Chapter 1178: Visiting Xi'an
Just as Henan province began to strategize on how to deal with Zuo Liangyu, the two royals, Zhu Cunji and Zhu Yujian, finally completed their extensive travels in Sichuan and returned to Xi'an.
The moment they once again stood at the gates of Xi'an, the first thing Zhu Cunji did was write a letter.
It was a letter addressed to Prince Rui of Hanzhong, Zhu Changhao.
In the letter, he cast aside all concern that Zhu Changhao was a senior relative, a cousin from an older generation, and immediately launched into a tirade: "Damn your hide, Zhu Changhao! That Hanzhong station on your West Han Railway—properly renovate it! Dammit, it’s just a broken thatched shed selling tickets; it’s utterly shabby and disgraces the royal name! Don’t think this prince can’t see it just because I can’t personally go to Hanzhong. I’m watching with wide-open eyes!"
Putting down his brush, Zhu Cunji finally smiled at Zhu Yujian. "Alright, Zhu Yujian, my official business is concluded. I can now give you a proper tour of Xi'an and show you what the Heavenly Lord's Liberated Zone truly looks like."
The last time Zhu Yujian had visited Xi'an, he had merely passed through, giving it a cursory glance before rushing off to Hanzhong and then into Sichuan. This time, however, he finally had the leisure to truly scrutinize what was known as the Heavenly Lord's Liberated Zone.
His recent journey through Sichuan had laid a solid foundation, so he was no longer a wide-eyed novice completely ignorant of the Heavenly Lord.
Zhu Yujian asked, "Where should we start?"
Zhu Cunji chuckled. "Naturally, we start with food, drinks, and entertainment!"
Never mind, he thought. Going with this frivolous heir would only lead to seeing frivolous things.
Zhu Yujian decided to explore on his own.
Maintaining his disguise as a wandering swordsman, complete with a conical straw hat, he stepped onto the bustling streets of Xi'an.
To his surprise, as soon as he appeared in his disguise, someone called out to him: "Oh, isn’t that Hero Zhu Piaoling? You’re back!"
Zhu Yujian was taken aback.
"Hero Zhu," another person interjected, "I’m a road worker! During the construction of the West Han Railway, a eunuch embezzled my wages. It was you who stepped in and beat that eunuch, and only then did I receive double compensation!"
"Hero Zhu! Care for a bite to eat?"
Many people on the street greeted him warmly.
Zhu Yujian was greatly surprised. He had never expected that young Zhu Cunji would be so beloved by the common people. He couldn't help but approach and strike up a conversation with the road worker. "Do you know the two gentlemen who hired you to build the railway?" he inquired.
The road worker chuckled. "Of course I do! One is the Railway King, Zhu Cunji, and the other is the big money-grubber, Zhu Changhao."
Zhu Yujian was puzzled. "Railway King?"
The road worker chuckled. "Who in Xi'an doesn't know that His Royal Highness, the Prince of Qin’s heir, is determined to become the Railway King? He’s stated publicly several times that he wants to build railways across the entire world, and even extend them to Yizhou Island! How he plans to build a railway to an island, we don’t quite know... and honestly, we don’t really care to!"
Zhu Yujian sighed inwardly. *So that’s it. Zhu Cunji possesses such ambition? This is actually quite admirable. Railways, it seems, are incredibly useful now. They’ve helped us quickly transport supplies into Sichuan and move troops to protect Hanzhong. Constructing such a thing is a merit that will last a thousand generations.*
"Hero Zhu," the road worker chuckled, "why are you in the mood to discuss this today? Aren’t you the one who loves traveling north and south, taking in the sights? When did you start taking an interest in such matters?"
Zhu Yujian could only offer an awkward explanation: "Well, to truly appreciate the scenery, one often needs to travel by train."
The road worker burst out laughing. "That’s certainly true!"
Zhu Yujian noticed that this unassuming road worker, brimming with cheer and self-assurance, spoke with a confident vigor. He could converse eloquently about important figures without a hint of shyness or apprehension.
Such confidence in an ordinary person was something he had never witnessed in Nanyang.
No commoner dared to speak of the imperial family with such familiarity. Even in private conversations, they would do so with a hint of trepidation, positioning themselves humbly, as if discussing distant, untouchable deities, always carrying an intangible sense of inferiority.
Yet, the road worker before him, when speaking of Zhu Cunji, displayed absolutely none of that deferential air.
Instead, he sensed in this man a proud, almost defiant air, as if proclaiming, "I am a worker, and I stand tall!"
Zhu Yujian’s gaze swept across the street; every single person he saw carried this same feeling.
Perhaps this was the most striking difference between the Heavenly Lord’s Liberated Zone and the world beyond its borders!
Every individual lived with dignity, like a true human being.
They walked with their chests held high.
He had just turned a corner when he saw a woman carrying a worn bag. Inside, a fish was flopping and struggling with a wet, slapping sound.
It was a sea fish, one he recognized from the Xiaolangdi pier – a grouper, he believed, or something similar. It must have been transported all the way from the coast! Surely, it was quite expensive.
Zhu Yujian couldn’t help but quicken his pace and approach her. "Hello, madam," he greeted.
The woman turned and looked at Zhu Yujian, but she didn't address him as 'Hero Zhu.' It seemed she didn't recognize his disguise. She simply asked with a curious expression, "Is there something I can help you with?"
Zhu Yujian replied, "I noticed you carrying a fish. This must be a sea fish, correct? A grouper, transported from coastal regions by river-sea vessels. It’s quite expensive, I understand."
The woman smiled. "Oh, you recognize it, do you? Hehe! That’s right, it’s a grouper, and it was terribly expensive—three taels of silver, no less!"
Zhu Yujian continued, "From your attire and demeanor, madam, you don’t appear to be from a wealthy family. How is it that you can afford such an expensive fish?"
The woman exclaimed, "Oh, what kind of talk is that? While our family may not be wealthy, my husband works as a skilled technician at the Western Steel Mill, earning three taels and five qian of silver a month, plus performance bonuses. And I’m also a skilled technician at the textile factory, making three taels of silver a month. My husband and I just had a grandson, so what’s wrong with using a month of his wages to buy a nice fish and celebrate?"
"So that's it," Zhu Yujian mused. "Their income is indeed quite substantial; they can certainly afford a fish like this."
Zhu Yujian was genuinely astonished. This woman, from her clothing and demeanor to her very speech, was every inch an ordinary commoner. Yet, her family’s income reportedly totaled seven taels and five qian a month. Buying a sea fish worth three taels of silver, while certainly a pinch to their finances, was indeed affordable for a significant family celebration.
Zhu Yujian asked, "Madam, are there many families like yours here now?"
"Many, of course!" the woman chuckled. "In our textile factory alone, there are hundreds of female workers like me. And there are several other factories just like ours!"
Zhu Yujian continued, "The textile factory employs so many workers, producing such a vast quantity of cotton garments. Can they all truly be sold? Cotton clothes are quite expensive, after all; most people can’t afford them, so sales shouldn’t be very good. If the factory can’t sell its products and earn money, how can it possibly pay your wages? Is it all simply through the Heavenly Lord’s divine bestowal of gold and silver?"
"Sold? Of course, they’re sold!" the woman laughed. "Everyone’s wages are high, so everyone can afford cotton clothes. Naturally, all the cotton garments produced by the factory sell out! Our factory isn’t losing money; it’s making a considerable profit. The money we earn is even contributed to the village treasury to support other regions."
Zhu Yujian suddenly understood: with a larger population of high-income earners, what was once considered expensive clothing became relatively affordable, and naturally, sales were no longer an issue. Goods flowed freely, currency circulated, and the entire societal environment became remarkably healthy.
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