“Old Zhang, come here, good shredded tobacco.” The middle-aged man handed old Zhang a small bag of shredded tobacco.

Old Zhang happily took it over: “You actually got shredded tobacco.”

The man smiled and said, “My eldest son is running a business with a merchant, so he brought me some along the way.”

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

Old Zhang: “Your life is getting better and better.”

The man’s family had three sons and one daughter, all of whom have survived into adulthood. One of the three sons followed a merchant to travel south and north across the empire, and the other two went out to build bridges. His daughter and wife stayed home to weave cloth. So the family’s income was quite large.

The man’s name was Zheng Liu. Although he was the sixth among his siblings, none of the five brothers in front have survived into adulthood.

“That’s all due to the emperor’s wisdom.” Zheng Liu smoked a cigarette and sat with old Zhang and started smoking, “Putting aside when it was chaotic, just talk about last year, how could one expect to have a life like today?”

Old Zhang took a smoke and exhaled: “Is your daughter going to marry into another family or recruit a son-in-law?”

Zheng Liu said, “Marry, she has her own thoughts, she fell in love with the son of the widow Zhao in the east of the city.”

Old Zhang said in surprise: “Huh! Your daughter really has her own thoughts.”

Zheng Liu: “That widow Zhao said that when my daughter marries over, she will treat my daughter as her own daughter.”

Old Zhang listened.

Zheng Liu added: “It’s alright if she treats my daughter badly. There is still the choice of divorce. It’s no big deal. The way I see it, that family’s reputation will become bad after she divorces him. If he wants to find a wife again? In his dreams.”

“Nowadays, women don’t worry about getting married, it is men who worry about getting married.”

Old Zhang sighed: “Who would have known in the earlier years that life would become so good now…..”

“I left my eldest daughter and my second daughter at the base of the city wall.”

People come and go by the city wall, and he abandoned the children there, hoping that some officials or nobles would pass by and the child would have a chance at survival.

The adults in the family couldn’t get enough to eat, let alone raise the children.

Not to mention girl children.

Whoever abandoned a child abandoned the girls first.

Don’t know how many girl babies and girl children died during the war.

Now the retribution had come.

There were more bachelors and fewer women every day.

What was more, since the garment factory was established, women would rather go to work than marry.

Women didn’t have to worry about getting married, even widows over forty had people asking for marriage.

They would rather make more money while they were young and strong.

Old Zhang massaged his own leg: “The roads are about to be built. When the roads are built, we can drive to the town. Ten miles and eight townships are connected together, and it will be convenient to visit relatives in the future.”

“The road will be wide and flat, it’s very good!”

Zheng Liu smiled and said, “When the time comes to go to the market, I will go to the town to sell some knick-knacks, and also subsidize the household.”

Old Zhang laughed at him: “Your family still lacks money?”

Zheng Liu said seriously: “I have three boys. In the future, they can’t all squeeze in the current house when they get married. When my daughter gets married, I have to prepare her dowry. This expense cannot be saved. So we have to save some more money for daily expenses.”

Old Zhang: “That’s right, you’re lucky to have raised four children alive.”

Old Zhang had only one son.

The two girls in front were abandoned under the base of the city wall, and one of the four boys born later died in childhood, two were sold to rich people as slaves, and only one was left.

When the world was in chaos, human life was worthless.

After selling two boys, the food they got barely even lasted half a month even while eaten sparingly.

“Save some more money and find a wife for your kid. As long as they can have children, the more the better.” Zheng Liu said to him.

Old Zhang also smiled: “Exactly, my old bones can’t rest just yet, I have to see my grandchildren being born, then I can close my eyes.”

The world is good now, so the girls from all villages have survived in recent years.

Now some boys don’t even earn as much as the girls.

Even if the girl married into another family, she would still think of her natal family.

Now, many people in the village rely on their daughters to work in garment factories to survive, and they never urge their daughters to marry.

Anyway, if there was no need to worry about getting married, it was better to earn a few more years of money.

The girls also had more speaking power and insisted on marrying the one they liked.

“Speaking of, the daughter of Aunt Zhao’s family in Xiaohe Village secretly went to the government to register a marriage certificate with her man.” Old Zhang still looked incredulous when he talked about this, “Her parents dislike that the man’s family is poor and want her to marry an old man over fifty and become a second wife. But she has her thoughts, she took her papers to register with the man, and her parents have no choice about it at all.”

“They just carried out the wedding ceremony a few days ago.”

Zheng Liu: “Her parents are unreasonable. If they don’t want their daughter to marry a poor man, they should try to persuade her. Instead of insisting on her marrying an old man over fifty, isn’t that ruining their daughter’s life? Now, as long as you are willing to work hard, one can earn money. Life has become very good now, yet they still want to sell their daughter for riches, their daughter did a good job.”

“Besides, if people send their daughters to school in the future, maybe they can even become officials!”

Speaking of this, everyone now knew that His Majesty had appointed a female official, the Yuanshi of the Court of Censors. The common people did not know what position this was, but they all know that it was definitely not a minor official position as she could attend court and see the emperor!

Although she was the only one, people couldn’t help but think that if both their sons and daughters were sent to study, then the probability of having an official in the family was even higher.

After all, even if there were free government schools now, people were still more willing to let their sons study and their daughters work at home.

After hearing that there was now a female official, the common people on the one hand thought it was absurd, but on the other hand it did not stop them from hurriedly sending their daughters to school.

Maybe their daughter would be able to honor the ancestors in the future?

The matter of the female official was abuzz among the people, and Lin Yuan’s desk was also piled with many “loyal and straightforward” memorials, all of which were admonishing him, hoping that he could take his decree back.

According to rumors, there were a few not-so-minor officials who cried and fainted at the palace gates after they exited the imperial palace.

There were also officials who wanted to commit suicide by hitting the wall with their heads——they were stopped by the guards guarding the palace gate.

Here’s what the guard said: “It’s easy for you to die, but don’t forget your family.”

So the man walked away crying.

But it was impossible for Lin Yuan to take back his decree.

The first reason was that he was indeed preparing to improve the status of women, so as to ensure the survival rate of newborn girls. The current ratio of male to female population is still not optimistic, and many areas still have the habit of drowning female infants. He must give the common people the reassurance that baby girls surviving was only good, not bad.

The second reason was that he was the emperor. If he withdrew his decree because of the pressure of his officials, then his words would gradually lose their prestige. Everyone would feel that this emperor was weak and easy to bully, and then they would always be ready to overstep themselves.

How many officials really think that it was wrong for him to appoint a woman as an official?

They didn’t even know what the Court of Censors did and what kind of powers it had.

But they’ll pressure him because it didn’t conform to conventional traditions.

Because they had reason on their side.

Their admonishment seemed justifiable, their reputation was not hindered, the fault was on the emperor.

If the emperor didn’t listen, they could also gain the reputation of being a loyal and good official.

If the emperor listened, then they could get more benefits.

When the emperor lost the first time, there would be a second time.

Lin Yuan said to Chen Baisong, “It just so happened that you came back, send some imperial edicts for me.”

Chen Baisong was enjoying his meal. Hearing this, he stopped his movements and put down his chopsticks: “I go?”

Lin Yuan said with a smile: “You now hold the military power of 300,000 troops. I will give you a token for unhindered travel. You are allowed to kill first and then report. Whoever refuses to accept the order, you can cut them down.”

Chen Baisong didn’t refuse, just wiped his mouth and left.

It was Lin Yuan who sighed and said, “Don’t be in such a hurry, rest overnight and go tomorrow morning, the people won’t be able to run away.”

Chen Baisong sat back again and finished the meal. His appetite was better than Lin Yuan’s, and he ate more than Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan now ate like he was taking medicine, and he couldn’t even enjoy the taste even if it was fine delicacies. He only ate to fill his stomach, but he had a good figure from it.

Chen Baisong actually didn’t quite understand why Lin Yuan would appoint a woman to be an official, so he asked: “There is no such precedent.”

This was said by everyone outside.

Lin Yuan took his hand, had him sit beside him, and explained the reason to him.

“I’m afraid that the foundation I’ve finally laid down would be wasted.” Lin Yuan sighed, “I don’t expect everywhere to be like Gaoyou, I just want to create more vitality for women, there is no shortage of women in Beijing, but what about other places?”

Chen Baisong understood: “There are very few soldiers under my command who have married wives.”

He was not talking about personal guards and deputies, but ordinary soldiers.

Lin Yuan patted the back of his hand: “Learn gradually.”

Chen Baisong suddenly asked, “Do you think I’m too stupid?”

He could only fight, and he couldn’t see the twists and turns in the imperial court.

“You are the emperor, and they should all listen to you.”

Lin Yuan shook his head: “You’re not stupid, you just don’t use your mind in these areas, but you don’t have to, I just want you to do what you want to do.”

“As for them…..” Lin Yuan’s gaze suddenly became sharp, “Officials are also people, and people have their own selfishness and want to strive for greater interests. If it fails once, there will be a second time, but these people are not useless. Yes, some of them are also loyal and dutiful in their positions, and even if I can kill them all, can the promoted newcomers be able to stand on their own?”

Chen Baisong suddenly became angry: “You gave them all their power, how dare they disobey you? I’ll go tomorrow and kill all those who disobey.”

Lin Yuan was amused by him: “Murder is simple, but wjat is not simple is to govern others, this is a kind of skill. You go ask them tomorrow if they still remember whose officials they are, if they dare to resist the order, you can then use the knife again.”

Chen Baisong nodded, his brows furrowed, his aura full of murderous intent.

The eunuch outside asked Er Liang who was guarding the door: “Brother, shall this white fungus soup still be sent in?”

Er Liang said with a solemn face: “Give it to me, you step back.”

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

The eunuch gave the white fungus soup to Er Liang and then withdrew.

He rolled his eyes and thought to himself, “We’re all servants, what are you acting so proud of? It’s just luck, you’ve just been with His Majesty for a longer time.”

“I don’t believe it. That His Majesty will only use you as a servant. Don’t know who will be calling who brother in the future.”

AN: Er Liang: “I am a life winner! You little goblins get out of the way! (ノ｀Д)ノ”

If you would like to show some ♡  then please consider supporting this translator! ლ(⌒εー)ლ

Prev

The city of Anfeng did not become very chaotic, mainly due to being guarded by heavy troops. The common people did not dare to go out, and the officials could not escape. Speaking from another perspective, Anfeng was much easier to settle than other big cities. The reason was simple: other big cities had affluent families and without their cooperation, even the total number of people in the city might not be known officially. Because many slaves and servants did not have household registration, and so long as the master did not report them when registering households, these people would exist as “invisible people”.

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

Also called hidden households, no one would even know when they died.

But Anfeng was an imperial city, and Liu Futong would naturally not let these so-called affluent families hold any power.

Therefore, once the officials were taken down, there would be no local snakes that could fight against the passing strong dragon in Anfeng City.

With no leader, Anfeng was taken over very smoothly.

Chen Baisong had already had the experience. He first asked people to take inventory of the treasury. The weapons depot and the grain depot were the places where the most people were dispatched.

In addition, the things in the palace were also taken into inventory and put into storage, and the valuable objects of officials’ homes must also be put into storage after they were seized and confiscated.

How to treat the common people was also quite simple, let them stay at home first, and then divide a region to reopen the market, lest the common people starve to death at home.

It didn’t matter if they dared to come out or not, they would come out naturally when they were hungry.

Han Lin’er also revealed the emperor’s private treasury. Hong Xiu had been working hard on him for the past few days. Han Lin’er was quite stubborn at first. But after starving him for a few days with only water but also not allowing him out of the room to relieve himself, he could no longer take it anymore.

And so Hong Xiu could now successfully retire from her task.

On the other hand, An Laosi was so busy every day that his feet barely touched the ground, but he was always in high spirits. According to his words, it was only now that he felt alive. Whereas he had felt like walking dead during the previous days.

After being busy for three months, Chen Baisong returned to court with most of the troops and Hong Xiu.

Leaving An Laosi and his several confidants in Anfeng to wait for the officials to be dispatched by the imperial court.

An Laosi went to see him the night before he left, and started crying without even managing to say a few words.

The main idea was: “You must mention me in front of the emperor, otherwise I have no meaning to live, and it is better to die here now.”

Chen Baisong didn’t understand the thoughts of these civil servants before, but now he understood.

Military officials rely on military merit to climb up the ranks, and civil servants rely on the favor of the emperor. Only when the emperor remembered him, did everything he did had meaning.

Otherwise, no matter how much he did, if the emperor did not remember, or did not know at all, it was all useless in the end.

Especially now that there were no powerful officials in the court, so even the option of giving bribes to said officials was out.

Song Shizhao was the only one who could claim to be a powerful official, but Song Shizhao was a clever person. He even suppressed his own disciples. Even now his first disciple, Yang Shaowei, was still doing the job of running errands. If others wanted to step on him, use him as a ladder to reach the heavens, then they were just delusional.

Song Lian was also a person who didn’t care about such things. Although the things he handled were all major matters, he didn’t care about the affairs of the court.

As for Zheng Qingfeng——this was a pure official, at least that was how he behaved now, so except for the emperor’s words, nobody else’s words were taken to heart.

They have their own survival wisdom in the court and would never be used by others.

And since ancient times, there had never been an emperor who liked the officials forming factions for personal gain.

The bad relationship between civil officials and military officials might even be the emperors’ own intention.

One side was in charge of the people’s livelihood, and the other side had military power. Combining the two, the emperor could easily be overthrown.

No emperor was that stupid.

And the officials, no matter what they think themselves, if the above revealed such intentions, then they would have to carry it out.

Although Lin Yuan hadn’t revealed it yet, the civil officials and the generals were already clearly divided.

Han Lin’er was also taken to the capital.

He was a sinner and was locked in a prison cart. Only Hong Xiu occasionally visited him and gave him some food and water.

Han Lin’er watched Hong Xiu come over, anf don’t know how many thoughts flashed in his heart, but in the end he couldn’t say a word.

Hong Xiu handed the steamed bun to Han Lin’er.

Han Lin’er pursed his lips. His lip was starting to peel, his cheeks were pale, and he looked like he was suffering from a serious illness. He said with difficulty, “Thank you.”

Hong Xiu looked at him and sighed in her heart.

Han Lin’er had the luck of being the emperor, but not the fate.

When Hong Xiu looked at him now, she only felt that he was a pitiful loser, and still in the end he didn’t know where he lost.

“Hong Xiu.” Han Lin’er already knew that her name was Hong Xiu. He was no longer willing to call her by a false name when he knew. He closed his eyes and asked, “Zhen…..where are my concubines…..”

Hong Xiu: “Those who wanted to go home went back, and those who didn’t want to go back went to the nunnery.”

Most of them went to the nunnery.

Because their fathers and brothers were officials, even if they go back, they have to face their homes being seized and confiscated. It was unknown whether their fathers and brothers would survive and whether they would be implicated.

So they would rather choose to be nuns, and then they could return to the secular world when the world was at peace again in the future.

There were also those who didn’t care about their own safety and wanted to go home and live or die with their family, but this was the minority.

Han Lin’er: “What about the Empress and Consort Li?”

Hong Xiu: “The Empress went to the nunnery, and Consort Li went home.”

A tear fell from Han Lin’er’s eyes: “Consort Li…..is a most loyal and loving person.”

Hong Xiu watched him cry, and her heart did not fluctuate at all: “The path is chosen by oneself, I only hope they don’t regret it in the future.”

Han Lin’er only saw their choices, but did not see why they made such choices.

Hong Xiu had been a maid in the Empress’s palace, so she naturally knew why the Empress preferred to go to the nunnery. When the Empress was forgotten by Han Lin’er, her family seldom visited the palace again. Even if they did, they never cared about her, and only wanted to take advantage of her.

If the Empress didn’t agree, they could stay away from the palace for several months.

They wanted the Empress to always remember her surname, and they wanted the Empress to always remember that if she hadn’t been born in this family, she wouldn’t be the Empress.

“We all supported you to this position, shouldn’t you repay us?”

The harem and the court were originally interdependent. The fathers and brothers were in the front of the imperial palace and the sisters were in the back of the imperial palace. Only then could a family grow.

The Empress could only bow her head, and so long as there was once then she couldn’t lift it up again.

At first, she just bowed her head to her parents, and later even her sister-in-law dared to enter the palace to make requests.

Over time, that bit of familial love would be wiped out with the desire for power, and there would be no chance to rekindle it again.

Consort Li was a different situation. When she was unfavored in the palace, her father and brothers tried their best to give her money so that she could live better.

When she finally became successful, her father and brothers never asked her for a favor.

Hong Xiu said softly, “A heart in exchange for a heart.”

Han Lin’er sighed.

Most of the women in the harem went to the nunnery, and who knew if it wasn’t because their hearts were chilled by their family members.

Of course, there were also those who were self-preserving and wanted to survive.

Han Lin’er sighed again: “I’ve failed them.”

Hong Xiu comforted him: “Put down your worries, they didn’t marry you, they married the imperial throne, and it’s not like you have failed them.”

Han Liner’s expression became distorted for a moment, and he couldn’t tell whether Hong Xiu was comforting him or mocking him.

Han Lin’er suddenly sneered and said, “Then what benefit did the Southern King promise you? You have served me, so he may not let you continue to serve him?”

Hong Xiu smiled, a smile so moving, gentle like water: “His Majesty never looked down on me just because I am a woman, thinking that I could only do so much. When I go back this time, His Majesty will give me an official position.”

Because her credit was big enough to stop most people’s mouths.

And because she was Lin Yuan’s die-hard loyalist, those officials who considered themselves to be His Majesty’s die-hard loyalists would not open their mouths in protest.

If these people in power did not speak, then the rest were nothing to worry about.

And she also believed that since His Majesty planned to give her an official position, he would definitely consider the future.

Han Lin’er laughed loudly: “A woman, actually wants to be an official, does that Southern King really have no people left to use?”

Hong Xiu didn’t argue with him, just smiled: “Why can’t women be officials?”

On the day they returned to Beijing, it was windy, it had rained heavily the night before, and the temperature suddenly dropped. The seasonal change was sometimes just that quick, just after a day and summer becomes autumn.

Lin Yuan first rewarded the lieutenants and military officials who came back with Chen Baisong. After a battle, it was natural to be rewarded for meritorious deeds.

Official positions were rewarded less, most were rewarded manors and land.

However, the manors and land were still owned by the imperial court, only the rent was reduced or exempted for several years.

If the court wanted to take it back, it was easy, just calculate the rent and give it to them, and then make up for the year’s harvest.

But for the soldiers, this was a huge benefit.

As for Chen Baisong, Lin Yuan was not going to confer another title.

Now Chen Baisong was already a general, and Lin Yuan had only four major generals.

Chen Baisong’s achievements this time were not enough to make him the Generalissimo.

After all, everyone knew that this time, no matter who was leading the army they would still be able to defeat Anfeng, this achievement was not enough to convince the public.

So Lin Yuan gave him a mansion, a plaque, and a garden.

This award seemed to be heavy enough, but it did not exceed the limit, so the outsiders all felt that the emperor was wise.

Rewards and punishments were also limited and could not be given arbitrarily.

Otherwise, the system would be messed up.

But what Lin Yuan did next was to really pour a bowl of cold water into the hot oil.

——He appointed a woman who came from Anfeng as the Yuanshi of the Court of Censors, of the fifth rank.

The city was in an uproar.

Song Shizhao hurriedly rushed to the palace to see Lin Yuan, and when he went in, he saw Lin Yuan was eating double-skin milk, which was also sprinkled with preserved fruit and jam, because it was iced, there was also a coldness radiating from it.

Song Shizhao bowed first, and after Lin Yuan excused him did he stand up and say with sweat all over his forehead, “Your Majesty…..it has become crazy outside.”

Lin Yuan smiled and said, “What’s the fuss?”

Song Shizhao: “Since ancient times, there has been no precedent for a woman to be an official. Even during the Tang Dynasty, a female official was only a position in the inner palace, and had no political power…..”

Lin Yuan: “Zhen knows.”

Song Shizhao was taken aback.

Lin Yuan added: “That’s why Zhen set up a Court of Censors.”

The Court of Censors was a new department, and no one knew what the Court of Censors did, everyone was still observing.

Lin Yuan took a mouthful of the double skin milk: “So don’t worry, there will always be someone who will jump out.”

Those who want to enter the Court of Censors would naturally jump out to defend Lin Yuan.

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

If a woman could be a Yuanshi of the Court of Censors, then wouldn’t they have an even higher position when they entered?

Since this was the case, His Majesty could not be wrong, even if he was wrong, they must say he was right.

AN: The Court of Censors was a department of the Qing Dynasty, and there was no such position as Yuanshi.

If you would like to show some ♡  then please consider supporting this translator! ლ(⌒εー)ლ

Prev

The city of Anfeng was captured, and Han Lin’er did not escape in the end. The guards had yet to escort him two miles away when they were chased and caught.

He was sitting on a dilapidated horse carriage and disguised as a fleeing commoner. When he was halted, Han Lin’er heard the sound of fighting outside.

That couldn’t be called a fight, at best it was just a brief metallic clash, and then someone outside said, “Sinner Han Lin’er, come out!”

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

Han Lin’er didn’t know what to do.

His face was covered in sweat, and so were his palms, and his clothes were also all soaked through with sweat.

Even if he was just a little emperor living in a corner of the empire, he still had to follow palace etiquette. Even in summer, he had to wear several layers of robes. He couldn’t just wear a single shirt like ordinary people. There was ice in the palace and in summer, the palace servants would make an iceberg for him to enjoy the cool air.

He had never felt so hot before.

The heat made him panic, and the heat made him shiver.

“General.” The soldiers dismounted and walked to Chen Baisong’s horse.

Chen Baisong pursed his lips: “Go to the carriage and bring him out.”

There was only one emperor under the heavens, and there was only one master of everything, so they didn’t have to treat Han Lin’er politely.

In the competition for power, there were never winners or losers, just legitimacy belonging to the victor.

The personal guards jumped on the carriage and pulled the curtains open. A wave of heat rushed towards his face. Han Lin’er hadn’t even opened the windows. The curtain was so heavy and thick that he fainted from the heat inside. The smell of sweat also filled the enclosed space.

The personal guard pinched his nose and dragged Han Lin’er out. Han Lin’er didn’t wake up after such a big movement.

“Lock him up.” Chen Baisong said, “Keep a guard on him, no need to give him too much food, just don’t starve him to death.”

The personal guards quickly agreed, and Chen Baisong led the people back to the city.

He still had to search and confiscate the homes of Anfeng officials.

These officials, no matter how big or small, were quite wealthy, whether it was money or food, and owned many precious objects. Chen Baisong also seized and confiscated a bed made of red sandalwood from the mansion of a fifth-rank official.

Everyone did not expect that a fifth-rank official could live such a luxurious life.

Even Lin Yuan didn’t have a chair made of such precious wood yet.

After a busy day, Anfeng was surrounded by soldiers. Chen Baisong brought people into the palace. Tomorrow, he had to take inventory of the things in the palace. Everyone dared not go to sleep in the emperor’s palace. Although it did not belong to their own emperor, but as it was associated with the word ’emperor’ they didn’t dare to touch it, they only dared to sleep in the palace servants’ rooms.

Chen Baisong also only slept in the rooms prepared for the ministers who stayed overnight in the palace.

Chen Baisong couldn’t sleep. He was sitting by the window wearing only trousers. His personal guard brought him a late-night snack, which was just jerky and a pot of rice wine. He sat by the window and had a drink.

He wouldn’t be able to go back in a short time. He had to clean up and organize Anfeng and wait for the officials sent by Lin Yuan to take over before leaving.

Chen Baisong rubbed the wine cup with his fingers and pursed his lips lightly, but his eyes were extremely bright and alert.

He thought about it for so long, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt as if a hole had been opened in his heart.

After that night, he felt that he was no longer like himself, but he still couldn’t help thinking, why did Lin Yuan treat him like this?

His loyalty to Lin Yuan would not decrease, so Lin Yuan should not do such a thing to win him over after being aware of his feelings. Moreover, Lin Yuan had no shortage of people who could be used. Chen Baisong was even sure that if he had an accident, there were many people under his command who could be pulled up to take his place.

But apart from that, Chen Baisong couldn’t find any reason why he could make Lin Yuan treat him differently. Friendship since childhood could probably be counted as one, but it was not enough.

Chen Baisong thought for a long time, and after finishing drinking the pot of rice wine, his thoughts wandered in the most incredible direction.

How was he worthy? In terms of appearance, Chu Lin was the most beautiful man in everyone’s eyes.

In terms of the ability to lead troops to fight, he and Zhu Yuanzhang were in the same league.

Except for his faithfulness and sincerity, he was no stronger than others, and even faithfulness was not a rarity.

Was there anyone following Lin Yuan now who was not loyal?

Could it be that Lin Yuan really liked him?

Chen Baisong sat quietly, motionless.

If someone saw him at this time, they would probably not believe the scene in front of them.

The general, who had always been ruthless and decisive, sat alone at this time with a smile on his face.

It was not the usual polite smile, or a hearty laugh.

But a very gentle and lingering, foolish grin full of pink bubbles.

An Laosi and the others were still cooperating with the soldiers outside the imperial city seizing and confiscating homes. After operating in Anfeng for so long, An Laosi had finally come in handy. With someone like him who knew Anfeng well, it was much easier to seize and confiscate homes. Many things that used to need three or four months now used up less than a month to be finished.

Likely because there were really too few people, An Laosi also called his wife forward.

Although Lady An had always been dealing with female family members, but female family members were in charge of the inner house, and sometimes what women know may not be known by men. Towards which family owned which farmstead and shops, they knew better than anyone else.

Lady An was quickly called over for support, and she and her husband became very busy together. Both of them became swamped with work. They had to work the moment they opened their eyes every morning. So tired they were they barely had the energy to exchange a few private words.

But An Laosi had never felt so energetic!

He had achieved a meritorious deed, right? When he returned to Beijing, a position as a fifth-rank official couldn’t escape him.

Though the fifth-rank officials in Beijing were not that valuable, he would never be willing to go to other places to be a fifth-rank official.

An Laosi felt that before returning to the capital, he should go and pray to God and worship Buddha.

In the early morning of the next day, Hong Xiu was led to Chen Baisong.

Hong Xiu had changed into coarse clothes, the clothes of the palace maids. At this time, there were not many women’s clothes. She didn’t want to wear the clothes of Han Lin’er’s concubine. She would rather wear the clothes of palace maids. Pulling her hair into a braid, and with no makeup on her face, she looked much younger than before.

“Greetings to the general.” Hong Xiu saluted Chen Baisong.

Chen Baisong nodded: “Rise.”

“The things in the palace must be taken inventory, it needs you to look it over.” Chen Baisong said directly, “And Han Lin’er, go and see him when you have time, see if you can dig some information out from him. “

For example, the emperor’s private treasury was different from the national treasury.

If it could be asked directly, it would save them the trouble of searching around.

Hong Xiu nodded and said, “This is natural.”

She still remembered the promise Lin Yuan gave her before she came to Anfeng.

If she could go back alive, she would be able to become the first female official in the new dynasty with a rank high enough to enter the palace.

When Hong Xiu left, the only female official under Lin Yuan’s rule was Zhou Qiuniang.

After so many years, Zhou Qiuniang should also be promoted, right?

Hong Xiu didn’t want to be left in the dust by Zhou Qiuniang, she kept fighting her way upwards silently by herself this whole time.

Hong Xiu was led by the guards to the room where Han Lin’er was imprisoned. This room was originally for the eunuchs who did lowly labor such as cleaning the toilets. There was always a smell in the room. Han Lin’er was only locked for one night but he couldn’t bear it anymore.

When he was a child, his father was the leader of the White Lotus Sect. Although he couldn’t live too luxuriously, the offerings from the believers had never been lacking.

When he got older, his father rebelled again. Although he suffered some hardships in the years after his father’s death, he still never had such an experience before.

He didn’t want to take off his outer robes, he was still wearing three layers of clothes, his crown was crooked, and there was no expression on his face.

Only when he saw Hong Xiu walk in did he take a few steps forward with a look of excitement.

“Xiu’er…..” Han Lin’er was too excited at that moment, without thinking about anything closer, saying with a look of relief, “It’s great that you’re fine, just wonderful that you’re fine!”

“Zhen…..”

He stopped before he finished speaking.

Only then did he come back to his senses.

An Xiu shouldn’t be here…..

Why was she here?

Han Lin’er’s eyes reddened: “You are the Southern King’s person!”

Hong Xiu sat on the chair on the side, and said, “The title you should refer to him now is His Majesty.”

Han Lin’er’s face flushed red, and he pointed at Hong Xiu angrily: “You, you deliberately approached Zhen with ulterior motives!”

Hong Xiu nodded: “Exactly.”

Han Lin’er was trembling with anger: “Did Zhen treat you badly? Zhen gave you everything you wanted. There are so many people in the harem, but Zhen only loved you. Why?! Why?! Why do you treat Zhen like this!”

Hong Xiu looked at him strangely: “Do you think you are a good husband?”

Han Lin’er stopped talking, and even turned his head, unwilling to look at Hong Xiu.

Hong Xiu covered her mouth and chuckled: “Now that you are not the emperor, I shall  call you Han Gongzi, Han Gongzi, people must know to be self-aware, without your crown, you are not even a match for a hair on His Majesty’s head. “

Han Lin’er listened to Hong Xiu’s words, and the more he listened, the more angry he became. He didn’t understand why it suddenly became like this.

Liu Futong, who was protecting him, who knew where he was now.

The officials who had sworn loyalty by his side before also fled when Anfeng was captured.

Even his favorite woman turned out to be just a beautiful snake with hidden venom.

Han Lin’er covered his face. He took a deep breath and swept the candlestick on the table to the ground like a madman. He could only vent like this.

“Why did you do this to me?” Han Lin’er covered his face after venting, not wanting the tears on his face to be seen, “Why?”

Hong Xiu stood up and looked down at him with pity.

“Han Gongzi, if you are just a rich boy or an ordinary scholar, you wouldn’t be where you are today.”

Hong Xiu squatted down and handed over a handkerchief to Han Lin’er: “How many people are there in the world? How many people have been emperors? If you think about it this way, your life has been quite spectacular.”

Han Lin’er didn’t take the handkerchief. He wiped his face randomly with a sleeve, not wanting to let Hong Xiu see his tears, but his eyes were red, he couldn’t hide it at all.

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

Hong Xiu sighed: “Han Gongzi, we have a past together, as long as you tell me where the private treasury is located, I can save your life. If you go to Beijing City in the future, although you may not be able to leave the manor you will be living in, you will still live and your days won’t be too bad.”

“If you don’t say it, it’ll just delay some time for a while, but there will be no one out there who can save you.”

Han Lin’er raised his head: “Where is my Taibao?”

Hong Xiu smiled and said, “Liu Futong is also being detained now. Han Gongzi should consider it.”

If you would like to show some ♡  then please consider supporting this translator! ლ(⌒εー)ლ

TN: bonus chapter!💕

There was chaos in Anfeng County, artillery fire was raging outside, countless loud noises seemed to be sounding right next to the ears, soldiers on the city wall were killed and wounded. In the palace Han Lin’er felt like an ant standing on a hot pot, and it was not only him, the same went for the palace servants and officials.

The men in Anfeng City have all climbed the city wall, and there were no more men to draft.

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

Han Lin’er looked at Liu Futong with a look of fright: “Uncle, what should I do now?”

Liu Futong frowned and pursed his lips: “Don’t worry, I have asked someone to go out to investigate, but if it really doesn’t work, I will have someone escort you away.”

Only now did Han Lin’er believe in Liu Futong’s loyalty to him, but he knew it too late.

“Report——Your Majesty! The city wall has been breached, the enemy army…..has entered the city gates…..” The soldier was covered in dust, his face was covered in blood, he knelt on the ground, his hands still trembling slightly.

How could they only be called enemies, they were simply evil spirits, each one of them was as desperate as if they wanted to eat human flesh and blood.

Han Lin’er was dazed, his legs became unsteady and he fell to the ground.

On the other hand, Liu Futong was still able to remain steady. He gritted his teeth and said, “I still have three hundred elite soldiers. Let them escort you away!”

Han Lin’er’s eyes widened: “Uncle come with me.”

Liu Futong sighed: “You can only leave with me here.”

Liu Futong provided a delay for Han Lin’er to escape. Only when he was caught, Han Lin’er could leave.

But escape to where? Except for Haozhou, all places were now under the rule of Lin Yuan, and troops were stationed everywhere.

And Sun Deya had already proclaimed himself emperor, even if Han Lin’er escaped to Haozhou, he would inevitably die.

Liu Futong was unwilling to give up.

He had already done everything he could, but why did he still end up with such a result?

Was it because God was not on his side?

“Uncle.” Han Lin’er, “Let’s go together.”

Liu Futong shook his head and said to the guards beside him, “Escort the emperor to leave, and one day we will be able to make a comeback!”

The guards answered and walked to Han Lin’er’s side: “Your Majesty, let’s go.”

Han Lin’er had tears in his eyes: “Uncle, you must take care, I’ll be waiting for you outside.”

His self-reference had changed from Zhen to I.

Han Lin’er was taken away by the guards. Liu Futong sat alone in the hall. Outside, there were the cries of the palace maids and the eunuchs, as well as the sound of heavy footsteps. Everyone was running for their lives and wanted to live.

Liu Futong smiled bitterly, picked up the tea by his hand, and quietly waited for his destiny.

When he followed Han Shantong back then, he was once proud and full of mettle. They made up their minds to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty. At that time, he was the most ambitious in his life. As long as Leader Han was around, he was not afraid of anything.

Later…..Han Shantong died, and he took Han Lin’er to establish another dynasty, and made Han Lin’er the emperor.

The world seemed to be within reach.

He himself didn’t know why the sky suddenly changed, the South Bodhisattva appeared, and he was as fierce as a tiger descending the mountain and roaring in the forest.

At the beginning, he didn’t want to deal with it. After all, the Yuan Dynasty had not yet fallen, and the more powerful the South Bodhisattva was, the more he could attract the attention of all the forces. He was waiting for South Bodhisattva to perish by himself.

But the South Bodhisattva did not perish. On the contrary, he became bigger and bigger, and he held more and more cities in his hands, and raised more and more elite soldiers.

Where did he lose?

Liu Futong was not willing to admit defeat, he was full of doubts and wanted to ask that South Bodhisattva, but he also knew that his doubts would not be able to be voiced.

A eunuch stumbled into the hall: “Prime Minister, the palace gate is broken…..”

Liu Futong nodded, indicating that he knew.

The eunuch knelt in front of Liu Futong, raised his head, his eyes full of despair: “Prime Minister, please run away!”

He hoped that Liu Futong would take him with him when he escaped.

However, Liu Futong smiled: “Escape to where? Running away and be a farmer? Then I might as well die at this moment.”

The eunuch took a few steps on his knees, tears running down his face: “Prime Minister, while the green hills last, there’ll be wood to burn (TN: Where there’s life there’s hope), Prime Minister…..”

Liu Futong: “Are you afraid of death?”

The eunuch didn’t answer, but had a look of fright on his face, who was not afraid of death? It was better to live a bad life than to die a good death. Back then, he would enter the palace as a eunuch because he couldn’t feed himself outside.

Liu Futong smiled, but did not say anything.

The eunuch fell on the ground and sobbed.

He just wanted to live a good life, a day when he could wear warm clothes and eat enough, his parents sent him to the palace with their own hands, and before entering the palace, they said to him: “Son, we have failed you, but if you don’t enter the palace, you can only starve to death, don’t hate your parents, you will be reborn to a good family in your next life…..”

He didn’t hate his parents. Not long after he entered the palace, his parents died, not by starvation, but by a beating from a noble.

Why was it so hard to live a good life?

In the palace, he also did the most dirty work. Other servants bullied him. The money he earned every month was to be offered up to the eunuchs above. He didn’t starve to death when he entered the palace, so he could only climb up. Those who died in his hands might not number in the thousands but at least reached the hundreds.

But it hadn’t been long since he climbed up, and he hadn’t eaten a few meals of meat either, but Anfeng was already finished, and so was the emperor.

The eunuch looked at Liu Futong with tears in his eyes: “Prime Minister, aren’t you afraid of death?”

Were there really people in this world who were not afraid of death?

At this moment, Liu Futong actually had the mind to talk to a small servant. He looked at the direction of the palace gate, heard the screams of the killing getting closer, and said with a smile: “I’m different from you, you are satisfied with enough food and warm clothing. No matter how much more you want, it is just to recognize a few more godsons and goddaughters, so that when you get old and leave the palace, there will be people to support your retirement.”

“But I can’t.” Liu Futong, “I might as well die rather than live like that.”

He had tasted power, tasted what it was like to be only below one person and above tens of thousands of others, tasted what it was like to inspire fear with just a look from his eyes. So long as one tasted such a thing, there would not be anyone still willing to go back to living a common life.

He was once the prime minister, he couldn’t bear to let him be a commoner again.

You couldn’t live like that.

Liu Futong closed his eyes.

Han Lin’er was taken out by the guards through the side door. He suddenly thought of something and said to the guards, “I…..Zhen has to take someone along!”

The guards were ruthless: “Your Majesty, the top priority is to see you away.”

Han Lin’er gritted his teeth: “No, no, I can’t abandon her here!”

The guards on both sides looked at each other and grabbed Han Lin’er’s arm: “Your Majesty, forgive or offense.”

Han Lin’er’s eyes widened. He knew the crisis at the moment, but he couldn’t not worry about An Xiu.

If he left, what about An Xiu? Would the enemy let her go?

Surely she would be defiled, right?

She would definitely think, why didn’t he save her and just ran for his own life.

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

Han Lin’er gritted his teeth and glanced in the direction of the harem. His eyes were red, but he was unable to resist or struggle out from the grip.

Xiu’er, don’t blame Zhen, Zhen can’t even help myself, in the future…..I will definitely burn paper money for you, so that you have money to use in the underworld, reincarnate in the next life, and be Zhen’s woman again.

If you would like to show some ♡  then please consider supporting this translator! ლ(⌒εー)ლ

Prev

TN: bonus chapter!💕

“Are you attending the imperial examination this time?” Zhao Lin asked while sorting out the books. He didn’t work under Zhou Rong originally, but when Zhou Rong told him he was short of people he thought that for the sake of brotherhood he should come. But he was also afraid of his family scolding him, so he avoided going home and went to Zhou Rong’s house to mooch off food and drink.

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

Zhou Rong’s family was different from other families. His family had suffered poverty, and knew the benefits of making it big. There were children in the family who were willing to sacrifice their lives in exchange for their future, and they were also willing to follow. They were bound together for good or ill, so they were all looking forward to riding on his success.

Zhou Rong was still reading the words. His eyes hurt when he looked at the words recently. He had to think carefully about how to change each word, how to simplify it, so that the illiterate would find it simple, he took a deep breath: “No. “

Zhao Lin: “You really won’t go? But it’s such a great opportunity? The first imperial examinations of the new dynasty, how honorable will it be to pass!”

“I can forget about thinking of being No. 1 or No. 3. It would be nice to have a No. 2 spot or just one of the Jinshi (TN: palace graduates).”

“I heard that His Majesty has added a new one. Shuji Shi (TN: title of the temporary position in the Hanlin Academy, conferred to meritorious candidates until the next examination) will be selected from the Jinshi and are able to enter Hanlin Academy.” Zhao Lin had already inquired clearly.

Zhou Rong waved his hand: “I’m busy, I’m already an official, how can I attend the imperial examination? You’re still a commoner, you can go by yourself, why do you insist on pulling someone with you, it’s not like we are little girls holding hands to go to the toilets.”

Zhao Lin choked: “What are you saying? Who makes comparisons like that?”

“Forget it, I am not chatting with you anymore.” Zhao Lin rolled his eyes and moved the sorted books to the other side, “I’ll pass the exam, and then my official post will be higher than yours, so don’t be envious then.”

Zhou Rong didn’t even look at him: “Then I congratulate Lord Zhao in advance.”

Zhao Lin couldn’t win against him in a verbal fight, so he could only return to the writing desk and continue with his work.

Outside because of the imperial examinations everyone was very busy, but Lin Yuan didn’t care, he was currently looking at the pencils made by the craftsmen.

The craftsmen were still experimenting how to make pens, but they have done a good job on pencils. Don’t underestimate the wisdom of craftsmen in this era. They sometimes have enterprising spirit and pioneering spirit. So long as the policies from above encourage them to be enterprising and pioneering, they would eagerly experiment and research.

There was also the improvement of paper, as the common people could not afford the paper of this era.

Especially fine writing paper.

Lin Yuan also gathered a group of skilled experts to make improvements.

Mainly because there was no machine, it all depended on manual labor, manual labor was also included in the overall cost, and the price of course could not go down.

Lin Yuan looked at the pencil.

It was thicker than modern ones, as thick as a finger of an adult man.

Lin Yuan asked: “Can it be thinner?”

The craftsman was very frightened and did not dare to raise his head: “As, as long as more time is spent…..it will definitely be possible.”

Lin Yuan smiled: “Well done.”

The craftsman breathed a sigh of relief.

The people would not be rewarded by him in person, they would be rewarded after they were dismissed.

It was a father and son who produce the pencil. They were both attentive people. They had tried countless times before they managed to produce the pencil.

When they returned to the workshop, the emperor’s reward arrived.

Four pieces of cloth, ten taels of gold, two jade rings and a piece of silk, as well as gold and silver jewelry for the women in the family.

These rewards were sent by the eunuchs, and the eyes of the craftsmen all widened.

Although His Majesty said that there was a reward for doing well, no one expected such a reward.

Twelve taels of gold…..So long as they didn’t spend it randomly, it was enough for a lifetime.

Not to mention the other rewards.

The other craftsmen were jealous, and they worked harder on their own work. So long as they did well, they might get a bigger reward.

Wasn’t it just making a small measly pen? They could make even more amazing things!

For a while, the heart of competition between craftsmen had grown.

But this kind of competition was benign, and Lin Yuan didn’t bother to mind it.

In addition to pencils and paper, the spinning jenny was also drawn out by Lin Yuan. He remembered the rough design and operations, and the rest could only be perfected by craftsmen.

The spinning jenny could only be regarded as a beginning, after all, the spinning jenny still relied on human power.

Lin Yuan remembered that after the spinning jenny, there was the hydraulic spinning machine. Although it was hydraulic, the factory needed to be built near water, and hundreds of workers needed to work together. It was not until the appearance of the steam engine providing new power that phased out the water based factory limitations.

The principle of steam was very clear to modern people. It was nothing more than the conversion of steam energy into mechanical reciprocating power.

Lin Yuan was impatient. He didn’t know if he could produce a steam engine, but if he had this idea, he would try it. If he didn’t succeed, he would lose some money, but not a lot. If he succeeded, then the impact on the development of society and industry would be huge.

And his greatest advantage was that he knew these principles and the approximate structure of a steam engine.

As long as a basic version was made, it could keep being revised and improved.

And the original steam engine was not difficult to manufacture.

Almost all the craftsmen in Beijing were brought together by Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan was not worried about these basic industrial equipment.

His worry was electricity.

It was impossible to develop electricity without basic industries.

The sources of electricity include thermal power, hydropower, wind power, nuclear power plants, solar power, and hydrogen power.

These all require industrial infrastructure support.

Lin Yuan thought about it, and finally decided to slow down.

At least basic industrial equipment was required to consider these.

And it was already very good that he could lay the foundation for industrial equipment in his lifetime.

The spinning jenny came out very quickly. The craftsmen used to make spinning wheels, all of which were used for spinning cloth. After having the blueprints, they learned by analogy. Aside from the spinning jenny there was the flying shuttle.

The flying shuttle could speed up the spinning thread, and the spinning jenny could speed up weaving cloth, and the efficiency was more than three times higher than that of the traditional textile industry.

But while the flying shuttle could still be called the flying shuttle, the spinning jenny had to change its name. Lin Yuan chose a simple and easy-to-understand one, which was the spinning machine.

These were not considered to be complete industries, but only handicrafts.

The power origin was still manpower.

The thing was made, but how to let the common people use it had become a problem.

In the end, Lin Yuan called Yang Shaowei and had him print out the drawings. Everywhere must have them, they must all  produce spinning machines, and they must promote and spread its use.

Yang Shaowei had been idle for these days, and his whole person had become uncomfortable since he was idle for a long time. With work, his whole person was much more energetic.

Although he didn’t marry, he still had a lot of close lady friends.

He didn’t know how to spin and weave, so he took the blueprints to ask his lady friend.

When his lady friend learned that this spinning machine and shuttle could increase the efficiency of weaving by more than three times, her whole person was dumbstruck.

Weaving was hard work, and spinning was the same. Many people wear out their eyes, and they couldn’t see clearly during dark hours once their age advanced.

However, most of the female members of small households rely on spinning cloth to supplement their households.

With something like this, they didn’t have to suffer like they used to.

The lady friend burst into tears: “I knew earlier that His Majesty loves the people, but now this slave finally has a better understanding.”

Yang Shaowei sent people to various places, and they distributed tasks non-stop. The carpenters in various places had work to do, and the imperial court provided food and shelter, and gave them monthly wages.

The spinning machines that were produced could be assigned to each village, and the same was true for the shuttle.

The drawings were also hung on the public announcement boards, and people could copy it down at will.

Gaoyou’s Lizi Village was the first village in the area to get their allotted spinning machine.

The villagers in Lizi Village did not have the surname Li. It was because the plums in their village have grown well every year, so they were called this name.

When the spinning machine was delivered, the whole village showed up, men, women and children gathered together and looked at the spinning machine as tgey were looking at an odd creature.

“So big…..”

“Just don’t know how to use it.”

“Is it used the same as the one at home?”

Fortunately, the imperial court also sent someone down to teach them how to use it.

There were many women who could weave in the village. After all, Gaoyou was richer than other places. The female members bought spinning wheels early on and weaved more cloth. Although they didn’t know if the current tax could be paid with cloth, so long as they could weave, no matter what it would still help them earn money.

“Aiya! So many! So fast!”

“That spinning thread thing is also amazing! Why are there so many!”

The villagers of Lizi Village were lively for the whole day, and the women all got a chance to try it, and they didn’t want to stop when their hands started to move.

But this was the only one in the village. If they want one of their own they have to go to the city to copy the drawing and then find a carpenter to make it.

But the carpenters were all in the government office now.

At this time, the ability of the businessmen was shown.

They found that there was profit to be made, so they quickly made copies of the blueprints and rushed to produce it overnight. As soon as the court’s spinning machines were handed out, the merchants began to sell spinning machines as well. They also asked the Merchants’ Guild. Now the Merchants’ Guild and the court were linked together, and the Merchants’ Guild also knew what the court intended, so they did not prohibit them from selling.

A spinning machine cost twenty taels of silver.

For ordinary people, it was simply unaffordable.

But Gaoyou people were rich.

Gaoyou produced salt, not only salt production, but also had a very developed commerce. Taizhou was rich, and Gaoyou was the richest place in all areas of Taizhou.

The merchants’ first batch were quickly sold out.

The merchants didn’t have enough carpenters, so they started looking for out-of-town carpenters, but the out-of-town carpenters were also recruited by the local government, so the merchants went to find the carpenters’ apprentices and sons.

Carpentry suddenly became a sought after profession.

Many families were preparing to send their sons to learn the craftsmanship of carpentry in the future, maybe they could lead the whole family to make a fortune.

Now, a carpenter who could make a spinning machine could earn two taels a month, which was not even the highest.

If one could be a master carpenter, one could even earn five taels a month.

There was also a merchant who found people to make spinning machines by, then build a workshop, and then hired female workers to do the work.

Why didn’t they hire men? Because the requirements for using the spinning machine were not very different between men and women, and women workers were cheaper than men, so of course women were selected.

When the merchants who were still selling sewing machines realized it, this surnamed Dan merchant had already taken the lead. He had his own shops that sold cloth and workshops to weave cloth. Monopolizing the whole process naturally earned him a lot of money.

The common people were very adaptable. Although the world had only been stable for a few years, they were already full of vitality.

The poor were still poor, but there were very few cases of starvation. The lands were open up for farming, and potatoes and sweet potatoes filled the belly of the poor.

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

The people’s goal had changed from not starving to living a better life.

The weaving factories were built one by one, and Lin Yuan let it develop.

The domestic market would definitely be saturated.

He just wondered if it could be sold to Korea or Japan.

If you would like to show some ♡  then please consider supporting this translator! ლ(⌒εー)ლ

Prev

Capturing Anfeng was the first priority. Anfeng was now a mess. Both the common people and the court have lost their backbone. The people had fled, and the officials were still embezzling money. Although Han Lin’er had chopped off a number of heads, he was not strong enough. Even now with Liu Futong standing by his side, the officials only stopped for a while, and soon they went back to their old ways.

They used to take more money in order to help them climb up the ladder, but now even if they couldn’t go up, once the opening was opened, no one could control it.

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

Anfeng gradually turned into the former Yuan Dynasty, and the people were struggling to live.

Especially with the people under Lin Yuan’s rule living better and better lives. The common people of Anfeng became envious, and many of them sneaked to Lin Yuan’s land.

Even if they were caught and beheaded, they still ran away.

The most fearful thing in fighting wars was when the ruler and his ministers were of a single mind, the monarch was wise, the civil ministers were devoted to their duties, and the generals fought bravely.

The current situation in Anfeng was dark and murky and had nothing to do with the monarch and ministers being of a single mind.

When Lin Yuan sent Chen Baisong off, he warned: “It’s still the old rule, the common people can’t be touched, the officials you can do whatever you want.”

Chen Baisong nodded. He still felt dazed when he saw Lin Yuan, but he was not as restrained as before. Since that night, Lin Yuan had not called Chen Baisong to enter the palace, so Chen Baisong could only stay in the military camp.

Lin Yuan also didn’t want to push Chen Baisong too closely. This time Chen Baisong went on the expedition to give both parties a cooling-off period.

He believed that Chen Baisong would figure it out.

“Han Lin’er…..” Lin Yuan sighed, “Give him a whole corpse and bury him well.”

Burying him well meant that it could not be discarded at will, and at least a coffin must be prepared.

Chen Baisong nodded: “I understand.”

Lin Yuan handed the tiger tally to Chen Baisong: “Go, take care.”

Before leaving, Chen Baisong took a deep look at Lin Yuan, and then he whipped his horse and left with a mighty army of tens of thousands.

After Chen Baisong was gone, Lin Yuan returned to the study to read through the memorials.

When he was reading through the memorials, there was only Er Liang by his side. He had followed him for many years and knew what kind of tea he liked to drink and what temperature he liked it to be. Observing words and expressions was a matter of skill. While Er Liang was not naturally talented, he made up for it with hard work.

The first memorial he picked up was from Zhou Rong, which mainly said: “I have already done what Your Majesty has entrusted, the schools in each district have been completely set up, the children of the common people have also been sent in to study, and the written text has also been mostly simplified. I have come up with a general outline, and they are all attached in the booklet, please take a look. I ask Your Majesty to be sympathetic, and find some more people for this official, the previous scholars have left halfway, and there is no one left in my hands.”

Lin Yuan took a sip of tea, but couldn’t hold back his anger, he took a deep breath: “Er Liang.”

Er Liang said quickly, “The servant is here.”

Lin Yuan: “Go, get Song Lian and Song Shizhao for me!”

Er Liang didn’t know what was going on, so he quickly relayed the order.

He was Lin Yuan’s close attendant, and he would not leave the palace easily. This kind of trivial matter of finding someone only needed to be instructed to the internal officials.

The eunuchs rarely have errands, so they gathered around Er Liang and said, “Good brother, give us some hints, what is His Majesty’s mood? We will have a general understanding in our hearts, which will help us talk when we go out.”

Er Liang: “You just tell them to be obedient before His Majesty.”

The eunuchs understood, these two lords made His Majesty angry.

The eunuchs depended on this to live. Towards the people the emperor liked, when they go to call them over, they must flatter and say good things.

Those the emperor disliked, they would put on the appropriate attitude accordingly.

There was the intention of holding up and stepping down, but the most important thing was to remind the other party what the situation was now, the other party would remember this favor, for the possibility when they would need to ask for help in the future.

Song Shizhao walked beside the eunuch: “Zhao Gonggong, has His Majesty said anything?”

Zhao Gonggong was a young man with a face shaped like a melon. He was not favored in the previous dynasty. He had always been a eunuch relegated to manual labor, such as being in charge of the sweeping. Later, the imperial city changed hands, and he was lucky enough to be assigned to the Yanchun Pavilion as a sweeping eunuch. He then tried his best to have a good relationship with Er Liang, finally allowing him to have today’s dignity.

They were eunuchs, rootless people, and the only thing left to care about in this life was face and dignity.

Only by being loyal to His Majesty could they maintain their dignity.

Zhao Gonggong glanced at Song Shizhao, knowing Song Shizhao’s status his tone softened a lot: “My lord, why not think over it some more?”

Song Shizhao really couldn’t think of anything. He had been busy with the imperial examinations recently. Whether it was the test questions or the system, he was still discussing and negotiating.

Song Lian didn’t know either, he had been preoccupied revising books recently.

Mainly revising the dictionary, this was a job given to him by Lin Yuan, cooperating with Zhou Rong to get the dictionary in simplified Chinese characters. Song Lian’s head almost went bald during this period.

Every morning when he woke up, the pillow was covered with clumps of hair.

He was always afraid that his teacher and the sages would climb out of the underworld and give him a good beating.

Simplifying the orthodox characters, Song Lian didn’t even dare to think about it. Those were texts that had evolved from ancient Chinese characters, and changing even a single stroke was like killing him.

But he also knew that he could not persuade Lin Yuan, because this was a good thing.

This showed that knowledge was no longer monopolized by a small group of people.

Reading was difficult, and the difficulty lay in recognizing words.

Children’s enlightenment began by learning to memorize characters first, and then match the words on books, one by one, the smart learned quickly, but the dense were hard to say.

Not to mention the children of common people, the whole family was illiterate, they have no enlightenment, and they wouldn’t be able to keep up even after being sent to school.

Oh, the word illiteracy was said by His Majesty, Song Lian thought it was quite appropriate.

So Song Lian toughened his scalp and continued and his work without shirking his duties.

This was a good thing, but it would lead to infamy, and it might take decades and hundreds of years for his name to be corrected.

For this reason, he was now editing books at the Hanlin Academy, and he did not have contact with anyone except his colleagues.

He didn’t want to hear how the outside world scolded him.

Song Shizhao and Song Lian met each other at the entrance of the Yude Hall. Seeing that the other party also had a confused expression, they knew that neither of them knew what made Lin Yuan unhappy.

But no matter what it was, if the emperor was unhappy, then it must be the fault of the official, don’t care who was in the wrong, just admit their wrong first.

As soon as the two entered, they saw Lin Yuan sitting behind the desk with a dark face, the tea by his hand still steaming.

Song Shizhao and Song Lian wanted to make greetings, but Lin Yuan’s tone was cold and hard: “No need, come here.”

Lin Yuan threw the memorial to them: “Take a good look at it, what do you see?”

Song Shizhao and Song Lian didn’t dare to dally, they read the memorial together, and they were shocked after reading it.

Song Shizhao secretly scolded those scholars for being stupid, not only were they stupid they were poisonous. What did they mean to act this way? Was this slapping Zhou Rong in the face? It was slapping His Majesty’s face! To say it lightly, this was great disrespect, and to say it seriously this was duping one’s sovereign! This was a death penalty whether light or serious!

They were just relying on the fact that there was no one in His Majesty’s hands, it was just to use the so-called literati style to force His Majesty. No wonder His Majesty had displayed such anger.

Even if His Majesty had ordered those men to be arrested and killed, Song Shizhao would still feel that it was entirely appropriate.

When the emperors of the Yuan Dynasty were on the throne, why didn’t they have such a noble spirit?

Song Lian’s expression also changed, Song Shizhao was angry, he was frightened.

What he was afraid of was that Lin Yuan would get angry and kill people, and the court, which had finally stabilized, would be thrown into turmoil again.

After all, apart from those who resigned on their own, there were still a lot of sons from well-behaved families doing practical things. He was afraid that killing those disobedient ones would result in chilling the hearts of the obedient.

“Your Majesty.” Song Shizhao was about to speak, but Song Lian interrupted him at this moment, “Your Majesty, according to this official, it’s better to send them home and ask them to discipline themselves.”

Lin Yuan sneered: “They slapped Zhen in the face and you say to send them home to enjoy themselves?”

Song Lian: “Your Majesty can punish one person, but if you punish as many as ten people, I’m afraid that rumors will spread wildly and chill the hearts of more people.”

Lin Yuan couldn’t swallow his anger, he had a cold face, his gaze causing Song Lian and Song Shizhao to tremble with fear.

Lin Yuan was now more imposing, even just curving the corners of his mouth down, he could scare the people who were serving him.

“Fine, then bestow a plaque to every household!” Lin Yuan, “Bestow them with the words “stubbornly sticking to old ways”!”

Song Lian lowered his head a little lower. So long as he didn’t kill people, it would be fine. With these words used to label them publicly, those families would not be able to get up again for generations.

Song Shizhao said: “These words are good.”

The plaques were ready very quickly.

When the master artisan was making the plaque, the apprentice asked, “Master, what does this mean?”

The old master artisan was illiterate and did not know: “Making it into a plaque, it must be a compliment, right? Those families are blessed!”

When they heard that His Majesty bestowed a plaque to them, the several families rejoiced.

It must be that His Majesty saw their benefits, so he gave them a plaque to recruit them.

But the result was, when the plaque was hung up, the red silk was pulled down, and four large characters appeared in front of their eyes, the family patriarch was unable to stand the impact, eyes rolling back and fainting.

Everyone in the family was silent, only the sound of a child reciting: “stubbornly sticking to old ways.”

His mother covered his mouth, and the entire family could no longer make a smile.

This was the plaque given by His Majesty, they couldn’t put it down, everyone who came and went could see it, and those literate would laugh at them.

These words came from “Self-litigation” written by Liu Shu of the Song Dynasty.

“Stubbornly sticking to old ways, not changing with the times, becoming stagnant and broken, toiling but accomplishing little.”

This was to say that their family was stagnating and conservative, ignorant of progress, and advocating old-fashioned laws.

It was only then that the matter of the younger generation in the family was revealed. The one who was chosen by Zhou Rong had already gone home, and even his parents only thought that their son had a falling out with Zhou Rong.

The old patriarch fell ill from anger, lying on the bed gasping for breath.

As tree bark to a tree, keeping up appearance is important to a person, their family’s face was lost completely, no matter who walked past this house, they could point fingers at them.

How could the ignorant family personally pointed out by the emperor not be seen with contempt?

The other families were in a similar situation.

There were ten families who received this plaque in the capital. They used to be wealthy affluent families, but now their faces have been trampled on the ground.

Even other aristocratic families didn’t pity them.

Aristocratic families have the wisdom of aristocratic families, and they felt that these families were short-sighted.

If you have the guts, go to persuade the emperor, kowtow your head, kowtow your life away, that way at least you would have a good reputation from using your life to persuade.

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

But in contrast, you only dared to show your attitude to the unimportant Zhou Rong and slap Zhou Rong in the face? Standing behind Zhou Rong was the emperor!

Such stupidity caused people to be unable to develop even a speck of pity.

It just made others feel that such stupid people were better off going back to their hometowns and be a farmer.

If you would like to show some ♡  then please consider supporting this translator! ლ(⌒εー)ლ

Prev