Chapter 947: The Government’s Arrangements....
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Binglan smiled brightly, saying, “Now that you’ve mentioned it, I can’t wait to get to the border province.”
Luo Jin’an stroked his wife’s hair and said, “We don’t have to work as hard as we did when we first visited. We can even get the local officials to help now.”
Su Binglan raised her brows. “You’re right. We can save a lot of time and energy, too. Everything will be much easier since we no longer have to do everything ourselves.
“I found some good things in the Black Forest back then. We can use the hawthorns to make many delicacies.”
The couple talked along their journey. They even saw many hotpot restaurants as they passed by several towns and villages. Su Binglan said, “Hey, they have multi-grain pancakes and flatbread in this town, too!”
She would look around curiously along their journey and go to each food street to enjoy local delicacies. She also saw many stalls that provided ketchup. “Sir, where did you get this ketchup from?”
The old woman felt Su Binglan looked beautiful. The former smiled lovingly and said, “I bought it from a person who sells explicitly ketchup here. He said he got it from Yang County’s ketchup factory.
“So many people like this sauce, so most of the stalls here serve it alongside their food and snacks. Some snacks taste better once you dip them in ketchup, young lady. Here, I’ll put some for you to try.”
“All right, that sounds good!” Su Binglan bought two flatbreads and ate them with Luo Jin’an. Indeed, they thought it tasted better with ketchup.
“Ma’am, your flatbread is so soft and fragrant.”
The old woman smiled. “It’s my family’s recipe, young lady. You know, I never planned on selling these for a living. A distant relative of mine visited recently and told me that the people of Teng County typically sell their food as a business.
“Sure enough, business is booming. Some people even sell pancakes and skewers. My son and daughter-in-law have a stall, too. They make egg rolls with vegetables and serve them with ketchup.”
The old woman could not stop smiling as she spoke.
“Aren’t your son and daughter-in-law here, Ma’am?”
“The government is building a private school in our village, and they’re enrolling many children. My son and his wife have registered their two children, so I look after their stall whenever they’re not around.”
The old woman thought Su Binglan was a good talker and could not help but say a few more words. Her words reminded Su Binglan of the free private schools that would be all around the country.
After enrolling the students, the government would send a suitable number of teachers to each school.
“I’m happy to hear that, Ma’am.”
“Indeed, the villagers were overjoyed when they heard that their children could attend school for free. They were also happy that the government would hire the teachers who taught at these schools. It’s all thanks to the new emperor. Everyone loves him and only wishes him the best health and longevity.”
Su Binglan thought the commoners were honest and easy to please. They loved the emperor because he only did things that benefited them. “Yeah, the new emperor has issued many beneficial decrees since ascending the throne.”
The old woman said, “I’m not sure what government decrees are, but I know that the emperor is kind-hearted. He even lets us keep the wastelands we reclaim.
“Some government workers came here to give us seeds recently, and we just finished planting them. Apparently, they were high-yield seeds.” The old woman’s smile grew wide as she spoke.
Su Binglan realized the old woman was referencing the potato and sweet potato seeds. It seemed Lan Ruozhu had already distributed them to the commoners.
Su Binglan believed the country’s vegetable and grain production would increase several times soon. By then, most people in Chu Country could eat their fill and have warm clothes to wear during winter.
Su Binglan continued conversing with the old woman, and the latter enjoyed talking to the young lady. “We also have paper and bookstores in our town now. The paper they sell is very cheap.
“I also heard that the government will now hold annual Imperial Exams to select talented individuals. Everyone was thrilled when they heard this news. Students who have studied hard can take the exams when autumn arrives.”
Su Binglan nodded. Indeed, the government needed to replenish its talents. After chatting with the old woman, Su Binglan and Luo Jin’an left.
The old woman watched Su Binglan’s departing figure and suspected the young lady was not an ordinary person. After all, Su Binglan naturally exuded a unique temperament.
During their journey to the border province, Su Binglan inquired about the local market. She discovered that many places were developing toward a brighter future.
The governments in various places also began to work earnestly for the commoners. That was because they would need an assessment of how much they had contributed to the people before getting a promotion.
Moreover, the government had sent supervisors to check on things. Government officials from all over the country worked with 120% attention.
Soon, everyone heard about the traveling princess who liked to converse with the commoners. The government officials knew the emperor would immediately find out if they committed any misdeeds. Therefore, the government officials dared not slack off.
Along the journey, Su Binglan wrote letters to Lan Ruozhu about the situation in various places.
Lan Ruozhu was always happy to receive letters from his sister. After all, he could learn a lot about the people and their customs through Su Binglan’s letters.
Although he was mainly in the palace, he felt like he was with his sister during her journey. Lan Ruozhu felt a sense of accomplishment when he read about how much the commoners praised him.
After reading Su Binglan’s letter, Lan Ruozhu felt reenergized and motivated. He took a piece of paper and wrote a reply. He also often mentioned the Imperial Court in his letters.
Of course, Lan Ruozhu and Su Binglan would deliver their letters through the spiritual eagle Su Binglan had adopted. After all, Su Binglan was constantly moving as she traveled toward the border province.
Moreover, only the eagle could find her exact location.
Although the Imperial Court was on the right track, it needed more talented individuals. However, they would finally select more talents after the Imperial Exams during autumn.