Upon hearing this, the entire hall erupted in whispers and discussions.
west Yan's face was deathly pale. She hadn't wanted to donate before, but now she was going to donate 10,000 taels. If she hadn't caused trouble today, Ji Hailing might not have made things difficult for her if she donated 5,000 taels. It was all because of her loose tongue. She hated it. Her dowry was only about 10,000 taels. If she donated it all now, she would be poor in the future.
At the head of the main hall, Hai Ling was finally satisfied, and then waved her hand to signal the guards in the hall to leave.
"Go down and wait outside the palace. If needed, I will summon you."
After hearing this, did everyone still not understand what it meant? If anyone else acts like Princess Zhaoyang later, the guards will be sent into their house.
Many people in the hall gritted their teeth. The Empress was ruthless, extremely ruthless, and meticulous in everything she did.
Previously, when they tried to feign illness, she actually ordered the eunuchs to bring the imperial physician. Now, she has the guards waiting outside. Those who donate less will be entered by the guards, leaving no way out for anyone. This is blatant robbery, but no one can say anything about it because the Empress is not doing this for herself, but for the people of the south. Perhaps if the whole world knew about the Empress's actions, they would all praise her as a virtuous empress who embodies the virtues of the nation. In any case, she has gained both internal and external benefits.
The coldness on Hai Ling's face faded, replaced by a smile as she looked at Princess Zhaoyang, west Yan, who was pale and swaying in the center of the hall.
"Princess Zhaoyang, please rise. You have gone to great lengths for today's fundraising, even donating your dowry to support me. I am delighted, and everyone should learn from Princess Zhaoyang."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Everyone was speechless. Just imagine, anyone who dared to fight the Empress would only be courting death, so it was best for them to stay far away from her in the future.
"Princess Zhaoyang, please rise and sit down."
Hai Ling gently instructed the palace maids to help Princess Zhaoyang up and sit down to the side, and then the fundraising continued.
At the head of the main hall, the Empress Dowager's eyes were filled with murderous intent, her fingers were clenched, and she couldn't say a word. Consort Jinlan, on the other hand, had a smile on her face. As soon as Hailing finished speaking, Consort Jinlan spoke.
"As the Dowager Consort of Beilu, I was once a concubine of the late Emperor. Today, there is a food shortage in the southern part of Beilu, and it is my duty to help. Although my abilities are humble, the Empress's actions are a good deed, so I will donate some of my savings."
When Consort Jinlan spoke, Hailing couldn't help but bow slightly, feeling a little uneasy.
She was surprised that the Dowager Princess would support her and even donate her own savings, which made her uneasy.
"The Imperial Concubine is getting old, and her private savings still have uses, so let's keep them."
"Does the Empress find me too old?"
Consort Jinlan was very fond of Hailing and smiled as she spoke. Hailing quickly shook her head: "No, no, Your Highness's actions are a blessing to the people of southern Beilu. On behalf of the people of the south, I thank Your Highness."
Hai Ling rose and respectfully bowed to the Empress Dowager.
The Dowager Consort gestured for her to sit down, then instructed her personal maid beside her: "I will donate five thousand taels of silver, and bring it to the Empress later."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The people at the head of the prince's residence were dumbfounded. The people of the Zhaoyang Prince's residence had really set a precedent. The Zhaoyang Princess was forced to donate 10,000 taels of silver, and now the Dowager Consort had also donated 5,000 taels. That's a total of 15,000 taels of silver! My goodness, today's fundraising is really fierce.
As soon as the Dowager Consort donated silver, the Empress Dowager sitting next to her became even more gloomy. However, since the Dowager Consort had already donated silver, it was impossible for her, as the Empress Dowager of Beilu, not to donate silver. So, as soon as the Dowager Consort stopped speaking, the Empress Dowager slowly opened her mouth.
"As the Empress Dowager of Northern Lu, I have an even greater duty to do so. I will also donate five thousand taels."
If it weren't for Consort Jinlan's donation, the Empress Dowager would never have considered donating money. Now that she had no choice but to donate, she was extremely resentful of the Consort and couldn't help but glare coldly at her. Consort Jinlan smiled politely, pretending not to know that the Empress Dowager was angry with her.
The noble ladies, sitting below the Crown Prince, stared at the scene before them, truly feeling madness. This was a donation of ten thousand or five thousand taels of silver. They couldn't possibly donate less; it was a disaster! Many officials in the court had already donated three or five thousand taels. If they were to donate again now, even their wealthy households couldn't withstand this kind of torment.
However, given the mirror that Princess Zhaoyang had just shown them, they dared not donate less. Now they were truly in a bind. If the Empress held another banquet in the future, they would have to make sure the Empress got sick by taking medicine, pouring water on them, hitting them against the wall, or even choking them, otherwise they couldn't afford it.
Many of the people below looked pale and sickly, and then Hailing, who was at the head of the main hall, said something.
"Here, I would like to commend one person, Princess Mingzhu of the Southern Ling Kingdom. In this fundraising effort, Princess Mingzhu donated half of her dowry, which is equivalent to..."
Hailing paused for a moment and asked Shimei beside her, "How much silver?"
"Your Majesty, the value is fifty-one thousand six hundred taels."
Inside the main hall, everyone was dumbfounded. They originally thought that Princess Zhaoyang's donation of 10,000 taels was outrageous, but they never expected that Princess Mingzhu from Nanling Kingdom would actually donate half of her dowry. It was truly insane. Although everyone found it unbelievable, they still applauded enthusiastically. Nalan Mingzhu, on the other hand, felt embarrassed.
Your Highness, Lady Ye of the Ji family looked at the princess of Nanling Kingdom at the head of the table. Not only was she beautiful, but she also spoke with great composure. Now, she had shown such kindness, and Lady Ye was truly happy for her son. No wonder her son agreed to marry her. This princess was indeed a good one. She didn't need to worry about mother-in-law and daughter-in-law issues. The princess seemed very easy to get along with.
As Ye was pondering this, Hai Ling, who was seated at the head of the table, spoke up.
“Princess Mingzhu is still a citizen of Nanling Kingdom and has never enjoyed the kindness of my Beilu Kingdom, yet she has a charitable heart. I am deeply gratified, so I bestow upon Princess Mingzhu the title of ‘Rende’ (仁德).
No one objected to the Empress bestowing a title upon Nalan Mingzhu, because who could match the princess's righteousness? What was this title anyway? Fifty-one thousand six hundred taels of silver would save countless families in the south. Just thinking about it was exciting. Although it seemed unbelievable to everyone, their own heroic spirit was stirred.
Everyone stood up to congratulate Nalan Mingzhu: "Congratulations, Princess! Congratulations, Princess!"
Nalan Mingzhu hurriedly stood up and said politely, "Thank you all for your kindness."
After exchanging pleasantries, everyone in the hall sat down, and Nalan Mingzhu turned back to Hailing to express her gratitude: "Thank you for the Empress's grace."
"This is what you deserve, sit down."
Hailing breathed a sigh of relief for Mingzhu. Her brother would treat her well after she married into the Ji family. As the future Empress of Beilu, he would not let her suffer any losses, so she didn't need to worry.
After Nalan Mingzhu sat down, Hailing looked at the people in the hall and said, "Princess Mingzhu, as a princess of Nanling Kingdom, actually donated 51,600 taels of silver. As the Empress of Beilu, I am naturally obliged to do the same. I have decided to follow Princess Mingzhu's lead and donate the whole amount of 50,000 taels. This is all my wealth."
Upon hearing this, many people in the hall laughed, and the atmosphere became harmonious. The crowd applauded for a long time. Unexpectedly, even the Empress donated her dowry. The Empress truly had a benevolent heart. The subsequent fundraising was much easier. Among them, the Cang Prince's Mansion donated 30,000 taels. Everyone knew that the heir of the Cang Prince's Mansion was a business genius, so the Cang Prince's Mansion was naturally wealthy. The Ningnan Marquis's Mansion also donated 10,000 taels, and other families donated 5,000, 6,000, or 7,000 taels. In short, they could not give the Empress any grounds for criticism, nor could they let other families laugh at them. Although they were all reluctant to part with their donations, when they thought of Princess Mingzhu of Nanling Kingdom and the Empress, their donations were just a drop in the ocean compared to those donations, so they were not so upset.
Today's chrysanthemum banquet saw a fierce fundraising effort, raising a considerable amount of silver. Hailing watched the entire event with great pleasure, but she was not satisfied with the Prime Minister's Mansion's donation. The dignified Prime Minister's Mansion, a three-dynasty veteran of Beilu, had only donated four thousand taels of silver, making them the family that donated the least at today's fundraising event. The Zhong family was not afraid of being laughed at; it was truly infuriating.
However, the fundraising was coming to an end, and Hai Ling didn't want to bring it up again and ruin the atmosphere. But the Zhong family was just waiting for her, and a strange smile appeared on her lips.
Inside the main hall, the fundraising had ended. The noblewomen all paid their respects to the Empress, the Empress Dowager, and Consort Jinlan before leaving the palace.
The hall quickly quieted down. Princess Zhaoyang, Xiyan, finally came to her senses. Although her face was pale, she had calmed down, got up, and led her maid to greet Hailing before leaving.
Seeing that there were few people left in the main hall, the Empress Dowager realized there was no need to continue with formalities with Hailing. Her face darkened, and she turned and led the people from Cixi Palace away.