Sure enough, during the morning court session the next day, Liu Sheng put forward a proposal.
He pointed out that problems would inevitably arise if they continued distributing free porridge for too long. Both the war on the northern frontier and the disaster-stricken regions desperately needed grain to save lives. The Ministry of Revenue had already gathered and dispatched a batch of grain, but it was nowhere near enough to last through the winter.
Therefore, he suggested that the civil and military officials take the lead. Those with money could donate silver, while those with grain could donate grain. Anyone who made a particularly generous contribution could be rewarded by the emperor.
Emperor An’s eyes immediately lit up at the proposal.
The court officials also found the idea feasible.
However, they soon began arguing fiercely over exactly what kind of rewards should be given.
Emperor An stared at the ministers below, all quarreling for the sake of their own interests, and for a moment, disappointment washed over him.
With a furious sweep of his sleeve, he left!
The ministers who remained behind stopped arguing and looked at one another awkwardly.
Later, Emperor An summoned Liu Sheng and several important ministers to discuss the matter privately.
“My beloved ministers, Liu Sheng’s proposal is excellent. But what form should these rewards take?”
No matter how much of a headache it caused, the problem still had to be solved.
Everyone frowned so deeply that their brows could have crushed a fly.
No one wanted to be the first to offer a suggestion.
Eventually, every pair of eyes turned toward the Ninth Imperial Uncle.
The Ninth Imperial Uncle smiled faintly.
“Isn’t that simple? Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, many positions in the imperial harem have remained vacant. The ministers have repeatedly urged Your Majesty to hold an imperial selection, but Your Majesty has always refused on the grounds that state affairs are more important. This is an excellent opportunity. If those who make substantial donations are rewarded with positions in the imperial harem…”
The Ninth Imperial Uncle stopped there.
But everyone present was shrewd enough to immediately understand what he meant.
Of course!
Why hadn’t they thought of such a perfect solution?
It would solve two problems at once!
Immediately, everyone turned toward Emperor An with burning enthusiasm in their eyes.
Emperor An’s heart sank.
So they intended to sacrifice him for the benefit of everyone else!
He shot the Ninth Imperial Uncle a resentful look.
But at that very moment, an idea suddenly flashed through his mind.
Why should he be the only one to suffer?
He had five imperial younger brothers!
Surely their inner residences could accommodate a few more women as well?
If the Ninth Imperial Uncle had not sworn never to marry, Emperor An would have dragged him into this mess too!
“My beloved ministers, since we are holding a selection anyway, we might as well choose more women. The inner residences of my imperial brothers should not be too empty either. Whatever positions they are lacking, we can fill them all at once. It’ll save us the trouble of doing it again later!”
Hearing this, the important ministers could not help feeling sorry for the princes.
It was obvious that Emperor An was dragging his brothers down with him!
Some of them secretly glanced at the Ninth Imperial Uncle, but not a single person dared suggest including him.
The Ninth Imperial Uncle had always been frail and sickly. How could his body withstand such trouble?
There had not been a single woman by his side all these years. Everyone assumed it had something to do with his health.
And even if it did not, no one dared interfere in his affairs!
“Oh, right!”
Emperor An suddenly added, “If any of my brothers refuse, that’s fine too. They can simply pay money to buy their way out. In fact, I think they’re all much richer than I am!”
The ministers froze for a moment before finally understanding.
Some princes undoubtedly had loving relationships with their wives and might refuse to allow new women into their residences.
That was fine.
If they refused, they could settle the matter with money!
The Emperor’s move was absolutely ruthless!
The ministers immediately began discussing the details, setting donation requirements according to rank and the amount of money or grain contributed.
Halfway through the discussion, however, another problem emerged.
Should there be restrictions on who was allowed to donate?
Could anyone participate regardless of official rank or social status?
What if an ordinary merchant donated the most? Would his daughter also be granted the position of an imperial consort?
Would that not disrupt the established hierarchy?
But since Emperor An was already sacrificing himself, did it really matter how much he sacrificed?
After balancing the interests of all sides, they eventually drafted an initial plan.
When the arrangement was officially announced during morning court the following day, the entire court fell deathly silent.
The expressions of the officials below were extraordinarily varied.
The faces of the five imperial princes were particularly entertaining.
Sitting high above them, Emperor An secretly felt immensely satisfied.
At last, he could finally vent some of his frustration!
After an open discussion in court, the final terms were established.
For families with officials serving in the imperial court, donations starting at one million taels’ worth of silver or grain would qualify for the highest rewards. The top three donors would respectively receive the positions of Consort Liang, Consort Duan, and Consort Jing.
For donations below one million but above five hundred thousand taels, five positions of Beauty would be available.
For donations below five hundred thousand taels, five positions of Talented Lady would be available.
In addition, wealthy families without official status could also make donations. Any family whose contribution reached one million taels would qualify to compete for one of ten positions as Selected Lady.
As for the various princes’ residences, each would receive one Secondary Consort for a donation of one million taels, one Lesser Consort for eight hundred thousand taels, and up to five concubines for five hundred thousand taels each.
From the moment morning court ended, the capital was destined to descend into a storm of open and secret competition.
Whether they were powerful aristocratic clans or wealthy merchant families, anyone with daughters in their household—or even within their extended clan—could see exactly how ruthless the emperor’s scheme was.
This was simply a disguised method of forcing wealthy officials and merchants to empty their pockets!
But the potential rewards were even more tempting.
If they made the right gamble, the benefits could last for several generations of their family!
Naturally, everyone began secretly calculating which position their family had a chance of obtaining.
Almost overnight, long lines appeared outside private grain merchants and money houses throughout the capital.
The price of grain soared from two hundred copper coins per shi to seven hundred, with no sign of stopping.
Some people began eyeing the government grain reserves.
However, the imperial court had already taken precautions. Gu Jiuci was also secretly assisting behind the scenes, leaving these people with no opportunity to touch the government’s grain.
With no other choice, they began searching beyond the capital, buying grain all the way south.
Unfortunately for them, Gu Jiuci and Xiao Yu had already swept through the market earlier.
There was hardly any grain left to buy!
After setting aside a portion for disaster relief, Xiao Yu sold the grain in her possession, including the stockpile Xiao Wang had previously accumulated in Fengzhou, at a high price.
Both of them made enormous profits.
Xiao Yu did not feel the slightest bit guilty about making money from these people.
After all, the grain would eventually make its way into the hands of those who needed it most!
As for Gu Jiuci…
Xiao Yu could easily imagine that he had definitely earned far more than she had!
The imperial selection brought joy to some and sorrow to others.
Some were tempted by the opportunity, while others were consumed by jealousy or anger.
Xie Jin was among those who were furious.
“His Highness is here!”
Xiao Yu was warming herself inside her room when, unexpectedly, Xie Jin suddenly arrived.
“What does the Princess think about His Majesty’s imperial selection?”
Xie Jin went straight to the point.
Xiao Yu had already guessed that he had come because of this matter.
He probably had some plan in mind.
Instead of answering, she asked him directly, “If Your Highness has something in mind, please say it directly. If there is anything you need me to do, I will certainly do my best.”
“His Majesty has granted each prince’s residence one Secondary Consort, one Lesser Consort, and five concubines. Aside from our residence, which has relatively few women in the inner courtyard, the residences of the other princes have become quite lively recently. I was thinking that, since these women will be entering Prince Rui’s Residence, perhaps the Princess could select the most advantageous candidates among them.”
The moment he said this, Xiao Yu understood.
Which imperial prince did not harbor at least some ambition?
Xie Jin was no exception.
What he wanted was simple.
He wanted Xiao Yu to secretly investigate the families that had registered for the selection and identify women whose backgrounds could strengthen his position.
Then she was supposed to find a way to have those women sent into Prince Rui’s Residence.
“Does Your Highness already have suitable candidates in mind?”
“Not yet. I heard that the participating families have already submitted their preliminary registrations. His Majesty and the Ninth Imperial Uncle each possess a copy of the list.”
Xie Jin paused before continuing.
“The Ninth Imperial Uncle helped you last time, and I assume you have not yet visited him to express your gratitude. Why not prepare some generous gifts and pay him a visit?”
Xie Jin practically ground the words out through clenched teeth.
After the porridge distribution, Prince Rui’s Residence had gained considerable prestige, and Xie Jin’s attitude toward Xiao Yu had improved somewhat.
But whenever he remembered what happened at Yuling Temple, his anger still surged.
“This…”
Xiao Yu deliberately hesitated.
When she saw Xie Jin’s expression grow cold, she finally said, “I will do my best.”
Ordinarily, since there were no women in the Ninth Prince’s Residence, proper etiquette dictated that Xie Jin should either accompany Xiao Yu or visit personally.
Yet he insisted on sending Xiao Yu alone.
That meant he was still suspicious about what had happened at Yuling Temple.
“Then I’ll trouble the Princess to prepare generous gifts and visit him today.”
After saying that, Xie Jin simply left.
Xiao Yu could only stare after him in disbelief.
It was already past noon!
Who visited someone’s residence in the afternoon to express gratitude?
He certainly was impatient!
Xiao Yu summoned Steward Du and instructed him to send someone ahead with a visiting card in Prince Rui’s name. She also had him prepare generous gifts and accompany her to the Ninth Prince’s Residence.
By the time everything was arranged and Xiao Yu’s carriage finally arrived, the lanterns at the Ninth Prince’s Residence had already been lit.
The entrance was quiet, with only two guards stationed outside.
They entered the residence without much difficulty.
Gu Jiuci was dressed in casual white robes embroidered with subtle auspicious cloud patterns.
He reclined lazily in a grand armchair, his complexion slightly pale, as though he had just awakened.
“Why has Princess Rui come at such a late hour? Where is Prince Rui? He didn’t come with you?”
Xiao Yu bowed respectfully to the Ninth Imperial Uncle.
“His Highness is feeling somewhat unwell, so he asked me to come alone. Regarding what happened at Yuling Temple last time, I still need to thank Ninth Imperial Uncle for helping me out of that predicament.”
“Oh? It was merely a small matter. There is no need for Princess Rui to keep it in mind.”
“Your Highness, it’s time for your medicine!”
Steward Gu of the Ninth Prince’s Residence entered carrying a bowl filled with pitch-black medicine.
He handed it to Gu Jiuci.
Without the slightest change in expression, Gu Jiuci accepted the bowl and drank the medicine.
Then, without warning, he pulled out a list and casually waved it in front of Xiao Yu.
“Princess Rui didn’t come here merely to thank me, did you? You came for this imperial selection list, didn’t you?”
Seeing that he had already seen through her intentions, Xiao Yu did not bother denying it.
Steward Du, standing nearby, immediately felt his heart tighten with anxiety.
Before Xiao Yu could say anything, however, a sudden commotion erupted outside.
“Assassins!”
“There are assassins!”
“Protect His Highness!”
Someone shouted from the courtyard.
Immediately afterward came the sharp sounds of swords and blades clashing.
Yuyan instantly stepped in front of Xiao Yu, shielding her.
“They certainly have some nerve, daring to assassinate me inside my own residence!”
Gu Jiuci spoke calmly as he rose to his feet.
“Gu Lin, go see what kind of people have come.”
Gu Lin, who had been standing behind him, immediately stepped forward to support him, a hint of disdain appearing on his face.
“Your Highness, they’re nothing more than insignificant rabble. There’s no need to worry. Gu Mo can deal with them by himself. There’s no need for this subordinate to intervene.”
Xiao Yu also stood and followed Gu Jiuci beneath the covered corridor.
Several figures could be seen fighting fiercely in the courtyard.
“Oh? They’re actually people from the martial world. Their skills aren’t bad!”
Gu Lin sounded almost entertained.
“Your Highness, it seems tonight might be rather interesting!”
Hearing this, Xiao Yu suddenly wondered whether she had chosen a very bad time to visit.
In less than the time it took to drink two cups of tea, the black-clad assassins had already been defeated.
A few had attempted to charge toward Gu Jiuci, but they were intercepted before they could get close.
Bodies now lay scattered throughout the courtyard.
“Your Highness, I’ll go see who these people are!”
Gu Mo lowered his head and asked for permission.
At that exact moment—
Xiao Yu suddenly caught a flash of silver from somewhere nearby.
A sharp pain exploded through her mind.
Before she could even think, her entire body lunged toward Gu Jiuci!
“Your Highness!”
“Princess!”
“Princess Rui!”
What kind of hidden weapon was that?!
Pain seemed to erupt throughout Xiao Yu’s entire body.
The last thing she heard was what sounded like Gu Jiuci shouting.
Then everything went black.