Chapter 191

Chapter 191

February 25, the fourth year of Yongkang.

Ji Yuan brought Chai Feng, Liu Bao, Wu Renhao, Dong Kang and others to Suixu City.

Needless to say, Liu Bao and his brothers followed Ji Yuan from Suzhou in order to transport horses and betrothal gifts.

They also made contributions in taking over the Nanqi Mansion this time. If rewards are given according to their merits, they and their families will benefit.

But they definitely want to follow Ji Yuan, so after returning to Beijing, they will become Ji Yuan's people.

Chai Feng is another matter.

Back then in Ning'an Prefecture, Chai Feng was a minor official beside Ji Yuan.

When Ji Yuan left, he thought about following him, but Ji Yuan's future was uncertain at that time, and he had big things to do when he returned to Beijing, so naturally he did not agree.

Although it is still dangerous now, it is much better than before.

When Chai Feng mentioned it again this time, Ji Yuan naturally nodded.

Chai Feng's family was so excited that they almost set off firecrackers in the middle of the night!

Wu Renhao is an exception.

It was said long ago that he was a natural born general.

Wu Renhao contributed a lot to the affairs of East and West Jing Kingdom this time. He won almost every battle he participated in. Just looking at his physique, he was scary.

He was originally going to stay in Ning'an Prefecture, but after following the prince to the seaport, he was appointed by the prince to go to the capital.

But this also has an advantage. Wu Renhao's mother has been building the Mengfu City, and the two of them have not seen each other for many years.

But Jianmeng Mansion is too far from Ning'an Prefecture, and it is not easy to bring back my old mother.

After Wu Renhao was transferred back to Beijing, he could reunite with his mother there.

Dong Kang was also looked at differently by the prince because he went to the harbor together.

In addition, he has rested at home for a year, so it is time for him to return to Beijing to report on his work and then take up his new post.

Ji Yuan guessed that Dong Kang would most likely stay in Beijing.

Dong Kang also said privately: "If I stay in Beijing, it must be because of you."

"It's very obvious that the prince wants to win you over."

Although understandable.

But don't be too anxious.

Ji Yuan smiled: "That's great, we can still take care of each other in the capital."

"And we are also in charge of the port affairs, so the goods from Dianzhou Prefecture can be delivered quickly."

When this matter was mentioned, Dong Kang became serious.

Who doesn’t want their hometown to develop better?

There was no one in the capital city before, but now there is one, one him, one era!

Ji Yuan can still defeat ten of him!

When they arrived at Suixu City, things there had already been dealt with.

Liu Zhizhou became Liu Zhifu and even arranged for the construction of roads.

This road is indeed important and must be repaired as soon as possible.

In addition, Ji Yuan had made arrangements, and the cement produced in the capital of Dianzhou Prefecture was indeed supplied to them first.

There is Prefect Liu who works diligently.

Ji Yuan is very optimistic about the future of Nanqi Prefecture.

There is Liu Zhifu in the text.

Wu naturally has General Zhenwei.

General Zhenwei even took advantage of this time to reorganize the nearby command camp.

He even wrote a letter requesting that all command camps in Tianqi State be reorganized.

If the enemy had not discovered this flaw, their Tianqi Kingdom would have been doomed.

It is no exaggeration to say that if Hehui Country was stronger, they would not have been able to handle it so easily.

He also left officers and soldiers he trusted in various places in the Southern Qi government.

At least hold on to this place for twenty years before we worry about the future.

General Zhenwei was obviously much happier when he saw Ji Yuan.

The reliable person is finally back!

When they return to the capital this time, someone must keep an eye on the prince to prevent him from having any sudden ideas.

As long as Ji Yuan is here, I can rest assured.

Return to Beijing.

Everyone is going back to Beijing.

He left Beijing in the 44th year of the reign of Emperor Huayuan.

Now, after four years in Yongkang, I have returned to Beijing.

Coincidentally, it’s another term.

The last time I returned to Beijing, he was in the dark while the others were in the light.

But this time it's impossible to do it in the dark.

It doesn't take much to know how many people want to target him.

But do these people really want to target him?

Not necessarily.

The third day of March.

The prince's troops returned to the capital.

August.

Capital city.

At the age of 25, Ji Yuan returned to the capital again.

The streets on both sides were filled with people welcoming the victorious army back to Beijing.

Their Tianqi army is back!

This time, we are going to expand our territory directly!

And took over a seaport!

In addition, countless small countries in the southwest requested tribute.

Not to mention that the emperor was extremely happy, the people of Tianqi were also extremely excited.

Tianqi Kingdom is indeed the most powerful!

The army of Tianqi is invincible!

The prince had not expected that the capital city would be such a magnificent sight.

It seems that the hard work of the past two years has paid off!

The prince rode on his horse and waved to the people.

Civil and military officials of the court were all there to welcome him at Chengtian Gate.

Except for Prime Minister Li, all other ministers were present.

After accepting the kneeling worship of court officials and common people, the prince and others were invited to the palace, and a feast was waiting for the remaining officials and soldiers.

This is a carnival for all the soldiers.

This is the honor they deserve.

Along the way, they were praised by the people and officials of Tianqi State.

Everyone felt elated after hearing this.

All the nice words go into his ears.

"The soldiers of Tianqi are indeed brave."

"As expected of the victorious army, the team is different from others."

"Expanding the territory is an achievement that can be written into history books!"

"It has been many years since all the nations came to pay tribute."

“Such a grand sight is unheard of!”

"Thank you for your hard work for the safety of the people at the border!"

At this moment, all the tiredness seems to be worth it.

No matter what happened, they defended the border, the Tianqi Kingdom, and the people!

Ji Yuan also smiled. He was standing behind the crown prince and was already the center of attention. Now, countless people were looking at him.

Wherever there is an era, there are political achievements.

Where there is an era, there is development.

Ordinary people may not know.

But who among the civil and military officials in the court was not clear about this?

The current power structure in the court has changed a long time ago, but there is only one thing that remains unchanged.

All forces want to recruit Ji Yuan to join them!

Ji Yuan felt everyone's gazes and responded with a smile.

Some of them were still unwilling to give up and asked tentatively, "I heard that Master Ji got married?"

The minister seemed to ask casually, but the people around him pricked up their ears, waiting for Ji Yuan's answer.

Ji Yuan smiled and told them the news which made them all sigh.

"Yes, they are married."

"Whose lady is she?"

The man continued to ask, and Ji Yuan looked at him with a smile, as if to say, you don’t know?

Yeah, who wouldn't know that?

The news of Ji Yuan's marriage came to light at the beginning of this year.

He married a girl from a small family.

However, that woman actually became the education commissioner in Ning'an Prefecture.

Although it was done after Ji Yuan left, maybe it has something to do with him?

Given Ji Yuan's influence there, this is very possible.

But when Miss Cheng's article was circulated, everyone knew that such a learned person could be an academician.

Although there are fewer speculations, the sour remarks have never stopped.

How could they not be angry when an unknown family, the Cheng family, snatched away their promising son-in-law?

Ji Yuan said directly: "Miss Cheng and I are deeply in love. We have sworn to heaven and earth that we will be together for the rest of our lives."

"Please show some respect to my wife."

Ji Yuan pointed it out directly.

Don't ask any more. If you do, it would be disrespectful to my wife and to me.

As for the rest, don’t even think about it.

He said directly that he had sworn an oath to heaven and earth.

These days, swearing to heaven and earth still has some use.

When welcoming the prince, Ji Yuan and his group just felt a headache.

Why doesn't this era follow the rules?

Now that he is fully grown, who can do anything to him?

The ministers from the aristocratic families looked unhappy.

They had said long ago that they should quickly arrange a marriage for Ji Yuan and win him over to their camp, but who would have thought that he would take the lead and directly find a small family to occupy the position, leaving them no chance at all.

The royal family is watching what the prince thinks.

Unexpectedly, the prince took the initiative to come to the rescue: "Yes, Madam Cheng is graceful, bright and intelligent, and a perfect match for Ji Yuan. You should stop asking."

ah?

Prince, you?

All your cousins ​​want to marry Ji Yuan.

Don't your words discourage them?

Everyone, with a lot of thoughts in their mind, finally came before the new emperor.

Ji Yuan was startled by Prime Minister Li who was beside the new emperor.

He has been away for only three or four years this time. Prime Minister Li is now very old, and his gray hair seems to have lost its luster.

He looks like an old man in his twilight years.

Prime Minister Li is seventy-three years old this year.

No wonder he didn't come to greet him but waited in the palace.

Prime Minister Li was stunned for a moment before he slowly began to speak words of praise. Fortunately, his logic was still sound.

Everyone in the court seemed to have gotten used to it.

Even if he was a political enemy, he would wait for Prime Minister Li to finish speaking.

This is not because political opponents are magnanimous, but they want to show their own grace.

Don't bother with the elderly.

Because everyone knows that Prime Minister Li can't hold on for much longer.

The late emperor once said that he wanted Prime Minister Li to work until he was 75 years old before leaving.

Prime Minister Li, who is now 73 years old, may gradually become a decoration in the court.

It's just a decoration, no one will confront him anymore.

After Ji Yuan paid his respects to the emperor, he came before Prime Minister Li.

Prime Minister Li nodded slightly at him and said with a smile, "Well done."

"Give Prime Minister Li a seat," the emperor said, "and bring up some ginseng soup."

All the civil and military officials in the court immediately praised the emperor's kindness.

The court became lively again.

We won a great victory and expanded our territory to two more places.

It would be strange if the court was not excited.

The prince was surrounded by people praising him, saying that he was truly amazing for leading his troops to such a great victory at the young age of twenty.

Ji Yuan was still beside Prime Minister Li. Prime Minister Li raised his head slightly towards him and asked him to look at a young man opposite him.

"Big brother is really amazing. I really admire him."

Big brother, third brother?

Ji Yuan’s eyes changed slightly.

The third prince?

Yes, if I remember correctly, the third prince is eighteen years old this year and can indeed go to the court to discuss matters.

The prince already knew about this, so his reaction was relatively calm.

With such political achievements in his hands, no one can surpass him.

Thinking of this, the prince looked at Ji Yuan.

As long as Ji Yuan is on his side, there will be absolutely no problem.

This celebration banquet lasted for half a month.

The folk gatherings, singing and dancing never stopped.

Even after the Mid-Autumn Festival, we seemed to be still immersed in the festive atmosphere.

Time flies by so fast.

At this time last year, Ji Yuan was still preparing for his wedding.

Now he is in the capital, waiting to be appointed as an official.

Speaking of which, there are not many positions in the current era.

The third-rank military commander was just a temporary position.

He was previously the prefect of Suzhou, and later served as the acting prefect of Nanqi Prefecture.

Now that these positions have been filled, he is freed from his official duties?

It’s not that I don’t want to give Ji Yuan a position, but I don’t know what position to give him.

Beijing officials are different from local officials, and local officials are different from temporary military governors.

Therefore, the court was in a dilemma as to what position to give him.

And everyone knows that the royal family still intends to let Ji Yuan be in charge of the Rubber Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

After much discussion in the court, it was decided to give Ji Yuan a position as a Hanlin scholar.

It is said that only Jinshi can enter the Hanlin Academy, and only Hanlin can enter the Cabinet.

When Ji Yuan was 25 years old, he first entered the Hanlin Academy, which showed the emperor's attitude towards him.

Is there anything else besides satisfaction?

Everyone knows that Ji Yuan has already stepped half a foot into the cabinet.

If he were still young, given his political achievements, he could have directly entered the cabinet as a grand secretary.

This is not an exaggeration.

When Ji Yuan was the governor, the changes in Tianqi were enormous.

Whether you are used to such changes or not, you have to adapt to it.

And all this is because of Ji Yuan.

After Ji Yuan returned home, he also read the information from all sides.

After he cleaned up his own house with Chai Feng, Liu Bao and Wu Renhao, he took the keys to Cheng's house and cleaned it as well.

In the remaining time, he went to Prime Minister Li's home and sorted out the letters on hand, so that he could have a new understanding of the situation in Tianqi State.

They have been fighting in Dianzhou Prefecture for the past two years, and they have not been well-informed about news from the outside world, certainly not as much as the capital.

The capital city remains the same.

But the world outside has undergone tremendous changes.

The steam factory is about to explode.

To be precise, the construction of steam plants will break out in Tianqi Country.

Starting from the second year of Yongkang, Jiyuan's steam factory began to take shape.

It was not until the third year in Yongkang that production capacity really exploded.

Some people say that the production capacity of a steam factory with a thousand workers is equivalent to that of a small workshop with ten thousand or even one hundred thousand workers.

This is not an exaggeration, but a process of qualitative change.

The comparison between human power and machine power is still too small.

If we say that the steam engine was initially only valued in various abandoned mines, it was considered a small-scale shock to a group of people.

The emergence of the steam cement plant tells everyone more possibilities.

The steam cement plant that Jiyuan has been planning for several years has finally come into play.

After all, the cement plant in Suzhou played a huge role in the one or two years when he was away.

Meanwhile, Suzhou.

The cement plant was put into production in the first year of Yongkang.

It is now September of the fourth year in Yongkang.

Exactly two years have passed since Ji Yuan left Suzhou.

Cai Fenglan was afraid of delaying the things left by Ji Yuan, so he did the work carefully and meticulously, and tried his best to do it as complete as possible.

But even though he was mentally prepared, he was still shocked by the factory that was continuously producing cement.

Today, a factory area has been built around the cement plant, including workers' dormitories, factory canteens, and a market specifically for the workers.

It's basically a city within a city.

However, what attracts the most attention is the road in this city within a city.

Everything is paved with cement, making it a smooth, flat, and beautiful waterway.

All horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts like this kind of road because it saves a lot of effort and can carry more things.

Unfortunately, steam cars kept running into problems, and no usable steam car was developed.

As the cement plant's production capacity stabilizes, more cement is produced continuously.

From the repair of border city walls to the paving of official roads, as well as roads in various parts of Suzhou.

It can even be sold to places further afield.

A huge cement plant does indeed play the role it should.

On the premise of ensuring these, Cai Fenglan looked at the increasing taxes on the cement plant and fell into deep thought.

Ji Yuan is really the same as what those people in Jiangnan said.

He is the god of wealth!

Rubber already brings enough output to the local area.

The tax revenue brought by the cement plant is surprisingly not much less.

Anyway, when he paid taxes to the court and Hexi Prefecture at the end of the year, officials from both places were smiling at him.

Of course, he did not forget to cultivate the wheat seeds well.

Cai Fenglan even put the cultivation of rubber grass on the agenda, hoping to cultivate rubber grass with better yield.

The cement craze brought by Suzhou has led to the proliferation of cement workshops throughout the Tianqi Kingdom.

Ordinary workshops are easy to build, and cement factories like those in Dianzhou Prefecture are already in use.

But in some places, steam cement plants were built directly.

Because they discovered enthusiastically that steam cement plants are the future!

This will bring more profits!

When they were fighting seriously in the era.

All parts of Tianqi Country are trying to build steam plants.

The best part is.

The steam engine first appeared in Conghua forty-four years ago.

After four years of development, it has been updated and upgraded.

The first update iteration was when the steam engine first came out. All the mines were researching it. This was the thing that could save the mines.

This iteration was conducted by people ordered by the noble families who owned the mineral resources.

There are also a small number of people who are interested in steam engines.

The second update iteration was when the Steam Factory came out.

It can be said that every iteration has generated more interest.

Many people have understood it.

Anything that can be done simply can be done by the steam engine.

Steam engines can be used in iron smelting, even porcelain firing, as well as in the textile industry and other industries.

Especially the textile industry.

The first steam textile mill was built.

It’s in Songjiang Prefecture.

Grandma Huang, who wrote letters to Ji Yuan, and Mrs. Gao, who married into the family, developed a steam textile factory.

When Ji Yuan made the centrifugal speed regulator, he sent the model over as soon as possible.

The centrifugal governor is a mechanical device composed of a small ball and a lever, which is used to adjust the size of the valve.

Anyway, as the name suggests, it can adjust the speed of steam and is also considered the first controller.

With this thing, the application of steam in the textile industry becomes more handy.

With Grandma Huang's knowledge of textile machines and Madam Gao's keen understanding of digital physics, they built Tianqi's second steam factory in a few years.

Steam loom factory.

Although the scale is not large, its potential is beyond doubt.

They also formed a union and ensured that the weaving industry was dominated by women.

In short, when the news reached Ji Yuan, even Ji Yuan was extremely excited.

Very good.

Second steam plant.

Or the textile industry.

It seems that the steam engine and steam factory are finally on the right track.

He knew that distributing the blueprints and relying on the power of the people of Tianqi would be faster than studying on their own.

There are many small designs in various places, some that he couldn’t even think of.

It is also these small designs that have allowed the steam engine to enter its third version.

Ji Yuan looked at the integrated steam engine drawings, and then looked at the letters written to him by steam engine craftsmen from all over the country.

Ji Yuan suddenly became busy.

Chai Feng and Liu Bao both helped Lord Ji with paperwork.

Ji Yuan read each letter after another. He regarded himself as a transit station to help steam engine craftsmen from all over the country communicate with each other.

Finally, they simply listed everyone's opinions and made multiple copies of the document so that craftsmen from all over the world could comment on each other's ideas.

It also saves him from passing the news around.

Because of the discovery of the era, the research on the steam engine has entered a new field.

These craftsmen, or engineers, were already calculating the density of air, using the expansion properties of steam, and how much air was needed to produce the desired amount of charcoal.

They have found another direction for a problem that seems incomprehensible to the public.

Going further up is not even within the reach of the epoch.

So he made a square book and wrote down everyone's opinions, ideas, and last names.

He then asked again, if anyone is willing to put their address, they can just put their address and name to facilitate communication.

After finishing, Ji Yuan realized.

Is this considered an internal publication?

An internal manual circulated only among craftsmen and engineers?

Whether it is true or not, it does make communication easier for everyone.

Ji Yuan should have rested for half a month after returning to the capital, but things were at hand and he couldn't take any time off.

It was not until the break was over and it was time to go to court that Ji Yuan reluctantly put down what he was doing.

Speaking of which, although he has been an official for nearly ten years, this is not his first time to attend court.

But it was the first time that I had to attend court every day.

The first time I came to the capital was to take the imperial examination. Even if I entered the Hanlin Academy, I would only be in the Historian Department of the Hanlin Academy.

Needless to say, the Historian's Office is where the Shujishi go, so naturally they don't have to attend court every day.

The second time I came to the capital was when I came back from Dianzhou Prefecture.

At that time, he was a local official. Except for reporting after returning home, he mostly stayed at home.

Besides, he had something important on his mind at that time and didn't pay attention to these things.

Coming back for the third time.

You have to go to court every day.

Although Ji Yuan was a Hanlin scholar, a fifth-rank official, he had to go there every day.

Why?

Because the emperor has appointed me, it is considered an extra honor.

Moreover, this fifth-rank Hanlin Bachelor is only an honorary title given by the emperor.

The specific position will definitely not be too low.

The Emperor had always wanted Ji Yuan to be in charge of the wealthy and powerful Rubber Department, and he had the same plan for the Steam Department that was about to be established.

The six ministers in the court also wanted the era to pass.

This is why the dispute continues.

Many people expressed the same feeling in their hearts.

Why is there only one era in this world?

Let’s take a look at Ji Yuan’s achievements.

How lucky I am to be his colleague!

Just look at Jiyuan’s good friends and peers.

Steam engines developed extremely rapidly wherever they were.

In this situation, who wouldn’t want to take a ride on a steam engine?

Fighting back and forth.

Ji Yuan rarely changed into a light crimson official uniform.

The light red official uniform made him look even better.

He was already a handsome young man, and now he is even better.

Among the officials, he was a good minister.

Those private rumors made the women in Beijing feel even more regretful.

Not to mention that Ji Yuan gave betrothal gifts to his wife three times in a row, he also made snacks for his wife personally.

She is good-looking and kind.

Who doesn't want to get married?

I heard that several of the prince's cousins ​​were crying and asked the prince why he didn't stop Ji Yuan's wedding, and even attended it in person.

The prince did not argue with his relatives, and when they got angry, he would just say, "If you have the ability, go and become Ji Yuan's concubine."

"If you have the ability to learn from Madam Cheng, can you become a local education commissioner?"

They were so angry at the previous sentence, and they couldn’t refute the next sentence.

The women in Beijing actually have some impression of Cheng Yisan.

I've also seen her at a banquet in the capital. She's gentle and innocent, and some say she's very smart.

When her family encountered a sudden change, everyone knew about it.

Who could have thought that she would have such a sudden turn of events that she would not only become a court lady, but also marry Ji Yuan?

Even Cheng Yisan’s friends were a little surprised, but they were still happy for her.

When writing to Cheng Yisan, her good friend Yun'er was still a little worried, and vaguely revealed the thoughts of the ladies in Beijing.

Ji Yuan didn't know about these things because he was already waiting outside the palace at the beginning of the Mao hour.

The fourth year of Yongkang, the first day of September, the beginning of the Mao hour.

Hanlin scholar Ji Yuan stood in the court.

No matter what everyone thought in their hearts, they were still friendly when facing Ji Yuan.

The long-awaited Ji Yuan finally returned to Beijing.

One of the things discussed at this court meeting was to discuss the true official positions of the era.

The six ministries in the court.

Rubber Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The steam department that is about to be established is all arguing for its rights.

Everyone has only one purpose.

Let the era come to them!

Let Ji Yuan become their official.

Please!