The daughter of the first wife grew up in the countryside and was extremely powerful

"Your lives are lives, but aren't the lives of the soldiers who defend our country also lives?"

The fifth prince suddenly jumped up from his seat. His already tall figure now looked even taller, like a volcano about to erupt.

He glared at the person in front of him and shouted:

"Gu Fanchu, you are so brave!"

The roar exploded in the study like thunder, making everyone's ears buzz.

The prince, who had always given people the impression of being weak and humble, unexpectedly stood up at this moment.

His face, which usually wore a gentle smile, was now unusually tense, revealing an unprecedented seriousness.

The prince spoke slowly. Although his voice was not loud, the majesty contained in it could not be underestimated:

"Royal brother, it's probably you who truly disregards the lives of the soldiers on the frontier! They are fighting bravely on the front lines, defending our country. If we were to act so unkindly and unjustly at this moment, it would chill the hearts of those brave and fearless soldiers!"

As the prince spoke these words, the already solemn atmosphere in the study instantly became even more tense, almost on the verge of breaking out.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, as if only a spark could ignite a violent conflict. The ministers present were all frightened and sweating profusely, secretly groaning inwardly.

Who could have thought that the Crown Prince, who has always been low-key and tolerant, would openly confront the arrogant and domineering Fifth Prince today?

For a moment, the entire study fell into deathly silence, and no one dared to interrupt.

The emperor, high above, still sat silently on the dragon throne, watching his two sons arguing with each other with an expressionless face.

His deep eyes showed no emotion at all; he simply listened quietly to every word they said, as if waiting to see how this brotherly dispute would end...

Gu Fanchu couldn't help but feel a little surprised. He stared at the prince's face again and saw that his complexion was rosy and there was no sign of long-term illness at all.

Could it be that he was pretending to have done all this?

However, this was not the time to delve into the matter. She gathered herself and took a small step forward. Her beautiful eyes stared directly at the majestic emperor sitting on the dragon throne without any fear. She opened her red lips slightly and said in a firm tone:

"Your Majesty, I, your humble daughter, have come to see Your Majesty today with confidence and will not undertake any futile act. Regarding this important matter, I believe I am fully confident that I can handle it properly."

After saying this, she turned slightly to the side and looked at the Fifth Prince, who had a gloomy face and was obviously dissatisfied with her. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her face showed suspicion:

"May I ask, Your Highness, the Fifth Prince, why did you so arbitrarily reject my proposal without even asking my daughter how much food and fodder she possesses or what strategies she has in place to address the current predicament?"

Then, she raised her eyebrows and asked righteously:

"Fifth Prince, have you ever considered that if the soldiers guarding the border lack sufficient rations and military supplies, then our country's territory will be difficult to defend and foreign enemies will become increasingly arrogant and domineering.

How should we respond then? Or, Fifth Prince, do you have another brilliant plan? I hope you can share your advice!"

These words were like a sharp sword, ruthlessly piercing the Fifth Prince's carefully concealed ambition and completely exposing it.

At this moment, the Fifth Prince was so angry that his face turned ashen and his teeth were chattering. He stared at Gu Fanchu with murderous eyes and uttered a few words viciously:

"Gu Fanchu..."

However, before the Fifth Prince could make any further move, Shi Jinyan flashed and took a step forward as quickly as a ghost, standing steadily in front of Gu Fanchu.

Shi Jinyan's face was as gloomy as water, his brows were tightly knitted, he looked at the Fifth Prince with displeasure, and said coldly:

"Fifth Prince, you are too impatient!"

At this tense moment, the emperor, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke slowly.

His voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable majesty:

"Princess Lingyu, since you keep saying you're quite confident about this matter, I'd like to hear where this food actually comes from. And how do you plan to properly handle the follow-up matters?"

Hearing the emperor's question, Gu Fanchu first bowed slightly and saluted, then turned around and his face regained its respectful and humble look.

She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and answered in clear, melodious, and coherent words:

"Your Majesty, my family runs two grain stores. Currently, they have nearly 40,000 dan of grain in stock, and another 70,000 dan of bran.

As far as I know, the area affected in the south is roughly the size of three towns. If this batch of food can be safely delivered to the victims, it will surely sustain them for quite some time."

The expressions of everyone in the room suddenly became as colorful and changeable as a kaleidoscope!

They stared with wide eyes at Princess Lingyu in disbelief. They never imagined that she had such a huge amount of food resources in her hands.

If these grains were really sold, they would undoubtedly bring in an astronomical amount of wealth...

At this moment, the people present began to calculate uncontrollably in their hearts, and everyone was secretly estimating what an astonishing amount this wealth could reach.

However, even as they were immersed in this shock, Princess Lingyu did not stop speaking.

She opened her red lips slightly and continued:

"By then, if the prominent families in the capital also generously donate a portion, the amount will surely be even more impressive. But this is ultimately not a long-term solution.

If we can send some easy-to-grow and high-yield crop seeds to the local people so they can plant them as soon as possible, they will surely be able to successfully survive this disaster."

After the woman finished speaking, the whole room fell into a dead silence.

Everyone looked at each other, and no one took the initiative to break the silence.

Especially the Fifth Prince, his handsome face was full of colors at this moment, sometimes blue and sometimes white. The surprise and confusion in his heart were difficult to describe in words.

He couldn't understand how a seemingly weak woman like Gu Fanchu could have such a huge amount of food reserves?

Moreover, before he could even open his mouth to ask, His Majesty, who was sitting high above him, had already asked:

"Why on earth do you want to hoard so much food?"

Gu Fanchu's face was as calm as water, without the slightest fluctuation. She bowed slightly and said respectfully: