Do You Know?: Rule the World.

Chapter 192 Reduced Meals and Abolished Music, Rulan and Minglan's Past

When Consort Rong and Consort Rong learned that Rong Feiyan was pregnant, they were naturally overjoyed.

He immediately sent someone to Yuqing Temple to fulfill his vow, offering double the amount of incense money to show his sincerity and respect.

The Rong family now only holds a title and is no longer what it once was. If Rong Feiyan can give birth to a prince, they can rely on this connection to ensure the family's wealth and status for at least another hundred years.

Rong Xian knew in his heart that Zhao Han was not as benevolent as the late emperor and would never indulge the concubines and their families in every way.

Therefore, all he seeks now is a peaceful life and lasting wealth. As for holding real power, that is something that the Rong family will never be able to achieve.

After discussing the expansion of the ancestral hall, the Sheng family, once the New Year was over, Sheng Wei took Li Shi south to Youyang to personally oversee the matter.

Sheng Changsong was busy with business dealings all day long. Since the Sheng family was granted the title of Earl of Rongchang, the scale of the Sheng family's business has expanded considerably, and they have become the wealthiest family in Youyang.

Although Madam Wen was steady and prudent in her actions, she was ultimately a woman confined to the inner quarters, and there were some matters that were not suitable for her to handle directly.

In addition, the construction of the ancestral hall is a major event for the clan, and the third branch of the family will definitely take the opportunity to interfere. If we don't personally oversee and keep a close eye on it, we're afraid they'll siphon off a lot of money from us.

It's one thing to falsify accounts, but if inferior goods are used instead of superior ones, the ancestral hall will show signs of decay within a few years.

Not only would they be letting down their ancestors, but the Sheng family would also lose face in Youyang, and might even be involved in other rumors.

In truth, the eldest and second sons, now in power, should have taken better care of the third son. However, the people in the third son's family are selfish and calculating, and are nothing but ungrateful wretches.

No matter how much money they were given as subsidies, they never remembered a single favor. Instead, they took it for granted, then squandered the money and secretly gossiped about how stingy they were.

With just a few words, they can be made to appear as the one in the wrong.

Shengwei has suffered such losses more than once.

Therefore, he and Li also took two shrewd stewards with them south, determined not to give the third branch of the family any opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

-

In mid-August of the ninth year of the Hongwu reign, Rong Feiyan was already six months pregnant, and Gao Taotao and Wei Qingshao were also pregnant.

Inside the Wenhua Hall of the Imperial Palace, several ministers, including Shen Shiqi, Fan Chunren, and Han Zhang, were gathered.

Among them, Lü Huiqing, who was a Jinshi in the second year of Jiayou, resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown three years ago due to the death of his father, and now his mourning period has ended.

He served in the Ministry of Rites and was highly regarded by Shen Shiqi and Wang Anshi.

Shen Kuo, who passed the imperial examination in the sixth year of the Jiayou era, volunteered to go to the Liangzhe area at the beginning of the year to take charge of dredging the waterways.

Hou Shuxian, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the sixth year of the Qingli era, was appointed as the judge of water and land transportation in Hebei and concurrently served as the director of the waterway.

“Since the beginning of spring this year, there has been a shortage of rainfall and drought in many places. Yesterday, the Imperial Observatory came to report that there is a fear of a severe drought.”

As Zhao Han spoke, she couldn't help but raise her hand and furrow her brow.

The severe drought he mentioned earlier was fabricated by Hai Yanping to encourage him to hoard more grain, but now the Imperial Observatory has come to report it in person.

Hebei and the surrounding areas around Beijing have not seen a drop of rain for two months. Anyone with a basic understanding of agriculture can tell that a drought is likely to be imminent.

Hai Yanping was the first to cup his hands and say, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I have followed Your Majesty's instructions and purchased a large amount of grain. Now, the granaries in various regions have sufficient surplus grain to cope with the disaster."

"Your Majesty's profound wisdom and foresight are truly admirable."

Zhao Han waved his hand. Opening the granaries and distributing grain was simple, but the trouble was that noble families would use this to their advantage and criticize the new policies.

After a moment of contemplation, he stood up solemnly and slowly swept his gaze over the assembled officials in the hall.

“The celestial signs are a warning to me, and I am deeply worried. From this day forward, I will reduce my meals and stop playing music, and pray for rain in the mountains and rivers until the heavens send down sweet rain to benefit all living beings.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Shiqi and the others were startled and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Majesty's body is of utmost importance and should not be harmed lightly. We are willing to share Your Majesty's burdens and hope that Your Majesty will take care of your health!"

"I have made up my mind, no need to say more."

Standing to one side, Gu Tingye wore a faint smile, his heart filled with admiration for Zhao Han.

Before the drought fully erupts and before those who oppose the new policies speak out, reducing meals and canceling entertainment can demonstrate the government's sincerity in helping the people overcome difficulties together, and also silence public criticism.

This will leave those who are dissatisfied with the new policy with nowhere to find fault; otherwise, they will be considered ignorant.

"I ordered officials in each prefecture to record local rainfall and soil moisture in detail, and to submit the records to the Ministry of Revenue for my review every half month."

"Anyone who conceals the drought situation, regardless of their official rank, will be stripped of their official position, have their property confiscated, and be exiled three thousand miles away."

"Once there are displaced disaster victims, they will be incorporated into the nearby river work camps and ordered to participate in river dredging and dike repair. They will be provided with daily rations as a form of work relief."

"Once the drought eases, we will allocate more funds for grain and seeds and order them to return to their hometowns to cultivate the land."

Shen Shiqi took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Fan Chunren, Gu Tingye, and others followed suit, believing that using work relief could both ensure people's livelihood and strengthen the foundation of the country, which was a win-win situation!
After giving a few more instructions, he handed the matter over to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works to jointly draft detailed rules, while Zhao Han went straight to the Renming Hall.

At this moment, inside the Renming Hall, laughter and pleasant conversation filled the air, and the air was filled with fragrance.

Hua Lan, Ming Lan, Yan Ran, Zhang Gui Fen, Ru Lan, and others were all present.

Rulan was dressed in a long, turquoise brocade dress, with her hairpins swaying gently in the breeze. She appeared much more composed than usual, though this was only in comparison to her former self.

Yun-ge'er, dressed in a royal blue shirt with a bright gold lock hanging on his chest, was having a great time playing with the Fifth Prince Yan-ge'er and the Sixth Prince Rui-ge'er.

Now four years old, he has grown up quite a bit and looks more and more like Wang Ruofu. His features are not outstanding, and he still has a touch of naivety.

In contrast, Minglan's Ruige'er is exquisitely beautiful, with regular and handsome features.

Although he is still young, it is not hard to see that among the existing princes, he is undoubtedly the most outstanding in terms of appearance.

Rulan moved closer to Minglan, resting her arm against hers, and whispered, "Sixth Sister, it's been so long since you were conferred the title of Consort Chen, and I haven't had a chance to go to the palace to congratulate you yet."

Minglan smiled brightly, "Fifth Sister, what are you saying? There's no need for such formalities between us sisters."

“That’s true!” Rulan said, shaking her head. “When I came, I brought some new and interesting things for my nephew, which I’ve already sent to your palace with Magpie.”

"Thank you, Fifth Sister. Rui-ge'er will be very happy to see this." Minglan's eyes crinkled with a smile.

Rulan picked up her teacup, took a small sip, blinked, and leaned forward again, saying, "I heard the Liang family is causing trouble again."

"It seems they've managed to keep it a secret about some family division, but I've still heard some rumors. They won't hide anything from me about their family."

Minglan's smile faltered slightly, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "The mourning period isn't even over yet, and they're already in such a hurry?"

“Who can argue with that?” Rulan pouted. “They’ve made a huge fuss over a few shops, and Madam Wu’s family has lost power. I think the happiest person is Liang’s eldest son.”

"Although I don't approve of illegitimate children being so arrogant, I feel relieved that they can make Mo Lan unhappy as well."

Minglan sighed softly, slowly waving the round fan in her hand, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.

"Madam Wu has always been a straightforward person. When our Sheng family first came to the capital, she treated us sisters very warmly. But the Liang family is so discordant." Rulan shrugged, looking like she was enjoying watching the drama unfold.

"It's no wonder that she didn't listen to anyone else. I heard that the Duchess of England advised her several times to bring her eldest son by her side and raise him, but she refused to listen."

"I think Mo Lan will definitely have a worse future than Madam Wu."

Mo Lan is now worried about following in the footsteps of Madam Wu. She only has two daughters and has tried several times to take Chun Ke's child, Wen Ge'er, to live with her.

Chun Ke would naturally disagree; this was her only hope. Whenever Mo Lan mentioned it, she would cry, make a scene, and threaten suicide.

She cried her heart out, saying that Mo Lan wanted to take away her child and cut off her way to survival.

He once again threatened to smash his head against the gate of the Yongchang Earl's Mansion, making all his scandals known to everyone.

Liang Liulang already favored Chun Ke a little, and seeing her crying so heartbrokenly, he felt extremely distressed, but he was also afraid that things would escalate and bring shame to the Liang family.

He publicly criticized Mo Lan several times, advising her to give up on this idea and behave herself.

Liang Erlang and his wife were also aware that once the family divided, without the protection of their titles, it would definitely be disadvantageous for them.

Unfortunately, his maternal grandfather's family had lost power, and his wife's family was not as powerful as before, so he had no choice but to turn to the Duke of England's mansion for help.

Zhang Guifen wanted to call Liang Erlang's wife "cousin aunt," and since they were distant relatives of the Zhang family, she wanted to use their influence to put pressure on Liang Dalang, as long as he didn't separate from the family.

However, the Duchess of England did not grant their request.

This is, after all, a family matter of the Liang family. She is just an outsider. If she gets involved, she will not only not get any benefit, but will also easily get into trouble. Not to mention that Liang Hui also has some abilities.

Therefore, considering his long-standing friendship with Madam Wu, he only visited her to advise her to take it easy, compromise, and avoid making things too tense.

"Fourth sister, she..."

Minglan hesitated, her long, curled eyelashes trembling slightly.

Rulan gently pinched her arm, straightened her back, and said, "She has only herself to blame. Just think about how she bullied us when we were little."

"You got ink on your new clothes at the school and then pretended to be innocent!"

"Knowing I don't know those fancy words, she deliberately let Scholar Zhuang ask me questions, which caused me to be punished by copying books. Father punished us several times because of her."

Minglan's eyes flickered slightly, and after thinking it over carefully, a sly smile flashed across her face.

"My fourth sister did get my clothes dirty, but I didn't let her get away with it. I made her look really bad long ago."

Rulan's eyes lit up, and she quickly leaned forward: "What is it? I don't remember. You would dare to embarrass her?"

"Do you remember the time Fourth Sister fell down in the school? I secretly went to the small kitchen and took a piece of lard and smeared it on the floor next to her desk."

"She walked over and immediately slipped and fell flat on her face, her hair all messed up. It took her a long time to get up."

After Minglan finished speaking, Rulan stared at her with her mouth slightly open, looking at her in disbelief.

"So it was you who did it. No wonder she tripped and fell."

"You looked so silly back then, yet you managed to come up with such a way to get revenge on Mo Lan. That day after Zhuang Xuejiu finished class, she went back to Linxi Pavilion crying."

"I followed behind, laughing until my stomach and head almost hurt," Rulan recalled, grinning and shaking her head, secretly admiring Minglan.

Minglan smiled and said, "I was just angry at the time. She always wanted to be superior to us. She really thought we were easy targets."

"Exactly, you should have taken me with you, so she could fall a few more times." Rulan put her hands on her hips and snorted softly.

As soon as someone announced, "The Emperor has arrived," the crowd, who had been chatting and laughing, stood up and stepped forward to greet him.

Seeing their impeccable manners, Zhao Han personally stepped forward to help Hua Lan up and said loudly, "No need for formalities, please sit down."

"What are you saying that makes you so happy? I heard Lady Sheng's laughter outside just now."

Rulan rolled her eyes and shook her head, saying, "It's nothing, just some childhood anecdotes with Consort Chen, nothing to mention."

"If Your Majesty wishes to know, please ask Consort Chen another day when you have time."

Zhao Han smiled faintly, turned her head to look at Minglan, and saw that Minglan's eyebrows were curved, her face was full of sly smiles, and she also had a bit of coquettish shyness.

Hua Lan personally poured a cup of tea and handed it to Zhao Han before sitting down on the right side of the soft couch.

"I just heard that the Emperor is worried about the drought and has decided to reduce meals and cancel entertainment."

"As women of the inner palace, we cannot share the burdens of the court, but we are willing to follow Your Majesty's example and, from this day forward, wear simple clothes and eat simple food, to do our best in our small way."

Zhao Han held Hua Lan's slender, fair hand and smiled, "Hua'er, you are so thoughtful. My Empress is indeed virtuous and kind."

Hua Lan lowered her eyes and smiled, "My sisters are all here, Your Majesty, please don't just praise me alone."

"Once the drought improves and the heavens send down rain, I will personally host a banquet to celebrate with all my beloved concubines." Zhao Han's gaze slowly swept over Minglan, Zhang Guifen, and the others.

Zhang Guifen nodded repeatedly, a hearty smile spreading across her face. "Very well, Your Majesty, I will remember your words!"

After chatting with everyone for a while...

Ru Lan hesitated for a moment, then stood up, bowed gracefully, and said softly, "This humble woman has something she wishes to ask Your Majesty for."

“Yun’er has reached the age of starting his studies. I was playful when I was young and have a rudimentary understanding of literature. My husband is far away in Thang Long.”

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you allow Yun-ge to enter the palace as a companion to your studies."

At this point, she glanced at Zhao Han out of the corner of her eye, and then said, "This humble woman guarantees that Yun-ge'er will be obedient and sensible, and will never cause trouble."

"It will not disturb the palace rules or delay your studies."

Hua Lan understood Ru Lan's meaning and waved to Yun Ge'er, who was not far away, signaling him to come to her.

Then Yun-ge stepped forward, his eyes clear, and timidly bowed, saying, "Wen Huai-yun greets Your Majesty and Your Highness."

Zhao Han looked at him with a smile.

Yun Ge'er is, in a sense, his nephew. Wen Yanjing was diligent and conscientious in his post, and his political achievements were outstanding. Such a capable minister should naturally be more considerate of his family.

"Your mother wants you to come to the palace to be her study companion. Have you thought it through?"

Yun-ge'er clutched the hem of his clothes and whispered, "Reporting to the Emperor, I've thought it through. I will definitely study hard and be like Father in the future."

Zhao Han laughed loudly, "In that case, you will go to Zishan Hall and study with them for the next few days."

Upon hearing this, Rulan's face instantly lit up with joy, and she quickly pulled Yun'er to bow again, saying, "Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty!"

As dusk approached, Rulan took Yunge'er's hand and bid farewell to leave the palace. Everyone else, accompanied by their trusted maids, returned to their respective chambers.

(End of this chapter)