In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 880 Returning Home to Visit Relatives: Good Officials and Bad Officials
The weather in Daning in the first month of the lunar calendar was still cold.
As evening approached, a cold wind howled, turning the world into a white expanse.

Lanterns were lit early throughout the city, their dim light flickering in the white glow, illuminating the roads.

If there weren't enough people on the street, the street would be incredibly eerie.

The Office of the Commander-in-Chief
As soon as it got dark, many of the clerks on duty put on their clothes and prepared to go home, looking relaxed.

Going to the government office during holidays
Having nothing to do all day, my mindset is completely different from usual; I feel very relaxed.

When the appointed time arrived, many officials came to the door.
Upon seeing the simple carriage waiting at the door, he smiled knowingly and climbed inside.

Before long, Lu Yunyi, also dressed in a robe and wrapped tightly around himself, quickly walked out of the yamen.

Looking around, the streets were sparsely populated.
"Sir, please get in the car quickly, it's cold outside."

The coachman in the manor smiled and carried the stool off the carriage, speaking respectfully.

Lu Yunyi glanced at his face, which was red from the cold, and said as he got into the car:

"You don't need to come so early next time. It's freezing cold outside, it's like a death knell."

"Master, Madam instructed that you should not be cold, so it's alright for me to wait a little longer."

The coachman chuckled as he spoke, waiting for Lu Yunyi to climb into the carriage.
He sat in the driver's seat and gently flicked the whip:

"Walk"

The carriage was very warm, with the stove radiating a cozy glow.

As soon as Lu Yunyi entered, he felt that the cloak he was wearing was too hot, so he untied the rope to let some air in.

He sat by the window, lifted the curtain, and looked through the gap at the people walking outside.

Some people were in groups of three or five, while others were carrying large and small bags.

Some even pulled handcarts, which were full of newly purchased items.

Despite the cold weather, the streets and alleys were still filled with a joyful atmosphere.

"Hmm, not bad."

Lu Yunyi nodded in satisfaction, lowered the curtains, leaned against the wall of the chest, and looked on with emotion.

Fortunately, the Da Ning Commandery was located in a low-lying area, so no matter which way you went, you were going uphill, making it easy to change the lives of the people in the city.

If it were in a large city like Beiping or Yingtianfu...
The common people are already able to support themselves, but making their lives better becomes extremely difficult, perhaps ten times more difficult than in Daning.

Especially the sense of satisfaction in people's hearts,

The people north of Daning City were content as long as they had enough to eat and wear, and didn't want to leave.

If you lived in Yingtian, you would have meat and wine with every meal.

With the rise in living standards, it is extremely difficult to improve even a little bit on the original basis.

Lu Yunyi pursed his lips, shaking off these thoughts.

Da Ning has a lot of room for improvement in its current state, so there's no need to worry about these issues for now.

The carriage swayed and rocked, and he thought of Shanxi, another place where ancient capitals converged.

But now we are on the frontier, which has been ravaged by war and has not yet had a chance to recover.

If the imperial court really moves the capital to Taiyuan or Xi'an,
A major renovation and construction project will surely bring prosperity to the people and make their lives smooth and successful.

Unfortunately, relocating the capital is extremely difficult.

The imperial court has not disclosed how far the Crown Prince's progress has been.

He sent documents to inquire several times, but they all disappeared without a trace.

"Why not stay in Yingtian instead of running around aimlessly? What are you moving to?"

Lu Yunyi murmured to himself, from his perspective, things had to be done slowly.
To rush to inspect Shanxi like this is like dancing on someone's mind; it won't end well.

Just as he was lost in thought, the carriage stopped swaying and came to a steady stop.
"Master, we're home."

The driver's voice came from outside.

Lu Yunyi snapped out of his daze, stepped off the carriage, and headed towards the mansion!

The mansion was lavishly decorated, exuding an atmosphere of extravagance reminiscent of the Lunar New Year, with gold lanterns everywhere.
There are also couplets written by famous calligraphers, and even some very rare green plants.

Lu Yunyi returned to the main hall, where his family was already waiting.
Upon seeing him return, Lady Liu, who was seated at the head of the table, quickly looked at the attendant beside her:
"Quickly, tell the kitchen that the dishes are ready and to bring some good wine to warm my son up."

"Yes!"

Lu Yunyi sat down, glanced around, and exchanged glances with the ladies.
After a moment's thought, he looked at Liu Wanyi and said with a smile:

"Wanyi, the yamen isn't busy lately."
Everything has been arranged for the new year. Would you like to go back to Liaodong for a visit?

Liu Wanyi, who had been earnestly sipping her tea and chatting happily with Qiuhe beside her, was stunned upon hearing these words:
"Husband, aren't you busy at the yamen?"

Lu Yunyi smiled:

"To say I'm not busy would be self-deception, but it's always possible to squeeze in some time."
It just so happens that at the beginning of the year, the Commander-in-Chief is going to discuss road construction with Liaodong, and I, as her husband, also want to go and take a look.
After all, this is a large project involving hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, and every aspect needs to be done well.

It would be too hasty to avoid meeting in person.

A look of surprise flashed in Liu Wanyi's eyes. Originally, she had given up hope of going home, and even thought it wasn't worth making a special trip home, given the long journey.

But now, it would be ideal to steal a moment of leisure amidst busy official duties!

"My lord, when shall we depart?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room burst into laughter. Madam Liu smiled and said:

“Wanyi, Daning is not far from Liaodong. If you miss home, you can go back anytime. Don’t worry about him.”

Liu Wanyi smiled warmly:
“Now that the daughter-in-law has married into the family, she should follow her husband. How can the daughter-in-law run back home while her husband is in Daning City?”

Madam Liu smiled, looked at her daughters-in-law present, and said with a smile:

"The scholars inside the pass all call us barbarians."
If we were to seek out more rules, wouldn't it be pointless to call it that way?

In our family, we don't have that rule.
Yunyi is busy with official duties all day long and has no time to spend on you. Please bear with him.

When spring comes next year, the fields outside the city will be lush and green. Then you should go out and explore, and see the beautiful landscape beyond the Great Wall.

I've heard that the grasslands of Buyur Lake are the most lush.
It's a pity the imperial court didn't include it within its territory, otherwise I would have gone to take a look too.

These words immediately created a more harmonious atmosphere in the room.
Lu Yunyi looked at Mu Chuting and Deng Lingyun and asked:
Do you want to go?

Heavy snow has now blocked the mountain passes in Liaodong, creating a beautiful scene.
You might even spot deer in the mountain forests. I've heard that the trees in Liaodong are currently shrouded in ice mist, which is quite a sight.

The two exchanged a glance, a hint of excitement flashing in their eyes, and nodded repeatedly.

Mu Chuting tried to keep her voice steady and said softly:

"Since there is such a beautiful view, we should go and see it."
I just don't know if it's convenient for you to host me at your home.

"Convenient! Of course it's convenient, there are plenty of empty rooms in the house! I'll take you to dig for ginseng later!"

Liu Wanyi spoke very generously, showing great hospitality as the host.

Seeing that they were discussing things very smoothly, Lu Yunyi nodded in satisfaction.

Looking at Uncle He who was guarding the door, he said with a smile:

"Uncle He, get ready, buy some valuable gifts."

Uncle He bowed and smiled:

"Yes, sir, I will make the arrangements right away, but I don't know when we will depart."

Some valuable items have been almost entirely sold out in the city, and may need to be transported from other cities.

Lu Yunyi thought for a moment and looked at Madam Liu: "Mother, when are you returning?"

"It has to be past the fifteenth at the latest."

After thinking for a moment, Madam Liu continued:
"I've ordered some clothes for your father, as well as clothes for those students; they'll all take a while to arrive."

At this point, Madam Liu shook her head helplessly:
"Your father is really something, bringing so many people here, and they don't even come home for the New Year, they insist on staying at the academy."

"Mother, many of the students at the academy are homeless, and some are from the grasslands."
"Where can they go if they can't stay at the academy in this freezing weather?"

"Then let's go together after the fifteenth."

"Will it work? The yamen will be in trouble then."

Lu Yunyi smiled:

"It's alright, we have Black Hawk. He's always the one who looks after the house when I go out. He knows the way very well."

"That's alright."

Lu Yunyi looked at Uncle He:
"Let's leave after the fifteenth. There's no rush for some things; let's get the best of everything."

"Yes, sir. I'll go down and make a list first, and then I'll show it to you later."

"it is good."

At this moment, Gong Xianzhi poked his head out from the doorway:
"Sir, the food is ready, you can eat now."

Qiuhe was the first to jump up: "Time to eat! Time to eat!!"

Liu glared at her with one look.

"All you ever do is eat! You've already become a fatso and you're still eating!"

Qiuhe, like a mouse seeing a cat, immediately shrank back and muttered to herself:
It's Chinese New Year, after all.

Lu Yunyi glanced at Qiu He's plump figure and shook his head helplessly:

"Eat what you want, let's go, let's eat."

In the blink of an eye, the day has reached the tenth.

The hustle and bustle in the city has subsided somewhat, and many workshops have resumed operations, starting their busy work after the New Year.

Officials from the prefectural government office and the military command office gradually began to return to work.

That morning, Qiao Hui, who was in charge of reading the proclamation, walked out of the yamen in high spirits.

He smiled at the sparse crowd waiting at the entrance and joked:

"So early already?"

"I've rested for more than ten days, it's time to get back to work. I never used to have a break," a man in his thirties said with a smile, his hands tucked into his sleeves.

"What news is there today? Didn't they say before the New Year that the Commandery had something important to announce?"

Qiao Hui glanced at him with some surprise:
"I still remember."

"Of course I'll remember that, what if it's a paycheck?"

The middle-aged man glared at him, and an elderly man in his fifties beside him chimed in:
“My two boys can start working after the New Year. Are there any newly opened construction sites? I’d like to send them there.”

After saying that, he pointed to himself:
"Take me with you too, this old man is an excellent cook!"

Qiao Hui glanced at him, then looked at the group of people around him.

Seeing that they were all craning their necks and waiting, I knew they had come for a living.

"Hehe, the work will have to wait until after the New Year. There's no time to arrange work on the construction site. Just wait, there will be plenty of opportunities to work."

Upon hearing this, everyone present smiled, and their hearts were at ease.

For them, as long as there is hope, that's enough!

Qiao Hui cleared his throat, took the brass trumpet from his waist, unfolded it, and held it in front of his face:
"This afternoon, the capital city will announce the GDP of Daning City last year."
It reflects every aspect of life in Daning City, including eating, drinking, relieving oneself, clothing, housing, and transportation.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?
The people standing in front of the government office all looked puzzled, having never heard such strange words before.

Qiao Hui then took out a document from his pocket and read aloud what Gross Domestic Product represented.
After he finished reading, some clever people already knew.

The man in his thirties who had spoken earlier suddenly seemed to realize something:

"Sigh, it's just about settling accounts."

Qiao Hui nodded repeatedly:

"Hey~ you're right, it's about settling accounts."
Let's calculate which part of the company makes money, which part loses money, which part earns a lot of money, and which part earns little.
Having the accounts documented makes things easier to manage later.

Otherwise, relying solely on intuition without any evidence would be absurd.

Seeing that most of them looked puzzled, Qiao Hui simply waved his hand:
"Just come this afternoon, and bring your relatives and friends."

From now on, GDP will be the standard for measuring whether Dusi is prosperous, and this will be expanded to the entire Dusi, which is closely related to you.

The fact that this price has gone up means that money is easier to make.

If it falls, then it'll be terrible.
Be prepared to tighten your belt, so you won't be caught off guard.

"Look at you all, you made some money last year."

They are so arrogant and extravagant, spending money recklessly without knowing how to save any.

The adults all said that such favorable weather as this year is rare, so we should always keep some money at home.

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent, and many people exchanged bewildered glances.

They made money too easily last year, which made them complacent.

Spending money lavishly during the Chinese New Year gave me a feeling of extravagance I had never experienced before.

He thought he could only secretly enjoy it, but he never expected that the commander knew about it.

"Alright, alright, come listen when you go to the yamen this afternoon. Listen whether you understand it or not, just in case you understand it later."

Having said that, Qiao Hui waved his hand and put away the brass trumpet.

He gestured to the clerk to post today's notice, and then walked away.

After he left, the crowd did not leave, but instead gathered around to look at today's notice.

The inscription above is a poem of blessing from the old gentleman of Chengnan Study.

They also listened with great interest to some interesting stories that happened in the city during the Chinese New Year.

Inside the military headquarters, Xie Jin sat solemnly in the office of the Registrar's Office.
Yang Shiqi sat not far from him, the two of them together holding a long scroll.
The densely packed calculations and accounts on it were dazzling to look at.

This is the gross domestic product of Daning City calculated over the past month.
It lists all sorts of industries, a wide variety of things.
Yang Shiqi, carrying the heavy stack of papers, sighed with emotion:

"Brother Da Shen, you can't just write everything down in the future."
When will this be finished?

You see, there's no need to write about minor categories like fishing, shrimp farming, and flower growing.

Xie Jin nodded in deep agreement.

The first time, he wanted to be perfect and wrote down all the accounts he had collected.

But I never expected it to be so long.
"Since this is the first time, it's better to be more detailed."

Let the officials from various garrison areas see this; it will be convenient for them to make calculations when they return home."

Yang Shiqi's expression was strange:
"All crows under the sky are black, so how can they honestly calculate?"

Don't resort to deception at the end.
Last year, the military command uncovered several garrisons that were receiving salaries without working; they dared to do such a thing.”

A hint of resentment appeared on Xie Jin's face:
"Even a deception is better than nothing. I'm increasingly realizing the importance of this."
If the imperial court could control the total output value of the many provinces of the Ming Dynasty...
Those things don't need to be so complicated anymore.

Yang Shiqi nodded in deep agreement:

"Yes, I didn't expect the results to be so intuitive."

I heard that Lord Liu is already studying the expansion of cloth and textile businesses next year.

It makes no sense that weaving, such a major revenue generator,
In our Daning area, you can earn more by selling melons.

"So fast?"

Xie Jin looked shocked, then suddenly felt a pang of emotion:
"If this were in the imperial court, it would inevitably involve a lot of back and forth."

"A small boat is easier to turn around, but the imperial court is such a vast empire."
Sometimes, even if you've taken the wrong path, you have to keep going in the dark to avoid greater losses.

The commander is different; if he makes a mistake, he corrects it immediately, and the impact is limited.

As Yang Shiqi spoke, he looked at Xie Jin and raised an eyebrow at him:
"Brother Da Shen, when do you plan to return to the capital?"

I thought you wouldn't stay here for long, but unexpectedly, two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Xie Jin was also somewhat dazed, his eyes vacant:

"Yes, it's been two years since I arrived. When I first came, I thought about going back all the time, but now I've gotten used to it."

After saying that, he shook his head and added:
"Being an official is too difficult. I don't really want to go back."

"why?"

Yang Shiqi looked shocked as he sized up Xie Jin.

Xie Jin didn't look young at the moment; his long, unruly beard and dark, shiny skin made him look like a rough man in his thirties.

If he remembered correctly, Xie Jin was only twenty-two years old at this time.

He was in the prime of his life, how could he be so depressed?

Xie Jin sighed:

"What the books say is all wrong. Being a rigid and rule-abiding official will only prevent you from making mistakes."
But if one wants to be a good official, serving the country and its people...

Often, one has to resort to any means necessary.
In the past, I would have definitely cursed and said that this was nonsense.

But now, the living examples are right in front of me, leaving me no choice but to believe it.

Take Lord Lu for example. Can you call him a good official? He's done all sorts of bad things!

But the city of Daning is getting better every day; it's truly strange.

Xie Jin shook his head and continued:

"The commander said he wanted to build an official road leading to Liaodong, and that would require a considerable sum of money."

However, the cash in the warehouse had been used to pay rewards or exchanged for military equipment.

Where did this money come from? It couldn't have come from an honest source.

Yang Shiqi's expression suddenly became extremely strange, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

He found himself unable to refute it.

After a long while, he gave an awkward smile:
"Who cares where the money comes from, as long as Lord Lu can get his hands on it, that's good enough."
Once the road is repaired, many people will be able to enjoy a better life again.

Alright, alright, these are not things we need to consider.

"Let's hurry up, this document is so long, it'll take half an hour just to read it. Let's hurry!"

(End of this chapter)