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Chu Qingzhi watched Chu Qingning’s shocked expression and smiled, “What do you think? Surprising, isn’t it?”

Chu Qingning, still dazed, struggled to come back to her senses, “It’s so unexpected. Yaqing is actually a princess; it’s unbelievable.”

It’s no wonder she was so shocked. The difference between a princess and common folk was like that between heaven and earth. Someone like Wu Yaqing seemed almost like a fairy descended to the mortal realm.

Chu Qingning continued, “When Yaqing was staying with us, she didn’t put on any airs of a princess at all. She mingled with us and got along so well with the villagers. You could tell she had an air of nobility about her, but I never thought she might be a princess.”

She grabbed Chu Qingzhi’s hand, “Fifth sister, will we be able to see Yaqing again?”

Chu Qingzhi replied, “It’s hard to say, but if we wish to, it should definitely be possible.”

Chu Qingning was somewhat excited at the prospect of becoming friends with a princess, “That’s true. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Chu Qingzhi said, “Yaqing sent me a letter, asking me to sell her book at the bookstore. We only have one copy right now, and I was thinking of having the children transcribe it. Have you assigned them any tasks?”

“Not yet. Let’s make transcribing the book their task,” Chu Qingning suggested, looking at the blue-covered book. “However, for transcription, the book will need to be disassembled. Is that okay?”

“After disassembling, we can just rebind it. It’s no issue,” Chu Qingzhi took the book in her hands, inspected it, then used a dagger to cut a few threads, clearing them away and disassembling the pages, “Fourth sister, could you fetch some paper? I’ll go in and explain to the children how to transcribe.”

Chu Qingningnodded, “Sure.”

Chu Qingzhi entered the schoolhouse…

“Miss Qingzhi!”

“Miss Qingzhi!”

“Miss Qingzhi!”

The children erupted into excitement upon seeing Chu Qingzhi; her visits to the schoolhouse were rare, making her sudden appearance a delightful surprise.

Chu Qingzhi approached the front of the classroom, “Quiet down, everyone. I’ve come here because I need your help with something.”

The children looked attentively at Chu Qingzhi.

She held up the book, “I have a book here that I’d like your help in transcribing. It doesn’t have to be perfect, as long as the handwriting is legible. Would you be willing?”

The children answered in unison, “Willing.”

“Then I’ll distribute the pages among you. Each person will transcribe their page three times. Try not to dirty the pages I give you, okay?”

“Got it!”

With the pages marked by page numbers, Chu Qingzhi evenly distributed them.

Chu Qingning came into the schoolhouse and distributed paper as well. Receiving the paper, the children began transcribing earnestly without a word.

Watching the children transcribe so earnestly made Chu Qingzhi think of movable type printing, but she quickly abandoned the thought.

Publishing the book using printing would cost more than the book’s value itself, making it entirely unnecessary.

Typically, the sale of storybooks involves bookstores hiring students from academies to transcribe them.

It was common for many students to transcribe storybooks at bookstores to earn tuition and living expenses.

After the children finished transcribing, it would be possible to assemble three new copies of the book. Then, further copies could be made by students, significantly speeding up the process.

Awhile later, Chu Qingzhi fetched some paper for painting.

After the Fief Office’s residence was completed, some paintings were needed for decoration. She planned to use her own paintings, as buying originals could cost at least a thousand taels, a sum better donated to charity than spent on such extravagance.

Chu Qingning observed, “Fifth sister, what are you planning to paint?”

Chu Qingzhi replied, “A landscape depicting the sky clearing after the rain. By the way, fourth sister, do we still have paint at home?”

Chu Qingning said, “Yes, I personally packed it away in the storeroom. I’ll fetch the red, green,…, and blue – these seven colors of paint for you right away if you need them.”

Chu Qingningnodded, “Okay.”

After retrieving the paints, Chu Qingning arranged them in bowls on a tray, “Fifth sister, is this alright?”

“Yes, that’s fine, fourth sister,” Chu Qingzhi took the tray and placed it aside, then picked up seven brushes to start adding color to her painting.

With each stroke she made on the paper, a picture of a summer landscape after a rain came to life.

The sky was adorned with grey clouds of various sizes, with what seemed like a cluster of fire behind them, illuminating the clouds in a radiant red, fading into the distance.

Distant mountain ranges were shrouded in a thin mist.

The surface of the nearby lake sparkled, with several birds skimming over it, seemingly frolicking and playing in high spirits.

An ancient stone bridge spanned the lake, with some people leisurely walking across under umbrellas.

Willow trees planted along the lake brimmed with leaves, swinging like small whips in the wind, their leaves dotted with water droplets that reflected brilliant light.

Overwhelmed, Chu Qingning found herself at a loss for words to describe the painting’s merits, “Fifth sister, if you were to sell this painting, it would surely fetch more than a thousand taels.”

Chu Qingzhi was quite pleased with her painting as well, “Art usually only gains value after the artist’s death.”

Chu Qingning hastily interjected, “Don’t talk like that. Nothing about death.”

Chu Qingzhi reassured her, “It’s not that serious, don’t worry.”

Taking her sister’s advice to heart, Chu Qingning said solemnly, “Don’t casually mention death, especially with the New Year approaching. Let’s not say such things anymore.”

Chu Qingzhi nodded in agreement, “I’ll listen to fourth sister.”

With five rooms in the fief office needing decorations, Chu Qingzhi continued to paint four more pieces.

In the main hall, while Wang Yuanping was organizing the tax records, he encountered an issue.

A family in Xu’s village, led by Xu Dongguang, struggled to pay their autumn land tax. Xu Dongguang was taken to do hard labor and had not yet returned. His family consisted of an elderly father, an elderly mother, a partially blind wife, an eight-year-old daughter, and a four-year-old son.

After some thought, Wang Yuanping took the records to the ancestral hall to find Chu Qingzhi.

Chu Qingzhi, stepping outside, inquired, “Is there a problem with the taxes?”

Wang Yuanping explained the issue he found, not only with Xu Dongguang’s family but several other impoverished families as well.

After reviewing the records, Chu Qingzhi instructed, “Visit them to verify the situation. If it’s true, pay their taxes for them, bring them back, give them some seeds, and help them plant their fields. They can repay the taxes to me next year.”

Wang Yuanping was astonished by Chu Qingzhi’s approach. If it were anyone else, he was certain they would drive these people out of their land without a second thought about their wellbeing. Chu Qingzhi’s kindness towards her people was exceptional.

Feeling slightly moved, he agreed, “Yes, I’ll see to it immediately.”

After bidding farewell to Chu Qingzhi, Wang Yuanping headed towards Xu’s village.

The reality was more severe than Wang Yuanping had anticipated. Xu Dongguang’s home was a thatched cottage with a roof turning black, one side leaning and propped up by a bamboo stick, on the verge of collapsing. It looked perilously unsafe.