Chapter 82

Since you are going to attend a palace banquet, you must have all the necessary attire.

In order to make her work more convenient, Zhang Yunniang usually wore short skirts with narrow sleeves, and her clothing styles were mainly simple and comfortable.

The palace banquet is tomorrow afternoon, and time is tight. She hasn't prepared anything yet, so she has to go back and pack up quickly.

During the days she spent at the farm, it seemed that she only knew how to eat, drink, and play every day, but she vaguely discovered that the management here was engaged in corruption.

On the surface, Zhuangzi is indeed well managed.

The farmers below were also very satisfied with the treatment they received on the farm.

But the accounts obviously don't add up.

If you ask her about other things, she may not really know.

Coincidentally, she actually participated in part in formulating the employment benefits.

She used to be a wage earner, and of course she is still a wage earner now. She can empathize with the welfare benefits of wage earners and hopes to get more benefits for wage earners as much as possible.

In terms of food, the regulations were to have meat once every three days, three meals a day, two meals of white rice, and the other meal of noodles, buns, steamed buns, or whole grains.

There are two days of rest every day, and the shifts are staggered.

In addition, employees will be given triple monthly wages during rotating holidays, and there are various holiday welfare systems.

At the beginning, Jun Qingmo listened to some of her suggestions, made some adjustments, and developed a complete employment system.

When he first took up the position of the Ministry of Personnel, these experiences also served as an important reference for the subsequent reform of the personnel system.

The current personnel system has formed a complete welfare and promotion system, and is functioning well.

This is also an important factor in Jun Qingmo's rapid rise.

Of course, there is another more important factor, the emperor's full support for his reforms.

Zhang Yunniang was still blabbering about what she felt was wrong. "When I first came to the village, everyone gave it very good reviews, and I thought it was good, too. Everyone was simple and content, and life seemed pretty good.

However, during casual conversation, I noticed some discrepancies. Later, with a little more inquiry, I felt something was amiss. If I didn't know the original facts, I wouldn't be able to find any fault with the farmers' comments alone. They're smart, but they're just not smart in the right place. You should have someone investigate thoroughly. This is the case here, but who knows if it's the case elsewhere."

Reducing the number of rest days will definitely increase the burden on existing farmers. Increased burden will definitely reduce the number of people. Not to mention the monthly wages for the over-reported number of people, and the money deducted from the food, it is also a considerable amount.

"When I first went there, the steward kept staring at me, afraid I'd see something. Tsk, I'm not stupid. Would I show it if I saw something?"

"Yes, Yunniang is the smartest."

"The girls on the farm really want to go to Shuyu Street, but their vacations have been cut, so they don't have time to go. Some servants who live far away from their families can't make it home for a day's vacation, and can't go home for a year. Their wages are deducted if they take leave, and they work so hard, how can they bear it? We are all workers, how can they be so cruel? The second young master is a kind person, so he treats his subordinates well. How can you compare with other farms just because you give more and feel at ease to take almost half of the money? People are all made of flesh and blood, and they are so heartless."

Jun Qingmo looked at the woman who was talking excitedly, his eyes full of smiles.

Yunniang, how can I let you go?

He seems to care about nothing, but he always unconsciously thinks about others.

She might not even realize it herself.

He clearly just wanted her to go to the countryside to relax and didn't really want her to do anything.

She saw the difficulties faced by the farmers, so she sought justice for them. She saw his difficulties, so she helped him catch his corrupt subordinates.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Did I say something wrong?"

The man didn't say anything, just stared at her without moving, which was creepy.

Jun Qingmo turned his head away and pretended to open the curtain to look at the scenery on the roadside. Humph, you are so stupid. It’s a waste of praise.

He wanted to take back the words he had just praised her in his heart.

"Thirsty, Second Young Master, are you thirsty? Would you like some tea?"

Hey, how can you take back the compliments you've given to others? A man should never take back what he has said.

"Yes. I'll send someone to investigate later. Don't worry about it."

Zhang Yunniang returned to her residence, processed some local specialties she brought back from the farm, and then went back to her room to rummage through the drawers.

When I took out all her belongings and took a look, wow, she was really rich.

There were two large boxes full of jewels alone, and one box was given to her by the princess because she no longer wanted it.

There are countless pieces of cloth and other things.

Lanzhi had prepared some for her, Jun Qingmo had given some, Amina had also given her a lot, and there were also some gifts from others, clothes and jewelry, which filled up half of the room.

She usually doesn't care much about dressing up. After all, clothes are too complicated and inconvenient to do work. She is just a worker. If the jewelry falls somewhere while she is working, she will be heartbroken.

So, whatever she got, she just put it in the box and didn't pay much attention to it.

After all this rummaging through the drawers, has she become a rich woman?

Actually, she didn't feel much when she looked at these things. One important reason was that, apart from looking good, she didn't know the value of them and couldn't see what was good about them.

I'm not pretending, I really don't know what's good.

She is just like an outsider. She can tell if something is beautiful, but she can't tell if it is valuable or of good quality.

Especially those jades, which have to be differentiated by water quality and color, which is too complicated. Anyway, they all look beautiful to her.

If there are simple and versatile styles, she will pick some to wear for fun.

No matter how valuable the item is, if you give it to her and she wears it, it will look inconspicuous at first glance.

She was thinking about what kind of outfit would be suitable, and Jun Qingmo had already sent someone to deliver the outfit.

She had everything from clothes, shoes, socks, pearl necklaces and bracelets. I heard someone was even arranged to do her makeup.

She closed the box and all the items were put back in their proper places. That was great, she didn't have to mess around with them herself.

The next day, after Zhang Yunniang finished her meal, she waited in her room for Yao Yuzhu to come and put on her makeup. Yao Yuzhu, grateful for Jun Qingmo's care and support, left several business appointments behind and rushed over.

"Miss Zhang, can we start now?"

"Will you help me put on makeup?"

"My Lord has ordered that I do all of the girl's makeup and hair myself."

"Thank you so much for your help."

"You are very kind, young lady. The master gave me a lot of silver."

Yao Yuzhu now runs a small makeup and hairstyling shop on Shuyu Street. Due to her exquisite craftsmanship, her business is very prosperous.

There were so many guests that she brought a group of apprentices with her.

After all, her personal time is limited, so she now directly receives VIP clients. However, most VIP clients need to go to her mansion for service, so now if she wants to do styling, she needs to make an appointment in advance, and it is often not possible.

Zhang Yunniang is in good health and pays great attention to maintenance and exercise. Her hair is black, shiny, soft and flowing.

Normally, she would braid them all up, but now she let them down and draped them behind her like a black waterfall.

She doesn't like to show off, so the clothes she sent were elegant yet noble, appropriate yet not too flashy.

What she didn't know was that although they seemed inconspicuous, they were all made by famous craftsmen.

Makeup and hair styling require overall coordination, and Yao Yuzhu is best at matching makeup and hair with clothing.

Zhang Yunniang looked at the portrait in the bronze mirror and realized that people needed to be groomed.

After this makeover, she no longer looked like a wild girl from the country.

The bun was already very heavy, so the headdress was very simple, adorned only with two simple magnolia hairpins.

Every piece of clothing, every ornament, every hairstyle is in line with her aesthetic taste.

Yao Yuzhu took a bamboo-carved butterfly hairpin from the dressing table and put it into the magnolia hairpin.

"Hey, can I wear this too?"

"The master said that the girl liked it, so he specifically asked for it to be added."

The butterfly hairpin was specially made for Mo Yatou because she knew she was going to attend a palace banquet. She liked it very much and had been wearing it on her head for the past few days.

Mo Yatou has a talent for handicrafts, but she currently only knows how to make some simple products, and is particularly good at making wooden and bamboo products. She is thinking about finding a master to learn this craft.

In the future, I will open a jewelry customization shop or a small gadget shop, so I can always make a living whether she is around or not.

"Miss Zhang, do you need to adjust your makeup?"

The makeup is clear and not heavy, just slightly modified. It doesn't look like she has changed her face just by putting on makeup. She is still herself.

Some makeup looks good, but it’s like a head transplant. It’s beautiful, but it’s all the same.

Zhang Yunniang looked at herself in the mirror and was very satisfied with her makeup.

"That's it. You're really good at it. I just can't make it."

"If you want to learn, I can teach you."

"Makeup requires inspiration and aesthetics. If I learn it, I will probably just end up with mass production and wholesale." Zhang Yunniang said this and made herself laugh.

Against the backdrop of the slim long skirt, Zhang Yunniang felt that her body had become taller.

The size and style are just like a custom-made one, and it fits perfectly.

"Miss, you are too modest. Everyone has different preferences. I can't learn gardening, as you can. Whether it's easy to raise a plant or not, it's hard to raise it in my hands."

The two chatted while doing the final makeup.

Lanzhi came in from outside and her eyes lit up when she saw the dressed-up people.

Jun Qingmo went to court. After a while, Zhang Yunniang entered the palace accompanied by Lanzhi. She had followed Xu Shuying before and knew the court etiquette.

Zhang Yunniang urgently learned some basic etiquette rules.

"After being dressed up like this, she looks like a daughter of an official family."

"You are the only one who makes fun of me. When we stand together, I feel like the one holding your shoes." Zhang Yunniang tilted her head to look at her, and she felt more confident in her heart instantly.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he was hit on the forehead.

"Luckily you're here. I didn't understand anything and was so panicked I wanted to run away. Those who go there are all important people, so it's no big deal to be embarrassed. But if you accidentally bump into someone, your head might be on your neck."

"The young master has already made an agreement with the General Auxiliary State. Madam Wu will wait for you to enter the palace together. We will follow her. There is no need to panic."

Zhang Yunniang walked back and forth in the room. She was fine at first, but when she was about to go out, she suddenly became panicked.

"That's the imperial palace, a cruel palace full of powerful people. They would drag people out and chop them up, beat them to death with sticks, give them white silk, and give them poisoned wine. Oh my god, how horrible!"

Lanzhi was very confused. "You are a man who wants to live and yet doesn't want to live. Are you brave or cowardly?"

She had actually had this doubt for a long time.