In the days that followed, Zhou Qiongyue ordered people to clean up the palace and lock up what needed to be locked up. Only a few people would be left to look after the house, and the rest would be taken to the imperial farm given to Zhou Qiongyue and Yuan Bohua by the emperor.
Zhou Qiongyue wasn't worried about anything else. Her main concern was the water supply. The palace was fine; after she got married, all the wells in the palace were re-dug down.
But even so, there are several wells in their palace that have completely stopped producing water.
What Zhou Qiongyue didn't know was that other mansions had already started buying or transporting water from outside the city. Even the Cheng'en Marquis's mansion was no exception. Ever since the drought hit, Sun from the third house had regretted taking over the family power countless times.
Of course, Sun had made countless attempts to give up the hot seat of stewardship, but failed every time.
Sun had feigned illness, limped, cried, and made a scene, but in the end, the Marquis of Cheng'en spoke up. Even if Sun died, the Third House would still have to manage the stewardship for five years, not even a year less.
In fact, the Marquis of Cheng'en also wanted the eldest family to take over. When the eldest daughter-in-law was in charge, he and Liu didn't have to worry about anything. The Marquis's house was barely balanced, and there was no way they would have thought of the clan assets in his hands.
Since the Third Brother took over, he and his wife had secretly filled countless holes. Their daily expenses were obviously not as good as before.
Especially when the drought entered its second year, the master of their mansion was still fine, but the food rations for the people serving him became increasingly scarce, and in the end even water had to be rationed.
Fortunately, the Jin family had made their own arrangements. A few years ago, the Jin family paid for the water wells in all the courtyards of the main house to be re-drilled. Currently, it was barely enough for the main house's expenses.
A lot of food was also stored in the basement. Zhou Qiongyue had stored it in the basement of Qiongyue Pavilion. After Zhou Qiongyue got married, she found an opportunity to tell Jin about it.
The second branch has always been close to the first branch. At that time, Zhou Wencan also hinted to Zhou Wenjun. Zhou Wenjun listened to his brother to the fullest, so the second branch was also prepared.
The third house lived with the wife of Marquis Cheng'en. Mrs. Liu owned many courtyards in the suburbs of Yuan'an and had a lot of private properties.
Yuan'an is not yet at the point where you can't buy things even if you have money, it's just a little more expensive.
In this way, the Duke's finances became increasingly tight, and the lives of those serving him became increasingly difficult.
Zhou Qiongyue packed everything and made all the necessary arrangements, but the emperor still hadn't made any move. It was so hot, and Zhou Qiongyue didn't want to go to the palace to ask her aunt, so she just waited in the mansion.
By the time Yuan Bohua's arm wound had almost healed, several wells in the palace had dried up. Even the water Yuan Bohua drank at his post was fetched by the soldiers guarding the city gates.
Yuan Bohua was getting busier and busier, and the number of clashes at the city gates was increasing. Yuan Bohua used to go home every two or three days, but now he might not have time to go home for ten days or so.
Zhou Qiongyue had not yet received the emperor's edict to leave Yuan'an City.
That day, Yuan Bohua took some time out in the morning to come back. He was really worried about the palace. Now, there were also civilians in Yuan'an City attacking the houses of some small wealthy businessmen.
Yuan Bohua was worried about Zhou Qiongyue, so he took this time to come back and see her and make some arrangements.
When Yuan Bohua came back, Zhou Qiongyue had not yet gotten up. The main reason was that morning was the coolest time of the day and the best time to sleep.
But Yuan Bohua had returned, and Zhou Qiongyue still managed to sit up with her eyes propped up. "Why is the prince back?"
When she saw Yuan Bohua, Zhou Qiongyue's eyes were full of surprise.
"I was worried about you, so I came back to check on you. Don't worry, the Second Prince and my eldest brother are watching at the city gate!" Yuan Bohua knew what Yue'er was worried about, so he sat down beside the bed and took the initiative to explain.
When Yuan Bohua came in, he had already asked the waiters to leave. Seeing Yue'er sitting up, he took out an iron plate from his sleeve and put it in Zhou Qiongyue's hand, "Take it."
Zhou Qiongyue turned the pages curiously and saw that one side seemed to be carved with a horse, and the other side was carved with Qiongqi. "What is this?"
"The prince is qualified to raise palace soldiers to protect you if he can mobilize them." Yuan Bohua said it very easily, but Zhou Qiongyue was quite surprised.
She just took a curious look at it and stuffed it back into Yuan Bohua's hand, "Your Highness, keep it for yourself! I'm in the mansion now and rarely even go out, so how could there be any danger? You'll need it when you're on business outside."
Seeing Zhou Qiongyue like this, Yuan Bohua's smile faded as if he didn't want the money. He still solemnly put the token back into Zhou Qiongyue's hand, "Yue'er, take it. I'll feel at ease outside. Recently, some people in Yuan'an City have run out of food."
Yuan Bohua was still worried after he finished speaking, so he suggested, "Why don't you take your people back to the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion and live there for a while. You should be fine after you get through this year. I'll go to the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion to see you when I have time."
The more Yuan Bohua talked about it, the more he felt that this idea was feasible. The fifth prince and fifth brother had also gone back during this period, and he was really worried about Yue'er being alone in the palace.
After returning to the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion, he no longer had to worry so much because he had his father-in-law, a treacherous man, to protect him.
Zhou Qiongyue's heart was moved for a moment, but she gave up the idea. "After all, my father is not the master of the Marquis' Mansion, and I don't want to make things difficult for my parents."
Zhou Qiongyue figured it out and shook her head firmly, "My grandfather is still in charge of the Cheng'en Marquisate! If I go back and seek refuge now, I'll have a hard time repaying my debt of gratitude."
"I will return it." Yuan Bohua felt that these were nothing, as long as Yue'er was safe.
Although Zhou Qiongyue was very touched by Yuan Bohua's behavior, she still shook her head firmly, "No, Third Aunt is in charge now. If I go back, I might as well stay in the palace! I will be restricted in every way."
"Then you have to promise me that if anything unexpected happens, you won't worry about anything else and your own safety is the most important thing. Everything else is just external possessions." Yuan Bohua said as he glanced at the house.
You won't know until you see it, and you'll be shocked. Except for the basic daily necessities, all the ornaments that Yue'er liked in the past are gone.
Yuan Bohua swallowed hard, "Madam, you're not going to sell all these things in the mansion to help the disaster victims, are you?"
Zhou Qiongyue patted Yuan Bohua's pointing hand and said, "What are you thinking? I'm not some savior. I've had them put away and locked up.
Didn’t the emperor say last time that he was going to live in the imperial manor? I was thinking that when we go to the imperial manor, we can take most of the people in the palace with us. It would be a shame if these things were lost.”
Yuan Bohua felt relieved after hearing Yue'er's explanation. He didn't want his wife to suffer for someone who had nothing to do with her.
He looked at the empty room and couldn't help but break Zhou Qiongyue's fantasy, "Then Yue'er will be disappointed. The emperor probably won't go."
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