Chapter 613 - 612: Farm Woman 41
The crowd just smiled, no one saying a word. It was clear to everyone that Tan You had ambitions to contend for the throne. That being the case, why would she ever hand over the domain she had fought so hard to build?
Only a fool would do something like that.
"Let’s put aside the matter of me declaring myself a ruler for now. If we do that now, we’ll just paint a target on our backs and instantly become everyone’s primary objective. Let’s focus on governing the lands we have for the time being."
Everyone naturally trusted Tan You’s judgment. Conquering a domain was easy, but defending it was hard. And governing it well was clearly even more difficult.
Chen Xi said, "Mother, now that you’re back, isn’t it time for you to come work at the state government office?"
Tan You’s eyes widened. "I just got back and haven’t even warmed my seat, and you’re already telling me to work? No way. Aren’t you doing a fine job? Just stick to your plan."
Before Chen Xi could say more, Tan You spoke with profound meaning. "As for me, I just want to live a more relaxed life from now on. Don’t come to me with this kind of exhausting, mind-numbing work."
"I’ve always been grooming you as my successor. Don’t let all my efforts go to waste."
Chen Xi said no more. "Mother, I understand. I will do a good job."
Only then did Tan You nod in satisfaction. "That’s more like it. You are the successor I’ve painstakingly groomed. It’s only right that you shoulder this great responsibility without hesitation. The future, after all, belongs to you young people."
Chen Xi nodded in acknowledgment. "I understand, Mother."
Tan You truly had no desire to be an empress. She much preferred tinkering in her workshop and researching new things to holding a high office. You could say she had the mind of a pure-blooded engineer and favored a simple, uncomplicated life.
She had only done all this in the past for self-preservation. After all, in such a chaotic world, could one truly be safe by just holing up in a corner? Obviously not. Only after carving out a large territory for herself could Tan You finally feel a measure of security.
After she moved to the workshops, their product line expanded significantly. Previously, Youzhou State’s staple products had been soap, mosquito-repellent incense, and wool goods. While profitable, the product line was ultimately too narrow.
But less than a month after Tan You started at the workshop, Chen Xi began receiving all sorts of cosmetics: blush, eyeshadow, eyebrow pencils, eyebrow powder, lipstick, and more. At the same time, Tan You had also developed hydrosols, serums, and perfumes.
Cradling a box of twenty-four shades of lipstick, Chen Xi couldn’t help but sigh. "If the ladies of the great, noble houses see this, how crazy will they go? No wonder you always say that the easiest money to make is from women and children, Mother."
Tan You smiled faintly. "Actually, men’s money is easy to earn, too, provided you can scratch their particular itch. How much inventory have the papermaking workshops accumulated?"
Chen Xi replied, "We have ten full warehouses. Everyone knows the paper from Youzhou State is high-quality and inexpensive. Any caravan that comes here is bound to take a shipment of paper back with them."
Tan You nodded slightly. "Good. I plan to start making glass next month. I’ll have something else amazing to show you then."
Tan You was well and truly sick of the bronze mirrors of this era. Not only were they difficult to see into, but they were also expensive and had to be polished from time to time. With glass, she could make proper mirrors. Once that happened, she was sure to make another fortune.
Chen Xi looked at Tan You. "Mother, you’re incredible. Before, our clansmen wracked their brains just to make paper. But since you’ve come back, it seems like you’ve never run into any trouble at all."
Tan You said calmly, "You’ll understand one day."
’She figured Chen Xi probably had her suspicions, but Tan You didn’t say a word. When she first arrived in this world, Chen Xi was already seven and knew quite a bit.’
’Over the years, she had raised the children by word and deed, and they must have all noticed something unusual about her. But since they had the self-control not to ask, Tan You wasn’t about to bring it up. The two of them, and the others, simply coexisted with this tacit understanding.’
Chen Xi didn’t press the matter. "Mother, why do you ask about the paper?"
Tan You replied, "Just selling paper isn’t that interesting. We need to attract more scholars. Why have those great aristocratic clans been able to last for a thousand years? It’s because they’ve monopolized literacy. The common people want to get ahead, but they can’t find a way in."
"I know knowledge has a price, but it shouldn’t be this expensive."
Chen Xi understood. "What do you plan to do, Mother?"
Tan You pondered for a moment. "You’ll find out in a few days. For now, have a stone stele erected in the very center of Youzhou State. Invite Youzhou State’s most renowned scholar, Liuu Daoru, to write an inscription for it, and then have artisans carve it onto the stone."
"The content will be: To establish a conscience for Heaven and Earth, to secure a destiny for the people, to perpetuate the lost teachings of past sages, and to establish peace for all future generations."
"Excellent! Such literary grace, Your Ladyship!"
The government office was filled mostly with scholars, and Tan You hadn’t been trying to hide her conversation with Chen Xi from the officials nearby. Hearing Tan You’s declaration, they couldn’t help but cry out in praise.
Tan You waved her hand dismissively. "I’m barely literate. How could I come up with such profound and enlightening words? It’s just something I heard once and committed to memory. They aren’t my words."
Chen Xi pursed her lips. "I’ll see to it, Mother. What else? What do you need me to do next?"
"Next," Tan You said after a moment’s thought, "we wait for the endless stream of scholars to pour into Youzhou State. Talent is the most precious commodity, but for thousands of years, all moral and philosophical authority has been in the hands of the Confucians."
"Once you have the scholars on your side, you effectively control the narrative of the future."
Chen Xi mulled this over for a long time. "I understand, Mother."
"Right. Books are expensive these days, but they shouldn’t be *that* expensive. A tael of silver for a single book? Is the goal to bankrupt an entire family?"
Tan You grumbled, "Go ahead and handle this with as much fanfare as possible. The greater the impact, and the more controversial, the better."
Chen Xi nodded. She had been personally taught by Tan You, after all. The two of them discussed almost everything, so Chen Xi easily figured out Tan You’s subsequent plan: she was going to crash the price of books.
"Mother, if we do this, the great aristocratic clans will see Youzhou State as a thorn in their side."
Tan You scoffed. "Even if we don’t do this, aren’t we already a thorn in their side? Those people are just looking for an excuse to move against us."
"Rather than being timid, we’re better off winning the hearts and minds of the people. These aristocratic clans occupy the vast majority of this land’s resources, and yet they still insist on competing with the common folk for every last scrap of profit."
"One day..."
Tan You didn’t finish her sentence, but everyone could feel the killing intent in her voice. Chen Xi couldn’t help but offer a moment of silence for those great aristocratic clans. ’My mother detests the aristocracy more than anything. When the day comes that we truly contend for the throne, I imagine those clans are in for a very rough time.’
’At that thought, Chen Xi couldn’t help but smile. The future was still a long way off. For now, she would focus on living each day well. That was the proper path.’
A great stone stele was erected in the center of Youzhou State, and the four maxims carved upon it spread like wildfire. No matter how many times one read those words, their power to enlighten and inspire never faded.