Chapter 146: Tired

When Li Xianxiu arrived in Shangjing, she was once again shocked by the prosperity of the city. She had not read much, so she could not describe what she saw in words, but she had heard from her elders that the heavenly palace where the gods lived was probably like this!

The high city walls, the smooth and clean roads, and the shops on both sides of the road...the shop windows are inlaid with glittering things, as beautiful as gems!

Not only her, but the others in the group also opened their mouths wide, looking around. The soldiers who were checking them couldn't help but curl their lips at their ignorant appearance, and the pride in their hearts burst out. This is Daqi, their capital!

Liao Yu, the Minister of Honglu Temple, was still in charge of receiving them. He did not treat Goguryeo as casually as he did Japan. After all, Goguryeo would send people to deliver gifts every year, and it was peaceful and stable on weekdays and never took the initiative to provoke Daqi.

He sent these people to the Kyoto Pavilion, and Li Xianxiu asked to see the emperor.

Liao Yu said: "I can't make the decision on this matter. When the emperor wants to see you, he will naturally summon you to the palace."

Li Xianxiu was not a person who would make trouble. He took out a letter from his arms and said, "Then please help me write a letter and deliver it to the emperor."

Liao Yu took the letter and said, "Okay, Princess, if you need anything, just tell the servants here. I will do my best to satisfy you within my power."

Li Xianxiu thought for a moment and said, "Excuse me, what is that thing on this window? Why is it so beautiful and... and..."

"bright?"

"Yeah!" She nodded heavily.

"This is Daqi's colored glass. If Princess likes it, you can take some with you when you go back." Colored glass is not a rare thing. After all, ordinary people can use it.

Li Xianxiu was silent. She might not be able to go back, but she could ask the general who was traveling with her to take it back. Goguryeo was very cold. If this kind of glazed window could be used, it would definitely be much warmer in winter.

Liao Yu entered the palace with the letter and told the emperor the process of meeting the Goguryeo princess.

After listening to this, Song Yuzhu said, "I don't have time to see her for now, so let her stay in the mansion first."

"yes."

It’s not that Song Yuzhu deliberately ignored her, but she really didn’t have the time. She was busy until late at night every day during this period, and she had obviously lost a lot of weight.

Two rubber factories are being planned. The site in Binzhou has been determined. It is not far from Shangjing, so people can be sent to supervise at any time.

The rubber factory in Fuzhou is thousands of miles away from Beijing. It takes nearly half a year to travel back and forth, and even if you go by water, it will take four months. Only reliable people can be sent there.

Song Yuzhu chose Li Jie to go and build the factory on his behalf. The conditions there were tough, and Li Qingtai would probably suffer a lot. This trip was also a training for him. If he did a good job, he would definitely be promoted when he returned.

*

In March, everything comes back to life, grass grows and birds sing. Spring ploughing is about to begin, and the planting of corn and new wheat seeds should also be promoted.

The corn seeds brought back this time were enough to plant in the entire Shangjing Festival Field. However, Song Yuzhu did not plan to plant all the corn, because the people were not familiar with corn, and if it was not planted properly, it would easily fail to produce any corn.

Furthermore, planting too much corn would affect people’s food supply, so in the end only one-third of the land was selected to grow corn.

After last year's experiment, the new wheat seeds had a good harvest. This year, many old farmers took the initiative to plant the new wheat. The Sinong Division also sent the new wheat seeds to Jizhou and Zhongzhou, hoping to increase the harvest in the two places.

In addition to these two things, there is also the printing of new banknotes.

The people responsible for drawing the banknotes were the great painter Zhang Wei and the calligrapher Huang Ming, both of whom are masters of calligraphy and painting.

When Song Yuzhu sent people to find the two for the first time, they refused when they heard that they wanted to print their calligraphy and paintings on the coins.

Literati value elegance, and money is a copper-smelling commodity. How can they survive in this circle if they are not associated with their calligraphy and paintings?

Song Yuzhu didn't force it, but just asked them a few questions: "What do you think money is for?"

The two looked puzzled, not understanding why the emperor asked this. "What else can money be used for? Of course it's for buying things?"

Song Yuzhu said: "Money can buy things, but what is more important than buying things is circulation. From high-ranking officials to ordinary people, everyone has money in their hands and everyone recognizes money, but can they recognize you?"

The two were silent. From ancient times to the present, isn't the greatest honor for calligraphers and painters to have their calligraphy and paintings appreciated by the world? What is the meaning of calligraphy and painting if only a few people appreciate it?

Zhang Wei asked, "What does your majesty want to paint?"

Song Yuzhu handed the draft he had prepared in advance to his son: "I want to paint landscapes and figures."

The one-cent coin will be the most widely used currency in the future. Song Yuzhu chose portraits of four farmers as the pattern on the front, and a bird's-eye view of Shangjing on the back.

There are many reasons for choosing these four farmers, the most important one is that a country is based on the people. The king is the boat and the common people are the water. Water can carry the boat but can also overturn it.

For five cents, I chose Chen Lun and Jin Yan as the front side. One of them developed military industry, and the other developed civilian workers, allowing Daqi to quickly enter the industrial age. The back side chose the beautiful scenery of West Lake in Hangzhou.

The ten-cent coin features Xu Bing, Qin Fengtu, Liu Lin and Zhang Qikai, four important founding ministers who deserve credit for their contributions. The back of the coin features the Five Elements Mountain, which has majestic peaks and a magnificent aura.

The fifty coins are for Zhao Xiao alone, with the Great Wall painted on his back, which means that he is guarding Da Qi like the Great Wall.

The last piece of paper with 100 characters was naturally Song Yuzhu himself, and the background pattern was Mount Tai. Mount Tai was the first of the Five Great Mountains and the most respected of all mountains, representing his status as being above everyone else and below everyone else.

Zhang Wei and Huang Ming looked at these drafts with excitement and anxiety in their hearts. They were excited that they would put their own stamp on them and that people all over the world would see them in the future.

The worry is that I may not be able to paint well, especially portraits of saints, which must be carefully studied.

Zhang Wei was good at painting landscapes, but not so good at painting figures. He recommended his junior fellow apprentice Ying Xinzhong to the emperor, who was best at detailed figure portraits, and his portraits were lifelike.

Song Yuzhu looked at Ying Xinzhong's paintings and finally decided that the three of them would jointly draw the five versions of the coins, with Qin Fengtu responsible for supervision.

*

With so many things happening at the same time, he was so busy that he wished he could split his time into two halves.

Zhao Xiao couldn't help and could only train soldiers in the barracks. At the beginning of the year, the barracks recruited a group of new soldiers and also retired some disabled veterans.

Song Yuzhu suggested to Zhao Xiao that it would be best to recruit some new soldiers every year so that veterans can retire after serving in the army for five years.

Veterans are given priority in recruitment by local government offices, and they can serve as yamen runners, prison guards, and city defense soldiers.

In this way, there will always be fresh blood flowing into the army, it will not become stagnant, and the soldiers will be more motivated. Once the war breaks out, those retired veterans can still be recruited, so that everyone can be a soldier.

Zhao Xiao agreed with this suggestion very much. Many veterans have been in the army for a long time and have developed many problems, becoming as slippery as loaches. Now that this method has been used, the veterans are forced by the new recruits to be serious and set an example for these new recruits.

The first batch of veterans who retired were still a little nervous. They had fought in wars for half their lives, and they didn't know how to do anything after leaving the barracks. How would they survive after the general drove them away?

Most of these people were from the Chengtian Army back then. They had followed Zhao Xiao through thick and thin, so naturally he would not treat them unfairly. When Binzhou needed people to build a factory, they were all packed up and sent there.

The treatment was definitely very good. In addition to a monthly salary of two taels of silver, they were also given rice, flour, grain and oil.

Over time, many people settled down here and their lives gradually became stable.

*

The gymnasium in Shangjing is almost completed and will be available for use by the end of June at the latest.

Song Yuzhu issued documents to various places to prepare for the first National Games and National Officials Conference in August.

This sports meet was something Song Yuzhu had planned for a long time. When the news spread, prefects from all over the country began to make active preparations.

The officials are all smart people. They know that the emperor attaches great importance to sports competitions. If their prefecture comes out first, this year's evaluation will definitely be the best.

Song Yuzhu also made the decision to hold a national officials meeting after much deliberation, and all officials above the seventh rank must attend.

This meeting involves the country's subsequent development and construction. Officials from all regions can actively communicate in Beijing and strengthen ties between regions.

*

In the evening, Zhao Xiao returned to the palace from the military camp and saw that Song Yuzhu had not yet gone to bed. He asked the eunuch and learned that Song Yuzhu was handling government affairs in the Shangshufang.

Zhao Xiao hurried over. The lights in the Shangshu room were on. Song Yuzhu was writing documents at the desk. Hearing footsteps at the door, he looked up and saw it was Zhao Xiao.

"I'm back."

"It's already 11am, aren't you going to rest?"

Song Yuzhu said, "There are still a few more words to write. I'll rest after I finish writing."

Zhao Xiao stood beside him and waited for half an hour. Song Yuzhu finally finished writing, put down his pen and stretched.

“I’m so tired.”

Zhao Xiao gently pinched his shoulders and spine: "You still feel tired? I heard from Li Dehai that you have been busy since the end of the court, and have not rested until now. Are you trying to kill yourself?!"

"There are too many things to do, and they are all happening at the same time."

"You have to take care of your own body!"

"It's not as serious as you say." When Song Yuzhu stood up, his eyes went dark and he fell to the ground.

Zhao Xiao was startled and immediately picked him up, shouting, "Call the doctor! Go call the doctor!"

"It's okay... I just have a little low blood sugar."

Zhao Xiao had a sullen face and said nothing. He carried him to lie down on the low couch next to him. Soon the doctor from the Imperial Medical Garden came over. It was none other than his cousin Song Yumin.

"Your humble servant greets His Majesty."

"Come here and show your brother!"

Song Yumin hurried over and held Song Yuzhu's wrist. Although his medical skills were not as good as Song Bai's, they were still among the best in the Imperial Medical Academy.

His pulse was weak and stagnant. He frowned and put down his hand and said, "Your Majesty, have you often felt weak and dizzy recently?"

Song Yuzhu nodded. As a doctor, he naturally knew what was going on.

"You are overworked and have anemia. If this continues for a long time, you may develop a chronic illness. Please take good care of yourself!"

Song Yumin's concern was sincere. He always remembered the kindness of Song Yuzhu who saved him, and was grateful to his third uncle for taking care of him.

Song Yuzhu nodded: "Okay."

Song Yumin wrote two prescriptions for replenishing blood and qi, and stood up to leave. Song Yuzhu stopped him and asked, "How have you been in the Imperial Medical Garden these days?"

"Reporting..."

"No need for so many rules, just call me cousin."

Song Yumin smiled shyly: "It's good, I was promoted to Yuanpan last year." The Imperial Physician Yuanpan is a sixth-rank official, which is considered to be in the mainstream.

Song Yuzhu nodded: "Not bad, work hard, and go see your third uncle when you have time. He often misses you."

"Hey!" Song Yumin's eyes were sparkling, and he still looked young and innocent.

Song Yuzhu saw that he was hesitating and seemed to have something to say.

"Anything else?"

Song Yumin stammered, "I...I will be getting married on the sixth day of next month. I wonder if my cousin has time..."

Song Yuzhu smiled when she heard this. "Getting married is a good thing. Whose family is this girl from?"

"My master's second daughter is four years younger than me..." Song Yumin's face flushed. He is 22 years old this year. In modern times, he might have just graduated from college, but in ancient times, he would definitely marry and have children late.

Song Yuzhu had previously looked for women of the right age to go to Beijing for him, but unfortunately there was no suitable one. Now that he had found his match, he was very happy.

"May 6th, right? My cousin will definitely go."

"Why!"

Song Yuzhu watched him leave with a smile, then turned around and saw Zhao Xiao whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

(End of this chapter)