53. Heated brick bed

"The faster it's made, the less people will suffer from the cold."

Dinner was served in the same way as in the capital, with several tables set up in the dining hall.

The difference was that only Shen Suqin was at the main table; even Xu Youcai wasn't there.

Aunt Jiang and a pretty young girl stood beside the main table, waiting to serve Shen Suqin her meal.

At this moment, on the table was a bowl of millet rice, two plates of dark, unrecognizable vegetarian dishes, and a bowl of stewed meat.

Everyone sat quietly until Shen Suqin entered, accompanied by Ju Tao.

"Madam." The first to greet me was the young girl. "My name is Yuanxiang. From now on, Madam can give me any instructions regarding matters large and small in the manor."

Shen Suqin smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

Yuanxiang: "Madam, please sit down."

Shen Suqin nodded, took his seat at the head of the table, and gestured to Ju Tao to call Xu Youcai over.

Xu Youcai, holding his rice bowl, asked, "What's wrong?"

"You're never this polite in the capital, why are you acting so distant now that you're in the Northern Territory?" Shen Suqin said bluntly.

Xu Youcai clicked his tongue, "No, I don't think so."

"You don't need to wait for me from now on. Eat on your own when it's time. I may not be in the manor all the time."

“Oh dear, that won’t do. How can the General’s wife go out and show her face in public all the time? It’s against the rules,” Aunt Jiang suddenly interjected.

Shen Suqin narrowed her eyes slightly, about to explain, but Xu Youcai spoke first: "The general has instructed that all matters, big and small, in the mansion shall be decided by the madam, so aunt should speak less."

Aunt Jiang retreated sheepishly.

Shen Suqin was too lazy to dwell on trivial matters and continued with the task she hadn't finished explaining, "Brother Xu, could you find me two experienced bricklayers tomorrow?"

"Madam wants to repair the courtyard?" Aunt Jiang interjected again. "There's no extra money in the manor."

Shen Suqin did not reply directly, but said, "I have other uses, Brother Xu, just come find me. Also, Auntie will continue to manage the household as before, so there's no need to worry about me."

"Oh dear, that won't do. You are the mistress of the General's Mansion. The General has personally given his orders. I dare not interfere recklessly."

“Auntie, just do as I say,” Shen Suqin replied. “There’s no need to mention this matter again.”

She had other things to do and was impatient to spend her time and energy on this small mansion.

Aunt Jiang wanted to say something more, but her daughter Yuanxiang secretly tugged at her clothes, stopping her.

She smiled and replied to Shen Suqin, "I will do as Madam says."

Shen Suqin glanced at her. "I wonder if the General's Mansion has a study?"

"Yes, the books the general read are still here. I've kept them safe and sound."

"Can I use it?" Shen Suqin asked.

“Of course,” Yuanxiang replied.

To everyone's surprise, Aunt Jiang said, "The general's study is an important place for men to discuss matters. Where is Madam comfortable? I will prepare a new room for Madam."

"Fourth Aunt!" Xu Youcai's face was not good. Although he wasn't very smart, he could tell that this Fourth Aunt Jiang had gone too far. "You..."

Shen Suqin interrupted him, saying, "Alright, then I'll trouble you, Fourth Aunt. Ju Tao, help me with that. Also, go to the city these next few days and find another house, a bigger one, that I need."

Aunt Jiang's expression changed several times. "What is Madam looking for a house for? Is she planning to move out?"

Shen Suqin turned to look at her expressionlessly: "Fourth Aunt is overthinking it. Also, Miss Yuanxiang is dressed rather thinly. Don't let her catch a cold."

After saying that, she called Ju Tao and they left together.

The two returned to the main courtyard, and Ju Tao spoke first: "Manager Zhao sent a message early this morning saying he's waiting to see you. When are we going to see him?"

"No rush. In the next couple of days, when you have some free time, help me investigate the population and trade in various parts of the Northern Territory. Also, do some research for me. I remember that Manager Zhao still has some influence in the Northern Territory."

"Yes, commerce is not thriving in the North. Our Xingyuan Restaurant is one of the largest, and Manager Zhao has always been highly regarded in various places."

"Then let him guide me. I'm afraid I'll have to settle down in the North from now on."

Ju Tao's expression turned serious: "Sister Qin, have you thought this through? This isn't something that can be done in a year or two."

"I'll take it one step at a time. Even if I leave the pass, I'll start from scratch. At least I have Xingyuan Restaurant as a foundation in the Northern Territory. I want to see if I can build a business empire that is even more powerful than the aristocratic families on my own."

"You want to avenge the master and mistress?"

Shen Suqin took a deep breath. "I guess so."

"I understand," Ju Tao said. "I'll help you wash up first."

After a while, she brought hot water from the kitchen.

Shen Suqin had just finished combing her hair, changed into her nightgown, and was sitting on the stool wearing a fox fur coat.

"Why did it take you so long?"

"That Aunt Jiang is quite interesting."

Shen Suqin smiled and said, "It is quite interesting."

Early the next morning, Xu Youcai brought two bricklayers into the general's mansion.

After having breakfast early in the morning, Shen Suqin took Xu Youcai and went straight out the door.

"Is Miss Ju Tao not here?" Xu Youcai asked, glancing behind her.

Shen Suqin: "She went to do something for me."

Xu Youcai hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Speak your mind."

"Well, Ningyuan is not like the capital. There are many people who are starving and desperate for money. It might not be safe for Miss Ju Tao to go out alone. Also, you must not go out alone. If something happens to you, the general will surely skin me alive."

Shen Suqin nodded, "I understand. Let's go, it's more important to get down to business."

"Yes, this way. That house has been empty for many years, so you can build whatever you want there."

The two walked for a while, not far, just across the street.

“We’re here, this is the place,” Xu Youcai said, pointing to a dilapidated house.

Yesterday, his wife asked him to find bricklayers for the dilapidated house. Although he didn't know what she wanted them to do, he put a lot of effort into finding them, and they were all among the best in Ningyuan.

"Let's go, let's get to work."

On the way, Shen Suqin questioned them in detail. In the Northern Territory and even the entire Daliang, since there was no such thing as a cotton quilt, the beds and blankets in winter were either made of reeds and yellow earth or tattered clothes, which were not very warm and often kept them from sleeping all night.

Last night, she and Ju Tao used almost all the clothes and blankets they brought, but they were still freezing.

“These are the blueprints,” Shen Suqin said, taking a piece of paper from her pocket and handing it to the bricklayers. “Take a look first, and ask me if you don’t understand.”

Xu Youcai craned his neck to look at the blueprints and saw a square pit drawn on it, with a low wall separating it from the pit. It looked like some kind of trap.

What is this?

"I call it a heated kang bed. People sleep on it, and a fire is lit underneath."

A bricklayer chimed in, "Wouldn't that roast people alive?"

"No, if the top layer is thicker, the heat won't penetrate too much," Shen Suqin explained.

"I don't understand, mainly because I've never done this before," the bricklayer said.

“If you don’t understand, just make a few more,” Shen Suqin said. “The faster you make them, the less everyone will suffer from the cold. You can decide what to do.”

"This...can it really keep you warm?"

"Let me put it this way: once we have a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), the house will be as warm as spring or summer. I've given you the blueprints, but I drew them from memory, so there might be some discrepancies in the details. Let's work together to figure it out. This is very important; it's a major project that will benefit the people, so we must take it seriously."

Shen Suqin herself had never seen a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), she only had a vague impression of it. If she were to actually make one, she might not be able to, so she could only try and figure it out as she went.

Xu Youcai and the two bricklayers were stunned.

"If there's anything you don't understand, or anything you're missing, just come to me for help," Shen Suqin instructed Xu Youcai. "Right now, this is your most important task. After this is finished, I have other things to give you, so be quick, Brother Xu."

Why, why?

“I’m still counting on it to earn military pay for your Black Flag Army. I emptied out Xingyuan Restaurant before, so I need to find a new way to make money quickly.”

Xu Youcai nodded vigorously, half understanding but not quite. Although he didn't know how this kind of heated kang could make money, if his wife said it could, then it could.

"Alright, let's get started. Hopefully, we can use it soon," Shen Suqin instructed them. "Let's not make the adobe bricks anymore. We'll dismantle the existing walls and use the existing ones to build the outer layer first..."

Inside the mansion, Aunt Jiang and Yuanxiang were clearing away the dishes when they whispered to each other, "Isn't it said that people from the south value etiquette the most? Why is Madam still running around with men? The General isn't even in the mansion. What if some unpleasant gossip spreads later? Where will the General put his face then?"

"Mother, she is a lady, and there are some things that cannot be said carelessly, lest it tarnish Brother Xiao's reputation."

"Brother? I told you before, you're going to marry into the family sooner or later. The general isn't your brother."

Yuanxiang remained silent.

————

On the other side, on the official road of Liangzhou, Xiao Pingchuan led 10,000 Black Flag soldiers day and night, and wherever they went, the people knelt down in submission.

The Black Flag Army's black banner with the character "Xiao" was renowned, and everyone knew it was the nemesis of the Shatuo people. So, upon seeing the Black Flag Army, they knew they were probably saved.

After a two-day and two-night long march, the Black Flag Army stopped in a mountain hollow.

"Sixty li further ahead is Yao Town, where Zhu Xiegebo lives," Zhao Chengchun reported.

How many of them are there?

"They claim to have 100,000, but I think the number of people actually cooking and preparing meals is definitely less than 80,000."

“I guessed so. I have to say Zhu Xiegebo is quite capable to have managed to gather 50,000 men from the Shatuo tribe,” Xiao Pingchuan said. “Where are Kui Lang and the others?”

"Two hundred and thirty li to the northwest."

"Zhu Xiegebo should have received the news by now, right?"

"I don't know, but they probably do."

Xiao Pingchuan nodded. "Let's stop and rest."

This place is a mountain range that runs east to west, completely blocking the northward wind and snow. They huddled on the southern foothills, sheltered from the wind and snow, and weren't too bad off.

"Should we launch a direct attack?" Shi Ye sat down next to Xiao Pingchuan.

"Let's take another look. The soldiers and horses are exhausted. Let them rest first."

"But the food supplies won't last more than a few days."

The rations the army is currently eating are the 300,000 shi of grain that they brought with them when they marched south, which was also sent by Shen Suqin. Without this batch of grain, they probably wouldn't even be able to get out of the Shule River.

"Plan before you act; you can't rush things."

“That’s true.” Shi Ye pulled his clothes tighter. “I wonder if that good-for-nothing Lei Sheng is dead or not.”

"They won't die; they're still hiding within Jinzhou territory."

"They're always jumping around vying for military power, but when it really comes down to it, they run away faster than anyone else. The entire Great Liang is full of this kind of scum. Hmph, how can we not worry about the fate of our nation?"

Xiao Pingchuan laughed: "You've been angry for so long, aren't you afraid of making yourself sick?"

"I'll probably be able to breathe a sigh of relief once I've driven Sha Tuo out and dragged Lei Sheng out and skinned alive."

Xiao Pingchuan patted his shoulder, "Wait for the two sides to clash, then I'll let you kill a couple more to vent your anger."

Shi Ye: "Yes, I will. I've been cooped up in the capital for two years and I'm just looking for a place to vent my anger."

"Take it easy, you'll have to issue the order to mobilize the troops."

Shi Ye suddenly fell silent, and after a long while said, "I'm afraid the power to mobilize troops won't be returned anytime soon."

He cannot relinquish the power to mobilize troops until he returns to the capital.

"You can take it for now, no need to think about it too much."

Inside the abandoned house in Ningyuan, a square earthen bed had been built in the courtyard, and Xu Youcai was adding firewood to the stove.

Shen Suqin had helped with the styling earlier, and now her sleeves were rolled up high, revealing her lotus-root-like forearms.

Xu Youcai glanced over and saw that the two bricklayers next to him had turned red in the face, wanting to look but not daring to.

"Ahem, Madam, come and take a look. It seems like the fire won't light." He called to Shen Suqin.

Shen Suqin didn't think much of it, leaned over and took a look, and said, "The kang hole was built on the spot and it's still damp, so it's definitely not easy to heat. But we can't wait for it to dry on its own, so let's heat it up as much as possible, we can dry it with fire."

“Alright, then I’ll build a few more fires. It’s smoky and cold here. Why don’t you go back to your residence first, and I’ll have someone tell you when I have any news?” Xu Youcai said.

Shen Suqin thought for a moment, "Alright, I still have some things to finish."

“I’ll have my guards escort you back,” he said quickly.

After seeing the man off, Xu Youcai strolled over to the two bricklayers and kicked one of them away. "Well done, you've got some nerve, looking at anything. That's the general's wife, and you dare to stare at her like that? Men, give them a good beating and teach them a lesson they won't forget."

"yes."

After dealing with the two men, Xu Youcai could finally relax and tend the fire.

After much effort, a warm yellow flame finally emerged from the pit. He reached out and touched the surface of the kang (a heated brick bed); it was warm. He wondered what it would feel like for someone to sleep on it.