Chapter 1086 For the People

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed. It has not rained for half a month and the temperature continues to be high. Rumors of a severe drought have spread in the capital and food prices have also risen a little. If it were not for the strengthened control over the economy, food prices would have risen even more sharply.

Zhulan's feet have gotten better and are not so swollen anymore, but she still can't walk. There is ice in the room, but the temperature inside is not high.

Xue Han was pregnant and said, "This weather is too hot. It makes people feel uncomfortable."

Zhulan, "Stay away from the ice, you are pregnant!"

Xue Han felt uncomfortable because of the heat. "I feel hotter because I'm pregnant. I sweat when I move. Mom, are we still going to celebrate Dad's birthday?"

Zhu Lan put down her fan and said, "I have discussed with your father that we will not celebrate your birthday this year. First, our family has too many children this year, and second, the weather is too abnormal. The emperor and the prince are in a bad mood these days, so we will not celebrate it."

Xue Han frowned, "The manor and fields of the Marquis' Mansion are all irrigated manually. If it weren't for the heavy rain in spring, which caused some water to accumulate, there wouldn't be enough water to irrigate the fields now."

Even so, the water level in the river has dropped a little.

Zhulan knew that she also had a lot of land. "I have asked your eldest brother to find someone to look after the water veins and dig wells. You can also arrange it."

Xue Han took note and said, "Yes."

Inside the palace, Zhou Shuren sat at the table doing the math. He knew the weather was abnormal, but he was not the type to just sit and wait, so he had to calculate the money for digging the well and buying food.

He regretted it. He only remembered that there was a small ice age in history, but he really didn't remember any droughts. The only thing he remembered was the three years in modern times.

The emperor looked at the reports sent in from all over the place. It was also raining in the northeast, but the situation was better than in the capital. The northeast had already had two rains in recent days, mainly in the capital and the northwest. The rain stopped in the south a few days ago, but in the past seven days, the sky was like a leak, and heavy rain has continued, which is the opposite of the continuous warming in the north.

Zhou Shuren handed the calculated amount of silver to the emperor and the prince. "This is the amount to save costs as much as possible. I will keep some silver to deal with the possibility of the river dam in the south bursting."

My heart bleeds when I think of this. We rebuilt the dam with great difficulty, but now the rain in the south has stopped. He has also read a lot of quilts sent from the south. The spring rain finally stopped and the quilts were dry, but it rained heavily again, and the quilts and clothes were all wet, and the hospital was crowded with patients.

Can Zhou Shuren still recall the droughts and floods he saw on TV? Modern technology is so advanced, but it is still insignificant in the face of nature.

There were no modern methods in ancient times. He couldn't imagine the scene in the southern medical clinic, but his heart was still in his throat, fearing that a large-scale plague would break out. This year was really a terrible year.

The emperor looked at the amount. "This money does not need to go to the national treasury. This money will go to my private treasury."

In recent years, because of the industries brought to him by Shi Qing and the booming maritime trade, these industries were very popular with foreigners and brought in a lot of revenue, so he had the confidence to build Rongyuan.

Now, apart from the silver given to the younger son? Taking the silver this time? He has no silver in his private vault.

Zhou Shuren glanced at the amount he had calculated and found that he was not wrong. The emperor really had money. It was 600,000 taels of silver!

There is not much money to dig a well, but each township can provide manpower and money to help dig the well.

The expenditure of 600,000 taels was mainly on food. This time, the food was bought from various countries by caravans and escorted by the navy.

Zhou Shuren thought of the plague, "Then how many parts would you like to divide this money into?"

The emperor was pleased that Zhou Shuren cared about the people and was not holding back at this time. "Speak."

Zhou Shuren said: "Part of the money I want to use is to buy medicinal materials from caravans from various countries. The second part is to organize some doctors from the public. The third part is to provide salaries for these doctors."

The prince came closer, "Master Zhou, can you explain?"

Zhou Shuren said, "In the south, I am afraid that the continuous rainfall in the south will cause an epidemic. Now the hospitals in the south are crowded with patients. I remember that a great epidemic broke out in the late period of the previous dynasty. When one person died, an entire city died. So I want to prepare the medicine to avoid the situation where there is no medicine available."

The Crown Prince and the Emperor felt a pang in their hearts. They were more concerned about the drought in the capital. The south has a rainy season every year, and even if it rains heavily, the severity of the rain will affect the south less.

The emperor said in a somewhat anxious tone, "Find the fold in the south."

The prince found it quickly and actually found a note with the medical conditions in various parts of the south written on it.

The emperor looked at Zhou Shuren and said, "I am very pleased that you can remember the key points after only reading it once," Shuren continued.

Zhou Shuren continued, "There are also doctors among the common people who have inherited good medical skills. The number of doctors in the Imperial Hospital is limited. I think we can recruit doctors from the common people to serve the court. They can still run their previous clinics, but when the court needs people, they have to make unified arrangements. In the end, the salary will be given to them. Only doctors who pass the examination will receive the salary every month. There will be an examination once a year, and those who fail the examination will have their salary taken back."

The emperor and the prince listened very seriously. The emperor was in control of the world, and the prince was in charge of government affairs, so he had a broader vision.

Zhou Shuren saw the emperor looking at him, "These doctors will be awarded plaques by the court based on their rankings. As long as they get the top few, they can get subsidies from the court and can even enter the Imperial Medical Academy to study."

The prince's eyes sparkled. "This way, we can control the doctors in the whole country. If there is a need for doctors in the future, the court will have people available. Moreover, through assessment and learning, these civilian doctors can continue to specialize in medicine and improve their medical skills. What a good idea, what a good idea."

The emperor thought more about it. If it was really done, the royal family would have a more intuitive understanding of the people and it would be able to avoid the situation where officials from all over the country reported false information. The court would not have to pay much.

Zhou Shuren and his wife had no choice. In ancient times, people placed too much emphasis on inheritance, and the master and apprentice were like children. He would have liked to have the hospital, but unfortunately that was not possible. In order to avoid the final struggle for power and distribution, it would be more appropriate if the hospital remained everyone's, which would be easier to manage and avoid disputes.

The Emperor motioned the Crown Prince to sort out what he had just heard, and then said with a smile, "Shu Ren's brain is really a treasure."

Zhou Shuren felt guilty. This idea was something he and his wife had discussed, not something he had thought of himself. "I feel guilty for it."

He has the cheat of having a wife, but others don’t!

The emperor said, "I have approved the use of this sum of money."

Zhou Shuren twitched his lips, "Your Majesty, I am the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. I am suitable for taking money, but not for handling affairs."

He didn't want to add burden to himself, nor did he want to continue to be in the limelight. Now the more he was in the limelight, the more dangerous it would be. He kept a low profile, and the university scholars were increasingly displeased with him.

The emperor felt regretful. Zhou Shuren was a talented person, but the Ministry of Revenue needed him more now. "I will not forget your achievements. I will write them down."

Zhou Shuren didn't feel wronged this time. He didn't do this for any benefit. He didn't want to see corpses everywhere, and didn't want to hear the cries of the dead. This time, he and his wife were only doing this for the people!