Chapter 101 Fifty Miners

It was not without reason that a girls' school was to be established, and the headmistress of the girls' school was also a woman who concurrently served as a Doctor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and was in charge of education in Pingzhou. This was truly good news, as it meant that the status of women was further improved.

As Zhao Xiheng said, Pingzhou has the best gender equality system in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

First, the climate is harsh, with almost half the year spent in winter. Anyone who can survive and thrive there is a capable person, regardless of gender, and deserves respect.

Secondly, the region is home to many ethnic groups, most of whom are not Han Chinese and have not been heavily influenced by rigid etiquette, thus having their own set of rules for conduct.

It was much easier to establish a girls' school in Pingzhou than in Jinyang.

However, when Zhao Xiheng issued this decree, a few people were dissatisfied and tried to remonstrate and obstruct it, but they dared not react too strongly.

Because of this one matter, Zhao Xiheng's performance displeased them. Not to mention that the organization is now almost complete and its operation is much smoother than before, the large experimental field at the foot of the mountain is growing well, so they dare not be too forceful in questioning Zhao Xiheng.

"Such a big matter should be left for our lord to return so he can make the decision."

"Yes, establishing girls' schools and appointing women as Taichang Doctors is not something to be taken lightly; it is a major undertaking."

Zhao Xiheng glanced at them a few times and said, "If I said that I would establish an Imperial Academy in Buxian and appoint men as Taichang Doctors, would you still object?"

Construction of the academy has already begun and it should be completed by mid-September. At that time, the girls' school in Pingzhou will have made a good start, and women like Sun Zhaoxun will not have their talents buried.

The people sitting below looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhao Xiheng took out another letter, folded it up and down, revealing only a paragraph: "I have already informed the lord of this matter, and he said it is entirely up to me to decide. If you do not believe me, you can come forward and see."

To put it bluntly, no one can imitate Wei Li's handwriting; his personal style is too distinctive.

Zhao Xiheng's first reaction upon receiving the letter was: He definitely hasn't practiced his calligraphy! His handwriting looks like earthworms crawling!

My second reaction: He talks so much, how did he manage to write six whole pages?

The people below continued to look at each other, not believing that Zhao Xiheng would deceive them with such a thing.

To them, Wei Li was a terrifying figure, like a demon. They dared to contradict Zhao Xiheng, but how could they dare to contradict Wei Li? So they could only grit their teeth and leave.

He muttered to himself, "My lord is being too reckless. Is he really going to let a woman run rampant in this vast Pingzhou?"

Little did they know that Pingzhou under Wei Li was guarded by Zhao Xiheng, and the battles were fought for Zhao Xiheng. In fact, Pingzhou was Zhao Xiheng's private property, and she could do whatever she wanted with it.

Whether you call him a foolish ruler or an incompetent one, he doesn't care. After all, he's been blinded by lust for a long time; it's an old problem he has no intention of curing.

Wei Liyuan, who was being talked about, sneezed in Fuyu, which startled everyone around him, who quickly surrounded him to offer their concern and care.

"My lord, are you alright?"

"My lord, would you like some hot water?"

"My lord, please rest. You haven't slept for three days straight."

For most people, a cold and sneezing are minor ailments, but for Wei Li, it's a serious matter. He doesn't get sick often, but when he does, it's like he's half-dead, like the time he had a high fever.

We are now at a critical juncture in our attack on Northern Goguryeo, and if our commander falls ill, it will inevitably delay our progress.

Wei Li shoved them all away, rubbed his nose, and shouted sternly, "Get out of here!"

"What are you all doing crowding around here, you clueless idiots?"

Knowing that their lord had become increasingly irritable these days, the generals fell silent and withdrew.

Wei Li's temper was getting worse and worse, becoming frighteningly fierce, and his face grew darker and darker each day, almost black enough to drip water.

His pale face, gloomy temperament, jet-black hair and eyelashes, long and slightly upturned eyes, and thin, tightly pursed lips, never smiling, all added to his terrifying aura. Wherever he went, he exuded a gloomy and ominous presence.

Everyone thought he was annoyed because he was impatient with the entanglement with Goguryeo, so they often mustered up their courage to advise him that Goguryeo would be conquered soon and that he shouldn't be too angry.

Wei Li was indeed proud of Goguryeo, but more importantly, he missed Zhao Xiheng more and more each day.

He couldn't eat or sleep properly all day. Whenever he had free time, his mind was filled with thoughts of her, wondering what she was doing that day, whether she was thinking of him, and wanting to touch her hair and kiss the corner of her mouth.

Wei Li was desperate to see the person, almost to the point of obsession, but they were so far away, by the time he got back, it would be too late.

So he didn't trace any of the calligraphy samples Zhao Xiheng assigned him. Instead, he wrote her name a thousand or eight hundred times, writing it when he couldn't sleep and when he had free time.

The two ounces of weight I finally gained after morning sickness have all vanished with this display of affection, not to mention I've lost several pounds, making my brow bones and nose bridge appear even more prominent, and my whole person looks sharper.

But he wouldn't tell these people that he missed his wife. Did these roughnecks even know what love was? It would be like casting pearls before swine to swine.

And to think about a wife like this, how pathetic!

No one would have guessed that Wei Li's mind wasn't on career or ambition, but entirely on love and romance.

Wei Li was anxious. At this rate, he estimated that he would not be able to return until early September, which would coincide with Zhao Xiheng giving birth in a few days. Wei Li felt that this was not acceptable and that he should return no later than mid-August.

The battle line moved further north, plunging the already oppressive Goguryeo royal palace into an even more tense atmosphere, with many palace servants fleeing with their valuables.

The King of Goguryeo was so anxious that his mouth was covered in blisters. He sent a message to his rebellious son who had split off from the kingdom, asking him to come to his rescue. But the message was intercepted before it could reach him, and he never heard from him again.

Zhao Mingxin had already secretly started packing his valuables, preparing to flee.

She really didn't expect that Wei Li would almost push the minion wave to the Goguryeo capital. The Goguryeo king was such an old and useless coward that he couldn't be relied on at all.

Zhao Ming cursed inwardly, but outwardly he still had to flatter the person.

With her own safety at stake, she couldn't care less about cursing Zhao Xiheng. However, she was still angry. Why did Zhao Xiheng get all the good things in the world?

Both were princesses whose kingdoms were on the verge of collapse, but Zhao Xiheng's husband was young and capable, while hers was not so fortunate. Heaven was truly blind.

Since Wei Li left, perhaps others have felt there was an opportunity, and recently Bu Xian has arrested many spies and agents.

Zhao Xiheng had long anticipated this would happen. Even when Wei Li was still alive, she had already deployed people. Half a month later, following the trail of the spies, she actually traced the clues back to Hua Shangle.

She didn't believe it at first. How could Hua Shangle, who had helped Wei Li time and time again, do such an improper thing?

But the facts were undeniable, leaving her no choice but to believe it. If it wasn't a spy, could it be that Hua Shang Le sent someone to visit relatives?

Knowing that his people had been arrested, Hua Shangle's mood wavered between giving up and seeking peace.

Everyone has ambition; once things are good, they want to be even better. He was originally caught between Youzhou and Qingzhou, only seeking comfort. Later, he became stable, but then worried that Wei Li in the north would become too powerful and might eventually try to annex him. Rather than let someone else annex him, he decided to take the initiative and act first.

The scouts were intercepted by Zhao Xiheng as soon as they were sent out, and caught red-handed.

If he were to launch an attack on Pingzhou now, the outcome would be uncertain. However, if he did not attack Pingzhou, given Wei Li's vengeful nature, he would certainly face dire consequences upon his return.

After much hesitation, he decided to write an apology letter to Zhao Xiheng.

He only sent a few spies to test the waters. Although it wasn't exactly honorable, it wasn't enough to cause the state to be wiped out. If he spoke a little more sincerely, even if Zhao Xiheng was difficult to talk to, she would definitely be easier to talk to than Wei Li. He could also give her some money to help her out.

In short, without complete certainty, he dared not openly break ties with anyone. Jizhou was such a small place that it couldn't withstand his antics.

If there is one thing to say about Hua Shangle's greatest strength, it is his caution. He never does anything he is not sure of. However, this caution can sometimes be a hindrance, causing him to hesitate and be overly cautious in his actions.

Hua Shangle prepared to give Zhao Xiheng twenty boxes of gold, asking her to let the matter go lightly. However, Zhao Xiheng extorted fifty boxes of gold from him before the matter was settled.

Hua Shangle felt that the couple was both heartless. Wei Li had taken two gold mines from him last time, and he couldn't eat for two months. Now Zhao Xiheng had taken fifty boxes of gold from him, and he would be in pain for a while.

Looking at the boxes of gold being stored away, Song Xuan sighed slightly, "Jizhou has many mountains and mines, and produces a lot of gold and coal every year. It's really a big fat sheep."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiheng seemed to be deep in thought. A flash of inspiration struck her, and she quickly clapped her hands, urging her to go to Jizhou again.

Hua Shangle reluctantly sent away the gold, but then the envoy from Pingzhou arrived again. "What do you want this time?"

He spoke with a pained expression.

As the envoy, Song Xuan said with a smile, "My lady has heard that Jizhou is rich in minerals, and the miners are skilled and experienced, truly invaluable talents. She would like to borrow fifty men from you. What do you think..."

She paused, looked at Hua Shangle thoughtfully, and her meaning was clear—she wanted him to hand over the person.

As mentioned before, Pingzhou is located in the Northeast, where it is cold for almost half the year and requires a large amount of coal.

Before the Great Zhou Dynasty split, it relied on purchasing coal from other prefectures to meet its winter needs. Therefore, the coal mines in Pingzhou had never been mined, and naturally, there were no people skilled in mining.

However, Zhao Xiheng felt that the current situation was not good. Pingzhou was fighting one place today and another tomorrow, and the trade routes to the south were almost blocked. If they could not buy coal, Pingzhou would have a hard time getting through the winter.

Last winter, Youzhou and Qingzhou blocked all trade routes, leaving only Jizhou as a single point of contact for coal trade. Now that Hua Shangle has also developed ulterior motives, the Jizhou trade route is probably no longer viable.

As the old saying goes, "It's better to have your own than to have your own parents' help." Ask Hua Shangle for some people, and they'll be released after they finish learning coal mining.

Jizhou is mountainous and rich in minerals, and it got its fortune through mining. Experienced miners are Jizhou's most valuable asset. Zhao Xiheng wanted to borrow fifty people at once, and Hua Shangle was heartbroken. He tried to bargain, saying, "Thirty people, no more than that."

Song Xuan's eyes lit up, and she shook hands with him. "Deal! It's settled then! Thirty, not one less!"

The lady is indeed cunning!

They calculated that borrowing twenty miners from Jizhou would be enough, but Zhao Xiheng told Song Xuan to ask for fifty, and then they bargained with him. Unexpectedly, Hua Shangle was quite cunning and lent out thirty at once.

Upon seeing Song Xuan's expression, Hua Shangle knew he had been tricked. However, he had given the order for thirty people, and a man's word is his bond. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and select thirty experienced miners to send to Pingzhou.