Zhang Xiaobao smiled so widely that his eyes narrowed into slits. He liked having more brothers and sisters, the more the merrier. He was just like other families.
It wasn't just the aristocratic families who wanted to have more children. As long as they could make ends meet, ordinary families were also willing to have more children.
Once they were in their teens, they would be a good source of labor. This was especially so for boys. They could help the family do a lot of chores. By raising more children, they would have someone to take care of them when they were old.
Li Longji, who had been paying attention to the Zhang Family and Wang Family, quickly received the news. He threw away the two memorials regarding the flood control of the Yangtze River and Yellow River.
He rushed over to Wang Juan's headquarters and congratulated her.
"Xiao Bao, Cuckoo, congratulations. How many children are there this time? The more, the better. Eight or ten isn't too much. Five or six isn't too much either."
"Why don't you say thousands or tens of thousands, like fishes? Why do you have to say pigs? You're congratulating the wrong person. This has nothing to do with us. You should be congratulating my father and father-in-law. "
Zhang Xiaobao was very dissatisfied with this number. Even though it was theoretically possible to have eight or ten children, it was still a multiple birth.
Li Longji didn't think much of it. "I'm not scolding anyone. I'll talk to your father and father-in-law when I'm free. Xiao Bao, I have an idea."
Zhang Xiaobao didn't reply. He guessed that Li Longji couldn't come up with a good idea. Wang Juan continued to look at the map. It was a military map of Hangzhou that had been enlarged many times.
It wasn't to prepare for the military sand table. It was to set up sufficient defenses around the area to ward off wind, moisture, mosquitoes, enemies, and loneliness.
As long as there was a threat that had the slightest negative effect on pregnant women, it would be blocked outside.
Li Longji was very depressed. In the entire Great Tang, only Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan dared to ignore him. Under normal circumstances, Zhang Xiaobao should have replied with a 'what's your idea'.
"This is what This Emperor is thinking. This Emperor will ask the two madams to help spread the knowledge of … conservation. This Emperor will also give a push to encourage the people of the Great Tang to have more children. This Emperor has asked around. There are some places that are poor, the entire region is poor. If they give birth to a boy, they will keep it and if they give birth to a girl, they will throw her away.
Sometimes, I wonder how many Xiaobei they have thrown away. Girls are also people. If the Great Tang is really full of men, then wouldn't it be over? Hurry up and perfect your plan to subsidize childbirth, and then immediately spread it throughout the Great Tang. "
Li Longji suggested such a method.
This time, Zhang Xiaobao reacted. He shook his head vigorously. "I can't control my mother. You can talk to my mother. She agreed. That's her own business. I can help.
However, I have to say in advance that I will be helping you with your matters. Advertising, as well as interacting with the people on the streets to talk about the policy, all of these will cost money. The guards will cost money. Organizing the venue and distributing maternity products to pregnant women will also cost money. This money … "
"Aiya, Xiao Bao, you're right. I'll have to trouble your family again. This Emperor will remember this in my heart and will definitely repay you." When Li Longji heard that it was about money, he immediately followed up on Zhang Xiaobao's words. It was impossible for him to fork out the money.
Zhang Xiaobao took a look. Seeing that it was indeed the case, he agreed.
"Alright, my family will fork out the money. I will need to borrow the resources of the local government to help organize the event. I will also need to fork out a portion of the money to send gifts to the pregnant women in the area. As for the advertising fee, it will belong to the local government."
"You can advertise such a thing? Xiaobei and the others have already gone to the local government. Is there a need to tell me? "
Li Longji did not know who would advertise, and he also did not know what gifts would be sent.
"Xiaobei and the others have the power to monitor, arrest, and convict people, but they do not have the power to order people around. Naturally, there will be advertisements. Deyi Hospital's local medicine is free of charge, but the ribs, fish, vegetables, and diapers for the children have to be bought.
The businesses involved can advertise their products' quality and price advantages.
The most difficult thing is to change people's views. Otherwise, it will be very harmful to the pregnant women's health. "
Zhang Xiaobao suddenly remembered this matter. It was very serious. Not to mention now, even when he and Wang Juan were together, there were also some people who kept the tradition. In the end, there were complications such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, gynecological diseases, etc.
Li Longji realized that he had encountered a problem in this field that he was not clear about. Like a student, he sat up straight and asked, "Indeed, there should be businessmen who advertise. I saw that Xiaobei and the others used something that looked like underwear. It was made of paper. Even the children can use it."
Wang Juan put down the map at this time. "Xiaobei and the others only started using it after they were two years old. Paper diapers are not for them to use casually. Also, the purpose of giving it to Xiaobei and the others was not to let them pee casually. It is to keep them warm and when the air is humid, bacteria will come into direct contact with their bodies.
They only use it once every two hours. Can ordinary people afford to use it? We can't give it to them even if we give it to them. Now that there is a lot of cotton, we need to use pure cotton diapers and wash them frequently. This way, the children will not get rashes easily.
The most important thing is not this. It is the diet and hygiene during pregnancy and confinement. Now that the medical school's research is out, we can't stick to the previous methods. "
When Wang Juan talked about this, she seemed very helpless.
Li Longji really did not know much about this kind of thing. He was only in charge of making people pregnant, but he was not in charge of taking care of and delivering the child. The only thing he could do was to think of ways to get what the woman he liked to eat when she was pregnant. If she liked to watch a play, he would get someone to act.
If she wanted to hear him play the drums, he would play the karma drum. As for the pregnant woman's body, he did not care.
Now that he heard what Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan said, it seemed that there was a lot to know about pregnancy.
He asked, "For example …?"
"Madam, I will talk to His Majesty. You can continue looking at the map." Zhang Xiaobao continued and said to Li Longji, "For example, there is a tradition in many places. It is called a custom. When a woman is pregnant, she has to raise chickens. When she needs them, she will eat eggs and chicken.
This is not wrong. It ensures nutrition because cows and sheep are too expensive, not to mention deer. In the past, the cost of raising pigs was not low. They only knew how to feed pigs with grass and food, but they did not know how to rear pigs.
In the end, they gave pregnant women and confinement women chicken, eggs, and millet to their hearts' content. Then they fell sick. Usually, they can't eat so much. Meat is too big, so they eat it all at once. The thin ones become fat, and the fat ones become fatter. "
"What's wrong with that? Children need to drink milk. Women need to eat more to get milk. "Li Longji understood this.
"Yes, nutrition needs to follow, but who said that nutrition is meat? If you eat well when you are pregnant, the child will grow up, and it will not be troublesome to give birth. Now, there is the technology to perform a caesarean, but who is willing to always perform a caesarean?
Look at how the dishes sent to you by Savant's Restaurant are usually matched. Isn't it to let you have a balanced diet and live a few more years? Look at how I make meat for Xiaobei and the rest. It's not that my family can't afford it, but I can't let them eat it. Sometimes, I have to make some wild vegetables for them to dip in sauce.
For every type of food, Cuckoo and I have to tell Xiaobei and the rest a story so that they won't be biased. It's the same for pregnant women. Eating too much meat is not good for the body. "
Zhang Xiaobao gave an example of Xiaobei and the rest, as well as the food that Savant's Restaurant matched for Li Longji and the people in the palace.
Li Longji suddenly understood and nodded lightly. He said, "Xiao Bao, you are a good person. No wonder Savant's Restaurant sent me all bland food in the few days after the New Year. There was even coarsely ground corn bread, and there was no honey in it.
The food was delicious, but it made me think that there was a problem with the person in charge of Savant's Restaurant. He even got someone to test for poison twice. Usually, when Savant's Restaurant sent food, it would all go straight to my mouth. No wonder. Continue. "
Li Longji told the truth about the poison test. He was very embarrassed. It turned out that there was no problem with the management. They were worried that he would eat too much meat during the New Year, which was not good for his body, so they adjusted his diet. If they really continued to send meat dishes, there would be a problem with the management.
Zhang Xiaobao really didn't know about this. He thought that his godfather was afraid that he would misunderstand, so he didn't let anyone mention it to him.
"Also, during the month of confinement, the most common time is that you are not allowed to bathe for a month. You are afraid that external evil will enter your body. This is because the medical system in the past was not good, so we could only use a conservative method. However, it is to nourish the bacteria.
This matter has a certain reason, but now, we don't need to use this method. Cuckoo, I will talk to Her Majesty outside. "
As Zhang Xiaobao spoke, he greeted Wang Juan.
Wang Juan glared at Zhang Xiaobao. "I'm not a child. What are you afraid of? There is nothing that can't be told to others. "
"Alright, you can't tell everyone everything. If the emperor doesn't keep secrets, he will lose his officials. If the officials don't keep secrets …"
"Don't say useless things. If the emperor doesn't keep secrets, he will lose his country. You guys can talk. Don't worry about me." Wang Juan interrupted Zhang Xiaobao's recitation of the Analects of Confucius.
"Xiao Bao, are you saying something that goes against ethics and morality?" Li Longji looked around. If there was something wrong, it was better to say it outside.
"No, it's mainly because we are not doctors. It's about a woman's physiological problems. Actually, it's nothing. Let's talk about business. Why can't a woman bathe during confinement?
First, it's because the change in temperature can easily affect the body. For example, when you catch a cold, it's cold. Second, when you bathe, even warm water is not as good as the secretion of the woman's body.
When a woman gives birth, no matter what she does, she will get injured. There are injuries in the joints and in the uterus. In the past, medical science couldn't catch up, so it was better to let the woman recover on her own. "
Zhang Xiaobao explained. Back in his time, any man who cared a little about women would be very clear about this. It was not something that belonged to the martial arts world. Good men had to specifically learn how to influence and take care of women during menstruation.
But in this era, it's still very shocking to say it so naturally. Li Longji was shocked. It's not because Zhang Xiaobao dared to say such things. It's because …
"Xiao Bao, you want to learn this too?"
"I'm not deliberately learning it. I just want to understand it. I want to continue. But our current medical school's research in this area has always been more advanced than other areas. The main reason is because Xiao Bei and the others needed it. I invested a lot of money and it's biased.
Medical care for infants and pregnant women is free, right? So don't not bathe for a month. We have thermometers and special sterilizers.
What we need to do now is to match the diet. During pregnancy, we can't raise the child too big. It's not easy to give birth. It's fine as long as it's enough. If you raise it to be fat, it might not be healthy.
In this way, we can reduce the complications of pregnant women. A healthy child and a healthy mother are the most important. Also, during confinement, don't eat too much millet and eggs just for milk.
There's also rice, sorghum, white flour, various vegetables and fish. Take turns to eat. Eat less but eat more. This will speed up the digestion and digestion of the stomach and intestines. If there's not enough milk, you can replenish your protein. The most common food is soy products. Of course, eggs are fine too.
But you can't eat a pile of eggs every meal. Other than protein, there's also cholesterol. Drink some of Kun Bu's soup. There's also direct sugar intake. Drink more plain water and pure fruit juice.
If it's twins and you can't keep up with milk, you can add meat and fish. But you can't focus on everything, especially not eating chicken all the time.
This way, there's enough iodine and calcium in the milk, as well as trace elements like iron and zinc. It's helpful for both children and adults. "
When Zhang Xiaobao said this, he let out a long breath. It was too tiring. Pregnancy and childbirth seemed very simple, but it involved too many things. There was no fixed method, and it could only be adjusted at any time.
Wang Juan also listened. She smiled at Zhang Xiaobao and said, "You know quite a lot, Your Majesty. In fact, the birth of a baby is like fighting a war. There must be intelligence, vanguard, middle troops, and logistics. As for the education that follows, that's another story.
Children are not cute toys to look at, nor are they the continuation of one's ideals. They are the most precious existence in the world. The most beautiful luminous pearl will dim in front of the dazzling new life. "
Li Longji listened quietly and listened very seriously. What he wanted to do most was to grab the two people behind the Zhang Xiaobao and Wang families and ask them, "How many things do you know? Why did you choose Xiao Bao and Cuckoo? Other than knowledge and talent, could it be that you can also teach human nature? "
Of course, he also wanted to capture Xiao Bao and Cuckoo and interrogate them. How did you learn? The knowledge you learned is too diverse and vast. Aren't you tired?
You know all the subjects of the imperial examinations, and you're at the top of all of them. Literature, law, politics, calculation, national policy, calligraphy, music, painting, industry, agriculture, military, economy, education, system, human nature, food, medicine, and so on.
Are these things that 'humans' can know?
Li Longji thought this, but he didn't ask. Of course, even if he asked, Zhang Xiaobao wouldn't tell him. He would say that most of these things were already included in the 12 years of compulsory education.
When he and Cuckoo were children, they learned a lot of things. Basically, every day, other than eating and sleeping, their schedule was almost full.
Moreover, they didn't start from the first year of the 12 years of compulsory education. Usually, they started from the time they were a fetus, followed by infant education, pre-school education, and all kinds of arts. They started learning piano at the age of four, and by the time they were eight years old, there were countless people who had reached level 10.
After the 12 years of compulsory education, those who really wanted to learn would learn more and more. Cuckoo was already a genius, and with her family's influence, you couldn't imagine how many things she knew.
If it were him, he would have to be more humble. He didn't have a systematic education, but his learning ability wasn't bad either. The school he attended was different. This was what it meant that the path was intangible, but different paths led to the same destination.
When he thought about how other people's children learned so much, Zhang Xiaobao said to Wang Juan, "At that time … a child like Xiaobei would at least know four professional skills, right? It shouldn't be a problem to play the Three Plum Blossoms with the flute. Our education still hasn't caught up, and we let them play. "
"Xiao Bao, what are you saying? Are you belittling my children? Xiaobei and the others haven't learned anything yet? Yes, if we really compare them to you and Cuckoo, they are still lacking. They can only be said to have learned something and have their own strengths, but they can't compare to the two of you.
However, is it possible to find a second pair of Xiao Bao and Cuckoo in this world? How many of Xiaobei's nine can there be? Perhaps Jun 'er and Pan' er can catch up if they work hard. As for the other children, even if they have Chaoyang, they can't catch up. This is the injustice of the world.
You can't put in all your effort to teach every child. You can only do your best for your own siblings. Alright, let's not talk about this. Why didn't anyone teach me this when I was young? Otherwise, how could I tolerate you? "
Li Longji was very jealous, so he spoke the truth. He understood that his ability wasn't good enough. If he killed Xiao Bao and Cuckoo, he would face very serious consequences.
Not to mention whether or not he could kill the two of them, even if he did, how would the people behind them react? How would he face a country that could possibly create weapons that could kill an entire capital?
There was also the die-hard loyalty of the Zhang Family and Wang Family around Great Tang, as well as the excitement of the surrounding countries. Great Tang's financial system would instantly collapse. No matter which one it was, it wasn't something that he could bear.
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan weren't angry. Any emperor wouldn't like power that they couldn't control, just like the two of them. They also didn't like many people, such as the aristocratic families who monopolized land, or the poor who were lazy.
However, they still had to endure. This was selfishness and choice. A completely selfless person was the most terrifying. They had to be eliminated. Without selfishness, there would be no weakness.
After Li Longji finished speaking, he looked at Xiao Bao and Cuckoo and said helplessly, "I knew the two of you would be like this. It's said that the two of you are the reincarnations of immortals. Tell me the truth, is that true?"
"That depends on how you look at it. According to Buddhism, everyone is a Buddha. It's up to you to say that it's the Six Paths of Reincarnation. However, according to Daoism, it's extremely mysterious and profound. Your Majesty, let's talk about the welfare of mothers and children."
Zhang Xiaobao didn't answer directly. Instead, he beat around the bush.
Li Longji recovered from his shock and said, "Right, welfare is something that should be done. Children are the hope. Use that piece of glass to advertise that the children of Great Tang are stronger than those of other countries from the moment they're in their mother's body.
I believe that when they grow up and see the situation of other countries, they'll know how much Great Tang has sacrificed for them. If they don't love Great Tang, they'll be letting down their own conscience. "
Zhang Xiaobao nodded and said, "That's right. It can also let the people of other countries feel that their country isn't worth protecting."
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