On the day of the opening of the orphanage, Han Zhongyu, Xie Yushu, and Xuan Yuanche went there together from the manor.
When they arrived, merchants and officials of all ranks from Tai'an Prefecture were already there, and there were many onlookers at the entrance.
There are very few orphanages in Daqi. Instead, there are girls who do not want to be bound by male power and become self-combing women, living together in "auntie houses".
On the contrary, disabled children or baby girls are more likely to be abandoned and have nowhere to go. They end up as beggars, living by begging. Every year, some freeze to death, starve to death, or die of disease.
Zhou Yi'an's orphanage can be considered to have filled a gap in charitable facilities.
However, this aid also needs to be regulated. If there are no rules or regulations, and people send their elderly and children who don't want to be cared for to the aid, things will get chaotic.
So, not long after Han Zhongyu sat down, Zhou Yi'an brought him the draft regulations to review. Han Zhongyu then had Xie Yushu, the yamen documents, and several other important personnel look at them together to see if there were any loopholes or inappropriate rules.
The group gathered together to study it for a while, making some revisions and finalizing it before handing it back to Zhou Yi'an. They were just waiting for it to be rewritten before going to the government office to get it stamped.
With the most important matters settled, everyone returned to their seats. Zhou Yi'an needed to explain why she had invited them, so she cleared her throat and began...
"Please be quiet for a moment, I have a few words to say."
With Han Zhongyu and a few others present, everyone, though not very familiar with Zhou Yi'an, still gave her a lot of face.
Seeing that everyone had stopped talking and were looking at him, Zhou Yi'an spoke up.
"First of all, thank you all for accepting the invitation to attend the opening ceremony of the Tzu Yu Institute."
Some of you may know me, and some may not. Let me introduce myself. My name is Zhou Yi'an. I am the only son of the Grand Tutor's family. My mother, or more precisely, my aunt, is the younger sister of Zhang Zhidao, the previous prefect of Tai'an Prefecture. I am Zhang Zhidao's nephew.
Zhou Yi'an was relatively low-key when he arrived here. Apart from those inside the government office who knew his background, most people were not familiar with him, and even more surprised that he was Zhang Zhidao's nephew. The scene was immediately in an uproar.
Zhou Yi'an had anticipated this scene, so she didn't defend Zhang Zhidao or herself, but directly admitted her mistake.
“I know that my uncle did a very bad job when he was in office, and I feel deeply ashamed about it. I cannot change the established facts that have already happened. However, I opened this orphanage today to atone for my uncle’s sins to the people of Tai’an Prefecture.”
This orphanage not only takes in orphans, but also disabled elderly people without children to support them. If anyone in the family has an emergency or difficulty and can't get through it, and the situation is true, they can also come here to apply for assistance. The amount of assistance ranges from three hundred copper coins to one tael of silver, depending on the circumstances.
Of course, the prerequisite is that the situation is true, and there must be a certificate from the village head, town head, or government office. If there is nothing wrong at home and the person is deliberately trying to take advantage of the situation, then it will be considered a crime of fraud.
I have already sent my uncle, Zhang Zhidao, to the capital during his time as an official, and sold all the property he gave me to maintain this orphanage. Since these things were taken from Tai'an Prefecture, I will definitely use all of this money for Tai'an Prefecture.
The reasons I've invited everyone here today are threefold: first, to bear witness for Mr. Zhou; second, to ask for your supervision; and third, to ask you all to spread the word and, if you encounter anyone who meets the criteria, please help bring them here.
Mr. Zhou thanks everyone in advance.
After Zhou Yi'an finished speaking, the scene fell silent.
No one expected that Zhou Yi'an opened this orphanage to atone for Zhang Zhidao's sins. To be honest, they had been really wronged by that bastard Zhang Zhidao, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they hated Zhang Zhidao to the bone. But Zhou Yi'an wasn't Zhang Zhidao's biological son, just his nephew.
To put it bluntly, Zhang Zhidao's embezzlement and bribery, and his exploitation of the people, were not for his nephew, but for his son. The nephew only got some things, and now he's selling them to atone for his uncle's sins. That's quite generous of him. This debt shouldn't be attributed to Zhou Yi'an, right?
Having figured it out, everyone offered to help.
People's hearts are still mostly inclined to be good. No one can bear to see people freezing or starving to death on the street. Zhou Yi'an's orphanage has indeed benefited many people. With everyone doing good deeds and someone taking the lead, it's no problem for others to lend a hand.
Seeing that everyone was supportive of him, Zhou Yi'an felt completely relieved and signaled to the kitchen to serve the dishes and begin the meal.
Hearing that Zhou Yi'an had such a magnanimous heart, Han Zhongyu and the others looked at Zhou Yi'an with great respect and their attitude towards him became much more pleasant. It's not easy to find someone like him; a good bamboo shoot has emerged from a bad one!
As for Ruyi, ever since Xie Yushu and her group arrived, she had been secretly observing and identifying her target. She then stayed close to Han Zhongyu, personally serving him tea and water.
However, all those who came were people of status. Han Zhongyu was the governor of Tai'an Prefecture, so it was not surprising that he was surrounded by people. Moreover, many merchants who came also came to make connections. Ruyi's involvement among them did not attract attention. At the same time, she also became familiar with Han Zhongyu, which made him lower his guard.
Finally, after exchanging pleasantries and saying everything that needed to be said, it was time to begin the meal.
Ruyi naturally stayed at Han Zhongyu's table to serve him.
At Han Zhongyu's table, there were only four people: the host Zhou Yi'an, Xie Yushu, Xuan Yuanche, and Han Zhongyu. Ruyi deliberately chose to stand next to Han Zhongyu.
Perhaps it was a woman's intuition, but Xie Yushu instinctively felt that this Ruyi was a little too meticulous for Han Zhongyu.
Even if she wanted to entertain them well on behalf of Zhou Yi'an, in terms of status, Xuan Yuanche was the most senior, followed by her, and then Han Zhongyu. But this girl ignored Xuan Yuanche and the other two, yet she served Han Zhongyu very well, which was very strange!
Even if someone wanted to climb the social ladder, their first choice would be Zhou Yi'an, not Han Zhongyu, whom they had just met.
Han Zhongyu, however, didn't notice anything amiss. He merely felt she was in the way and said something indifferently.
"You don't need to stay here. I'll call you if anything happens."
Ruyi listened and responded.
"Yes, Lord Han, I will leave after I have set out the food."
Han Zhongyu had no choice but to go along with her.
As they were talking, the maids came over with the blessing steamed buns.
The snow-white steamed buns are dotted with bright red dots, making them look festive and cute, and symbolizing abundant blessings.
Ruyi turned around seemingly naturally and took the plate from the little girl. She lightly tapped a steamed bun on the edge of the plate twice with her right index finger, and the arsenic she had hidden under her fingernail silently landed on the red dot on the bun.
While it's still hot from the steamer, rub the red spot a couple of times, and the arsenic powder will blend directly with the red spot on the steamed bun, making it look completely normal.
Ruyi had practiced these few small movements many times in private, and she could do them in the blink of an eye, without even the maid who was handing over the plate to her noticing.
Ruyi turned around and, seeing that everyone was alright, felt slightly relieved. She thoughtfully distributed the steamed buns, and the poisoned bun naturally ended up in Han Zhongyu's bowl.
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