Chapter 68
The Yichun camp is full of soldiers. In the military camp, loyalty to the emperor and patriotism is emphasized. Loyalty means being faithful to one person until death.
Shi Mei brought Wei Qiuyu back quietly, trying not to make any noise. She also arranged for her to live on the edge of the military camp for fear of affecting the morale of the troops.
Now that you're like this, everyone close to you probably knows about this personage in their camp. After all, many of them had previously rotated through the military camps and were familiar with the Yichun camp. The soldiers weren't impressed with Wei Qiuyu; in their eyes, she was a woman of corrupt character. So, when news of the Han family's misfortune spread, someone deliberately spread the news to Wei Qiuyu.
"Your ex-husband died, and along with him, two of your brothers died. The only ones left in the family are the elderly, the weak, women, and children. How pitiful."
When Wei Qiuyu heard that Han Jinan and her two other uncles had gotten into trouble, she was stunned and couldn't believe it for a moment. She couldn't believe that Han Jinan was gone after she had been away for such a short time.
In fact, later on, Han Jinan's treatment of her was not as good as before, not to mention the Han family, otherwise she would not have left them. When other members of the Han family got into trouble, she just felt relieved, but when Han Jinan got into trouble, she felt lost and hesitant at the thought of never seeing him again. After all, when she came here, Han Jinan was her first man, her husband, and also someone who treated her very well.
Although she had previously abandoned him and chosen to follow Shi Mei to the Yichun camp, he was still safe and sound at the time, and she always felt that as long as he was around, she still had a way out. But now that she had lost him, she felt like she had lost something to rely on. Instantly, a sense of crisis overtook her.
When Shi Mei received news from his subordinates that Wei Qiuyu asked him to come over and said that she had something important to report to him, he raised his eyebrows. It was really rare for her to be so eager to work.
*******
In the capital, the Regent's Palace was brightly lit.
The third prince knocked on the table and asked, "What about the things I ordered before? Have the results been fed back? Are all the people in the Han family dead?" Anyone who dares to touch the prince will be killed!
The subordinate in charge of the external communication network replied, "Of the four adult males of the Han family, three have died, and they were the most promising ones. The rest of the women and children are still alive."
"How come there is still one fish that slipped through the net? And the women and children of the Han family, none of them are harmed?" The third prince said dissatisfiedly.
"This—" There was no other way. In the Yichun military settlement, the dominant force was Xing Changfeng, and the little power they managed was not dominant at all. The Han family, both men and women, did not all work together. To wipe out a large number of the Han family at once, they would have to attack several construction sites in the military settlement simultaneously, which they couldn't do.
Yan Zaichun knew that this was the Third Prince's obsessive-compulsive disorder acting up again. "Regent, forget it. I think we should end this matter here. After all, the most promising males have already been killed. The remaining male of the Han family has just turned fifteen, and is still a teenager. He was also mediocre when he was in the capital, with no talent. It doesn't matter if he is spared. And the women and children of the Han family, they are doing labor in places like military settlements, and it's uncertain how long they can survive. There is no need to make a big fuss over them. If we do, it would be too deliberate. It's not easy for us to cultivate a chess piece in the Yichun military settlement, and it's not worth exposing it for the women and children of the Han family."
That's right, the Third Prince had already "asked" his father to confer the title of Regent on him last month.
The third prince's strong desire for control prevailed, and he was persuaded, "Wait, only three men died, what about Wei?" He may not care about the other women and children of the Han family, but this Wei must die.
Hearing this, Yan Zaichun was stunned. After thinking for a while, he remembered who this person was. Then he shook his head. He didn't know whether it was a blessing or a misfortune to be remembered by the third prince.
"Our people acted too late. Before they did, she escaped from the military settlement with the help of Marshal Zhu's confidants and now is in the Yichun camp."
Yan Zaichun was slightly surprised. "Are you so lucky?"
The Third Prince sneered, "Isn't it just luck?"
Yan Zaichun frowned and said, "Regent, this is a coincidence." He dared to say that their people did not leak the secret.
The third prince also believed that the three adult males who died in the Han family were the results of the battle. Since there were results of the battle, the possibility of leaks was eliminated.
But they didn't know that the Third Prince's family had been unable to tolerate the fact that someone from the Cheng'en Mansion had secretly contacted Han Jinan, and their plan to take action against the Han family had been guessed by someone with ulterior motives.
Things had developed to this point, and Wei Qiuyu's luck in avoiding danger and seeking good fortune had caused the Third Prince to have very bad associations.
"Very good." The Third Prince's face was grim. This woman, Wei, could endure hardships and never abandon the Han family because she believed in the Han family, and now she is abandoning Han for Zhu because she believes in Marshal Zhu! She has never thought of joining him. Does she look down on him? Humph, since he can't use her, then die!
"Regent, calm down." Yan Zaichun knew the Third Prince well. He was extremely suspicious and adept at drawing inferences from one instance. This would undoubtedly lead him to some unfavorable conclusions based on Wei Qiuyu's abandonment of Han and her decision to join Zhu. The most likely guess was that Wei Qiuyu had never considered joining him, perhaps because she had calculated that he would not ultimately inherit the throne.
If Yao Chunnuan were here, she would definitely criticize him inwardly. Is this a case of drawing inferences from one instance? This is just her imagination!
The third prince said hatefully, “I can’t calm down! Earlier you were saving manpower and told me not to sacrifice them to deal with the remaining members of the Han family. I listened to you. They can’t amount to anything anyway. But this Wei, I have tolerated her for a long time, and I don’t want to tolerate her anymore!” All along, she was like a thorn in his body. It didn’t hurt much, but it was just annoying.
Yan Zaichun thought for a moment and said, "Regent, you can kill a Wei family member if you want. She is not worth your anger. A violent death is her final fate."
Yan Zaichun's persuasion made the third prince's expression ease.
"But Wei is still useful. Why not squeeze out all her usefulness before letting her die?"
"What use is there?" Thinking that this was just another delaying tactic, the Third Prince's face turned ugly again. If he couldn't give a clear answer, he would immediately order someone to kill Wei!
"Lord Regent, we are currently guarding the capital, and we only have a vague understanding of the forces outside. If Wei is truly capable of foresight, then she is like a firefly, a guiding light. We will see who she turns to. If she is one of ours, we will promote her. If she is not, we will win her over. If we cannot win her over, we will destroy her."
The Third Prince stroked his chin. "That sounds interesting." She was quite valuable. Killing her would only vent his anger. If he used her well, perhaps she would have unexpected results.
"Okay, I'll do as you say!"
*********
Yao Chunnuan's family had arrived, and since she had moved into a new house, she decided to hold a housewarming party at the urging of her shogunate. It would be a small affair, with only a few tables.
She had made the decision to hold this small banquet after careful consideration. She planned to arrange work for her father and uncle before she gave birth and began her confinement.
After discussing with the family, they decided to obey the arrangements of the military settlement, work regularly with everyone on the public fields to earn work points, and then rent 20 to 30 acres of land from the military settlement.
Ah Nuan said that work points were very important. She kept it a secret, not explaining in detail how. But since she said work points were important, they should earn them. Besides, they still owed Ah Nuan the money for their house, so Ah Nuan said they could exchange the work points they earned for food and pay her back.
Isn't it just working in the fields? They did the same back home in Jinniu Village. After all, with dozens of acres of land and so many people at home, renting it all out to tenant farmers wasn't cost-effective. It was better to farm and manage it themselves. At most, they could hire a temporary worker during busy farming season, which wouldn't burden the family too much.
Tenanting land was also very necessary. After all, they worked on public land, and it was unknown how much grain they would eventually receive for the work points they earned. Tenanting 20 to 30 mu of land would at least guarantee their basic food supply. In fact, the rent collected by the military settlements was not much, because after paying the rent, the rest went into their pockets, and they did not have to pay grain taxes or anything like that. The rent they paid to the military settlements was only about 10% more than the taxes they paid. However, taxes were not fixed, and there were occasionally other levies and levies, but the rent remained the same.
This was how the public and private fields were arranged. Once everything was in place, if they had any spare capacity, they could either hire someone or work on their own to cultivate some of the wasteland. The land they reclaimed was tax-free for the first three years. The land in Yichun was quite fertile, so after three years, their land would be well-cultivated, and after paying the tax, they would have a good surplus of grain. Grandfather Yao warned them that this was something they had to do whenever they had time. This was how property was accumulated, little by little.
After arranging the fields, it was time to arrange the personnel.
Yao Chunnuan said to her grandfather, "Grandfather, why don't you go to the Exchange House and be the deputy manager?" The status of the Exchange House will become more and more important. She plans to let Xing Changfeng arrange the manager. There is nothing wrong with letting her own people take the position of deputy manager.
"Is it appropriate?" Grandfather Yao asked with concern.
"Why not?" People in ancient times reached adulthood and married early. Her grandfather was only fifty-five, still considered young and vigorous in the modern world of government agencies and enterprises. He was also literate, able to write and calculate, and had served as village chief in his youth. A deputy manager should be competent for the job.
"Okay, if you think it's suitable, let's go for it." Grandfather Yao was very straightforward.
Yao Chunnuan looked at her father.
Before she could say anything, her father stopped and said, "I can't do what you arranged. Just arrange for your uncle and the others." He was just a carpenter and a farmer. How could he manage people?
"Okay, then. Let's pick a good location and open a shop for you, Dad, specializing in furniture making and selling." Yao Chunnuan didn't force him. Her father was a skilled technician. If he could open a shop and have her eldest brother take on a few apprentices, business would probably be good. There were tens of thousands of people in the military settlements, and the furniture currently allocated to the new recruits' barracks and the military dependents' quarters was only the most basic. Once they moved in, they would definitely need new furniture.
Her eldest brother was not good at dealing with people, but her second brother could be trained in this area. She arranged for him to be mentored, and after a year or two, he would be able to handle things on his own.
Her uncle would initially be assigned to the management team as a small leader, responsible for overseeing the grassroots development of the military village, similar to his previous duties as village chief. Once he achieved success, he would be promoted. He would also have to watch over the arrangements made for his eldest cousin and others.
Yao Chunnuan arranged all the tasks one by one, and the family members who got the jobs were all very proud and happy.
Yao's aunt, Yao's cousin's wife and others were also very satisfied. They felt that it was worth it for them to migrate thousands of miles to seek refuge with a little girl named An Nuan. From the beginning to now, everything was appropriate and nothing was unsatisfactory.
They couldn't tell whether the work arranged by Yao Chunnuan was good or bad, but all they wanted was an attitude, and Yao Chunnuan valued their attitude.
"Will arranging so many people at once have any adverse effects on you?" asked Grandfather Yao.
"Don't worry. Even though I've arranged all of you at once, and the positions you're given aren't high, there won't be any problems." This was just like she was giving them an opportunity and a starting point. There was no need to nag about it.
Hearing this, Grandfather Yao felt relieved. "That's good." As for the lowly position his granddaughter mentioned, what did it matter? Back home, he couldn't even arrange for the lowest-ranking street patrol officer. Now that his granddaughter had given him the opportunity, whether he could be a dragon or a worm depended on his own ability. And because his granddaughter held a high position, if they achieved something, they wouldn't have to worry about others taking credit for their work, nor would they have to worry about not being promoted. With such good conditions, they weren't satisfied. Were they really looking for something bigger?
"Everyone, remember to work hard and don't hold your sister back! Otherwise I will beat him!" Grandfather Yao warned finally.
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