Chapter 11 Langtaosha Order (I)
"The girl from the Li family passed the exam! The girl from the Zhao family also passed the exam!"
As soon as the list of successful candidates in the Autumn Examination was announced, people's shouts could be heard in the streets and alleys. If a woman passed the exam, people would be more surprised than seeing the top scorer.
Since the introduction of the imperial examination for women in the tenth year of Yuanguang, there has been a precedent for women to take the imperial examination and become officials, although they only went to the new yamen, the Maritime Office, to do clerical work or other things. But for ordinary people, the new yamen, the Maritime Office, was headed by the emperor's confidants, and being able to be an official here was better than sitting on the bench in the Six Ministries.
If Han Haishi could be promoted... maybe he could even work close to the emperor, and that would be called "a dragon in the sky"!
Wang Xiaolan glanced at her joyful neighbors, sighed in her heart, and then returned home.
Although the imperial examination for women is a good thing, it is still an unattainable and small opportunity for ordinary people like them.
Only a minority of ordinary families can afford to send their family members to school, let alone send their daughters to school. In Wang Xiaolan's view, the significance of the imperial examination for women is nothing more than a means for the emperor to win over himself.
She heard from those people outside that the examination questions for female Jinshi candidates were simpler than those for men. It was obvious that the imperial examination was just an opportunity for the emperor to find a reason and excuse to promote his own people in a legitimate way.
Everyone knows that if a woman passes the imperial examination, she can work for the emperor and turn her life around. But who could have imagined that it would be so easy for an ordinary woman from an ordinary family to work for the emperor?
As the saying goes, "People worry not about scarcity but about inequality." Wang Xiaolan vaguely recalled this sentence she had heard when she passed by the school. She handed the cloth in her hand to her brothers and sisters and said, "This is the cloth I bought from the textile factory this year with my wages. It's cheaper than buying it directly. Later, I will find someone to make clothes for my family to buy winter clothes."
My mother, who was originally arranging her embroidery, hummed without looking up. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, "By the way, have you heard from the people in the textile factory about which teacher is better?"
Wang Xiaolan was slightly stunned when she heard this, and a hint of joy flashed through her heart. She said, "I've heard of it..."
She knew all the private schools by heart and could quickly name several of them. In fact, she didn't ask the female workers who were older than her on purpose, but heard them from others when she often passed by the schools.
Mother simply nodded slightly and said, "That's perfect. Let your brothers and sisters go to school. If they can pass the imperial examinations and become scholars or juren, our family can pay less money to the government."
Wang Xiaolan was startled, feeling a little disappointed. She said, "I'll go and find out later..."
"Previously, Wang Po came to me and said that the Li family from Denglou Street wanted to meet you. What do you think?"
Wang Xiaolan is only twenty years old this year. At this age, she is not considered old among female workers. She can still do dirty and tiring work for many years, and she can continue to earn money for many years.
But for a scholar, this age is a bit too late, and it is no wonder that the mother places all her hopes on her younger brothers and sisters.
Wang Xiaolan knew that her mother had been a widow for nearly ten years. If she hadn't been selling her mother's wife and earning money from wealthy families, it would have been difficult for her to raise them and her children.
So she just bit her lip and said, "Let me think about it... If I get married, I'm afraid it will be inconvenient for me to visit my family..."
Mother sighed and said, "What's wrong with that? You're doing well at the textile mill, earning more than the other women who joined with you. It's actually a good thing for you to leave us. You don't have to go blind like your grandmother did, embroidering for tribute... It's a pity that your father and your eldest brother left early to join the army, leaving us alone as orphans and widows."
Wang Xiaolan clenched her fists, determined, and said, "As for the matchmaking... the textile factory is learning to make Lu silk now, and they say they're going to wait until later to sell it on the fleet. If I can do it, my salary will double. I'll save some money and talk about it later."
Seeing her insistence, her mother said nothing more and just nodded gently, "Okay."
Wang Xiaolan looked at her brothers and sisters who were carefully putting away the cloth, and finally hid her thoughts.
As my mother said, the most important thing now is to make life better...
She was lost in thought when she suddenly noticed some movement behind her. She glanced sideways and saw her mother inserting a hairpin into her bun. She said, "I got this from the Qiu family in the east. They said it's a fashionable style. Wear it when you're not working, and you'll look prettier like other girls your age."
Wang Xiaolan's eyes moistened slightly as she said, "Okay."
Wang Xiaolan learned the skills of spinning and weaving from her grandmother, but her mother was afraid that she would damage her eyesight like her grandmother, so she did not let her learn embroidery in detail.
At the age of fourteen, Wang Xiaolan asked a godmother to go to the textile factory. It took her a long time to learn how to use those strange machines. She also applied the skills taught by her grandmother. It took her nearly six years. Now she finally has some say in the textile factory and can get more salary.
All she could hope for was that everything would go smoothly for the merchant fleet at sea, so that more merchants would come to purchase cloth from the textile factory.
Shanxi, Nanjing and Suzhou all have textile factories set up for different silk crafts, with different sizes. Except for a small amount of fine silk woven by hand for supply to the royal family, most of the silk is used as goods for maritime merchants and the ancient Tea-Horse Road, and is sold by merchant officials appointed by the emperor.
There are some private merchants who buy silk from textile factories and hire other embroidery workers to further process the silk. With some ingenuity, they can make a small profit.
When Wang Xiaolan heard people talk about these things, she already had a vague idea in her mind.
My grandmother was an embroiderer and my mother was a brothel owner. They had contacts with many skilled embroiderers. Working for those wealthy families certainly brought generous remuneration, but such remuneration was not stable. If they had the opportunity to connect with businessmen, they might be able to have a stable income.
It just so happened that Wang Xiaolan was in the textile factory and would occasionally meet some businessmen, so she could naturally take this opportunity to secretly observe them.
After a period of time, Wang Xiaolan finally chose a person. His name was Lu Xin, who was over 30 years old and from Gansu. He did not often travel along the Ancient Tea-Horse Road or trade on the sea. Instead, he went along Yilibali in the northwest to sell goods to foreigners. Although it was not as safe as the Ancient Tea-Horse Road, it was more profitable. Lu Xin made the trip two or three times a year and earned a few cents, which allowed him to pay off his money in one go. It was obvious that he had a wealthy family.
Wang Xiaolan first found a few embroiderers and bought their embroidery works privately, saying that she was helping to introduce business. Then she took the opportunity to find Lu Xin when he came to pick up something.
"What's the important matter, Madam Wang, that you want to see me about?"
Wang Xiaolan didn't expect that he actually recognized her, and was slightly stunned.
Lu Xin guessed her thoughts and said, "I also heard the foreman mention Madam Wang. He said that you are young, hardworking, and have good skills. When the equipment is refined in the future, you will be used even more. To be honest, Madam Wang, I also sold the cloth you woven. I hired an embroiderer to embroider some simple patterns and sold them. They sold very well."
Seeing that what he said hit the nail on the head, Wang Xiaolan immediately said, "To be honest, Mr. Lu, I have something to tell you." After that, she poured out all her ideas in the hope of getting Lu Xin's consent.
This way, Lu Xin didn't have to risk the wrath of men and women looking for embroiderers. Instead, Wang Xiaolan would help introduce them, and she would take a cut of the profits. Furthermore, as a textile factory worker, Wang Xiaolan was able to access skilled embroiderers, ensuring the quality of the embroidery. This at least reduced Lu Xin's labor costs, which was indeed a benefit.
Lu Xin was not in a hurry to agree, but only promised to go back and think about it carefully, and then inform Wang Xiaolan as soon as possible to "take the job."
Wang Xiaolan simply told Lu Xin which famous embroiderers were involved, and did not reveal all her cards. However, she was still worried that Lu Xin would contact these embroiderers privately and promise them a large sum of money, which would then make her work in a thankless position.
Fortunately, Lu Xin did not delay for long. He came to see Wang Xiaolan a few days later. According to what she said, the embroiderers would provide embroidery of a certain quality. Lu Xin would pay the money in advance and give 20% of it to Wang Xiaolan.
"Madam Wang, if you can convince the manager of the textile factory to lower the price of silk a few cents, I will give you another 10% of the profit of this business in the future. If you need any help, I will do my best to help you. The agreement has been signed." After saying that, he took out a purse with a crabapple pattern and handed it to Wang Xiaolan. The meaning was self-evident.
Wang Xiaolan was shocked when she heard this. She had learned the numbers from Lu Xin and knew that his business was quite big. If she could get a 10% cut of the profits, she could not only let her younger brothers and sisters study with a teacher, but also hire a teacher to come to her home to teach them.
She pondered for a long time, and finally promised solemnly: "I will definitely find a way to ask, and give Master Lu some news in a few days."
Wang Xiaolan thought for a long time and soon remembered something.
She had heard that the current emperor had once sent a female merchant named Huang as an envoy to a foreign tribe, precisely because these merchants were well-informed and had extensive dealings with foreign tribes. A few years earlier, the emperor had sent a renowned martial arts champion, perhaps named Wang Yue, who had probably long had his sights set on the northwest.
The textile factory sounds like it's government-owned, but it's actually the emperor's private property. Although the manager is not an official, he has very close ties with the emperor. If Lu Xin can emulate a female businessman and get some intelligence from Yiliba, perhaps he can make some profit.
Although Wang Xiaolan had a general idea in her mind, she still had some doubts.
Lu Xin might not have thought of such a method, but there were so many businessmen coming to the textile factory every year. Lu Xin probably considered that he was not familiar with the manager, so he wanted to use her to establish a connection with the textile factory.
But this share of profit was really tempting. Wang Xiaolan thought about it for a long time, and still privately told the manager that Lu Xin's business in the northwest was extremely cheap. If it could be used for the country, it would definitely be a great help.
The manager received the news but didn't say much. He just asked her to go back and wait for news. Wang Xiaolan couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
But at this point, there is no way to regret, and Wang Xiaolan can only wait for news from the manager.
From Shanxi to Beijing, I don’t know when I will get a reply...
Fortunately, the manager did not make Wang Xiaolan and Lu Xin wait for long, and they soon got the news.
According to the above meaning, the profits from these distributions are nothing, but what kind of person is Lu Xin must be examined clearly, especially what kind of relationships he has in Yilibali, who else is in his family, and how he makes a living.
Another half a year passed before Wang Xiaolan saw Lu Xin again. Seeing that he was in high spirits and looked a completely different person, she knew that his journey to Beijing was very smooth.
As soon as Lu Xin saw Wang Xiaolan, he bowed to her and said, "Thanks to Madam Wang's help, everything went very smoothly. Although I didn't dare to take a peek, I still feel like I have seen the emperor."
Wang Xiaolan said with a smile: "I am still waiting for a cent of profit."
Although Lu Xin did not meet Wang Xiaolan when he came to Beijing, he asked someone to send some gifts to express his gratitude. It was because of this money that Wang Xiaolan's brothers and sisters were able to go to school.
Lu Xin nodded repeatedly and said, "Very good, very good. Not only one cent, but even two cents will do!" He secretly glanced at Wang Xiaolan's face and said, "Madam Wang, I have another request for you."
Wang Xiaolan looked a little confused and asked, "What's the matter?"
Lu Xin asked cautiously, "Madam Wang is bold and careful, so it's suitable for you to go on a business trip. I just don't know if you are willing to join me."
Wang Xiaolan had already heard his hidden meaning. She was stunned at first and was about to decline politely, but when she thought of Lu Xin mentioning that he had the honor of meeting the emperor and the story of the Liaodong female businessman Huang Jinfeng, her heart was moved.
Although Huang Jinfeng was only given an honorary official title and the title of a lady of honor, times are different now and she may not be without this opportunity in the future.
This time it was her turn to speak: "Please let me go back and think about this matter carefully. I will definitely get back to you as soon as possible."
Seeing Wang Xiaolan walking back and forth under the moonlight, her mother asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Wang Xiaolan came to her senses, walked over to her mother, and said, "Nothing, just thinking about things at the factory."
The mother sighed and said, "Can you hide what you're thinking from me?" Seeing that her daughter didn't say anything, she said, "Our family is in financial difficulty, and I don't know how much you've suffered. Now that we have some money to support ourselves, you can do whatever you want."
Wang Xiaolan felt a pang of sadness when she heard her mother say this. She said, "Mom..."
"I know you're still thinking about studying and becoming an official, and you're reluctant to give it up. But there's more to this world than just one path. Now that you've found a new path, go for it." His mother sighed softly, "Working as a maid is a job you can take advantage of while you're young. Besides, the future is still uncertain. Now that the government is supporting businesses, it might be worth a try."
Wang Xiaolan couldn't help but put her arms around her mother and muttered, "Mom...thank you..."
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