I am Bai Rantang, and the Prime Minister's mansion stands behind me. The Second Prince's Consort can only be me, and the future Empress can only be me. I will not admit defeat, never!
The next morning, Bai Rantang personally cooked several dishes that the Second Prince loved and brought them to the study.
"Your Highness, the Princess Consort is here," the guard at the door reported.
"Let her in."
Bai Rantang walked gracefully to the desk, sat down gently, and poured Zhao Yunyi a cup of tea.
She said, "Your Highness, what troubles you? I heard from the servants that you haven't left the study all night and haven't even had time for breakfast."
"People have to eat. But some people can't get food. I am also worried. Rantang, do you have any solutions?"
The Ministry of Revenue's Minister's mansion was sealed, and that pristine silver was all his. Now, without his maternal grandfather's support, his salary and rewards were not enough to feed his soldiers.
"If this is a matter of whether there is enough food, it depends on the heavens and the farmers. As a humble woman, I am ignorant and may not be able to help my husband. It is pitiful that they are all citizens of Great Xia, yet they do not have enough to eat."
"I truly cannot bear to see this, so I can only prepare some meager silver. I hope it can alleviate the pressing needs of the citizens of Great Xia."
As she spoke, Bai Rantang handed the token given to her by the young master of the wealthy merchant Xue family to the Second Prince.
The Second Prince looked at the token in his hand, laughed heartily, and accepted it. He pulled Bai Rantang into his arms, rested his chin on her head, and said affectionately, "My wife truly understands my heart. You are my virtuous helper."
"It is all within my duties as a consort. It is good that I can help Your Highness." As she said this, her face turned red, and her head was almost buried in her chest.
The Second Prince drank the tea in his cup in one gulp and then scooped up Bai Rantang in a bridal carry. Her sudden movement startled Bai Rantang.
Bai Rantang tightly gripped his collar, "Your Highness..."
"Don't be afraid."
He then carried her to the resting room behind, placed her on the bed, and gently took Bai Rantang's hand. He lightly kissed the back of her hand.
"Tang'er, I startled you that day. It was my fault. I promise I will never do that again."
Bai Rantang's eyes were filled with tenderness. She looked at the Second Prince with deep affection, but said,
"You are a noble prince, and I am just a small concubine's daughter. How can I accept your apology, Your Highness?" As she spoke, a few crystal tears flowed down.
"Tang'er, are you still angry with me? After that day, I truly regretted it, but I was too proud to apologize, so I delayed for a few days. I was truly blinded by anger over my maternal grandfather's affairs that I took it out on you. I do have feelings for you."
Bai Rantang lightly bit her lip and remained silent, her eyes fixed on the Second Prince.
Seeing her demeanor, the Second Prince added fuel to the fire. He grabbed her hand and was about to slap his own face.
"It is all my fault. You hit me, hit me hard. I will go and beg my father-in-law for forgiveness later."
Bai Rantang quickly broke free and wrapped her arms around the Second Prince's waist. She pressed her face against his chest and said gently and shyly,
"I knew you loved me. You don't need to apologize to my father. My father, that biased old man, won't stand up for me anyway. Ah Yi, I only have you. You will always treat me well, won't you?"
The Second Prince gently patted her back and said soothingly, "What father doesn't dote on his daughter? You must not fall out with the Prime Minister's mansion. Lest Prime Minister still thinks I am instigating between you and your father, and have reservations about me."
"Yes, I know. Ah Yi is the best to me. He thinks of me in everything."
"Tang'er, as long as you are happy. I swear I will love, respect, and protect you all my life."
"Ah Yi, marrying you is the greatest fortune of my life, Bai Rantang. I will help you achieve whatever you wish."
A hint of disdain flashed in Zhao Yunyi's eyes. This woman was so easily fooled. A few sweet words and she would lose all sense of direction.
Bai Rantang's eyes were filled with indifference. She had heard plenty of such sweet talk in her previous life, and her mind had long become immune, leaving her very clear-headed.
She had to act like a foolish, doting lover to gain Zhao Yunyi's trust. Only such a naive and easily manipulated person was the best candidate for Zhao Yunyi's Empress.
Helping Zhao Yunyi was helping herself; they were already in the same boat. What she needed to do now was to get pregnant quickly and give birth to a legitimate son.
Thinking of the prescription for conceiving a son that she drank on the way, she couldn't let it go to waste. After several rounds of passionate lovemaking, the sky had already darkened.
The Second Prince instructed her to rest well. After dressing himself, he went out to attend to his affairs. Bai Rantang, certain that he had left, used two pillows to prop up her hips.
Zhao Yunyi used that token and his protagonist's halo to win over the Xue family. The Xue family patriarch felt an immediate connection and found a kindred spirit in him, declaring his intention to support Zhao Yunyi's bid for the throne with his wealth. They drank happily at the Xue mansion all night.
The next night, provisions and silver were sent to Zhao Yunyi's secret base, but Jun Jiuli intercepted them halfway. The escorts only felt a wave of dizziness and grogginess, and when they woke up, the goods were gone.
Jun Jiuli had her puppets distribute the grain and silver overnight to the farmers around the capital and the beggars in ruined temples. She played the role of a Robin Hood figure from storybooks.
In those times, due to various natural disasters, calamities, and the low level of medical care, people's lifespans were short and their quality of life was poor. Some people might not even earn one tael of silver in a year from farming.
After all, they had to eat and pay taxes. Those without land had to rent it from wealthy landlords, so these supplies were like a lifesaver to them.
Everyone clutched the goods tightly, afraid that revealing their possession would attract unwanted attention and theft. Therefore, the Second Prince's men searched for half a month but found no trace of the goods.
Afterward, the Xue family sent three more batches, all of which Jun Jiuli intercepted. The Xue family patriarch now felt that the Second Prince was extremely unlucky.
He had not brought him any benefits yet, and he had already cost him a large sum of silver and grain.
When the Second Prince visited again, he was met with evasiveness, enraging the Second Prince to the point that he developed several blisters on his lips.
The elite soldiers raised in the mountains could not even be deployed at critical moments. Now, even holding weapons and training was a problem; they were all emaciated from hunger. The wild vegetables on that mountain were almost all dug up.
The Second Prince, unable to secure any more investors, began to set his sights on Bai Rantang's dowry.
However, he could not openly fall out with Bai Rantang. After all, taking his wife's dowry was too shameful, and he also feared offending the Prime Minister's mansion. He could only try to coax Bai Rantang into giving it to him voluntarily.