Chapter 301: The Palace's Spy
Everyone in the room suddenly had their own thoughts.
They had to admit that the things from Jinzhou Prefecture were good.
Not to mention the not-so-valuable things like soap and pencils, even the pocket watch is enough to make people salivate.
However, given the tense relationship between Qiongzhou and Jinzhou Prefecture, they naturally never dared to say anything good about Jinzhou Prefecture.
Zhou Heng looked around and said in a deep voice, "Who can help me solve the firearm crisis?"
Finally, someone said, "I heard someone in Gwangju bought the Hunyuan Pearl. Why not ask the prefect's wife? She might have some clues."
Fang Ruyu interrupted, "Your Highness, each Hunyuan Pearl costs at least fifty thousand taels. Adding the gunpowder and steel cylinder, a single firearm would cost at least a hundred thousand taels. If we really started manufacturing it, the entire country could only produce a few, and the cost would be enormous. Is it worth it?"
Zhou Heng frowned slightly, then smiled. "Even if one firearm costs two hundred thousand taels, if we make one, we can firstly deter Jinzhou Prefecture, secondly, deploy it to the northern battlefield, and thirdly, we can recapture Jiangling Prefecture and Xiangzhou that were previously taken away by Jinzhou Prefecture. With this calculation, making one firearm is more worthwhile than raising a hundred thousand troops!"
Master Meng also smiled and said, "That's right. You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. If we only have firearms, will the people of Jinzhou Prefecture be forced to flee? Just look at their frantic attack on the city now, and you'll know how much they fear us producing firearms. The more so, the more we must speed up the production of firearms. Only by producing firearms can we have the power to fight against Jinzhou Prefecture."
"That's right, we still have to manufacture firearms. It's only a matter of time. As long as these firearms are not manufactured, Jinzhou Prefecture will continue to hinder Your Highness's great cause!"
Zhou Heng's words resonated deeply with him. He nodded and said without question, "That's right. It's only a matter of time. We have to make them no matter what. If we can't make firearms, I won't be able to reach Bianjing! The Jinzhou cavalry will eventually break through the gates of Qiongzhou!"
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Wang Sanniang, who was only three or four hundred kilometers away from Qiongzhou, was waiting outside her home with a happy face.
She was wearing a lotus-colored cotton-padded jacket, her hair was neatly combed with a crabapple-flowered hairpin inserted diagonally. At this moment, there was a strong wind and snow. A female general under her command was dressed as a maid and held an umbrella for her. However, she did not feel cold at all. Instead, she looked at the alley entrance with anticipation.
She has been in Shouzhou for almost two years, but she is still not used to the humid climate here.
Since coming here, her hair has grown longer, and her speech and behavior have deliberately become more feminine and gentle.
Wang Sanniang is a natural born businessman. She has been influenced by her father's business since she was a child. In addition, with her parents coming with her on this trip, the Wang family is doing well in Shouzhou.
Especially since Xu Zhenying was conferred the title of King Zhao two years ago, their hidden status has risen sharply. Furthermore, most of the goods bound for the east and north are shipped through their channels, and with the smuggling of salt and sugar, they are now making a fortune every day, earning a huge amount of wealth for the Jinzhou Prefecture treasury.
Wang Sanniang could proudly say with her chest that the salaries of Gu Guihua, Liu Pan'er and others were all earned by her hard work.
Of course, she only dared to say this at home.
The Wang family knew in their hearts that without His Highness, they would have nothing.
With the repeated clashes between the forces of Qiongzhou and Jinzhou, the situation became increasingly tense. Wang Sanniang felt that the time for her to make achievements was approaching.
It can be imagined that the day they return will be the day when their Wang family will be granted titles of nobility and appointed as prime ministers.
OK.
The days are getting more and more busy.
When can we cooperate with His Highness from inside and outside?
Zhang Wanjun was able to use strategies to capture three provincial capitals. If Wang Sanniang could capture Qiongzhou without any effort, wouldn't the two of them become the two founding female generals?
Still need to be the type who has both good looks and abilities.
Just thinking about it makes me happy——
Wang Sanniang rubbed her hands with a smile, her smile like a little fox, but her eyes were fixed on the alley entrance until the carriage appeared in her sight.
Wang Sanniang immediately went to meet him happily and used her eyes to tell Wang Yin how he was doing.
Taking into account that the customs of the Great Zhou Dynasty were not as open as those in Jinzhou Prefecture, it was inevitable that women would be high-profile and attract attention when walking outside. Therefore, in Shouzhou, it was almost always Wang Yin who was responsible for the visible things, such as sugar.
Wang Sanniang was in charge of the smuggling of salt and the secret intelligence work.
Even though there were few people around and only a vast expanse of white, the Wang family was cautious, so they walked into the study together without saying a word.
The study used a small amount of cement pasted between the wood, so it has a good sound insulation effect, preventing people from eavesdropping outside.
When Wang Sanniang saw her father coming back, her face looked very strange.
As the leader of the Shouzhou branch, Wang Yin was also considered Wang Sanniang's subordinate, so he naturally knew what her father was worried about. He smiled and said, "Did Dad see Fang Ruyu?"
Wang Yin sighed, "That traitor, I really must kill her on the spot! Fang Xun, Fang Ningmo, and the rest of the Fang family, who isn't incredibly capable and loyal? How could they be harmed like that by Fang Ruyu? It's a shame that Minister Fang was young and promising, but now he's become a commoner. I'm afraid His Highness will never think of him again. It's a pity that Fang Ruyu now has a large entourage whenever she goes out, and our identities are sensitive. Otherwise, I really want to kill her!"
Wang Sanniang also sighed. "Now that she has the firearms blueprints in her hands, Zhou Heng is probably treating her like a treasure. We probably won't be able to get close to her. Father, don't worry about these things. Since Her Highness told us to hold our troops, she must have her own plans. But, Father, how was your conversation with Prince Ming today?"
"I didn't see the King, but I did meet a few advisors and generals. They were talking about the same things as last time. They were just asking me if I could get gunpowder and steel."
Wang Sanniang narrowed her eyes. "The research institute does have some discarded steel. We might as well sell it by the meter, ten thousand taels of silver per meter. They're desperate to make firearms, so we can just give them the raw materials."
Of course, Wang Sanniang did not mention the secret letter given by Xu Zhenying.
The secret letter said that the price of raw materials will increase in the near future. If the people from Qiongzhou Prefecture continue to pursue them, we can give them some things that Jinzhou Prefecture doesn't want and save some money for next year's military expenses.
Although Wang Sanniang didn't understand why Xu Zhenying didn't seem to worry about the firearms being stolen in the letter, since His Highness had given the order, she had no choice but to obey.
"Oh, yes, there's also the Tianyuan Pearl." Wang Yin mentioned it again, looking a little puzzled. "Does the raw material of firearms also require the Tianyuan Pearl?"
Wang Sanniang immediately winked at her father, indicating that he should not interfere in the affairs of Jinzhou Prefecture.
Wang Yin naturally understood.
"We have access to Jinzhou Prefecture and are deep in enemy territory. We must be extremely cautious and make sure we don't reveal our true identity."
"Of course, the identities we created are flawless. Especially this time, they want the raw materials for Jinzhou Prefecture's firearms, so they have no choice but to get them from us. This will cost hundreds of thousands of taels in the blink of an eye, so we have to be careful."
Wang Yin's eyelids twitched as he spoke. Although he had made a fortune smuggling things from Jinzhou Prefecture in Shouzhou over the years, he had never seen or even heard of a business like this where one transaction could earn hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.
"I'm not afraid of anything else, but I'm afraid Prince Ming will directly steal our materials or refuse to pay. After all, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver is no small amount of money for military expenses. And Prince Ming's father is a person who likes to default on his debts. Otherwise, the timber case four or five years ago wouldn't have caused the Jiang family to be destroyed."
Wang Sanniang shook her head. "That's not the case. Dad, can you keep them calm as we said before?"
"Of course. I told them that small-time people like us can't make much money. The bulk of the money still comes from building relationships. Jinzhou Prefecture won't ship without payment, so there's nothing we can do. Even if they want us to advance the money, we can't."
Wang Sanniang smiled and said, "So they believed it?"
"I guess...I'm afraid he believed it."
"So, these hundreds of thousands of taels of silver will soon flow into Jinzhou Prefecture?"
Wang Yin also smiled. "We've extorted so much from the King of Ming this time that I'm afraid we'll have all the money for next year's military expenses. Furthermore, the King of Ming is bleeding so much money that it'll take him a year or two to recover. Next year is a great opportunity for Your Highness to attack Qiongzhou!"
"That's right. I estimate... His Highness should be arriving in Qiongzhou soon—"
The father and daughter smiled at each other, and everything was said without words.
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In the deep palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
It was night.
The first snow of winter had just fallen, and the sky was filled with bright moonlight and white.
There was no sound in the palace, only the wind rustling the trees and the cold weather. Even so, a small group of people gathered in the side rooms of Jingpin's palace under the pretext of cleaning.
They sat around the stove in the dim candlelight and talked about the letters their families had sent them recently.
This was the first time for Concubine Jing, Wang Qiushuang, to participate in such an event.
After hesitating for more than half a year, and with the hints and clear instructions from Eunuch Yang, she seemed to realize that the minions of Jinzhou Prefecture had already reached the deep palace.
There are quite a few people who have joined this so-called Datong Society. This time, there are more than a dozen people who came. At first, these people were a little frightened when they saw Jingpin, but under the comfort of Eunuch Yang, these trembling sheep reluctantly connected Jingpin with the three words Datong Gang.
Even so, Jingpin knew that everyone seemed a little uncomfortable because of her arrival, including herself.
The decision to join Datong Society can be said to be quite risky.
Once discovered, no one in the room can escape.
But Jingpin was a person who was open-minded. She was not favored in the palace. What's more, there was a domineering emperor who controlled the government. Not to mention her, an unfavored concubine, I'm afraid that the emperor and the empress were helpless.
The Great Zhou Dynasty was in pieces, and there were swords and spears in the harem. She had to make more plans for herself.
As the vice president, Eunuch Zhou naturally had the final say. Seeing that everyone was somewhat uncomfortable with Concubine Jing's arrival, he smiled and said, "Now that you've joined the guild, no matter what your previous status was or what your purpose was, you're all brothers and sisters who will fight together in the future."
Everyone had no choice but to nod, and some even dared to look at Concubine Jing's appearance.
In the past, the concubines were all high and mighty, but now they are sitting together with this bunch of dirty people, and even calling each other brothers and sisters or comrades. It feels really weird.
Jingpin had just joined the society, so naturally she didn't know what to say. She just curled up in the corner, looking at everyone with a faint smile on her face.
The leading eunuch ordered everyone to share their family letters. At first, everyone was a little embarrassed, but with mutual encouragement, they gradually became bolder.
Jingpin listened silently throughout the whole process.
Somehow, as she listened to this, she felt a little excited.
An older eunuch flipped through a letter, smiling proudly as he spoke, "Hey, my little sister is about to graduate from medical school, and she's been assigned to our village for an internship. My parents are so happy. Even though Jinzhou Prefecture has built some cement roads and has public carriages, it's still not easy to get into the city. How could it be more convenient for my little sister to stay in the village?"
Jingpin couldn't help but feel surprised. She didn't know when these eunuchs and palace maids could learn to read and write?
But when she glanced over, she saw that the letters from Jinzhou Prefecture were all scribbles. She was secretly surprised. Could it be that they had their own writing?
Eunuch Zhou immediately said, "Friend Wang, this is the pinyin that was passed down from Jinzhou Prefecture. You only need to know about sixty characters to form the pronunciation of all the words. It's very easy to learn, so most people in Jinzhou Prefecture can be considered literate."
So that's how it is.
She had heard Eunuch Zhou mention it before, but she was just particularly curious at this moment.
Letters from home are still being shared.
Another person looked worried. "My second brother joined the army two years ago and has now been drafted west to fight the King of Zhoushan. I don't know what the situation is like over there."
Someone sighed, "We are in troubled times right now. In recent years, the Great Zhou Dynasty has been at war year after year. There are battles everywhere, and nowhere is safe. We are only enjoying a moment of peace and quiet in the palace."
"That's right, being a soldier in Jinzhou Prefecture is pretty good. I heard that the treatment for soldiers there is really good, with land and food provided. It's not a problem for a soldier to support his entire family!"
The man's expression softened slightly. "That's right. If it were somewhere else, death would be death. But at least the pensions for soldiers in Jinzhou Prefecture are high, and their children get preferential treatment when taking civil service exams. It's pretty good."
Another person exclaimed joyfully, "Oh my God, my sister actually passed the exam and became a clerk in Xiangzhou!"
"Your sister? Isn't your sister married? How can a married woman take the civil service exam?"
Jingpin took the initiative to approach Jinzhou Prefecture, naturally for her own future.
At this moment, this person came to the key point, and she immediately looked at the person who spoke.
The man said proudly, "Of course! My elder sister was very smart when she was little. My father said that if she wasn't a girl, she would definitely pass the imperial examination and become the top scholar for the family. Now it can be considered a blessing from our ancestors that my elder sister has actually passed the exam!"
Jingpin couldn't help but ask, "Can a married woman be an official? Will her husband's family allow her to be seen in public? It's fine for a woman to work outside, but being an official means she'll inevitably have to interact with men, and might even have to live in the same room with them. Doesn't her husband mind?"
The man, suddenly asked by Concubine Jing, instinctively hunched his shoulders and put on a flattering smile. "Your Majesty, even the emperor in Jinzhou Prefecture is a woman, so naturally she has many female officials under her. They think differently from us. Is there nothing else for men and women to do in the same room besides doing those dirty things?"
"But...but..." Jingpin's face showed a rare hint of anxiety, "But what if rumors get out?"
Eunuch Yang on the side curled his lips slightly.
As expected, Concubine Jing is still only concerned about being a female official.
"This...this..." The eunuch touched his head and smiled innocently, "Your Excellency, you really asked about me. My sister didn't mention this in her letter!"
Someone immediately said, "The supervision over there must be strict. If anyone says anything wrong, they might be arrested and forced to do hard labor!"
"I think the people over there think differently than we do. What we consider immoral may be commonplace to them."
The leading eunuch, Luo, scolded everyone, "We are all equals in this society. From now on, we can only call each other comrades or fellows. We've already reviewed the study materials sent over from Jinzhou Prefecture. The people there believe in gender equality and equality for all. Even His Majesty Prince Zhao never allows the common people to kneel and kowtow, and he even allows low-class people to take the imperial examinations. We can't fall behind in our thinking. Otherwise, we'll be laughed at if we tell others!"
Although Jingpin was fine with listening to Eunuch Yang's words on a daily basis, now that she had joined the Datong Society, she always felt a little uncomfortable when she heard these words again.
I'm afraid her privileges will no longer exist once she enters Jinzhou Prefecture, right?
She will work hard with her own hands just like the people in front of her.
On the one hand, she longs to break through the privileges of gender equality, but on the other hand, she longs to enjoy the privileges brought to her by the order of hierarchy.
As expected, there are gains and losses.
Jingpin adjusted her mindset quickly. She believed that she had read a lot of books with her father since she was a child, and it was because the world was unfair that she did not have the opportunity to achieve success. She was even given as a gift by her father's superiors to be a concubine to His Majesty, who was still a royal relative at the time.
Even so, her sisters at home kept saying that she was marrying above her station.
But no one ever asked her whether she was happy or not.
The emperor and empress were a young couple, and they were one body. No matter how hard the concubines tried, they couldn't get between them. In desperation, the concubines gave up and could only spend their days guarding the flowers and plants in their own yard.
As for her, she was useless except for reading some storybooks to kill time.
She is just a walking corpse in the world.
Therefore, when Eunuch Yang talked about the things in Jinzhou Prefecture, especially the women holding official positions, it seemed as if she came back to life in an instant.
Those things that she had never seen or heard of before immediately captured her heart.
In particular, the portrait albums that Eunuch Yang sent over one after another later included portraits and deeds of the female generals, female doctors, and female clerks of Jinzhou Prefecture.
When Jingpin heard that Zhang Wanjun had used a surprise attack to get behind King Ming and captured three cities in a row, she almost jumped up with excitement!
Later, she saw that Qiu Ju Niang was kicked out of her husband's house because of her love for medicine and provided free medical treatment to women in Lan County, and was even ostracized and suppressed by her colleagues in Lan County. She shed tears and even inexplicably felt a kind of sadness and despair that empathized with her.
But later, Qiu Ju Niang opened a medical school, enrolled countless female students, led people to develop the cowpox vaccine, and even stepped on the man who had been spurned by everyone. She just wanted to applaud!
The stories of the women in Jinzhou Prefecture worried her more than the stories of infatuated men and resentful women in the storybooks!
Forgive her.
Even though she felt like she had spent decades in the palace, after all, she was just a woman in her early twenties.
Therefore, even at the risk of having her property confiscated and her family exterminated, Jingpin still did it.
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