Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 507 Donations

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

Consort Shun's hand, holding the teacup, paused in mid-air, a meaningful look appearing in her eyes. Then, she turned her gaze thoughtfully towards Yang Baolin, who was still kneeling on the ground.

Consort Mu frowned deeply, but since Consort Shen had already spoken, she couldn't say anything more at this moment.

The two women and Consort Qi, being as intelligent as they were, were well aware of the situation. It was only natural for Consort Chun to lead the prayer and donation, but the Empress's donation of 100,000 taels of silver was not out of concern for the people. It was clearly because she did not want Consort Chun to win the hearts of the people and become a role model in the harem at this critical juncture, and perhaps she also had the intention of currying favor with the Emperor.

Meng Shu sat at the lower end, quietly watching the commotion before her.

It was somewhat different from what she had guessed.

She had expected the Empress to get involved, but she hadn't anticipated that it would be 100,000 taels of silver, which was no small sum.

Even if a member of the imperial family, like a princess, had income from shops and land, after deducting household expenses and social obligations, their annual surplus would only be 20,000 to 30,000 taels. It would take at least four or five years to save up 100,000 taels.

It's important to understand that after the Empress was imprisoned, the expenses of Renming Palace had to be allocated by the Shanggong Bureau according to regulations. With only two days to raise funds, where would she get so much cash from her private treasury? Unless it was secretly provided by the Marquis of Zhenbei. Thinking this, a knowing glint flashed in Meng Shu's eyes. It seemed the Marquis of Zhenbei had profited handsomely from the war in recent years, and perhaps... he had also been lining his own pockets by skimming money from the local prefectures' provisions and military supplies...

All eyes in the hall were now on Consort Chun, who sat at the head of the table, eager to see how she would handle the sudden turn of events.

Consort Chun's face remained completely calm. Instead, she said gently, "Your Majesty the Empress's kindness is a blessing to the people in the disaster-stricken areas of Yuzhou. This sum of 100,000 taels of silver is no small amount. Even ordinary noble families would probably need several years to accumulate it. I imagine that if it were converted into rice and grain, it would be enough to sustain them for a while."

Then, she changed the subject: "In that case, Mengzhu, please note this amount of money and we will combine it with other donations later. I will also trouble Consort Shen to convey Her Majesty the Empress's sentiments."

Meeting Consort Chun's gentle gaze, Consort Shen said awkwardly, "Your Highness is very thoughtful. It was my oversight that I failed to inform you of the news sooner, thus disrupting the order of the meeting."

Seeing this, Consort Mu frowned even more deeply.

Given her personality, she would normally disdain doing such a thing as smoothing things over, but she had always been close to Consort Shen, and couldn't just stand by and watch her lose face.

Left with no other choice, she had to bite the bullet and say, "It's all for disaster relief, so the order doesn't matter. Yang Baolin hasn't finished speaking yet, so let her continue."

Only then did everyone notice that Yang Baolin was still kneeling upright. Yang Baolin was not only uneasy but also extremely flustered. She had never expected Shen Jieyu to be so impulsive. Originally, she had planned for Shen Jieyu to wait for Consort Chun to determine the amount of the donation before speaking on behalf of the Empress…

Thinking this, Yang Baolin composed herself and quickly followed up on Mu Pin's words, saying, "Your Highness, I come from a humble background and have little personal wealth, but I am willing to do my part. In addition, I have a few pieces of jewelry, which, although not very valuable, I would like to sell them as a token of my appreciation."

"Oh? No need for jewelry." Consort Chun raised her hand. "This prayer donation is not about the amount, but about the sentiment. It's already very kind of you to have this intention. Get up."

Yang Baolin did not get up, but remained prostrate on the ground, her voice trembling as she said, "Your Highness, although I do not have many pieces of jewelry, these few were originally... originally bestowed upon me by Lady Qing. I was foolish in the past and was deceived by her. Now I feel deeply ashamed and sincerely wish to atone for my sins."

She was eager to sever all ties completely. Upon hearing this, Pei Baolin curled his lip, his face showing disdain.

Consort Shen spoke up: "Consort Yang merely resides in Zhaoqing Palace, what crime has she committed? In the past, the Qing family held a high position in the palace, so it was understandable that you relied on them..."

"Yi An".

Shen Jieyu had only spoken halfway when a cold voice suddenly interrupted her.

Consort Mu's eyes were full of warning as she slowly said, "Princess Lingning has been frail since childhood. This donation is to pray for the well-being of the people of Yan and Yu. As her mother, you should think of the Second Princess and do more good deeds to accumulate good fortune for her."

These words struck a nerve with Consort Shen. Without a second thought, she immediately rose and replied, “That makes sense. I sent a letter to my mother yesterday.” As she spoke, a palace maid stepped forward, took a red purse from her sleeve, and respectfully presented it with both hands: “Your Highness, this is the donation money my mistress has prepared for disaster relief. Please take a look.”

Mengzhu stepped forward and took it. Consort Chun gestured for her to open it, and inside was a thick stack of silver notes. When she unfolded and counted them, there were as many as ten thousand taels.

A low gasp rippled through the hall, and the concubines' faces showed expressions of deep emotion.

Consort Mu's tense brows relaxed slightly. She rose and curtsied to the head of the table. "Your Highness, Princess Lingning has been raised in my palace for a year. For this donation, I am willing to add another two thousand taels of silver, just so that the child can have more good fortune in the future."

Meng Shu couldn't help but sigh softly. Such thorough and genuine protection from Consort Mu was something Consort Shen must have accumulated over several lifetimes to encounter.

Seeing this, Consort Chun said gently, "Consort Mu's heart is all for Princess Lingning's good, and I have seen it all. I have a string of Buddhist beads here that was offered in the Buddhist hall of Yichun Palace. Ruizhu, go to the inner palace to get them and send them to the Second Princess in Shujing Palace later."

Upon hearing this, Consort Mu felt a little relieved and quickly curtsied to express her gratitude.

Consort Shen was overjoyed. The Buddhist beads were something that Empress Dowager Zhou had worn during her lifetime. They weren't particularly valuable, but since they were displayed in the Buddhist hall every day, they had absorbed some Buddhist energy and carried the meaning of good fortune and peace.

She quickly said gratefully, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I thank you on behalf of Lingning. With this string of Buddhist prayer beads that has been offered, Lingning will surely grow up safely."

Consort Chun didn't even glance at Consort Shen out of the corner of her eye. She said to Consort Yang, who was still kneeling on the ground, "The matter of Lady Qing has already been settled. Consort Yang doesn't need to do this. If you want to donate jewelry, then register it as well. Get up and stop kneeling."

Meng Shu then spoke, but she only donated three thousand taels of silver, one thousand of which was added by Donggua, Lvliu, and a few others. Consort Chun smiled and said, "Steward Fang is very thoughtful. I will have Mengzhu write down their names later, as a token of her gratitude to the people."

Subsequently, the other Baolin and Yunu also spoke up, and although the amounts were mostly around one hundred or eighty taels, they had all done their best.

Min Rong also took the opportunity to request an audience, and the palace servants and eunuchs from the four departments and six bureaus gave her 500 taels of silver, which she specially delivered.

After everyone had reported their donations, Consort Chun rose and said solemnly, "On behalf of the people of Yanzhou and Yuzhou who have suffered from the disaster, I thank all my sisters for their kindness. Yongfeng Grain Shop was part of my dowry before I entered the palace. I have already sent word to the grain shops in Lin'an, Yangzhou, and Chuzhou to immediately raise 20,000 dan of grain and transport it all to Yuzhou and other places. In addition, I have donated 20,000 taels of silver from my private treasury, which will be combined with the donations from all my sisters..."

A hint of respect flashed in Consort Shun's eyes. She stood up first and cupped her hands in greeting: "Your Highness is a person of great virtue and compassion. Your use of grain to help the people is truly a blessing for them. The two thousand taels I donated earlier seem too meager. I will have the palace servants add another thousand taels later to do my part."

The concubines discussed some follow-up details until the sun began to set, at which point the meeting finally ended.

Before leaving, Meng Shu helped Meng Zhu organize all the donation records and whispered a few words of advice to Consort Chun. Soon, Consort Chun and Meng Zhu left the palace and went to Funing Palace to meet the Emperor.