Chapter 331: Volume One, Chapter 331 They Have Arrived

Volume One, Chapter 331 They Have Arrived

Rong Luoge didn't delay and went straight to the Weaving Workshop; the moment she entered she sensed an atmosphere of excitement. Indeed, everyone wore a joyous expression, especially the workshop artisans, who, upon seeing her, bowed with particular respect and enthusiasm.

Rong Luoge wore a puzzled expression as she walked in, and halfway through she ran into Kang Shufei, who was coming out to greet her.

When Kang Shufei saw the Empress, she became so excited that she lost composure, "Your Majesty, good news, good news!"

"What good news?" Rong Luoge asked with a smile, looking at Kang Shufei. She wondered what news could make Kang Shufei so excited; she thought carefully but couldn't recall any recent event that would cause such excitement.

"Your Majesty, people… artisan households, many artisan households…" Kang Shufei, unable to contain her excitement, began coughing, losing her breath.

Artisan households, many artisan households…

Rong Luoge suddenly recalled something, looked at Kang Shufei, and asked, "Do you mean many artisan households have arrived?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Kang Shufei caught her breath, her face flushed. "Your Majesty, our Weaving Workshop has long wanted to expand, but we lacked enough artisan households. Now we have them, all brought from various regions with their families."

After her surprise, Rong Luoge immediately recalled the time she had uncovered a corner of the noble family's wall; she hadn't expected news so quickly, and her heart raced for a moment.

Although she thought that with such favorable conditions, anyone who wanted to live properly wouldn't let it slip easily, she couldn't be sure that the ancient people's mindset would be the same, possessing such determination and boldness, as well as the courage and ability to escape.

But they really have arrived.

Those who had been crouching in the shadows beneath the noble family's walls, unable to see daylight, and those common folk who could only live in darkness under the label of black households, have stepped out; they really have arrived.

Rong Luoge looked at Kang Shufei and asked, "How many have arrived?"

"Your Majesty, there are currently fifty‑six households registered, and according to them, many more are on the way. Your Majesty, they are truly miserable; the Concubine sees their tattered clothes and emaciated frames and cannot imagine how they lived before." Kang Shufei had once been a sheltered lady of the inner chambers, surrounded by servants dressed in fine household attire. She had seen the tenant families of her own house, but they were not as wretched as these people.

She had never known that, in corners of the world beyond her awareness, people could live so miserably.

"Where did they all come from?" Rong Luoge asked again.

"Mostly from the south; there are also some from farther north, but only a few households." Kang Shufei said while leading the Empress further inside, "The Concubine has already had them recorded in the register—native origin, population, previous occupations, and what they did—clearly written, so the Empress can see at a glance."

Rong Luoge followed Kang Shufei to examine the register; after a pass through, she found that most entries were families of four or five, some of three, some couples of two, and others solitary individuals.

Without exception, they were all seeking household registration and artisan status, desiring a stable place to settle.

Rong Luoge couldn't articulate her feelings; she looked at Kang Shufei and asked, "Will they be recorded separately according to what they can do, so that those who can stay at the Weaving Workshop, those who don't know weaving but wish to learn can stay, and those who don't want to learn other crafts can be arranged elsewhere?"

"Yes, the Concubine will do it immediately, but Your Majesty, how will we temporarily accommodate so many?"

The fifty‑six artisan households are not many, but together they amount to several hundred individuals.

"First settle them at the Glazed Tile Workshop; there are houses there for them to stay in," Rong Luoge told Kang Shufei. When the Glazed Tile Workshop's workshop was expanded, she and Han Xinglan had agreed to build a batch of houses—nothing fancy, just enough to shelter from wind and rain—and now they could be used for them.

Once everyone begins generating income, the infrastructure can catch up. At present the Imperial household has no surplus grain, so they can only make do for now.

However, Rong Luoge knows that even these makeshift houses, which seem adequate to her, are probably beyond what these artisan households can even imagine.

"I'll have Shi An come to help you; he's more familiar with the Glazed Tile Workshop, so arranging things will be easier," Rong Luoge said.

Kang Shufei naturally welcomed it, "Thank you, Your Majesty; this truly resolves the Concubine's urgent need."

Rong Luoge looked at Kang Shufei, "You've worked hard; I know this matter is both tedious and troublesome. Later I will commend you before His Majesty."

Kang Shufei waved her hands hurriedly, "Your Majesty, please don't say that. You don't know, I never imagined a dignified lady of a noble family doing such things—it would be so shameful. Yet now I feel what I do is good, helping many people; I finally understand why His Majesty and the Empress strive for the people's benefit."

In her eyes, the lowly tenant families, like ants, and the unseen black households were beings she deemed unworthy of even a glance.

But now, seeing the artisan households' respect for her, and the black commoners' yearning gazes when they look at her, she realized these people only want to live, to live well, and nothing more.

Yet families like hers are indeed the chief exploiters of these people, and she felt ashamed.

Previously, her life was confined to the four corners of the rear courtyard; she didn't know the world beyond was so vast. She now sees many people and events she could not see before, and realizes that many things she thought were right were actually wrong.

Even a single simple meal for them suffices a household's food consumption for an entire month.

Kang Shufei had once been grateful to the Empress for giving her another path, but now she respects the Empress.

Having grown up in a rural village, she now sees how the Empress's broad‑heartedness leaves her with no place to stand, filling her with deep shame.

Rong Luoge hadn't expected Kang Shufei to say that; she looked at her in surprise and then said, "Kang Shufei, I am surprised you think that way, but I am even more pleased. Life is only a few short decades; while alive we must do things that make us happy. There is a saying in the court: one should govern according to one's position. We women may not have the lofty ambitions of the spirited ministers, but we can start small. How one lives is also a practice; I think our mindsets at this moment are the same, and that is enough. Across the world, there are still many common people struggling to survive like them; we may not achieve grand deeds, but at least we are willing to act."

Rong Luoge never imagined that the self‑preserving person she once was, after spending much time with Han Xinglan, would voluntarily shoulder the nation, the people, and the subjects.

She had previously been just an ordinary woman, content to live a carefree life.

But now she is the mother of a nation and can no longer be someone who merely gets by.

"Your Majesty, the Empress, the Concubine feels the luckiest thing is having met you," Kang Shufei bowed deeply. Indeed, life gains meaning.

She cannot save all living beings, but she can start by saving herself.

She feels very happy.