From outside the box, Li Daoxuan watched the scene unfold, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Gao Yiye was about to make a small fortune.
The better the book sold, the more she would earn. And her situation was unique—she was essentially "self-publishing," treating it as an investment. The potential returns from an investment far surpassed standard author royalties.
To put it simply, author royalties were like a writer posting a story online and receiving a platform's cut of the revenue.
Self-publishing and profiting was like that writer owning the platform.
Which model was more profitable? The answer was obvious.
Three days later, the second printing of five hundred copies was snatched up in a frenzy. Gao Village Publishing House rushed to print a third edition of another five hundred, which vanished just as quickly.
This疯狂 (frantic) buying spree only subsided with the sixth printing run. By then, a total of two thousand seven hundred copies had been printed. Gao Village had reached a point of saturation—nearly every household owned one, even two copies. The market was finally satisfied.
Gao Yiye had made a substantial sum.
With the Tianzun providing for her, the money was useless to her personally. After some thought, she went to Refugee Valley and distributed the profits among the most destitute elderly there.
This act—the Saintess publishing a book and giving away the earnings—instantly became the talk of the entire village…
It also planted a small, tempting seed in the minds of others in the village skilled in painting and calligraphy. You can earn money just by drawing a picture-book? I wouldn't dare draw the Tianzun without permission… but I could make up another story. Maybe I could strike a bit of gold too?
(Fact: This village-wide entrepreneurial spark mirrors the real "book boom" of the late Ming, when advancements in woodblock printing and a growing literate populace created a mass market for popular fiction, almanacs, and how-to manuals. Gao Yiye isn't just a bestseller; she's accidentally kickstarting Gao Village's cottage publishing industry.)
...
10th Day, 7th Month, 1st Year of Chongzhen (July 10, 1628)
Reclaiming the loess wasteland around Refugee Valley had finally yielded some results.
Large swathes of the dry yellow earth had been broken, turned, and organized into neat, square plots.
There was no fighting or contention. An unwritten rule emerged: the land a family cleared belonged to that family for use.
The Qingjian refugees were not greedy. Each family cleared only two or three mu according to their ability. They understood their limits—with just a hoe and their own strength, taking on too much land would lead to poor management and potentially worse harvests than a single, well-tended small plot.
However…
What should they plant in these small fields?
They had fled their rebellion in Qingjian County, of course, without bringing any seeds. To sow these fields required purchasing seed stock—a significant investment. Acting rashly without careful consideration could mean not only a poor harvest but also losing the seed money. They had to be cautious.
Early in the morning, "Lantern-Lighter" Zhao Sheng sought out Gao Yiye. "Saintess, I have a presumptuous request."
Gao Yiye: "What is it?"
Zhao Sheng: "The people of Refugee Valley have finished clearing the land. It's only mid-July; we could still catch the tail end of the planting season. But everyone is uncertain, lacking confidence… I wondered if… you might… beseech the Tianzun to offer us some guidance?"
"Oh, that's all?" Gao Yiye pointed to the low-hanging cloud in the sky. "The Tianzun is right above. He's already heard you."
Zhao Sheng immediately looked up, his face a picture of earnest supplication.
Li Daoxuan was in the middle of enjoying some cumin-rubbed hand-torn ribs.
He had, of course, heard Zhao Sheng. But… the person he was waiting for, and the crucial seeds she was supposed to bring, hadn't returned yet. What to do?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a movement at the edge of his vision caught his attention. His spirits lifted.
Xing Honglang was back!
Truly, just as he started to worry, a pillow arrived.
She had brought back quite a crowd this time. Aside from her original thirty-eight salt-smuggling comrades, she had another twenty-plus people in tow.
Among them were shabbily dressed scholars in文人服 (literati robes) and poor artisans in coarse hemp clothes—a sizable, motley procession.
Her people also no longer returned with empty carrying poles. Their loads were filled with all sorts of strange goods.
Following Li Daoxuan's previous instruction to bring back anything not found in the village, she had certainly delivered. Jingdezhen porcelain, glassware from the Western Regions, silk brocade from Jiangnan, Japanese samurai swords, chickens, ducks, even a few piglets…
Xi'an, as the largest city in the northwest, truly offered a market for many exotic goods. Among her haul was even a string of red chili peppers.
For a native of Chongqing, the sight of red chilies brought a genuine spark of joy. Looks like it's time to teach the little people about spicy food. It might seem odd to teach Shaanxi locals to eat heat, but who said their Tianzun was from around here? He was a Chongqing man.
The Tianzun must lead you astray!
But that could wait. Fun could come later. For now, he had to focus.
The most useful item she brought back was a carrying-pole load of corn.
Corn had been introduced to China around 1531. By the late Ming, it had spread to ten provinces: Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Jiangsu, Anhui, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan.
However, "spread to" did not mean "widely cultivated."
Li Daoxuan had not found any corn being grown in Gao Village, Zheng Family Village, Zhong Family Village, or the dozens of surrounding villages. Even in Chengcheng County town, no one mentioned it. But when Xing Honglang reached Xi'an and made some inquiries, she managed to procure some.
Of course, during the drought, grain prices were terrifyingly high. A single dou of corn was selling for eight hundred copper coins.
Xing Honglang didn't care about the price. She knew that for anything the Tianzun explicitly requested, price was no object. Just buy it. So she brought back an entire pole-load.
Seeing this, Li Daoxuan felt confident.
He lowered his head and spoke to Gao Yiye. "Tell Zhao Sheng to have the Qingjian乡亲 (fellow countrymen) try planting corn. The corn seeds have been brought back by Xing Honglang. These seeds can be distributed to the farmers of Refugee Valley first. After the harvest, they can repay the seed cost to the village treasury."
Zhao Sheng listened, then looked utterly bewildered. "Corn? My apologies… this lowly one has only focused on studying books. I am ignorant of physical labor and cannot distinguish the five grains. I don't even know what 'corn' is. I have embarrassed myself before the Tianzun."
"Not knowing is perfectly normal. No need for undue humility," Li Daoxuan replied. He took out a page he had prepared earlier—"Planting Corn from Scratch: A Primer"—and gently placed it before Zhao Sheng.
He also set down a portion of the accompanying "celestial fertilizer." "You are literate, so I will entrust this method directly to you. Study it carefully and teach the villagers to plant corn according to these instructions. Follow every step strictly, and you will be richly rewarded."
Zhao Sheng looked at the enormous sheet of paper, his heart leaping with joy. Without a doubt, this was an immortal method of cultivation from the celestial realm.
He had heard that the wheat fields of Gao and Zheng Villages had yielded extraordinary harvests thanks to the "celestial fertilizer." Now the Tianzun was bestowing that same fertilizer upon them, along with a miraculous celestial farming technique! Heheh, it seems we Qingjian farmers are about to turn our fortunes around.
(Fact: The corn price mentioned—800 coins per dou during the famine—highlights the extreme inflation of the Chongzhen era. As the Little Ice Age peaked and rebellions spread, grain prices in Shaanxi could be 5-10 times normal levels. Xing Honglang's casual purchase of an entire pole-load represents not just obedience but a staggering investment, showcasing the economic power now concentrated in Gao Village through celestial trade.)