Among Dingle's trial-run government departments, there wasn't a Family Planning Commission. Of course, given the current situation, family planning clearly wouldn't suit public sentiment either. However, Wei Wei felt that a Women's Affairs Office was still necessary. They hadn't formally prepared for it before, but it would certainly need to be established in the future.
As for the examinees, they were almost all men, with virtually no female participants. This wasn't because women were barred from registering, but rather because most ordinary women had no education at all. Those who did receive an education were mainly noble girls or daughters from wealthy families, and their main goal in life was to marry well; working simply wasn't part of their life plan. So ever since Sardinson began its civil service exams, no women had participated.
However, after Sardinson opened more factories, more and more women stepped out of their homes to work. Many commoner women gained employment opportunities, and since promotion in the factories was based on ability rather than gender from the very start, many women gradually realized the importance of knowledge. As education began to spread, both male and female subjects in Sardinson had access to schooling. Children were sent to school, and adults actively attended literacy classes. Finally, this year, some women realized they too could take the civil service exam like men and become government officials under the lord.
Thus, this year, there were finally some women who signed up for the exam. Although the number was still small, it was a good beginning nonetheless.
Wei Wei said they should strengthen publicity efforts and, if necessary, choose an outstanding woman among these female candidates to serve as an example in promotional materials, so that everyone would understand that as long as they had the ability, anyone—regardless of gender—could become part of the government.
The expressions of the examiners and proctors varied. It was obvious not everyone agreed with Wei Wei's statement that women could also become civil servants, but no one dared to openly object, nor did they have the standing to do so.
First, because the Women's Affairs Office was already in the planning stages, everyone was aware of its proposed duties. Most of its work involved interacting with women, and the Women's Affairs Officer would even need to help women handle domestic issues—something truly unsuitable for men. A misunderstanding from a husband could easily create trouble.
Secondly, it wasn't as if they could claim that women were less capable than men—after all, the clearest example stood right before them. Sardinson's prosperity was largely credited to Wei Wei. Her ability was undeniable, especially to those who worked under her and knew her best. For them to claim in front of her that "women are inferior to men" would not only make them feel guilty but could also lead to the duchess forming a negative opinion of them. If that happened, the duke would only have an even worse opinion of them afterward. Would they still keep their positions then? So, for the sake of their futures, they dared not say a word.
Thus, they had to agree to this matter and do it well. If they were perceived as paying lip service or lacking competence, it would be disastrous. Although they were already part of the system, who wouldn't want to go even further? Now that the count had become a duke, their future stage was even larger. The examinees all dreamed of one day becoming town mayors or even city lords, perhaps even earning a noble title. Wouldn't these officials harbor the same ambition?
So the work not only had to be done, but had to be done beautifully.
As Wei Wei was walking and talking, she paused momentarily at one of the exam rooms because she spotted a familiar figure.
The castle had many servants coming and going. Some stayed on as servants, while others, due to outstanding ability, were promoted to managerial roles or assigned to other jobs. For example, many lower-level managers in their factories and trading fleets had once been servants. Among them, the best-performing one was Butler Barton's nephew, Warton. He was now the director of the essential oil and perfume factory, responsible for production and fragrance formulation. He had even studied alongside the perfumers under Wei Wei's guidance for a while. He was the one who had helped Wei Wei burn manure during her early experiments. So even after he no longer worked in the castle, she still knew him quite well.
She didn't expect to see Warton in the exam room.
However, there was no rule forbidding factory workers from taking the exam. Some examinees had been born as serfs. As long as they passed, although their legal status wouldn't change, they wouldn't be trapped on the estate like other serfs anymore. Their work conditions would be the same as free citizens, though they'd still need Felix or Wei Wei's special permission to leave the territory.
So far, fewer than ten serfs had ever received special permission. Serfs had more work obligations than free citizens; even children had to start working for the lord at a certain age, leaving them almost no opportunity for study. Before that, they had no access to education at all. Thus, those few serfs who managed to stand out in the exams were either people who had already received an education before being forced into serfdom or geniuses with extraordinary talent and fast learning speed. Such people were extremely rare—maybe one in several thousand.
Therefore, if even serfs could take the exam, of course, Warton—who wasn't a serf—could too. But seeing the factory director here made Wei Wei worry whether he was planning to resign.
Still, though she was concerned, she didn't go into question him right away. Instead, she quietly left and decided to call him in for a talk after the exam ended.
After completing her inspection tour around the exam halls, she left the university before the exam finished. Together with Crown Prince Edward, she went to visit the nearby noble residential district.
At this point, nearly all the houses in this noble residential area had been reserved. Initially, only a few nobles from the royal capital bought houses out of courtesy. But after the king purchased houses here for both of his sons, the nobles started scrambling to follow suit. If Wei Wei hadn't deliberately held back some units from being sold, by the time they left the capital, all the noble manors in the new city would have been sold out.
Later, word spread back to Sardinson. Local and neighboring nobles who could afford it didn't even bother to view the houses; they all declared that they must buy one. To them, the house itself didn't matter—the real value was in currying favor with the duke and having a chance to be neighbors with the crown prince.
Thus, all these houses were reserved, but most buyers had never even seen what they looked like.
Today, Wei Wei brought the crown prince along precisely to let him see his new home.
The houses in this area all had identical exteriors and floor plans. Owners could renovate later once they moved in. At present, every detail—even the gardens—looked the same, and riding through in a carriage gave one the illusion of going in circles.
The house left for the crown prince was located in the center of the entire noble district. Next to it was the one left for Andrew, and on the other side was the one Felix had reserved for himself. Directly opposite the crown prince's house was the Duke of Devonshire's residence. One could say that the houses in the very center were arranged strictly by rank and status. Beyond these central homes, the rest were sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Thus, those nobles who signed early got a bargain; they ended up sandwiched among major nobles, becoming their neighbors, and thus gaining chances to visit, though only after everyone moved in, of course.
After the carriage stopped, Wei Wei personally led the crown prince inside. All the houses had the same layout, and many convenient facilities such as water supply, heating, and toilets were improved versions based on Wei Wei's villa. Moreover, since the glass factory had been improving flat glass manufacturing, these houses now had large windows with big glass panes. Both the exterior and interior resembled noble residences from the eighteenth or nineteenth century (if you need a reference, think of a smaller-scale Downton Abbey mansion).
To be honest, before coming here, Crown Prince Edward didn't have much expectation for this house. He had been living quite comfortably in Sardinson and had seen a lot, but he had to admit that the housing conditions there were much worse than in the capital. Sardinson Castle itself, while not falling into disrepair, was still an old structure, heavily aged. As for the houses where other subjects lived, they were even more basic—finding even a slightly beautiful building was difficult.
However, the new city was completely different. Not to mention the Hogwarts-inspired university or those other public buildings that, even in passing, looked exquisite and unique like works of art—even these uniform houses were exceptionally refined.
Once he stepped inside, the impression became even stronger. Even in the royal palace, indoor lighting was poor. Though there were large windows in the rooms used by the royal family, those areas were only a small part. Other corridors and passageways were often windowless, remaining dark even during the day, needing torches or candles for light.
These houses, however, were completely different. The layouts were square and spacious, with large windows lining both sides of the central hallway. Although the light was still a bit dim, it was far better than the pitch-black corridors he was used to. Each room on either side had large windows without exception, and bedrooms and guest rooms even had balconies. The indoor lighting was excellent. Although there was no furniture yet, the intricate carvings on the walls and vaulted ceilings were magnificent, with some ceiling arches even adorned with murals. The entire building, inside and out, was like a work of art. Moreover, the ventilation was excellent, keeping the interior warm in winter and cool in summer, making it extremely suitable for living.
After seeing the house, Crown Prince Edward was already eagerly imagining how he would decorate it. Although he probably wouldn't stay there often, even just spending a month each year would make for an excellent vacation retreat.
Seeing that there was still time, Wei Wei took him to visit the nearby Chinese-style park and then to tour several nearly completed public buildings, including even the half-built city hall. Among them, the Chinese-style park left Felix amazed. He felt that the park alone was worth visiting—though it wasn't yet complete, it was already beautiful. Once it was finished, he vowed to come back and explore it properly.
After touring with the crown prince, they returned to the castle. Although Edward very much wanted to stay in his new house, it didn't even have furniture yet. Even if he contacted people to furnish it immediately, it would take time. He couldn't stay there just yet.
Although he couldn't stay in his own new house, he could still stay at the duke's villa. Wei Wei had originally planned to move from the castle to the villa during the winter, freeing up the castle for renovations. The villa had been completed for several years, but she had only stayed there for a few days. It felt wasteful to leave it unused, so now it finally had a purpose.
However, the villa wasn't large. After accommodating their family and a few guests, there wasn't much space left for servants. So they needed to carefully choose who would come along and who would remain at the castle or temporarily return home.
On the second day of the exam, Wei Wei called Warton in to ask about his intentions.
"I never intended to resign as factory director." Suddenly summoned to discuss this, Warton nervously clutched his hat.
He explained that he hadn't taken the exam to become a civil servant. Although a government job was indeed tempting for someone like him, born a commoner, he was currently a trusted confidant of the duke and served as director of the highly secretive perfume factory. Warton knew that if he resigned, even if he got into a government department, his prospects might not be better than now. Worse, it might make the duke question his loyalty—after all, he didn't merely oversee one production step like an assembly line worker; he held the secrets of essential oil production and perfume formulation. If he were bribed by others, those secrets could be exposed. He understood that, for both public and private reasons, the duke would never truly let him leave.
"I just wanted to prove myself through the exam," he said.
Warton's idea was simple. With the rise of the civil service exams, more and more people viewed passing as a mark of honor and began valuing academic knowledge. Warton himself had never attended university but had received private education and believed his knowledge was decent. However, he had no formal credentials, and he was somewhat prideful. So he wanted to use the exam to prove his competence, gain greater respect from others, and further earn the duke and duchess's recognition.
He had planned to quietly take the exam, and if he passed, he would announce it as good news and decline any job offer. If he failed, it would be embarrassing, so he would keep it secret.
He hadn't expected Wei Wei to spot him among so many candidates and even call him in for a personal talk.
Afraid of being misunderstood, he quickly explained everything.
Once she knew he wasn't planning to change jobs, Wei Wei was relieved. After all, his position was indeed critical, and she had truly been worried about information leaks. Just as he had thought, if he had wanted to leave, she would have had to inform Felix and let him handle it.
If it had come to that, the outcome might not have been so simple.
Now that it turned out to be a misunderstanding, she could finally rest easy.
When Warton left, he had just stepped out of the study when he saw Butler Barton standing there with a dark face.
Instantly, he lost all confidence.
Butler Barton looked at his distant nephew with a mixture of disappointment and anger. He had originally hoped to groom him as a butler, but the boy wanted to manage operations instead. Later, he was assigned to be factory director, which turned out to be a good path, and Barton was satisfied. Now, seeing that he had secretly taken the civil service exam, Barton thought he was trying to switch careers again and had come here specifically to block him.
"Come with me!" Barton said sternly. He had to give him a good talking-to today—otherwise, this boy would become more and more reckless. If the duke misunderstood and thought he wanted to leave, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing the exam opportunity; it could cost him his life.
Barton didn't bother with any formalities. He reached out and grabbed his nephew's ear, dragging him away while Warton cried out in pain.
Such a worrisome boy needed a proper lesson.
Wei Wei could hear Warton's pained cries even through the door. But since it was a family matter between uncle and nephew, she didn't interfere.
She stood up to stretch, then walked out onto the balcony to rest her eyes while enjoying the view. Looking down, she happened to see the slave quarters outside the castle.
This year, the number of slaves had increased again. They were all purchased from slave traders. In Pradi, as long as a native hadn't committed a crime, they would rather become serfs than slaves. Thus, most of these slaves were bought from abroad. Because of labor shortages, they kept buying batch after batch. Now, looking out, the cluster of houses was almost the size of a small town, housing probably three to four thousand people.
Of course, part of this number included newborn children from the past two years. Children born to slaves also became slaves. Life for slaves in Sardinson wasn't bad—they lived in mixed communities, and many had formed families, resulting in a steady stream of new births each year. Wei Wei hadn't checked the exact numbers, but there had to be at least one or two hundred newborns. It wasn't rare to see slaves carrying babies while working.
However, the sheer number of slaves was indeed a bit excessive. Not even other nobles, or the royal family, would buy so many slaves. Most lords used serfs to work their lands, since for them, there was no real difference between using serfs or slaves—both were private property. Aside from not being able to kill them at will (though even that could be easily circumvented), they treated serfs like slaves. Moreover, serfs were cheaper than slaves, so nobles naturally preferred to buy serfs.
Owning too many slaves could also create unnecessary trouble, easily arousing suspicions of raising a private army.
Wei Wei leaned on the balcony railing, resting her chin on her hand, tapping her cheek with her finger as she pondered.
Not long after, the managers in charge of the slaves received an order from the duchess. They were instructed to make a list of slaves who had performed well and worked diligently, regardless of age, gender, or specific work duties, and to submit the names to her.
The managers assumed she wanted to select slaves for some important task, so they carefully listed everyone they thought performed well. They included not only names but also basic personal information and special skills—after all, many people shared names, and listing only names could easily cause confusion.
In the end, the list turned into a dossier. Though it lacked photos, it was practically like a résumé.
Wei Wei skimmed through the records and had people inquire further about specific individuals. After a few days, news spread that shocked every slave to the core—they thought they must have misheard.
Their esteemed duchess was going to free a portion of slaves from their status and convert them into serfs!
For nobles, there wasn't much difference between slaves and serfs. But for the individuals themselves, the distinction was immense.
Serfs believed that apart from not owning land and not being able to leave the lord's territory freely, they weren't different from ordinary free citizens. Many serfs lived better lives than some free citizens. Especially in Sardinson, serfs working for the ducal family received the same wages as free citizens and could even work in factories previously off-limits to them. Many felt they were better off than some free citizens.
Slaves, however, belonged entirely to the lord, even their lives. If not for the kindness of the duke and duchess—providing housing, clothing, and enough food—many would have died during the winter, especially the elderly and children.
Although no slave in Sardinson had died yet, slaves still felt their status was much lower than serfs.
If given a choice, no slave would want to remain one. Most had originally been commoners captured and sold into slavery. While they had struggled as free people, they still longed for that life, especially after seeing how Sardinson's commoners lived. How could they not hope for such a future?
Yet everyone knew that once enslaved, it meant generations of slavery, an unbreakable fate.
No one expected that one day they might actually escape that destiny.
When the managers announced the news, the slaves didn't dare believe it, staring blankly at the speaker, thinking they were dreaming.
But as the manager read out names, people were pulled aside to verify identities. Very quickly, one hundred names were called, and those people were gathered together.
There were old and young, men and women, singles and families. Their circumstances varied, but they all shared one trait—they were the most hardworking slaves.
Looking closely, about thirty of them were from the original hundred-plus slaves who had been in the castle when Wei Wei first arrived. Perhaps because they had always been slaves, they particularly cherished their current life, working even harder than those who had previously been free commoners or serfs captured and sold into slavery. Thus, a higher proportion of them were selected.
Of course, not all the original slaves were diligent—some were lazier than others. In the end, only thirty of them were chosen.
Once everyone realized this wasn't a dream and that the chosen slaves would truly become serfs, moving out to live and work alongside other serfs, the remaining slaves felt a mix of envy and regret. Many told themselves to work harder and hoped they, too, might someday escape slavery. Meanwhile, those who had been lazy before felt deep remorse.
If they had known that they could earn freedom by working diligently, they would have given it their all.
Now, their past laziness had left an impression on the managers. In future selections, they would naturally not be considered first.
They could only wonder: was it still possible to change their fate if they repented and worked hard from now on?