"A new city cannot be built in a day or two, or even in a year or two. Your family is too hasty. Can't you arrange some people to build the new city first, and then the rest of the people can come after the new city is built?" After settling the whole family of the Shen family, Wan Xueying became worried.
Shen Yu smiled embarrassedly and said, "Maybe it's because our family was suppressed too much in the south." It must be said that he was telling the truth.
"Then what exactly does your family mean?" Wan Xueying felt vaguely uneasy, so she reminded Shen Yu: "In fact, you are no longer a member of the Shen family. Don't your father and relatives have other ideas when they sent your eldest brother here?" Isn't it obvious that Shen Yu is making wedding dresses for Shen Rong and trying to seize power?
It wasn't that she was trying to sow discord. The new city hadn't been built yet, and so many members of the Shen family came all at once that she couldn't think too much.
The most important point is that everyone who came to the Shen family this time respected Shen Rong and obeyed his orders. So when the new city was built, what role would Shen Yu still have?
Shen Yu fell into deep thought after hearing her words. After a while, he said, "Then let Big Brother handle the Shen family's affairs from now on."
Wan Xueying raised her eyebrows, "Are you planning to quit?"
Shen Yu smiled and said, "Since they don't want me to take care of it, then I won't take care of it at all."
"Okay," Wan Xueying nodded, "Let's do what we should do first." The rest can only be done slowly.
"Do you have any plans for these people from the Shen family?"
"I want to build the largest academy in northern Xinjiang." This idea came to her when she saw the scholars, juren, and three jinshi. While she initially wanted to help the Shen family, now she felt she needed to take control of everything.
"I'm afraid those three uncles who are Jinshi graduates will not be willing to go to the academy you built." They are proud of their status and can go to the academy built by the Shen family, but they may not go to Wan Xueying's academy, which they think was built by an outsider.
"Honestly, I don't have any plans to invite them to my academy right now." The three Jinshi scholars spoke and acted like they had long held high positions, demanding respect and unwilling to obey orders easily. She could respect talented individuals as she opened an academy, but why should she be subject to their control?
"You don't plan to invite them?" Shen Yu was a little surprised. "Even if any of them just registers in the academy, it will attract a large number of students."
"We'll talk about this later. I think the juren and xiucai who are both virtuous and talented are the foundation of the academy." It's not that she doesn't need the three jinshi, but she has to wait until they get rid of their pride and are willing to follow her.
"So where do you plan to build the academy?"
"We need to find an open place with picturesque scenery near the Ningjiang County government. I also want to build a commercial street around it, and some exquisite small houses like the ones you have in the capital." In addition to building a college, all kinds of supporting facilities must be provided.
Some wealthy students are certainly not used to living in the college's dormitories, so building some exquisite small houses near the college would definitely be easy to rent out.
"That's a big project!"
"Take your time. By the way, you can ask your eldest brother. If anyone is willing to help build the academy, I will pay them by the day. If not, I can ask the villagers to do it." Wan Xueying was helping the craftsmen from the Shen family to make a living. If they were unwilling, there was no need to force them, as many villagers would rush to do it.
"That teacher's matter..."
Wan Xueying smiled and said, "Let's delay it for now. When they need money, let them come to me." By then, the initiative will be in her hands, and she won't have to worry about those people putting away their pride.
After thinking for a while, she said, "You can also ask someone to help me keep an eye out for which exiles have better knowledge and reputation. I may choose a few of them to be my teachers." At worst, she would pay for the labor that they were originally required to perform.
The reason she thought so was because in this dynasty one could use money to replace labor service.
The Shen family had three Jinshi (imperial scholar) graduates, but if you really counted them, the Northern Frontier was actually in no shortage of them. It was just that they were stripped of their official positions and honors due to their exile. But no one could be free of knowledge.
Although they could not openly become teachers to students due to their status, it did not prevent them from imparting knowledge to students and sharing their experience in obtaining academic honors.
"That's a good idea." Among the exiles sent to the Northern Frontier, many were not only well-educated but also skilled in martial arts and knew how to lead troops in battle. He was in need of personnel, so besides trying to recruit those members of the Shen family who had previously served in the military, it would also be a good idea to recruit those exiles who were skilled in leading troops under his command.
The two of them did what they said.
In order to select a location for the academy, Wan Xueying took Qiu Shi and others to visit the Ningjiang County Government many times, and finally she chose a good place surrounded by mountains and rivers.
With Shen Yu's help, there was a barren mountain and wasteland at the foot of the mountain, so Wan Xueying quickly bought it at a very low price.
Shen Rong did not give Wan Xueying face, and because he had not yet discussed with the Cui family about the construction of a new city, he asked those skilled craftsmen to help Wan Xueying build a school to practice their skills, which could also solve the expenses of that group of people.
It turns out that Shen Rong might be a good leader, but he's not a qualified businessman. He brought so many people with him, but he didn't know how to make them money. He only cared about how to gain the upper hand in the negotiations with the Cui family and build the new city as soon as possible.
The Cui family is just the opposite. They want to pay for the construction of the new city, but they don't want to pay for it in vain. At the very least, they have to see what the Shen family can bring to them before they will be happy to pay.
When the Cui family heard that the person sent by the Shen family this time was the prince of the Duke of Yuanping, they sent Cui Jin, who had an equal status, to negotiate instead.
Compared to Shen Rong, who always relied on his status to bully others, Cui Jinhuan had negotiated far more times in the business world. He clearly had the upper hand in the few dealings with Shen Rong, and he also realized that Shen Rong was not a good partner.
Finally, he found Shen Yu and proposed that they would continue to cooperate in building the new city only after Shen Yu took control of the Shen family.
It means that the talks with Shen Rong broke down.
"After all, our family has always been run by my father and my eldest brother. You have to give me some time." In the past, Shen Yu had never thought about fighting for the power to be in charge of the family. Now everything has changed. He has to think more about himself and Wan Xueying.
What's more, as Wan Xueying said before, everything he did before was just to make things worse for his elder brother. How could he be willing to do that?
"I believe you can do it." Cui Jinhuan was very optimistic about Shen Yu.
Shen Yu smiled bitterly, "It has to be done now, even if it's impossible." Otherwise, all the previous efforts would be in vain. He added, "But I still need your help."
"What can I do for you?"
"Help me make my elder brother give up, help me make the Shen family realize that my elder brother is not suitable for this job." He couldn't do it directly, so he had to let Cui Jin do it instead.
"Okay, okay. But I don't have that much time to waste with your eldest brother. Maybe I'll let my second brother do it later."
"It doesn't matter which of you brothers does this, as long as they can help me." Thinking of what Wan Xueying had told him before, that the Cui family attracts attention, and thinking of the information Pei Xuanqing had sent people to find out about Xijiang recently, he reminded them: "No matter when we cooperate to build a new city, your family should make preparations as soon as possible."
"I understand. I might need your help soon."
"Okay." The two parties reached a cooperation intention again, which will lay a good and solid foundation for further cooperation in the future.
What all the craftsmen didn't expect was that the academy Wan Xueying wanted to build was nothing like an ordinary academy.
In addition to the basic lecture halls, dormitories, dining halls, and accommodation and rest areas for teachers, the college will build a large auditorium to organize large-scale activities for all students in the college to gather together.
There are also plans to build some small auditoriums for organizing small activities, and more importantly, to allow those exiled gentlemen who were Jinshi graduates to concentrate on imparting knowledge and experience of imperial examinations to students.
In this way, they do not have to serve as teachers that students need to learn from, but they can still teach and answer questions for students.
Of course, there are also libraries, training grounds, and study rooms.
The rest will be built according to the landscape, including plank roads and pavilions. A Confucian temple will also be built, which will not only enshrine sages but also sages from past dynasties, in order to add some cultural heritage to the academy.
A hall of fame will be built, and the names of students who pass the imperial examinations in the future will be recorded in the book, and they will also be asked to leave their calligraphy to be placed in the hall of fame, so that the students will have a sense of honor.
In addition, there are some natural landscapes there, such as mountain springs, waterfalls, rockery, strange rocks, etc. Not to mention studying here, even playing there will make people feel pleasant.
In other words, Wan Xueying has this detection ability, and in the eyes of outsiders, it is just a desolate mountain and wilderness.
In order to complete such a large project in a short period of time, Wan Xueying mobilized almost all the craftsmen she could, but it was still far from enough.
After a budget was drawn up, she found that the money she had was only enough to build a part of the main structure.
There was no other way, so she decided to settle for the second best and build the main body first, and then improve the rest slowly.
It was Cui Jinhuan who learned that Wan Xueying was planning to build a college. After reviewing her designs and conducting a site visit, he decided to pay for the construction of the entire college, including the auxiliary facilities at the foot of the mountain. He also transferred some craftsmen from the Cui family to help with the construction.
The only condition is that the descendants of the Cui family in the next hundred years can study in the academy for free.
"Do you want the descendants of the Cui family to learn the culture of Dayan?" Wan Xueying couldn't help but be tempted by this condition.
"That's right." Cui Jinhuan nodded, "Even I'm learning about Dayan culture now."
If the Cui family really had to move their entire family, Xijiang and the others would definitely not be able to go back.
It would be better to learn the Great Yan culture as soon as possible and integrate into the place as soon as possible. Perhaps this will be a great opportunity for their Cui family to shed their merchant identity and change their family status.
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