Chapter 194: But from indifference to prosperity (4)

I nodded: "That's good. But be careful in everything. Those things must be destroyed."
Huiju whispered: "Don't worry, Empress, it's already ruined."
"Thanks to you this time, otherwise, I really don't know when the emperor will give me the title." I sighed, and sighed slightly: "In the end, I still have to rely on my origin."
"Niang, it’s cool by the water. It’s better for you to recover from a serious illness." Huiju put a bright yellow and silver phoenix cloak on my shoulder, and the phoenix’s gorgeous long tail dazzled with broken spars. Colorful brilliance, I raised my head slightly, the sun after the wind and rain was exceptionally brilliant.
"Let's go back." I fastened the ribbon of the shawl myself. This bright yellow is the only color available to the queen, symbolizing the supreme dignity under the queen alone and above the tens of thousands.
"The slave servant heard from the imperial court that the emperor has issued an edict to summon the wealthy folks into Beijing." Huiju whispered to me the news she had inquired about. This is very important to me. After all, once Shen Xiyao summons private businessmen, he will naturally have the third brother.
"Yeah." I don't care much, since I mentioned it to Shen Xiyao that day, I guessed there would be such a day.
After all, the past few years were good years, and the people must have surplus grain. Although the Ninth Five-Year Sovereign opened his mouth to the people and lost his status, it is different nowadays. War and disaster relief are important, so he can't care about the emperor's face.
Three days later, Huiju waited for me to paint in the study, and Zhang Dehai walked in. I paint Xijing, the door is only open. With a light push, I raised my head in my voice, and the afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on Zhang Dehai's vermilion group blessing brocade robe, and the blessing pattern appeared faintly radiant, with auspicious flavor. With a gentle and festive smile on his face, he bowed deeply at me: "The old slave greets the empress."
I put aside the brush and smiled and said, "Ms. Zhang, don't be polite, Huiju, take a seat."
"Xie Niangniang Shengen, the old slave came to deliver the emperor's verbal message, and she must return to the Imperial Study Room later." Zhang Dehai smiled.
I was about to kneel down and listen to the oral instructions, Zhang Dehai stopped: "Niangniang, the emperor ordered, Niangniang does not have to salute when giving an order."
I lowered my head slightly: "Also ask Manager Zhang to pass on the decree."
"The emperor gave me a bath of Longfengquan, please prepare and go there." Zhang Dehai's face was full of respect.
Longfengquan is a hot spring that can only be used by the emperor and empress before attending important occasions. There is a misty white mist floating on the surface of the Yang Yang water, and the water waves are softer and lighter under the surrounding huge frankincense giant candle, soothing people's hearts.
A lotus-like white smooth foot tentatively reached into the surface of the water braving the white mist, and then pulled it back abruptly. After a short pause, a long and elegant figure under the tulle moon white embroidered pink acacia yukata slowly walked in. In the water, when the gauze floats on the water, fragrant petals, roses, orchids, frangipani, vanilla...
I soaked in it for a long time, the exhaustion of the past few days gradually receded, and my hands slowly rubbed the skin on my body. During this period of time, I gradually recovered my original posture. Although I was still thin, I was no longer sloppy and skinny. Instead, I was charming and loving.
Xia crimson golden phoenix cloud thin silk crepe skirt, high in the heavenly bun, hanging diagonally like ink cloud silk, decorated with Luanfengfeng red coral tassel golden steps, pearl scorpion flower hairpins like a crescent moon, the stars are scattered on the black cloud sideburns Above. While walking, it is awkward and swaying, but it does not lose the royal atmosphere and noble prestige.
In the front, two red-robed court ladies were holding palace lanterns with jade and phoenix beads and golden handles. Behind the twelve court ladies in ochre dresses each held three pairs of gold eight-treasure double-phoenix plates and six Longquan kiln celadon carved vases. The little golden bells on the ladies of the palace made a crisp "jingle" sound in the dark night. I lowered my head, and on my feet, a pair of Hetian white jade-soled silk embroidered satin shoes and two huge east beads did not move at all under my soothing steps, giving off a shiny luster. Looking up again, Qifengtai was already in front of him.
I thought, the third brother should have entered the palace.
As soon as I walked to Qifeng Terrace, I saw a figure I knew and stranger sitting sideways behind the long golden gauze, talking with Shen Xiyao and Yan Yan on the side.
The golden gauze tent was lifted up by the palace lady with gold hooks, and a little screamed: "The queen is here."
As soon as I heard the word "Queen", I was surprised to react. For more than two years, although I kept reminding myself to return to the post, I unknowingly stopped getting used to this name.
Everyone in the hall stood up and bowed and bowed, and then I discovered that there were several courtiers, including the eldest brother. Others, it seems that they are well-known merchants in Daxi.
I straightened my face, put on a pompous, dignified and bright smile, stepped forward, and bowed to the emperor: "See the emperor for my concubines. Long live my emperor." The pearl on my head shook slightly, I knew even though There is no perfect beauty, there must be very amazing, not to mention beauty, it is more than perfect.
"Flat body." Shen Xiyao stepped down from the Chilong Golden Throne, and hand in hand with me to ascend to the upper throne.
"See Empress Empress." Those high-ranking officials and civil giants fell in front of me. This is the first time I have attended a court banquet with a foreign official since I entered the palace. It is also the first time that I have overlooked me as a queen. People.
"All the Qings are flat." I smiled warmly, my eyes already on the third brother below.
When I was still in my boudoir, my third brother had gone to the south of the Yangtze River to do business alone, and occasionally came to the capital for business, sometimes not once a year. A year before entering the palace, I was invited by my third brother to go to Jiangnan to enjoy the lotus. It was good that he would come to Beijing to see you again the next year, but I married into this secluded palace in the late spring. As a result, we two brothers and sisters have not seen each other for five or six years.
The last time I saw him, there was still a young aura on his face, and he looked more like a scholar than a businessman. But now although the youthfulness of him has completely disappeared, the air of the scroll that I loved since childhood still lingers. In this way, he sat on the hall, unlike other merchants around him.
Shen Xiyao took the king's kind and broad smile, lowered his posture, and chatted with the merchants below, but the main idea was inseparable from two words, borrowing food.
I know that this negotiation will not be easy. After all, the amount of silver available in the treasury is limited, and the price of food can rise at this moment. How can the merchants' shrewdness give up in vain. In the eyes of some merchants, poor victims are afraid that real gold and silver are not as precious as real gold and silver. After all, no matter what happens, they will never worry about being hungry and cold, having no place to live, or dying instantly.
The treasury's money cannot be used up all at once, and a part of it needs to be kept for the coming year. Shen Xiyao hopes to borrow grain from large private grain storage households first, and then repay it annually.
At this moment, there is war on the front line, and Shen Xiyao will be exempted from large taxes after the disaster, so the grain will have to wait three or four years before being paid off. How do these merchants do not understand, after three or four years, who knows what the price of food is?
Therefore, the negotiation was conducted between Shen Xiyao's "borrowing" and the merchant's "selling".
"The emperor, today's market price is five cents for a bucket of rice, and three cents before the epidemic. The people know that the country is in urgent need of food, so they discussed that they can sell it for two cents and one bucket. What does the emperor think?
A fat man The businessman spoke respectfully, with a humble smile, but could not hide the shrewdness in his eyes.
Shen Xiyao has always had a warm smile on his face, but I can see the anxiety in his heart from his slightly frowning brows. In fact, what Shen Xiyao said before is very clear. He hopes to borrow grain and then repay the grain annually.
I picked up a glaze bowl with golden branches wrapped around flowers in front of me, which was filled with green licorice frosting dew. The licorice was slightly sweet, and the frosting dew was slightly cooler, which could suppress Shen Xiyao's anxiety.
"Emperor, please use nectar." As I said, I held the bowl to Shen Xiyao, and said to the people below: "Everyone, please try it too."
Everyone naturally didn't dare to defy, so they all picked it up and tasted it with a look of surprise in their eyes.
"The food in the palace is really different." A man in ocher clothes exclaimed, and said humanely next to him: "I am afraid it is a very precious ingredient."
I smiled indifferently: "It's actually very easy to make." I pointed to the bi-colored nectar in the bowl: "It's just a mixture of licorice and morning dew to quench the essence, and add three years of licorice wine and osmanthus. Blended with honey and added ice cubes at the end. They are the most common ingredients."
I lowered my eyes slightly: "Now that the country is suffering from natural disasters, the war ahead is tight, and the emperor is worried. When he thinks that the people in the disaster area can't eat enough to eat, they are unwilling to eat." My voice is as light as a cloud of smoke, as if just talking: "The emperor always says the soldiers ahead. With insufficient food and grass and insufficient food for the people in the disaster area, he wanted to share the sufferings of the soldiers and people, and ordered the emperor’s usual meals to be reduced to four dishes and one soup, not to mention precious ingredients."