The Daily Life of Farming and Raising Children in Ancient Mountain Residences

Chapter 242: A Woman Named Sang Luo in Shezhou

On the first day of the second month, known as the Day of the New Moon, Da Qi continued the tradition of the previous dynasty. On this day, all civil and military officials of the ninth rank and above in the capital were required to attend the morning court.

Before the rooster had crowed, the capital had already stirred with the first wave of activity for the day. Officials rode horses and carried lanterns, traversing half the city to reach the Taiji Palace. The palace gates would only open at the crack of dawn, so the officials gathered at the waiting hall to rest.

Among them was also the recently appointed Grand Tutor of the Imperial College, Old Master Zeng, who had arrived in the capital a few days ago.

Due to his advanced age and high rank, he had a designated resting place. However, it was more about being a bit warmer than outside. Since tea and water were not allowed in the court, Old Master Zeng simply sat with his eyes closed to rest.

At some point, someone had seated themselves beside him and lightly laughed, “Old Master Zeng, you are fortunate.”

Old Master Zeng opened his eyes and saw that the person smiling beside him was none other than Xue Yan, the Middle Secretary whom the current emperor greatly valued.

“Oh, Master Xue!” he said, turning slightly and cupping his hands in greeting. “I don’t deserve such a title as ‘Old Master Zeng.’”

“Old Master Zeng, you are being too modest,” Xue Yan said with a smile, implying, “You have a remarkable grandson.”

Old Master Zeng’s eyebrows twitched. He looked at Xue Yan, who was adjusting his short beard but not looking his way.

Was this hinting that something would be revealed during the court session?

It sounded like good news, so he didn’t press further. With his years of experience, he had learned to manage his composure. He simply replied, “Master Xue, you overpraise me.”

After resting for more than half an hour in the waiting hall, the palace gates opened, and the officials entered the palace in order. There was a series of formalities, but since there were still many vacant positions, the process wasn’t too slow.

Once the civil and military officials were arranged in their respective sections, Old Master Zeng noticed an unusual item in the hall—a large wooden box.

He turned to look at Xue Yan, but Xue Yan remained focused on his ceremonial tablet, not glancing in his direction.

Old Master Zeng: …

Before he could ponder what might be in the wooden box, a voice from the inner court announced, “The Emperor is arriving—”

The Emperor had arrived.

All the officials straightened up, and a common thought crossed their minds: the Emperor had come early today!

After the kowtows and greetings, Old Master Zeng noticed something else: the Emperor seemed to be in a particularly good mood!

As expected, the young Emperor’s face was full of smiles.

“With the recapture of Jianye City, our Da Qi has consolidated its territory. This is a joyous event. Yesterday, Shezhou sent a congratulatory gift—a plow presented by the people of Shezhou under the governorship of the Shezhou Administrator.”

With that, an inner servant went to open the wooden box and took out a plow.

Yes, a plow.

But it was unlike any plow they had seen before.

The civil and military officials murmured among themselves, puzzled about what made this plow different from the usual ones. Some looked to Old Master Zeng, hoping he might have some insight.

The Emperor observed the plow for a moment and then smiled, “Listen to the memorial from the Shezhou Administrator, and you’ll understand the significance of this plow.”

He signaled to an inner servant to read the memorial.

The memorial was not very long. It started with familiar official language but moved on to describe the celebration in Shezhou on the fifteenth of the first month and the presentation of the plow by the villagers on the morning of the sixteenth. It detailed the event of Sang Luo from Shezhou City offering the plow and included a description of the differences between the curved and straight plows.

The Shezhou Administrator’s writing was clear and vivid, depicting the event as if one had witnessed it firsthand. But what moved people most were the final passages, which expressed the people’s gratitude, aspirations, recognition, and praise. It reflected the voice of the common people!

This was far more meaningful than any beautifully written official commendation. Moreover, given that this was shortly after the Emperor’s victory over the Chen Dynasty and the unification of the realm, presenting a plow relevant to agricultural life was particularly significant.

The Court Attendant who recorded the Emperor’s behavior seemed to be glowing with excitement, scribbling furiously.

Whether they believed it was a coincidence or a grand show prepared by the Shezhou Administrator, everyone understood that this was a great achievement! It was a commendation and recognition for Da Qi, the current Emperor, and the new regime!

After the memorial was read, all the officials congratulated.

The morning court session continued until afternoon. After returning from outside Jianye City, the officials were provided with a meal by the Imperial Kitchen, and discussions resumed in the afternoon.

The discussions centered on the commendation of the Shezhou Sang family, the promotion of the curved plow, and unexpectedly, the renaming of Jianye City, which had been debated for days. The decision was made that day.

The name was not one of the proposed names debated by the ministers. It was “Chang’an”!

Chosen from Sang Luo’s second wish for Da Qi’s prosperity, eternal national stability, and the glory of the prosperous Chang’an.

Chang’an City!

The edicts for the commendation of Sang Luo’s plow, the renaming of Jianye City to Chang’an, and the plans for the curved plow were issued to all the provinces and counties. The first to see the edict were the citizens of Jianye City.

No, the citizens of Chang’an City!

As Old Master Zeng left the palace, he was congratulated by his colleagues all the way. It was clear to those who understood that Shezhou had handled the matter excellently. Although Sang Luo received the most recognition and rewards, as a rural woman, her influence would likely be limited.

In the eyes of the court officials, the biggest winner of the day was the Shezhou Administrator, Zeng Sanlang.

Old Master Zeng maintained a humble and modest demeanor all the way to the carriage. Once in the carriage, he lifted the curtain and told the driver, “Go to the notice board at the city gate.”

The new edict was already posted at the city gate. Old Master Zeng looked at the crowd of citizens gathered under the notice board and saw that the Jianye City gate, soon to be replaced with the name Chang’an, would be changing soon.

“Chang’an City,” he murmured, smiling. He told the driver, “Let’s head back.”

The driver turned the carriage around, leaving Jianye City behind and moving forward toward the newly named Chang’an City.

When connected to the name of the capital city, Sang Luo’s contribution was no longer just about offering a plow.

The driver, guiding the carriage, seemed to hear a sound from inside the carriage, as if it was saying:

“Sang Luo, a woman from Shezhou, has become famous across the land.”

The voice was low and indistinct, and Old Master Zeng wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination.

—

In Shezhou City, Sang Luo knew nothing about the events unfolding in the capital. She was unaware that her name would soon be widely known throughout Da Qi, thanks to the Emperor’s decree and the curved plow, even making its way into the Emperor’s official records.

She stood in front of her pigsty, watching as Shen Ning scooped hot pig feed into the trough. The five piglets were eagerly rooting around and eating, oblivious to the fate that awaited them.

“They’ve grown strong and full of spirit,” Sang Luo remarked.

It was time to castrate them.

Sang Luo looked at her five piglets: two males and three females.

She remembered that both males and females could be castrated, but she didn’t fully understand the purpose of castrating female pigs, so she focused on the two males.

Which one to choose?

It was a tough decision.

Shezhou was short on livestock, so it was certain that not all could be castrated. However, trying it on one seemed reasonable. Castrated pigs were known to have better-tasting meat, and importantly, they grew faster, making the technique worth promoting.

Without a good example, the rural folks would be reluctant to try it out themselves once their pigs were grown.

It was better to castrate when the piglets were still young to minimize infection risk.

“Ah Ning, which of these two boars seems healthier?”

Ideally, the strongest one should be kept as a breeding pig, but without a proper pig castrator and relying on what she had read, Sang Luo felt uncertain. She decided to pick the one with the best physique for quicker recovery.

Shen Ning, unaware of her intentions, pointed to a boar with black spots on its ears, saying, “This one with the black spots is the best-natured and most aggressive about getting food.”

Sang Luo smiled. “Then it will be this one.”

Shen Ning: “???”

“You’ll find out later.”

When Shen Lie and Shen An returned from the prefectural school, they were tasked with castrating a pig.

The brothers were stunned, their nerves on edge.

“Castration?”

The word alone made any man shiver, regardless of age.

Sang Luo nodded seriously. “Yes.”

She briefly explained the theory that pigs are more robust and calm when castrated and described the procedure, leaving Shen Lie and Shen An to figure it out.

They had to research thoroughly since none had done this before. They had to turn the pig upside down and study it, worried they might accidentally kill the animal.

After some time, Shen Lie concluded that special tools were needed for safety. He fashioned a tool from wood and sought a blacksmith the next day.

The boar with black spots had been examined closely by the owners for several days. Initially, it struggled, but soon it seemed accustomed to the process and cooperated well.

One day, the pig sensed something was wrong and screamed loudly, alarming Old Man Chen, Chen Youtian, Chen Ershan, the Zhou family, and the Shen brothers, who rushed over.

They witnessed Shen Lie performing the castration.

A group of men tightened their legs and asked, “What are you doing?”

Shen Lie applied some herbal ashes to the pig and put it in a clean pen, where it panicked and crashed around, eventually curling up in the corner. After calming himself, Shen Lie explained to Old Man Chen and others, “This is a method Sang Luo devised. She thinks castrated pigs grow stronger, but we’re just testing it.”

Had it been someone else, no one would have believed it. But since it was Sang Luo, everyone was silent, avoiding looking at the bloody details and instead focusing on the screaming pig.

“Will it really not die?”

Shen Lie: “…”

Could he say he didn’t know?

The brothers watched the pig with unease.

In the following days, the brothers checked on the pig before heading to the prefectural school in the morning and again in the evening after classes.

Everyone in the village knew about the pig that had been castrated, and even the local boys were aware. People came by daily to see if the pig was still alive.

Sang Luo, too, visited the pigsty three times a day. She worried about the pig’s well-being, and initially, the pig seemed to be suffering, almost as if it would give up. But eventually, it seemed to turn its grief into appetite, eating and sleeping with renewed vigor.

Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Lu, and Mrs. Gan, who had been skeptical, began to believe. Mrs. Chen remarked quietly, “You know, it’s acting just like a man. It doesn’t seem to care about anything, just eating and sleeping. If it continues like this, it will definitely grow better.”

Sang Luo laughed out loud.

Just then, Xu Wenyin and Shen Ning hurried over, with Shen Ning shouting, “Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, someone from the yamen is here!”

But it wasn’t really someone from the yamen.

Sang Luo stepped forward and saw that it was not only the long-time attendant of the Shezhou Administrator but also the Administrator’s wife, Concubine Fan, who was approaching quickly.

Concubine Fan, moving swiftly, reached Sang Luo and said, “Mrs. Sang, quickly, prepare for the arrival of the imperial decree.”

Old Mrs. Xu and Wei Lingzhen, who had come along to observe, were also stunned, reacting just like Sang Luo.

“What imperial decree?” Sang Luo asked, realizing as she spoke, “You mean the curved plow?”

Concubine Fan smiled at Sang Luo, noting that it wasn’t just the curved plow but also the renaming of Jianye City to Chang’an. She didn’t mention the change, fearing it might be too surprising, and simply said, “Yes, the Emperor has a reward. The decree will arrive soon. Please get ready to receive it.”