Chapter 68 Spring Breeze Clover blooms for the spring, small,...
Clover blooms small purple flowers in spring. Clusters of purple flowers stand close together, and from a distance they look like a faint purple mist.
Mu Xue's blue cloth shoes brushed against a small purple flower as she passed by the ridge. In order to make it easier to walk between the ridges, she had changed into a blue cloth shirt these days, without any jewelry, looking as simple as a country girl.
Seeing her like this, Dorji was tempted to play with her, so he also got a set of blue flowered cloth and put it on, running around in the fields. The hand that was used to holding the bow and arrow suddenly picked up the hoe, a little clumsy. The younger farmers were concerned about his identity, and wanted to laugh, but didn't dare to laugh, just walked by with a strange face. Old Liu, who had poor eyesight, didn't recognize her, but only vaguely saw a tall man swinging the hoe like a greenhorn, shaking his head: "Young man, how can you plough the land like this?"
When Xiao Liu came over from the border to bring water to his father, he looked closely and saw that his father was scolding the young prince for the way he used the hoe to hoe the ground like he was scolding his son. His hands trembled and he almost broke the earthenware bowl.
He immediately stepped forward, bowed and scraped, and pulled his father aside in the name of asking for water.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"Teach this young man a lesson," Old Liu turned his head and looked back. He looked better and nodded, "It's better now. You were just standing there for show before."
"Do you know who he is?"
"I know. This young man said that he wanted to help his wife serve his father-in-law and get the land given by his father. How wonderful."
Xiao Liu almost fainted: "That? It's the young prince! The princess's husband, the emperor's son-in-law."
"Nonsense—"
Old Liu turned his head again and saw a woman in blue carrying a wicker basket to deliver water. At present, there was only one woman who could appear in the fields in this area, and that was the princess.
The father and son looked at each other, and in perfect tacit understanding, they walked further and further away.
The rattan basket contained a teapot, teacups and a box of milk tofu.
Mu Xue poured a large bowl of tea and handed it to him: "Why are you sweating so much?"
"I've got the hang of it." Dorji took it, tilted his head back and gulped it down, then looked at her and smiled, "We are like that kind of people now, how do we say it, men farm and women weave."
Muxue looked down at her own clothes, then at his short shirt and muddy legs, thinking of some rough man literature, and couldn't help but smile secretly.
"What did you think of?"
Dorji raised his eyebrows slightly. The princess looked down with a secret smile on her face, which meant that she must have thought of something strange and interesting in her mind, so he urged her to ask.
If it were in the past, Mu Xue would probably say "nothing" and then brush it off. She always kept these interesting things or experiences that were beyond the current situation very secret in her heart, enjoying them alone and not telling anyone about them, for fear that others would find them strange and then question her.
But now, facing Dorji's eyes as clear as the grassland, she thought, maybe she could try to tell him?
Mu Xue made up a more contemporary story based on the essence of the story, about a young lady from a country gentry family who fell in love with the handsome farmhand because of his physique...
As she talked, she paid close attention to Dorji's expression. If she sensed any impatience or boredom, she would not talk to him next time.
Dorji, however, was listening very attentively. He was a very good listener. I don't know if it was because he cared about her and was willing to listen carefully, or if it was just his nature.
After listening to it, he asked excitedly: "Then how can a farmhand like me with my appearance and physique get the attention of a lady like you?"
Mu Xue was stuck for a moment, her eyes wandered to his arms that were bulging from hoeing the ground, and she just smiled: "Hmm... maybe."
"What do you mean by maybe? I have the capital." Dorji said as he was about to lift up his shirt to let her witness it.
Mu Xue's eyes widened, and she quickly rushed over to grab his hand, looking around in embarrassment.
"Outside?
Dorji nodded in understanding: "Yes, the young lady's farmhands cannot be shown to outsiders at will."
Just one sentence made Mu Xue burst into laughter.
Such a girl who was often depressed was actually amused by herself. Dorji felt happy and satisfied.
He took the opportunity to kiss Muxue on the cheek.
"You look very pretty when you smile."
Mu Xue smiled and tilted her head: "Yes, I look good no matter what."
After having some fun with Dorji, Muxue returned with a smile to the open flat land in front, where several people were building boards and raising the wall.
Farmland is fixed, no need to move around like shepherds chasing water and grass. Mu Xue ordered the eunuchs to build some simple plank houses.
They are all rammed earth walls, and there is no need to build kilns and burn bricks. First, a lot of soil is dug out, and some sand is brought from the riverbed nearby. They are mixed together in proportion, and lime is added. While preparing the materials, the foundation is dug, and then the wall panels are rammed.
In order to let the farmers settle down as soon as possible and facilitate management, Mu Xue specially asked the eunuch Zhuang to announce an order that those who built houses within one month of renting the land could have their land rent reduced accordingly. The house was going to be built anyway, and building it now would bring some benefits, so it was natural that they had to occupy it. Everyone responded enthusiastically. Holding hammers, they hammered the walls with big and small hammers, and the scene was in full swing.
Mu Xue watched the rammed earth wall for a while, thinking that in another ten days or so, the first batch of houses would probably be completed. By then, Jiang Zhuangtou, who had already rushed to Shaohukou to gather farmers, should be able to return with a large group of new people.
All these farmers add up to several hundred people, and it is estimated that they are the size of a village. When there are so many people, management is very important. It is difficult for the eunuch and the head of the village to handle personnel affairs. It takes a long time to sort out the issue of renting land. In the future, as more and more farmers come to farm, there will be more and more troubles. There must be a good framework for people to manage and organize them properly.
Mu Xue has been in the palace for many years. To be honest, she has no idea about how the rural grassroots of the Qing Dynasty are organized. If she were to create village rules based on her imagination or based on the rules of later generations, it would probably not work. In the final analysis, it is still necessary to be a proper official to be familiar with formulating rules.
However, although there are garrisons and the Dutong Mansion in the area near Guihua City, it is still basically managed in the style of the grassland. The cultivated land in these official and palace villages has only appeared in recent years, and there is no systematic plan for farmers and rural areas. Even if there is, Muxue does not want them to interfere with her rouge land.
After many considerations, the people around her picked and chose, and only Chief Smussen was left as an option.
Mu Xue asked Eunuch Zhuang: "Where is the Chief Secretary? I asked him to come and see me earlier."
Eunuch Zhuang was an honest man. He hesitated for a moment and said, "He did come to see me, but he went back to rest first."
In the princess's tent camp, there is still a ray of sunset before the dusk fades away.
The chief, Smussen, sat on a small stool, picked up the small wine pot and took a sip of sorghum wine. Alas, this is still better than mare's milk.
Another day passed so quickly, he thought absentmindedly.
When he was a child, every day was extremely long. He looked forward to eating snacks and steamed buns, looking forward to the teacher who taught Confucian classics to finish the class early, and looking forward to finishing the big characters under his pen early. How long will it take for the spring break to come? Can I go to the temple fair with my friends? I just hate that the days are too long and I can't grow up all of a sudden.
But now that I am old, every day has suddenly become shorter. It's like I was tricked by a merchant into buying a candle that was underweight. It burned chaotically, and time was burned to ashes in the smoke, passing in a flash. What happened yesterday, the day before yesterday, and even a month ago are all a little unclear, just chaotic. I was still in the snowy grassland a moment ago, but now I have been brought by the princess to the farm of Guihua City where spring is bright and beautiful.
Whether the days are long or short, it doesn't matter anyway, this is how life will be. It won't get better, and it's hard to get worse.
He went to work every day and completed the tasks assigned by the princess. The rest of the time he spent drinking. When the guard Tong Shoulu was not on duty, he would call him over, drink and complain, lamenting his bad luck.
"I was so glorious and promising back then. At the age of seventeen, I passed the Imperial Household Department exam and got first place. But fate played a trick on me. I was on the wrong side and offended people. I sat on the bench for more than ten years and was exiled to this frontier."
In fact, he had said these words over and over again, and he didn't know how many times he had said them. However, there was always a tank in his heart, as if he had endless grievances that he could never express.
As the last ray of dusk faded, he sat on a stool, lost in thought in the darkness, thinking back to the past. Some of those who ranked behind him back then now hold important positions in the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Six Ministries. It was heartbreaking to think about it.
"What kind of wine is Changshi drinking? How about letting me have a taste?"
This familiar female voice woke Mu Sen up from the past. He immediately stood up and reported to the princess, "I have almost finished the rules for the farm you ordered me to do, and I will give them to you tomorrow."
The princess nodded without comment, but sat down on the small stool and looked out at the fields in the distance, just like him.
"I can see the sun but not Chang'an. Is the Chief Secretary looking in the direction of the capital?"
Mu Sen lowered his hands and said, "Princess, please forgive me for making a fool of myself."
The princess picked a small purple flower. Perhaps it was the alfalfa seeds from the field over there that were blown over by the wind, and some of them had grown here as well.
She looked at the purple flowers in the night and suddenly said, "You may not believe it, but I have indeed experienced this kind of pain."
Mu Sen was unsure what she meant.
The princess chuckled and said, "You have such great talent, but you have never been able to expand your horizons. This is indeed a very despairing thing."
She turned her head to look at him: "But no matter how desperate and painful it is, some things are already destined and cannot be changed. You are a smart person and well-read. Do you remember the poem written by Li Bai at Xie Tiao Tower in Xuanzhou?"
Mu Sen said: "Those who left me, yesterday's day cannot be kept; those who disturbed my heart, today's day is full of worries."
There was a mocking smile on his tired face, but it was hard to see clearly in the darkness: "It's true. But knowing is easier than doing."
"Indeed, but now I have realized something," the princess said, "maybe doing a little thing will make you feel better."
"Since you claim to have the will to serve the country and the people, then right now, these small farm tasks are also the most basic bricks and stones. Doing some practical things down to earth may make you feel better." The princess continued, "Perhaps you can stop thinking of yourself as the chief historian of the princess's mansion and pretend to be a village chief or a county magistrate. The things you can do are the same. Whether it is good or bad, you will only understand it after you do it yourself."
She smiled and said, "Maybe when you really do these things, you'll find that you're not cut out for them, and then there's no such thing as being unappreciated for your talent."
Mu Sen looked at this master who was old enough to be his little daughter, was silent for a while, and said: "Princess, are you trying to provoke me?"
The princess shook her head. "You are a very smart person. You have a lot of experience and knowledge. You naturally have your own ideas. I can't change your mind with just a few provocative words."
"Then? Why did the princess come here?"
The words he spoke already had a tone of resistance.
A soft sigh was heard.
She stood up and handed him the small purple flower in her hand: "I'm here to remind you that another spring has arrived."
Mu Sen stared at the flower for a while, then took it hesitantly.
The princess said, "I hope you can figure it out. Is it this wine or some other small action that can make your life better?"
She said nothing more, turned and walked away, toward the servant who was waiting silently with a lantern beside her, and left.
The spring breeze made the purple flower petals in his palm tremble slightly, and Mu Sen took a long breath.
He pondered for a long time, and finally re-lit the candle in the second half of the night, crumpled up the rules he had written, and ground the ink and spread the paper again.
Give it a try, it can't get any worse.
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