In Wei Wei's view, the medieval Church was truly a religion that no one, especially women, could like.
Unlike the clergy of later generations who truly devoted themselves to God, from the 6th century until the end of the Renaissance, many members of the Church, from the highest-ranking Pope to ordinary priests, were merely hypocrites cloaked in faith.
They collected donations in the name of God, even mandating that everyone pay tithes; they extended their authority across Europe, branding opponents as heretics and executing them in the name of paganism, even the appointment and dismissal of kings had to be sanctioned by the Church for legitimacy.
Wei Wei, not well-versed in history, couldn't fully grasp the intricacies of these power struggles, but one thing was clear to her—these people, who preached loyalty to God and the necessity of celibacy, were committing blasphemous acts without shame, even turning such sacrilege into something that everyone accepted as normal.
Before learning about the "divine" manipulations of the medieval Church, Wei Wei had some goodwill towards it. After all, since ancient times, the Church had been advocating for monogamy and the benefits of legitimate children, prohibiting illegitimate children from inheriting their father's properties. In a way, the status of women in medieval Europe was elevated under the Church's support.
But after understanding the inside story, Wei Wei's goodwill vanished.
Yes, they advocated for monogamy, but not only did they not stop nobles from keeping mistresses, they kept them, along with illegitimate children. At first, they did it secretly, but later openly. By the time of the Renaissance in the 14th century, even the Pope had children, and they didn't hide their chaotic private lives.
Leaving aside whether this violated their doctrines, how could they advocate for monogamy while prohibiting couples from sharing a bed? And in this regard, they weren't just paying lip service as they did with the marital system; they outright banned cohabitation on Mondays to commemorate the deceased, on Thursdays to commemorate Jesus' arrest, on Fridays, the day of Jesus' crucifixion, and on Saturdays to commemorate the Virgin Mary, and on Sundays to commemorate Jesus' resurrection, so all were off-limits.
So, out of a week, five days were off-limits, leaving Tuesday and Wednesday, right?
The answer was still no!
Because these two days often coincided with other religious holidays, so whenever there was a religious holiday, cohabitation was prohibited!!!
Therefore, the number of times couples could be intimate in a year was pitifully few, which explains why noble couples lived separately.
Even the United Nations doesn't regulate as much as you!
So what did men do when they had needs? Simple, just don't be with their wives.
So whether you go to a mistress or a brothel, we agree.
Not only do we agree, but we can also rent out our properties for your use. Would you like to rent the bishop's house? We guarantee no one will disturb you~
Yuck!!!
When Wei Wei read these historical records, she almost vomited in disgust, especially the part about the Renaissance period, which was the most disgusting!
What kind of scum were these? In later times, even without feminism, any woman would have skinned them alive and used their skins as lanterns.
Of course, in Wei Wei's current era, the Church wasn't as chaotic as it later became, but brothels had already been around for who knows how many years, and their justification was that since they couldn't stop brothels from existing, it was better to manage them themselves.
But no matter how noble their reasons, they couldn't hide the immense profits they reaped, and it was these dirty incomes that strengthened the Church, giving it the foundation to rival royal power.
Wei Wei believed that any normal woman, knowing the Church's deeds and living in the same era, couldn't possibly hold any goodwill towards it.
Probably even the most devout believers of the time would have seen these so-called religious figures as heretics, ready to eradicate these clergy corrupted by the devil for God.
Thus, Wei Wei made her dislike for the Church very clear.
"If my future husband dares to go to a brothel or keep a mistress, I'll castrate him immediately."
Wei Wei glanced meaningfully at Felix's unmentionable area, causing him to feel a chill and instinctively shrink back, quickly asserting that he would never set foot in such filthy places or keep a mistress, as he was very self-disciplined.
He had never been to such places when invited by others before, and naturally, he wouldn't in the future!
Wei Wei wasn't worried about Felix knowing her attitude towards the Church.
Because Felix also disliked the Church, though, for different reasons than Wei Wei, he indeed didn't like the Church.
Felix was a noble and had been a knight abroad. Unlike commoners who supported the Church, most nobles, especially powerful kings and lords, didn't have a favorable view of the Church, as it was a rival for power.
From Felix's willingness to offer the insect repellent formula to the king rather than the Church, it was clear he sided with the king.
So Wei Wei wasn't worried that her dislike would cause trouble.
Felix, as expected, didn't say anything about Wei Wei's stance, instead agreeing that he also disliked some of the Church's actions.
The topic quickly passed.
Wei Wei remembered to ask Felix, "Weren't you supposed to collect taxes? Why are you here now?"
Previously, someone in the castle had contracted smallpox, and Felix, as a direct contact, needed to be quarantined, naturally neglecting the harvest in his territory. Fortunately, the harvest and tax collection were mostly handled by the estate managers, and Felix only needed to verify the taxes collected and the yield from the demesne.
But this was Felix's first harvest since inheriting his title, and he took it very seriously, often going out to inspect and estimate the yield. Plus, the earlier incident of the accountant falsifying accounts implicated several estate managers, so Felix didn't trust the current managers much and started randomly checking their tax collection work after the quarantine ended.
Under the Earl's unpredictable inspections, the managers, upon hearing the news, naturally didn't dare to steal the collected grain as before, fearing they'd be beheaded or enslaved if caught.
Of course, not everyone was so compliant, but after one unfortunate manager was caught stealing a whole bag of wheat and executed in front of all the managers, the others didn't dare anymore.
With the managers' restraint and the increased yield this year, after all the grain was collected, Felix found that this year's taxes were a full twenty percent higher than previous years!
He credited this to Wei Wei's fire manure and insect repellent.
Others thought the same.
The farmers had anticipated a good harvest before reaping, but they thought the maximum yield would be twelve hundred pounds per acre, which was already a bumper crop. This year, due to pests, they expected a reduced yield, possibly not even six hundred pounds per acre.
But after harvesting, they found that even the poorest land yielded a thousand pounds per acre, and the fertile lands, like the Earl's demesne, exceeded previous records in Sardinson, reaching over thirteen hundred pounds per acre, with the best plot in Sardinson nearing fourteen hundred pounds.
This was an unprecedented bumper crop, with each household renting several acres seeing an increase of several hundred pounds in yield. Even after paying taxes, what was left was enough to sustain them frugally until the next harvest, without fear of starvation.
And Felix gained even more; the extra twenty percent in grain and taxes, if converted to gold, was worth a thousand gold coins, and all he had invested was the cost of burning fire manure and making insect repellent, which was almost negligible.
It was like earning a thousand gold coins for free!
After the newly hired accountant calculated this, Felix couldn't sit still and immediately came to tell Wei Wei the good news.
"The plot with the highest yield is yours. Your fields yielded more than others."
Wei Wei wasn't aware of this, as she had to focus most of her energy on caring for the three children due to the smallpox outbreak, leaving the fields to George. When George reported to the castle, it was to Felix, as she had to minimize contact with others to avoid spreading the disease.
Even Felix could only interact with Wei Wei after she confirmed the children were no longer contagious.
So this was the first Wei Wei had heard of it.
And Felix, always attentive to Wei Wei's affairs, had frequently visited her hundred-acre field before the harvest. After the yield data came in, he quickly noticed that not only Wei Wei's land but also the surrounding fields yielded more than others.
"That's probably because I had them dig irrigation channels. Plants always need water; relying solely on rain and occasional watering, how could crops grow well?"
Felix found this reasonable and nodded, "Then this winter, I'll have them dig irrigation channels." He was referring to the corvée duties of the serfs.
Wei Wei shook her head, "In winter, the ground is frozen hard, making it difficult to dig. It's better to start now; if done quickly, we can still make it for this year's winter irrigation."
Felix: "Winter irrigation? What's that?"
"It's irrigating the fields in winter to store enough water in the soil, preventing spring droughts, keeping the soil loose, increasing fertility, and killing insect eggs in the ground. There are many benefits."
"But we might not have enough manpower now," Felix was troubled. "We'll soon start planting wheat, and the serfs won't have time."
"Isn't there still over a month?" Wei Wei calculated the time. "It's still timely to plant wheat in September or even October, and we don't need them to dig the channels immediately. They can spend half a day digging, can't they?"
She looked at Felix, "Don't you often organize them for training? Temporarily change the training to digging channels, okay?"
Felix wanted to say that training soldiers and digging channels were two different things, but noticing Wei Wei's gaze, he obediently kept quiet and listened.
"You have to think about the importance of this. After digging the channels, the entire Sardinson Castle's yield will increase. In comparison, what you lose is just a short period of training."
Felix thought about it and agreed that increasing the yield was indeed more meaningful. He could train soldiers anytime, and the serf soldiers were only auxiliaries; the main force of the army was his recruited standing army.
Once convinced, Felix quickly put the plan into action. Wei Wei didn't need to design the irrigation channel routes; Felix consulted those familiar with Sardinson Castle and sought advice from the architect Pierre, soon finalizing the routes.
When the serfs received the Earl's order, they were initially very reluctant. Not every serf was assigned to soldier training; most serfs' corvée was to work for the Earl, and the work at this time was lighter than digging channels, so of course, they were reluctant.
But after the manager announced that if they met the Earl's requirements in digging the channels, the Earl would provide them with a meal, all reluctance disappeared.
Everyone knew their Earl kept his word. Those recruited as soldiers were not only well-fed during training but also received salaries, which made others envious. Unfortunately, they didn't meet the recruitment standards and were excluded, continuing to work for the Earl. If they didn't work well, they'd be whipped by the manager, not to mention food; they had to prepare their water.
The digging time was set in the morning. Now in midsummer, even though Sardinson Castle's weather was relatively cold, the summer temperature could reach thirty-five degrees. Working in such heat was risky, so the serfs were required to start digging at dawn and continue until noon when the temperature rose.
On the first day of digging, the manager told them that if they reached the designated spot by the midday break, they would receive a lunch of stewed beans, cooked by several peasant women by the channel, who also provided herbal tea to cool down.
Although the stewed beans were quite ordinary, and the serfs usually ate such food, these beans weren't their own. Smelling the stew while working, the serfs were very motivated.
And as promised, after work, the manager let the serfs get a bowl of stewed beans. The beans soaked overnight and stewed all morning, were much softer and thicker than what they cooked at home, and the portion was enough to fill their stomachs.
The serfs, required to bring their water jars for drinking and holding beans, were overjoyed when they saw the stewed beans in their jars.
"The Earl is truly generous. I thought we'd only get a bowl of bean soup, but this bowl, taken home and boiled with some water, is enough for a family meal."
After the first day confirmed the Earl's word and generosity, the serfs were even more motivated to dig the channels. If anyone slacked off, other serfs would scold them before the manager could, as the Earl not only provided stewed beans but also allowed them to go home early if they completed the day's work. Who would want to stay longer under the scorching sun?
Thus, before the autumn sowing began, the serfs had dug all the channels. After the channels were filled with water, they found irrigating the fields much easier, and their praise for Felix increased.
Actually, Felix hadn't planned to be so generous initially, but Wei Wei insisted he had to be.
The beans given to the serfs were from last year's harvest. After this year's bumper crop, the granary was overflowing, and they had to clear out some old grain, the cheapest beans.
These beans were originally meant to be sent to the mill and exchanged with the villagers for wheat. The serfs couldn't afford wheat; they exchanged the wheat they grew for cheaper beans and barley, and old beans were cheaper than new ones, so they preferred them.
But Wei Wei thought it better to use these beans as rewards to increase the serfs' work motivation rather than exchange them for wheat.
She knew Felix's thinking was different from hers; he was a typical noble landlord, and expecting him to pity the serfs' hardships was impossible, so she had to approach it differently.
"Look at your granary; it can't hold all the grain now, and next year, even more will be harvested. How can a few beans compare to all that grain? They can't!"
"You have to think, how much wheat can you get by exchanging beans? How much return can you get by feeding the serfs? These people need to be well-fed to have the strength to work, and providing them food will increase their work motivation, speeding up the channel digging. And who benefits most from the channels? You! Your fields will yield more, you'll collect more taxes, and all you've given is some useless beans."
Felix wasn't stupid; he understood quickly. He just hadn't thought of it that way before, so once Wei Wei pointed it out, he could see all the advantages himself.
But what struck Felix was Wei Wei showing him the yield of sweet potatoes in advance.
The potatoes stored in the newly dug cellar had almost made Felix explode with excitement, and facing the even more astonishing yield of sweet potatoes, Felix was numb, not knowing how to react.
"Once your territory is fully planted with crops like sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn, will you still worry about food?"
Not only would he not worry, but with these, he felt he could even feed the entire population of the Pradi Empire with Sardinson County.
After all, they had a small population.
After the numbness, Felix became expansive again; not just a few beans, he was willing to give the serfs even more.
And while the serfs were digging the channels, the manure buried earlier had fermented and was ready to use.
Wei Wei copied the manure usage method and gave it to Felix, who informed the managers to arrange it. Then he gave Wei Wei a gift.
This time, it wasn't jewelry or clothes, but a stack of paper.
A stack of white paper.
Paper-making technology had reached Europe in the 12th century but wasn't widespread until the 14th century. At this time, Felix finding a stack of paper to give to Wei Wei was quite rare.
"I know you like to write; this was bought from the capital, more convenient than parchment."
What Felix didn't say was that this thin sheet of white paper was more expensive than parchment, affordable only by royalty and major nobles, and he had pulled strings to buy these hundred sheets.
But even without Felix saying, Wei Wei could guess the paper wasn't cheap; otherwise, why hadn't such a superior alternative to parchment become widespread?
Wei Wei thought for a moment, then smiled at Felix, "Do you know paper-making was invented in my country?"
Felix:?
China's four great inventions—gunpowder, Wei Wei couldn't tell him about, but paper-making was certainly one.
Noble life was truly luxurious, evident in every aspect. For example, while commoners used wood chips, leaves, or even picked-up stones for toilet needs, nobles used linen.
When Wei Wei wrote plans on parchment, she had thought of making paper but was always too busy. Now, Felix's gift reminded her she could find some people to make paper.
As a time traveler, if you don't make paper or blow glass, can you even call yourself a time traveler?
The materials needed for paper-making were easy to collect: tree bark, old linen, wheat straw, and other fibrous plants were almost everywhere.
All Wei Wei needed to do was write down the paper-making method and have Penny, who volunteered for the job, take the gardener's children to experiment.
Hiring child labor wasn't ideal, but there was no choice. After all her projects kept everyone busy, there were no extra hands in the castle for her to use.
And this task couldn't be given to the serfs outside, so in the end, only Penny and the children were available.
As for Qin? After the Earl's tax collection, she was pulled back to double as an accountant, with no time for this.
So recently, everyone was busy, extremely busy, so much so that Butler Patton had to ask Felix to increase the number of castle servants.
Preferably double.
He had a premonition that the servants now assigned to various tasks might never return to their original duties, like those sent to do accounting, manage, or make essential oils.
Those part-time jobs might become their main work, and cleaning the castle? Taking care of the masters? That's what others were for.
So more people had to be hired, preferably double, or who knows if their esteemed Lady Wei Wei, who had already led his long-trained professional servants astray, would corrupt the new ones, making them forget they were just castle servants, not meant for accounting, managing, or whatever else.
Taking this opportunity, he had to consider finding a suitable relative to train as a successor, as it seemed his nephew Ward would likely be sent by their master—the great Earl Felix Williams—to manage the soon-to-be-established essential oil workshop, leaving the butler's job out of his reach.