Hongwu Survival Guide

Chapter 42

After seeing off the guests, Zhu Yuan left the lobby of the main courtyard, and there was already a small shoulder car waiting outside.

Just made it recently.

It's not an option to make people carry it all the time.

Sitting on the comfortable reclining chair designed by himself in the middle, Zhu Yuan pulled a big tiger skin mattress to cover his whole body, closed his eyes and began to sleep.

The shoulders were lifted by four servants, and they moved forward steadily.

Without shoulders, Zhu Yuan is afraid of heights.

After a while, Zhu Yuan, who was in a daze, only felt that his shoulder was put down, and was soon lifted up again, knowing that he had entered the inner house.

Not wanting to move, I still had to open my eyes.

Then I saw a few pairs of red eyes.

Freehand ones, blank ones, and young ladies' ones.

Ever since meeting someone's daughter, Zhu Yuan felt that the name Qingqiu was becoming less and less suitable for women. Recently, just like Liu Bai, it was naturally replaced by Qingniang.

Zhu Yuan understands freehand brushwork and blank space.

Relatives get together.

Still lying on the shoulders with only his head exposed, Zhu Yuan gestured to Qing Niang: "What's wrong with you?"

"My brother sent a letter, brother slave..."

With just this one sentence, Qing Niang couldn't speak anymore, she covered her mouth and began to cry, her body also went limp, but luckily the maid beside her helped her up in time.

Zhu Yuan paused, knowing that the person hadn't arrived yet, but the letter had arrived, and motioned for the maid to help Qing Niang into the house, then turned to Xie Yi and Liu Bai: "Your family...is everything okay?"

Seeing Zhu Yuan's question, the two girls suddenly knelt down together and wrote: "Both slaves thank you little official for saving me."

From the looks of it, it should be fine.

Zhu Yuan asked the two girls to get up, and said to the servant woman who was carrying her shoulders: "Go out again," and then turned to Xie Yi: "Let your family come over, I will see you."

Xieyi stood up, shook her head and said: "Young official, let's take a nap first, I told my father that I will kowtow to the little official tomorrow."

"I can't sleep anymore," Zhu Yuan shook his head, and said again: "It's fine to kowtow, how many times have I said it."

After speaking, he turned to the servant woman beside him: "Let's go."

Then he covered his head again.

Take a break.

After a while, we arrived at the living room outside.

Liu Bai went to call for someone, and Xie Yi followed him in. With a hesitant expression, he took out a few pages of paper that had been written in advance from his sleeve, and handed it to Zhu Yuan with his head down, obviously guilty: "Little official, this is... slave and Leave the list of the two family members blank."

Still need to write a list?
Zhu Yuan took it curiously, and after looking at it, he realized why he listed it.

Written with a pen, it is still a full six pages.Turning directly to the end, a certain girl kindly gave a number, 167 people.

This is not relatives...

Did the whole village move here together?
Xieyi lowered her head even lower, and seeing Zhu Yuan looking over, she said slowly: "Slave... In the letter, only parents... at most, a few uncles at most, I didn't expect that, my mother's family, and... also There are... and... all, all of them are here."

Zhu Yuan understood after a little thought.

The problem was with Fu Shou, a salt merchant whom I met just this morning.

This one is really dedicated, unknowingly making Zhu Yuan owe a bigger favor.

It cannot be said that others are not.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yuan asked again: "Aside from sending people here, is there anything else?"

Xie Yi didn't dare to hide it, and nodded lightly: "I bought some clothes, shoes and hats, and also... each family gave 100 taels of silver, saying it was a settling fee."

Zhu Yuan glanced at the list in his hand, but couldn't tell the difference, so he simply asked, "How many companies in total?"

"There are still undivided families. In total, I gave 3000 taels." Xieyi said, and quickly added: "I didn't ask my father to hand over the money, and wait for the petty officials to deal with it."

Zhu Yuan nodded slightly, and asked again: "Did you leave the address for the person who sent you here?"

"Stay here," said the freehand brushwork: "In the southwest of the city, north of the floating bridge, Fulu Lane, Fu's house."

"Let Zhao Xu come over later, forget about the clothes and the like, and leave the money to me," Zhu Yuan said, then remembered: "Where do they live now?"

If there are more than a dozen people, the house can still be crowded, and more than 100 people... It can't fit.

"At the foot of the Shogunate Mountain, some courtyards in the village have been leased." Xieyi pointed to the north, and said in a low voice: "There is an empty yard on the east side of the house, and the slaves have cleaned it up... small officials, slaves, and others. Leave blank, I want my family to live here and serve you together."

Then he knelt down again.

Zhu Yuan gestured for Nizi to get up, and said, "Then move here. However, let me tell you frankly, even if I can afford to support so many people, I can't use them. They always have to find a job to live on their own. I can help. , but it’s too good, unless I have that ability, I can’t give it.”

Xie Yi didn't get up, and waited for Zhu Yuan to finish speaking before saying: "It is enough for a small official to give me a bite of food, I dare not expect more."

Zhu Yuan said: "If it's just for a bite to eat, it's better to stay in Shandong. People always leave their hometowns and are cheap."

Hearing what Zhu Yuan said, Xie Yi turned pale immediately, and shook her head: "Little officials, let them do whatever they want, don't drive them back to Shandong."

As he spoke, he kowtowed again, falling to the ground.

Seeing Xieyi's reaction, Zhu Yuan felt something was wrong, and asked, "Shandong...is it bad?"

Xinyi raised her head cautiously: "I don't know the details...but, in the last few months, there have been bandits in Zhuangzi where my family is located, and... also grain collection. It snowed heavily for six days in a row, nearby... ...Father said that many people died of starvation, and my brother led people to guard Zhuangzi all day, but he was rushed several times, and his body is still covered with wounds."

Zhu Yuan was silent for a moment.

Suddenly realized that he had already begun to eat minced meat.

A few days ago, Lao Zhu said that grain was transported to the north. Because the canal was not smooth, not only could he not provide relief to the people, but he had to requisition more grain. He felt uneasy about this.

then……

Zhu Yuan felt nothing at all.

I just feel that I take the initiative to take over the next business trip, and then perform well.

At this moment, I finally realized that many times, behind the simple words of the superiors, there is a cruel truth hidden.

I didn't know what to say here, so Liu Bai opened the curtain and came in. Seeing Xie Yi kneeling on the ground, he knelt down by the door for a moment, "Little official..."

Zhu Yuan came back to his senses and felt a little cold. He wanted to grab the fur on the chair to wrap his body. He stretched out his hand and then stopped. He suddenly raised his voice and said with emphasis: "Get up for me," he said, looking at it. Xiang Liubai: "Go outside and speak well, no one is allowed to kneel again today. Do you think that my health is not bad enough, and you want to shorten my life one by one, hoping that I will die soon?"

"No, it's not..." Liu Bai was frightened by Zhu Yuan's sudden tantrum, his body trembled, he got up quickly, looked over as he spoke, began to shed tears, and muttered: "... I am willing to die for the little official. ..."

Xieyi also stood up reflexively, staring at her little official, speechless.

Seeing the trembling looks of the two girls, and remembering Liu Bai's uncontrollable words just now, Zhu Yuan exhaled, slowed down his tone, and motioned: "Go talk."

Liu Bai responded in a low voice, wiped his eyes, and waited for the tears to stop pouring out, then turned and went out.

After a while, a group of people entered the house.

After standing still, he looked at Zhu Yuan, obviously hesitating, and then he either bowed or saluted Zhu Yuan with all blessings.

Zhu Yuan looked over.

There are mainly a few elderly people, and there is a man who is nearly 1.8 meters tall and has a splint tied to one arm.

Thinking of what Xieyi said just now, this should be her brother.

There is also a mother and son.I already know that Liu Bai has no father, only his mother and a younger brother, presumably these two, the woman and Liu Bai are very similar, the boy is about ten years old.

What's more, Zhu Yuan also found that although the group of people were dressed decently, they all looked disheveled. Even though they would definitely not be hungry along the way, they still couldn't make up for it.Even Xieyi's elder brother is only a head, and his face is still a little sunken.

After saluting together like this, seeing that Zhu Yuan was silent, a middle-aged man stepped forward and said with a long bow again: "Qiao Wang thanked you for saving the life of Qiao, Sang, Chen, Wei and other 160 and seven families. There is no reward for waiting, I just hope that in this life and the next life, I will be driven by adults, tie a grass ring, and never give up."

After Qiao Wang finished speaking, he bent his knees, remembering what he had just said blankly, and finally resisted not kneeling down, but gave another deep bow.

Everyone behind Qiao Wang also saluted again.

Zhu Yuan looked down at the few pages that were still held in his hands. Qiao Wang was Xieyi's father.

After everyone saluted again, Zhu Yuan paused and said, "Since you're here, you can live well. I'll give each of you 100 taels of silver to settle down first. The other 3000 taels will be sent over, this one can't be accepted. "

After saying this, Zhu Yuan couldn't think of anything for a while, so he turned to Xieyi: "I will arrange a good meal for everyone in the evening." Then he looked at Qiao Wang: "I am not in good health, so I won't entertain any more, everyone go to rest. Let's go, rest for a while, you don't have to do anything, just eat and drink well."

After everyone left thankfully, Zhu Yuan finally pulled the brown bear skin on the chair to wrap around his body, and closed his eyes.

so tired.

When he was about to fall asleep, a voice came from his ear, it was Luo Shui, softly: "Little official, may I carry you to the inner house to sleep?"

Zhu Yuan curled up the bear skin again, turned around and refused muttering: "No, I'm a big man, and being carried by a woman, I don't want to lose face?"

Luo Shui still coaxed softly: "Slaves and petty officials cover it up, so I'm not afraid of being seen."

Ok……

this is a good idea.

So he was supported and thrown on a fragrant and soft back, covered with a fur coat, which was airtight.

The inexplicable uneasiness finally calmed down a little.

(End of this chapter)