Chapter 1493: Chapter 1493: Long Face
When Zhulan received the Wen family’s farmstead, it was already a few days later. Looking at the deed, she curled her lips—the Wen family must have emptied out the entire farmstead.
Lady Li glanced at the number of fields listed on the deed. "This farmstead isn’t very big, is it?"
Zhulan nodded at the deed. "This is a newly drafted deed; the Wen family split their original farmstead into several smaller ones."
She knew they wouldn’t relinquish the land so easily. The idea of splitting the farmstead itself showed how unwilling the Wen family was.
Lady Li was indignant. "They can just do that?"
"Of course they can. Originally, it was only agreed to donate a ’farmstead,’ but the size was never specified. If they didn’t care about appearances, they probably wouldn’t have given any farmland at all."
After speaking, she turned to Steward Ding and said, "Take this deed and send someone to inspect the farmstead, then report back to me."
Steward Ding took the deed. "Understood."
Zhulan wasn’t overly angered; after all, this was an unexpected gain. Looking at the list of orphans, she addressed Steward Wang, who had just returned. "For the children whose records are unclear, send someone to investigate. We’re accepting orphans, yet in just a few days, the number of children has already reached one hundred and fifty."
Steward Wang replied, "Madam, we don’t have enough manpower."
If there had been enough people, he would have investigated earlier. This time, his return was also partly to request additional manpower.
Zhulan pondered for a moment. "Take ten people with you when you go back."
"Alright."
Steward Wang left, and Zhulan picked up her pen to write a report for the Empress Dowager. She submitted a report every three days, along with the accounting ledger. Once the warm sheds and buildings were completed, the expenditures would be included in the promotional materials, making everything transparent. No one would be able to manipulate the ledger for political ends.
The Empress Dowager received the report an hour and a half later. The Retired Emperor was the first to review the orphan list, frowning as he did. "Are there really this many orphans near the capital?"
Including the orphans in the East City District, the number had already exceeded three hundred.
The Empress Dowager handed the report over. "Yang has noted that some villagers claim their children are orphans to save food. She’s already sent people to investigate and has also requested for additional manpower."
The Retired Emperor quickly scanned through the report. Yang’s writing was exceptionally clear and concise. He thought to himself, what a pity—if she had been a man, she would surely achieve great things. "Hmm, I have some personnel who can be sent over."
"Your people are highly skilled individuals. Yang is certainly getting an advantage here."
The Retired Emperor added, "The Wen family is truly disgraceful, splitting up the farmstead like that."
The Empress Dowager retorted, "The harem donated three farmsteads. The Empress herself donated two in one go, and they’re all in good locations. For the Empress’s sake, I’m letting it slide."
The Retired Emperor snorted. "It serves the Wen family right for provoking Marquis Zhou; that man is notoriously protective."
"Hopefully, they’ll settle down a little. Everyone knows that Marquis Zhou might come over uninvited to mooch tea."
The Retired Emperor’s smile deepened. "Shuren’s quick tongue—he’s someone you dare not mess with."
By noon, Zhulan received a letter from Ming Teng. She only read the part written to her and passed the other letters to the main household.
Ming Teng’s letter mentioned the hardships of life on the grasslands—strong spring winds, a shortage of firewood, and a heavy snowfall from a few days prior that had killed numerous livestock. He also elaborated on troubles with jurisdictional governance: the nomadic population was too scattered, among other challenges.
Along with the letter came five sheep and a significant amount of beef. The cattle were not the farming type, like oxen, but rather grassland cows that had perished in the heavy snow.
This meat was not acquired for free; it had been exchanged for grain. Ming Teng was extremely principled in his actions, which greatly comforted Zhulan.
Zhulan instructed Qing Xue, "It’s rare to have beef. Divide it and distribute it appropriately. Make sure to send a little extra to the Liu family, since they are Ming Teng’s in-laws."
There were still sheep on their own farmstead, so keeping three of them would suffice.
Qing Xue replied, "Understood."
Beef was a valuable commodity. After it was divided and distributed among relatives and friends, they were all delighted to receive it.
At the Wang household, Lady Tao said to the eunuch, "You were just longing for beef a few days ago, and look—our in-laws sent some today, over thirty catties no less!"
Old Wang might be advanced in years, but his digestion was excellent, and he still had great teeth. "Our in-laws are truly generous; I’ve eaten plenty of good things from them."
From geese to deer meat a while back, and now beef—he felt that marrying into the Zhou family was undoubtedly the right decision.
Lady Tao cast a glance at her two sister-in-laws. Ha! Her own family might have declined, but she had an outstanding granddaughter-in-law who brought her great pride.
Meanwhile, the sister-in-laws’ families—when had they ever sent anything good? Especially in these times of scarcity, their daughters-in-law were hardly worth mentioning.
Lady Tao smiled and asked, "Shall we cook it tonight?"
The old man stroked his beard. "Beef is rare; don’t cook it all at once. Spread it out over several meals."
"Alright."
The elder lady beamed. "Marquis Zhou and Yang are both competent and generous. This marriage was a fine match."
The second and third households looked uncomfortable. These days, with Yang taking on responsibilities, they’d been gossiping behind her back. Now, hearing these words from the matriarch felt like a rebuke.
Lady Tao finally felt vindicated. She had been startled when she learned about Yang taking on official duties, but since they were friends, she’d offered plenty of support during the donations. However, the second and third households had objected vehemently. Despite their grumbling, they failed to consider that donations required the patriarch’s approval; no matter how much she wanted to donate, without his agreement, it would have been useless.
Lady Tao chuckled coldly to herself. Turning to the matriarch, she said, "Yang’s orphanage has been running smoothly now. It’s well-organized. The orphanage is near Huguo Temple; when spring flowers bloom, shall we visit the temple for prayer and stop by the orphanage?"
The elder lady glanced at her husband, saw him nod, and said with a smile, "Yes, that sounds excellent! I’m curious myself. I’ve heard they’ve even built warm sheds."
Yu Lu, who was most informed, had been returning to her natal family often these days. Noticing everyone’s gaze, she chimed in, "Indeed, they’ve built warm sheds. Grandmother mentioned that one section will be used to grow early-season greens, while others will cultivate off-season vegetables during winter. My father has trained many farmers, and they’ll go to the orphanage to teach their farming methods."
Old Wang sighed with admiration. "Your grandmother truly is remarkable."
In the capital, various noble families grew off-season vegetables, but the Zhou family’s produce ranked among the top ten. Many sought their farming expertise.
At the Liu family, Liu Yuanbo straightened up in front of his brother. "The beef sent by the Hou Residence, brother, this stuff is top-notch!"
Liu Yuanqing smirked faintly. What had he said wrong earlier? He had only teased his brother about how he was overly generous toward his future in-laws. "True, true. Your future in-laws do seem to treat you well."
Liu Yuanbo grinned widely. "Big brother, what has your in-laws sent over?"
Hmph—every time Yuanbo sent something to the Zhou household, his brother would tease him. But he noticed his brother rarely sent anything to his own in-laws.
Liu Yuanqing paused. It seemed that his family had only ever sent things to his in-laws, but none had come in return since the start of the year. Scratching his nose, he muttered grudgingly, "My in-laws can’t compare to the Zhou family."
What could he say? He had married beneath his social rank, and his wife came from a frugal and upright family. To put it bluntly, their wealth lay primarily in their library collection, and their lifestyle was far from luxurious. The recent donations had made their financial situation even tougher.
In contrast, his younger brother’s future in-laws had greater prestige and actual wealth.
Lady Gu knocked her youngest son’s head lightly. "Stop showing off already. Just tell me—how many times have you visited Marquis Zhou’s residence? How often have you seen Yu Die?"
Liu Yuanbo was speechless. His mother was always quick to discourage his enthusiasm. He had braved those visits to court favor with his future father-in-law, only to have seen Yu Die a handful of times since the start of the year!
Instead, he’d encountered his future father-in-law far more frequently. Just thinking about those interactions made his scalp tingle!