The daily struggles of divorced women in ancient times

Pei Yanqi just lived outside like this. Heng Wu helped Pei Yanqi to plan everything that could be planned. To be honest, when she was at home, Pei Yanqi didn't listen to a word Mrs. Pei said, but when she was outside, she listened to some of what Heng Wu said.

So, every day after that, Pei Yanqi followed Heng Wu to wander the streets and buy things.

Pei Yanqi brought out a total of one hundred taels of silver, which could last for many years if he spent it frugally, but if he could find a way to make a living, it could extend his life for a long time.

Therefore, Pei Yanqi focused on making a living, and for a while she had less time to think about Tan Yuming.

Time went back to the end of October, and the atmosphere in Beijing had become much more tense. This was because the harvest was poor this year and various natural disasters occurred one after another.

Memorials from all over the country were delivered to the emperor like snowflakes. There was an earthquake in the southwest, a once-in-a-century flood occurred in the south of the Yangtze River, and before the residual heat had passed, a severe drought occurred in the north. Rumors were quietly spreading in the capital that the prince was unworthy of his position, which led to all kinds of strange weather phenomena and various disasters.

At this point, the unpredictable situation in the capital was once again exposed.

The people in the capital were not having a good time at this time. Because of the drought, the yields of farmers' fields had dropped sharply, and grain merchants could not get grain. Naturally, the price of grain in the capital rose. With the increase in grain prices, the people's lives were not easy. Even the families of small officials in the capital who had no financial resources were not having a good time.

In November, a large number of refugees fled from famine. The prince went to distribute porridge to the refugees. Seeing the miserable plight of the refugees, he felt very sad.

Rumors soon spread. The prince was still a child after all, and he gradually fell silent under the onslaught of rumors.

The future of the companions is tied to the prince. After all, they are all children of similar age. They know why the prince is depressed but don't know how to comfort him.

Chen Ge'er couldn't bear to see the prince becoming more and more depressed, so Mu Xiu took the prince back home that day.

"You are just too tense. My mother said that a person's state is very important. If he is not in good state, he will get half the result with twice the effort." Chen Ge'er persuaded the prince and went to Xia Mianwan's yard together.

The young boy is still unhappy and has a hard time getting over his problem.

Xia Mianwan had just finished dealing with a bunch of chores. The price of food in the capital had risen sharply. Fortunately, Xiaowu and she had experienced the war and knew that they had to store food. They had saved a lot of food early on, and now the livelihood of the workshop was normal.

The livelihoods of the workers in Xia Mianwan's farm, workshops and shops were not affected, which made those families who had to tighten their belts envy them.

Most of the people working under Xia Mianwan are women. They have a stable ration of food to bring home every day. They have become the backbone of the family. It is not obvious at other times, but at this time, these women suddenly realize that their status in the family is no longer the same.

"Master's wife, mother."

Xia Mianwan saw that it was Brother Chen and the prince who came, and served them some food with a smile.

The prince looked very worried, and Xia Mianwan had some guesses in her mind, "Xuanxue, serve two small cakes to the prince and Brother Chen."

"Yes."

Not long after, the beautiful little cake came up. The prince actually liked sweets very much, just like Pei Yanxu, but sometimes the prince felt that his sweet tooth affected his masculinity, so he seldom ate in front of others.

Xia Mianwan could guess the prince's taste. She smiled and said to the two children, "Eat quickly. After you finish eating, I will take you out for a walk."

Chen Ge'er stared at Xia Mianwan with bright eyes. His mother must have known something.

The small cake was sweet but not greasy. After the prince finished it, he felt much better.

Xia Mianwan saw that Chen Ge'er and the prince had finished their snacks, so she asked Hongling and Xuanxue to take good care of Shi Ge'er and Yuan Jie'er, then took Chen Ge'er and the prince to the workshop.

When he arrived at the workshop, the prince was still puzzled.

"Master's wife, this is..."

Xia Mianwan smiled and said, "This is the property under my name. I designed it all by myself, and most of the workers here are women. I'll take you to have a look."

Xia Mianwan took the prince to visit the workshop and explained to him the operating procedures of the workshop. The prince listened very carefully, as this was something that the gentlemen seldom mentioned to him.

"Are they not affected by the natural disaster?" asked the prince.

Xia Mianwan explained with a smile, "The manager here is Chen Ge'er's brother, Xiaowu. Because we have experienced war together, we have stored a lot of food in advance, so the price of goods in the capital does not affect our workshop."

The prince seemed to be thinking about something and continued to follow Xia Mianwan to visit the workshop.

In the afternoon, many workers had gone off work. When they saw Xia Mianwan, they all greeted her with a smile. There was no numbness in their eyes, but a hint of light, which made people feel comfortable.

The prince felt much better and his mood became more cheerful.

"Prince, you have seen that the so-called destiny of a person is actually in his own hands. Natural disasters are unavoidable. People are very insignificant in front of nature. No matter whether you or someone else is the prince, natural disasters are not subject to personal will. However, if you are the prince, if you can master the laws of nature and avoid danger in advance, you can save the lives of many people.

The laws of nature are summarized through repeated experiences. If the decision maker is conscious, everything his subordinates do is a reflection of the decision maker's consciousness.

So, it’s okay to be unhappy, but it can’t become a knot in your heart.” Xia Mianwan’s voice was calm and gentle, and the prince was fascinated by it.

"Master's wife, isn't this all my fault?" The young boy finally blurted out what was in his heart.

Xia Mianwan touched the prince's head and explained with a smile, "Heaven and earth are not benevolent and treat all things as straw dogs. How can people do anything wrong? It's just... Prince, if people are in the center of the storm, there will be more people with ulterior motives. As a prince, you should look for problems from others, but in the future you should look for problems from yourself. People face different hearts at different stages, so don't think too much."

What Xia Mianwan said was different from what others said, but the prince benefited greatly from it. He was the prince, and he received a lot of attention. Many people were eyeing his position, so naturally there were a lot of criticisms. He must not doubt himself at this time. But after becoming the emperor, above everyone else, it was inevitable that he would hear flattery. At that time, he had to constantly examine whether his decisions were correct, and be responsible to the people and the country.

"Thank you, Master's wife!" The prince bowed solemnly.

Xia Mianwan returned the greeting, "I don't deserve it. We were just chatting today."

The prince said seriously: "Master's words have solved the knot in my heart since I was a child. Thank you very much, Master. I hope that one day I will not disappoint you."