Seven days passed in a blink.
The cement had finally cured.
Truthfully, it was ready after five, but to be safe, Lidaoxuan waited a full seven days before allowing the little people to step onto the brand-new road.
On the first day the "Divine Road" opened, the villagers all dropped what they were doing and rushed to gather at its edge.
The adults cautiously extended one foot onto the smooth gray surface.
"Ah… this road is hard."
"Hard like stone."
Once they confirmed it wasn't going to collapse under them, the villagers boldly stepped on with both feet.
The sensation was steady, solid—luxuriously flat compared to the bumpy dirt roads of old.
"This road is so level, not a single lump!"
"That part over there is a bit sloped—hey, we can play!"
A few kids immediately scrambled up the little incline, sat down, and whooshed down the smooth cement like a slide.
The adults nearly had a heart attack and yanked them away.
"You little brats! You think the Tianzun built this divine road for you to play on?!"
"Make way! Coming through!"
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu drove Solar Car No. 2 down the cement road, and what a difference it was—smooth, quiet, effortless. Compared to the old dust-choked official road, it felt like traveling from one dynasty straight into another.
Before, carrying a full load of villagers, they kept the speed at forty per hour, needed six li to reach Zhengjia Village, and traded forty-eight insults along the way.
Now, with the road flat as a mirror, they pushed the speed to eighty, and the same trip only took twenty-four insults.
Efficiency doubled.
After finishing this road, though, Li Daoxuan was thoroughly tired of being a "cement worker." He didn't plan on doing the next ones himself. He handed Shansier a pinch of cement and a printed instruction sheet.
Next time roads needed building, the little people could handle it.
Time passed quietly in the box.
County Magistrate Liang Shixian visited the "Li Family" from time to time to request disaster relief grain, distributing porridge throughout Zucheng County. The people enjoyed a period of rare peace.
Inspector Cheng Xu's head was also safe… for now. He had assumed the new magistrate—being from the Donglin faction—would immediately try to kill him, but Liang Shixian was far too busy ladling porridge to even acknowledge him.
For the moment, the civil and military officials coexisted without trouble.
Meanwhile, in the capital.
The young Chongzhen Emperor, Zhu Youjian, sat alone in the imperial study. At sixteen, he should've been full of energy, but his expression carried no trace of youthful vigor.
He turned pages slowly, because beneath his dragon robe, his light-colored inner garment was patched in several places. If he moved too quickly and revealed the mended cloth underneath, he would die of shame before his ministers killed him first.
As he sorted through the stack of memorials, one from Liang Shixian caught his attention:
A plea to forgive back taxes, reduce the current grain levy, and release disaster relief funds to save the starving people of Shaanxi.
Zhu Youjian's eyes narrowed.
"How dare this little county magistrate threaten me? He wants me to use the imperial treasury? And he warns of chaos if I refuse? Outrageous."
He was just about to slam the table and order Liang Shixian dragged back to the capital for execution when he noticed the thick stack beneath it.
Every one of them said the same thing.
All civil officials.
All urging disaster relief.
His anger spiked—but that was precisely why he couldn't do anything.
If one official angered him, he could chop that one.
If a hundred officials angered him… chopping was no longer an option.
He tossed the whole pile aside and simply didn't respond.
No tax forgiveness.
No imperial disaster funds.
No emergency envoys.
If he didn't look at it, the problem didn't exist.
Sigh… the empire was enormous—what was one little county?
More importantly, he couldn't afford to offend the civil bureaucracy. He needed them to help him destroy Wei Zhongxian and reclaim his own imperial power. If the eunuch faction remained unchecked, even his throne was at risk.
As for Lidaoxuan, he also enjoyed a stretch of rest.
The little people were stable. He only needed to toss in some food each morning, mist them with a little rain using the medical atomizer, and he was free.
"Dad, I've earned some money recently. I want to buy you and Mom a new apartment."
"What? Boy, what did you do? Did you design something world-class?"
"Hahaha, no. I run short videos on Douyin now. I make money from traffic."
"What? What traffic? Traffic can make money?!"
"Forget it, Dad. You don't have to understand. I already transferred two million to your card. You and Mom go pick a place."
"This… this… We can't take your money. We have a house and retirement funds. You keep your money and get married."
"I'm barely in my twenties! Why marry now? The fat guy next door, Lan Xingyang, didn't get married until thirty-five."
"Even so, save your money for later! We're not touching a cent. I'll transfer it back!"
Dad hung up angrily.
Lidaoxuan snickered.
Go ahead and try. Your bank card doesn't support large transfers, and the setup is a nightmare. You'll never pull it off, hahahaha…
He still had plenty of money from selling micro-sculptures and toys. He hardly went out; he barely had places to spend it.
Find a girlfriend to help spend it?
No way.
Women only slow down my sword draw.
He'd think about romance later.
For now:
A good meal.
A solo movie.
A one-man walk through Hongyadong.
A one-man 1949 Theater show.
A one-man concert.
Freedom tasted wonderful.
It had been too long.
Footnotes
① Fun Fact — Cement Cure Time
Even modern cement benefits from several days of undisturbed curing. Lidaoxuan waiting a full seven days is basically "ISO-standard Tianzun craftsmanship."
② Fun Fact — Sloped Road as Playground
Historically, even small slopes on new infrastructure instantly became playgrounds for kids. This tradition has not changed in 600 years.
③ History Note — Chongzhen Patchwork Robe
Many records describe Chongzhen as frugal to the point of wearing patched garments. His treasury was strained long before he ascended the throne.
④ History Note — Shaanxi Famine Memorials
The real memorial urging disaster relief was from Inspector Li Yingqi, but here the story assigns it to Liang Shixian for narrative cohesion.
⑤ History Note — Civil vs Eunuch Power Struggle
The early Chongzhen era was dominated by a tug-of-war between the Donglin scholars and Wei Zhongxian's eunuch faction. The emperor relied heavily on the former to weaken the latter.