Chapter 116

Chapter 116

The Northern Emperor assigned Xu Shengping to oversee the cooperation with the State of Wu, with Wu Ming serving as his deputy.

Although Xu Shengping held Wu Ming in contempt, the man's stupidity had its uses—there was no need to expend effort guessing his thoughts, as whatever was on his mind was as plain as day.

Still, Wu Ming seemed to believe he was hiding his intentions well. At this moment, his desire to claim credit without doing any work was all but written on his face as he smiled at Xu Shengping, badgering him about what tasks he would be assigned next.

Xu Shengping said, "First, contact the border troops and tell them to keep a low profile for now. Once we have fully mastered the ice carving techniques and all the snow disaster relief measures, they can do whatever they want."

Wu Ming wasn't keen on going. The border region offered no amusements and was a complete backwater.

The generals and soldiers there were at odds with him, too. Going would be nothing but misery.

Not a chance.

Wu Ming flat-out refused, dead set against going to the border.

Xu Shengping shot him a sidelong glance. "Then where do you want to go?"

"The State of Wu," Wu Ming replied with a smile. "The Emperor of Wu is notoriously difficult to deal with. You'd only end up annoyed going there. Let me handle the headache for you. You go to the border. Your rank is higher than mine, so you can throw your weight around there. They wouldn't dare talk back to you and would surely listen."

Wu Ming spoke with absolute certainty. "Going to the border would be a cushy job for you."

Xu Shengping couldn't be bothered with him. He turned and walked away without another word.

Wu Ming, taken aback for a second, scrambled after him.

...

With the North set to cooperate with the State of Wu, Li Xing instructed Shen Yuan to sketch out more designs for jewelry and clothing and rushed to set up garment and jewelry workshops to sell everything to the Northern State.

To get things moving faster, Li Xing ordered the widespread recruitment of craftsmen to build the workshops.

For a time, the city and its outskirts buzzed with activity. Villagers from the countryside went into the mountains to cut trees to sell to the workshops, while everyone with construction skills signed on for work.

Food stall owners were grinning from ear to ear every day, and the women who took in laundry were equally delighted. The laborers had no time to wash their own clothes, so the women went to the construction sites to offer their services, making as much as twenty coppers on a good day.

Although they worked from dawn to dusk, the copper coins they received were hard cash.

Due to the sheer number of workers recruited for the construction, five workshops were built in just ten days.

Reviewing the economic trends around the workshops over those ten days, Li Xing got a firsthand look at how effective the "relief-through-work" approach depicted in *Snow Disaster* truly was.

Just the act of building the workshops had provided income for everyone from villagers to peddlers.

And with money in hand, people spent it—after all, every household needed food and supplies. Consequently, business at nearby shops also increased.

Higher shop revenues meant higher tax payments, and higher taxes meant more funds flowing into the national treasury.

After grasping this, Li Xing was in a great mood. His vision for the State of Wu’s future also began to evolve in his mind.

During the construction of the jewelry and garment workshops, there was also a need to recruit skilled workers.

This step, however, stumped Li Xing.

Craftsmen either had their own shops or were retained by the nobility.

Getting them to work in government-run workshops was next to impossible. Especially those retained by powerful families, who would likely be ordered to sabotage things.

Seeing Li Xing’s sights set on the pottery craftsmen again, Shen Yuan suggested recruiting people without these skills and having the experts teach them.

That was the idea, but the problem was that no one was willing to teach.

Li Xing pondered for a moment and said that holding a knife to the craftsmen's necks to force them to teach would surely work.

It was a last resort. Shen Yuan understood that to implement reforms, many situations wouldn't be solved by being nice.

However, they hadn't reached that point yet. The number of craftsmen under Shen Ye was plenty.

They had been hiding in the West City black market, afraid to come out. This was a chance for them to step into the open.

Li Xing immediately ordered it to be arranged, and thus, Shen Ye's craftsmen were recruited.

However, their status as slaves and their contracts couldn't be changed, but they were allowed to choose their masters. They could choose to become palace servants or go to the Xie or Shen households.

This tickled Shen Ye. It had always been masters choosing slaves, not slaves choosing masters. No matter who they chose, they would still end up as servants.

But on second thought, being a servant in the household of someone of high status was certainly better than serving someone of lower rank.

In a place with strict social hierarchies, even servants were ranked into different classes.

The people under him all had skills, so whether they entered the palace or went to the Xie household, both were good options.

Shen Ye didn't urge them to choose his nephew Shen Yuan's household. After all, if they weren't genuinely willing, they might later betray their master.

From this group, only two chose to go to the Shen household.

One was a young woman named A Yuan, nineteen years old. Her right leg had been injured, leaving her with a limp. She knew how to make clothes and could embroider simple patterns.

The other was Zhou Ya, twenty-five years old, robust and sturdy. He had a vertical scar on the left corner of his mouth and a full beard, appearing strong and powerful. He was exceptionally skilled at making jewelry.

Among everyone, his jewelry-making craftsmanship was the most outstanding.

The two usually lived at the Shen residence. Their contracts belonged to the Shen family, and during the day, they went to work at the garment and jewelry workshops, respectively.

Each of them oversaw about ten people, who assisted them and also learned from them.

Li Xing also sent palace craftsmen to teach in the workshops, which provoked a group of ministers to protest, claiming it was improper and violated ancestral rules.

How could royal artisans who made clothes and jewelry for the imperial family pass on their skills to commoners?

Li Xing didn't bother arguing with them. During the court session, he simply placed the large saber he often carried on the table. "Anyone who says another word, come up here and spar with me."

The ministers who had been passionately voicing their objections moments before fell completely silent.

All talk of ancestral rules and impropriety ceased immediately.

With peace restored to his ears, Li Xing continued as he pleased. Shen Yuan followed suit, also deciding to teach others his skills.

Currently, all stage props, costumes, jewelry, and set designs for the theater were handled by Shen Yuan. A few quick-witted and dexterous individuals assisted him.

Managing one stage and one play was fine, but with more in the future, he would be stretched too thin.

He had been extremely busy before and hadn't had time to teach. But things would only get busier later, so it was better to start the training sooner.

Back in Qingyun County, due to certain concerns, Shen Yuan hadn't taught others skills like painting. Now in Youyang City, with the status of State Preceptor and genuinely overwhelmed with work, he needed to cultivate relevant personnel.

Knowing Shen Yuan was short-handed, Xie Yulin told him he had ready personnel available. However, Shen Yuan declined, preferring to handle it himself.

"Xie Yulin, let me do this myself."

Xie Yulin pushed a bowl of glistening golden fried rice toward Shen Yuan. His fried rice skills had become truly masterful, and the flavor kept getting better.

"Training people is exhausting. You have so much to manage already—can you cope?"

Shen Yuan smiled at Xie Yulin. "You have way more on your plate than I do every day, yet you still find time to take meticulous care of me in your spare moments. Xie Yulin, can you handle it? Aren't you tired?"

Xie Yulin shook his head. For him, all this was completely manageable.

It was just that he always worried about Shen Yuan. He wanted Shen Yuan to have an easier time, wanted Shen Yuan to rely on him more, so he could help him more.

"A-Yuan, am I interfering too much?"

Shen Yuan knew his Xie Yulin was lacking a sense of security again.

He set down his beloved fried rice, his focus shifting entirely to the person he loved even more. "No, I don't think so. It's just that I want to try it myself. If I bungle it or find I'm not up to it, I definitely won't stubbornly push through. I'll turn to you for help immediately."

Xie Yulin chuckled softly. "Alright. A-Yuan, go ahead and do it. I'll be right behind you."

"Great! And I'm telling you, Xie Yulin, you're in for a lot of work later." Shen Yuan took a bite of fried rice, his face filled with bliss. "Because I need to eat your fried rice every day. It's absolutely delicious!"

"I'll cook it for you. But won't you get sick of it, eating it every day?"

"No, I could eat it for a lifetime and never get tired!"

Shen Yuan's casual remark plucked at Xie Yulin's heartstrings.

A lifetime...?

A smile he didn't realize was so wide spread across his face. His eyes held only Shen Yuan as he spoke his promise with a calm tone, serious and focused. "I'll cook it for you as long as you want to eat it."

Shen Yuan truly loved Xie Yulin's fried rice. After finishing one bowl, he wanted more, but Xie Yulin, fearing he might get indigestion and stomach pain, didn't let him have another.

He also knew Xie Yulin's nature—once he said no, he definitely wouldn't give in unless Shen Yuan was genuinely hungry.

Pretending to be hungry was impossible; Xie Yulin understood his appetite thoroughly, even better than he understood himself.

After rinsing his mouth, Shen Yuan said he wanted to walk off the meal.

Seeing the pleasant sunshine outside, Xie Yulin suggested taking him for a stroll in the garden.

Spring flowers were blooming, a perfect time for enjoying the scenery.

Shen Yuan agreed wholeheartedly, but instead of going to the garden, he led Xie Yulin to the small couch by the window. Outside this window was a blooming crabapple tree, its blossoms a lovely white-pink.

Gentle sunlight streamed onto the small couch inside the room. A gust of wind passed, carrying crabapple petals through the window. They landed on the couch, on their hair, on their clothes.

Shen Yuan straddled Xie Yulin's legs, leaning down to kiss him, quite domineeringly.

Xie Yulin wrapped his arms around Shen Yuan's waist, afraid he might lose balance and fall, letting Shen Yuan have his way.

After who knows how long, Shen Yuan slightly opened his eyes and found Xie Yulin had been watching him the whole time, eyes open.

That gaze made his heart flutter. Catching the dazed, captivated look in those dark eyes, his mischievous ideas resurfaced.

Shen Yuan leaned back, not letting Xie Yulin kiss him anymore. Outside, the crabapple petals were dancing merrily in the wind, and he laughed just as merrily.

"Xie Yulin, let's go outside to see the flowers."

Xie Yulin sighed helplessly, raising his gloved hand to brush Shen Yuan's lips. "A-Yuan, I didn't let you eat your fill because I was afraid you'd get a stomachache."

Shen Yuan kissed Xie Yulin's chin. "So, now you know what it feels like to want something but not be able to have it?"

"I've known for a long time, not just now," Xie Yulin replied honestly.

Shen Yuan cleared his throat lightly, steering the conversation away. "I genuinely want to see the flowers now."

"Alright, I'll take you."

When they entered the deserted garden, Shen Yuan knew he had fallen for Xie Yulin's trick.

He did see the flowers, but not very clearly.

He was pressed among the flower beds by Xie Yulin, kissed breathless.

...

As soon as the news spread that the Storytellers' Union was recruiting again, many people came forward.

During this period, everyone had seen it: those who worked in the Storytellers' Union entered looking sallow and thin, but after working for a while, they all became rosy-cheeked and healthy.

Since coming to Youyang City, Ji Shuang had basically never been idle.

Ji Ping'an was the same. He had to patrol the palace every day, lead team training, and was so busy his feet barely touched the ground.

He hadn't rested the entire winter. In spring, he finally got a day of leisure.

Well, it was called leisure, but it was actually an official trip outside.

Li Xing woke up one day, stimulated by who-knows-what, slapped his forehead, and said he wanted to go out for a stroll.

Ji Ping'an led a team of imperial guards, changed into ordinary guard clothes, and followed him out of the palace.

"It's been a long time since I went shopping. Can't think of where to go for a moment. Right, where's State Preceptor Shen's open-air stage? Let's go see the excitement."

His hand went habitually to the hilt of the sword at his waist. Li Xing was tall and sturdy, looking more like a guard than the imperial guards disguised as escorts.

Ji Ping'an walked slightly behind and to the side of Li Xing, staying relatively close. Hearing Li Xing's remark, Ji Ping'an thought for a moment and said, "That place is crowded and chaotic, Your— Family Head, perhaps you'd prefer to go to the theater?"

"Just the open-air stage. Do you think this blade is for show?" Li Xing gestured to the large sword at his waist. Ji Ping'an, as an imperial guard, was in no position to argue; offering that one piece of advice was already overstepping.

When the emperor insisted, his subjects could only comply.

Ji Ping'an led Li Xing to the open-air stage in the southern city.

Shen Yuan had set up one open-air stage in each of the four city districts—east, west, south, and north. The southern city stage was the first to start performances. After it received a good response, the other three locations followed suit.

Li Xing definitely wouldn't want to go to the eastern district, and the western district was too chaotic. After much thought, Ji Ping'an decided to take him to the southern district.

Arriving early is good, but arriving at the right time is better. A performance was currently underway on the stage.

As luck would have it, Shen Yuan happened to be there at that moment.

News that the Storytellers' Union was recruiting people to learn skills had just spread, and the union was packed with applicants.

Both Ji Shuang and Xu Qingxuan were busy inside the union. Shen Yuan, accompanied by Shen Liushu, had come out to make rounds at the open-air stages in each district, taking over Ji Shuang's inspection duties.

Just as he was about to leave, Shen Yuan spotted his Brother Ping'an, whom he hadn't seen in half a month.

Shen Yuan, who only had eyes for Ji Ping'an, quickly ran toward him, only noticing the burly man standing ahead halfway there.

Looking closer, wasn't this the Emperor who should have been in the palace, diligently reviewing memorials and handling state affairs?!

Li Xing made a shushing gesture at Shen Yuan. Seeing him acting so sneaky, accompanied by a military officer who wasn't Chang Linyan and with Xie Yulin also absent, it was clear he had sneaked out.

"Your Majesty, what are you up to?" Shen Yuan whispered as he huddled close to Li Xing.

"I just wanted to see how the ordinary folks are reacting to this play, 'Snow Disaster'."

Then, in a negotiating tone, Li Xing added, "Sister-in-law, if your husband gets angry, please help smooth things over."

Shen Yuan was torn between laughter and frustration. "If you're so worried, Your Majesty, why did you insist on sneaking out?"

Li Xing gave him a look that said, "You just don't get it." "I'm telling you, Brother Xie is really hard to deal with. If I told him I wanted to go out, he'd never agree. Not only would he refuse, but he'd also have Xiao Chang keep an even tighter leash on me."

"And Xiao Chang is so pig-headed. Once, when Brother Xie told him to watch me, that kid even followed me into the privy to keep an eye on me."

Recalling Chang Linyan's constant surveillance, Li Xing still felt a bit of a chill.

Seeing that Li Xing held no resentment toward Xie Yulin or Chang Linyan, only a sense of helplessness about their strictness, Shen Yuan couldn't help but take a longer look at him.

He had never seen an emperor like this—not the least bit worried about losing his authority or becoming a puppet, and so trusting of his brothers.

"Your Majesty, why don't we grab a seat and watch the show?" Shen Yuan suggested with a smile.

Li Xing had the same idea.

The group quickly found a suitable spot, though there were no chairs, only long wooden benches. Li Xing invited Shen Yuan to sit with him.

The performers on stage took their roles seriously, and the people in the audience watched with equal intensity.

Just as everyone was totally absorbed in the performance, an elderly man in the crowd desperately tried to climb onto the stage.

"Hey! Don't stop me! So many people are trapped under there—we have to save them!"

The old man was held back by his grandson, preventing him from rushing up.

Advanced in years and with poor eyesight, the elderly man saw the performers as people in real distress and insisted on going up to rescue them.

He even scolded his grandson for being heartless, unwilling to lend a hand to pull people out and even stopping an old man like him from saving lives.

Misunderstood by his grandfather, the grandson had no choice but to hold him back while explaining what a play was.

Having never heard of theater before, the old man looked at his grandson with eyes that were hazy yet filled with unwavering determination.

He declared firmly, "Whether it's real or fake, I need to get closer to make sure everyone is safe."

Unable to persuade his grandfather, the grandson watched as the old man climbed onto the stage.

Audiences getting so immersed that they mistakenly rush onto the stage happened often, and the actors were used to it.

They continued performing as usual, even incorporating the audience member into their act so the experience wasn't disrupted for those watching below.

"Old sir, come quick and help! This person's leg is crushed—they can't walk and need support!" an actor playing a soldier called out, drawing him into the story.

"Ah! Coming, coming!"

Without hesitation, the old man went to help, making the audience below—who knew it was all an act—burst into laughter.

But when the old man actually hoisted the "unconscious" actor onto his back to carry him off stage, urgently shouting for people below to take him and check his injuries, the scene descended into chaos.