Chapter 1457: Chapter 1457: Taking a Concubine
Three days passed in a flash, and Zhulan received a thick letter from her youngest son. Coincidentally, Zhou Shuren was also present, and he asked, "Is your younger brother not coming home for the New Year this year?"
"Wu Ming is uneasy about traveling alone, so he won’t be coming back this year."
Zhou Shuren was nostalgic for his younger brother. Without his presence, there was no one to keep Ming Hui in line.
Zhulan flipped through the letter, her brows slightly furrowed. The letter contained a lot, noting that Huaizhou, as a grain continent, wasn’t lacking food.
Zhou Shuren asked, "Mother, what did the younger brother write?"
Zhulan put the letter down. "Wu Ming has taken a concubine. Chang Xhong finds it puzzling. He believes Wu Ming and Lady Song share strong feelings, so he doesn’t understand why Wu Ming would take a concubine. That’s why he wrote so much."
Zhou Shuren was surprised. "Wu Ming took a concubine?"
The two families were close, so although he hadn’t commented aloud, he had believed Wu Ming to be the type who wouldn’t take a concubine.
Zhulan pulled out a piece of stationery. "Chang Xhong wrote that Wu Ming told him, not everyone has the freedom to act on their own will. So, it’s evident that taking the concubine wasn’t his true intention, but he couldn’t refuse."
Zhou Shuren, no longer as straightforward as he once was, understood the undertones in his mother’s words. "Is this concubine meant to monitor him?"
"That, I don’t know. This is Wu Ming’s personal matter, and he will manage it himself."
After all, Wu Ming wasn’t part of the Zhou family, so they had no right to intervene in his household matters. Moreover, someone like Wu Ming weighed every decision carefully. He knew exactly what he wanted.
Zhou Shuren sighed. "The freedom we brothers enjoy is all thanks to Father’s protection."
The capital aside, even for the third brother, Chang Lian, Father’s influence had helped him steer clear of many local troubles.
Zhulan inquired, "How are the vegetables in the greenhouse growing?"
Zhou Shuren’s face lit up with a laugh. "They’re growing very well. In a few days, we’ll be able to eat fresh greens."
"That’s great. In a few days, slaughter a sheep and cook a lamb hotpot for winter."
Zhou Shuren nodded in agreement but added, "Mother, Father donated the breeding sheep from our estate. Now, the estate only has one breeding sheep left."
Nowadays, beef and lamb in the capital were scarce. Previously, you could still buy beef, but now it was unavailable. He highly valued the breeding sheep at their own estate and had been planning to increase their numbers next year, but his father went ahead and donated one.
Zhulan remarked, "The Imperial court is short of breeding sheep. Our estate’s sheep were bought at a high price and are of excellent breed. Your father may be frugal, but he’s very generous when it comes to significant matters."
Zhou Shuren felt ashamed. "I was being selfish."
"Don’t say that. You’re just being considerate. You’ve been responsible for the livestock on the estate, and I understand how you feel."
Zhou Shuren asked, "Mother, where does the Imperial court plan to raise these sheep?"
Zhulan explained, "In the south. Once the sheep breed, they’ll be sent to the grasslands to be raised. The people on the grasslands mostly rely on animal husbandry. Without livestock, they can’t survive. The hardships faced by the Imperial court will improve within one or two years. Once the livestock grow in numbers, everything will be fine."
At the Hanlin Academy, Lau Song stopped Wen Rong. "Donating grain was your idea, wasn’t it?"
Wen Rong replied, "What are you talking about?"
"Don’t pretend. It must have been your idea."
Chang Zhi missed the perfect opportunity to leave and could only remain hidden behind the bookshelf, though his ears attentively pricked up.
Wen Rong held a book and stared into Lau Song’s eyes. "So what if it was me? And what if it wasn’t?"
Lau Song let out a soft laugh. "If it was you, it means you plan to change the Wen family and have already taken action. If it wasn’t, it simply means I’ve overestimated you."
If it were the former, it meant Wen Rong was ahead of him. He couldn’t admit that he was inferior to Wen Rong.
Wen Rong smiled, didn’t say a word, and walked away with the book.
Lau Song felt a heaviness in his heart. It was indeed Wen Rong’s idea. Meanwhile, he still hadn’t gained any say within the Lau family. An overwhelming sense of frustration settled over him.
After the two left, Chang Zhi emerged and, clutching the book, fell into deep thought. If Wen Rong were to influence the Wen family and fully take control of it, wouldn’t the Wen family and Zhou family no longer oppose each other? However, moments later, he fell into silence again, reminded that the Emperor wanted balance. Even if Wen Rong controlled the Wen family, the two families would still be relatively opposed.
In Zhangzhou Province, Chang Yi returned from outside with his nose glowing red from the cold. Yushuang handed her father a cup of hot tea. "Father, the weather is so cold. You shouldn’t go out with Liufeng anymore."
Chang Yi drank the warm water to warm his body. "I want to see the condition of the people here for myself."
In recent days, his son-in-law had been visiting villages, and he always accompanied him. The people here lived much worse than he had imagined. Many households had already run out of food, and children, too weak from hunger, could only lie on the heated brick bed.
Some families boiled straw in their pots, drinking straw soup as though it were a delicious treat.
His son-in-law delivered some sweet potatoes and dried seaweed to each household. Even after receiving food, the villagers dared not eat too much. A family of six shared one sweet potato, and just a pinch of seaweed was used to cook a large pot of soup. Such a meal left both adults and children feeling greatly satisfied.
Yushuang sighed as she listened to her father discuss the hardships of the people. "Liufeng took the lead in donating grain, but the county here isn’t wealthy. The amount collected was little. Our family exchanged fine grains for coarse grains with grain merchants, and the county’s stock of grain doesn’t seem like it’ll last much longer."
Chang Yi asked, "Haven’t they received fish cakes?"
"There are too many impoverished areas in Zhangzhou Province. Some counties have managed to hold on, but others don’t have any grain at all. For now, the most destitute county towns are being prioritized for relief."
Chang Yi knitted his brows. "I’ll speak with Liufeng."
It was necessary to fight for resources. Without making their need clear, the higher-ups might become accustomed to overlooking Liufeng. That wouldn’t do.
Liufeng was stunned by his father-in-law’s words. "Father, I understand."
"Hmm. You have a good heart, but you need to strategize more. If you truly find yourself lacking food someday and the higher-ups think you can still manage, it’ll be the people who suffer."
Liufeng broke into a cold sweat and bowed, saying, "Son-in-law has learned a valuable lesson."
Chang Yi was pleased with his son-in-law’s attitude. "Don’t bear everything on your shoulders alone. A crying child gets fed, after all. That said, I must commend your efforts. You’ve done a lot of good this past year, and Father is heartened."
Liufeng felt embarrassed. "Son-in-law hasn’t done much."
"No need for false modesty. Your idea to have the people grow medicinal herbs is excellent. Once it develops, this area will certainly escape poverty."
A smile crept uncontrollably across Liufeng’s lips. His father-in-law’s approval filled him with renewed vigor, dispelling the recent sorrow brought on by the people’s lack of food.
That night, Zhou Shuren learned of Wu Ming taking a concubine. "Life isn’t easy for Wu Ming outside. He can rely on me, but the Emperor desires to see Wu Ming’s own ability. Furthermore, Wu Ming is a true man of ancient times; he doesn’t object to taking concubines."
Zhulan remarked, "I just feel sorry for Lady Song."
Zhou Shuren chuckled. "Wu Ming knows exactly what he wants. He won’t let his household affairs spiral out of control. To him, power outweighs sentiment."
Zhulan didn’t wish to continue the topic and instead asked, "Is Prince Qi collecting livestock successfully?"
Zhou Shuren shook his head. "Not smoothly. Having just donated grain, people inevitably feel resistant. The Imperial court is offering silver in exchange for livestock, but would anyone willingly take silver under such circumstances? Prince Qi visited several places, but donations were minimal. Some even slaughtered their livestock upon hearing the news."
Zhulan sneered. "Hah, these people only care about themselves. They wouldn’t spare a thought for the life and death of the common folk."
Zhou Shuren, having seen much in life, commented, "It’s pointless to get angry with them. They think they’re being clever, but little do they know the Emperor sees everything."
"I was wondering how you knew. Turns out the Emperor told you?"
Zhou Shuren nodded. "Hmm."
Zhulan noticed something amiss in Zhou Shuren’s expression and asked, "Is there something else?"
Zhou Shuren replied, "The Emperor inquired about Yu Yi’s age today."
Zhulan widened her eyes. "Does this mean he’s considering a match for Yu Yi?"