But children who have lost their parents, elderly people who have lost their children, or disabled people who encounter misfortune on their way south need to go to the Relief and Rehabilitation Administration.
The imperial court allocated funds and provisions to ensure they wouldn't freeze or starve to death...
But in retrospect, many of his ideas were good, but they were distorted and lost their meaning when they reached the lower levels.
The relief agency, which was supposed to save lives, became a place of death...
This matter cannot be blamed on the Ministry of Revenue. I believe the officials in the Ministry of Revenue had a bunch of legitimate reasons, such as the empty treasury and limited grain reserves.
Each one of them made him, the emperor and the patriarch of the Tianwu family, even more anxious...
Therefore, it is commendable that Li Lao Er was willing to step forward and take over this difficult task.
You have to understand that if you do a good job with the Relief and Relief Agency, you won't get any credit; if you do a bad job, you'll ruin its reputation.
The Li family didn't weigh the pros and cons, nor did they simply send grain and medicine to gain a good reputation. Li Lao Er genuinely wanted to do something practical and share the burdens of his emperor...
When Li Lao Er came out of the palace and returned to the Hundred Flowers Garden, Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng were already waiting inside.
Upon meeting, the two hurriedly pulled him to sit down. Mr. Wen said, "Yusheng, you were really reckless this time!"
Liu Zhiheng nodded in agreement, adding, "Yes, the Relief Department is a bottomless pit. There are so many mouths to feed, mostly the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled. It's really too difficult to fill them all."
“I know you are kind-hearted and can’t bear to see the misery at the Relief Department, but we can send more money and food there. There’s really no need to take over everything.”
Li Lao Er knew they were doing it for his own good, so he wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled and poured them tea.
Seeing his expression, Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng guessed that he had already made up his mind, so they were less anxious.
"It's true what they say: the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuchs are."
Liu Zhiheng muttered a soft complaint, which made Li Lao Er laugh. He explained carefully, "Don't worry, I considered it carefully before asking the Emperor to take over the Relief Bureau."
"Firstly, the situation at the Relief Department is truly dire. If no one lends a hand, I'm afraid there won't be many people left by the end of this winter."
"Secondly, our family has had one happy event after another in the past few years, and my mother also thinks it's all thanks to Fu Niu'er. She's always worried that this child might shorten her lifespan because of it. It just so happens that these famous flowers were found by Fu Niu'er, and now they're being used to exchange for supplies to help people in distress, which is also accumulating good fortune for Fu Niu'er."
After saying that, Li Lao Er took a sip of tea, a determined look appearing in his eyes, and continued, "Most importantly, I want to use the Relief Bureau as a stepping stone to try and get a real position back. Outsiders all see our Li family as prosperous, my mother is a first-rank imperial consort, I am an earl, and Fu Niu'er is a princess, but these are all empty titles, and they are useless at crucial moments."
"Otherwise, Fu Niu'er wouldn't have been mistreated in the palace. The Empress simply locked her up without any hesitation. It's because she looks down on the Li family and thinks that we only got where we are today because we rely on the Marquis to please the Emperor. Now that the Marquis is gone, Fu Niu'er has no one to back her up!"
"I don't want the Li family's children to rely on others for protection. I don't want the Li family to exist like mere cats and dogs pleasing the emperor! I want to have a place in the court. I want anyone who wants to harm Fu Niu'er or the Li family to think twice, to have many concerns, and to be terrified!"
"Furthermore, my fourth son and the Marquis will be frequently on military campaigns in the future. If anyone harbors resentment and stirs up trouble in the court and the new capital to frame them, I must also have the power to protect them!"
"My eldest brother is in charge of business, my third brother is in charge of general affairs, and my fourth brother is in charge of making achievements. What I need to do is climb up the ladder as quickly and as much as possible. I want power, and I want to be the armor of the Li family!"
Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng were stunned for a long time before they came to their senses. They hadn't expected that Li Lao Er had planned so far ahead.
"Yusheng, you have truly impressed me!" Mr. Wen was overjoyed and patted Li Lao Er on the shoulder, saying, "I was worried that you would be harmed by the Wang family and I was always on edge. I never expected that you would not only hold your own against the Wang family, but also know how to pave the way for yourself and plan for the future of the Li family."
“Yes!” Liu Zhiheng nodded, overjoyed. “The Relief Department is a mess. I was worried you’d get stuck in it, but after your analysis, the Relief Department has become your stepping stone. Maybe it will actually help you climb up.”
Li Lao Er blushed slightly at the praise from the two men.
He came from a farming family and had worked as an accountant for a few days at most; his life was very simple.
Now, as a nobleman, he has to navigate the court and manage his household, and he must be extremely cautious at all times, carefully considering every step he takes.
Now that his first scheme has been affirmed and praised, he is very excited. "I was just daydreaming. I don't even know if the Emperor will agree."
Liu Zhiheng laughed and said, "The Emperor is a man who cares about his reputation. Just tell him that there will be no beggars or vagrants in the new capital area, and he will definitely agree."
"Watch your words!" Mr. Wen glanced at the door and said, "You even dare to make up stories about the Emperor!" After saying that, he thought for a moment and then frowned and said, "But Yusheng, the Relief Bureau cannot be managed by you alone, understand?"
Li Lao Er nodded and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, sir. I mentioned the matter of allocating money and grain to the Emperor in the palace. The people in the relief office are the people of Tianwu, the Emperor's subjects, not our Li family. I can sympathize with them, help them, and find a way out for them, but I won't take on too much responsibility."
"Now that you understand this, I really have nothing to worry about." Mr. Wen finally smiled and asked, "Where are Zheng Feng and Zheng He? Hurry up and go to Xiankelai to get some good dishes; we're going to have a drink at noon!"
Liu Zhiheng also cheered and agreed, and soon Zheng Feng went out and returned in less than half an hour with two large food boxes.
Now that Li Zhensheng has gone to Quanzhou, Xiankelai is managed by Jia Huan. Knowing that his second uncle wanted food and drinks, he didn't know what the happy occasion was, but he did his best to prepare and personally took charge of the cooking.
Braised fish chunks, charred pork strips, braised pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, spinach with nuts, and eggplant with minced garlic!
There were four hot dishes and two cold dishes in total, making a total of six dishes, plus three bowls of noodles with soybean paste, which almost filled the entire table.
Li Lao Er, Mr. Wen, and Liu Zhiheng ate some noodles with soybean paste first, and only after they had something in their stomachs did they start drinking.
The three were once as close as brothers, and now they are a well-known group in the court. When they get together, they naturally have endless things to talk about.
As the sun began to set, all three were slightly tipsy. Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng didn't want to go back to the yamen to report for duty, so they simply sent their servants to ask for leave.
As a result, before the courtyard gates were even opened, the imperial edict arrived.
The person who came to deliver the imperial edict was actually the chief eunuch, which surprised Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng. They quickly knelt down with Li Lao Er to receive the edict!
Here's the third update! Sorry, my little darlings, the update is a bit late today. I spent a lot of time considering the plot, which took up a lot of time. I'll try to be on time next time!
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