Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 1538 - 1533: Following

But after that, Bai Jinzhi never sensed that these two people were fond of her, in fact... she felt that these two were like pesky figures, who couldn’t go a day without causing her trouble.

"You have a pure heart but you’re not foolish. What do you think I mean by this..." Sima Ping spoke calmly, fixing his gaze on Bai Jinzhi, waiting for her response.

·

After her bath, Bai Qingyan let her half-dry long hair down, sitting under the lamp, reading the messages sent from Dadu City while listening to Liu Pinggao report on the situation with Bai Qingjue.

Previously, Bai Qingyan and Bai Qingjue had parted ways, with Bai Qingyan sending Liu Pinggao with Bai Qingjue. Knowing that the Eldest Young Lady was starting to patrol the city, Bai Qingjue had Liu Pinggao return with some troops to guard his sister.

"Your Majesty, rest assured; Wang Jin is now with the King of Loyalty, ensuring his safety is not a problem!" Liu Pinggao said.

Bai Qingyan nodded, "How are the soldiers doing? Doctor Hong says this epidemic is fierce, with a higher rate of transmission than the previous plague within our borders. Have any of our soldiers been infected?"

"The soldiers adhere to orders; apart from those settling the disaster victims, none have fallen ill. Moreover, those who have contracted the disease have received proper care, and with Doctor Hong’s prescription sent over, it isn’t dangerous. Your Majesty need not worry!" Liu Pinggao replied.

"Your Majesty..." Wei Zhong brought Bai Qingyan a fresh cup of hot tea, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, "The governor of Luangao City said the head of the local merchants’ guild mentioned... they wish to make donations to the plague-stricken cities of Zhou!"

When the Yan Kingdom ceded cities, they assumed that cities allocated within their borders were governed by the Yan Kingdom, and thus included many affluent areas, such as... Luangao City.

It’s been a precedent for the Imperial Court to call on wealthy merchants to donate during major natural disasters.

Back when Shen Tianzhi pushed Zhou Kingdom bonds in the cities within Yan’s Zhou territory, almost every guild and merchant was compelled to purchase them, taking it as if they were donating silver to the court, playing it safe as they always should with the authorities.

Later, when the court actually paid them the interest, these merchants were pleasantly surprised.

Now with the Imperial Court in distress, precedent is set before them. Instead of being forced to donate like purchasing Zhou bonds, it’s better to be proactive; who knows, their guild might earn a good name, benefiting its members.

Particularly now, with the Emperor of Zhou personally intervening in the disaster relief, should Zhou seize the world in the future... the Emperor of Zhou would be the ruler of all under heaven, and their guild would have already made a mark in front of the Emperor, a favorable move.

Bai Qingyan fully understood the guild’s intentions. Merchants are indeed shrewd, aware that forced donations and voluntary donations leave vastly different impressions on the Emperor. Since there was no other choice, they picked the most advantageous approach for themselves.

A faint smile graced her lips, "Let the Governor handle this matter, and have him clearly list which merchants in the guild donated how much. I want to see the list!"

If the Emperor wants to see the list, then those who donate the most appear at the top, most easily remembered by the Emperor. Since donations are made, and names can appear before the Emperor, why not strive to be first? The first place is the one people remember, just as people remember the name of the previous Top Scholar, and maybe the Second Place Scholar and Third, but who knows the name of the second rank’s top scorer?

Which of these merchants wouldn’t want to be remembered by the Emperor? Naturally, they’d all vie for the first, second, and third spots.

Bai Qingyan didn’t ask how much was donated, only requested to see the list, playing on such merchant psychology.

"Yes!" Wei Zhong responded, but before hurrying to restate the order, he leaned closer to Bai Qingyan to whisper in her ear, "By the way, the governor also brought some servants and maids, saying they were meant as a gift for Your Majesty!"

In truth, the governor wasn’t intending to present Bai Qingyan with servants. These servants were all handsome young lads in their prime, each more delicate and fair-lipped than the next.

Wei Zhong didn’t elaborate, and Bai Qingyan said, "Have the governor take them back. Tell him... not everyone is qualified to serve by my side. If he does his job well, I’ll remember it; he shouldn’t meddle in things beyond his scope."

"Yes! I understand, I’ll relay the message to the governor right away!" Wei Zhong exited Bai Qingyan’s quarters.

"You’ve worked hard as well." Bai Qingyan looked up at Liu Pinggao, "Go get some rest; tomorrow, after we visit the last city, we’ll head back!"

"Yes!" Liu Pinggao saluted Bai Qingyan, then softly advised her, seeing the dark circles under her eyes, "Your Majesty should rest early too!"

Currently, the epidemic in Yan Kingdom is being managed using the method Zhou previously applied, effectively controlling it, and refugees have been settled. After the disaster, Bai Qingyan plans to relieve the tax burden for three years in the hardest-hit cities, which should aid recovery.

Ultimately, this success owes much to Doctor Hong and the officials who bravely ventured into Yan with her. They tirelessly researched medications, ultimately formulating the most effective treatment for this epidemic.

During inspections of the cities with Bai Qingjue and Shen Tianzhi, Bai Qingyan applied the same epidemic prevention tactics used in Shuoyang to the Zhou cities within Yan, yielding significant results.

After Liu Pinggao departed, Bai Qingyan pondered the messages sent from Dadu City.

The Yan Kingdom’s Second Prince, Murong Ping, and Xie Xun, since going to Zhou have remained in seclusion. Upon learning of the epidemic in Yan, they surprisingly requested to meet A Yu to offer their help. A Yu denied the request, prompting their continued kneeling.

Xie Xun expressed that with some Zhou cities within Yan unaffected by the epidemic, they wanted to assist those cities for the sake of Yan.

Even Murong Ping mentioned he could stay in Dadu City while allowing Xie Xun to find ways to secure medicines and food to send back to Yan.

Seeing their determination, A Yu feigned approval, stating she would consult with me, the Emperor of Zhou, penned a letter in their presence, had it sent over, thus seeing them off with this polite delay...

Her eyes fell on the letters already delivered, knowing A Yu employed stalling tactics.

How could they genuinely let Xie Xun and Murong Ping enter Zhou’s Yan cities, where the Yan Army is stationed?

Allowing them would forfeit the significance of keeping them in Zhou as hostages.

A Yu’s second report... noted that Lu Yuanpeng is engaged to Wei Bugong’s eldest daughter.

And this time... Bai Jinzhi personally escorted the grains and medicines to Yan’s Zhou cities, with Lu Yuanpeng volunteering to accompany.