to sleep at night."
Her words, half true and half false, instantly transformed a high-ranking "government leader" into a "patriarch" worried about "the cost of milk powder for her children," thus bridging the gap between her and ordinary people.
The noise from the crowd gradually subsided.
Seeing that the time was right, Lin Wanwan finally revealed her true purpose.
She looked around and announced loudly:
"Since everyone agrees that this matter is of great importance, relying solely on the national treasury is indeed inappropriate. I have decided that a 'Royal Charity Auction' will be held three days from now at the largest establishment in the city, the 'Yuexian Tower'!"
"At that time, I will auction off some of my privately collected treasures. All proceeds will be used for the construction of the 'Orphanage'! I also welcome all kind-hearted people in the capital to join in this grand event and contribute to the future of our Great Liang and to those poor children!"
These words shocked everyone present!
Royal... Auction?
This is yet another completely new and unheard-of term!
The people who had been incited were completely bewildered. They had come to cause trouble, so how did things turn out that not only was the Empress not angry, but she was also willing to pay out of her own pocket to resolve the issue?
The ringleaders of the thugs were completely dumbfounded. Their masters had only sent them to sabotage the site selection, not to teach them how to handle this situation!
Lin Wanwan gave them no time to react. After she finished speaking, she turned around and returned to the Phoenix Carriage under the protection of the Imperial Guards, leaving behind a group of people who looked at each other in bewilderment and were completely lost.
...
Three days later, at Yuexianlou.
This unprecedented "royal charity auction" ignited the entire upper class of Beijing.
Receiving an invitation personally issued by the Empress was itself a symbol of status. All the prominent ladies and socialites in the capital dressed in their finest attire to attend, packing Yuexianlou to capacity.
The items Lin Wanwan brought out for auction were all treasures from the palace, but not the most prestigious national treasures. Their value was just right, making them both valuable and not prohibitively expensive.
The atmosphere was exceptionally lively as soon as the auction began.
"The following lot is an authentic work of 'Autumn Colors on the Quehua Mountains' by Zhao Mengfu, a master of the previous dynasty. Starting bid: five thousand taels!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than the wife of the Minister of Personnel raised her plaque: "Six thousand taels! Such a masterpiece should be collected by my husband!"
Before she could finish speaking, the Minister of War's wife chuckled and leisurely raised her plaque: "Lord Zhao painted landscapes, which my husband, a mere military man, is probably not appreciative of. However, to support Your Majesty's charitable act and to accumulate some good fortune for the children, I will contribute eight thousand taels!"
Her words, ostensibly about doing charity, subtly outshone the wife of the Minister of Personnel.
Lin Wanwan sat in the private room upstairs, watching the wealthy ladies below arguing heatedly over face and reputation, causing prices to skyrocket. The smile on her lips grew deeper and deeper.
She understood these people's psychology all too well. To them, money was just a number; but reputation, especially a reputation for "benevolence" that caught the Empress's eye, was invaluable social capital!
What she wanted was to use their vanity and competitive spirit to raise the first, most solid, and cleanest start-up capital for her "orphanage".
One item after another was sold for far exceeding their intrinsic value. In just one hour, the amount raised reached hundreds of thousands of taels of silver! Enough to build an orphanage even more luxurious than the princes' private residences!
The auction reached its climax when the last item—a purse hand-embroidered by Lin Wanwan—was fiercely contested by the ladies.
Suddenly, a loud announcement came from downstairs, the sound piercing through all the noise and clearly resounding throughout the entire Yuexian Tower.
"His Majesty...has arrived!"
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