The abandoned concubine who transmigrated woke up shouting "Long live the widow!"

“Uncle Yuan, you’ve done a great job! Xiao Ze will be going to school in the city from now on, so I can’t come all the time. I’ll have to trouble you to take care of things here!” Jingxue said.

"Young Miss, this is what we should do!"

"Are you going to go with Village Chief Yu to measure that wasteland this morning?"

“Yes, Miss!” Butler Yuan nodded in response.

"Uncle Yuan, take two people over there, measure it out, and draw me a map of the wasteland, marking the length and width. I need to design how to build the workshop when I get back!" Jingxue instructed.

Jingxue then took out another 500 taels of silver notes. "These silver notes will also be deposited into the account of the accounting department. They will be used to buy land and pay wages. The wages of you managers will be the same as those of the shopkeepers in the city, 8 taels of silver per month, and there will be a bonus at the end of the year."

"Yes, Miss, I understand. I'll go take care of it now." Yuan Jin took the silver note and left.

Watching Yuan Jin's retreating figure, Jing Xue thought to herself, "I was so busy listening to my hometown accent last night. I've been going in and out for the past month, with money coming and going. It's time to take stock of my assets in this space."

Ye Muchen was waiting for Jingxue in the main hall. When she came out, he asked, "Are you bringing a maid with you?"

"I won't bring it. It's just a village across the river, isn't it?"

“Yes, it’s not far, let’s go!” Ye Muchen said, looking at Jingxue with gentle eyes. He cherished the time they spent alone together.

The carriage was already waiting outside the courtyard gate. It was Ye Muchen's personal carriage, and Gao Chi and the coachman were sitting outside.

Inside the carriage, Ye Muchen introduced Jingxue to the situation of his estate. The head of the estate was surnamed Ma, an old soldier who cooked during the war. He never married and had no children.

When the army returned to the capital, Lao Ma was dismissed from his post. Since he had no relatives left, and since he was literate, Ye Muchen did not send him back to his hometown but arranged for him to stay at the manor.

"Who used to manage your estate?" Jingxue asked.

“I didn’t have a manor before, nor did I establish my own residence outside the palace. My fourth brother and I established our own residence three years ago.”

Jingxue remembered that her estate was given to Jing Zhiyuan by the imperial court three years ago. She looked at Ye Muchen and asked, "Why do you have two hundred acres of land, while my father only has one hundred acres?"

"Huh?" Ye Muchen was taken aback by the question.

"This... I don't know either!"

"Hmph! I told you royals can't be friends! It's not fair!" Jingxue rolled her eyes.

Ye Muchen was amused by her expression. "I'll give you all my land, don't be angry!"

Jingxue muttered, "Neither the old emperor nor the young emperor is easy to deal with!"

"Alright! Don't be angry anymore! From now on, you can plant whatever you want on these lands!" Ye Muchen's tone was full of doting, but neither of them noticed.

"By the way, Ye Muchen, isn't the share your master gives to the tenants too little?"

Ye Muchen didn't react for a moment, blinked and said, "Less? Less? Isn't it supposed to be a 50/50 split for everyone?"

Jingxue said earnestly, "I think it's too little. These tenant farmers have it so hard. From planting to harvesting, they're lucky if the weather is good, but like these past two years, it probably isn't even enough to feed a family!"

Ye Muchen nodded. "That's true. So what do you want to do? Reduce the fee by a few percent?"

Jingxue sighed and said, "One or two percent might only amount to a few dozen kilograms of grain here, but for farmers, that could be a matter of life and death!"

"Yes! Jingxue, you can collect it however you want next year! I'll listen to you."

Meeting Ye Muchen's sincere gaze, Jingxue nodded, "Okay!"

Dashan Village and Yangshu Village are not far apart. After leaving the village and crossing the stone bridge over the river, the carriage soon entered Yangshu Village.

The village in winter is quiet and peaceful!

There weren't many pedestrians on the road. A man carrying firewood glanced at the horse-drawn carriage passing through the village, with a large "war" character on its luxurious canopy.

The man went into his own yard, which was not far away, put down the firewood, and went inside.

This man was none other than Liu Sanhao's elder brother, Liu Dazhuang.

When his wife saw him return, she hurried to the stove and brought him a bowl of thin porridge and a small dish of pickled vegetables. "Why did you go chop firewood so early in the morning? A bundle of firewood is only worth two coins. You can't even earn ten coins a day!"

Liu Dazhuang wiped his hands on his coat, sat down on the stool, picked up his bowl and took a sip of porridge. "Honey, I remember that noble lady who bought the Sanhao porridge, wasn't she Princess Zhan?"

His wife picked up the half-sewn garment and said, "I don't remember, but what kind of princess is she? How many princesses does Bei Ye have? We can just ask around and find out!"

"I wonder how Sanhao is doing?" Liu Dazhuang said sullenly.

His wife rolled her eyes and started mending clothes. "What can you do? They're either alive or dead!"

Liu Dazhuang dared not continue speaking, but he was still worried about it. He regretted it a little. If he had insisted more, perhaps his sister would not have been bought. But looking at the children peering out the window, he felt an indescribable helplessness.

My sister would have certainly died if she stayed in her own home; she was bought by someone else, so perhaps she's still alive.

Actually, his wife also felt that Liu Sanhao might still be alive. If he was alive, he might be able to help them. Even if they didn't have money, they could get some food!

“I said, ‘Dad, stop chopping wood all day. Go to the city and find some work! While you’re at it, also find out about your sister.’”

"Yes!" Liu Dazhuang nodded in response.

When Jingxue and Ye Muchen entered the manor, there was a man chopping wood in the courtyard.

Hearing the noise, he turned around and saw several people at the door. He put down his axe, walked over, and was about to kneel down to Ye Muchen. "Your Highness, you've arrived!"

Ye Muchen stepped forward and grabbed him, "Old Ma, your legs aren't good, so let's skip the formalities!"

The man called Old Ma quickly changed to a fist and palm salute.

"This is my queen!" Ye Muchen introduced.

"Your Highness, Princess Consort!" Old Ma bowed again, then hurried to open the door.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, please come in! It's cold outside."

Ye Muchen entered the house first. The house was very clean, but the temperature was a bit low.

Old Ma's right leg seemed to be a little shorter than his left, and he walked with a slight limp. He looked to be in his forties.

Once the two sat down, Old Ma deftly brought over two cups of hot tea on a tray. "Your Highness, Your Highness, please have some tea!"

Jingxue nodded slightly without saying anything.

"Old Ma, stop busy! I came from a remote mountain village, I'm not cold. Sit down and let's talk for a while!"

"No, I'll just stand!"

Jingxue said, "Sit down! Your legs aren't good!"

Gao Chi, who was standing nearby, took a chair and placed it next to Lao Ma, who then sat down without further hesitation.

"Old Ma, has all the harvested grain been taken away?" Ye Muchen asked.