Chapter 296 The Princess's Confidence Shaken
As soon as Master Pei left, everyone in the conference room started cursing like crazy.
"A toad wants to eat swan flesh! Is Zhou Heng crazy?"
"He's got a nice idea. Is this what His Highness meant by 'if you can't beat them, then join them'? Seeing that he can't steal our firearms, why not just become one of our family? That way, the firearms will become theirs! I've heard all about this plan in Jinzhou Prefecture!"
"It's not just firearms, it's also our cement, compost recipes, and movable type printing. And yet, he's got nothing and doesn't even want to marry into our family, yet he's trying to take advantage of us? How shameless!"
"What are you talking about, divide and rule? Who wants to divide and rule with them? Sooner or later, the world will belong to Your Highness. Do we really need their help?"
One general even said angrily, "We've long said we should go straight to the Eastern Ming Wang's hometown! Look, he's shaking it off now?!"
"He wants to marry our prince? He'll be so happy!"
Xu Zhenying rarely saw his men so united, and he couldn't help but laugh. He then said slowly, "King Renming is a young talent, too. How could he be as unbearable as you say?"
Xu Zhenying's words almost made everyone go crazy!
"Him, a young talent? I don't think he's as good-looking as Minister Jiang, nor as talented as Minister Fang. There are so many young talents in Jinzhou Prefecture, how could he be the one to stand out?"
"Your Highness, please be clear-headed! Even if you want to marry the Emperor, you must at least select three thousand men from Jinzhou Prefecture—"
The corners of Xu Zhenying's lips trembled.
Audition...Emperor's Husband?
Thank you so much.
"That's right, Your Highness. Zhou Heng obviously couldn't steal the firearms, so he came up with this insidious plan. You must never believe in the idea of ruling the world together. Don't believe what men say. I am a man, and I have experience. Don't be fooled by his beautiful words now. In fact, once he truly unifies the world, he will definitely kick you out!"
Xu Yinxi and Old Lin remained silent. Seeing their men becoming increasingly unruly, Boss Lin finally sulked and scolded them, "What are you howling about? What a disgrace! This is the government office, the National Court, a place for national affairs, not a vegetable market on East Street!"
Xu Yinxi also immediately said, "Everyone, please be patient. Your Highness is the most thoughtful and far-sighted person in this room. We can all see through this truth, so how could Your Highness not know it?"
That makes sense.
It has always been the case that Your Highness has cheated others, and no one has ever cheated Your Highness.
Xu Zhenying held his forehead. "Although I allow everyone to discuss matters freely, your noise is giving me a headache! You know that duck vendor at the East Market Street corner? I just stood there for what felt like an hour."
These words made everyone look ashamed.
Especially those generals who have extremely loud voices and speak without any regard for others.
But Mr. Lin was trying hard to hold back his laughter at this moment.
As expected, he still likes Jinzhou Prefecture's style of saying whatever they want.
Xu Zhenying turned to his subordinates and called out their names, saying, "Old Lin, Fang Xun, and General Chen, the three of you have either come into contact with Ming Wang or fought against him. Tell me about his character."
When talking about his former enemy, Fang Xun gritted his teeth, his face unable to conceal the hatred. "This man is indeed very talented and very patient. When he was studying in my house, although he was a prince, he studied diligently regardless of the weather, never complaining. He is an extraordinary person."
Elder Lin also stroked his beard and said, "Zhou Heng was very kind to the servants. In the past, the palace people all praised him, saying that he had the demeanor of a gentleman. He came from a humble background, his mother was not favored, and he was often bullied by the princes as a child, but he never complained to anyone about his grievances."
Xu Zhenying nodded and looked at General Chen. "General Chen, what about you? Can you tell me something about his fighting style?"
General Xiao Chen said, "This man is considered a leading military commander of his time. Minister Jiang said his tactics are similar to those of Bai Ci'en back then."
Someone immediately sneered: "Bai Ci'en was defeated by us!"
But some people immediately refuted: "Bai Ci'en is a military general, who has been well-versed in military books since childhood, while Zhou Heng is a prince who has never been on the battlefield."
Xu Zhenying pursed her lips. "I can tell. Zhou Heng is good at disguising himself and forbearing. He's also very smart and ruthless. He even killed his fiancée and his father-in-law's family at will. It sounds like... he's a rival."
Then, Xu Zhenying raised his eyes and said slowly, "Such a ruthless and resourceful man, do you think he is really seeking marriage? I think... it seems more like he has other motives."
Everyone fell silent.
Zhao Qiaonian said, "Unfortunately, his biggest mistake was to look down on Your Highness, and also look down on us."
Xu Zhenying laughed, "Why?"
Seeing everyone's gazes turned towards him, Zhao Qiaonian calmly replied, "He suggested joining forces to take over the empire. He's simply taking advantage of Your Highness's female status. He might also think that since Your Highness is a woman, and a woman ascending to the throne would be shocking, your subordinates might not be on the same page. With this instigation, we might be more willing to be loyal to him."
Qian Zhenniang was immediately furious: "This person has such a vicious mind!"
"It's not impossible," Xu Zhenying said without getting angry. "People are more willing to invest in men than women. After all, in traditional culture, men are expected to achieve great things. I think this is also the view of most people today."
Zhao Qiaonian laughed and said, "That's why I say that the Prince of Ming looks down on those of us who fought alongside His Highness to establish his kingdom. Rather than choosing a man or a woman, I think choosing the right person is more important. Following His Highness, we have a better chance of success."
The other male officials in the room felt their backs tighten and quickly followed Zhao Qiaonian to show their loyalty.
"I know everyone's opinions. They all disapprove of this kind of marriage. As the saying goes, everything has its pros and cons. If anyone has a different opinion, please share it."
Everyone fell into deep thought.
Only Xu Yinxi smiled and said, "Your Highness always says that truth becomes clearer through debate, so I will shamelessly talk about the benefits of a marriage."
Xu Zhenying tilted his head slightly and looked at Xu Yinxi, his face showing encouragement, "I'm all ears."
"As Your Highness said, everything has its pros and cons. We've already discussed the cons, but you've all forgotten one benefit of a marriage alliance." Xu Yinxi paused briefly before smiling, "Your Highness is already seventeen, and therefore marriageable. We're going to choose anyone anyway, so why not pick the most capable one?"
Elder Lin's eyes lit up, and he immediately responded, "Secretary Xu, that's quite reasonable! Your Highness is already seventeen, and the princes of the Great Zhou Dynasty should have married and had children by the time they were sixteen or seventeen. Not to mention that if anything were to happen to Your Highness, our Jinzhou Prefecture's foundation would not be left without a successor. For example, if we marry His Highness Ming Wang, at least the children born would be of the pure bloodline of the Zhou Dynasty royal family. This way, we would certainly face much less resistance in our quest for supremacy in the Central Plains."
As Elder Lin spoke, he seemed to be leaning more towards supporting the marriage. He completely ignored Xu Zhenying's expression and continued, "Furthermore, His Majesty the Prince of Ming wants to use the marriage to seize your kingdom. Why don't you take advantage of their strategy and take over Qiongzhou? Your Majesty is a celestial being, comparable to the saints of ancient times. You are the forerunner of all living beings. Why worry that His Majesty the Prince of Ming won't have his followers?"
After Mr. Lin finished speaking, he and Xu Yinxi met each other tacitly.
However, Xu Yinxi couldn't help laughing as she looked at Xu Zhenying.
Mr. Lin's words made the whole room silent.
It has to be said that Mr. Lin is an old fox. He turned the situation around in an instant with just a few words. All those who had been strongly opposed before now had a thoughtful look on their faces, as if they were thinking about the feasibility of the marriage.
Xu Zhenying's eyes twitched. She finally understood. It turned out that Elder Lin wanted her to treat Prince Ming as a stud, and then kill the father and keep the son, and in the process, seize Prince Ming's family property.
It's really vicious.
Xu Zhenying even began to reflect on herself. Why were all her subordinates such sinister people?
Even Zhao Qiaonian, who was adamantly opposed at the beginning, was somewhat shaken. "According to what Elder Lin said, the successor of His Highness is extremely important—"
"Stop." Xu Zhenying finally couldn't help but interrupt everyone's wandering thoughts. He then glared at Elder Lin and Xu Yinxi, who remained as unmoved as old men in meditation. "I'm not even seventeen yet. I'm still strong and energetic, a good time to start a career. According to my calculations, I can still work for at least ten or twenty years. Besides... the selection of the emperor in the future still needs to be discussed from scratch. The issue of the successor... we'll talk about it later."
"Also," Xu Zhenying added, "don't think about arranged marriages. I don't want arranged marriages, and you don't need them either. Aren't we all working to find freedom and fairness? We're human beings, not objects. Don't always think about commodifying yourself. Not only you, but I too, have the right to pursue happiness. If I get married, it's definitely because I have feelings for someone and want to start my own family. There's no other reason."
Xu Zhenying's words were a bit exaggerated and empty, and no one seemed to understand.
Xu Zhenying couldn't help feeling depressed.
Is it really too early to propose "freedom of marriage and freedom of love" at this time?
In other words, if any other girl dared to say this, she would probably be immediately labeled as "spreading evil words to mislead the public."
However, Mr. Lin keenly grasped what Xu Zhenying said, "the emperor's selection."
Selection?
In other words, perhaps Your Highness has no plans to decide the heir by the primogeniture system like in the Zhou Dynasty?
Selection... Selection...
Mr. Lin savored it carefully and felt that it contained infinite meaning.
Could it be that Your Highness wants to follow the example of Yao and Shun and abdicate?
Or will the next ruler be decided according to the divine realm as Your Highness has ordered?
This couldn't help but make Mr. Lin feel envious.
Xu Yinxi, noticing the silence, smiled and said, "Your Highness himself said he wanted to listen to different opinions. We've been discussing this for a while, but I don't think the Ming King is truly seeking marriage. It seems to me that this discussion is more about firearms."
Xu Zhenying also smiled. "That's fine. Let's have Mo Jinchun's people follow closely and observe their movements and hotspots in Jinzhou Prefecture. Oh, and Dean Luo and the people from the research institute should also send more people."
The military officials were about to leave when Xu Zhenying suddenly stopped them. "As the saying goes, all is fair in war. If they're here just for firearms, we can't alert them. Military officials, please be discreet and don't let anything get away."
After everyone had left, Xu Zhenying left Xu Anping alone again. "Minister Xu, go quietly to Dean Luo's place and ask him to be more vigilant these days and try to reduce his outings."
Xu Anping's heart was beating fast.
After a while, she carried her bookcase and rushed into the streets of Jinzhou Prefecture in the name of buying books.
The streets were bustling with people. Xu Anping walked quietly among them, not looking around, wishing she could be invisible. She turned several corners before entering a quiet house. After checking a secret code with several plainclothes guards at the door, she entered the house and met Luo Qingzhou and the others from the research institute.
Luo Qingzhou now holds the blueprints of firearms and the recipe for cement in his hands, and can be said to be a key protected person in the entire Jinzhou Prefecture.
Especially this time when someone came from Qiongzhou, Luo Qingzhou was regarded as the top priority, with layers of guards around him. Even Mo Jinchun wanted to come and protect him personally.
But the person involved didn't take it seriously. He even hid in a private house and discussed the issue with several teachers from the research institute.
Seeing Xu Anping coming over, Luo Qingzhou seemed not to notice her expression. He excitedly pulled her and said, "Teacher Xu, last time Her Highness mentioned the improved public carriage, we discussed a plan. We first replaced the wooden wheels with iron ones, and then used the rubber tree that Her Highness mentioned. It is highly elastic and can be used as a shock-absorbing material to cover the outside of the wheels. In this way, the car will not be bumpy when driving on the concrete road, and even travel a hundred miles a day! As for the rubber material, Her Highness said it is only available in hot climates. Go and urge Her Highness to send someone to deliver it quickly!"
Xu Anping frowned and calmly pulled his hand away. Dean Luo seemed to realize that something was wrong and touched his head awkwardly.
"Dean Luo, His Highness has something to convey."
The other research institutes were aware of the situation and immediately found an excuse to withdraw.
After everyone else left, Xu Anping sat down on the chair leisurely. Seeing her like this, Luo Qingzhou thought of something and looked happy. "Anping, does His Highness agree with us?"
Xu Anping's face flushed suspiciously, "I haven't mentioned this to His Highness yet."
Luo Qingzhou stared at her face. "Are you shy? If you're embarrassed to bring it up, I'll go and tell His Highness. Over the past two years, I've made cement and firearms according to His Highness's request. If I ask, His Highness shouldn't refuse."
"That's not the case." Xu Anping shook his head, seeming to hesitate. "It's me. I haven't thought about it yet."
"Why?" Luo Qingzhou's handsome face was full of confusion. "We clearly have feelings for each other, and we're both seventeen or eighteen, which is marriageable age. Besides, we're both unmarried, so why can't we talk about marriage?"
Xu Anping couldn't explain it clearly. "I just haven't figured out what my future path will be."
"Didn't we discuss this last time? Even if we get married, I won't restrict you. You can continue to be the Minister of Education, and I'll continue to work at the research institute. There's no conflict."
Xu Anping lowered his head. "I just haven't thought it through yet. Marriage is only beneficial to you men, not harmful. But for women, it's a lifelong decision, so I'm naturally more cautious than you. Since you and I love each other, why should we care about this moment? Can you give me some time to think it over?"
Luo Qingzhou was speechless, then sat down and sighed, "It's my fault, I was too impatient. You and I are still young, and we are both His Highness's right-hand men. You are usually busy with official duties, so let's not rush."
Seeing that Luo Qingzhou was willing to give in, Anping was naturally happy.
It was true that after Xu Lezhi got married, she seemed like a completely different person. It was as if the girl's spirit had disappeared overnight. Instead, she became lifeless, and her words were full of resentment towards General Zhou, the Xu family, and Zhou's mother-in-law.
But as far as she knew, General Zhou treated Xu Lezhi very well.
Is it possible that getting married is such a horrible thing?
Indeed, for a woman, marriage meant marrying into the man's family. Xu Anping was used to being free and undisciplined, not knowing how to do needlework or cook. She spent all day out in the open, busy with official duties. What if her mother-in-law disliked her for being clueless about household chores, or for being too clever and overpowering, overshadowing her son?
Look.
Whether this woman is strong or weak, her husband's family will have something to say.
Xu Anping felt upset when she thought about having to deal with the Luo family after marriage.
She just wanted to do her job in education well, so that every child could read and write, and enlighten the people. How could she let a vulgar woman in the harem take the lead?
But now is not the time to think about these things.
"Just now, the one from Qiongzhou said that he wanted to marry your Highness, so that they could divide and rule the world after unification. Your Highness is thinking, I'm afraid the marriage proposal is fake, and the real purpose is to ask for the firearms blueprints in your hand."
When this matter was mentioned, Luo Qingzhou was also shocked.
He was not a person who was completely devoted to scientific research and ignored worldly affairs. He naturally knew that he had several hot potatoes in his hands, and if he was not careful, he would be in danger of being beheaded.
"Prince Ming is also very persistent. He previously sent people to secretly investigate, but now that the investigation and theft have failed, he has the audacity to come and ask for Your Highness' hand in marriage. How shameless!"
"Yes, everyone in the court had the same attitude just now." Xu Anping said soothingly, "That's why His Highness sent me here to tell you that you should also be more vigilant these few days. If you feel anything is wrong, report it immediately."
Luo Qingzhou was naturally not careless, "I know. Your Highness has worked so hard for my safety, so I will naturally protect myself."
If he were unlucky enough to fall into the hands of the enemy, he would immediately bite his tongue and commit suicide.
Of course, he didn't say this out loud.
At this moment, the Sixth Princess Zhou Ying was wearing light men's clothes and walking in the streets and alleys of Jinzhou Prefecture with a few soldiers in plain clothes.
After walking a few streets, Zhou Ying couldn't help but sigh to General Ma beside her: "I think I understand why my brother has been unable to retake the territory that originally belonged to me in Qiongzhou. Did you see those patrolling soldiers?"
Zhou Ying pointed at the patrolmen on the road from a distance. "They're all well-fed, well-dressed, and strong. They're all muscled, with fierce eyes and measured behavior. Even more terrifying, they all seem to be able to read and write. Xu Zhenying isn't training soldiers, he's training generals."
General Ma also had a worried look on his face.
He didn't feel anything about other things, he only knew one thing: the soldiers in Jinzhou Prefecture ate really well.
When the two armies were confronting each other before, the soldiers on the opposite side had meat and eggs for almost every meal. Every time it was time for dinner, they could always smell the aroma of meat coming from the opposite side.
"General Ma, if my brother comes with me this time, I'm afraid I won't have the confidence to fight Xu Zhenying anymore."
General Ma was dejected and speechless.
Yes, if the soldiers on the front line were just the tip of the iceberg, the places we passed along the way, such as Bao'an Prefecture and Xiangshui Prefecture, were also in ruins. But when we arrived in Qianzhou and Jinzhou, it felt like we had arrived at a land we had never set foot on before.
Everything here is new.
Standing on the streets of Jinzhou Prefecture, I even feel like I have been abandoned by the tide of the times.
The roads here are flat, and the people here already live in cement houses that are warm in winter and cool in summer. Everyone here is very busy and everyone has something to do. I'm afraid they are the only ones wandering around the streets.
Even children who can walk are taken to school and attend preschool classes.
Parents only need to pay a few cents a day, and someone will take care of their children, and they can earn money in peace.
A couple could earn at least fifty or sixty cents a day, and paying a few cents to ask someone from the court to look after their children was a very profitable deal no matter how you looked at it.
"Tell me, if our Qiongzhou also did what they did, gathering all the children together and teaching everyone to read and write, could Qiongzhou become as prosperous as Jinzhou Prefecture?"
General Ma remained silent. He was just a rough man who had only studied a few military books.
He only knows how to fight.
Even in battles, they always lost to the people from Jinzhou Prefecture.
Fortunately, the Sixth Princess was just talking to herself and didn't ask for a response. "I'm afraid it won't work. Where can we find so many teachers in Qiongzhou, and where can we offer such high salaries? The transformation of Jinzhou Prefecture is not a one-day effort; it requires a great deal of wealth. Therefore, the first step is not to provide comprehensive education, but to establish a Ministry of Commerce like Xu Zhenying did, to do business everywhere and replenish the national treasury."
But the Sixth Princess shook her head. "That won't work either. Everything in Jinzhou is incredibly imaginative. Soaps, pencils, movable type, clocks, they're all in short supply and sold for sky-high prices. We simply can't learn them, and we won't ever learn them. So we have to promote universal education first. Only when more people read can we have more ideas and create amazing things."
Should we engage in education first or business first? This is really a vicious circle.
The Sixth Princess was eager to know how Xu Zhenying managed to pull up such a huge monster and run forward at such a fast speed.
Why, except for the areas outside Jinzhou Prefecture, time seems to have stood still, and nothing has changed for decades.
This trip to Jinzhou really shattered the Sixth Princess' confidence.
Her mother was of low status, and she had learned to read people's expressions since she was a child in the palace. Her brother was strict and never allowed her to slack off in her studies just because she was a girl, so she was smarter than others.
Because of this, this tip of the iceberg in Jinzhou Prefecture is enough to make her think about the longer term.
It is not unfair at all that my eldest brother lost to His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.
She really wanted to stay here and learn from Xu Zhenying. She wanted to know how Xu Zhenying was able to support such a huge family business and how he fed the millions of people in the eight states of Jinzhou Prefecture.
General Ma suddenly pointed to a shop and said, "Sir, you can get the cowpox vaccine up ahead!"
Zhou Ying was shocked. "Is this the legendary miracle drug that can prevent and treat smallpox?"
She was a little hesitant, "Does this thing really work?"
Although General Ma didn't want to admit it, he didn't hide it. "It must be effective. I heard that when Jinzhou Prefecture was marching westward, there was a plague raging there, and almost none of the Jinzhou Prefecture soldiers were infected. You can imagine... this cowpox vaccine can indeed prevent and treat smallpox."
Zhou Ying looked desperate. "That research institute again, right?"
My eldest brother's legacy won't be completely destroyed by those low-class craftsmen in the research institute, right?
If possible, she really wanted to use firearms to raze the research institute to the ground!
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