Chapter 15 A Ball of Fire
Hu Shanxiang was slightly taken aback when she heard her request. She asked gently, "What weird ideas do you have? Do you want me to cover them for you?"
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but think, shouldn't his image be very bright? How come coming from his own mother, she sounds like a child who will cause trouble.
Although it would inevitably cause a great deal of trouble if this matter was not handled properly, it was better to take a risk than to suffer a slow death for more than ten years.
"Mother, I know you don't want to interfere too much in the affairs outside, but you are indispensable in this matter." Zhu Yuhuan said seriously, "There are many people in the outer city who need your help."
Hu Shanxiang was stunned for a moment, and it seemed like it took her a long time to understand what Zhu Yuhuan meant. She said, "Me?"
Zhu Yuhuan said seriously: "Yes, only mother can do this."
Zhu Youtong, who was listening at the side, couldn't help but exclaim, reaching out and tugging at his mother's sleeve, saying, "Only mother can do this... What is it?"
Not to mention Zhu Youtong, even Hu Shanxiang herself couldn't figure it out.
Is there anything else in this world that only an incompetent person like her can do?
"Mother, do you still remember that in the 22nd year of the Yongle reign, Grandma took you and the Imperial Concubine to provide relief to the disaster victims?" Zhu Yuhuan saw her blink, and it was obvious that he immediately thought of this incident. Then he continued, "At that time, Grandma praised you for your kindness and wisdom, and for knowing how to increase income and reduce expenditure to supplement the funds."
Hu Shanxiang shook her head helplessly and said, "It's all in the past. Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? I haven't heard of any disasters recently."
Zhu Yuhuan said solemnly: "There is no disaster, but I would like to ask you to give the charity hall a name so that the poor people living in the outer city can make a living."
"What's the meaning……"
Zhu Yuhuan recounted her experiences in the outer city today, then said, "I'm thinking of using the money my mother gave me to start a charity to support orphans, women, and children." Seeing Hu Shanxiang hesitate, she continued, "I know the money isn't enough, but my method of supporting them is a little different. It's not just money; I'm letting them earn income through labor. During the Song Dynasty, both Fan Xiwen and Ouyang Yongshu employed disaster victims to build civil engineering and water conservancy projects, alleviating the burden on the national treasury. I don't have that kind of talent, but I'm thinking of having these people work in my shop and my uncle's. It's easier than farming, but I won't let them resort to sly practices."
She went out for a look today and not only realized the hardships of the outer city, but also saw the gradually rising luxury in the inner city. Thinking of the gradually "lazy" Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuhuan did not want to sit and wait for death. Anyway, any change she could make would be a good one.
Hu Shanxiang already understood what she meant and simply asked, "Tell the Queen Mother about this matter, and she will naturally help you."
Zhu Yuhuan clutched Hu Shanxiang's hand and said, "Mother, I brought up the incident in the 22nd year of the Yongle reign because I saw light in your eyes at that time. It's not that you didn't want to change, but you knew you couldn't change the entire court, so you gave up on yourself. But when it came to helping those refugees, mother didn't hesitate or retreat at all, and I think it's the same now."
Hu Shanxiang was stunned. She lowered her eyes and raised her hand to touch her cheek.
Although she was not yet old and ugly, no one knew better than herself that her heart was probably older than the empress dowager's.
"You can't change the palace, but you can change the fate of many people outside." Zhu Yuhuan held her hand tightly and said, "As long as mother is willing."
Hu Shanxiang looked at her for a long time and finally nodded.
Her daughter was truly like a fire that had descended upon the world. As soon as she opened her mouth, people would unconsciously become heated.
Only Zhu Youtong, confused, looked back and forth, and finally said, "What should we name it then?"
Hu Shanxiang was amused by Zhu Youtong. She reached out and pinched her daughter's cheek, saying, "Do you understand? Just follow along and fool around."
Zhu Youtong was very confident and said, "Sister is so smart, what she did must be right! Although Tongtong is not as smart as sister, she is very obedient. She will do whatever sister asks her to do."
Zhu Yuhuan poked the little girl's forehead and said, "Sweet talk, but sister loves to hear it."
For Zhu Yuhuan, the most difficult thing was indeed Hu Shanxiang's mentality. As long as he could get through this hurdle, he would not be afraid of anything else.
After all, everyone knew what had happened to the shop. Even if Zhu Yuhuan really did win over a few common people, what would it matter? Could he really turn the tables? We've seen emperors afraid of powerful ministers, but how could they be afraid of a little princess?
Zhu Zhanji helped to take care of the shops outside the palace, so Zhu Yuhuan naturally had to be busy with the blast furnace inside the palace. After all, this was her "main business".
In the blink of an eye, it was Hu Shanxiang's birthday. One of the three major festivals in the palace was the Queen's Thousand Years' Day. Although it could not be a grand celebration due to the funeral, it could not be done hastily. A banquet was specially prepared, but no opera was invited to perform.
Empress Dowager Zhang knew that Hu Shanxiang had been wronged by rumors before, and she wanted to establish her prestige as the queen, so she asked all the government offices in the palace to present birthday gifts to Hu Shanxiang one by one. The scene looked grand.
Behind the palace government offices were Zhu Zhanji's younger brothers. Everyone knew that Empress Dowager Zhang valued Hu Shanxiang very much as her daughter-in-law, so they naturally prepared gifts, which made Empress Dowager Zhang nod repeatedly.
If it were before, Zhu Zhanji would definitely think that Qianqiu was wasteful and extravagant, but the previous rumors really made him more vigilant, and he also wanted to use this Qianqiu Festival to show off Hu Shanxiang's honor as queen.
Rumors about royal family affairs were circulating just after he ascended the throne. How could the people and future generations believe that he was a good emperor?
"Zhanzhan, what are you preparing?"
Zhu Zhanji chuckled and said, "It's not as valuable as the gifts from my brothers. I heard it's a famous ancient music score. I just came across it by chance, so I thought of giving it to my sister-in-law. I'll have the bell and drum department rehearse it in the future so my brother and sister-in-law can enjoy the music."
Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but secretly give a thumbs up to his fifth uncle's ability to make up stories.
It was obvious that he thought of it after seeing the gift Wu Miaosu asked her to prepare, but now it has become an "accidental" thing for him.
Zhu Zhanji was somewhat interested in listening to the music, but thinking of Hu Shanxiang's usual virtuous appearance, he felt a dampener. He feared that giving the music sheet to Hu Shanxiang would be a waste. He was about to say a few polite words when he caught a glimpse of Hu Shanxiang's eyes lighting up. She calmly said, "Prince Xiang is thoughtful. It's a rare honor to have taken the trouble to collect ancient music sheets."
Unexpectedly, Hu Shanxiang did not refuse, which surprised Zhu Zhanji a little.
Hu Shanxiang prides herself on being a role model of a good wife and mother, but how could she be interested in something as unproductive as stringed instruments?
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