Chapter 564: Help Them Again
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation | Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
However, the biggest problem now was that it was also winter in Kun City. The houses of the commoners had been destroyed, and many of their valuables and food supplies had been lost. If it was another frigid winter, many people would probably die of the cold and starve to death.
‘■The disaster relief food supply has already been allocated. There are also cotton clothes, cotton bales, charcoal, and other things that are being prepared. The climate there is milder than the capital city’s and not as cold, but we still have to help the people survive this winter.”
In this era, most of the people were still small farmers. Many families were self-sufficient. Now that these families had lost their food, their plight exerted great pressure on the Imperial Court. The national treasury of the Chu State had already taken out a lot of money this year, and it was almost empty.
-I have handed this matter over to the Ministry of Works and Su Yulun to follow up,” Xiao Jin said.
Su Ying raised her eyebrows faintly and glanced at Xiao Jin. Who didn’t know that the Minister of Works was Duke Jingguo’s disciple back then? Many of the assistant ministers under this minister also hailed from Duke Jingguo’s clan at different periods.
The job that Duke Jingguo was doing now was exactly what Su Yulun was responsible for back then. Now that Xiao Jin had gathered these two parties together, wasn’t this giving them a chance to duke it out?
However, this was also good. With their respective arch rival watching, they would not dare to make any mistakes.
When she saw that the weather was getting colder, Su Ying told the Ministry of Revenue to find her a relatively gentle hill slope.
The Minister of Revenue didn’t dare to be the slightest bit negligent. In less than three days, he had already shortlisted a number of hill slopes for Su Ying.
After Su Ying conducted on-site surveys, she chose two locations from the shortlist.
“Your Imperial Highness, what are you planning to do with these slopes? Su Ying stepped on the muddy ground on the hill slope and rubbed some mud in her hands.
“I’m putting them to good use.”
The Minister of Revenue didn’t know what use Su Ying was referring to, but he didn’t dare to ask or say anything.
A few days later, those who passed by these few hill slopes found that there were many people on the hill slopes digging pits with hoes and shovels.
Su Ying had enlisted these people from among the parents of the students in the women’s academy. Those girls came from poor families, so Su Ying decided to help their families again. She would pay the family members to come here to work. At the very least, this gesture would be able to let them live through the winter without starving.
“Your Imperial Highness, why are you digging holes and cutting down trees? “Making charcoal,” Su Ying said as she looked in the direction of the hill slope. Previously, Aunt Zhao had unintentionally let slip that the cotton production in the Chu State was low this year. If it was a frigid winter this year, many poor people would freeze to death and starve to death.
Back then, Su Ying had already thought of making some charcoal and selling it to the poor people at the cheapest price. At the same time, the work could also indirectly teach them the skill of making charcoal so that they could at least have a means of feeding themselves in the future.
“Your Imperial Highness truly cares about the people.”
“Anyway, I’m bored in the Imperial harem’s quarters. It’s good to come out for
a walk and get some exercise.”
The forest in the suburbs outside the capital city was very dense. Su Ying got these people to cut down the forested areas that were more scattered and patchy so that they wouldn’t end up clearing a mountaintop until it was bare. When spring came the following year, she would get the people to plant tree saplings. That way, future generations could continue to enjoy the gifts of nature.
Su Ying looked at everyone working hard on the hill slopes and suddenly recalled the scenes back in the northern wilderness. At that time, everyone was filled with hope for the future.
in fact, she preferred life in the Sky Alpha City. It was simple and clear, without too much scheming and plotting. After all, the people there had used all their energy to survive, so there was no more energy for other thoughts.
Every month, Chu Yun would send her a letter to report on the situation in Sky Alpha City. Even though it was a formal report, Su Ying felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
“Your Imperial Highness, it’s already noon. Please have your lunch first.” Zhou
Qing walked over with a lunchbox.
These days, Su Ying would come over every day at noon time to eat and drink together with the commoners without any special treatment.
“What delicious food is there for lunch today?’
Zhou Qing laughed and replied, “Uncle Hea was worried that you wouldn’t get a good meal, so he got up early in the morning and slaughtered a big pig. He made pickled vegetables and pork in clear sauce for everyone. I could smell the fragrance from afar.”
The supervisor on the hill slope also rang the bell for lunch. When the bell rang, everyone ran down the hill excitedly.
They couldn’t help but be excited. Some of them had lived for decades without even eating meat. Now, not only did they get paid to work, but they also got meat for the lunch that was included. That was something they didn’t even dare to dream of!
The Ministry of Works had built a few simple wooden houses at the foot of the mountain for the commoners to take their meals.
Su Ying walked into the wooden house and sat at a table in the furthermost corner. Zhou Qing opened the lunchbox and brought out all the food inside.
“Your Imperial Highness, quickly eat while it’s hot. When we go back tonight, Uncle Hea said that he will prepare Your Imperial Highness’s favorite hotpot.” Eating a mouthful of hotpot-boiled meat in this weather really made one feel that he was on top of the world.
As soon as Su Ying picked up her bowl, many working commoners collected their food and came over to sit down on the other chairs.
When they saw Su Ying sitting on a chair in the furthermost corner, they didn’t dare to bother her.
They knew that she was the Empress. They also knew that the reason they could have meat to eat and receive wages was due to the Empress’s efforts.
Su Ying’s actions made the commoners genuinely feel that the Empress truly cared about them, the commoners of the lower class.
After all, the Chu State had been founded for many years. There had never been an Empress who was willing to sit among the commoners and eat big mouthfuls of food like the current Empress.
Su Ying’s actions didn’t make the commoners think that she didn’t have the etiquette of a noble family’s daughter. Instead, they felt that she was very close to the people and in touch with them.
After everyone had eaten their fill, they sat in the house and rested for a while before resuming their work.
Only Su Ying and her subordinates were left in the dining hall.
The truth was, it wasn’t that Su Ying hadn’t thought of improving the Chu State’s military strength, but this matter was simply too big. It wasn’t necessarily a good thing to pull up seedlings to help them grow taller, as the proverb went. Since this was the era of weapons crafted from cold metal, she would just have to adapt to the development of the entire era. Some things would definitely come when the time was ripe.
Even with Xiao Jin, she could not be sure that he would not send troops to other kingdoms after obtaining a weapon of mass destruction, let alone other people.
Now, it was already the greatest blessing for the kingdom that the people could eat well and have clothes to keep themselves warm, as well as have a job while living in peace.
In just a few days, the wooden logs and the pits for making charcoal were ready.
There were more skilled charcoal craftsmen in the capital city, so Su Ying gathered a group of craftsmen to teach the commoners the principles and process of making charcoal.
“Your Imperial Highness, if these charcoal logs are made successfully, won’t those craftsmen have no business?” Zhou Qing had been with Su Ying for a long time, so her words had also become bolder.
“I have already checked with them. Although this is just a small piece of charcoal, there are many more knacks to it than we imagined. Charcoal is also divided into many types, and these craftsmen only teach the most basic skill to make the inferior type. In the first place, there isn’t that much worst-quality charcoal in the market. For those craftsmen who make high-grade low-smoke and long-lasting charcoal, teaching basic skills to others won’t affect them too much.”
The realization hit Zhou Qing then, and she thought to herself that the Empress was really thoughtful..