Chapter 565: Either Pay or Fight!

smates watch the festivities without joining in on the good cheer.” Li Lao Er instructed generously, “I’ll cover the silver. You and Jia Huan put some work into it and come up with a menu.”"Alright, i...Li Lao'er, hearing this, asked, "Lord Hou, is your trip to the palace today for this matter"

Jia Yin was afraid that her stepfather would be angry because she had lost her composure, so she quickly said, "Stepfather, don't be angry. I'm not scared! That small dark room is by the garden where tools are stored, it's nothing to be afraid of. Besides, I only waited for half an hour and Uncle Huang came to save me."

The Marquis took a deep breath, not wanting this understanding little girl to worry. He patted her on the back and said, "My foster father knows what he's doing. Teaching the Wu family a lesson isn't just because you were bullied."

"The Wu family had tried many times to place their people in the Hou residence, and they even pressured me into marriage through the Empress. I shouldn't have tolerated them back then, which is why they are becoming more and more brazen now!"

Li Laer was a little worried and advised, "Lord Hou, after all, the Wu family has the Empress behind them..."

The Marquis shook his head and sneered, “Don’t even talk about an empress without a son; even if she had a prince by her side, she should be respectful towards me because of the military power I hold. Yet this whole family of fools dares to come at me. If that's the case, then don’t blame me for taking action against the Wu family!”

Li Lao'er was helpless, and he also knew that he couldn't persuade him any longer. He just said: "Then how does the Master plan to do it"

The Lord replied, “Very soon, the Emperor will issue an order to raise troops. It won’t be recruiting from commoners, but rather from the sons of prominent families and officials, with each household sending two individuals, one of whom must be a legitimate heir.”

Li Laer's eyes widened immediately, and he instinctively felt that this matter would cause a huge stir, and the entire new city would be shaken up.

He hesitated and said, “My Lord, the aristocratic families and officials of civil and military affairs are probably going to oppose…”

The Marquis nodded and sneered, "Of course, they wouldn't agree. Their descendants are incredibly precious, they certainly wouldn't want to send them to the barbarians in Jiangbei to die. They would rather stay in Jiangnan, living a life of pleasure and oblivion. But things in this world don't always go as one wishes. How can one enjoy wealth and honor without making any sacrifices"

"If they don't want to fight hard, then pay with silver! The sons and grandsons of the people can go replace them to kill barbarians, to shed blood and sacrifice, but they cannot even get their military pensions!"

“Right, the Lord’s words are true, this is how it should be!” Li Laoer listened with his blood boiling and said in a low voice: “They can spend hundreds of taels without batting an eye for a single flower, naturally they could also spend several thousand taels to buy their children and grandchildren's lives!”

The lord's expression softened somewhat, and he instructed: “If anyone asks you where I am and wants me to intervene for them, just mention a few things about the pension.”

"Understood!" Lao Er Li readily agreed, raising his teacup. "I'll have tea in place of wine. Thank you, Your Lordship, for seeking fairness for the people and bringing peace to Tianwu!"

"Me too!" Jia Yin didn't have a tea bowl, so she picked up her rice bowl and stood beside Second Uncle, mimicking him. "Fu Niuer thanks her adoptive father for fighting for the country and the people. Adoptive father is a war god, a great hero!"

The lord smiled, raised his teacup and clinked it with theirs, "To Tian Wu, let us drink to this!"

Li Lao Er and the Hou Ye drank tea, while Jia Yin stuffed the meatballs in her bowl into her mouth, her cheeks bulging like a greedy little squirrel.

Li Lao'er and the Marquis both couldn't help but laugh.

Soon after dinner, they bid farewell to the family. The lord and Jia Yin followed Li Lao Er to the relief office.

It's only been a few days, and the Relief Office, which was previously desolate and dilapidated, has transformed.

The weeds in the courtyard had been pulled out, and the ground was packed solid. Occasionally, a few patches were outlined with old, worn bricks to create small, neat flowerbeds where ordinary but dazzlingly vibrant flowers bloomed.

Most of the house has been repaired and no longer leaks.

Although the paint on the doors and windows is peeling and faded, the window paper has been replaced with new.

Every house, with its doors and windows wide open, uses the midday sun and summer breeze to drive away the gloom and dampness inside.

The weeds that were previously used as bedding had been cleared away, replaced by a newly built kang (heated bed platform) covered with a golden quilt.

Gradually, some children and the elderly brought back dry grass or scraps of wood from outside. They found these in dilapidated abandoned houses or desolate places all over the north part of the city. At night, they would randomly burn a small fire, creating some warmth, enough to keep the large kang (traditional Chinese heated bed) warm for an entire night.

Even in the summer, it doesn't have to be too hot, and this way everyone can sleep well.

Everyone's clothes were still old, and some were even dirty, but if you looked closely, their hands and faces were clean, and their hair was as neat as they could manage.

The entire relief office seemed to have been reborn, just because of a few flower beds, new window paper on the windows, a roof that no longer leaked, and golden quilts on the kang.

But it seems to be more than just that...

Li La Er led the Marquis and his little niece around for a while, and finally arrived at the three rooms that served as the large kitchen.

There were two trees not far away, with good shade. Zheng Feng and Zheng He placed their chairs there.

They were so busy making tea and even brought out a box of snacks from somewhere.

Jia Yin was enjoying some snacks while thinking about what else she could contribute to the relief agency.

She could see that her second uncle was putting his heart and soul into it, working hard to change the relief agency. It wasn't just for his own career advancement; he truly wanted to help these unfortunate people escape their misery!

Evidently, the Marquis had also noticed this, and asked, "Feeding and clothing so many people is no small matter. Relying solely on government funding would be insufficient, and selling flowers is not a sustainable solution either."

Li Lao Er nodded and said, "I'm going to repair some houses properly, divide them up, and then rent them out. Although the income isn't much, it should be enough to maintain all the houses daily."

"We can find a few half-grown boys from the village to be teachers, teaching these children basic literacy and arithmetic. They can study in the morning and do chores in the afternoon. If they get through a year like this, these children can go out to become apprentices or handymen, and they will be able to support themselves."

“As for those who are slightly disabled but can still walk, I plan to have them sweep the streets. Autumn is coming soon with falling leaves, and winter will bring heavy snow. As long as they keep the streets clean, each household should give them a few kilograms of grain every month. It shouldn't be too difficult.”

As for the elderly and infirm, they could only stay at the relief agency, weaving baskets and doing odd jobs.

This sounds like a good plan.

Although there will inevitably be many problems encountered during the execution process, at least a goal of self-sufficiency has been established.

Just as the Marquis was about to speak, several people suddenly walked in from outside the door. Each of them was poorly dressed, filthy and disheveled, but they had smiles on their faces, baring yellow teeth.

Perhaps, following the scent of rice porridge, a few people found a sunny spot to squat down, rolled up their sleeves, and chatted from time to time, occasionally taking something out from their pockets and pinching it...

Jia Yin was momentarily stunned, unable to react. She wanted to take a closer look, but the Marquis blocked her way.

Li Er's face was grim, and he coldly said: "My lord, are there any disabled veterans, like Uncle Zhao, who can still move It's best if they are fierce. Dispatch about twenty men to me. I need four guarding the Baihua Garden and probably a dozen here."

The Marquis understood, nodding in agreement: "Good. When you return, I'll select someone for you. There are quite a few disabled soldiers this time, and I'm also worried about finding them a place to settle. Don't get too upset either; every place has its share of useless people."aps the incompetent older brothers in his family almost ruined his talented disciple's path to success, causing Mr. Wen to feel too much self-blame.In just a few days, Mr. Wen had lost a lot of weight...