In the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed. It has not rained for more than half a month and the temperature has continued to be high. Rumors of a severe drought have spread in the capital, and food prices have also risen a little. If the control over the economy had not been strengthened, food prices would have risen even more.
Zhulan's feet have gotten better and are not as swollen anymore, but she still can't walk. There is ice in the room, but the temperature inside is not high.
Xue Han was pregnant and said, "This weather is too hot. It makes people feel uncomfortable."
Zhulan, "Stay away from Bing, you are pregnant!"
Xue Han felt uncomfortable because of the heat. "I feel hotter because I'm pregnant. I sweat when I move. Mom, are we still going to celebrate Dad's birthday?"
Zhu Lan put down her fan and said, "I have discussed with your father that we will not celebrate your birthday this year. First, there have been many disasters in our family this year. Second, the weather is too abnormal. The emperor and the prince are in a bad mood these days, so we won't celebrate it."
Xue Han frowned, "The manor and fields of the Marquis' Mansion are all irrigated manually. If it weren't for the heavy rain in spring, which caused some water to accumulate, there wouldn't be enough water to irrigate the fields now."
Even so, the water level in the river has dropped a little.
Zhulan naturally knew that her family also had a lot of land. "I have asked your eldest brother to find someone to check the water veins and dig wells. You can also arrange it."
Xue Han took note of it and said, "Yeah."
Inside the palace, Zhou Shuren sat at the table counting the money. Knowing that the weather was abnormal, he was not the type to just sit and wait, so he had to calculate the money for digging the well and buying food.
He regretted it. He only remembered that there was a little ice age in history, but he didn't remember anything about drought. The only thing he remembered was the three years in modern times.
The emperor looked at the reports sent in from all over the country. There was also a lack of rain in the northeast, but the situation was better than in the capital. The northeast had already had two rains in recent days, mainly in the capital and the northwest. The rain stopped in the south a few days ago, but in the past seven days, the sky was like a leak and heavy rain never stopped, which was the opposite of the continued warming in the north.
Zhou Shuren handed the calculated amount of silver to the emperor and the prince, "Is this the amount to save costs as much as possible? I also need to keep some silver to deal with the possibility of the river dam in the south bursting."
His heart bleeds when he talks about this. The dam was rebuilt with great difficulty, but now the rain in the south keeps falling. He has also read many memorials sent from the south. The spring rain finally stopped and the quilts were dry, but it started raining again. The quilts and clothes were all wet, and the clinic was crowded with patients.
Can Zhou Shuren still recall the scenes of drought and floods he saw on TV? Modern technology is so advanced? But it is still insignificant in the face of nature.
There were no modern methods in ancient times? He couldn't imagine the scene in the southern medical clinic? But his heart was still in his throat? He was afraid that if there was a flood, the disease would be out of control? This year was really a terrible year.
Has the emperor seen the amount? "This amount of money does not need to go to the national treasury. This amount of money will go to my private treasury."
In recent years, because of the industries given by Shi Qing and the booming maritime trade, these industries are very popular with foreigners and have brought in a lot of income in recent years. So he has the confidence to build Rong Garden.
Now, apart from the silver given to his youngest son, who should he take the silver this time? He has no silver in his private treasury.
Zhou Shuren glanced at the amount he calculated and found that he was not wrong. The emperor really had silver. This was 600,000 taels of silver. He rounded off the number and gave it as an integer. He should have not rounded off the number earlier!
It doesn't cost much money to dig a well, so each village can provide manpower and then pay money to help dig the well.
The expenditure of 600,000 taels was mainly on food. This time, a caravan was used to buy food from various countries and brought it back under the escort of the navy.
Zhou Shuren thought about the possible condition of the flood and said, "I want to divide this money into several parts."
The emperor was pleased that Zhou Shuren cared about the people and was not holding back. "Speak."
Zhou Shuren said: "Part of the money I want to buy medicinal materials from merchant caravans from various countries. The second part, I want to organize some civilian doctors. The third part is to provide salaries for these doctors."
The prince moved closer, "Master Zhou, can you explain?"
Zhou Shuren explained, "I am afraid that the continued rainfall in the south will cause floods. Now the medical clinics in the south are crowded with patients. I remember that a great plague broke out in the late period of the previous dynasty. Once a person died, an entire city died. So I want to prepare the medicinal materials to avoid the situation where there is no medicine available."
The Crown Prince and the Emperor felt a pang in their hearts, as they were more concerned about the drought in the capital area. The south has a rainy season every year, and even if there is heavy rain, the south will be put last in terms of priorities.
The emperor said in a somewhat anxious tone, "Find the memorial from the south."
The prince found it quickly and actually found a memorial that recorded the medical conditions in various parts of the south.
The emperor looked at Zhou Shuren and said, "I am very pleased that you can remember the key points after just reading it once. Shuren continued."
Zhou Shuren continued, "Doctors from the public also have a heritage, and some have superb medical skills. The number of doctors in the Imperial Hospital is limited. I think we can recruit doctors from the public to serve the court. They can still run their own clinics, but when the court needs to employ people, they have to allocate them uniformly, and the final salary is given to them. Only doctors who pass the examination will receive a salary every month, and there will be an examination once a year, and the salary of those who fail the assessment will be taken back."
The emperor and the prince listened very seriously. The emperor was in control of the world, and the prince was in charge of government affairs, so he had a broader vision.
Zhou Shuren saw the emperor looking at him, "These doctors will be awarded plaques by the court based on their rankings in the exams. As long as they rank in the top few, they can also receive subsidies from the court and can even study in the Imperial Hospital."
The prince's eyes sparkled. "This way, we can control the doctors of the whole country. When there is a need for doctors in the future, the court will have people available. Moreover, the assessment and learning will allow these folk doctors to continue to specialize and improve their medical skills. What a good idea, what a good idea."
The emperor thought more about it. If it was really accomplished, the royal family would have a more intuitive understanding of the people and could avoid false reporting by officials from all over the country. The court would not have to pay much, but would gain a lot of benefits in return.
Zhou Shuren and his wife had no choice. In ancient times, people placed too much emphasis on inheritance, and masters and apprentices were like parents and children. He would have preferred a hospital, but unfortunately that was not possible. In order to avoid the final struggle for power and distribution, it would be more appropriate to do it this way. The clinic would still belong to each person, which would be easier to manage and avoid disputes.
The emperor signaled the prince to sort out what he had just heard, and then said with a smile: "Shu Ren's brain is really precious."
Zhou Shuren felt guilty. This idea was something he had discussed with his wife, not something he had thought of himself. "I am ashamed of this."
He has the advantage of having a wife, but others don’t!
The emperor said, "I have approved the use of this money."
Zhou Shuren twitched his lips, "Your Majesty, I am the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. I am suitable for taking money, but not for doing things."
He didn't want to add more burden to himself, nor did he want to continue to be in the limelight. The more he was in the limelight, the more dangerous it would be. He had to be low-key, low-key, and the university scholars were increasingly displeased with him.
The emperor felt regretful. Zhou Shuren was a talented person, but the Ministry of Revenue needed him more now. "I will never forget your contributions. I will write them down."
Zhou Shuren didn't feel that he was wronged this time. He didn't do this for any benefits. He didn't want to see corpses all over the ground, and didn't want to hear the cries of the dead. This time, he and his wife were only doing this for the people.