Chapter 1357 – Borrowing Five Hundred More Years from the Heavens (Part 2)
Jiang Pengji suddenly dropped a huge bombshell, flipping Qi Guanrang upside down.
He no longer cared about Wei Ci; he was eager to know what the future world looked like.
Despite many novels claiming that ancient people weren’t very intelligent, that was far from the truth. Their capacity for acceptance was surprisingly strong.
The uneducated ancients tended to explain the unknown with supernatural means, giving rise to a plethora of mythological stories.
What Jiang Pengji was describing was, to Qi Guanrang, the methods of the gods.
However, while deities soared through the clouds with their abilities, future people relied on technology to achieve what even gods couldn’t.
After a brief description, Qi Guanrang immediately became immensely interested in the term “technology.”
He asked, “So, isn’t the woodworking workshop a form of ‘technology’ in its infancy?”
Jiang Pengji nodded, “That’s also why I am staunchly supporting Zhang Ping, Shao Guang, and others; human imagination and creativity are boundless.”
Qi Guanrang sighed, “If that’s the case, I wouldn’t mind the hundreds of thousands of guans allocated each year.”
How many people worked at the woodworking workshop?
Counting the upper management of Zhang Ping, Shao Guang, and Bai Yuexia, there were only a few dozen. After deducting R&D expenses and various operating costs, the annual salary for ordinary personnel ranged from a hundred to a thousand guans, while Zhang Ping and the others made tens of thousands—rich beyond measure!
What does tens of thousands even mean?
It’s roughly equivalent to an annual salary of seven million.
Qi Guanrang and the others’ basic salaries barely reached a million, and if annual bonuses during festivals were included, they just managed to catch up to Zhang Ping and the others.
Previously, he had felt a bit jealous.
But since this money went into the lord’s private treasury, Qi Guanrang couldn’t say much.
Now that he looked at it, this sum wasn’t all that much.
If spending money could bring “technology” to the level the lord mentioned, he’d empty his coffers!
He wasn’t worried about the money; he began to feel pity for the disbanded Mo family, crushed by the chaos of the Sixteen Kingdoms.
The elite of the Mo family had almost all perished in that era.
Either their heritage was cut off, or they were hidden from the world. Jiang Pengji had only managed to recruit a few new Mo members after years of effort.
“What if, in this lifetime…”
Before Qi Guanrang could finish, Jiang Pengji interrupted, “Don’t say in this lifetime; it’s impossible for thousands of years.”
Even if technology improved, the whole social structure would not adapt.
Jiang Pengji patiently explained the situation of her time to Qi Guanrang.
“Can a single person farm an area as large as Dongqing now?”
Qi Guanrang shook his head, unable to envision how one person could achieve such a thing; it seemed nearly impossible.
“Taking big steps can lead to disaster,” Jiang Pengji said, “Even if there’s such advanced technology, how many common people would know how to use it? Even if they learned to use it, could they learn to create it? And even if they learned to create it, would their minds keep up with the changes? It would take a long time to shape such a world. Even I can only guide people to avoid a few hundred years of detours; the future rests on the next generation. Rushing the growth of seedlings is futile; I alone cannot push against an entire era. All I can do is lay a foundation and guide the next generation.”
“Heaven has no eyes; how unfairly the lord is treated!” Qi Guanrang fell silent for a long time, then sighed, “A hundred years is far too short.”
Jiang Pengji smiled, showing no trace of regret.
Seeing Qi Guanrang’s reaction, she thought this was the perfect moment to play the BGM “Borrowing Five Hundred Years from the Heavens.”
In her previous life, a few among a crowd could indeed live to five hundred years, while most people had an average lifespan of around two hundred and fifty.
“So, is Zixiao’s behavior in line with the lord’s intentions?”
Jiang Pengji smiled, “He’s helping me, quietly playing the role of a successful woman’s backing man. Isn’t that adorable?”
Qi Guanrang: “…”
After a moment, he asked a rather risqué question.
“Zixiao was actually a woman in his past life?”
Jiang Pengji laughed, “Though Zixiao is beautiful, his actions and words lack the charm of a woman.”
Qi Guanrang asked, feeling conflicted, “Is male admiration so prevalent in the future?”
Jiang Pengji: “…”
Wait a minute—
What do you mean “male admiration is so prevalent in the future”—is that to say you’ve assumed I’m a man without any inquiry?
“Literary man, I am a woman, now and always.”
She really didn’t know what these scholars were thinking—Wei Ci doubted her femininity in her past life, and Qi Guanrang concluded the same.
They wouldn’t be satisfied until they witnessed her produce a bird bigger than theirs, would they?
Qi Guanrang took a sharp breath.
He was probably thinking of some scandalous stuff again.
Jiang Pengji was unaware that Qi Guanrang had started to suspect that the future world might revert from a patriarchal to a matriarchal society.
The evidence was as follows.
Look at how impressive the lord is; look at how tidy Wei Ci is.
Who’s in and who’s out is clear as day!
No wonder the lord strongly supports women; it seems to have been part of her future planning!
Qi Guanrang waved his fan vigorously, needing a cool breeze to clear his mind.
He initially planned to nurture his daughter Qi Guan Jinghui, but now, reflecting on it, he felt he needed a dozen daughters!
If someone else had said such things, Qi Guanrang would have thought them lost in a fantasy, but the speaker was the lord, a person he never doubted. Her past actions indirectly confirmed the truth of these words, so Qi Guanrang naturally believed them.
He looked forward even more to the world she mentioned.
Though he could not see the future glory, he was willing to be a brick in building that foundation.
After fanning himself for a long while to cool his head, he asked, “Where does the lord plan to start?”
Jiang Pengji said, “Basically two points.”
Only two points?
Was that too little?
Qi Guanrang perked up, listening intently.
Jiang Pengji continued, “One is technology, and the other is law.”
Encouraging invention and creativity is something that must be adhered to for the future, Qi Guanrang understood, but why was the second point law?
“The term law may seem trivial, but it encompasses a multitude of meanings,” Jiang Pengji said seriously. “Don’t you think that the chaos of before was often linked to the collapse of laws? When laws fail to restrain people from doing what they should, it inadvertently feeds the expansion of ambition. Because the system is not sound, loopholes can be exploited, allowing the guilty to evade proper punishment, and social morals deteriorate—that’s a sign of a faltering dynasty. My emphasis on Wenbin is naturally for ‘law’; he’s the most suitable candidate.”
Jiang Pengji and Han Yu didn’t plan to make a big splash from the start; instead, they aimed for a step-by-step approach, testing the waters gradually.
Everyone said, “If the water is too clear, there will be no fish,” but the laws shouldn’t allow murky gray areas or impenetrable darkness.
Han Yu assisted Jiang Pengji in drafting a long-term governance plan, leaving no room for corruption, revealing his style.
He would rather suggest increasing everyone’s salaries than deliberately put aside a portion for lower-level staff to benefit unjustly.
“Wenbin?” Qi Guanrang’s expression grew solemn.
Throughout history, those who advocated for reforming laws rarely had good endings, let alone Han Yu, whose laws were likely to undermine many interests.
“I’ll protect him, and so will you.”
After hearing this, Qi Guanrang nodded earnestly.
He naturally would.
If Han Yu truly bore such a heavy responsibility, even if it harmed his interests, Qi Guanrang would support him to the end.
