Chinese New Year

Chapter 1381 A New Job (Part 2)
"The Imperial Workshop has four people: Yang Ben, Sun Xi, Bian Mao, and Feng Bi," Cui Tao, who had been waiting for a while, replied immediately upon hearing the Crown Prince's inquiry.

"Bian Mao and Feng Bi, what are your plans?" Shao Jin asked.

He knew the first two people.

Yang Ben was the son of the newly appointed Minister of Works, Yang Man. He was awarded the title of Academician of the Academy of Crafts for his octagonal horizontal windmill.

I've heard that this windmill was rushed out of production and has many problems in use. We are currently making a second round of improvements to address the issues that have already been exposed.

My father said there was another kind of standing windmill in the world, but he didn't know what it looked like.

Shao Jin had learned about this item. Currently, Xuzhou and Qingzhou were the places that used it the most, but it was mainly used for grinding flour and pounding rice, and had not been used for other purposes.

Sun Xitai is very famous because he actually participated in the Wanshouin Forum. In terms of fame, he is more well-known than the three scholars of Wanshouin.

The alkaloids he produced have been used in at least two industries: leather processing and papermaking.

The leather produced by the former has no odor and does not develop oil spots. Although it is somewhat flashy and impractical, it is still quite popular among wealthy martial artists—who wouldn't want to use something better?

Sun Xi's family seems to be making leather goods now, but to be honest, since he published that method, more and more people know how to use it, so he can't make big money anymore. His family's leather goods workshop can only be said to provide a small supplement.

He didn't recognize Bian Mao, but he seemed to be from the Bian clan of Jiyin.

He knew Feng Bi; he was from Qingzhou and served as a sixth-rank imperial censor, making him a close advisor to the emperor.

“Your Highness, Bian Mao was personally appointed by His Majesty, and he is renowned for his cattle and horse breeding,” Cui Tao said.

That's all he could say, because that's all he knew. He lived in Jiyin and was known to be skilled in judging and raising horses, and he also had some knowledge of cattle breeding.

"The Imperial Censor Feng Gong is from Beihai. He has loved watching the sea since childhood. When he returned to his hometown, he collected his family's books and compiled a 'Navigation Song,' which was included in last year's compilation. It is catchy, easy to learn and sing, yet it also covers astronomy, tides, wind direction, and the essentials of ship handling, allowing even illiterate sailors to gradually learn how to navigate the sea. The Emperor was pleased and bestowed upon him imperial gold and silver utensils, a number of Goguryeo treasures, and appointed him as an academician of the Imperial Crafts Academy." Cui Tao added, "Both of these men possess genuine talent and learning, which is why they were promoted."

"I see." Shao Jin understood and said, "In your opinion, what do you think of the matter of navigation? Many people in the court do not think it is a good idea."

Cui Tao may not understand other things, but he and his father had fought in Pingzhou for two generations and had just experienced the war against Liaodong, so he knew it all too well.

So he told the crown prince a short story: "I once served the Murong regime of Yan, as the Prefect of Cheng Zhou. When the royal army arrived, I led the people to join the cause. Later, I conscripted able-bodied men to transport supplies. There was a farmer in the county who used an oxcart to transport grain. When the grain arrived in Xiangping in August, the ox was exhausted and died. The old farmer knelt on the ground and cried, saying that the death of an ox was like the death of a son."

"There was also a certain Tian Shefu from Beiping who transported grain from Lulong to Pinggang, then to Jicheng, and then to Xiandu. This was not the end of it. In mid-August, he was conscripted again to transport grain from Jicheng to Pingdingshan. After returning, he was ordered to continue transporting supplies to Wangping. This man was furious and killed the village headman and fled."

"Countless people have been transported over long distances in this way, with thousands dying on the road, and several times that number fleeing, wounded, or falling seriously ill. These people have never fought on the front lines, yet their losses are immense. However, the Donglai Camp relies entirely on sea transport, and in just a few months, only sixteen ships have sunk or run aground, resulting in hundreds of deaths. By comparing the two, Your Highness will understand the advantages of sea transport."

Shao Jin slapped his thigh, sighed, and stood up.

He had been in charge of logistics and transportation and had a basic understanding of what Cui Tao was talking about.

The people of the world are not most afraid of taxes, which are actually not high; what they fear most is corvée labor. Among these, war labor is the most terrible form of corvée labor. It has time limits and quantity requirements, and often involves collecting horses from tribes, requisitioning vehicles from cities, and gathering livestock from villages. After a brutal war labor, it is not certain whether people can return alive and unharmed, let alone the livestock and vehicles.

He didn't have much empathy for the common people. When Cui Tao told stories, he listened as just stories, feeling something but not deeply, because he had never lived that kind of life and couldn't have a profound understanding—his father might have understood better, but he really couldn't.

However, he also knew that excessive consumption of the people's resources was not advisable and would affect the court's rule.

Therefore, if something can reduce the exploitation of the people and alleviate their grievances, he is still willing to do it.

"I understand," Shao Jin said. "If the theories proposed by the Myriad Images Academy and the wondrous artifacts produced by the Heavenly Crafts Academy can benefit the Emperor Liang and the people of the world, I am willing to petition the Emperor to reward the scholars. What is wrong with rewarding them with money, granting them favors to their children, or even promoting them to higher ranks?"

"Your Highness is wise," Fan Wang and Cui Tao said in unison.

Shao Jin smiled.

He's not stupid. The reason his father assigned him this task is now obvious.

Fine, he'll just put more effort into this.

Inquire more about things that are useful, and leave the rest for later.

In addition, he heard many new insights and perspectives, things that were different from what he knew before, and he gained a lot.

Managing the Liang Dynasty family well seems to be more than just a simple task.

Some people casually mention "a wise ruler governs by doing nothing," as if that solves everything. This might have worked in the pre-Qin era, but it's not so effective now.

******
After returning to the Eastern Palace, Shao Jin devoted his days to compiling books.

On February 11th, Crown Princess Lu gave birth to a son in Linzhi Palace.

This was the Crown Prince's first child, and also his eldest son. With the birth of this child, it's unknown how many families rejoiced while others grieved.

Anyway, Chen Kui was the most disappointed.

Having returned to his position as the Crown Prince's Household Steward, he found the Crown Princess to be truly terrifying. He wondered what kind of spell she had cast on His Highness, making him dote on her exclusively.

However, perhaps it's not just Lu's ability that's the problem—

On the twelfth day, Empress Yu Wenjun arrived at Linzhi Palace by carriage, went inside to visit her daughter-in-law, and came out with a smile on her face. She was increasingly satisfied with this daughter-in-law.

Putting everything else aside, being able to give birth to a son is a great thing. The Lu family also has a good family tradition; in short, she is satisfied with everything.

As for Yao Yao, whom I've watched grow up, well, she's certainly a virtuous wife and loving mother, but unfortunately, she's had bad luck, so there's nothing I can do about it.

Of course, she was also inevitably influenced by her husband, feeling that Chen was somewhat fond of using petty tricks, but it wasn't a big problem.

"Liang Nu, how is the new task your father assigned you going?" Yu Wenjun beckoned her son forward and asked softly.

“Mother, I’ve only been in charge for a few days,” Shao Jin said.

Yu Wenjun nodded and said, "Your mother is just reminding you, don't take it lightly."

“Yes,” Shao Jin replied. “Actually, these things are not entirely without benefit to the country. The workshop in Xiangcheng produces a lot of soap, which I distributed as rewards to my officials, and everyone praised it highly. Some even wrote poems about it.”

This is not a lie.

A woman used this item to bathe, and the description, "She wiped her icy skin and bones, bathed in the bright moonlight," is somewhat of an artistic exaggeration.

Some men used this to bathe, and the saying "formerly stained by mud, now revealing their true nature" elevated the concept to a philosophical level.

The phrase "soft and smooth to the touch, light and slippery to the touch" sounds like an advertisement.

In short, this product, which arose from alkaloids, first spread at an astonishing speed to the homes of the powerful and noble, and then to the families of officials and wealthy clans, making those who wanted to attack Wanxiangyuan and Tiangongyuan too embarrassed to speak up.

Sun Xi, the former spendthrift, has seen his reputation completely reversed, to the point that his father, Sun He, the governor of Liangzhou, has also become famous, which is quite an anomaly.

"I'm glad you understand," Yu Wenjun said happily.

Life has reached such a perfect point.

She married the man she loved, and at forty, she could still shamelessly flirt with her husband and be pampered by him. Her son became the crown prince, and now she has a grandson; her family's fortunes are also rising. What more could she ask for?

Now that the world is at peace and there are no more battles to fight, I can spend every day with my husband, grow old together, and be happier than ever.

“Yaoyao, she…” Yu Wenjun hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

Shao Jin felt slightly awkward.

Although his mother had subtly reminded him before, he still couldn't resist after the Crown Princess became pregnant, and recently he has slept in Chen's room many times.

If the Crown Princess's first child is not a boy, and Lady Chen gives birth to a boy first, he will repeat his father's mistake, which is something his mother has been emphasizing.

Of course, it's not really a big deal.

"You should comfort her," Yu Wenjun sighed, feeling guilty towards the child of the Chen family of Yingchuan.

After saying that, she added, "Your father intends to find two wives for you, one from Guanzhong and one from Jiangnan, but we don't know when. Just know that this is true."

Shao Jin nodded. It didn't matter; he couldn't be as carefree as his father in this regard, even taking a concubine involved political considerations.

If one truly wants to choose according to their own wishes, instead of having someone else force it upon them, it can only be done by someone who inherits the throne.

Yu Wenjun was very pleased to see how sensible her son was.

After seeing his mother off, Shao Jin returned to the main hall and began to handle official business.

Besides Wanxiang Temple and Tiangong Temple, his father had also entrusted him with the tasks of receiving guests and performing sacrifices.

Next month we will be hosting a reception for the chieftains of the Xianbei tribes.

With the fall of the Murong clan, the imperial court intended to formally abolish the Tuoba Dai state and bring the seven commanderies of Yunzhong, Liangcheng, Dingxiang, Wuyuan, Shuofang, Hexi, and Yuyang under its rule.

Overall, these seven commanderies and kingdoms existed in the form of enfeoffment or tributary control. As for the grasslands north of these seven commanderies and kingdoms, they were undoubtedly under tributary control. Perhaps, following the old example of Longxi, they would issue golden seals and confer titles upon a number of marquises and earls.

He was to personally receive these chieftains, meet with them, assess their character, offer his opinions, and ultimately have the imperial court grant them official seals and registers.

In addition, the Crown Prince's servant Yuwen Xibaxiong reported that after the conquest of Liao, the twelve tribes of Yuwen were not on good terms, and many chieftains were dissatisfied with Yuwen Yidougui, which caused his already mediocre prestige to decline further. He believed that the Yuwen clan might be in turmoil.

Shao Jin was skeptical.

He knew that Yuwen Yidougui was not highly respected and was only a distant relative of the Yuwen clan, just like Sima Yue was to the Jin Dynasty imperial family. Even when Sima Yue was at the height of his power, he did not dare to usurp the throne and become emperor. Instead, he continuously appointed the son of the Prince of Qinghe of Jin as the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince. This shows his influence.

Yuwen Xibaxiong's bloodline is much closer than Yidougui's. After all, he is the nephew of Qidegui, the first Chanyu of the Xianbei. Did he have a purpose in saying this?
Suddenly, he realized that there was a reason why his father had placed Yuwen Xiba Xiong in his household.

With that in mind, he spread out paper and pen and began to write a memorial.

(End of this chapter)