Li replied, "My second brother's wife packed it herself. She took everything she could. There were four carts full of luggage. Not only did she take food and daily necessities, she even took a lot of charcoal."
Zhulan knew that Mingrui was suffering on this mission. If the mission could not wait, she would have wanted her grandson to leave in the spring of next year. However, it was winter and the children could not wait.
This time during the inspection, they also brought silver notes and food supplies given by the Empress Dowager. They were all given by the Empress Dowager on behalf of the Emperor to orphans in various states. Life has been difficult since the beginning of winter, and the children are waiting for silver and food supplies.
Zhulan thought of wool and asked, "Do the children in the village know how to weave?"
Li took a few seconds to respond and said, "I have already taught the children. It's just that knitting it will hurt people if they wear it. The children are trying to find a solution."
Zhu Lan asked, "Didn't Wu Ming think of a solution?"
Li, "The livestock have only started to breed this year, and Wu Ming has just started."
Zhulan nodded. She had been in ancient times for so many years and did not look down on the ancients at all.
After talking for a while, Zhulan felt a little tired and fell asleep leaning against the pillow.
Li signaled Qingxue and the others to keep their voices down before she cautiously left the house. On the way back to the main courtyard, she ran into her second brother and his wife, "Mom is asleep."
Zhao turned around and said, "Then I'll wait until mother wakes up."
Li asked, "What do you want to talk to mother about?"
Zhao said, "It's nothing serious. I want Mingrui to go visit orphans in various states, so I sorted out some old cotton clothes from the servants of the farm. I want to ask mother whether to let Mingrui take them over or send someone to deliver them."
When Li heard this, she said, "Mingrui will leave in two days, so I will prepare some as well."
In recent years, cotton has been scarce. Servants who rely on their own families for survival can only get some cotton to make new winter clothes. The old winter clothes are kept by the children. She was thinking about exchanging some cotton cloth for old clothes.
Zhulan learned in the afternoon that the people with the most clothes were not the servants, but the masters of the Zhou family. Unfortunately, the clothing materials could not be donated. "I will send someone to ask Lord Rong."
Qingxue went there in person, brought back the news, and went along.
Zhou Jiaguang loaded a cart with his servants' old cotton-padded clothes. Of course, he didn't take the clothes for free. Those who needed them could exchange them for cloth, and those who didn't could exchange them for silver.
The servants initially refused to accept it, but Zhulan insisted and they accepted it.
On the day Mingrui was leaving, Zhou Shuren came down from the morning court, and Li Zhao came over and said, "You are good at planning for your grandson."
Zhou Shuren knew that ever since the Emperor brought Old Man Wen and others to see the orphans, many people in the capital had been keeping an eye on the several farms outside the capital. When students entered the farms, the perceptive people became aware that the results of the farms outside the capital would change.
It was no secret that Rong Enqing took Mingrui on patrol. If it hadn't been for the Crown Prince's wedding, the news would have spread long ago.
Zhou Shuren didn't say anything, so Li Zhao continued, "Don't pretend to be ignorant when you know the truth."
"Don't talk about scheming. My grandson will go to Zhuangzi to teach orphans when he has nothing to do. Who else can I take with me?"
Li Zhao lowered his voice and said, "We have had a good relationship over the past few years, right?"
Zhou Shuren nodded, feeling his conscience, "So?"
Li Zhao smiled and said, "My fourth grandson is also a scholar. Your grandson will go with Marquis Rong to inspect the capital, so how about my grandson go over and take a few lessons?"
Zhou Shuren, "..."
This guy is thicker-skinned than him.
Li Zhao was anxious. The prince had already gotten married, and his Li family was not trying to get the prince's harem. He was thinking about his descendants. There were too many shrewd people in the capital, and he would never underestimate the shamelessness of his colleagues. He would regret it if he didn't speak up earlier.
Zhou Shuren remained silent, thinking in his heart. He knew that Li Zhao spoke first because of their friendship, and more people came to him later. "Zhuangzi has always been managed by my wife."
Li Zhao's eyes lit up, "Thank you."
Zhou Shuren looked at Li Zhao who was walking away in a hurry, and continued walking slowly.
Lord Lin stepped forward, "Uncle."
Zhou Shuren smiled and asked, "Are you Mingrui?"
Lord Lin smiled and nodded, "Well, today is Mingrui's day to go out."
Zhou Shuren has always had a good impression of Mingrui Yuefei. After the Zhou family and the Lin family got engaged, the censor had someone. The Lin family has helped him a lot in recent years. "I sent Shenxing to follow Mingrui."
After thinking for a while, he said, "Marquis Rong has people around him, so their safety is not a problem."
Lord Lin felt relieved. He also wanted to go to the marquis's mansion in person, but he felt it was too ostentatious. He was happy that his son-in-law had a job, but in his heart he lamented how much Marquis Zhou cared about his grandson.
Zhou Shuren said, "I remember that your third brother's second son is a juren, and is currently at home?"
Lord Lin, "Yes, this child is not suitable for officialdom."
Zhou Shuren smiled and said, "I heard Mingrui say that he likes to count."
He remembered it clearly because the child took over the books that his wife had sorted out from Mingrui.
Lord Lin was surprised, "Mingrui still told you this?"
Zhou Shuren said: "You can ask him to go to Zhuangzi to have a look."
Lord Lin understood and was delighted, "I will send someone back as soon as I leave the palace."
"Um."
At Marquis Zhou's mansion, Zhulan unexpectedly saw the wife of the Minister of Revenue come to visit. The two families had a good relationship, but not a deep friendship, so Zhulan and this lady were just friends for the sake of face.
It was too sudden to come in person today. After hearing the purpose of the visit, Zhulan smiled and said, "Zhuangzi has many children and does need a teacher. If the young master of the Li Mansion wants to go, I will let the servant lead the way."
Mrs. Li didn't expect it to go so smoothly. "Don't you want to take a test?"
Zhulan smiled instead, "No need, someone will arrange it for you when we get to the manor, but let me be frank, if you are not suitable to be a teacher, there is nothing I can do."
Mrs. Li said, "I know."
Zhu Lan sent Mrs. Li away and said quietly, "They all want to get involved."
Some do it for fame, some for profit. Now, she is happy that the emperor attaches great importance to education, but also depressed. Zhuangzi has really become an academy. She, as the manager, doesn't know whether she can keep her position safely.
In the afternoon, Zhou Shuren entered the palace and jokingly told the emperor about his conversation with Li Zhao, "This farm has always been managed by my wife. I respect my wife, so I asked Li Zhao to ask my wife."
The emperor has been in a very good mood recently. After hearing this, he said, “The nose is very sensitive.”
Zhou Shuren, "Have you decided?"
The emperor turned the beads and said, "There's no hurry yet."
Although he said he was not in a hurry, he actually had a plan. He would listen to Zhuangzi's reports regularly. The better the children were taught, the more touched he would be.
Zhou Shuren repeated what he had said to the Lin family, "That child is very good at math. Zhuangzi needs a teacher who is good at math."
The emperor didn't care about these things. He thought about the Royal Orphanage, and his mind turned around twice in his mind. After coming back to his senses, he said: "I heard something from the prince."
Zhou Shuren was stunned for a moment, then reacted, "The prince doesn't talk much."
The emperor coughed. The prince would not say it, but he knew who the prince investigated. "It really surprised me."
Zhou Shuren was speechless, "Is the emperor not busy recently?"
The emperor is busy, dealing with endless things every day, getting up early in the morning and going to bed late at night, "I also need to relax."
Zhou Shuren, "..."
So his family became the emperor's entertainment