Reborn to marry, the short-lived prince lived a hundred years

Meng Tingyue's eyes, which shone with a light amber luster, stared at Shen Yunheng quietly.

"There is plenty of silver in the mansion. If my husband needs it, it will not be difficult to use it. However, I am now in charge of the trivial matters of the household, and I need to know the flow of every penny."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yunheng's expression became more serious. "This continuous torrential rain will surely cause disaster somewhere in the Great Zhou. As the Crown Prince, I must step forward and help the Great Zhou resolve its difficulties. I will do my best to help."

When Meng Tingyue heard this, she understood his intentions, nodded slightly, and fell into a brief contemplation.

After a moment, she slowly spoke, analyzing the interests involved. "My husband cares about the people of the Great Zhou, and I understand that. But besides the court and my husband, is there anyone else who will contribute to the disaster relief funds?"

"With me setting an example, other officials will naturally contribute money." Shen Yunheng said confidently, with an unquestionable firmness in his voice.

However, there was a barely perceptible hint of worry in his eyes.

"If my guess is correct, the bulk of the money for disaster relief will definitely go to the court and Your Highness."

Shen Yunheng was silent.

Yesterday, my father ordered the Ministry of Revenue to urgently raise funds for disaster relief in case of emergency.

However, just one night later, the Minister of Revenue came before the emperor with a sad face and cried poor, saying that the treasury was empty and could only spend 200,000 taels of silver to meet the urgent needs.

The Imperial Master once said that in this disaster, we should learn from the worst disasters in history to prepare disaster relief funds.

Throughout the dynasties, the most serious disaster was one in which the imperial court allocated 400,000 taels of silver for disaster relief.

Two hundred thousand taels is only half and far from enough.

If he could come up with ten thousand taels of silver, and the remaining nineteen hundred thousand taels were contributed jointly by officials from various families, and if everyone did their best, the shortage of the nineteen hundred thousand taels could be easily solved.

But he knew very well that given how frugal these officials were, it would be difficult to get them to sincerely take money out of their own pockets.

Seeing Shen Yunheng's silence, Meng Tingyue continued, "Although I am not familiar with officialdom, I am a businessman. Businessmen understand people's hearts. How many people in the world can willingly give out so much money without seeking any benefits?"

"I have a humble idea, but I don't know whether I should tell you or not."

Shen Yunheng raised his eyes, his eyes dark, "You say."

"Apart from money and power, the best thing an official has is reputation. The more powerful one is, the more they value their reputation."

"Why don't you take this as a starting point and record all the officials who have participated in disaster relief efforts? When the relief work is complete, you can publicize these names in the disaster-stricken areas and let the world know."

"Furthermore, the court could consider cooperating with surrounding merchants and allow them to participate in disaster relief. This move would also establish an image of benevolence and charity in the hearts of the people, demonstrating the court's broad benevolence and promoting a closer relationship between merchants and the people."

"Your Highness may feel that this move has no obvious benefits for merchants and officials. However, I once witnessed a scene: a man stood before two shops selling the same goods, but resolutely chose the more famous one."

"Your Highness, do you know what the reason behind this is?"

Meng Tingyue spoke slowly and clearly, and after listening to her, Shen Yunheng's mind suddenly became clear.

“People often develop a favorable impression of something based on its reputation without ever gaining a thorough understanding of its full potential.”

Meng Tingyue nodded gently, her voice clear and melodious, "That's right. Among the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans, merchants are often placed last. People often hold many prejudices and misunderstandings towards merchants."

"I'm not defending these prejudices, but I don't want to see them overlook the crucial role merchants play in certain matters. Imagine if the court could work together with merchants, leveraging each other's strengths. This would undoubtedly benefit the court more than harm it."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yunheng nodded slightly, with a hint of approval in his eyes, "I will carefully consider the two suggestions you made.

For Meng Tingyue, these brief words were undoubtedly a ray of sunshine breaking through the gloomy sky of the past few days, and it was a great thing.

As for the rest, as long as there are no fools in the court, things will surely develop as she expected.

Meng Tingyue pursed her lips lightly, and an impulse surged in her heart. She wanted to ask the prince if the queen had said or done anything when he entered the palace today.

However, when the words came to her lips, she couldn't help but hesitate.

He was afraid that if he asked rashly, it would be like he was trying to cover up his guilt and would bring him unnecessary suspicion and trouble.

Despite this dilemma, she still didn't dare to ask.

Seeing that the prince looked normal, it seemed that nothing else happened in the palace. Perhaps the prince was busy with the disaster relief money today and did not meet the queen.

Outside the window, the rainstorm was still raging, beating the branches mercilessly, and the wind was howling and whistling past.

Meng Tingyue asked softly, "Your Highness, would you like to stay here tonight?"

"Let's go back to the house and rest later."

Hearing this, Meng Tingyue blinked very slowly, nodded slowly and said, "Okay."

As they were talking, they heard a gentle knock on the door.

"Your Highness, I am here to deliver the memorial."

Ling Xiao's voice came from outside the door.

Ling Xiao was surrounded by a biting cold air, his clothes were mostly soaked by the sudden rain, and he stood outside the door holding two heavy book boxes tightly in his hands.

He slightly side-glanced outside and was about to step into the warm house when he suddenly stopped and realized that he looked a little embarrassed.

Seeing this, Meng Tingyue took two steps forward and said, "Let me get it."

Ling Xiao shook his head gently, "I dare not trouble the Crown Princess. The box is heavy."

After saying this, he carefully handed the box in his hand to the maid waiting by the door.

As soon as the maid's hands touched it, she was almost staggered by the sudden weight.

Meng Tingyue boasted that she was not as strong as the maids in the courtyard. Seeing this, she withdrew her hand embarrassedly and turned back to the couch.

Both book boxes were filled with memorials and a few books. Meng Tingyue saw the name of one of the books, which seemed to be "The Book of Length and Shortness".

Shen Yunheng sat at his desk, carefully reviewing each memorial.

Meng Tingyue, on the other hand, was leaning on the soft couch, holding a volume of medical skills in her hand, but she was just flipping through the pages aimlessly, her mind already drifting far away.

Her gaze always inadvertently slipped to that side and fell on the concentrated figure.

She had to admit that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had a very good appearance, just what she liked.

Putting aside the idea of ​​exploitation, it would be fine to spend the rest of her life with this man in respect. Even if they consummated their marriage, she would not suffer any loss.

Her thoughts drifted further and further away, and her eyes fell directly on Shen Yunheng without any concealment.

If she really gave birth to a child with the prince, it would not matter whether the child looked like her or the prince.

"Is there anything wrong with my face that you are so dazed by it?"