From Gao Village Family, the convoy first followed a stretch of concrete road all the way to Zhengjia Village. After that, the terrain changed completely. The smooth road disappeared, replaced by an S-shaped mountain dirt road that Li Dao Xuan had personally carved out using a metal scraper.
The road wound down like a coiled dragon. Every turn was uneven, every slope sharp. Yet it was still far better than the original mountain path. Following this rough but usable road downward, the convoy finally left the mountain region and officially entered Heyang County territory.
From there, continuing east along the dirt road led them to Yang Village.
Yang Village was no longer quiet.
A large number of laborers were already working there, building roads under a work-for-relief system funded by Gao Village Family wages. The sound of digging, shouting, and hauling filled the air like a living heartbeat of construction. Dust rose in waves, but the mood among the workers was not bitter. It was alive, almost excited.
Gao Yiye looked at the scene from the carriage and felt warmth in her chest.
"The common people of Heyang County are now like those in Cheng County," she said softly. "They have work. They have food. Wherever Dao Xuan Tianzun goes, people can live properly."
Qiu Ju leaned slightly forward and replied, "Exactly. Dao Xuan Tianzun is truly a good person. No, a good immortal."
Dong Xue added in a quieter tone, almost nostalgic, "If not for Tianzun's help, we would still be trapped in that brothel. Thinking about it now feels like another lifetime entirely."
Gao Yiye gently reached out and held both of their hands.
"Don't think about the past anymore. That life is already over."
The two maids nodded, their eyes slightly red but calm.
Their convoy was extremely eye-catching.
More than a hundred fully armed militia soldiers escorted them, weapons polished, armor aligned, steps disciplined. In the center was a large carriage. The curtain was lifted just slightly, revealing a young woman sitting inside, quietly observing the outside world.
The moment they appeared, the workers along the roadside began whispering.
"Whose noble family is this? Such a formation…"
"Are you blind? That's the Saintess of Dao Xuan Tianzun."
"Dao Xuan Tianzun? Who is that again?"
"You forgot? The last time we prayed for rain, who did Master Ma Tianzheng pray to?"
"Oh… I remember now. That immortal who summoned the Four Sea Dragon Kings to bring rain!"
"That's right. Never forget who dug the well when you drink water. The rain we got, the work we have now, all of it is thanks to Dao Xuan Tianzun."
"And this job that gives us three catties of flour every day… also from him."
"Show respect. All of you. That is the Saintess."
The message spread quickly like wind over dry grass.
One by one, as the carriage passed, the workers dropped to their knees on both sides of the road. Some bowed deeply, others pressed their foreheads to the ground. They had no formal ritual, no structured etiquette, only raw gratitude they did not know how to express properly.
Inside the carriage, Qiu Ju peeked out and reported quietly.
"Saintess, everyone is kneeling toward us."
Gao Yiye gave a faint smile.
"The more they understand Tianzun's kindness, the more sincere they become," she said. "I only hope that one day, all people under heaven can live like this."
After passing Yang Village, the convoy turned southeast.
The land slowly opened up into flat farmland.
This region had already been rotated through rain blessings by Li Dao Xuan. The soil was moist, dark, and soft. Farmers were already busy in the fields, bending low under the spring sun, planting seeds with urgent but hopeful movements.
It was the spring of Chongzhen Year Three.
The season of planting.
The timing of the rain had been perfect. It was as if heaven itself had been adjusted by a careful hand. The farmers worked faster than ever before, as though afraid that even a moment of delay would waste this divine opportunity. The entire plain stretched out like a living painting of renewal.
From Yang Village to Heyang County was more than twenty li. The terrain was flat, and the convoy moved quickly. In just over an hour, they arrived at the city gates.
Because they had not sent advance notice, the county magistrate Feng Jun had no preparation at all.
At the gate, two old soldiers were on duty.
When they saw a heavily armed militia force approaching, they were instantly alarmed. One of them even reached for the alarm bell, ready to strike it.
But before they could act, several local villagers rushed forward shouting.
"Don't ring it! That is the Saintess of Dao Xuan Tianzun!"
"The same immortal who brought rain to our lands!"
The soldiers froze.
After a brief hesitation, they slowly lowered the hammer, then opened the gates.
Soon, the news rushed into the county like wildfire. Officials scrambled. Servants ran. The county office erupted into chaos wrapped in urgency.
Feng Jun hurried out in full official attire, straightening his robe and adjusting his hat as quickly as possible.
When he saw Gao Yiye, he paused.
He remembered her.
She had once called herself the "First Madam of the Li family."
Now she stood here as the Saintess of Dao Xuan Tianzun.
Feng Jun's mind turned quickly.
Dao Xuan Tianzun's mortal identity was Li Dao Xuan. If she called herself Madam Li, and also Saintess, then both identities were probably part of the same power structure. In simple terms, it did not matter what title she used.
What mattered was one thing.
This was the core representative of Gao Village Family.
That was enough.
Feng Jun stepped forward and greeted formally.
"Madam Li, Manager San, May I ask what brings you to Heyang County?"
Gao Yiye no longer needed translation. She had already developed a calm, authoritative presence.
"We are here for one purpose," she said. "We want to develop a coal mine in Heyang County."
"A mine?" Feng Jun blinked in surprise.
"Yes," Gao Yiye continued smoothly. "We intend to contract the Jinshuigou coal mine."
At that moment, Feng Jun's expression stiffened.
His smile froze slightly, then turned complicated.
Coal mines.
Those were not simple matters.
Since the founding of the Great Ming, private mining had officially been forbidden. In earlier years, illegal mining had even led to armed rebellions and direct clashes with imperial troops.
But by the mid dynasty, enforcement had weakened. By the Chongzhen era, the situation had become unmanageable. In regions like the capital outskirts, Jiangnan, and Shanxi, private mining operations had quietly spread everywhere.
The system had evolved into something informal but functional. Private owners operated mines, and in theory paid one quarter of production as tax. In reality, no one could accurately measure output, so everything depended on negotiation between mine owners and local officials.
If the owner had influence, the tax could be reduced. If the owner had strong backing, it could disappear entirely.
As a result, mining had become a tangled web of profit and corruption.
In Jiangnan, powerful merchants and officials colluded, and the court saw almost none of the revenue.
That chaos eventually forced a reaction.
And that reaction came from Wei Zhongxian.
Though the eunuch of ten thousand years was infamous for many harsh and controversial actions, he had one decisive move: he forced mining operations in Jiangnan to pay real taxes and stop hiding profits.
That single decision offended nearly the entire Jiangnan officialdom.
Feng Jun thought of this history.
Then suddenly,
A warm rush hit his nose.
Blood.
It flowed down without warning.
"Lord Feng, your nose is bleeding," Gao Yiye said, slightly startled.
"Ah?" Feng Jun quickly wiped it with his sleeve.
The blood streaked across his face in a crooked line, his hand trembling as if even his body could not stay steady.
He forced his voice into something stable, though it cracked slightly at the edges.
"Madam Li wishes to contract the Jinshuigou coal mine…?" he said slowly. "This matter… I must speak frankly… ever since the death of Wei Zhongxian, the court's mining tax policies have become somewhat… complicated."
He paused, then added with visible hesitation.
"This mine… is not easy to handle."