In the spring of March, it snowed hard.

Snowflakes are falling one after another, and the plum blossoms blooming on the branches of the big trees in front of the window are covered with thick frost.

Unlike the cold outside, a warm kettle had already been burned in the hall.

The soft, thick carpet hides the traces of the cold, but it can't resist the thin ice covering the window edges.

Zhong Xiaoshu sat barefoot on the bench, leaning against the window and staring out of the window.

This year's winter seems to be extraordinarily long, and I thought that the new year would be spring, but it actually snowed again.

Although such weather is nothing at all for some people in high positions.

Just sit in the room and drink a pot of hot tea, and then the whole body will be pleasantly warm.

However, for those ordinary people, such a winter is very difficult.

She sighed softly, listening to the maid who came back from outside the palace yesterday.

This winter's snow covered the fields, and the early cold froze the roots and seedlings, so many farmers did not harvest their fields.

This is to rely on the sky to eat.

Droughts, floods, bitter cold, insect plagues, these are the worst problems God has given them.

As the mother of a country, Zhong Xiaoshu is unwilling to enjoy the special treatment of a high position like this.

And seeing that the people had no way to retreat in the cold wind, they had to tighten their belts and struggle to survive.

That's the last thing she wants to see.

Zhong Xiaoshu sighed and called Qing'er.

"Mother." Qing'er blessed her body and covered her with a thin quilt.

"Qing'er, you go and talk to the people below, and get some subsidies from the palace and distribute them to various county seats.

It would be good to at least be able to send a little help to the poor families who depend on the sky for food. ”

Zhong Xiaoshu's hand touched the window edge, feeling the temperature above.

Qing'er was stunned for a moment, and then smiled: "Niang Niang is really kind, Qing'er will do it." ”

"Okay, let's go."

Seeing Qing'er holding an umbrella and going away, Zhong Xiaoshu breathed a sigh of relief.

Although she can only do something modest, she always hopes that she can make some difference.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a tall figure outside the window.

She looked up again and saw Yin Zhige coming from a distance stepping on the snow.

Bright eyes, slender and straight figure were moving towards her.

met Zhong Xiaoshu's gaze, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of Yin Zhige's lips.

In a short time he entered the temple.

"I heard that you have people distribute subsidies to the counties." Yin Zhige took off his cloak, and his own palace maid came up and took it away with both hands.

He swept away the hem of his clothes again, and only after he was warm did he walk to Zhong Xiaoshu and sit down.

"Yes," Zhong Xiaoshu looked sideways at him, "It's so cold today, and the crops haven't been harvested."

Those who live on the ground are afraid that it will be difficult to sustain themselves, and I want to do my best. ”

Yin Zhige nodded, just took her hand, and said no more.

A few more days have passed, and Zhong Xiaoshu feels bored staying in the hall all day.

The flowers in the garden seem to have lost their color in the cold wind, and they are not as shiny as they are in spring and summer.

Today, I heard people say that the opera troupe in the capital is beating gongs and drums and is very active.

staged a play that she was interested in, so she hurriedly came to Yin Zhige and said a few words, and then changed her clothes and left the palace.

The wind was howling in his ears, and the cold wind was blowing on his face as violently as a knife, and it was directly cold to the bottom of his heart.

Zhong Xiaoshu wore the warmest cloak, and still held the soup woman in his hand, and almost fell asleep several times while sitting in the carriage.

Finally, Qing'er called softly, and the crumbling Zhong Xiaoshu woke up after his head fell a little.

"Arrived?"

"Yes, the show is about to begin."

"Then let's go quickly." Zhong Xiaoshu's eyes lit up suddenly, Qing'er got out of the carriage first, lifted the curtain and stretched out her hand.

Zhong Xiaoshu put his hand on it and jumped down.

Picking a seat in the back row of the room, she sat down comfortably.

The two in costumes walked onto the stage, and with the sound of a gong, the scene was considered to have begun.

After a scene, Zhong Xiaoshu listened to it with relish, clapping and laughing from time to time.

But what she cares more about is that although it is a good show, not many people come to listen to it.

Is it because the weather is too cruel and prohibitive, or is it ...... for some other reason?

After listening to the play, Zhong Xiaoshu planned to go shopping on the street and buy some things to return to the palace by the way.

Just as she stepped out of the low wall in the doorway and was about to turn the corner, a deep sigh and chatter behind her caught her attention.

Zhong Xiaoshu turned his head slightly and saw clearly that they were several shabby-dressed men, the patches on the clothes were beaten and beaten, but the collar was washed white.

Slightly confused, she stopped, pretending to lean against the wall and flapping her cloak.

In order to hear what they were talking about, Zhong Xiaoshu walked to the stall on the opposite street again

On the surface, he is choosing jewelry, but in fact, he is listening carefully to their words.

"Well, it's been too hard to live—"

An elongated sigh was filled with helplessness and bitterness, and a man shook his head.

"This year's weather has made us have no harvest, how will we survive in the next few days......"

"Yes," the other man in black cloth nodded, "and if this continues, I won't even be able to open the bottom of the pot." ”

"The emperor doesn't care about us?" The third frowned.

"When it's freezing like this, we can go to the adult and talk to him, maybe he will tell the emperor and send us some food to survive the winter?"

"Don't think about it,"

The man in black cloth shook his head, "How can small things like ours reach the emperor's ears?"

It is estimated that by that time, we would have starved to death. ”

As soon as these words fell, there was silence, and several people began to sigh again.

Zhong Xiaoshu frowned, full of doubts.

What's going on?

She knew that they were having a hard time, so she ordered her subordinates to pay subsidies.

It is also to let those adults open warehouses to help grain, so that the people can survive this cold winter.

But according to these people, what she ordered to go down was not put into place.

So, where does the subsidy go? What the hell is going on?

To be sure, the orders she passed down did not work, and the subsidies she gave disappeared.

Zhong Xiaoshu had no intention of buying anything more, and came to the door of Lord Wang's mansion against the cold wind.

The guards who followed knocked on the door, and the little guy who opened the door immediately hurried to find Lord Wang as soon as he saw Feng Ling.

The middle-aged man who walked briskly saw Zhong Xiaoshu and immediately knelt down.

"Weichen didn't know that the queen was coming, it was really a disappointment!"

Zhong Xiaoshu sneered and walked into the house by himself: "Lord Wang really looks very comfortable. ”

Hearing Zhong Xiaoshu's tone, Lord Wang was shocked: "What does Niangniang mean?" ”

"The subsidy sent by the palace was deducted by you?"

Her voice was lazy, but it was like the calm before the storm.

"Wechen is wronged!"

Lord Wang's eyes widened, "Weichen is brave, I don't know about this, and I ask my mother to investigate!" ”