Chapter 169: The Young Daughter's Return

e remembered the pregnant woman they had asked for directions when Zhou Mengyu returned to her hometown to give birth temporarily. They finally confirmed that the child had been switched at home.When...When the harvest situation was reported in the form of a folded paper, ripples of surprise were not unexpected. The afflicted cities had a meager harvest, and even nearby cities that did not experience flooding saw reduced yields due to heavy rains.

It is already fortunate that impoverished families can barely make ends meet with their taxes. After paying the tax, there is no grain left at home, and they are still unsure how to get through this winter.

"The taxes of the disaster-stricken cities have already been waived, and if the taxes of other cities are also waived, the Ministry of Revenue will not be able to make ends meet."

The Minister of Household Affairs stepped forward and reported to the emperor.

"Taxation in other cities will be halved, at least to get through this winter. When spring arrives, there should also be some food available from the mountains and forests. Those wealthy landowners shouldn't sit idle either; they should take turns distributing porridge within the city to ensure no citizen goes hungry. If things go well, their taxes may be reduced next year."

Ripple had already thought of a solution, so she directly stated it to the crowd.

"Your Majesty, what if one encounters someone who is miserly and unwilling to do good"

Someone suddenly asked.

Then investigate the origins of her family's wealth, whether her children are capable, and if they have done anything against the law.

Ripple glanced at the other person and said faintly.

Yes, my lord, I understand!

The opponent reacted quickly, instantly retreating to their original position. The Queen was truly sharp, striking at the opponent's weak point, seizing control of their vital energy.

All local government offices must constantly monitor local prices. If anyone is raising prices arbitrarily or manipulating food costs, have them arrested immediately. All their grain should be purchased at a fair price and stored in the granaries.

"Yes, I understand. But what if they unite and refuse to lower the price The granaries have already been used to relieve a disaster once, depleting half their stock. We cannot afford to have no reserves at all."

This is also what the Ministry of Finance is worried about.

"It's alright, the grain reserves from the imperial estate can be taken out to help stabilize food prices."

The ripples of the atmosphere waved goodbye.

Besides the output from the imperial granaries, she had also purchased grain from her private reserves. This amount was enough to stabilize the food prices in the entire Fengqi Nation, unless someone truly wanted to rebel against the royal authority.

Upon hearing that the Queen would allocate all the royal estate's produce, the ministers felt much relieved. They then proceeded to discuss the specifics, but Nannan was so drowsy from listening that she almost fell asleep.

After the court session, Lian Yi hugged the sleeping Nuan Nuan and returned to her own bedroom.

The beautiful and talented one has returned to report, the third princess is back.

Let her come to see me.

The ripples settled as Nannan fell asleep. She changed into her pajamas and went to the study to see the Third Princess.

The Third Princess, upon seeing the ripples, immediately knelt and begged for forgiveness:

"Your Majesty, please forgive your daughter's transgression. It was my fault to cause you worry about my safety."

Get up!

The ripples waved goodbye.

After the Third Princess got up, Lian Ri noticed that she had lost a lot of weight. Her skin, which used to need to be concealed, was now a deep bronze color. A smile revealed a set of white teeth, and her whole demeanor seemed much more energetic.

"Looking at you, you seem much more energetic. I bet this training trip yielded quite a lot of gains, huh!"

"Yes, although this time was dangerous, it also taught me many things and I truly benefited greatly."

The Third Princess rose and sat down directly, beginning to speak about this trip into the new recruit camp, then being transferred to Longling City, and then to Fengxuan City to fight against the plague, as well as this year's autumn harvest. She spoke for over an hour, covering everything in detail. Only when she felt quite satisfied did she stop, finishing the now cold tea in her hand with a gulp, feeling much more comfortable in her throat.

Since you have so many feelings, why not write a short account of your experience and send it to me

Right now, go see your father. He protected you by tying up the assassins, but it almost went wrong.

"What Father is fine"

Upon hearing that her father had been targeted by assassins, the Third Princess immediately rose to her feet.

"You are free now, go take a look."

"Yes!"

The Third Princess hurriedly curtsied and rushed straight to her father's place.

The wise servant has recently been keeping to himself, feigning illness as a reason to shut out visitors and never leaving his residence. He has cut himself off from all outside inquiries, which is naturally at the behest of the Empress.

The emperor consort was assassinated, and Rong Shijun died of illness. Now, the highest-ranking person in the palace who has stayed by the empress's side the longest is him. Other nameless attendants are not considered by those people.

Especially in light of the Queen's clear refusal to remarry, he became the most likely candidate for the title of consort. These people began to pressure him relentlessly, after all, his status and family were average, making him easy to manipulate. Furthermore, he had a daughter, which opened up certain possibilities...

But the wise attendant was very clear-headed. He knew his own worth, and he had no desire to fight. Over the years, he had been spared from being targeted by the emperor and the favored concubine because of the empress's secret protection.

He knew his own daughter's temperament well; she lacked the capability to become a queen. His family was merely an ordinary farming and scholarly household with no grand ambitions.

Under his repeated advice, the family understood the danger of the succession struggle. They quietly lived in their hometown, farming and studying, becoming wealthy households. They secretly cultivated talented disciples within the family, staying away from the capital city. This made it difficult for those with ill intentions to find an opportunity to exploit them.

But with the successive passing of the emperor and Concubine Rong, these people began to stir again. Even Lord Xian was afraid that they would truly incite discord between the family and his daughter, so he had been constantly frowning in worry recently. Only when news arrived of his daughter's return did a slight smile appear on his face.

The Third Princess arrived at the Imperial Attendant's chambers with a flurry of excitement. Upon seeing her father with her own eyes, her expression calmed.

"Mother said you risked being hurt by villains to cover for me, and that scared your daughter half to death! If anything were to happen to you, I would blame myself forever."

The third princess, holding onto the hand of her lady-in-waiting, spoke with some grievance.

They know you're not on their side, lost your purpose, that's why they act so recklessly. Luckily, my mother empress left me with capable guards who protected me, you needn't worry.

The wise attendant smiled and said,

"No, I want to stay in the palace with you for a few more days."

"I am well. If you wish to see me, you may enter the palace at any time. But first, return to the Princess's Mansion. Your husband is very worried about you. Take last time's incident with the Fifth Prince as a lesson."

The wise servant said to him in a serious tone.

"Father, please don't mention this again. I won't make the same mistake."

The Third Princess touched her nose and said awkwardly.

"Just remember that. Return to the Imperial Princess's Residence first. Meet the Empress tomorrow, then come back here. I have something to discuss with you."

Yes, Father.

After bidding farewell to her father, the third princess returned to the Imperial Princess's Mansion. The once lifeless Imperial Princess's Mansion came back to life because of her return. She was surrounded by people who fussed over her and chatted with her excitedly for a while.

On the second day, the third princess attended court but didn't see her elder sisters. She wasn't surprised, but after court, some officials were overly enthusiastic towards her, making her feel overwhelmed. She fled and met the wise lady-in-waiting. Only then did she learn the truth from the wise lady-in-waiting.

"Daughter, do you aspire to reach the pinnacle of power"

The wise servant asked respectfully,g. As Wei Xinyī helped him to bed, he took advantage of his body's inertia and flung her to the head of the bed. Wei Xinyī's head hit the corner of the bedside table and she immediately passed out.He...