Long after Yinzhen left, these five words were still lingering in Ling Ruo's mind. She had heard too much from Li Wei about what the Yellow River bursting its banks meant.
Thousands of people were displaced, their families were destroyed, and people drowned and starved everywhere. If someone was not careful, an unstoppable plague would break out. This was a real human tragedy. No wonder Kangxi would summon everyone to the palace overnight to discuss it.
Disaster relief.
The longer time passes, the greater the possibility of a plague outbreak. Once this happens, countless people will die.
It rained all night and Yinzhen didn't come back all night. Ling Ruoyi didn't close her eyes all night. She finally stayed up until dawn. She immediately ordered Xiaoluzi to go to the front yard to see if Yinzhen had returned, and she cooked some food herself.
Such snacks. As soon as Yinzhen returned home last night, he was summoned to the palace before even saying a few words. He didn’t even have time to eat. He must be very hungry after this night.
Ling Ruo acted very quickly. In no time, the Jade Bean Cake, Chestnut Cake, Thousand Layer Steamed Cake, and Huazhan Longan were ready. All she had to do was wait for them to be steamed. In addition, there was also Lotus Seed Porridge, all of which were ready.
It is what Yinzhen usually likes to eat.
"Master, Bei... Master Bei Le is back. He is in the study at the moment, and Master Thirteen is also here." Xiaoluzi gasped, and he ran back as soon as he got the news.
"I know, I'll be there right away." Ling Ruo agreed while opening the steamer. Seeing that several pastries inside had been steamed, he ordered Mo Yu to get small plates and arrange them carefully, and another plate with the lotus seed porridge.
Put them together into the food box, and Ming Moyu carefully picks them up
Walking to the study, I unexpectedly bumped into Nian at the door of the study. She was wearing a gold-plated dress with hundreds of butterflies and red flags, and a pair of nine phoenixes and red gold beads on her high bun.
The silk-wrapped pearls are swaying, and the beads hang straight down to the shoulders, which is extremely luxurious.
"As soon as Master Beile returned home, my sister had already prepared something and delivered it to me. It's really thoughtful." Nian's face was full of smiles, as if she was overjoyed. Behind her, Lu Yi carried a three-story food box. It seemed that the two of them were
They all came for the same purpose. After Ling Ruo was allowed to come in and out of the study, Nian was very angry. She pestered and acted coquettishly in front of Yinzhen for a long time, and finally Yinzhen nodded and allowed her to come in and out of the study.
Ling Ruo's eyelids twitched, and he quietly bowed his knees and said, "Isn't it the same for Fujin?"
Nian smiled and did not answer. Instead, she walked up to Mo Yu, stretched out her carefully groomed fingers, took the food box from the reluctant Mo Yu, and said, "Let me see what my sister has done?"
Just as he was about to take off the lid, he suddenly loosened his grip on the food box. The food box suddenly fell to the ground, and the snacks inside were scattered all over the floor as the lid came loose.
"Oh, look, I was so careless that I dropped the snacks that my sister worked so hard to make on the ground. It's such a pity, my sister." She said it was a pity, but her face was full of joyful smile, and anyone could see it.
It's intentional.
"Does Fujin really want to push each other so hard without leaving any room?" Ling Ruo tried hard to suppress the surging anger in her chest.
Nian wiped off the fake smile on her face and glanced at her coldly, "Are you going to fight each other? You deserve it! Niu Hulu, don't think that just because you have made a concubine Fujin, you really think you are your master. In my case
In my eyes, you are still nothing." She said that she would hate any woman who dared to take away Yinzhen's love. After stepping hard on the cakes scattered on the floor with her flowerpot-soled shoes, she left with no scruples.
Ling Ruo was filled with hatred but had no choice. Currently, she did not have the ability to compete with the Nian clan. No matter how unwilling she was, she had to endure it until the day she was able to fight back.
"Fu Jin is so abominable this year. Master, you have been working for so long, but she has ruined everything." Mo Yu angrily knelt on the ground and blew clean the pastries that had not been trampled to pieces.
"Why are you picking it up when it's dirty?" Ling Ruo asked puzzledly.
"These cakes just fell on the floor. Although they can't be eaten by Lord Beile, it doesn't matter to the slaves. It would be a pity if the master worked so hard and just throw them away. Let's treat them as rewards for the slaves. I was greedy for a long time just now."
Mo Yu knew that her master was not feeling well, so she deliberately spoke in a relaxed tone to make her less depressed.
Ling Ruo scratched her nose and chuckled: "You, when did you learn to be smooth-tongued like Li Wei? Be careful that you can't find someone to marry in the future. You will just cry when the time comes."
"That's just right. This slave will serve the master in the house for the rest of his life, and he will never be able to get rid of him." Mo Yu replied with a smile, not paying attention at all. Just as he was about to speak, he saw that there was still an unpicked piece at the threshold of the study, so he ran away quickly.
In the past, she was blowing the dust on the cakes, and suddenly she noticed a pair of black boots in front of her eyes. She looked up along the boots and found that Yinxiang was staring at her. She was startled, and she quickly stood up and saluted.
Yinxiang stroked his smooth shaved forehead and said, "I asked why there was talk outside. It turned out to be you, girl. How brave are you to hide at the door and eavesdrop on my conversation with Fourth Brother? What crime should you deserve?!
"
"I... No, slave!" Mo Yu was so nervous that she even called her the wrong name. To prove that she didn't eavesdrop, she raised the pastry in her hand and said hurriedly: "I dropped the pastry. Please pick it up. It's absolutely not the case."
Eavesdropping on the conversation between Master Beile and Brother Thirteen."
She was only focused on her defense and didn't notice the threatening smile on Yin Xiang's lips. Ling Ruo saw it clearly. She came over and pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Mo Yu is timid, brother thirteen, don't scare her."
Well, what if I get sick from the fright?"
Seeing that she had exposed him, Yinxiang waved his hand boredly, "My sister-in-law really protects my servants, can't I just make a joke?"
Hearing that Yinxiang was teasing her, Mo Yu was so angry that her cheeks bulged and she turned her head to the side and ignored him. Who would have thought that Yinxiang would become interested when he saw her like this and poked her bulging cheeks with his finger?
The cheek boy smiled and said: "You look a bit like a goldfish, silly. Let's take a look at it by blowing bubbles?"
Mo Yu was almost pissed off, sometimes scaring her and sometimes saying she looked like a goldfish. This thirteenth brother clearly wanted to make her angry, so no matter how much Yinxiang poked her in the face, she just didn't say anything, which made him extremely uncomfortable.
Yinzhen also walked to the door at this moment. Hearing Yinxiang's words, he frowned and said slightly displeasedly: "It's so urgent that you still have the heart to joke with this servant, Old Thirteen."
Yinxiang shrugged his shoulders and said with a helpless expression: "It's just because I'm burning my eyebrows that I have to joke and relax. Fourth brother, you don't know. From last night to now, my brain has not rested, and I can hardly move."
"A bunch of fallacies." Yinzhen scolded him and said to Ling Ruo, "Why are you here?"
Ling Ruo hurriedly replied: "I saw Lord Beile entering the palace in a hurry last night, so I thought I didn't have anything to eat, so I made some snacks and brought them, but I accidentally spilled them."
"It doesn't matter, Nian Shi has already delivered it just now." Yinzhen waved his hand carelessly, and was about to ask her to go back. Yinxiang suddenly took the food box Mo Yu was holding in his hand, and took out a piece from it, regardless of whether it was dusty or not.
He put it in his mouth and nodded while eating: "It's delicious, it's really delicious, sweet but not greasy. It's much more delicious than those snacks just now. Fourth brother, you should try it too."
"I'm not in the mood." Yinzhen shook his head. He just took a few bites of the snacks Nian sent him. The situation is urgent now. If he can't think of a countermeasure, he won't be able to provide disaster relief. Thinking of the countless people along the Yellow River,
The people who were affected by the disaster were not in the mood to eat.
Yin Xiang winked at Ling Ruo, signaled her to come in and forced a piece of pastry into Yinzhen's hand, "Fourth brother, you have to eat it even if you are not in the mood, otherwise what will happen if you collapse? Besides, this is my sister-in-law's only wish.
"
"You have so many reasons." Yinzhen was helpless by what he said, so he had to take a bite, but his eyes were always on the account book spread out in front of the table.
Ling Ruo didn't dare to interrupt, so she tugged on Yinxiang's clothes and whispered: "Brother Thirteen, did you spend all night in the palace discussing disaster relief? Is the disaster situation serious?"
Yinxiang glanced at Yinzhen beside him, sighed and said: "The embankment in Henan has burst, and the gap is dozens of miles long. It is unknown how many people were killed or injured, but the most important problem now is not this, but the fact that the court cannot come up with money for disaster relief."
." Yinxiang often visits Sibeile Mansion, and knows that Yinzhen does not shy away from Ling Ruo when discussing matters. Besides, he has always liked this sister-in-law, and he will tell the truth when she asks.
"How is this possible? The imperial court collects taxes every year, and the past few years have been peaceful and prosperous with no war. How can it be that there is no money available for disaster relief?" Ling Ruo thought they were discussing a disaster relief plan.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a matter of money. Although the cost of disaster relief was huge, it usually did not exceed millions. How could such a huge court not even be able to spend millions of silver.