After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Chapter 747 National Mourning

The Fifth Prince's prepared rebuttal was interrupted by the arrival of the Empress Dowager, leaving him with no choice but to grit his teeth and kneel down.

"With the emperor's passing, whatever thoughts you may have, you'd better put them aside as soon as possible."

At this time, His Majesty is in mourning, so if anyone causes trouble, do not blame me for disregarding familial ties!

Of all those present, apart from a few high-ranking officials, who wasn't a close relative of whom?

Brothers, fathers and sons, uncles and nephews...

The Empress Dowager's words about blood ties caused a variety of thoughts among those present. Talking about blood ties in the royal family was simply too ridiculous.

But in this situation, who dares to laugh?

One minute they're smiling, the next their head is falling off.

This reflects the ministers' state of mind.

(Huh? It seems to rhyme~)

The late emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty has passed away, and the entire Great Zhou Dynasty must observe a year of mourning.

All entertainment activities, weddings, and funerals are prohibited this year.

Teahouses, restaurants, and brothels have all become eerily quiet, and many related businesses are struggling to make ends meet.

At this moment, the storyteller and the opera troupe, who were living in the remote and moldy area of ​​the Ouyang family, were somewhat grateful for their current situation.

They don't have to work and they still get paid monthly, and their food and lodging are provided.

If you're working outside and can't work for a year, that means you won't have any income for a year.

Those in their line of work are most afraid of encountering a national mourning period.

They did catch up this year, but now that they're under the protection of the Ouyang family, they have no storms to weather and a place to settle down.

Artists outside the region were not so lucky. Entertainment activities were prohibited within the Great Zhou Dynasty, so they either had to change careers or leave the Great Zhou territory to make a living elsewhere.

However, the south is inhabited by barbarians, and the climate there is humid.

To the north live the fierce and menacing Northern Barbarians, who frequently raid the border.

Overseas, it's difficult to reach overseas unless you can board a large ship like the Zhenhai fleet.

Yunxiang Troupe is not a theatrical troupe, but a magic troupe. The troupe leader is an expert in disguise.

The members of Yunxiang Troupe each have their own unique skills, and they are extremely popular when they tour in various places.

But so what?

Now they are about to face the situation of not being able to eat.

"Master, if things really come to this, let's leave Da Zhou. If we perform secretly, we might risk our lives."

Although the new emperor has not yet officially ascended the throne, he has put on a great deal of show to demonstrate his filial piety.

The Southern Opera troupe that came before us went to perform at someone's home. Not only were all the members of the troupe imprisoned, but the homeowner's property was also confiscated.

Overnight, families were destroyed and people died, all because of listening to a song.

Now, within the Great Zhou territory, no one dares to listen to music or watch plays anymore; our skills are completely useless now.

"Yan Ming is right. We can't just sit around and wait for a year to pass. Are we really going to just sit around and eat our savings away?"

"We've worked hard to build up this wealth over the years, but we can't afford to squander it like this!"

"Yes, Master, let's think of something. We can't go on like this. Let's take a boat out to sea!"

The leader of the Yunxiang Troupe was a middle-aged man with half-gray hair, and at this moment his brows were furrowed.

"What you all say makes sense, but going to sea is easier said than done..."

"Sigh~ Yes, other people's ships go out to make big money, why should they bring us along as burdens?"

Besides, the Zhenhai fleet you mentioned, that's the imperial fleet, right? It's said that the late emperor personally inspected the docks before they set sail.

"The royal fleet? How could we lowly commoners possibly board such ships?! Don't even dream about it!"

Yan Ming's words left everyone still frowning. Were they really just going to sit around and wait to die? They were somewhat unwilling to accept this.

Just as everyone was silent, an ordinary carriage stopped outside the temporary lodging of the Yunxiang troupe.

The blue carriage curtain was slowly lifted, and a pair of clean official boots stepped out...

-

Tongzhou Wharf

Qiu Cheng was somewhat bored, as the ship had not yet returned from its voyage.

Based on the instructions in the Crown Prince's letter, he used the remaining silver from shipbuilding to expand and renovate the Tongzhou Wharf.

After all, it's now a dock with a fleet of ocean-going vessels, so it can't be as stingy as before.

Thanks to Qiu Cheng's careful planning, after the ship was built, there were indeed tens of thousands of taels of silver left, but the cost of repairing the dock was still a bit short.

The Crown Prince's money arrived like a timely rain, and it was Chen Lin who delivered it once again.

This time, however, the amount was small, so the silver was sent directly to the dock instead of being temporarily stored in the county government as before.

After all, the county government currently doesn't even have a county magistrate; it only has two clerks in charge.

"My lord, are you preparing to return to the capital?"

"Yes, His Highness is about to ascend the throne and needs his trusted confidants by his side. By the way, you guys should also pack your things and come with me this time!"

"real?!"

"nature."

The group was somewhat delighted, for this was not simply a return to the capital; it meant that their superior, Lord Qiu, was going to apply for official ranks for them.

They were no longer low-ranking officials without any official rank, but had truly become officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

In the past, becoming an official with the mere title of a scholar who had only passed the imperial examinations was something that would have meant endless waiting, but now it was about to become a reality.

Lord Qiu really didn't lie to them or make empty promises!

Seeing the obvious joy on his subordinates' faces, Qiu Cheng did not interrupt. After they calmed down, he told them some things to be careful about when meeting the Crown Prince, and they listened very attentively.

Meeting your future boss – first impressions are crucial!

They didn't aspire to be "employees" valued by their superiors like the "bosses"; they only hoped to gain some official position to improve their family's social standing.

"Alright, alright, it's a time of national mourning. You can be happy in private, but don't be too happy in public, especially don't laugh out loud!"

"Yes! We understand, sir, and will certainly not cause you any trouble!"

"