Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi
“This prince has come here on the orders of the Sage to provide disaster relief and appease the hungry. How to properly resettle the refugees is a matter for your Governor’s Office. Has Lord Yu even considered this?” Mu Zhao’s eyes were sharp, staring at Yu Shoudao so intently that he almost wanted to drop his head to his chest.
Mu Zhao was almost amused by his stupidity.
“Do you need this prince to teach you step by step about this kind of thing?”
“What have you been doing all these days? Why didn’t you issue the government decree? The refugees outside the city are all accommodated in wooden sheds with ventilation on all sides. Do you want to freeze them to death so as to improve your political achievements?”
“His Majesty ordered your Weizhou Prefecture to accommodate these refugees. Now that so many people are pouring in, have you never carefully planned and imagined what to do in the future?”
“There are so many wastelands in the lower and middle counties under your Weizhou Prefecture, and you would rather leave them alone than let the refugees cultivate them?”
“Brother, brother, brother, don’t get excited, you can’t get too excited.” Mu Feng hurriedly handed over the teacup and glared at Governor Yu, “Governor Yu, you need to take more care of the resettlement of refugees, and don’t let my brother handle everything. He is not in good health and cannot be too tired. He has helped you a lot by coming here to maintain order!”
“Yes, yes, young master is right.” Yu Shoudao wiped the sweat off his face, his mind a mess.
Seeing that Prince Mu was a little angry, Lu Qian hurried forward and said, “Master Yu, you heard everything the prince just said. The first thing you need to do is to issue a government decree to calm the people. The second step is to order the clerks to quickly reclaim all wasteland in the nearby counties and towns within a specified period of time.”
“There were heavy floods in the Guannan Road area, and the nearby counties and prefectures have almost no harvest this year. These people have finally escaped here, and if you send them all back, aren’t you just asking them to go back and die?”
“Although there are many refugees, they also represent an opportunity for you. If you can properly resettle them and reclaim the wasteland, you think that the grain production in your Weizhou Prefecture may double next autumn.”
“So, the third step is to ask the chief clerk in the palace to formulate preferential treatment policies, such as how many people in a family, how much wasteland to reclaim, and how much farmland can be allocated. For example, within the scope permitted by the court, some land taxes can be appropriately reduced or exempted.”
Yu Shoudao was enlightened by these three steps. His eyes then lit up, as if he was seeing his remarkable political achievements in the coming year. He nodded hurriedly, bowed, and turned away muttering to himself.
Mu Feng couldn’t help but roll his eyes and complain, “This governor is really amazing. He recited what Brother Xiwen said all the way. He really doesn’t have any other ideas.”
“I don’t know how he got the position of governor. No wonder he has been as still as a mountain with no sign of promotion for more than ten years. He is really a stupid person!”
Mu Zhao was also speechless, “It’s hard for Lu Xiwen to tell him every step. He really wants to feed the food into Governor Yu’s mouth.”
Lu Qian coughed lightly, “I saw that you were angry, and Governor Yu was confused and couldn’t understand what you meant.”
“Yes, yes, Brother Xiwen is still thoughtful. Hey, brother, don’t be angry with such a stupid person. When the food arrives tomorrow, you will be busy. Go and have a rest now.”
….
The doorman of the Weizhou Governor’s Mansion had just opened the door when he saw Mama Hu come in with a crooked foot. He hurriedly reached out to support her as she said “Ouch!”
“Mama, what’s wrong?”
Mama Hu felt like they had been through a lot on their way home, and now that they had finally arrived, she wanted nothing more than to find someone to hold her head and cry to.
“Quick, go tell Madam that Miss Yu has been brought back.”
The doorman couldn’t help but curl his lips at the news. He thought, “Well, if she’s brought back, then she’s brought back. Seeing Mama’s expression, I’d have thought she was bringing back some extraordinary daughter, that there was such a fuss.” But in fact, she was just a peasant girl being raised on the farm.
The doorman craned his neck to look outside, only to see the carriage quietly parked nearby, with no one getting out.
He said, “Madam has instructed before that if this young lady comes back, she should be taken directly to see Madam, and there is no need to disturb the old lady or others.”
“Why haven’t you gotten off yet?” He actually wanted Yu Linlang to get out of the carriage and enter the door by herself.
Mama Hu glared at him, “Quickly remove the door threshold and let the carriage in.”
Did this doorman think that this young lady Yu was someone to be dealt with? If he annoyed her, she could ask that fierce girl to come and beat him up in the street!
She, an old woman, had been beaten so many times along the way, and now she just wanted to hand the young lady over to Madam safely, which was also considered as completing this job.
What’s more, Chong Yuanfang Street was a place where people came and went, and it was also a place where many officials’ relatives gathered. If there was a commotion, it would be the governor’s mansion that would be embarrassed!
The doorman was pushed by the mama, and although he was reluctant, he still did it.
As the carriage pulled up to the mansion, Mama Hu hurried forward, offering an apologetic smile. “Miss Yu, we’ve sent someone to notify Madam. We’ll be able to pay our respects at Madam’s Yuchun Garden shortly.”
The setting sun shone gilded, a cold wind gusting through the air.
Yu Linlang, holding Jiu Jin’s hand, slowly stepped out of the carriage, her gaze fixed on the vast mansion.
The doorman and the servants were curious to see the young lady’s expression. They’d expected a hint of surprise at the sight of such a magnificent mansion, adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, but unexpectedly, Miss Yu remained expressionless, unmoved. As if nothing concerned her, the plain-looking Miss Yu showed no sign of timidity, quite unlike the village woman they’d imagined.
“Mama Hu, why are you here so late?”
“Madam has had people guarding the gate for the past two days, eagerly awaiting the young lady’s return.” A hearty laugh echoed as a swift, blue-clad mama emerged from the second doorway, leading two beautiful maids.
“Have you been lazy on the way?”
“Oh, dear sister, please don’t tease me. How dare I? The roads are simply overcrowded with refugees, and the traffic is difficult.”
She then turned to Yu Linlang with a flattering smile, “Miss Yu, this is Mama Zhao, the dowry attendant of Madam.”
Yu Linlang nodded slightly, with an understanding look.
Mama Zhao, seeing her expression of indifference, paused for a moment before quickly smiling again. “The young lady must be tired from the journey. Don’t worry, a room is ready for you. After you meet our madam, you can go and rest.”
“Lead the way,” Yu Linlang coldly interrupted Mama Zhao’s greeting, signalling her to stop talking and just lead the way.
Mama Zhao was a bit embarrassed by her rude manner, but after recovering a little, she smiled awkwardly, “Okay, young lady, please come this way.”
The two of them walked through the hall and courtyard towards Yuchun Garden, the residence of the Governor’s wife, Mrs. Huo, with Mama Hu following closely behind with a group of maids.
Gradually, Mama Zhao noticed something different.
She looked at this young lady Yu, who had been raised in the countryside, but was not at all the timid and petty person they had imagined. Instead, she walked calmly and behaved in a proper manner, never looking sideways, neither hurriedly nor slowly, and was extremely dignified and elegant.
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron or access advance chapters on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents • Next
