Wasn't he supposed to be beaten to death? Why did this powerful cousin love him so much?

The laughter and chatter in the hall immediately fell silent, and everyone rose to their feet and bow.

Emperor Jingyuan walked slowly from outside the palace. Today he was wearing a bright yellow robe with dragon patterns. His face was more gentle than usual, and there was a slight smile in the corner of his eyes. He was obviously in a good mood on New Year's Eve.

Emperor Jingyuan walked to the throne, raised his hand to dismiss the formalities of the crowd, and glanced around the hall, his gaze lingering on Jiang Sese for a moment.

Jiang Sese quickly lowered her eyes, thinking, "Don't look at me, don't look at me. Please don't make me write poetry tonight."

Fortunately, Emperor Jingyuan did not ask anyone to compose a poem.

Jiang Sese secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The eunuch read out the New Year's Eve greetings. When the banquet began, music played, and palace maids filed in, bringing out dish after dish of imperial food.

The room was filled with people, their heads bowed and smiles gentle, whispering amongst themselves about the new hairpins, the peonies in the imperial garden, and whose new Western Region rouge had been acquired—a scene of tender romance and elegance.

After a couple of rounds of drinks, Emperor Jingyuan put down his jade cup and began to speak casually, his tone tinged with concern: "This year, grain prices in the north and south have fluctuated, there have been many frictions in border trade, and farmers are short of farming tools for spring planting. Does anyone have any suggestions?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

The young princesses were still innocently munching on pastries, while the older noble ladies of the royal family all lowered their heads, looking down at their noses and not daring to say a word.

From a young age, they only learned needlework, poetry, household management, and serving their husbands. Court affairs, agriculture, and border trade were considered vulgar matters that only men should handle. If they spoke rashly, they would only be ridiculed for not knowing their place.

Several princesses forced a smile and hurriedly changed the subject, praising the sweetness of the candied kumquats on the table in an attempt to steer the conversation away from the topic.

The atmosphere in the hall became heavy and awkward for a moment. Even Consort Zhang frowned slightly, wondering why His Majesty had suddenly asked such a question. However, she did not dare to speak rashly.

Emperor Jingyuan glanced at the noble ladies of the imperial family present, then looked at Jiang Sese, who was engrossed in eating, and twitched his lips: "Since Jiachen likes this Jade Complexion Cream so much, I will have someone prepare a few boxes and send them to you when we return to the manor later. Don't eat it for now."

Jiang Sese quickly put down the pastries; wasn't she here to enjoy a royal buffet?

Jiang Sese wiped her fingertips with a handkerchief and said calmly, "It's not that I like eating these pastries. I just have some thoughts I'd like to share with you while we're eating. I wonder if Your Majesty would like to hear them?"

All eyes in the room instantly turned to her.

Chen Yi and Chen Pei exchanged a glance, their faces showing both surprise and worry.

Consort Hui's fingers clenched the handkerchief slightly.

Consort Zhang raised an eyebrow and looked with great interest at Princess Chenjia, who dared to respond to the emperor.

Emperor Jingyuan's eyes lit up with interest, and he raised his sleeve to indicate, "Speak freely."

Jiang Sese looked up and first pointed to the various pastries piled on the table: "Your Majesty, please look at the pastries from the Imperial Kitchen. Refined rice and white flour are only supplied to the nobles in the palace. The common people in the countryside can only taste a bite of fine grains during festivals. The current unstable grain prices are partly due to the uneven distribution of grain. The grain purchased by the people is mostly hoarded by the gentry, which drives up the price. The government's process of storing grain in the granaries is also cumbersome, resulting in huge losses."

"I have seen a simple method of storing grain in the countryside. The granary is divided into dry and wet areas, with the bottom layer lined with straw and wood to keep out moisture. Public granaries are set up according to the size of the village. In good years, grain is purchased at a fixed price, and in famine years, it is distributed at a fixed price. This eliminates the need for long-distance transportation and stabilizes the grain price in the village. Spring farming tools can also be purchased and shared by the village. One household can purchase them, and the whole village can borrow them in rotation, saving each household the expense of making duplicates."

Speaking of border trade, Jiang Sese was no longer sleepy: "As for border trade disputes, they mostly stem from the lack of fixed prices for goods on both sides, leading to merchants engaging in forced buying and selling. It would be better to establish fixed exchange lists, with fair prices for grains, cloth, and furs, and have government officials stationed at designated locations to supervise. In addition, coarse linen spun by women in the countryside is extremely popular outside the pass. If the trade of cloth by the people is relaxed, it will not only provide the people with more income, but the exchange of goods between the border will also ease friction."

The entire text contains no complex strategies; every sentence starts with ordinary livelihood issues. It is well-organized, with simple and feasible methods, and there is not a trace of empty talk on paper.

The main hall fell completely silent.

Emperor Jingyuan's wine cup stopped in mid-air. He had only intended to use this opportunity to give a warning to the powerful families who had manipulated grain prices during the previous flood season in Jiangnan... Every word and action of the emperor at the palace banquet would be known to those with ulterior motives.

Emperor Jingyuan did not expect anyone to actually be able to answer anything.

Who would have thought that this girl, who was made a princess and then obediently stayed in the princess's mansion making medicine and writing stories, had such a brain?

For a moment I realized I had misjudged him.

The noble ladies of the royal family, who had just dared to avoid the topic and talk only about cosmetics and flowers, all lowered their heads and dared not utter another sound.

Consort Hui let out a soft breath and loosened the handkerchief she had been clutching for half a day.

Consort Zhang raised her wine cup to cover the smile on her lips, thinking to herself that Fu Meng had finally made a reliable friend.

Emperor Jingyuan put down his wine cup, looked at Jiang Sese, and said with a rare hint of approval in his voice, "What you've said doesn't sound like mere idle talk to me. I'll only ask you one question—did you come up with these methods yourself?"

Jiang Sese's heart skipped a beat. Actually, she had just read too many novels and was only good at theoretical discussions.

Jiang Sese braced herself and replied sincerely, "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. These methods are what I have personally heard and seen in the countryside. I have merely put together what I have heard and seen, and they are nothing special."

Emperor Jingyuan nodded slightly and did not ask any further questions.

This girl is honest; she doesn't take credit or claim credit for herself.

Emperor Jingyuan said calmly, "Your few words are more substantial than all the memorials presented in court today. Since you have knowledge of agriculture, I will have someone from the Ministry of Revenue go to the Princess's residence another day, and you can write down a detailed account of the method for distributing grain into granaries that you just mentioned. Also, write down the method for the villagers to jointly purchase agricultural tools."

Jiang Sese agreed, breathed a sigh of relief, and sat down again.

Jiang Sese lowered her head and picked up her cup, only to find Consort Hui winking at her from across several tables.

She suddenly remembered what Xie Jue had said: "They think you're good not because you're someone's fiancée, but because you are you."

Jiang Sese lowered her head, gently curved the corners of her mouth, and continued eating her Jade Face Cake.

As the banquet drew to a close, Jiang Sese found a moment, picked up a cup of osmanthus wine, and stood up to walk to Zhang Fumeng's side.

Zhang Fumeng was unusually quiet tonight. When she saw her, she pulled her to sit down next to her, her voice tinged with a hint of melancholy: "I saw Shi Xuan talking to you earlier, so I was thinking of asking you to have a drink later."

Jiang Sese knew that she was still thinking about Shen Ziyu, so she gently touched the rim of her wine cup with her own and whispered words of comfort to her.

Zhang Fumeng forced a smile, tilted her head back and took a swig of wine, put down the wine cup, changed the subject, and asked Jiang Sese how long she planned to stay up to welcome the New Year.

Jiang Sese shook her head: "I'm afraid I can't stay up too long. Xie Jue promised to stay up with me tonight. If I go back late, it'll be pitiful for him to be alone in an empty house."

Zhang Fumeng's eyes widened, and she repeated incredulously, "Xie Junheng? He's pitiful being alone in an empty house?"

Zhang Fumeng: ……

Looking at Jiang Sese's serious face, which didn't seem like she was joking, Zhang Fumeng suddenly burst out laughing.

The earlier melancholy was largely dispelled by the laughter. Zhang Fumeng waved her hand, her voice still tinged with amusement, "Alright, alright, you should go back now, don't keep your Master Xie waiting. I'm fine, I'll sit for a while and wait for my brother to pick me up."

Jiang Sese reminded her again not to drink alone and to come to her place for potato chips tomorrow before getting up and walking back to her seat.

Zhang Fumeng watched her leave, picked up her wine glass and took another sip, thinking to herself that between men and women, there really is one thing that can subdue another.