My reborn husband and son are thinking about how to kill me every day.

From then on, not only were all his efforts in the first half of his life was wasted, but he also began to drink heavily every day, living like a lump of mud.

But the world did not stop because of the fall of Qi; Qi was soon replaced by a new dynasty.

One day, he suddenly realized that this new dynasty was better than the State of Qi.

The new emperor issued many new decrees, giving talented individuals the opportunity to distinguish themselves in the new dynasty.

Even former officials of the State of Qi, as long as they are talented, will be given important positions by the new emperor without any reservations.

In the new dynasty, promotions were no longer based on connections.

In a daze, he remembered that he wasn't the kind of person who disregarded the lives of ordinary people and only knew how to use connections to get promoted.

However, it was only later, when he was in that kind of environment, that he gradually forgot his original intentions.

Later, he gradually rediscovered his former ideals and became a good official.

The protagonist of this story is, in a sense, not a good person. Especially in the first half of the plot, the author meticulously describes how he disregards ordinary people in order to get promoted.

So Xie Yuyan didn't like this story at first.

But as she read on, she began to think a lot.

Besides these two stories, there are many other captivating tales in the storybooks she bought.

Actually, at first, she didn't think of the empress of Daqi. It was only after reading all the stories and considering the speed at which they appeared that she thought of her.

She gently pressed her chest to calm herself down before speaking, "It must be true, and these things must also be the work of that empress!"

"Huh?" Xie Linlang asked innocently, "Big sister, what did you say? You're saying these were the work of that empress?"

She blinked, puzzled, and asked, "What's she doing writing so many stories in the capital? Is she short of money, going into business?"

Xie Yuyan tapped her nose and laughed, "Are you silly? How could she have gone to so much trouble for business? Think about it again."

Xie Linlang wasn't stupid. She thought about it carefully and said, "Is it to promote the Great Qi Kingdom? To tell everyone how great the Great Qi Kingdom is?"

Xie Yuyan nodded, "You're right."

"But I still don't understand, why is she promoting the Great Qi Kingdom?" Xie Linlang said, "The Emperor is bound to notice them selling storybooks so openly. Is it worth taking such a big risk?"

“She must have felt it was worth it to do that,” Xie Yuyan said.

"Big sister, you still haven't told me what she did to promote the Great Qi Kingdom?" Xie Linlang looked at her older sister with admiration.

When my grandmother was alive, she often lamented that my eldest sister was so smart and capable, yet she was a girl.

If he were a man, he would surely have passed the imperial examinations and achieved great things.

"I believe she did this to attract talent. To attract all ambitious young people who are frustrated by the current system."

Xie Yuyan said, then shook her head and changed her words, "It's not just about ambitious young people. Look at these storybooks, although they are telling stories, they clearly convey the Daqi's philosophy on personnel management."

Whether old or young, as long as you have ideals and a skill, you can be highly valued in Daqi.

Xie Linlang looked into her sister's bright eyes and asked, "Sister, are you going?"

The light in Xie Yuyan's eyes slowly faded.

If she were alone, she would definitely go.

She went to prove herself, to prove that she was no less capable than men.

but……

She still has family in the capital; she cannot abandon them. If she goes to Daqi and is discovered, her family will also be considered traitors.

She couldn't disregard her family for her own momentary pleasure.

Seeing her older sister's darkened gaze, Xie Linlang understood her concerns, and her shoulders slumped down.

But soon, she said with her eyes wide, "Elder sister, go! Go secretly! Don't tell anyone. Think about it, Daqi is so far from the capital. If you go to Daqi to become an official, who will know?"

The more she talked, the better she felt her idea was. "What if one day, the capital falls? You've built a territory in Daqi, so we'll have another way out. Don't you think so?"

Xie Yuyan looked into her sister's sincere eyes and hesitated.

Xie Linlang held her hand and said, "Big sister, go secretly! Do what you want to do. Don't worry about me. If things don't go well, we can always run away with you when the time is right."

As she spoke, she glanced around instinctively, then leaned close to Xie Yuyan's ear and whispered, "Don't think that just because I'm young I don't understand anything. Actually, I know everything. If a real war breaks out, our emperor won't be able to win. Many people have secretly sent their younger family members away!"

Xie Yuyan pursed her lips and finally said, "I will set off tomorrow. Once I arrive in Daqi, I will secretly send someone back with a letter."

"Okay." Xie Linlang got up, took out a box from under the cabinet, and handed it to Xie Yuyan, saying, "This is what I usually save. Big sister, take it and don't suffer over there."

"No need, I don't need the money," Xie Yuyan said, pushing the money back.

"I know you're not short of money, this is just a token of my appreciation," Xie Linlang insisted. "If you don't accept it, I'll get angry!"

Seeing that her sister insisted, Xie Yuyan did not refuse again.

Xie Yuyan went back to her courtyard to tidy up, then went to her mother's courtyard to tell her that she was going out the next day to stay at the estate for a few days.

Hsieh Yu-yen's biological mother passed away when the two sisters were still young.

The current wife of the Marquis of Ningyuan is the second wife whom the Marquis of Ningyuan married later.

Lady Ningyuan did not like the daughter left by the first wife. When she heard that the daughter was going to live on the estate, she only asked a few words of concern before agreeing to it.

The next day, Xie Yuyan went out, but instead of going to the manor, she led her people out of the capital and headed straight for Daqi.

These days, many people, like Xie Yuyan, are going to Daqi.

There are officials who have been suppressed, not given important positions, and marginalized, and have long been disheartened.

There are also women who are bullied by their in-laws and can no longer live like this.

……

Of course, not all of these people decided to go to Daqi after reading the storybook.

Some were simply unable to make ends meet, and having heard that Daqi not only distributed land but also exempted them from taxes, they decided to go there for refuge since they had no other way to survive.

Although not everyone who read the story decided to go to Daqi.

However, vernacular stories had a great influence in the capital.

When these stories became popular in the capital, the storytellers in various teahouses also changed the content of their stories to these tales.

Several of the most popular brothels in Beijing have also staged new performances.

These scripts are all similar to traditional storybooks.

Compared to vernacular stories, storytelling and theatrical performances in brothels have a wider reach.

Nowadays, almost everyone on the streets is discussing the newly emerging storybooks.

Many officials in the imperial court were secretly discussing these stories. The court officials themselves were divided into several factions.