Chapter 1454: Chapter 1454: Donate Grain
Within the borders of Zhangzhou Province, Chang Yi couldn’t continue traveling. Before long, heavy snow started falling, and there was a family on the carriage that was about to freeze to death. He had no choice but to find a nearby town to stop in.
The town was small, with only one inn. The inn was a courtyard-style building, and on such a snowy day, there were no guests. Chang Yi directly booked the entire inn.
The rooms were heated and filled with freshly replaced essentials. Only then did Yu Die and her younger brother step off the carriage and enter the house.
The inn had kang beds, which were heated and warm. Yu Die sat on the kang and asked, "Mother, how is the family we helped?"
Zhao Shi was changing her youngest son’s clothes as she replied, "I don’t know. Ai, if this family hadn’t encountered us, they would’ve frozen to death in this heavy snow."
The inn’s windows weren’t glass, so the room was dimly lit. Yu Die couldn’t see the wind and snow outside, but she could hear the sound of the wind.
Yu Die shrank her neck and said, "Mother, the people of Zhangzhou are too poor."
Zhao Shi sighed, "Yes, if there were no way to survive, why would a whole family stop a carriage in desperation?"
This reminded her of the time when she fled from disaster herself. Facing no path forward, neither retreat nor progress offered hope—it was better to take a risk.
Chang Yi entered through the door and asked, "What are you chatting about, you two?"
Yu Die poured hot water for her father. "Father, drink some water to warm yourself."
Zhao Shi said, "We were talking about the family we helped."
Chang Yi took the cup of tea to warm his hands. "The family has recovered. A doctor examined them, and they are all suffering from frostbite. If they hadn’t encountered us, their only path would have been death."
As an official of the Imperial Court, he couldn’t turn a blind eye to death. He sighed again. Faced with days of cold and food shortages, he had witnessed this case today, but there were countless others dying in unseen places.
Yu Die asked, "Father, how will you arrange for them?"
Chang Yi replied, "This family split from their household to make their way through winter. Their family gave them little food in the division, and their shelter is a grass hut. Sending them back would still lead to their deaths."
Zhao Shi froze in shock. "Nothing else was given in the split?"
Chang Yi shook his head. "Here, each household struggles to survive. Being separated with some food is already considered generous. However, there is favoritism in such divisions, and it’s evident even here. This family ate through their food and couldn’t make ends meet, so they stopped the carriage. They’ve been doing this for a day, and today was their lucky chance to encounter us."
After pausing, he continued, "I plan to buy a manor in Zhangzhou Province and arrange for this family to work there."
He had seen so much that whether his words were true or not, he could discern the essence of a person with one look. This family seemed honest and straightforward; otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered arranging for them. Having seen too many deaths, his heart had grown callous.
The next day in the capital, Ming Rui finished his studies and walked straight toward his family’s carriage without sparing a glance at Liu Yuanbo, who couldn’t help but wince with frustration.
Ming Hui approached him. "How did you provoke our third brother this time?"
Liu Yuanbo didn’t want to talk about it. His future brother-in-law wasn’t any better; they were all troublemakers who thrived on chaos. "Where is Third Brother headed?"
Ming Hui didn’t pry further, nor did he seem hurried. "Third Brother is going to meet Shangguan Gongzi."
Liu Yuanbo sighed. He now had silver coins he couldn’t spend, and that feeling wasn’t great either. His dear cousins were denying him opportunities to use his wealth, and somehow, he felt like he was losing his mind—he actually thought being swindled out of silver by his cousins would be a good thing!
Ming Hui dragged Liu Yuanbo along, preventing him from leaving. "Don’t go. We’re following them."
Liu Yuanbo, "???"
Eventually, they ended up tagging along to the restaurant. Liu Yuanbo, full of frustration, saw the undeniable truth—it wasn’t curiosity about Shangguan Gongzi, but Ming Hui just wanted him to pay for the meal.
They arrived a bit later, and upon reaching the second floor, they could hear the sound of an argument.
The Empress had given birth successfully. Although the child wasn’t a Prince, she was an extremely spoiled legitimate Princess—the first legitimate Princess in the royal family. The Wen family had been on a lucky streak lately.
Of course, not everyone found fortune. The Wen family’s second branch had lost official status and always felt mocked by everyone. Wen Xu was the source of this incident and had become the scapegoat of the Wen family’s second branch. While drinking away his frustration, he encountered the people he least wanted to meet.
Ming Hui quickly squeezed forward. Wen Xu had already made a move but naturally couldn’t land a hit. Ming Hui only saw his third brother pulling Shangguan Gongzi aside to avoid the attack, leaving Wen Gongzi falling directly to the floor.
The crowd erupted in laughter. Wen Xu’s face turned a deep shade of liver red as he climbed to his feet. "You’re all bullying me!"
Shangguan Liu sneered coldly. "It was you who stopped us and insulted us. When confronted, you became furious and tried to attack. Now, you’ve suffered and claim we’re bullying you? Wen Gongzi’s ability to reverse black and white with words is truly impressive."
Ming Rui chimed in, "Today, we won’t stoop to your level, Wen Gongzi. You should return to your estate and sober up, lest your disgrace spreads across the capital."
The Wen family hadn’t split into branches, so the disgrace fell upon the entire Wen family.
Wen Xu hated Zhou Mingrui deeply. The Zhou family—if there were no Zhou family, the Crown Prince wouldn’t favor the Wen family so much. This year, the Crown Prince had been studying under Zhou Shuren as if the Zhou family were his maternal family. How long had it been since the Crown Prince last visited the Wen family?
Wen Xu’s eyes turned crimson, emboldened further by alcohol. Despite the mocking laughter around him, his fury grew, and he suddenly charged forward, headfirst.
Liu Yuanbo was startled. Just as he tried to edge closer to his future brother-in-law, both Ming Hui and the rest made no moves. Instinctively, Liu Yuanbo stepped forward to block, only for the impact to strike his chest.
Ming Rui, physically adept, originally intended to dodge, but Liu Yuanbo stood in front of him, emitting a muffled grunt upon impact. Ming Rui extended his hand to steady his future brother-in-law. He didn’t mention Liu Yuanbo’s poor skills, but in this moment, he felt unexpectedly touched.
Ming Hui and the others were dumbfounded. Shortly afterward, their gazes toward Liu Yuanbo softened considerably.
Wen Xu stumbled, dizzy from the blow, while Liu Yuanbo clutched his aching chest.
Zhulan learned of the incident later when Ming Rui sent a young servant back with news. He and his younger brothers had stayed at the Liu household for dinner. After the young servant departed, Zhulan sighed. This year, the Crown Prince had been studying under Zhou Shuren, growing closer to the Zhou family. The closer the Crown Prince became to their family, the more intense the conflict between the Zhou and Wen families grew. Now, the tension had escalated to public spats.
That night, Zhulan said, "What happened today is only going to become more frequent in the future."
Zhou Shuren replied, "Mm, but we must maintain proper boundaries. If we retreat too much, the other noble families will look down on us."
Zhulan whispered, "I just hope the Empress lives a long life."
If the Empress lived, the Emperor would continue suppressing the Wen family. But if the Empress were to pass prematurely, the Emperor might ease his stance toward the Wen family out of respect. Death carried significant weight.
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard. "The Empress’s health is frail. It’s a thorn in both the Emperor and Crown Prince’s hearts. If the Empress dies early, the Emperor will still not show leniency."
Zhulan said, "Then I can rest assured."
Ming Rui and the others returned very late. Chang Yi wasn’t home, so Ming Rui sought his grandfather. Although he hadn’t provoked Wen Xu, there had nevertheless been a confrontation.
Zhou Shuren said dismissively, "It’s fine."
Ming Rui rose to his feet. "Grandfather, then I’ll take my leave. You should retire early."
"Alright, don’t read too late tonight."
"Mm."
On the next morning at court, everyone’s gaze focused on Old Master Wen. Zhou Shuren scanned the room. Mm, Old Master Wen certainly had drawn the ire of many.
Old Master Wen appeared unperturbed by the attention, saying, "This humble servant donates a thousand stones of grain, excluding straw and other materials."
The Emperor narrowed his eyes. This hadn’t been his suggestion, although he had indeed contemplated soliciting grain donations from the noble families. Seeing no movement from others, Wen had taken the initiative.
Zhou Shuren’s eyes sparkled. The Wen family had made a grand gesture—grain yields were low this year, after all. Although his family would also be donating, he couldn’t help but be delighted by Wen’s high starting point. Other noble families couldn’t reasonably donate too little now. In this moment, he thought Old Master Wen was doing a good thing!
As for potential hidden motives? He didn’t care. As long as the Ministry of Revenue had grain, any schemes were the Emperor’s concern.