Chapter 249: Theory of Wonders
But before Ju Su started speaking, Yuan Shao had already given up the idea.
The reputation of the Qiao family in Yanzhou is far less than that of Qiao Yan herself, so she can easily make such a choice.
But Yuan Shao couldn't do that.
The reputation of the Runan Yuan family, with three officials in four generations, is exactly what Yuan Shao cannot give up at the moment.
If it were not for the reputation of this illustrious family, he would not have been able to gather such a team when Dong Zhuo was wreaking havoc in Luoyang, nor would he have been able to gain so much support after welcoming Liu Bian to Yecheng, and reach a consensus with the Hebei gentry at the fastest speed.
This is the foundation of his development, not an optional extra.
Therefore, he still had to continue fighting with Yuan Shu until he had complete control of the orthodoxy in his own hands! We must also never allow Yuan Shu to make statements such as "Shao is not Yuan's son" to attack him through public opinion.
"Mingsir..."
As soon as Ju Shou said this to dissuade him, Yuan Shao waved his hand and said, "You don't have to say more. I just said it out of emotion. I don't really want to do this. This path is for Qiao Yeshu to take, but not for me, Yuan Benchu."
Yuan Shao said with emotion: "I really envy two people. One is Cao Mengde. Both the Xiahou family and the Cao family have provided him with many talents. The other is Qiao Yeshu. He started from scratch and has now split the clan."
Fortunately, these two people did not stand against him completely, otherwise Yuan Shao would be very upset.
Ju Su could only console him, "Your Excellency, at least you still have several intelligent sons. When they grow up, they will surely become your strong arms and legs. You also have a useful nephew, Gao Yuancai, who is talented and ambitious, and outstanding in both literature and martial arts. Besides, not all the children of the Yuan family in Runan are intimidated by Yuan Gonglu's temporary prestige. Isn't Yuan Boye still your helper?"
When Yuan Shao heard Ju Shou mention the three brothers Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi, and Yuan Shang, Gao Gan, his nephew who was indeed very capable, and Yuan Yi who had not taken the wrong side, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He replied: "Yes, let's see how she is proud today, what will happen tomorrow?"
Of the lineage inherited from Qiao Xuan, she is the only one left.
In today's unpredictable situation of war and disputes, this state of isolation seems decisive, but in fact it hides an unstable element.
It would be better if he had descendants and clan members around him like him.
If Qiao Yan knew what Yuan Shao was thinking at this moment, he probably would not feel envious of him.
After all, his three sons' fight for inheritance would give him a headache sooner or later.
If he could live to this day.
After completing the arrangements for the division of the clan and establishment of a household in Chang'an City, she set off for Bingzhou.
If we were to ask who was the most supportive of Qiao Yan's separation from Qiao Xuan, it might not necessarily be Cheng Yu, who worked diligently for the future of the Lord, but rather -
Cai Yong.
"Mr. Bojie took people to the mountains to pick wild vegetables the day before yesterday and accidentally broke his leg. There is no need to rush here so early."
As it was still early, Qiao Yan did not go back to his residence in Leping to rest, but rode his horse directly to Qiao Xuan's temple to discuss with the ritual officials seconded from the court about the expansion of the ancestral temple to show the inheritance of an independent household.
But before they could say two words, they heard that Cai Yong had arrived.
When Qiao Yan walked out of the temple gate, she saw Cai Yong walking with a limp, which made her speechless for a while.
But Cai Yong obviously did not think there was anything wrong with it, nor did he realize that his approach might easily leave some wrong guidance for the younger generation.
Cao Pi, who was following behind him, heard Cai Yong say in an extremely proud tone: "I wrote the inscription on the stele in the Qiao Gong Temple, the three tripod inscriptions, and the Huang Yu inscription. Now that we are going to expand the branch clan, shouldn't we have a new stele inscription as a memorial?"
This inscription must be his work and cannot be handed over to anyone else.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yan couldn't help but hold his forehead and laugh.
Because of Cai Yong's Three Ding Inscriptions and Huang Yue Inscription, Qiao Xuan is already the known person with the most types of commemorative inscriptions in Han Dynasty archaeology. Now if he adds an expanded clan inscription, probably no one in later generations will be able to compare with him, unless someone can come up with a more special way of commemoration.
In this way, Cai Yong's identity as a loyal fan of Qiao Xuan can probably be more clearly established.
Seeing that Cai Yong was acting like, "If you don't let me write, I'll sit here and act like a spoiled child," Qiao Yan probably had no choice but to agree to him.
When Cai Yong heard Qiao Yan's agreement, he immediately became energetic, "My poor legs and feet won't affect my writing of inscriptions. These are two different things."
He even stretched his legs a couple of times to show that there was indeed nothing wrong with him.
Although the next moment, he accidentally pulled the sprained part, and his expression twisted for a moment.
Qiao Yan: “…”
Cao Pi: “…”
The two looked at each other for a moment, and it was hard not to suspect that among the three people in front of them, the youngest was actually Cai Yong.
For a moment, I didn't know which behavior was more childish: rushing here to fight for the right to write the sacrificial text, or spraining my legs while climbing the mountain to satisfy my appetite.
But in a sense, this may also be the innocent heart of the literati in the late Han Dynasty.
Qiao Yan glanced down at the younger one, remembering the rumor that he asked his companions to imitate the bray of a donkey with him in front of Wang Can's tomb in order to commemorate Wang Can who died in the great epidemic, because Wang Can loved to hear this sound the most during his lifetime. He felt that in a sense, there was no need to distinguish between him and Cai Yong. 1
However, now with Hua Tuo leading his disciples, they are making early preparations for major epidemics during wars and natural disasters. The number of those who died from major epidemics among the Seven Sages of the Jian'an Period probably will not be as many as in history.
She withdrew her gaze from Cao Pi, and seeing that Cai Yong had recovered from the pain in his legs and feet, she invited him to come inside.
Because of the establishment of a separate clan, this place will no longer be used only as a place to commemorate Qiao Xuan. For example, Qiao Yu and his wife, who originally only had a cenotaph, will also be moved in, which is why the expansion is needed.
In addition, Qiao Yan, the person who initiated the division of the clan, has made no less contribution to the Han Dynasty than Qiao Xuan, even according to her current position as Grand Marshal. She will most likely appear here in the future, so the priority of the temples needs to be considered, and Qiao Xuan cannot be the only focus.
This is what the ceremonial officials invited back from Chang'an City and the construction craftsmen from Leping need to consider.
Cai Yong walked around the newly designated area and was very satisfied with the fact that he might be able to write more than just one or two articles.
He said, "When I followed you to Leping and buried Mr. Qiao's body here, I didn't expect this place to have such a development. Leping has become a county, and the temple has been expanded. If Mr. Qiao knew about this, he would be very pleased."
"This division of the clan is a good one. When Mr. Qiao was the Grand Commandant in Luoyang, someone once asked him why he didn't promote the clan members. If someone can really be helped, then it's fine to give him a hand, but if someone can't be helped, do we have to support him and make him the target of the whole clan being liquidated?"
But Cai Yong couldn't help but ask with some worry: "But in this case, isn't the number of people in the Leping Qiao family that you belong to too small?"
Having fewer people means peace and quiet, which is a good thing, but having too few people is also a bad thing.
Qiao Yan replied: "It may not be as little as you think."
Qiao Zhen, who was studying at Leping Academy, was later called by Qiao Yan to have a talk.
The question was whether she was willing to continue to belong to the Qiao family of Yanzhou, or to transfer to the Qiao family of Leping.
Qiao Yan said, "You can rest assured about one thing. I have made a clear break with the Qiao family of Yanzhou, but that doesn't mean you have to move out tomorrow. Since you haven't graduated from the academy yet, this place is still your place of study."
After she said this, Joe was indeed less nervous.
Then Qiao Yan said, "After you finish your studies here, Bingzhou will not reject you, just like this place will not reject people from other states to work here. I heard that you have a lot of ideas about prescribing medicines. Mr. Wu has already invited you, and this will not change because of your decision."
"Under such circumstances, you have to make this choice again - do you want to continue to rely on the Yanzhou Qiao family and let your brothers support you, or do you want to choose the Leping Qiao family, which now has just reached the number of people."
Qiao Zhen was amused by the fact that she had just completed the number of people on her hand.
But this was indeed a question that required her to think carefully, and she unconsciously restrained her smile a little.
Before Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting went to Shangjun to study with Jia Xu, they said goodbye to her.
Because the content of Qiao Yan's assignment needed to be kept confidential, the two of them did not tell Qiao Zhen clearly what they were going to do. Qiao Zhen only knew that the return date of this trip was uncertain.
But even though Qiao Zhen was not considered a smart person in Leping Academy, it was not difficult for her to guess that what the two of them were going to do was not simple at all.
Compared to the two sisters who dared to give up the stable life in their family and chose to come to Qiao Yan for help, Qiao Zhen often felt that she was just an ordinary person. Before Qiao Yan asked about this choice, she even felt that she might be driven back to Yanzhou.
But if she had to leave here and return to her hometown of Yanzhou, would she really be willing to do so?
Probably reluctant.
In Leping Academy, no one would call her the daughter of Qiao Mao, no one would tell her that she needs to learn the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting so that she can show off her talents in a segment that requires her to perform, and no one would think that it was against common sense for her to get involved in the preparation of medicines.
She has a mild temperament, but dares to laugh and talk loudly here, expressing her thoughts.
But this would never happen in Yanzhou.
Qiao Zhen replied, "My father died in the battle against Dong Zhuo, and my mother passed away several years ago. My brother and I were not close. The only thing I remember is that he learned to be a scheming person early on, so it doesn't make much sense for me to go back to that home."
"I am very surprised and delighted that you would ask me this question. I just hope you will not despise me for my mediocre talent."
Qiao Yan smiled and said, "How many ordinary people are there in this world? At least the other ordinary person is not called Qiao Zhen. This is special."
Qiao Zhen was indeed not like most of the subordinates she had come into contact with, who had ever left a significant mark in history.
Even when she was sitting in front of him, her smile was as gentle and warm as a ripple on the water that left no trace.
But when she made the decision, the vividness in her eyes made it clear to everyone.
For Qiao Yan, this was one of the reasons why she founded Leping Academy.
Qiao Zhen has made his choice, not to mention Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting.
The Qiao Clan of Yanzhou was not a way out for them, and it might even be a pit of fire. They had already promised Qiao Yan to participate in intelligence work, so they naturally had no objection to moving the clan to the Qiao Clan of Leping.
However, because they were actually missing or even possibly dead to the Qiao family of Yanzhou, Qiao Yan did not want people to pay attention to the two sisters because of the fanfare of the relocation of the clan, so he decided to wait until the two sisters retired before taking this action.
"This means there are now four people from the Leping Qiao family still alive." Qiao Ting followed Li Ru to Yizhou. Perhaps because she had gained more experience, she seemed to be more outgoing. She counted on her fingers and said, "Then I must survive to complete the mission for you, so that these four will not become three."
"Stop saying discouraging things here. I asked you to manage the newspaper, not to risk your life." Qiao Yan shook his head and smiled.
She then asked another question: "How are you learning from Mr. Wenhe and Mr. Wenyou?"
If you count strictly, it has been almost half a year since the Qiao sisters started studying with Jia Xu and Li Ru.
This half year should be called small-class elite education, and its effect in cultivating talents is unquestionable.
Although Jia Xu and Li Ru were not as enthusiastic about their work as those in Chang'an, at least they did not adopt a casual attitude towards teaching their apprentices.
When Li Ru was on a diplomatic mission to Yizhou, he did not forget to bring Qiao Ting with him to show his intention of teaching by example. It can be seen that he really took this teaching to heart.
Qiao Tinghui asked, "My Lord, what accents do you think we speak now?"
Qiao Lan and Qiao Ting's original accents were naturally from Yanzhou, but now to Qiao Yan, they sounded a bit like Shu.
Seeing that she had revealed some realization, Qiao Ting explained, "Many people from Yizhou flowed into Guanzhong and were sent to Shangjun via the direct route. Mr. Wenhe selected a few of them to communicate with us every day. In addition, we have formal courses."
The change in accent can make them less likely to reveal their identity, which is indeed a necessary measure.
Qiao Lan said, "It took us a little longer to get rid of the accent, so according to you two gentlemen, it will take at least three months before we can act independently."
"Then I'll give you some more time," Qiao Yan was satisfied with their gradual improvement, and said, "I heard that Mr. Wenhe has arranged a graduation test for you. After the autumn harvest, let me see the results."
It’s only half a year, but Qiao Yan can wait.
This was not just her arrangement for the two sisters, but also her consideration of the overall offense and defense.
Jia Xu was not surprised when he heard her arrangement.
"It's better to stop for a while. You have advanced too fast. It's better to wait and see for a while and stabilize the situation of the three states and three counties. Guanzhong also needs a good harvest to establish confidence in you."
When he talked about confidence, he suddenly felt that he might not need to be reminded of this, as Qiao Yan himself was well aware of this.
Before she launched the crusade against Dong Zhuo as Governor of Bingzhou, she had already achieved increased production in Bingzhou.
The expedition to Liangzhou was also based on the harvest of the previous year.
The march from Gaoping to Longxi and Jincheng was also before the military garrison at Gaoping became effective.
Although the attack on Chang'an took place before the autumn harvest, the results of the autumn harvest in Jincheng and Wuwei were already visible. The reason why the troops were dispatched earlier was because Li Jue took action first, so we can’t blame Qiao Yan for choosing the wrong time.
Although she has warriors with sharp weapons that can conquer the world, she has never forgotten one fact -
Only a team that is well fed can have sufficient morale.
Qiao Yan was distracted while looking at the tablecloth on Jia Xu's tea table, and replied: "But this year, both the territory and the population have expanded too much, and the people's expectations of us have also changed from the original expectations of the governor to the expectations of the Han Dynasty. Mr. Yi, do you think that a good harvest alone is really enough?"
Leping’s education is not enough to cover everyone. When the vast majority of people are still struggling to make ends meet, literacy can only be a vision rather than a realistic sense of security.
Cotton planting needs to be expanded step by step, so last year we could only produce about 60,000 cotton coats, and it was only this year that we were able to expand further.
It is also necessary to consider that some of the cotton is used for cotton yarn and quilts.
So this is not enough to support the people's will.
The digging of canals and the prevention and control of floods and droughts will not bring about fundamental changes in the coming years when the weather is relatively good.
The textile industry only got the manpower snatched from Liu Yan this year, and with the emergence of new textile materials, it has barely had the possibility of further development. It would be a bit difficult to make any leap forward in development within this year.
Jia Xu understood what Qiao Yan meant.
She also needs some other gimmicks to serve as a benchmark for the first year of Jian'an.
Since most people do not know the full picture of the three states, this benchmark is indeed necessary.
Although he does not hold any position now, it does not prevent him from subconsciously thinking about it after hearing what Qiao Yan said.
After thinking for a moment, he replied, "How about the spectacle?"
Qiao Yan almost blurted out subconsciously that spectacles would ruin a country, but thinking that Jia Xu was not giving advice to Dong Zhuo and was not setting a trap for her, she just listened to him.
"I'm not talking about things like the Great Wall and the Ziwuling Straight Road or some palaces and towers," Jia Xu explained. "I'm thinking, your Excellency used the cement you made earlier in places like the Leping Academy, the Guyang Road, the fortress in the Leping Mountains, and the fertilizer fermentation tanks. Is it possible to build something special in Chang'an?"
"According to what you said, the finer the particles are during the grinding process, the stronger the cement produced will be. Due to the complicated screening process, there were almost no strict regulations in previous uses. But now that it is only used in one place, is it possible to further increase the hardness?"
This actually works.
At present, Qiao Yan has not figured out any method to increase the temperature of the iron smelting furnace, and the production of modern cement is undoubtedly still a long way away from her. In comparison, there is more room for improvement in the hardness of traditional cement.
The spectacle suggestion put forward by Jia Xu is indeed feasible.
People tend to believe in something more special and spread it at an incredible speed.
Just like Hua Tuo's Ma Fei San, its anesthetic effect is not really to the point of causing no sensation even after a laparotomy, but it is still described as miraculous because it is something other doctors cannot do.
The “spectacle” that Jia Xu mentioned also held the same idea.
Seeing Qiao Yan nod, Jia Xu continued, "But I haven't thought about what to choose for this wonder."
He had once been commissioned by Qiao Yan to serve in Suiyuan City and assist Lu Bu in managing the Baidaochuan military settlement, so he was well aware of the hardness of the traditional cement.
Compared to being beaten and smashed, it can actually withstand more pressure.
So it obviously can't be used to make statues or something like that.
It is used to build houses and walls, and there is indeed a difference between it and ordinary houses, but it seems difficult for such a rumor to spread.
This use needs to be thought about carefully.
Qiao Yan didn't think this was a problem.
She clapped her hands together and said with a smile, "Then we can use it to build a road. We can tell the public that this is the only road in Chang'an that no one can walk on and that is not made of bricks or stones!"
There is nothing more appropriate than using roads for publicity, simply because everyone walks on roads.
When there is such a road in Chang'an and nowhere else, there will always be people who want to come and see what it is like.
Chang'an, the imperial capital, is the economic, political and cultural center of Guanzhong, so there is indeed a need to come here.
This continuous positive cycle of attracting people is exactly what this "spectacle" does.
Because cement roads are damaging to horse hooves, all the road repairs she had previously initiated were only aimed at leveling the potholes on the road. But now it is only being used on one road in the city, and there is apparently no problem.
All you need to care about is——
Since this road is to serve as the face of Chang'an, it cannot be stepped on by anyone during the construction and maintenance process, leaving marks on it; it cannot be easily cracked due to the drop in temperature in winter; it cannot be easily fractured due to insufficient thickness; and it cannot be damaged internally due to improper drainage measures.
Of course, the last one is relatively easier to solve. After all, the traditional cement is quite resistant to corrosion.
It’s decided, build the road!
A road that doesn’t take too long!
Qiao Yan thanked Jia Xu and said, "Thank you for your reminder, sir. If not for this, I would have forgotten that we have such a good tool."
Jia Xu drank his tea leisurely and replied, "This is your own credit."
After all, a good cook cannot cook without rice, and only with cement can one achieve subsequent landmark results.
This can also be considered as the benefit of following the right lord.
Although both are undercover agents, he and Tian Feng lead completely different lives.
When he thought of this satisfying contrast, a smile appeared on Jia Xu's face.
But the next moment the smile on his face froze on the spot.
Who could have seen that after getting the solution to the problem, Qiao Yan did not choose to continue drinking tea or get up and leave, but reached out for the tablecloth that she had been staring at for a long time.
"Speaking of which, this thing is not suitable for you, sir?" Qiao Yan spread out the part of the tablecloth where the pattern was sewn with embroidery thread in his hands, and looked at it closely for a moment, and then looked at Jia Xu again, "Sir, since you want to be an idle person, you should choose a pattern like pine, bamboo, deer, and crane. Why choose two iron-gnawing beasts?"
"This creature likes to eat copper, iron, and bamboo bones, which really doesn't match your temperament."
Jia Xu: “…”
On the tablecloth held in Qiao Yan's hand was embroidered a bunch of green bamboo. Under the bamboo, there was a pair of bear-like animals with black and white spots, one of which was lying on the ground while the other was gnawing on the bamboo. They looked so adorable.
If this isn’t the national treasure known as the panda in modern times, then what is it?
However, in the Han Dynasty it was called "Ni Tie" and was recorded in "Shenyijing" written by Dongfang Shuo.
When Qiao Ting followed Li Ru on the trip to Yizhou, he encountered them on the roadside of Mianzhu. After returning to Shangjun, he still thought they were cute, so he embroidered them on the tablecloth.
Jia Xu had never seen this thing before, but he found it interesting, so he asked for it.
Although Li Ru taught Qiao Ting and Jia Xu taught Qiao Lan, there were always some courses taught by both of them at the same time. Jia Xu was naturally still Qiao Ting's teacher, so this thing could be regarded as a gift from Qiao Ting to become his teacher.
But now...
Jia Xu only heard Qiao Yan say: "We have found hundreds of embroiderers from Yizhou this time, among whom there are those who are particularly good at Shu embroidery. I will ask them to send a bamboo forest seclusion tablecloth to you in exchange in a few days."
"It is said that keeping quiet is the best way to cultivate oneself. Sir, it would be better if you do not leave such a cruel thing in front of you."
Jia Xu remained silent.
Don't think he didn't see that Qiao Yan made such a move because she felt that this thing didn't match her temperament, or because she also liked this thing.
My Lord, you have just performed a show of sacrificing your relatives for the sake of justice in Chang'an, and established your own clan. It seems that you have become much more shameless!
Qiao Yan pretended not to notice Jia Xu's silent accusation.
She just calmly took the panda tablecloth and thought to herself that she had made a mistake before. When she asked Liu Yan for rewards for the troops, she actually forgot about this Sichuan specialty. She should have asked him to send a batch of pandas!
But it is obviously too late to go to Liu Yan to make a request now, so let's wait until the next time when he finds another reason to go hunting.
She went back to Chang'an to create wonders first! ：,w,
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