Chapter 68: A Bystander in an Ancient Romance of a Marriage Exchange (The End)
"Now we have both a son and a daughter, how wonderful!" Standing to the side, Madam Chen's smile was as bright and dazzling as a spring flower in full bloom, and even the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes seemed to have been smoothed out by her joy.
The next day, after Su Wan woke up, Jiang Yue and Jiang Ze each carried a child to her bedside. Only then did she take a closer look at her own child, saying, "So tiny..."
"That's how twins are, they'll become chubby and fair-skinned when they're a month old, and then they'll be so adorable!" Jiang Yue secretly took her pulse and said with a smile.
45 days passed in the blink of an eye. Chen and Su Wanqing originally planned to complete a full month of postpartum confinement, but Jiang Yue added another half month because of the twins. So the baby's one-month celebration was moved to this day. Not many people were invited, just a few of Jiang Ze's classmates and friends, as well as Jiang Ze's parents-in-law.
The pleasant day passed in the blink of an eye. The two little ones were growing up healthy and chubby. Jiang Ze hadn't had much time to study these past few days, and his father and Mrs. Chen were busy taking care of the children all day long. Before long, the imperial examination began, and Jiang Ze also took the exam, but unfortunately he didn't pass. However, fortunately, his father-in-law introduced him to a job, and he planned to work while preparing for the exam.
The saying "Even dogs dislike three-year-olds" certainly applies to these two children. They were incredibly mischievous. One day, they got into trouble again, running into Jiang Ze's study and tearing up all the books on the table. They almost set the study on fire. Realizing they had caused trouble, they quickly ran to Jiang Yue. They knew that while their grandparents could help with small matters, they had to turn to Jiang Yue for big problems.
A moment later, Jiang Ze and Su Wanqing came over with a small spanking paddle. The two children were hiding behind Jiang Yue, and Jiang Ze caught them like an eagle catching chicks for a long time. This time, Jiang Yue didn't stop them. If the fire were set on fire and burned down the house, it wouldn't be a big deal, but what if someone got hurt? So after they were spanked, the two children cried loudly, and Jiang Yue wouldn't let them hug her. They were showing their little temper.
That year, the female protagonist and the imperial advisor returned from their sea voyage, bringing back sweet potatoes, corn, potatoes, as well as many vegetable seeds and fruit seedlings. The emperor had people experiment with them on the imperial estate and found that the yield was indeed very high. However, promoting them was not as easy as expected. It takes time for people to accept new things. Farmers in the capital were forced to cultivate the new seeds, which caused a lot of anxiety among the people.
That day, the new village head also came to Jiang Ze for advice. The Jiang family had discussed it and they all believed in the Imperial Advisor, so they had already planted their own land. Jiang Ze also gave the village head an analysis, asked him to stay for a meal, and then went back. Whether he would follow the advice or not was unknown. It wasn't until the autumn harvest that everyone believed it was true, so the following year, people near the capital rushed to plant it.
Then it gradually spread throughout the country, and the new emperor's rule became more and more stable. If there were no unexpected events, a golden age might be coming. Jiang Yue has not been idle these past few years. She has been taking care of her two mischievous children and getting them started on their education. At the beginning, there was no need to hire a tutor. Jiang Ze, Su Wanqing and Jiang Yue took turns teaching them. When they got a little older, they were sent to school.
Another year passed, and suddenly a general amnesty was granted. The reason was that the female lead, who had brought back high-yield seeds, gave birth to a child. Since neither the imperial advisor nor the female lead accepted any rewards from the emperor, the emperor granted a general amnesty in the name of accumulating merit for the child. In the past few years, the country's strength has gradually increased, and the emperor's position has become more and more stable. The curfew has also been gradually lifted, and Jiang Yue's whole family went out to stroll through the market.
People spontaneously released many Kongming lanterns to pray for their families, the female protagonist, and the imperial advisor. Jiang Yue also bought two Kongming lanterns for her two children, letting them write their blessings on them before releasing them. Another year passed, and foreign tribes invaded. Seeing that the Great Zhou was getting stronger and stronger, the foreign tribes could no longer sit still and cooperated to invade the Great Zhou at the same time.
The strength of the nation also meant that the people had unprecedented confidence and a high level of recognition for the Great Zhou. Everyone enthusiastically signed up to join the army. Moreover, the Great Zhou had always promoted both civil and military affairs, and its army was always capable of fighting. The emperor and his ministers treated the foreign tribes' demands for ceding territory and paying reparations as nothing, and simply said: If you want war, then let's fight!
Just then, the female protagonist handed the gunpowder to the emperor, and soon after, Italian cannons and grenades were invented, which stunned the foreign tribes. They pressed their advantage and attacked their heartland. The officials of the court showed no mercy and directly occupied their territory. Then they recruited officials of all ranks to govern the new territory.
Because Jiang Ze was a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), the imperial court issued a notice to them, saying that as long as they were willing to take up a post in another place, they would be given an official position and money. The family discussed it and decided to go and try their luck. Otherwise, with Jiang Ze's abilities, the Juren title would be the last one. So they went to the Ministry of Revenue to register. A few days later, the imperial court issued a notice, and Jiang Ze became a county magistrate.
After leaving, Jiang Ze didn't know if he would ever have the chance to return. He took Su Wanqing to his father-in-law's house to say goodbye. His father-in-law introduced him to some students, all of whom were those who would only pass the lowest level of the imperial examinations. Although they weren't very capable, they could still assist Jiang Ze in governing his territory.
After Jiang's father disposed of the shops and land, the imperial court's proclamation was posted, ordering that this group of people would set off within fifteen days and take office within six months. Jiang Ze led his family and the families of the students who were going with him in a grand procession. After leaving the city gate, they stopped to take one last look at the capital. They didn't know if they would be able to return, so they composed themselves and set off again.
There were many convoys of all sizes on the road, including those like Jiang Ze who were going to take up their posts, as well as some ordinary people. The imperial court had also issued a decree offering very good conditions to encourage people to migrate, including but not limited to tax reductions and exemptions, resettlement allowances, etc. Moreover, the tax exemptions were not for one or two years, but basically for five or ten years. The imperial court also knew that you can't catch a wolf without risking your life. Who would be willing to leave their hometown if the exemptions were only for one or two years?
It took three months to get there. When they finally arrived, everything was in ruins. It was called a county town, but it was more like a small village. Fortunately, the local people were arriving one after another. Jiang Ze was at a loss as to where to start, but in the end, Jiang Yue stepped in.
First, we recruited people and then allocated land to the people. Only after the people were settled could we start working. We didn't rush to build a city because we had heard before we left that the female lead had already started researching cement, so we would just start using cement.
Before long, cement appeared, and Jiang Yue began to build the city. As for manpower, that was not a problem, since there were many prisoners.
The army was worried about what to do with these prisoners, and they had to feed them every day. Fortunately, Jiang Ze solved a problem for them by bringing them to build a city. Jiang Yue found a blueprint in her space, and Jiang Ze started construction according to the blueprint.
Once the city was built, these people were sent to cultivate the wasteland, as there was a continuous influx of people migrating there. It wasn't until winter that the court figured out how to deal with the prisoners. When the officers in charge of guarding the prisoners saw them, they were speechless. They were all emaciated and pale, and most of them had died.
What else? Why keep them plump and healthy? Building a city requires stones, and where do those stones come from? They're all chipped away at by the stone. Besides, food is precious; the people are all waiting to be fed. We can't give them everything, so if they eat little and work a lot, won't more people die?
As for whether Jiang Yue is ruthless or not, it can only be said that they have different positions. Moreover, the more Jiang Yue looks at these prisoners, the more they seem to be people who are living a good life now. How can Jiang Yue treat them as human beings? That's really overthinking it. She is simply using them to death. The people in the city feel sorry for them. So when Jiang Yue finished building the city and dug a moat, the other counties were less than halfway done.
Jiang Yue was fearless, knowing that the emperor must have sentries watching her. At first, she didn't go too far, but later she found that no one was paying attention, so she just let herself go. Just as Jiang Yue thought, the emperor and several important officials knew that she was in charge of building the city, but they didn't care and only said one thing: "This girl is really ruthless."
After all, the emperor didn't treat these prisoners as his own subjects. Although he felt he had done a good job and solved a major problem, he certainly couldn't say it out loud. After all, an emperor couldn't be so cruel. So the matter of dealing with the prisoners had been discussed for nearly a year. Everyone had a tacit understanding: the more people died, the better. Once most of the able-bodied men were dead, the women and children wouldn't have the ability to rebel. Then, some people could be pardoned and some people could be shown favor. Wouldn't they all submit?
After the city was built, Jiang Yue helped govern it for several years. Once everything was on track, Jiang Yue's mission was complete. For the first time, Jiang Yue initiated the early departure procedure. This world was so boring, and women were subject to too many restrictions, making it inconvenient to do anything. So after her father and Chen passed away, Jiang Yue directly called 8888. Although she was a little reluctant to leave her two children, she still made up her mind to leave. A month later, Jiang Yue passed away.
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