Chapter 1494: A Sudden Enlightenment

Three days later, Zhulan was arranging the newly acquired farm. The Wen family did not break off their relationship, and only left behind a house and fifty acres of land. Zhulan planned to use this farm for her livelihood.

Just as the arrangements were made, Steward Ding came running in, "Madam, the Crown Prince and Master Minghui are back."

Zhulan stood up suddenly, "Oh, Changli hasn't written back for a while, I'm still thinking about him, come on, prepare some refreshments, they must have worked hard on the journey."

While Butler Ding was busy making arrangements, Li had already rushed out.

When Mrs. Li saw her son halfway through the journey, she burst into tears. "Oh, my Minghui, how come you have become so thin? I am so heartbroken."

She was not thinking about her husband, but about raising her son. Her son had lost a lot of weight, and it was obvious that he had suffered a great deal.

Mr. Zhou hoped that his wife would ignore him. Because his son was sick, he dared not write to his family for fear of missing the news.

Li hugged her son tightly and felt his body. He had lost weight, which was heartbreaking. "I will never go out with your father again. Your father is such a careless person. Uwu."

Minghui's eyes also turned red. He finally went home. He missed the delicious food at home and his soft pillow. "Mom, I have to take good care of myself and go to the academy after a few days."

Li was about to say something but stopped herself, "You should ask your grandmother about this."

She never interferes with her children's studies.

Ming Hui's eyes turned redder when he heard this. "I'll go ask grandma."

Boss Zhou had already gone to the main courtyard. Zhulan looked past her son and asked, "Where's Minghui?"

Where is her spoiled grandson?

Boss Zhou, "......"

Okay, my son is so spoiled that we are worried about him at home.

Minghui heard his grandmother's voice and rushed over to her, "Grandma, I missed you so much."

Li choked up and said, "Mother, look at how thin Minghui has become. I am so heartbroken."

Zhulan touched the child and found that he had indeed lost a lot of weight. "Why did he lose so much weight?"

Minghui sniffed, "My grandson is sick, don't worry, grandma, he's fine now."

Zhulan felt distressed, "I will take good care of you when I come back."

Minghui lowered his head and said, "Grandma, I will stay at home to recuperate and go to the academy in a few days."

Zhulan raised her eyebrows and tapped her grandson's forehead. "Okay, rest at home for ten days before going to the academy."

Ming Hui raised his head with a smile on his face, "Thank you, grandma."

Zhulan also laughed. This kid used to enjoy himself, but this time he suffered a lot. "Hurry up and sit down. Tell grandma about your experience along the way."

Minghui sighed, "While accompanying my father on this errand, I have seen too much darkness, especially darkness."

He has a good family background, he has never been simple, he knows darkness, but the darkness at the bottom makes his heart heavier.

Zhulan touched Minghui's head and said, "You've grown up after going out."

Minghui, "Yeah."

Yudie and a few others were also there, surrounding Minghui. They had also seen a lot of darkness recently, and told him what happened at home, leaving Minghui stunned.

Boss Zhou was stunned, "Mom, did you really run a private orphanage while working as a police officer?"

Zhulan's smile was not at all reserved, "Well, no need to be surprised."

Boss Zhou needed to digest the news for a while. It had only been a short time since he left home. His mother was so amazing. "Mom, I am so proud of you."

"After you have recuperated for a few days, go to the private orphanage with your wife to see if there is anything that needs to be improved."

Boss Zhou waved his hands and said, "Mom, it should be my son who goes to study."

Zhulan added, "Your father was still talking about you last night. Go and have a rest when you come back. The emperor is still waiting for your report!"

Boss Zhou exclaimed, "Report?"

"You have to report back when you come back from your business trip. There's nothing to be surprised about. Write down what you saw and felt in a folded form and use it when you report back."

Boss Zhou, "......"

Zhu Lan looked at Ming Hui and said, "Don't help your father. Your father is a future marquis. This is something he will have to go through sooner or later."

Minghui's grandmother saw through his thoughts and he rubbed his nose, "My grandson won't help."

Boss Zhou, "......"

Is he going to meet the emperor alone? And report back?

At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren was looking through the list. "So many prisoners?"

The prince nodded. "This is only the case in a few states near the capital. Lack of food has caused instability. Last year, there was a war and many people took advantage of the chaos to make money. They were arrested but no one was guilty."

Zhou Shuren, "They are indeed a good labor force."

The prince sighed, "In extraordinary times, severe punishments are used. According to recent reports from various states, the number of crimes has increased significantly. Father's intention is to impose heavy sentences and kill some people to sober up the people."

Zhou Shuren felt heavy in his heart. The land was vast, information was not convenient, grain production was not high, children were born continuously, there were ignorant thoughts, etc. He often felt powerless. Change was not something he could accomplish alone.

"The root cause is still food. People are not getting enough to eat."

The prince has grown rapidly in the past two years. When he sleeps, all he thinks about is food. "It would be great if food production could be high."

Zhou Shuren thought to himself that it would be quicker to dream, "Fortunately, the rich fisheries in the ocean have saved many lives."

The prince's tone became lighter, "Yes, in order to catch better, the fishing nets have been improved."

Zhou Shuren also had a smile on his face. Sometimes people really need to push themselves. In order to catch better, the shipyard built special fishing boats and improved the fishing nets.

Zhou Shuren said, "As for Lu Han's clothes, the cotton production is not high, so we have to think of a solution."

He was shocked when he saw the number of people who died from freezing last year, most of them were elderly people and children.

The prince frowned again, "The main purpose of reclaiming land is to produce food."

Zhou Shuren felt that he was very powerful. He had climbed to his current position and was able to assist the emperor. He had changed a lot. If he had not controlled the market price, the entire market would have been in chaos long ago.

The prince added: "These days, envoys come to the capital to seek help and all they ask for is food. All the countries are having a hard time!"

Zhou Shuren had heard the emperor say this several times. Not only was it difficult, but there were also people trying to imitate it by making fish cakes. Unfortunately, the ship technology was not up to par and could not supply the fish. Instead, it became a delicacy enjoyed exclusively by the powerful and wealthy.

Zhou Shuren also heard from the emperor that people from several nearby countries who had crossed the border and wanted to settle down were now stuck at the border.

Zhou Shuren did not ask the Crown Prince what the Emperor thought. The Emperor had talked to him several times and wanted to ask him if he had any ideas, but he did not want to say anything. Today the Crown Prince brought it up again, also wanting him to give more opinions.

Zhou Shuren's face was filled with worry. "Yes, it's not easy to get by with abnormal weather. This year's spring ploughing will be delayed again. The number of high-quality seeds the emperor has is too small to solve the problem."

The high-quality varieties left by the emperor last year did produce more than in the past, but there are too few of them, and these varieties still need to be selected, etc., which cannot solve the problem.

The prince was silent. He had been coming to the Ministry of Revenue frequently recently, not only because of his father's wish, but he also wanted to hear more of Marquis Zhou's ideas. Sometimes an unintentional word could give him an epiphany. He wanted to hear Marquis Zhou's views on various countries even more.