PNB Chapter 260 The Sky Won't Fall Down
Chapter 260 The Sky Won't Fall Down
"Today is the Silkworm Ceremony. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce to you two pieces of equipment newly developed by the Institute of Geology: a spinning machine and a weaving machine."
Traditional spinning machines are single-spindle machines, but as you can see, our Zhoushan Institute of Physics has developed an eight-spindle spinning machine, which means that the efficiency is eight times that of the past!
And this foot-operated loom has increased weaving efficiency twentyfold compared to before. This means that more women in our Great Zhou are freed from the daily grind of weaving and can create even more valuable wealth!
The release of the data is shocking!
The ladies of the court and the nobility found it unbelievable, while the court officials were even more abuzz with discussion.
To be honest, when Shen Shixi set up this so-called Academy of Natural Sciences, the court officials thought it was like a hen crowing at dawn, and many people gossiped behind her back, saying some very unpleasant things. Few people thought she would achieve much.
Today's silkworm-raising ceremony was an opportunity that Li Yuanke fought against all opposition and made with his own authority to secure for her.
She is the radiant sun of the heavens, and he has no intention of concealing her brilliance!
Seeing her standing on the high Guansang Terrace, though dressed in simple clothes and wearing a plain hairpin, she radiated brilliance. Li Yuanke felt honored and focused his gaze on her, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Next, Shen Shixi had two skilled workers, Bai Ping and Lan Ying, demonstrate.
Today's silkworm-raising ceremony also specially invited many local farm women to participate, for this very purpose.
Whether it's the speed of spinning or weaving, it's visibly much faster than in the past. It feels like so much work is done in the blink of an eye.
Shen Shixi was adept at enlivening the atmosphere, and immediately announced, "Today, for anyone willing to try these two machines, the top three will receive a reward from me!"
The peasant women were eager to try, and immediately selected the top three to come up.
Three particularly shrewish women, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to win the fight.
Bai Ping and Lan Tan taught them separately. Both were skilled and quickly got the hang of it. Shen Shixi generously rewarded each of them with a spinning wheel and a loom. The three of them were overjoyed and knelt down to kowtow to Shen Shixi seven or eight times.
With these spinning wheels and looms, their livelihoods were secured, and achieving a comfortable life was just a matter of time.
This silkworm-raising ceremony began in an ordinary way but ended in a sensation.
As a result, the Gewu Academy came into the public eye, and in just a few months, a great many people came to apply for the Gewu Academy. Shen Shixi also selected many talented people as a result.
Only then was the investigation of things truly accepted.
The drought has finally worsened.
Pei Gaoshi had been keeping a close eye on the drought, but things did not develop as she had imagined.
In Hebei and Henan provinces, a number of so-called "factories" emerged. Wealthy people funded the construction of these factories and hired local people to work, either on a piece-rate basis or on a monthly basis. This provided a way for people who were unable to farm due to the drought to make a living.
For example, working in a sweater factory, you could earn two qian of silver for knitting a sweater; working in a textile factory, you could earn one tael of silver per month.
The extensive road construction project also provided employment for many people, which reassured the locals that the imperial court had not abandoned them and was trying to find ways to make a living for them.
Although the drought is severe, every state affected by it is bustling with activity, and the people are even more enthusiastic and hopeful than those in drought-free areas.
The local rice price hasn't risen at all; it's still the same as before.
One tael of silver, though not enough to make a large family live well, would at least keep them from starving.
Ordinary people, as long as they don't starve to death, will be very obedient and compliant.
In April, it finally rained. Everyone thought there would be no harvest this year, but the Ministry of Works brought fresh crop seeds. Under the guidance of the Ministry of Works, the people who had not entered the factories began to plant crops.
By May, the land was basically all planted, and the subsequent rainfall was quite good, so the crops grew very smoothly.
In June, Lady Pei celebrated her fiftieth birthday. The Pei family held a grand celebration and invited many guests. The emperor issued an edict, praising the empress's mother for her virtuous conduct and bestowing upon her the title of Lady of Wei, a second-rank official.
The Empress was also granted special permission to return home to visit her family on this day.
The Empress was overjoyed and said to Granny Qu, "His Majesty still has feelings for me!"
The Pei family is extremely busy. There are many guests today. Although the Empress's return is a grand affair with flowers in bloom and oil on a hot stove, it also risks causing more trouble.
The entire household and all the guests came out to kneel and welcome the Empress.
The Empress, supported by her mother, stepped down from the imperial carriage. Looking at the lintel she hadn't seen for many years, she was overwhelmed with emotion, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Prime Minister Pei was startled and quickly stepped forward to remind her, "Your Majesty, today is a joyous occasion!"
Pei Gaoshi also pinched the Empress hard, and the Empress then calmed down a bit.
After dining at the Pei residence and receiving compliments from everyone, the Empress felt very comforted. In the past, all this attention, glory, and admiration belonged to her elder sister. She was like an inconspicuous pillar beside her sister, and no matter how hard she tried or how much she reminded others of her existence, no one could see her.
At that time, everyone thought that Li Yuanzhi would ascend the throne and his sister would become empress.
She was sent to the Eastern Palace, and later, when the emperor ascended the throne, she was made empress.
Before you know it, the grass on my sister's grave must have grown quite tall.
Although she hated Shen Shixi for killing her sister, she was also unwilling to let her sister steal all the limelight and become just a foil to her sister.
When she came to her senses, only she and her mother were left in the room.
Pei Gaoshi held the Empress in her arms, "My child, after your sister passed away, you were the only one I missed day and night. Although you are the Empress, in my heart, you will always be that little dumpling I held in my arms. Thinking of you every day makes my heart ache!"
The empress burst into tears immediately.
Pei Gao wiped away her tears, "Don't cry, my child. I know all the grievances you've suffered in the palace. The Emperor has treated you poorly, and Shen has bullied you. I know all of that. I will never let her get away with it. I will definitely avenge you."
The Empress hurriedly asked, "Mother, do you have a solution?"
Pei Gao said, "I've told you this, just keep it to yourself, but don't tell anyone. Nowadays, more and more court officials are dissatisfied with Shen Shi. I heard that when the Emperor was ill, it was Shen Shi who reviewed all the memorials. How has such a thing ever happened in history?"
The Empress was immediately filled with righteous indignation, "Shen is truly ignorant of her own limitations; she has ruined the Emperor's reputation."
"A notorious concubine like her, keeping her around would only bring disaster to the country, so don't worry about her. Now the Emperor is on her side. Once she's gone, you'll be the Emperor's principal wife. Without someone to bewitch him, he'll naturally treat you wholeheartedly!"
Seeing her daughter's shy expression, Madam Pei felt even more confident and said, "You must also keep track of what's happening in the palace so that the family can support you and make decisions for you."
The Empress agreed.
Lady Pei, fearing that she might be foolish and not understand, clarified, "The Emperor is not on your side right now, so don't take it to heart. He has been misled, so help him out and don't go against him. If anything happens to him, have someone send word back, and your father will take care of it for you."
Everything will be alright next year.
The Empress had a good idea of what was going on. When she returned, she heard that Consort Ning had gone into labor, so she rushed over and gave birth to the sixth prince that very night.
Li Yuanke also became busy and basically stopped returning to the inner palace, occasionally summoning Shen Shixi to accompany him.
Originally, preparations were made for Xiling and Beisha to invade this year. However, Xiling was hit by a smallpox outbreak, and Beisha and Da Zhou cut off the passage to Xiling, so the invasion was shelved.
Li Yuanke breathed a sigh of relief, but the probing between him and the Pei family had to become even more intense.
When Shen Shixi arrived at Qian Yuan Palace, Li Yuanke was sitting in a chair, leaning back and rubbing his temples. She sat down without a care in the world, saying, "Li Yuanke, don't overwork yourself. The sky isn't falling!"