The emperor thought his son understood and didn't say anything more.
The Crown Prince, however, changed the subject, picking up a document from the Ministry of War and asking, "Father, should the third batch of military rations be sent to Jiangbei yet?"
The Emperor was pouring tea. He stared at the tea leaves floating in the cup and remained silent for a long time before replying, "There is a drought, and food is scarce in all places. We cannot procure enough food in time. It is estimated that we will have to wait another half month."
The Crown Prince frowned and replied, "Now that everyone is watching my choice of a concubine, should we send out some messages to encourage them to share the burden of military supplies?"
"Speaking of these aristocratic families, they prioritize pleasure above all else. When it comes to actually needing their help, they all turn a deaf ear. Last time, when they temporarily borrowed military rations, they insisted on having the Li family as guarantors before they would agree. It's truly hateful."
It's as if reclaiming Jiangbei and unifying the country is merely a matter for our royal family, and has nothing to do with them.
The emperor also disliked aristocratic families, but his considerations were much further ahead than what was immediately in front of him.
So he replied vaguely, "You've just returned to the palace and haven't yet established yourself in the court. We can't push the aristocratic families too far. Let's wait a bit longer!"
The crown prince wanted to say more, but he cleverly noticed that his father's expression was not good, so he kept quiet.
The little fox, however, was dozing off, its ears perked up high...
As the sun rose higher, the earth began to scorch again.
People with thinner shoes have to jump to walk.
The sunlight fell on the pebbles scattered throughout the Broken Gold Beach, reflecting a dazzling light, truly living up to its name.
Even the most diligent farmers are now helplessly taking a nap at home.
He spread a straw mat in front of and behind the house, stood shirtless, and fanned himself, braving the relentless summer heat.
A few mischievous boys, however, were fearless and ran off to the almost dried-up riverbank behind their families' backs, wanting to play in the water for a while. But their mothers found out and yelled at them to come back, and they inevitably got a good beating!
The old Li family house is cooler than other places because it has many trees.
The suite in the backyard has a window, and in front of the window is the shade of trees. Occasionally, a breeze will blow through, bringing a touch of coolness.
Jiayin and Wan'er sat facing each other at the table, discussing how to make a list.
Tomorrow morning, Lao Hei will lead the team to set off.
I'll go to Qingming County first and send some food and supplies to Li Ge'er.
A journey of 300 li is a round trip of 600 li.
Fortunately, it's still within the Xindu area, the roads are easy to travel, and safety is guaranteed.
After checking the snack boxes, Jiayin wrote down the numbers and categories.
These snacks were all made by her own hands; they keep well and taste delicious.
Half of it was given to my brother to satisfy his craving, and the other half was packed in a presentable gift box, intended as a present for my brother or a reward for my subordinates.
Taking inventory of clothes and belongings was no easy task for Wan'er.
Although most of the staff had gone to Quanzhou with Grandma and the others, the needlework ladies in the Hou Mansion were very capable, and they could sew quite a few new clothes, shoes, socks, and small items such as pen cases and fan cases every month.
Now let's distribute them according to the number of people.
Jiayin sent someone to buy the latest poetry and travelogue collections in Xindu, along with new paper, fragrant ink, and so on, filling several more boxes.
As for the golden fruit and jade melon she secretly picked from her space, Shui Ling and her men have already packed them into baskets.
We'll load up more saltpeter tomorrow, and we can make ice and cool down along the way, so we should be able to make it to Qingming County.
However, it won't work if it's sent to my elder brother in the southwest.
Because the journey is just too far!
When Wan'er saw her sister-in-law holding an abacus in one hand and an account book in the other, occasionally even taking notes, she was busy but organized, and she couldn't help but feel happy.
It's great that my sister-in-law is home; she won't be fighting this battle alone anymore!
Just then, Granny He came in from outside and reported, "Young Madam, Princess, and Aunt Wu have brought some gifts to visit."
Wan'er looked up at the sun outside and asked in confusion, "Why did they come over in such bright sunshine?"
Jiayin guessed a bit and laughed, "I ran into the village chief when I came back from the princess's mansion. We chatted for a bit about the caravan setting off. I guess Grandma Wu and the others came to deliver something and wanted to join in the fun."
Wan'er quickly replied, "Granny He, there's a jade melon sitting in the water bucket in the kitchen. Have someone take it out, cut it up, and serve it to our guests."
Granny He responded and left.
Wan'er and Jiayin straightened their clothes and went to the front yard.
There was a large tree in the southwest corner of the front yard, with a well under the tree and a side room next to it, making it a rare cool place.
On ordinary days, when the maids have no work to do, they like to gather here to do needlework and chat.
At this moment, several small stools were made available, and Wu Da Niang and several other elderly women from the village sat down.
Seeing Jiayin and Wan'er arrive, Aunt Wu and the others quickly got up to greet them, but Jiayin and Wan'er helped them sit down again.
“Auntie, we’re all family, no need to be so polite.” Wan’er smiled gently, scolding the old ladies, “If there’s something going on at home, just send the children to tell us, why bother coming all the way here yourself? In this hot weather, what if you get dizzy and have to take medicine?”
Aunt Wu smiled contentedly, patted Wan'er's hand, and replied, "We've all come from hard times, so we're not afraid of this little bit of sun. Besides, Doctor Zhang prepared pills a long time ago and distributed some to each household. If you feel unwell, just take one and you'll feel better."
"Yes, life is so wonderful these days," the other elderly women remarked.
"When we were young, we'd work in the fields under the scorching sun, getting our skin peeling off, and we'd still keep going. These days we're so pampered!"
Once everyone started talking at once, the atmosphere immediately became much livelier.
Soon, Granny He brought up the jade melon with her maid.
Aunt Wu waved her hands in distress, "How could you cut such a precious thing? These days, a jade melon sells for seven or eight taels of silver!"
Another old lady exclaimed, "Yes, that's enough for three bolts of good cotton cloth!"
Jiayin couldn't help but laugh, took the jade melon, and stuffed a piece into each of their hands.
"Grandma Wu, don't worry about it, hurry up and quench your thirst. Outsiders can say this all they want, but we grow melons!"
"Besides, each crop covers hundreds of acres. What's wrong with us eating one? Just consider it as one less crop from the field!"
Everyone laughed, but they could no longer refuse, so they could only eat it in small bites, cherishing every bite.
After eating a piece of melon, everyone felt much cooler and refused to eat a second piece.
Jiayin had no choice but to send the remaining half of the jade melon up the mountain.
Cat Brother, Zhimin Xiujie, and Guo Wenyuan didn't return to the academy. They got up early and went to the grass pavilion in the orchard, ostensibly to enjoy the scenery and paint, but who knows what they were up to?
Aunt Wu opened the basket she had brought, revealing several pairs of shoes of different sizes, but all sewn very carefully and delicately.
"Princess, I sewed two pairs of shoes for the old lady, and a few more pairs for Hui Niang and the children. Could you please take them to Quanzhou for me?"
“Of course I can,” Jiayin readily agreed, smiling. “It’s just that it’s hard on Grandma Wu to do needlework in this hot weather.”
“Oh, we’re family, it’s only right,” Aunt Wu waved her hand and replied. “I don’t have any other skills, I just miss your grandmother and Hui Niang and her two children. I’d be happy to do some needlework for them.”
After she started, the other old ladies followed suit and handed over their baskets.
These are mushrooms that my family dried, and those are salted duck eggs that my family pickled.
In short, none of them were expensive, but they were full of heartfelt sentiment.
Jiayin also missed her grandmother and family. Listening to the old ladies' inquiries and having to patiently explain, she felt a mix of emotions that were hard to describe.
After finally seeing the old ladies off, I continued to make the list and pack the items, and then it got dark.
Mr. Wen and the others hadn't returned, but Mu Xu, tanned dark as charcoal, arrived at the door.
Two updates today!
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