Chapter 81: Su Zhenzhen Arrives in the Capital
Su Zhenzhen finally arrived in the capital. The journey was relatively smooth. If there was anything unpleasant, it was that the weather had turned cold, and she had to buy a set of warm clothes from the system store.
When paying with points, I once again vehemently criticized the unscrupulous organizers.
Entering the city requires checking household registration, which Su Zhenzhen didn't have, so she could only wait until night to climb over the wall.
With its agile figure, the small gate of the capital city was no problem for it.
Su Zhenzhen easily entered the city without alerting the guards.
The streets were pitch black at night, but thankfully there was still a sliver of moonlight on the horizon.
General Huo was released from the storage compartment, and the faint light emanating from his soul could also help him see.
"Let's go to your house." Su Zhenzhen asked General Huo to lead the way, and she followed behind him.
The capital city is teeming with powerful and influential people, and Su Zhenzhen didn't know if there were any night watchmen in the city. If she took out her flashlight, it would easily reveal her location.
After many twists and turns, they came to a small alley. The surrounding houses were not tall, and General Huo stopped at one of them.
Su Zhenzhen was dumbfounded. The house didn't look very big. How could a great general of a country have such an approachable residence?
"Do you generals receive very low monthly salaries?"
General Huo explained, "This alley is inhabited by scholars. My grandfather settled here because he wanted to borrow some of the scholarly atmosphere to cultivate the next generation."
What General Huo didn't mention was that his grandfather was just a lowly soldier at the beginning and didn't have much money, so he naturally couldn't afford a big house.
Later, his father achieved numerous military exploits, and Emperor Chang rewarded him with gold and silver.
When it was Jiang Yichun's turn to rule, he used all the money in the national treasury to help disaster victims, leaving even less money to reward his officials.
Su Zhenzhen didn't understand, but she respected it. After all, the Huo family had a grand vision, and besides, there weren't many living in the capital.
However, it must be said that living here also has its advantages. After General Huo died in battle, no one came to put up a seal on the house, and the government did not take it back. After all, which noble family would want to live in such a dilapidated house?
Su Zhenzhen went straight through the main gate this time, expecting to be covered in dust again, but to her surprise, it was quite clean. After pushing open the gate, she saw no signs of decay in the courtyard.
"It seems your neighbors still remember you; they even come to help you clean the house from time to time."
Su Zhenzhen turned around and closed the door, finally taking out her flashlight, revealing a clear view ahead.
It was just a small courtyard, with houses on either side of it, not too shabby. But for General Huo's status, it seemed somewhat beneath him.
"Which room is the family tree in?"
Having not been home for so many years, General Huo had almost forgotten about it.
"It should be on the desk in the main room."
Su Zhenzhen went to look for it, but this time she was met with a cold shoulder when she opened the door.
"Cough cough—"
Suddenly, I choked and started coughing.
"Your neighbors are really strange. They only clean the yard when they help with cleaning, they don't care about the house. If someone suddenly comes back, they're not going to sleep in the yard, are they?"
General Huo was a little embarrassed. "They were probably afraid of messing up the things in the house."
Su Zhenzhen coughed a few more times to expel the ash from her mouth, then opened the door to air out the room.
This house has been uninhabited for who knows how many years. The corners are full of cobwebs, and it looks gloomy, not much better than the coffin shops in Shanxian County.
Once the musty smell had faded a bit, Su Zhenzhen went inside. Several notebooks were scattered haphazardly on the desk, all covered in dust.
Su Zhenzhen bought a pack of toilet paper from the system store, wiped the dust off the surface with the paper, and then picked it up to look through it.
As if to make up for the mouthful of ash he had choked on, he was lucky enough to pick up a family tree as the first book he randomly picked up.
The Huo family originally had quite a few members, but they all died too early. As time went by, the once lush and leafy tree was reduced to just a few scattered branches.
Su Zhenzhen flipped directly to the last page.
Huo Zhenyue's name is at the very bottom, next to which is written Huo Erniang.
However, the birth mother of Huo Erniang is a blank.
Su Zhenzhen was overjoyed. If the Huo family could acknowledge Huo Erniang as their daughter, then if that Miss Huo really existed, she would definitely be recorded in the family genealogy.
Su Zhenzhen turned the page and, sure enough, saw Huo Erniang next to General Huo's father's name.
There are records of Huo Erniang's birth mother, who was said to be a maidservant of the principal wife, but her specific name was not written.
Su Zhenzhen pointed it out to General Huo, "Do you think the age matches up? The Miss Huo who fled to the frontier was a woman from your Huo family, your aunt. Think carefully, did anything happen that year?"
It was a long time ago, and General Huo needed to recall slowly. "At that time, my father had not yet retired. If there was anything special, it was that winter came early that year, and many people died. The barbarian attacks became more frequent, but that year it was His Highness the Crown Prince who personally transported the grain. Originally, the grain was escorted by aristocratic families, but they not only embezzled it but also kept delaying it, causing our soldiers to fight on empty stomachs. The reason I remember it so clearly is because I was hungry that time, and I almost couldn't stand after killing a barbarian on the battlefield."
The dominance of powerful families has been a law for thousands of years. They are intertwined by marriage and share the same blood. The Huo family became famous for its military achievements, but it is not enough in the face of hundreds of years of heritage.
Not to mention the lowly soldiers below, even if they knew that someone in the court was deliberately making sure they didn't have enough to eat, so what?
Even emperors dared not confront powerful families head-on. Although dynasties changed, powerful families always managed to seize opportunities to secure long-term benefits for themselves when the dynasty was on the verge of collapse.
Noble families don't need to be emperors, but they can still enjoy the same treatment as emperors.
Therefore, Jiang Yichun's appearance is undoubtedly a beacon of light for all those from humble backgrounds.
He provided a way out for children from poor families and used the national treasury to relieve disaster victims across the country.
General Huo admired him from the bottom of his heart, as did the other military officers, so they were willing to risk their lives to protect Jiang Yichun's only bloodline.
Su Zhenzhen could tell from General Huo's expression that he was thinking of Jiang Yichun again. If it is said that a gentleman judges by his actions rather than his intentions, then Jiang Yichun really had never accomplished anything.
However, his intentions were indeed good. But at the same time, he was too naive. A century-old family has its own system, and it cannot be suppressed by simply supporting poor families and providing relief to disaster victims.
Moreover, this dynasty was beset by internal and external troubles, and natural disasters were frequent. The common people were the biggest opportunists in the world; they would follow whoever offered them food.
Jiang Yichun's use of the national treasury for disaster relief may win him temporary popular support.
But the national treasury will eventually run out of money, while the exploitation by powerful families will never stop.
In the face of natural disasters and wars, as long as the powerful families exploit them a little less or give them a bite of food, these ignorant people will wag their tails and beg for mercy.
And the wind direction will change accordingly.
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