In previous years, people on the grassland also hoped that the sheep could grow more wool, so that they could survive the winter and would not be easily frozen to death.
Sheep need to be sheared in the summer, and they need to grow more wool in the winter. If they have too much wool, they can't move; if they have too little wool, they will be cold.
Those people didn't like to raise sheep with a lot of wool, but this year was different. Those who raised sheep with a lot of wool made a lot of money. The money bought a lot of food, salt, clothes, etc., and this winter was easier for them.
Others used to think those sheep were bad, and they thought those people shouldn't raise sheep with a lot of wool. Now they no longer say that, and they even want to find sheep with a lot of wool to raise.
"Those culture solutions are really useful." Some herders bought the culture solutions, which can be diluted and used for a long time. They no longer need to travel far to find grass. They can wait until the weather warms up before going further. This will keep them safer, as will their cattle, sheep, and horses.
Some tribal leaders did not think about conquering Daliang's land, but only wanted to own more grasslands. As long as they had enough grasslands and raised enough sheep, they could make a lot of money from Daliang.
This also led to more disputes between some tribes. Even if there was culture medium, some people still wanted more grassland, and disputes were inevitable.
General Xu had been trying to gather information about the tribes on the grasslands. Indeed, wars often broke out between them, and they weren't particularly united. When General Xu learned that some small tribes had been annexed, he wasn't surprised at all. As long as those people didn't move south, it was fine.
Some tribes, fearing attack, united together. Their populations weren't that large, but they still had plenty of grassland. As long as they used it wisely and had culture medium, they could always find a way to raise more livestock.
In the county town, a few days passed, and Liu Yanbo's matter had not been resolved. Su Qiuya visited those who were at the scene one by one and asked them about their situation.
Su Qiuya, a woman, actually came to the door like this. Some people were moved by Su Qiuya's kindness to Liu Yanbo and told the situation at that time. But some people really didn't see the situation clearly at that time and had no idea who made the move.
"There were several people there at the time," the man said. "Maybe someone tripped him, or maybe he fell on his own. It's hard to say."
Some people may have seen it, but in order not to offend others, they did not say anything.
Those people didn't expect Su Qiuya to ask one by one. In the end, whoever said it would be known. This would be considered as offending classmates. If they offended their classmates, would they also be framed in the future? Would others think they were bad?
It’s hard to say about this matter, no one can guarantee what will happen in the future.
Su Qiuya went to find those people, but some of them simply refused to see her because they didn't want to say those things to her.
When Liu Yanbo returned home, he felt distressed when he saw his exhausted wife.
During these few days, the third house stayed in the shop while Su Qiuya went out to look for people. When Liu Yanbo went to the academy to study, some people looked at him differently.
Liu Yanbo doesn't like others looking at him like that, as if he is a scumbag.
"It doesn't matter. If it doesn't work out, just change to another academy." Liu Yanbo said.
"You can change the academy, but what about the future? They will still talk about you." Su Qiuya gritted her teeth. These people were not good people at all. They must be jealous of Liu Yanbo's talent and were afraid that Liu Yanbo would step on them.
"It's okay. There are few people in this world who have never been talked about by others." Liu Yanbo said.
"But..." Su Qiuya said, "Let's wait and see. We must solve it."
Su Qiuya was unwilling to see Liu Yanbo's reputation ruined like this, and she had to resolve this matter.
The next day, Su Qiuya went straight to the academy to argue with the scholars, saying that many people in the countryside separated their families early in life to motivate everyone. If everyone stayed in one home, some would work while others would wait.
"If we really treat the eldest wife badly, how can the eldest brother get better?"
"We just follow the local customs, but not everyone does that."
"Do you dare to say that some of you have never thought about dividing the family? It's just that you are scholars and don't work. You need your family to support your studies."
"My husband didn't use other brothers' money to study. We earned it all ourselves."
…
Su Qiuya was saying that many scholars were just blood-sucking worms. They were spending the money earned by other people in their families, and they were always criticizing others. What right did they have to say that? They were spending money from their families.
Liu Yanbo's family was divided, but after the division, no one else in the family needed to pay for his studies.
Su Qiuya explained the reason for the family division as Liu Yanbo's unwillingness to burden others and refused to let them pay for his studies. As for whether others would think that the other branches were unwilling to let Liu Yanbo study, Su Qiuya did not care.
As a businesswoman, Su Qiuya has good eloquence and actually makes some people believe what she says.
Su Qiuya believed that she had done nothing wrong to anyone in the first house. Liu Yanjing's injury was not caused by the other houses. If the other houses wanted to separate, Liu's mother could use her status as the legal mother to pressure them. Since both Liu's mother and father agreed to the separation, there was nothing to say.
I don’t know if these scholars in the county have been bewitched by others, or if it is because Liu’s mother, the legal mother, does not want Liu Yanbo to be well.
Su Qiuya thought about what Aunt Qing said, and what Liu Yanbo had said before, that Liu's mother didn't want Liu Yanbo to do too well in his studies.
"You didn't see it with your own eyes, yet you talk so convincingly about it. You're not worthy of being scholars," Su Qiuya said. "How could you be so unreasonable?"
The scholars looked unhappy as they were blocked by a woman.
Liu Yanbo watched Su Qiuya do that and he didn't stop her. He was just very moved.
Su Qiuya not only spoke in front of these scholars, but also ran to speak in front of the teacher.
"It doesn't matter if you insult me, but you can't insult my husband." Su Qiuya said, "My husband is a very sincere person..."
Su Qiuya said a lot of good things about Liu Yanbo, and her eyes were red as she spoke.
What Su Qiuya meant was that things were not that easy for their second branch, but these people were just hearsay, and it was clear that they wanted to ruin Liu Yanbo's future. How had Liu Yanbo offended them?
Even if she didn't make it clear, there were illegitimate sons in the academy, so some people would inevitably think that it was Liu Yanbo from the eldest branch of the Liu family, and they couldn't help but sigh.
Liu Yulian and the others from the Liu family's eldest house had no idea what Su Qiuya and the others had said in front of the people from the academy, and Liu Yulian and the others were not keeping an eye on the people from the second house. The county town was still some distance away from the small town, and unless someone deliberately told them, they would not know what was happening in the county town.
A few days passed before the eldest wife of the Liu family learned about the rumors in the county.
At that time, the second and third branches of the Liu family had already come to give New Year gifts, and the first branch also gave some cakes and two pieces of cloth.
Later, Liu's mother learned about what happened in the county and that those people said she was mean. This made Liu's mother very angry. When had she ever been meaner than the second wife?
Liu Yanbo's teacher was a Jinshi (Jinshi) who, like the others, attended the Liu Family Academy, where Liu Yanjing had also studied. Liu's mother did not prevent the Jinshi teacher from teaching Liu Yanbo and the other illegitimate children just because her own son had studied first.
Mother Liu didn't pay attention to the illegitimate children's homework. If their homework was good, that was fine. If their homework was bad, she couldn't always let the teacher beat them. If Father Liu knew about this, he might think she was abusing the illegitimate children.
Who would have thought that people from the second house would think so.
In the room, Liu's father was sitting there. Liu's mother didn't want to endure it any longer, so she told Liu's father directly.
"When have I ever been mean to them?" Liu's mother's eyes were red. "When they were studying, their teacher was a Jinshi (a scholar-official), and he never lacked for cakes and pastries for breakfast and dinner. His pens, ink, paper, and inkstone were all of the best quality. Of course, I may have tested their homework, but as a woman, what was there for me to do? How would I know if they were good at studying?"
“…” Father Liu listened to what Mother Liu said.
"As for the imperial examination, have I ever told him not to take it?" Mother Liu continued, "I've told him several times that he can go, but didn't Aunt Qing always say we should wait? She told him to calm down, but now she's blaming me."
Liu's mother knew that she couldn't keep compromising and had to speak when it was necessary.
"Before, those people were talking about Sister Lian, and now they're talking about me, the legal mother. Who will they talk about next?" Mother Liu said, "If they really don't like us, then don't come here again."
Mother Liu had given those people face before, mainly to show it to Father Liu.
Mother Liu didn't believe that Aunt Qing and the others hadn't done anything. She couldn't be too nice to those people and absolutely couldn't let them continue to discredit them.
"Then tell them not to come." Father Liu was furious about the Second House's affairs. They wanted to clarify things, but this wasn't the way to do it. The Second House was clearly trying to drag the First House into this. Those people knew that someone from the First House wouldn't come to the academy and say those things.
"The second and third houses are so close, they are birds of a feather." said Liu's mother.
"Yes, they are birds of a feather." Father Liu said, "Okay, don't be angry. Ignore them from now on and don't let them come over."
"We can still live well without them coming." Mother Liu sneered, "It's just that they don't want us to live well."
When Liu Yulian learned about the rumors in the county, she was not surprised at all.
The heroine Su Qiuya is such a person. Su Qiuya must suspect that it was the eldest wife who wanted to damage Liu Yanbo's reputation.
In the original novel, Su Qiuya and the others believed that the first wife was the worst kind, that she didn't want the second wife to have a good life, and that she was constantly plotting to harm them. Even if someone else told them, they would still blame it on the first wife.
It's because they were divided into legitimate and illegitimate children that their relationship was not that good from the beginning.
Su Qiuya had such a family background, so she did not doubt what Aunt Qing said and felt that the eldest wife was indeed not a good person.
In the original novel, Su Qiuya thought so when the eldest wife was in poverty; now that the eldest wife is living well, Su Qiuya still thinks so.
Liu Yulian just thought it was ridiculous. Many novels were like that, and there had to be some extremely bad relatives. No matter whether other people's behavior was extremely bad or not, they were always from the perspective of the protagonist.
Just like Liu Yulian would think Su Qiuya is not good from her own perspective. If others were to stand in Su Qiuya's perspective, they might think that Su Qiuya should have done that.
That night, Father Liu thought a lot. The second and third rooms were so troublesome. The third room was actually okay, except for Concubine Chai who was troublesome. The second room would make a big move whenever it got angry.
He was just a bastard's son, a bastard who had just passed the examination to become a student. He didn't get the first place, but only a middle place. How could Liu Yanbo have the nerve to say that it was his mother who oppressed him?
This is the northwest, and people here aren't as good at studying as those in Beijing. Liu Yanbo only managed to get a low ranking here, which isn't great.
Since the second branch doesn't want relatives like them, it would be better to just cut off the relationship.
Such a thought flashed through Liu's father's mind, but Liu Yanbo was his biological son after all, so how could he be so cruel so easily?
But the second wife is in this situation now, what about the future?
Father Liu didn't sleep all night. He just closed his eyes. As soon as he closed his eyes, scenes from the past appeared in his mind.
When the sun rose, Father Liu simply said, "Let's break off the engagement."
"Break off the relationship?" It's not that Liu's mother hadn't thought about this, but she didn't dare to say it because she was afraid that Liu's father would be unhappy. She didn't expect Liu's father to say it.
"If something like this happens again, once more, the engagement will be severed." Father Liu thought that the eldest wife also had to save face. If the engagement was severed when the eldest wife rose up, it would easily be criticized. It would be better to wait a little longer.
"Are you reluctant?" Mother Liu didn't expect Father Liu to say that.
"Why would I be reluctant to give it up?" Father Liu said, "They simply wouldn't consider me as their father."
Father Liu had long understood these people, but even though they were his sons after all, he couldn't bring himself to do anything cruel to them. He had other concerns to consider, and he was worried about damaging his eldest son's reputation.
Forget about the other sons, but we still have to pay attention to the reputation of the eldest son.
After the emperor granted the marriage, Liu Yanjing and Princess Zhaoyang had not yet married. It would be bad for them to break off the relationship with the second branch.
Father Liu thought that after Princess Zhaoyang married into the family, she could handle these matters. He was old and easily soft-hearted, so he was not suitable to handle these matters.
"I'm not easy to deal with, I'm soft-hearted." Father Liu said bluntly, "I'm just making things difficult for you."
When Mrs. Liu heard what Mr. Liu said, she felt much more at ease.
As long as Father Liu doesn't always stand on the side of those families, it will be fine.
Ever since the family split, Liu's mother could sense Liu's father's disappointment in those people, time and again. Liu's mother thought this was a good thing; once Liu's father's disappointment reached a certain level, he wouldn't bother with them anymore.
Those people like to make trouble, so let them make trouble as much as they want.
It was impossible for Liu's mother to consider those illegitimate sons anymore, nor could she help them more. She had already done her best for them.
When the time comes, the eldest wife of the Liu family will give a betrothal gift to Princess Zhaoyang. The family does not have that much money or that many valuable things, so there will be nothing valuable in the betrothal gift.
That would seem very shabby.
Liu Yulian had good craftsmanship and embroidery skills, but it was impossible for her to make wedding clothes for her future sister-in-law. She planned to ask the wool workshop to make some beautiful wool yarn, as well as some high-quality silk and cotton cloth.
Princess Zhaoyang knew that the eldest wife of the Liu family did not have so many good things, so she did not say much. When the time came, she would accept whatever betrothal gift the eldest wife of the Liu family gave her.
On this day, Princess Zhaoyang went to the Liu family's main house again. She had already heard the rumors in the county town.
Fortunately, this is not the capital. If it were the capital, others would definitely think that the Liu family did not manage their illegitimate son well and allowed him to soar to the sky.
"I'm sorry to make the princess laugh at me." Liu Yulian said.
"What a joke," Princess Zhaoyang said. "Every family has its own problems. You don't need to worry about it. I'll handle it later."
Princess Zhaoyang spoke frankly, without beating around the bush. Liu Yulian, her sister-in-law, would be around thirteen after the Lunar New Year. A girl like her should enjoy her parents' love instead of getting into so much trouble.
People like the Second House aren't easy to deal with. Didn't you see how few people from the Second House came to see the First House? The Second House didn't ask for favors. Just like this time, the Second House was concerned about Liu Yanbo's reputation, fearing it would affect his imperial examinations.
If the people from the Liu family's main branch were to act aggressively, it would only confirm the rumors outside.
It is indeed the best option at the moment for the people in the first wife to ignore the people in the second wife.
"I will embroider any kind of screen that the princess likes." Liu Yulian thought. She did not do anything else. She just wrote down the embroidery patterns every day. She did not need to embroider too many patterns. She could embroider double-sided ones with flowers, birds, insects and fish. She should embroider them quickly without taking up the entire screen.
"No rush, come later." Princess Zhaoyang didn't want Liu Yulian to rush, as it would hurt her eyes. "We'll embroider later, after we become a family."
"Some strawberries are ripe earlier this year," Liu Yulian said. "We can pick some first."
"Your brother will be back soon, right?" asked Princess Zhaoyang.
"It should be." Liu Yulian nodded.
"When the time comes, have him pick it for you." Princess Zhaoyang thought for a moment and said, "Your fiancé should come over by then, so your elder brother won't have to help you pick it."
"..." Liu Yulian's cheeks felt a little hot, she couldn't argue with Princess Zhaoyang.
Princess Zhaoyang was more open and less reserved. She had been married once before, so it was better for her to be more open.
Princess Zhaoyang thought of her former sister-in-law and the family of her previous husband. Those people were not so kind. They all thought they were relatives of the princess, and some even used her name to make trouble outside.
She didn't know what the other princesses thought, but as a princess, she didn't want others to use her name to cause trouble outside.
Princess Zhaoyang did not allow anyone to use her name, which also offended her in-laws.
As time went by, Princess Zhaoyang's relationship with them became even worse.
If a family has many people, that's not a big deal. What I'm worried about is that some people will use your identity to do all kinds of things and bully men and women.
"I have a fox fur coat that I haven't worn yet. It's perfect for you," Princess Zhaoyang said. "I'll bring it to you next time you come."
"It's not cold." Liu Yulian tightened her down jacket.
"You won't be cold dressed like this. The fox fur looks nice on you." Princess Zhaoyang said with a smile, "You're a little girl too, so dress nicely. When your brothers come back, you can show them your little head."
Liu Yulian thought of He Xiyuan. She thought she should have someone take the quilts and other items out to dry in the sun. After drying, the quilts would be more comfortable to cover themselves with. She wondered if He Xiyuan would bring more wood carvings this time. He Xiyuan's craftsmanship must have improved.
On the other side, He Xiyuan was indeed packing his things. He would go back in two days and he would be able to see his lovely fiancée. Sister Lian would definitely become even more beautiful.
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