Chapter 1231 - 1141: Female Prime Minister 79
When the Emperor arrived, Yin Shuangshuang was being forced by Luo Linlang to lie in bed and drink medicine, forbidden to go to the window to watch the snow.
Yin Shuangshuang had been coughing severely for the past two days. She was also worried about whether the snow outside was getting heavier, and couldn’t help but keep looking, which made her catch cold and cough even more.
When the Emperor arrived, Yin Shuangshuang naturally couldn’t remain lying in bed. Luo Linlang reluctantly helped Yin Shuangshuang change clothes and supported her to go to the front hall to see the Emperor.
Currently, Luo Linlang’s attire was very plain, wearing simple clothing. The inner clothes were thin fabric, while the outer clothes were coarse fabric without any embroidery.
Her face had no makeup, her hair covered half of her face, and her beauty reduced to half its usual allure, making her look ordinary instead of stunning.
It wasn’t that Yin Shuangshuang couldn’t bear to let Luo Linlang dress well, nor was it that Yin Shuangshuang forbade Luo Linlang to dress herself up.
It was because Luo Linlang knew her face attracted trouble, and nearby were all noble people, so she deliberately dressed herself unattractively as a precaution.
Luo Linlang had no ambition to seek wealth or status. In the brothel, she had seen many supposed high-born men, all intoxicated by lust, not one of whom Luo Linlang found appealing.
Luo Linlang’s hands were slightly rough from work, but her skin remained fair, and her fingers were still slender and long, very beautiful.
Luo Linlang was naturally lean, and when Yin Shuangshuang’s slender hand was placed on top of hers, it surprisingly appeared even thinner, creating a shocking sensation, as if it might snap with a slight touch.
It was as if Luo Linlang was handling something fragile, supporting Yin Shuangshuang’s hand as they entered the front hall together.
Luo Linlang’s assistance was genuine, for the colder it got, the weaker Yin Shuangshuang’s body became, making even a few steps feel exhausting.
Yin Shuangshuang leaned almost half her weight on Luo Linlang, who supported her, merely maintaining her demeanor enough to avoid appearing disrespectful.
Aware of Yin Shuangshuang’s poor health, upon entering, the Emperor didn’t wait for Yin Shuangshuang to pay respects but casually waved his hand.
"No need for formalities; don’t tire yourself out. When you see me in the future, there’s no need for such formality; it’s not an official occasion." After his words, the Emperor pointed to a nearby chair, signaling her to sit.
After expressing gratitude, Yin Shuangshuang cautiously sat down and, noticing the somber expression on the Emperor’s face, didn’t beat around the bush. She had no patience to do so either, and addressed the issue directly.
"Your Majesty looks troubled; are you worried about the persistent blizzard these days and the difficulty the common people face to survive the winter?"
The Emperor, holding a string of prayer beads, anxiously fiddled with them, his face clouded with unsolvable worries.
"You really miss nothing; the officials reported that many homes of the common people in the suburbs have been crushed by the heavy snow.
Most of their homes are built with mud and thatch, barely enough to keep warm. Many houses were already old.
After a heavy snowstorm, countless homes of the common people were crushed, leaving them unable to keep warm, leading to the tragic freezing deaths of many elderly and children."
As the Emperor spoke, his brows furrowed deeply, truly troubled by this matter, while the officials underneath shirked responsibilities, failing to come up with a solution.
Regrettably, the aristocratic families are all extremely wealthy, with private treasuries more abundant than the National Treasury, yet unwilling to donate funds to build houses for the common people.
The Emperor intended to allocate silver from the National Treasury but the Treasury’s funds are not prosperous.
The Emperor also plans to engage in warfare with the barbarians. Once it starts, the southern barbarians will likely initiate conflict too, and war everywhere requires money, meaning the Treasury’s silver cannot be easily touched, causing the Emperor much distress, even threatening to turn his hair grey.
Due to this worry, the Emperor wished to find a place to relax, but upon leaving, couldn’t think of where to go, eventually thinking of Yin Shuangshuang.
Actually, in coming to Yin Shuangshuang, the Emperor had another notion, thinking that perhaps Yin Shuangshuang, being so smart, might devise a method to solve his current predicament.
Yin Shuangshuang did not disappoint the Emperor; after hearing his complaints, she stood up with a faint smile and said, "Your Majesty, I have something that might solve the urgent crisis you’re facing, and I invite Your Majesty to come and see."
Though harboring hope, the Emperor didn’t expect that Yin Shuangshuang could truly solve his urgent crisis and, evidently, had prepared well in advance, just waiting for him to see.
With anticipation, the Emperor stood up and followed Yin Shuangshuang outside.
Yin Shuangshuang and the Emperor got up and headed outside; Eunuch Gao and Luo Linlang hurriedly put cloaks on their respective masters. It was so cold outside; wearing too little might lead to illness, which wouldn’t be good.
Yin Shuangshuang led the Emperor to the backyard, where she had prepared in advance with Yan Yi and others for this snowy season, something that could provide refuge from the cold for the common people.
Upon entering the backyard, the Emperor saw a large round snow mound in the center, about the size of a house, albeit a bit low.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a snow mound but a snow house built from snow, with an entrance low enough that one had to stoop to enter, with a fur curtain hanging at the door.
Yan Yi stepped forward and pulled the curtain aside, allowing Yin Shuangshuang to enter the snow house first, followed by the Emperor with a look of amazement on his face.
Upon entering, he discovered that the snow house wasn’t dim, as two large ice bricks served as windows, with sunlight refracting through the ice, illuminating the interior.
As the Emperor stepped inside the snow house, he immediately felt a noticeable warmth; although not as comfortable as a real house, living here certainly wouldn’t lead to freezing to death.
Yin Shuangshuang signaled Yan Yi to set up a fire, and the snow house remained stable, showing no signs of melting, clearly capable of cooking inside.
Yin Shuangshuang spoke to the Emperor, who was looking around with a constant expression of surprise: "Your Majesty, this snow house is simple to build; compact the snow and cut it into snow bricks, stack them into a circle, irrigate with water for reinforcement, leave two ventilation holes, and keep the entrance low to prevent the snowstorm from flooding in.
This house is quick and easy to build, sufficient to allow the common people to endure the coldest season, and once the weather warms, they can construct new houses themselves."
The Emperor lingered in the snow house for a long time, then excitedly took Yan Yi and the others who had built the snow house with him. Although the construction was simple, building it firmly required some techniques, and Yan Yi and others had the experience to instruct on the construction.
The Emperor left in a hurry; the situation of the suffering people couldn’t be delayed, and now that there was a solution, it naturally had to be implemented immediately.
Yin Shuangshuang suggested that the Emperor deploy the military to assist the common people in building snow houses. Combined with the common people’s own efforts, this would significantly speed up the process. The Emperor thought this was a good strategy; after all, having the military help build snow houses also served as training and effectively benefited the common people.