Chapter 75 Things That Should Be Done (Malnutrition Version Combined): The Manchus under Yulang Zuo's command lived in ordinary alleyways, but because they were located on both sides of the inner city streets...

The Manchu people under Yulang Zuo's command lived in ordinary alleys, but because they were in the inner city, the streets were very clean, which was very different from the hustle and bustle of the outer city that Shen Wanqing had visited.

Just by looking at the base of the wall and the gate, you can tell that most of the families living here are military households, and the roots of the Eight Banners are ultimately these cavalry and infantrymen.

The first house we were going to was also the Hesheli family's. The one whose leg was broken by the horse was the second son, named Shuangyi. The one who had kept a mistress and was caught breaking curfew was the third son, named Daosan.

The name was both perfunctory and serious, and Shen Wanqing knew without asking that there must be an older brother in their family named Yiren or Daren.

Using morality and ethics to name their children is indeed a good idea. I just wonder if they've had a fourth child yet. Otherwise, the whole family would be considered lacking in virtue, which sounds quite unlucky.

"You know, this saying has been circulating in this alley for so many years, it makes me so angry that I want to stand at the door and curse whenever I think about it."

"Then your fourth son's arrival was not easy, and your sister-in-law has finally gotten what she wanted."

According to seniority, the male head of the family, Wu Chun, is of the same generation as Yu Lang. Even though he is nearly sixty years old, the woman in front of him has almost all white hair and could easily be Shen Wanqing's grandmother. Shen Wanqing can only call her Sister-in-law Zhou.

Before entering Zhou's house, it looked like an ordinary family living in the alley. But once inside, it became clear that the family was not well-off.

A large family lived in a small courtyard house. The backyard was just a narrow strip used as a kitchen and storage room, and it was filled with all sorts of things, so there was no sense of layout or arrangement.

When Shen Wanqing and Yulang arrived, the family was completely unprepared. They could only hurriedly welcome the two into the house, boil water, make tea, and prepare snacks and dried goods to entertain their guests.

After the Laba Festival, it's almost New Year's Day. The closer we get to New Year's Eve, the colder it gets. Even though there are foot warmers, hand warmers, and a small clay stove prepared by Ningxiang to make tea and hot water in the carriage, the cold wind blowing in from who knows where is still unbearable.

As soon as they entered, Shen Wanqing and Yu Lang both breathed a long sigh of relief, finding the room much warmer. When Zhou's wife led them to the makeshift kang (heated brick bed) with cushions, the cool air slowly dissipated. They exchanged a glance and realized the other had also noticed – the kang in this house was far from warm.

In such cold weather, no family with even a modicum of means would be careless about heating their kang (heated brick bed). After all, the nights are even colder in this kind of weather, and if the kang isn't heated properly, it's easy to get sick the next day. If you get sick, you'll have to call a doctor and get medicine, and the money spent on that will be much more than the money spent on firewood to heat the kang. No one is unaware of this calculation.

"If you ask me, I shouldn't have had the child. Let others laugh at us. I know that my family has always been honest and law-abiding and has never done anything immoral. Why ruin the child just to spite them?"

The women from the family who came to pay their respects and deliver New Year's gifts to Shen Wanqing that day said that this family was unlucky. Shen Wanqing originally thought it was just the second and third sons' problem, but she did not expect that there was also a fourth son in the family who was born with a leg ailment: Si Dezi.

It was called a leg ailment, but it was actually polio. Perhaps the Seventh Prince in the palace also had this problem. The Fourth Prince was the late-life son of Sister-in-law Zhou and her husband Wu Chun. Because both of his legs were injured, he had to use crutches to walk.

Fortunately, the twelve-year-old boy was light and agile, and he was able to move around the house nimbly with his crutches. He even brought over the tea boxes that were prepared for Yu Lang and Shen Wanqing.

“Sister-in-law, how can you say such things in front of Dezi? Dezi’s leg problems don’t stop him from working and eating. I can tell he’s a clever guy. In a few years when he’s a little older, we can find him a job that requires his brain, and that will be fine.”

"Hey, Grandma is right, I won't say that again."

She can say whatever she wants about her own son, but if an outsider dares to say even half a word, Sister-in-law Zhou will pounce on them and tear their mouths apart.

Shen Wanqing's words were so pleasant to hear that Sister Zhou felt incredibly comforted, confirming that what she had heard before about the Zuo Ling's wife being capable and competent was absolutely true.

“Grandma, my fourth son is very bright. He is now learning to do accounting and read. You said that in a few years, could we let him become an apprentice under the chief of our garrison? He can be placed in the accounting office or on the estate. He is not afraid of hardship.”

"I need to ask Fuchang about this. He's very busy at the end of the year and probably won't have time. Let's wait until after this period."

Sister-in-law, don't worry. Most smart people have their own ideas. In a few years, ask Dezi what he wants to do. If he still doesn't know what he wants to do, just come and find me.

Shen Wanqing said that writing it down was not just talk. Qiuwen, who was standing next to her, held a charcoal stick with a wooden cover and roughly wrote it down in a small booklet. She would reorganize it when she got back.

The people under Yulang's command are the two men's most natural allies and subordinates. If you want to use them well, you have to take them seriously. Simply sending them rice, flour, meat and vegetables is not enough. No matter how poor the Manchus are, it is only relative to the Manchus. If you want them to be loyal, you have to meet their psychological needs.

Aunt Zhou nodded upon hearing this, and wanted to say something more, but seeing Qiuwen diligently taking notes, she kept quiet. Since the Zuo Ling's wife had given this guarantee, it would be annoying to ramble on any longer.

Si Dezi, upon hearing this, lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought. Then, hearing a knocking noise coming from the side room, he quietly went out, leaning on his cane.

Wu Chun is fifty-five years old this year, and he wasn't selected to join the army. Fortunately, he has a skill and works as a blacksmith under the banner, where he is responsible for maintaining weapons and armor, and he receives a monthly salary of two taels of silver.

The eldest son, Yi Ren, will be forty in two years. He has long since separated from the family and started living independently. Now he works as a foot soldier under the command and earns two taels of silver a month.

With just two taels of silver and the few acres of land his family allocated to him, it was barely enough to support his family. The only good thing was that his family moved out, freeing up two rooms in the house.

He was an honest man who would come back two or three times a month. Each time he came back, he would bring a piece of meat, which was also a way of helping his father, mother, and youngest brother.

The second son, in his early thirties, was a vassal under Yu Lang, a lieutenant of the Zuo Ling (a military officer). He usually followed Akdun around and was skilled in both martial arts and intelligence.

He received four taels of silver per month. Because he was a cavalry officer, he always received a larger share of whatever the captain distributed. He was considered the most promising member of the family.

He had originally separated from his family and lived independently, but a few years ago his wife died of illness, leaving him a widower with two children. Because he was usually away from home due to work commitments, the two children were left unattended and their lives were a mess, so he simply moved back in with the children.

Each month, the third son's wife could bring back one or two taels of silver to the family after moving back in. She had initially thought that it would be too crowded for the second son and his children to move back in, but after receiving the silver, she immediately beamed with joy. She was the one who usually took care of the two children in the second son's family.

After all, the third son was unreliable and always stayed at home, refusing to separate from the family. Whenever the topic came up, he would say that the fourth son was still young and the two elders were getting old, and if he separated from the family and left, how would the family survive?

This makes sense at first glance, but actually the third child is the biggest spender in the family. Before the fourth child was born, he was the youngest in the family. His two older brothers were one steady and the other capable, so he was spoiled and indulged.

He had been slacking off for years, never getting selected for any vacancy, so he could only help his family look after their land. He spent his time wandering around, working as a hanger-on, mostly visiting the homes of Fuchang and Akdun. Dao San felt that helping his own cavalry captain and the sergeant, and receiving money in return, was a favor, and that way he wouldn't lose face or dignity.

Regardless of what he thought, he still earned quite a bit of money every month just by wandering around, sometimes more than his second brother's monthly salary of four taels. The only unfortunate thing was that he and his wife didn't have any children, even after being married for several years.

Originally, it was thought that the daughter-in-law couldn't have children. When the second son moved back in with his two children, Sister-in-law Zhou even said to her third daughter-in-law with a straight face, "Don't think this is a bad thing. What if you can't have children? When you get old, these two nephews will have to take care of you and see you off in your old age."

It wasn't until the affair was exposed that it became known that Dao San had been keeping a mistress for over three years without conceiving. His wife couldn't have children, and neither could the mistress; it goes without saying that he was simply infertile.

Sister-in-law Zhou never said these things normally, and no matter how worried she was, she never showed it on her face when she went out.

To outsiders, their family seemed to be doing quite well. With a blacksmith, a soldier, and a horseman, they earned a total of eight taels of silver each month. In addition, they received land from their banner under the command of the captain and a share of silver and goods at the end of each year. They should have been living a comfortable life.

Today, Shen Wanqing came to visit and inquired about her well-being. Since Si Dezi wasn't home, she couldn't hold back any longer.

"I only dare to say this to my great-grandmother. Others see that we are living a good life, and when I walk outside, I feel that I have lived a good life. I have given birth to four sons, and other families are envious of me."

"But who knew..." Before Zhou's sister-in-law could finish her sentence, she choked up and tears streamed down her face, leaving Yu Lang, who had been silent all along, at a loss for what to do.

He came to see how well Algishan had handled the aftermath of breaking someone's leg. If he did a good job, all would be well; if not, he would have to spend more money to at least help the family get through this ordeal.

After all, this is just a minor matter at the moment, but whether it can be used to make a big deal out of it later is uncertain. Bullying others, killing one's own kind, and treating human life as worthless—this kind of thing can be considered a big deal or a small deal at any time.

At the height of his power, Suo'etu was a favorite minister of the emperor. This was a trivial matter, but if the emperor were to fall on hard times, this matter might become the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Some things are better left unthought; if you don't think about them, you won't even think about them. But once the thought arises, it's like weeds taking root in your heart. They're all from the Hesheli family, so why is it that only Suo'etu can command the wind and rain, and why can't I take his place?

But for Yu Lang, his "look" was just that—a look. He would put down the rice, flour, meat, and vegetables, and ask if the family needed anything else. In any case, he would leave some money behind, as long as the money was given properly. This situation was definitely not what it should be like.

This eldest mistress of ours, who could outmaneuver the second wife, visit the central government office, and even had no worries about cleaning up the old house for the Shi family, was now sitting in this cramped, not-so-warm room, chatting amiably with Sister-in-law Zhou.

Anyone who didn't know better would probably think she was the young woman living next door to Sister Zhou, and no one knows where she got the patience to listen to Sister Zhou recount her family's affairs over and over again.

Perhaps because Shen Wanqing's conversation was too natural, Yu Lang, who had initially found it somewhat boring, was no longer in a hurry to leave. Not only was he not in a hurry to leave, he also got up and went to Shuangyi's room. He had heard Akdun mention Shuangyi and knew of such a person, but he didn't really know him.

His leg, broken by a horse, is hard to heal. It's been almost three months and he still can't get out of bed. The cavalryman's salary is still being paid by Azo, but nobody knows how long it will last. It's also uncertain whether he'll be able to continue serving as a cavalryman after his leg heals.

Half of the silver sent by Suo'etu was spent on treating his leg, and Shuangyi refused to move the other half no matter what. He had two sons, and if he really became paralyzed in bed, he wanted to leave all that silver to his children.

Shuangyi's room was dimly lit, and although the kang (a heated brick bed) was fairly warm, the whole room had an unpleasant smell. Come to think of it, since he couldn't get up, he had to defecate and urinate on the kang; how could the room smell good?

Looking at the sallow-faced, emaciated man leaning against the bed, and Si Dezi sitting beside his brother with his head down, Suo'etu and Aljishan, who had initially thought that what they had done was extremely unethical, now felt a genuine sense of disgust rising from the bottom of their hearts.

For Algishan, this was just an accident; he gave some money and that was it, perhaps even thinking Shuangyi deserved it. But for Shuangyi, whether he had a future was uncertain.

"I'll find you another doctor this afternoon. Don't worry about the money. Just leave what the Grand Secretary gave you to your son. I'll cover the doctor's and medicine costs..."

Yu Lang paused for a moment, feeling that since Shen Wanqing was in charge of this matter, he shouldn't step forward to be the good guy. "The cost of the medicine and the doctor will be paid by Madam, you don't need to worry about it."

"My lord..." Shuangyi felt a great weight lifted from his heart upon hearing this, and his voice even rose a few decibels. "My lord, rest assured, as long as my leg can be healed, from now on, even if you ask me to go through fire and water, I will have no objection."

"You don't need to go through fire and water. You just want me to have a good life. Why would I want to go through fire and water when I'm living a life of comfort and ease? Do you have nothing better to do?"

Unable to bear Shuangyi's desperate clinging to him, Yulang mumbled a few random words and came out of the side room. Shen Wanqing saw that Yulang's expression was off and knew that the impact on him today was almost over. Any more and the boy might not be able to hold on, so she quickly finished her sentence and left Zhou's house.

“I am their captain.”

"That's right, the old man is their captain, and I am their captain's wife."

“This is the kind of life my men live. I can’t do anything about being bullied by Algishan.”

"Their lives are worse than ours, but compared to other bannermen or ordinary people outside, Lord Yu, you don't need to belittle yourself. As a bannerman, you haven't made things difficult for them, so their lives are already quite good."

Yu Lang was not greedy. He would rather receive more silver from the Zuo Ling each year than less, as long as it was acceptable.

He knew that there were Manchus who were living in poverty, but he had never seen them or had the opportunity to meet them. Even when impoverished Manchus came to him, they would try to cover up their misfortunes and make themselves look decent. It wouldn't hurt to let him see for himself now.

"How did Grandma know all of this?"

"I didn't know. I only found out today. Feel the sweat in my palms; it makes me feel terrible."

Shen Wanqing had never met him, but she was a child who grew up under the red flag. She still remembered how she cried so hard when she watched the TV series "To Live" when she was a child that she almost passed out. Even though she hadn't experienced it herself, she had learned a little about what "human suffering" really meant from books.

"Shall we get up earlier tomorrow? Otherwise, we won't be able to visit all eighteen households."

"Alright, I'll do whatever you say, sir."

Shen Wanqing, of course, wouldn't stop her pampered young master from observing the lives of ordinary people. It was a good thing, even though Shen Wanqing had no idea how it would benefit him in the future, she still felt it had to be done.

"Your Majesty, news has come back from Lord Yu's side."

"Tell me, let's hear what our all-powerful Minister Suo is planning to do."

Yulang went to the residence of Suo'etu. From the moment he stepped into Suo'etu's house, news of this was relayed back to the palace. Kangxi knew first, and the Crown Prince knew later. Kangxi personally sent someone to deliver the news to the Crown Prince.

This happened yesterday. His Majesty's intention is to wait a couple more days and see what happens after the two sides meet. Human hearts are unpredictable. Yu Lang, a mere guard, wouldn't normally be a problem, but since His Majesty has decided to have him replace Suo'etu, his every move becomes very important.

Liang Jiugong bent down even lower, and soon a guard with an ordinary face entered, repeating Yu Lang and Suo'etu's conversation verbatim. The only difference was that he spoke in a flat, almost monotone tone, almost without emotion, which sounded strange to listen to.

That's how spies should be. They don't need to have any subjective feelings about the information they gather. Their emotions might affect their master's judgment of the intelligence, which is a big no-no.

If Shen Wanqing were to listen to this emotionless narration, she would definitely find it too boring and bland, rambling on and on without knowing what she was saying, making people want to fall asleep. But Kangxi listened and laughed.

He first gave a soft, shallow laugh, which would have been unrecognizable if Liang Jiugong hadn't served him for so many years. Then he laughed out loud, clearly in a very good mood.

The spy didn't care about that. He waited a whole day before entering the palace to follow Yu Lang and Shen Wanqing's movements over the past two days. He didn't have any further contact with Suo'etu. He also led people to distribute meat, vegetables, rice, and noodles to eighteen households. He listened to all the other people's grievances and was exhausted.

"What did they send?" Kangxi was fine with Suo'etu's behavior and Yulang's reaction, but when he heard about Shen Wanqing and Yulang going to comfort the orphans under the Zuo Ling, he sat up straight.

"Fifty catties of flour, ten catties of rice, two smoked chickens and two smoked ducks, a spare rib and a pig leg, plus twenty catties of pork fat and five catties of cotton and two bolts of cloth."

"Shen also noted down the difficulties mentioned by each household. She did not promise anyone that she would definitely do anything, but she left a message saying that she would come next spring to think of a way to help the Zuo Ling increase his income."

It was very simple and unpretentious, enough for even poor families to have enough to eat and drink for the New Year. After listening, Kangxi remained silent for a long time, then waved his hand to send the spy back. This person was specifically placed next to Suo'etu and couldn't be out for too long.

“Liang Jiugong, this woman, Shen, is quite capable of getting things done. Where did she learn that?”

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten that her father is Shen Hongshi? Lord Shen is so thorough in his work; this is probably due to his family's scholarly tradition, something he was born with."

"Yulang is really lucky to have found such a wife."

Understanding the hardships of the common people is easier said than done. Now that the Crown Prince is grown up, in addition to learning how to be an emperor and how to command officials, he must also learn how to keep the common people in mind.

Emperor Kangxi had been troubled by this matter, but now it seemed that everything was preordained. He had chosen Yulang himself to be a guard at Yuqing Palace, and Yulang might really be able to achieve great things.

————————!!————————

I've been too busy lately, so updating twice a week is a bit difficult. I'll try my best to update twice a week once I'm less busy. [Please][Dog head with rose][Crying emoji]