Chapter 25: Planning to Petition for the People

Wang Baochuan got off the carriage and before she could step into Baoxinglou, she was surrounded by a group of young beggars. Remembering her previous life, when she lived in the cold kiln and was cared for by the Ge siblings, she couldn’t bear it and asked Qingqing to give them some snacks and money.

She was so focused on staying away from Xue Pinggui and the Wei brothers that she forgot about the many suffering refugees in the world.

Wei Hu and her second sister were husband and wife, and she couldn’t break off the relationship so quickly. She even thought about telling her father directly that she dreamed of the Wei family rebelling, but she knew her father. According to his temperament, he wouldn’t let her second sister divorce, and he would try his best to guide Wei Hu onto the right path.

After all, Wei Hu was extremely filial on the surface and was always obedient to his father-in-law.

Wang Baochuan was distracted as she chose jewelry. Mrs. Wang pulled her over and pushed a dozen or so hairpins on the counter towards her, “Baochuan, these hairpins are exquisite and beautiful, just right for you.”

She glanced at them and picked out a jade hairpin made of jade, “I only want this one.”

Mrs. Wang was puzzled.

She giggled, “If I buy them all, they won’t be fashionable in a few months. I’ll wait until Baoxinglou has new styles and buy them then.”

“Okay.” Mrs. Wang patted her hand and agreed readily.

Wang Baochuan watched as the silver flowed out, flowing silver! She suddenly remembered that one of the reasons Wei Hu threatened her father to join the rebellion in her previous life was that Wei Hu had sent most of the bribe money he received to the Prime Minister’s mansion.

That was why her father had to get on the pirate ship.

Wei Hu taking bribes, this was a good starting point. She secretly made up her mind.

Mrs. Wang chose a lot of gold, silver, and jade jewelry for Wang Yincui. She loved all three of her daughters, but Wang Yincui had a bad temper, which made her less fond of her.

Back at the Prime Minister’s mansion, Wang Baochuan hurriedly went to see Prime Minister Wang. She remembered that Xiliang would invade the Tang Dynasty in the spring of the following year, and the following year, the people within five hundred miles of the capital would suffer from a drought, their crops would fail, and there would be widespread unrest.

According to the timeline of her previous life, she was digging wild vegetables at Wuji坡 at that time. Because of the drought, even wild vegetables were hard to find, and she could only eat tree bark and grass roots to survive those two years.

Prime Minister Wang saw her coming in a mysterious way and knew that she was here to talk about her prophetic dreams again. Wang Baochuan asked him to write a letter to the Emperor requesting permission to dig canals and build irrigation systems. She also mentioned the drought two years later.

“This is difficult.” Prime Minister Wang was troubled. Digging canals and building irrigation systems was a major project, labor-intensive and costly. It was uncertain whether the Emperor would agree, and even if the court agreed, recruiting laborers would cause a lot of complaints.

“Father, can you bear to see the people inside and outside the capital displaced and dying?” Her eyes were filled with fear. She had witnessed those scenes with her own eyes.

After the great drought, they thought the natural disaster was over, but then floods came. The consecutive natural disasters took nearly five years for the people near the capital to recover.

After the people’s lives stabilized, the Ministry of Works petitioned to dig canals and build irrigation systems.

“Father, you are the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty. You should be loyal to the Emperor, love the country, and petition for the people. Today, you know about this but do nothing. In the future, when you see the people suffering and wandering, how can you bear it?”

Prime Minister Wang sighed and rubbed his forehead, “Baochuan, I don’t know whether your prophetic dreams are a blessing or a curse.”

“You agree?”

“I am the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty. Of course, I must take responsibility. You are right. I will petition for the people.”

“After tomorrow’s court session, I will discuss it with the Ministry of Works.”

Wang Baochuan was overjoyed. If the canals were built, the drought could be irrigated, and the floods could be drained, then these two major disasters would no longer be a threat.

As for the future, Wang Baochuan herself had suffered the pain of digging wild vegetables in her previous life. She thought that there were many women in the world who were like her in her previous life, without the ability to support themselves.

She had to think about it slowly and see how she could empower women to become more independent.