"The Farmer's Fat Wife" - Fat men are all potential gems (25...)
After so many years, the Qingmu forces, which had been entrenched on the southeastern border, finally pressed towards the Central Plains.
How could a nation that raised an army on the orders of the Taishan deity not have Taishan? After pacifying Huzhou, Ye Xiqing turned north without hesitation to expand his northern border.
Huaizhou's geographical location, which divides the north and south, naturally allows people to travel both north and south.
Meanwhile, Huaizhou and Qi are conveniently connected by sea, allowing for coordinated land and sea operations, making control effortless.
If they fail, they can simply retreat to their hometown and defend themselves; at the very least, they can live as pirates or exiles at sea.
At this point, while he might not be able to claim the title of king domestically, it would be quite easy to do so abroad.
As long as you have soldiers, there are too many avenues for advancement.
It wasn't just Ye Xiqing who thought that way; others thought the same.
Shipping has become increasingly important and brought more benefits as navigation technology has advanced.
However, before development was fully realized, the coastal areas were not considered particularly desirable places for the agrarian economy of ancient times.
Erosion by seawater would result in the loss of a lot of arable land, and many valuable coastal economic assets, such as salt, would be monopolized by the government.
Ordinary people could not gain much benefit and were frequently harassed by pirates.
Not only were they harassed by foreign enemies, but the coastal areas also experienced active climates and frequent natural disasters.
However, after Ye Xiqing played with it in so many ways, everyone realized that there were so many ways to play by occupying the harbor.
When the Manichaean leader was still alive, and the male protagonist had just joined the Manichaean sect, he had gone to the island to trade for supplies for the sect's military.
On the island, he witnessed an unprecedented sight. As the male protagonist, he naturally possessed insight and immediately realized how ingenious this system was.
So while Aoki Tenwang was attacking Huaizhou, the male protagonist also suggested that his father-in-law send troops to attack Qi and take over this port city.
By taking the best and discarding the worst, the rise of Huaizhou along the coast is a process well worth learning from.
As for strategy, the male protagonist still feels somewhat superior to Ye Xiqing's strategy.
The South is indeed a land of fish and rice, rich in resources, but it has too few natural defenses to hold. The area north of Huaizhou is flat and open, making it difficult to attack from the south, but easy to break in from the north.
Confined to that small plot of land in the south, they could only be a regional lord, losing the opportunity to contend for supremacy.
Although he is currently weaker than Aoki Tenno, he has a premonition that this most powerful Southern Tenno is not to be feared, and that one day he will surpass her!
The male protagonist felt that this was where he was superior to Aoki Tenno, but he never expected that after Aoki Tenno finished fighting in Huzhou, he would immediately come back and attack Taizhou.
The male protagonist, who had just begun to feel a sense of superiority: Huh?
Not fighting feels like a low-level strategy, but fighting makes me unhappy.
There is indeed a large plain to the north of Huaizhou and to the land of Qi, which is easy to fight both offensively and defensively.
And the male lead is helping her fight in front of her, so she can take advantage of the situation while she's fighting, hehe.
Ye Xiqing doesn't like people saying she won because of her ability; she prefers people saying she won because of luck.
"Hard work" and "ability" immediately evoke a sense of hardship and uncertainty, while "good luck" brings a sense of reassurance that success can be achieved even without effort.
The several prefectures in Qi are too far from the current center of the imperial court, and the garrison troops stationed there are basically no different from those who have established their own independent states.
Previously, they mainly relied on the Huaizhou shipping route for supplies to fight against the Manichaeism. Now, with the combined pressure from the Manichaeism and the Aoki Army, they were rendered useless on the spot.
The rapid rise of Manichaeism is largely due to its viral spread through grassroots religious institutions.
Ye Xiqing's Green Wood Army, along with the Huaizhou Ming merchants spreading like wildfire and underground organizations, are truly evenly matched opponents.
Because the male protagonist seized the initiative, he divided up several states in Qi. Ye Xiqing then made his move and was not to be outdone, stealing half of them and taking over Taizhou and the major coastal ports.
After taking control of the coastal counties, Ye Xiqing did not hesitate to allow private salt production to win over the people.
If the male protagonist succeeds, he will definitely implement the same policies; he is not a short-sighted person.
But I'm sorry, the harbor belongs to Aoki Tenno, and it's not anyone else's place to be the good guy.
Although the male protagonist also promised to divide the salt fields, Ye Xiqing had already actually done so. Allowing private salt production was Ye Xiqing's biggest innovation, and all the coastal residents knew about it and were extremely envious.
When Ye Xiqing took over the new territory, the coastal people lined the streets to welcome him, as the coastal areas were allocating salt fields to him.
In fact, the reason why salt was so precious in ancient times was largely due to monopolies, in addition to restrictions on transportation and mining.
Whenever the imperial court had a problem, it would look for it in the price of salt. Imposing a 50% tax was too obvious and could easily incite popular uprisings. For example, Ye Xiqing rebelled at that time.
The search for clues in salt taxes is much more subtle, similar to the approach of minting inferior currency.
The price of salt not only had to cover the actual cost, but also the insufficient finances of the imperial court. It was also a monopolized necessity, and people had no choice but to buy it, so they secretly squeezed out another sum of money.
After the private sector was truly opened up, the price was not so outrageous. However, because salt is indeed a regional specialty and a necessity of life, its status is even higher than that of tea, so it is still very profitable. The coastal people are very happy and do not want to be like the original owners at all.
After Ye Xiqing pacified the various prefectures of Qi, he naturally led a group of his beloved ministers to climb Mount Tai, placing the statue of the Goddess of Mount Tai in the very center, and worshipping her as the goddess of the land and the mother of the state.
She then uttered a few lines of inspiration, such as "When I reach the summit, I will see all the mountains below," which drew praise from her group of literary figures. Zhu Niangzi's eyes widened in astonishment.
When did you improve so much? The last time I talked to you about meter, you were yawning!
Ye Xiqing waved his hand, indicating that he wanted to keep a low profile.
Back when she was preparing for the college entrance exam, she memorized the entire Chinese textbook for all three years of high school, including the long essays in the elective courses, word for word. The annotations in the textbooks were exactly the same as those in the textbooks.
I don't know how my memory was so good back then; I could get a basic impression with just a glance. Now I've forgotten a lot of it.
Although she has forgotten a lot, she still remembers the important things. If needed, she will recite a new poem when she goes to the coast later.
Bamboo Maiden: ...
After conquering Huzhou, Taizhou, Jizhou, and several other prefectures in Qi, the crowd did not express any particular reaction. Instead, they were amazed by Ye Xiqing's astonishing literary talent.
Zhu Niangzi racked her brains for three days but still couldn't figure out how this poem came from Ye Xiqing's dark and burly body.
But that doesn't matter. Our own superstar finally said something of such high quality, so we immediately framed it and released it so the whole world would know!
As for whether Ye Xiqing would be encouraged by this and start studying poetry diligently from this moment on, she would not.
As a purely profit-driven person, she would not do anything without self-interest.
Even if she learns to write poetry, will she still get 151 points on the college entrance exam?
Instead of wasting that effort, it would be better to use the leisurely time of ancient times to slowly review Chinese and English.
Previously, I purchased an electronic version of the supplementary teaching materials in the first world. Theoretically, the knowledge in the textbooks was somewhat beyond the scope of that world in ancient times.
However, the system was in no mood to argue with Ye Xiqing about this, so it ignored her.
The pace of life for the ancient elites was truly comfortable; they played at sunrise and rested at sunset.
Ye Xiqing didn't implement such an early morning assembly system. What was she trying to do by getting up so early? She should be more normal and start work at nine o'clock to have breakfast.
There's not much to do at the morning assembly, and it doesn't need to be held every day. It's held three times a month: at the beginning, middle, and end of the month.
For any important matters, Zhu Niangzi and the heads of various departments can come directly to her, or they can write a memorial to the throne.
Ye Xiqing didn't even read the reports herself; she had the group of literati under Mei Niangzi help her prioritize them, and then she listened to their reports.
She didn't become emperor to be a model worker in ancient times.
After capturing Taizhou, there was another person who was overjoyed, and that was Hua Xigu.
She remembered her mother telling her that their ancestors came from Taizhou. During a famine, they fled to Huaizhou and settled there, where they built their family and career.
I still vaguely remember a few places her mother mentioned, and I wonder if there are any relatives I've forgotten.
Ye Xiqing was very interested and accompanied her in the search for her relatives. Following the map, they actually found the place and, upon inquiring, indeed heard familiar news.
Hua Xigu suddenly had a very strange feeling. She chatted happily with the person she was talking to, and the person being asked the question was also happy. She somehow managed to establish a relationship with the Supreme King.
Ye Xiqing directly hired someone to go to the mansion to talk to Hua Xigu; chatting with the Supreme King was also part of the job.
When Ye Xiqing became queen, Hua Xigu was also quite excited. Was she going to become empress dowager?
Ye Xiqing replied without hesitation, "Of course not. When I become the Heavenly King, you will be the Supreme King, and when I become the Emperor, you will be the Supreme Emperor."
Hua Xigu was instantly delighted. The word "King" in "Supreme King" sounds prestigious.
So when the eldest brother of the Hua family pleaded with her, asking why the throne wasn't passed to him, the only male heir, and that passing it to Hua Qiyue would extinguish the family line, that's why...
Hua Xigu asked a question: "If you were given the throne, what would you do with me?"
Brother Hua replied without hesitation, "If I become the Heavenly King, I will definitely make you the Empress Dowager!"
Hua Xigu: ...
Then go play somewhere else.
There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. These words still reached Hua Qiyue's ears, causing the once close siblings to have their relationship instantly shattered. You bastard!
Back when they were in the Hua family, Hua Qiyue and Hua Sanyue didn't get along, and Hua Qiyue was always trying to please her only older brother. Now, it's completely the other way around.
She was a little scared. She only had one daughter, and if something happened to her, the throne would fall into someone else's hands. So she wanted to have another child.
Ye Xiqing had no objection. Hua Qiyue was as healthy as an ox, and Hua Xigu had given birth to three children without any problems. Her genes must be quite good, so there was nothing wrong with her.
However, Ye Xiqing should add that if you have another child, you should be careful with your husband.
Originally, she wanted the royal family to select several children for the royal family to choose from, taking turns, so that the princes would not know who their fathers were, thus preventing division and the possibility of someone murdering other children for the sake of their own.
Or they might instigate discord between their own biological child and another person who is not their biological child.
Male supremacy is like children born from different mothers, with weak connections, and human brains fighting like dog brains.
In a matriarchal society, all children come from the same mother's womb, so there's no distinction between close and distant relatives.
So either the gametes from the second pregnancy aren't brought home, and both children are registered under the original husband's name.
Either don't let her husband interfere in the children's affairs, lest he show favoritism and incite discord among the children.
Hua Qiyue was not a foolish person. She immediately understood the matter and realized, as if she had just woken up from a dream, that she was right, sister!
Upon returning home, she immediately adopted a two-pronged approach: she secretly conceived a second child, without bringing the person who provided the child home, and claimed that the child was entirely born to her original husband.
Although her original husband was heartbroken, he could only swallow his bitterness and force a smile to accept it.
After her second daughter was born, Hua Qiyue didn't dare to let her husband see her, but instead let her mother see her.
She now mainly works in an office job, so the environment for having children is quite relaxed. Her first child is also grown up and can travel around.
They only had this one child, and then they had a second child, so they named her Chengsi. Now that they have another child, Hua Qiyue asked Ye Xiqing to name her. Ye Xiqing thought about it and decided to name her Chengwen.
Hua Chengsi has grown up quite a bit. He was pampered like the apple of her eye since he was a child, and he has an exceptionally lively personality. As he grew up, he didn't want to stay at home quietly and preferred to go out and play with his aunt.
Now that a younger sister has been born, uneven distribution of resources could easily lead to trouble. So, let's have one person practice martial arts and the other study literature.
When they grow up, the eldest son should pursue a career in military affairs, and the second son in politics.
Hua Chengsi was still young and didn't understand what it meant. But when he heard that she was to develop her military career while her younger sister was to study literature, he immediately asked excitedly, "Then can I stop studying in the future?"
Her mother smacked her with a stick: "You wish!"
Hua Chengsi: ...
Then what are you going to divide up?
The adults would just make things up, saying one person should learn martial arts and the other should learn literature, but in the end she had to learn both...
Hua Chengsi went to his aunt sadly. It was still more fun at his aunt's place. He wondered when his younger sister would grow up and take over her studies.
Ye Xiqing was happy to play with the child without having to worry about anything else. She gave her a small bow and had them practice archery.
It has to be admitted that children in their early stages of learning react very well and learn very quickly, excitedly showing off to their aunts.
Ye Xiqing offered a few perfunctory compliments. After such a major conflict, he would definitely need to rest and recuperate for a few years. Others would handle everything. Ye Xiqing was so bored he was practically rolling on the floor. When people are idle, they tend to come up with all sorts of bad ideas.
Now that their land borders the male protagonist, Ye Xiqing suddenly has a brilliant idea: to ask Mei Niangzi to write her a love letter.
Even the usually composed Mei Niangzi couldn't remain calm upon hearing this. A love letter? A love letter to whom?
Ye Xiqing chuckled, "Of course it's for the male lead."
Then, when giving it to the male protagonist, make sure his wife sees it.
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