After leaving the government office, Zhou Shuren went home and changed his clothes while saying, "Let the elders come over for dinner today."
Zhulan thought something was wrong, "Where's Mingyun?"
"Call Mingyun over as well."
The Zhou brothers arrived very quickly. When the food was served on the table, Zhou Shuren motioned for his sons and grandson to sit down. He drank the soup first. It was vegetable soup because he couldn't drink the tonic soup.
After finishing a bowl of soup, Zhou Shuren said to his father: "I have asked the emperor for a job for you."
"Cough, cough, cough, cough."
Zhou Laoda just took a sip of a bowl of soup, choked and had to cover his mouth, then turned his head to cough. His father's news was too scary. When he stopped coughing, he signaled his son not to take the photo. He took the handkerchief handed by his son and wiped his mouth, "Dad, you are not kidding your son, are you?"
Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes and said, "Can I joke about my job?"
Boss Zhou was dumbfounded. So it was true, he also had a job
Chang Yi was much calmer than his elder brother. "Dad, what job did you ask for my elder brother?"
Zhou Shuren, "The Emperor is grateful for the soldiers who died defending their country, so he agreed to my proposal to bring up all the orphans together. Your job is to investigate how many orphans there are and how many children have been abused."
This job requires patience and someone with an honest mind, and the eldest son is the most suitable person for the job. Of course, he gave the eldest son this job not because the eldest son is suitable, but because it was started by the Zhou family. In the future, the eldest son will inherit the title of Marquis, and if the eldest son gets involved, then after his death, the Zhou family will be able to participate from generation to generation.
Although he didn't know how long he could live, he had to slowly think of everything he could think of and arrange everything that needed to be arranged.
Boss Zhou was a little unconfident. He had always been in charge of the family affairs, and this was his first time to receive an errand from the court. "Dad, can your son do it?"
Zhou Shuren glanced at it and asked, "What do you think?"
Zhou Laoda was silent. His intuition told him that if his answer was not to his father's liking, his father would punish him. "Yes, son, I can do it."
Zhou Shuren hummed, "Minghui is a smart kid, he will follow you."
After a pause, he continued, "There is no reward for this errand, but you must do it well. Get ready and leave the day after tomorrow."
After seeing his father finish his instructions, Chang Yi asked, "Dad, have you taken all the children back to the capital?"
Zhou Shuren, "Not all of them will be brought to the capital. The ones that will be brought to the capital are from several neighboring states. The emperor will send people to investigate the other states and raise them locally."
The population has doubled in recent years. Last year, the casualties on the two-front battlefield were still high due to the lack of gunpowder. It is not realistic to send all the children to the capital.
Boss Zhou understood, and he took charge of several nearby states. He felt at ease, as he could return to Beijing just in time for the busy farming season.
In the evening, Zhou Shuren sat next to his wife, "You didn't talk much tonight."
Zhulan opened the quilt and said, "I am also thinking about something. I want to go to the palace to see the Queen Mother."
Zhou Shuren, "Hmm?"
"I think if it is really the Little Ice Age, without high-yield crops, the people's lives will become increasingly difficult. You have also read Yushuang's letter. The manor that Changyi bought has already taken in many children. Children were not valuable in ancient times. When life was difficult, the elderly and children were the first to die. Your proposal is for the orphans of the soldiers, but what about the people?"
Zhou Shuren understood what his wife meant, "You want the Queen Mother to take the lead?"
Zhulan, "I would like to take the lead, but we have the imperial power above us. You are wielding the emperor's banner. I can only think of asking the queen mother to come forward. It would be best if the queen mother came forward."
"Why not the Queen?"
"The Queen and the Wen family are related. If the Queen takes the lead, the Wen family will definitely intervene. Isn't this stealing my business? It's different if the Queen Mother takes the lead. I have been organizing books for these years. The royal family has accepted that I am a person with brains and ideas, and recognizes that I am not just a woman in the harem."
After a pause, he continued, "There are not many people around the Queen Mother who can be used. Lord Ning is the Queen Mother's nephew, and his niece-in-law is young and can't be suppressed, so I became the most suitable person."
Zhou Shuren lay down in bed, feeling comfortable on the warm kang. "You've been thinking about this all night."
"I didn't think about it tonight. I've been thinking about it since I mentioned the idea of setting up an orphanage to you. I think it would be good for the Queen Mother to take the lead. As long as the Queen Mother is concerned, many children can be saved. These children cannot be trained as elites, but they can be trained to become craftsmen. If they are trained from generation to generation, the progress of society needs them. What do you think?"
Zhou Shuren curled his lips and said, "I think this is great. Only with a solid foundation can we reform and accelerate the pace of social development."
Zhu Lan's eyes curved, "I've been so depressed these years. Now that I have the chance, I want to grab it. Women know more and won't be trapped in the backyard. Although the progress will be slow, it will be bright."
Zhou Shuren hadn't seen such a gleam in his wife's eyes for a long time. "Just do what you want to do. We have come this far and we have enough confidence."
Zhulan, "I need to write a plan and choose a date to go back to the palace. You just mentioned the orphan, I need to find a good time. Yes, let the old man see more of the people's lives, so I can find an opportunity."
Zhou Shuren kept listening to his wife. Zhulan didn't know how long they had been talking. In the end, it was very late when they both fell asleep.
Li was very happy that Boss Zhou was going on a business trip. As for Minghui who was going with him, Li did not feel reluctant to let him go and was willing to see him off.
Minghui didn't want to go. He was a man who loved to enjoy himself. At noon when he went to the academy, he would ask the servant to change a new hand warmer to warm his hands. How could he bear the hardship? But with his grandfather's words, it was useless for him to act coquettishly to his grandmother.
Mingjia patted Minghui on the shoulder and said, "It's a rare opportunity to go out and gain some experience."
Ming Jing, "Ask the cook to make you more food. You have been spoiled by your appetite. Don't let yourself get thin from hunger."
Mingrui took out a few books and said, "Don't forget to study when you go out. I will test you when you come back."
Minghui, "You are really my brother."
Mingrui smiled, "Cousin."
Minghui: "... You are so cruel."
The day's preparations were quick. Minghui got into the carriage with a bitter face and looked at his grandmother eagerly. Then he saw his grandmother waving a handkerchief, wishing him a safe journey.
Minghui looked at his mother again, but his mother didn't even look at him!
Boss Zhou patted his son on the head and said, "You don't want to go, do you think I'm willing to take you?"
This kid is the most pampered. He also has to take care of Minghui on the road. Thinking about how picky this kid is, he already has a headache before leaving home.
Minghui snorted, pulled his cloak over his head, and ignored his father.
Boss Zhou glared. Among the brothers, he was the one who lacked the authority of his father the least.
Zhangzhou, Yu Shuang returned home with a very pale face. She asked a doctor for help and the doctor prescribed some tranquilizing medicine.
Liu Feng came back from outside and hurried back to the backyard, "We are not going to Dad's farm, what's wrong?"
Yu Shuang's face turned pale again when she thought of what she had seen.
The old woman couldn't bear to see the young lady suffer, so she motioned for the son-in-law to go out and whispered, "On the way there, we saw two children who had frozen to death, one big and one small. They froze to death on the way to the village."
The old woman shuddered as she spoke, "The two children opened their eyes, full of reluctance, and..."
Liu Feng asked, "And what?"
The old woman took a deep breath and said, "The bodies of the two children were bloody and their bones were already visible. They had been eaten by wild animals."
Liu Feng felt heavy-hearted. This was not an isolated case. He would occasionally see it when he visited various villages. "Go and watch the decoction!"