After Zhulan finished speaking, Zhao's tears flowed even harder. If there hadn't been so many people in the room, Zhao would have examined her son carefully.
Mingrui was not fat to begin with, but he was noticeably thin. His clothes felt empty, and his face was pale, with the blue color in his eyes being particularly noticeable.
Zhulan motioned Mingrui to sit down, and reached out to hold her grandson's arm. She felt that there was not much flesh left, "Why are you so thin?"
Fortunately, my grandson’s eyes are particularly bright and he is in good spirits.
Mingrui knew he couldn't hide it because he felt guilty, "My grandson got sick outside, and he never recovered."
Zhulan felt even more distressed. "You have worked so hard along the way. It is better to be at home and take care of him. Stop crying, second daughter-in-law. Go and call a doctor to check Mingrui."
Zhao wiped away her tears and said, "My daughter-in-law will ask someone to call a doctor right away."
Lin Qing looked at her husband nervously, fearing that he would suffer from some chronic illness. Mingrui saw that his wife was twisting her handkerchief anxiously, so he looked at her soothingly, and Lin Qing slowly let go of her anxiety.
Zhulan didn't just wait for the doctor, "It seems that we have gained a lot along the way."
Mingrui said with a melancholy tone, "I thought I was well-informed and knew the hardships of ordinary people, but this time when I went out, I realized that I had seen too little. From the orphans, I realized that there were too many invisible hardships."
It is said that we are now in a prosperous era, but there are still many orphans, and some states have restrictions on taking in orphans.
Zhulan: "It will get better slowly."
Mingrui hugged his daughter and squeezed her hand, "Grandma, some states refuse to accept female orphans."
He had seen too much injustice along the way regarding the status gap between men and women, and because he had a daughter, he felt particularly deeply about it.
Zhulan, "Grandma is glad that you can find the problem. Only by finding it can we change it."
Mingrui's eyes lit up, "Grandson understands."
The doctor came quickly and took Mingrui's pulse carefully. Mingrui's illness was cured, but he was weak from the long journey and needed to be well taken care of, so the doctor prescribed a prescription to nourish his body.
Zhulan felt sorry for her grandson, so she asked him to go and rest first and they could talk about it tomorrow. Mingrui took the child back to the second room, and Zhulan looked through her grandson's notes along the way.
The notes recorded what her grandson saw, heard and felt, and she could see from the words how much importance her grandson attached to education.
In the second room, Mingrui took out the gift he brought back and said, "Mom, you heard what the doctor said just now. Your son is not ill. Don't cry. Come and look at the gift your son brought back for you."
As he said that, Mingrui signaled his younger brother to persuade his mother.
Ming Feng pulled his mother's sleeve and said, "Mom, big brother is back, you should be happy."
Zhao couldn't control her tears. A mother worries when her child is thousands of miles away. She felt uncomfortable, "Okay, okay, don't cry."
Mingrui had no shortage of money. His mother had left him some property and money, and he also had a monthly allowance at home. Together with what he had saved in the past, he had enough money. He brought a lot of money with him when he went out and bought many gifts along the way.
Zhao likes embroidery. Touching the double-sided white jade fan, she said, "It must have cost a lot of money."
Mingrui smiled and said, "As long as mom likes it."
Zhao really liked it. People say that girls are caring and thoughtful. Her son is no less considerate than her daughter and the gifts he bought for her are all her favorites.
Ming Feng also liked his gift, "Thank you, brother."
Not to mention Lin Qing, she felt sweet in her heart. Her husband would remember her preferences only if he had her in his heart.
Mingrui was very tired. Zhao did not hold her son tightly and signaled him to go back and rest. Mingrui carried his daughter back to his yard.
The hot water in the yard is ready, so Mingrui goes to take a bath first.
Lin Qing waited outside, waiting for her husband to come out and wiped his hair herself, "Have a good sleep later."
Mingrui said, "I'm sorry you've worked so hard while I'm not at home."
Lin Qing shook her head. "It's not hard for me, it's hard for my mother."
Marrying into the Zhou Hou Mansion was like marrying into a blessed home. Her grandmother was sincere to her mother-in-law, and her mother-in-law treated her like her own daughter. When her husband was not at home, her mother-in-law was even more attentive to her. Every time she saw her aunt, her aunt would ask Minghui from her eldest aunt's family, who would not want to marry into the Zhou Hou Mansion if they had a daughter.
At night, Zhou Shuren came back and found out Mingrui was still sleeping, so he signaled Changyi not to wake Mingrui up.
Chang Yi also felt sorry for his son. After seeing his son, he asked him to have a good rest and said to his wife, "Give those banknotes to Ming Rui. The child doesn't have much money left."
Zhao estimated the money spent on the gifts and said, "Mingrui will not spend all the money on the gifts."
"I heard from my mother that Mingrui spent a lot of money on orphanages in various states along the way."
Zhao was thinking whether he was on a business trip or doing charity work, but when she thought of the orphans in the states, she sighed and said, "I'll give it to Mingrui tomorrow."
Changyi was in a good mood, "If I had known Mingrui was so lucky, I would have let him take part in the imperial examination."
"If he really takes the imperial examination, I guess there will be no son left."
Chang Yi thought about it and said, "Haha, you are right."
There are several branches in the Zhou family, and several sons of the eldest brother. Mingyun is the eldest grandson and occupies important resources of the marquisate. Now he can stand on his own. Mingteng is a marquis with a title. Minghui and Mingjing have two older brothers and they don't have to worry about them.
The third brother’s son is young, and the fourth brother’s son is also not in a hurry like the fourth brother. Only his son needs resources.
Now it's okay, he doesn't have to worry anymore.
The next day, Zhou Shuren met Rong Enqing at the morning court. It was obvious that Rong Enqing was able to attend the court at the emperor's instruction.
The ministers in the court all looked at Rong Enqing more or less. He had been away on business for nearly half a year, and as soon as he returned he attended the court. They all guessed the emperor's intentions.
The emperor did not discuss the matter in court, and left behind Rong Enqing and several other ministers including Zhou Shuren.
Arriving at the Zheng Palace, the emperor turned the beads and said, "I thought a lot last night."
Looking at the big picture from the small, the situation of orphans in each state reflects the management of the entire state, which makes him happy and angry.
The emperor continued, "This is the memorial written by Marquis Rong. My dear ministers, please take a good look at it."
When it was Zhou Shuren's turn, the memorial not only wrote about the situation of orphans in each state, but also the economy and living conditions of the people in each state.
No wonder the Emperor asked Rong Enqing to attend court. This is not just an orphan's issue.
The emperor put his hands behind his back and said, "Our country is vast and rich in resources. I cannot see the whole world from the capital. I think of the pirates again. It pains me that the officials are protecting each other."
The ministers in the hall were exceptionally quiet, and their breathing was much lighter. Everyone in the room had encountered people sending gifts, but only they knew whether they accepted them or not.
The emperor did not want to dig into the matter. If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. As long as the matter was not excessive, he would usually turn a blind eye.
Zhou Shuren glanced at Rong Enqing, who had his head down and was motionless.
The emperor tapped a few words and took out the basic roster, "Everyone take a look."
Zhou Shuren was familiar with it. This was the roster of orphans' internship, with records recorded every five days. Flipping through the roster, the orphans were a little flustered at the beginning of their internship, but their efficiency improved after they became familiar with it. Zhou Shuren saw the roster of girls and looked at it carefully. The girls worked meticulously and received good reviews.
After the emperor had read everything, he said, "In just a few days, I have seen the potential of the children, and I have also seen the importance of Zhuangzi's education."
Several ministers also saw it and understood what the emperor meant. Change was about to begin.