Chapter 221: The Chang’an Official’s Border City Renovation Plan
Li Heng’s words silenced these clamoring officials from Chang’an, but some were still unwilling: “Since the border city cannot accommodate us, then we shall return to Chang’an!”
Li Heng was a bit reluctant to persuade them further. Did these people not understand? I’ve already spoken so plainly!
You only offended Miss Ling. She has assigned you to resettle refugees in the refugee camp. If you complete the task, you can leave.
But if you completely disregard her and still wish to return to Chang’an, then you are offending His Majesty! Are the people who died at the Vegetable Market Mouth in Chang’an not enough?
Li Heng advised one last time: “If you need my help with anything, out of consideration for our colleagues, I will do my best to assist you.
But if you waste Miss Ling’s hard work and cause trouble for His Majesty, do not blame me for not remembering our past affections!”
Cheng Yu didn’t even show his face. He absolutely did not want to say anything to these pedantic, stubborn officials who treated the lives of the common people like grass.
He even considered transferring the Black Feather Camp Soldiers on guard duty to give them a chance to escape, and then use that as an excuse to kill them, making an example of them.
The more officials, powerful people, and gentry from Chang’an came to the border city, the harder it would be to manage. If they were not given a profound lesson, and they assimilated the people of the border city, then all the hard work of His Majesty and Miss Ling would be in vain, and the grand undertaking of the border city would be ruined!
He suppressed the urge to do so, because any private actions he took would also be considered disrespecting Miss Ling’s orders.
He simply sent trusted subordinates to serve as management officials in the refugee camp, treating these Chang’an officials equally. The men would work alongside the refugees on basic work points, repairing river embankments, building roads, and going to construction sites.
The women, whether they were official’s wives or young misses, had to work in the workshops.
The process was quite amusing in Jinsui’s eyes. She watched these officials live-stream their “refugee resettlement” experience, just as she had watched Huo Zi’an become Lord Niu.
She even specifically let the officials from Chang’an witness these people working, and then she “generously” said: “After all, you are imperial officials appointed by the court. You cannot just do the same work as the refugees, and you are not even doing it as well as the refugees!
How about this: each person will write a report every day, a policy essay on the issue of ‘refugee resettlement,’ and their thoughts on life in the refugee camp. For any useful suggestions, this young lady will give you extra work points.”
She then said to the Chang’an officials who had not entered the refugee camp: “The same applies to you. You can write policy essays and come to investigate the situation in the refugee camp. Coincidentally, some of your colleagues are inside now, so discuss together how to help the common people escape poverty.”
We won’t need military training; we’ll use this method to implement the Chang’an official reform plan.
The official’s wives and young ladies also had to learn. Jinsui was relatively less strict with them and even allowed them to study at the Women’s Academy.
As for those with elderly parents or children among their families, she allowed them to continue living in the officials’ residences and not be punished collectively. However, these officials considered them “hostages,” and if they dared to escape, their elders and children would absolutely not survive.
In the beginning, these officials tried every means to escape and wanted to unite all the Chang’an officials to resist. They put on a righteous front: “If she can treat us like this today, she can treat you like this tomorrow!
She must be made to know that we are imperial officials from Chang’an, not refugees, and cannot be manipulated by her!”
Some people were initially swayed, but that afternoon, Cheng Yu took them to witness a gunpowder test: “The new catapult has been built, and today we will test the range of the gunpowder.”
Then, all the officials saw the catapult shoot hundreds of meters, destroying rocks and creating huge craters in the ground.
Jinsui was naturally present at the scene, as she was there to guide the improvement of the catapult. She stood alone on a high platform, while a group of military industry officials from the border city listened intently to her guidance.
The soldiers standing behind her were as imposing as javelins, yet their eyes were filled with admiration and trust for this woman.
At that moment, the Chang’an officials felt that even without the jade pendant bearing the inscription “As if His Majesty Himself is Present,” she could command the entire army!
Faced with such a woman, other than questioning and mocking her gender, there was nothing these civil officials could do.
Let’s just say that Gu Changxiao sending them here in advance was a confirmation that they wouldn’t be able to stir up any trouble in the border city.
If anyone had the ability to stir up trouble, Gu Changxiao would have broken their hands and feet, severed their arms, and then sent them here.
Initially, they were furious that they had been forcibly sent to the refugee camp by the unreasonable Miss Ling, simply for speaking a few words about the refugee issue to their colleagues.
After witnessing this cannon test, all these officials fell silent.
Hearing that the officials in the refugee camp were still talking about resisting, they could only respond with silence. Finally, they sincerely said:
“You should honestly finish writing the policy essays that Miss Ling requested, resettle these refugees properly, and leave here before His Majesty arrives. That is what’s important.”
Seeing that they couldn’t win allies, these officials thought of another tactic: bribing the border city officials so they wouldn’t have to work and would have better food and living arrangements.
They thought they would just endure in the refugee camp for a while, and then find a way to leave after the situation cooled down.
As a result, the officials accepted the bribes, but the next day, Cheng Yu brought all those items over. He could match every bundle, gold nugget, and jade pendant… with its original owner.
After reciting each one, he loudly declared: “Miss Ling said that these items were donated to the refugee camp by officials from Chang’an and will all be used for refugee resettlement! Now, let us give a warm round of applause to thank these officials!
Of course, if you still have this spirit, donating more items would be even better.”
Hmph, you probably don’t know Miss Ling’s style of doing things! Bribery, of course, the gifts must be accepted, but whether the matter can be accomplished, no guarantee.
Amidst the applause of the bewildered common people, the officials who had offered bribes blushed crimson, feeling utterly ashamed and wishing they could dig a hole and disappear into it.
Some cursed inwardly, “Madmen!” From top to bottom, madmen could be seen everywhere in the border city!
Cheng Yu said to these officials with a half-smile: “Gentlemen, stop wasting your efforts. It’s best to finish writing your policy essays and resettle the refugees properly.”
“Your methods are useful in Chang’an, forming factions and engaging in bribery, but they are useless in our border city!
The border city only recognizes strength. Family background, disciples, and factions are not applicable here! Here is ink and paper. Miss Ling has graciously allowed you an extra hour of rest each day to write your policy essays!”
Jinsui insisted on them writing policy essays because she believed that among these civil officials, some were talented, but in the atmosphere of Chang’an, everyone only wanted to be a fence-sitter and form cliques.
Truly capable people were unable to rise, so this was also an opportunity for them. If they were truly capable and willing to work hard, she would not hesitate to promote them.
While the officials were somewhat pacified, the wives and young ladies started causing trouble at the academy. They couldn’t cause major incidents, but they cried all day, which greatly affected the other students in the group.
Chen Yunniang, who had a good temper, also came from the gentry, had been sold into slavery, and almost buried alive as a human sacrifice. She eventually married Cheng Yu, became an official’s wife, and managed the Women’s Academy.
She felt she could understand the feelings of these official’s wives and young ladies. Therefore, she initially tried to persuade them and took good care of them, not letting them do heavy or tiring work, only textile and embroidery.
Even so, these official’s wives and young ladies still cried every day, crying about the coarse tea and simple meals, and crying about their clothes being made of rough hemp and cotton that chafed their skin.
They also cried about having backaches and leg pain from sitting and weaving all day, and their hands developing blisters. They cried about living a life of luxury in Chang’an and now doing the work of slaves in the border city.
Chen Yunniang couldn’t listen anymore: “What kind of slave work is this? Do you think the girls in our Women’s Academy are slaves?”
“Aren’t they? They are slaves, and you are willingly debasing yourself, a dignified official’s wife, living with a bunch of commoners like grass.”
The female students were furious. They had sympathized with you before, but now they realized that after being high and mighty for so long, you were simply not worth sympathizing with!
The female students were also angry with themselves. Why was it that for the same work, it was acceptable for us to do it, but when you young ladies did it, you felt pitiful?
We are all human, born of mothers and fathers. Why are you more precious than us?
Chen Yunniang said softly: “If you think this way, then you have truly wasted Miss Ling’s hard work. Since that is the case, from now on, you will do the same work as the students. There will be no more special treatment.”
“Since you love to cry so much, then cry! It’s your own fault if you cry your eyes blind!”
“I forgot to tell you, you are not students, but refugees who need to earn basic work points. So, if you don’t finish your work, you won’t get food!”
Chen Yunniang didn’t even tell Jinsui about this. Miss Ling was so busy, why bother her with such a trivial matter?
Since she had entrusted these people to her, she had to find a way to teach them well.
Soon, something even more despairing happened to the wives and young ladies: the academy actually had morning exercises every day. Before, they didn’t participate, but now Chen Yunniang specifically ordered them to join.
They had to gather before dawn, run three laps around the training ground, and then practice the Hua Tuo’s Five Animal Frolics. After that, they would have breakfast and be assigned their work.
Chen Yunniang intentionally separated them for work, dividing them into several teams for rotation. One team was assigned to the pasture area to feed medicine to the cattle and sheep, going with the military doctor and the medical team.
Chen Yunniang intentionally wanted them to “broaden their horizons” and specifically took them to see the forest filled with skeletons. As expected, some of the wives fainted from fright.
“Do you understand now? In the border city, no matter your status, if you don’t become strong, you will only have death waiting for you when the external enemies come!
Even the Hu people from Chang’an didn’t invade! Do you think you can survive by crying? Miss Ling has put so much effort into giving us women the opportunity to become strong and independent.
Yet you only think this is Miss Ling’s torment, and that you are superior, while commoners are lowly.
When the Hu people attacked Chang’an, did they spare noblewomen and noble ladies? Did they let official’s wives live?”
Chen Yunniang didn’t know if they had taken her words to heart or if they were scared by the skeletons in the forest, but in any case, they became much quieter. They cried less often and no longer complained when assigned work.
Moreover, these official’s wives and young ladies gradually found enjoyment in the academy. Their first “debut” was with the food. They initially disdained the communal meals.
But after eating many dishes they had never tried in Chang’an, such as tomato fish balls, hot and sour vermicelli, and braised pork with tomatoes and potatoes, they grew to love the communal meals.
Even more miraculously, some of the wives’ and young ladies’ chronic illnesses disappeared. They used to gasp after walking a few steps, feel dizzy when sitting down or getting up, be full after half a bowl of rice, and often have nightmares and insomnia when sleeping.
These illnesses, which only the wealthy and noble suffered from, all vanished. They ate well and slept soundly, and some of the younger ladies even genuinely fell in love with the Women’s Academy!
They enjoyed studying medicine, listening to lectures from military doctors, and reading the medical textbooks written by Miss Ling.
Some also took a liking to embroidery, designing new patterns and earning the admiration of the female students. This was a joy and satisfaction they could never have obtained at home, in their small courtyards, or in their bedrooms.
They boldly expressed to their mothers that even if their fathers were reinstated, they would still want to stay at the academy to study.
When the third batch of officials was sent to the border city, it coincided with the Chinese cabbage harvest.
As the officials in the refugee camp had been behaving well recently, Jinsui ordered them to go and watch the cabbage harvest as well.
The newly arrived officials were very reluctant, flicking their sleeves and saying, “What imperial official comes and immediately goes to the farmland? We have important responsibilities.”
The first two batches of officials sensed their attitude and felt a mix of wanting to watch the show and sympathy. So, this was the kind of obnoxious attitude we had when we first arrived!
No wonder Miss Ling was angry!
Then Cheng Yu said one sentence that made them all willingly go to the fields: “Chinese cabbage is a new vegetable in the border city, with a Yield Per Mu of four thousand catties!”
The officials, like the previous batch who had seen the sweet potato and potato harvests, first reacted by cupping their ears, then looking at Cheng Yu with disdain.
They were bragging without any basis. We came from Chang’an, not from a mountain village!
Do the officials of your border city want to suppress us Chang’an officials by telling such lies?
Amusingly, when they arrived at the fields and saw the cabbages, which looked like plump babies, these people still didn’t believe it.
They were convinced that this was a trick by the border city to deceive people, until they personally pulled out a cabbage root, peeled off the old leaves, looked at the jade-green leaves and the white jade-like stalks, and tested their weight.
Only then did they believe that this was indeed a vegetable, and one they had never seen before.
Then came the harvesting and weighing, still after peeling off the old leaves, because the old leaves were sent to feed the cattle and sheep. Moreover, we have been planting Chinese cabbage for more than half a year and have had several harvests, so there is really no need to falsify the Yield Per Mu.
Even so, one mu weighed over four thousand catties after peeling!
This successfully stunned those newly arrived officials! First, there was grain with a Yield Per Mu of three thousand catties, and now vegetables with a Yield Per Mu of four thousand.
This border city is not a border wilderness at all; it is clearly a blessed land!
Jinsui did not want to repeat herself or play the same game of warnings, deterrence, and punishment. The officials in the refugee camp had not yet “graduated,” so there was no need to add new members.
She directly handed the new officials over to the first batch of officials: “You will be responsible for familiarizing them with the border city.
Don’t blame me for not making it clear; if anything happens, you will be held jointly responsible!”
I can’t be bothered to waste my time with you people from Chang’an.
Yan Shiyi gnawed on a tomato all day, watching the show: “Whose finger are you planning to chop off this time? Whose beard are you going to shave? Who are you going to punish by sending them to the refugee camp to do hard labor?”
Jinsui gave him a sideways glance: “This young lady is kind-hearted, gentle, and quiet. I hate fighting the most. Don’t slander me!”
