Ten thousand taels of cash will be distributed by the Ministry of Household Affairs, 30% will be put into the treasury for temporary storage, and 70% will be used to buy grain for disaster relief.
Zhu Xiuxing’s single stroke of vermilion gave countless people hope of living.
In the evening, Xu Zhihuai prepared some wine and wanted to celebrate the long-awaited joy with Zhu Xuxing.
Zhu Xuxing drank three cups in a row. There was no joy in his eyes, but a hint of melancholy.
"Your Highness should be happy today."
Zhu Xuxing raised the corners of his mouth with a half-smile, "Yes, I'm happy."
Xu Zhihuai poured him another glass of wine and watched him drink it silently.
Zhu Xuxing raised his hand and pressed the wine glass gently: "Huai'er, let's go for a walk."
"Where do you want to go, Your Highness?"
"Just walk around and get some fresh air."
The two walked side by side, facing the afterglow of the setting sun.
Zhu Xuxing took her to the Drum Tower, where she could have a panoramic view of the entire palace.
After dark, the bright lanterns under the eaves reawaken the gray palace city, making it bright and bright.
Xu Zhihuai was fascinated by it for a moment and couldn't help but sigh: "Your Highness, this place is so beautiful."
Zhu Xuxing held her hand tightly: "I should have brought you here long ago."
"It's not too late now."
Zhu Xuxing pointed to the capital city that was vaguely visible in the distance, and said calmly: "Actually, it's more beautiful there."
When he said this, he completely lost his usual bright cheerfulness, his dark eyes were dull, and his tone was mixed with languid indifference.
Xu Zhihuai narrowed his eyes and smiled: "I don't think that no matter how lively the fireworks in the world are, they can't compare to the prosperity of the palace city."
Zhu Xuxing raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Huai'er, do you really think so? Do you really like it here?"
Xu Zhihuai turned to look at him and said with a smile: "What I like is not these gorgeous palaces. What I like is a place with His Highness. This is His Highness's home, and it is also my home. There is nothing like this in the world." A place better than your own home.”
As soon as he finished speaking, she was pulled into his arms and hugged her tightly. His chest heaved violently, and he could not hide his excitement: "Huai'er, I thought I was tired of seeing everything here. It turns out that No...you are right, this is our home."
"I will never forget the day when His Highness took me back to the palace. I, like a duckweed with nowhere to go, finally took root here."
Xu Zhihuai's black eyes flashed with a faint light, full of emotion.
Her words made him feel better instantly, and the long-standing fatigue and grievances were swept away.
Zhu Qingruo couldn't stand the heat, so he fell ill on and off several times and fell behind in his homework.
Xu Zhihuai did not allow her to be lazy and asked her to write an exercise every day.
Zhu Qingruo was too playful and didn't want to write, so she acted coquettishly and cried, and accidentally knocked over the cloud cake that was just served. The sticky white pastry was stained with dust, and it was wasted.
Xu Zhihuai frowned: "An'er!"
Zhu Qingruo sat down honestly, feeling a little guilty.
"You're getting more and more silly."
The palace maid squatted on the ground to collect the food scattered on the floor, but Xu Zhihuai ordered: "Don't throw it away, put it on a plate again and serve it to the princess."
Everyone was startled when they heard this.
"Your Majesty, the snacks are all dirty. I will bring you another plate."
"No need to change."
Xu Zhihuai emphasized his tone and pursed his lips slightly, looking very stern.
Jinhua saw that she looked wrong and quickly gave Zhu Qingruo a look.
Zhu Qingruo blinked her eyes and murmured in a low voice: "Mother, An'er knows that she was wrong. An'er is obedient."
Xu Zhihuai's face darkened: "You will be punished if you make a mistake. Your Aunt Jin specially made this plate of cloud cake for you early in the morning. You must eat it even if you drop it."
Zhu Qingruo's eyes were red and she was a little scared.
"No, I won't eat."
"If you don't eat, then you don't need to eat lunch and dinner."
Xu Zhihuai immediately told the maids: "There is no need to serve food today, and I won't eat either."
Zhu Qingruo cried out and reluctantly reached out to take the snacks on the plate, holding them in her hands as her tears fell down.
Jinhua felt distressed and hurriedly knelt down to comfort her, then looked at Xu Zhihuai.
"No one is allowed to coax her and let her cry. No one is allowed to leave this plate of snacks today."
As soon as these words came out, everyone retreated.
Xu Zhihuai looked at his daughter's crying face and saw that she was hesitantly putting the pastry into her mouth, taking a small bite and spitting it out again.
She was about to speak when she suddenly saw a small figure rushing up to her. Qin Mu opened his hands, grabbed the cloud cakes on the plate, rolled them into balls, and stuffed them into his mouth.
Zhu Qingruo was stunned and forgot to cry.
Qin Mu's mouth was full and his cheeks were bulging.
Yunpian cake is made of glutinous rice, covered with thick icing sugar, and feels very solid when chewed.
He ate hard but swallowed quickly and choked.
Xu Zhihuai raised his eyebrows and said, "Spit it out quickly!"
Qin Mu's eyes widened and his face turned red from choking. He tried hard not to spit out a mouthful. He exerted all his strength and finally managed to swallow the sticky cloud cake.
Jinhua patted his back anxiously and poured water for him to drink.
Xu Zhihuai looked at Qin Mu with sharp eyes: "What are you doing?"
Qin Mu hurriedly knelt down to admit his mistake and said: "The untouchables stole the snacks from Her Highness the Princess, please punish me."
Xu Zhihuai's tone became more serious: "Of course I will punish you. Do you want to be punished on behalf of the princess? Do you have the qualifications?"
Qin Mu lowered his head and rested his forehead on the ground.
"Go out and kneel as a punishment. If I don't let you get up, you will never get up."
"yes."
Zhu Qingruo murmured: "Mother and concubine, he has been punished."
Xu Zhihuai saw her daughter pleading for him and simply said: "Bring a chair to the princess and let her watch Qin Mu be punished."
"yes……"
It's a gloomy day, a bit boring.
Qin Mu knelt upright at the foot of the stone steps. Zhu Qingruo sat directly above him, looking at him with tears in his eyes.
Jinhua was restless and looked out the door from time to time.
"Come here."
Xu Zhihuai spoke softly, and Jinhua looked embarrassed.
"An'er is four years old, and it's time to learn to be sensible. How do you usually spoil her? Today is just an opportunity to let her have a long memory."
Jinhua pointed to the sky again, indicating that it was going to rain.
"We'll wait until it rains."
Xu Zhihuai looked at the door and saw his daughter sitting awkwardly, knowing that she must be anxious and sad.
After a while, it started to rain lightly.
Qin Mu remained motionless, kneeling with his head down.
Raindrops covered the ground, leaving large and small marks.
Zhu Qingruo looked at his hair and shoulders that were wetted by the rain, feeling anxious and sad.
She couldn't sit still anymore, so she ordered the palace maid to get an oil-paper umbrella, and without help from others, she held the big umbrella and walked down the stone steps.
She raised the umbrella above Qin Mu's head, and when she saw him raising his head, she said in a sweet voice, "Half for each person."
Qin Mu panicked and said hurriedly: "Your Highness can't do it."
"Shh!"
Zhu Qingruo shushed slightly, leaned closer and said, "Concubine is still angry." After saying that, she also squatted down, and Qin Mu hurriedly took the umbrella from her hand and held it up high.
Zhu Qingruo bent her eyes and smiled, her dark pupils hiding countless tiny lights.
