Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 518 Handprint Notes and Banners (2)

"Your son just received an urgent message from Yan and Yu provinces, which travels 800 li." The Emperor sat down next to Empress Dowager Jiang, took the teacup handed to him by a palace servant, and said slowly to Empress Dowager Jiang, "Several rains have fallen in recent days, and the drought in the two provinces has been completely relieved. The refugees have also been settled. The bandits who had been entrenched in Yu province have also been wiped out. Now we are finally at peace."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Jiang's smile deepened, and she nodded repeatedly: "This is truly a joyous occasion! Since the beginning of spring, the Emperor has been worried every day, but now he can finally relax a bit."

The Emperor sighed softly, “Mother, this drought has lasted for six or seven months, affecting more than twenty counties in the three prefectures of Yan, Yu, and Ji, and more than a million people have been affected. The extent and intensity of this drought far exceed the great drought during the Chongning era of the previous dynasty.”

Upon hearing this, the previously relaxed atmosphere in the hall immediately quieted down.

As everyone knows, the drought during the Chongning era of the previous dynasty was a major disaster recorded in history, and it still evokes sighs of regret when it is mentioned today.

Consort Shun's voice lowered slightly: "I still remember when I was young, my grandmother told me about the drought in the thirteenth year of Chongning. From spring to winter, not a drop of rain fell. The tributaries of the Yellow River dried up, and the riverbed cracked so badly that a fist could fit inside. First, all the crops in the fields withered and died, and the people could only dig up grass roots and peel tree bark to fill their stomachs. Later, even grass roots and tree bark disappeared, and some people even resorted to cannibalism. Waves of refugees from outside the capital poured into the city, and the refugee shelters outside the city gates stretched for dozens of miles. Every day, people froze and starved to death, and the yamen runners couldn't collect all the corpses."

Consort Chun, being well-versed in literature, had an even clearer understanding of this matter.

A hint of melancholy flashed in her eyes: "It wasn't just the common people who suffered. The drought dragged on into the following year, local taxes couldn't be collected, the northwestern border troops mutinied, and there were uprisings in the south. The imperial court was still rife with infighting over disaster relief funds, accusing each other of embezzling..."

"That's right. Emperor Chongning was already in poor health, and these events exhausted him to the point that he passed away in less than two years." The Emperor continued.

That drought, though seemingly a natural disaster, actually accelerated the collapse of the previous dynasty.

The stability of a nation has always hinged on the well-being of its people. When the people are destitute, their hearts are lost; when factional strife and internal strife lead to the neglect of governance; when border troop mutinies weaken border defenses, in the end, even if a new emperor ascends the throne and tries to turn the tide, it is too late. The reason the rebel army was able to advance so rapidly was ultimately due to the seeds of that drought; the people had no other way to survive and had no choice but to join the mutinous army in rebellion.

The Empress then spoke up at the opportune moment, praising, "It is thanks to His Majesty's wisdom that he sent an imperial envoy to the disaster area to oversee disaster relief as early as the beginning of spring, and also ordered the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds and exempt local areas from taxes for three years. Only through these two measures was the situation stabilized."

The Emperor waved his hand and said, “Officials from the Ministry of Revenue worked day and night to calculate grain payments, local officials rushed to the front lines of the disaster area, and the concubines in the harem also donated their private property. Only with the whole court working together could we overcome this disaster.”

Empress Dowager Jiang said, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, let's not talk about such heavy matters. Please take your seats, the banquet will begin soon."

The palace servants then filed in, and Empress Dowager Jiang sat in the main seat. The concubines curtsied and each said a congratulatory remark before taking their seats.

The Emperor gave Jingming a look.

Jingming immediately stepped forward and respectfully presented the object covered with bright yellow brocade to him.

The Emperor gently stroked the edge of the brocade with his fingertips, a smug smile on his face. When he looked at Consort Chun, his eyes softened even more: "Accompanying the urgent report were two gifts from the people. One of them is a banner made of cloth pieced together from various families, modeled after a folk prayer banner. The people of Yan and Yu prefectures worked through the night to make it and entrusted the prefect of Yu prefecture to deliver it to the palace. The people jointly petitioned the emperor, stating that they would present it to the concubines in the harem to express their gratitude for the rescue."

He paused, then said, “Consort Chun, you took the lead in organizing this fundraising event in the harem and personally handled everything. I hereby entrust this banner, which is a testament to the people’s goodwill, to you for safekeeping.”

Upon hearing this, Consort Chun's long eyelashes trembled slightly. She subconsciously glanced around, her gaze sweeping over the Empress, Consort Qi, and others, finally landing on Meng Shu, who was giving her a bright smile.

The Emperor personally lifted the brocade covering and slowly unfurled the banner.

The banner was about two feet wide and three feet long. The scraps of cloth were of different colors, including blue, brown and white. They were obviously old cloths that people had taken from their own clothes, but they were cut into squares and the stitches at the seams were fine and neat.

Everyone's spirits lifted immediately, and Consort Qi and the others couldn't help but murmur their praises.

On the banner, the eight large characters "Benefit the people, save the world with compassion" were clearly visible. Although the characters were somewhat simple, they were carefully pieced together from countless scraps of cloth, stitch by stitch, showing the sincerity of the effort put into it.

"Consort Chun has made a meritorious contribution by taking the lead in organizing the relief efforts, and Princess Yongping in the capital has also contributed a great deal to the disaster relief. As far as I know, the princess held the donation banquet at Wan'er's dowry estate. This banner is the sentiment of thousands of people for you, and every word and every stitch is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold."

Consort Chun, who was always dignified and composed in front of others, with an expression that never changed, gradually brightened her eyes, and a genuine joy slowly appeared on her lips.

She curtsied and said, "All the sisters in the harem have worked hard, even the lower-ranking concubines have done their best. I really dare not take credit for it."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor looked relieved. “Wan’er is kind and gentle, and has always been so. The eight characters ‘benefiting the common people and helping the world’ perfectly suit you.”

Consort Chun held the banner, pondered for a moment, and then looked up and said, "Your Majesty, why not hang this banner in the Linde Hall?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was slightly taken aback. Linde Hall, located east of Taiye Pond and west of the West Palace Wall, is one of the main halls in the palace. It is a place for banquets for officials and for watching dances and music, as well as an important place for holding Buddhist ceremonies and receiving foreign envoys. Those who come and go are all imperial relatives and important officials of the court. It is a place that is extremely solemn and respectable in the palace.

A hint of approval flashed in the Emperor's eyes: "Very well, so that the princes and court officials will see in the future that the words 'benevolence and kindness' are never just empty words."

Having said that, the Emperor raised his hand and clapped his hands, then took a cup of osmanthus wine from a palace maid.

Upon seeing this, Jingming quickly handed the tray in his hand to the eunuch beside him, stepped forward to take the wine cup handed to him by the emperor, and turned around to respectfully present it to Consort Chun.

A flash of displeasure crossed the Empress's eyes, but she said gently, "Not only is Consort Chun kind-hearted, but her suggestion just now was also very thoughtful. Such a profound understanding of righteousness is truly rare."

The Emperor, oblivious to the subtle undercurrent, simply smiled and nodded, "The Empress is right. Wan'er's actions are excellent." With that, he raised his cup to Consort Chun, who quickly returned the gesture.

Empress Dowager Jiang asked with a smile, "The Emperor just said that two items were sent over by urgent report. What is this other item? Please show it to me quickly."

"The other item is especially precious; please allow the Empress Dowager to see it." The Emperor's tone was somewhat solemn as he gestured to Jingming.

Jingming quickly bowed and accepted the order, presenting the tray to the Empress Dowager. On the tray was a thick, somewhat crudely bound booklet, on which dense, vermilion marks could be faintly seen.

Meng Shu was not far away and had caught a glimpse of the bright red when the brocade was lifted, and she vaguely understood what was going on.