nucmednet Chapter 138 Success
Chapter 138 Success
Zisu met Fang Heng's two children, Yunduo and Rufeng.
The two five-year-old children were very cute and polite. They bowed and greeted Zisu very well, saying, "Greetings, Princess! Yunduo (Rufeng) greets the Princess!"
Zisu quickly smiled and said, "Good children, this is a gift for our first meeting!" As she spoke, she glanced at Xiangli, who immediately took out two oversized pouches from her backpack. Zisu took them and gave one to each of them.
Yun Duo and Ru Feng quickly looked up at Fang Heng, who smiled and nodded: "You should accept what the princess gave you!"
The two children then reached out and took the gift, bowing to Zisu again: "Thank you, Princess!"
Zisu smiled and waved her hand, "If you don't mind, just call me aunt!"
Madam Ying quickly replied, "No problem, no problem! Yunduo, Rufeng, quickly greet your aunt!"
The two children glanced at their father again, and Fang Heng nodded. Then they looked at Zisu and called out in their clear voices, "Hello, Auntie!"
"Oh, my good children, your auntie likes you! If you have time, come visit my house with your grandmother and auntie!" Zisu took a liking to the two adorable children and invited them warmly with a smile.
Yunduo and Rufeng were overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly asked, "Auntie, which house are we going to? Are we going to Wuliping or the General's Mansion?"
Zisu reached out and patted Yunduo's cute little head, then smiled and said, "Both places are fine, you're welcome to go either way!"
"Wow! That's great, that's fantastic!" Yun Duo and Ru Feng cheered excitedly. Since arriving in Zhangshu County, they hadn't been anywhere to play yet.
Fang Qiong then asked, "Sister Zisu, when you go to Wuliping tomorrow, could you take me and Yun Duo Rufeng with you?"
Zisu: "Okay, no problem. If Madam has time, she can come along too! By the way, the Eldest Princess, Princess Yue'er, and Princess Yue'er's cousin Hua'er will also be staying at Wuliping for a while in a couple of days until the hot summer is over!"
Fang Qiong's eyes sparkled: "Wow, that's great!" She had always wanted to get to know Hua'er and Yue'er, but unfortunately, she had never had the chance. She had heard Zisu mention Hua'er and Yue'er when she visited the General's Mansion last time. Therefore, she was filled with curiosity about Hua'er and Yue'er.
That evening, the Fang family prepared a sumptuous dinner to entertain Zisu.
The meal was very enjoyable for both the host and the guests.
After dinner, Fang Qiong pestered Zisu to enjoy the moon, drink tea, and eat pastries in the back garden. Ying Shi, wanting to give the children some space, excused herself that she was tired and needed to rest early. She also took Yun Duo and Ru Feng with her.
Fang Heng felt grateful to his mother.
Although my mother was timid, she was very open-minded. Unlike other mothers, she didn't put on a superior attitude, constantly talking about rules and using them to pressure people.
Fang Qiong, with Xiao Ju by her side, happily decorated the gazebo in the back garden, arranging potted flowers, hanging lanterns, and setting out tea, fruit, and snacks. They looked overjoyed, even happier than a three-year-old during the New Year, as if they had found a mountain of gold and silver.
Zisu and Fang Heng sat facing each other at the table in the pavilion.
Fang Qiong set out the tea, fruit, and snacks, then sat down with Xiao Ju on the grass outside the pavilion, about twenty paces away. The distance was just right—not too far, not too close. They could see what Zi Su and Xiao Ju were doing without hearing their conversation.
Fragrant pears patrolled outside the pavilion.
This way, gossip can be prevented. But really, it doesn't matter much; there are only a few people in the entire garden. Besides the Liu family of four, Xiangli and Shen Laihui, there are Fang Heng's personal guards: Lide, Lixin, Lichun, and Lixia. At this moment, Lide and Lixin are sleeping, while Lichun and Lixia are patrolling the mansion. The four have split into two groups, one responsible for the first half of the night, and the other for the second half.
This is a personal bodyguard, an orphan whom Fang Heng rescued when he was a child. They grew up together and followed him to Northeast China for several years of training. Now, he has come to Zhangshu County with him and become his right-hand man.
Zisu revealed her plan to jointly develop Wuliping with the Princess. Fang Heng was both surprised and delighted: "The Princess is willing to develop Wuliping together, that's wonderful! With the Princess, who would dare to stop us or cause trouble?"
Zisu: "The Wuliping I'm referring to isn't just Wuliping itself, but rather the villages within a ten-mile radius of Wuliping. In that case, we'll need Your Excellency's full support and assistance!"
Fang Heng: "No problem, just let me know if you need any help!"
Zisu: "To get rich, build roads first! This is very true. There are several sections of the road from the county seat to Wuliping that are rugged and difficult to travel on, and the road surface is narrow. I plan to repair the road properly, make it smoother and wider, so that at least a large freight wagon can pass through! This will require a lot of manpower and resources. I urge Your Excellency, in the name of the county government, to recruit able-bodied young men from the vicinity of Wuliping to help build a wide road!"
Fang Heng: "That's no problem. This year's labor service in Zhangshu County will mainly focus on repairing the main road. Especially for the villages within a ten-mile radius of Wuliping, this main road will be repaired specifically. I believe everyone will be very willing. There are still two weeks until the busy farming season. Tomorrow I will recruit people from the surrounding villages to bring forward this year's labor service. I expect to recruit five hundred to one thousand people. I believe it will only take ten days to repair the road!"
Zisu: "Let me tell you all that the Princess and I will give each person participating in this labor service a subsidy of two taels of silver. In addition, we will also provide refreshing drinks!"
Fang Heng: "That's excellent! Two taels of silver in ten days! I believe many people will volunteer to participate!"
On weekdays, when I go out to work, I can't earn more than one or two taels of silver a month. The easy jobs pay at most half a tael of silver, and the hard jobs pay at most one or two taels of silver.
Zisu: "In addition, I suggest that the county government open a carriage service from Zhangshu County to the capital, as well as to Lishu County or Huaishu County."
Zhangshu County is about 450 li (approximately 225 kilometers) from Beijing; Lishu County is about 300 li (approximately 150 kilometers); and Huaishu County is about 100 li (approximately 50 kilometers). Many people travel from these two counties to Beijing for business every day, and if shuttle buses were available, even more would travel there.
"Shuttle bus? What does that mean?" Fang Heng was completely confused and asked without hesitation.
"A shuttle bus, you know, it's a bus that runs on several schedules, like one at 6 a.m. and one at 6 p.m. Yeah, that's what it means." Zisu was a little confused too. This was all from her dream, and she didn't know how best to explain it.
"Oh, I see. Your suggestion is excellent. The county government is short of funds and needs a source of income. Otherwise, it will be difficult to pay the monthly wages of those minor officials. If we start a bus service, we should be able to earn a lot each month, and it will also be convenient for those people who don't have the money to buy a carriage. This is a great thing that kills two birds with one stone!" Fang Heng said happily.
The county clerks did not receive salaries from the imperial court; the county government had to find a way to make ends meet. In the past, most county magistrates supplemented their meager salaries by accepting bribes or collecting more taxes. Fang Heng, however, did not want to follow this practice and wanted to break with convention to become a truly upright and just official.
However, ideals are beautiful, but reality is cruel. If he wanted to be an honest official, the salaries of the lower-level clerks couldn't be paid. With the payday fast approaching, the county government only had a few dozen taels of silver, which greatly worried him.
He had mentally prepared himself to pay the monthly salaries of those minor officials out of his own pocket. Of course, this was a last resort, and could only be temporary. It certainly couldn't continue like this in the long run.
Zisu: "The Princess also plans to open a 'Good Days' restaurant in both Lishu County and Huaishu County. It will be a type of restaurant that can provide lodging, combining the functions of an inn and a restaurant. This way, people can have a safe place to rest on their way to the capital."
Fang Heng: "The rooms at the Good Days Hotel must be very expensive, right? How can ordinary people afford to stay there?"
Zisu: "You can sign a long-term cooperation agreement with the Good Days Restaurant in the name of the county government, offering a 50% or 60% discount. That would be much cheaper, and for safety reasons, ordinary families could afford to stay there! Moreover, I will suggest to the Princess that two separate courtyards be built and decorated as ordinary guest rooms, specifically for poor families. That way, there won't be any problems at all."
Fang Heng: "This is a great idea. I'll need you to discuss it with the Princess, including the issue of discounts."
Zisu: "That's no problem, it's just a matter of a word. Whether it's adopted or not depends on what the Princess thinks! However, I believe she won't object! Also, I suggest that the daily shuttle buses to the capital and Lishu and Huaishu counties should ideally be extra-large carriages, the kind pulled by two horses. Each carriage should be able to seat more than ten people. In addition, it would be best to have separate carriages for men and women. There should be two trips a day, one in the early morning and one at noon."
Fang Heng nodded: "Hmm, that's a good idea, I think it's excellent!"
Zisu continued, "The carriages carrying men and women will depart together, with two drivers who can take turns driving. Ideally, the drivers should be skilled in martial arts and strong! That way, there will be four people in the two carriages. If we encounter bandits on the road, having four skilled martial artists will ensure our safety."
Fang Heng: "That's no problem. When I was on the northeastern border, I met many soldiers who were quite skilled. Now, many of them have retired and returned home to farm. I can hire them as drivers. I believe many of them would be willing."
Zisu: "If you don't have enough manpower, you can talk to my father. I believe he has quite a few qualified people under his command."
Fang Heng: "Hmm, your suggestion is excellent. I was just about to tell you to see if the Protector General has any suitable people and ask him to recommend a few to come over! Once Wuliping is developed, I believe there will be a lot of people coming and going from the capital. At that time, there might be more than two trips a day, and more than two carriages per trip!"
The more capable people you have, the better. With more capable people, you can replace the yamen runners and constables with people you trust and replace those who are not capable.
As night deepened and a wave of drowsiness washed over her, Zisu said, "I'm tired today and I want to rest. If there are any problems in the future, Lord Fang can write to me in Fang Qiong's name."
Fang Heng was overjoyed and quickly said, "Okay, thank you! Please get some rest, I won't bother you anymore!" He then waved to Xiang Li, who was keeping a close eye on things, and she immediately ran over.
Immediately afterwards, Fang Qiong ran over and said, "Sister Zisu, are you resting so early? I have so much to tell you!"
Zisu: "I'm tired today. Can we talk about it tomorrow?"
Hearing this, Fang Qiong stopped insisting: "Okay, then I'll take you to rest!" With that, she took her arm and walked forward together.
Xiaoju and Xiangli followed closely behind.
Fang Heng stood outside the pavilion, watching Zisu's departing figure, his heart churning with emotion. This Princess of Yulin was becoming more and more endearing and respectable to him; he wondered just how many brilliant schemes were lurking in her mind.
From potatoes and sweet potatoes to coal and kiln firing methods, and so many recipes and dessert recipes, as well as those masterpieces of poetry, I wonder how she came up with all of that. It's a pity she wasn't born a man; otherwise, she would surely have been a top scholar!
Not to mention Xu Chu, even he himself admitted that he was inferior to him.