A group of children sat on chairs, earnestly nodding and swaying as they read.
Birds chirped chirp-chirp-chirp.
Cicadas buzzed buzz-buzz-buzz.
Time passed slowly.
Jiang Mianmian sat among the students, also nodding and swaying.
Unconsciously, she started swaying along.
If she didn't sway, the rhythm would be off.
To be honest, classical Chinese was really difficult to learn and memorize.
But learning this way wasn't so bad. Memorizing one passage a day, gradually it all sank in.
She never expected to have the chance to go back to school and start over.
Jiang Mianmian discovered that this education model suited her well, going to school every day.
After all, this was how she had learned before.
Commander Jiang also discovered he couldn't manage to teach his daughter to read. He simply couldn't do it.
For some reason, teaching Yu'er and Feng'er had been fine before, without constantly feeling the urge to lash out.
But with Mianmian, after explaining something eight times, seeing her still looking back at him with an innocent, adorable, and confused expression, he felt somewhat desperate.
Late at night, Jiang Changtian had even privately complained to his wife.
"Xia, other people's children get smarter as they grow up. Why does our Mianmian seem less clever than when she was born, getting more foolish as she grows? Is she regressing?"
Qin Luoxia: ...
Jiang Mianmian: ...
Is it my fault? When I was born, you praised me for just rolling over. You applauded when I said a full sentence. Now I'm still so young, yet you want me to write in traditional characters and recite classical texts. Aren't you suddenly raising your expectations too high?
Commander Jiang couldn't teach her himself, despite repeated attempts.
Later, he hired a tutor to teach at home.
He reorganized the prison system, sentencing those who truly committed evil to heavy penalties or death, while pardoning some who had been wrongly accused. This area happened to be Meng Shaoxia's specialty, so he focused on helping with this and felt some relief.
His father-in-law was still lecturing on the law.
If people kept mysteriously dying like before, it wouldn't be good.
In reorganizing the prisons, Jiang Changtian set aside past grievances and didn't discriminate against those who had been imprisoned.
He even invited two tutors from the prison to come home.
To be Feng'er's tutors.
He had originally planned for them to teach his daughter as well.
But his daughter was too mischievous at home, quickly winning them over, making it impossible to teach her.
Just like Aunt Yin, they couldn't bear to speak harshly to her.
Jiang Changtian finally made the tough decision to send his daughter to school.
Thus, schools in Jingzhou appeared where girls could also attend.
The social atmosphere in Jingzhou became quite different from other places as a result, with very good public security.
Because for girls to be able to attend school, their safety when going out had to be ensured first. Commander Jiang overhauled the entire public security system of Jingzhou for this purpose.
He especially cracked down on human trafficking.
The brothels in Jingzhou were also transformed into entertainment venues for food and drink.
Every working girl had to register her origin and identity, cutting off the human trafficking business at its source.
Commander Jiang, who was also Judge Jiang, made sweeping reforms to Jingzhou's public security. Everyone trembled, thinking the rebels were making a comeback. In the end, it turned out he just wanted his youngest daughter to be able to go to school???
Countless memorials were sent to the capital, requesting troops be sent to deal with Jiang the Second.
But Jiang the Second's request was simply to allow his daughter to walk on the streets by herself and go to school on her own.
Everyone wept.
If you had that energy, you could train a squad of household guards, or train a troop of soldiers. Even if there were more people and better equipment, they wouldn't say anything about it. Protecting your daughter, everyone knows how much you love her. Because others spread rumors that your daughter had an unlucky fate, you wiped out a temple with 1,780 people...
But is it necessary? Is it necessary to turn the entire prefecture upside down and scrub it clean just so your daughter can go to school?
Will your daughter stay in Jingzhou her whole life? What if she wants to go to the capital when she grows up? Can you manage to scrub the entire capital too?
Of course, people only dared to grumble in private.
They wouldn't dare say it openly.
Because in reality, they were also beneficiaries.
When Commander Jiang reorganized Jingzhou's public security, starting with handling Judge Yu's funeral affairs, he confiscated Judge Yu's large amounts of unexplained wealth and turned it over to the public instead of pocketing it himself.
His method of accumulating wealth was still through hosting birthday celebrations for the younger generation of his family.
Commander Jiang cared especially about the children in his family, hosting grand celebrations for each child's birthday. Later, this influenced other families, including poor households, to celebrate a little when their children had birthdays, rejoicing that they had survived another year and grown a year older.
Without people noticing, even the poorest households would have an extra box of facial cleanser. Using it sparingly, it could last most of a year. It was said that washing hands with this could reduce illnesses. It was true - before using it, some people would be sick for half the year, but after using it, they fell ill much less and became notably healthier.
There were also tooth-cleaning and hair-washing products.
The wealthy bought them in porcelain bottles, which were very expensive.
Poor families would also buy them, in small pouches. When going out as guests, or during festivals, or for weddings, using these to wash once would make the hair fluffy and attractive, and teeth white.
Everyone became three degrees more beautiful.
So even the poorest girls would try hard to save money to buy this set of three items.
Now that Jingzhou's public security was excellent, girls could also go out to work, so they weren't unable to afford these things.
The streets were lively with hawkers.
Tourists thronged everywhere.
There were both men and women.
Many of the women wore their hair loose, clearly unmarried girls.
Yet they walked about as usual.
They weren't so poor as to be barely clothed, but looked quite presentable.
An elderly man with a long beard, accompanied by a young servant, walked along the streets of Jingzhou.
He seemed curious about everything.
Beside him was a local broker, Old Wu the Third.
Old Wu the Third stood guard at the city gate or dock every day, meeting newcomers from other places, guiding them, helping them find lodging or food, and make purchases. Don't misunderstand, he didn't take a cut. He was no longer the hooligan of the past.
He had an official position under the government office, called a guide or tour guide. Although he didn't have a formal official position, he still received a salary.
Not only did he receive a salary, but he would also get tips from generous guests.
Old Wu the Third had a shrewd, oily face that didn't look like that of a purely good person.
As he led the way, he seemed familiar with all the shopkeepers, greeting them as they passed.
The old man watched with amusement, while the young servant was nervous, seeming prepared to be fleeced.
The old man asked, "I'm new to Jingzhou. Where would be a good place to stay tonight?"
Old Wu the Third replied with a grin, "Sir, there are three types of lodging in Jingzhou. One is a rest stop, with large common rooms at every street corner. It's very cheap - five copper coins will get you a night's stay and a meal, guaranteed to fill you up. Another is the 'Home Stay' - you see those banners hanging on the street that say 'Home Stay'? You can knock on those doors. They're normal households that set aside a few rooms for guests. You can also eat with them. It's more expensive than a rest stop, but more comfortable. If you want to learn about local customs, staying at a Home Stay is excellent."
The old man looked up and indeed saw banners with "Home Stay" written on them hanging from houses on the street. So these were actually lodgings. He had wondered earlier why he hadn't seen any inns. Renting out one's own home to strangers could indeed bring in quite a bit of extra income. But it also showed how good Jingzhou's public security was, that people dared to open their doors to outside guests.
The young servant had already asked curiously, "What if a guest is a bad person? What if someone has evil intentions and robs the host? If the host has daughters, wouldn't their chastity be at risk?"
Old Wu the Third laughed heartily. "You don't need to worry about that. Since our Lord Commander arrived, every household has had someone sign up to be trained as security personnel to keep everyone safe. Just one shout and people will come instantly. Sir, your young servant here isn't very cautious. He's carrying a bag that looks very heavy, with the shape of silver ingots bulging out. This is fine in our Jingzhou, but if you went elsewhere, you'd have been robbed already. In Jingzhou, if you drop your silver ingots, as long as you report it to the government office, they'll definitely be found and returned to you within a day."
Inspector He raised an eyebrow slightly, wondering if the man had recognized him. Impossible - he had traveled in disguise the whole way.
"Staying in someone else's home feels inconvenient. Aren't there normal inns by the roadside?" he asked.
"That's the third type of normal lodging, which also has different levels depending on how much you want to spend. For normal lodging, you can just go to an ordinary inn. If you want to experience the treatment of a noble, there are options at every price point. There are even Prefect Suites, Inspector's Suites, General Suites, and Prince Suites that cost a thousand taels of silver per night. Whatever you desire is available."
The young servant was utterly confused upon hearing there was even an Inspector's Suite.
Inspector He was also taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What kind of room is the Inspector's Suite?"
Old Wu the Third smiled smugly, knowing that outsiders were inexperienced and always curious to learn.
"Come, my lord. This humble servant will show you."
...
