Chapter 1062 Good Heart
The emperor nodded, "It's still about money. If there is enough money to continue planning, the lives of the people in the city will be much better."
Zhou Shuren remained silent. Don't mention money to him. He had just received a sum of money and was keeping it in his hands. If he hadn't written down a letter about what might happen if this year was a bad year and handed it over, he would not have been able to keep the money.
The emperor didn't hear the reply, and couldn't help laughing, "Shu Ren, I just mentioned it later. I'm old, and the prince is doing well now. Let the prince worry about it in the future."
Zhou Shuren smiled dryly, "The Ministry of Revenue really has no money."
The emperor said in a gloomy voice, "It's still poor. Ten years of war, no, and the court at the end of the previous dynasty was incompetent and lawless. The people are miserable. It's hard to recover in a short time after so many years of support."
Zhou Shuren was silent. The ten years of war had killed or injured too many adult men, and too many able-bodied laborers. Too many villages had become widow villages. Without able-bodied laborers, even if there were fields, how much tax could the court collect in a year?
Zhou Shuren thought for a moment and said, "There will be a prosperous day."
He wished he could see it, and now there were signs of prosperity.
The emperor said in a relaxed tone, "Yes, there will be a prosperous day. To be honest, Shu Ren is my lucky general."
If it weren't for Zhou Shuren, he knew, there would be no signs of prosperity. When chaos really broke out, all the years of recuperation would be reduced to nothing.
Zhou Shuren, "I am terrified. I am just doing my duty."
The emperor smiled and arrived at the city gate while he was talking. Zhou Shuren wanted to go back to the Ministry of Revenue, while the emperor wanted to check around, so the two of them parted ways.
At Zhou's house, Xuemei was worried, "Mom, this rainy day is not over yet."
"Is your mother-in-law groaning at home again?"
Xuemei nodded. "We've bought a lot of new land. My mother-in-law and father-in-law are worried. They have to pay taxes every year. If the harvest is not good, all our hard work will be in vain."
Zhulan thought for a moment and said, "I plan to let Zhuangzi raise some ducks, and you can let your parents-in-law raise some too."
Xuemei said, "My parents-in-law want to raise a few more pigs."
Zhulan, "That's fine, but you have to build a shed. It's raining heavily, so the piglets won't get sick. A piglet is worth a lot of money."
Xuemei smiled slightly, "Mom, don't worry, my parents-in-law will take good care of these piglets."
Zhulan hummed and handed the finished clothes to the lady, "This is for Miu Miu, take it back to her."
Xuemei thought of her husband's reply, "Mom, do you still remember Jiang Ming's son?"
Zhulan naturally remembered him and had stayed at their house before. "Why are you suddenly mentioning him?"
Xuemei explained, "My husband is back home. He is teaching at the clan school. He already likes the child. We talked a lot this time. When he heard that someone came to propose marriage, my husband mentioned it to me. Miu Miu is not young anymore. Mother, what do you think of Jiang Ming's son?"
She had no ambition, so naturally she didn't want her daughter to marry into a wealthy family by taking advantage of her parents' status. She felt that given the Jiang family's situation, it would be better for her daughter to marry into a family of similar status.
Zhu Lan was surprised, "Ah? I thought you were going to speak for Mu Lan on Jiang Du's behalf!"
Xuemei smiled and said, "It's good to be close relatives."
Zhulan immediately understood the daughter's plan. If the daughter of the Jiang family married into the family, the Jiang family would only treat Miaomiao better. In addition, given the Jiang family's situation, the Jiang family's sons could not rely on many resources. They could rely on Changlian, but Changlian was Xuemei's younger brother. In addition, the Jiang family was small in population, and Xuemei had helped the Jiang family for many years, which was a favor.
Jiang Sheng has also taught Jiang Muchen for many years, and considering many aspects, it is indeed in line with Xuemei's thoughts.
Zhulan thought of Ran Zheng's test a few days ago, and the Ran family was indeed not a good match for marriage. After thinking it over, she said, "As parents, you just need to know what's going on."
Xuemei breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that her mother would disagree, so she tactfully suggested, "Mom, I have watched the two children of the Jiang family grow up. They have experienced ups and downs, but they have never complained and have worked hard to study and live. They have good personalities, which is what daughters value more, especially Mu Lan. You said that the eldest daughter-in-law is very important. Mu Lan has experienced so much at such a young age. She is suitable for being the eldest daughter-in-law."
If her husband hadn't mentioned going to the Jiang family to get married, she wouldn't have been so anxious. According to her, she would just let things take their own course and wait a while.
Zhulan patted her daughter's hand and said, "I believe in your vision."
The eldest daughter has big ideas, as if all the girls in her family have big ideas.
Xuemei was anxious to write back to her husband. "I will write back when I get home. Let your husband talk to Jiang Ming. It's not appropriate to get engaged now. Your husband needs to take the provincial examination. We should wait until next year."
Zhulan thought for a moment and said, "Don't just send the letter back. If you really want to send the two children some gifts they need, send them back along with the letter."
Xuemei had already thought about what to give back. For the boy, pens, ink, paper and inkstone would be enough, and for Mu Lan, some exquisite jewelry.
In Ninghou Mansion, the Emperor and Ning Xu sat opposite each other. Ning Xu's heart was very complicated. He was in a state of confusion. He saw his son's reaction. It was obvious that his son had guessed his true life experience.
What was the emperor's intention in coming now? He had finally become a father, and was about to become a grandfather, but now he was going to be alone again?
The emperor drank ginger tea to get rid of the coldness and looked at Ningxu, "Rongchuan has already guessed it."
Ning Xu's voice was deep, "I know."
The emperor knew how much better Ning Xu was than Rongchuan, and he also knew that Ning Xu really treated Rongchuan as his son. It was not without precedent in the royal family, but the successors were all members of the royal family, and never to outsiders. For a moment, he didn't know how to bring it up, and he didn't come to worry Ning Xu.
Ning Xu knew that this day would come sooner or later, but she felt bad. She couldn't take back her feelings once she had invested them. "Your Majesty, Rong Chuan is doing very well in Ning Hou Mansion."
The emperor's eyes were sharp, then calm, as if the sharpness just now was an illusion, "You are his third uncle, Rongchuan is naturally very good."
Ning Xu moved her lips. Her father's plan was very good, but unfortunately, he miscalculated the emperor. The emperor was too good to Rongchuan. Rongchuan was a smart child and had guessed his own life experience early on.
The emperor's whereabouts outside the palace were no secret. Everyone knew that the emperor went to Ninghou Mansion without any hesitation and he never left.
When the King of Liang got the news, he was furious because he hadn't found any information for half a month. The King of Qi and the King of Chu were also investigating, which made him even more annoyed. "Rongchuan, do you think the Emperor is waiting for you to return home?"
He had a knot in his heart since the last gathering, but he let it go since Rongchuan didn't come to the palace for the past half month. Now the knot is getting bigger and bigger, and his intuition tells him that his father didn't leave just for Rongchuan.
Rong Chuan was in a state of confusion. "I don't know."
Prince Liang stared at Rong Chuan carefully. He felt that he should ask someone to paint a portrait of Master Ning, otherwise he would not be able to suppress the strange feeling in his heart.
(End of this chapter)