Chapter 136 Insight 2
The whole process was as smooth as if it had been rehearsed a thousand times. There was no fighting, no pushing, no impatient shouts from the driver, and no panicked dodging from pedestrians!
"What...what kind of rule is this?!"
Gao Quan was dumbfounded, finding it utterly unbelievable!
Qu Zhinian hurriedly explained, his eyes shining with an almost worshipful light for Xie Sangning: "Your Excellency, this is also the county magistrate's innovation! It is called the Separation of Roads Flag Order! The county magistrate said that if carriages and horses travel at high speeds while pedestrians travel slowly, it is easy for collisions to occur, resulting in injury or death."
"Therefore, this regulation was established, using flag colors as signals to demarcate the times for passage. Red light means stop, green light means go, pedestrians walk on sidewalks, and vehicles use lanes. At intersections, designated personnel are stationed to carry flags and give orders. Anyone who disobeys, regardless of their status, will be punished with caning and fined according to the severity of the offense! Since this law was implemented, injuries and deaths caused by collisions between vehicles and horses in the city have almost disappeared! The people can travel with peace of mind!"
"Stop at red lights... Go at green lights..."
Gao Quan subconsciously read it aloud, feeling that the rules were simple and clear, yet contained indescribable wisdom!
The peace and tranquility brought by this sense of order was something he had never deeply experienced in any bustling metropolis!
Deeply impressed, Gao Quan, accompanied by Qu Zhinian, continued walking along the wide, smooth cement main street. He greedily surveyed the shops on both sides.
"The new spinning wheel! It saves labor and time! One day's spinning is equivalent to three days' worth!"
"Xihan Bookstore! Newly printed editions of 'Essentials of Agriculture and Sericulture' and 'New Discourses on Water Conservancy'! Personally approved and printed by the county magistrate!"
......
The cries of vendors rose and fell, and the goods were incredibly diverse, ranging from the most basic grains, oils and cloth to exotic treasures from distant lands, to ingenious and practical new tools, and even... books!
It's no wonder Gao Quan was surprised; in Daqing, the popularity of books was very low.
Not only are book production costs high, but most good books are held by established families and are difficult to circulate.
He couldn't resist going in to take a look. The bookshelves were filled with a dazzling array of books, almost every kind of book imaginable!
That's impossible!
Seeing Gao Quan's expression, Magistrate Qu felt smug.
This was something that everyone sent out to search far and wide, trying every possible way to copy back! Although sometimes... the methods were a bit forceful, as the young lady once said, books are the ladder to human progress!
People in Xihan should read books to some extent! Be a knowledgeable, common-sense, and well-mannered person!
Gao Quan even saw shops with signs for Xihan Money Shop and Xihan Post Station!
Although it is not large in scale, it is always bustling with customers and staff coming and going.
What shocked him even more were the farmers resting under the shade of trees along the street.
They had just returned from working in the wheat fields outside the city, their trouser legs still covered in mud, their faces flushed with health. They gathered in twos and threes, some drinking water from rough porcelain bowls, others munching on flatbreads with pickled vegetables, chatting and laughing.
They talked about this year's harvest, the newly bought oxen, and the newly built school. Their eyes showed no signs of numbness or weariness, only anticipation and longing for the future!
That genuine, hopeful smile, as radiant as the sun, sent a strange shiver down Gao Quan's spine, a eunuch who was used to the darkness of the palace and the suffering of the common people.
This...this is hardly a bitterly cold place.
This is clearly a prosperous city where people live and work in peace and contentment, merchants gather, and all industries thrive!
The smiles on the faces of the pedestrians and the farmers working on the road, the light in their eyes, were things that Gao Quan had never seen on the faces of the wealthy and powerful in the capital who lived in luxury but were scheming against each other, or on the faces of the common people who were struggling to make a living!
A golden age!
A single word exploded in Gao Quan's mind like a thunderclap!
A sign of a prosperous era!
The street scenes of Xihan, the peaceful people, the orderly city, the fields full of hope...
And all of this... stemmed from Xie Sangning, a wicked woman rumored to be extremely vicious, both in person and in her words!
Gao Quan suddenly grabbed Qu Zhinian's arm, his voice trembling with extreme excitement:
"Lord Qu! This...this cement road! These road dividers! These shops all over the city! These peaceful people...could it be...could it also be something the county magistrate did to test the grain varieties?!"
This excuse seems so weak and feeble at this moment! Does a grain seed experiment need a thriving business? Does it need paved roads and traffic rules?
Qu Zhinian felt a sharp pain from being gripped, but his face still wore a humble smile, though his eyes were unusually bright and firm: "Reporting to the Imperial Envoy, the County Princess once said, 'Food is the first necessity of the people, but granaries are only one aspect. When roads are open, merchants come; when merchants come, goods abound; when order is restored, the people are at peace; when the people are at peace, all industries prosper; when education is implemented, etiquette is clear; when etiquette is clear, a prosperous age arrives.' The changes in Xihan were not achieved overnight."
“Grain is the foundation, roads are the lifeblood, order is the skeleton, merchants are the flesh and blood, and education is the soul! The county magistrate has been here for many years, pouring her heart and soul into everything she has done so that the people of this place can truly live and work in peace! For His Majesty… for this great celebration… to create a truly auspicious land again!”
He paused, his voice carrying immense reverence and a hint of suggestion:
"The county princess often says that the changes in Xihan were a blessing from Heaven for Daqing, a result of His Majesty's benevolence! What she did was merely to follow the will of Heaven and the people, to do her small part. When His Majesty sees this auspicious sign on His Majesty's birthday, he will know what true 'peace and prosperity for the country' really means!"
boom--!
Gao Quan felt his head buzzing!
These are really the words of Xie Sangning, the spoiled, arrogant, and ruthless Princess of Jianing.
These words made his blood boil! He suddenly wanted to return to the capital immediately, not to report to the Emperor, but to visit Xie Sangning!
Xie Sangning actually created a model of prosperity in Xihan, a remote and impoverished place that even the emperor wanted to abandon!
Gao Quan's heart pounded wildly, almost bursting out of his chest!
He looked at the small western town bathed in the golden sunset, at the happy smiles of the people, at the gleaming cement road beneath his feet, and at the composed official directing traffic at the intersection…
All of this turned into a tremendous shock, shattering all his previous understanding!
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