Chapter 1451: Chapter 1451: Fish Cake
Zhou Shuren exited the palace at noon. He had spent the entire morning discussing with the Emperor about alternatives to grain. The people of the grasslands were currently relying solely on military provisions for relief, and these provisions were limited—just enough for one and a half meals per day. As long as they were kept from starvation, that was the goal.
Military grain could not provide support indefinitely. The supply of food for the grassland population must not be delayed further.
After leaving the palace, Zhou Shuren noticed Jin Yan’s face brimming with joy. Before Zhou Shuren could ask, Jin Yan began speaking, "Master, Princess Qin has awakened."
Zhou Shuren’s worried expression disappeared, replaced by delight. "It’s good that she has awoken, truly good. Has the Imperial Physician examined her? What did they say?"
Jin Yan replied, "The Imperial Physician said the Princess needs quiet rest. It’s not suitable for her to be moved now, and she must complete a proper postpartum recovery."
Zhou Shuren let out a sigh of relief. His daughter’s awakening brought him joy. Looking at the fluttering snowflakes, his face once again clouded with worry—food. "Let’s go. We’ll head back to the Ministry of Revenue."
The newly collected grain must be carefully accounted for and allocated.
At the Zhou family estate, Zhulan was feeding her daughter porridge. She only stopped when her daughter could eat no more and instructed the maid to take the bowl away. Zhulan then used a handkerchief to gently wipe her daughter’s mouth.
Xue Han remained extremely weak. "Mother, you don’t have to personally care for me; there are servants for that."
Zhulan replied, "Let me look after you myself. Only then can I feel at ease. This time, let me properly care for you throughout your postpartum recovery."
Xue Han felt drained with every spoken word. During her coma, she was entirely unconscious, trapped in a semi-awake haze until she regained clarity—it felt as though she had glimpsed the gates of the underworld and returned to life, leaving her with a sense of surreal disconnection.
Xue Han said, "Mother, I’ve made you and Father worry during these past days."
Zhulan touched her daughter’s hand. The hand that had just moments ago emerged from the quilt was already cold, prompting her to quickly tuck it back under. "Now that you understand our concerns, you must take better care of yourself in the future."
Xue Han’s heart filled with lingering fear; she had almost lost her life. Thinking of her child’s lung issues, her chest tightened with sorrow. "Hmm."
Zhulan noticed her daughter lacked energy and remembered she had just awakened and still needed ample rest. Hearing approaching footsteps, Zhulan stood as Rongchuan returned from freshening up. "I’ll go check on the child," she said.
The child had the constant watch of the Imperial Physician, who had been staying in the Zhou household.
Rongchuan’s eyes were bloodshot. "How do you feel?"
Xue Han raised her hand to touch her husband’s face. "Why does it seem like you’ve aged several years during the short time I slept?"
"I was worried about you."
Tears welled in Xue Han’s eyes. "You never know how to take care of yourself."
Rongchuan had barely dared to close his eyes, keeping vigil at her side. He held his wife’s hand. "Move over a little, my dear. I wish to sleep beside you."
Xue Han widened her eyes in protest. "This is a postpartum bed!"
While tradition did not strictly forbid men from entering postpartum recovery rooms, it was unprecedented for them to share the recovery bed.
Rongchuan disregarded customs, carefully shifting his wife to make enough space before lying down beside her. "I can’t sleep when you’re not at my side."
Xue Han glanced toward the stunned Female Officer, whose expression was one of hesitation, as though words were forming but left unsaid. lowering her head again, she noticed her husband had already fallen asleep.
In Qiizhou Province, Chang Lian lifted his head toward the sky. "Snow—is it snowing?"
His tone was filled with uncertainty.
The Magistrate solemnly raised his gaze to the falling snowflakes. "Indeed, it is snowing."
Chang Lian’s eyes widened. "In the years I have served in Qiizhou Province, this is the first time I’ve seen snow here. This..."
The Magistrate rubbed his hands together. This year’s floods had wrought devastation on Qiizhou; shortages abounded. "This year’s winter is colder than any before."
Chang Lian’s heart sank. "The harvested winter rice yields aren’t even half of what’s typical. The fish haven’t grown much either. The winter vegetables newly planted by the common folk—won’t this snowfall kill them?"
The Magistrate’s brows knit tightly together. The Imperial Court had exempted the affected provinces from taxes, granting the people just enough grain to survive, while the winter vegetables had been their saving grace. "However, the relief grain sent by the court is depleted."
Chang Lian nodded grimly. "Yes, that last batch of grain lasted long enough for the winter rice harvest. But now, with the rice harvested, there’s no more relief grain left."
Magistrate: "The Government Office has little Silver left as well."
Chang Lian frowned deeply. "Let’s hope this snowfall doesn’t turn into a heavy storm."
A major snowfall would make the winter even harder to endure.
The Magistrate turned to Chang Lian. "I’ll support your proposal."
The snow stirred a sense of unease in him. Though the people had harvested some rice, the yield was pitifully low; for those with limited land, surviving through winter would be impossible. If he could gather more grain for reserves, it could save lives. As for the Imperial Court, it had exhausted its capacity to provide additional supplies.
Submitting another Zhezi to the capital would only mark him as incompetent.
Chang Lian raised his brow. He had considered his plan thoroughly, but the Magistrate had suppressed it due to the court’s prior distribution of relief grain. Now, the snowfall had unsettled the Magistrate. "Understood."
Five days passed in a blink. Xue Han had recovered well and was now able to sit upright for a while. Rongchuan wanted to accompany his wife through her postpartum period, but multiple pressing matters awaited his attention. Summoned by Eunuch Zhang, he packed minimally before setting off for Pinggang.
The ships patrolling Pinggang had returned, bringing back a considerable haul of maritime goods. Rongchuan was to oversee the processing of these resources.
In just a few short days, several workshops for handling sea products had been established in Pinggang, awaiting Prince Qin’s imminent arrival.
This was a solution jointly devised by Zhou Shuren and the Emperor: mixing rice bran, straw, and a bit of cornmeal into cakes enriched with fish and seaweed. The addition of fish provided some sustenance; maximizing the use of fish was essential.
Even fish bones weren’t wasted—they were ground into powder to supplement calcium and stave off hunger. In these times, survival was the priority; the fishy smell wasn’t a concern.
At present, ginger was a critical resource. With limited ginger, the fishy odor couldn’t be eliminated. As for wine, it was entirely out of the question; with low grain production this year, the court had regulated brewing, banning private breweries from producing liquor.
To catch more fish, the Imperial Court instructed the Navy to organize civilian fishing boats for joint expeditions into the sea.
At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren touched his tea cup, pondering alternatives such as goat milk. But he sighed heavily.
The Retired Emperor asked, "Shuren, why are you sighing?"
Zhou Shuren replied, "As a subject, I grieve for the grassland herders who worked so hard to raise their sheep and cattle."
In wars, civilian suffering is always the worst. The grassland people, as the defeated party, had endured looting by deserters from their own tribes, as well as by the court’s soldiers. Livestock was impossible to safeguard; even the few that survived fell victim to hunger, forced to be slaughtered for food. Large herds of sheep and cattle were already gone.
This had caused a scarcity and skyrocketing prices for beef and mutton in the capital.
The Retired Emperor added, "What you truly lament is the loss of the grassland’s sheep milk and cow milk, isn’t it?"
Zhou Shuren nodded. "Indeed. With herds of sheep and cattle, dairy products would provide nutrition and stave off hunger."
With sheep milk and cow milk, he could implement far more strategies. Unfortunately, they weren’t available, leaving him no choice but to focus on maritime solutions instead.
It was an advantage of ancient times—without pollution, coastal waters allowed unrestricted fishing; there were no modern rest periods for marine replenishment. The Navy’s first attempt at large-scale fishing yielded promising results.
The Retired Emperor remarked, "The fish bone powder you mentioned is quite a good product."
He had already tasted the grilled fish bones prepared by the Imperial Chef. Although the flavor was commendable, his old age and poor teeth prevented him from enjoying it fully.
Zhou Shuren narrowed his eyes. There were other options, like cultivating mushrooms. But he didn’t know how to produce fungal spores—it simply wasn’t part of his expertise. "Ah, I am but the Minister of Revenue, tasked with managing Silver."