Lu Baichuan and the others agreed with Qin Jian's words. After thinking for a moment, Lu Baichuan still expressed his own opinion: "Your Majesty, rest assured, my father has already planted the seeds that Xiao Yang brought back earlier, and the harvest is very good. They are gradually being spread. Once war breaks out, the Lu family is willing to do its best for the court!"
The implication was that all the grain should be put into the war effort, free of charge.
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped. So much grain, just given away like that!
Truly extravagant!
No wonder the Emperor dotes on the Lu family so much; they really help when they need it!
The emperor was equally pleased, clapping his hands and saying, "Good, good, good! Bai Chuan truly understands what I'm worried about. But don't worry, I won't take this grain for nothing; I will reward you handsomely when the time comes!"
Lu Baichuan humbly replied, "It is my duty to share the Emperor's burdens, and it is even more my duty to serve the people. I come from humble origins and understand how difficult life is for ordinary people. Now that I have some ability, I naturally hope to enable the people to live a better life and no longer worry about food."
"Well said! Then let's do it this way. I will announce it at the morning court tomorrow!"
The emperor was very happy. He had expected this battle. He had thought that if the Eastern Court had behaved itself, he wouldn't have bothered with it. But the Eastern Court had gone too far, targeting innocent women right from the start. This had crossed the emperor's line. If he suppressed the matter, he would have truly disgraced his ancestors.
The next morning, when the emperor announced the matter in the imperial court, there were still people who objected. Some said that the war would cause suffering to the people, while others said that the national treasury was empty. In short, there were always excuses to stop it.
The emperor wrote down all the people who spoke and later ordered an investigation. Sure enough, it was discovered that several people had secret dealings with the Eastern Court, so he immediately sent people to confiscate their property.
After this incident, no one in the court voiced any objections anymore. After all, the Lu family had taken care of the food supplies, and other problems had been resolved. If they were to find another excuse to stop them, they would be close to having their property confiscated.
Upon returning home, Lu Baichuan told his family about it. When the old man Lu mentioned that the grain he had grown was to be sent to the battlefield, he immediately stood up excitedly. He never expected that his old bones could make such a great contribution to the country. He immediately stood up and said, "In war, provisions are the most important thing. Although we don't know how long the war will last, the more provisions the better. I can't waste any more time at home. I'll pack up and go to the estate to see if there are any ways to increase production. I can't let down the Emperor's trust in our family."
This time, Madam Sun did not object, and said, "I'll go with you."
Now that her granddaughter is in school and has a tutor to look after her, Jiang Jiuniang is busy with medical school matters and won't be traveling far for the time being. She also has time to accompany her husband to do some important things that benefit the country and its people.
She was a skilled farmer when she was young, and now she doesn't have to lift a finger; she just directs the people below to do it. It's not tiring at all, so she's very happy to do it.
This matter is of great importance. No one in the family is stopping him. Lu Lao Er has been busy at the estate for the past few days. Qin Shi also wanted to go and see him, but she thought about how her youngest son had just started school and was a headache to deal with, so she couldn't leave. Otherwise, she would have gone to the estate to help out for a few days as well.
Seeing her parents-in-law's efforts, Madam Yu also spoke up, "I can help inquire about some military supplies and guarantee that we can buy the best things at the cheapest price to help the Emperor share his burdens."
Jiang Jiuniang originally wanted to say that there were people in the court who would take care of these matters, but considering that this was also a kind gesture from Madam Yu, she didn't say anything. After all, she was familiar with the Empress, and Madam Yu could show the Empress the compiled list directly. If it was more cost-effective than the list compiled by those people in the court, then it would be replaced directly.
Anyway, the Lu family has already offended so many people in the court, one more won't make a difference.
When Ruozheng and Zhuzhu saw this, they couldn't help but admire the Lu family's patriotism and selflessness. They donated so much grain so readily, and the whole family was so passionate. They couldn't compare to them.
After the whole family had dispersed, the two women asked Jiang Jiuniang how she managed not to feel any heartache.
Jiang Jiuniang replied, “Possessing a treasure is a crime. The Emperor is well aware that we grow grain on our estate. After all, Xiao Yang and the others traveled with the Emperor's permission, which made their journeys much easier and safer. If we don't offer any recognition, we will definitely offend the Emperor. Furthermore, many people in the court are jealous of the Lu family, always feeling that the Lu family has received a lot of benefits. If we don't take the initiative to give them back, people will definitely talk. Rather than being forced to give them back, it's better to take the initiative from the beginning. This way, we can also earn the Emperor's favor and a good reputation among the people. It's a win-win situation.”
"Moreover, although it's all given away for free, the emperor will definitely reward us. It's just a different way of saying it. The emperor is happy to receive it, we are happy to give it, the soldiers are happy to eat it, and the people are happy because they won't be forced to collect grain. That's the most important thing."
Ruozheng and Zhuzhu were stunned. They had been short-sighted. They had only been there a short time and were unaware of the current situation. They had even thought that the Lu family were saints, giving away the seeds and carefully cultivated food they had worked so hard to find and so happily. They were very worried about their mental state.
Now that Jiang Jiuniang has said this, they belatedly realize that it is they who should be worried about their mental state.
"In that case, a great battle is just around the corner, and I need to hurry up and train my troops! I've decided that I'll move to the barracks starting tomorrow to improve the soldiers' abilities and minimize casualties."
Jiang Jiuniang nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.
"What about me? Should I go stay at the military camp for a few days too?"
Ruozheng was very curious. They would definitely have to go to war, but she had been in the laboratory and had never been to a military camp. What if she went there later and was not familiar with it?
Jiang Jiuniang patted her shoulder to reassure her and comforted her, saying, "Baichuan and Zhuzhu are in charge of training the soldiers, so you can focus on your experiments and do more things that are useful for the war. Putting your skills to the extreme is much more useful than going directly to the battlefield."
Ruozheng thought about it and realized that it was indeed true, which made him feel much more at ease.
The three little ones have started reading. Xiangxiang is the most diligent, as she was the one who suggested it herself, and she studies with extra care. Next is Jiang Luo. She originally thought reading was quite boring, but seeing her little niece working so hard, she felt that as her aunt, she couldn't fall behind Xiangxiang, so she forced herself to listen attentively in class.
The worst performer was Xiaodoudou. He was forced to come to school, and his displeasure was written all over his face. In the first few days, he threw a lot of tantrums.
Xiangxiang was very clever. During recess, she went to visit Xiaodoudou, who was throwing a tantrum, and asked in her childish voice, "Brother Doudou, do you want to go farm instead of studying?"
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