Song Ci gave a peace charm to Niu Pan’er to carry during official duties. It was previously drawn by that bald monk from Jinghui to bless the young daughter-in-law with safety and peace. For this, she also specially went to the Buddhist hall to offer incense.
Naturally, it was also to let that elusive elderly lady protect her.
As Song Ci said, polished rice is more expensive than brown rice, and every mansion’s porridge hut has a budget and doesn’t operate indefinitely. Some mansions have already begun to close their porridge huts.
But the Song Mansion still kept theirs open, with more people coming. At the Prime Minister’s Mansion, they added some soybeans to the brown rice porridge, making it smoother. The words previously spoken by Song Ci also spread among the victims, stirring various opinions.
Some said the Prime Minister’s Mansion was using an excuse to cover up its penny-pinching, while others said Song Ci’s words could be tested, and even the Emperor had personally tried it.
Brown rice really does keep hunger at bay better than polished rice!
Upon hearing this, Song Ci thought with much pride that it was coarse grains indeed. Coarse grains are favorites among those trying to lose weight; they keep you full and are not fattening. She had eaten quite a bit of it in her previous life.
Amidst the heavy snowfalls entering the severe cold, although many disaster victims flocked into the capital, all relief stations were well-managed, so no major chaos ensued. This text is hosted at novel⟡fire.net
Meanwhile, the noble circles in the capital were bustling, and the shops were booming.
The reason was that the year-end was near, and as the twelfth lunar month came, several Princes were to marry. The procurement teams of the Prince’s Mansion were already preparing the household items in advance.
This time, three Princes were marrying at once, which boosted many shops—whether they were for weddings or funerals, or other fabric shops, etc.
Song Ci went out, and upon returning from the Charitable Hall, she passed by the shops and saw the brightly dressed procurement staff and shopkeepers, inevitably thinking of the disaster victims in the Charitable Hall.
Such a stark contrast between the two.
"The rich man’s meat and wine stink; the frozen bones lie by the roadside." Song Ci murmured a line of poetry.
She had no intention of criticizing the wealth disparity; it was merely a sigh. After all, this wealth disparity has existed for thousands of years.
At the Prime Minister’s Mansion, two old farmers in the greenhouse joyfully looked at the sprouts emerging from the soil and exchanged glances.
"Quickly have someone report to the Grand Madam!" Chen Da exclaimed excitedly.
Chen Er passed the message out, step by step, until it reached Chunhui Hall quickly.
Upon hearing the servants’ report, Song Ci happily stood up and said to Lin Qing, who was taking her pulse, "Shall we go have a look?"
Lin Qing nodded with a smile.
Outside the greenhouse, Chen Da and others waited there. Seeing Song Ci and her group coming from afar, they knelt down and bowed.
"No need for formalities, quickly rise; the ground is cold." Song Ci raised her hand with a smile, "I heard the vegetable seedlings have sprouted."
Chen Da clasped his hands inside his sleeves, his face full of joy, and said, "To reply to the Grand Madam, this greenhouse indeed works; vegetables have actually been grown."
Song Ci had already walked inside.
Inside the small greenhouse, green seedlings indeed sprouted from the ground, tender and crisp.
Song Ci’s eyes curved with delight; this silver was well spent.
"They really grew!" Several maids, including Hong You, exclaimed in surprise.
They all thought the Grand Madam was playing around whimsically, but she actually grew vegetables.
Lin Qing was also amazed and looked at Song Ci in admiration, "The Grand Madam is becoming more formidable, actually growing vegetables! How did you manage it?"
Song Ci held back her constantly rising smile and said, "How did I manage? Naturally, because I have a cheat code!"
She had the protagonist’s halo protecting her!