Chapter 185: Xi'an
Seeing that this group of people genuinely showed signs of remorse, Li Daoxuan decided to reduce their sentences. "Yiye, go up on stage and say a few words."
Gao Yiye assented, swiftly leaping onto the stage from her position watching the show from the sidelines and taking the center. "Although you possess a repentant heart, the sins you have committed are too grave, nor can you be immediately reinstated as common citizens. The Heavenly Lord grants you an opportunity: from now on, whoever performs well and earns many merits will have their sentence reduced..."
"Reduced sentences?" The labor reform prisoners paused, bewildered.
"Reduced sentences mean shortening the time spent in labor reform," Gao Yiye explained. "The Heavenly Lord stated that your crime is 'attempted robbery and murder,' which is a very serious offense. Generally, it would require at least ten years of labor reform."
The word "ten years" greatly startled the labor reform prisoners.
Gao Yiye continued, "However, considering that you are first-time offenders, were misled by others, and caused no substantial damage to Gao Family Village, among other mitigating circumstances, the Heavenly Lord has decided to only sentence you to one year of labor reform."
Everyone rejoiced. "One year! We've already been in labor reform for half a year, which means in another half a year, we can return to being common citizens?"
"Yes," Gao Yiye confirmed. "If you have no other outstanding performance, you can return to being common citizens after another half year of labor reform. But if someone performs exceptionally, achieves great merits, or makes significant contributions to Gao Family Village, their labor reform time can be further reduced at the Heavenly Lord's discretion."
"That's wonderful!" The labor reform prisoners cheered.
San Shier raised a hand, quieting the cheers. "You all heard, didn't you? The Heavenly Lord's command, relayed personally by the Saintess: Perform well, work diligently, and strive to regain your status as common citizens soon."
The labor reform prisoners cheered again. "We'll work hard!"
Life suddenly brimmed with hope!
A life of labor reform that seemed endless now had an end in sight. Wouldn't they throw themselves into work with all their might?
A large group of labor reform prisoners rushed out of the Labor Offenders Village, some chopping trees, others repairing roads; a bustling, enthusiastic atmosphere pervaded everywhere.
San Shier secretly rejoiced. *Now this is good, everyone is motivated. This surely doesn't count as being 'content with poverty and upholding the Dao' anymore, right? The Heavenly Lord should no longer be displeased.*
He turned, whispering to Gao Yiye. "Yiye, can you see the Heavenly Lord? Is the Heavenly Lord happy now?"
Gao Yiye nodded, her voice hushed. "The Heavenly Lord displayed a benevolent smile, as if watching his own children grow up."
San Shier was overjoyed. "That truly is wonderful! To make the Heavenly Lord happy, I immediately feel my life has not been lived in vain."
Meanwhile, in Xi'an Prefecture.
Xing Honglang arrived in Xi'an Prefecture with her subordinates.
Her last visit to Xi'an Prefecture had been several months prior, and things had been relatively stable then. But she hadn't expected the situation here to have changed so drastically in just a few months; the fields outside the prefectural city were filled with tattered refugees.
These people likely couldn't even afford the "city entry tax," so they lay scattered haphazardly in the fields outside the city.
Xing Honglang's heart sank with a jolt. *Xi'an is already like this? I wonder if the sugar, lard, and chocolate I brought will even sell.*
She approached the city gate and paid the entry tax.
The gate guard moved to inspect her goods, checking if they were legitimate. Xing Honglang, with a flick of her wrist, slipped a silver coin into his hand. The guard merely glanced at the top bag of sugar, then waved them through. "A legitimate sugar merchant, let them pass!"
Xing Honglang and her party entered Xi'an Prefecture with ease.
Inside the city, the situation remained grim. Refugees crowded the streets and alleys, and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung over the entire city.
Xing Honglang thought to herself, *This time I'm doomed, most of my goods won't sell.*
She made her way to the familiar market, bypassing the merchants selling legitimate goods up front, and headed to a shadowy corner. At a fixed time each day, people would gather here, waiting for rare or illicit goods—usually stewards from wealthy households.
The moment Xing Honglang arrived, the stewards grew agitated. "Look who it is, Yongji Xing Honglang!" one exclaimed. "Hey! We've been waiting for you for days! Do you still have any of that chocolate from last time?"
"My master really loved that white crystalline sugar from last time."
"Salt, I need a hundred catties!" A wholesaler had also arrived for his goods.
With a clamor, the crowd surged around her, ready to snap up her wares.
Xing Honglang thought to herself, *With refugees everywhere outside, I thought luxury goods wouldn't sell well, but you people are still just the same...*
The joys and sorrows of the rich and the poor are never the same.
While rich families feast on decaying meat and wine, frozen corpses lie by the roadside!
When it came to making money from the wealthy, Xing Honglang showed no mercy; she promptly doubled the prices of the crystalline sugar and chocolate.
"Hey, why are your prices so much higher than last time?" a steward from a minor merchant family complained, unable to bear it.
Xing Honglang rolled her eyes. "Don't you know what the situation is like outside right now? This old lady risked her life to transport these goods. Isn't this old lady's life worth more?"
The young purchasing agent from the Prince of Qin's Mansion laughed heartily. "That's right! With all the chaos outside, if someone can still deliver these fine goods, they certainly deserve to be more expensive. Those who can't afford it, get lost! The Prince of Qin's Mansion will take these good items."
After a considerable commotion, Xing Honglang had sold most of her goods.
Emerging from the market, her spirits were high. She instructed her thirty-eight subordinates to continue selling the remaining items while she strolled alone toward the official workshops. She had a task from the Heavenly Lord: to acquire a gunpowder workshop.
Xi'an City's layout was a typical grid pattern, with each block serving a specific function. The official artisans of Xi'an City were all gathered in one such block, which was where the official workshops were located.
Security here was tight!
The entire block had only two exits, both guarded.
Xing Honglang understood immediately with just a glance: it wouldn't be easy to extract a gunpowder workshop from this place.
Just then, a shift artisan emerged from the workshops. Xing Honglang quickly followed him, and in a small alley, she first tossed him a handful of copper coins. "Elder brother, I'd like to ask you something."
The shift artisan, overjoyed at receiving the money, said, "Big sister, just ask whatever you need."
Xing Honglang lowered her voice. "This old lady wants a fowling piece to hunt birds, and I need a gunpowder workshop to help me."
At her words, the shift artisan jumped in fright, immediately realizing this woman was not on the up-and-up. He turned to leave, but Xing Honglang moved to block his path, her left hand resting on her waist-saber while her right offered him a piece of broken silver.
The message was clear: take the money and help, or take the blade and refuse.
The choice was his.
The shift artisan hastily accepted the money, signifying his cooperation, then lowered his voice. "Ever since that huge explosion in the capital, management of gunpowder here in Xi'an has become extremely strict. They rarely allow anyone to touch gunpowder... Big sister, I'm afraid your request will be very difficult to fulfill."
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