According to the rules of collective punishment, both Lu Zhang and Jia Zheng were implicated. Lu Zhang was the presiding judge, and Jia Zheng was the re-examiner; neither could escape punishment.
The reason for collective punishment was simple: to prevent local officials from colluding to commit crimes for profit and murder.
This was merely a deterrent. When the law was initially established, it was just the beginning; what followed would be thoroughly investigated. If someone was deemed guilty, they were guilty; if not, they weren't.
Lu Zhang was taken away for investigation, and so was Jia Zheng.
A group of officials who had accepted bribes were also implicated—former nobles of Chang'an—thus eliminating another group.
Using this as a breakthrough, they could further consolidate their control over Chang'an.
This was a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy: gaining the upper hand in matters of kinship and securing a foothold in Chang'an. Excellent, brilliant.
Lu Ming was in high spirits, captivated by the charms of Tan Chun and Xi Chun.
Tan Chun demonstrated her resourcefulness, quickly compiling information about Lu Ming's residence within half a day and then beginning to reorganize it.
She established rules and punished servants who stole items.
She also managed all the affairs of the residence, large and small, in which her dowry maids played a significant role.
She truly was a woman comparable to Wang Xifeng, but unfortunately, by the time she took power, the Jia family had already declined beyond repair; otherwise, the outcome would have been uncertain.
Looking at the novel numbers in the account book, they were Arabic numerals, very simple.
There was also a brand-new prop, something called an abacus.
There was also a piece of writing that was somewhat difficult to pronounce, but upon closer reading, it was very impressive, somewhat melodious, and contained hidden mysteries.
"Husband, what is this?" Tan Chun was incredibly surprised, her long hair styled up, making her look so beautiful.
She possessed a healthy, radiant aura, especially after being moistened by semen, making her even more breathtakingly beautiful.
"This is an abacus. Only those in charge of the household and those responsible for accounting are taught this. It's one of the secrets to our rapid rise. These stripes are a script from the Western Regions. I find it very useful, simple and convenient. Arithmetic has always been about simplicity and clarity, which is why the household accounts are all done this way. And this is the abacus. I just figured it out and was planning to call you over so you could learn it first, and then I'd pass it on to my trusted confidants." Lu Ming waited for Lin Daiyu to arrive before explaining the abacus's ingenious uses.
Although initially a little confused, the group listened with great interest.
Each person received an abacus to practice on their own.
They didn't need to be experts, but they had to learn how to use it.
As one of the oldest calculating tools, the abacus certainly had its significance.
In the era before computers, an atomic bomb could be launched using only an abacus, demonstrating its importance.
Popular education is unrealistic at present, so selective teaching is the only option.
Meanwhile, the women around him needed to keep themselves occupied, so they wouldn't get involved in the Jia family's affairs.
The Jia family's situation wasn't good, as they received news from the imperial palace.
Jia Yuanchun had been dismissed from her position as the head of the Fengzao Palace, supposedly for a mistake.
The specific reason remained unknown.
By the time they finally understood the situation, things had become incredibly bad.
Empress He personally ordered a thorough investigation, demanding the arrest of everyone involved, imprisonment, execution, and exile!
Why?
It was because Zhang Quan had recently become involved with Liu Bian, who had developed a penchant for homosexuality and enjoyed watching muscular men perform in their underwear.
Zhang Quan, meanwhile, was working with Jia Yun, a relatively unknown member of the Jia family branch, and had begun venturing into the fabric industry.
As everyone knows, the best fabric was brocade.
The silkworms and mulberry leaves produced in Yizhou were woven into cloth, and after processing, became brocade, which was smooth, flowing, and very easy to dye.
After being transported from Sichuan, the brocade was dyed in Chang'an.
Only then could it be sold at a high price. Sichuan was the place of origin, and Chang'an was the processing center.
The raw brocade wasn't valuable; only after being dyed could it fetch a high price.
Dyeing cloth was a very meticulous process. The formula was kept a closely guarded secret, absolutely confidential.
Even with the formula, skilled workers and master dyers were needed to successfully dye the cloth. The timing, drying time, and other factors all required careful consideration. It wasn't simply a matter of throwing a piece of cloth into a dye vat and taking it out.
Therefore, dyeing cloth was an extremely complex task, and also a very lucrative industry.
From imperial tribute to local tycoons, everyone was a potential buyer and seller.
This industry was already largely established; the market share had been divided up. Therefore, entering the market now, especially with fabrics that were better and more vibrant, was bound to cause conflict!
Four or five large vats, called dyeing vats, were placed to the west of the stove.
The walls of the vats were painted in various colors.
Each vat had a wooden board placed on it, called a vat-carrying board.
After the fabric was taken out of the dyeing vat, it was first placed on the vat-carrying board to drain.
A smooth wooden stake was buried behind the vat. The drained fabric or thread was looped onto the stake, and a short wooden stick was inserted to wring out the water.
Other items included a cloth-grinding stone, a cloth-rolling roller, a cloth-drying rack, a twisted board, vat sticks, and a vat-watching bowl.
The rest was manageable, but the key was controlling the water temperature.
Different colors were sensitive to different water temperatures. In this era without thermometers, controlling the temperature required skill and technique, and that was the real secret.
Even if all the secrets of this house were stolen, without knowing the temperature, the dyed cloth would still be utterly worthless.
A few days ago.
West of Zhengyang Gate, on Dali Temple Middle Street.
A three-story building stood by the street, with a plaque above its wide gate reading "Hengsheng Cloth Shop."
As one of the eight largest cloth shops in Chang'an, Hengsheng's branches not only covered Chang'an but also spanned the southern and northern provinces.
Hengsheng shops could be found in every fertile region of the land.
The owner of Hengsheng, the Wang family of Shandong, was naturally a renowned and wealthy merchant family.
And this gatehouse on Dali Temple Middle Street was now the headquarters of Hengsheng Cloth Shop.