116 Chapter 116
◎Vigorous passion◎
Since the advent of the steam engine, China's industry has developed rapidly.
The railway construction has been planned for ten years. After the unremitting efforts of Tiangong Institute and many craftsmen, it has finally been successful.
The first railway ran from the capital to Baoding Prefecture in northern Zhili, with a total length of about 300 miles. It was officially opened to traffic on March 9, the tenth year of Xihe.
This section of railway was specifically used for freight transportation and was named the "Beijing-Baoding Railway". After extensive publicity in newspapers, people all over the country knew that there was a railway train that could transport bulk goods from the capital to Baoding, which was much more time-saving and labor-saving than using oxen and horses.
But unfortunately, there are very few people who sign transportation agreements with the Railway Bureau.
Most merchants are still waiting and watching.
Lu Fei has always been a pioneer, especially after benefiting from the court's policies many times, she has blindly trusted the court.
Last spring, her daughter Lü Ling passed the imperial examination and became a second-class Jinshi, joining the ranks of the gentry. Since then, she has been devoted to the court and is the first to support any new things created by the court.
She was also the first person to sign a freight agreement with the railway department.
The line was officially opened today, and the train was loaded with the Lu family's goods. As the head of the Lu family, she arrived at Baoding Prefecture Station in advance to witness the arrival of the train with her own eyes.
The station was crowded with people inside and outside.
There were a very small number of people in the crowd, holding the handlebars of their bicycles with both hands, one leg on the pedal, and the other leg on the ground, with a very cool posture.
The bicycle was first introduced three years ago and was manufactured under the supervision of the Tiangong Institute. Since its production has been low, the price has remained high for a long time and only some wealthy families can afford it.
Lu Fei also has two at home.
She just glanced at it casually a few times, then looked away and kept looking towards the direction of the capital.
Not long after, with bursts of roars, the steel giant slowly drove into the platform from afar and stopped steadily under the shocked and excited gaze of the crowd.
Inside and outside the platform, applause came in waves.
The meeting hall of the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Xie Mingzhuo summoned cabinet ministers to discuss the revision and amendment of laws.
In recent years, new things have emerged one after another, and many emerging industries have been derived. The old rules of the past can no longer provide legal support for new cases, and revising the law has become a general trend.
"County-level yamen are closest to the people, and many new cases first appear in county yamen. When formulating laws, we must listen to public opinion and gain experience from judicial practice."
"Your Majesty is wise."
Officials including Minister of Rites Gao Quan, Supreme Court Minister Yu Hong, and Left Censor-in-Chief Song You stood before their desks with their heads lowered, awaiting orders.
These are the main forces in formulating new laws. Since Your Majesty attaches so much importance to the law, they will certainly do their best.
Yu Hong proposed: "Your Majesty, can you summon criminal officials of all levels to the capital for a meeting and discussion?"
"Can."
Other officials, such as Gao Quan and Song You, also put forward suggestions one by one. They were all people of outstanding abilities, and some of their ideas even made up for Xie Mingzhuo's personal limitations.
She was quite happy with it.
The court is full of talented people, and even without her as the emperor, it can still run smoothly and effectively. This is the goal she has always worked hard for.
After the meeting, the officials took their leave.
Feng Caiyu entered the palace and presented a letter, saying respectfully, "Your Majesty, this is a letter from the Retired Emperor and the Retired Empress."
Since Xie Mingzhuo ascended the throne, Xie Changfeng has completely become a hands-off boss. He often takes Meng Qi on secret trips, and never forgets to write letters to the capital during his trips.
The old couple returned to their retirement life and felt so comfortable and happy.
After ten years of development, the public security in Daqi has changed a lot. Although bandits and thieves have not been completely eliminated, they no longer dare to show up due to the severe crackdown by government offices.
The old couple are secretly protected by guards, so there is no need to worry about their safety.
After reading the letter, before I had time to drink a sip of tea, Jiang Qing came in with a happy face.
"Your Majesty, we have good news from the Capital Hospital. Director Xu has successfully researched a vaccine for smallpox. It has already undergone clinical trials and will soon be available nationwide."
These new words all come from "Tiangong Academy", which now covers various disciplines, including medicine within its research scope.
Tiangong Institute will propose a topic and then hand it over to the appropriate team for research.
Cowpox was proposed by the Tiangong Institute of Medicine, which cooperated with the Beijing Hospital and was studied and tested by a team led by President Xu Qinglang himself.
The successful development of cowpox is indeed good news that is exciting.
Medicine has made significant achievements, and other disciplines are not far behind.
It is worth mentioning that the palace has electricity.
The construction of the national power grid has been put on the agenda and has become one of the most important infrastructure projects. However, due to the scarcity of relevant technical talents, the project has been stagnant.
But time makes everything possible.
In the spring of the fifteenth year of Xihe, students gathered in the capital, and the prosperous capital dazzled many young people.
Liu Yun is one of them.
Her ancestral home is in Runing Prefecture, Henan Province. Her parents died early, so she has lived with her fellow villagers since she was a child and has been taken care of by them.
When her clansmen became bandits, she followed suit. When her clansmen left the mountains and went into the water, becoming bandits on the Anlu County River, she followed suit and became a bandit.
She thought that she would only see the river and fish and shrimps all her life, and her life would be like duckweed on the water. However, the appearance of a person inadvertently changed her life.
Since Tiangong Academy promoted "science", schools across the country began to promote new subjects, and the textbooks were all compiled by Tiangong Academy, called "Natural Science".
Any student who wants to take the imperial examination must study this course, and those who fail will not be admitted.
As a result, the eight-legged essay trend gradually faded, the study of nature became popular, and the goal of the imperial examination system reform was gradually achieved.
Logically speaking, Liu Yun had a bad background and her fellow clansmen had been mountain bandits and pirates, so she could not take the imperial examination. However, her fellow clansmen had made meritorious contributions while serving their sentences and assisted the Zongdutai in suppressing the rebels. Later, they joined the army together, and all their past mistakes were wiped out.
Moreover, her parents were not directly involved, and her ancestors for three generations were farmers, so it is not surprising that the review was passed.
In the 12th year of Xihe, the imperial court abolished the household registration system. Occupations such as farmers, craftsmen, workers, and soldiers could be changed at will, and there were no restrictions on students' household registration. As a result, a large number of talents emerged and shined in all walks of life.
The imperial examination was no longer limited to becoming an official in the imperial court; students could choose their own career path.
Liu Yun's ideal was to be admitted to Tiangong Academy and specialize in the study of nature.
She was an orphan and had no money to go to school, but by chance, she met a scholar who was visiting Henan. The scholar saw that she was quite talented in the study of nature and sponsored her admission to school.
The scholar's name was Xu Zhixiu. She had once been a woman trapped in the inner chambers, and after a divorce, she moved to the capital to live alone. When the imperial court relaxed restrictions on the imperial examinations, she decided to give it a try, and eventually, she became a member of the Tiangong Academy.
She has no children, but she has countless sponsors. Orphans like Liu Yun who have received sponsorship are all her children.
Liu Yun thought to himself, "I must go visit Teacher Xu when I get admitted to Tiangong College."
"Liu Yun!"
A classmate, riding his bicycle sideways, greeted me with a straight and energetic look.
Nowadays, bicycles are still considered a luxury item. My classmate's family is well-off and can easily afford to buy him a bicycle. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was the latest model.
In order to make it easier to ride a bike, she didn't wear old-fashioned clothes, but a top and pants, which was simple and neat.
This is also the trend among young people nowadays.
Liu Yun walked over quickly and asked with a smile, "Where are you going?"
"I've made some new friends, all students who are going to take exams. Do you want to come with me?"
Liu Yun naturally would not refuse if students could exchange learning experiences with each other.
The two went to a teahouse together.
Before entering the door, I heard a noise coming from inside, mixed with incomprehensible bird calls.
The two looked at each other and made a judgment in their hearts.
It was February, two months before the Emperor's birthday, but in order to arrive in time for the birthday celebration, many diplomatic missions had already arrived in Beijing.
Friction is inevitable after entering Beijing.
The two squeezed into the teahouse. The tables and chairs in the hall were tilted and overturned. A blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigner had a look of horror mixed with a hint of disgust. He pointed at the female magician on the stage of the teahouse and kept shouting in bird language.
"What is he talking about?"
"Can't understand."
"You didn't think the illusion was real and scared it, did you?"
"Should we go to the hospital?"
Liu Yun and his fellow villagers had no idea what he was doing, so they just planned to watch the fun and wait for the patrolling soldiers to come and stop him.
After all, they are foreigners and don’t speak the language, so it is difficult for ordinary people to dissuade them directly.
Suddenly, a man appeared beside him. He was extremely handsome and looked only about thirty years old, but his temperament was mature and steady.
He was dressed modestly, but his every move exuded an air of nobility. He said something, but the golden retriever suddenly became quiet. He ran to him excitedly and hurriedly, mumbling something and gesturing with his hands.
The man was gentle and patient, and kept explaining in the other person's language. After a while, the golden-haired man suddenly realized and glanced at the female illusionist on the stage. The panic in his eyes dissipated a little, but he was still vigilant.
After the man negotiated, Jinmao agreed to pay the teahouse appropriate compensation and apologized to the teahouse owner and other guests.
After they left, the guests in the museum were all whispering, constantly speculating about the identities of the two people.
One of them said excitedly, "I learned a little British, I understand!"
Everyone looked over curiously.
"The golden haired man saw the illusion, called her a 'witch', and threatened to burn her to death!"
"What?" Everyone was puzzled. "What is a 'witch'? Why burn her to death?! This is so cruel!"
Liu Yun also felt that this foreigner was too cruel and bloody.
The man continued, "In their eyes, a witch is a vicious woman who uses magic to harm people and is meant to be burned to death. That's why they say superstition kills."
Thinking about the many cases many years ago in Qi State where people shifted the blame onto women and even killed them, Liu Yun couldn't help feeling sad.
It turns out that no matter which country you are in, women have an extremely difficult life.
If the current emperor had not vigorously promoted the transformation of customs and the development of science and technology, she would probably be just a woman trapped at home, working hard and not being welcomed.
Someone else asked, "Who was that person who stopped Golden Hair just now, and what did he say?"
"I don't know who it was, but he said there are no 'witches' in Qi Kingdom. The person on the stage was just performing a magic trick. Qi Kingdom's customs are very different from those of Britain. His actions have ruined the teahouse guests' interest in watching the show. If he doesn't apologize in time, the Qi Kingdom's officers and soldiers will not be polite."
"Well said!"
"That's what I have to say. Let those green-eyed foreigners learn a lesson about courtesy."
The incident in the teahouse was just an episode. Liu Yun made a few more friends through the introduction of his companions, and they returned to the inn together after the incident.
When she met the Jinyiwei who were performing official duties on the way, her companions immediately pulled her aside and did not dare to look at her any longer.
Although the Jinyiwei no longer has the bad reputation it once had after the reform, the awe in the hearts of ordinary people has not subsided.
However, Liu Yun couldn't help but take a few more glances because of his childhood experience.
Her companion tugged at her sleeve, "Stop looking. Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?"
"They don't eat humans, so what's there to be afraid of?"
The companion looked helpless, "Even if they don't eat people, their methods are not vegetarian."
Liu Yun smiled. If she knew that he had been a "water bandit" and had given wild flowers by the roadside to a female Jinyiwei, and had received a few candies from her, she wondered what she would think.
That tall and slender figure from that year has always been engraved in her mind, leaving an indelible impression on her.
In her young understanding, women's roles were nothing more than giving birth to children and taking care of the house. Every day they either did laundry, cooked, or took care of their children and husband. She never knew that a woman could live like that.
That Lord Meng deeply overturned her cognition.
It was also because of this that she developed the idea of studying hard, and was fortunate to meet Teacher Xu at the most appropriate time. She was appreciated by Teacher Xu and has the life she has now.
In March, Liu Yun successfully passed the exam and officially became a student of Tiangong College.
The course lasts four years. After graduation, you can choose to stay in the hospital for further studies or go out to find a job.
She chose to stay in Tiangongyuan.
Four years passed in the blink of an eye. Tiangong Academy remained the same, but the entire Qi Kingdom had undergone earth-shaking changes.
The emergence of the internal combustion engine heralded the country's renewed rise.
In addition, a vigorous education system reform movement was carried out across the country, and the imperial examination system became history.
The establishment of primary schools, junior high schools, high schools and universities brought endless vitality to the development of Qi State.
Tiangong Academy is still the first research institute in Qi State, but from now on it is only responsible for research work. The teachers and students there moved into a new-style university named "Tiangong University", which became the premier student holy land in Qi State.
Of course, researchers at Tiangong Institute can also serve as teachers at Tiangong University.
After careful consideration, Liu Yun chose to serve as a teacher at Tiangong University, following the example of Xu Zhixiu, teaching and educating people, and cultivating more outstanding talents for Daqi.
As Qi State grew stronger and stronger, countries around the world sent students across the ocean to learn advanced knowledge.
They spoke the language of Qi, wore Qi clothes, and their eyes were full of desire for knowledge.
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