I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 277 Liu's harshness and shrewishness?

Above her full, rounded feet were two slender calves, but further up, they gradually became fuller, eventually forming an amazing curve at her waist and abdomen. It could be said that any less would be too thin, and any more would be too fat; everything about her was impeccable.

Moreover, Zhen Mi's attire was also very elaborate.

On her legs, she wore only a close-fitting purple silk gaiter.

Nowadays, most people wear trousers with a trouser crotch. In the past, however, they wore leggings.

These trousers with a slit were invented by General Huo Guang to prevent Emperor Zhao of Han from getting close to the palace maids... The biggest difference between them and leggings is that they finally have fabric in the front and back to protect the crotch, covering the buttocks and genitals.

And now, with the "Renaissance" of Zhen Mi, her charm is self-evident.

Her upper body was covered by a white sock, which could also be called a waist scarf.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, four straps were added to the back of the waistband to secure it, and it began to be called a sock belly.

These socks are thin and small, clearly not the kind of clothes Zhen Mi usually wears. They would be at least two sizes smaller to completely cover Zhen Mi's front... But at this moment, it is obviously the most appropriate thing to not fit.

On the outermost layer, Zhen Mi wore a deep robe, but it was merely draped over her shoulders and not tied up. The long hem of the robe undulated along Zhen Mi's graceful figure, creating a hazy, ethereal beauty.

"Tsk!"

Liu Miao couldn't help but praise him.

Even though I knew long ago that Zhen Mi's appearance must be stunning, I never expected it to be this stunning!

Her figure, as perfect as a jade sculpture, combined with her face that, though bare-faced, appeared to be exquisitely made up, and her meticulously chosen attire, made her a perfect score! She was captivating!

"Husband~"

A sweet, delicate cry could melt any man's bones, leaving him utterly defenseless in her presence.

She's described as seductive, yet she's actually quite dignified; she's described as dignified, yet she exudes a seductive charm in every way.

Zhen Mi's sexual tension is at its peak, and there is almost no flaw in her!

"I had completely forgotten about you."

With such a great physique right in front of you, who could resist?
Perhaps there are, but Liu Miao is definitely not included!

Liu Miao strode forward and, without extinguishing the oil lamp, began to instruct Zhen Mi.

Although Zhen Mi was quite clumsy at first, she quickly learned everything and began to cooperate with Liu Miao.

Just as Liu Miao had taken off his pants, Zhen Mi suddenly wrapped her arms around Liu Miao's neck and pulled him close to her ear, saying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Miao interrupted him with his actions.

"Did you come to plead with me because of the Zhen family?"

Zhen Mi's previously dazed eyes instantly cleared, and she looked at Liu Miao with some fear and unease.

"Tell your two older brothers that they have to find the answer themselves. If they do, I'll help them; if they don't... well, they'd better go back to farming or becoming teachers! I don't have time for them!"

After leaving Zhen Mi with only one hint, Liu Miao no longer cared and became completely absorbed in the moment.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next day.

Unable to get out of bed, Zhen Mi could only have her maid relay Liu Miao's words to Zhen Yan and Zhen Yao.

Zhen Yao was immediately enraged: "Isn't this just because he's unwilling to help? We went to great lengths to get him heavy cavalry armor, and he won't even help with this small favor?"

"Are all members of the Liu clan so mean and ungrateful?"

"Shut up!"

Zhen Yan was afraid that his younger brother would say something outrageous, so he quickly stopped him.

"Where did General Liu say he wouldn't help? He just wants us to find the answer ourselves!"

Even so, Zhen Yan himself couldn't find a clue, and could only wander aimlessly around Jinling City for the next few days.

After several days of fruitless efforts, Zhen Yan suddenly discovered a blind spot!
Could it be that this powerful and influential family only has two brothers?
That's obviously impossible!

It's impossible for Liu Miao to completely sever ties between the aristocratic families and Jiangdong!

Moreover, were the original aristocratic families of Jiangdong and Jingzhou truly willing to accept Liu Miao's "transformation"?

But what about those who are unwilling?
If their land was confiscated, did that mean they had to die? Or did Liu Miao kill them all?

That's obviously impossible!

Following the clues, Zhen Yan quickly found the whereabouts of these "former noble families".

Broadly speaking, they can be divided into three categories.

First, continue to serve as an official.

However, these individuals must possess exceptional talent! So much so that their superiors would recommend them regardless of their background. Therefore, this path is not easy to take. It only appears easier because there are already quite a few elites among the scions of aristocratic families.

The second path was to be absorbed into the expanded schools and become teachers, a position previously looked down upon. Teachers enjoyed good pay, high status, and most importantly, prestige, easily receiving courteous treatment from others. This was the best possible outcome for many aristocratic children who were neither qualified for high-ranking nor low-ranking positions. Therefore, a large number of young men flocked to this path, indirectly helping Liu Miao to expedite the establishment of schools and increase literacy rates and the spread of written language.

The third group consists of those whose circumstances are most similar to those of Zhen Yan and Zhen Yao.

When faced with Liu Miao's executioner's blade, they all decisively backed down, thus preserving a large portion of their family property.

Without land, they could only live off their wealth. These scions of noble families had no desire to engage in farming, teaching, or getting involved in officialdom, so they invested their money in other things.

For example... a workshop!
Zhen Yan learned that nowadays, apart from a few large workshops such as textiles and forging, most of the small workshops in Jinling are actually run by scions of aristocratic families who were previously deprived of their land.

Because the Fubing system required Fubing soldiers to provide their own weapons, armor, and clothing, it created huge demand, so setting up these workshops was almost always a sure thing!

Moreover, Zhen Yan also learned about a policy.

The government does not allow arbitrary land annexation.

However, that was only limited to farmland.

If a contract is reached with the government to guarantee that the land will not be cultivated into farmland but will be used to build workshops, the government will relax many conditions!

Driven by both market forces and government policies, more and more wealthy and influential families are investing their money in workshops.

A typical example is the Lu family, one of the four prominent families in Wu County.

The world has seen all the help the Lu family has given to Liu Miao.

Even so, after Liu Miao seized Jiangdong, he did not immediately reward the Lu family with too much land so that their efforts would be rewarded.

Instead, the profits from trade and workshops were largely given to the Lu family. Although the Lu family's farmland is not as large as it was at its peak, their wealth is no less than when they were large landowners.

Today, the Lu family owns numerous paper mills, iron smelting workshops, textile workshops, and even shipbuilding workshops. They also monopolize half of the trade with Hebei, making a fortune!
And most importantly, the money earned this way doesn't need to be hidden at all.

When local landlords collect money and grain, fearing both the government above and bandits below, they hoard it all in their treasuries, thus dwindling their wealth and reducing their demand.

On the other hand, regarding the money to open the workshop... although he was still afraid of the enviousness of bandits and his peers, at least for now, Liu Miao did not covet the money in their pockets.

As long as Liu Miao doesn't covet it, he'll naturally dare to spend that money.

Today, Jinling's luxury goods are second to none, and it is even showing signs of surpassing Luoyang's prosperity in the past, which is why.

and so.

Even though Liu Miao never said such a thing.

Even Liu Miao never encouraged such a thing.

However, through its attitude and rules, it was already using a tough approach to force wealthy people in the south to use their money to open workshops and promote prosperity.

For Liu Miao, the gentry's annexation of land was indeed suicidal!
However, Liu Miao did not leave the gentry any way out as he had done at the beginning when he took up the butcher's knife to kill them.

However, the prerequisite is to follow the path pointed out by Liu Miao.

Otherwise, let alone starving to death, it's entirely possible that Liu Miao would pick up his butcher's knife again and start a massacre!

After figuring out the reasons, Zhen Yan sighed again: "It seems that General Liu and Lord Yuan are truly locked in a life-or-death struggle."

The differences in ideology and values ​​between the two sides are too vast, so one side must completely eliminate the other. Otherwise, the differences and changes that have already formed between the North and the South will never stop!

After reflecting on his experience, Zhen Yan began searching for a target.

Unfortunately, it was too late, and Zhen Yan was powerless to compete with the locals who had already established businesses there, so he had to find another way.

For example, in iron smelting, because the iron ore used as raw material was controlled by the government, no matter how hard others tried, they could not compete with the iron smelting city, which had the government's backing.

The same applies to textiles.

Official workshops can obtain raw materials at minimal cost, an advantage that private entities clearly cannot actively counter.

Upon closer examination, only workshops with readily available raw materials and substantial profits are worth investing in, such as those producing paper.

But the others weren't fools either. Even though the demand for paper was increasing with the opening of schools and the expansion of government departments, families like the Lu family continued to invest tirelessly, leaving no chance for others to profit.

Fortunately, Zhen Yan still managed to spot the blind spot!

"Although the paper from Jiangdong is excellent, I remember that the paper from Handan is of even higher quality!"

If Zhen Yan remembered correctly, it was called something like "the art of applying glue"!
Although the exact principle is unknown, paper made with this technology is light, thin, and crystal clear! It's far superior to the paper currently used in Jiangdong!
Immediately! Zhen Yan made a decision!
I found this technology in Hebei and then started making it in the workshop!
What if the Lu family, a behemoth in the paper industry, disagrees?
Zhen Yan smiled knowingly as he recalled Liu Miao's words.

Liu Miao was not unwilling to help them.

Liu Miao simply refused to help fools and rule-breakers!
On the contrary, if you follow Liu Miao's rules, Liu Miao will often be incredibly generous!

as predicted!

After Zhen Yan relayed his message to Liu Miao again, Liu Miao immediately dispatched a high-ranking official like Lu Su to personally meet with Zhen Yan and give him a reply.

"If that's the case, General Liu will definitely lend his full support! Even the Lu family would absolutely not make things difficult for the Zhen family!"

(End of this chapter)