Chapter 242: War of Words
But now she was justified: "As long as we catch Zhang San and punish him severely, would Li Si dare to do the same? Besides, we haven't done anything wrong. Why should we women suffer and endure hardships, and then have to consider their face and swallow our anger? Where in the world is there such bullying, sisters?!"
There was silence in the room for a moment before someone responded, "That's right! We didn't do anything wrong, so why should we feel guilty? It's as if we did something wrong!"
"Well, you can't say that. After all, we're neighbors. It would be so awkward to see each other in the future. Besides, people would think you were too ruthless. When something like this happens, it's always the woman's fault. You can only blame yourself for having this bad luck. There's nothing you can do about it."
Sister Liu wasn't happy about it. Even Sister Luo, who had just spoken, was full of disapproval. "Don't say that. Our village's publicist said this...what's the environment?"
Someone immediately reminded: "The public opinion environment!"
"Oh, yes, public opinion can be changed. The city lord has always encouraged women not only to go out but also to be independent and self-reliant. We need to change our self-blaming mentality like yours! Sigh, I'm not a good reader, so I can't explain it clearly! Which sister can tell me?"
Sister Liu volunteered. She had taken the beginner's class under her son's supervision and boasted the highest level of education among the group, so she took the lead without hesitation. "It's like, before, we didn't allow women to go out. Over time, people would think a woman going out alone was unruly. But if, like in Jinzhou Prefecture, the mayor encourages women to go out and work, and encourages shops, small vendors, and private schools to hire women, while also cracking down on men who cause trouble, then over time, people will gradually come to believe that it's legitimate for women to work!"
Seeing the bewildered faces of the women of Xingyuan Mansion, who seemed to find her words profound, Sister Liu anxiously grabbed Feng'er and Lian, who were watching the battle with great interest, and said, "Come on, these two are the most senior officials among us. Let them speak!"
The ladies of Xingyuan Prefecture did not realize that this inconspicuous Lian was actually an official.
"Even the eldest sister is an official. This... can a woman really be an official? What kind of official is she?"
Someone asked curiously.
Feng'er pulled Lian, and Lian naturally knew that this was someone else's territory. Calling her a traitor was just asking for trouble.
Lian was not at all panicked. She said ambiguously, "I'm not a proper official. I'm just responsible for helping women recruit workers and earn money to provide them with jobs. You can think of me as a manager. But in our place, women can indeed be officials. The city lord has forced girls to read and write since the beginning of universal education, and men and women are treated equally. Sisters, don't say that girls are no worse than boys! The girls in our place are all very hardworking. No matter whether they are doing work or studying, they are more willing to work harder and endure more hardships than boys! Everything else is false. For example, in the private school exams in our place, girls always do better! What does this mean? It means that girls are not stupider than boys, they just lack opportunities! The same goes for us. Don't underestimate yourselves. If you go to Jinzhou Prefecture, you will know that opportunities are everywhere. No matter you are a man or a woman, as long as you are willing to work hard, you can make money!"
Lian's voice was slow and steady, neither hurried nor impatient, which actually added to her credibility.
In addition, she is a person in charge and has a natural demeanor, which makes her more convincing.
"Is Jinzhou Prefecture really that great? Does that mountain king have some real skills?"
"That's absolutely not the case!" the women of Jinzhou Prefecture beamed with pride. "Our city lord is a truly extraordinary figure! He's the reincarnation of a fairy child! You may not have heard of our city lord, but you've definitely heard of the Lan County Pig, right?"
When it comes to Lanxian pigs, everyone's enthusiasm is noticeably higher. "Lanxian pigs! I've heard of them. They're said to have no mutton smell, are fat but not greasy, and have tender meat. But the price is steep! I've only heard my former boss mention them; his young master was always clamoring for Lanxian pork!"
"Oh, right, the pigs in Lan County were raised by our city lord! I don't know what the city lord came up with, but the pigs can grow to 200 kilograms in half a year! Nowadays, every household in Lan County raises pigs."
"Two hundred pounds!"
This news is even more shocking than a woman becoming an official!
"Doesn't that mean people in Lan County can eat meat every day?!"
"Oh my god, eating pork belly every meal, this is not a life for a human being! This is clearly a life for gods!"
"That's why I said that there are opportunities everywhere in Lan County. And in Lan County, once you arrive, you'll be given land and household registration. You might not know this, but each female soldier there is given five mu of land! And it's real land, registered in the government's land and grain registers, and stamped with the official seal!"
The impact of these five acres of land was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the women of Xingyuan Prefecture who had never owned any land!
"A woman divides the land? You're crazy! Will her family agree? What happens after she gets married? Will it be left to her family or her in-laws? This is wrong! This is wrong! He's truly a mountain king, and he's so disorganized!"
"What's wrong with that?! The land you divided up is yours. It follows your household registration. You can give it to whoever you want! You can sell it if you want! If she marries in another village, you can buy another one! After all, it's under your name!"
"But where in the village would there be land for sale to a woman? Even if you did, how could the government allow a woman's name to be included in the fish scale register? Without the fish scale register, the land is not yours!"
"That's your Xingyuan Prefecture! In our Jinzhou Prefecture, the land of women can be registered in the Fish Scale Register! If you are not allowed to register, go to the government office and file a complaint. I will definitely grant you my approval!"
The two groups of people were arguing fiercely. Feng'er listened for a long time, but did not stop them. She even listened with great interest.
In the past, she had only seen some of the situation in Jinzhou Prefecture in letters from the city lord. Now, after listening to these women talk about it, she realized what a different world Jinzhou Prefecture was!
The world that the city lord talked about, the world of freedom and fairness, is accumulating bit by bit.
Feng'er's blood boiled. For a moment, she felt that if such a world really existed, she would be willing to go there even if it meant sacrificing her life.
Lian had no choice but to act as a peacemaker, trying to separate the two sides. She smiled and advised, "Come on, you've been chatting about family matters all afternoon. Are you going to get your work done? The time is short. Every extra quarter of an hour will cost you a dozen copper coins!"
Sure enough, as soon as the topic of money was brought up, the women of Xingyuan Prefecture suddenly came to their senses.
Jinzhou Prefecture is a dream, but the work at hand is reality.
Soon, everyone quieted down and started working.
But after all, the seeds of hope were sown, and no one could stop them from taking root and sprouting. At first, the widow of the three children seemed to be worried and began to be absent-minded when doing her work. Finally, she couldn't help it and asked Sister Liu in a low voice.
"Sister, is Jinzhou Prefecture really that good?"
Sister Liu raised her eyebrows and said, "Whether it's good or not, you can go and take a look yourself and know for sure."
The man smiled awkwardly, seeming a little embarrassed.
Looking at the woman's rough hands, Sister Liu couldn't bear it, so she told her the truth: "I'm telling you the truth, if you can't make it in Xingyuan Prefecture, then go to Jinzhou Prefecture. Although our place is the territory of the rebels, our city lord is a first-class philanthropist in the world. You will definitely be able to support three children there!"
The widow was tempted, yet also terrified, and hesitant. "But if I go there, I'm unfamiliar with the place. What if I can't find a job? Won't I starve to death there?"
"Well, don't be afraid. We have refugees coming here every day. If you can't find a place to stay, just go to that mutual aid center. It's a place specifically for people like you who have just arrived in Jinzhou Prefecture with your family and are penniless. The city lord will give you free meals for half a month and a place to shelter from the wind and rain, so you have time to find work. By the way, I heard your husband died of illness?"
The widow wiped away her tears and said, "Last year, there was an outbreak of smallpox in our area. My husband and my mother-in-law all died of the disease. I was able to escape the disaster by returning to my parents' home with my children."
"Oh, that's perfect!" Sister Liu slapped her thigh. "We already have that cowpox vaccine over there, which they say can prevent smallpox. Lots of people are lining up to get it!"
"Vaccine?" The widow even forgot to cry. "To prevent smallpox?"
"That's right! They say that if you get the cowpox vaccine, you won't get smallpox in your lifetime!"
"That's impossible... Where in the world is there such a medicine?"
"Alas, it's not medicine! It's a vaccine!" Sister Liu saw more people looking over and quickly lowered her voice. "Many people in our village have gone to get the vaccine! They say the city lord personally took the lead and got the first ones to get that vaccine. If it wasn't urgent, I would have gotten the vaccine before leaving! I don't care if it works or not. Since the city lord dared to get it, I'll get it too! It's a waste not to get it!"
The widow didn't understand what vaccine was. She only grasped the four words "prevent smallpox".
I remember last year when smallpox broke out in my hometown, nine out of ten houses were empty and more than half of the people in the village died. The dead could not be buried on the spot and had to be dragged away for cremation, leaving not even a piece of their body.
The widow was so frightened by the word smallpox that she trembled.
Therefore, when I heard the words "prevent smallpox", my heart was immediately perked!
"That vaccine...it must be expensive, right?"
"It's not expensive! It's free for people in Jinzhou Prefecture! But I heard from my son that this smallpox vaccine will probably be sold outside of Jinzhou Prefecture next year, and then we'll have to charge a high price. This is a benefit for the people of Jinzhou Prefecture!"
"Then we outsiders don't need money?"
Sister Liu laughed. "What do you mean by 'local' or 'outside'? We have a lot of refugees in Jinzhou Prefecture. Most of the locals left last year. Now we don't differentiate between locals and outsiders. As long as you're here, you're a Jinzhou Prefecture resident!"
These words made the widow's heart burn. Although she didn't know whether what Sister Liu said was true or not, she didn't care about so many things.
If she could go to Jinzhou Prefecture and find some work to support herself and her son, she would want to try her luck in the dangerous and dangerous world!
But after all, the thought of a woman carrying three little children and moving her family over mountains and across rivers was still scary. The widow thought about it again and again, but she couldn't make up her mind.
Seeing her hesitation, Sister Liu knew it wasn't easy for a woman like her to raise three children, so she smiled and said, "Don't worry. Even if you want to leave, you have to wait until we finish our work here. Don't worry, take your time to think about it. When you've made up your mind, come with us to Jinzhou Prefecture!"
"well!"
The widow responded happily and then smiled happily.
Lian was a cautious person, and seeing this he couldn't help but give a few private instructions. After all, they were in the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and they needed to be more careful with their words and actions, so as not to be arrested as traitors.
The women nodded in agreement on the surface, but they couldn't help but talk about the things in Jinzhou Prefecture behind their backs. Their hearts were moved and they wanted to go to Jinzhou Prefecture to take a look immediately.
At this moment, in the city of Bianjing, the most magnificent place in the entire Zhou Dynasty, Sun Qingchen was dressed in coarse linen clothes, looking a little weathered. He stood outside the emperor's study with his head bowed, listening quietly to the call.
He had already made arrangements with Prime Minister Han long ago, otherwise his invitation to the position of seventh-rank county magistrate would not have attracted Prime Minister Han's attention.
At this moment, it has been an hour since Han Xiang entered Baohua Palace.
During this time, he heard Prime Minister Han having a pleasant conversation with His Majesty, the Emperor and others, but he felt like he was walking on thin ice.
He looked his attire up and down again.
The lady was thoughtful. Before leaving, she asked him to change out of his official attire and wear a coarse linen robe to the palace. This way, at least he could show how urgent it was for him to come from Lan County.
After Sun Qingchen and Xu Zhenying fought, he felt that he had learned a lot of tricks. In the past, he would have disdained to play such tricks. He always felt that it would be better to be a loyal minister than to stand on the side of party struggles or go with the flow.
But now the government is unstable, civil strife is raging, and the imperial power is changing. He really can only put in all his energy to deal with it.
At this moment, Sun Qingchen actually envied the working style of the pseudo-court established by Xu Zhenying: truth-seeking, pragmatic, and hardworking. These six short words might be the reason for her rapid rise.
Soon, a eunuch came out and bowed slightly to him: "Sir Sun, the Emperor Retired has summoned you to an audience. Please follow me."
The eunuch naturally did not miss his simple attire, which resembled that of a country man.
After just a few steps, Sun Qingchen didn't even glance around, showing no signs of expression. The eunuch was somewhat annoyed that this small official from a remote village had no good eyesight, so his attitude wasn't too friendly. He simply led him to the entrance of Baohua Palace and said coldly, "We're here. Please do as you please."
The eunuch left in anger.
Sun Qingchen finally came to his senses. Perhaps because he had been around Xu Zhenying in Lan County for so long, he had forgotten that rewarding the eunuchs was a must when entering the inner hall.
Sun Qingchen was secretly annoyed, but he didn't dare to stop and walked straight into the house.
Stepping on the luxurious snow-white porcelain stone, Sun Qingchen's heart was beating like a drum, but he didn't dare to look directly at Tianwei. He only vaguely saw a corner of bright yellow, and then knelt on the ground and greeted him with a great salute.
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