Chapter 1505: Chapter 1505: Fainting
In the blink of an eye, it was time for spring plowing. The Emperor decided to personally lead the effort, bringing not only the Princes but also a group of ministers. The trip would last two days, and they would be staying at a manor that had been arranged in advance.
As Zhulan packed their luggage, she muttered under her breath, "Spring plowing is the most exhausting activity. Who knows whether you’ll be able to handle it over the next two days."
Zhou Shuren, however, was unconcerned. "At my age, tasks that require hard labor won’t fall to me. Don’t worry too much."
Besides, he had prior experience farming alongside the Retired Emperor. He wasn’t afraid of plowing at all.
Zhulan remarked, "The purpose of this spring plowing is to teach the ministers to live frugally and cherish food in the future. Do you think the meals prepared by the Emperor will consist of coarse grains?"
Zhou Shuren’s ease suddenly vanished. "Quick, have the kitchen prepare some extra jerky for me. Oh, and also some shredded meat."
Zhulan chuckled, "When you sent word back this morning, I already had everything prepared. There’s not only jerky but also some pickled vegetables to go with the rice. I even boiled some eggs for you."
Zhou Shuren lay back down again. "That’s enough for two days. Speaking of which, the Emperor has been so focused on grain this year. I saw one of my submitted zhezi on his desk earlier today—he’s gone over it so many times that there were visible wear marks on it."
"The root of the food shortage still lies in productivity. Without high-yield crop varieties in ancient times, more research could actually be done on fertilizers."
Zhou Shuren turned his head and said, "Do you think they haven’t tried? Livestock are scarce, so manure is also limited. Fertilizer research isn’t easy. Anyway, it’s not something I’d understand."
Zhulan admitted her own ignorance. "Indeed. Speaking of livestock, there’s no large-scale livestock farming near the capital."
Zhou Shuren squinted his eyes. "The various tribes on the grasslands have rich experience raising herds of cattle and sheep. It feels like a waste for them to be idle in the capital."
Zhulan, knowing Zhou Shuren well, quipped, "You’re still holding onto that calculation by the Princely Heir of Orget. Are you planning to return the favor?"
Zhou Shuren smirked, "You know me so well. Wen Li has already been sent off to a manor, so I can’t let this Princely Heir get away either. Ambitious and unscrupulous people like him are better off being sent to the outskirts, where they have no chance to expand their schemes. Livestock farming would suit him well."
"I’ll bring it up with the Emperor tomorrow—maybe we can set up a livestock manor on the outskirts near the grasslands. That’ll make it much harder for this Princely Heir to return to the capital anytime soon."
The next morning, Chang Yi donned coarse fabric clothing and joined the effort. The entire capital’s officials, except for a select few left behind to oversee operations, were required to take part in the spring plowing.
Mingyun of the Hanlin Academy was lucky enough to stay behind, but Chang Zhi had to go along.
The father and sons rode together in one carriage. Chang Zhi remarked, "That old saying about clothes making the man really holds true. Wearing this coarse fabric, neither you nor Second Brother even look like Imperial court officials anymore."
Zhou Shuren had already looked in the mirror that morning. The only thing distinguishing him from a countryside old man was his slightly paler complexion. "If you have nothing better to say, keep your mouth shut."
Chang Yi said nothing. He didn’t look like an official either without his official uniform.
Chang Zhi scratched his nose—clearly, his father was displeased.
At the city gate, a long queue of carriages extended outward. Zhou Shuren pushed open the window to take a look. "If there were modern weapons, this would all go up in smoke in an instant. It’s only because there’s no immediate danger that the Emperor dares to take so many officials out of the capital."
The spring plowing location was on the Royal Manor. This year, the harvested grain would be donated to the common people. The Royal Manor wasn’t far, and soon they arrived and disembarked one by one. The Emperor didn’t assign lodging based on rank—those with sons could stay with them. After all, filial piety ranked above all else, and there was nothing wrong with sons serving their fathers.
Zhou Shuren, thanks to having two sons with him, was the envy of Wong Ju, who had an elder son posted in another province and a younger son still too young to be of use. He had no one to look after him personally.
Sir Yu’s eldest son had come, while Sir Liu’s eldest son had been left behind in the capital.
A number of people gathered around Zhou Shuren because they were in-laws. Together, they secured a small courtyard.
Moments like these revealed the factions within the court—most people stuck together with their own groups.
Just as everyone finished settling into their accommodations, a eunuch came with a message. "Each day, the meals must be prepared by the officials themselves. Grain will be distributed per person, so please go collect yours."
Zhou Shuren and the others: "..."
How ruthless—they weren’t even providing cooked meals.
Once the eunuch left, Wong Ju laughed and said, "Good thing I brought a young servant along. Otherwise, I’d have to cook myself."
Zhou Shuren snorted, "As if you’ve ever cooked before."
Wong Ju: "..."
"Gentlemen stay far from the kitchen." Indeed, he’d never been inside one.
The younger Sir Liu volunteered, "I’ll go collect the grain."
Sir Liu waved his hand. "Go ahead."
Chang Yi had already inspected the kitchen. "At least the firewood pile is fully stocked."
Zhou Shuren announced, "I’m heading back to rest for a bit. We still have work to do after lunch."
Chang Yi addressed Chang Zhi, "Help Father back to rest; I’ll go take a look around nearby."
Chang Zhi nodded, "Alright."
Back in their room, Zhou Shuren sat down. Their luggage was neatly unpacked and arranged by Chang Zhi and Jingyan. While Zhou Shuren rested, Jingyan stoked the fire to heat water for tea, and Chang Zhi took a young servant to clean up.
Zhou Shuren didn’t sleep but closed his eyes to gather his thoughts. Moments like these reminded him how great it was to have his sons close by.
Chang Yi returned quickly. Knowing his father wasn’t asleep, he reported, "Father, the grain we received is stored grain; there aren’t many fresh vegetables, and the only meat is one small piece. I was thinking of going out to see if I could catch a few rabbits nearby."
Zhou Shuren opened his eyes. "Don’t go. The Emperor won’t interfere with what we brought along, but hunting outside is strictly prohibited. Your mother prepared everything thoroughly. Let’s just get through these two days quietly without stirring up trouble."
Chang Yi, concerned for his father’s wellbeing, remarked, "Father, you’re the thinnest one in the family."
"Go prepare lunch, then."
"Got it. I’ll tell Uncle Wong that we should pool everything we brought and share meals together over the next few days."
"Good."
After Chang Yi shared Zhou Shuren’s suggestion, everyone in their courtyard agreed. Wong Ju had brought nothing but snacks, and the Yu and Liu families were in a similar situation. The Liu family had been lucky enough to remain in the capital and hadn’t come at all.
Ultimately, it was the Zhou family who had brought the most provisions. Under Chang Yi’s supervision, the young servant prepared their lunch.
Wong Ju took a bite of jerky and exclaimed, "The beef jerky from your household is truly the best. Next time I get my hands on some beef, have your kitchen maid prepare some for me."
Zhou Shuren replied, "Let’s see if you even manage to get any beef first."
Currently, the Zhou family’s beef came from a shipment Rongchuan had sent. However, with the rising temperatures, shipping meat was becoming impractical, so future shipments seemed unlikely.
Wong Ju fell silent. Forget beef—even mutton was scarce. During spring plowing, no one dared to touch their oxen. In earlier years, when food supplies weren’t as tight, losing one or two oxen on a manor for legitimate reasons wouldn’t have caused much fuss. But now, with the scarcity, things were different.
After lunch, no one rested. They all headed to the fields. The Emperor, accompanied by the Crown Prince, stood at the front, assigning tasks based on officials’ ages. Zhou Shuren was assigned to scattering seeds, which, though less demanding than some jobs, was still no easy task.
The Emperor himself seriously dug pits in the soil, leaving the ministers no choice but to grit their teeth and throw themselves into their work.
With his sons occupied with labor-intensive tasks like digging pits, Zhou Shuren had no one to assist him. Not long into the work, he was already leaning with his hands on his lower back. How he missed modern mechanized agriculture.
Scanning the surroundings, he was surprised to find that his pace was actually one of the fastest. His gaze fell on Sir Wen, who was already drenched in sweat.
Looking up toward the front, Zhou Shuren raised an eyebrow. The Emperor and the Crown Prince were still fully absorbed in their work—not just putting on a show.
Zhou Shuren resumed his work. After a while, commotion broke out behind him. Turning around, he saw Sir Wen collapsed on the ground.
Zhou Shuren quickly hurried over. "How did Sir Wen faint? Let me take a look!"
The others: "..."