Work overtime

Chapter 791

After entering the Central Plains, these Mongolians need to show a certificate of no criminal record from their place of origin, a certificate of their Chinese proficiency, and a work recommendation letter, which must be stamped with an official seal. The work recommendation letter must include a comprehensive description of their family members, marriage status, criminal status, and ideological and moral status.

Before officially taking up their posts, these Mongolian teachers will undergo three months of induction training, mainly focusing on the courses of ethics and education.

Moral education teaches the cultural traditions of the Central Plains, the basic laws of the Ming Dynasty, and the punishments for violating the laws. There are also various negative typical cases, such as being sentenced, being beaten by local students' parents, and being sent back to their hometowns.

In the course of education, we teach children the skills of lecturing. At the same time, we help them get familiar with the Mongolian teaching materials for the first semester and conduct quality control on the Mongolian course teaching.

Every six months, students are organized to evaluate their teaching results. Those with high teaching level and who are liked by students will receive bonuses; those with poor teaching level and who are not well received by students will have their bonuses deducted, and at the same time, they will receive retraining and audit classes.

If you are really not qualified for teaching, you can be introduced to other local jobs. You can also return to your hometown. However, after returning to your hometown or no longer engaging in teaching activities, your career position will be cancelled.

This initiative has greatly reduced the crime rate and rebellious activities in Mongolia, improved the Chinese language proficiency, literacy rate and understanding of Chinese culture in Mongolia, created abundant employment opportunities for them and greatly increased their income levels.

At the same time, it greatly stimulated the flow of people and social, economic and cultural exchanges between Mongolia and the Central Plains. Intermarriage between Mongolians and Han Chinese became very common, and many Mongolians migrated to the inland areas to work and settle down, and ethnic integration was unprecedentedly strengthened.

After hearing about such a good policy, some nobles and common people in the East Chagatai region wanted to migrate to the inland areas, but they were troubled by the fact that even if they sneaked in, they could not get a letter of introduction or a certificate of no criminal record. So they took a roundabout way to save the country, and found a Mongolian girl or boy through the introduction of relatives, registered for marriage in the Mongolian area under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty, and then moved to the Mongolian area to register and settle down as an immigrant.

After the procedure is completed, he will be given a gold card, called a green card with a number.

However, if they were found to be engaged in illegal activities after moving in, the five clans of the marriage partner would be implicated. Therefore, young men and women in the Mongolian region, although of the same clan, were not very interested in marrying people from the Eastern Chagatai region.

In the blink of an eye, ten years passed quickly. By the tenth year of Jiashun, Jiang Yuebai was 48 years old.

After ten years of hard work, the people of Annan were finally civilized like Yunnan and successfully incorporated into the territory of the Ming Dynasty. Laos was also incorporated into the territory.

The production of rice, sugar cane, pepper, cinnamon and tobacco was expanded in Annan, and exported to Southeast Asia, the Middle East and European countries. At the same time, the rubber planting industry was developed, making Annan an important rubber exporter, earning huge commercial trade profits, while increasing research and development of rubber products and developing industrial products.

In the second year of Jiashun, the Jiugang Xuanwei Office was established in the South Sumatra Province in the southeast of Sumatra Island, and Shi Jinqing, the leader of the Chinese in the Jiugang area of ​​Southeast Asia, was appointed as the Jiugang Xuanwei Envoy.

In addition, chieftain management agencies of a vassal nature were set up to manage the Southeast Peninsula: Ganya Xuanfusi, Nandian Xuanfusi; Cheli Military and Civilian Xuanfusi, Myanmar Military and Civilian Xuanfusi, Mubang Military and Civilian Xuanfusi, Babaidadian Military and Civilian Xuanfusi, Mengyang Military and Civilian Xuanfusi, Laos Military and Civilian Xuanfusi, Daguci Xuanweisi, Dimasa Xuanweisi, Diwuqi Xuanweisi, and Zhannanfu Xuanweisi.

He sent his younger brother Jiang Binggong to lead the army and take Du Ruo to garrison in the then Johor Kingdom, and established the Nanxin Kingdom. Jiang Binggong was named the King of Nanxin, and Du Ruo was named the Marquis of Nanping and served as the Prime Minister. It became an important gathering place for Chinese and businessmen in Southeast Asia. Later, the descendants of the Jiang family in Jiangsu, the Du family in Zhejiang, the Chen family in Hubei, and the Meng family in Jilong moved here. The Ryukyu King Li Chengxing sent elite troops from Jilong Island by large ships to assist Jiang Binggong in controlling the Strait of Malacca and the Banten port in Java.

Relying on its relationship with the Ming Dynasty, its military power and huge wealth accumulation, the Jiang family had close contacts with the upper classes of Southeast Asian countries through political and trade relations, intermarriage with each other, and had an important influence on the political situation in Southeast Asia. They transported silk, tea, porcelain, and tobacco from the Ming Dynasty and resold them to Southeast Asian nobles and Europe.

He guided the Southeast Asian countries to plant spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and coffee, making them rely heavily on food exports. By winning over the upper classes of various countries, he acquired large amounts of tin, copper, gold, coal, oil and other minerals. At the same time, he made huge fortunes by selling them to Europe.

They quickly accumulated a large amount of wealth, further developed their armed forces and firearms research and development, and gradually became one of the most influential families in Southeast Asia.

Precisely because of the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty and the advanced military force of Keelung Island, the Jiang family controlled the important trade route of the Malacca Strait. Under the strong pressure of the Empress Dowager Jiang Yuebai of the Ming Dynasty, the Kingdom of Japan had to launch a thorough crackdown on the Japanese pirates and make the twelfth princess who was married to the Japanese as the heir.

In fact, Jiang Yuebai had a large family at this time.

Since the marriage was granted, Xiaowu, who married to Mongolia, gave birth to two sons and four daughters, two of whom were twins. Xiaoshi, who married to Korea, gave birth to two sons and two daughters, among whom the eldest son was made the crown prince.

The fourth son, King of Ryukyu, married four concubines and had twenty-two children; the third son, King of Andong, had no concubines and had five sons and four daughters; the ninth son, King of Liaodong, married one concubine and had two sons and eight daughters.

Today is New Year's Eve, and the next day is the eleventh year of Jiashun. This year Emperor Li Hongyuan will be fourteen years old, and Jiang Yuebai will be forty-nine years old, and they are preparing to celebrate their fiftieth birthday.

Jiang Yuebai, Concubine Hua, Concubine Huan, Concubine An, and Concubine Yang were all together in Ci'an Palace to celebrate the New Year. Concubine Jing passed away during the Qingming Festival six years ago.

In fact, everyone's title must be added with "Grand Empress Dowager". They find it troublesome and makes them look old, so they are not willing to add such a long string.

Like in previous years, the four people received the latest high-end jewelry from top designer Huan Tai Wanyi, which was pure gold with colored gems, bling bling.

Concubine Hua made new clothes for everyone. She had been lonely in the palace for ten years, and she developed a new hobby during these ten years, which was to design embroidery patterns and make clothes for others.

Yang Taipin gave everyone a bonsai with auspicious meanings. She has fallen in love with growing flowers and designing bonsai shapes in the past ten years. She has now become an authentic China expert. Her calligraphy is very beautiful, and you would never think it was written by a foreigner.

Jiang Yuebai gave everyone a set of the system's advanced anti-wrinkle kit, a set of colorful facial mask gift packs, and four bottles of vitamins for middle-aged and elderly women for one year.

So the four "grandmothers" here don't look old, with tight skin. They are basically close to fifty years old and look about thirty years old. The patterns and colors of the clothes they wear are very bright, and they are dressed in rich and gorgeous styles.

As for Jiang Yuebai, everyone thought she had become a spirit. She aged for a while, but in the past two years, the government was in good order and the years were smooth. After a few days of recuperation, she actually regained her youth and became younger and younger.

Yang Taipin said with a smile, "It's the Queen Mother's fiftieth birthday this year, so we have to celebrate it in a big way. Sister Huan, you've given it now, what will you give the Queen Mother when the time comes?"

"Don't think about what to give me. I don't need anything. Let's just have fun together and have fun," Jiang Yuebai said with a smile while peeling pine nuts. "By the way, I want to take everyone to Jiangnan in the spring. Do you want to go?"

Yang Taipin was excited when she heard this, "Go. Why not? It's good to be able to walk out of the palace. I don't know what the outside world has become."

"Yes, yes. The Queen Mother is organizing a party, so we have to go." Concubine Hua stood up and said, "Do you want to drink? Come on. It would be boring without a little wine."

"Come on. You have the final say." said Concubine Yang.

Concubine An asked, "Queen Dowager, are you really going to return the government?"

"Of course it's true." Jiang Yuebai grabbed a handful of peeled pine nuts and habitually gave everyone a small handful. "The child has grown up. It's time for him to take care of himself. It's a good opportunity to take the sisters to have a look."

"When will the Queen Mother go to inspect Mongolia?" Concubine An asked aggrievedly, "I want to go back and take a look. It's been almost 20 years since I last went back."

"Let's go when we get back from Jiangnan," Jiang Yuebai said with a smile, "We'll all go together this year. It'll make everyone's wish come true."

In the first month of the year, Jiang Yuebai announced that he would return to the court of the new emperor, and then took the concubines to the south of the Yangtze River for a walk.

Jiang Yuebai knew the time and retreated, and the little emperor and his ministers were very happy.

When the weather got warmer, in early March, the emperor's grandson insisted on arranging a luxurious ship, and a group of elite soldiers and secret guards escorted the emperor's grandmother on the boat from the Grand Canal from Beijing to Jiangnan.

The five concubines walked, watched and played along the way. They bathed in the fresh breeze outside the palace, felt the taste of freedom, and felt like they were back to their teenage years.

Perhaps this was the happiest and freest moment for them in the more than 20 years since they entered the palace.

As soon as the people arrived in Suzhou and got off the boat, the top leaders of Jiangsu Province and Suzhou Prefecture led officials to kneel on the road to welcome the emperor.

Fireworks in March are the most beautiful time in Jiangnan.

After the official meeting, Jiang Yuebai asked them to return to their respective government offices. There was no need for a special reception and they could just walk around on their own.

The five women in their forties were all smiling. Everyone walked into the Jiang residence and was shocked by its extravagance. There had always been someone living in the residence to help take care of it and clean it, so it didn't look dilapidated. The furnishings inside were exactly the same as they were more than 20 years ago.

Jiang Yuebai touched this and that, lying on the bed where she slept when she was a girl, and everything felt so unreal.

I went to visit my distant aunts and uncles, relatives from the Jiang, Wang, and Lu families, and also visited my cousins ​​of the same generation.

Now there are relatives in Suzhou Prefecture. There is no way, because Jiang Yuebai became the empress dowager and her grandson became the emperor. When you are in a high position, you have more relatives. There are more people who are willing to make friends and promote you. In the past, how could a merchant girl easily marry a son of an official? It was not a good match.

Of course, it was also because the Jiang family had married into many scholarly families in recent years, and they had studied the Four Books and Five Classics since childhood, and had learned some tricks for the imperial examinations. They also worked very hard, so more of them passed the examinations and became scholars, juren, and jinshi than before.

In short, it has prospered a lot. This is probably similar to how Shanxi merchants went from being merchants to being influential in the political arena. Once there is a leader who can get a high position, the tribesmen can climb up along the vine.

Then, taken by his eldest nephew, he went to the ancestral grave to pay homage, sweep the tomb, kowtow, and offer sacrifices to all his ancestors.

"I haven't come back to worship my ancestors for so many years. I beg for their forgiveness. I beg them to bless my children and their descendants to be safe and sound."

After returning from the ancestor worship, Jiang Yuebai took her sisters to visit Hanshan Temple, tour Taihu Lake, climb Xishan Mountain, eat freshly caught silver fish, water shield, and chicken head rice from Taihu Lake, eat green rice balls, stir-fried small snails, and drink Mingqian tea...

Sitting by the lake, drinking top-quality Biluochun tea, eating Su's plum cakes, and enjoying the breeze by the lake...

Jiang Yuebai squinted her eyes and felt ecstatic. She wished she could just fall into a deep sleep and never have to go back to the palace or be buried in the imperial mausoleum in the capital. She could just sleep forever in this water town in the south of the Yangtze River, where she was born and raised.

Everything was the freshest and most comfortable. Jiang Yuebai did not forget to plant a row of peach trees neatly in front of his house.

The transplanted peach trees are still blooming, in clusters of bright pink.

Looking at Concubine Huan Wanyi and Concubine Hua taking off peach blossom hairpins and putting them on their heads under the peach tree, Jiang Yuebai seemed to see Concubine Lu, with fluttering dress and the same young look as when she first entered the palace, passing by the peach tree. She looked at the scorching peach blossoms with a look of surprise and suddenly recalled the vague promise in her previous life.

Maybe he would murmur in disbelief, "Someone really planted a row of peach blossoms at the door. Isn't this just a dream?"

And I just happened to walk out the door wearing a casual and loose cotton and linen shirt, "Hey, Meiling, you actually came?"

It must be interesting to think about.

Yes, Concubine Lu’s full name is Lu Meiling.

Although after entering the palace, no one knew her name except Jiang Yuebai and herself.

Looking back, it has been fourteen years since Concubine Lu passed away. The year she passed away was Jiang Yuebai's zodiac year.

If he really borrowed fifteen years of life, he would be sixty-five, which was considered a very long life in ancient times.

Jiang Yuebai felt that his life seemed pretty good.

She invited the opera troupe to her house and had them perform for several days.

He also invited people to the house to sing a few Kunqu operas and two Pingtan songs for the concubine.

How to be happy.

Or maybe a few people would sit in the warm spring sun and play mahjong. The loser would draw a turtle, or they would perform a show.

Or you can do nothing, just lie on a rock and watch the fishes in the pond swim around, without having to observe any etiquette or rules.

Of course, one of the happiest moments of the day is sitting on the swing, being pushed up, raising your feet freely, and feeling like you are about to fly.

Everyone laughed happily. Just like when they were young. They were not pretending to be young. They were really happy. This was not the palace. They could laugh if they wanted to, and make noises if they wanted to. Everyone laughed so hard that they could not hear the sound of laughter in the palace. It was great.

If I had not entered the palace, perhaps the scene would have been different.

Everyone said to Jiang Yuebai, "Queen Mother, we will meet again in the next life. We will be neighbors then. If I can't find the door, I will look for the peach blossoms outside the door. Then, I will find a lame excuse to come in and ask for water, and you must open the door. You are really the best queen mother in the world."

"Okay. We have a deal." Jiang Yuebai looked at them with a smile.

Many people develop presbyopia at this age, and their eyes begin to become cloudy and no longer as clear and bright as when they were young.

But they are different, their eyes are full of brilliance and sparkling.

I really want to remember what they look like. They are all extremely beautiful.

They are all still good-looking old ladies at fifty. This is not easy. No wonder the scumbag couldn't stand it. I'm afraid I can't stand it either.

But if these beautiful flowers had not entered the palace, they would have bloomed freely beside the clear springs and deep in the canyons.

Jiang Yuebai subconsciously touched the jade pendant on his neck. Jiuru, how have you been these twenty years?
Have you got married and had children over there? I miss you a lot. Tears fell from my eyes as I said this.

Then it started to rain.

It is very romantic when it rains in the south of the Yangtze River in March. The raindrops float down softly, and even those who were not worried at first are made to feel sad. Otherwise, it would be a shame to the elegant and exquisite atmosphere of Suzhou gardens.

Mrs. Huan was mesmerized by the beauty of Jiangnan. She opened the window and started painting under it, designing this year's jewelry.

The older he gets, the more Jiang Yuebai likes Huantai Wanyi. She is always quiet, peaceful and calm, like a clear spring. She doesn't like to talk too much, doesn't tell lies, doesn't like to cling to others, and lives a transparent life.

Sitting next to her, time slows down and years become gentle. Especially when watching her painting, each stroke is very delicate, but not at all artificial, very natural, and very comfortable to watch.

Just like now, after she designed a new style, she had a childish and proud smile on her face. She would not ask if it looks good or not, but would say:

"Come and see the latest models! I'm sure you'll like them."

She is confident and self-consistent.

Jiang Yuebai couldn't help but say, "I still want to be friends with you in my next life."

"Okay. Me too. Let's be friends in the next life." Mrs. Huan Wanyi smiled brightly, "I'll make you a set when we get back. I guarantee you'll like it!"

"I like it. Of course I like it." Jiang Yuebai was stunned by the design on the painting. What kind of inheritance and talent is this? It's so beautiful!
Every blade of grass and every tree in Suzhou seems to have a soul, and she is the one who can successfully capture that soul.

Just imagine how the craftsmen would weave and roll up the gold threads, which were not much thicker than hair, little by little, and then make various shapes. I can only marvel at the superb technical level of the ancient craftsmen.

Mrs. Wanyi sketches from life every day. Sometimes she paints flowers, sometimes she paints Taihu rocks, sometimes she paints pavilions, sometimes she paints banana leaves on a rainy day, and sometimes she paints bamboo...

Draw everything.

She said to Jiang Yuebai somewhat embarrassedly, "It's so beautiful. I hope I can take it out and look at it again after returning to the palace."

When Du Ruo won the third place in the imperial examination, Jiang Yuebai told Huan Tai Wanyi immediately.

She was silent for a long time, and finally said with tears in her eyes, "Anyway, I don't have to see him again in this life."

Jiang Yuebai sent him to the Anxi Protectorate, and later to the Annan Protectorate, and then directly to the Nanyang Kingdom to serve as the deputy of his brother Jiang Binggong. He will never be able to meet Huan Tai Wanyi in this life.

Every time he was transferred, Jiang Yuebai would tell Huan Tai Wanyi about his current situation. Jiang Yuebai could see that the two had liked each other and had true feelings for each other. Otherwise, Huan Tai Wanyi would not have burst into tears every time she heard news about him.

Jiang Yuebai told her, "I heard that his tenth child was born. Both mother and child are safe."

"That's good." Mrs. Huan said with a smile, "I am very happy that he has many children and grandchildren."

Du Ruo married a wife and two concubines. His wife was the granddaughter of Jiang Yuebai's mother's uncle Wang, and his two concubines were daughters of nobles from other countries in Southeast Asia. They gave birth to a bunch of sons and two daughters. Jiang Yuebai guessed that maybe Du Ruo really had a secret recipe for giving birth to a boy. When he said he could help Huan Tai Wanyi, he might really be able to help.

Mrs. Huan looked out the window in silence, then she lowered her head and said, "This is good. It's really good."

After returning to the palace in April, the drawings by Mrs. Huan Wanyi really became a hot commodity.

After returning to the palace, everyone tacitly put on masks and armor, and acted like the Grand Concubines. It's okay if you haven't gotten many things. Once you experience the taste of freedom, every minute and every second of being imprisoned is painful to the point of exploding. Everyone can only rely on the paintings of Princess Huan and get a little healing from the happy memories of Suzhou.

Each of them said to Jiang Yuebai, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for taking us to Jiangnan. It will support me to walk a lot further."

But not long after returning to the capital, Wan Tai Wanyi received news that her Eighth Prince was hit on the head by a falling beam while supervising the repair of the temple and was about to die.

Jiang Yuebai greeted the little emperor and took Huan Tai Wanyi out of the palace to see the Eighth Prince for the last time.

But before the two of them left the palace and arrived, the Eighth Prince passed away, just a moment later.

If Mrs. Huan Wanyi had not gone back to get a few more gifts for her grandchildren, she would have had time to say a few words to her son.

Mrs. Huan Wanyi held her son's hand, too sad to cry. She didn't know why she couldn't cry, "How could you be so careless? Huh? Couldn't you hide when the beam fell? You have a wooden head."

"Why didn't you wait for me? It's all my fault that I had to go back to get something. Otherwise, I would have made it in time. It's all my fault."

"Wait for me, mother. I will be here to accompany you soon."

The other four people were terrified after hearing this, fearing that Mrs. Huan Wanyi might be upset and do something stupid.