Sent away on official business and coming back can also be counted as meritorious service; there was no need to return and start working immediately, which was a small benefit from Wei Yu.

This time back at the manor, slacking off and resting was definitely allowed, but he truly did not slack off on what needed to be done.

Just now, after successfully tricking a bunch of little fat lambs into raising pigs, the next day Wei Yu went to the manor.

More than half a year ago, after leaving the manor and entrusting the Steward He Yong with the task of building a school, Wei Yu really hadn’t been here again.

This time, upon returning and taking a look, Wei Yu was amazed by Steward He Yong’s capability.

The spacious and bright two-story school building, at a glance, except for being a bit short, was not much different from a teaching building in modern society; the cafeteria, like a warehouse, had tables and chairs neatly arranged inside; it was mealtime, and the aroma of dishes filled the air, tenant farmers and children coming in and out; the dormitories were all eight-person rooms, very typical bunk beds, the corridor was clean, and the duty roster hung right at the stairway entrance…

Everything was very orderly, looking quite respectable.

Wei Yu felt very gratified and praised He Yong greatly.

He Yong’s old face turned red from the praise, almost smiling his teeth out.

“Steward He, the first time I laid eyes on you, I thought you were an outstanding capable talent! Look at this manor, without you, it wouldn’t be like this now!”

Faced with his master’s blind praise, He Yong’s heart was joyful, but he pretended to be calm and waved his hand, “Not at all, Your Highness, you jest. This is all thanks to your wise guidance; otherwise, I would never have such ability.”

Wei Yu had just come back and seeing the big changes at the manor, he didn’t ask anything else but first walked around the manor.

He stood on the place designated as the playground, looking towards the cafeteria, and asked He Yong, “Are all the children on the manor studying in the school now?”

“Yes, all studying in the school. There are a total of forty-eight children, the oldest is fifteen, the youngest only four years old, all taught by my cousin.”

Mentioning this, He Yong showed a slight smile, “Actually, if we say these children can all go to school, that is entirely thanks to Your Highness.”

“How so?” Wei Yu was a bit curious.

He Yong replied, “Do you still remember Your Highness mentioning the rent reduction before?”

Wei Yu nodded.

“The twenty percent rent reduction you made, while it may not be much to you, to the tenant farmers on the manor, it was undoubtedly life-saving.”

Recalling past events, He Yong smiled with some emotion, “Your great kindness is deeply remembered by the tenant farmers. When you wanted to build the school, the tenant farmers worked for you without accepting any money. Even when I insisted on paying wages, they all firmly refused…”

“They knew you built the school so the children on the manor could learn to read and write. The tenant farmers are grateful, and knowing you wouldn’t take anything, they each brought surplus grain to the cafeteria staff.”

He Yong shook his head and looked at Wei Yu with admiration in his eyes, “Your Highness, I’ve lived so long, and I’ve never heard of tenant farmers willingly giving their own grain to their master; probably only you.”

Wei Yu blinked, not feeling very proud of this result; hearing it only made him feel sad.

Poor laboring people.

In this world, there are thankless wolves who repay kindness with harm, but actually more often it’s ordinary people who keep a kind heart, isn’t it?

Wei Yu touched his nose, “No one minds me meddling?”

“How could they?” He Yong was surprised, “Such a good thing as learning to read without spending money, they are more grateful to you than anything, who would blame you!”

Wei Yu smiled, “I thought some might think literacy is useless and might interfere with work.”

After all, in these days population means labor force; don’t think children can’t work, they are all poor people, no one is more noble, as long as they can walk steadily, they can work.

Especially for farming households, farming is hard labor; one fewer person means the burden on others is heavier.

Mentioning delaying work, He Yong’s eyes looked plaintive, “Your Highness, the fields on the manor have all been taken up by your planned construction, where can the tenant farmers find extra land to farm…”

“Didn’t I give you money to buy land before?”

He Yong sighed, eyes even more plaintive, “The good farmland around has been taken by others. If you don’t mind mountain land that’s hard to farm, then I have no objections.”

Wei Yu: …

He really doesn’t have any obsession with farming land, honestly.

“So you didn’t buy any land at all?” Wei Yu asked.

He Yong made a stern face, “That’s not exactly true. For Your Highness, I ran around everywhere and managed to buy one hundred acres of good farmland from others, see, just beyond the mountain.”

He Yong pointed in a direction, Wei Yu looked accordingly but could only see a tall mountain.

Wei Yu: “How much did it cost?”

“Besides the seven hundred taels spent on buying land, I also spent one hundred taels on handling things, and I still have four thousand two hundred taels left.”

Wei Yu nodded and gestured around the manor’s area, “Okay, with the remaining four thousand taels, keep buying land around here. Whether good or bad, buy it all, barren land, mountain land, all are fine.”

A bit ridiculous.

Barren land is one thing, mountain land too?

He Yong highly suspected Your Highness didn’t understand farming and just wanted to mess around.

He was about to advise when Wei Yu said, “Buying these lands isn’t all for farming. I have my own business to do, no need to ask. By the way, those people I sent to the manor a few days ago, where are they?”

The topic shifted so fast, He Yong hesitated, “The people you sent only told me to settle them properly, so I didn’t dare let them wander about. They have stayed inside the manor these past two days without coming out.”

Mentioning that group of strange people, He Yong’s face looked a bit odd.

After all, anyone who meets a group of scruffy, dirty people who enter a courtyard and never come out would feel curious.

Hearing this, Wei Yu lifted his foot and headed towards the manor, “Alright, then let’s go back to the manor first.”

He Yong followed, hesitating, then couldn’t resist asking, “Your Highness, do you know who that group is? Are they going to live on the manor long term?”

“Yes, they will be members of this manor from now on.”

Wei Yu smiled and turned his head to look at Steward He, “They are all people greatly valued by His Majesty and will be future heroes of Great Wei. You must not neglect them.”

He Yong was shocked.

That group of weird people are highly valued heroes of Great Wei?!

He Yong followed his lord in a daze, then heard his lord say again.

“After you buy the land, I will also build a research institute here on the manor, big, very big. There might be one, or maybe several, depending on the situation then.”

He Yong: !!

He was dumbfounded.

Building more?

At this point, Your Highness still wants to build more buildings!

If more are built, there really won’t be any land left for farming!!