I support the army through farming and business.

Chapter 9 Snow Disaster in Luoyang
On the first day of snowfall in Luoyang, the people were jubilant, the farmers happily shouted "Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest", and the dignitaries vied with each other to hold snow-viewing banquets.

On the second day of the snow in Luoyang, people wore thick linen clothes that were half-new and half-worn and swept the streets in the cold wind.

On the third day of snow in Luoyang, people looked at the three-inch-high snow on their roofs and worried that their houses would collapse, so they climbed onto the roofs to clear the snow.

On the fourth day of snow in Luoyang, people huddled in their houses, shivering from the cold, and devoutly begged God not to snow again.

On the fifth day of snow in Luoyang, the thatched huts of poor families in the countryside were crushed by the snow. The villagers worked together to dig and barely managed to rescue the people.

On the sixth day of snowfall in Luoyang, the village heads and ward heads all went to the county government office to ask the magistrate for help.

On the seventh day of snow in Luoyang, the prefect of Luoyang read through the letters for help that lay like snowflakes on the table one by one with a gloomy face, sitting alone until late at night.

On the eighth day of the snowy season in Luoyang, the prefect of Luoyang reported the disaster at the morning court: "In the villages surrounding Luoyang, the heavy snow has crushed seven or eight out of ten houses, and as many as eighty or ninety civilians have been killed or injured. The affected people have been displaced and are flocking to the surrounding counties."

"However, the county's supplies are insufficient to support so many victims, and the people in the county have been severely affected. In order to seek a glimmer of hope, the victims have already headed to Luoyang."

Emperor Kangzhi's face flushed red, and he coughed for a while before stopping. "Do you know how many victims there are?"

The Luoyang prefect immediately replied, "It's probably hundreds of thousands."

"Lord Yuan, how much silver can the Ministry of Revenue provide to help the victims?"

The Minister of Revenue stepped out and said with a wry smile, "Your Majesty, years of war have consumed 70% to 80% of the national treasury's tax silver. A few days ago, the northern states petitioned for disaster relief, and the Ministry of Revenue was forced to allocate 800,000 taels of money and grain. Now, I am truly powerless to help."

Emperor Kangzhi rubbed his brows vigorously and asked, "How much can you get at most?"

The Minister of Revenue pondered for a moment and said, "Two hundred thousand taels."

Manchao was shocked.

"Master Yuan, two hundred thousand taels of silver are enough to provide relief to hundreds of thousands of disaster victims. Even if they only have porridge a day, they won't last more than a month!" The Luoyang prefect held his breath. "That doesn't even include the cost of charcoal, winter clothes, doctors, medicine, and repairing collapsed houses!"

"The most important thing is that we've only just begun winter, and spring is still two months away!"

This is going to force the victims to death!
"Master Zhang, wouldn't I be willing to donate more silver to help the victims? If I could, I would willingly donate a million dan of grain and tens of millions of catties of charcoal to help them get through the cold winter. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of power."

"Your Excellency Yuan, as the Minister of Revenue, is in charge of the nation's finances and grain. You should at least come up with a solution!"

The Minister of Revenue was just waiting for these words. "Your Majesty, I have a plan, but I wonder if it will work."

The eyelids of Prince Xuan Gu Liu, who was standing in front, twitched.

"I believe that, in this urgent matter, we should temporarily suspend the payment of military pay to the Northwest Army and use the money to provide relief to the victims first."

The princeling officials in the court all echoed this.

"Your Majesty, I think this plan is unacceptable," Gu Liuchuli suggested. "The northwest has also suffered severely from this disaster. Life is already difficult for the soldiers. If they don't receive their pay, how can they defend their country and resist the Xiongnu?"

"The silver from the border gates should not be used lightly unless it is absolutely necessary," Emperor Kangzhi interrupted his ministers' quarrel, "Let's spend the silver first to get by."

After the morning court session ended, Gu Liu rode back to the palace at full speed and said, "Please invite the Fifth Young Master to the study to discuss matters."

The servant ran quickly to ask for help.

Gu Liu sat by the fire in the study for a long time and drank a bowl of hot soup. Only then did a hint of color appear on his frozen pale face.

"Brother, you're looking for me?" Gu Ci came over immediately after receiving the message from the servant.

Gu Liu quickly recounted what happened at the morning court today and sneered, "The princelings are too unscrupulous."

Taking advantage of the disaster in Luoyang, they wanted to withhold the Northwest Army’s pay.

"Your Majesty might have the same intention," Gu Ci suppressed his anger. "No matter how important the northwest is, it's still thousands of miles away from Luoyang. Besides, we have our father to support us. If a riot breaks out in Luoyang, it will be a disaster in an instant."

"The only solution now is to raise money for disaster relief," Gu Liu had a headache. The palace not only had to supply food to the northwest army, but also had to provide disaster relief in Luoyang.

All the work is done in Prince Xuan’s Mansion, so what is the need for the Crown Prince?

"Tomorrow at court, I will propose that the imperial court take the lead in raising funds for disaster relief. Your Majesty will surely adopt this proposal."

Every penny raised is one penny less for the palace. "The palace will definitely bear the brunt of my suggestion. Please talk to your sister-in-law and ask for her understanding."

"Brother, don't worry."

Gu Ci walked back while thinking about his plan.

Bidan Courtyard, the main courtyard.

Qiu Yu used tongs to stir the charcoal fire, making it burn more vigorously, and said thankfully, "Fortunately, the girl had the foresight to prepare the charcoal early."

"I heard that the price of charcoal has reached 200 coins per catty, which is more than five times more expensive than in previous years. Even at this price, it is impossible to buy it without some connections."

"This is too outrageous," Chunfeng stopped embroidering, "It's still a long time before spring comes."

She murmured, "I wonder how many more families will be broken up and have their children sold."

Chunfeng and the others thought of themselves and felt sad.

This sadness was not broken until Gu Ci arrived.

"Here you are!" Tang Zhao was enthusiastic but also puzzled. "How come my husband has time to come to my place?"

On the second day after the wedding, Gu Ci moved to the study room on the pretext of recuperating. After more than a month of marriage, except for occasionally eating at the same table, he would never visit her unless there was something important.

Gu Ci was in the wrong about this matter, so his tone was inevitably gentler, "What are you doing?"

"Read the Dayu Law," Tang Zhao held up the book.

"Where did you see it?"

"Marriage Law, Divorce and Peace," Tang Zhao praised the Gu family ancestor who formulated the Dayu Law. "Divorce if there's no love, remarry after divorce, and divorce again after marriage. And the dowry and betrothal gifts can all belong to the woman. Emperor Taizu was truly a wise ruler!"

The key point is that there was no cooling-off period for divorce, and the verdict was announced on the same day, which was extremely efficient.

Nanny Song was terrified when she heard this and kept winking at him.

"Mammy, is your eye cramping?" Qiuyu asked loudly with concern.

Nanny Song gave this tactless person a sharp look.

Qiuyu felt aggrieved, so she kept her mouth shut and stood at the back.

Gu Ci's forehead veins throbbed, and his pleasantries vanished completely. "I'm here to discuss something with Mrs. Tang."

Tang Zhao: "Husband, please speak."

Gu Ci: "Madam, do you know about the disaster in Luoyang?"

Tang Zhao nodded.

"Not only Luoyang, but all the prefectures to the north have been hit by the disaster, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless," Gu Ci briefly recounted the disaster. "The imperial court is currently trying to find relief."

Disaster relief? Of course it must be provided!

What are the most important things in disaster relief? Of course, it's food, clothing, medical care, etc.

The above can be collectively referred to as money!

What if the country has no money?
Donate! If you want to use it for the people, you must take it from the people too!

Tang Zhao's dark eyes rolled around a few times, and he guessed Gu Ci's purpose.

Sure enough, the man said bluntly, "I would like you to take the lead in donating money and start a new round of donations."

"No problem," Tang Zhao smiled happily.

The opportunity she had been waiting for finally came.

(End of this chapter)