The village head of Dahuaishu Village, a man of quick wit and sharp tongue, looked on with obvious admiration.
"The Li family's original words were: 'The imperial court has moved the capital, and too many people have come here. They all need food. They cannot take advantage of the imperial court. After three years, when the imperial court has passed its difficult period, they will collect taxes from our villages.'"
“Yes,” the village heads of Dawangzhuang and Xiaowangzhuang also said, “The Li family said that the Emperor’s grace is boundless, and they will repay whatever they can!”
Everyone sighed upon hearing this. Some admired the Li family's magnanimity and sincerity, while others said that the Li family was just trying to attract attention, and still others said that the Li family was flattering the imperial court!
However, the tax grain from the three villages, totaling more than two hundred bags, was all handed over.
The minor official in charge of collecting the grain was envious and wanted to embezzle some, but he didn't dare, since hundreds of people present knew about it.
So the clerk reported the extra grain.
Upon hearing that Suijintan had voluntarily paid its grain tax, the official reported it to his superiors...
In the palace, the emperor had lunch with several officials from local aristocratic families. While they were chatting, this matter was reported.
The chief eunuch was clever; knowing that the emperor was recently troubled by food shortages, he spoke up in court and didn't forget to praise him at the end, "Your Majesty, the Marquis is loyal. I didn't expect that Princess Kangle, at such a young age, would be so loyal. She refused to accept hundreds of bags of grain and insisted on sending them to share Your Majesty's burden."
The Emperor glanced at several ministers and sneered, "Yes, the country comes before the family. It's such a simple principle that even a child understands it, yet many people pretend not to. Tell me, aren't they playing dumb?"
The chief eunuch hesitated to respond and mumbled, "This old servant is foolish and doesn't know what these people are thinking, but this old servant does know that the fruit on Broken Gold Beach will be ready to be picked soon. I heard that the whole mountain is ablaze with red, which will be another scenic spot in the new capital."
"In a few days, the Li family will definitely be paying tribute. When that happens, the Emperor will reward this old servant with one. How about that? This old servant is also looking forward to tasting what fruit grown in this auspicious place tastes like!"
"Greedy!" the Emperor said with a laugh, his expression softening. "You can arrange things as you see fit. Don't let them go back empty-handed. The people are so sincere; I can't bear to disappoint them."
The chief eunuch quickly agreed and then withdrew.
The chopsticks held by the ministers felt incredibly heavy.
Their families were almost all local powerful clans, who had accumulated wealth over generations, owning thousands of acres of land, but paid very little in taxes.
They also know that the imperial court is short of food.
But no one would be willing to sacrifice themselves to fill the huge hole in the imperial court.
Originally, I was thinking that even if we were to provide food, we should wait a while and exchange it for some benefits for the family.
Unexpectedly, the unexpected obstacle of Broken Gold Beach appeared out of nowhere.
If they don't immediately offer grain, aren't they even worse off than the Li family, who came from humble backgrounds as refugees?!
With no other choice, the men rose and knelt down, offering their grain in return...
The emperor listened to their pledges of loyalty, but his eyes were fixed on the sky outside the palace, where the deep autumn sky was a dazzling, pure blue.
My cousin often said that the Li family was his lucky place, and now it seems that he was right!
Now, even he, the emperor, is benefiting from this...
In the Broken Gold Beach, no one knew that they had been added to the Emperor's list of names.
They are still actively preparing baskets, carrying poles, and other items in preparation for starting work tomorrow.
The men quickly set up three thatched huts on the riverbank.
One room had three large stoves built to prepare lunch for the craftsmen and villagers, while the other two rooms were used to put tables and chairs for meals and temporary rest.
There's no shortage of vegetables at this time of year. Just bring a few bags of rice and flour from the granary, and each family can contribute some pots, pans, and dishes.
The village chief assigned several women to be responsible for cooking and making tea. It was a half-morning job, and they were given four work points. Tao Hongying could come and check on things whenever she had free time.
The men take care of the rest of the work, while the orchard on the mountain is left to the elderly and children.
Jiayin is too young to participate in any of these activities.
She spent some time with her master and two junior apprentices who only knew how to eat and sleep in the morning, and then she went to the Ye family's courtyard.
The Marquis had some urgent business to attend to and returned to the capital.
Dongmei spent several days with Granny He, Shuiling, and Shuiyun, and felt that she had told them about the likes and dislikes of the Li family members, as well as the general situation of each family in the village.
So she planned to send the three of them to the Li family, but Jiayin arrived first.
The group quickly bowed, and Jiayin waved her hand, asking in a soft, sweet voice, "Granny He, do you know the rules for marriage?"
Granny He was taken aback by the question, but quickly recovered and replied, "Miss, although I have been in the palace for many years, I do not know much about the rules of marriage. I will tell you first, and please forgive me if there is anything inappropriate."
Jiayin said with a smile, "Granny He, my godfather said that you will be my nanny from now on, and that you can trust me and ask me anything I don't understand. Don't be so polite. We don't hit or scold people in our family. Even if you are wrong, don't be afraid."
Granny He relaxed her tense back a little, raised her head slightly, and replied, "Please forgive me, Miss. I've gotten used to it. I'll definitely change in the future."
Jiayin pulled her hand and led her into the house, then called to Shuiling and Shuiyun, "Please ask Grandma to come over."
Shui Ling immediately went out and quickly invited Old Lady Li into the east wing.
The east wing of the Ye family's house was like the main courtyard of the Marquis's mansion. Although Jiayin rarely stayed there, it was always tidied up, cleaned, and ready for use at any time.
At this moment, Jiayin was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) eating snacks, while Granny He and Dongmei were sitting on the edge of the kang.
When the old lady came over, everyone stood up.
Jiayin pulled the old lady onto the kang (a heated brick bed), "Grandma, Granny He is going to talk about the rules for getting married."
"Really?" The old lady was delighted to hear this. She took He Mama's hand and said, "Sister, you've heard, haven't you? My Huan-ge'er is going to marry the daughter of a teacher from Luo'an Academy. But, we come from a farming family and really don't understand the rules of scholarly families."
"Tell us more about it. It's a small matter if our family makes a fool of ourselves and loses face, but we can't let their daughter suffer. After all, marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event."
Granny He dared not put on airs, so she quickly bowed and told her some details she knew, even mentioning some funny incidents or minor conflicts that had occurred in other people's homes.
Everyone listened attentively, occasionally nodding or laughing.
Finally, Granny He summarized, "Madam, scholarly families actually value their reputation more and consider themselves noble. Therefore, they don't like the gifts for meeting the elders or the betrothal gifts to be too expensive, for fear that others will say that their family is greedy for money and that they married off their daughter."
"I see," the old lady pondered, then asked, "Originally, I was planning to give Miss Peng a pair of gold bracelets, a pearl headdress, and four bolts of brocade on the day of the marriage proposal. But it seems that won't work out... So how should we change it?"
Jiayin blinked her big eyes twice and interjected, "Grandma, Uncle brought back so many pearls earlier. How about giving Sister Peng a box of them so she can string them together and play with them?"
Granny He immediately nodded, "Madam, Miss's idea is excellent. I've heard that Miss Peng is skillful with her hands. Why not send her two pieces of novel fabric so she can sew her own favorite dresses? And if we send her pearls, she can also make her own jewelry."
"Most importantly, outsiders won't think our family is showing off its wealth."
“Okay, it’s settled then. I’ll add a set of writing implements and two boxes of pastries, making it four items in total.” The old lady readily agreed.
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