Chapter 268 Tricycle

"I really don't know. I'll go take a look later, at least I'll see what it looks like inside!"

"You're such a busybody. Here, have a drink." Mu Kaiji poured him a Coke and picked up a chicken leg.

[Host, there really is a brothel next door.]

【If you put it that way, aren't there a lot of juicy gossip?】 Since there is, let's go and enjoy it.

Yes, there's a woman downstairs who came from next door.

[The person on the other side?]

【No, she's a customer. There are also male escorts across from her; you can choose one later.】

I originally planned to go and take a look after I had eaten and drunk my fill, but I was stopped.

Emperor Xuande summoned her to the palace.

【Why do I feel like they're preventing me from visiting brothels?】 But it's okay, they can only stop me for a while, not forever.

Anyway, she's definitely going.

Upon entering the palace and arriving at the Imperial Study, one could see that all six ministers were present, and it was immediately clear that something significant had occurred.

"Your Majesty, it's the New Year, and it's not time for court yet. What's wrong?"

If they go back to their hometown for the Chinese New Year, how will you persuade them to come back?

"Take a look at this memorial. Your father just sent it over." Upon hearing that it was a memorial delivered by her father at great speed, Ji Yingying immediately picked it up and began to read it.

The memorial stated that a village near Linfeng City had contracted a plague, which was caused by deliberate poisoning, and asked the Emperor how to deal with it.

"Are my parents alright? How could someone take their own life during the Lunar New Year?"

[Xiangxiang, quickly check if something has happened to my parents!]

We can't find it. It's so far away; we're just a gossip-eating system.

“Your parents are fine. They were discovered early, and the imperial physicians intervened in time. They are alright. They just need supplies. Although the people of Linfeng City are growing corn and sweet potatoes, they can only grow one crop a year there. They can't grow two crops. Besides, that area is close to the desert, and nothing can be grown there.”

That's why Ji Cailiang couldn't come back so quickly. Now he's a subject of the Tianyou Dynasty, so how could he not be allowed to eat his fill?

"First, send the supplies there and have someone send the soil back. I'll study it and find a crop suitable for that land."

She had never considered this question before; if it weren't for her father, she wouldn't want to think about it at all.

"Very well." Emperor Xuande began arranging to send more things over, but the journey was long and it might be difficult to deliver them!

"Your Majesty, you really don't know how to think. A bicycle has two wheels, so let's add another wheel in the back to make it three wheels. Then, spread the three wheels out a bit and put a cargo board on it. That's how you get a bicycle."

Despite this, Ji Yingying had no intention of helping, but Minister Gong immediately said, "Your Highness is right. Please help us to make the carts before the grain is ready."

[This old man, he even called out "Prince" for this thing; he's definitely suited to be a beast of burden!]

Minister Gong didn't care what Ji Yingying said. After all, he himself would benefit from it. Before Ji Yingying came, their Ministry of Works was often bullied.

Nowadays, their Ministry of Works is practically the court's number one "weapon" because they deal with all sorts of extremely important things.

"Why don't you do your own research and come up with it?" Ji Yingying immediately refused. The Emperor had said that this year she was to research hybrid rice and make the rice yield more than 1,000 catties per mu.

Although... it might be impossible to do, she still wants to do it.

"Yingying, you should discuss this with Minister Gong. If there really is something this good, it will definitely be another great thing for our Tianyou Dynasty."

"Okay, we'll talk about it later!"

After that, Ji Yingying had no time to deal with that brothel at all, and instead led people to research tricycles at the Ministry of Works.

The research was quick, and by the time the supplies were dispatched, she had already created the shape.

All that's left is to assemble it!

I feel like I'm becoming an all-knowing figure in this world, with everyone wanting me to do this and that.

Ji Yingying's complaints were not wrong. If the retired emperor treated her as a sharp blade to kill anyone he could get his hands on, then the Xuande Emperor regarded her as a "national treasure." After all, she was full of technology, and if all of it were researched and developed...

With the Heavenly Blessing Dynasty, how could it not be powerful? With a strong people and a strong army!

[You're like this now, you feel like the Ministry of Works has become your home.]

[Hehe~ Work is too tiring, give me some melon! I feel like there are more and more women in our department, is the era of women's rise coming?]

[It's already here! Last year, a law was issued allowing women to go out and do business, become officials, and get divorced. If a man maliciously harms a woman, his entire family can be exiled if the woman files for divorce. If a woman mistreats a man's family, she will also be exiled—fair treatment! Anyway, the Women's Federation you've been longing for has appeared!]

Yes, I forgot about this.

[Also, the brothels you've been longing for are now under strict control. So, you can't go to brothels—no, you can't go. Children are now strictly forbidden from entering, and any brothel will be shut down immediately if caught.]

[The Xuande Emperor seems to have acted with remarkable speed and efficiency; he's already pulled this off. Does this mean I can't go to the brothel next to my restaurant?]

[Yes, come on, let's have some gossip. Did you see that man?] Xiangxiang gave a location, and Ji Yingying saw him at a glance. She quickly asked what was going on.

He hates the current laws and is determined to overthrow them, so that men can once again control women.

What did he do? Why does he hate women so much?

[The injustices of the world weren't in his family; he simply hated women. He believed women should stay home, be good wives and mothers, and manage household chores, instead of going out into the world. He would beat women who disobeyed, and he even thought it was better for women to be incompetent, as too much education was detrimental. He didn't allow his three daughters to study or understand right from wrong; they were only made to do housework. Furthermore, he taught them that after marriage, they must obey their husbands' families, and if their husbands' families wanted them to die, they had to die.]

[What the hell? Why isn't he at home taking care of his wife and children?] Ji Yingying was somewhat helpless. How could there be such a person here?

Being his daughter is so miserable!

[His eldest daughter was bullied and wanted a divorce, but he disagreed. She's afraid of him and doesn't dare cause trouble. Now, she gets beaten up at the slightest provocation, and she's even contemplating suicide.]

Wow, his wife must be suffering a lot too, right?

His wife died long ago, and his current wife is completely unhelpful and can't have children of her own. He has no sons, only three daughters.

I reckon they'll have to live in a nursing home someday.

Ji Yingying thought she could lend a hand and, while she was at it, have the Women's Federation members teach him a lesson.

The idea had barely crossed her mind when Xiangxiang said, "Let's go back early, we need to go see a play. His second daughter is going to cause trouble."

[Quickly, tell me, what are you trying to cause trouble for?]