During this period, Yun Shuyao kept a very low profile. Many invitations were constantly sent over, inviting her to attend gatherings. Except for a few she couldn’t refuse, Yun Shuyao declined all the rest. Then she hid away at the estate, saying she wanted to continue researching seeds. Only then did her ears become quiet. When Chen Yu returned, she finally went back to the capital.

When Chen Yu saw Yun Shuyao, he bowed respectfully, then his eyes curved with a smile: “Mother!”

Outside now, he could also call her mother loudly!

Yun Shuyao also responded with some emotion: “Ah.”

She actually didn’t care much about these forms of address. The actual relationship between mother and son wouldn’t change because of a few terms of address. If she had cared, after all this time, she would probably have become depressed.

Seeing her grandson return, the Old Madam wiped away tears, and even Lin Ruhai couldn’t quite control himself. It was fortunate there was still a grandson by his side, otherwise Lin Ruhai might not have been able to endure the longing. Since he went to serve in a distant post, he had only returned twice, and each time was rushed coming and going.

Although his son performed excellently, making Lin Ruhai proud of him, he wouldn’t openly show concern or praise. Now seeing him return, he looked him over, confirmed there were no problems with him, smiled and nodded, temporarily giving this occasion over to the womenfolk of the household.

Chen Yu had returned. Unlike Yun Shuyao, he was good at socializing. After reporting on his work, he still had some time, so basically had no moments of rest.

He had to visit his wife’s family, the Tang family, and also had to go to the Jia family.

Now that his mother was his father’s second wife, these superficial courtesies were even more necessary, otherwise he would inevitably receive criticism for being arrogant due to favor.

Besides these places, he also had to visit some old friends. He spun around the capital like a top, making even Lin Ruhai feel distressed watching.

He only had this one son. If there were other brothers to help, why would everything need to be done personally?

A single tree does not make a forest.

He had no objection to his son not taking concubines, but his hope for flourishing branches and leaves hadn’t changed.

Naturally he couldn’t bring this up with his daughter-in-law, so he spoke to his son about it.

Chen Yu smiled wryly: “Father, I already have a son and a daughter. Let’s leave it to fate.”

If children came, they would be born. If no more children came, he already had both a son and daughter and wouldn’t have regrets.

Yun Shuyao didn’t say a word about this. Two children were already quite a few, and although an only son had no brothers to help, what if brothers fought each other? That would be worse than being an only son.

Everything had advantages and disadvantages.

Chen Yu soon left again to go to his post, but this time Tang Wanxin and the two children all stayed in the capital to live for a while before following him there.

As time passed, those who received the improved seeds and learned the composting methods watched the situation in their fields and praised Marquis Dingfeng more and more. When harvest time came and they looked at their granaries, some even established longevity tablets for Marquis Dingfeng. At this time, Yun Shuyao left the capital.

She was going south.

She was going to the southern estate to research improved seed matters. This counted as a “business trip.”

However, it was a free business trip with no fixed time and no constraints.

Yun Shuyao “incidentally” visited all the places recorded on the “Map.”

She gained quite a bit, all of which she fed to the Spirit Mirror.

She herself had no use for them.

Although she didn’t like traveling far, walking and stopping without pursuing speed, moving along leisurely was actually quite nice.

She also brought Yuan’er and her cousin’s son Yun Yang along.

Yuan’er was born in the forty-seventh year of Kangxi’s reign. Now it was the fifty-sixth year of Kangxi, and he was already nine years old. Although the Old Madam was reluctant to let him go, as was Lin Ruhai, seeing the child’s eager eyes, they painfully agreed.

This nephew was thirty this year, held the rank of Provincial Graduate, and still wanted to continue taking the spring examinations.

He could also serve as Yuan’er’s tutor, so there was no need to worry about neglecting his studies.

Going on this long journey with them, he could also clear his mind. Once they reached their destination, there would be even less need to worry about studying—the destination had a flourishing scholarly atmosphere.

Although Yun Shuyao had a noble title, she didn’t travel with great fanfare. Handling various matters didn’t require her to do it herself—the younger generation took over. This was the joy of having high seniority. When there were matters?

The younger generation served the labor.

Along their journey, sometimes when passing through populated areas, they could hear people happening to discuss the improved seeds and fertilizer. Inevitably they would praise the Emperor’s great benevolence for sending the seeds there, giving them this opportunity, and also praise Marquis Dingfeng’s deep blessings.

As seasoned old farmers, each time they saved seeds, they carefully selected them. Passed down generation after generation, the quality of the seeds also gradually improved generation by generation. Everyone was doing the work of selecting good seeds, but could they achieve these results?

No.

But Marquis Dingfeng did. If this wasn’t deep blessings, what was it?

They didn’t know that in a carriage that passed by sat the very person they discussed, and they were still eloquently and volubly talking about this year’s harvest.

This area had a bountiful harvest this year.

The abundance of their granaries made them very delighted.

But this country’s territory was too vast. While this area had favorable weather, another piece of land separated by just one mountain wasn’t so smooth—it was suffering disaster.

Once a disaster became severe to a certain degree, the court would step in for disaster relief, but often by that time many had already become displaced, having one meal without knowing where the next would come from.

Common people’s ability to resist risks was too poor. It was because of these natural disasters, one after another, that originally allocated land had to be mortgaged or sold to exchange for the possibility of continuing to survive. Often this was also when powerful families took the opportunity for land annexation.

Generation after generation, when land annexation became severe to a certain degree, more and more elderly people had no land of their own and couldn’t fill their bellies. It was easy for chaos to erupt across the realm, leading to another round of reshuffling.

No one in successive dynasties saw this drawback and tried to suppress land annexation?

There were attempts. Reforms had been tried more than once or twice. Unfortunately, up to now, those reforms either failed or were incomplete, and hadn’t brought large-scale improvement to this land.

Yun Shuyao knew that area was suffering disaster. She sighed and had people purchase and prepare some things that only disaster victims would eat to send over.

If she donated silver, with layer upon layer of embezzlement along the way, who knew if thirty percent would remain to do actual work? If she donated rice, the possibility of it being secretly switched and sold was also very high. But if she donated things like bean cakes, mixed grain and wild vegetable cakes, would those with opportunities for embezzlement even value such things?

To them, it was just something to feed livestock.

They didn’t like it, but for disaster victims, it was something that could genuinely fill their bellies.

After reaching their destination, Yun Shuyao settled down at the estate.

This place wasn’t too far from Nanying. Lin Daiyu had already given birth by this time—to an adorable daughter as lovely as jade and snow.

Yun Shuyao was now her stepmother. She brought her husband Chen Li to pay their respects.

Upon meeting, Yun Shuyao could tell that Daiyu was indeed doing very well. Whether a person was content could be seen from their face.

Although Daiyu gave birth to a daughter, her days with her husband’s family remained happy. One reason was there was no pressure from parents or elders—her mother-in-law had already passed away. Moreover, Chen Li’s elder brother’s three children were all sons. When her daughter was born, the family finally had a precious daughter—rare things are valued.

Another reason was that Chen Li himself didn’t favor sons over daughters. He treasured his daughter like a precious gem. Add to that their shared interests in discussing poetry and painting together, and their days were very content.

“Finally I can personally say congratulations to you, Madam.”

“Are Grandmother and Father well?”

“Yuan’er has grown so much already.” Looking at Yuan’er, Daiyu was quite moved with emotion.

Children grew so fast. In the blink of an eye, her little nephew was already a half-grown young man.

Yuan’er: “Aunt, Uncle.”

Daiyu looked at him and nodded: “Yuan’er, you look more and more like your father.” In another two years, he would be the ideal son-in-law in many people’s eyes.

Perhaps because she now had a daughter herself, Daiyu now looked at such young men with great affection.

Her own nephew was naturally good. Unfortunately, her daughter and he had quite an age gap, otherwise she could have been at ease about her daughter’s marriage prospects.

Although her daughter hadn’t grown up yet, Daiyu, as a new mother, was already worrying about her daughter’s marriage.

Such a tiny little life completely depending on you, looking at you with eyes pure as black jade—it made one want to gather all the best things and present them before her.

Chen Li didn’t yet know his wife’s thoughts extended so far. Looking at Yuan’er, he invited him to stay for a while at the Nanying Academy.

There were quite a few great scholars there, and he himself could also guide him.

Yuan’er looked toward his grandmother. Yun Shuyao nodded: “Then we’ll have to trouble your aunt and uncle. Don’t worry about me here. I won’t be going out in the near future.”

After all this time on the road, it was time to stop and rest properly.

They thought she wanted to carefully research improved seeds, so they didn’t say anything more about inviting her to visit around.

Not long after, tragic news arrived—the Empress Dowager had passed away.

Although the current Emperor wasn’t her birth son, their mother-son affection was very deep. Now that she was gone, even here in the south, few people dared to listen to operas or make merry at this critical juncture.

Yun Shuyao was far away in the south and stayed behind closed doors at the estate, so it didn’t affect anything. She only learned later that because of the Empress Dowager, Kangxi had suffered a stroke from excessive grief. Fortunately, the imperial physicians managed to turn the situation around. Because he reduced the number of times he saw people due to grief, this was concealed. But at this time, Kangxi’s health was no longer what it had been.

However, later when she heard that Kangxi had the various princes’ young princes enter the palace to study together with the young princes, Yun Shuyao paused.

She had some impression of this plot point. She didn’t know if it was from a famous historical account or a television drama, but the speculation was that at this time, Kangxi was selecting an heir for this vast realm. Having imperial grandsons enter the palace was both a grace and an examination—examining the qualifications of the third generation of heirs.

If a prince himself was capable but had no successors, Kangxi wouldn’t feel at ease passing down the throne.

This news caused quite a stir in the capital. At first, everyone assumed by default it would be the heir apparent entering the palace. Those with legitimate eldest sons were fine, but many princes’ eldest sons were common-born. In this situation, who would enter the palace?

Disputes arose between legitimate and common-born, and waves stirred in the rear courtyards. Later, Kangxi made a sweeping decision—all those of appropriate age could enter the palace. Only then did the rear courtyards of the various princes stop catching fire.

In Prince Yong’s household, both Third Prince and Fourth Prince were of appropriate age. Both of them entered the palace.

Hearing this news, Yun Shuyao looked toward the north.

At this time, her grandson should already be studying in the Upper Study Room. She wondered if he was accustomed to it?

The conclusion was that he was very accustomed to it.

Among the various imperial grandsons, Hongli became a favored one, frequently summoned by name by the Emperor to attend at his side.

Thus Lin Ruhai saw his grandson again, standing there smiling as he ground ink for the Emperor, his posture natural, clearly already very accustomed to it. When he needed to make his report, the Emperor didn’t have him leave either. What could Lin Ruhai do? On one hand, he was happy for his grandson; on the other, his heart was anxious, but on the surface he maintained composure with eyes observing his nose and nose observing his heart, acting as if he saw nothing, and continued his report.

The Emperor’s heart was unfathomable—no one dared claim to know what the Emperor was thinking.

Recently Hongli had been very prominent. Prince Yong had already retreated to an estate to seek peace and quiet.

The Emperor… did he want to establish Prince Yong?

Or was it a smokescreen?