Within three days, the streets of the capital were filled with the same rumor: The charity in the northern part of the city was not done by the Eighth Prince at all. From beginning to end, the Eighth Prince did not spend a single cent; however, he forcefully claimed a good reputation. He was a complete hypocrite!
The rumors only said this much, and they did not mention Zhu Kongshan at all. When these words reached Xuantian Mo's ears, Xuantian Mo angrily smashed a hundred-year-old inkstone in his study. He then angrily went to find Zhu Kongshan to ask about the situation; however, Zhu Kongshan anxiously said to him: "I was just about to discuss this matter with cousin! Right now, all of the officials in the northern part of the city have already left. At first, I thought that it was because their manor did not have enough money to support them. If they left, then so be it. Doing good deeds is voluntary, and it's not good to force them to stay. Later on, I found that more and more people were leaving, and I began to feel curious. Over the past few days, I began to walk around a bit to inquire about the true reason that those officials had left; however, I never thought that it would be because of cousin. "
"Because of I?" Xuantian Mo was puzzled, "What does it have to do with I whether they leave or stay?"
"Hah!" Zhu Kongshan pretended to anxiously stomp her foot, "Cousin, how can you not understand! This entire time, the officials have been paying their own money to give out porridge along with us. The Sheng Palace has never given them a single cent in compensation. Instead, we have taken advantage of their good reputation. It's fine if it's just one or two days, but as time goes on, how could these people not feel resentful? As I continued to ask, there was already more than one person who told me that the Eighth Prince is too stingy and too domineering. When there is work that requires money and effort, he will think of them; however, whenever there is a benefit, he will never touch them. They have been giving out porridge along with us for so long; however, they have not received the slightest bit of benefit. They have not been promoted in the slightest. That's why they can't continue. "
Xuantian Mo's face was filled with anger, "They want to be promoted just by doing this sort of thing? They're dreaming! "Thinking about the rumors on the streets, there was no need to ask. Naturally, they were spread by those officials. He had thought about it a long time ago. People with low official positions were unreliable. Although there were daughters in the palace who were bullied by Consort Yun and had not given birth to a child for decades, most of them were at the level of Noble Lady Jie Yu and would not be able to achieve great things. As for the people above the imperial concubines, those first and second-grade officials, he couldn't win them over. This was his biggest shortcoming. "Has everyone retreated?" Xuantian Mo asked Zhu Kongshan.
Zhu Kongshan nodded, "We're the only ones remaining."
"Yes." He pondered for a while, then said, "In five days, I will personally go to the northern part of the city. At the same time, I will bring the winter clothes that Imperial Mother has prepared. At that time, you can make the arrangements."
Zhu Kongshan's heart was filled with joy, as she quickly nodded and said: "Kongshan will remember. Cousin, don't worry. Everything in the northern part of the city will be taken care of." After saying this, she looked at Xuantian Mo, as a red flush appeared on her face, "Will cousin be staying here tonight?"
Xuantian Mo waved his hand, "There are things to do tonight. Get some rest on your own!" After saying this, he turned and left.
Only after he left the courtyard did Zhu Kongshan let out a sigh of relief. Xiao Yu helped her back into her chair and said with concern: "Young miss, what if His Highness the eighth prince finds out about what we did? Will he … "
"Will he kill us?" She sneered, "Of course, he will kill us, and he will have me die a very miserable death." While speaking, she clearly felt Xiao Yu tremble. She quickly comforted her: "Don't worry. I have already made arrangements for you. Before anything happens on my side, arrangements will definitely be made for you to leave the capital." As she spoke, she reached into her pocket and pulled out 50 taels of banknotes, "Take care of this. Right before leaving, I will give you another 100 taels. I will also prepare some money for you to use on the road. With this money on you, it's enough for you to find a place far away from the capital and Peng Zhou to live well. Also, I will return your slave contract to you. In the future, you will be free. You can go wherever you want. "
Xiao Yu heard this and could not help but feel moved. At the same time, she was extremely grateful to Zhu Kongshan. She kneeled and said: "Young miss, this servant is your maidservant. I wish to serve young miss for the rest of my life, and I will not leave you in life or death!"
Not leave you in life or death? Zhu Kongshan sneered to herself. How could there be such a thing as not leaving you in life or death? Although Xiao Yu could be considered loyal, to die with her master, that was impossible. Of course, she did not really have any intentions of letting this servant live. What was the point of keeping a servant that could not share her master's honor and disgrace? It was just that now was not the time to become hostile. She still had many things that she needed this servant's help with. She also needed to prevent her from complaining to the Eighth Prince's side. After five days, as long as the Eighth Prince brought Noble Lady Yuan's clothes to the northern part of the city, everything would come to an end.
The rumors in the capital continued to spread, and the Eighth Prince gradually began to feel estranged from the officials that supported him. In the northern part of the city, the beggars in the temple revealed that the congee that they ate was paid for by the Zhu family's young miss alone. It was completely unrelated to the Eighth Prince. As for the people that had participated in the distribution of the congee, they had come here for the Eighth Prince. The reason that they had left was because of the Eighth Prince. Because the Eighth Prince had promised them that he would give them money; however, he did not give them a single cent. That was why those people had left.
The servant from the Sheng Palace that was at Zhu Kongshan's side was very puzzled as to where this sort of rumor had come from. The Sheng Palace had clearly given a large amount of money, so how could it be that it did not give a single cent? She was puzzled and asked Zhu Kongshan what was going on; however, Zhu Kongshan just shook her head, expressing that she was also unclear. She also told the maidservant: "Cousin's side is also investigating. I just hope that the truth can be found!"
In front of the citizens, Zhu Kongshan repeatedly explained to them that the rice had been paid for by the Sheng Palace, but while they agreed on the surface, they said behind their backs: "The Zhu family's young miss really is pitiful. If she does not speak up for the Eighth Prince, she will be beaten upon returning to the Sheng Palace. Hah, why does such a good girl have such a bitter life? "
The winds in the capital changed so quickly. In Feng Yu Heng's eyes, this was something that could not be any more normal. She even snorted disdainfully, saying: "I thought that they would be able to endure through this winter; however, who knew that they would break up so quickly."
Huang Quan said: "As this servant sees it, the sooner they break up, the better. Otherwise, listening to people praise the Eighth Prince all day is too disgusting."
Feng Yu Heng laughed at her: "You just can't endure it. What's so disgusting about it? It's not like we'll lose a piece of meat. We'll eat every meal. If they praise us, they can go ahead and praise us. You need to remember that the higher a person is praised, the harder they fall. I really want to see just how much of a fuss Zhu Kongshan can cause and how Eighth Brother will handle it. "
Wang Chuan considered things differently from Huang Quan. She asked Feng Yu Heng: "Young Miss, if something happens to the Eighth Prince this time, will His Majesty punish him severely? There were so many things in the past. The jade mine and the South collaborating with the enemy were all covered up by the Eighth Prince. As this servant sees it, His Majesty's attitude is one of turning a blind eye. Then what about this time? If His Majesty's attitude is still the same, we will have done all this for nothing. "
Feng Yu Heng also had this worry. When it came to competing with the eighth prince, she had always been in a passive position. It was always the other side that fastened the belt before she unfastened it. She dealt with every move that came her way. As for Emperor Tianwu's attitude, it was indeed as Wang Chuan had said. It was a bit of turning a blind eye. If the previous matters were strictly investigated, she did not believe that they would not be able to find out. With such a large crime, she did not believe that Eighth Brother could still be as arrogant as he was today.
But His Majesty did not investigate strictly, giving the Eighth Brother a chance to continue developing. She had also seen through it long ago. This old Emperor Tianwu was preparing to sit back and watch the tigers fight. He wanted to see which of the two tigers would reach the top in the end. This was a cruel game. She had no desire to play along; however, there was nothing that she could do. Xuan Tianming was in the position of prince. Even if he wanted to retreat, he could not. In this world, if Xuan Tianming wanted to protect it, she could only protect it with him. Either way, there would come a day when the results would be revealed. She should bring out the same fighting spirit that she had when she fought against the Feng family.
Feng Yu Heng encouraged herself before saying: "Let's just wait and see. With Zhu Kongshan here, I fear that Eighth Brother will not be able to act smug for much longer. His success was due to his cousin, and his failure was also due to his cousin. This can also be considered an eye for an eye. He will fall from where he crawled up. "
A few days later, the Eighth Prince, Xuantian Mo, sat in his imperial carriage, leading a group of ten carriages toward the northern part of the city. Zhu Kongshan had already told the citizens in the northern part of the city that the Eighth Prince would be personally coming to visit everyone. He had also brought along the new clothes that Noble Lady Yuan had arranged for the grannies and palace maids to make for everyone. She also emphasized: "This time, it really was Noble Lady Yuan who paid for it herself. For the sake of allowing everyone to wear new winter clothes, Noble Lady stayed up in the palace for a few nights without sleeping!"
She had already spread these words to the beggars in the temple, allowing them to believe that the Eighth Prince had finally decided to do something under the pressure of the recent rumors in the capital. She also told the beggars that this was also a good thing. Either way, it was fine as long as the citizens could benefit.
Receiving her words, the beggars told the people that it really was Noble Lady Yuan and the Eighth Prince who had put in some effort, thus the people also believed it and eagerly awaited the arrival of the Eighth Prince.
On this day, Xuantian Mo came to the northern part of the city. Not only did he bring new winter clothes, but he also brought many carriages full of food. He also brought along the Sheng Palace's chefs and began cooking on the spot for the citizens. He even handed out new bowls and chopsticks, personally serving the food to the poor people. This went on for a full day, and it was very lively.
The citizens were able to eat good food and receive new clothes. In an instant, the complaints that they had about the Eighth Prince from a few days ago were canceled out. There were even some that began to blame themselves, feeling that they had wronged the Eighth Prince.
Only when the sky gradually darkened did Xuantian Mo leave with his people. Right before leaving, he said a number of "heartfelt" words to the citizens and promised them: "As long as the Sheng Palace can afford to eat, we will not watch you starve."
After Xuantian Mo left, Zhu Kongshan remained behind to take care of the aftermath. She warmly said to the citizens that had received new winter clothes: "It's almost the Laba festival. These days, it's been extremely cold. Don't keep the new clothes around. Everyone, put them on. You must not catch a cold at night."
The people repeatedly nodded, especially the beggars that lived in the rundown temple. These days, it had truly been unbearably cold. Even if there were charcoal braziers in the temple, it would not solve the problem. Thus the people began to put on the new winter clothes and prepared to wrap them tightly around themselves at night. At the very least, from a psychological standpoint, the new clothes would definitely be warmer than the old ones. At the very least, the cotton was new, and it was thicker.
Zhu Kongshan saw that everyone had put on their clothes, and a smile appeared on her face, as she repeatedly said: "It's good that everyone likes it. Noble Lady Yuan did not work for nothing. For someone like the Eighth Prince who looks down on the poor people in the northern part of the city to personally come here, it was not easy. "
After these words were said, the hearts of the citizens skipped a beat. Thinking a little more, it could not be helped. For the entire day, the Eighth Prince did not reveal the slightest hint of a smile.
The people passed through this Winter night with complicated feelings. They had thought that they would be warmer with the new clothes; however, who knew that the next day, bad news would come from the northern part of the city. Nearly one-third of the poor people and beggars had frozen to death overnight!
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