Chapter 1268 Children's Affairs
Chapter 1268 Children's Affairs
In late February, spring sowing finally began in Henan, which was much later than last year.
This was a major national event and could not be taken lightly. Shao Xun set an example himself and selected a family of orphans and widows from Chenliu Prefecture to farm for them.
There were so many people at the scene, more people just stood there and watched than those working in the fields. There were no reporters or cameras, otherwise you would be assigned the entire news broadcast.
All the young girls and wives in the village secretly looked at Shao Xun who was working in the fields.
The emperor's back is really strong, he must be very powerful, the concubines in the harem must be really blessed.
Those hands were big and strong, and I don't know how much energy they felt when they rubbed the mountain. People who shoot arrows all year round must have thick calluses on their palms, and rubbing the mountaintops with them would make their souls leave their bodies.
His legs were still quite thick, so he pushed the cart very fast.
Whether he is farming at home or farming outside, he is a good hand.
Liang Fen and Chen Yougen were also present. Old Liang was too old, so he made some tea not far away and distributed it to Shao Xun and his officers and officers of the imperial army.
Chen Yougen is also older than Shao Xun, but he can still work in the fields.
He was a little distracted at the moment. After the emperor returned to the capital yesterday, he immediately summoned him to the palace for questioning. The two of them went up to the Sun Bathing Tower and had a long secret conversation. Then he knew that he would be the prince's tutor.
He was not stupid, he could hear the meaning behind the emperor's words, and knew that this job was not easy. But if he had to make a choice, he would choose the emperor. People who had fought together on the battlefield did not have so many ideas, and even if he was asked to choose ten times, there would be no change.
But, it's annoying after all.
He is now also thinking about what attitude he should adopt in getting along with the soon-to-be-enthroned Crown Prince, so much so that he can't quite concentrate on his work.
Liang Fen is much more at ease than him.
From the moment the emperor called his name, he knew what he should do.
The emperor would not choose him for no reason, there must be a deep meaning. Following this line of thought, everything becomes clear.
But to be honest, he and Chen Yougen were unwilling to get involved.
The good grandson Liang Zhang was adopted by his eldest son's family. He is now the eldest grandson of his eldest son's family. He is seven years old this year and is extremely intelligent, at least in Liang Fen's eyes.
And his future is very good. No matter which prince ascends the throne in the future, Liang Zhang, a brother of a different surname, will have many more opportunities than ordinary people. If he has outstanding talents, it will be easy for him to climb to a high position.
Therefore, Liang Fen did not need to contact the prince, it was not worth taking the risk. But the emperor had chosen him, and he had a long talk with him the night before, and things could not be changed.
It was Chen Yougen's job to strike a balance and reconcile the prince and the emperor, so he had to do it.
As the sun approached noon, the ploughing work came to an end.
Shao Xun was slightly out of breath. He walked around for a while, learned about the economic situation of the Xiafubing Village, and then returned to Liang Fen.
The floor is covered with fur. The felt carpets have been phased out and are nowhere to be seen. This indirectly shows that the production of fur cloth has gradually increased and can at least supply the expenses of the imperial palace.
Qin Wang Shao Jin also came over, and Shao Xun asked him to sit down.
The father and son sat facing each other, with Liang Fen and Chen Yougen sitting on their left and right.
"Does Liang Nu know the purpose of farming personally?" Shao Xun asked.
"To encourage the world to engage in farming." Shao Jin replied.
"These are words from the book. Do you have any thoughts on this?" Shao Xun asked.
Shao Jin thought for a moment and said, "In ancient times, the emperor had to push three times and the princes had to push five times, but it was just a formality. Your Majesty really did farm work for the whole morning, which is far beyond the ancient kings."
Shao Xun hummed and said, "Do you have any other ideas?"
"Your Majesty may order the Minister of Rites to personally perform the ritual music for farming and incorporate it into the elegant music of the new dynasty," Shao Jin said again.
"Go on." Shao Xun nodded and said.
Shao Jin's back was slightly sweaty. He said, "If you set an example by tilling the fields yourself, then all officials will encourage farming. If all officials encourage farming, then the crops will be abundant and the people will not starve."
“What good is a good harvest?”
"The people are pleased and supportive."
Shao Xun stopped asking questions and looked at the blue sky, saying leisurely: "Does Liang Nu know that your father values business?"
"know."
"Then do you remember what your father said before, that only when people have enough food will they buy other things and business can flourish?" Shao Xun asked again.
Shao Jin finally understood why he kept asking questions. It turned out to be because of this question.
My father did say this, but he didn't feel it deeply, nor did he have a deep impression of it, so he couldn't remember it for the time being.
So he immediately bowed and said, "I know I am wrong."
"What a pity! That's all there is to farming." Shao Xun said, "Until now, only the nobles, officials, chieftains, and soldiers have no worries about food and drink, and can openly buy goods brought by merchants, but that seems to be enough. Liang Nu, you must remember that agriculture is the foundation of everything. If agriculture prospers, commerce will prosper as well. If agriculture does not prosper, commerce will not prosper much either."
"I will teach you, son." Shao Jin said with a serious face.
Shao Xun looked at him and nodded.
Liuzi's posture, language and manners are very different from before. He is less relaxed and more stiff and deliberate.
Perhaps, this is life.
He could no longer look at Liang Nu purely as a father looks at his son. Both of their mindsets had changed.
If your mindset changes, your actions will go awry.
In the afternoon, Shao Xun continued to work, and Shao Jin also joined in. They were busy until sunset, and then the father and son returned to Bianliang.
******
"Husband." Inside Ganlu Palace, Yu Wenjun suddenly threw herself into Shao Xun's arms and hugged him tightly.
Shao Xun felt a little emotional, as if his sweet wife, whose heart and eyes were filled with love for him, had returned.
"Did I lie to you?" Shao Xun held her face and asked.
"No." Yu Wenjun smiled with her eyebrows curved. Shao Xun couldn't help but kiss her, thinking to himself that if he didn't like Liang Nu in the future and wanted to depose him, how would he face Yu Wenjun?
Liu Lang, Liu Lang, you really have a good amulet.
After sitting down, Yu Wenjun diligently prepared tea and snacks, and asked the Imperial Household Department to deliver the meals to Ganlu Palace.
As he walked, his steps were light and his voice was soft and gentle, which had not been seen for many years.
Shao Xun felt a little unnatural.
At this moment, Yao and Chen brought the snacks over one after another.
Shao Xun glanced at the two of them. The Sixth Elder had good taste. These two girls were both extraordinary. Chen was even more beautiful. Now that the Queen kept her by her side, she was obviously the Prince's concubine.
According to the Daliang internal official system, the highest rank among the prince's concubines was Liangdi, and two of them could be appointed.
If nothing unexpected happens, both of them will be queens, or one will be a concubine and the other will be a child prince. It depends mainly on the queen's opinion. Shao Xun will not interfere too much in this regard.
However, he doesn't care about concubines, but he will ask about the Crown Princess.
After Yao and Chen put down the snacks, they didn't dare to look at Shao Xun any longer and left with red faces.
Yu Wenjun came over at the right time and said, "My husband, Qiongxuan is the daughter of a general, and Yaoyao comes from a famous family..."
"Yeah, I know." Shao Xun picked up a piece of dessert and ate it slowly.
Yao’s can’t return the goods. That brat Liu Lang has already slept with them. Damn it, he’s pretty quick.
Although the girl from Yingchuan Chen was beautiful, Shao Xun felt a little hesitant.
Especially since she had known Liang Nu since childhood and they had a special relationship. The key point was that she was the daughter of Chen Jing, the Right Prime Minister. Would Chen Jing be willing to have his daughter as a concubine?
As expected, Yu Wenjun said, "Yaoyao is the beloved daughter of Chen Pushe. Logically, she should have been married, but she was still thinking about Liang Nu and waited until today. Now she is eighteen years old. It would be better to make her the Crown Princess so that they can be together—"
"What?!" Shao Xun frowned and immediately said, "No!"
Yu Wenjun was startled and blinked nervously.
Shao Xun knew that he had lost his composure, and quickly hugged the queen into his arms, saying: "It's not that I'm cruel, I definitely don't want to fulfill the children's wishes. It's really..."
Shao Xun wanted to say that his father had already married a girl from Yingchuan, and his son was marrying another one. What kind of words would that be? But he organized his words a little and said, "Wenjun, don't be confused. Liang Nu will soon be the crown prince. What kind of woman is not available to him? You are also a wife of the Shao family, so you should think about Shao. Didn't you agree to be Chen's concubine before? Why did you change your mind? But what did Chen Jing say?"
"Yeah." Yu Wenjun said a little embarrassedly.
"Why are you so easily influenced?" Shao Xun said helplessly.
It is possible that Chen Jing was not the only one who was behind this. There might be others involved. Even this daughter of the Chen family was not a simple person herself, and she might have indirectly exerted influence.
Damn it, he didn’t dare to tell me, so he went to Yu Wenjun for help.
Of course, this is also reasonable, because Yu Wenjun herself was a scholar from Yingchuan.
"Besides Chen's, what about the other ones you chose before?" Shao Xun looked at his wife and spoke in a gentle tone.
Yu Wenjun noticed Shao Xun's displeasure and felt a little sad. She said, "The Minister of Rites Cui Yu has a daughter who is virtuous and kind."
"What else?" Shao Xun asked.
"General Xu Lang of the Left Flying Dragon Guard has a daughter who is of the right age, but she is a concubine's daughter." Yu Wenjun added.
Shao Xun nodded and motioned for him to continue.
"Jingzhou Governor Liu Anzhi has a daughter who is also suitable, but I heard that Liu Anzhi's mother doesn't have much time left, so there may be some obstacles."
"And there is the granddaughter of Lord Liu, the Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs..."
"The daughter of the Secretary General Lu Gong..."
These candidates are not so difficult to choose. In Shao Xun's opinion, they are not so messy. Yu Wenjun did choose them carefully.
"Cui Yu's family is not acceptable." Shao Xun rejected one first, and then said, "My uncle's family is not acceptable either."
Yu Wenjun was a little surprised and said, "The Empress Dowager likes Liu's daughter very much."
"No means no. What if a fool is born?" Shao Xun was too lazy to explain more.
Is it okay to marry close relatives? Although it is slightly better than marrying cousins, he still doesn't want to.
"The Xu family, the Liu family, and the Lu family are all fine." Shao Xun said, "Look for more. On March 3, you can invite officials and their wives in Beijing to have fun. Make a reservation as soon as possible."
"Okay." Yu Wenjun nodded, then looked at Shao Xun and said, "Are you very upset, husband?"
"What are you upset about?" Shao Xun asked puzzled.
Yu Wenjun buried her face in Shao Xun's chest and whispered, "I regret marrying me. Am I too useless?"
"How could that be possible?" Shao Xun said, "There were so many women from noble families in Yingchuan and Chenjun back then, and there were more than one or two women of your age. Why did I choose you over the others?"
There was a hint of smile on Yu Wenjun's face.
"Instead of having time to daydream, you might as well teach the children well. What is Qu Ji doing?" Shao Xun asked.
"Today I am competing in archery with Zhigong." Yu Wenjun said.
"Zhigong" is Yu Yi, who was appointed as the magistrate of Junyi in Bianliang after the mourning period was over.
"Encourage him well and don't let him neglect his studies." Shao Xun said, "Quji is also our child, born after you carried him for ten months. I told you last time not to just care about Liang Nu and neglect the discipline of others."
"I understand." Yu Wenjun said.
After dinner, Shao Xun stood in front of the Ganlu Hall.
The eunuch Hou San stood aside, silent.
"Go to Huangnu Palace." Shao Xun got on the imperial carriage and gave the order.
After coaxing Yu Wenjun, he now needs to be coaxed by others.
(End of this chapter)