Chapter 863: Benevolence and Power
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The medicinal herbs needed to prevent and treat the epidemic were also ordinary medicinal herbs, and a lot had grown on the mountain.
They were not prepared enough. Since there was still time now, they had to prepare with all their might.
Huang Wenxian immediately understood. “With the Xie family taking the lead to donate medicine, and the Princess accepting the medicine for the refugees, the bigger the matter is, the more the n.o.bles in the North won’t be able to sit still.”
Resettlement of the refugees was a matter of national policy, so it was impossible for the n.o.bles to stand by and do nothing.
Yu Youyao said calmly, “Release the news again. On March 15th, I’ll go to the Dragon Phoenix Temple to worship the Medicine Buddha and pray for the people of the North to recover.”
General An Yuan said, “With the Princess’s reputation in the North, as soon as the news spreads, the epidemic will attract everyone’s attention. I think that not only will the North help, but even the imperial court and rich businessmen from all over the country will help.”
Now that the Empress Dowager was in charge of the court and the royalists were powerful, the Imperial Court would not sit back and do nothing when the refugees were moved to Liaodong.
Instantly, they changed from being pa.s.sive to taking the initiative.
After discussing the epidemic, Yu Youyao mentioned the locust plague.
Huang Wenxian and General An Yuan immediately looked bitter.
Yu Youyao said, “I’ve written down the method to prevent the locust plague. Among them, we can use a mixture of horse bones, silkworm feces, sheep feces, and so on to soak the seeds. This method can be popularized on a large scale. The things used in the prescription are also simple and easy to obtain. It’s also possible to raise ducks and geese to eliminate the locusts. Considering that there aren’t that many ducks in the North, we can send a merchant ship to Guangdong to buy ducks and geese, and incubate eggs…”
They were all coastal cities, so it was convenient to travel by sea. If the method of soaking the seeds did not prevent the locust plague, the locust plague would not be a threat once the ducks and geese appeared.
The army needed a large amount of meat every day, so there was no need to be afraid no matter how many ducks and geese they raised.
Huang Wenxian and General An Yuan looked at each other, as if anything could be easily resolved in front of the Princess. So why had the Princess called them over?!
Yu Youyao said, “After careful consideration, I think these two methods are the most effective. Of course, the more methods to prevent the locust plague, the better. There are many books in the Lushan Academy, so there must be other ways. Send someone over to search. It’s almost spring planting time. We have to get the government to make an announcement as soon as possible and let the commoners prepare early. We can’t miss the farming period.”
General An Yuan said, “I’ll handle the Lushan Academy.”
Huang Wenxian also said, “I’ll go to the government office later to meet Lord Ye and report this matter. I’ll get the government to make arrangements as soon as possible.”
Yu Youyao felt much more at ease.
There were also differences between state capitals.
For example, Lord Jia governed Quanzhou, which was a state capital. There were also people like Ye Cixiao, who governed the three provinces in Liaodong that consisted of more than ten counties of various sizes.
Although they were both third-grade martial artists, Lord Ye also held several positions at the same time. He was not someone Yu Youyao could order around. Interfering in the court was not a small matter. He should not have been criticized in the first place.
Huang Wenxian was the most suitable person to step in.
She sent Huang Wenxian and General An Yuan off.
Not long after, Xia Tao came over to report, “Head Steward Jiang, Manager Wan, and Carpenter Zhao have come to kowtow to the Eldest Miss to thank you.”
After the Matriarch pa.s.sed away, Nanny Liu also pa.s.sed away.
Most of the others in the An Shou Hall stayed in the residence to continue serving.
The Matriarch had given her dowry to the Eldest Miss. They were also the first batch to come to Xiangping and were first in charge of doing some repairs to the courtyard.
In the past few days, the Eldest Miss had been busy reorganizing the courtyard and arranging official work for them.
Carpenter Zhao’s family was still the same as when they were in the Yu Residence. They did some repairs and renovation work, which was leisurely and dignified.
The Eldest Miss had not treated the other two families badly either. In the past, they had arranged everything in front of the Matriarch. In front of the Eldest Miss, everything was arranged according to the same treatment as before.
One replaced the head steward, while the other filled in the gaps in the shop.
In addition, the Eldest Miss had also arranged for the corresponding supplements, cloth, food, rewards, and so on from her own accounts every month to show her preferential treatment to them.
Yu Youyao smiled. “Please come in.”
Carpenter Zhao and his son had all come over. Of the people from the Jiang and 10,000 families, only the men in charge had come.
The four of them kowtowed to Yu Youyao obediently.
Yu Youyao quickly said, “Get up and sit down. You were all the most capable people in front of my Grandmother in the past. My Grandmother trusted you and was worried about me, so she asked you to work for me. Now that I’ve just come to the North and have bought many new businesses under my name, I still need you to take care of them.”
They were all born into the family and had served the family for generations. They were also old people who did not lack ability and loyalty. Yu Youyao was relieved to use them.
There was no reason not to place them in important positions.
These words not only acknowledged their relationship with the Matriarch in the past, but also expressed how much they valued them.
Head Steward Jiang was also in tears. “We’ve served the Matriarch for most of our lives. When she was alive, she doted on the Eldest Miss the most. Before she died, she also treated us eagerly and asked us to serve the Eldest Miss well in the future. When the Matriarch was alive, she treated us well, so we should do our best to fulfill our master-servant relationship with her.”
Head Steward Wan said excitedly, “The Matriarch has arranged for us to serve the Eldest Miss. We’re her servants. The Eldest Miss treats us well because of our relationship with the Matriarch. This is our blessing.”
The Eldest Miss made arrangements for them based on what was done in the past. On the one hand, she entrusted them with a heavy responsibility to show how much she valued them.
On the other hand, wasn’t she secretly reminding them that they had to maintain their original appearance, which they displayed in front of her grandmother in the past, in front of her? They had to abide by the rules of the residence and do their best. They couldn’t be arrogant just because they were serving her grandmother.
Otherwise, if they broke the rules of the residence, hindering their affection towards her grandmother, it would be very difficult for them to work.
This was business. Benevolence and power were mixed.
The preferential treatment they received was not from the government, but from the Eldest Miss herself. This also showed that the Eldest Miss treated them differently because of her grandmother and their relationship.
It was also because of their relationship.
Not only had they been placed in an important position, but they had also received dignity and benefits from the Eldest Miss. Anyone who knew what was going on should know that their master had put in a lot of effort for them.
After taking over from the residence today, they quickly came over and kowtowed to the Eldest Miss to show their loyalty.
After chatting for a while, they became much closer.
When Head Steward Jiang and Manager Wan left, they saw a young maidservant leading Bai Kui into the courtyard.
Miss Bai Kui was wearing a dark green jacket dress and did not plan to get married. She combed her hair and became a nanny. As she wanted to wear mourning clothes for the Matriarch, she did not have any accessories on her. However, her aura was even greater than before, and she had the aura of Nanny Liu back then.
The Eldest Miss wanted to start a medicinal incense business. Previously, when she was in Quanzhou, she had arranged for Bai Kui and Qing Xiu to go to the Jade Pavilion to learn from the manager.