Chapter 1409: A Long and Heavy Road Ahead

Five days passed in a blink of an eye. Zhu Lan motioned Yao Yao to sit down, "Hurry up and let me see the twins."

Because of Rong Yuyun, Yao Yao seldom came to Zhou's house unless it was necessary, as she didn't want to displease the old man.

Yao Yao pushed her twin daughters on the back and said with a smile, "These two girls kept saying they missed you at home, but they were too embarrassed to see you when you came."

Zhulan held the twins in her arms and was so adorable that she kissed each of them and said, "These two children are getting easier to tell apart as they grow older."

"Yes, the older ones look like me, and the younger ones look like their dad."

Zhulan was so happy that she said to Yao Yao, "The old man was talking about having kids a few days ago. Should I ask Qingxue to bring the twins to see the old man?"

Yao Yao was naturally willing, "Okay."

Zhulan waited for the child to leave and asked, "Is there anything wrong?"

Yao Yao nodded, "It's time for the two girls to learn to read. I'm thinking of hiring a teacher for them. As you know, I seldom leave the house, so I'm shamelessly coming to you to ask you to introduce a teacher to me."

In fact, she would rather marry a gentleman from the Zhou Mansion, or send her daughter to the Zhou Mansion. It would be even better if she could get guidance from the old lady. Unfortunately, no matter how thick-skinned she was, she dared not ask for it. The Zhou Family had helped the Marquisate too many times over the years.

Zhulan thought it was no big deal and that she had the most experience in hiring a husband. She was the one who found the husbands in the family and she already had a candidate in mind.

Zhu Lan pondered, "Tomorrow I will invite you to my house. If you come and see if it suits you, you can stay. If not, I will help you find another one."

Yao Yao said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry to have troubled you over the years."

Zhulan waved her hands, "No trouble."

They are just trivial matters, Rong Enqing and his wife are not greedy people.

In Lijia Village, the prince and his entourage left the village. Mingrui heard the sound of children reciting the Three Character Classic in the carriage. He opened the window and looked back. Almost all the children in the village had come and were seeing them off with the Three Character Classic.

Mingrui's heart was filled with joy. He stretched out his hand and waved. In just a few days, he and the children made progress together. The children learned to read, and he made progress in his thinking.

Shangguan Liu didn't sit in his own carriage, but got on Mingrui's carriage, "I'm touched."

Mingrui, "Well, what we think is insignificant may be a life-changing event for these children."

Shangguan Liu nodded, "Yes, I will never forget the look in the children's eyes when they knew how to write their names."

He was deeply touched. He was born in the Shangguan family, which was a responsibility. Reading and writing were necessary education. However, there were too many children in the world who were not without the talent for reading, but were born without the opportunity. Not to mention reading, they couldn't even write their own names.

In the prince's carriage, King Qi looked at the prince when he heard the Three Character Classic. These days, when he had nothing to do, he would go to listen to Zhou Mingrui's class. Zhou Mingrui was not just for show. He taught the children reading and counting very carefully. He taught the most used words. When he was not teaching, he would tell the children about his experiences along the way to let the children know the changes in the outside world.

Zhou Mingrui would also patiently answer the children's questions. Wow, the Zhou family really knows how to educate children.

The prince was deeply moved. His identity determined his overall thinking. He saw the situation of the whole country from the children. It is difficult for a noble son to come from a poor family!

How many people in the country are illiterate? No, should I say, how many people in the country are literate?

The prince fell into deep thought. Now the court's monthly propaganda brochures would include some simple characters. His uncle said that it would give those who wanted to learn to read the opportunity to do so. Although there were only a few characters in the monthly brochures, the accumulated value would amount to a lot over time. His uncle also said that although the effect was slow, there would be no effect at all if nothing was done.

The prince thought of the bad habits of various states mentioned by Minister Zhou when he was teaching him. Thinking of what Minister Zhou said about education, the prince felt heavy in his heart. He looked outside the carriage and felt that he had a long way to go.

In Qizhou, Chang Lian stood by the window, frowning and looking out worriedly. There was a strong wind outside, and many branches in the yard were broken. The wind was mixed with bean-sized raindrops, which hit the glass with crackling sounds, making people worry that the glass would break.

Mrs. Dong held her son in her arms and said worriedly, "I've been in Qizhou for a few years, but this is the first time I've encountered such a strong wind."

The lantern hanging outside the door had been blown away to who knows where. Listening to the howling wind, Dong couldn't help but look up at the ceiling.

Chang Lian patted his wife's shoulder soothingly, then held his son in his arms. The little boy was terrified.

Not to mention the little boy, even the servants in the house were scared to death and were terrified.

Strong winds come quickly and go away quickly. In ancient times, there was no early warning, and many people in the city who did not have time to escape were hit by tiles blown up by the wind.

Chang Lian walked out of the house. The exquisite courtyard was already in a mess. Some of the flowers in the yard were broken, some had no petals at all, and the bonsai also fell over. Fortunately, only two servants in the mansion suffered minor injuries.

Dong patted his chest with lingering fear, "Scary."

Chang Lian said, "I'll go to the government office and take a look."

Dong said worriedly, "Be careful."

Chang Lian nodded, "You should go back to the house too. It's still raining now, don't catch a cold."

"good."

Chang Lian took a carriage to the government office and looked at the situation on the street. The situation in the city was not a big problem, and he was more worried about the nearby villages.

At the Ministry of Revenue in Beijing, Qiu Yan looked out the window and said, "This year's temperature is lower than the same period last year."

Zhou Shuren: "Yes."

Qiu Yan, "You said this year, bah, what am I thinking, this year must be a good year with good weather and good harvest."

Zhou Shuren was not as optimistic as Qiu Yan. He remembered that there was a small ice age in history. "You are not here just to discuss the weather with me, right?"

Qiu Yan certainly didn't come here to talk about the weather. "The emperor has already built four glass sheds this month, and I saw in the account book that he spent money on two more sheds."

Zhou Shuren, "What do you want to ask?"

Qiu Yan wanted to ask what these sheds were used for. A lot of money was spent on the construction of several sheds, which shows how big each shed is.

Zhou Shuren knew that these sheds were wanted by the retired emperor, and they were used to grow high-quality grains. Now the retired emperor was focusing entirely on crops.

Qiu Yan was not curious, but felt bad about spending such a large sum of money. "I just felt bad."

Zhou Shuren, however, didn't feel bad at all, "Don't ask anymore, you'll know after a while."

When Qiu Yan heard that the most stingy minister in the Ministry of Revenue did not feel distressed, he knew it was a good thing.

At the Wang family, Yu Lu's belly is very big and the baby will be born soon. Yu Lu wants to go back to her parents' home for a few days, but she doesn't know how to ask for it.

The bad thing about a big family is that there are too many things to consider. Sister Yushuang can go back to her parents' home anytime after getting married, but she can't.

Once she goes back to her parents' home for a few days, she doesn't know what will be said, whether she was upset at the Wang family, etc.

There are too many people who are jealous of the Zhou family and are eager to spread more rumors about the Zhou family.

Yu Lu sighed in frustration. In the past, Sister Yu Shuang lived in the capital and could come to see her from time to time. But now she didn't even have anyone to talk to. As for Wang Hua, forget it. She would rather stay alone.

When Wang Wei came in, he saw his wife sighing, "Unhappy?"

Yu Lu shook her head, "I just miss my elder sister a little bit, and I don't know if she is doing well in Zhangzhou."