Zhulan touched the children's foreheads. The doctor couldn't find anything. The children all ate the same food. If there was poisoning, it shouldn't be all twenty children. They all ate from the same pot, so if something was to happen, it would happen to all of them.
The doctor checked carefully and confirmed that the children would be fine after taking the medicine and resting for a night.
The women who were cooking were getting anxious and worried. They were all from nearby villages and were short of food. They came to the farm to cook. Although they couldn't take the food out, they could eat until they were 70% full, and the monthly settlement also included food. Not only could they leave food for their families, but they could also make some money and take it back. Countless people in the village envied them.
Several women came in, one of them was in charge of the kitchen, and she said carefully: "The food is cooked until the food is 70% full. It's almost the same every day. We didn't put anything wrong."
They were all around 40 years old and had lived a lifetime of experience. They would not make mistakes when it came to cooking wild vegetables. They really didn't know why something had happened.
Zhulan signaled housekeeper Wang to take people downstairs. There was nothing wrong with the kitchen, and it couldn't be poisoned. If there was poison, it should be poisoned all at once. She said to Qingxue, "Go check it out."
Qingxue nodded and went out. After a while, she came back and replied, "These two groups bought some herbs and exchanged them with the doctor for a dozen copper coins. They secretly went to the village to buy some potatoes and cooked them outside. Look at these potatoes they found."
Zhulan knew the reason. In ancient times, people would wash potatoes and eat them with the skin on. They were reluctant to throw them away. They had also eaten sprouted potatoes, but they learned their lesson after several lessons. Later, people would peel the sprouted potatoes and then cook them thoroughly.
A few children probably didn't cook the potatoes well enough and were reluctant to throw away too much, so they got poisoned.
Steward Wang said, "Zhuangzi's food is pretty good. He is frugal and has a reputation in the palace, so he has never skimped on food. How come these kids secretly roasted potatoes for themselves?"
"You little brats are eating me out of money. Look at these two groups of kids, they are all 11 or 12 years old. They don't have much fat in their stomachs, so they won't feel hungry even if they eat a lot."
Her private orphanage cannot be compared with the royal one. The royal orphanage can still eat meat once a month, but she can only rely on herself here.
A lot of money was donated at the beginning. She kept a part of it and used the rest to buy a farm. If the capital can be self-sufficient this year, other states will also gradually take in orphans.
Everything has to be calculated carefully.
Zhulan made porridge with the millet and dates she brought from home. There were so many children, so each child could get a bowl of very thin porridge, and the remaining millet was left for the twenty children to nourish their bodies.
During dinner, Mingrui came. The boy came on horseback. Zhulan asked, "Why are you here?"
Mingrui, "I was worried about grandma, so I came here after packing up after school."
"You kid, I'll be back tomorrow, the kids are fine."
Mingrui, "Then your grandson is worried about you. Mingjia and others also wanted to come, but I didn't let them. Grandma, I brought some food with me."
Zhulan pointed at the table and said, "I've already finished eating. You came in a hurry and haven't eaten yet, so you can keep some for yourself."
She ate a bowl of porridge, a potato pancake, and a plate of wild vegetables with the children in the orphanage.
Mingrui came in and saw the dishes on the table, "Then I'll eat the same thing as grandma."
"No, there's nothing in the pot in the kitchen. Eat the snacks you brought."
Mingrui brought a lot of food, including a piece of meat. He asked Grandma Qingxue what she had eaten in the evening. Knowing that grandma would not eat alone, he signaled the servant to send the meat to the kitchen and put it in the porridge tomorrow morning, so that the children could have some meat.
At Zhou Hou's Mansion, Zhou Shuren came back and saw the letter, and heard the news that was sent back. He felt good that it was not premeditated. He was worried that his wife was not eating well or sleeping well. He asked why his wife did not bring him any food when she left. The only thing that comforted him was that Mingrui had thought it through.
Zhulan did not have trouble eating or sleeping as Zhou Shuren had expected. She had dinner and went to see the children before dark. The girls were well-behaved and the boys were not naughty either. It is said that orphans mature after experiencing the ups and downs of life. Orphans in ancient times knew how to cherish the opportunity to survive.
Zhulan was probably tired as she slept well the whole night. When she woke up in the morning she heard a lot of noise in the courtyard and saw Mingrui directing several boys to carry rabbits.
Zhulan, "Did you go there this morning?"
"Well, my servant and I are both quite skilled, so we went to try our luck this morning and we actually encountered one."
"You, your clothes are all wet, go change your clothes."
"Um."
Breakfast was also porridge with the meat Mingrui brought in. The children ate it very carefully, with a look of satisfaction on their faces every time they swallowed a mouthful. The second brother's children were able to cook and eat, and they also drank porridge with a piece of meat just to add to the taste. It was not too greasy, so the children could eat it.
After breakfast, the children washed their own dishes and prepared to go to class.
Coincidentally, Rong Enqing came to class early in the morning today. Zhulan was not in a hurry to go back, so she sat aside with her grandson and listened.
There were farmers standing by the windows outside helping with the work; it was difficult for ordinary people to learn to read.
Zhulan came up with the idea of having someone make the blackboard for teaching the children. It was a very large board with large characters so that everyone could see it clearly.
Rong Enqing not only taught Zhulan to read, but also told her stories, and Zhulan listened with great interest.
Zhu Lan tilted her head and said, "Marquis Rong is right."
As a result, she saw her grandson's eyes shining brightly, which she had never seen in Mingrui before.
Mingrui came back to his senses and said, "Grandma, teaching and educating people is great."
Zhulan: "Yeah."
She knew that her grandson had accompanied the prince out of the capital to give lectures to children. Did he fall in love with her
In the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren stared at the petitions for silver on the table. They all wanted silver. The biggest ones went to Prince Liang and Rongchuan. Construction required silver, and the country had a mountain of gold but couldn't take it. Prices had already risen due to food shortages, and if silver depreciated further, the people would have no way to survive.
But where could he get the money? The taxes collected from several states in the south that were hit by floods last year were confiscated, and he had to rely on the money allocated by the Ministry of Revenue to survive. The damaged dams had to be repaired, so he needed money everywhere.
Zhou Shuren waited for all the doctors to arrive and said, "You all know about the morning court today. The King of Qin needs the Ministry of Revenue to send people to the grassland. Who among you is willing to go?"
No one spoke up, no one wanted to suffer, some doctors came in and never even raised their heads.
Zhang Jinghong wanted to go, so he thought about it and took a gamble: "I am willing."
Zhou Shuren saw the others were relieved, and rolled his eyes in his heart. He said to Zhang Jinghong: "I have made a note of this. You all can get out now."
Zhang Jinghong was the last one to leave. He came back not long after leaving. "Sir, I really want to go. Please help me say a few more words."
He only has one son in his life, so he has to plan more for his son. If he misses this opportunity, it will be difficult for him to have another chance in the future.