An Laosi and the others didn’t know what happened in Ru Ning. In fact, they hadn’t communicated with Gaoyou for a long time. He wasn’t sure if Gaoyou had given up on them. Even if he kept comforting and persuading himself, he still couldn’t help but be afraid. It had been more than two years since he came to Anfeng. He spent almost all his time socializing with people, and he was very close to running out of money.

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There was almost no rice left at home, and it was Hong Xiu who entrusted someone in the palace to bring them money so that An Laosi would not be reduced to having to go out to the streets and beg for food.

Although he became a minor official in Anfeng, he actually didn’t even use much money to buy the official position. It was just that his circle of associates only became a bit wider and it helped him to get closer to other minor officials. However, there was no monthly salary at all.

After all, Liu Futong was not that stupid. One could buy an official position, but one couldn’t buy a high-ranking official position or any real power. These officials were actually just buying face, which only looked good on the surface.

Although it was not allowed to buy official positions on the surface, Liu Futong looked the other way on this matter, which could be regarded as a source of revenue for the Anfeng treasury.

An Laosi sat on the chair and sighed. He felt that he had a clever head, but there was nothing he could do in Anfeng. Compared with him, his wife Lady An was much calmer, and everyday she would take the needle and thread and go chat with the female family members of their neighbors nearby. The women sat together drinking hot tea, embroidering, and chatting about new things that happened recently.

And An Laosi suddenly discovered that his wife actually enjoyed this kind of life, but what she enjoyed was not doing needlework in a warm room, but enjoying what she could hear from her female partner every day.

Then at night, she would share it with An Laosi. An Laosi felt that he and his wife had been married for so many years, but the words his wife spoke the most was during their time in Anfeng.

This night, Lady An wrote down the news she inquired with a secret code and put it in the cupboard. After she climbed into bed, she said, “I wonder how Hong Xiu is doing in the palace. She always sends us money so the days in the palace shouldn’t be to bad.”

An Laosi thought about Hong Xiu’s lovely and endearing looks, and said to his wife: “A woman like her is the one who will live the longest. Our business is to gather even more information.”

In the eyes of An Laosi, Hong Xiu was a woman who had climbed through piles of men. She was tougher than most women locked up in the inner courtyard, and smarter than the women who work in the fields. To put it bluntly, she knew how to talk to people no matter what kind of person they were. This was also a kind of skill. How many people were clearly capable and yet couldn’t climb up the ladder because of their mouth.

At this time, Hong Xiu was serving next to the Empress. She relied on flattering and ingratiating herself to the big palace maids as well as clever words, tactful manners, and generous actions. In just one year, she was promoted from a tea-making palace maid to a personal palace maid. Nowadays, her job was to dress the Empress, and she also usually followed at the side of the Empress.

The Empress was not old at all, only in her early twenties. She was spoiled and raised in luxury, kept in the inner courtyard since she was a child. She had fair skin, well maintained hair that was black and smooth, but there was only one thing that she lost out on—— Her looks could only be called mediocre. She had a square face, small eyes, almost no bridge of nose, and her nostrils were also slightly turned upwards.

Concubine Li was different from the Empress. She did not have the delicate fair skin of the Empress, nor the dark and smooth hair, but her face was beautiful. In the harem, status and position was often empty. Only the Emperor’s favor was real. No matter how low the position was, if the Emperor loved her, then the servants dared not be scornful. No matter how high the position, if the Emperor did not love her, then the servants always had a bunch of excuses to shirk work.

Even the eunuchs and maids want a good future, but they had to at least know where to put in the hard work.

The  Empress was sitting on a chair while Hong Xiu was dressing her up. The Empress looked at herself in the bronze mirror. The reflection was not clear from the bronze mirror so the face seemed to be fogged, but the Empress could still see her appearance. She was not beautiful, and family members always used to tell her, “Women do not stand by their looks, but by virtue and kindness, only then can they be invincible.”

She touched her face.

Was she virtuous? She never asked about the Emperor’s court affairs. She regarded the Emperor as her heaven, her everything. From the first day she entered the palace, she made up her mind to live only for her husband in the future. Perhaps this was virtue.

Was she kind? She never cared who the Emperor favored, in fact when the emperor favored a concubine and forgot to give a reward, she had to make up for it, go over and give comfort, maybe this was kindness. (TN: by ‘favor’ it means to sleep/have sex)

But the Emperor still didn’t love her, and he didn’t even want to share a bed with her.

Even when they were in the same bed occasionally, the Emperor was reluctant to look directly at her face. If he saw it, the Emperor would even have a look of disgust on his face.

When her mother entered the palace, she told her that she must give birth to a prince early. So long as there was a prince, her status would never be shaken.

She dared not tell her mother that the Emperor did not want to touch her.

What woman could give birth to a son on her own?

“Niangniang (TN: term of respect for the empress and imperial concubines), this is this year’s new hairpin.” Hong Xiu turned around and picked up a tray. On top of it was exquisite jewelry that dumbfounded ordinary people, something they could not afford to buy in a lifetime, but the Empress just glanced at it, her tone indifferent as she said, “These are too fancy, change it to ones normally used by Ben Gong.” (TN: broad term of appellation for royal members, including the empress, princes, and princesses)

Hong Xiu said softly: “Yes.”

After Hong Xiu had dressed up the Empress, she found that the Empress was sitting in front of the mirror, tears falling down from her eyes. Well bred ladies from noble and aristocratic families were never allowed to sob loudly and messily. Their tears were only to be used to turn into weapons and could not be shed for themselves.

Hong Xiu did not make a sound, and it was not her turn to make a sound at this time either.

It was the big palace maid who came in and saw the Empress crying alone, so she hurriedly pulled Hong Xiu, who dared not move, and knelt down.

“Niangniang, take care of your health.” The big palace maid had grown up with the Empress since they were children. So only she dared to say such a sentence, her tears falling, “We can’t let that side have a chance at ridicule.”

The Empress’s voice was hoarse: “In the entire palace, who doesn’t know that Ben Gong is a joke?”

Those people secretly say that she was incompetent and ugly, yet she stubbornly occupied the position of the Empress. After all, didn’t the Emperor visit the Empress’s palace less than a handful of times in the past months?

But she couldn’t even refute this.

She never thought about being the Empress! When still in the boudoir, she thought that she would marry her father’s disciple, and her husband would respect her. Putting aside affection, at least they would respect and support each other as a married couple.

But when she became the Empress, she couldn’t even ask her husband why he wouldn’t even give her the most basic respect.

She was crushed under Consort Li’s foot and couldn’t move one bit.

The big palace maid tried to smile: “Niangniang, that Consort Li is like Baosi, she is a witch. Niangniang is the Empress, and she is just a concubine.” (TN: Baosi concubine of King You of Zhou and one of the famous Chinese beauties. Equally famed for her immoral conduct.)

The Empress looked at the big palace maid: “She is pregnant.”

The big palace maid did not dare to speak anymore.

The Empress’s voice was very soft: “And I have no children yet.”

“This child cannot be born.” The Empress said, “If she really gave birth to a prince, I will have no place to stand.”

The big palace maid bit her lower lip, didn’t she also know this very well? The mother ‘s status rises with the son. If Consort Li had a son, this child would be the only child of the Emperor, or the eldest son. It was not like there was no faction supporting Consort Li in the court. At that time, if the Empress was found guilty of any wrongdoing, her seat would be in jeopardy. The Empress was walking on the edge of the cliff, if she took a wrong step, there would only be an abyss waiting below her.

Consort Li’s child could not be born, and even if he was born, he could not live.

The Empress said: “I don’t have anyone I can use now.”

The big palace maid did not dare to speak. She was a little timid when it came down to it and especially when the target of murder would be the emperor’s child. This was a major crime, enough for the whole family to be executed.

At this moment, Hong Xiu raised her head suddenly, her face was full of tears, which made her look very sorry indeed, her nose was running but she didn’t dare to wipe it, and her voice came out choked: “Niangniang, let this slave go. “

The Empress looked at Hong Xiu, and she asked, “Aren’t you afraid of death?”

Hong Xiu trembled: “This slave is afraid.”

Empress: “Then why are you l still willing to…..”

Hong Xiu sniffled: “Niangniang, this slave is also pampered at home, and my brothers and sisters-in-law also love and care for this slave. But after entering the palace this slave realized the strictness of the rules of the palace. Everyone has a clever mouth and a vicious heart. Only Niangniang treats this slave well, this slave is willing to share the worries for Niangniang.”

The big palace maid breathed a sigh of relief, and there was also a little bit of pity in her eyes when she looked at Hong Xiu. She thought this Hong Xiu was a restless person. After all, she had a pretty face, but after getting along for a long time, she realized that this person just had a pretty face but was actually a fool. Whoever talked a few more words with her or showed a bit more friendliness towards her, she would willingly give away the things she have.

Niangniang also felt that she was too pitifully foolish so she always gave her some money, but unexpectedly managed to gain this little fool’s loyalty.

The Empress was also a little moved. She said to Hong Xiu: “Come closer.”

Hong Xiu walked over on her knees, and the Empress took her hand: “You are a good one. If you are successful, I, Ben Gong, will promote you to be a grand female official.”

Hong Xiu hid her face and cried: “This slave is not after this, this slave’s brothers and sisters-in-law taught this slave to know gratitude.”

The Empress finally couldn’t help sobbing: “Even you understand, even you understand this!”

The big palace maid also cried, and the three cried together in the room. The people outside heard the movement inside, so they could only guard the door of the room and not let outsiders come close.

Hong Xiu cried with all her heart, but her head at that moment turned through countless thoughts.

Although she was not the most used by the Empress, many people also knew her, so the Empress would definitely not send her over to Consort Li to be a palace maid.

The most feasible way was for her to be favored by the Emperor, be conferred with a concubine title, and to live in Consort Li’s palace.

At that time, the Empress was likely to pretend to have a fight with her, showing that it was she who seduced the Emperor regardless of the Empress’s previous kindness towards her.

Whether Consort Li would believe it or not depended on the abilities of the Empress and herself.

This was one way, and another way was for the Empress to punish her and throw her out directly. Then, if Consort Li wanted to know inside news about the Empress, she would come to win her over.

But this method was not so easy to implement. There were too many uncertain factors. With Consort Li being so favored, she probably no longer had any regard for the Empress in her eyes. The Empress had no favor and no children. When she gave birth to the eldest son, she would be able to do whatever she wanted with the Empress at that time.

Hon Xiu thought about it for a while, and felt that the Empress would probably choose the first method.

This was the safest way. If she was favored, Consort Li would naturally find ways to get close to her.

If she was not favored, the Empress would only lose a maid.

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With Consort Li pregnant, she would be unable to shiqin (TN: lit. translate to serving someone in lying down, an elegant way of referring to bed affairs, often used to refer to the emperor sleeping with his wives and concubines).

It was most reasonable for the Empress to choose the first method.

Which just so happened to be exactly what Hong Xiu wanted.

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Lin Yuan once thought about his central team, this group of people should be the mainstay of the new world. He could tolerate people’s selfishness, even if they had desires for power or money or any other desires within the moral standards, so long as they could fulfill their duties and responsibilities and could understand Lin Yuan’s ideas and implement them faithfully.

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Under this premise, Lin Yuan felt that he was very tolerant.

Only now, he had doubts about his previous thinking, especially when looking at Zhao Youquan, he couldn’t help but want to drive this person out of the tent as soon as possible.

Because this person’s desire for power and status was so obvious on his face, so obvious that he could read it at a glance.

And what disappointed him was that most people were like this.

They had sufficient knowledge and broad vision. They had many things that ordinary people did not have. They were also smarter and more flexible than other scholars.

But their use of their own advantages was limited to achieving power.

Lin Yuan even felt that if one day he really established an imperial court, these people would form cliques and try their best to ostracize dissidents, as well as take a share of the power in his hands.

Zhao Youquan knelt on the ground, but quite a while passed and yet Lin Yuan did not speak for him to get up.

He was a little flustered, wondering whether he had said something wrong just now, and then he understood it in a moment.

He had acted out in his mind the scenes when he met Lin Yuan countless times. At the beginning he referred to himself as caomin, later it was this subordinate, and finally…..

He said aloud the last term of self reference.

The South Bodhisattva had not yet become emperor, yet he called himself this official…..

Zhao Youquan’s legs began to tremble.

But it was not a complete mistake. If the South Bodhisattva had the idea of ​​becoming the emperor, then he had just made a suitable flattery using this term of self reference.

And in Zhao Youquan’s view, it was impossible for Lin Yuan not to have the idea of ​​proclaiming himself the emperor. If he did not want to be emperor, then he would not have gone to this point. Wasn’t it safer to stay in Gaoyou and wait for the imperial court to recruit him over?

“From now on, you will be the head of the Publicity Department.”

This sentence came from above, and Zhao Youquan breathed a sigh of relief. He was promoted. This proved that he was right in bis gamble.

Zhao Youquan suppressed his fear and thanked in a loud voice full of spirit.

Lin Yuan: “You can go, go and do your job well.”

He had no real power in the Publicity Department. In order to get promoted, he would always think of ways to achieve actual results. If he made an effort in a good direction, the Publicity Department might usher in new changes.

Lin Yuan gave him this opportunity. If he grasped it, he might be able to occupy a place next to Lin Yuan in the future.

Zhao Youquan left the tent. He exhaled a large breath of relief outside the tent. After entering the tent, he didn’t even dare to breathe.

Before entering the tent, he could only be regarded as a minor official, and the kind that was not officially appointed. After leaving the tent, he became a real official.

At this time, Zhao Youquan had yet to realize that his new official position had no real power. After all, the Publicity Department was a new department. Most people only knew to show off their titles, but they didn’t know what powers they could enjoy.

Not long after Zhao Youquan left, Chen Baisong asked, “Young master still wants to use him.”

Lin Yuan smiled and said: “It’s actually not a bad thing to have such a person. If he can walk back onto the right path, he can also be a worthy talent, and he can naturally be used. At that time, it will save me my time by solving the problem at one fell swoop.”

Chen Baisong suddenly had no words. He thought of his military barracks. Not all people in the military were those who obeyed military orders. Some people had their own motives. Every time he saw such a person, Chen Baisong would directly deal with it by military law. But now, it seemed that his young master’s solution was also a good one. By keeping these people, one could find more of the same with unruly intentions.

It was more convenient than finding them one by one himself.

“Young master is right.” Chen Baisong felt that Lin Yuan was becoming more and more intelligent, even though he was a person who cried whenever something happened when they were children.

It had been a long time since he had seen the young master show a weak side, as if he had always been so strong. No matter what happened, he was always calm and steady, giving people a feeling that everything was in his control.

Lin Yuan turned his head and asked him, “Is there any news about Xu Shouhui? What happened to the people who were inserted over there?”

Chen Baisong had an expression of “If you hadn’t asked I really wouldn’t have remembered this.” He probably also realized that his expression was too obvious so he lowered his eyes and said, “I’ll go ask.”

Lin Yuan sighed.

Chen Baisong was a little nervous. He felt that Lin Yuan was disappointed in him, as if he had not done what he should have done, which made him feel a little ashamed.

“This person Xu Shouhui…..” Lin Yuan said with an expression of pity on his face, “Pitiful.”

Xu Shouhui was similar to Han Lin’er in that they were both emperors in name only but no real power. Han Lin’er was controlled by Liu Futong, while Xu Shouhui was controlled by Ni Wenjun.

But Han Lin’er was better off than Xu Shouhui. After all, Liu Futong had never thought of usurping the throne, and had always done his best to protect Han Lin’er.

Whereas Ni Wenjun wanted to pull Xu Shouhui down from his seat and replace him with himself at anytime.

Chen Baisong didn’t understand what was so pitiful about him. After all, Xu Shouhui was an emperor. Even if this emperor could only stay in a corner sized territory, there was still absolutely no shortage of luxuries he could enjoy. Chen Baisong looked at Lin Yuan and thought, “Simce young master said he is pitiful, then he is pitiful”.

Lin Yuan smiled and said: “Send someone to tell the people in Hanyang to make some effort on Ni Wenjun, and tell Ni Wenjun that if he wants to achieve his great cause, I am willing to lend troops to him.”

In history, Ni Wenjun wanted to kill Xu Shouhui to usurp the throne, but he was defeated after the incident so he could only defect to Chen Youliang. Only then Chen Youliang had a place in this history and replaced Ni Wenjun as the new authority of the Tian Wan regime.

But what if Ni Wenjun succeeded? What if he successfully usurped the throne? And by relying on Lin Yuan’s soldiers, and when the time came and Lin Yuan wanted to attack him, it would be easier than others.

Even if Ni Wenjun knew that Lin Yuan was plotting wrongdoing, with the huge benefits placed in front of him, he would never refuse.

Ni Wenjun was a gambler, and the gambler was always shortsighted and cared only about what was in front of his eyes.

If he wanted to be the emperor then Lin Yuan would give him a helping hand.

Lin Yuan looked at Chen Baisong: “Do you understand?”

Chen Baisong had a lot of experience in fighting battles and wars, but he had not much talent in politics. He asked earnestly, “Why do you want to help him? Tian Wan has nothing to do with us. We are already being merciful by not waging war against them.”

Lin Yuan was taken aback, and finally understood Chen Baisong’s brain circuit.

Chen Baisong’s thinking was easy to understand. It was nothing more than: Lending troops to defeat Xu Shouhui—>Ni Wenjun becomes the emperor—>there is no benefit for them.

Why do things that were not of any benefit?

Lin Yuan could only do his best to be a teacher. He explained from another perspective: “Why is it that Xu Shouhui can sit firmly on the throne? He has no real power in his hands, but Ni Wenjun still did not dare to make a move. What is the reason?”

Chen Baisong said: “He is the emperor.”

The emperor represented everything. He was the ruler determined by the heavens. Even if the people below knew that he could not make important decisions, they were still willing to support him, just like with the reputation of a business.

“That’s why Ni Wenjun taking the throne is not a righteous act in the eyes of the people.” Lin Yuan said again, “Once he overthrows Xu Shouhui, the people’s hearts will naturally be unstable and turbulent. At that time, isn’t it easier for us to launch an attack on them?”

Chen Baisong pondered deeply, and after a long time, he said, “Then why not just take advantage of the chaos and simply capture Hanyang?”

This time it was Lin Yuan’s turn to pause.

He looked at Chen Baisong a little dazedly, and suddenly became excited. He grabbed Chen Baisong’s big callused hand and said excitedly: “In ancient times, there was a wise word from the teacher, but now there is a wise word from Baisong!”

He cared too much about Chen Youliang, to the extent that it blinded his reason.

That’s right, it had been a long time since he was too weak in power. In these troubled times, he already had enough capital to take part in the fight.

He had a million strong army, sufficient reserves of grain and grass, and sophisticated weapons and ammunition. Why couldn’t he just enter the fray and compete with them head-on?

He didn’t even need to lend troops to Ni Wenjun, he only needed to get involved when Ni Wenjun and Xu Shouhui were fighting each other, and in this way he could take advantage of the fisherman’s profit. (TN: from idiom ‘sandpiper and clam war together and the fisherman catches both’)

It was only April now, and Ni Wenjun would start his rebellion in September, so he still had time.

Lin Yuan looked at Chen Baisong, his gaze having never been so enthusiastic.

Chen Baisong’s heart beated fiercely from the other’s gaze. He didn’t know which of his words managed to have such a powerful effect.

Lin Yuan’s face was flushed red, which made him lose his previous calm and self-contained image. He now appeared as excited as a boy who caught sight of his sweetheart. His heartbeat also gradually lost its original steady frequency. He said to Chen Baisong, “I was wrong.”

Chen Baisong looked stunned.

Lin Yuan laughed: “I underestimate myself too much.”

Chen Baisong calmed down and conveyed a question mark with his expression.

Lin Yuan was so excited that it was difficult to hold it in himself, jumping to his feet in his excitement. His young master had stood up so naturally, Chen Baisong could not continue to sit, and could only stand up as well.

Lin Yuan hugged Chen Baisong. He needed someone to share his feelings at this time. His hot breaths exhaled on Chen Baisong’s ears, his voice sounding suppressed in his attempt to restrain his excitement, practically speaking incoherently.

“You are right.” Lin Yuan hugged Chen Baisong tightly, “Why am I so stupid? Why should I follow the established path? I can change direction, I can take another path, the butterfly wings have already flapped, so why should I follow the path before the wings have flapped?”

Chen Baisong: “…..”

He really didn’t understand a word of what his young master said.

Lin Yuan released his hold and took a deep breath. He had a sudden and hearty smile on his face, as if the previous haze had been swept away.

“I have to go for a walk and get some air.” Lin Yuan said to Chen Baisong without looking back as he left the tent.

Standing outside the tent, he felt his ambitions burning, as if thousands of miles of picturesque rivers and mountains were right in front of his eyes.

It was time to invite Song Shizhao and Luo Ben to come over. He still had time to make adequate preparations and not allow Ni Wenjun and Xu Shouhui a chance to react.

Inside the tent, only Chen Baisong stood alone with a dazed expression. He touched his ear. The ear that Lin Yuan was facing when he was speaking was now red and hot, as if it had been burned by fire. He drank a cup of cold tea and sat back on the chair, but the heat in his ears had not subsided at all.

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Chen Baisong sat for a while, then stood up.

Not only did his ears fail to recover, but his fingertips were also red now. He looked out of the tent and felt that he should also go for a walk and get some air.

It would be best if it was some cold air.

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“Hurry up, we have to register.”

The servants walked in the narrow alleys. Almost all the large families in Ru Ning were located next to each other. The courtyard walls were sometimes even less than one meter apart. The servants could not enter and exit through the main front doors and could only walk through side doors or back doors. And as a result they must pass through alleys which could only accommodate people exiting and entering in lines.

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“I’ve heard that registration is to write down our name, as well as our height, even our teeth number.” The little girl servant walked forward. She was young and she did all the errands, so she could always hear someone discuss the South Bodhisattva. After listening a lot she seemed to have become very knowledgeable on the matter.

At least better than the servants who stayed inside all the time.

The people at the back found it very interesting to hear the young girl’s endless narratives.

Some of them were the family servants of their master family, and some were bought from elsewhere, but without exception, even those who were bought, they were all very young when they were sold. They had only ever eaten the grains at their master family’s house and had only ever seen the sceneries at their master family’s house. Their world was so small and narrow that only their master family’s house was left.

But after all, they were human beings, and they possessed curiosity. It was rare for so many people to come out together. They were extremely curious and excited. Although they also had a little fear, these fears were obviously not enough to overwhelm their curiosity. After all, they had never heard of the South Bodhisattva killing the common people.

In fact, some of them even deeply believed that the South Bodhisattva was a god descended to earth, and gods would not kill people.

If someone said that the soldiers in the hands of the South Bodhisattva had killed people, they would respond that so long as the South Bodhisattva didn’t do it himself, it wouldn’t count as him killing people.

When people trust or admire someone, even if the person did something they could not accept, they would find reasons to excuse that person as well as to convince themselves.

The servants on this whole street of big households had all gone out on this day to the government office to register.

The government office in Ru Ning was a beautifully built structure. Although it complied with the regulations, it was obvious that one of its owners had made improvements on the original basis. Its architecture had statues of five blessings (TN: longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and a natural death). In addition, there were various types of decorations that symbolized wealth and prosperity. This caused the government office to have a unique and low-key gorgeousness that impressed people when they first came in.

Of course, one couldn’t see much from the outside, and most people didn’t ever have the chance to enter the government office.

Zhao Youquan felt that this government office was very good. If one day he had his own government office, he would surely rebuild it like this secretly.

“Brother Zhao, the people have arrived.” A fair faced man greeted him. His surname was Shan and his name was Yang. He was but 20 years old and had been sent to Song Shizhao by his parents to be a student. Compared to Zhao Youquan, he had better luck, at least because of his younger age Song Shizhao would take him by his side and teach him some things. Many of the students like Zhao Youquan were jealous of him and wanted to make trouble for him. Unfortunately, while he might be young, he had a clever head and had never misstepped.

Zhao Youquan was also jealous of him, but rather than jealousy, he was more afraid of his own situation so he never treated anyone coldly, nor did he slander anyone secretly. As a result, his popularity was actually quite good, and he was even taken as a best friend by Shan Yang.

“Coming.” Zhao Youquan strode over. At this time, a minor official brought the people in. The backyard of the government office was very large. It used to be a martial arts practice field and was only used for military training rehearsal. The emphasis was mostly on the rehearsal while the training part was probably not much.

The servants had already lined up in six long lines under the command of the minor officials. The servants of different households stood close together, probably because in the government office, no one dared to speak and it was very quiet.

Zhao Youquan sat behind the table with paper and pen on the table. He then looked up at the person standing in front of him.

This person was more than 50 years old in terms of his facial appearance alone, but if one looked at his figure, he appeared to look less than forty years old.

“What’s your name?” Zhao Youquan raised his pen, and the man cowered and said, “Li Da.”

After Zhao Youquan asked for the basic information, he did not tell him to leave. Instead, he asked, “When did you first arrive at the Sun family?”

Li Da was taken aback. He thought earnestly for a while before he said nervously, “I don’t remember.”

“Five years old, or six years old, maybe seven years old.” Li Da scratched his head.

“What do you do in the Sun Manor?” Zhao Youquan asked.

Li Da replied honestly: “I wash the toilet buckets, and sometimes I chop wood, do rough work.”

Zhao Youquan asked again: “Are you married?”

Li Da shook his head honestly again, and said cautiously: “Those like me can’t find a wife to marry.”

Zhao Youquan asked: “Then who are the maids in the manor matched with?”

Li Da was a person who had been enslaved for a long time. He would not question what the masters above said or asked of him. Whatever the people above asked, he would answer: “The young manservants of the young masters, the sons of the housekeepers. Us who do rough work don’t have a chance.”

Zhao Youquan glanced at him with some pity.

Li Da also noticed it, but didn’t say anything. In his eyes, it was normal for a crude servant to not marry a wife. They were not like the personal servants who served next to their masters and could get rewards from time to time. They had almost no property. Food and boarding were all at the master family’s house, and the monthly money was also the least, only enough for them to drink a little wine every month or a few restaurant meals.

They were sold by their parents and no longer had their own home. They had no other contact with their family and relatives except when their family members asked them for money. Gradually, they would grow distant from their family and relatives.

They couldn’t marry a wife and lived alone. The master family took care of their food and housing. They didn’t know how to save money, and even if they did there was not much meaning to it.

“You can go.” Zhao Youquan said to him. Li Da lowered his head and left the line. The next person who walked forward was a woman. She was no longer young, at least over forty years old. She was better dressed than Li Da and clearly her status in the Sun Manor was not too low.

After asking the basic information, Zhao Youquan asked: “What do you do in the Sun Manor?”

The woman said lowly: “This slave is in charge of the small kitchen.”

The small kitchen only cooked for specific people. The kitchen was a place where money could be easily pocketed. Most of the master families know this and would also look the other way. For example, one egg costs one coin, but the kitchen could report three coins for two eggs, and this extra money would naturally fill her pockets.

Zhao Youquan smiled and asked, “Do you have children?”

The woman replied: “Three sons and one daughter, my sons are all serving as manservants in the manor, and my daughter is already married.”

Zhao Youquan: “Who did she marry?”

Woman: “The eldest son of Housekeeper Zhang.”

Zhao Youquan: “You can go.”

After everyone was registered, Zhao Youquan got the information of all the servants and the relationship composition of these servants.

After Zhao Youquan collected all the information, he sent all these things to Lin Yuan’s desk. As for preaching to these servants that they need more standardized work contracts, this was not under his charge.

Lin Yuan was a little surprised when he received the information, and asked the person who came: “Why are these records different?”

Some of them were carefully recorded and included the composition of each servant’s life and their relationship network in the manor, while the other only recorded basic personal information in a conventional manner.

This proved that the former’s approach was not discussed and decided by all of them. It should be the former’s own whim, or something he had thought of but did not tell the others.

If it was a whim, then this person should be botj an attentive and capable person.

If he had come up with this a long time ago, but didn’t tell the others, then he was a speculator, disregarding the overall situation in order to stand out.

The one who came was a minor official. He lowered his head and said, “There are six lords who made the records. The records you are looking at are the records of Lord Zhao.”

Lin Yuan tapped his finger on the desk and said to the minor official: “Bring him to see me tonight.”

The minor official hurriedly answered with an affirmative.

After the minor official left, Chen Baisong walked to Lin Yuan and picked up the records made by Zhao Youquan. By now he had come to recognize a number of words and was no longer illiterate. But his handwriting could probably only be compared with children who just learned to read and write.

“It’s written in great detail.” Chen Baisong often had to read military books and he already knew what kind of military books were good and what was bad. He said to Lin Yuan, “This man is not bad.”

Lin Yuan smiled and said: “He is indeed not bad, but it depends on what kind of not bad he is.”

Chen Baisong raised his eyebrows: “En?”

Lin Yuan: “If he thought of it all of a sudden, it proves that he is decisive and thoughtful. If he had thought of it a long time ago, but did not share it with other people, then he is being deliberately scheming and disregarding the overall situation for his own benefit.”

Chen Baisong answered: “If he’s deliberately scheming, this person can’t be of use?”

Lin Yuan shook his head: “There are also usages, but he will not be entrusted with important tasks.”

The superiors must have a tolerant heart, and they must also have a sharp vision, and the prime minister’s heart is big enough to sail a boat in (TN: meaning a great person is large-hearted or magnanimous). This was not just a saying 

The reason why he was willing to tolerate Song Shizhao’s little schemes and personal motives was because Song Shizhao didn’t care about money. What he cared about was glory and his reputation. For the sake of his reputation, Song Shizhao would not become a petty and narrow minded person in a position of power.

When Zhao Youquan was led away by the minor official, everyone behind him looked at him with envy, which made Zhao Youquan feel refreshed and pleased. He had never been looked at like this before, whether at home or in the Song Manor. Everyone thought he was just a mediocre scholar, but today he proved to them how different he was.

This was his credit, and no one could take it away.

One day, he would stand in a position where these people could only look up at him. Those who used to look down on him and laughed at him behind their backs would be afraid of what they had done and said to him before, and live all day long frightened and wracked with nerves, for fear of his revenge.

As Zhao Youquan walked on the road, he felt that he was full of strength for the first time, and it was also the first time that he felt powerful.

Lin Yuan was a little surprised when he saw Zhao Youquan, because Zhao Youquan seemed——honestly he was a bit wretched looking.

He had a beard, but it didn’t make him look dignified at all. His aura emitted from all over his body was full of the feeling of a “little villain”.

Even people who didn’t judge people by their appearance would find him uncomfortable to look at.

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“Zhao Youquan?” Lin Yuan almost thought the wrong person was brought over.

Zhao Youquan hurriedly knelt down, and gave a big salute: “This official, Zhao Youquan, pays respects to my Lord!”

Lin Yuan was sure now. This person wanted to be an official so much he was crazy for it.

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The changes in Ru Ning did not occur suddenly.

But in the eyes of the people, it seemed to have happened overnight.

At the very beginning, it was just the farmers who entered the city having a chat with the city people and mentioning the soldiers helping them with farm work.

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This was a novel thing. Originally, Ru Ning also had soldiers. The soldiers of the imperial court all acted like bigshot masters with nasty tempers and liked to swagger around in groups so no one dared to provoke them. When they went to restaurants to eat, the shopkeepers dared not ask them for money. The more chaotic the world, the more unscrupulous they became.

The common people didn’t understand the reason for this, and they didn’t know why the once honest people would become like that after entering the army.

But their fear of soldiers had already been engraved in their bones and blood. Parents would warn their children, and so gradually the fear settled. Although they knew that the soldiers were protecting Ru Ning, they felt more fear and disgust than any respect and admiration.

But the soldiers spoken of by the farmers were completely different from the soldiers they knew.

They happily and tirelessly asked about that group of soldiers, not so much out of concern but rather curiosity about seeing a novel thing.

“They also helped us plant sweet potatoes and potatoes.” This was what the farmers were most proud of. “The seedlings have emerged, and they brought the seeds. When the autumn harvest comes, they will come to help and even leave behind their farming tools for us to use.”

Slowly, the common people became more curious about these soldiers, and finally one day the soldiers entered the city.

However, it was not the whole army, nor was there any big fanfare. The soldiers wore uniforms, but they went into different vendors and restaurants. They talked loudly and did not shy away from anyone.

They talked about the last battle, they also talked about the past before becoming soldiers, and narrated the tragedies that happened back at their hometowns.

The trembling and fearful common people next to them listened and gradually felt that these people did not seem to be as scary as they thought.

When they left, they paid for their meals.

In the next half of the month, a small number of soldiers continued to enter the city. From surprise and curiosity at the beginning, the people slowly became accustomed to them.

Finally, someone dared to talk to the soldiers.

Merchants also treated this group of consumers in every welcoming and friendly way possible. After all, the soldiers rarely went out of the barracks, and there were not many necessities that they needed to spend on so they all had saved up quite a lot of military salaries. When they leave the barracks, the benefits they could bring to the merchants were naturally huge.

Ru Ning was slowly changing.

Sometimes they would greet soldiers who they had spoken to before on the side of the road.

More and more soldiers walked into Ru Ning. The hearts of the people finally calmed down now that they came across this group of people wearing the same clothes. They would no longer look at these soldiers with the eyes of someone looking at a monster or beast, nor would they tremble or rush to flee in the other direction.

More and more street preaching began.

Soldiers would stand on a makeshift podium and talk about many things, how they came under the rule of the South Bodhisattva, how they became soldiers, and what they did in the barracks. They were not literati, they didn’t know how to quote literary works, and they didn’t know how to make profound arguments. On the contrary, they all spoke in the vernacular.

But the people loved to listen. Most of them had never stepped a foot outside of Ru Ning in their entire lives and knew very little about the outside world. They were full of curiosity and listened to the preaching of the soldiers.

Sometimes soldiers would pull one of the common people who were listening up to the stage. People were introverted and unwilling to talk about their own affairs in public.

But as soldiers they were used to life in the barracks. Once someone came on stage, they would applaud, set off the atmosphere, and show support and encouragement.

The first person opened his mouth, and then more people began opening their mouths.

Some people even took the initiative to ask to be on stage in order to enjoy having the attention and gazes of so many people on them.

Ru Ning had become different.

And this only took less than three months.

The integration of the soldiers into Ru Ning also brought a new atmosphere to Ru Ning.

Almost everyone in Ru Ning now talked about Lin Yuan, the South Bodhisattva, and Taizhou and Gaoyou.

They had built a paradise-like image for Gaoyou through the descriptions they heard from the soldiers, and as a result they involuntarily started to wonder whether Ru Ning would become the next Gaoyou.

There would be no minor officials who were always looking for trouble, all levying all kinds of inexplicable taxes.

There would also be no big affluent families who bullied the common people, and they could live a good life so long as they worked hard.

While Ru Ning was changing, Lin Yuan was also discussing other things with Chen Baisong.

“I want to implement monogamy in Ru Ning.” Lin Yuan said to Chen Bosong.

Chen Baisong was puzzled: “Isn’t it always?”

Lin Yuan: “…..”

He seemed to have forgotten one thing. In ancient dynasties, except for the Qing Dynasty, there was monogamy in terms of there only being one wife but men could also have multiple concubines. He explained: “There can be no concubines, no matter if they are officials or gentry or merchants.”

Just when Lin Yuan thought Chen Baisong would question, Chen Baisong nodded quickly: “Fine.”

Lin Yuan: “What I think is that…..wait, did you say fine?”

Chen Baisong looked at Lin Yuan strangely: “Is there anything that the young master wants to do that isn’t done?”

The implication was that whatever Lin Yuan decided, even if someone objected, Lin Yuan would still continue to do it.

Lin Yuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “You are quite reasonable.”

Lin Yuan’s expression changed, and he said seriously: “There are too few women. In the past, I didn’t have Gaoyou and Taizhou change their marriage system because I didn’t have this kind of power at that time.”

He did not have the power to go against tradition.

“Now civilians cannot find wives to marry, but rich people can raise a bunch at home.” Lin Yuan said, “this is not something conducive to social stability.”

This system of monogamy and multiple concubines was not good for ordinary men, nor was it good for women. Once he tried to change the social structure, this system would act as a stumbling block at his feet. He needed women to work and if he needed women to create social value, he must protect their rights.

If women could not be independent, they must rely on men, therefore their parents would rather send them to large families to be concubines rather than marry them to ordinary men.

This situation had improved in Gaoyou, because women could also earn money, and their parents were not in a hurry for them to marry, and instead let them stay at home to bring more support to the family.

There were also more families recruiting son-in-laws instead of marrying off their daughters.

Ordinary men could not easily find a wife to marry, so special marriage practices such as sharing wives came into existence.

To put it bluntly, it was simply polyandry.

Only the rich could marry a wife that matched their station and social status, and then find concubines that come from small households and commoner families. Moreover, they even take in many girl servants.

This kind of deformed relationship between men and women would only bring turbulence to society and not stability.

Besides, there were too few people, and with the men busy fighting wars, the economy could only depend on the women.

Lin Yuan needed more women to get out of the house. And it also was feasible to encourage women to work. Gaoyou and other places had proven this.

And he now wanted to do an experiment in Ru Ning.

Ru Ning was a big city with a complex population and complex social structure, so the experiment in Ru Ning would have value and provide a good reference.

Lin Yuan smiled and said: “Take things gradually, first let the servants gain freedom, and then let the master give them a new work contract.”

In the contract system, although the servants were illiterate, these contracts would be checked for fairness by the authorities.

Chen Baisong really did not understand what Lin Yuan was going to do, but Chen Baisong had no position or reason to refuse after Lin Yuan made his decision.

Lin Yuan: “It just so happens that I brought a group of people with me, now I can also look at their abilities.”

——

In a tent of the military camp, a few people were sitting at a simple table drinking tea. They were not very old, and the oldest was only in their early thirties. They were at the age where one was in their prime. They were dressed in cotton clothes and had their hair tied up high and neat, which was different from the common people. Their backs were also not stooped over and they had long limbs and refined manners. One could tell that they were scholars at first glance, and that they were at least from well-off families.

Zhao Youquan was one of them. He was born in Changzhou and became a student of Song Shizhao.

He thought it was time for him to show his talents, but Song Shizhao acted as if he seemed to have forgotten him completely. There were more and more students and guests showing up at the Song Manor, and he became more and more afraid. He didn’t want to go back to Changzhou, at least he couldn’t go back with nothing to show for it.

So when he heard that the South Bodhisattva was going to bring people to Ru Ning, he practically agreed without thinking.

He felt that so long as he was by Song Shizhao’s side, he would not have a chance to go far in his career.

“Ru Ning is much bigger than I thought.” Someone chatted, “The soldiers in the hands of the South Bodhisattva are more disciplined than I thought.”

They had been in the barracks for so long, and they had never seen anyone speak vulgar words to them. Although they could not be called friendly, the soldiers did possess a degree of propriety. There were rules on everything in the barracks. These rules were not only used to control the lower soldiers, but also to control the higher military officials. Whoever committed a crime would be treated to the according punishment, regardless of the rank of their position.

Just when Zhao Youquan wanted to say something, the curtain of the tent was suddenly lifted, and a neatly dressed soldier with a solemn face said at the entrance: “The South Bodhisattva wants to see you.”

There was a weird silence in the tent, but soon they all stood up while trying to hide their excitement. Zhao Youquan’s short nails even managed to dig into the flesh of his palms because of how hard he was squeezing his fists.

Lin Yuan called over all the people who he brought along with him. He talked about his reform plans for Ru Ning, but he didn’t say everything, just what must needed to be done now——to change the oppressive master-servant system into a work contract system.

None of these people had objections.

After all, the servants working in big families now were given monthly allowances. If you think about it this way, it just made the work relationship a more decent one.

They quickly entered their respective roles.

Different regulations began to be formulated.

Zhao Youquan was assigned to the Publicity Department. He didn’t know what department it was at first, but later learned that their task was to let all the servants know that they could get new rights.

“Could it be that we have to knock on every house and announce it to them?”

“Post a notice?”

“They aren’t literate.”

“Look for someone to read it?”

“Yeah right, do you think the servants working in big households can go out often? Even when they go out, it is to carry out business for the family. Where do they have the time to stop at the sign to listen?”

The people in the Publicity Department all had a headache. This was the first time they did this kind of work, and they felt that even if they were asked to write the rules, it would be easier than doing this.

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At this moment, Zhao Youquan suddenly said: “Didn’t the South Bodhisattva register the people before?”

“We can also register these people.”

“Isn’t it enough to mention these things when the time comes?”

Everyone looked at Zhao Youquan, as if this was the first day they knew him.

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In the early morning in the countryside, soldiers held hoes in their hands. Compared to the farmers, their physical fitness was much better. After all, Lin Yuan had spent quite a lot of money on raising soldiers, and they were also of ordinary civilian backgrounds. So there were quite a few who knew how to farm. And even if there were some who didn’t know how to farm, there were veteran farmers around them to teach them.

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The boys watched this scene in puzzlement. They couldn’t believe that these soldiers, who were like evil spirits in their parents’ words, would help them with their work.

The soldier who gave them candy before patted his trouser legs, smiled at them, and turned to pick up the hoe.

Farmers’ hoes were borrowed from the landowner. The property they had was very simple——a house, their children, parents, and the pottery urn on the stove. They couldn’t even afford to buy iron pots, let alone farm tools.

These farm tools were brought along by the soldiers. They were not in a hurry to greet the villagers. They also knew that the villagers were afraid of them. This was normal. The common people were afraid of soldiers. When soldiers had someone to be in charge of them, they were soldiers but with no one in charge they were bandits, sometimes even more terrifying than bandits.

The bandits had the imperial court to deal with them, but if soldiers murdered and robbed they were not held accountable.

At dawn, the villagers walked out of their houses. They did not know the specific time like the people in the city, but they worked at sunrise and rested at sunset.

The men wore patched clothes, some had hoes in their hands, and some were empty-handed——there were not enough farm tools and they had to wait for their turn to use them.

“There seems to be someone on my farm field…..” The scrawny man widened his eyes and looked at his own piece of land intently. He was afraid that it was the refugees who had fled over and were digging the ground for seeds to eat. That was their guarantee for the autumn harvest and the living capital for his whole family.

He yelled and rushed over frantically.

Even if he knew that with so many people, rushing over would do nothing but get himself beaten, but his mind was no longer able to think of the consequences.

He only knew that if those seeds were gone, his family would be done for.

The people next to him hurriedly stopped him, pouncing the man onto the ground. His eyes were red as he stared at his own land and tears fell silently, leaving a little water stain on the ground below him where it soon disappeared without a trace. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to cry, but he couldn’t make a sound.

Only one with good vision said: “It’s not refugees! They have hoes in their hands!”

“They are plowing the land, and they aren’t digging up the seeds!”

The farmers, who were still in a panic, finally recovered some sense at this time, and stared straight at the people who were working on the land not far away.

Just when they didn’t know what to do, a group of people came over, about a dozen in total. They were dressed in the same color and style of clothes, and with a glance the farmers knew they were the soldiers who arrived yesterday.

The farmers with hoes in their hands clenched the hoes tightly.

At this time, they were afraid that these soldiers would rob them of their land.

That was also the same as killing them.

In order to survive, even if they were the most honest farmers, they would also have to take up arms.

“The land in front here has all been farmed.” That was what the head soldier said.

The farmers were taken aback for a moment, and they didn’t know what to say for a while.

The soldier said: “You have a good place here. I saw some places that have not been planted, so I helped you plant some potatoes and sweet potatoes first. If you don’t want to plant them, you can dig them out and eat them. But the sprouted potatoes can not be eaten.”

The farmers were even more dumbfounded. The village head’s son was a little more courageous and asked tremblingly: “Soldier, soldier sir, what are you all doing?”

The soldier smiled wide, showing his teeth: “We are here to help. From now on our company will be responsible for your place here. We will come over during spring ploughing and autumn harvesting and provide fixed time assistance. We will bring our own food. The farm tools we brought this time will also be given to you. The South Bodhisattva said that the land here in Ru Ning will not be taxed for three years.”

“The landowners on your land here are gone, so you won’t have to pay rent anymore.” The soldier said, “Don’t be afraid. Our discipline is very strict and if someone goes inside your house without your permission, even if you beat him to death, you won’t be punished.”

The villagers didn’t dare to believe a word of what the soldier said, but it was not up to them whether they believed it or not, so they could only nod stupidly.

The company commander’s surname was Jiang, Jiang Erba. After he became a company commander, he changed his name to Jiang He. He liked this name as he remembered that he lived by a river when he was a child. He could not remember that river anymore, but it was still the most beautiful place in his memory.

Jiang He smiled at the villagers, and then said: “There is a party tonight, you must come.”

The villagers didn’t know what this party was. They looked at each other in confusion. Jiang He said, “I’ve spoken to your village head, and you don’t need to bring anything. You just have to come.”

The villagers breathed a sigh of relief when Jiang He led his people away.

The villagers discussed in low voices.

“Are they really here to help us?”

“What does fixed time assistance mean?”

“They will actually help us farm the land?”

“What are potatoes and sweet potatoes?”

“I know, I have heard people say that there are potatoes and sweet potatoes in Taizhou, Gaoyou, and that they were obtained from foreigners. One acre of land can yield dozens of stones of harvest.”

“There are so many? I don’t believe it.”

“I don’t believe it either.”

“Why don’t you believe it? I just know that the people in Gaoyou don’t starve to death.”

“How did you know that no one was starved to death?”

“Me? I heard others say this when I went to the city earlier.”

They did not dare to be alone, and could only walk in groups on the ridges of the farm lands, as if this would make them safer.

Soon, the farmers began to plow the land. Spring plowing and autumn harvest were the two busiest seasons of the year. They relied on the crops they grew to fill their stomachs. Women also came to deliver meals at noon. The so-called meals were also very simple. Those families that were slightly better off could have two multi-grain steamed buns, and those families who were worse off only had wild vegetable steamed buns.

Worse still, were those who could only fill their stomachs with water.

The sun hid in the clouds, the sky was full of red clouds, and the night soon fell.

The farmers had been busy all day, and also watched the soldiers being busy all day. Their hearts had gradually stabilized a lot.

Then they saw the bonfire that was burning in the grass, and a group of soldiers came over and led them over without any explanation.

They did not dare to resist, and obediently followed, but they did not bring their family with them as the soldiers suggested.

So this bonfire party had only a group of men attending.

They were sitting around the bonfire. The villagers looked like sheep that had strayed into a pack of wolves. They didn’t dare to even breathe loud or move. They could only watch the soldiers handing out bamboo tubes. Of course, they were also given shares too.

There was rice wine in the bamboo tubes. At this age, most people could not even eat white rice. Even the village head’s family could only eat rice with mixed grains and the rice was still mixed with chaff, let alone drink rice wine, which was something that only big wealthy families could afford.

The farmers smelled the sweet scent of rice wine, and their expressions became a little dazed.

When the soldiers saw them being cautious, they laughed on the side: “Take a sip, how can there be men who don’t drink?”

“Is it possible you are afraid that we will poison you? What do we want from you? What do you have that we would want?”

While the farmers did not dare to refute the soldiers, they were also rather craving for this sweet rice wine. So someone finally couldn’t help but taste it.

Under the dark night and light from the bonfire, and with the rice wine in their stomachs, the farmers’ courage gradually grew. This was not an indoor place, and there were no various rules. Everyone could see the dazzling starry sky when they looked up at the night sky.

“How did you do last year?” The soldier held a bamboo tube in his hand and chewed on soybeans fried with salt in his mouth.

“Want some?” He stretched out his hand, holding a handful of soybeans.

Such snacks were not common nowadays. The farmer swallowed his saliva and thought over and over again. Finally, he took a little bit and put it in his mouth. The more he chewed, the more fragrant it was, and the farmer quickly ate up the soybeans. The soldier didn’t mind at all, and grabbed a handful of soybeans for them again.

The farmer chewed a few more beans, and his words came out more casually: “Last year it was no good. The landowner took 70% of the harvest, and the family had no food, so we sold the old cow.”

“My parents saved all their lives just to buy that cow.”

He asked, “How are you in the barracks?”

The soldier smiled and said: “I used to be like you, a farmer, but after my hometown went up in upheaval, I fled. Fortunately, the South Bodhisattva was willing to take me in, so I stayed in Gaoyou and became a soldier.”

The farmer asked in a low voice: “Have you killed anyone?”

The soldier nodded and drank a sip of rice wine: “Killed.”

The farmer shuddered: “What does it feel like?”

The soldier thought for a while: “I didn’t feel anything when I killed. On the battlefield, either he died or I died. It was just a slash of the blade. I didn’t feel anything at all.”

“I’m quite busy, I have to clean up the corpses of my comrades when I get off the battlefield, and I have to continue training.”

The farmer asked again: “Do you have military pay?”

The soldier smiled at him: “Of course there are, and I save it all. The barracks take care of food and shelter, and I have less to worry about now compared to the past when I was a farmer. Occasionally we can also eat meat. These wines are only available when we come over.”

The farmer asked strangely: “Do you often do this? Help others to farm?”

Soldier: “How can you call them others? Now you are also the people of the South Bodhisattva. We are all a family, and the family should be like this. You all plant the land, and we fight wars. We will also have to eat the food you planted in the future. Helping you all is to help ourselves.”

The farmer was stunned. He looked at the soldier stupidly, unable to understand what he was saying.

In his impression, the soldiers would only enjoy themselves, occupying their food, their little money, and their daughters like tyrants.

No soldier had ever said such things.

“You don’t know the South Bodhisattva.” The soldier said with a smile, “When the South Bodhisattva came, I finally lived like a person.”

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Soldier: “In the future, we will be responsible for your village. We will return next time for the autumn harvest. Plant more grains this time. Your harvest this year will definitely be good. I estimate that you will even have enough rations for next year.”

The soldier whispered: “If I’m still alive next year, I can also help you with spring plowing.”

The farmer drank a sip of rice wine and waited for a while before saying, “If I have money next year, I will treat you to a drink.”

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The day Lin Yuan arrived in Ru Ning was a sunny day. Most of the spring had passed, and summer would come after another month. The sunlight fell on the ground, and the farmers in the fields were ploughing in the fields. It was the first spring since Chen Baisong captured Ru Ning. The people still lived as they did in previous years. If there was anything different, it was that the people were more fearful than ever.

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Even if Chen Baisong controlled all the big landlords like Lin Yuan did before, even if he let the tenant farmers get more benefits, the farmers were still uneasy and fearful.

People seemed to prefer their previous lives, not having enough food, being hungry, having a hard life, being oppressed and exploited, but even so, they had become accustomed to that kind of life. Suddenly having someone tell them that they were free and they no longer had a landowner who would increase the land rent, and they didn’t have to live in worry about food, having to drown a new child after giving birth.

They looked with frightened eyes and buried their heads like ostriches.

Chen Baisong didn’t know what he did wrong.

Shouldn’t the people be happy and ecstatic?

When Lin Yuan rode his horse into the city, he turned his head and saw the fields beside the road, as well as the trembling commoners looking at him with desperate and numb eyes.

This made Lin Yuan more clearly aware of the difference between Ru Ning and other places.

In other places, Lin Yuan was the only and noble spiritual leader of the people.

Lin Yuan forgot where he saw this.

At the end of the development of science, it would become theology. People who feel spiritually empty would desperately seek to place their hopes on something, and the place where they sought hope would be all kinds of religions.

People in troubled times were the most mentally broken. People in Gaoyou, Taizhou and other lands conquered by Lin Yuan placed their hopes in Lin Yuan, but Ru Ning did not.

“My Lord!” The guards followed Lin Yuan. They watched Lin Yuan ride off with the horse, raising the whip and galloping with the wind.

Lin Yuan pulled the reins in front of the barracks. The black steed under him stood upright like a man. Lin Yuan sat on the horse with his back straight. No one in the barracks did not know him. The soldiers all knelt down neatly and uniformly when they saw Lin Yuan.

The horse’s hooves landed on the ground, and Lin Yuan dismounted. Soon a little soldier walked over with excited and reddened eyes. The little soldier seemed to want to say something, but he opened his mouth several times but couldn’t utter a word. Lin Yuan glanced at the little soldier, his face again revealing his usual smile, and said gently: “Lead the horse away and feed it some bean curd.”

The little soldier nodded again and again. He led the horse proudly as if he was leading the whole world.

When the little soldier walked, even his hands and feet appeared at a loss as to where to place them.

When he fled to Gaoyou, he was only fourteen years old. He had no parents or relatives. On the way, he was often met with sneers and contempt.

Until he fled to Gaoyou and entered the barracks. No one bullied him in the barracks. Everyone was the same. They would gather together every seven days to hold a party of sorts. They would talk about their past and their hometown in front of many others. Tell of how they came to this place after going through hardships.

In this military camp, the little soldier felt happiness he had never felt before.

Here he was accepted, he was full of a sense of belonging, and the more so, the more he revered Lin Yuan.

His reverence was blind and irrational.

This was true for most people in the military camp.

This was not only true of the soldiers under the command of Chen Baisong, but also the soldiers under the command of Zhu Yuanzhang, Li Congrong, and Yang Zi’an.

This extreme spiritual worship put the military power and political power solely in the hands of Lin Yuan.

But the most deadly point was that if Lin Yuan happened to die one day, the world centered on him would quickly fall apart.

Lin Yuan himself knew it, but he was powerless to change it. He couldn’t promote the ideas of democracy and freedom.

Democracy and freedom could not grow on deformed ideological soil.

Only by waiting, waiting for the stability of the country, waiting for the new generation to receive education, and waiting for this extreme worship to end, would democracy and freedom fall into the ground and blossom in people’s minds.

Maybe after his death, democracy and freedom would sprout.

The premise was that he could stabilize the country before he died.

As for his merits and demerits, they could only be left to future generations to evaluate.

“Young master.” Chen Baisong left the tent and quickly walked over to greet him. It had been nearly two years since he left Lin Yuan. During the past two years, he had been bleeding and sweating on different battlefields. Only when he was alone in the dead of night would he think of Lin Yuan.

Sometimes he even felt that he no longer knew the young master.

The gentle, kind-hearted young master with a bit of naivete and weakness he remembered had become a calm, strong, and powerful person who held the power of life and death over the people.

This brought an unspeakable sense of confusion to Chen Baisong.

He hoped that he could protect the young master, but the young master did not need his protection.

Lin Yuan looked at Chen Baisong, he was also a little surprised. Chen Baisong looked more mature. If he used to be a wolf, now he has become a tiger. He had learned to be calm and steady, and he was no longer always showing off his fangs and claws so obviously as before.

“Your beard has grown.” Lin Yuan smiled at Chen Baisong, “You have worked hard these days.”

Chen Baisong was silent. He walked to Lin Yuan’s side and looked at this man who was half a head shorter than himself.

He was taller than him, but in front of him, he was always in a lower position.

“Let’s go inside the tent.” Lin Yuan walked ahead, as if he who had come to Ru Ning barracks for the first time was the master who was familiar with here.

Chen Baisong followed behind him, and the two walked into the tent together.

Lin Yuan sat in the seat that originally belonged to Chen Baisong. Chen Baisong’s personal guard served Lin Yuan tea. He was nervous and excited. His legs were trembling——after having gone on the battlefield so many times, he would not even tremble when killing. But now his legs couldn’t help but keep shaking.

“You have done a good job with Ru Ning.” Lin Yuan took a sip of tea. He was not in a hurry to enter the city or to take care of the troubles. “Don’t worry.”

Chen Baisong’s thin lips were tightly pressed. Having dealt in warfare all year round for so many years, Chen Baisong was now like a knife, a knife that had seen blood.

His face looked a little thin, which made his facial features unusually distinct. Lin Yuan had to admit that Chen Baisong was more handsome than him in appearance.

“I didn’t do a good job.” Chen Baisong spoke of what he did in Ru Ning and what he couldn’t figure out the most. “The people are even more panicked.”

Gaoyou changed hands, Taizhou changed hands, and Suzhou changed hands. The people seemed to accept it well. They hoped from the heart that Lin Yuan would lead them to a better life, but why was Ru Ning different? Why were the people of Ru Ning different?

Chen Baisong did not understand.

Lin Yuan smiled and in the tone of a stern and loving father, he said: “You have done well enough, it’s not your fault.”

Chen Baisong lowered his head, he felt ashamed.

He finally made up his mind to take care of Ru Ning’s governmental affairs, but the reality gave him a slap in the face.

“How about this, I’ll take care of it and you’ll come and watch. When things are done, you can tell me what you learned.” Lin Yuan said gently, “Alright?”

Chen Baisong suddenly raised his head and he looked at Lin Yuan with inconceivable eyes.

Lin Yuan: “Take it slowly, you’ll always learn something.”

Chen Baisong drank a cup of tea and saluted Lin Yuan: “Thank you, young master.”

On the edge of Ru Ning city, the farmers were cooking at their respective homes. The women brought out vegetable soup and multi-grain rice. The whole family squatted on the ground and ate the food. There was no white rice in the multi-grain rice. The chaff was the main component. They sat at the door after the meal, talking about tomorrow’s weather and how much the autumn harvest would yield.

“The village head said that the landowner would not accept our rent.” The woman’s expression was a bit dazed, “Five families use three hoes and a cow together, but now do we have to return these to the landowner?”

The man coughed twice. He was only thirty years old, but he seemed to look closer to fifty. His skin was rough and yellow, his cheeks were sunken, and his brows were furrowed. He spit on the ground and stooped his back as he said: “I will ask tomorrow.”

A child was tied with a rag on the woman’s back. The child didn’t know anything. He was only two years old. He didn’t understand the adults’ worries and was playing with his mother’s hair.

“They said that with the South Bodhisattva here, the landowners will now ignore us.” Tears burst from the woman’s eyes, and she asked her husband, “Is that South Bodhisattva really not leaving?”

The man looked at the ground under his feet in silence.

The woman said angrily: “Why does the South Bodhisattva want Ru Ning? Why did they come? Isn’t it good for us to live like the past?”

Although poor, hungry, and struggling to farm but still couldn’t eat enough, life was very stable.

But now, they didn’t know what was waiting for them.

The unknown made them fear, and fear brought resentment.

The next morning, before the sun rose, the man had left the house and went to the fields. The woman had to go to the fields as well. She used cloth strips as a rope and tied the child to the tree where she could see him like one would tie an ox, and began to farm together.

Her vision had already gone bad, and she couldn’t see things clearly if it’s not bright enough, but after so many years of work, she could even do it in the dark, farming having become her instinct.

Just as the first ray of sunlight broke through the clouds and shone on the ground, the village head ran onto the ridge in the fields. Someone behind him was knocking a bell. When the bell rang, the villagers knew that there was news from above. They took their farm tools and walked to the clearing at the entrance of the village and looked up at the village head standing on a stone.

The village head was over fifty and his body was not very sturdy. He shouted with all his strength, “The South Bodhisattva is here! The soldiers are coming today!”

The villagers were terrified.

“What are the soldiers going to do here?”

“I don’t have food in my house! I don’t have a daughter either!”

“Don’t let them come!”

It was the few that spoke, and more people just bowed their heads in silence.

Someone was shaking, their shoulders movimg up and down.

No matter how fearful or unwilling the villagers were, the soldiers still came.

There were not many soldiers who came, only a hundred, but this group of soldiers did not come empty-handed. Other than housing arrangements that the village musy provide, the soldiers brought their own food and daily necessities.

When the soldiers came, the villagers hid in their houses, and they didn’t even dare to go out and take a look.

“Mother, are those soldiers?” The child nestled in his mothers’ arms. Children were not like adults. Sometimes they had quite the courage and were not afraid of many things like adults.

The woman hugged the child and whispered: “You are not allowed to go see, they are ghosts, they will eat you, they will eat up your brain and intestines.”

The child shivered.

But the next day, the child forgot the intimidation of his mother, and he led the children from the same village to sneak over to see the soldiers.

In the world of children, soldiers had a natural sense of majesty. This sense of majesty was different from their parents. They dared not let the soldiers discover them, and only dared to look quietly behind the trees.

The soldiers wore dark clothes with straight backs, which was very different from the adults in the village who were always stooped over.

They looked stronger and taller.

This was the ideal “future” in the eyes of the boy.

“I also want to be a soldier in the future.” A boy whispered.

The other boys also nodded.

They didn’t know what they had to face as a soldier. At this moment, they just yearned for the days when they could stand upright.

The soldier who was squatting on the edge of the field to eat from a bowl saw the group of children. He was not too old and had a lively personality. He waved to the group of children: “Come here, I’ll give you candy.”

The boys first turned around and ran, running a short distance away. Finally, a boy recalled the word “candy” that the soldier had said.

The boys stopped in unison.

They had never eaten candy since they were born, and they didn’t know what real candy tasted like and how it differed from the wild fruits found in the mountains.

But they knew that candy was the sweetest thing in the world.

They looked at each other and finally the boldest of them turned and ran in the direction of the soldier.

The soldier watched him run over, laughed and threw a piece of candy over. The candy fell on the grass. The boy bent over to pick it up, not at all minding that the candy had fallen on the ground, and quickly stuffed it into his mouth.

He squinted his eyes, and the sweetness of candy filled his taste buds. His life had only been a few years, but this must be one of the happiest moments in his life.

The boys behind him could only watch the boy put such a large piece of candy into his mouth.

The boys walked over, and they looked at the soldier eagerly.

The soldier smiled and asked them: “Want to eat candy.”

The boys nodded frantically.

The soldier said: “Okay, want to eat candy? Come and work with me.”

Only then did the boys discover that these soldiers were not holding weapons, but farm tools.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

They turned their heads and found that these soldiers who had straight and proud backs were also crouching over and doing farm work.

Moreover, they did it quickly and well, looking like veteran farmers at just a glance.

A boy slapped his head: “They are farming my family’s land!”

Were these soldiers helping them with farm work? !

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