Zhou Shuren smiled, "You’re right."

Zhulan asked, "Has someone from the palace come by?" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"They came to make sure Xue Han was alright before leaving."

Zhulan was both anxious and sorrowful, now completely drained of strength, lying down not wanting to move, "I’ll rest a bit more."

Zhou Shuren pulled his wife up, "Don’t sleep, you haven’t had anything to eat for a long time."

Zhulan touched her stomach, "You truly don’t feel hungry when you’re extremely anxious, I don’t feel uncomfortable at all right now."

"You’re past the point of hunger, be good and drink some porridge before resting again."

Zhulan really had no energy left, she wanted to see her daughter, but her legs were weak, knowing that Shuren wouldn’t deceive her, she could rest assured, "Okay."

In the room where Xue Han was staying, the newborn child was being cared for in another room, which was also for the child’s benefit. The child had lung issues, and this room was filled with the scent of medicines.

Xue Han remained in a deep sleep, with Rongchuan feeding her medicine mouth to mouth.

Rongchuan firmly held Xue Han’s hand, a habit he developed during the assassination attempt; not holding it made him uneasy. Only by holding his wife’s warm hand could he find peace, to the extent that, injury or not, he no longer wished to have children.

Yesterday, bad news from the birthing room kept coming, like falling into hell, he could see no way forward, nothing but dead silence in front of him.

Rongchuan looked at Xue Han’s face with ointment applied, her face swollen. Mother’s strike was truly forceful; he felt both pain and gratitude that mother had awoken Xue Han, "You’re so heartless, you almost left me and the child behind."

Xue Han remained unconscious, while Rongchuan continued to ramble on.

The Female Officer standing in the distance was deeply moved. The Empress Dowager had said that no matter what, Princess Qin must be saved by any means necessary, even if it meant sacrificing the child, because the Empress Dowager understood that if Princess Qin died, Prince Qin would lose the will to live on, even with the child, his heart would not be in it.

The complications and severe bleeding during Princess Qin’s childbirth could not be concealed—there was too much commotion at the Zhou residence, and rumors spread that because of her injuries, she could no longer bear children. This prompted some to entertain certain thoughts.

Yet with Prince Qin remaining steadfastly by Princess Qin’s side, those who harbored such thoughts once again retreated into silence.

The love between Prince Qin and Princess Qin became a topic of much delight; their sincere affection was beautiful, something everyone aspired towards.

Inside the Palace, when the Empress Dowager learned that her daughter-in-law was alright, she felt relieved, but when it came to the newly born grandson, she worried, "The child has lung problems, and in the future, he won’t excel in scholarly studies or martial skills; he can only be raised in comfort and wealth."

Retired Emperor, "Ning Xu has plenty of Silver, even if another child comes, he can be raised in comfort and wealth."

Empress Dowager turned her head, "You’re right."

If indeed a healthy boy were to inherit the Hou Residence, the youngest son being indifferent, she would fear that the eldest son might harbor grudges in his heart.

Retired Emperor stroked his beard, "This child is born with the destiny of wealth and privilege."

That’s good as well, the eldest son will feel more at ease regarding his younger brother, who as long as he remains true to himself, will live a safe and peaceful life.

The next day, Zhou Shuren attended the morning court, and Wong Ju approached, "Is everything alright?"

Zhou Shuren, "Yes, all is well."

Wong Ju was relieved, "Your little girl has great fortune, just think of it as having gone through a tribulation."

"Hmm."

Seeing Zhou Shuren’s weary face, Wong Ju advised him to rest more before returning to his position.

Zhou Shuren pressed his brow, this morning his daughter still hadn’t woken up, and Rongchuan had been staying up without rest, this time his daughter had walked a round at death’s door.

Today, the main discussion at the imperial court was about grain. This year the grain production has decreased, coupled with the cold winter, the common people’s lives are difficult, and there’s also the food supply for the large army, grain has become the main problem for the imperial court.

Zhou Shuren perked up his spirits. The grain production decreased this year, and the disaster-stricken provinces are major grain-producing areas. The loss of grain from several grain continents, not to mention needing to allocate grain for relief, ah, he missed the modern grain production levels.

The Emperor called upon him, "Does Zhou Aiqing have any good strategies?"

Zhou Shuren wanted to curse inside; he had kept the army’s grain and fodder from running out for a year and thought he was performing miracles, and yet they still wanted him to come up with good strategies. It was really too much for him, he wasn’t a god, he truly could not resolve the shortage of grain. He inhaled deeply and stepped forward, "This minister has no good strategies yet."

The Emperor also knew that it was difficult for Zhou Shuren. With this year’s victories in wars on two fronts, Zhou Shuren’s contributions were indispensable. The supplies on both battlefields never ran dry and he saved the Emperor a lot of worry, and the Crown Prince also learned much.

The Emperor signaled for Zhou Shuren to return, then looked towards the other ministers and said, "Does anyone among the Aiqings have any good strategies?"

The hall fell into a period of silence, their only thought was to donate grain, but no one wanted to take the lead—wasn’t that inviting hatred?

Mr. Qian stepped forward, "We could purchase grain from other countries."

Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes and said, "Foreign merchants gave up on the grain trade long ago. This year’s grain reduction has been widespread."

Mr. Qian was embarrassed; he genuinely did not know this. He had his own estates and lacked for nothing in terms of grain, so he didn’t worry about food at home.

The Emperor stroked his String of Pearls; the war had brought vast tracts of land and people, but not much wealth. The Grassland Tribes, in order to support their armies, had practically emptied their coffers, and now on his desk still lay requests from the grasslands for grain.

He had taken their land; the tribe’s people were also his people now. This year, with the low temperatures and heavy snow, the grassland people had their grain robbed by deserting soldiers from their own tribe, leaving them without a single bit of grain. It pained him to think about it, and his gaze involuntarily shifted back to Zhou Shuren.

Zhou Shuren felt it but didn’t meet the Emperor’s eyes; he wasn’t a god!

After the morning court session, Zhou Shuren wished to slip away. He was stopped by Eunuch Zhang, "My lord, please."

Zhou Shuren’s face was etched with worry, "Ah, Princess Qin hasn’t woken yet, this official is anxious."

Eunuch Zhang’s movements didn’t change, "My lord, please."

Zhou Shuren gritted his teeth but could only follow Eunuch Zhang towards the government hall, sensing sympathetic gazes along the way.

Everyone pitied him; in the past, they were jealous that he managed the Silver Coin, but now, everywhere needed Silver and grain, and they all pitied him again. Of course, there were also those who took pleasure in his misfortune, but unfortunately, no matter how difficult, he always pulled through.

In the government hall, the Retired Emperor was also present, and Zhou Shuren paid his respects one by one. Three people were inside the hall: the Retired Emperor, the Emperor, and the future Emperor, the Crown Prince—three generations of the royal family.

The Retired Emperor pointed to a chair, "Shuren, take a seat."

Zhou Shuren briskly sat down, "Thank you, Retired Emperor."

The Retired Emperor pointed to a new map, "This is the newly drawn map."

Zhou Shuren looked up, ah, the nation’s territory had expanded quite a bit, which also meant increased difficulty in governance. The biggest problem currently was grain—if there was no grain, many people on the grasslands would starve to death.

The Retired Emperor continued, "The Emperor and I both know that you’ve worked hard this year. We also understand your difficulties, but the people are waiting for life-saving aid."

Zhou Shuren, "The grain collected from this year’s taxes is counted, the daily consumption of grain and fodder by the army is enormous, not to mention the disaster-stricken provinces waiting for grain to save lives; it’s truly impossible to allocate more grain."

The Emperor said, "I know. I am preparing to let the Navy fish while patrolling the seas and to buy some seaweed as well."

Zhou Shuren raised an eyebrow; indeed, it was a good solution, "The Emperor’s wisdom shines bright."

Only a pity that the fish caught will be far from enough to meet the consumption.