I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 234 The Rise of a New Era
...

That year, Li Shishi followed her mother into Fanlou and knelt before the head steward, Li Mama.

Li Shishi's mother knelt down with a "thump" and kowtowed desperately to Li's mother, her forehead hitting the bluestone slab with a "clanging" sound. She begged Li's mother to look at Li Shishi's hip bone, saying that Li Shishi had a cinnabar mole on her lower back, which meant she was destined for the Triple Gate.

Li's mother lifted Li Shishi's clothes.

Li Shishi was so frightened that she trembled all over, but dared not make the slightest movement.

But her body's instincts still made Li Shishi tighten her lower back.

This caused the cinnabar mole on Li Shishi's lower back to transform into the shape of three door cracks.

Li's mother was overjoyed. She not only agreed to let Li Shishi stay, but also recognized Li Shishi as her daughter on the spot and named her "Li Shishi". She said she would personally teach Li Shishi the skills to survive.

Li's mother gave Li Shishi's mother eighty strings of cash.

As she pressed her fingerprints, Li Shishi heard her mother squeeze out through gritted teeth, "Don't blame your mother, I'm just trying to find a way for you to survive."

On her second day at Fanlou, Li Shishi was stuffed into a body-shaping urn by her mother and subjected to brutal training by being roasted in the urn over charcoal.

Even more painful was that Li Shishi's pelvis was forcibly stretched into a three-section joint by her mother using cowhide.

The pain was indescribable, and Li Shishi didn't want to recall it anymore.

In short, under the pressure of being tortured if she didn't practice, Li Shishi practiced every day, which not only gave her the legendary triple gate, but also allowed her to develop excellent skills.

Li's mother was very satisfied with Li Shishi's comprehension and hard work, and was just waiting for Li Shishi to grow up so that she could reap a fortune.

However, things didn't go as planned. Before Li Shishi could grow up, she entered the palace by a twist of fate, and all the money her mother had invested in Li Shishi was in vain.

At this moment, Li Shishi was dressed in a Luoshen-themed outfit, her waist swaying like water rippling across the felt tent, exuding both gentleness and charm, as well as fierceness.

Zhao Yu was a man of the world, but he was still momentarily captivated by Li Shishi's stunning charm. Once Li Shishi turned to his side, he swept her up and carried her to the bed...

Li Shishi knew more than just the martial arts skills she learned as a child.

Over the years, Zhang Chun has learned all sorts of strange kung fu techniques in order to please Zhao Yu, and she also frequently throws large-scale social events for Zhao Yu, such as surprise parties and cosplay nights.

Among the women who participated, many possessed unique skills.

Although Li Shishi did not participate in the activities, she always served from the sidelines. Over time, the exceptionally talented Li Shishi learned a set of superb skills.

So, how should I put it, Zhao Yu had an amazing night.

The only thing that left Zhao Yu somewhat unsatisfied was that Li Shishi's stamina was ultimately lacking.

Zhao Yu couldn't help but wonder, 'Would it be enough to satisfy me if I could gather all five of the most famous courtesans?'

'Don't worry, this day will come sooner or later.'

……

The next morning, Zhao Yu did not wake up Li Shishi, who was exhausted the night before, to serve him. Instead, he got up by himself, left his room, and had the other palace maids help him with his washing and dressing.

Zhao Yu did not stay here for breakfast, but went to the training ground.

As expected, Li Lin was already waiting here early.

Then, Li Lin accompanied Zhao Yu to practice "Convict Conditioning" and "Yoga".

There was nothing wrong with practicing Convict Conditioning, because Zhao Yu mainly practiced it by himself, and Li Lin just watched from the side.

After all, Zhao Yu has been training for so many years, and Li Lin has long since taught him everything she knows. Zhao Yu has now surpassed his teacher.

When Zhao Yu starts practicing yoga, Li Lin will have to accompany him.

One theory about Yoga is that it is a sexual posture associated with temple prostitutes at the time.

Whether it is or not, I won't say.

It is said that practicing yoga is indeed beneficial for communication between men and women, especially when men and women practice yoga together.

Today, Li Lin accompanied Zhao Yu to practice yoga for a while and discovered that Zhao Yu's lingering desire had not been completely extinguished.

How could the highly experienced Li Lin allow such a matter to delay Zhao Yu's work for the day?
The only pity was that Li Lin was pregnant and could not satisfy Zhao Yu.

Fortunately, not long after, Yuan Qingcheng came to deliver breakfast to Zhao Yu as usual.

With Yuan Qingcheng's arrival, Zhao Yu's remaining troubles were completely extinguished.

After having breakfast with Li Lin and Yuan Qingcheng, Zhao Yu, accompanied by Zhang Chun, Ye Shiyun, Liu Mingda, Zhang Nan, Xiao Puxian, and other women, as well as Li Lin, went to court.

……

After the court officials exchanged greetings, Zhao Yu, who had been emperor for over seven years, asked with a relaxed air, "Do you have any memorials to present?"

Zhang Dun, as was customary, stepped forward and reported:
"Song Jiang and his gang, under the command of Zeng Xiaoyun, have withdrawn from the eastern route of Jingdong and entered Hebei. They are now fighting in Hedong. Hou Meng went to Liangshan Marsh to offer amnesty to Song Jiang. Song Jiang said that as long as the gentry no longer resisted the reforms, he would immediately surrender himself. Otherwise, he would kill the last gentry who did not give the people a way to live."

"The case of Hu Jing in Laizhou has now been investigated. Her family concealed a total of 7,362 mu of land. According to regulations, Zhang Shaowei, the prefect of Laizhou, has distributed half of it to 32 informants, including Hu Ming. The family's property has also been confiscated, yielding a total of 123,677 strings of gold, silver, and copper coins. Half of this was retained in Laizhou for development and construction, and the other half was turned over to the national treasury. Thirteen members of Hu Jing's family were executed, 94 were exiled, and 376 female relatives were sent to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution)." "Dengzhou Port is expected to be completed in September of this year, while Banqiao Town Port in Mizhou will be completed later, expected to be finished by the end of November."

"Su Chunlei, the prefect of Dengzhou, reported that there are now 832 doctors in the prefecture, which is twelve times more than in the first year of Jianzhong. The medical care in the prefecture has been greatly improved. However, there is a shortage of medicines. He hopes to use some of the confiscated farmland to grow medicinal herbs."

"The Ministry of Rites reported that there were 671 people who had passed the imperial examinations and were of noble birth, including Cai Yi."

"King Kyansitha of Pagan sent envoys to pay tribute. They have now arrived at Huaiyuan Post Station. The accompanying envoy requested that our great Song Dynasty's treasure ships sail north to the capital to intimidate the Pagan envoys."

"Kang Zijian, the transport commissioner of Jinghu North Circuit, reported that due to the superior seeds and the 'Complete Agricultural Classic' bestowed by Lady Yuan, the grain yield in other places has more than doubled compared to the first year of Jianzhong. The local people want to build a shrine for Lady Yuan and request a portrait of Lady Yuan."

"..."

As usual, Zhang Dun immediately submitted a memorial outlining dozens of matters, large and small, covering a wide range of topics including politics, economics, military affairs, education, people's livelihood, and diplomacy.

Most importantly, Song Jiang's rebel army has withdrawn from the Jiaodong Peninsula, which will not delay the development of Jiaodong.

This is as it should be.

After all, this area is of paramount importance to the development of the Zhao Song Dynasty at this stage, and cannot be delayed.

However, the imperial court did not reduce the implementation of the two new policies just because Song Jiang's rebel army withdrew.

On the contrary, in order to thoroughly implement the two new policies, the court now allows anyone to report those who have concealed land. As long as someone reports it, no matter who the reporter is, they can get half of the land that the person concealed. Those who have concealed land will have their families and clans confiscated, and there will be no leniency.

Ever since Ye Shiyun produced "Ye Shiyun's Medical Canon," Zhao Yu ordered people to promote it vigorously.

Seven years have passed, and Ye Shiyun's Medical Classic presents medical knowledge in a concise, clear, and easy-to-understand way, enabling people without a strong medical background to quickly learn and master basic medical skills, thus helping the Song Dynasty to cultivate a large number of grassroots barefoot doctors.

According to incomplete statistics, the number of physicians in the Song Dynasty exceeded 100,000 during those seven years, effectively alleviating the problem of a lack of professional medical personnel in rural areas.

Their medical scope is extensive, ranging from common minor illnesses such as colds and coughs to more complex internal medicine, surgical, and obstetric diseases, all of which have corresponding diagnostic and treatment methods. This enables these rapidly emerging grassroots barefoot doctors to cope with most common diseases in rural areas, provide timely medical services to patients, and improve the diagnosis and treatment rate of diseases in rural areas.

Moreover, with the promotion of "Ye Shiyun's Medical Classic", people have learned a lot about hygiene and epidemic prevention, such as mosquito and fly control and drinking water disinfection. This has helped to improve people's hygiene awareness and health concepts, promote the development of good hygiene habits in rural areas, and reduce the occurrence of diseases from the source.

It can be said that Ye Shiyun made a great contribution.

In the area of ​​saving mothers and newborns alone, Ye Shiyun has saved countless lives.

It is precisely because of this that as early as three years ago, someone built a shrine for Ye Shiyun. Many people even compared Ye Shiyun with Bian Que, a famous physician during the Warring States period, Hua Tuo, a famous physician during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and Zhang Zhongjing, a famous physician during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, calling them the four great physicians of China.

It is said that both the vigorous promotion of "The Book of Agriculture of the City" and "The Medical Classic of Ye Shiyun" benefited from Ma Xiaojiao's improvements in papermaking and printing techniques.

It was Ma Xiaojiao who innovated the ancient papermaking process, making the paper more delicate and flexible, greatly improving its durability, and significantly reducing the cost, so that books were no longer a luxury exclusively for nobles, but an everyday item that ordinary people could afford.

Ma Xiaojiao's water-powered automatic printing press has greatly increased the printing speed and quantity of books.

The vigorous development of these two technologies greatly promoted the production and circulation of books, enabling works that benefited the people, such as "The Book of Agriculture of the City" and "The Medical Classic of Ye Shiyun," to quickly spread to every corner of the Song Dynasty.

It can be said that although Ye Shiyun, Ma Xiaojiao, and Yuan Qingcheng all achieved considerable success after traveling to the Northern Song Dynasty, they brought unprecedented changes and hope to this world.

After Zhang Dun finished his report, Cai Jing stepped forward and reported: "Japan has once again refused to become our Great Song's most favored trading partner, and is unwilling to abolish its sea crossing system, purchase ban, and age system."

In the early Song Dynasty, Japan implemented a policy of "isolationism," also known as the "sea crossing system," which prohibited Japanese officials and citizens from crossing the sea without permission, with violators subject to exile.

Also in the early Song Dynasty, Japan issued a "purchase ban" prohibiting the private purchase of Tang goods, restricting domestic purchases of overseas goods in order to reduce demand in international trade.

During this period, Japan also promulgated an "age system" stipulating that the interval between consecutive visits to Japan by the same foreign merchant (and ship) could not be less than two years, thus limiting the number of times Song merchants could visit Japan.

Despite these restrictive policies, private trade between the Song Dynasty and Japan continued due to the demand from Japanese nobles for Tang and Song goods and the incentive of huge profits.

However, this amount of trade was no longer enough to satisfy Zhao Yu's ambition to vigorously develop maritime trade. Therefore, Zhao Yu specially sent envoys to Japan, hoping to break Japan's trade blockade through diplomatic means.

Now it seems that this path is not feasible.

Zhao Tingzhi then reported: "The large coins are one, five, or ten strings of cash, while the smaller ones are one hundred, two hundred, three hundred, or five hundred cash. At this time of great calamity, idle people and those who privately manufacture them have sprung up. Although they are beheaded every day, the trend cannot be stopped. Those who manufacture them are not only commoners in the alleys, but also mostly from the families of the rich and gentry. In less than a year, if this continues, it will surely lead to a great disaster. I humbly request that a thunderous law be quickly implemented to eliminate them all."

There's nothing more to say. Counterfeiters, no matter who they are, must be dealt with using the most severe measures. Therefore, Zhao Yu approved Zhao Tingzhi's memorial.

It is worth mentioning that, under the guidance of time travelers such as Zhao Yu, the currency of the Zhao Song Dynasty was rapidly evolving into the currency of the Yuan Dynasty, that is, entering the era of paper money one or two hundred years ahead of schedule.

Its advantages are that, compared to metal currencies such as gold, silver, and copper coins, paper money is lightweight and easy to carry, making it more convenient for large transactions and long-distance trade, which is conducive to the circulation of goods and economic development. Furthermore, by issuing unified paper money, the imperial court standardized the monetary system, changing the previous situation of numerous currency types and complex conversions, and promoting economic exchange and trade throughout the country. Moreover, by controlling the issuance of paper money, the imperial court could regulate the economy to a certain extent and obtain revenue such as seigniorage during the issuance process, increasing fiscal revenue.

However, its drawbacks are that if the imperial court issues paper money without restraint, it will lead to currency devaluation, soaring prices, and seriously affect people's lives and economic stability. Furthermore, the value of paper money depends on the imperial court's credit; if there are deficiencies in managing the issuance of paper money and maintaining credit, coupled with factors such as war, public trust in paper money will gradually decrease. Moreover, although Ma Xiaojiao has developed advanced banknote paper, and the five women have provided many good suggestions based on later anti-counterfeiting measures, due to technological limitations, anti-counterfeiting measures for paper money are still relatively limited, and it is possible for skilled counterfeiters to forge it.

This undoubtedly puts the imperial court to an even greater test of its resolve to combat the production of counterfeit currency.

Overall, although the Zhao Song Dynasty still faces numerous problems, under the careful governance of Emperor Zhao Yu and his ministers, it is functioning well overall. It has achieved considerable success in politics, military affairs, economy, people's livelihood, education, and diplomacy, and even shows signs of a revival.

It was precisely because of this that, although Zhao Yu dealt a heavy blow to the gentry group, which aroused strong dissatisfaction among the scholar-official class, the court and the public were not disturbed by this. On the contrary, a series of reforms brought unprecedented vitality and dynamism to the court.

Many gentry, scholars, and officials, though unwilling, gradually realized that the wheels of time were irreversibly turning forward, and only by going with the tide could they preserve their family's foundation and avoid being swallowed up in the long river of history...

……

(End of this chapter)