Chapter 86 Chapter 86 Using beauty to lure men and education...
The people of Xihe Road used to think that the people of Li County were the most miserable and suffered the most.
Now that times have changed, what they envy most are the people of Li County.
Because it had been under the rule of the Princess of Anping for a long time, everything started earlier, and now it has become completely out of their reach.
The people of Li County have no worries about food, drink, or even clothing.
Take this school for example. Many poor families wanted to send their young children to study. After a little inquiry, they found out that Li Xian had already set up a school. The first batch of children had already graduated, and some even became county magistrates!
There has been no movement in the school on Xihe Road yet.
Therefore, when Kang Zhuqing and Shi Tu appeared on the streets of Lingzhou with their bags on their backs, they felt that everyone was watching them.
Kang Zhuqing felt quite puzzled and asked Shi Tu quietly, "Is there anything on our faces? Why are people always looking at us?"
Shi Tu shook his head naively: "No, maybe my clothes are dirty somewhere?"
"Those people don't seem to have any malicious intentions." Kang Zhuqing suppressed his doubts and said, "Forget it, the most important thing is to find Jin Niang first."
The two of them made this trip specifically to visit their two children. They first went to Lingzhou to see Shi Jin, then went to look for their son Shi Tou, and finally returned to Li County.
Kang Zhuqing boldly commented on Lingzhou, "Lingzhou is indeed far inferior to Li County right now. The only thing more convenient than Li County is the public oxcarts, but Li County is small, so they're not really necessary."
As soon as this was said, someone nearby couldn't help but respond, "Are you two from Li County?" His eyes were full of envy.
"I just think you two don't look like people from Lingzhou. How can people from Lingzhou afford to wear cotton clothes these days? How can you have such spirit?"
These words made Kang Zhuqing and Shi Tu feel embarrassed.
It happened that his troops were patrolling here. Xu Chuo had been taken care of by Kang Zhuqing and Shi Tu in the past, so he went forward to greet them and exchange a few words.
The people next to them were even more stunned, "You... know each other?"
Shi Tu answered honestly, "I know him. We were neighbors when we were in Li County."
When the man got home, he whispered to his neighbors, "The people in Li County are different. They can greet each other casually."
Nowadays, Lingzhou City is large and transportation relies entirely on public ox carts. Kang Zhuqing had already made a plan with Shitu and knew which bus to take and where to get off.
The first car that arrived was full, so I waited and waited until the second one came and I got in and sat down.
Kang Zhuqing and Shi Tu remembered the station where they wanted to get off, and got off immediately as soon as the driver called.
Shi Jin was still working in the workshop, and had already asked the Mo family who lived next door to help open the door.
Kang Zhuqing knocked on the door of the Mo family. Tang Xing opened the door with dark circles under his eyes. "Madam Kang, Mr. Shi is fine. Wait a moment, I'll go get the key."
Tang Xing and Shitou were about the same age. Kang Zhuqing looked at his dark circles and felt a little moved. "What's wrong with you, young master Tang? Didn't you get enough sleep?"
Tang Xing rubbed his hair and was too embarrassed to say that he had been resting for the past two days and had received a storybook, no, a novel from his sister Feng.
I was fascinated by it before I knew it.
So he chose to defend his face, "I've been busy recently..."
Shi Tu was also concerned, "You should also take care of yourself. You medical staff have worked so hard during the recent epidemic."
The two of them took the keys and left. Tang Xing yawned. He saw that he had just slept this morning and now that he was awake, he didn't know whether he should continue sleeping.
It would be better to just continue watching. He was so anxious. The heroine was wronged. It was really infuriating! He couldn't wait to see how she would show off and slap the faces of those blind people!
Kang Zhuqing and Shi Tu opened the door and saw that the small courtyard was tidy and neat, but there was nothing there. It was obvious that its owner only slept and didn't even eat there.
Kang Zhuqing and Shi Tu laid out all the things they brought from home, then walked around the neighborhood a few times and bought some vegetables and meat.
This place is different from Li County, where it is common to eat meat only once every few days.
But in Lingzhou, Kang Zhuqing found that everyone around her was looking at her eagerly, and even the butcher asked them if they were from Li County.
After buying vegetables and meat and returning home, Kang Zhuqing and Shi Tu muttered, "Our Li County has become a rare place now."
Shi Tu analyzed, "We are lucky. Li County is the fiefdom of the county lord."
After preparing the food and buying firewood, the two waited at the gate of the yard for Shi Jin to get off work.
Shi Jin was not worried that his parents would get lost. If they really couldn't find the way, he could just ask the patrolling soldiers.
When the three of them got together, Kang Zhuqing first looked at his daughter, his eyes full of distress. "I see you've lost weight."
Shi Tu: "You have dark circles under your eyes too. I'm afraid you didn't sleep well either!"
Shi Jin smiled and said, "Lingzhou is newly established, and all affairs have to be started from scratch, so it is naturally a bit busy."
The three of them entered the yard, and Shi Tu went to cook all the dishes, all of which were Shi Jin's favorites. The three of them ate and chatted.
Shi Jin mentioned, "Mother and father, do you still remember Lan Niang?"
"Remember, she and Shitou both worked hard and were chosen to be county magistrates!"
"Lan Niang discovered a kind of grass in Shi County that can dye cloth. It's more colorful than indigo leaves, and doesn't require as much. By controlling the depth, you can achieve different effects. The county lady read Lan Niang's report yesterday and has arranged for Sister Yao Niang to conduct an experiment. By then, everyone will be able to wear clothes of different colors."
Kang Zhuqing was amazed that she could even choose the color of her clothes now. If it were in the past, it would have been a great achievement for her to be able to wear such cotton clothes.
Kang Zhuqing smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll buy another piece of cotton cloth and dye it a different color, and make new clothes for you and Shitou. I'm tired of wearing this blue one."
"Your mother and I came here today and noticed that the people in Lingzhou City always like to look at us. At first we didn't know why, but later we realized it was because we are from Li County, and they envy us!"
Kang Zhuqing felt proud, "I never thought that Li County would be envied one day."
The next day, Shi Jin went out to work, and Kang Zhuqing met an acquaintance as soon as he came out of the alley.
Many people transferred from Li County live in these two alleys.
Kang Zhuqing walked out of the alley and found that all the ox carts in Lingzhou City did have a sign, whether they were public or private.
But she rarely saw private ox carts anymore; most of them were public.
In Shi Jin's words, it is too easy to get stuck in traffic when driving a private bullock cart, so it is better to take a public bullock cart.
Kang Zhuqing planned to wander around Lingzhou City alone.
It wasn't for anything else, but when she was young and her parents were still alive, her neighbor's sister married to Lingzhou City. At that time, she heard others say how good Lingzhou was, how rich it was, and how much better it was than Li County.
Her neighbor's sister married into the family and lived a happy life.
Lingzhou City has been Kang Zhuqing's dream for a long time.
Now that my wish has come true and I come to Lingzhou, I feel that it is nothing special.
She still prefers Li County.
*
The envoys returned to Anjing in disgrace, looking like lost dogs. In the imperial palace, An He couldn't wait to exaggerate the story, making it a sensational one, describing Liang Nian's disguise as a man and her attempt to take the imperial examination.
He spoke so passionately that his face flushed. "Your Highness, this is a heinous crime of deceiving the emperor! How can you let Liang Nian go like this?"
Lin You didn't expect Lin Si would disagree.
In his memory, Lin Si was an honest child who didn't talk much. He regarded this resistance as a desperate act of the rabbit biting the person.
So he thought he had offered a very generous ante, but he didn't expect that the delegation didn't even get to see Lin Si.
A senior official among the envoys spoke frankly, "Your Highness, I have seen that the people of Xihe Road, under the rule of the County Lady, have rosy complexions, none of them are sallow or thin. I still believe that we should persuade the County Lady to submit to the Emperor."
An He snorted coldly, "Submit? The Princess of Anping County calls herself a barbarian, how can she surrender?"
Yan Shengguang stood there without saying a word.
He didn't have much to say, as he was there as a guide.
Lin Si acted like this, and his subordinates were women disguised as men and were once ministers of the imperial court. This combination made Lin You extremely annoyed.
He said in a deep voice, "Where is Liang Nian from?"
An He was delighted, thinking that Liang Nian's family was going to be punished.
Lin Si refused to accept the amnesty, and a thorny problem was once again put before him. In the world today, including Lin Si, four anti-government flags have been raised.
Who to hit first?
In terms of territory size and threats, Xihe Road, which is located in a remote corner, seems to be the least worrying. In addition, Lin Si is a girl. If Lin Si was a man, how could Lin You be so patient?
As a member of the royal family and deeply loved by the people, Lin You would have been furious and sent his troops to attack him. How could he be so patient in dealing with him?
After much thought, Lin You decided to save Lin Si for last.
If it really doesn't work, he can specially approve the feudal system for Lin Si and hand over Xihe Road to her for management. If she is still not satisfied, don't blame him for being rude.
Suddenly, a tentative and flattering voice sounded from somewhere: "Since the county lady is a girl, and she is only sixteen or seventeen years old, why don't you use the beauty trap?"
Yan Shengguang was originally listening carefully, thinking of summarizing the information and passing it on. When he heard about the beauty trap, he suddenly felt his brain open up.
At this moment, he felt that his choice was right.
The voice continued, "Pick some handsome men. If they can win the favor of the county lady and persuade her, wouldn't it be twice as effective with half the effort?"
For the first time ever, Lin You, sitting on the dragon throne, didn't immediately rebuke this absurd proposal. He was silent for a moment, his knuckles unconsciously drumming on the armrest.
"I agree. This matter... will be left to you."
*
Fang Sheng hadn't returned yet, and Zhuo Zhengchu had a bad feeling in his heart.
Not only did the person not come back, but no news was sent back either.
But that shouldn't be the case. He clearly remembered that in his previous life, Fang Sheng was very powerful and a master at gathering intelligence. In the later period, he was used by him and did many things for him without ever failing.
It should have been an accident that Mo Jinglian and Yin Sheng were unable to find him, but the changes in Xihe Road made him extremely uneasy.
Lin Si's transformation must be strange. He really couldn't believe that a weak girl who could only cry when something happened would do such a thing.
The military advisor consoled him, "My lord, Fang Sheng will be fine. It must be that the Xihe Road is heavily guarded, so no news can be brought out. You don't have to worry."
"What you should be thinking about now is how to get into Anjing and avenge your family!"
Zhuo Zhengchu suddenly came to his senses. Yes, what was there to be afraid of in a small Xihe Road? His target was Anjing. Once he reached Anjing, he could go and investigate.
The general had been waiting for a long time. He waved his fist and said, "My lord, when will we continue to fight? I can't wait any longer!"
Zhuo Zhengchu: "Not yet. There's not enough food. We have to make sure everyone is well fed before we can fight. Wait a little longer. I don't want to be a tyrant. Even if someone attacks us, there's no need to be afraid. They'll definitely steal the people's food, and the army won't have enough to eat. We can use a little trick to make them turn against us."
The military advisor nodded and said, "My lord, you are wise and righteous. You are truly a wise ruler. I am ashamed."
The general was also moved by Zhuo Zhengchu's words. He had originally come to Zhuo Zhengchu on an empty stomach, so when he heard these words, he was naturally moved.
No wonder I was willing to work for my lord the first time I saw him.
Zhuo Zhengchu asked again, "Have you found the maid named Zhu Shixi that I asked you to look for?"
The military advisor shook his head and said, "We've already sent people to the wealthy merchant's house to ask, but there's no such person at all."
Zhuo Zhengchu's anxiety and boredom increased. Zhu Shixi's medical skills were excellent, and he was also very gentle, considerate, and kind, but why couldn't he find her?
The military advisor consoled him, "If you like a girl with medical skills, I'll find her for you."
Zhuo Zhengchu thought of Zhu Shixi's kind-hearted nature. Without his protection, he didn't know how many people would bully him.
Although Zhuo Zhengchu felt very distressed, he also understood that he couldn't assign too many people to search for the needle in the haystack, so he could only give up.
Seeing Zhuo Zhengchu mention women, the military advisor asked, "My lord, several merchants standing behind you want to marry their daughters to you. Who do you think you should choose?"
Zhuo Zhengchu shook his head, "I won't choose any of them."
If we talk about his first wife, it must be Mo Jinglian, but if we talk about his legal wife, there is only one legal wife in his mind, and that is the girl from the Xie family in Liangzhe Road.
This girl was also his queen in his previous life.
The Xie family has a prominent family background and was once a noble family. Although it was suppressed later, it still stands strong.
In his heart, only a girl from such a family is worthy of his position as queen.
Even if Mo Jinglian was his first wife now, he would not let Mo Jinglian take the position of queen.
Not to mention how these merchant girls of humble origins could possibly occupy the position of his legal wife.
These businessmen really have a good plan.
*
The potatoes and sweet potatoes in the Nie family's fields had a good harvest.
After a busy afternoon, the three Nie siblings sat on the ground in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Nie Congran wiped the sweat off his face, took a big gulp of water, and looked at the small waterwheel in the distance.
"The things the county lord has are very useful, and this farm tool is also useful."
When Xihe Road was just taken over by Lin Si, Liang Nian asked Sun Chang and Fan Li to take the students of the technical school and the carpenters of the entire Xihe Road to make a small waterwheel.
As for money, the people will not be charged. After the potato and sweet potato harvest, they can hand over 30% of the harvest. If they feel that they cannot finish eating them at home, the state government will buy them at the market price.
Nie Congxu held a sweet potato and looked at it eagerly.
These are the sweet potatoes she grew herself. They planted them later than others, so the harvest was a little late, but that didn’t matter.
The three of them looked at their parents' tombstone beside the field, feeling sad. It was because their mother and father were unlucky that they didn't live to see the county lady.
Nie Congran didn't plan to take the potatoes and sweet potatoes home because there were too many of them. Potatoes and sweet potatoes were easy to grow and had a good harvest.
Nie Congran borrowed a cart from a neighbor and pushed it by himself. When he met a neighbor on the way, he smiled and asked, "Are you going to deliver potatoes and sweet potatoes?"
Nie Congran kept enough for his family and gave the rest to the provincial government.
Nie Congran didn't want the money, but the yamen runners said that this was the county lord's rule and he had to follow it.
After returning home, Nie Congran looked at the little Nie Congxu and said out loud the idea that had been lingering in his mind for a long time.
"Ah Xu, do you want to go to school in Li County?"
Nie Congran knew that the younger brothers and sisters of Xu Chuo and Gan Lang in the army had studied in the school, and some of the team members' children were also studying in the school, and their ages were not much different from Nie Congxu.
Now he has learned to read and write in the army, and A Yan has enrolled in night school, so it is not a big deal if there is only one illiterate person.
Nie Congxu opened his eyes wide, "Brother, I want to go."
This brings up another problem: Nie Congxu has no one to take care of him.
Nie Congyan had to attend night school, so he couldn't leave his troops.
Nie Congyan also felt a headache. Nie Congxu was only a few years old, and they were really worried about him living alone. But it was not a good thing if he wasted his time studying like this.
After all, there is an age limit for studying in school.
Nie Congran recalled that when he was on patrol, those poor people and merchants said something when they left the city of Li County.
"We can't let our children lose at the starting line."
On the second day, Nie Congran asked the old team members what they should do in his sister's situation.
Gan Lang went back home a while ago. He had a relative who passed the exam to become a teacher in a school and is now teaching there. He knew some news about the matter.
Then he said to Nie Congran, "I heard that because of many such cases, Principal Zuo of the school said that he would allow students to live on campus."
Nie Congran: "Living on campus?"
Gan Lang nodded. "It means letting the children live in the school. The school will take care of their food and drink. They also said that they will hire teachers to take care of the children, but they have to pay for boarding school. As for the price, I don't know."
Nie Congran was extremely happy, "Really?"
"This news should be correct. It should be published in the newspaper this month." Nie Congran's happy mouth never closed from training to returning home. He said as soon as he got home, "Ah Xu, you can go to school! The school in Li County allows children to live on campus. You can live in the school and be taken care of by the teachers."
Nie Congyan breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to live in school. They could rest assured that the teachers would take care of them!
Otherwise, they really didn't dare to take the risk of Nie Congxu, a little girl living alone, even if the security in Li County was good!
In this way, she and her brother can go to Li County to see her when they are free.
Nie Congran picked up Nie Congxu and said, "There's no time to lose. I've already taken leave tomorrow. Let's go to Li County together to register."
Nie Congyan didn't expect that he would arrive in Li County so soon.
Ever since Xihe Road belonged to the county lord, she has always been curious about Li County.
Nie Congyan's first impression of Li County was that the people here had an indescribable spirit. Xihe Road is also developing in this direction, but it is completely incomparable.
After completing the registration procedures, Nie Congran repeatedly confirmed with the teacher that it was indeed possible for the child to live on campus, but the fee would have to be higher because it also included the child's food expenses.
The money Nie Congran has is enough to pay tuition fees. No matter how poor or hard-working you are, you cannot be deprived of education!
This is what his colleagues in the team told him.
So what if he had to use up all his savings? He and A Yan could still eat potatoes and sweet potatoes for every meal!
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