However, although Xi Zhizai had these thoughts, they were just fleeting jokes in his mind and he had no intention of putting them into action.

Le Ping was just a small county, and as long as everything was in order within its boundaries, that was enough.

Perhaps for Qiao Yan, having someone who understood the resources of the Taihang Mountains was more useful than having a great talent from Yingchuan.

No matter how you see it, a county was not really a country.

He decided to endure the hardship himself.

But…

According to the Han dynasty officials’ rules, there was a break every five days.

On these rest days, Qiao Yan didn’t stop him from drinking alcohol; she just slightly reduced the amount.

On the middle day of the five-day cycle, he could drink a little to relax, but on the other four days, his drink was replaced with something else!

On the first day, it was a thick drink made from yam powder to boost energy; on the second day, it was pine needle water from the Taihang Mountains to dispel wind and evil; after a day’s break, it was Poria tea to strengthen the spleen and stomach; and on the last day, it was goji berry and ginger soup to expel cold.

As Qiao Yan had said, in Han-law, a craftsman earning two thousand coins a month was considered strong and skilled.

So, since they were following the law, it had to meet the standard.

These operations to boost energy, dispel wind, strengthen the spleen, and expel cold were all meant to build a strong body for him.

What a situation!

Outside, the snow was falling continuously, while inside, the only sound was the crackling of the lamp.

Xi Zhizai glanced at the ginger soup by his hand and picked up his pen to write to his friends in Yingchuan, but he couldn’t start writing for a long time.

If he wrote about being forced by his chosen lord to take food supplements in Le Ping, his friends, who were used to his usual sharp words, would surely mock him within days.

That would be inappropriate.

Writing about Qiao Yan’s various measures in Le Ping was also inappropriate.

A smart strategist knew what could be shared with the outside world and what needed to be kept within their territory.

If not for this, he wouldn’t have advised Qiao Yan on the memorial to Liu Hong.

Although his close friends were trustworthy and knew how to keep secrets, it wouldn’t be surprising if letters got lost in the heavy snow of this winter season.

If a lost letter caused any trouble, that would be really troublesome.

It would be better to invite them to see for themselves in a couple of years.

So, he only mentioned in the letter about the sweet pea wine he had recently discovered.

One day, on a whim, he had put peas in a clay pot, but then got involved in helping Qiao Yan with the construction of Le Ping, and forgot about it for over a month.

When he finally opened the pot, the wine had a special flavor, with a hint of freshness from the snow on the pine branches.

He sent a small pot of the sweet pea wine with the letter to show that his trip to the north wasn’t in vain.

This was another way to assure his friends of his well-being.

After sending the letter and wine the next day, Xi Zhizai felt relieved of one concern.

Since it was a rest day after five days of work, he strolled through the streets of Le Ping County.

The houses in the county were the same as when he arrived, only covered with a layer of white snow, but what he saw was different from the winter scenes he remembered.

In the past, people huddled indoors during the cold winter, just wishing for the harsh season to pass quickly so they could go out.

But as Qiao Yan had told him, the improved paper-bark clothing, sold at a price of twenty five-zhu coins each, was affordable for every household.

The paper-bark clothing proved to be worth its price.

The more scarce the resources, the more useful practical items like these became evident in the changes they brought.

This was exactly the situation Xi Zhizai saw before him now.

Underneath the hemp clothes, wearing a layer of paper-bark clothing greatly alleviated the suffering from the cold wind.

For the poor who were used to hard lives, this was enough.

At least with this layer of protection, they could now go out on the streets, clear the snow in front of their houses, and even climb onto the roofs to clear the snow there as well.

In the process of clearing the snow, they could even chat with their neighbors, rather than quickly retreating back inside like before.

A single paper-bark coat wasn’t enough to completely transform people’s living standards.

But if anything, it improved their spirits.

This was crucial for a territory plagued by natural disasters and an incompetent Han government.

As Xi Zhizai thought about this, he suddenly saw Lu Yuan hurrying towards the county office, which caught his attention.

Today was supposed to be a rest day, and as a visitor, Lu Yuan should have been resting.

But her actions clearly showed that Qiao Yan had given her an assignment.

It was obvious that something had come up, prompting Qiao Yan to make arrangements today.

If there was anything special about today, it was probably that late yesterday, after the Black Mountain labor team received their wages, they quickly finished the last batch of paper-bark coats needed by the county residents.

For the county’s residents, a single paper-bark coat was enough to get them through the entire winter.

Even if it got damaged, it could be easily mended like regular clothes.

This meant that the market in Le Ping County was now fully saturated.

Xi Zhizai looked up at the sky.

Today was the first clear day after the snow had stopped, a rare sunny period.

It was a good day to go out.

It seemed Qiao Yan was planning to expand the market.

When Lu Yuan entered Qiao Yan’s study, she saw Qiao Yan examining a paper-bark coat hanging on the wall.

Hearing Lu Yuan come in after being permitted, Qiao Yan didn’t turn around but asked, “I’m thinking of finding some buyers outside the county for these coats. What do you think?”

After considering for a moment, Lu Yuan replied, “Lady Qiao has been here for less than four months. Selling winter clothes during the winter makes sense, but it does mean stepping into someone else’s territory. You probably want to find a major local buyer outside of Le Ping, which is a bit different from your previous one-time sale in the wine industry?”

Qiao Yan turned to her with a look of approval, “So, who do you think I should look for as a buyer?”

Lu Yuan replied, “Balance is key. This applies to the central government and local areas. Last time, you chose the Wang family from Jinyang for other reasons. Now, you could choose the Tang family.”

The fermentation method for the wine didn’t show in the process, and the Wang family kept the improved method tightly in their hands.

The Tang family couldn’t figure out the secret, so they’ve been at a disadvantage in the wine business for the past few months.

So, approaching them now would be like offering help in a time of need.

“Exactly,” Qiao Yan said. “Since we’re all operating in the same region, we can’t favor one over the other. We gave the Wang family a big gift before, so we should also compensate the Tang family. But…”

“It’s usually frowned upon to try to gain favor with both sides in business.”

“Do you mean using a different identity to deal with the Tang family?” Lu Yuan asked.

“No,” Qiao Yan replied decisively.

“There are no secrets that can’t be uncovered. Taiyuan and Le Ping are just a few mountains apart. If someone happens to see us, we can’t hide anything. Plus, goods traveling between places will be frequently seen after the deal is done. We’re not the only smart people in the world.”

“So this matter needs to be laid out in the open.”

She walked to the table, and Lu Yuan approached at her signal, seeing three chess pieces on the table.

In the middle was a character she had written during her calligraphy practice, meaning “stability.”

Qiao Yan pointed to two adjacent pieces and said, “The Tang family has weakened over the years due to their members moving away. With the Wang family’s capabilities, couldn’t they completely swallow them up?”

Lu Yuan pondered Qiao Yan’s actions, “They could, but although families compete, they also intermarry and need to leave room for each other.”