【Her methods may not have been the best, but in the end, she managed to seize all the wealth of the fourth branch and save her parents' lives.
Unfortunately, her younger brother was hopeless, and both her parents and brother still met a tragic end. So, in the end, aside from the daughters married off, the Yu Family had no survivors!】
"No survivors!" Hearing it again still stung!
The three men of the Yu Family—father and sons—were overwhelmed with mixed emotions, questioning whether their family's upbringing had truly failed. This granddaughter of theirs had betrayed her own kin...
Oh, but she wasn’t their blood relative, so the heartache passed quickly.
As for their own flesh and blood, she had only thought to warn her parents. Why she hadn’t intervened for the rest of the family—without knowing the full story, they wouldn’t judge.
Ah! The child was at fault, but their own judgment was also flawed. They had chosen a Beili man for one granddaughter and a Xiqiang man for another!
The eighth granddaughter...
This life would be different. They would surely open their eyes wider and find good matches for their granddaughters—no more spies!
Yu Chongshan gazed at the carriage with relief. In this life, their family had Yue Fuguang, so they wouldn’t make the same mistakes in choosing spouses for the children.
Thank heavens for Yue Fuguang. If not for her descending to the mortal realm to endure trials, the Yu Family’s true seventh young lady, who had been swapped, would have died at the age of five.
Given Madame Sun’s protectiveness over Yu Ningrou, they would never have known the truth, and history would have repeated its tragic course.
Yue Fuguang was not only the savior of Dayan but also the salvation of the Yu Family.
As for Qu Tong’s matter, he would report every detail to His Majesty. The Emperor would decide how to handle it.
If anything, their eighth granddaughter was also a victim. Surely His Majesty wouldn’t harshly punish a child.
At this moment, Yu Chongshan completely forgot about the two grandsons from the fourth branch who had foolishly boarded the wrong ship!
...
"Little Pearl, I’m so bored. Tell me a joke, won’t you?"
【Master, isn’t watching these grown-ups argue quite entertaining?】
"It’s the same every day—just petty squabbles. What’s so interesting about that?"
The two "petty squabblers"—Minister of Revenue Dong Qianli and Minister of Rites Zhang Zhongping—flushed with embarrassment.
Exchanging a glance, they both snorted in displeasure.
One demanded funds from the treasury, while the other stubbornly insisted there was no money—hence the argument.
【Why must they prepare such lavish gifts for foreign tribes? Is Dayan really that wealthy?
Ten years later, when Dayan falls, not a single one of these so-called allies will be innocent.
Beili, Xiqiang, and Nanyue led the invasion, but Nanzhao, Huaqiang, Xirong, Beimin, and Dongying also played their part.
Dayan was essentially destroyed by a coalition of nations.
Instead of saving resources to help their own people survive this year’s snow disaster, these officials are obsessed with saving face, showering outsiders with gifts.
Do they not realize that the wealth they send away today will one day become the swords and arrows used against Dayan?
Utterly senseless!】
"Little Pearl, hearing you say that, it suddenly feels like aiding the enemy!"
Emperor Mingxi and his courtiers were stunned into silence by these words.
Boom!
Boom!
It was as if a thunderous revelation had struck their minds, opening a door to a startling new perspective.
"This is aiding the enemy!" The phrase echoed relentlessly in their thoughts.
What they had always considered standard diplomatic exchanges could now be seen in an entirely different light.
Upon reflection, they had to silently agree—the young immortal and the divine artifact spoke the truth.
Calculating the value of the gifts sent out each year—ouch!
That was the sound of Dong Qianli’s heartache. He couldn’t bear to tally the losses, or he’d lose sleep for days.
Anger and regret gnawed at him.
The most uneasy were the officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial. Under the guise of upholding national dignity, they had indeed been overly generous.
Though they received gifts in return, the truth remained—to preserve the Emperor and Dayan’s prestige, they always gave more.
And now, the young immortal called it aiding the enemy!
Their hearts trembled. Led by Zhang Zhongping, they stole nervous glances at the Emperor’s expression.
Emperor Mingxi himself felt a pang of guilt. He knew his own emphasis on projecting grandeur had encouraged such extravagance.
Before he could devise a way to rectify the situation, he noticed the officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial cautiously eyeing him.
Ahem!
Clearing his throat, Emperor Mingxi declared, "Minister Zhang, Minister Dong makes a valid point. The treasury is indeed strained this year.
Yesterday, the Imperial Astronomers reported observing celestial signs predicting a severe snow disaster.
Thus, the Ministry of Revenue must reserve sufficient funds for disaster relief.
For this year’s Longevity Festival, the return gifts for foreign envoys shall match the value of what they present—no more, no less."
Dong Qianli was the first to kneel and proclaim, "Your Majesty is wise! A blessing to the people!"
"Your Majesty is wise! A blessing to the people!"
The other ministers, beaten to the flattery, hastily followed suit.
"Don’t just chant empty praises. If you know a snow disaster is coming, shouldn’t you be planning how to prevent and mitigate it? There’s barely over a month left."
Ahem, ahem, ahem...
An awkward chorus of coughs erupted. Though initially alarmed by the prediction, they had grown accustomed to harsh winters in recent years.
Roofs collapsing under heavy snow had become routine—hardly worth fussing over.
【Master, speaking of the snow disaster, have you forgotten something?】
"Forgotten what? Tell me!" Yue Fuguang’s thoughts raced even as she nibbled on osmanthus cakes, looking every bit like a greedy little hamster.
【Didn’t you promise the Crown Prince about the cement? Houses built with cement and gravel are far sturdier than the current earthen ones.
And what about the heated kang? Have you forgotten to give the blueprint to your grandfather?】
"Oh! I really did forget to hand over the kang design. Today, I’ll have the Ministry of Works craftsmen build one in my chamber for winter.
As for cement, since it’s already with the Crown Prince, let’s leave it to him. I trust he’ll oversee it properly."
Mention of cement made the Crown Prince rub his nose sheepishly. Though Yue Fuguang’s instructions were clear, they had to rebuild the kiln to meet specifications.
The first batch of cement was only produced yesterday, and tests on its durability were still underway. He hadn’t yet found time to update Yue Fuguang.
If all went well, the plan—agreed upon by the Emperor and ministers—was to use cement for repairing houses and constructing disaster shelters.
As for glass, the craftsmen were gradually producing usable pieces. He intended to capitalize on the foreign envoys gathered in the capital, selling the glass at high prices.
He had planned to seek Yue Fuguang’s advice in a day or two, but from her tone, she seemed content to stay uninvolved.
