amaotonovel Chapter 313 This official is completely defeated!
Chapter 313 This official is completely defeated!
Jin'er asked Yu'er to send over some things, saying that she would definitely need them when she became the prefect of Dengzhou.
Just as Yang Shaofeng was wondering what was loaded on the carts behind him, Yu'er walked directly to one of the carts and said with a smile, "These are all books, including the agricultural book and the architectural manual that my husband likes to read, as well as some other books."
These books are good, excellent! If I read more of these books, I won't have to come up with all sorts of ridiculous excuses to fool people anymore.
Yu'er walked to the cart behind and said with a smile, "This contains ten sets of measuring scales. They were specially made by my sister after the Ministry of Works sent the latest measuring scales to Ningyang County."
“My sister said that my husband came to Dengzhou in a hurry and has a lot of things to do afterwards, so he definitely won’t have time to deal with the measuring cups and scales. That’s why she asked me to bring them to him.”
"And this one, it's loaded with some things made by our Ningyang County glass workshop, including a set of transparent tea set specially made for you, sir."
"Oh, right, and these carts behind are loaded with farm tools like sickles and hoes. They're made from iron smelted in our Ningyang County ironworks. It's just that they were made a bit late, since the wheat harvest is already over."
"The last few carts were filled with bean curd seeds and some cabbage seeds. My sister said that Dengzhou Prefecture must be short of these things right now."
As Yu'er continued to describe what was loaded in the cart behind, Yang Shaofeng felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
Look, look, what a wonderful daughter-in-law! No wonder she grew up by Empress Ma's side since childhood.
Judging from their behavior, it's no wonder that Zhu Chongba, that old... old father-in-law, was completely controlled by his mother-in-law.
As Yang Shaofeng pondered this, he walked over, grabbed Yu'er's hand, and said with a smile, "You must have had a hard journey from Ningyang to Penglai. You must be exhausted."
Yu'er tilted her little face up and smiled at Yang Shaofeng, saying, "I'm not tired!"
After entering the county government office and having the guards from the Prince Consort's residence settle the things, Yu'er looked around Yang Shaofeng's room with great curiosity and asked, "Does my husband live here? I wonder how long it will take for the government office to be repaired?"
Yang Shaofeng smiled and said, "The government office? The government office is currently only on paper. Construction can only begin after the relatives of those corrupt officials and gentry arrive."
Yu'er nodded as if she understood, then continued to ask, "Should my sister and I move to Dengzhou too? My husband can't live alone in Dengzhou, can he?"
When Yu'er asked him this, Yang Shaofeng couldn't help but feel a little headache.
Theoretically speaking, there are all sorts of messy and troublesome things in Dengzhou, and I rarely have time to go back to Ningyang County. Leaving Jin'er and Yu'er in Ningyang County is equivalent to living apart.
This won't do! I just got married!
However, if Jin'er and Yu'er were to move to Dengzhou, there would be a lot of things to do in Ningyang County that would require me to go back there frequently.
For me, Ningyang County feels more like home; Dengzhou just doesn't feel quite right.
Yang Shaofeng felt increasingly troubled, and finally shook his head slightly, saying, "Let's not move for now. Our home is in Ningyang."
Yu'er gave a soft "hmm," then suddenly looked at Yang Shaofeng and said, "Husband, you seem to have lost some weight since your trip to Dengzhou."
Yang Shaofeng laughed twice and said, "Is my wife hungry? I'll have someone prepare some food right away."
Someone once sang a song with lyrics that roughly translate to: "We are of one mind, our love is as deep as the sea, we respect each other like guests, we fly wing to wing, we are inseparable, we support each other, and grow old together. We weather the storms together and cherish each other."
I finally have a home!
Even I, an official, am loved by some!
I'm completely finished!
However, I am willing to accept this fate.
Yang Shaofeng chuckled as he walked outside, calling out loudly, "Fimp Fifth Brother! Quickly, have someone prepare some food!"
Once back inside, Yang Shaofeng simply sat down next to Yu'er, took her hand, and chuckled as he said, "The conditions here in Dengzhou are not as good as in our Ningyang County, but Penglai is by the sea, so my wife can try something new today."
Yu'er blushed and nodded, then whispered, "Oh, right, my sister and I also made two more pairs of boots for our husband."
"And also, my sister had some chicks and piglets caught, and they're on their way, but they'll arrive a few days later."
Yang Shaofeng hummed in response, then sensed something was amiss and stared intently at Yu'er, asking, "These things, were they paid for with your own money?"
Yu'er hummed in agreement and said with her head down, "My sister said that since my husband is not in Ningyang County, this money cannot be paid from the county treasury, so we used part of his salary first."
Jin'er and Yu'er's salaries were not low. Each of them had a farm granted by Emperor Zhu and Empress Ma, and each of them received 1,500 shi of grain and 2,000 taels of silver as their annual salary. Individually, the two sisters' salaries were lower than Yang Shaofeng's, but when combined, they were higher than Yang Shaofeng's salary.
Yes, the salary of the Imperial Son-in-Law is two thousand shi of grain per year. The salaries of the officials and guards under the Imperial Son-in-Law are separately allocated by the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs. The salaries of the servants are voluntarily borne by his brother-in-law Zhu Biao. Yang Shaofeng receives two thousand shi of grain every year. If the salaries of the other official positions are added, the annual salary is about three thousand shi.
This was a characteristic of the officialdom in the early Ming Dynasty. Everyone held multiple positions. The Minister of Rites would likely also serve as the Vice Minister of Justice, thus receiving two salaries. However, these salaries were distributed in two parts: rice and paper money, with rice being the primary source of income.
Yang Shaofeng grabbed Yu'er's hand and said, "From now on, you're not allowed to spend your own salaries anymore. If you want to spend money, spend ours. Do you understand?"
Yu'er gave another soft "hmm".
……
Yu'er's arrival eased Yang Shaofeng's tense mood somewhat.
Moreover, while pondering how to cook delicious meals for his wife, Yang Shaofeng also thought of something good.
Dry the dried shrimp directly, then grind it into powder, and mix in some mushroom powder and fine salt. Isn't this the best seasoning for enhancing flavor?
Well, sun-dry the salt, boil the salt, and if necessary, filter it again. That should produce pretty good fine salt, right?
The biggest problem now is how to get people to start making salt.
Yang Shaofeng realized that before all the land had been distributed to the people, the so-called call for them to boil salt was a complete joke.
After all, given the numerous misdeeds of those bastards like Xu Zheng and Qu Mingjie, the people of Dengzhou Prefecture had almost zero trust in the imperial court and government.
If we directly call on people to boil salt, they'll probably worry that we're trying to turn them all into salt producers.