Zhulan didn't know about the morning court. She was very busy. As soon as she left the palace, she sent people out of the capital to check on the three farms and prepare the materials donated by her family.
As soon as she got home, she received a lot of donation orders. The Ning family was the empress dowager's maternal family, so they naturally followed the empress dowager. The Ran family was the Concubine Ran's maternal family, so they also gave generously.
However, the Ran family’s financial resources were still a little lacking, and they were not conspicuous in the donation list.
This time the donation was made on a family basis. The Ning family was low-key and had a profound heritage. Zhulan was very moved when she saw the donation list. They donated 20,000 taels of silver alone.
The list of donations needed to be counted, and Zhulan handed it over to her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, both of whom she had trained and who really helped her a lot.
Liu Jia returned to her parents' home and came back with Ma.
Liu Jia handed over the donation list from her mother's family, "Grandma, these are the supplies donated by the Liu family."
Zhulan picked it up and glanced at it. It was difficult for the Liu family. Liu Jia's marriage almost emptied the family's assets. Last year, the Wen family took the lead in donating a lot. The Liu family also donated some when she organized a painting appreciation event. This time they donated again. It was not easy for the Liu family.
Zhulan picked up a pen and crossed out some items on the list. Under Ma's surprised gaze, she said, "These are enough."
It was obvious that this list was beyond the Liu family's ability to bear.
Ma's ears turned red. She thought, "Well, one should pay attention to the matching of family backgrounds. The Liu family is still a little inferior among Marquis Zhou's relatives. In order to make her daughter look good on both sides, she racked her brains to come up with this list. If it weren't for her second daughter-in-law, the list would have been even uglier."
Liu Jia breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't agree with her mother trying to save face for her, but her mother wouldn't listen.
Zhao took a quick glance and lowered her head to continue recording, but she was thinking about her son-in-law. Hey, he has to donate even if he is not in the capital, so as not to give anyone an excuse.
Zhulan was busy until the evening, her forehead and neck were stiff. Looking at the thick list, she knew the workload was not small.
Zhou Shuren came back and took the record book. After reading it, he was not surprised. "Today alone, 120,000 taels of silver have been donated?"
Zhulan rubbed her neck, "Is that a lot?"
"A lot, indeed."
Zhu Lan sneered, "What we lack most now is supplies, and food is the most scarce of all. Some people really make things difficult for us, only donating silver, but not food or other supplies at all."
Zhou Shuren raised his eyebrows, "Sure enough, you are not quiet."
"Fortunately, we have been operating for so many years and have laid a solid foundation of allies. With your status, we are able to obtain donated materials in a good amount."
Zhou Shuren put down the booklet, "They definitely won't expect that you are in great need of money to start."
The coldness on Zhulan's face disappeared, and she smiled with curved eyebrows, "Yes, they calculated wrongly. With the start-up money, I can buy a farm, buy land, and build a greenhouse. In fact, what I lack most is money."
Zhou Shuren curled his lips and said, "Tomorrow I will give Elder Wen more incentives, and I will get more money."
Zhulan: "Well, I believe in your acting skills."
Zhou Shuren massaged his wife's neck, "Don't be too tired."
"There are too many people waiting to see me laugh, so they can take advantage of you. I must run this first private orphanage well."
Zhou Shuren's eyes were gentle, "Okay."
The next day, Zhou Shuren had a gloomy face at the morning court, and Old Master Wen squinted his eyes. There was no extra expression on his face, but from his relaxed attitude, it could be seen that the old master was in a good mood.
There were still many people in the Wen family who had not donated. When they saw Marquis Zhou looking unhappy today, they thought their plan had worked.
The prince looked at his grandfather with sympathy. He had suffered a lot, so why didn't he learn his lesson
After the morning court session ended, Old Master Wen nodded to Zhou Shuren, then left with his men, his steps brisk.
Zhou Shuren stood there without moving. Wang Ju came over and asked, "What happened?"
Zhou Shuren said calmly: "Some people only remember to eat but not to be beaten."
Wang Ju: "Hmm?"
Zhou Shuren's voice was too low for anyone to hear, so he motioned for Wang Ju to follow him. After the two of them left the palace, Zhou Shuren told them about the donation.
Wang Ju, "They are waiting to see the Zhou family make a fool of themselves!"
The news of Yang working as a servant would spread to all states sooner or later. If the private orphanage was run well, it would be a credit. But if it was not, it would be a big blow to the Zhou family. Everything is a double-edged sword, especially for women working as servants. Now there are constant troubles at the very beginning. If it really fails, he is really worried about the Zhou family.
Zhou Shuren saw Wang Ju's serious face and asked, "Are you scared?"
Wang Ju pressed his brows and said, "I'll send someone back to prepare some more supplies."
Zhou Shuren's smile deepened. "No need. In fact, the private orphanage is in great need of money as start-up capital. The Wen family's plan actually helped my wife. However, the Wang family's help is indeed needed. My wife has already sent people to various states to buy farms. The Wang family can help to take care of it in the states where they have connections."
Wang Ju came back to her senses, "Are you afraid that the Wen family will come back to their senses and stop us in private?"
"Well, let them be complacent for now, and take advantage of the time difference to buy up all the farmland first."
He and his wife wrote a lot of letters last night. Alas, the Zhou family is still rising too slowly. If the Zhou family had children serving as officials in various states, it would be easier for them to do their work.
Wang Ju did not have much confidence in Yang. The ideas she had developed since childhood would not change easily. The Wang family trusted Zhou Shuren and believed that Zhou Shuren was controlling the family behind the scenes. Even though Zhou Shuren praised Yang in various ways, Wang Ju had heard it so many times that she thought that Zhou Shuren loved Yang too much.
Now, after hearing Zhou Shuren say that it was all Yang's idea, he was stunned, "You didn't lie to me?"
Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes, "My wife is really no worse than me."
My wife used her own abilities to gain the trust of the entire royal family. No matter how much the royal family trusts him, it would not be because he trusts my wife. My wife has proved herself with her strength.
Wang Ju was a little dazed, especially after hearing some of the subsequent plans, she felt very complicated.
Zhou Shuren snorted. This was just the beginning. The book compiled by his wife had not been announced to the world yet.
At the Zhou family, Li frowned, "Mother, there are more donations today, take a look at the banknotes."
Zhu Lan raised her eyebrows and said to Su Xuan, "Send someone with money to buy glass, and then find a craftsman to build the greenhouse."
Su Xuan, "I'll arrange it right away."
Then Zhulan said to the female official: "We still need you to go to the manor to collect supplies."
The female official received the Queen Mother's order and followed the words of Madam Zhou Hou. She represented the Queen Mother and was in charge of the storage of materials. No one dared to touch the materials. "Yes."
Li helped her mother sit down, "My daughter-in-law thought it was easy to run an orphanage!"
It's only been two days and she's already been so busy that she feels dizzy.
Zhulan, "Everything is difficult at the beginning, but it will get better in the future."
After a pause, he said to Zhao: "Record all the accounts clearly and record the source of every sum of money in detail."
Zhao is the most meticulous and is best suited for keeping accounts.
In the restaurant, Chang Li did not sleep all night. The boy he rescued had a fever. His son also had a fever last night and drank medicine. He did not dare to rest and kept watch over him. He raised his hand and touched his son's red face, feeling very distressed.