After her transformation and rebirth, she manipulates the innocent and ruthless to overthrow the wor

Emperor Jingyang frowned slightly, his tone carrying a hint of impatience:

"What have you thought of this time?"

He looked at Minister Zhao, feeling somewhat displeased.

This Zhao Ning always contradicts him, and his behavior is exactly the same as Pei Yun's back then, which is a real headache.

Minister Zhao, with a respectful expression but without yielding, cupped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty, I believe that those involved in the construction of the dam are all young and strong men, but what about the elderly, women, and children behind them? Can one person's labor truly support a whole family?"

He paused, and seeing the solemn expression on Emperor Jingyang's face, he continued:

"Moreover, the national treasury is empty and cannot provide them with much pay. Exchanging labor for food is barely enough to support one person. If there are elderly people or children in the family, they will probably still have a hard time getting through the crisis."

Emperor Jingyang frowned, his tone tinged with irritation:

"Then what will you do?"

Minister Zhao lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then finally shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness:

"I have no good solution for this matter at the moment."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingyang snorted coldly:

"Why are you still arguing? This matter is settled. Give the order to do as Ruichen said."

“But…” Zhao Ning wanted to say something more, but was speechless for a moment and ultimately had no answer.

"Your Majesty." A clear voice broke the silence in the hall.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw He Wan gracefully stand up and walk calmly to the front of the hall.

She gave a slight curtsy, her voice clear and bright:

"I have a plan that may relieve Your Majesty's worries."

Xiao Ran sat to the side, slowly taking a sip of wine. As the gazes of the crowd fell upon her, a hint of interest flashed in her eyes.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Mu's expression changed slightly. He hurriedly stood up, walked to He Wan's side, and bowed to Emperor Jingyang to apologize.

"Your Majesty, I am young and ignorant, and my words were presumptuous. Please forgive me."

Emperor Jingyang ignored Xiao Mu and instead gazed intently at He Wan in front of the hall.

His tone held a hint of inquiry: "Oh? What's your plan? Why don't you tell me?"

He Wan turned to the eldest prince, Rui Chen, bowed slightly, and spoke in a respectful and humble tone:

"The Crown Prince has proposed raising money and grain from wealthy merchants in Jiangnan. I would like to offer my humble opinion to supplement the Crown Prince's plan and relieve Minister Zhao's worries. Perhaps we can persuade the wealthy merchants in Jiangnan to take the initiative to share the burden of the disaster victims."

After listening, Emperor Jingyang pondered for a moment, his gaze filled with a hint of inquiry:

"The wealthy merchants of Jiangnan have always been stingy. How can we get them to willingly donate money and grain?"

He Wan smiled slightly, her expression composed:

"Merchants value profit, but they also value reputation."

"Your Majesty may issue an edict that all those who donate grain or silver shall be granted the title of 'righteous merchant' according to the size of their contribution, and their descendants shall be allowed to participate in the imperial examinations and enter officialdom. With this honor, they will surely rush to serve the country."

Her voice was clear and her words were earnest. Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall showed thoughtful expressions.

A hint of approval flashed in Emperor Jingyang's eyes, and he nodded slightly:

"This plan is brilliant. It can solve the immediate crisis and also encourage wealthy merchants to share the burden of the country... He Wan, you are indeed very clever."

The eldest prince, Rui Chen, remained calm, his gaze lowered, seemingly unresponsive to He Wan's suggestion.

On the contrary, the fourth prince, Ruixuan, looked intently at He Wan, his eyes filled with a mixture of admiration and curiosity.

"This woman is quite interesting; she actually came up with such a clever method..."

He looked at Rui Chen, whose expression was indifferent, and said:

"That's exactly what my elder brother thought."