The difference between ordinary people and the wealthy is obvious at a glance. Leaving aside their vitality, their complexions are completely different. Ordinary people look sallow and thin. The people of Yongyangfang, on the other hand, have somewhat more flesh on their faces. After a glance, Li Shimin and the others were somewhat skeptical that they were former residents of Yongyangfang. Therefore, Wang Gui's first question was whether they were originally from there.
Are you satisfied with your new home? Did they charge you any money?
"Satisfied, satisfied. This was all allocated by the imperial court. No money was taken, no money was taken," the old man said with a grin, revealing his missing teeth.
"How many people are in your family, old man?" Wang Gui asked, his eyes darting around. Although his question seemed simple, it got straight to the point. By looking at the number of people, one could guess whether these people were originally from Yongyangfang.
"My family consists of three people, including a six-year-old grandson. My daughter-in-law doesn't mind my old age or poverty; she supports the family." When asked about his family, the old man's expression darkened as he spoke. But at the end, he smiled and continued, "Fortunately, His Majesty is wise and has ordered the court to build us a new house."
“Yes! My family only has a seven-year-old grandson. If it weren’t for the government allocating housing, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have made it through this winter.” Another person nodded in agreement.
The others also answered Wang Gui's question, and without exception, they were all orphans and widows, or only one person in their family.
Hearing their answer that there was no problem, Wang Gui frowned and asked again, "I remember that life in Yongyangfang was very difficult, but none of you seem to be."
"Shangguan, don't you know?" an old man asked in astonishment.
"What do I know?" Wang Gui asked, somewhat stunned and puzzled.
“Our lives were indeed difficult before, but the imperial court arranged jobs for us.”
"What kind of work has the court assigned?" Not to mention Wang Gui, even Li Shimin was a little stunned. How come he didn't know that the court had assigned work?
"Oh! It's normal that you officials don't know. They are all minor matters, such as sweeping the streets and transporting garbage out of the city."
"No wonder your streets are so clean. But it must not take many people to sweep the streets, right?" Li Shimin glanced around, nodded slightly, and asked gently.
"Street cleaning is done by us older folks. There are so many streets in Chang'an, and it would take quite a few people to be responsible for just two streets!"
"Yes, yes, the princess set up a carriage company to help transport goods in and out of the city, and it also supports a lot of people," the group answered eagerly.
Li Shimin and his men got the answer and understood that these people should now have proper jobs. They invited a few of them to continue patrolling the market.
What frustrated Wang Gui was that in Qin Mu's market town, there were many stone benches along the streets for passersby to rest, and at the intersections of the streets, there were swings and some strange things, where some children were playing. In comparison, the neighboring Pingfang was much worse.
"What is that place?" In the very center of the market, two buildings that looked like shopping malls caught Li Shimin's eye, which made him somewhat displeased. He thought that Qin Mu had also built a shopping mall here.
Looking at the people coming and going, the old man smiled and said, "That is the nursing home and orphanage that the princess had built. It houses elderly people and orphans who have no family to take care of them, are unable to move around easily, and are unable to take care of themselves."
"This is the academy. All the children in Yongyangfang, from six to twelve years old, regardless of gender, must go there to study and practice martial arts," the old man explained, pointing to another building.
The old man's words surprised everyone. Just by looking at the two buildings, it was clear that they could accommodate quite a few people, and one could imagine how much the expenses would be. They knew who the princess the old man was referring to was, and most of them even knew the reason behind it, so they stopped paying attention. After all, it was Li Shentong's family's business, and doing good deeds couldn't be considered wrong, could it?
"I haven't seen your new house yet. May we go and take a look, sir?" Li Shimin asked again.
"Sure! Of course!" the old man nodded repeatedly.
Li Shimin and his entourage followed the old man to the nearest house, a similar three-story building. Upon entering, they were astonished, for the house was exceptionally warm, even warmer than the palace. At first, they assumed there was a stove burning inside, but given the small size of the house, it was easy to tell whether a fire was burning or not.
"My home is simple, and there aren't many chairs. Please make yourselves at home, esteemed officials, and don't be shy," the old man warmly greeted them.
"Old man, your blankets..." Fang Xuanling looked at the brick bed in the room and the thin blankets, and asked with concern. However, before he could finish his question, he froze, because when he reached out and touched the bed, he felt a burning sensation.
Fang Xuanling was stunned and somewhat incredulous, so he reached out and touched the bed repeatedly.
"What? Duke Liang, have you taken a fancy to someone else's bed?" Cheng Zhijie said with a smile.
The others also saw Fang Xuanling's actions and were somewhat puzzled. When Cheng Zhijie asked, they all looked over.
"Gentlemen, you'll know once you touch it," Fang Xuanling said, rolling his eyes at Cheng Zhijie. He wasn't going to argue with Cheng Zhijie; Cheng Zhijie was notorious for being unreasonable, and he knew that all too well.
"What is that?" Cheng Zhijie was known for his strong curiosity, so he stretched out his palm, which was as big as a palm leaf fan, and touched it.
Warm! It felt like touching a warm blanket, quite comfortable. Cheng Zhijie couldn't help but smile and reached out to touch other parts of his body.
Seeing Cheng Zhijie's somewhat strange smile as he touched the stone bed again and again, everyone couldn't help but shudder and subconsciously moved away from him.
"Why is your bed warm?" Cheng Zhijie asked, turning around.
"This is a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove). Every new house has one. You light a fire outside, and the kang stays very warm. Without this, we would have a very hard time in the winter," the old man said, clicking his tongue.
Seeing the bed as long as the wall, everyone realized that it was designed that way on purpose. At first, they thought it was designed this way for poor people so that more people could live there.
Curiosity drove everyone to go up and touch it, and then they went to the back to look at it.
"It's so simple, how come I didn't think of that! This is much more comfortable than sleeping under a thick quilt." Cheng Zhijie lay down on the kang and felt it for a moment. Although their cultivation was profound, it was not that they were insensitive to the outside world; on the contrary, their senses were even more acute. However, the blood energy naturally brought them resistance.
Extremely cold or hot weather will increase the consumption of blood energy. It would be better to cover yourself with thicker blankets in winter. Besides, not all wives at home have cultivation, so we can't just ignore them.
Not only Li Shimin, but everyone else saw the benefits of the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed). However, since there were common people present, it was not appropriate to discuss this issue. They could only suppress their excitement for the time being and continue their tour, hoping to discover more secrets.
"Qin Aiqing, tell me directly, what else here is worth noting?" Li Shimin asked as he stepped out of the house.
"Your Majesty, I have indeed made some minor changes to Yongyang Ward. First, a neighborhood committee has been established in Yongyang Ward to mediate disputes among neighbors and to cooperate with government orders," Qin Mu explained.
"Qin, the patrol officer, has set up official positions without authorization. Could this be an attempt to rebel?" Wang Gui interrupted sternly before Qin Mu could finish speaking.
"Who told you this was an official position? The neighborhood committee is just like a village elder, elected by the people in the neighborhood. They organize people to take care of the elderly and orphans, and help mediate neighborhood disputes. They don't get paid, and they don't interfere in other people's affairs. Does that count as rebellion?" Qin Mu asked Wang Gui coldly.
When Qin Mu glared at him, Wang Gui's heart tightened. He then remembered that this guy in front of him was vindictive. He had just subconsciously targeted him and completely forgotten the principle that if you don't kill a snake, you will only bring harm upon yourself.
"Minister Wang, please make sure you understand the situation before you speak. You must not make unfounded accusations," Li Shimin said with some displeasure.
"Your subject knows his mistake." Wang Gui hurriedly bowed and said, then sincerely bowed to Qin Mu and said, "I was outspoken and said the wrong thing. Please forgive me, Inspector Qin."
"A cunning old fox who can bend and stretch," Qin Mu thought to himself. However, he had no intention of engaging in insincere pleasantries with Wang Gui, since he had already settled his score with the Wang family.
"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. It's just that I'm a magnanimous person. It's hard to say if it were someone else. You should be more careful in the future, after all, you're not getting any older. You can't live to see that kind of thing."
Hearing Qin Mu's sarcastic words, Wang Gui's face turned red and white in turns, and finally turned ashen, but he couldn't retaliate.
"You've lived to the point of... what does that mean?" Cheng Zhijie asked, pulling Yuchi Gong aside.
"I think I heard someone say that he's lived a life of misery," Yuchi Gong said, tilting his head slightly as if deep in thought.
"Alright, you two stop interrupting. Minister Qin, please continue explaining." Although Li Shimin disliked Wang Gui, he still found Cheng Zhijie and Yuchi Gong troublesome, so he quickly interrupted the conversation.
"Yes! The biggest changes in Yongyangfang should be the heated kang beds and the nursing homes, and the heated kang beds happen to be one of the industries that support the nursing homes." Qin Mu cupped his hands and continued.
"The heated kang is indeed a good thing, but it uses a lot of firewood, doesn't it? Wouldn't it be too expensive for ordinary people to use? And how can it support the continued operation of nursing homes?" Fang Xuanling asked, stroking his beard.
The group walked down the street. The post-snow sunshine wasn't warm, but fortunately, they were all people with cultivation, so no one was afraid of the cold.
"Master Fang has a keen eye. If they used firewood, it would be difficult even for ordinary families, let alone these common people. So they used coal," Qin Mu exclaimed in admiration.
"Coal?" Li Shimin looked over, somewhat puzzled.
"It's graphite, carbon."
"No, we can't use coal. Qin boy, do you know how many people die from carbon poisoning every year?" Li Shimin's expression changed, and he hurriedly objected.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, as you have seen, the graphite is burned outdoors, and the smoke is also released outdoors, so there is no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning," Qin Mu explained.
"Really?" Li Shimin asked, somewhat skeptical.
"Nine hundred households in Yongyang Ward have been using it for ten days, and not a single person has suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning," Qin Mu replied confidently.
"That's wonderful! These heated brick beds are easy to make. If we promote them immediately, no one in Chang'an will freeze to death this year," Li Shimin exclaimed with delight. Chang'an is a large city, and living there is not easy, mainly due to the problems of food and firewood. After all, such a large city relies entirely on supplies from outside the city, and the amount of food and firewood consumed every day is enormous.
Guanzhong has a large population, and a large portion of its grain is transported from other parts of the country every year, so grain prices in Chang'an are higher than in other places.
It was precisely because of the large population in Guanzhong that the emperors tried their best to control the land and support the army; otherwise, they would easily be held hostage by others. This had been the case since the Qin Dynasty. No aristocratic families that occupied too much land in Guanzhong ever had a good end, so they tried to avoid getting involved with it.
As for firewood, the problem is even more serious. Chang'an City alone has a population of over a million, so you can imagine how much firewood it consumes.
Fortunately, the Guanzhong Plain is surrounded by massive mountain ranges with ample forests; and in the plains, the people had long since begun artificially planting trees. After all, firewood was one of the largest businesses in Chang'an, and it was a means of livelihood for many people.
Charcoal is made by burning wood in the mountains. Charcoal always requires wood, so charcoal in Chang'an has always been expensive, especially in winter.
Coal made up for this perfectly, which is why Li Shimin seemed so pleasantly surprised.
"It's too late, it's too late this year. Making the kang (heated brick bed) takes time, and more importantly, collecting and transporting the graphite also takes time," Qin Mu said, shaking his head slightly.
He was telling the truth. The heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) was relatively easy to fix, since it was indoors and could be repaired repeatedly. However, the coal was collected from the mountains and transported to Chang'an. In this freezing weather, not only was it difficult to find anyone willing to collect it, but the main problem was that the roads were blocked by heavy snow, making transportation a huge issue.
"Sigh! You rascal, why didn't you bring out such a good thing sooner?" Li Shimin sighed, somewhat reproachfully.
"This is something I only came up with recently, and I don't know if it's feasible, so I haven't reported it yet," Qin Mu said with a hint of apology, having anticipated this.
"Never mind, it's not your fault." Li Shimin waved his hand, quite annoyed.
“Your Majesty, this is not without hope. I think we can have someone repair the kang (heated brick bed). Although we don’t have coal, we can still burn firewood. At least we can get through this winter.” Du Ruhui’s eyes flashed as he stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting.
“Excellent. My lord, have someone conduct a survey of the poor and promote the use of heated brick beds. Qin Huaidao, arrange for someone knowledgeable to assist.” Li Shimin nodded in agreement.
"Your subject obeys the decree," Du Ruhui replied.
“The people of Yongyangfang all know how to make kang beds. If it’s going to be made, just arrange for them to go,” Qin Mu added.
"Alright, it's cold in winter, let's call it a day." Li Shimin waved his hand and then ordered, "Qin Huaidao, come with me to the palace."
After the court officials dispersed, Wang Gui looked at Yongyang Ward with a sense of despair. Not only had he failed to gain any credit this time, but he had also been completely outshone by others. One can imagine how he felt. After pondering for a long time, a surge of hatred appeared in Wang Gui's eyes before he touched his chest, which was filled with resentment, and left.
Back in the palace, upon entering the imperial study, Li Shimin found the once warm study now stinging his eyes; the faintly fragrant stove seemed to mock him.
After looking at the furnace for a while, Li Shimin turned his gaze to Qin Mu and asked, "Tell me, what money-making things are still hidden in Yongyang Ward? I don't believe you can't make the ward self-sufficient. Also, where did those two thousand labor reform prisoners go?"
"Your Majesty is wise. Yongyang Ward's self-sufficiency depends on this coal. As for the two thousand prisoners undergoing labor reform, they collect coal outside the city," Qin Mu said with a smile.
"Hmph! They call it quarrying, but I knew there was something fishy going on," Li Shimin said with a hint of smugness.
"Your Majesty, this is truly an injustice to me. It was indeed quarrying at first, but I was only recently transferred there to collect coal," Qin Mu explained.
Prisoners had to get permission from higher-ups to leave the city. At first, they were put to work in quarries, since labor camps were known for their hardest work. Later, they were transferred to work in coal mining.
"Coal is safe to use, and its uses will be great in the future. I want to nationalize all the mines. What do you think?" Li Shimin asked.
"Your Majesty is wise, but this matter is too difficult. After all, it's not impossible for those local forces to pull some strings," Qin Mu said.
In fact, he had considered this issue before. Logically speaking, it would be best for the state to mine the resources, but given the current situation in the Tang Dynasty, it was clearly impossible. Since that was the case, why not find another way, so that he could also benefit from it?
"What suggestions do you have?" Li Shimin asked after a moment of silence.
Unable to discern Li Shimin's thoughts, Qin Mu still voiced his opinion.
"I believe that Your Majesty could take control of half of the mines for the court to mine, while those with too much local power could be allocated to aristocratic families to operate, just like the salt and iron mines, and taxes could be collected. This would win over the people and prevent opposition from the aristocratic families. Furthermore, Your Majesty could appoint trusted people to join, which would be equivalent to introducing another force into the local area."
"You mean to let several companies mine one place?" Li Shimin asked, a glint of light in his eyes.
“That’s right. After all, it’s not appropriate to hand over such a large amount of profit to just one company. It would be fine to hand it over to several companies.” Qin Mu nodded.
With such high profits, no one was willing to give up. If these families were already somewhat at odds, it would only make things more interesting. This was a completely open conspiracy, blatantly inciting conflict among the powerful clans. Li Shimin's mind raced, and he quickly came up with several possible strategies. The more he thought about it, the happier he became, and a slight smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.
"Hmm, I will give this matter some thought."
"Your Majesty, I have a small request," Qin Mu said.
"explain."
"The imperial court sells a portion of the coal it mines to me."
"Of course, I have no problem selling it to you if you want, but what are you going to do with so much coal? Aren't you mining it now? I'll grant you that mine," Li Shimin said generously. Of course, this was because he knew that Qin Mu's mine didn't have much coal.
"Hehe! Burning coal not only produces smoke but also has a pungent smell. I can alleviate this problem and develop more ways to use coal," Qin Mu said with a smile. He had also used coal in the other world, so he knew a little about it, though not much, but still much more than the people in this world.
"Hand over the method, and I will allow you to buy another mine," Li Shimin said domineeringly, his eyes darting around.
"Alright!" Qin Mu thought for a moment and said somewhat dejectedly.
He couldn't have all the food to himself anymore, but Li Shimin allowed him to buy another mine, so it wasn't a bad deal. His dejected look was just for show; he needed to give Li Shimin a sense of accomplishment.
"Don't think I'm taking advantage of you, kid. You've taken all the benefits. What will others think? How can they not make you hand over the secret formula? Only I can profit from this," Li Shimin said, as if he were doing it for your own good.
"Your Majesty's reprimand is absolutely correct. I understand. I will hand over the secret recipe in a couple of days," Qin Mu nodded.
In truth, Qin Mu was quite pleased. The secret recipe was actually worthless and easily imitated, because all he could think of was honeycomb briquettes. Given the advanced alchemy techniques of this world, cracking it should be very easy. As for removing the pungent sulfur smell from the coal, that was even simpler—just wash the coal.
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