My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 90 Poverty

Li House.

When Li Shanchang returned from his business trip, he saw Li Qi reading at home and his brows furrowed tightly.

"Qi'er".

Li Qi quickly put down the book in his hand, bowed, and said:

"Father, you're back."

Li Shanchang walked over and sat down opposite him, then gestured for him to sit down as well, before saying:
"Didn't the students of the Grand Hall go with the Empress and the Crown Prince when they went out of the city for sightseeing?"

What he really wanted to know was whether only Li Qi hadn't gone, or whether no one had gone at all.

If some people went but didn't call for Li Qi, that says a lot.

Li Qi, unaware of his father's true intention, replied:
"No, this event was organized by Young Master Ma, and the students of Dabentang were not invited."

"I heard that only those from Majialou who obtained the permit were allowed to accompany them."

Li Shanchang's expression softened slightly, as long as it wasn't directed at Li Qi.

However, he immediately snorted coldly: "That Ma Yu, relying on the Empress's favor, acts so arrogantly. He will surely suffer the consequences in the future."

Li Qi hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "I heard them say that those who get the waist token are the Crown Prince's men..."

He really wanted to join that small organization, but his father always stopped him.

Li Shanchang sneered, "So what if he's one of the Crown Prince's men? He's the kind of person who won't tolerate any injustice."

"For now, just consider them as young and mischievous. When they get older and have the power to touch, they will surely be dealt with."

"You must remember not to have anything to do with them."

Li Qi retorted softly, "But His Majesty and the Crown Prince's father are on good terms, it doesn't seem like that."

Li Shanchang rebuked, "What do you know? Power cannot accommodate a second person; there are no fathers and sons in the imperial family."

"The reason why the Emperor and the Crown Prince have a deep father-son relationship is because the Ming Dynasty has just been established and it is the time when we need to work together to unify the world."

"Moreover, the crown prince is young and has no power or opinions of his own."

"Once the world is unified and the crown prince grows up, there will be more and more friction between father and son."

At this point, he gave a cryptic smile:

"Hehe... The one in power is ruthless, while the crown prince is kind-hearted. The two are bound to clash."

"Just you wait and see, the best is yet to come."

Seeing that his father's words were logical and recalling the records in historical books, Li Qi gradually changed his mind.

"Thank you for your teachings, Father. I know what to do now."

Li Shanchang was very pleased. This child was indeed his eldest son, who had inherited his talents.

He was very intelligent from a young age and will surely be able to inherit his business and carry on the glory of the Li family.

When the Empress, the Crown Prince, and others went out of the palace for a stroll, members of the Ma Family Tower who had obtained waist tokens accompanied them.

The key point is that only these people were allowed to accompany him, which really caused a stir in the court and among the public.

Some people are envious; the label of "Prince D" has become even more deeply ingrained in the small group members—this is the future.

Some people felt a pang of jealousy, thinking that they disdained such sycophants.

Others scoffed, saying that openly forming cliques and showing no respect for the emperor meant that they would be crying sooner or later.

However they may think, this move has further enhanced the organization's reputation.

Many high-ranking officials and nobles ordered their children to join the Ma Family Building to obtain a waist token.

What, you're saying forming cliques is dangerous?

What isn't dangerous? This Crown Prince D was personally approved by the Emperor. If you don't even dare to gamble, what kind of official are you?

As for Ma Yu, in everyone's mind at this point, he was already the undisputed representative of Crown Prince D.

More scholars seeking official positions prepared to submit their applications to him.

Those who have some knowledge of mathematics especially consider it their first choice for submitting their papers.

The mathematics community also began to stir.

Xi Juncai and Deng Botong huddled together and began to whisper:
"What should we do? Should we place a bet?"

"I've had enough of having to smile and be spit in someone's face."

"Alright, let's go then. Whether our mathematics can regain its former glory depends on this."
-
Ma Yu had no idea that a single trip would cause such a huge stir.

At this moment, he was riding a horse, leisurely following the main group towards the village.

I learned horsemanship from Zhu Shuang after I traveled through time.

While not exceptionally skilled, basic cycling is certainly no problem for him.

The estate that Empress Ma gave him was in Jurong County, more than forty miles away from Yingtian City.

They weren't in a hurry to get there; their plan was to set off in the morning, arrive around 4 or 5 pm, and then stay there for three to five days.

Traveling on horseback, the journey was quite easy.

This was the first time he had truly left Yingtian City since his transmigration, so naturally he was curious about everything around him.

As he got further and further away from Yingtian City, he noticed something that defied common sense.

That is, modern people always think that there were fewer people in ancient times, the natural environment was well preserved, and there were beautiful mountains and rivers everywhere.

However, this is not the case.

There are few tall trees around Yingtian City, and even fewer large forests. The mounds and hills are almost all bare.

He then asked Zhu Shuang, who was standing next to him, about his doubts.

Zhu Shuang said with a look of disdain, "You are ignorant and incompetent. Forests are easy places to hide people, and tall trees can be used to make siege weapons."

"Such a forest would not be allowed to exist within dozens of miles around the city."

Ma Yu retorted angrily, "Can't you speak properly?"

Zhu Shuang scoffed, "Tch..."

At this moment, Chang Yuchun, who was riding on horseback nearby, laughed and said:
"It wasn't just for city defense; some of it was also cut down by the people for firewood."

"Yingtian City has a population of over 100,000, and the amount of firewood needed for cooking every day is enormous. No matter how many trees we have, we won't have enough to cut down."

After treatment, his health improved significantly.

Riding horses and walking are no longer a big problem.

Of course, you still have a sloping gait when walking, and you can't ride a horse too fast either.

Upon hearing his explanation, Ma Yu suddenly realized how she had forgotten about this detail.

Anyone who has seen old photos of the Qing Dynasty knows that the background is often barren, with very little greenery.

Nine times out of ten, those areas were completely cleared out due to over-cultivation, excessive logging, and other reasons.

The Qing Dynasty closed itself off from the world and relied entirely on the land to support its people.

By the late Qing Dynasty, the conflict between people and land had intensified to an irreconcilable point.

This can be seen from the overall collapse of the natural environment.

The real improvement in greening has only occurred in the last few decades.

Thinking of this, Ma Yu first thanked Chang Yuchun, then looked at Zhu Shuang disdainfully and said:

"He is ignorant and incompetent; he can't even explain a simple problem clearly."

Zhu Shuang said smugly, "That's still better than you, so what if you're not convinced?"

Empress Ma, sitting in the carriage, also laughed. These two children are always bickering.

The members of the small group were already used to it and continued to chat in twos and threes about topics that interested them.

On the contrary, Zhu Gang, Zhu Di, and Zhu Su were quite surprised. Did these two usually communicate like this?
The second child, in particular, has a strong personality and never admits defeat.

I got a little bit of an advantage while chatting with Ma Yu, and I'm so smug about it.

The changes are truly enormous.

As they walked and chatted, Ma Yu gradually lost her joking mood.

Because looking at everything, only one word can describe it.

poor.

The villages he passed through were mostly in terrible condition. He didn't want to use that word, but he couldn't think of a better adjective than "terrible."

Many of them are just thatched huts made of a few pieces of wood.

The villagers' clothes were tattered, mostly patched on top of each other.

The adults could at least have clothes, but the children were wearing something else entirely. According to Ma Yu's observation, it was just a bunch of patches sewn together and worn over the children's bodies.

Moreover, both adults and children were basically barefoot.

Upon seeing this group of people dressed in fine clothes and riding spirited horses, the villagers were so frightened that they kept their distance.

Only Muramasa, trembling, came over to offer his greetings.

While the guard leader was talking to the village chief, Ma Yu looked at the children in the distance and said to Wu Gao:
Did you bring maltose?

Wu Gao nodded and said, "I brought a few cans, I'll go get them for them."

Ma Yu said, "If we give them too much, they won't have enough to eat. Let's wrap some on a stick and give it to them."

Wu Gao was somewhat puzzled, not understanding what he meant.

Chang Yuchun interjected, "If you give too much, you'll have to take it home and have the adults hide it away to eat when something happens."

"It's not worth hiding the small amount, but the children can get more to eat."

Ma Yu added, "We're just passing by. Even if we give them all the candy, it won't really improve their lives."

"Just let the children have a taste of sweetness and create a good memory for them."

"That way, when they look back on their childhood in the future, it won't all be bitter."

Wu Gao suddenly realized and said admiringly, "Brother Ma is so thoughtful. I know what to do now."

The friends around him also looked thoughtful.

Following Ma Yu's instructions, Wu Gao and his friends distributed a thumb-sized ball of maltose to each child.

The children were clearly seeing this for the first time, and they looked at each other blankly, not knowing what it was.

Wu Gao had no choice but to pick one up and lick it lightly with his tongue.

When the children learned that it was food, their eyes lit up and they eagerly followed along to lick it.

Then many children couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "It's so sweet! It's so delicious!"

Watching this scene from afar, Ma Yu felt a pang of sadness. He rubbed his nose and pointed at the children, saying:
"Do you see that? This is what ordinary people are like."

“Back then, our fathers and grandfathers lived even worse lives than them.”

“What we see everywhere in the city and are already tired of eating is a luxury they’ve never seen before.”

"Remember this scene; I don't expect everyone to become a good person who cares about the country and its people."

"At least don't be someone who thinks, 'Why don't they eat meat porridge?'"

The laughter from the group stopped, and they all nodded silently.

Zhu Biao, who was standing nearby, sighed, "The people are suffering so much; it is the fault of the imperial court."

"Second brother, third brother, fourth brother, fifth brother, we must remember this scene even more."

"In the future, he will be enfeoffed... um, in the future, he will govern a region and bring benefits to the people."

At this point, Chang Yuchun said, "Their lives are actually quite good."

Everyone looked at him in surprise. Was this all that was good?

What exactly constitutes "bad"?

Chang Yuchun sighed, "Since we took over Yingtian, this place has actually been free from the ravages of war for more than ten years."

"Although the common people are poor, they can at least survive. In most parts of the world, even survival is difficult, and the most common sight is people exchanging children to eat each other."

Ma Yu couldn't help but recall the historical records describing Xuzhou during the chaos at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and said:
“Take Xuzhou as an example, because the people there had supported the rebel army and were retaliated against by the Yuan court.”

"The Yuan army repeatedly massacred people there over several years."

Even two years ago, skeletons could still be seen everywhere in some corners of the city.

"Not to mention outside the city."

"Because so many people died, the land became fertile, and the wild grass could grow up to ten feet tall."

Chang Yuchun chimed in, "That's right. General Fu led his troops to attack Xuzhou by using the cover of wild grass to approach the city."

"He also ambushed Mongol cavalry in the weeds."

Most of my friends know a thing or two about military matters. The wild grass outside the city was so lush that it could hide an army, which shows how desolate it was.

This on-site instruction gave these noble sons, who had lived in Yingtian Prefecture since childhood, a direct understanding of the tragic state of the world.

Looking back on their previous extravagant lifestyle, many people showed expressions of shame.

Empress Ma also showed a relieved expression.

Yu'er is truly a good teacher; she always manages to seize opportunities and subtly impart knowledge to everyone.

After this experience, many young men will likely embark on a different path than before.

The group did not enter the village. After negotiating with the village head, they stopped in an open space not far from the village.

They lit a fire, took out their dry rations, heated them up, and ate them.

In the past, someone would definitely have complained that it tasted terrible.

But today everyone tried their best to finish their portion, and there was no waste.

Before leaving, Zhu Biao left some dry food for the village under the pretext of borrowing the land to rest.

Actually, the quantity is not much; when averaged out, it's only about one large bowl per household.

Even so, the villagers were extremely grateful.

The atmosphere became somewhat oppressive for the rest of the journey.

Because of what had just happened, no one dared to speak loudly again, let alone make a fuss.

Knowing that this was pointless, Ma Yu took the initiative to talk to everyone, and deliberately spoke very loudly.

The atmosphere improved somewhat, but it was still not as good as it was in the morning.

Seeing this, Ma Yu's eyes lit up, and he said to Tang Li:
"Brother Tang, let's play a game."

Tang Li asked curiously, "What game?"

The others looked over as well.

Ma Yu said, "Parroting means you say exactly what I say, word for word."

Parrots mimicking speech? What's so difficult about that?
However, she still nodded and said, "Okay."

Others had the same thought: What's so fun about this?

Ma Yu didn't explain anything, but smiled and said, "Okay, let's begin."

"are you ready?"

Tang Li nodded and said, "Ready."

Before Ma Yu could speak, Zhu Shuang, standing to the side, said disdainfully:
"Idiot, you're wrong."

Tang Li looked completely bewildered, as did the others. What did this mean?
How can it be wrong before it even starts?
Chang Sheng leaned closer and said, "Brother Ma said that starting now means the game has begun."

He asked, "Are you ready?"

"You should also say, are you ready?"

The others suddenly realized what was going on, and at the same time, they also realized how cunning Ma Yu was.

He said that on purpose to mislead people.

But in any case, they finally experienced the fun of the game and couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

Tang Li suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. Let's try again. I was inexperienced and you fooled me, Brother Ma."

Ma Yu said arrogantly, "Fine, I won't bully you anymore. Let Lao San play with you. If you can beat him, then come back to me."

Chang Sheng excitedly came over and started playing with Tang Li.

Unsurprisingly, Tang Li was led astray after only a couple of sentences.

The other kids thought, "This is too stupid, I can't stand it, let me do it."

Then... he also became the target of ridicule from his other friends.

In short, it was just a small game that livened up the atmosphere again.

Chang Yuchun was overjoyed to see his son become the center of attention.

They were extremely satisfied with Ma Yu.

He even felt a pang of regret that he only had one maid; otherwise, he would have arranged a marriage for her.

Empress Ma smiled sincerely as she watched this scene.

This nephew always manages to bring her surprises.

(End of this chapter)