The next morning, the snow had stopped.
Fang Er stretched and walked out of his room. After washing up, he went to the work shed.
Xing'er, who had served him with his ablutions, looked at his retreating back with satisfaction.
Although Fang Er had stopped her from taking further action last night, being able to sleep in the same bed was a good start.
Hu Lian, along with several deputies, had already arrived at the work shed. When Fang Er got there, they were repairing a transformer, and the spherical object with a stick inserted into it was placed in the open space nearby.
"Put this thing in a storage room," Fang Er instructed Mo Ming, pointing at the sphere.
The system data was lost, and they couldn't figure out what this thing was, so it would be put aside for now, to be dealt with later when they found the Western穿越者.
"My Lord."
Fang Er turned to see Yelü Tianying.
"Something?"
"Reporting to my lord, there was heavy snow last night, and many of Yelü Tianying's tents collapsed. Many pregnant women in the tribe have caught a cold. We humbly request my lord's assistance."
Yelü Tianying's face was full of worry.
The construction of the new district's housing had not been completed before winter arrived. In the cold weather, concrete would freeze into lumps before it could fully dry and solidify, making it unusable.
Therefore, the construction site had been halted after the onset of winter.
The pregnant women of the Yelü Tianying tribe, who had been looking forward to moving into new homes, could not be accommodated in the city due to their large numbers, as there weren't enough inns or vacant civilian houses. They could only endure in tents outside.
Fang Er looked at the clean ground, clearly the artisans had cleared the accumulated snow early in the morning.
He looked up at the snow on the roof, which was more than a foot thick. It was not surprising that the tents had collapsed.
He turned to Su Feng behind him and asked, "How many vacant houses have been completed in the estate?"
"Reporting to my lord, there are four side courtyards," Su Feng replied.
"How many pregnant women are due to give birth?" Fang Er asked Yelü Tianying.
Yelü Tianying had already checked the numbers before arriving and replied, "There are about five to six hundred."
Fang Er began to calculate in his mind.
Each side courtyard of the estate covered an area of four hundred square meters, with a hundred square meters of courtyard space and fifteen rooms.
Unlike the palace maids and nurses sent by Li Shimin, the pregnant women could not share bunk beds; it would be too dangerous.
In this way, a room of about twenty square meters could accommodate at most six people, and one courtyard could not even house a hundred people.
By this calculation, the four courtyards were far from enough.
"Alright, let them stay in the four courtyards first. For those who are not accommodated, go to the Governor's Mansion and find Liu Dacheng. Let him figure out a way to house them."
Since the new district's hospital and residences were not reliable, Fang Er could not stand by and watch these pregnant women, as they had all come to Shenyang because of him.
"Thank you for your great kindness, my lord!" Yelü Tianying was overjoyed and quickly saluted and thanked him.
"Go. The pregnant women carry the future pillars of the Great Tang and the Yelü Tianying tribe in their wombs. Take good care of them. If you need anything, just tell me at any time."
"Thank you, my lord. I shall take my leave."
Outside Shenyang city, in the area where the Yelü Tianying tribe was stationed, tents covered in heavy snow looked like white mushrooms.
However, in what should have been a spectacular scene, many tents had collapsed under the snow. Pregnant women with swollen bellies and strong young men from the tribe were clearing the snow.
Yelü Tianying, who had returned, looked at their strenuous efforts and quickly shouted, "Stop! Everyone!"
"Young Chieftain!"
"Young Chieftain!"
The pregnant women and young men immediately stopped their work and responded to Yelü Tianying.
"My Lord Fang has shown great kindness and allowed you to stay in the Duke's Mansion for your pregnancies. Pack your belongings, and you will go there today."
Upon hearing this, the pregnant women were stunned.
What place was the Duke's Mansion?
It was a residence more noble than the Chieftain's tent. Now, they, who were considered lowly, were being allowed to stay there to rest and await childbirth. How could this be possible?
A pregnant woman looked at Yelü Tianying in disbelief and asked, "Young Chieftain, is what you said true?"
"Don't worry, I just returned from the Duke's Mansion. My Lord Fang personally agreed to this. Yelü Tianying knew why they doubted. If he had gone to the Duke's Mansion himself, and if this had been said by someone else, he wouldn't have believed it himself."
"My Lord Fang said that the children in your wombs are the future pillars of the Great Tang and our tribe, and you must be well cared for. So, don't just stand there, hurry up and get moving!"
"Pack your things and follow me to the Duke's Mansion later!"
While the Yelü Tianying tribe was busy packing their belongings, Fang Er gave orders to the workshop to rush the production of wooden beds.
After the order was passed down, over a thousand artisans in the workshop worked together. Before the pregnant women of the Yelü Tianying tribe even arrived, brand-new wooden beds were sent into the mansion.
The newly built four side courtyards were adjacent to the courtyards where the palace maids lived, making it convenient for care.
The new beds were placed inside. As for bedding, the pregnant women had brought their own, so Fang Er didn't need to prepare any.
Fang Er stood at the entrance of the side courtyard, watching the artisans busily working in and out. He turned his head and saw Chai Yue, with her swollen belly, walking over with Xiao Qing's support.
"The ground is so slippery, why aren't you resting indoors?"
Chai Yue smiled and said, "It's too stuffy indoors. I came out for some air and heard the commotion here, so I came to take a look."
"What are you doing, my lord?"
Fang Er explained the reason. Upon hearing this, Chai Yue not only did not look down on the pregnant women but felt immense sympathy. They were all about to become mothers, and she could understand that feeling of helplessness most acutely.
Not long after, Su Feng came to report that Yelü Tianying had arrived with the pregnant women and was waiting outside the mansion.
"Waiting for what? Hurry up and let them into the mansion. Standing outside in this cold weather would be freezing!"
The pregnant women, led by Su Feng, entered the mansion. They first bowed in unison to Fang Er to express their gratitude.
Then, looking at the brand-new courtyards, they were immediately shocked. They stood outside, not daring to take a step inside, for fear of soiling the courtyards.
"Young Chieftain, how about… how about we go back to the tents? These houses are too nice, and I don't dare to live in them."
A pregnant woman whispered to Yelü Tianying behind her.
"Alright, don't just stand there. Hurry and take your things into the courtyard and find a room to settle down!"
Although the pregnant woman had lowered her voice, Fang Er still heard her.
"Thank you for your great kindness, my lord!"
Upon hearing Fang Er's words, the pregnant women knelt down at the same time, repeatedly kowtowing in thanks.
Chai Yue, standing nearby, had her eyes moisten unknowingly, and the love in her eyes for Fang Er deepened.