The morning court had not yet ended and snowflakes began to fall from the sky. Zhou Shuren never pretended to be elegant. He wore the thickest clothes every winter. This year was particularly cold, so he always walked slowly unless it was necessary.
Zhou Shuren hid his hands in his sleeves and wore the hood of his cloak. Well, among all the ministers leaving the palace, his outfit was the most conspicuous. Half of them only had hoods on women's cloaks.
There was snow and wind in the sky. The only sounds in the alley were the sound of footsteps on the snow and the wind. It was very quiet.
When Elder Wen suddenly spoke, it was particularly clear, "The Emperor kept Master Yu today. I wonder if it's because of rumors that the Yu family has a deep foundation that we can't compare to."
Zhou Shuren didn't look up, but moved his ears, cursing in his heart, "Old man, this sentence is not something we can compare to. It has brought too much hatred to the Yu family. All the noble families in the capital are a little arrogant. The people who were originally watching the fun felt uncomfortable after hearing this.
The Yu family was once prosperous in the previous dynasty, but they retreated back to Dingzhou. It was only during the Shenghui period that they re-entered the country, and they were still of the third rank.
"The Yu family not only has a deep foundation, but also has a big heart."
"This person still needs to see his own good."
There are more people saying this later. If you say it too much, what is false will become true. People's emotions are easily affected by language. I originally thought it was nothing, but I still want to say a few words.
Zhou Shuren stopped and looked at him. He had no choice but to stop because his outfit was the most eye-catching. He paused for a moment before continuing to walk, saying, "Lord Wen."
Old Master Wen didn't want to talk. He and Zhou Shuren were bickering with each other, winning less and losing more. But with so many people watching, he seemed scared if he didn't reply. "Master Zhou, do you have anything to say to me?"
"I'm just curious and want to ask you, old man. I heard that you admired the Yu family very much. A few days ago, you were talking to Mr. Yu with great enthusiasm. Now, hey, look at what I said, maybe I was wrong a few days ago."
Those who could attend the morning court every day, even those with upright personalities, became shrewd and kept silent after staying in the court for a long time.
The last part of the journey was particularly quiet. Boss Wen was so angry that he wanted to bite Zhou Shuren. He hated it the most when Zhou Shuren left things half-said. It was neither right for him to explain nor right for him not to explain, and he failed every time.
Zhou Shuren helped the Yu family and appropriately stopped the hatred of the Yu family. After all, the Yu family was indeed suitable for his granddaughter. He also couldn't let the Yu family be isolated by the aristocratic families in the entire capital. Even if they were loyal subjects, they still needed allies.
In the palace, Lord Yu knelt on the ground, "I don't know why the rumor started."
He said that, how could he not know who did it? So what? They were the Queen's maternal family and he had just arrived in Beijing and couldn't even get a foothold.
The emperor motioned for Lord Yu to stand up, "I have no intention of blaming you."
He would not marry his daughter to the Yu family, as he wanted to support the Yu family.
Lord Yu breathed a sigh of relief, as long as he didn't blame her, "Your Majesty is wise."
The emperor smiled and said, "I heard that your two unengaged sons are good at studying literature and are also well-known in Dingzhou."
Lord Yu's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the Emperor really had this idea? No, no, the Yu family's glory did not need to be enhanced by marrying a princess. A noble family like theirs did not want to marry a princess.
Lord Yu was confused and said, "The child is still young, how can he have any reputation."
The emperor didn't know that the Yu family wanted to avoid the princess, so he smiled and continued, "The grandsons of Minister Zhou in the capital are also good. It's good for young people to get together and communicate."
Lord Yu's heart slowly calmed down, "I have heard from Minister Zhou's grandson that Minister Zhou is good at raising children."
"He is indeed a good educator. The King of Qin was brought up by Minister Zhou."
Lord Yu heard the lightness and trust in the emperor's tone, and felt deeply that the emperor truly trusted Lord Zhou.
On the way back to the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren saw Yao Zheyu. To be honest, he hadn't seen Yao Zheyu for a long time. Yao Zheyu had been holding an idle position in the Ministry of War. Yao Zheyu didn't take a carriage. The carriage followed behind him, but he walked towards the Ministry of War step by step.
Yao Zheyu didn't even notice it and continued to move forward.
Zhou Shuren retracted his gaze. To be honest, Yao Zheyu's outcome was good. At least he lived a wealthy life, and the royal family no longer paid attention to Yao Zheyu.
In Zhangzhou, Liu Feng received the officials from the prefectural city who were transporting food and other supplies. After they left, Liu Feng said to the county magistrate: "The people haven't eaten meat for a long time. We can have some meat for the New Year."
County Magistrate: "Yes."
Ever since the county magistrate was replaced, he no longer lived in a muddle-headed way. He has endless things to do every day, such as counting the population and visiting every household. He was born and raised in Bai County, and no matter how poor this place is, it is still his hometown, and he hopes that his hometown will become prosperous.
Liu Feng looked at the meat on the list and thanked his father-in-law again. Without his father-in-law's suggestion, he said he might not be able to get the New Year supplies that the emperor gave to the people. "Each household can have half a pound of meat. You take people to distribute the food and meat, and wait until the Little New Year to deliver them to Baixing from door to door."
He would not allow people from various villages to come and take it. If it passed through one more hand, who knows who might be greedy.
Yu Shuang was in the backyard looking through the consumption of her father's farm. It was very difficult to buy food on the market in Zhangzhou now. Her father had spent a lot of money to buy coarse grains, but even if he only had two meals a day and was only half full, it was consumed quickly.
The housekeeper said, "People nearby know that the manor has taken in many people, and some of them have left their children at the gate."
Yu Shuang, "Are they all girls?"
"Yes, there is a shortage of food now, so many people are selling their children. The pawnbrokers have no shortage of buyers, so they are buying the good ones. Because of the food problem, they can't buy much. Ordinary people have many children, and boys are for carrying on the family line, but girls can't be sold. The cruel families just starve them to death, and some people with conscience just abandon their children on the farm."
Yu Shuang pointed at the account book. "Have you accepted fifteen girls? How are these girls performing in the manor?"
The housekeeper looked unhappy, "Some were very honest, and some secretly hid the food and took it out."
Yu Shuang sighed, "Those who secretly hid the food should be sent back. It's not that I'm cruel, but the farm is not big and we can't save everyone."
She had already thought about where these girls would go. They could not stay in the manor because the manor was not big and had recruited enough working people. She wanted to train these girls to be medicine girls. She wanted to send all these girls back, but it was not a good idea to start this because it would be endless in the future.
The butler is a servant. He was bought and sold before. His heart is colder than his master. He has seen too many poor people. His master is just too kind. Food is too important these days. "Yes, I will arrange it right away."
Yu Shuang hummed, "If she's a good girl, stay. I have plans for next year."
Butler, "Yes."
After Yu Shuang waited for the housekeeper to leave, she took out the silver her father left for her. This was not for her to spend, but the money her father left for her to manage the farm. Her father said that next year half of the farm would be used for Chinese medicinal herbs and the other half for growing grain, and he also asked her to build some greenhouses in the farm in the early spring of next year.
In the capital, Lord Yu returned to the Ministry of Commerce. His colleagues were quite friendly with him. They told him about leaving the palace and kindly said, "If you have offended Lord Wen, you should find a chance to make amends."
He added: "This time it's all thanks to Lord Zhou for speaking up."
Lord Yu took note and said, "I want to thank Lord Zhou."
Colleagues thought that this meant he was not prepared to apologize to Master Wen.