Chapter 157 Prejudice

At dawn that day, Xue Nanzhi accompanied Li Yuanzhao to inspect the progress of the canal construction.

Both men were dressed in neat black outfits, with their trousers rolled up to their knees, walking on the freshly turned soil.

Li Yuanzhao walked ahead, stopping from time to time to bend down and check the depth and slope of the irrigation canal. Occasionally, he would take the blueprints handed to him by the craftsmen and examine them carefully.

Xue Nanzhi followed behind her, looking at the princess in front of her, and couldn't help but think of what had happened before.

When she was doing business in Lingnan, she had to put a lot of effort into her appearance in order to get closer to the local officials and to gain a foothold in the male-dominated business world.

She would carefully select charming and delicate dresses, apply exquisite makeup, and even meticulously match the hairpins in her hair, all to please those men.

It's not that I like it, but that I have no choice but to do it.

After all, in a male-dominated environment, a "beautiful female boss" always has more advantages.

Even if you're just selling tofu, if the owner is beautiful, she'll be called a "tofu beauty," and her business will be more prosperous, and she'll earn more money.

Back then, she was used to using her beauty to please others, used to listening to those malicious jokes at the dinner table, and had to pretend to be calm and deal with them, smiling and saying "thank you for your kind words".

However, after following Li Yuanzhao, she suddenly realized that she had gained confidence.

The men who used to need her to please her are now all fawning over her because of her new identity.

Nowadays, you can wear whatever you want, depending entirely on your mood.

If you want to be carefree, wear coarse linen clothes like these, and don't care if they get dirty.

If you suddenly feel like dressing up nicely, it's just to make yourself happy, and it has nothing to do with anyone else.

This carefree freedom was something she had never experienced in all her years in Lingnan.

"Your Highness!"

Just then, a voice suddenly came, interrupting Xue Nanzhi's thoughts.

She looked up and saw a familiar figure digging in the ditch not far away.

It was none other than Shi Zhu, the former "rebel leader" and now the newly appointed Vice Magistrate of Weizhou.

Upon seeing the two men, he hurriedly put down the carrying pole on his shoulder, wiped his muddy hands haphazardly on his mud-splattered clothes, and climbed out of the ditch.

Shi Zhu walked up to the two of them, her hands still slightly clenched, her expression showing a hint of undisguised fear and trepidation.

He was originally just a servant. Although he had studied with the young master and learned some principles, he never imagined that someone like him would one day wear official robes and hold an official position.

When His Highness offered him the position of Junior Magistrate, his first reaction was to refuse.

Although he organized a large number of disaster victims to "rebel" in order to avenge them, he had neither read many classic texts nor understood the rules of officialdom, and was simply not up to the task of holding the position.

But Li Yuanzhao only said one sentence: "Letting the people of the world live a good life is more gratifying for your son than avenging him."

These words instantly enlightened Shi Zhu.

He suddenly remembered that the young master's greatest dream was to ensure that all people in the world had food to eat and clothes to wear, so that they would no longer suffer from hunger and cold.

These days, he has been so engrossed in his desire for revenge that he has forgotten the young master's true wish.

If we can fulfill the young master's last wish, perhaps that would be the best way to honor him.

It was with this belief that Shi Zhu finally agreed.

However, he really had no experience in being an official. This time, he was assigned to be in charge of the construction of the irrigation canal. Apart from keeping an eye on the progress every day, he spent the rest of his time working with the craftsmen and disaster victims.

He did everything himself, from carrying soil and digging ditches to moving stones, working alongside everyone else.

Standing before the princess, he felt a little embarrassed, afraid that he hadn't done enough.

“Your Highness, Madam Xue,” he reported respectfully, “the craftsmen say that at this rate, the canal will be completed in another month.”

“A month?” Li Yuanzhao frowned upon hearing this. “In another month it will be December. It’s supposed to snow in Weizhou in December. When it’s freezing cold and the soil is frozen, it will be difficult for the project to proceed.”

Shi Zhu looked troubled and said, "I have already mobilized all the disaster victims I can. It's just that... manpower is limited, and the progress can only go this far."

Li Yuanzhao didn't say anything more, his gaze sweeping over the group of people working by the canal.

The men, bare-armed, wielded hoes and shovels, sweat streaming down their faces.

After observing for a moment, she suddenly asked, "Why are they all men? Why are there no women?"

Shi Zhu was taken aback, clearly not expecting to be asked this question, and subconsciously replied, "This is the long-standing rule. In the past, heavy work such as repairing canals and digging ditches was done by men, and women have never been allowed to do it."

Li Yuanzhao looked directly at him. "Have you asked them? Is it that they don't want to do it, or that you don't want them to do it?"

Shi Zhu hurriedly waved her hands, her tone urgent: "No, Your Highness, that's not what I meant! It's just that digging ditches is hard work, I'm afraid..."

Li Yuanzhao interrupted him directly, asking in return, "Who told you that women can't do hard work?"

Shi Zhu then realized his mistake and quickly said, "This humble official knows his mistake. I will send someone to recruit women immediately!"

Li Yuanzhao nodded, said nothing more, and turned to continue walking deeper into the canal.

Xue Nanzhi followed behind, her heart touched once again.

Yes, the canal construction was a form of "work-for-relief," meaning that you would receive a day's wages for each day's work.

For disaster victims who lack food and clothing, this is a good opportunity to earn money and make a living, and women may well be willing to come.

Historically, such important matters have been assumed to be men's work, euphemistically called "so as not to make things difficult for women." But upon closer examination, this is hardly "consideration."

Why is it that men can do things in this world but women can't? What kind of logic is that?

These so-called "rules" are nothing more than prejudice disguised under the guise of "sympathy".

Following Li Yuanzhao's instructions, Shi Zhu posted recruitment notices inside and outside Weizhou City that very day.

Regardless of gender, anyone willing to participate in the construction of the irrigation canal would not only receive two meals a day, but also ten coins as wages, the same as men.

At first, Shi Zhu was worried that not many women would come, but to his surprise, less than an hour after the notice was posted, a long queue formed at the registration point next to the irrigation canal construction site.

There were young girls, middle-aged women, and even a few elderly women with gray hair but still very energetic.

Everyone followed the men, digging ditches and carrying soil, and no one complained.

Their movements may not be as powerful as men's, but they are exceptionally serious and meticulous.

When digging trenches, they carefully follow the lines drawn by the craftsmen to ensure that the depth and width are exactly the same.

They are very careful when carrying soil to avoid spilling it onto the newly leveled road surface.

Even experienced old craftsmen couldn't help but praise: "Women are meticulous, and they do a better job than those rough men!"

The men were initially somewhat unconvinced, thinking that women couldn't do heavy work.

But seeing that the women not only never complained of being tired, but also did their work quickly and well, he gradually stopped looking down on them and even took the initiative to help them out.

And so, the work that was originally expected to take a month to complete was finished in less than half a month thanks to everyone's joint efforts.

(1000 wen = 1 guan, 10 wen - 20 wen ≈ 1 dou of rice, 1 dou of rice is approximately equal to 6 kilograms in modern terms.)

In times of peace and prosperity, an ordinary person could earn 20 to 40 coins a day.