Chapter 95: Going Crazy is Not My Kind
After the snow, Songjiang City becomes a small world semi-isolated from the interior. Without the hustle and bustle of the outside world, everyone stays at home and lives their own lives.
The children from the Gu, Tian, and Zhang families braved the wind and snow to come to Mr. Huang's house to study every day. They were occasionally scolded by Mr. Huang, but these naughty kids got used to it and didn't take it to heart. They just thought about lunch, afternoon snacks, and playing together after school.
Mr. Huang felt that these students were too undisciplined. When he saw Gu Youan picking up her children from the private school, he wanted to talk to her about it. Gu Youan spoke before Mr. Huang could say anything, "We teach students in accordance with their aptitude and make learning fun. The youngest is three years old, and the oldest is seven or eight. This teaching method is perfect for their age."
Mr. Huang could not refute Princess Qi and could only go back in frustration.
Chen watched Mr. Huang hunched over as he returned with his child on his back, and said with a smile, "The most important thing about going to school is learning. How you learn is irrelevant to us. Shouldn't we just teach every child to be like an old scholar?"
Mr. Huang was getting angry just looking at Chen, but he couldn't say anything bad, so he pointed at the door and told him to get out.
Chen kept laughing and really ran to play with the children.
Outside, the snow was blowing in, but inside, it felt like spring. Mr. Wang looked up from his desk and said with a smile, "The whirlwind of snow is rolling up the door curtains, bringing spring in with it. Mr. Huang, it may seem like the snow is oppressive, but in reality, spring is almost here."
Mr. Huang smiled faintly: "We just celebrated the Little New Year yesterday, so it's still early for the Beginning of Spring."
It’s not early anymore, time is passing by so quickly.
The spring of the sixteenth year of Ruixing came earlier than in previous years, and the thaw occurred in mid-April. In order to rush to build the official road from Songjiang City to Dongliao City, most of the people in Songjiang City finished planting their fields before mid-May. Then, young men and women from every village set out to build the official road.
There was originally a road from Shanhaiguan to Songjiang City. Widening and compacting this road would be much easier than building the official road at Dongshan Port a few years ago.
The official in charge calculated the progress and reported to his superiors, saying, "One official road will connect to Shanhaiguan, and another branch road will go to Dongliao City. If we work quickly, it will be completed before the autumn harvest this year."
Liu Zhong was in charge of delivering food. After hearing this, he felt that there was no problem in speeding up the progress, but a lot of food reserves in Songjiang City would be consumed. In order to prevent the granary from being empty, he had to buy some food and store it before the summer harvest in the interior.
Liu Zhong reported to the princess in his study, "The grain in the granary has been used up, and the autumn tax revenue will surely make up for it. However, Luoyang is ready to make a move, and I'm afraid if they start fighting before the autumn harvest, the Northeast Army, Yanzhou Army, and Liaodong Army will be cut off from their food and wages, which would be very difficult to deal with."
Gu Youan had already made arrangements for this. She said, "Dongliao City is already building a port. The food and fodder purchased from the south will be shipped ashore in Dongliao City to supply the people who are working on the official road."
Gu Youan smiled and said, "Your apprentice Liu Jing has already gone to Dongliao City to supervise the work. Please talk to him about the food."
"Yes, I will go to Dongliao City tomorrow?"
"Go ahead. If the Bai family doesn't behave themselves, you'll be the one to take care of it."
Liu Zhong said, "There's no need for me to do anything. Young Master Bai, leveraging the influence of our Prince Qi's Mansion, has already dealt with the Liaodong Army before the beginning of spring."
"So, he's waiting to take charge of the Liaodong Army?"
Liu Zhong lowered his head and smiled, "Just waiting for his grandfather to give up the throne."
Gu Youan called out to Zhou Qi at the table, "Why don't you give Bai Jie a deputy to help him?"
Zhou Qi said: "I have arranged for someone to go there."
Gu Youan was satisfied. She said to Liu Zhong, "Before you leave, go to the Gu family and ask Axuan if she has any letter to bring to Baijie."
Liu Zhong understood his master's intention. Being the son-in-law of the Gu family and the brother-in-law of Princess Qi was not an easy job, but after giving someone a slap in the face, he had to give him some sweet reward.
After Liu Zhong left, Gu Youan's body softened and he leaned back in his armchair and sighed.
Zhou Qi walked up to her, rubbed her shoulders, and said with a smile: "Why are you sighing?"
"I just think Zhou Xuan is a little too crazy right now. We can't predict when he'll do something big. We have to be on guard against him no matter what we do. It's annoying."
A secret letter has just been sent, saying that another prince and a concubine have died in the palace.
Gu Youan turned around and asked him, "Tell me, are the concubines in the palace and the officials in Luoyang City all feeling insecure right now?"
"No matter how bad Zhou Xuan is, he's still the emperor. When he wants to win over civil and military officials, they're naturally willing to be nice to him. But now he's unwilling to do so and has turned around to go on a killing spree. Who can stop him?"
Before, princes died one after another in the palace. It was originally thought that the concubines in the palace were eliminating dissidents for their sons. However, the secret letter sent back by the bald man said that Zhou Xuan was suffering from insanity and the prince might have killed him personally.
Zhou Qi and Gu Youan immediately thought that Zhou Xuan must have known that he could not make the concubines pregnant in recent years and was becoming more and more like a eunuch. This was a conspiracy conspired by the concubines with children in the palace.
"How stupid of you to realize it now?"
"You can't say he's stupid. The drug's effectiveness has only gradually become apparent in the past two years, so he decided to investigate."
Before the incident, Zhou Xuan probably always thought that all the concubines in the harem were praising him, begging him, and hoping that he would pass the throne of crown prince to their sons.
Even after the incident, when Zhou Xuan knew that he had been plotted against, he probably did not immediately suspect the concubines in the palace, but instead directed his spearhead at Prince Qi's Mansion and the royal family.
Gu Youan felt a little sorry for Zhou Xuan: "He thought that the person he was toying with was actually the one who wanted to kill him. He must be crazy."
All the adult princes have died, and the concubines who came from military families are probably still thinking that it was one of them who did it. Just wait and see, when most of them are dead, perhaps some smart people will realize that it was Zhou Xuan who took advantage of the situation and committed the murder.
Just as Zhou Xuan could not have guessed that the concubines who had always relied on him would attack him, those concubines could not have imagined that Zhou Xuan would kill his own flesh and blood.
Perhaps before the day of being wiped out, the clever concubine would send a letter to her parents' home, asking them to lead troops into the capital.
By then, the imperial court would be on the verge of collapse both inside and outside. Not to mention the external enemies in other directions, the Tartars in the north must not be allowed to seize the opportunity to plunder southward.
Zhou Qi said gently, "I'm afraid I'll have to visit the Northeast Army's headquarters frequently this year, and I'll also have to go to Shanhaiguan for inspections. I'm afraid I won't be able to stay in Songjiang City for long."
"Go ahead. If you don't go, can you expect your seven-year-old son to go?"
"You two treat me like a slave? You don't feel sorry for me at all and just ask me to go out and do some work?" Zhou Qi smiled and pinched her chin.
Gu Youan stood up and dodged, saying with a smile: "I don't agree with that. Even if I get the throne, does that mean I will be the emperor?"
"You might as well be the emperor, right?"
"Is that true?"
Zhou Qi sat down on her chair, crossed his legs, and said lazily, "If you don't mind the trouble, go ahead and fight. My son and I will definitely support you from behind."
Gu Youan sighed and said, "Power is good, but becoming a vassal of power is too tiring for a lifetime."
She wanted power, but she didn't want to toil for it her whole life.
"You don't want to become a vassal of the powerful, so you have the heart to ask me to go?"
"Zhou Qi, don't act like a spoiled brat with me. You were born a prince and grandson of an emperor. Do you have any other path to take besides this one?"
Zhou Qixue sighed, "Well, as a father, I'll just work hard for a few years. When my son grows up, I'll hand over the world to him, and we'll travel around the world like Chen Yizhi did."
"Oh, so confident? You know you can do it?"
He pulled her hand and she lost her balance. She cried out and fell into his arms. He held her affectionately and said with a smile, "I can't do it alone. I need the help of the princess."
Gu Youan lay on his chest and smiled: "No, no, Your Highness is too polite. I don't deserve it!"
The couple seemed to be chatting and laughing, but also seemed to be testing each other. In the face of a war, the couple once again confirmed each other's thoughts, and the united front was still very effective.
The official roads to Shanhaiguan and Dongliao City were still under construction. In early July, after Zhou Qi received a secret letter from Luoyang, he set off for the Northeast Army.
Whether Prince Qi is present or not makes no difference to the officials and people under the jurisdiction of Prince Qi's Mansion, and Princess Qi can handle all affairs.
The cloth workshop in the eastern suburbs had been expanded, and Gu Youan wanted to go to the eastern suburbs to check out the situation. She was not free in the morning, so she went there in the afternoon. She happened to meet a group of children who were just getting out of school. A Yuan came running over and asked to be held by his mother, so he wanted to go too.
Gu Youan picked up his son, but he couldn't hold him any longer, so he put him down immediately: "Alas, mother is dying, wait for your father to come back and hold you."
Yuan didn't make a fuss. He held his mother's hand and asked, "Are you going to look at the wool blanket?"
"Well, they spin wool and make cloth. I heard they've used some new trick to make the wool less prickly, making it especially useful for making outerwear in winter."
Ayang came over jogging: "Aunt, I want to go see it too."
Ah Xing, Zhang Yongjia, and the three children from the Tian family all ran over and looked at her eagerly. Gu Youan smiled and said, "Since you want to go, let's go together."
Gu Youan glanced at the courtyard gate behind them and asked, "Are you not doing homework this afternoon?"
Although the private school ends in the afternoon, Mr. Huang will keep them to finish their homework before leaving. Can they leave early today?
Ayang pushed her waist and said, "I'm young and don't need to do homework. Auntie, let's go."
Ah Xing and the others hurried to follow: "That's right, let's go take a look and do our homework when we come back."
Gu Youan was surrounded by a group of children and boarded a carriage. As soon as the carriage left, Mr. Huang chased after it: "You ran away when I missed you? Come back here!"
Tianzhou, Ayang and others hurriedly urged the coachman, but the coachman hesitated for a moment, flicked the whip and left.
"This is outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous!"
Mr. Huang was cursing at the door in a rage, and a group of managers in the back room to the left of the gate were listening with their ears stretched out.
Zhou Chen lowered his voice and scolded, "Haven't you learned your lesson yet? Last time, you were caught watching the fun by Mr. Huang, and he made the old man recite some gentlemanly sayings in our yard for half a day, 'Confucius said, Confucius said,' haven't you been scolded enough?"
A young steward chuckled and said, "Mr. Huang is very knowledgeable, but we only know a few words. He can scold us as much as he wants, and we won't understand any of his sage words."
"You know what this is called? It's called playing the lute to a cow!"
The steward slapped his thigh and stood up: "Hey, that's right, no matter how he plays, we can't understand it, it will make him mad."
The young steward made a passionate speech, but no one agreed with him. He had a hunch that something was wrong. When he turned around, he saw Mr. Huang standing by the window staring at him. It was so scary that the young steward's legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground.
"Stupid, stupid! You know you're stupid but you still don't study hard. No wonder you can't make progress. Humph!"
The young steward was thick-skinned. After Mr. Huang left, he rubbed his head and said, "I'm not stupid, am I? If I were stupid, then Zhou Changshi wouldn't have transferred me to the steward's office."
Zhou Chen felt so angry at this kid that he almost went to heaven: "Are you saying that I promoted a fool like you and I made a mistake?"
"Hahaha, that's not what I meant. I deserve a beating, I deserve a beating. Lord Zhou, please don't be angry."
Zhou Chen snorted coldly, "Tian Jiaxuan only worked under me for less than two years, and he was promoted all the way to become the governor of Dongshan Port. Compared to him, aren't you stupid?"
Lord Oda, who can compare to him? Not only is he steady in his work, but he also has a close relationship with the master of the mansion. Who else should we promote if not him?
Zhou Chen shook his head. It seemed that this kid was just a little clever but lacked great wisdom.
At the private school, Mr. Huang was a man of great wisdom, but he was unwilling to adapt to small details. When Chen saw that Mr. Huang came back angry and fuming, he refused to appear in front of him and turned around and ran away.
Mr. Huang was so angry that his hands were shaking. He asked Mr. Wang, "What does that kid mean? Can't you stand me?"
Mr. Wang said, "He has different ideas from you. If he starts talking, you two will have another argument. He's taking the initiative to avoid you because he cares about you."
Mr. Huang took two sips of the hot tea, then put it down and said, "Do you also think I'm too strict?"
Mr. Wang asked, "Except for the youngest child, how are the others doing with their daily homework?"
“That’s what they should do.”
Mr. Wang said, "They come here to study. If they study well, what can you, as a teacher, blame?"
Mr. Huang had been a teacher for most of his life, but this was the first time he had encountered a student who was naughty and whose elders indulged him. After so many battles, the prince and princess either advised him to be more open-minded or tried to smooth things over. Mr. Huang sighed, "Could it be that all the principles I insist on are wrong?"
"It's not wrong. It's just what Chen always said, teach students in accordance with their aptitude. The children of the prince are only a few years old. They are different from the teenagers or twenty or thirty-year-old scholars we used to teach."
Mr. Wang said, "This is just one last time. If you're upset again next time, don't tell me. I won't bother you."
Mr. Wang is not a talkative person, but he has eyes that can see and ears that can hear. In the past few months, he has figured out the temperaments of the children and also knows what the prince and princess mean. He couldn't bear to see Mr. Huang being so mean to him at his age, so he spoke out to persuade him.
Mr. Wang packed up his paper and pen and was about to leave when Mr. Huang asked, "Where are you going?"
"I heard that the cloth workshop in the eastern suburbs has developed a new weaving machine. Since I have some free time today, I'll go take a look."
"Then I'll go take a look too." Mr. Huang said as he packed up, "You Mohists develop everything? From ships and weapons to farm tools and textile machines?"
"The Mohist disciples seek the principles that govern the operation of all things, without any distinction between high and low."
Chen hadn't come out of nowhere. He smiled and said, "Gentlemen, wait a moment. Let's go take a look together. If the woven cloth is good, I'll buy some and send it back home."
"Your family does business in Southeast Asia. The heat in the south is unbearable. Would it be easier to sell woolen cloth and blankets there?"
"Let's take a look first. If we can't sell it in Nanyang, we can send it to other places to sell it."
As their relationship became more familiar, Chen was willing to talk a little more. He said, "You two are both great scholars. You should know that when traveling west through Southeast Asia, there are many foreign countries along the way, some producing spices and some producing gems. Each has its own advantages. If woolen cloth is cheaper than cotton cloth, merchants doing overseas trade along the coast will know about it and will definitely come to Songjiang City to purchase it and sell it overseas."
"The weaving workshop in Songjiang City can't supply such a large quantity."
Gu Youan saw with his own eyes the cloth spun by Manager Niu and his men after they improved the textile machine, and his first thought was that there might not be enough woolen cloth to sell.
Shopkeeper Niu smiled and said, "The cloth we spin is softer, finer, and more delicate than the cloth from Ningxia. If we weave some patterns into it, we can send it to Luoyang and sell it to wealthy families at a high price."
Gu Youan agreed with Shopkeeper Niu's opinion. She said, "Just take care of it. As long as you have the ability to make it work, Prince Qi's Mansion can help you with the wool source and the goods trading."
Shopkeeper Niu hurriedly said, "Thank you, Princess."
Gu Youan smiled and said, "If you have good colleagues who are willing to come to Songjiang City to do this business, Songjiang City will also welcome you. If you have more people, you can organize yourself into a chamber of commerce in the future. You will definitely do better and better in the future."
Shopkeeper Niu had the same idea. Small business owners were having a hard time in the south these days, so it might be a good idea for him to come to Songjiang City and do business for a few years to avoid the limelight.
While Gu Youan was talking to Shopkeeper Niu, A Yuan and the other children looked around curiously. Tian Wei whispered to A Yuan, "The grassland is such a beautiful place, why are only the Tartars grazing there? Our people should also go to the grassland to raise cattle and sheep. The grasslands are all our people, so why should we be afraid of the Tartars?"
Yuan had heard his parents mention this before. He said, "Many people don't want to live a life of wandering, and we don't have many people, so the grasslands were occupied by the Tartars."
Alas, isn't it because there are not enough people? Songjiang City has been operating for so many years, but there are still few people. There are even uncultivated wastelands on both sides of the official road from Songjiang City to Dongshan Port.
A group of children still hadn't finished their homework. Seeing that it was almost time, Gu Youan took them home and met three gentlemen on the way.
Tian Zhou laughed heartily: "The master has come out to play too."
"Don't laugh so loudly. If Mr. Huang hears you, he will definitely scold you."
Tianzhou quickly covered his mouth.
How could Mr. Huang, who was standing across the street, not recognize the palace's carriage? Tianzhou's laughter was so arrogant that Mr. Huang turned his head away, pretending he didn't see or hear anything.
Gu Youan, the parent who was taking his child out to play, felt embarrassed in front of the teacher and pretended not to see anything, and told the driver to drive away quickly.
No matter how much fun you have, you still have to do your homework when you return to the palace.
After entering, Gu Youan said, "You guys go to the private school to do your homework first, and then come to the main courtyard for dinner after you finish."
"Oh, I see."
"Will you stay at the palace tonight?"
The children nodded. They had gone out today and it would be late by the time they finished their homework, so they would not go home.
Several families have become accustomed to their children occasionally staying in the palace, and the palace's servants can just go to each family to pass on a message.
It was already dark when the three teachers returned from the eastern suburbs. The children's homework was neatly arranged on the desk. Chen Zhizhi glanced over and asked with a smile, "Mr. Huang, do you want to check the homework first or have dinner first?"
Mr. Huang ignored him and asked someone to come and light the candle. He then sat down to mark his students' homework.
Chen Zhizhi smiled as he left the house, saying to the maid in the courtyard, "Wait half an hour before bringing dinner over."
"yes."
Gu Youan had a lot of things to deal with every day, and she only took the children out for a walk a few times a month. In the last few days, she became busy and had dinner at the yamen for several days, leaving A Yuan alone to eat at home.
July 15th is Ghost Festival, so it's not a good day to go out. Gu Youan returned home in the afternoon to accompany his son. Just as the mother and son sat down to eat, Ah Yue came and reported, "Princess, a distant guest has arrived."
"Who? Visiting during the Ghost Festival, how bold of a heart?"
A Yue smiled and said, "The one who came is Doli, the youngest son of the Black Hawk tribe leader. They don't have this custom, so there is no taboo."
"He doesn't mind us being taboo. Tell Zhou Chen to settle the person down and then ask him what he is doing in Songjiang City. I'll see him tomorrow."
"I understand. I'll pass the message on right away."
A Yuan asked, "Mother, is the Black Hawk Tribe near the Northeast Army's base?"
"Miss your father?"
"Yeah, kind of."
Gu Youan said, "If nothing serious happens, your father should be back on August 15th, the Mid-Autumn Festival."
August 15th, that’s still a long time away.
A Yuan pulled his mother's sleeve and said, "Take me with you tomorrow when you meet Duoli."
"Okay, I'll meet him tomorrow morning so I can keep you from going to school."
Yuan was satisfied.
Gu Youan knew about the Black Hawk tribe and Duoli, but he had never met him in person. He only asked the shopkeeper of Anxi City to do business with him. When he saw Duoli the next morning, if he was not dressed like the grassland tribe, he would have looked like a Han Chinese.
Duoli doesn't like to talk about his appearance. He came to Songjiang City for only one purpose: "I know you have food. I want to exchange cattle and sheep for food."
Oh, and the accent is exactly the same as that of the northern Han people.
"You can talk to the shopkeeper in Anxi City. They can sell you grain."
"No, it's different. I need a lot of food, and the shopkeeper in Anxi City won't sell it to me."
Gu Youan frowned slightly: "This year is not a year of great disaster, why are you buying so much food?"
A serious look crossed Doli's tan face. "Our tribe's shaman said there will be a snowstorm this winter. Many cattle and sheep will freeze to death. Without enough food, our children and women will also die."
Gu Youan carefully observed Duoli's expression. He was not lying. He really believed what their shaman said.
Gu Youan shook his head and said, "Even if what you said is true, I can't give you a large amount of food. I don't trust you."
"If you don't give me food, we'll be left with nowhere else to go but south."
"Are you threatening me?" Gu Youan's eyes became sharp.
Doli knelt on one knee, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed his head, saying, "We in the Black Hawk tribe are not warlike. The lives of our men and women are very precious. If there is a way to survive, we will never become your enemy."
Gu Youan knew that Duoli said this perhaps because the Northeast Army had tens of thousands of troops there and they could not defeat them.
While Gu Youan was still hesitating, Duoli said, "My cousin Tiemu's tribe is located in the north of Yinshan Mountain. They are very warlike and will definitely ride south if they know of a natural disaster. If you are willing to help us, I can help you pass on the message."
The Canglang Tribe, since the Tartars on the eastern grasslands were driven westward by the Northeast Army seven years ago, several small tribes have formed a large tribe with a total population of over 10,000. The Prince Qi's Mansion has been keeping an eye on them.
Snow disaster! The thought of killing Zhou Xuan while he was sick flashed through Gu Youan's mind. However, when he thought of the crazy Zhou Xuan and the border garrisons who were ready to make a move, Gu Youan finally suppressed the idea.
Those who are not of my race must have different hearts. Gu Youan believed Duoli's words at most. If he wanted food, she would sell it to him, but not all at once. She would transport the food to Anxi City and give it to him in batches to prevent the Black Hawk Tribe from eating too much and then turning around to bite Prince Qi's Mansion.
After Gu Youan nodded, Duoli breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "We have collected a lot of medicinal herbs from other small tribes. When the cattle and sheep are fattened in the fall, we can exchange them for food, tea, and cloth."
Gu Youan thought of the newly spun woolen cloth and blankets in the eastern suburbs, which would be convenient to sell back to the Black Hawk Tribe.
After sending Duoli away, Gu Youan called in the guard Li Xian, wrote a letter and asked him to deliver it to Zhou Qi personally.
Regardless of whether there really was a snowstorm on the grassland this winter, or it was a man-made disaster caused by the unstable imperial regime, she had a hunch that there would be a major war in the north this year.
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