Chapter 22 Xie Shao “You don’t like him, do you?”…

Chapter 22 Xie Shao "You don’t like him, do you?"...

The art of papermaking and printing.

Paper was first invented during the Han Dynasty, but high-quality white and fine paper was extremely expensive and, compared to bamboo slips and silk, very fragile. It hadn’t caught on yet and was still a luxury only a few upper-class scholars could afford for writing poetry and painting.

As two of the Four Great Inventions, the art of papermaking and printing had many publicly available resources. For Jiang Congyan, these should have been the easiest technologies to develop, and she had a deeper understanding of them. However, she could not reveal them now—it would make her an enemy of the aristocratic clans.

The reason the aristocratic clans held the upper echelons of feudal society was their monopoly over feudal culture. They controlled family-heralded classics, Confucianism, metaphysics, and more. Ordinary people, and even those from lower-class families, had no access to such knowledge. The aristocratic clans completely dominated the society’s ideology and discourse.

If one day everyone could read and write, the aristocratic clans’ monopoly over knowledge would be shattered, throwing them into a crisis like never before—something they would never allow to happen.

For now, Jiang Congyan was only having her subordinates test the feasibility of the technical processes. Even if they produced paper, it was in tiny amounts and only for internal use. As for printing, no information had been leaked at all.

She just hoped that one day she could reveal these technologies openly, without worrying about backlash.

Jiang Congyan quickly finished reviewing the account books and gained a more concrete assessment of her current assets.

"The silver earned from the businesses in Chang’an will still be allocated half back to Liangzhou. The Qu Yao supply line needs to keep running smoothly, and he should keep purchasing grain. As for the industries in Liangzhou, I’ll have my third cousin oversee them, and all the silver earned will be handed over to my grandfather to fund the Liangzhou army. As for Chang’an, I’m thinking of entrusting it to Uncle Zheng. He’s a seasoned member of the household and has been working with us for years. He knows the ins and outs..."

Jiang Congyan laid out her arrangements in one breath, but she noticed Ruo Lan’s hesitant expression and asked, "What is it? Did I overlook something?"

Ruo Lan sat down beside her. "My lady, you’re always thinking about others. Why don’t you think more about yourself?"

Her gaze fell on the open account books, every entry representing years of her lady’s hard work.

"You’re going to a barbarian tribe thousands of miles away. If you don’t bring more money and resources, how will you settle in there?"

Jiang Congyan shook her head. "You can’t just rely on money to get by."

"But having money would make things much easier."

"I’m not saying I won’t take any money. The winery and silver workshop alone bring in tens of thousands of coins every month. Even if I brought these businesses to the Xianbei King’s court, without the right setup, they wouldn’t be profitable. It’s better to leave them where they are and earn more money."

"Besides, I only said I wouldn’t bring the businesses, not the know-how!" Jiang Congyan’s last sentence was clearly teasing, and she smiled playfully at Ruo Lan.

Ruo Lan finally realized she’d been too quick to worry and had fallen for the joke, but it was only because she cared so much.

Even now, her lady still had the nerve to tease her. Ruo Lan couldn’t help but want to roll her eyes, but remembering she was her lady, she held back.

The two of them pored over the account books and rosters by candlelight, discussing the final details and settling the arrangements for future communications. They also selected some names for Ruo Lan to choose from the various workshops the next day.

By the time they wrapped up, it was nearly midnight.

Ruo Lan felt bad for forgetting her lady’s delicate health and how she shouldn’t stay up late. She quickly urged her to get cleaned up and go to bed.

The next day, Ruo Lan headed out early to take care of the tasks her lady had given her.

Jiang Congyan went to the Lishui courtyard pavilion to ask her father for two favors.

"You want Xie Shao to lead the wedding procession?"

"Yes."

Jiang Huai looked uneasy and studied his daughter’s face, trying to figure something out.

"You don’t… do you…?" Jiang Huai stammered, his face growing even more uneasy as he considered a certain possibility.

Jiang Congyan raised her eyes, her gaze clear and direct. "Don’t what?"

Jiang Huai looked into his daughter's eyes. Their clarity made him feel a bit guilty, but he was genuinely worried. He gathered his courage and asked bluntly, "You’re not into him, are you?"

Jiang Congyan: "..."

His daughter’s face stayed blank.

So, she didn’t like Xie Shao after all. Jiang Huai thought.

The silence was awkward. Jiang Huai managed a strained smile, his tone turning pleading, "Then why do you insist on him escorting you? Like you said, he’s just a regular Imperial Guard—nothing out of the ordinary. Why him?"

Because, in the future, Xie Shao would rise from a lowly Imperial Guard to become a Zhongcheng, a Weiwei, and eventually the Grand General of Huainan, leading an army of a hundred thousand.

Five years later, when Chang'an was sacked and the court fled south, they were relentlessly chased by Xiongnu cavalry. This was when Xie Shao made his mark.

Most of Liang State’s generals were already dead when the Xiongnu breached the borders. The remaining soldiers, scared by the Xiongnu’s ferocity and Wudati Hou’s power, lost their nerve and fled in chaos.

After Tuo Baxiao’s death, Wudati Hou had no equal left. Wherever he went, it became his hunting ground.

Xie Shao, originally an Imperial Guard who protected the palace, was tasked with protecting the royal family during the southern migration. But as the army fell apart, he was thrown into the front lines. Surprisingly, his guards managed to shield these nobles from the Xiongnu’s swords. Within a year, he was promoted several times. By the time the aristocratic clans settled in Huainan, Xie Shao had risen from a lowly Imperial Guard to become one of the Nine Ministers, the Weiwei, commanding the Lüben Camp, the guards of the Northern and Southern Palaces, and the Left and Right Capital Guards.

But he was not content with merely defending Huainan. After establishing a defensive line along the Huai River, he began organizing armies to march north, attempting to reclaim lost territory. However, by then, Southern Liang had lost all fighting spirit, fleeing at the mere mention of the Xiongnu. Even the aristocratic clans in the court only wanted to settle in their corner, unwilling to expend the vast resources needed, and they offered him no support.

It was also because of the aristocratic clans’ desire for comfort that Southern Liang was ultimately buried by their own hands.

Even with Xie Shao’s fervent passion, he alone could not resist the relentless wheel of history.

He was another tragic figure of Southern Liang, alongside Huan Jun. Compared to Huan Jun, he was at a greater disadvantage because he came from a humble background with no family support. Moreover, as he gained military power, the aristocratic clans became increasingly wary of him, which led to constant obstruction in his later years, making it difficult for him to rally Southern Liang’s forces to resist Wudati Hou’s cavalry.

The distinction between the aristocratic clans and the commoners not only doomed the clans themselves but also the last Han dynasty of the past two centuries.

The current Xie Shao was still far from his future rise. Jiang Congyan wanted to give him a push, but of course, she couldn’t say this out loud.

"I have my own arrangements. Father, just tell me if you’ll help me or not," Jiang Congyan said, her tone turning a bit spoiled.

Jiang Huai looked at his usually calm and composed daughter, who was now acting coquettishly, and felt a lump in his throat. He couldn’t help but shed a tear.

He had thought that after sending his daughter to Liang State, the rest of his life would be spent walking alone in darkness, never seeing any light again. Even when she returned to Chang'an two years ago, he dared not show any closeness, only stealing glances of her grown-up appearance through his drunken haze. Seeing that she had turned out even better than he had imagined, he felt no regrets.

Perhaps heaven had finally taken pity on his loneliness, allowing him to enjoy this father-daughter bond in his lifetime.

Jiang Huai tried hard to suppress the sourness in his heart, wiping the corner of his eye and nodding with a smile, "Alright, whatever you want, I’ll agree to it."

Jiang Congyan, affected by his emotions, also felt a moistness in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it and brought up the second matter—an official appointment.

"I also want the interpreter Wen Yu from the Court of State Ceremonial to be the chief envoy for the wedding procession."

"..." Jiang Huai’s tears were instantly held back.

Another one? How many men had his daughter met in places he didn’t know about?