After hearing this, Li Laoer asked: "Why did the Marquis come to the palace today for this matter?"
Jiayin was afraid that her adoptive father would lose his sense of control because of her, so she quickly said: "Father, don't be angry, I'm not afraid! That little black guy The house has hoes and shovels next to the garden, so it's not scary at all. Besides, I only waited for half an hour before Uncle Huang came to rescue me."
The Marquis took a deep breath, not wanting this sensible fat girl to worry. , he patted her on the back and said: "My adoptive father knew what he wanted to teach the Wu family, not just because you were bullied.
" The Wu family had tried to send people to the Hou Mansion many times before, and also forced me to get married through the queen. They shouldn't have tolerated it back then, so now they are even worse! "
Li Laoer persuaded with some worry: "Master Hou, after all, the Wu family has the support of the queen..."
Master Hou shook his head and sneered, "not to mention a childless queen, even if there is a prince by her side, she should do it for me. The military power in your hands should be treated politely with Fu Niuer. However, this family of idiots jumped out to fight on their own, so don't blame me for attacking the Wu family!
Li Laoer was helpless and knew that he could no longer persuade him, so he said, "Then what are you going to do? " The
Marquis replied: "Soon, the Emperor will issue a decree to recruit soldiers. They will not recruit people from the common people, but the children of the noble families and civil and military officials. Two people in a family must have one legitimate son." Li Laoer's eyes widened immediately upon hearing this
. He intuitively felt that this matter would cause an uproar and stir up the entire New Capital.
He hesitated and said, "Master Marquis, I am afraid that the nobles of the family and the civil and military officials will object... ..."
Mr. Hou nodded and sneered: "Of course, they will definitely not agree. Their children and grandchildren were extremely valuable, and they would definitely not want to be sent to the north of the Yangtze River to kill the barbarians. They just wanted to stay in the south of the Yangtze River and live in a dream. But how can things in this world go as planned? How can one enjoy wealth without paying anything?
"If they don't want to risk their lives, then provide money! The children and grandchildren of the people can kill the barbarians on their behalf and bleed and sacrifice, but they can't not even get the pension!"
"Yes, Mr. Hou is right, this is what it should be. Like!" Li Laoer's blood boiled when he heard this, and he said in a suppressed voice: "They can spend hundreds of taels to buy a famous flower without blinking an eye. Naturally, they can also spend thousands of taels to buy the lives of their children and grandchildren!"
Mr. Hou's expression softened. After a few minutes, he ordered: "If anyone asks you where you are and wants to find accommodations with me, just mention a few words about the pension."
"Understood!" Li Laoer immediately agreed readily, picked up the tea bowl, "I With tea instead of wine, thank you Lord Marquis for seeking justice for the people and bringing peace to Tianwu!"
"I'm coming too!" Jiayin didn't have a tea bowl, so he picked up the rice bowl at hand and stood with his second uncle in a dignified manner. "Fu Niu'er thanks her adoptive father for fighting for the country and the people. His adopted father is the God of War and a great hero!"
The Marquis smiled and brought the tea bowl together with them. "For Tianwu, let's drink this cup together!"
Li The second brother and the Marquis drank tea, while Jiayin stuffed the meatballs in the bowl into his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a greedy little squirrel.
Both Li Laoer and Hou Ye couldn't help laughing.
Soon after dinner, the family members said hello, and Mr. Hou and Jiayin followed Li Laoer to the relief department.
It has only been a few days, but the previously desolate and dilapidated relief department has already changed its appearance.
All the weeds in the yard were pulled out, the ground was compacted, and the occasional square flower beds were surrounded by worn-out blue bricks, and some ordinary but bright little flowers were planted there.
Most of the house has been rested and no longer leaks.
Although the paint on the doors and windows has peeled off and is still mottled, the window paper has been replaced with new ones.
In every house, the doors and windows are wide open to take advantage of the midday sun and summer wind to drive away the darkness and humidity in the house.
The rotten grass that had previously been used as a bed had been cleared away and replaced by a newly built large kang, covered with golden kang mats. One after another, some children and old people came back from outside carrying hay or broken wood. They found them in dilapidated abandoned houses or remote places in the north of the city. They burned them at will at night to make some heat and make a big kang. It will keep you warm all night.
There is no need to burn too much heat in the summer, so everyone can have a good sleep.
Everyone's clothes are still old and even a little dirty, but if you look closely, their hands and faces are washed, and their hair is combed as neatly as possible.
The entire relief department seemed to be completely reborn just because of a few flower beds, new window paper on the windows, the no longer leaking roof, and the golden kang mats on the bed.
But it seemed that it wasn't just because of that...
Li Laoer led the Marquis and his niece around, and finally arrived outside the three rooms that served as the large kitchen.
There were two trees not far away that provided good shade, so Zheng Feng and Zheng He placed their chairs here.
The two of them were busy boiling tea and even picked up a box of snacks from nowhere.
Jiayin ate some snacks and thought about what else he could do to support the relief agency.
She could see that the second uncle was very serious and working hard to change the relief department, not only for his career, but also to rescue these poor people from the sea of misery!
Obviously, the Marquis also saw this and asked: "It is not a small matter to feed and clothe so many people. I'm afraid it won't be possible to just rely on the court to allocate money and food. Selling flowers to subsidize it is not a long-term solution."
Li Laoer He nodded and said: "I'm going to repair some houses, separate them, and rent them out. Although the income is not much, it is enough to maintain all the houses on a daily basis.
"I will find a few young men from the village to be teachers. Teach the children here simple writing and arithmetic. They can study in the morning and do chores in the afternoon. After a year, these children will be able to work as apprentices or boys and be able to support themselves.
"For the rest of the people who are slightly disabled but can walk, I plan to let them sweep the streets. It is autumn soon, with fallen leaves flying everywhere, and heavy snow in winter. As long as they clean up, I will give each house along the street a few kilograms of food per month. It shouldn't be difficult.
"As for the old and sick old people, they can only stay at the relief department, weaving baskets and doing small jobs. "
Such an arrangement sounds very good.
Although there will definitely be many problems encountered during the execution, at least we have set a goal of being self-reliant. Just
as the Marquis was about to speak, several people suddenly walked in from outside the gate, all dressed in different clothes. They were ragged and dirty, but they were smiling with yellow teeth.
Perhaps smelling the aroma of rice porridge, a few of them found a sunny place to squat, folding their sleeves, chatting and laughing from time to time. He also took something out of his arms and pinched it...
Jiayin was stupid for a moment and didn't react. He wanted to take a closer look, but was blocked by the Marquis.
Li Laoer looked bad and snorted coldly: "Mr. Hou , if there are any disabled veterans, those who can move around like Uncle Zhao and others, it is best to be more fierce. Send me about 20 people. There are four caretakers in the Baiyuan Garden, and I am afraid there will be more than a dozen here. "
The Marquis understood and nodded in response: "Okay, I will select people for you when I get back. There are many disabled soldiers this time, and I am also worried about finding a place for them. Don't be too angry. There is such mud everywhere. "