643 There’s Such a Good Thing?

After the Tu family’s incident, the Lu family also regretted it.

If they had known that the Tu family would raise such a brainless and harmful daughter, leading to the Tu family being accused of colluding with the people of Ge Kingdom, even if no one else in the Tu family was involved, Tu Yujiao alone brought disaster upon the entire family.

Now the Tu family has become an unlucky ghost that everyone avoids. Whoever is associated with them will also suffer misfortune.

Everyone had seen how powerful Xiao Hanzheng was. With the Emperor and King Yi backing him up, he could destroy the Tu family and the other families as well.

Moreover, the Lu family had already offended Shi Qingluo before, and now they have added another layer of kinship with the defeated Tu family. This has made them even more worried and distressed.

When the news came that the young master of the Li family, once Miss Lu’s fiancé, had been promoted to a fifth-grade general for his meritorious service, the Lu family was even more regretful.

Not only was Young Lady Lu scolded by Patriarch Lu, but she was also punished to kneel in the ancestral hall.

The Lu Clan wanted to break off the engagement, but the Tu Clan was naturally unwilling.

In the end, Miss Lu could only marry into the Tu family.

At that time, the Tu family’s mansion had been sold and replaced with a small house near the suburbs.

The Tu family had gone from being a first-rate family in the Northern City to being inferior to even a fourth or fifth-rate family in just a year.

With so many people to support, they could only barely make ends meet with their struggling liquor business as it steadily declined, and their lives became increasingly difficult.

Tu Lihuan, who couldn’t take the imperial examination and become an official, no longer had the high spirits he once had. Instead, he fell in love with drinking.

After Ms. Lu got married, she realized that the man she once loved had become so slovenly and alcoholic. She also regretted it.

However, there was nothing she could do about it. She had already married him.

Ever since she had married into the family, they had immediately drawn a clear line and refused to acknowledge her as their daughter. If she wanted to divorce, she would not have the support of her family.

Tu Lihuan also hated Miss Lu for ruining his plan to marry Xiao Baili, so he only used cold violence at first, but later on, when he drank too much, he would hit her to vent his anger.

Miss Lu fell ill once, but the Tu family did not invite a doctor to treat her, and she died.

Not long after, when Madam Tu received the news that her daughter had died in the land of exile, she fell ill and soon died of depression.

Of course, this was a story for the future.

After dealing with the Tu family, Xiao Hanzheng had better control over Northern City.

On the other side, after Liang Youxiao brought all kinds of wine back to the capital, as expected, South Stream Winery became popular.

Especially after several old gentlemen showed it off at banquets by inviting guests to drink it, the upper class in the capital became interested in the various types of liquor brewed by Shi Qingluo.

Unfortunately, the production of liquor in Shi Qingluo’s distillery was still low, barely meeting the demand in the northern city, let alone being transported to the capital to be sold.

Hence, many merchants saw the business opportunity and headed to the northern city one after another. They wanted to get some wine back to the capital to sell, just like how they bought canned food previously.

Not only did the people in the capital fall in love with Shi Qingluo’s wine but the Emperor and princes of Ge Kingdom also fell in love with white wine. They sent people to Northern City to buy it in bulk.

The wine sold too well, but instead of expanding and hiring more people, Shi Qingluo planned to train a group of talented brewers in the Craftsmanship Academy, and then expand the brewery.

A month later, the Artisan Academy began to recruit students.

The Artisan Academy accepted both men and women and specialized in nurturing talents from different industries. Food, accommodation and job assignments were provided.

However, the tuition fee was not waived, but it was relatively cheaper.

If they didn’t have the money to pay the tuition fees, they could apply for a student loan and pay it off with their salary from the job assignments.

When the conditions for enrollment came out, everyone in the northern borders was stunned.

Many people were attracted to the idea, especially those from the lower and middle classes of society, who had never heard of such things as free food, lodging, and work assignments, or even applying for student loans.

Soon, the recruitment notice appeared in every county on the northern border and was posted by the local county government.

The news quickly spread throughout the entire northern border.

“Have you heard? Princess Fubao and Magistrate Xiao have set up a Artisan Academy. As long as you are above twelve years old and below forty years old, you can register regardless of gender.”

“They not only teach construction but also medical skills, iron-making, carpentry, brewing, and so on.”

“After you finish your studies, they will arrange jobs for you.”

“There’s such a good thing? Is the tuition expensive?”

“Tuition isn’t cheap, but it’s cheaper than going to college. The key is that if you don’t have the money, you can take out a student loan. In the future, after you start working, you can use a portion of your salary to pay it off every month.”

“That’s great news. I want to try.”

“I’m going to try it too.”

“People say that Princess Fubao is a disciple of an old immortal, specially sent to benefit the people. I used to be skeptical, but now I believe it.”

“Then, is the job assignments’ wages high?”

“The wages aren’t low. Princess Fubao announced the wages for the winery, canned food workshop, and yarn workshop. In the first three months, you will receive cash of 500, including food and accommodation.”

“After three months, the wages will increase to one coin. If you get sick, the workshop will help pay half of the medicine cost as welfare.”

“I heard that several workshops also give out monthly benefits such as sugar, meat, and even big red envelopes during the New Year.”

“After graduation, the academy will help students find good workshops and ensure that the wages are not lower than those in these few workshops, and there are other benefits as well.”

“I heard that Magistrate Xiao will also set up some workshops in the capital to accept the students from the academy to work.”

“Then can I still sign up? I want to go too.”

“Yes, this is the first year of enrollment. In order to prevent people from remote areas from rushing to register, Princess Fubao has exteneded the registration time. You can go to the Northern City to enroll in the school within these three months.”

“As long as you meet the requirements, you will be recruited. If you don’t violate the school rules during your studies and your grades pass every year, you will be able to graduate.”

“Besides, we don’t have to go to Northern City ourselves. Those who want to register can go to the local county government to register. When the county government reports the list, Lord Xiao will send people to each county to pick them up and go to Northern City.”

This way, the safety of the road could be guaranteed, and the poor who did not have any travel expenses could also have a chance.

Hearing this news, many poor people could not help but pay attention and be excited.

The bold ones gathered their fellow villagers and began to register at the county government.

Of course, most people were still in a wait-and-see state, or although they were tempted, they did not have the courage to be the first to eat the crab.

This was within Shi Qingluo’s expectations. After all, this was ancient times, and most people were illiterate. It was not as easy for modern people to accept new things.

Moreover, the graduation time from the Artisan Academy ranged from two to four years, which meant that they had to travel far away from home. This was also the reason why some people could not take that step.

Of course, there were also people who saw an opportunity and seized them.

People started to sign up in every county, but most of them were men.

Gradually, similar scenes occurred in many places.

“Father, Mother, I want to go to the Artisan Academy.”

“Why would a girl like you go to the Artisan Academy?”

“Why can’t young lady go? Haven’t you heard that the female workers in the wool workshop can get a string of money every month?”

“Father, Mother, as long as I graduate from the Artisan Academy, I will ask someone to bring money to the family every month.”

“I don’t need you to pay for my tuition fees. I’ll take out a student loan. After I pay off my tuition fees, I’ll give a portion of the money I earn to the family.”

“Father, Mother, just agree. With my skills and wages, I won’t have to worry about getting married in the future.”

Many girls began to fight for themselves. Because food and accommodation were included, and there were job assignments, such as the wool workshop, the salary was higher than that of the men, so many families agreed.

There were also stubborn families who could not tolerate girls going out in public and rejected them.

But overall, the enrollment this time had broken many old rules and allowed many people to see hope and the future.

Xiao Hanzheng and Shi Qing’s reputations in Northern City had improved.

The Northern City Artisan Academy was recruiting students with great enthusiasm, but a large-scale war had broken out at the border.

Xiao Hanzheng received the news from the border and was surprised after reading it.

He said to Shi Qingluo, “Father fell into the trap of the prince of the Northern King’s Mansion of Ge Kingdom. After he was shot and fell off his horse, his legs were broken. The situation is serious. His legs are probably crippled.”

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