Chapter 115

Over the years, nearly a thousand people have been exiled to the West Field, most of whom died before they even reached the end of the year. Fewer than five hundred remain. As the weather gets colder, the number of survivors will dwindle. Zhou Jingchen took a group away last time, and now there are only about three hundred left in the West Field. However, this year is another cold winter, rare in decades, and it's unclear how many will still be alive after this winter.

Ye Qinghe was a bit surprised when he received the news. What on earth would his brother-in-law want with these exiles in such a cold weather? However, he also knew that Zhou Jingchen was not an ordinary person. He didn't need to question his actions. He simply gathered these people together efficiently. According to the instructions above, he first questioned them one by one.

From more than three hundred people, seven were finally selected.

However, these seven people didn't fully understand civil engineering; some had only read relevant books and perhaps a superficial understanding. Ye Qinghe wasn't sure what kind of talent Zhou Jingchen needed, so he listed all those who were relevant. They were all sent to the Libei Town Walled City.

When the people were sent over, Zhou Jingchen was at the outskirts of the city, personally supervising his soldiers to do some simple protection.

It was unlikely that the Turkic or northern nomadic tribes would show up in such heavy snow. After all, running around in such weather would likely freeze them to death. However, that didn't mean there was no chance of a surprise attack. Last winter, they suffered a surprise attack, and their granaries were burned.

"Master, the people sent from the West Field have arrived." A guard hurried over.

Zhou Jingchen stood on the city wall and looked into the distance. He nodded and called Sun Yushan.

He ordered Sun Yushan to send someone to keep a close eye on the area while he returned to his tent. The weather was too cold, and the thin tent wasn't warm enough. A brazier was burning inside. Zhou Jingchen worried that the people in the north wouldn't be able to survive such a cold winter. He needed to find time to make kangs more widely available. It was time to share the kang design he had received from Ye Jia earlier with the people.

With these thoughts in mind, he arrived at the tent and sat down to warm himself for a moment when a soldier led a few shabby-dressed men over.

Speaking of which, there was a familiar face among the group. Zhou Jingchen spotted the man the moment they knelt, and even though his features were so grimy that they couldn't be fully discerned, Zhou Jingchen recognized him instantly. This man, who boasted of having read Lu Ban's book, was none other than the former Minister of Revenue who had embezzled flood relief funds from Lingnan over four years earlier. Zhou Jingchen had personally handled the case back then, and he hadn't expected the man to survive and find himself under his nose again.

The man's face paled as he took one look at Zhou Jingchen. They'd been reclaiming wasteland in the West Field since their exile, so they weren't well-informed. Naturally, they hadn't known the Northwest had changed hands. And that change of ownership was none other than Zhou Jingchen. Suddenly, the man's legs trembled, and he fell to the ground.

"You, you..." The man pointed at Zhou Jingchen and was so frightened that he couldn't speak. "Why is it you?!"

Zhou Jingchen didn't even ask any questions and just asked someone to send the man out.

Zhou Jingchen couldn't quite remember the former Minister of Revenue's name, but he remembered exactly what he had done. How could someone who couldn't even do their job well understand construction? Trying to get away with it with eloquence wouldn't work with Zhou Jingchen.

Two people came in immediately, grabbed the man and dragged him out. Because of this incident, the remaining six people looked at each other in bewilderment, their faces pale. Some of those who had the same idea as the man just now were already afraid, trembling and not daring to raise their heads. Zhou Jingchen glanced coldly at the group of people, and those who felt guilty began to tremble. However, Zhou Jingchen did not jump to conclusions based on this. Instead, he ordered people to bring pens, ink, paper and inkstone. He gave each person a piece of paper and asked them to draw a diagram of the construction of the fortress.

"This, this..." Draw a structural diagram of the walled city? How to draw a structural diagram of the walled city?

Some still tried to fill in the gaps, their foreheads covered in sweat. Zhou Jingchen passed out paper and pens and then ignored them, only asking a guard to light a stick of incense. "You can think freely until this stick burns out."

There were many who wanted to take advantage of the situation. Suiye Town was a hell of a place, and if they could just survive this cold winter, they'd freeze to death. They desperately wanted to escape, so they'd resorted to all sorts of tricks to get out. But they hadn't expected to run into Zhou Jingchen right away. They watched as the incense stick slowly burned, getting shorter and shorter...

The pen dipped in ink stayed on the paper for a long time without going down, which meant it didn't work at all.

Zhou Jingchen sipped his tea with his eyes lowered the entire time. Though he never once glanced up at them, the stern, murderous aura he radiated was so overwhelming that several, unable to bear it, gradually wet their pants with urine. A foul, acrid smell of urine permeated the air, and Zhou Jingchen didn't even need to call for help; someone would rush in and quickly remove the person.

I don't know how much time passed, it felt like a century. The person sitting at the head of the table put down his cup with a clatter, and everyone looked up instantly.

Of the seven people who came in, one was dragged away, and another collapsed in the middle. But the remaining five drawings were still delivered to Zhou Jingchen, and the first one alone made him raise an eyebrow. Even though he hadn't worked in the Ministry of Works, Zhou Jingchen was well-informed and well-read, and he could see the crudeness of the structural drawings. These people were all knowledgeable exiles from Yanjing, and their drawing skills were beyond reproach. However, if they built the fortress according to the items marked on these drawings, they would probably empty it out.

Apart from anything else, these woods alone can save the soldiers in the entire city from eating dry steamed buns for a year.

"Snort—" Zhou Jingchen snorted, and the people below felt their scalps tighten.

Some who thought their drawings were good also looked at Zhou Jingchen fearfully. Zhou Jingchen looked through the structural drawings one by one, and only one looked halfway decent. Zhou Jingchen looked at that one for a long time and asked, "Who drew this?"

The five people were silent for a moment, and then a short middle-aged man stood up and said, "It's me."

"What's your name?"

The man's heart was pounding. He guessed that he had been chosen and couldn't hide his joy. "My surname is Zhao, and my name is Weiqing. I used to work in the Ministry of Works."

Zhao Weiqing, Ministry of Works. Like the previous man, he was exiled after being implicated in the Lingnan flood relief fund embezzlement case four years ago. After careful consideration, this was the only reliable candidate. The remaining four's drawings were completely incoherent. Zhou Jingchen had no intention of executing them; he simply ordered Zhao Weiqing to stay and the others to return to their origins.

Finally, only one of the seven people stayed. Zhou Jingchen asked someone to find a place for Zhao Weiqing to wash up, and then took him directly to the outer city.

Zhao Weiqing had served in the Ministry of Works for a long time and knew a great deal about construction. Upon arriving near the city wall, he first visited the watchtower. It was a wooden structure, specifically constructed by Zhou Jingchen, who had chosen birch, a sturdy wood. However, perhaps due to the tower being too high or some flaw in the foundation, it didn't last long.

"...This tower needs to be repaired using a new method of fitting, which requires an experienced carpenter." Zhao Weiqing took a look and thought for a moment before coming to this conclusion. "If I can find an experienced carpenter, I can draw a diagram and have him follow it."

Zhou Jingchen also guessed that the watchtowers collapsed so easily under the weight of the snow because their joints weren't strong enough. However, there weren't many experienced carpenters in the northwest. This wasn't the lush vegetation of the Central Plains. Most people rarely used wooden utensils, and wooden houses weren't often made of wood. In other words, carpentry wasn't common here. Naturally, their skills weren't as good as those of the traditional carpenters of the Central Plains. But as long as Zhao Weiqing could draw a diagram and have the carpenters follow it, it should be possible.

This was expected, and although it was a bit troublesome, Zhou Jingchen did not object.

He ordered Zhao Weiqing to be taken back and settled, and then he ordered someone to find a skilled carpenter. What he had thought would be a quick fix had been delayed for over ten days. Ye Jia was bored staying home. She had finished looking at the account books, and she didn't have to cook any meals. Since Libei Town wasn't at war anymore, she figured she might be able to help with things like repairing the city walls.

To be honest, when Zhou Jingchen was building the fortress last time, Ye Jia had thought about confessing to him that he could build it. But seeing that he seemed to have the relevant knowledge and that the affairs of the fortress were well organized, he didn't specifically ask for it.

"Mom, do you think my husband ran into any trouble in the fortress?" Ye Jia was really bored. "He hasn't been back for quite some time."

Yu looked at the heavy snow falling outside the window and glanced at Ye Jia unexpectedly.

It wasn't that she was being overly surprised; it was simply that after all the time they'd been married, this was the first time Ye Jia had mentioned Zhou Jingchen. Blinking, Yu Shi didn't specifically mention the incident. She simply turned her head and looked out the window, saying, "There's no fighting in the north. It's probably just the heavy snow that's delayed his journey. He won't be able to return for the time being, right?"

Ye Jia felt the same way when he looked outside. With such heavy snow, the carriage would probably have a hard time getting around. "It's exceptionally cold this year. I wonder if the poorer people can make it..."

She would always remember the drafty conditions at the Zhou residence when she first arrived. She lay in bed, unable to move. Even with the quilt covering her, her hands and feet felt completely warm. It wasn't the coldest then, but it must be unbearable now. Ye Jia wondered if this heavenly home had a kang (kang), which would have held up well, and burning some firewood would have at least helped her get through it.

Several people sat in Yu's room. Fourth Sister Ye and Fifth Sister Ye, each holding a little one, came over from the corridor. Ah Jiu rarely came home, but he couldn't stay idle, so he took a group of brothers to the mountains to hunt. Xishi's shop was closed, so Fourth Sister Ye would learn makeup and clothing from Yu when she had nothing to do.

Ye Wumei tinkered with her food all day, constantly coming up with new and innovative ideas. Her methods would have been impossible in the past, but now the Zhou family had the resources and the abundant food in the cellar. She had plenty of ingredients to work with. Before the winter was even halfway through, Ye Wumei had already come up with a number of new and innovative dishes. She came over with another plate of crispy fried dough twists.

"Try it, sister, auntie." Ye Wumei, wearing a lilac-colored jacket and lightly made up, looked charming and bright. "I put some goat's milk in this crispy little twist. Doesn't it taste sweeter?"

Ye Jia didn't dare eat too much now, fearing the baby would grow too big and cause her future labor pains. She restrained herself and took a small bite, her eyes suddenly lighting up. "Not bad, is that because of the egg? The sweetness is just right."

Yu also tasted a piece and was immediately amazed: "This is better than the snacks sold in the pastry shop in town."

Ye Wumei's eyes narrowed with joy. When she left Luntai, her master had given her some family assets. Ye Wumei planned to open a shop in the town when the time was right. She had originally wanted to open a shop in Luntai, but now that her parents were there, she didn't dare go back. So she thought about staying in Dongxiang Town and staying at her sister's house. Then she could open a shop near Xishi's shop so that they could look after each other.

"Sister, do you think we can open a shop with this level of skill?" Ye Wumei had recently come up with at least ten new kinds of food. Both dishes and snacks were available. Everyone knew Ye Jia was picky, and she wouldn't believe anyone who said something was delicious. She would just stare at Ye Jia intently.

Ye Jia ate a piece and restrained himself from reaching out again: "Yes."

This sentence made Ye Wumei smile brightly: "Okay, next spring, I will buy a shop in town."

Ye Jia didn't see anything wrong with the shop, but Yu Shi and Ye Simei looked at Ye Wumei with strange expressions. Their brows furrowed, their faces heavy with worry. It wasn't that Yu Shi looked down on Ye Wumei, but Ye Wumei was already sixteen. A normal girl would have been married by that age, but Ye Wumei hadn't considered it at all.

However, Yu Shi also knew the situation of the Ye family. It was truly heartbreaking to encounter such a pair of parents who didn't care about their daughter's life or death. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Diniang, are you really not planning to get married?"

Ye Wumei's smile froze, and Ye Simei beside her also had a worried look on her face: "It's not worth it to not get married just because of your parents' nonsense. Fifth sister, women will get married eventually, and now is the right time for you to get married. If you delay it past this age, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find a suitable person..."

"Besides, if you're buying property at your age now," Yu said, "and your parents find out, they can easily take it away if they want."

Unmarried women were not entitled to own property. Even if they had earned their hard-earned money, they were still ineligible. Dayan law stipulated that a woman's property before marriage belonged to her father's family. In other words, if Ye Tongsheng wanted it, he could take it with impunity. Only if Ye Wumei established a household registration for her and had a government official as a guarantor could a woman legitimately keep the family property.

This isn't to say that unmarried women didn't own property. Many women from official families also owned businesses and land. However, these businesses were merely deeds or titles to the land; they only truly passed into the hands of the woman after she married. Women without husbands who owned property were mostly widows with children to raise or parents to support.

"..." Ye Wumei hadn't expected this. As a Dayan native, she knew women couldn't control their inheritance. But she only knew one side of the story, not the other. She'd studied for years but never learned anything about law. She figured as long as she didn't tell her parents, she could keep it a secret.

This was the first time Ye Jia had heard of this law. "Is there such a thing?"

Yu blinked, and was surprised to see the dumbfounded looks on the faces of the three Ye sisters. In her mind, Ye Jia was always omnipotent and omniscient. She had never expected that Ye Jia didn't know about Dayan's regulations in this regard.

Seeing the three people dumbfounded, Yu thought for a moment and simply explained the laws in this regard to them.

Ye Jia's brows knitted together as she listened. She'd anticipated that women wouldn't be able to control family wealth in ancient times, suspecting it was the social ethos of male superiority that led to gender bias in court decisions. If something went wrong, she might be outmatched by men. She hadn't expected Dayan to explicitly codify these matters into law; they truly didn't treat women as human beings!

Ye Jia was so angry that she almost popped her eyes out. It was a good thing she was married. Otherwise, would the money she worked so hard to earn have been taken away by the Ye family couple?

"What should I do then?" Ye Wumei didn't think the law was outrageous, but was a little shocked. "So, can I not open this shop?"

Fourth Sister Ye was completely stunned when she heard all this for the first time. She blinked her big eyes, looked at Ye Jia and then at Yu. Yu patted Fifth Sister Ye's arm and said, "It's not impossible to buy a shop. There are two ways. Either you buy the shop farther away and hide it well. As long as the Ye family doesn't find out, or if they do, they won't ask you for it, the shop deed will be yours. Or you can find someone you trust to hold the shop for you first, and then return it to you after you get married."

Yu Shi had never had such concerns. The Yu family was wealthy and powerful, and their children's dowries were generous. Although those shops had long been confiscated by the imperial court, before Yu Shi married, she held the deeds to more than ten shops.

Ye Jia sat aside, her brow furrowed. It wasn't that she was expecting the worst. But even though she was married now, did she still have to rely on Zhou Jingchen to manage the more than 70 shops under her control?

It wasn't that she didn't trust Zhou Jingchen, but this kind of initiative made her feel uncomfortable. Honestly, the laws of Dayan were outrageous. In a normal society, women didn't have the right to inherit property. If she gave birth to a daughter, and something happened between her and Zhou Jingchen before her daughter got married, wouldn't the family property fall into the hands of someone else?

However, the Zhou family has no other relatives, and those people in Yanjing cannot be considered relatives.

Ye Jia was unhappy. Ye Wumei thought for a moment and looked at Ye Jia: "Sister, what do you say, I put this shop under your name? Can you help me hold it first?"

Ye Wumei couldn't guarantee that she could hide her secret from her parents. Ye Tongsheng had sold her to the Yan family's son without her consent, and it was perfectly possible for him to take her property in the future. Ye Wumei knew her parents' character too well. In their eyes, they probably only raised their daughter to support the family fortune, and there was no way they would leave the shop for her to live on.

"Let me take it?" Ye Jia naturally would not covet Ye Wumei's property. "It's not impossible."

Ye Wumei's eyes lit up and she was immediately happy: "That's perfect, I'll go and open a shop in the spring of next year. Then my elder sister and fourth sister can come with me."

Ye Jia raised his hand and touched her head, naturally agreeing.

Fourth Sister Ye heard that Fifth Sister Ye wanted to open a shop, and Ye Jia also had many shops and businesses. She lowered her head and thought about herself. She was still the shopkeeper in Ye Jia's shop. Although Ajiu had opened an escort agency, Fourth Sister Ye couldn't actually control the affairs of the escort agency. Most of the time, it was Ajiu and Ajiu's brothers who were in charge. Looking up at Fifth Sister Ye who looked very proud, Fourth Sister Ye suddenly felt ashamed. Of the three sisters in the family, it seemed that she was the most cowardly and the least courageous...

As they were talking, someone hurried in from outside the porch. Yingtao went out to ask, and with Ye Jia's permission, she called someone in to answer the question.

It wasn't a major incident; it was just a letter from Li Beizhen. Ye Jia took it and glanced at it. It was written "From Jia's Mother," and the few people who were peeking immediately turned their heads away.

A smile spread across Yu's eyes, and she simply stood up: "Alright, alright, Jia Niang, if you have something to do, go back by yourself. It gets dark early in winter, and if we sit here any longer, it might be dark by then. While it's still bright outside, go back to the house and rest."

Ye Jia didn't think much of it at first, but when Fourth Sister Ye and Fifth Sister Ye exchanged glances and smiled at each other, she ended up blushing.

"No, I have to have dinner soon." Ye Jia simply walked to the side, opened the envelope and read it quickly. "It's not good for me to run back and forth like this. It's cold and the road is slippery. I might fall."

That's true. When Yu heard her cursing herself like this, she immediately spat a few times: "Children's words are careless and will be blown away by the wind."

Ye Jia narrowed her eyes and smiled, then quickly finished reading the letter.

Zhou Jingchen had indeed been delayed in the Libei Town Walled City. He had originally thought that since several watchtowers had collapsed, repairing them would be enough. Unexpectedly, these collapsed towers were extremely difficult to reattach. Despite numerous attempts, they still faltered at the slightest breeze. Not to mention the days it took to find the right people and craftsmen, even after the construction expert arrived and rebuilt them according to his instructions, the towers still wouldn't hold steady.

There were only two options left: either tear down the watchtower and rebuild it, or leave it alone and repair the collapsed city wall. Repairing in the wind and snow would make it hard to squint, and the weather was too cold, making it very difficult to saw wood if it wasn't dried out, which would really waste time.

Ye Jia frowned as she watched. She had forgotten something crucial. Building a wooden watchtower in the icy wilderness of the Northwest was incredibly difficult, not to mention the sheer volume of wood itself. Even then, it wouldn't withstand the erosion of wind and sand. In this location, with these climatic conditions, how could they choose pure wood for the construction of these walls?