Blessed Daughter

After dinner, Wei Ruo and Xiumei packed things in the hotel room.

"Miss, although Lin'an Mansion is more prosperous than Taizhou Mansion, there are many more refugees along the way than Taizhou Mansion. The number of refugees gathered outside the city gate is almost as large as the number of refugees on the wasteland of Taizhou Mansion."

Xiumei couldn't help feeling emotional about what she had seen and heard in the past few days. There were not many refugees in the city of Lin'an Prefecture, but they were all blocked outside the city gate. Those people were starved to death without enough food.

As the provincial capital of Zhejiang Chengxuan Political Commissioner, Lin'an Mansion was originally the most prosperous and lively prefecture in Zhejiang Chengxuan Political Commissioner, but now there are many shabby and emaciated refugees in ragged clothes.

"The food situation has been bad in the past two years, so there are naturally many victims." Wei Ruo said.

"But didn't the imperial court send the sixth prince to come to rescue the disaster? Why didn't you look any better? Otherwise, you have to resettle these refugees, stop them all outside the city, and watch them starve to death. ?”

Xiumei's thinking was relatively simple, she felt that human life was at stake, and no matter what she did, she had to save people first.

Therefore, after seeing so many refugees, Xiumei was vaguely dissatisfied with the sixth prince who came to help the disaster.

"Then I don't know." Wei Ruo didn't care about how the sixth prince planned to rescue the disaster, she just did her own thing well.

Wei Ruo was looking at the map of Lin'an Mansion while talking to Xiumei.

"We'll go here tomorrow to check the situation." Wei Ruo said, pointing to the northern suburbs of Lin'an Mansion.

"I'll go wherever Miss says I want to go." Xiumei didn't even look at it, she followed Miss wherever she went.

"Then I'll sell you." Wei Ruo joked.

"Sell it. If the price is right, it's fine. I'll run away and sell it to Miss after I get the money." Xiumei replied with a smile.

"You know how to do business." Wei Ruo was amused by Xiumei.

"Naturally, after following Miss for so long, I have some business acumen."

"My Meimei is smarter than me now, and I still have a business to do. It's good for you, and you can make a lot of money!" Wei Ruo said.

"Green is better than blue because of blue!" Xiumei said playfully.

###

Early the next morning, the four of them set off from the inn to the north of Lin'an Mansion.

In order to make it easier to move around, both Wei Ruo and Xiumei changed into men's clothes when they were traveling today. In this way, all three of the four people in the group changed their costumes, only Xiaobei was fearless with a face that was not easy to be found out when he mixed into the crowd.

Because he was wearing men's clothes, Wei Ruo didn't ride in a carriage, and rode directly on a horse, which was more convenient for him to move around.

After riding a horse several times, Wei Ruo no longer suffers from pain in her buttocks and thighs when she rides a horse like before.

In addition, Wei Jin also bought a special stirrup for her, with a thick layer of cushion on it, which made her a lot more comfortable when riding.

The four of them rode out of the city gate, and the scenery on the road became desolate. There were many villages and farmlands along the way, but none of them seemed to be as prosperous as Taizhou Prefecture today.

If you look closely, you will find that the rice in the paddy field is not growing very well, the seedlings and leaves are turning yellow, and the situation of ear hanging is not optimistic.

"Why does the rice here in Lin'an Mansion seem to be in such a bad situation?"

Xiaobei, who was following Wei Jinyi and Wei Ruo, couldn't help but wonder.

Xiumei, who was walking beside him, explained: "The weather this year is not very good. It is not normal for the rice to grow poorly."

Xiaobei was still puzzled: "But I see that the rice over there in Taizhou is growing pretty well."

Xiumei said: "A large number of rice seedlings in Taizhou Prefecture have been replaced with the rice seeds promoted by my lady, which are highly resistant to diseases and adaptable. In addition, the magistrate will lead the people in the government to organize the people to top-dress fertilizers to prevent pests and diseases. To look good."

Xiaobei suddenly realized: "So that's the case, I said, why are they all rice, the gap is so big."

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Bei said: "The harvest in the past two years has been bad. If the situation is still the same this year, wouldn't the disaster be even worse?"

Xiumei muttered: "Who says it's not? I still hope to have a better harvest. I really don't want so many people to die."

Xiaobei nodded heavily: "Miss Xiumei is right!"

After walking for a while, the four saw a group of government soldiers driving a group of ragged refugees in one direction.

Some of the government soldiers still held whips in their hands, whipping the refugees from time to time, driving them forward.

Xiumei couldn't help feeling annoyed: "Which family's soldiers are these? Why do you drive and beat these refugees?"

Xiaobei hurriedly stopped Xiumei: "Miss Xiumei, keep your voice down, those who are the sixth prince will be in trouble if they are heard."

Xiumei lowered her voice and asked Xiaobei: "Why did the Sixth Prince's people drive out the refugees so violently?"

Wei Ruo also looked over and had the same doubts.

Xiaobei didn't answer right away, but glanced at Wei Jinyi hesitantly.

After Wei Jinyi nodded his head slightly, Xiaobei continued to explain to Wei Ruo and Xiumei: "The sixth prince seems to be learning the disaster relief method of the eldest lady recently, and arranges for the refugees to open up wasteland and farm."

Xiumei was even more confused: "Like my lady, why do you treat the refugees like this when opening up wasteland and farming? Just tell them not to do it? Those refugees will be very happy, we have already practiced it in Taizhou Prefecture."

Xiaobei explained in a low voice: "Because the eldest lady organized land reclamation and disaster relief in Taizhou, the refugees are naturally happy; but the six princes are not given accommodation here, and it is said that they even have very little food. And forcing the refugees to work from morning to night in order to catch up with the schedule, it is very difficult, so naturally no one wants to."

If you hide in the wild and eat tree roots and turf, you still have a chance to live, but if you are caught as a coolie, you may die faster.

Wei Ruo frowned and said, "Since he has learned it, why did he only learn it superficially and not learn it all? No one forbids him to follow the gourd."

This time it was Wei Jin who also answered Wei Ruo: "Because he failed to persuade the people in Lin'an Prefecture to contribute money and efforts, and he was unable to adapt to local conditions. He had already tried once earlier, but the land was not improved successfully. It took a lot of effort." time but nothing grew on the land."

Wei Ruoneng revitalizes the work-for-relief project and invites the entire Taizhou government to participate in it. A very important point is that she can convince everyone that she can successfully improve the land and let everyone gain something.

If this prerequisite cannot be established, naturally no one is willing to participate in it and contribute money and effort.

The Sixth Prince only learned the framework of Wei Ruo's method of disaster relief, but failed to get through the key points, so he naturally got a different effect.

Xiumei couldn't help but said: "Then he can't treat the refugees like this, they are already suffering enough, what's the use of persecuting them if they can't grow crops?"