Zhao Jiaqi returned, but she didn't dare to tell her mother-in-law about Yumeng, for fear that her mother-in-law would get anxious again and faint, which would be a great sin on her part.
The rain poured down all night. The next day, Zhao Jiaqi ordered people to guard the irrigation channels and drain them in time to prevent a dike breach. Perhaps because of the rain, the Emperor and Empress of Dingbei Liao, as well as the Emperor of Xuanyuan Kingdom, did not arrive as scheduled.
She was in her manor, worried day after day, and had to constantly pay attention to the rainfall. Although the days were difficult, she felt fortunate compared to her husband who was out searching for their child.
The rain continued for two days, and on the third day, the sky finally cleared up.
The ground was muddy and unpleasant to look at. Zhao Jiaqi felt that she must thoroughly repair all the roads once the weather improved.
In the two days since her return, she had not received any news from her husband. The absence of news was considered good news.
Just after lunch, the prefect of Deming Prefecture rushed in, sweating profusely from nervousness as he faced the Princess.
Zhao Jiaqi frowned slightly. What kind of matter could make a prefect so flustered?
The prefect bowed and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor and Empress of Dingbei Liao, with ten thousand soldiers, are at Deming Prefecture attempting to enter our inner city. They claim these people are here to search for their crown prince. I have ordered men to intercept them."
Ten thousand soldiers?
Zhao Jiaqi let out a soft scoff. "With so many people searching, do they think there are no one in our inner city?"
This was clearly sarcasm. Zhao Jiaqi would absolutely not allow these people to enter the inner city.
Not to mention the sheer number of ten thousand soldiers, the mere fact that these people were not allowed to enter would cause panic in the inner city, leading to a series of reactions and undesirable consequences, which she absolutely could not permit.
Zhao Jiaqi instructed him, "Please return and tell them that the Crown Prince of Dingbei Liao, Helian Jinli, went missing at the border between Zongsheng Kingdom and the inner city. We have received news that he is safe and we have dispatched a heavy force to search for him, so their soldiers need not worry."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "If the Emperor of Dingbei Liao is concerned about the Crown Prince's safety, I, this Princess, will allow him to bring one thousand guards. Not one more person. Convey this message to them. If they dare to force their way in, I will dispatch troops to suppress them. If any misunderstanding arises, the inner city will not be responsible."
The prefect of Deming Prefecture silently took note of the Princess's words. Upon hearing no further commands, he bowed and withdrew from the hall, then rode his swift horse back.
Shortly after his departure, Zhao Jiaqi summoned the chief official. "You will dispatch some people to Deming Prefecture to secretly monitor the Emperor and Empress of Dingbei Liao. If they take any action detrimental to our inner city, or if they dare to mobilize troops to attack our inner city, directly assassinate their commanding officers!"
This was the first time the chief official had heard the Princess issue such a swift and ruthless order.
In times of war between two countries, the envoy is killed first. But judging by the current situation, it was a war between two countries, and the leader would be killed first. The saying "to catch the thief, catch the king first" was clearly understood by the Princess.
The chief official, fully inheriting the Princess's wisdom and Fan Zehao's bravery, asked calmly, "Your Highness, if they truly attack the inner city, should we then present you with the head of the Emperor of Dingbei Liao?"
If their emperor died, it would be like a leaderless flock. With the crown prince also missing, they would be like scattered sand, easy to defeat.
Zhao Jiaqi shook her head. After all, Helian Jinli had fallen into the water while trying to save Yumeng. If they were to kill his parents just because they wanted to attack the inner city, her heart would not be at peace.
Seeing that the Princess could not bring herself to be ruthless, the chief official finally withdrew in silence.
Bad news travels fast, and good news never leaves the house. The common people in the inner city, unclear of the source, heard that the soldiers of Dingbei Liao had crossed the river and attacked Deming Prefecture.
Some were even shouting that they would reach the inner city in two more days. The people of the inner city became panicked, and a large number of them blocked the entrance to the royal mansion, inquiring about the situation.
When Zhao Jiaqi learned of this, she personally appeared and addressed the large crowd of commoners, promising that she would absolutely not allow the flames of war to reignite in this prosperous area of the inner city.
She absolutely would not allow such a scene to reoccur. The hard-won era of peace must not be repeated.
The common people highly respected what the Princess said, but they also made private preparations. If war broke out, they would pack their belongings and flee into the mountains.
The price of grain rose significantly overnight, with a jin of grain increasing by twenty coins. The common people did not find it expensive and bought it madly.
Pingting relayed this news to Zhao Jiaqi. She said, "The price of grain has risen too sharply. Some merchants, in order to earn more, have almost doubled the price. Pork and some poultry have also risen in price. If this continues, even without war, the common people will lose the money they have painstakingly saved for a mouthful of food to profiteers. This could easily cause the stable situation in the inner city to collapse again."
Zhao Jiaqi sighed helplessly, looking up at the azure sky with a heavy heart. "These common people are truly afraid of war. Once war breaks out, it means the beginning of an exodus, so stocking up on food is their top priority. We cannot blame them for doing so, nor can we blame the merchants for inflating prices. Everyone is simply standing on different ground and viewing things differently."
She pondered for a moment and decided to release the stored grain to stabilize the prices of other merchants.
As for the grain for Dingbei Liao, it would be postponed for now. If necessary, after this situation passed, they could still purchase grain from Yungu, it would just mean earning less.
"Open the granary and release grain, sell it at the original market price!"
The prefect of the inner city received the Princess's order and happily, with a skip in his step, began releasing grain. The common people, for a time, were jostling and scrambling to buy it.
Seeing the eager crowd, the prefect called out, "Everyone, please don't rush. We have enough grain in our granary to last you five years. You don't need to hoard it, and the price will remain the same."
The common people pretended not to hear him. In their eyes, this food was a lifeline, and they would not stop buying just because of the prefect's words.
The prefect's throat grew hoarse from shouting, but the enthusiasm of the common people did not diminish. In the end, he gave up trying to reason with them. Since it wasn't his money, he resigned himself to the situation.
Zhao Jiaqi stood on the periphery of the crowd, watching the prefect's actions, and shook her head helplessly.
Turning to Pingting at her side, she said, "See? The common people in our inner city are not short of money. They are taking the grain home by the cartload."
Pingting looked at the frenzied common people with a sense of exasperation. "Buying so much, aren't they afraid the grain will sprout? The rainy season hasn't even passed yet!"
If the grain sprouted, it would be inedible, and their hard-earned money would be wasted.
She and her elder sister-in-law were sympathetic to the people's hard work in earning money, which was why they opened the granary. But in the end, they refused to listen to advice.
The more they were persuaded, the more fervent they became, buying things as if they were free, showing no concern for the few coins in their pockets.