Chapter 78

Chapter 78

The cement factory was initially operating at a loss. At that time, although people knew about the cement factory, few cared to look into how it operated.

It wasn’t until the benefits of cement became apparent and people realized it could be profitable that some gradually couldn’t resist meddling.

To prevent the cement formula from being leaked before the venture turned a profit, Yun Zhangxie went to great lengths to safeguard it.

Fortunately, hard work bore fruit, and soon the imperial court responded.

The court would send officials to inspect the site. If the cement proved as effective as Yun Zhangxie claimed, the factory would thereafter be placed under imperial oversight.

Of course, since Yun Zhangxie and his craftsmen had developed such a valuable innovation, the court couldn’t simply reap the rewards without sowing—he was bound to receive substantial rewards.

Beyond profit and road construction, Yun Zhangxie’s primary motive for establishing the cement factory was to create more employment opportunities for the local populace.

As job opportunities increased, the people’s livelihoods would naturally improve.

Similarly, with local men working in the factory or on road construction, the fields and other chores fell to women and young men.

Under these circumstances, as women and young men began earning income, they gained more respect, both at home and in society.

Handing the cement factory over to the court meant tighter control than under Yun Zhangxie’s oversight. However, it also meant he could step away to focus on other projects without worrying that the factory couldn’t keep running without him.

The cement factory was transferred to the court’s control in the summer of the following year.

The emperor rewarded Yun Zhangxie with ten thousand taels of gold (a massive sum).

The ten thousand taels of gold included the expenses for previously constructing the workshop.

Yun Changxie kept half for himself and began to think about using the remaining half for other things.

The workshop was handed over to the imperial court, and recruitment of workers continued to be local, benefiting the people of Qiuping County.

From the completion of the workshop to its current takeover by the court,

the people of their county gained an additional source of income due to this cement workshop.

Many able-bodied men from farming households came out to work.

With them all working, the women and children in their families had no choice but to come out and work as well.

They mainly engaged in agricultural activities such as farming, fish breeding, vegetable planting, and even started selling goods in towns and the county.

As women and children began to appear in public,

some lecherous men started to show signs of wanting to harass them.

To ensure a safe environment for women and children, allowing them to become true laborers,

Yun Changxie ordered the local garrison commanders to make examples of some typical offenders by branding them or increasing the penalties for such crimes.

In Great Zhou, the punishment for sexual offenses was already very severe.

By imposing even harsher penalties on these offenders, the social climate in Qiuping County improved significantly.

In fact, most men also hoped for fewer ruffians and troublemakers.

While many men might be lustful, they all have mothers and fathers. Most households have women and sons, and they too wish for fewer troublemakers in the world.

Thus, Yun Zhangxie's actions were really popular with the locals.

They appreciated this safe environment, where even if they couldn’t accompany their women or sons, they wouldn't get harassed.

Under such favorable conditions, many women, sons, and even children felt safe going to town alone to do business.

Some nearby residents, seeing how good the way of life was in Qiuping County and the additional opportunities to earn money, started thinking about moving there.

Right about then, Yun Zhangxie used the gold bestowed by the emperor to set up a sewing workshop.

For this workshop, he even worked with craftsmen to improve the existing looms.

Because Yun Zhangxie was generous with payments, the craftsmen working with him put in great effort.

They developed a better loom, making better cloth faster.

Once the embroidery workshop was built, Yun Zhangxie started using these new looms.

Weaving work was mostly for women and sons.

Some skilled men, if they were truly skilled, were also accepted in the workshop.

To encourage women and sons to leave home,

and to motivate men to utilize their strengths,

during this period, Yun Zhangxie kept telling people that

having a skill—no matter what it was—was valuable.

For example, men who could weave or embroider shouldn’t be mocked.

If they truly excelled at it, they could also earn good money.

Similarly, if a woman was strong, she could work as a butcher or hunter, or work in a workshop.

At first, Yun Zhangxie’s unconventional approach in the county was laughed at by nearby towns.

They thought the county magistrate, Yun Zhangxie, acted like some theater performer—putting on no airs, mingling with commoners every day.

It was just wrong.

Many scholars also believed Yun Zhangxie didn't act like an educated man.

He actually encouraged commoners to engage in commerce and associated with common laborers.

Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants—yet he spent time with the lowest two classes, which was simply disgraceful.

However, no matter how much they gossiped behind his back,

it wasn’t until they saw the people of Qiuping County growing prosperous and residents from surrounding areas gradually relocating there that they finally noticed something was up.

Population.

In ancient times, it was crucial.

Yun Zhangxie was leading Qiuping County in actively absorbing the surrounding population.

As a result, the population of Qiuping County would continue to grow. More people meant more workers, and tax revenues would rise too.

What's more, the people of Qiuping County would become even more prosperous.

The richer they got, the more people from surrounding counties would want to move there.

Because of this, someone even reported Yun Zhangxie to the emperor.

But at this time, the emperor was thrilled with the cement Yun Zhangxie had developed. When he saw the report against Yun Zhangxie, he just tossed it aside without a second thought.

A few counties losing some residents was hardly a big deal to an emperor—after all, these people weren’t killed by the residents of Qiuping County.

Thanks to the large embroidery workshop in Qiuping County, Shanli, who was good at embroidery, recently went there to earn money.

The Yun family didn't need her income, but since she didn’t want to be confined by Yun Zhangxie, she used this excuse to get out.

Once outside, she met lots of new people.

Among them were not only women and unmarried young men but also many other men.

As she interacted with more people, she became more worldly.

Later, when she encountered that scholar again, she had lost all desire to marry him.

Some married sisters had told her many things she'd been unaware of.

She realized that not all men were as honorable as her elder brother-in-law.

Many men, in fact, were downright vile behind closed doors.

They would deceive women and unmarried young men into giving themselves before marriage to avoid paying less bride price, then use this to threaten and coerce them.

It was then that Shanli realized how foolish and dangerous it had been for her to secretly meet with that scholar.

Once she was out, she no longer wanted to see him.

She suddenly felt he was beneath her now.

Now, she could earn money all by herself.

She had over a hundred taels of silver (a substantial sum) saved up.

As long as she worked hard, she would never want for money.

But what Shanli didn’t expect was just how shameless the scholar really was.

He acted like she would become his wife.

When he saw Shanli spending money on cosmetics, he actually sent her a message, saying her behavior was not how a proper woman should act.

At first, Shanli didn’t understand his meaning until a maid leaned in and explained.

His implication was clear—he already saw her money as his own.

He believed Shanli’s savings would become her dowry and belong to his family after marriage.

In his mind, she shouldn’t spend it on cosmetics but should instead use it to fund his studies and imperial exams.

After realizing his intentions, Shanli suddenly found him utterly repulsive.

This incident later reached the ears of Su Qingruo and Liu Shi, both of whom were just as appalled by his nerve.

One day, while Liu Shi was talking about the scholar with her maid, Fu Shun overheard as he was about to leave.

Fu Shun then ran out, grabbed a stray kitten, and ambushed the scholar in an alley.

The scholar’s face was scratched by the cat, and furious, he grabbed a stick to beat them—only to be stopped by a passing patrolling officer.

The patrolling officer shouted, "Hey! What are you doing? A grown man bullying two little cats?"

The yamen had a cat and a dog, both smart and full of spirit.

They had helped the patrolling officers catch thieves in the streets, so the officers were fond of such animals.

The scholar, aggrieved, whined, "Look at my face! They scratched me on purpose!"

The patrolling officer looked up at the two cats perched on the wall.

Fu Shun immediately let out a pitiful, innocent meow at the patrolling officer.

His feline companion, following his lead, also did the same.

Compared to the two adorable, helpless "poor little things," the scholar’s furious expression made the patrolling officer think he was lying.

"I think you must have provoked them first. These two cats are well-behaved—they wouldn’t attack without reason."

Just then, an elderly man was walking by.

He spoke up, "That’s right. I’ve seen these cats before. The bigger one even helped me catch rats—it’s a good, well-mannered cat."

The old man then looked closely at the angry scholar and noticed a mean look about him.

He concluded, "You must have started it. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have hurt you."