The Blessed Do Not Enter an Unblessed Household

Unfortunately, it's not that he wouldn't have died if he hadn't wanted to.

Qin Shan looked at the Great Qi army camp opposite him and said, "Hey! What's going on? Why is the Great Qi army camp so quiet lately?"

Zhou Wanwan said calmly, "They're too busy taking care of themselves right now; the plague is really tough on them."

Qin Shan said, "The Great Qi army is afflicted with the plague? Hahaha... They truly deserve it."

Zhou Wanwan said:

"They caused these problems, so naturally they should be made to resolve them themselves."

Our top priority now is to ensure the survival of the people of the Great Xia Kingdom.

The people on the border of Great Xia are suffering too much. She could turn a blind eye, but she will definitely be the queen of Great Xia in the future, and she cannot allow all her people to be killed.

Moreover, without the larger community, where would the smaller community come from?

If the Great Xia were truly annexed by the Great Qi, what would become of her family?

Qin Shan looked at Zhou Wanwan and said, "So what you mean now is..."

Zhou Wanwan looked at Yanmen Pass and said:

"Our Yanmen Pass has changed now, and the next ones to come are the other towns."

However, the most crucial thing is to have a water source; without a water source, everything else is in vain.

Qin Shan nodded. This Little Ancestor never asked him anything when he did things, and he didn't dare to ask too many questions.

Zhou Wanwan looked at the several large estates near Yanmen Pass and said, "Are these estates mine now too?"

Qin Shan, standing beside him, nodded and said:

"The owner doesn't want these estates anymore; it's like giving them to you for free."

Because they know that having this estate is useless, they might as well give it all to you.

Production in border areas is already low because there is no water source and the land is very barren, so nothing can be grown.

Even Shen Xiao, who was standing next to him, said:

"Master, these estates can't grow any grain at all. The border is constantly shrouded in yellow sand, the soil is full of sand and stones, and the climate is bitterly cold, making it very difficult to grow fruit trees."

The land can only support coarse grains like millet, sorghum, and buckwheat, and the vegetables are limited to a few varieties such as turnips and wild onions.

Moreover, the yield is extremely low...

Zhou Wanwan said:

"You don't need to worry about all that, or about the yield. I'm going to buy all the land and estates here."

Of course, the price might not be high; a whole village, that's about 10 sacks of grain. Ask around and see if anyone's willing to sell.

Shen Xiao nodded and said, "Of course we'd like to; there are plenty of people lining up to buy them."

As Shen Xiao had predicted, everyone in the vicinity came with their land deeds to exchange for grain.

After a long day, Shen Xiao wiped the sweat from his brow and counted the inventory, saying, "168 estates. All the nearby estates have been completely sold out."

Zhou Wanwan nodded and said:

"Starting today, those people will go to the fields to work for me. Only by working will they have food to eat."

As for the elderly and children, let's take care of them for now!

Shen Xiao agreed, but he still felt it was pointless; without water, nothing could be done.

He walked outside the city lord's mansion and saw that all the vats inside were full.

He stared blankly at the water vats and said, "Where did the water come from? There must be hundreds of these vats! And they're all full!"

Water is so scarce at the border! Where does all this water come from?

Zhou Wanwan lay in the bathhouse of the city lord's mansion, which was spotless inside and out.

Zhou Wanwan took a petal bath; she'd been so tired lately.

Zhou Wanwan had just finished showering and came out when she heard a tree outside reporting:

"Something terrible has happened, Miss. Noble Consort Ning has arranged for three young ladies, Su Zhixia, Feng Yueyao, Shen Yunshu, to be married off to the Crown Prince, a prince, and the Emperor, respectively."

It is said that these young ladies are of noble character, virtuous and kind, and very suitable to enter the palace.

Zhou Wanwan was furious:

"That Noble Consort Ning is shameless and goes too far. She even wants my sister-in -Spring and Autumn Annals. She's dreaming."

Has the imperial edict been issued yet?

"We received the news first, even that it would land tomorrow."

With red and swollen eyes, Su Zhixia asked, "What can we do now?"

Feng Yueyao sighed and said, "Let's wait for Wanwan to come back before making a decision! Wanwan will definitely have a way."

Shen Yunshu coldly said, "Make me a concubine? No way! This Noble Consort Ning is truly shameless."

Zhou Wanwan's letter quickly reached the capital, and the Su Family was in a state of panic. Lord Su said with great concern:

"What kind of logic is this? My daughter is already betrothed, and now you want her to enter the palace with just an imperial decree?"

"The emperor is already over 40 years old. Does he expect my daughter to enter the palace and live as a widow?"

Madam Su cried, tears streaming down her face, "Anyway, I don't agree to my daughter going to the palace. Let whoever wants to go, go. That Noble Consort Ning in the palace isn't a good person either."

Lord Su frowned and said, "What can we do now? The imperial edict has already been issued; can we disobey it?"

Su Zhixia said, "Father, Wanwan wrote a letter, telling us to be patient and that she has a plan."

Madam Su said anxiously, "What can a six-year-old child do?"

Su Zhixia shook her head and said, "Wanwan has her own ideas and won't do anything reckless."

Feng Jiao was so angry she almost vomited blood. "My perfectly good daughter, to be made a concubine, is simply outrageous!"

Shen Chaoge said calmly, "The mistress should already know about this matter; she will make the arrangements."

Feng Jiao nodded and said, "That's true. Now we can only wait."

Shen Yunshu didn't sleep all night. "What should we do? Should we really let our daughter enter the Crown Prince's residence as a concubine?"

Lord Shen said with a helpless expression, "The imperial decree has already been issued, so there's no other way but to take it one step at a time!"

Zhou Qingyan, Zhou Qingchen, and Zhou Qinghe also stayed up all night, discussing the matter but failing to reach a conclusion.

Early the next morning, I heard an imperial eunuch from the palace deliver a decree.

The families were in a panic. Feng Jiao sighed and said, "If they really dare to issue an imperial decree to us, we'll just rebel."

"Yes, I definitely won't let my daughter become a concubine."

Zhou Fusheng and Liu Su'e didn't know what to do either.

The eldest princess snorted coldly and said, "How shameless! If they really dare to do that, I'm willing to fight them to the death."

Then they saw many princesses arrive at the entrance, and Princess Jing'an and Princess Ningyuan walked in.

Princess Jing'an smiled and said, "Congratulations to the three of you! Eldest sister, what a pity! You originally had three granddaughters-in-law."

Princess Ningyuan chimed in, "A blessed person doesn't enter the door of an unblemished one. It seems, elder sister, your family is not fortunate!"

The eunuch quickly opened the imperial edict and loudly read it aloud:

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

Su Zhixia, Feng Yueyao, and Shen Yunshu are all gentle and kind, and have proper manners.

Now, Su Zhixia is betrothed to Zhou Qingyan, Feng Yueyao to Zhou Qinghe, and Shen Yunshu to Zhou Qingchen, so that these three couples may happily marry and enjoy a long and harmonious marriage.

"Hereinafter bestows upon us a quantity of gold artifacts, pearls and jade treasures, one hundred bolts of brocade, and one thousand taels of silver, along with dowry items, to facilitate the marriage. This is the imperial decree."

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Everyone kowtowed in unison.

Zhou Qingyan stepped forward and respectfully accepted the imperial edict.

The officials who followed carried in box after box of imperial gifts.

Gilded boxes, various silks, pearls and jade artifacts Manman the courtyard, and boxes of rare treasures covered most of the yard.