Chapter 93: Chapter 93: The Abacus Beads Are Hitting Them in the Face

“Moreover, I have not forgotten Cheng Yuanshan’s charitable acts,” Emperor Jiawen said. “Once I return, I will think about how to reward him appropriately so that he won’t feel wronged.”

“On behalf of my uncle, I thank Your Majesty for your great kindness,” Fu Mingzhu said, and then her gaze swept over to Lin Qingqing standing at the back.

Lin Qingqing kept trying to make her presence felt; it would really be a shame not to give her the full attention she seems to be seeking so desperately today.

Fu Mingzhu then said, “Your Majesty, Your Highness, I have something more to say.”

“Go ahead,” Emperor Jiawen replied.

“Just now, Miss Lin mentioned the cold in the northwest and expressed concern about the military’s winter clothing. Does Miss Lin have any good ideas about this?” Fu Mingzhu asked.

Fu Shinian looked at Fu Mingzhu with eyes full of admiration.

His elder sister was never a soft woman to be bullied at will; she simply couldn’t be bothered to respond most of the time.

But if someone continued to cause trouble, Fu Mingzhu had her ways to deal with them.

Fu Shinian was already looking forward to seeing what Fu Mingzhu planned to do.

Lin Qingqing felt extremely frustrated; her well-made plan had once again been disrupted by Fu Mingzhu.

At this moment, she had no choice but to say, “Originally, I was planning to call on everyone to donate cotton-padded clothes to the army.”

The crowd erupted into a sneer upon hearing this.

Fu Mingzhu spent her own money to donate cotton-padded clothes, and even when donating to orphanages, it was all her own Silver Tael.

Fu Shinian went to Ganning to deliver medicinal herbs; he paid with his own money and risked his own life without dragging others along.

Lin Qingqing, on the other hand, always tried to involve them in donating money and goods, like when she went to the charitable hall earlier.

Now, she wanted to involve them in donating cotton-padded clothes to the army as well.

She dared to just flap her lips, spend little of her own money, and still try to drag them along.

Although doing charity is good, and they wouldn’t miss that bit of Silver Tael, Lin Qingqing’s approach was really appalling.

They bore the expense of the Silver Tael, but the good reputation went entirely to Lin Qingqing.

It’s like the abacus beads were flying right into their faces.

In this comparison, Fu Mingzhu and Fu Shinian receiving awards were well deserved.

They had no complaints about them; they just couldn’t stand someone as hypocritical as Lin Qingqing.

So pretentious and so concerned with appearances.

Ha!

“Cheng Yuanshan and Miss Fu truly donated a lot,” General Gu said, “It’s enough; there’s no need for more donations.”

“In that case, Miss Lin could donate something else,” Fu Mingzhu suggested. “Life in the army is very difficult. Besides cotton-padded clothes, there is also a shortage of coal and shoes, now that it’s cold. Thick cotton shoes are needed. And with daily exercises, shoes wear out easily. Surely, our soldiers can’t be waging battles in worn-out shoes.”

“Miss Lin choosing to donate something else would also be commendable,” Fu Mingzhu continued. “However, Your Majesty, Your Highness, I have a proposal.”

“Go ahead,”

Fu Mingzhu said, “Every time Miss Lin wants to do a good deed, she pulls in a large crowd. I think this is unnecessary.”

“I believe that when doing charity, one should only consider their own heart, without requiring others to do it too,” Fu Mingzhu added. “One should act according to their own circumstances. Everyone has their own issues to deal with; others might be facing difficulties and not be in a convenient position to participate, or they might not have ample resources. Yet they might feel pressured and have no choice but to contribute.”

“I have some Silver Coin on hand, enough to buy cotton-padded clothes to donate to the army, but I’ve never thought of asking others to do the same. Nor have I ever thought about forcing others to donate along with me.”

“Indeed!” Mrs. Chen quickly acknowledged.

She had long been fed up with Lin Qingqing’s false demeanor. “I also think that what Miss Fu said makes a lot of sense. I am not unwilling to donate; I am willing to do good deeds. After visiting the charitable hall with the Empress last time, I’ve been thinking, the charitable halls in the capital are always cared for by the Empress and us, so there should be no problem. But what about the charitable halls outside the capital?”

“Therefore, I have already arranged for people to inquire about the conditions of several charitable halls near the capital and have prepared some Silver Coin, aiming to arrange for these halls according to the standards of those in the capital as much as possible.”

“It’s just that my energy, manpower, and Silver Coin are limited, and I really can’t take care of too much; I can only support a few charitable halls to the best of my ability. But because of this, you see…” Mrs. Chen felt embarrassed. “I really don’t have extra Silver Coin at hand to support the military.”

“Mrs. Chen has done extremely well in this matter,” the Empress said excitedly. “I’ve always said that doing charity isn’t confined to one way. Whatever comes to mind, do it; contribute money if you have it, and help with effort if you can. Caring for the people is doing charity, and so is addressing injustices when you see them.”

“Mrs. Chen has done such a commendable thing, why haven’t you mentioned it to anyone?” the Empress inquired.

Mrs. Chen said sheepishly, “Compared to the two ladies of the Fu family, it’s nothing. They are both so discreet, so I naturally also think there’s no need to make it public. It’s just that the speech Miss Fu made earlier resonated with me so much that I couldn’t help but speak up.”

“That’s right,” Mrs. Gu also remarked. “I also think that Miss Fu and Mrs. Chen are absolutely right.”

“Moreover, it’s not as if the country is in a time of crisis requiring everyone to take responsibility. Under His Majesty’s rule, Great Xi is at peace with stable rivers, and even if there’s an occasional disturbance from outside enemies, we have soldiers to fend them off. There’s no need to make a big public appeal demanding everyone to donate.”

“If one has the heart, just pitch in where they see fit. If not, or if they’re already engaging in other charitable activities, they should continue with what they’re doing,” Mrs. Gu advised.

Having listened to Lin Qingqing’s statements earlier, Mrs. Gu saw right through her.

When it comes to judging women, it’s true that women can discern each other far better.

Such as General Gu, a coarse man who wouldn’t be able to see through Lin Qingqing’s hypocrisy.

Mrs. Gu snickered as she looked at General Gu.

General Gu: “???”

What was that for?

What did I do for my wife to react this way towards me?

“That’s right,” Emperor Jiawen nodded.

The Empress added, “I also believe that doing good should follow the heart; it shouldn’t turn into coercion.”

Lin Qingqing: “…”

How come she didn’t realize before that Fu Mingzhu was so eloquent?

In just a few words, she made it sound like Lin Qingqing was forcing others to do charitable acts with her.

“What Your Majesty and Your Highness said is true,” Lin Qingqing hurriedly spoke, “I had thought wrong before, only thinking more people meant more power and neglecting others’ will.”

“Miss Lin, your words could be misinterpreted,” said Mrs. Zheng, Zheng Sulan’s mother.

Having heard about Lin Qingqing from Zheng Sulan multiple times and having seen Lin Qingqing’s actions firsthand, she had grown even more displeased.

Seeing that Zheng Sulan couldn’t stand up against Lin Qingqing, she decided to step in herself. “Miss Lin, your words make it seem like we are cold-hearted people who don’t like to do good.”

“We simply dislike being pushed and forced to follow someone else’s idea of charity. How one does good, how one assists others, Miss Lin, we have our own sense of judgment,” Mrs. Zheng remarked indifferently.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep