Chu Zhaoning also felt some resentment in her heart. Since she had already time-traveled, why was there another time-traveler here? The other person seemed even more formidable—not only had they produced refined sugar and fine salt, but they had also invented cement and cannons! Meanwhile, she could only stare blankly at the soap she had made, which no one was willing to buy due to its high price, except for a few noble families who sought to curry favor with her husband.
Seeing her fluctuating expression, Prince Xiang’s face darkened before he finally said, "Don’t worry. I’ve already sent spies to infiltrate Liangzhou. Soon, we’ll steal their secrets."
But as Chu Zhaoning looked at the man before her, she felt regret for the first time. She had traveled through time to enjoy a life of luxury, yet now it seemed Prince Xiang’s downfall was only a matter of time. She wondered if that other time-traveler would accept her.
Yes! She suddenly thought of a perfect solution.
Prince Xiang never expected that his opponent not only wielded advanced weapons but also operated a spy network centuries ahead of its time. Fang Zhiyi had directly established a secret police force—something he was all too skilled at—so the moment Prince Xiang’s spies set out, he received word.
Prince Xiang was destined never to see his spies return. Worse yet, his wife had disappeared.
Fang Zhiyi didn’t order his secret police to stop Chu Zhaoning from fleeing to the territory of the Taiping Dao. Some decisions weren’t his to make, and right now, there was a more pressing matter to resolve.
His Minister of Agriculture and newly appointed Minister of Transportation were currently arguing. The Minister of Agriculture insisted that oxen should be used in the fields, while the Minister of Transportation believed they could also serve in transportation—and even presented Fang Zhiyi with his new plan:
"Public Ox-Carts."
Pulled by several oxen, these carts would stop at regular intervals to let passengers on and off while switching out the oxen. This, he claimed, would solve many commoners’ travel difficulties.
The Minister of Agriculture vehemently opposed the idea, arguing that the budget required far too many oxen just to travel from Liangzhou to Jizhou. It was unacceptable.
Fang Zhiyi, tired of their bickering, kicked them both out and told them to gather representatives from the populace to vote on the matter.
He felt he had done enough—now, it was just a matter of wrapping things up.
Chu Zhaoning, accompanied by her personal maid, stepped onto the soil of Liangzhou. The maid marveled at the smooth cement roads, but Chu Zhaoning scolded her for being unsophisticated. In her heart, she was already fantasizing about the luxurious life she would have after defecting to Fang Zhiyi’s side.
Would he know how to make a washing machine?
In reality, she never even got to meet Fang Zhiyi. Instead, she was received by Chu Chaofeng—the father she had once imprisoned.
Chu Chaofeng stared at his daughter, his eyes filled with a mix of hatred and helplessness, which ultimately dissolved into a long sigh.
"Our bond as father and daughter is severed. Let us each go our own way."
With that, Chu Chaofeng left.
Chu Zhaoning didn’t care. Especially seeing her father dressed in clothes stained with coal dust, she wanted nothing to do with him. She clamored to see Fang Zhiyi, only to be thrown out onto the street. Enraged, she lashed out—after all, ever since her transmigration, her father had been a powerful figure, and everyone had deferred to her. After marriage, her husband had been a regional overlord, and she had lived in privilege. Yet today, mere servants dared to shove her around?
She cursed loudly in the street and hurled a few objects in anger. But then, out of nowhere, an older woman appeared, holding a bamboo basket.
"Littering—fine!"
Chu Zhaoning froze. "A fine?"
"That’s right. The Ministry of Health’s rule—littering in public, fined."
"Go to hell! Of all the things to copy, you pick this?!" Chu Zhaoning screamed. She couldn’t believe these ancient people had been corrupted like this!
As her outburst escalated, a squad of soldiers quickly approached and arrested her.
Her maid was given a stern lecture. Learning they were new immigrants, the officer in charge took the maid to complete paperwork, leaving only the still-shrieking Chu Zhaoning behind.
For refusing to admit guilt, Chu Zhaoning was imprisoned for several days. Each day, she was forced into public service, cleaning the streets. The food was terrible, and the prison cell was the same as the old-fashioned ones. Unable to endure it any longer, she finally confessed. The guard, seeing her compliance, lectured her briefly before releasing her.
Standing on the bustling street, Chu Zhaoning felt an unprecedented sense of panic.
Little Hei reported Chu Zhaoning’s situation to Fang Zhiyi, who chuckled. "You think just because she parrots ‘equality for all’ that she truly believes in it? What she wants is for others to be equal while she rides atop them, enjoying the privileges of this so-called equality."
Due to transportation limitations, the war for unification lasted ten years. By the end, the banners of the Taiping Dao flew across the entire land of Huaxia.
The exiled local magnates weren’t executed—instead, they were all brought to Liangzhou, where Fang Zhiyi had prepared an ideological re-education program for them. There, Prince Xiang also reunited with his wife. The once-vivacious woman was now unrecognizable, wearing a red armband as she chased off street vendors who violated regulations. When their eyes met, an indescribable emotion passed between them.
Since its founding, the Taiping Dao had transformed the feudal societal structure. All industries flourished, and under Fang Zhiyi’s leadership, agriculture, industry, and commerce advanced rapidly. Talented individuals emerged continuously, inventing new tools based on existing foundations. Even the steam engine—once only described by the Great Heavenly Master—was researched and developed by scholars. These ten years would later be known as the Decade of Technological Explosion.
When the northern barbarians raided the Central Plains again, they discovered that the once-slightly-superior giant had become something far more terrifying. The people of the Central Plains wielded fire-spitting, roaring machines that crushed their proud cavalry. Then, they stormed into the grasslands, where their once-fierce warriors became docile and "talented in singing and dancing" before the pitch-black barrels of guns, their former valor nowhere to be seen.
Fang Zhiyi seemed eager to see how far this world could develop. It wasn’t until the age of seventy-five that he finally departed.
The first—and last—Great Heavenly Master of the Taiping Dao passed away, and the entire nation mourned. The people spontaneously gathered to send him off.
Then, in the 319th year of the Taiping Dao, another time-traveler arrived in this world.
"Where… is this?" the time-traveler asked his system the moment he woke up.
"Answering Host: This is the ancient past, with a civilization equivalent to the Jin Dynasty of your original world."
"Hell yeah! My skills are about to change history!" The time-traveler danced with excitement. "Time to give these ancients a little taste of technological shock! Hahahaha, studying STEM was the right choice!"
"Wait… what’s that?"
"Something’s off… Why does that guard look like a robot?"
"...Why is that building standing up?"
"Waaah! I want to go home!"