Chapter 523 Technology, System, and People's Hearts! (Thanks to the book friend 11304 for the reward!)

Dongning, Dongting Theater.

The prince consort came closer to take a closer look: it said that Qin Xianglian was thirty-two years old.

Sue the current prince consort for deceiving the king and disrespecting the emperor.

A man who breaks off an engagement marries another man and kills his wife and children without any conscience.

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The actors on the stage performed the classic scene from traditional drama "The Case of the Chopping of the Beauty" with great emotion, which drew applause from the audience. Because of Gongsun Hui's affair, Shen Yutong, the leading actress of Dongting Theater, entered the Governor-General's Mansion and became one of his concubines. Although they suffered a major blow after losing their top actress, Dongting Theater did not fall into depression. Soon they brought out Xiao Hongyu, Chen Xiangxiu and other actresses, and began to stand out in the Liaoyang opera world again.

Although the plays at Dongting Theater were very good, the patrons in the bakery at the innermost part of the second floor of the theater were not there to watch the plays at all.

Although her eyes were fixed on Chen Hongxiu on the stage, Murong Qingwu actually asked An Miaoyi beside her:

"How long has it been since we last met, Sister Miaoyi and Luo An?"

In response to Murong Qingwu's question, An Miaoyi, who was also looking at the stage, said calmly:
"Almost three years!"

Hearing An Miaoyi's answer, Murong Qingwu sighed slightly, then turned to look at An Miaoyi and said:

"I originally thought that I would never have the chance to see you again in this life, Sister Miaoyi!"

An Miaoyi seemed to share the same feeling when she heard this and said calmly:

“I thought it would be like this, but what is destined to come will eventually come…”

Murong Qingwu was somewhat noncommittal about An Miaoyi's double meaning, and turned her gaze back to the stage. The two proud ladies of heaven fell into silence again. After about a cup of tea, the case of the beheading of the beauty on the stage gradually reached its climax. At this time, Murong Qingwu suddenly spoke:
"Sister Miaoyi, do you know why I asked you to meet here?"

Hearing Murong Qingwu's question, An Miaoyi's expression changed but she didn't say anything. Seeing An Miaoyi didn't say anything, Murong Qingwu gave a direct answer and said with a smile:

"This is where I met the commander-in-chief. If I remember correctly, we sat in this theater last time and watched Shen Yutong's Farewell My Concubine!"

As soon as these words came out, a flash of anger flashed across An Miaoyi's eyes and she clenched her fists tightly. However, in order not to lose her composure in front of her rival Murong Qingwu, she quickly returned to normal. However, despite her quick reaction, her anger was still caught by Murong Qingwu. Noticing the change in An Miaoyi's mentality, Murong Qingwu was undoubtedly more certain of her judgment!
The reason why An Miaoyi targeted her in secret was not because of the grudges between the two of them in the past, but because of Ye Mingsheng, the Liaoyang governor who is currently in the limelight!

Looking at An Miaoyi, Murong Qingwu said earnestly

“At that time, I disguised myself as a man and dressed as a woman, and Governor Ye also disguised himself as a minor official, so Sister Miaoyi can rest assured…”

"I admit that Governor Ye and I have met several times and interacted with each other, but I never showed him my true face and he never recognized me. Nothing happened between us!"

"I don't know what you think, Sister Miaoyi, but you should understand that I, Murong Qingwu, will never be anyone's concubine!"

Murong Qingwu's voice was firm and resounding at the end. Her original intention was to use this to dispel An Miaoyi's doubts and turn hostility into friendship. However, when her words entered An Miaoyi's ears, they had a completely different meaning!
After looking at Murong Qingwu deeply, An Miaoyi did not say anything. She stood up from the chair and turned to leave. Seeing An Miaoyi leave silently, Murong Qingwu frowned slightly but did not say anything to keep her.

Qiqige, who was waiting outside the private room, saw An Miaoyi walk out of the room and immediately followed An Miaoyi to protect her closely. When they walked out of Dongting Theater, the governor's carriage and plainclothes guards also escorted An Miaoyi to the carriage.

Qiqige leaned close to An Miaoyi's ear and asked softly:
"Madam, now that Murong Qingwu has come out of their house, do you want to take action now?"

An Miaoyi's eyes flashed with a gleam of light when she heard this. She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said:
"Don't be hasty, she seems to be prepared..."

"Understood!"

Qiqige nodded and replied:
An Miaoyi continued to instruct:
"I finally managed to get out of the house, so I went to the nearby Baibao Market to take a look and buy some cakes that my mother likes!"

"Yes!"

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Two flowers bloom, each with its own beauty. Although An Miaoyi had left, the protagonist of today's drama had left, but Murong Qingwu did not leave Dongting Theater in a bored mood. Instead, she sat in the private room for another half an hour, waiting until the finale was over before she slowly left the room. As soon as she came out, her personal maid Xiaohuan came to her side and whispered:

"Miss, everything is in place, nothing unusual was found!"

Hearing this answer, Murong Qingwu nodded slightly, then walked out of Dongting Theater and got on the carriage to go home. After returning home peacefully, Murong Qingwu couldn't help but recall An Miaoyi's reaction. She felt that An Miaoyi was a little strange today. She had clearly expressed her feelings and told her honestly, but she still believed that she would definitely compete with her for Ye Mingsheng?

Could it be that there is some reason that I am not aware of?

Thinking of this, Murong Qingwu's mind couldn't help but reappear the figure of the mysterious woman she had seen outside Mingru Temple, that woman with high martial arts skills and dressed in white. Everything at the moment seemed to be related to her. She should know something. The last meeting was too sudden and she had no preparation. If she could meet again, she would definitely be able to find out something from her. Thinking of this, Murong Qingwu shook her head with some regret. The next second, she seemed to have thought of something, stood up and walked towards Murong Yuliang's courtyard. After a cup of tea, Murong Qingwu came to her father's courtyard where her father lived. The guards of the courtyard saw that it was Murong Qingwu, the apple of the family's eye, and did not dare to stop her. They let Murong Qingwu enter the courtyard directly...

She arrived outside the study room without any obstruction. When the guards outside the study room saw her coming, they immediately stepped forward and bowed to stop her:
"Miss, the master is discussing with Master Hui in the room and has specifically instructed that no one is allowed to disturb him. Do you want to come back later, or should we go in and tell him now?"

Murong Qingwu was a little surprised when she heard the guard's words. Murong Hui was her cousin and the eldest son of her uncle Murong Lun. He was currently serving as a Yuwenlang of the Ministry of War during the southern tour of the court. He was a leading figure among his peers in the family. The family had invested a lot of political resources in him. This time, his uncle asked him to come to the north on behalf of the family, which was also a test and experience for him.

Murong Qingwu knew that during this period, Murong Hui had been conducting in-depth investigations in Liaoyang. He had been to fields, mines and factories, and even, under the care of her father Murong Yuliang, he had visited the Fengwu Army's heavily guarded firearms factory. She had no idea what he had seen.

Thinking of this, Murong Qingwu couldn't help but feel curious about what Murong Hui and her father were talking about, so she instructed the guards:
"No need to pass on the message, I'll just wait here!"

The guard hesitated after hearing Murong Qingwu's answer, and at this moment the voices of Murong Lun and Murong Yuliang talking were heard from the study.

Looking at Murong Yuliang sitting opposite him in the study, Murong Hui said with great emotion:

“Uncle, thanks to you, I have broadened my horizons in Liaoyang this time. I have seen many things that I have never seen before and gained a lot! Before coming to Liaoyang, I thought that Liaoyang was located deep outside the Great Wall and was a bitter and cold place outside the Great Wall. Now it seems that I am short-sighted. No wonder you, uncle, believed that Ye Mingsheng could achieve great success…”

Listening to Murong Hui's sigh, Murong Yuliang took a sip of tea and said with a smile:

"Tell me what you have seen in Liaoyang during this period!"

Murong Hui already had the answer to Murong Yuliang's question in his mind and said without hesitation:
“Science and technology, system, and people’s hearts!”

Murong Yuliang's eyes flashed with a gleam of light when he heard this, and he immediately ordered:

"Tell me carefully!"

Murong Hui hesitated for a moment and said slowly:
"What amazed me most in Liaoyang was the technology. I saw with my own eyes those mechanical devices that reduced the use of human and animal power in the iron and coal mines and improved work efficiency. Also, the looms in Liaoyang are more powerful than those I saw in Jiangnan. The weaving speed is faster and the quality of the cloth is better. A piece of cloth like this can be bought for at least two coins in Jiangnan!"

“And there’s the firearms factory. Each worker does his job on the assembly line, and they can produce hundreds of firearms a day. It’s simply terrifying. Thanks to your care, second uncle, I was able to practice the Fengwu Army’s Po Lu Pistol and Wei Yuan Pistol at the shooting range, and also watched the Fengwu Army’s artillery training. With such powerful weapons, it’s no wonder that the Fengwu Army was able to develop so rapidly. Even Zhao Fuqu fell into your hands…”

"The only thing that puzzles me is, can the fertilizer produced by the Second Manufacturing Bureau really increase food production?"

Facing Murong Hui's question, Murong Yuliang nodded slightly and said:

"That fertilizer is still in the experimental stage. Our Liaoyang's yield per mu without that fertilizer is about 320 kilograms. After using the fertilizer, the yield per mu can be increased to about 335 kilograms. From the current results, the Second Manufacturing Bureau can indeed increase the yield per mu. One of the priorities of our Liaoyang Provincial Administration Office this year is to promote this fertilizer throughout Liaoyang!"

Although it only increased the yield per mu by 15 kilograms, Murong Hui knew very well what it meant. If the whole world used this fertilizer and the yield per mu of land in the world increased by 15 kilograms, then tens of thousands of people in the world could survive!
With a flicker in his eyes, Murong Hui asked Murong Yuliang tentatively:
"Uncle, do you know the formula of this fertilizer?"

Murong Yuliang shook his head and said:

"I don't know the details. I just know that this is a kind of fertilizer made by the talented people in the Second Manufacturing Bureau using animal bones, salt, sulfur and other things. As for more details, I don't know..."

Listening to Murong Yuliang's answer, Murong Hui was obviously a little unconvinced. He stared at Murong Yuliang and asked:

"Second Uncle, you're about to become the governor of Liaoyang, and you don't know this? How dare they not tell you a word from you?"

Murong Yuliang smiled bitterly and shook his head when he heard this.

"To use Ye Mingsheng's words, you are just thinking out of habit. Under the reform promoted by Ye Mingsheng, Liaoyang and the interior of China are very different. Although the Second Manufacturing Bureau is located in Liaoyang, don't say that I am not the governor yet. Even if I am the governor of Liaoyang, I cannot interfere with the daily work of the Second Manufacturing Bureau!"

"The Second Manufacturing Bureau reports directly to Ye Mingsheng. I have no right to interfere. As for the ingredients I know, I only know them because the Second Manufacturing Bureau purchased a large number of them in Liaoyang!"

Looking at his helpless second uncle, Murong Hui shook his head slightly, but continued to speak:
"In addition to technology, what I admire most is the Fengwu Army system. The most critical thing is that in other places in the Great Zhou, although the nominal salaries of officials are very small and they seem to be very honest, in fact, the tributes of filial piety, ice tributes, and carbon tributes are really endless! This has become a secret that almost everyone in the officialdom knows, but no one tells it. And in these tributes, there is huge corruption and a large amount of fiscal revenue loss."

"But what I saw in Liaoyang was high salaries to maintain integrity. Officials' salaries were very high and they were well treated. Even a county magistrate's salary was as high as 100 taels of silver per year. However, things like ice and charcoal tributes were strictly prohibited. Violators were severely punished because of accepting tributes and bribes. Countless people were dismissed from office and imprisoned! In Liaoyang, the anti-corruption trend is prevalent, and many officials cannot and dare not be corrupt!"

"In addition to the salaries of officials, Ye Mingsheng seems to have a special preference for those strange and ingenious skills, and has given those craftsmen very high status and salaries. Almost every day, hundreds of craftsmen come here with their families from all over the Great Zhou!"

“The arrival of these people has also increased the Fengwu Army’s lead in science and technology and created more value for the Fengwu Army. I heard that Ye Mingsheng once said at a meeting that this is called a virtuous circle. I don’t know where this governor came up with so many new words, but they sound very appropriate…”

(End of this chapter)