Chapter 1463: Atonement

The morning court had not yet ended and snowflakes were floating in the sky. Zhou Shuren never pretended to be elegant. He wore the thickest clothes every winter. This year was particularly cold, so he wrapped himself up even more strictly. When he didn't need to hide from people, he always walked slowly.

Zhou Shuren hid his hands in his sleeves and wore the hood of his cloak. Well, among all the ministers who left the palace, his outfit was the most eye-catching. Usually, only women's cloaks had hoods.

There was snow and wind in the sky. The only sounds in the alley were the sound of footsteps on the snow and the wind. It was very quiet.

Old Master Wen suddenly spoke, and it was particularly clear, "The emperor stayed with Master Yu today. I don't know if it's because of the rumors that the Yu family is very wealthy, and we can't compare to them."

Zhou Shuren didn't raise his head, but moved his ears, cursing the old man in his heart. These words were not comparable to those of others. They brought too much hatred to the Yu family. Who among the noble families in the capital doesn't have a bit of arrogance? Those who were originally watching the excitement felt uncomfortable after hearing these words.

The Yu family was once prosperous in the previous dynasty, but they still retreated to Dingzhou. They have only just entered the country again in their heyday, and they are still at the third rank.

"The Yu family is not only well-connected, but also very generous."

"This person still needs to see his own good side."

There are also some ginseng sayings later. If you say this too much, what is false will become true. People's emotions are easily affected by language. I originally thought it was nothing, but I still want to say a few words.

Zhou Shuren stopped and looked at him. He had no choice but to ask who made his outfit stand out the most. He paused for a moment before continuing to walk, saying, "Master Wen."

Master Wen didn't want to talk. He and Zhou Shuren were fighting each other, winning less and losing more. But with so many people watching, he seemed afraid if he didn't reply. "Master Zhou, do you have anything to say to me?"

"I'm just curious and want to ask you, old man. I heard that you admired the Yu family very much. A few days ago, you were still talking to Mr. Yu with great enthusiasm, but now, hey, look at what I said, maybe I was wrong a few days ago."

Those who could attend the morning court every day, even those with upright personalities, would become shrewd and keep silent after staying in the court for too long.

The last stretch of the road was particularly quiet. Boss Wen was so angry that he wanted to bite Zhou Shuren. He hated it most when Zhou Shuren left things unsaid. It didn't make sense for him to explain, and it didn't make sense for him not to explain. He failed every time.

Zhou Shuren helped the Yu family and appropriately prevented the Yu family from harboring hatred. He knew that the Yu family was indeed suitable for his granddaughter, but he also couldn't let the Yu family be isolated by the aristocratic families in the entire capital. Even a pure minister needed allies.

Inside the palace, Lord Yu knelt on the ground and said, "I don't know where the rumor started."

He said that, how could he not know who did it? So what? They were the Empress's maternal family. He had just arrived in Beijing and couldn't even get his feet on the ground.

The Emperor motioned for Lord Yu to stand up, "I don't mean to blame you."

He would not marry his daughter to the Yu family, as he wanted to support the Yu family.

Lord Yu breathed a sigh of relief, as long as he didn't blame her, "Your Majesty is wise."

The emperor smiled and said, "I heard that your two unengaged sons are good at studying literature and are also well-known in Dingzhou."

Lord Yu's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the Emperor really had this idea? No, no, the Yu family's glory did not need to be added by marrying a princess. A noble family like theirs did not want to marry a princess.

Master Yu was confused, but he said, "The child is still young, how can he have any reputation?"

The emperor didn't know that the Yu family wanted to avoid the princess, so he smiled and continued, "The grandsons of Minister Zhou in the capital are not bad either. It's good for young people to get together and communicate."

Lord Yu's heart slowly settled down, "I have heard from Minister Zhou's grandson that Minister Zhou is good at raising children."

"He is indeed a good educator. The King of Qin was raised by Minister Zhou."

Lord Yu heard the lightness and trust in the emperor's tone, and felt deeply moved that the emperor truly trusted Lord Zhou.

On the way back to the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren saw Yao Zheyu. To be honest, he hadn't seen Yao Zheyu for a long time. Yao Zheyu had been holding an idle position in the Ministry of War. Yao Zheyu did not take a carriage. The carriage followed behind him, but he walked towards the Ministry of War step by step.

Yao Zheyu didn't notice it at all and continued to rush forward.

Zhou Shuren retracted his gaze. To be honest, Yao Zheyu's outcome was good. At least he lived a wealthy life, and the royal family no longer paid attention to Yao Zheyu.

In Zhangzhou, Liu Feng received the officials who were transporting food and other supplies from the prefectural city. After they left, Liu Feng said to the county magistrate, "The people haven't eaten meat for a long time. It will be good to have some meat for the New Year."

The county magistrate said, "Yes."

Ever since the county magistrate was replaced, he no longer lived a dull life. He had endless things to do every day, such as taking population statistics and visiting every household. He was a native of Bai County, and no matter how poor this place was, it was still his hometown, and he hoped that his hometown would become prosperous.

Liu Feng looked at the meat on the list and thanked his father-in-law again. Without his father-in-law's suggestion, he might not have been able to get the New Year supplies that the emperor gave to the people. "Each household can have half a pound of meat. You lead people to distribute the food and meat, and wait until the Little New Year to deliver them to Baixing from house to house."

He would not allow people from various villages to come and take it. If it passed through one more hand, someone might be greedy.

Yu Shuang was in the backyard looking through the consumption of her father's farm. It was very difficult to buy food on the market in Zhangzhou City now. Her father spent a lot of money to buy coarse grains, and even if he ate them twice a day, he was only half full and it was consumed quickly.

The housekeeper said, "People nearby know that the manor has taken in many people, and some of them have left their children at the gate."

Yu Shuang, "Are they all girls?"

"Yes, now there are many people selling their children because of food shortage. The pawnbrokers have no shortage of buyers, and they are all buying the good ones. Because of the food problem, there are not many buyers. Ordinary people have many children in their families, and boys are for carrying on the family line, but girls cannot be sold. The cruel families just starve them to death, and some people with conscience just abandon the children on the farm."

Yu Shuang tapped the account book, "You have already accepted fifteen girls? How are these girls performing in the manor?"

The housekeeper looked unhappy, "Some were very honest, and some secretly hid the food and took it out."

Yu Shuang sighed, "Those who secretly hid the food should be sent back. It's not that I'm cruel, but the farm is not big and we can't save everyone."

She had already thought about where these girls should go. It was not possible for them to stay in the manor as the manor was not big and had enough working people. She wanted to train these girls to become medicine girls and send them back. But it was not a good idea to do so as it would lead to endless troubles in the future.

The butler is a servant. He has been bought and sold before, and his heart is colder than his master. He has seen too many pitiful people. His master is just too kind. Food is too important these days. "Yes, I will arrange it right away."

Yu Shuang hummed, "If she's a good girl, stay. I have plans for next year."

Butler, "Yes."

After the housekeeper left, Yu Shuang took out the money her father left for her. This was not for her to spend, but was the money her father left for her to manage the farm. Her father said that next year half of the farm would be used for growing Chinese medicinal herbs and the other half for growing grain, and he also asked her to build some greenhouses in the farm in the early spring of next year.

In the capital, Lord Yu returned to the Ministry of Commerce. His colleagues were quite friendly with him. They told him about leaving the palace and kindly said, "If you have offended Lord Wen, you should find a chance to make amends."

He added, "This time, we are indebted to Lord Zhou for speaking up."

Lord Yu kept it in mind, "I want to thank Lord Zhou."

Colleagues thought that this meant they were not prepared to apologize to Master Wen.