Everyone who returned was convinced that the Empress Dowager wouldn't come to provide disaster relief without bringing grain—how could she relieve the disaster without food? It must be that the Empress Dowager truly cared about them, so she had left in too great a hurry. The grain transport teams would follow in a steady stream.
When they arrived at Jizhou City, the newly appointed Prefect Xu was already waiting at the city gate to welcome them. But the Empress Dowager refused to stay in the place he had prepared; instead, they settled into a courtyard arranged by the advance team she had sent ahead. Though the courtyard was small, it had a well in it.
That very evening, Shen Yunyun arrived. She brought frozen dumplings, steamed buns, and baozi, along with rice, flour, millet, and everything else available at the grain and oil shops. The Empress Dowager immediately ordered a porridge stall set up at the city gate to distribute congee to the people.
Shen Yunyun said, "Then I'll bring some more steamed buns. We can just steam them a bit over the pot, and they'll be ready to eat."
The Empress Dowager looked at the white buns, each frozen rock-hard, and wondered how much ice it must have taken to freeze them like that. She shook her head. "No need. Just give them the congee."
Shen Yunyun was a bit puzzled.
"A peck of rice creates a favor; a bushel creates an enemy."
Shen Yunyun was startled—she hadn't thought of that at all. The Empress Dowager had earned her position for a reason; she was indeed smarter. Fortunately, Shen Yunyun had the Multiverse Trading Center. If she had been stuck with some kind of攻略 system that forced her to complete tasks in various worlds under threat of death, she'd be in real trouble. She wouldn't even have a place to cry about it.
Though her trading system also involved tasks across worlds, it gave her a lot of autonomy. She could trade when she wanted, and no one could force her if she didn't. Even if she messed something up, it wouldn't affect her. But the higher the transaction volume, the more wealth she gained. Beyond wealth, she now had the Youth-Renewing Pill, so she could live two or three hundred years with a seventeen-year-old face. She had no doubt that the trading center also profited from each transaction. That was only fair—she and the center shared common interests, ensuring a long-lasting partnership. She could work happily and live joyfully.
The Empress Dowager thought Shen Yunyun didn't understand the "peck of rice" principle and explained it in detail, making Shen Yunyun a bit embarrassed. She did know it; she just couldn't always apply book knowledge to real life.
"Do you think I'm too cold and heartless?" the Empress Dowager asked.
"No, Your Highness is a person of great wisdom," Shen Yunyun quickly replied.
The Empress Dowager smiled with a kindly expression. Though she was only in her twenties, she somehow felt like an elder. Shen Yunyun really didn't recommend this, because it made her look foolish—like a seasoned professional looking at a fresh college intern.
Seeing that Shen Yunyun didn't object, the Empress Dowager curved her lips in a smile.
The porridge stall at the city gate was set up quickly, and the rice was brought over. People were sent everywhere to spread the word that the Empress Dowager had established a congee station at the gate. Suddenly, Shen Yunyun remembered He Shen's trick of mixing sand into the porridge and mentioned it to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager nodded. "That was a wise man."
"Aren't you going to borrow that idea?"
The Empress Dowager shook her head. "I am the Empress Dowager. If sand were mixed into the porridge, I would inevitably be attacked. If the court wants to earn the people's trust, it must prioritize its reputation."
Shen Yunyun nodded. She wouldn't have thought of this without the Empress Dowager's input, because she wasn't in that position and didn't have to consider such matters. But the Empress Dowager, in her role, naturally saw things differently.