1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 79

But Luo Ming wasn't one to dawdle; since you've come to him so readily, there was no reason for him to refuse.

Enjoy yourself!

After a hot bath, the water turned black in minutes. The girl who served me wasn't local, but from North Korea. She didn't seem to mind and kept scrubbing me.

This was the first time in Luo Ming's life that he had taken such a refreshing bath. He finally understood the meaning of Commander Yang's words, "The dead are gone." Since he had survived, it was God's blessing.

Just live your life as it comes. There's no hurdle a man can't overcome. When you're alive, be a real man. When you're about to die, don't cry and whine. Just accept things as they are!

Luo Ming, being a complete novice, didn't sleep a wink that night and even extended his stay the next day. Zhang Youliang was all smiles; he could make a lot of money from this deal with Luo Ming.

In this type of guesthouse service, brokers like Zhang Youliang typically earn commissions. They recruit customers for multiple guesthouses simultaneously, and the more customers spend, the more they earn.

Moreover, Zhang Youliang had his own skills. Other brokers would rush up to anyone who saw someone in military uniform, but Zhang Youliang was different; he knew better how to identify military ranks.

Those with barred shoulders (soldiers) and crutches (sergeants) don't earn much. Only those with stars on their shoulders are truly willing to spend money. Those with bronze stars and silver stars have plenty of money in their pockets. As for the legendary gold star Zhang Youliang, he has never seen him. The highest-ranking official he has ever seen is someone with a silver star on their shoulder.

That Silver Star soldier spent over a hundred yuan directly on him. He needed to hire four or five girls to warm his bed every night, and Zhang Youliang received a full six yuan commission for that one order!

In the current informal market, one Han Yuan paper currency can be exchanged for approximately 700 copper coins, and three Yuan can be exchanged for two taels of silver. The informal exchange rate is much higher than the official exchange rate.

Because the government only accepted the Chinese Yuan for taxes, land purchases, and various administrative fees, and refused to accept silver dollars or silver coins.

After all, there are too many inferior coins circulating in the market. Silver goes without saying, as no one knows the purity of that stuff. Silver dollars are also not very reliable, with different types of silver dollars having different purities both domestically and internationally. Copper coins are even more outrageous, with some copper coins being half lead.

In the end, everyone realized that paper money was more reliable. At least the country's credibility and the head of state's prestige were there. With Zhao Yan still in power, there was no need to worry. Paper money also didn't suffer any losses from fire, and its face value was exactly what it was.

Luo Ming stayed at Qingshan Inn for five consecutive days until his legs were sore from staying there that he finally checked out and left.

When they left, they also took a girl named Cui Zhiying with them. This girl could speak Chinese, and her family used to be a noble family, but she was born out of wedlock.

Unable to endure the new provincial governor's exploitation, the family fled the Northern Dynasty and came to the Northeast. Unable to support so many people, they sold Choi Ji-young to an inn. Of course, they didn't call it selling, but rather asking her to sign a long-term labor contract.

The Republican government prohibits any human trafficking or slave contracts. Only the government can do such things; if the government does it, it's called a "reform camp" or "volunteer team." If civilians do it, they're committing suicide.

Cui Zhiying knew from the very first night that Luo Ming was a virgin. After spending five days with him, she used her charm and gentle words to seduce him and eventually won him over.

Luo Ming spent an outrageous fifty yuan to buy out Cui Zhiying's labor contract from the inn and took the girl away. In Luo Ming's simple values, it was really worth it to exchange a few pieces of paper for a literate person.

Luo Ming continued on his journey with Cui Zhiying. With a girl by his side, Luo Ming became a little more cheerful.

After arriving in the capital, Luo Ming made a special trip to the Forbidden City gates, hoping to catch a glimpse of the great leader. Unfortunately, he waited all day without seeing the leader and finally didn't have the courage to enter the Forbidden City, so he had no choice but to continue south.

After Zhao Yan moved into the Forbidden City, in order to save money, he turned all the palaces in the Forbidden City into office spaces for the central government departments, and then announced that all non-core areas of the Forbidden City would be opened to the public.

In theory, apart from the three core and classified locations of the head of state's office, the prime minister's office, and the Ministry of National Defense, which are off-limits, all other places in any republic are open to entry. In fact, other ministerial-level units are open to entry except for their offices.

But you have to pay to get in, which is called a "visit fee". An adult ticket costs 50 cents and a child ticket costs 20 cents. The government canteen provides lunch.

Zhao Yan set up the rules hoping to make a profit and subsidize the treasury, but in reality, no one dared to buy tickets to enter. Even the wealthiest people didn't have the guts to buy tickets to visit the Forbidden City.

Even though Luo Ming was an active-duty captain in the National Defense Army, he didn't dare to buy a ticket to visit the Forbidden City. Theoretically, it was possible, but if you actually did it and that big shot saw it and remembered it, you'd be in big trouble.

You're just a captain or battalion commander. You don't even qualify for the Ministry of National Defense. Only the big shots with gold stars on their shoulders, like the army commanders, deputy army commanders, and chiefs of staff of their group, are qualified to enter the palace.

You can't even get a piece of the Ministry of National Defense, let alone the legendary capital city!

Luo Ming left the capital with deep regret and continued south. The further he went, the colder he felt, because he finally understood the prices of goods and the value of the Han Yuan he had.

He thought it was just a bunch of insignificant military scrips, but after traveling this far, he realized that this stuff was more useful than silver!

Chapter 139 Zhao Yan's Muddled Family Affairs

"Your Excellency, it's time to eat! You can finish your business after you've eaten."

Inside the Imperial Study, Wu Xia stayed by Zhao Yan's side. The hot food she brought had all gone cold, but Zhao Yan just kept holding onto the pen, staring at a pile of official documents.

Wu Xia was anxious seeing this. How could they work all day without eating?

No one dares to call her Wu Baishi anymore; perhaps she should be called Zhao Baishi instead. Wu Xia's original name has also been restored.

In the past, the bigwigs in the central government tried to avoid contact with Wu Xia because they couldn't greet her properly. What should they call her? Calling her Wu Baishi would be a clear insult to Zhao Yan, and calling her Madam wouldn't be appropriate either.

It wasn't until Wu Xia's belly started to grow bigger and the imperial physician confirmed that she was pregnant that the bigwigs in the central government had to accept their fate and started to call her "Madam" respectfully. Luckily, Zhao Yan didn't become emperor, otherwise he would have had no choice but to call her "Your Highness the Empress."

Even Premier Zhang Mingqi, who was most opposed to the matter, fell silent after Wu Xia became pregnant, only muttering that Zhao Yan had a sharp eye and acted swiftly and ruthlessly.

This giant millstone is really good at bearing children. Zhao Yan only returned to the capital after a short time, at the end of January. He was almost dead, on the verge of passing away.

After Wu Xia arrived, this guy suddenly sat up in shock from his deathbed, and now, in early June, in just four short months, he's gotten her pregnant.

Originally, all the officials in the central government opposed this matter. How could a master have an affair with his disciple's mother? But after Wu Xia's belly grew bigger, everyone stopped objecting.

Because nothing could compare to Zhao Yan's lack of offspring. As long as you have an heir, everything else is insignificant. In the end, he had a son as his first child.

Once Zhao Yan has a son, the foundation of the Republic will be completely solid. If Zhao Yan doesn't have a son, the Republic will be in chaos ten years from now, not even waiting for Zhao Yan to kick the bucket.

Wu Xia herself was unaware of these intricacies, but she felt that the officials around her had become increasingly friendly recently. In the past, there were all sorts of rumors and gossip, making it difficult for her to get along, but since she became pregnant, all the rumors have disappeared, and even some high-ranking officials from the central government have come to flatter her.

Wu Xia has also become a little bolder. In the past, she would never have dared to urge Zhao Yan to eat. Her attitude towards Zhao Yan was purely one of obedience and worship. But now she also likes to act out.

Seeing that Zhao Yan had forgotten to eat again, Wu Xia sat down opposite him in annoyance, snatched the pen from his hand, and shoved a pair of chopsticks into his mouth.

Zhao Yan was completely stunned. As he was writing, his hands suddenly felt empty, and a pair of chopsticks appeared in his hand. He immediately looked up and realized, "I almost forgot, you're still here."

"I already said I'll eat it. You go and get back to your work. There are only a dozen or so documents left to approve. I'll eat it as soon as I'm done. Isn't that enough?"

There's a proper way of thinking when approving official documents; the more you immerse yourself in it, the faster you can approve them.

When high-ranking officials review official documents, especially those at higher levels, they cannot afford to be careless, because every signature and every instruction concerns the future of millions of people below them.

Moreover, approving official documents is not simply a matter of signing a document to indicate agreement or disagreement; you have to read it through completely. Furthermore, official documents are not like textbooks; there are connections between many official documents.

This document deals with industrial issues, and the next one deals with mining issues. You might have just finished approving one document, and when you turn around and see the next one, you have to go back and read both documents together, summarize the issues, and finally draw a new conclusion.

Such problems would be virtually nonexistent in later generations, because the secretariat is not just a figurehead, and its summarizing and categorizing are not merely for show. However, the current central governance capacity of the republic has not yet reached that level.

Therefore, Zhao Yan had to work harder himself. Once he started reviewing the papers, he couldn't stop. He had to keep his train of thought going. Otherwise, if he interrupted the review, had a meal, and then tried to continue, he would find that his previous train of thought was gone.

Wu Xia didn't understand any of this and said angrily, "I cooked for you myself even though I was heavily pregnant, and the food is getting cold and you still won't eat it. You've been combining three meals into two."

Even if you're busy, you can't skip meals, right? The world is vast, and even if you were an emperor, you still need to eat, drink, relieve yourself, and sleep, right?

Zhao Yan dared not reason with a pregnant woman. In his career, emotional women were the most terrifying, but even more terrifying were pregnant, emotional women!

"Yes, yes, you're right. I'll eat it, okay?" Zhao Yan reluctantly picked up the bowl and was about to start eating.

But Wu Xia still refused: "Eating cold food is bad for your stomach. I'll have the imperial kitchen heat it up."

Zhao Yan said nonchalantly, "When I was in the northern desert last year, I would eat anything, even ice, let alone cold food. Besides, this is still warm, so let's not waste time."

Wu Xia ignored Zhao Yan's boasting and insisted on having the food taken away by the palace maids to be reheated before eating.

Zhao Yan was also helpless, so he could only change the subject, saying, "Where's Zijian? I haven't seen that kid today. Where did he go and cause trouble again?"

Upon hearing the name Zijian, Wu Xia's face was filled with helplessness. Wu Zijian was Wu Zifu's younger brother, and after he followed his mother into the palace, he became a great scourge.

Back in Guangzhou, the Wu family suffered a lot of bullying. Although Wu Zijian was only eight years old, he understood some things, so he was always timid and obedient.

But ever since he arrived in the capital, with Zhao Yan backing him up, Wu Zijian has become a major menace in the Forbidden City, either playing pranks on the eunuchs or joking around with the palace maids.

Recently, he even went to the Prime Minister's Office to pull the beards of the bigwigs while they were taking a nap. The most outrageous time was when he stole bullets from SS soldiers and threw them into the stove in the Imperial Kitchen!

But no one could do anything to this little guy, after all, his stepfather was too powerful. Even disregarding Zhao Yan's feelings, no one dared to do anything to him because his older brother was Wu Zifu.

Wu Xia got even angrier when she heard the name Zijian: "That kid was clamoring to take the guards' guns to shoot birds again today. The captain of the guards even came to me for permission. I gave him a good beating and beat him so badly that he can't get out of bed."

Zhao Yan laughed after hearing this: "It's normal for kids to be naughty. I liked to raid bird nests when I was a kid. There's nothing wrong with boys liking guns!"

"How about this, let's not make things difficult for the guards. I'll personally teach Zijian how to fire a gun another day, let him experience the feeling of recoil hitting his shoulder socket, and see if this kid is cut out for military service?"

Wu Xia didn't dare to object, but muttered, "What kind of teacher are you, teaching such unreliable things!"

Although Wu Xia came from a humble background, she was a woman who upheld traditional virtues and knew what she could do to get her temper and what she should not say.

Wu Zijian now calls Zhao Yan "Master" just like his brother, but this "Master" is no different from calling him "Dad." If Zhao Yan is willing to teach him something, Wu Xia will at most mutter a few words, but she doesn't dare to directly object.

Wu Xia has a say in matters like meals and rest, but she rarely speaks up when it comes to educating her children or other important matters; she always listens to Zhao Yan.

Zhao Yan also liked Wu Da Mopan the most. He made a mistake because he was tempted by a married woman. Zhao Yan's biggest weakness is that he can't control his groin. He likes to sleep with women he shouldn't sleep with. He is calm and wise in other matters, but he likes to make the same mistake as Cao Cao in this matter. He likes to find excitement for himself when there is no excitement.

But after spending more time with her, Zhao Yan also genuinely acknowledged Wu Xia's existence, because this woman was so considerate; after the lights were turned off, she would listen to whatever he said and was willing to cooperate in any position.

She may be a little capricious in daily life, but she is never willful in important matters. She has never overstepped any boundaries or used Zhao Yan's name to do anything that crosses the line. She is the most traditional kind of woman.

Zhao Yan himself was unfamiliar with the concept of family. He was abducted as a child and grew up without any relatives until he met a group of disciples who truly entrusted their lives to him, which gave him some connection.

Now that he has met Wu Xia, he feels that this is what a family should be like: someone brings him tea and food when he is hungry, someone makes his bed and washes his feet when he is tired, and everything else is just trivial and insignificant.

Zhao Yan is neither a perfect person nor a saint. He also has his own weaknesses and flaws, namely, he can make clear-headed decisions on important matters, but he is confused about trivial matters.

When it comes to big things, Zhao Yan remains calm and always makes decisive choices. He seizes opportunities with all his might to do things to the best of his ability, accomplishing the greatest things at the lowest cost.

But when it comes to some "minor matters," Zhao Yan is too lazy to bother with them, never considering the details, and just does whatever he wants.

For example, Zhao Yan considers his private life to be a "minor matter" and doesn't care much about it. He does things when he's in the mood and gets into relationships when he feels it's right.

This is also the biggest headache for the other trusted elders. Their leader is almost impeccable in terms of civil administration and military achievements, but he is too careless when it comes to "small things".

The head of state never has the concept of "trivial matters." Family matters and national affairs are all matters of the world. Everyone understands this principle, but Zhao Yan just happens to be confused.

Before long, the reheated food was brought over again. Logically speaking, if cold food was sent back from the head of state's study, even if the people in the imperial kitchen were incompetent, they should at least make a fresh batch and send it back. But since Wu Xia had made it herself, what could they do?

The food was served, but before Zhao Yan could even pick up his chopsticks, footsteps sounded outside the door. It was Premier Zhang Mingqi and Finance Minister Yu Jingqian coming over together.

When the two entered the room, they were stunned to see Zhao Yan holding a bowl and chopsticks, about to eat. It was already three o'clock in the afternoon. Was he having lunch or dinner?

When Zhao Yan saw who it was, he knew they had something important to discuss. He immediately wanted to put down his chopsticks again, but Wu Xia wouldn't have it. She snorted and stared intently at Zhao Yan with her big, round eyes.

In the past, whenever a minister came in, Wu Xia would leave first to avoid suspicion, but now she would insist on watching Zhao Yan finish his meal before leaving.

Zhang Mingqi was quick-witted as well. He led Yu Jingqian to a place to sit down first: "No rush, Your Excellency. Let's eat first. Your wife is waiting, haha!"

Zhang Mingqi had always disliked Wu Xia, but now he found her more and more agreeable. Putting aside everything else, at least she could have a child for Zhao Yan and force him to eat on time every day and rest early every night.

If Wu Xia can handle these things well, everyone else can breathe a sigh of relief. As for having a baby, there's no need to mention it. Just eating and sleeping are things that no one else can interfere with except Wu Xia. At most, they can offer some advice.

As an outsider, if you force Zhao Yan to eat and sleep all day long, people will suspect that you are poisoning his food or planning to assassinate him at night after he falls asleep.

The eldest brother's private affairs have always been sensitive. Even Zhang Mingqi didn't dare to interfere. But seeing Zhao Yan working himself to the bone every day, eating irregularly and sleeping on time, everyone would be worried. How did Zhuge Liang die? He was worn out by neglecting his daily life.

Zhao Yan didn't care about these ancient people. He thought that staying up late and not eating regularly were minor issues. At his peak, he stayed up for five days and five nights in an internet cafe on instant noodles and still survived.

But in the eyes of people like Zhang Mingqi, it was a big deal that the "emperor" didn't know how to take care of his health. If this continued, it would be a matter of life and death if his health deteriorated.

In other dynasties, the emperor's life and death were of great importance, but not necessarily fatal. However, in the current era of the Republic, Zhao Yan was carrying 70% of the nation's burdens. The people under him had no intention of rebelling and all hoped that Zhao Yan could hold on for several more decades. But Zhao Yan never took his health seriously.

Fortunately, Wu Xia was keeping an eye on things, which relieved the others of a worry, and they also marveled at Zhao Yan's sharp eye for women.

Even in a nationwide talent show, Zhang Mingqi wasn't confident she could select a docile woman like Wu Xia. Any other woman with a bit of ambition would have been hoping Zhao Yan would die as soon as he had a son, so she could emulate Empress Dowager Cixi and rule from behind the curtain.

Lacking ambition, virtuous, understanding, and knowing when to advance and retreat, this woman was almost perfect in every way except for her special status. Zhang Mingqi was deeply impressed and didn't know whether to praise Zhao Yan or criticize her.

The other bigwigs were also encountering this situation for the first time. They searched through history books but still didn't know how to deal with it. After all, the only one who had ever seen this before was Zhao Yan who stabbed someone in the buttocks with a small knife.

Everyone is trying to keep this a secret from Wu Zifu, the fiery leader of the Five Tigers in the south. Otherwise, if his master becomes his stepfather, who knows what the young man might do in a moment of impulsiveness?

If Wu Xia wasn't pregnant, this matter could have been treated as a rumor or a palace secret, since everyone has to save face.

But now that someone has died, you can't force Zhao Yan to abort the child, can you? Even if Zhao Yan is willing to abort the child, the others won't agree. It concerns the offspring, so it's better to make a mistake than to miss any opportunity.

Chapter 140 Zhao's Theory of Noodle Economy

Zhao Yan was eating with his bowl in hand. He was fine until he started eating, and then he realized he was really hungry. At first, he ate in small bites, but later he started wolfing down his food.

Those who often go hungry know that you get used to it and end up squeezing two meals into one. But in reality, as long as you're not lazy and actually start eating, you'll find that eating on time is truly good for your health.

Wu Xia, Zhang Mingqi, and Yu Jingqian all breathed a sigh of relief as they watched Zhao Yan eat. A good appetite and the ability to eat and drink well meant he was in good health.

These days, appetite and physical condition are directly linked. If you can eat and drink well and have a good physique, your health is definitely not bad. But if you have a small appetite and a heavy workload, you can't eat much but do a lot, so it definitely won't last long.

Even while eating, Zhao Yan kept staring at Wu Xia's belly and jokingly said, "I haven't seen you fussing over the baby in your belly. You're so well-behaved. It's probably a girl, right?"

As soon as Zhao Yan said this, Zhang Mingqi and Yu Jinggan's faces turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and Wu Xia looked extremely embarrassed.

She's already had two sons, and you're saying you want to have a daughter this time? What do you mean by that?

Zhao Yan seemed to sense that the atmosphere was not right, and quickly explained, "A girl is fine too. I prefer daughters. After all, they are a father's little darlings."

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the others became even more unpleasant, and Zhang Mingqi was almost about to unleash a torrent of curses.

What do you mean by "you prefer"? Does this kind of thing even belong to you, the father, to decide whether you like it or not? Ordinary families might not care, but what is your position now? Without a son, how are we, the people below you, guaranteed our future wealth and security?

"Your Majesty should just eat quietly. You shouldn't talk while eating or sleeping!" Yu Jingqian spoke rather tactfully.

But Zhang Mingqi was quite blunt when he spoke: "If the leader doesn't know how to speak, then he should just say less!"

"What nonsense about a 'little cotton-padded jacket'! I don't know where the Führer heard that from! It's utterly absurd!"