Sun Quan's face stiffened slightly. Although her tone had softened somewhat, she still looked coldly at Ouyang Yue: "The Princess Consort's words are simply not enough to convince anyone. Consort Sun's death has nothing to do with you."
Ouyang Yue sneered: "Does this princess need Lord Sun's trust?"
"Does the Princess Consort of Chen tacitly agree?"
"Enough!" Baili Zhi suddenly shouted angrily, "Sun Quan, is this how you speak to the Princess Consort of Chen?!"
"Your Highness, my fourth sister died innocently and tragically. Can't I, your humble servant, seek justice for her?" Sun Quan roared angrily, his face contorted with rage.
Baili Zhi squinted at Sun Quan: "Do you want my concubine to make her look even worse here? It's no wonder I arrived here earlier than Princess Chen could have been blamed."
Sun Quan's eyes blazed with fury, his chest heaving with anger: "Your Highness, Consort Sun did share your love and affection. Does Your Highness have no feelings for her at all? Are you going to side with outsiders at a time like this?"
Baili Zhi also suddenly became furious: "According to my investigation, this was a setup. This person deliberately incited the disaster victims to harm Princess Chen and Consort Sun. However, the situation was chaotic at the time, and everyone tried to save themselves. Consort Sun was accidentally dragged and trampled, and died from her injuries. Who are you going to hold responsible!"
Sun Quan was furious. Baili Zhi was clearly siding with Ouyang Yue. He almost blurted out that Baili Zhi and Ouyang Yue were having an affair. However, Baili Zhi didn't give him a chance to speak and pointed to the maids brought by Sun Meng'er behind him, saying, "These are all servants brought by Consort Sun. Some of them are from Consort Sun's family. Listen to what they have to say. If you continue to make false accusations, even I won't be able to save you!"
"Speak!" Sun Quan roared, glaring angrily at the maids Sun Ce had brought with him.
The two maids brought from the Prince Zhi's residence spoke first.
"Yes, Consort Sun insisted on giving these disaster victims money and food despite Princess Chen's objections. Then, when there was nothing left, Consort Sun ordered the servants to chase them away, and they became somewhat impulsive at the time..."
"It was that man who deliberately instigated it; he was the one who pushed Consort Sun into the crowd."
"This dark-faced man seems to have a grudge against Princess Chen. He has been instigating the disaster victims to attack Princess Chen. He even deliberately provoked them before, causing the disaster victims to smash the carriage and force Princess Chen and Consort Sun out of the carriage. Later, the verbal conflict was also instigated by this dark-faced man, who wanted these disaster victims to kill Princess Chen."
"Yes, at the time he kept ordering people to kill Princess Chen. Consort Sun was pushed in when she was attacked by a mob of disaster victims."
"At that time, I could only save my master first."
"This servant can only save the person in front of me..." The rest of the conversation was done by servants from the Prince Chen's mansion, including Dongxue, who had rescued Ouyang Yue and Sun Meng'er's men.
“At that time, Consort Sun was already surrounded and pinned down in the middle. We servants couldn’t get close at all. My arm was scratched while trying to save her.”
"A clump of my hair was pulled out..."
The servants were gossiping, and even the two trusted confidants that Sun Meng'er had brought from the Sun residence didn't utter a single word of criticism against Ouyang Yue. All the witnesses could testify, and if Sun Quan still wanted to pin this matter on Ouyang Yue, then he had no good intentions.
Baili Zhi pointed at the dark-faced man on the ground and said, "Lord Sun, rest assured, my concubine is dead, and this man is the culprit. I've sent men to search, and I'm sure we'll find out who he is. Once we uncover his background, we'll be able to catch the mastermind behind it all. I am also deeply saddened by the death of my concubine, and I completely understand Lord Sun's feelings, but what's done is done..."
"No! These refugees caused the death of the Prince's concubine. Such wicked people must be severely punished. They have all committed capital crimes!" Sun Quan glared at Ouyang Yue with hatred. Knowing the whole story, he knew that his own sister had died innocently, but he could not take action against this scourge. Sun Quan was filled with hatred, and those refugees who had harmed Sun Meng'er became the targets of his revenge.
"Spare me..."
"This humble citizen was also deceived..."
"It was that person who did it, he instigated it!"
"Spare me..."
Those disaster victims, who had caused Sun Meng'er's death, were already terrified. Now, they knelt down and kowtowed, begging for mercy. However, many of them were glaring angrily at Sun Quan, and they were not entirely innocent either.
Looking at the refugees, Baili Zhi said to An Huaiyuan, "Lord An, since these people are involved in the death of Consort Sun, and we still need to investigate who is so despicable as to use these pitiful refugees to harm Princess Chen and Consort Sun, let's wait until the truth is found before releasing them."
"Your Highness, these people are the murderers who killed Consort Sun. Not one of them can be allowed to die right now!" Sun Quan's expression turned fierce, and he already gripped the knife at his waist. He thought that since he couldn't touch Ouyang Yue here for the time being and couldn't avenge his sister, then none of these scoundrels would be allowed to escape.
An Huaiyuan, the Prefect of Jingzhao, frowned deeply: "Lord Sun, whether these people should be killed or not is a matter for me to decide. Besides, Lord Sun, you have no right to kill these people. Although they are disaster victims, they are all good citizens of the Great Zhou Dynasty. At that time, about 100 or 200 people may have participated, and many may not have participated. Lord Sun, are you trying to disregard these people's lives and kill innocent people indiscriminately?"
Killing innocent civilians is a grave crime in the Great Zhou Dynasty, let alone so many, especially disaster victims. Even if An Huaiquan felt these victims were innocent, he absolutely wouldn't dare let Sun Quan kill them here. Otherwise, if the matter escalated to Qizhou City, it could trigger a nationwide riot. These disaster victims are in dire need of the court's comfort and care. To massacre them now would only make the Great Zhou court appear heartless and cruel, treating lives as a joke, and could even shake the very foundations of the nation.
Just like the peasant uprising that once occurred in the Great Zhou Dynasty, which led to the deaths of ministers, and even the case of Xuan Yuanhu, in the end only a few troublemakers were killed, and the others were at most imprisoned for a while before being released.
Sun Quan's hand, gripping the hilt of his knife, trembled with rage. Had his sister really died so tragically? Sun Quan's dark eyes stared at the black-faced man lying on the ground, and at this man. Baili Zhi wanted to investigate, and he needed to cut off all leads. At this time, he absolutely could not let this matter implicate the Sun family.
Sun Quan stared at Ouyang Yue with deep hatred in his eyes. He hadn't killed the Chen Prince's Mansion this time, but he still had a chance. There was no man in charge of the Chen Prince's Mansion now, and he would find an opportunity sooner or later. Moreover, Sun Quan was the deputy commander of the palace and was quite at ease in the palace. He didn't believe he couldn't find an opportunity to avenge Sun Meng'er.
Of course, if it weren't for so many people testifying that Ouyang Yue was innocent, Sun Quan would never have let it go. Now that the dark-faced man is dead and there's no way to verify anything, and none of Sun Meng'er's maids are speaking up for her, he can't use this opportunity to target Ouyang Yue. He can't very well say that he knew Sun Meng'er set up this scheme to kill Ouyang Yue, and that her death was due to Ouyang Yue's involvement, unless he's lost his mind.
Sun Quan roared angrily, "Ah!" and then suddenly drew his sword. Everyone present was startled, thinking he had lost his mind in anger, and they were all a little nervous. However, Sun Quan roared and turned around, slashing the sword hard at a horse. With a "thud," the horse was completely cut in two, leaving only its desperate howl. The bloody scene was horrifying to watch, and the disaster victims were too frightened to speak. Ouyang Yue watched coldly, her eyes gradually turning murderous.
The Sun family is determined to destroy the Prince Chen's mansion this time, but you may not be able to escape unscathed either.
"Waaah!"
"Shut up! Do you want to die?!"
Just then, that extremely low voice rang out. Sun Meng'er's trusted maidservant beside her looked tense. Except where Ouyang Yue and Baili Zhi were standing, no one could see that a dagger was pressed against the maidservant's back. Sun Meng'er's maidservant trembled in fear, but forced herself to calm down. If Sun Quan hadn't been so enraged that he hadn't noticed, he might have seen that the maidservant was already pale with fright, and fine beads of sweat dripped from her forehead. It turned out that when Dong Xue rescued Ouyang Yue, at the same time the four maidservants who rescued Sun Meng'er had been holding daggers to their backs. If they uttered even a single wrong word, they would be killed instantly. This was why Sun Meng'er's maidservant hadn't dared to utter a word about Ouyang Yue's mistake.
Sun Quan chopped down the horse, but instead pulled down a guard and threw him to the ground. He then leaped onto the horse and rode away in anger.
An Huaiyuan immediately ordered the soldiers to take the disaster victims back to the prison. The victims were initially unwilling, but when they heard that they would receive regular prison meals, they became very enthusiastic and followed him without hesitation.
Baili Zhi walked towards Ouyang Yue: "I'm sorry to have startled you."
"I'm fine. I don't know if my third brother has been investigating that matter."
“The people have already been sent out, don’t worry, we’ll find out soon.” Baili Zhi then looked at the four maids: “You’ve failed in protecting the concubine, so you don’t need to stay any longer.”
"Puff puff puff puff!" At the same time, four sounds rang out. The four maids widened their eyes and then fell to the ground. The people from the Sun family might not give up so easily. These uncertain factors could not be allowed to remain.
"Keep an eye on those guys that guy brought out to cause trouble, make sure they don't say anything out of line." Baili Zhi gave his subordinates a few more instructions, then looked at Ouyang Yue: "Let's take you back."
"Thank you for your trouble, Third Prince." Ouyang Yue nodded. Baili Zhi's attendants somehow produced another carriage, and Ouyang Yue, along with several maids, was escorted back to the Prince Chen's residence by Baili Zhi.
Baili Zhi looked at Sun Meng'er with a sneer and waved his hand: "Take her back. I will give her a grand funeral."
Ouyang Yue and Sun Meng'er went to Wuhua Temple to offer incense. On their way back, they encountered disaster victims. The news of Sun Meng'er being beaten to death spread rapidly throughout the capital that same day. Many people lamented that Sun Meng'er's death was truly unjust, while some gloated. Others felt that the matter was indeed as rumored, that Baili Su was a jinx, and now even Sun Meng'er had fallen victim to it, leading to continuous impeachments in the court.
However, less than three days later, shocking news came from Qizhou Prefecture: Ouyang Yue had already sent people to the disaster area when the flood broke out, delivering a large amount of supplies, including rice, flour, water, clothing, bedding, and medicine. She even sent a large number of people to help the villagers rebuild their homes. At this time, the imperial court's grain and silver arrived just two days earlier than what Ouyang Yue had sent. Thanks to the grain distributed by Ouyang Yue and the imperial court, the disaster situation in the area was temporarily alleviated. Moreover, according to the news, Ouyang Yue sent rice, flour, and other supplies by the cartload, and the amount of gold and silver converted into was definitely not in the tens of thousands of taels.
Ouyang Yue did all this silently. In fact, if the news hadn't come from the disaster area, the capital wouldn't have known, and Ouyang Yue wouldn't have explained it. Those disaster victims who had once cursed Ouyang Yue for being rich and heartless and were now in jail, although their freedom was restricted in prison, they wouldn't starve to death with only two meals a day. Moreover, An Huaiyuan wouldn't torture these disaster victims. It could be said that compared to fleeing, he was now very happy. Their hatred and feelings of injustice had long since dissipated. Instead, they felt guilty and uneasy about cursing Ouyang Yue for being rich and heartless and wanting to kill her after being provoked.
However, compared to these disaster victims, many voices still circulated in the capital. Some admired Ouyang Yue, while others mocked her. Some even used foul language, saying that since they had given birth to a son destined for disaster, Ouyang Yue's actions were merely compensation, and that this was all she should do. They argued that sending such a small amount of supplies was hardly enough, as the Prince Chen's mansion had plenty of money. They claimed that her son had brought misfortune and caused the flood, and this was something she had to do. Many people wished Ouyang Yue would give away all her wealth for disaster relief, calling it righteous indignation. In reality, compared to Ouyang Yue, many people treated the flood as a joke and mostly remained indifferent.
Ouyang Yue ignored all these matters and donated disaster relief supplies batch after batch. The second time, fearing that they might encounter bandits, she wanted to borrow soldiers from Emperor Mingxian. On that day, Ouyang Yue was in the Imperial Study, where several important officials were discussing disaster relief plans. Emperor Mingxian directly ordered someone to bring Ouyang Yue in.
"Seventh Prince's wife, how much were the first disaster relief supplies you sent?" Emperor Mingxian didn't directly say whether he agreed or not, but simply asked.
Ouyang Yue replied, "One hundred thousand taels."
"One hundred thousand taels?"
"So many?" The minister beside him was also somewhat surprised.
Emperor Mingxian's eyes flickered slightly as he said, "And this time?"
"Two hundred and fifty thousand taels of supplies, and there will be a third and fourth batch."
"So much?!" Emperor Mingxian was taken aback when he heard this. The ministers were also quite surprised. If their wives did this, they would all say that it was wasteful. It was no small amount, and it might even be the entire family fortune.
Ouyang Yue raised her smooth chin and took out two ledgers from her sleeve: "Father, this is the net income from the operation of Meiyi Pavilion and Meiren Pavilion under my name, as well as a few small shops that are open sporadically and the shops in the estates that came with my dowry. I have decided to donate all the profits I make after taking over these businesses to disaster relief."
"Really!" Even Emperor Mingxian's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he looked at Ouyang Yue in disbelief.
Ouyang Yue nodded earnestly: "Father, I absolutely do not believe that Su'er is some kind of evil star descended from heaven based on a few wicked words. I am not giving up this income to compensate Su'er; I am just buying peace of mind. I still remember what happened outside the city. If those disaster victims hadn't been starving, they wouldn't have lost their minds and been manipulated by a few opportunists, ultimately leading to Consort Sun's death. They were all innocent victims. I have the ability and am willing to help. I didn't take a single coin from Prince Chen's mansion; I only used my dowry shop. I am simply doing my best, and at the same time, I am praying for the Prince's return! I believe the Prince will come back!"
Emperor Mingxian was taken aback, and for some reason his eyes suddenly felt hot. The old minister, who had well-developed tear ducts, couldn't help but wipe away his tears with his sleeve.
These officials are doing great things outside, protecting the household. However, the pressure that Ouyang Yue has been under recently would be difficult for any of them to handle. Yet she has persevered and has not collapsed. She even dared to donate all the profits from her dowry. This kind of determination is something that most men might not be able to do.
Emperor Mingxian looked down at the account book and exclaimed in surprise, "One million, one hundred and twenty-three thousand four hundred taels, you've given me all of it?!"
"Yes, Father!"
The ministers gasped, and after a while, a white-bearded civil official suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I am also willing to contribute my own money to help these disaster victims and to pray for Prince Chen. Although I cannot match the power of Princess Chen and do not have a greater income, I am willing to contribute three years' salary."
"Your Majesty, I am willing to offer fifty thousand taels..."
"Your Majesty, I am also willing to provide disaster relief and pray for Prince Chen..."
The ministers all spoke out, and the news spread like wildfire. Before Ouyang Yue even left the palace, it had already spread rapidly from the palace outwards, shocking the people, the harem, the court, and the whole country!
☆、277、A plan has been devised to punish the scumbag woman!
The news caused an uproar. Those who had mocked Ouyang Yue for donating money only because she had given birth to the monstrous Ouyang Su were now speechless. If Ouyang Yue was only doing this to atone for Ouyang Su's sins, then donating some silver as a token would have been enough. After all, those were only a portion of the people. Many others were very pleased and gratified that Ouyang Yue had shown concern for the disaster victims in a timely manner after the incident.
Even if these people said that, Ouyang Yue's act of donating all the profits from her two most profitable shops, Meiyige and Meirenge, left them speechless.
Even if it were truly for Ouyang Su's atonement, most other people probably wouldn't have spent this much money, especially such an astronomical sum as 1,123,400 taels. Very few people would be willing to part with it. This amount of money is not only the entire wealth of an ordinary family, but even the most famous families in the Great Zhou Dynasty couldn't possibly come up with this much money all at once. This sum of money instantly solved Emperor Mingxian's urgent problem.
Emperor Mingxian swiftly issued an order to use the money donated by Ouyang Yue to purchase various supplies needed in the disaster area. Of course, those who wanted to take advantage of the disaster to make some money were mistaken this time. Emperor Mingxian personally ordered the purchase of goods. Would you dare to ask for expensive items? Would you dare to take advantage of Emperor Mingxian?
Even if it was something they had originally planned and done, Emperor Mingxian was even more concerned about how to spend the money because it was a donation representing people's goodwill. If it wasn't handled properly, it could cause public resentment. Moreover, because Ouyang Yue was so generous, it inspired many court officials and their families, and the people also flocked to donate, relieving the Great Zhou Dynasty's urgent crisis. Anyone who dared to misuse this money had to bear the consequences. Of course, there were also those who saw everyone else donating and just followed suit.
Those in the court who didn't usually care much about the Great Zhou Dynasty's treasury but were forced to donate money became the most watched by the flow of funds this time. It makes sense; if someone were to embezzle their donation, they would be extremely upset. Some who tried to intervene were either discovered before they could even act, or they wanted to do it but didn't have the guts, and in the end, nothing came of it.
In short, nothing went wrong this time. The donated money did not reach the disaster victims and was reduced by the amount. In the end, some disaster victims starved and froze to death. The rapid resolution of this major disaster also became the fastest event in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty in terms of occurrence, relief, and resolution.
And the biggest contributor this time, without a doubt, is Ouyang Yue!
The consequence of this incident is that the rumors that Baili Su was a celestial demon star have become less and less prevalent. Upon closer reflection, while major disasters such as droughts, floods, snowstorms, and plagues do occur frequently in various countries, they do happen at some point. In fact, many people are aware of these disasters, and some have even experienced them firsthand. Compared to this flood, previous famines were far more severe. Although many people died this time, the situation is much better than during major disasters. Moreover, Ouyang Yue made a huge contribution to the disaster, and many people in the disaster area are grateful to her. To say that Baili Su is still a demon star is truly hurtful and heartless.
This topic had to be suppressed. The rumors were like a gust of wind, constantly dissipating, but some people still cared. Thinking back on Baili Su's birth, apart from the coincidence of famine, the only other direct impact was the rumor of Baili Chen's death. But what about others? Aren't those who didn't come into contact with him all doing well? Some insightful people who couldn't think straight at the moment had to think more deeply. They feared that someone was using these rumors as a pretext to deliberately harass and suppress the Chen Prince's Mansion, and those of them who were unaware of the situation were completely manipulated. They couldn't help but remember that person, but there was nothing they could do. The spread of rumors had long made people forget who the original rumor came from.
At Prince Chen's residence, Ouyang Yue had already brought Baili Su back. At this moment, Ouyang Yue was holding Baili Su in the hall and kissed him hard twice. The latter, with some saliva on his face, looked at Ouyang Yue with some dissatisfaction and grievance: "Mom is so annoying. She sent me away when it was important. I always wanted to be with you."
Ouyang Yue gently pinched Baili Su's nose: "Isn't it better to be with your maternal grandmother? Have the servants at the princess's residence mistreated you?"
"Of course that's not what I meant. I meant that people don't want to leave you at a crucial time. They see you suffering and being criticized all by yourself. Besides, you've donated so much money. Why do you have to try to please those people?" Baili Su pouted her little red lips and said unhappily.
Ouyang Yue shook her head: "Su'er, you're wrong. I didn't donate this money to please anyone. I donated it purely for those displaced disaster victims. Although everyone in this world has a hard time, they toil in the fields day after day, rising with the sun and resting with the sunset, all for the sake of a decent harvest. Those are their means of survival, and now they've all been destroyed by the natural disaster. They can only wait to die. Putting myself in their shoes, I naturally want to help them when I have the ability. Of course, there's also some thought involved in praying for your father, but I believe he'll be alright. The most important thing is to save these people's lives, you understand?"
Baili Su paused for a moment and then said, "...Well, I misspoke earlier. I'd like to donate some beads as well."
Baili Su had amassed quite a few sparkly ornaments and other valuable items, including some that their owners were so distressed they wanted to bang their heads against the wall. Baili Su had put them out, and they were worth a lot of money.
Ouyang Yue smiled and patted Baili Su's head: "Well, it's good to donate some. When Su'er can earn money on his own in the future, he can donate more."
Baili Su nodded, nestled in Ouyang Yue's arms, his little hands clutching Ouyang Yue's clothes. The fair-skinned young lady rubbed against him affectionately, her face slightly flushed. He was a little man now, how could he possibly tell his mother that he missed her so much? His mother would definitely laugh at him!
Looking at Baili Su's expression, Ouyang Yue smiled knowingly, hugged him, gently kissed his cheek, and said with a smile, "Even though it's only for a few days, Mom will definitely be reluctant to leave Su'er."
Baili Su suddenly looked up, his eyes sparkling, then glistening with moisture. He pretended to be tough, sniffling and humming, "I...I...I only miss you a little bit, a little less than you miss me."
Ouyang Yue smiled so much her eyes narrowed into slits: "Okay, Su'er is only a little less than his mother, and his mother knows that."
"Good to know." Baili Su nodded emphatically, gripping Ouyang Yue's clothes even tighter, and snuggled closer to Ouyang Yue.
Perhaps it was because he missed her too much, or perhaps he was a little tired, but Baili Su fell asleep after only a short while. Chuncao had been standing beside him for a while and said, "Your Highness."
"What did you find? Just tell me." Ouyang Yue gently patted Baili Su, her face no longer showing the tenderness and affection from before, but instead becoming extremely serious.
Chuncao hurriedly said, "Your Highness, Meiju has been staying at the Prince's residence for several days now. At first, she was quite well-behaved, but in the last two days she has started wandering around the residence. She said she wanted to familiarize herself with the environment of the Prince's residence. However, yesterday she wanted to go to the Prince and Princess's master bedroom, saying that she missed the Prince too much and wanted to see him to remember him. Dongxue refused her very rudely, and she started crying and sobbing. In the end, Dongxue scolded her and she left. She hasn't come out today."