Chapter 236 The Zhuang Family Father and Son

On the first day of the second lunar month, Yongyan and his party arrived in Suzhou Prefecture.

The Jiangsu governor, Zhuang Yougong, had already received the news and sent people to the city gate to welcome them.

"This humble servant Yan Da greets the Fifth Prince, the Fifth Princess Consort, Princess Mingzhu, and the Imperial Son-in-Law."

"Governor Zhuang had already received the news and sent me here to wait."

"Governor Zhuang? Could it be Zhuang Yougong, the top scholar of the year Jiwei?"

"Yes."

When Xiao Yanzi saw Yongqi mention this person's name, her mood improved, and she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Who is this Governor Zhuang?"

"This Governor Zhuang, he had mastered the Five Classics by the age of thirteen. Later, he went to teach at the Imperial Clan Court as a tribute student. At the age of 25, he passed the Shunzhi provincial examination. At the age of 26, on the fourth day of the fourth month of that year, the Emperor saw his paper and personally praised him. Later, he was appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy..."

Yongqi recounted Zhuang Yougong's deeds, and Xiaoyanzi listened with great interest. "So, according to you, with this Governor Zhuang here, the people's lives wouldn't be so difficult?"

Yongqi nodded. "That's right. Governor Zhuang is a good official. His thoughts and actions are all for the benefit of the people. So we're not here just to give orders, but to learn from him and help the people together."

"Look, there are people distributing porridge up ahead. Let's go take a look." Yongqi and his group dismounted and walked over.

"This is Zhuang Guanyu, the only son of our governor." The person Yan Da was referring to was the young man who was distributing porridge to the people.

Fu Erkang observed for a while before speaking, "I really didn't expect it. This Governor Zhuang is a good official who cares about the people, and his son is also a kind-hearted person..."

Yongqi smiled and said, "Governor Zhuang is a good man. If you teach him with care, his son will naturally be a good person too."

While busy distributing porridge to the people, Zhuang Guanyu naturally noticed the gazes of Yongqi and his group. He was a little puzzled, but when he saw his father's capable assistant Yan Da accompanying them, he knew that these people were probably no ordinary people.

His father had told him that the people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important; nothing is more important than the people.

So even if he was curious, he still had to take his morning tasks seriously and complete them properly.

After they stayed there for half an hour, Fu Erkang looked at Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi and said, "Alright, you two are in charge here. We're going to the next place."

Xiao Yanzi stood up and said, "Alright, then you must take good care of Ziwei and make sure she doesn't get hurt."

Fu Erkang nodded seriously, "Don't worry."

Xia Ziwei held Xiao Yanzi's hand and instructed her, "Xiao Yanzi, you haven't regained your memory yet, so don't easily trust anyone here except Yongqi, understand?"

"We're not here with you, so you must stay close to Yongqi and not wander off!"

Little Swallow said helplessly, "Ziwei, I have amnesia, but I haven't become an idiot. I can still tell who is a good person and who is a bad person!"

"Erkang, Ziwei, take care on your journey."

Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi watched Xia Ziwei and Fu Erkang leave, while Zhuang Guanyu had just finished his work.

"Yan Da, who are those two?" Zhuang Guanyu asked Yan Da curiously.

Yan Da explained, "These are the Fifth Prince and his wife."

Zhuang Guanyu then remembered that a few days ago, the imperial court had issued an edict saying that the Fifth Prince and his wife would come here to assist.

"Greetings, Fifth Prince and Fifth Princess Consort. Zhuang Guanyu, I apologize for your rudeness."

Yongqi smiled and shook his head, "Young Master Zhuang is truly dedicated to the people, distributing porridge here for so long. I admire him the most!"

Little Swallow chimed in, "That's right! You care so much about the people, what does your rudeness to us matter?"

"You flatter me. I am only doing my bit to help them."

He looked up at the sky and said, "Since it's already noon, why don't we go to the manor for lunch?"

Yongqi smiled slightly and said, "The people are still suffering, and we can't afford to eat too much good food. We'll just make something simple."

Little Swallow chimed in, "Yes, we can all do that."

Seeing how unpretentious these two were, Zhuang Guanyu recalled the rumors about them and had to admit that they truly lived up to the reputation.

"When I saw you earlier, there were two other people standing with you. Could those two be Princess Mingzhu and Prince Consort Mingzhu?"

Yongqi nodded. "Yes, they escorted us here, and then we're going to the area they're in charge of."

"Fifth Prince, rest assured, my father is friends with the people there, and he will definitely treat the princess and the prince consort well."

Yongqi nodded. "That would be even better."

However, when they arrived at their residence with Zhuang Guanyu, they were somewhat surprised, "What's going on here..."

The mansion's simple appearance is comparable to Liu Yixin's county government office in Xiang County in my previous life.

"Father said that officials should first consider the people and do things for them. As long as the people are doing well, it doesn't matter how he lives."

Little Swallow exclaimed, "Governor Zhuang is truly magnificent!"

"You flatter me, my lady. What my father did can't compare to your service on the battlefield for the country."

Little Swallow frowned and said, "That's not how it works. I led troops to the battlefield so that the people of my Great Qing could live a peaceful life. What Governor Zhuang did was also for the sake of the people. There's no difference between being powerful or not. As long as it's for the sake of the people, it's all great!"

Zhuang Guanyu smiled and said, "Yes, what the Princess Consort says is true. It was Guanyu who did not think things through. Guanyu will punish himself with a cup of wine."

Yongqi looked at Zhuang Guanyu curiously, "Young Master Zhuang, judging from your appearance, you should be about our age. I wonder if you have ever participated in the imperial examinations?"

Zhuang Guanyu shook his head. "It makes me feel ashamed to say that I am not good at taking the imperial examinations. Compared to a career in officialdom, I prefer to deal with medicine and healing the sick.

Yongqi was stunned. "I knew it! At first, I smelled a medicinal scent. I thought it was medicine for the people, but now it seems it was coming from you, young master..."

Zhuang Guanyu smiled and said, "I've heard that the Fifth Prince and his wife are both skilled in medicine. I'll have to ask them for guidance during this time."

Yongqi waved his hand and said, "We are about the same age, so it's not really about giving pointers, but rather about learning from each other."

"In that case, thank you very much, Fifth Prince and Fifth Princess."

"No problem, no problem."

Just as the three of them were happily eating, Zhuang Yougong returned.

The three of them quickly stood up and looked at Zhuang Yougong. When Zhuang Yougong saw Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi, he quickly bowed and said, "Your humble servant Zhuang Yougong greets the Fifth Prince and the Fifth Princess Consort."

Yongqi stepped forward and helped him up, saying, "Lord Zhuang, there's no need for such formalities."

"I have heard of Lord Zhuang's deeds since my early years. To meet him in person is truly an honor!"

Upon hearing Yongqi's words, Zhuang Yougong smiled and said, "Fifth Prince is exaggerating."

He looked at the food on the table and frowned. "I wonder if this food suits your tastes?"

Yongqi laughed and said, "If the people can eat it, then I can eat it too. There's nothing to be picky about."

Little Swallow nodded, "That's right, when I was a kid wandering the world, I ate everything just to survive..."

Xiao Yanzi's words made Yongqi's eyes widen. "Xiao Yanzi, did you remember something?"

Seeing that Yongqi was very agitated, Xiaoyanzi quickly pressed him down, "Calm down, I don't remember much either, just a few fragments of the past..."

Zhuang Yougong and his son Zhuang Guanyu looked at them curiously. Zhuang Yougong sighed, "I heard before that the Fifth Prince's wife was a woman of great courage and strength, accompanying the Fifth Prince on his expedition, but she almost went missing and returned wounded. She still hasn't regained her memory..."

Yongqi smiled slightly and said, "As long as she is still alive and well by my side, that's better than anything else!"