Chapter 40: The Power of Knowledge
In the end, the people sent twelve children, ten boys and two girls, all under the age of ten, as thin as grass in the wind, their clothes still relatively clean, probably having just been changed before they came. The little girl in the green dress tried hard to smooth out the folds in her waist with her hands, while a slightly older boy next to her pulled her hands away and told her to stand properly. Yun Ye noticed that his hands were full of open wounds, but the little girl’s hands were not. This was a brother and sister, and the brother took good care of his sister.
Yun Ye smiled and said nothing. The IQ of these children was no longer the main issue. Those who could be brought home were the lucky ones. Yun Ye might not be able to save all the slaves in the Tang Dynasty, but these twelve children were not a problem. It was like a teenager who threw back to the sea a stranded fish that was struggling at the beach. Today, Yun Ye threw back twelve small fish, including a brother and sister.
The servant took them to the kitchen to eat. Yun Ye glanced at the children under the steps: “I am very satisfied with the people. You can negotiate the price with the housekeeper. I only want you to guarantee that the children’s origins are clear and that there are no traffickers. They are all voluntary.”
A slightly older boy replied, “Your Highness, these twelve children are all willing, no one forced them. Six of them were sold to me by their parents, and the remaining six were sold by the government. I have the official contract here, please take a look.”
Yes, they are all government contracts, and some have third-party evidence, so they are not fake. Seeing these contracts, Yun Ye’s heart was a little loosened. After all, he was born under the red flag. Even if he was heartless, it was strange that he had no shadow in his heart when it came to his bottom line as a person.
He waved away the servants, and he didn’t want to see them for even a minute.
A blue car drove into the Yun Mansion. The butler Qian Tong came to see the marquis with a strange look on his face, saying that there was an important guest who wanted to see the marquis.
Li Er was standing in Yun Ye’s study, holding a goose feather pen and studying, writing and drawing on paper, and holding the drawing tools that Yun Ye had asked the carpenter to make for him, gesturing and gesturing, and finally probably understanding the use of a compass, drawing circles one after another on paper. It was too weird! At the door of the study, I saw Li Chengqian, who was pretending to be a good baby. The two brothers exchanged glances, and Li Chengqian gave him a helpless gesture, with his hands spread out and his shoulders slumped.
“Get in here.” Li Er was still domineering.
As soon as he entered the door, Yun Ye pretended to be scared, hunched his back, and tucked his neck in. He had practiced this long ago: “Your servant did not know that Your Majesty had arrived. Please forgive Your servant for being rude.”
Li Er lifted his leg and wanted to kick Yun Ye again, but then thought it was not appropriate and pouted: “What did you make? You caused the two ministers Cheng Niu and Niu Jinda to make a big fuss in the Ministry of War and never touched books, but you actually took the “Zheng Lun” and said you wanted to beat the prodigal sons in the Ministry of War to death?
Cheng Yaojin and Niu Jinda had not yet submitted the drawings, and it seemed that they were going to make them and then report to Li Er. This time, the uproar in the military department was obviously to share the stormy weather from the court for Yun Ye. When he thought of this, his chest felt warm.
“When I occasionally read Zheng Lun, I accidentally discovered an extremely advanced farming tool called the Lu. Out of curiosity, I deduced its original appearance from the lines and words, made the drawings, and asked Cheng Gong and Niu Gong, two elders, to find the best carpenter to restore this exquisite farming tool.”
“According to the book, this plow can sow six hundred mu of land every day, but is that true?” Li Er was calm and unperturbed, and his tone did not change.
“The book records are somewhat exaggerated. Before the six-row plow was made, 600 mu was just a goal to strive for.” Yun Ye did not intend to exaggerate, nor did he intend to belittle. It is best to speak with facts.
“Where is the drawing? What do you want to do with it?” Li Er relaxed and sat in Yun Ye’s armchair, very leisurely.
“Your Majesty, this is the first scientific research result of my Institute of Diligence. I am waiting for the object to be made, and after the effect is verified, I will naturally report to the court and ask for more manpower and financial resources.
“You are telling the truth. Well, that’s just your personality. Seeing as you are so ambitious, this thing should be useful. It is not our style to reward those who have done good deeds. After the court has tested it, it will be as you wish.” After saying that, he patted the chair and said, “This thing is good. Send ten sets to the palace.”
Finally, I know where Li Chengqian’s bandit nature comes from. His father is the biggest bandit. Fortunately, the evidence of his crime was destroyed the day before yesterday. If he sees the two words “pig head” on his portrait today, I wonder if he will carve those two words on his father’s forehead. Yun Ye secretly rejoiced in his heart.
“This is my first time in your house. Show me around.”
Li Er said it very casually. Yun Ye despised Li Er. The guards you brought have turned the Yun family upside down, and you want me to show you the way? You just want to see how the Yun family is different from others.
Yin Ye accompanied Li Er and his son as they turned east and west in the Yun Mansion. He really wanted to avoid the flower room, but Li Er discovered this unusual room and wanted to go in and take a look.
“Your Majesty, the things in this room are the dowry I prepared for my sister. I wonder if Your Majesty would like to take a look?” He stopped and had to open the door for him to go in.
Li Er gasped as soon as he entered the room. What kind of place is this? The sight of the green all around was refreshing, and the unique fragrance of the plants came to him. The wooden box by the door was full of green spinach, the leaves were plump and tender, and it was time to harvest. Was this rape? Was this leek? Was this cucumber? It was actually ready to eat. Hearing Li Er mutter to himself, what was there to wait for? He picked two palm-sized tender cucumbers, washed them in the water tank in the room, and Li Chengqian broke off a piece of each cucumber and chewed them with Yun Ye, making a crunching sound. As usual, Li Er didn’t wait for them to die of poisoning. He snatched a larger one and took a big bite, as if he was tasting it, but he was a bit too fast.
“What kind of vegetable is this?” He noticed the chili peppers, which he had never seen before, and thought that the green, jagged little things were very cute.
“Your Majesty, this is a vegetable from overseas called chili. It tastes spicy and turns red when ripe. I like it very much. These are planted as seeds, and I will have many chili peppers next year. Please try them then.”
“Is this your dowry for your sister? Is it the vegetables or the way to grow them?” Li Er held a Kunlun zucchini in his hand and tossed it around.
“It’s the method of growing vegetables. I think it’s better to teach her a skill that will make her independent than to give her gold and silver. When the gold and silver run out, she won’t be able to make a living without a skill. As long as she is diligent, she will never go hungry again. The Yun family has suffered a great calamity. When they have no food or clothing, they can’t rely on anyone but themselves. They must rely on their own hands to support themselves. This will be the Yun family motto. Every Yun family member, regardless of gender, must master a skill, even the most humble one.
“It is better to teach someone to fish than to give them a fish. You are a truly wise man, and the prosperity of the Yun family is just around the corner.” Li Er was a bit moved.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kind words.” Yun Ye bowed to express his gratitude. The emperor generally does not say such things, but once he does, he has a responsibility to protect.
“Is this the power of the study of things? I really underestimated this study.” In the face of reality, Li Er also had to admit the power of knowledge.