Chapter 461: Husband and wife fall out and file a lawsuit with the government
As time goes by, the drought has moved much further south than last year.
A drought then broke out in the capital.
The water level of the artificial lake in the 'Qingfeng Xiaolou' tea garden has dropped by more than half.
Outside the city, the small rivers dried up and the farmlands dried up.
Even the basic drinking water for the people cannot be guaranteed, let alone crops.
Many crops that should have bloomed and pollinated failed to even produce ears.
This will definitely result in a poor harvest this autumn.
Water supply in the capital became scarce.
After a brief thought, Wen Yan decided to temporarily close "Qingfeng Xiaolou".
The Imperial Astronomical Observatory had offered sacrifices to heaven and prayed for rain twice, but to no avail.
Some ministers have already suggested that the emperor issue a self-criticism edict.
The drought in the capital is so serious, not to mention Jinyang Prefecture, which is the center of the drought.
Last month, Meng Xiyan and Uncle Lin wrote back to tell her about the situation in Jinyang Prefecture.
Because the locusts were caught so thoroughly last year, the number of locusts in the north has been greatly reduced this year.
The people became increasingly uneasy as they lost a source of income.
They had to burn a lot of charcoal to ensure that they could exchange it for enough food.
Excessive logging and charcoal burning have greatly reduced the forest area in Jinyang Prefecture.
Uncle Lin asked Wen Yan to make a decision whether to continue collecting charcoal.
Otherwise, mudslides may easily occur when it rains next year.
On Meng Xiyan's side, taking advantage of the drought, he began to vigorously clear rivers and build roads.
In addition to last year's dam construction and river embankment repairs, he also added the labor of road construction.
Each person is assigned a fixed amount of work every day in exchange for a fixed amount of food.
Children, the elderly and seriously ill people can receive food every day according to their conditions.
The amount of food was not enough to fill them up, but not enough to kill them.
As a result, their food supply became increasingly tight.
In addition to forcibly borrowing money and grain from local wealthy gentry and wealthy families in surrounding prefectures, Meng Xiyan also received generous help from the emperor.
This is also thanks to Wen Yan’s matchmaking last year.
In order to break away from the control of the Huo family, Jing Mingmei's family presented a salt well to the emperor.
This year, a lot of salt was mined from the salt wells, which made the emperor a lot of money and solved his urgent needs.
However, it is said that Jing Mingmei's brother Jing Mingshan was recently summoned by the emperor and returned to Beijing.
Wen Yan guessed that it was because of the glassware made by Huang Ying'er.
The emperor wanted Jing Mingshan to sell these glassware to foreign countries at a high price.
Colored glass is a rare commodity no matter where it is placed. Being able to exchange it for gold from foreign countries is truly a good deal.
Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, it was the day when Lord Wen was reinstated.
The Wen family has been in chaos.
At the beginning, when Lord Wen wanted to bow his head and show goodwill to Jiang Xinkui, Wen Yan had his spies interfere. Not only did this prevent them from succeeding, but it deepened the hatred between the two.
After Lord Wen changed into his official uniform, he walked around to Jiang Xinkui.
He adjusted his official hat in front of Jiang Xinkui, sneered at her, and then walked out of the yamen with high spirits and steps.
That look seemed to be telling Jiang Xinkui: I will rise from today, and you can grit your teeth and never think of taking advantage of me again.
Jiang Xinkui was so angry that he smashed a set of porcelain.
Then she dressed up with jewels and went to the side courtyard where her concubine lived.
She took revenge on the concubine for the loss she suffered at the hands of Lord Wen.
**
Lord Wen came to the Ministry of Rites.
When his colleagues saw him, they all looked at him strangely and whispered behind his back.
Lord Wen really doesn't like being criticized.
But he is already in the center of the storm, so no matter how much he hates it, he can only keep a low profile.
The Minister of Rites did not make things difficult for him.
When they learned that he was there to resume his official position, they did it for him.
When he saw the seal of the Shangshu was stamped, Lord Wen's heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled down.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
At the same time, he was also fortunate that his grandfather's influence was still protecting him. Even though he was suspended for two or three months, the position of Right Vice Minister was still his.
The Minister of Rites could not help but remind him: "My dear nephew, listen to my nagging. Do your job well in the future and don't do anything out of line again.
If it happens again, I'm afraid it won't be so easy to resolve."
"I was reckless. After this incident, I will definitely control myself and my family and never cause trouble again." Lord Wen bowed and spoke very humbly and politely, but in fact he had already rolled his eyes at the Shangshu with disdain in his heart.
He was just a nominal disciple who had received a few instructions from his grandfather, but he couldn't actually tell the difference between the big and small Wangs and was being lectured.
The Minister of Rites saw that he did not really admit his mistake and sighed helplessly.
That's all.
This is the last time. If he gets into trouble again, he will never help him again.
Lord Wen returned to his original position and cheered himself up to handle official business.
But his desk was empty.
He called his deputy and asked what was going on.
The deputy scratched his neck with his index finger. "The Ministry of Rites hasn't had any major events lately. The Minister of Rites and the Left Vice Minister have both dealt with them."
"Really? Then you can go down." Lord Wen waved his hand and let the person go out.
He always felt isolated.
Could it be that he is coveting his position as the Right Vice Minister?
But he had no evidence.
Just drink some tea, read some books and kill time.
As for those who are secretly coveting his position like sewer rats, he will find a way to counter them and get rid of them all.
Maybe it's because I'm too idle.
After a while, Lord Wen's thoughts drifted away, and he thought of the concubine who was trapped in the mansion.
Jiang Xinkui shouldn’t pick a fight with her!
She was left alone in the mansion today, living in fear all day long. She must have felt very wronged.
He must compensate his mistress a little.
Should I take her to Qingfenlou for a delicious meal? Or should I buy her a pearl flower?
"Qingfenlou" is full of guests. It might be too late to reserve a table now, and that dish alone costs several taels of silver.
Why not buy some beads?
The new pearl flowers from Tianyi Cloth Shop only cost a few taels of silver.
This way you can express your feelings and save money at the same time, it’s the best of both worlds!
Just when he was daydreaming.
A minor official rushed in and said, "Sir, something bad has happened.
Someone has reported our Ministry of Rites to the Jingzhao government office."
"What's going on?" The Minister of Rites was overwhelmed. "Tell me clearly, who was sued?"
Mr. Wen has just been reinstated, why is someone causing trouble again?
Can he still have a peaceful day?
Lord Wen was bored and came out to join in the fun, but a clerk pointed at his nose and said, "That's him! Minister Wen."
Lord Wen stumbled back a few steps, "Impossible! How could it be me?! I've been ordered to reflect on my mistakes at home lately. I haven't left the house yet, so there's no way I could possibly cause any trouble, let alone someone reporting me to the Jingzhao government."
The clerk looked at Lord Wen with an expression that was hard to describe: "Lord Wen, the one who sued you was your wife."
"What!" Lord Wen was shocked.
"Jiang Xinkui! Why would she sue me!" After a moment, Lord Wen figured out why.
"This jealous woman! Is she trying to destroy me?"
Without even informing his colleagues, Lord Wen picked up his robe and ran towards the Jingzhao government office.
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