Walking the Path of a Workaholic in Cliché Novels (QT) Chapter 96

Three years later.

“Was sugar really produced?” A worker wearing a white headscarf was looking at the pointed basket. His eyes slowly widened as he looked inside.

“Sugar! Real sugar!”

The workers cheered and said afterward: “Our governor said that beets can be used to make sugar, so it must be possible to make sugar. I never doubted it.”

“Yes, yes. If I had doubts, I wouldn’t have been able to get into the sugar factory. Wouldn’t it be better to go to the wool dyeing factory next door? I could also find a female worker to marry, and we could have two working people in the family. How great would that be.”

“Now that we have sugar, can we make the condensed milk that the prefect mentioned?”

“More than that? We can make anything, put it in porcelain cans, and sell it to the table of the king of the Western Regions. Who knows, we may have another workshop in Zhanghua County and can hire more workers.”

“That’s great. My sister has always wanted to work in a workshop. If she becomes a worker, she can find a good family and find a husband.”

The owner’s eyes moistened as he looked at the sugar crystals: “It’s not easy. We waited two years for the beets to grow well, and one year to try various methods to make sugar. Finally, we have made sugar. From now on, Zhanghua County will be a sugar-producing county.”

Rubber from Dingsha, rabbit fur from Pingqiu, colorful wool from Baisha, dairy products from Jiahu, and now it was finally their turn to get sugar from Zhanghua. Rabbit skins and wool were not rare in the Western Regions, but sugar was a rare commodity.

Even though they knew that beets could be made into sugar, they didn’t know how to make it. By protecting this secret recipe, they could continue to make money from trade. This money could be turned into lunch for their children, cheap and useful tools, and a house that was warm in winter and cool in summer.

The workers of the sugar workshop walked out of the workshop with joy. The workshop owner gave bonuses to all the workers, most of which were to be saved, but a small number of them wanted to buy something for themselves or their families.

“Let’s buy some cloth. Cloth seems to be cheaper these days.”

The trade fair attracted many merchants from the Central Plains, and their goods gathered in Xizhou’s Zhanghua County, greatly enriching the lives of the people and reducing their cost of living.

Today, Xizhou was the richest state in the northwest region. Some people raised snowflake cattle, some raised rex rabbits to make leather goods, some raised cows to make various dairy products, and some use dyed wool to make felt or floral blankets. Even Zhanghua County had become a nationally renowned jade carving town. Now Zhanghua could also make sugar, which will bring them a huge profit in the future.

However, what the people of Xizhou liked most was the clear political environment in Xizhou. Xizhou’s finances were almost transparent, and everything, down to the last detail, had to be accounted for. As the governor, An Yinong set an example.

However, the officials had no complaints, because part of the money from those state-owned workshops was used as welfare for officials. They could receive thirteen months’ salary a year and welfare subsidies during holidays. What was welfare subsidy? It was “filial piety”.

It’s just that in other places, small officials gave gifts to their superiors, but here it’s the other way around, with superiors giving “gifts” to their subordinates. Moreover, those officials have this “welfare subsidy”, and the workers working in government workshops also have “welfare subsidies”, such as rice, flour, meat, milk, and canned fruit.

During holidays, people in Xizhou envied those who hold official positions and worked in workshops. To put it bluntly, the income of being an official under the governor of Xizhou was much higher than when one was corrupt and committed corruption. Who would be willing to risk their life for corruption and commit corruption? Not only do they not engage in corruption, they also worked hard in order to get more year-end bonuses.

To see if it’s hard, look at the prefect writing books by candlelight at night. To see if it’s tiring, look at the prefect who was still awake at three in the morning.

“The days are getting more and more hopeful.” This was what Tian San thinks. He no longer went to the Western Regions for adventure. Now he has opened his own shop selling jewelry made of desert gems.

This was a special gem that was written in a book by the governor of this state himself. It was inexpensive and beautiful, and was said to be very popular among the people in the Central Plains.

“Third brother, long time no see.”

Hmm? Tian San raised his head in confusion and saw a handsome young man wearing a simple brown and yellow Hu suit. There was another person beside him, wearing a black robe embroidered with dark patterns and a jade crown on his head. His eyes were sharp and he dared not look directly at him.

What a perfect couple!

but……

“Who are you?” He thought for a long time but couldn’t remember who this person was.

The visitor laughed and said, “Third brother, we met three years ago at the original Xiaoyao Pavilion. I am Tian Xi.”

After so many reminders, Tian San finally remembered. He slapped his head and said, “It’s you, my brother. I didn’t expect you to look so young after shaving your beard. You don’t look like a street vendor, but more like a scholar. Who is the person next to you?”

“It’s my wife.”

Tian San was dumbfounded and speechless for a long time.

“Master.” As he was speaking, the curtain in the inner room was lifted, and a woman holding a child came out. She saw An Yinong and the other man, “Are there guests?”

“Oh oh.” Tian San woke up as if from a dream, “It turns out that an old friend came to visit. This is Tian Xi, and this is…his brother.”

“It’s you two uncles. I have to go out for something and will be back soon. Please stay for dinner.” The woman greeted them with a smile and put the child in Tian San’s arms. “I will give the child milk later. I have to go to work first.”

“Well, go ahead.” Tian San waited until she left, then he held the child and said shyly, “The child’s mother works in the sheep felt workshop in the county, and she is very skillful.”

An Yinong recognized her. It was the girl in Xiaoyao Pavilion that day. What was her name? They were married? Look, they have a child. He looked at the child’s rosy face and thought it was adorable. He reached out and took off a jade pendant: “A gift for the child.”

As soon as Tian San saw the quality of the pendant, he knew it was a good thing: “No need, it’s too expensive.”

“Hey, this is the uncle’s intention.”

Tian San accepted the offer despite his refusal. He invited the two of them to have dinner together. An Yinong agreed because of his kindness.

In the evening, Tian San’s wife Cuicui came back and bought a piece of mutton, a fish and some other ingredients, and cooked a delicious meal.

“How are you doing, brother?” Tian San was curious about An Yinong’s situation. He had been a businessman for so many years and had a sharp eye. This little brother was not simple. The ‘sister-in-law’ next to the little brother did not look like an ordinary person either. She must be rich or noble.

An Yinong took a sip of sorghum wine and said, “In Jiahu.” As the prefect.

“Jiahu? That’s a good place. The milk powder, milk flakes and cheese our children eat all come from there. The dairy cows in Jiahu are now almost as big as the snowflake cows in Dingsha.”

An Yinong smiled and said nothing.

“I never thought I could have such a good life before.” Tian San said with emotion, “To be honest, I always thought I would die in the Western Regions one day. So, I just spend whatever I have and I don’t bother to get married and have children.”

He talked about the changes in Zhanghua County over the years. The roads were built straight and wide, trees were planted on both sides, and many beautiful welfare houses were built. The county town became more beautiful, and the muddle-headed gamblers and prostitutes disappeared. The streets were filled with energetic and handsome young men and women. As long as you are willing to work, you can find a job and don’t have to worry about your livelihood.

Because many workshops recruited female workers, there were many more female heads of households in the county, and marrying into a woman’s family went from being looked down upon to being commonplace. People from outside the Great Wall came here, wanting to settle down in Zhanghua County. Even horse thieves came to surrender themselves, as they were so scared of being killed by the stationed troops.

However, the biggest change was in the Shen family.

“The Shen family is now doing very well in the trade. The spices brought back from the Western Regions have been re-cultivated and made into more than a dozen different spice packages, which are selling very well.

“It is said that a new breed of horse appeared among the horses donated by their family to the prefect, which is better than the Western Region ones and has become the tribute horse of the Western Province. The Shen family was also rewarded for this.”

“We still have to thank our governor,” Cuicui came to pour wine for the two of them, “It is said that the governor can turn stones into gold. He can raise inconspicuous objects and unknown animals into something famous.”

To her, the governor of Xizhou was the great benefactor of all of them. It was thanks to him that these unfortunate women could escape the fate of being welcomed and sent off and gain a foothold in this world with their own abilities.

After having a good meal and a good drink, An Yinong and Gu Zhengzhong left Tian San’s house and took a walk under the moonlight.

After his three-year term was up, Empress Qi ordered him to return to Beijing to report on his work. The empress said that she wanted to transfer him to the southwest region to be the prefect. She was afraid that he would never leave Xizhou, so An Yinong came out for a walk, which was also a farewell.

“It’s not bad to be an official in the southwest.” An Yinong was very happy. He didn’t want to be an official in the capital because he didn’t know how to deal with people.

“The place I want to go is like spring all year round, but there are many snakes, rats, insects and ants. I think it would be a good idea to develop the flower industry, such as flower essential oils, flower dew, rouge… or raise snakes. Snakes are valuable from head to toe. Snake skin, snake oil, snake gallbladder or the whole snake can be used to make wine. Raising scorpions is also okay.”

“…Actually it doesn’t matter where we go, what matters is that you accompany me.”

Their hands gently hooked together, and An Yinong looked up at the bright moon in the sky: “The moonlight is so beautiful tonight… huh?”

The moonlight was like silver gauze, enveloping the two figures hugging each other.

Thousands of years later.

“The national treasure we are going to introduce today is the Wanli Jinxiu Tu.”

An exquisite map appeared on the screen. The blue represented water, the green represented fields and forests, the white represented roads, the black represented cities, and there were also annotations of other minerals such as gold mines, iron mines, charcoal, etc.

“The Wanli Jinxiutu is the most complete map of the territory of the early Qi Dynasty discovered so far. If you compare it with the map detected by modern satellites, they are almost identical.

“It also contains notes on the mineral resources, specialties, environment, transportation, etc. of various places in Qi State at that time. There are also small annotations on one side. It is the best reference book for us to understand that powerful country thousands of years ago.”

The Qi Dynasty was a dynasty in history that cannot be ignored. It attached great importance to education to enlighten the people, gave equal weight to agriculture and commerce, emphasized the rule of law to curb land annexation, promoted equal rights for men and women, and was open-minded and tolerant. Nowadays, many foreigners still pronounce their country as “Qi”.

Because of the development of maritime trade routes, trade and talent exchanges (recruiting philosophers, scientists, geographers, painters, musicians, etc.) with more than 100 countries, other countries also kept records of the “Qi Dynasty”.

According to their records, everyone in Qi State, from the 80-year-old woman to the 3-year-old child, was literate and well-mannered. At that time, most cities in Qi State had their own daily newspapers and universities, which attracted many foreign scholars.

It was common for women to engage in business, serve as officials, and become heads of households in Qi State. The liberation of women’s power also promoted the development of national productivity, and female politicians, scientists, writers, and artists emerged in large numbers. It was said that Qi’s system also inspired other countries.

For common people and women, it was a paradise on earth, and for noble men, it was also a paradise on earth. Because Qi State had a developed business and encouraged technological innovation, it had all kinds of good stuff. Expensive wine, sugar, spices, and fine cotton and silk in Qi State were all affordable for ordinary people.

Poets say that returning to their homeland was like going back from the civilized world to the tribal era, so many people didn’t want to go back after settling in Qi State.

Because Qi was so famous, the host skipped the introduction and directly talked about this map: “The owner of this picture was Tian Wenzheng Tian Yinong, who is jokingly called the director of the first poverty alleviation office in ancient and modern times by our netizens. He was also one of the three ministers who participated in the formulation of the century-long national policy in the early days of Qi State.

“As for the original author of the picture, it is now believed to be Tian Yinong’s teacher, Mr. Gu Zhengzhong.”

The audience at the scene and in front of the TV immediately showed ambiguous smiles. The shock brought by the excavation of “Tian Wenzheng’s Tomb” three years ago still made them excited when they thought about it.

Who would have thought that Tian Wen Zheng, the man who was rumored to have devoted his life to the people without any interest in women, actually had a lover. His tomb still contained some letters they wrote and tokens they exchanged when they were separated, and even a portrait of “Gu Zhengzhong” painted by Tian Wen Zheng.

Unfortunately, it was not easy for men to fall in love in that environment at that time, and they were in a teacher-student relationship, so they could only be separated by distance and express their love to each other through letters.

Judging from the contents of the letters that have been disclosed, there was no one else around the two men, especially Tian Wenzhen. According to historical records, he did not even have a maid or servant around him, and he did everything by himself. On one side were the poor people and the vows made in childhood (mentioned in the diary of Emperor Gaozu of Qi), and on the other side are the lovers who love each other and stay together.

“How can there be a way in this world that is as good as one can be, without disappointing the people or you?” Tian Wen Zheng reluctantly chose the common people and never married for the rest of his life.

Tian Wen Zheng’s teacher was a man who only appeared in Tian Wen Zheng’s letters. For the sake of his lover’s ideals, he would rather endure the pain of lovesickness and not appear in front of the world, but secretly did many things for him behind his back.

Wherever Tian Wenzheng was appointed as an official, he would collect the local information, compile it into a book and send it to him. Later, he took great pains to produce for him the “Ten Thousand Miles Map”, which seemed incredible given the technological conditions at that time.

The audience sighed when they thought of this pair of lovers who were heading towards each other but could not be together because of the times.

The host on the stage knew what the audience was sighing about. The ‘eternal love between a teacher and a student’ had probably started to go viral, but he was reluctant to go into detail. He just took out Tian Wenzhen’s biography and began to introduce this character. After all, the background and purpose of this picture were closely related to this character.

Tian Xi, named Yinong. His ancestral home was Huizhou, and he later moved to Pingjiang Prefecture. Famous politicians, writers, educators, novelists, painters, and musicians during the ‘Qi’ period.

Tian Yinong lost his father and mother when he was young. He fled to Pingjiang Prefecture and cultivated brocade fish to make a living. He studied hard and passed the exam and was awarded the title of magistrate of Dingsha County. Later, he successively served as the magistrate of Xizhou, the magistrate of Nanjin, and the governor of Hui Province.

During his tenure, he presided over the opening of the Northwest Mutual Market and the Pingjiang Trade Port, unearthed more than 100 economic species for various places, introduced more than 10 types of foreign excellent crops, and actively promoted civilian education and women’s employment. He was the author of more than a dozen novels, including “The Heroes of the Desert”, “Travel Notes Among the Flowers”, and “Hundred Ghosts”.

Because of his act of “writing books for the people”, the world respected him as “the prime minister of the country”.

He died of illness at the age of 60 while in office. The people mourned and followed him for ten miles. He was buried in the Mausoleum of Meritorious Service. The third female emperor, Wudi, personally wrote “The Backbone of the Country”. He was awarded the titles of Grand Master and Duke of Xianguo, and posthumously named “Wenzheng”. He was included in the Temple of Emperors of All Dynasties and was known in history as Duke Tian Wenzheng.