The relief mission personnel had been finalized, and everything thereafter felt as if it had been set to fast-forward. Soon, the day of departure arrived. This time, Zhao Yan was not only bringing craftsmen from the Ministry of Works but also a group of junior officials from the Ministry of Revenue. After Cao Dian had been removed, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue no longer dared to harbor prejudices against Zhao Yan; at the very least, they managed to keep things civil on the surface.
His luggage was already packed. Aside from warm clothing, what Zhao Yan brought most of were medicinal herbs. With the weather as cold as it currently was—bitter and freezing—even an iron man would be frozen solid, let alone flesh and blood.
Zhao Yan had taken the remaining goose down from the household and added to it the supply Zhao Gao had braved the wind and snow to purchase. He had instructed the seamstresses to work day and night to turn it all into down jackets. The quantity was modest—seventy-odd pieces in total—but that was the maximum output the seamstresses could manage. To produce this batch of jackets, the shop had to forgo replenishing its stock of regular clothing, prioritizing the jackets above all else.
Chapter 554