The place was rather small, with limited chairs. Apart from the main princes who sat down to eat, everyone else squatted outside to eat their food. When Huang Xuan heard about the situation, he personally brought the food over and also brought two helpers to serve the food. He knew the two princes' preferences well, and all the tableware and utensils were provided, which saved Tian Yu a lot of trouble. Otherwise, she really wouldn't know how to serve the two princes, especially the picky crown prince who was even more difficult to serve!
At the dinner table, the prince and crown prince hesitated to touch their chopsticks. Tian Yu kept giving them meaningful glances, but they still wouldn't eat. Tian Yu asked, "Aren't you two hungry?"
Prince Wu reached for his chopsticks, but dropped them as soon as he picked them up. The Crown Prince sneered, picked up his chopsticks, and looked pained. He managed to grab some food, but then quickly put them down in pain. Tian Yu picked up Prince Wu's hand and turned it over to look at it. She saw that his palms were all scraped and bleeding. No wonder he refused to do anything. Tian Yu rolled her eyes at them speechlessly and shouted outside, "The Crown Prince and the Prince are crippled. Who's going to feed them?"
As soon as Tian Yu finished speaking, two servants rushed into the courtyard. They were a eunuch serving the Crown Prince and a servant of the Prince. The two quickly picked up food to serve their master, but judging from their shaky movements, their hands were probably not much better. Tian Yu wanted to laugh, but she held it in. She beckoned to Qiu Ju beside her, and then instructed Xiao Cui to serve the Crown Prince and Qiu Ju to serve the Prince. Only then did they officially begin the meal. The Crown Prince had many demands, and ordinary people really couldn't serve him. Tian Yu had already experienced his picky behavior firsthand. Even though he was so hungry, he only ate two bites and kept wiping this and that, making Xiao Cui almost cry. If it weren't for the princess, she probably would have been dragged out and flogged.
After the meal, Tian Yu went to Li Xingyun's place to get some ointment and distributed it to them, telling them to wipe their hands with it and not to get it wet, and that it would be fine in a couple of days.
Prince Wu stretched out his hand in front of Tian Yu, who slapped it hard. The prince winced in pain, which made the Crown Prince chuckle mischievously. Tian Yu tossed the medicine to the princess and went to the fields with Qiu Ju and the servants. The rice had been harvested, but the work wasn't over yet; there was still much to be done. This was just the beginning.
Fortunately, the weather was good afterwards, and the rice was finally harvested. The injuries to Prince Wu and the Crown Prince's hands were not in vain. When the Emperor found out, he praised them highly and personally issued an edict ordering all officials to learn from the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince, to experience the hardships of the common people, so that they could protect the people and the kingdom of Wu.
After the rice harvest, Tian Yu tried planting wheat using the same method. One day, while Tian Yu and everyone else were planting, a group of people in tattered clothes came from afar. Tian Yu thought they were beggars. When they came closer, Tian Yu went up to check on them. To her surprise, they knelt down and begged, "Madam, please have pity on us. We haven't eaten for several days."
A woman holding a child cried, "Madam, please save us, save my child, he's dying."
Tian Yu quickly helped them up, picked up the child in the woman's arms, and said, "Don't panic, everyone. I have some food here. You can eat first." After saying that, she instructed Qiu Ju to bring them the sesame seed cakes and dishes that were prepared for lunch.
"Thank you, Madam!"
"Thank you, Madam!"
Tian Yu touched the child and felt that his breathing was very weak, so she asked, "What's wrong with the child?"
"She has never been full since birth. She has been begging for food all this way and has fallen ill. She is dying. Please, madam, save her!" the woman said, kneeling down and crying.
"Get up first, come with me." Tian Yu told the others to wait there, and that someone would bring food soon. Then she led the woman, carrying the child, to find Li Xingyun.
Inside the thatched hut, Tian Yu asked anxiously, "Brother, quickly take a look at this child?"
Tian Yu placed the child on the bed. Li Xingyun examined the child and took his pulse. Tian Yu asked anxiously, "How is he? Is there any hope?"
"Doctor, you must save my child, my poor child!" the woman cried again.
“It’s a bit tricky, but I’ll try my best.” After saying that, Li Xingyun took a pill and handed it to Tian Yu, saying, “Crush this and have him drink it.” Then he went to write the prescription and instructed Xiao Wu to get the medicine.
Tian Yu comforted the woman, saying, "Don't worry, we will do our best to help you. Get up first. I've had someone prepare some food. Eat something so you'll have the strength to take care of the child."
Tian Yu asked Lvliu to bring some food to the woman and to cook some rice porridge. She then poured water and crushed the pills, feeding them to the child little by little.
Tian Yu asked the woman to stay for the time being until the child recovered, and then they would make further plans. After Tian Yu settled the mother and child and returned to the fields, everyone else had eaten and was resting by the roadside. Since there wasn't enough food, Ji Feng went to the city to buy some steamed buns and dumplings, which solved everyone's lunch problem.
In the afternoon, Tian Yu and her servants continued farming. The group of refugees, who had rested by the roadside for a while, all rushed to the fields to help. Seeing this, Tian Yu said loudly, "No need for your help, thank you! Thank you!"
Upon seeing this, the group of people knelt down abruptly. Tian Yu hurriedly pulled the people in front of her and said, "Everyone, you mustn't, you mustn't, get up quickly, get up and talk."
But everyone was kneeling on the ground and refused to get up. The old man who was leading the group said, "Please, madam, take us in! Please give us some food!"
"Please, madam, take us in and give us some food!" The people behind also kowtowed and said.
"Please stop this, get up first, let's talk this out."
"Madam, we fled all the way here. Along the way, some starved to death, and some died of disease. Of the hundred or so people, only these few remain. Please have pity on us and give us some food!" the old man said.
"Madam, you are so kind and compassionate. You are the only one who has been willing to give us a meal along the way. I, an old woman, don't care about anything else. Please give my grandson a bite to eat. He is the only son left in my Qian family. I will do anything as long as you are willing to take this child in." The old woman, called Old Lady Qian, knelt on the ground, crying and begging, pulling her dark and thin grandson whose features were unrecognizable.
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