After hearing this, Zhu Yuan frowned. The elderly and children were not able to do heavy work and were in poor health.
The lady found hiring them useless and even added to her burden.
He thought this, and he said it to Zhen Wanwan.
"The elderly make up one-tenth of the population in Guangling County. Of those, less than half are able to work. As for the children... they can be trained for a few years first."
Zhen Wanwan was somewhat surprised; the aging population was quite serious!
Thinking of her plan, Zhen Wanwan still spoke up to explain, "Husband, I'm not raising these people for free, nor am I hiring them to work in the fields."
Zhu Yuan became more and more confused as she listened, so she could only sit aside and patiently listen to Zhen Wanwan explain to her.
"Does my husband know why most founding emperors ascended to their positions?"
Zhu Yuan, disregarding the constraints, replied: "Military strength! Food supplies! Strategy! Strategists!"
Zhen Wanwan nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Before Zhu Yuan could react, she turned her thumbs down.
"Wrong! What you said is true that they are all indispensable, but these are not the most important things!"
"There was once an emperor who was brave and skilled in battle, invincible throughout the world, and even conquered half of the earth. Such a person had both military strength and strategy, but he could win battles but could not defend them!"
"Once a city is captured, the people's morale collapses, and it's easy for people to incite rebellion. Do you know where the problem lies?"
Zhu Yuan paused slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "Although this man is exceptionally brave, he lacks the mind to manage a country."
Zhen Wanwan clicked her tongue and gave him a disapproving look: "Idiot! He doesn't know how to win people's hearts! You know, it's easy to conquer a country but hard to maintain it. An emperor who doesn't win the hearts of the people won't last long!"
Zhu Yuan pursed his lips; this was the first time he had heard such words.
Throughout history, the current Chinese dynasty, like the monarchs of the previous dozen or so dynasties, all relied on their military power to stabilize their rule.
They value power and profit above all else, and do not regard ordinary people as human beings.
These people only care about themselves. Of course, in order to exploit the people, they will still come to help them when natural disasters or man-made calamities strike.
Zhen Wanwan was unaware that her words were a novelty to Zhu Yuan.
After all, in the history she lived through, there were incompetent rulers, but also many wise and virtuous ones.
The proverb "Winning the hearts of the people wins the world" has been used since ancient times.
Little did they know that for dozens of dynasties before this era, it was all a game for those in power.
After all, in the original book, the male protagonist's father, General Xiao, was a good official who served the country and its people and never looked down on the poor.
In the hearts of the common people, General Xiao was more important than the emperor.
Such a figure would usually be feared by the royal family, but for some reason, the emperor who ascended to the throne in the original book treated the male protagonist exceptionally well.
She did not become too powerful and intimidating to the emperor because General Xiao was popular with the people; on the contrary, she protected the male protagonist in every way.
Zhen Wanwan simply attributed it to the male lead's halo and didn't think too much about it.
If Zhu Yuan knew, he would definitely know the reason, since his past behavior was very much in line with the kind of person she described who was after power and fame.
If he were in a higher position, he would definitely hold General Xiao's lifeline tightly and make him work for him.
As long as he controls the people, those powerless and helpless commoners, even with the support of the people, cannot stop him from seizing power.
After all, he is the ruler! When the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die!
Zhen Wanwan went to great lengths to list a whole host of benefits that winning the hearts of the people brought to Zhu Yuan.
"...So! The purpose of establishing Happiness Homes is to let people all over the world know that you are a good leader who stands on their side!"
"Given a monarch who only cares about power and one who can bring them a peaceful life and benefits, everyone would choose the latter!"
Zhu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly; what his wife said was indeed very reasonable.
It wouldn't do him any harm to gain the support of the people by using a vague and illusory good reputation.
Furthermore, he didn't want to disappoint his wife!
He still remembered his wife's words: she wanted everyone in the world to be happy and healthy, and for the people to live and work in peace and contentment!
Zhen Wanwan was sore from talking that Zhu Yuan, being perceptive, handed her a cup of tea.
The temperature is just right, neither too hot nor too cold.
Zhen Wanwan downed the whole drink in one gulp, only then did she feel like she had come back to life.
"Husband! What do you think? Although you have secretly taken control of Anqing Prefecture, you have not yet revealed your identity to the public, and the people do not feel a sense of belonging to you."
"I think I've figured it out now. Anqing Prefecture will be our base from now on. If the reputation of the Happiness Home spreads, it will definitely attract people from other prefectures. With us as a comparison, those people will definitely be dissatisfied with their leaders!"
"Of course, if we take in the people from other prefectures, we won't have a population problem. If there are people, we won't lack people to grow food!"
"And isn't your army short-staffed? You could offer some benefits and perks to attract them to join voluntarily..."
Zhen Wanwan imagined the future and felt only a bright future.
Zhu Yuan gazed at her with doting eyes, nodding in agreement from time to time.
He kept saying, "Yes! Madam is right! We'll do as Madam says..."
Zhen Wanwan was satisfied, but the location of the Happiness Home still needed to be checked, and there were also precautions to be taken for subsequent residents, which needed to be arranged one by one.
As she thought about it, Zhen Wanwan realized that there were still many things she needed to do.
Money! Housing! Human and material resources!
Seeing Zhen Wanwan's tightly furrowed brows, Zhu Yuan gently smoothed them out.
"This matter isn't urgent, take your time to think about it!"
Zhen Wanwan hummed in agreement, then seemed to be thinking about something.
"By the way! Husband, the grain will be ready for harvest in the autumn. There will be enough food for the army to fight. When do you plan to raise an army?"
She heard that the Prince of Yang's army had clashed with the Third Prince, and that the Fifth Prince had been suppressed to the point of refusing to leave his home.
With the situation clearly clear—the Third Prince and the Prince of Yang were about to divide the world—Zhu Yuan had yet to make a move.
She really doesn't understand!
Zhu Yuan paused, his eyes deep, and said calmly, "Soon!"
To be honest, Zhen Wanwan didn't like fighting, but as time went on, her unease grew stronger.
According to Master Guiyi, she would always dream of the scenes he described.
Moreover, given the current situation, their hiding here won't help the people suffering in the war.
The best course of action now is for Zhuyuan to make a name for itself and create a safe haven for the people.
At least they won't be affected by war, losing their homes and becoming homeless.
Moreover, with her around, there's basically no need to worry about food!
She can also handle illnesses and such.
"My wife! My wife!"
Outside the study, someone was calling Zhen Wanwan.
Upon hearing Xiaomei's voice, Zhen Wanwan got up and walked outside.
Xiao Mei stood beside A Yue and said something anxiously.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com