Fearful of missing any juicy gossip.
“I heard they offended the Empress, so they were all banished to the cold palace.”
“No, no, I heard it was because of issues with heirs that they were sent to the cold palace.”
“I also heard those concubines cuckolded the Emperor, which is why they were banished to the cold palace.”
“None of that’s right. I heard they were executed for poisoning and killing the princes and princesses.”
“How come I heard it was because of Little Lord Ji…” Everyone knew Little Lord Ji had Inner Thoughts; her words were akin to prophecies, and everything she mentioned could be verified instantly.
Hehe… Haha… These high-ranking officials are just like common folks. I thought they’d be aloof and awe-inspiring, but they’re nothing like that at all…
After her Inner Thoughts faded, everyone fell silent—how could they have the nerve to continue gossiping?
Hehe~ Let me gossip a bit about the three thousand beauties in the harem too~
“His Majesty has arrived~” Before the gossip could even begin, they were startled by Cao Gonggong’s flamboyant voice.
The Emperor entered and, after taking his seat, couldn’t help but sigh in relief. Thankfully, he had come in early; otherwise, if the ministers found out who had cuckolded him, would he still have any face left?
“Your subject has a memorial to present!” The Minister of Revenue stepped forward and read last night’s memorial once again.
Now, they needed to reach a conclusion.
“My beloved ministers, what do you think should be done?” The national treasury simply didn’t have enough silver to sustain Fengcheng through the winter. With the treasury depleted and the Ministry of Revenue powerless, the situation was utterly hopeless.
“Aside from allocating funds, we should arrange for porridge distribution in the city. For houses destroyed by the flood, several families should work together to rebuild.”
After someone proposed this, everyone seconded the motion, even considering it an excellent suggestion.
“However, where will the grain come from? The grain and silver in the national treasury are insufficient to last through the winter.” Everyone knew how long winter could be.
For a moment, the hall fell silent, except for the slightly “loud” sound of Ji Yingying’s snores. Yet, no one dared to say anything, afraid of provoking Little Lord Ji.
Even those standing beside her didn’t dare to “move,” fearing they might catch the Emperor’s attention. Ah! This Little Lord Ji is truly remarkable—she can even fall asleep standing up.
“Little Lord Ji.” A voice called out, startling Ji Yingying so much she nearly jumped. Fortunately, she remained relatively calm and didn’t collapse from fright, though she still cursed inwardly: That dog Emperor, trying to kill me! Scared me to death, damn it.
After cursing in her heart, she replied respectfully, “Your subject is here.”
“What are your thoughts on the flood?”
“Well, Your Subject believes we should raise funds through donations.”
“Oh? How so?”
“Well, we could organize a donation drive and send the collected silver to the disaster area. As for the collapsed houses, we could arrange for local residents to rebuild them. Additionally, we should assign physicians to conduct daily check-ups, disinfect the area, and so on.”
The biggest fear during a flood is the spread of viruses. Without proper precautions, it would absolutely be… Ah! I’m out of words. As for donations, look at that old man in the front—he talks about being the poorest, but in reality, he’s the wealthiest. His household has over a thousand gold bars alone. I have no idea how much money he actually has. And the old man on the left is even richer—otherwise, how could his wife donate tens of thousands of taels of gold to the temple in one go?
Ji Yingying was about to list them one by one when the leading old minister immediately knelt down and said, “Your subject believes Little Lord Ji’s arrangement is the best. I am willing to donate fifty thousand taels of silver to Fengcheng.”
“Your subject donates one hundred thousand taels of silver…”
“Your subject donates fifty thousand taels of silver…”
Once one started, others followed. In an instant, everyone knelt to make donations. The historian immediately recorded the pledges, leaving only Ji Cailiang and Ji Yingying still standing.
[Damn! I forgot! My father and I are dirt poor—where would we get money to donate?!]
Ji Cailiang was also pondering an appropriate amount to donate. Others were offering silver, and while his family had some silver, it only amounted to twenty thousand taels.
“Your subject…donates ten thousand taels of silver…” Ji Cailiang finally knelt.
[Oh no, Father! Don’t donate! I won’t have money for food! Wuwu~] Ji Yingying screamed internally, truly having no silver to spare.
[Who knew these old fogies were so rich? My father worked at the county office for two and a half years, toiling miserably without embezzling a single cent. Others serve as prefects for three years and pocket a hundred thousand snow-white taels, while our family…relies entirely on Mother’s two shops to make ends meet. If I’d known we were coming to the capital, I would’ve worked hard to get rich. I wouldn’t be the one crying poverty now! Wuwu… Little white flower, the ground is cold. Forget it, forget it.]
“Your subject…donates five thousand taels of silver…” Ji Yingying wept inwardly—how bitter!
[It’s fine, it’s fine. As long as I have time, I’ll go earn money. At worst, I’ll make and sell milk tea, fried chicken, and potato chips. If that fails, I’ll follow the transmigrated female leads and sell recipes. Think of China’s five thousand years of history—what dish haven’t I seen? Even aliens landing on Earth could research a delicious recipe.]
[If all else fails, I’ll develop sanitary pads, beauty whitening products, face masks, etc., to earn young ladies’ silver. If that doesn’t work, I’ll write storybooks—Mulan Joins the Army, the Four Great Classical Novels, technology and development. Children’s money is easy to make too—diapers, milk powder, toys, etc. None of these are big deals anyway. It’s fine! It’s fine!]
Having comforted herself, Ji Yingying’s previously resigned expression vanished, replaced by one of thriving optimism.
Snapping back to reality, the hall had fallen silent again.
[Huh? Why did it go quiet?]
“Ahem, my esteemed ministers, you may rise. On behalf of the people of Fengcheng, I thank you all,” the Emperor spoke.
Immediately, the ministers began flattering him—wishing him eternal reign, praising his wisdom—making the Emperor beam with joy. After all, this fundraising had indeed solved his urgent problem.
[Sigh, relying on silver alone isn’t sustainable. Silver will eventually run out. We still need to develop agriculture. Besides, this world has no cotton, little silk, and no down feathers. Winter will still be unbearable. After court, I should see if I can produce some down. Otherwise, come winter… Right, I still have to attend court in winter, waking at five in the morning. This damned Emperor is inhuman—what’s the point of rising so early?]
[I quit! I’m done with everything! I might as well starve to death right now.]
“Your Majesty, yesterday at home, I found this item. I don’t know what it is, but I heard it’s some kind of seed. However, I don’t know how to plant it.” The Minister of Revenue took out a small bag of glutinous corn kernels.
Ji Yingying leaned in to look: [Damn, it really is corn. How did this old guy bring it out? But it’s good that he did. This stuff is drought-resistant, can be harvested in just two or three months, and is particularly easy to grow with a yield of a thousand jin per mu. I remember checking information before – in high-yield areas with fertile land, it can even reach two thousand jin per mu, while poorer soil still yields three to five hundred jin. With this thing, why worry about starvation in winter? We should be worrying about freezing instead.]
Instantly, everyone gasped. How could such a tiny grain be so remarkable?
“Minister Little Ji, do you recognize this thing?”