Yuan Jing did not tell the old lady about Tao Yuzhu's incident a few years ago, but only mentioned it to his father Tao Dayong. Tao Dayong was almost scared to death. Who could have thought that Tao Yuzhu was so bold as to pretend to be someone else's daughter and get involved with the young prince? If Yuan Jing had not told Tao Dayong about it afterwards and let him know that the entire Tao family was not involved, he would have been so scared that he could not sit still and sleep all night, with fear in his heart.
Tao Dayong and his son had the same idea and did not tell their mother because the old lady could not stand the shock at her age. They also did not want to send a letter back to Taojia Village to tell his elder brother and sister-in-law about the whereabouts of Tao Yuzhu. They just wanted them to think that Tao Yuzhu had died outside and no longer existed.
Yuan Jing took his younger brother to have fun in the mountains. In addition to learning literature, he also taught his younger brother martial arts. Besides, he was the main person responsible for hunting. It would be strange if Tao Yuanze could shoot mountain rabbits and pheasants with his small bow. He even held Yuan Jing back several times.
"Huh? Brother, there are people in front." Tao Yuanze heard the sound of horse hooves in the woods.
Yuan Jing certainly knew who was coming, but he didn't expect Mu Chengan to show up so early and not avoid his younger brother, so he waited with his younger brother for the person to show up.
After a while, a man on horseback appeared in front of them. Needless to say, it was Mu Chengan. Mu Chengan was wearing casual clothes. He got off the horse and strode towards them. Tao Yuanze was not stupid. He looked up at the man's expression, then at his brother's face, and immediately understood: "Brother, do you know this... um, big brother?"
Mu Cheng'an smiled when he heard the call and was in a very good mood. He thought that this boy was a smart one and did not call him and Yuan Jing as two generations apart.
His biggest regret was the big age gap between him and Tao Yuanjing, so he paid great attention to self-cultivation this year and was determined to live longer.
He reached out and patted the little guy's head, and said with a smile: "Yes, Big Brother and your brother are friends, so you can call me Big Brother An."
"Okay, okay, Brother An, Brother An, where are you from?" This kid is very talkative.
"Of course it's from the other side."
"Is the Zhenbei Palace across the street?" Tao Yuanze looked like he was determined to get to the bottom of the matter.
Yuan Jing rubbed his brother's head in annoyance and said, "Why are you asking so many questions? Your elder brother An works in the palace. I met him when I went hunting in the mountains before. I just happened to run into him today, so I'll let you see how powerful he is."
"Great, I want to ride a big horse."
Yuan Jing glanced at Mu Cheng'an and said, "See, you just rode the horse here, but this guy has set his eyes on his horse." Mu Cheng'an smiled indifferently, turned around and carried Tao Yuanze onto the horse's back. Tao Yuanze was so happy that he forgot about his elder brother and didn't notice that Mu Cheng'an was walking in the woods with the horse and his brother at the same time.
Originally they just wanted to hunt some rabbits and pheasants, but the result was good, Mu Chengan joined them, and they finally brought back a big wild boar and a deer. Mu Chengan sent them to the foot of the mountain and went back alone. He did not show up in the manor, but after going down the mountain and seeing his parents, Tao Yuanze started to praise Brother An desperately, and it seemed like he was almost becoming Brother An's crazy fan.
In his mind, isn't Brother An very powerful? He shot a wild boar to death with one arrow and hunted a deer easily. At this age, Tao Yuanze is most likely to admire such a strong man.
Tao Dayong was surprised to hear this: "Who is the big brother An that Yuanze mentioned? Why didn't he invite him to our village?"
Yuan Jing explained, "An Cheng is a guard in the manor of the Zhenbei Palace. He is very skilled. I met him when I went into the mountains before. I happened to meet him today. He is a nice guy and he even said he wanted to introduce a martial arts master to Yuan Ze. Dad, you don't have to worry about his identity. Only people from the Zhenbei Palace can come in and out of this mountain."
"He has to go back too. If we meet again someday, ask him to come and sit with us."
"Okay, do you really want to hire a martial arts master for Yuan Ze?"
"It won't hurt to learn more. I'll be a civil servant in the future, and it will be good for my health."
After this advice, Tao Dayong was speechless. Having gone through those exams with his son, he knew how difficult they were. It was indeed necessary to have a good body to persevere. So there was nothing wrong with learning martial arts.
Yuan Jing made preparations for both scenarios. In case Yuan Ze had no talent for the imperial examinations in the future and failed to pass, he could still seek a military position.
Tao Yuanze had no idea about his brother's arrangements for him. He was very excited because his idol was going to find a martial arts master for him to learn martial arts from. This was great. He hoped he could be as good as his idol in the future. But when the martial arts master arrived, he knew that his hard life was about to begin. He had to study both literature and martial arts and could not relax for a moment. He was a child who grew up in misery.
Mu Cheng'an did not go down the mountain during the day, but came to the manor at night to have a secret meeting with Yuan Jing.
Yuan Jing seized the opportunity to complain to him about the things that were bothering him, the disputes in the court, and the floods in the south of the Yangtze River. He didn't know when this situation would end.
"An Cheng, do you want to support a prince, or..." just replace him?
"I thought you would continue to call me Brother An."
"Be serious, let's talk about serious matters." Yuan Jing glared at him.
Mu Chengan smiled and held his hand as they walked on the mountain path: "The one who knows me best is Yuan Jing. But I don't want to replace him. The Mu family will be extinct after me. Where can I find an heir?" If Yuan Jing could give him a child, he might consider it. Mu Ancheng glanced at Yuan Jing's belly meaningfully. Yuan Jing didn't know what he was thinking. "Yuan Jing, what do you think of the Ninth Prince?"
Ninth Prince? A question mark popped up in Yuan Jing's mind. Well, he finally remembered that the Ninth Prince had just turned one year old. "Are you sure you can teach him well?"
"If it doesn't work, just find another one. It's not easy for the royal family to find a good emperor, but it's very easy to find one with royal blood." Mu Ancheng said ruthlessly.
Yuan Jing agreed with that thought. Not to mention that the current prince is the ninth among the living ones, and the adult princes before him all have little grandchildren. There are also those royal family members, such as the prince who was cuckolded by the old emperor. The number is really not small.
So Yuan Jing nodded and said, "You are right. Are you ready to take action?"
Mu Cheng'an stopped, turned around and looked at Yuan Jing and smiled. He was worthy of being the person he had chosen. He did not scold him for such a bold and rebellious behavior. Instead, he asked him calmly when he would take action. This was the most compatible person he had ever met.
Because Yuan Jing did not have much respect for the imperial power, and because he saw that none of the old emperor and several adult princes truly cared about the people, so instead of letting them take the throne, it would be better to choose another capable person. He believed that Mu Cheng'an, who had been guarding the border for more than ten years and truly cared about the people at the border, was more suitable than those princes.
If Mu Chengan wanted to compete for the throne, he would support him with both hands. Of course, if he didn't want that position, Mu Chengan would be less restricted.
Mu Chengan stretched out his hand and pinched Yuan Jing's nose, saying, "I'll do it as soon as possible. Do you want to change your position? Still stay in the Hanlin Academy?"
Yuan Jing originally wanted to have some peace and quiet, but now he no longer thinks so. He wants to do something within his ability, so he said, "Why not go to the Ministry of Industry?"
"good."
Mu Cheng'an responded with only one word. Ever since he decided to shift his focus from the border to the capital, he has reached into every corner in the past few years. It is not a small matter to get Yuan Jing into the Ministry of Works.
Mu Cheng'an was very quick. The next afternoon, Yuan Jing's transfer order came down. He was going to work in the Ministry of Works and was promoted from a seventh-rank editor to a sixth-rank official. When the transfer order was sent to the Hanlin Academy, some people remembered that there was such a young scholar who had won the third place in the imperial examination. But how did he get the chance to work in the Ministry of Works and get promoted two levels?
No matter what they thought in their hearts, they all congratulated Yuan Jing when they saw him in person. When Yuan Jing said goodbye to everyone one by one and went to report to the Ministry of Works, the rest of the people started to talk. Not many people wanted to stay in the Hanlin Academy. It was just a stepping stone to gain experience. Especially since the top three candidates in the imperial examinations with Yuan Jing, the third place, were still staying there honestly, but this most unknown person had walked ahead of them.
"Although he is young, he is not without background. He is the last disciple of President Mao of Bailu Academy. Although President Mao is not an official in the court, many of his students have entered the court. Apart from others, President Mao's third disciple Di Rong is now in the Ministry of Revenue."
"I see. No wonder he is so calm at such a young age. It turns out he has a lot of ideas in his mind."
Others thought that Yuan Jing had planned for success, but who would have thought that Yuan Jing really wanted to stay in the Hanlin Academy for some time, study hard and read more books. However, the situation was beyond his control. Seeing natural disasters and man-made disasters happening, he could not get over this hurdle in his heart unless he did something.
It would be fine if he couldn't do it, but he clearly could have done something, but he stood by and watched batches of people die. He felt guilty about that.
Yuan Jing got promoted, and Di Rong, his senior brother, was very happy. He thought that it would be a good idea to go to the Ministry of Works, which was not as complicated as the other ministries. Besides, the uncle of Yuan Jing's classmate was the left vice minister in the Ministry of Works. Even if he could be taken care of, Di Rong thought that at least Yuan Jing would not be embarrassed.
"Work hard, and move on after a few years." Di Rong said this to his junior fellow apprentice. He didn't think that his junior fellow apprentice could accomplish anything great in the Ministry of Works.
The Tao family was extremely happy. Their grandson (son) had been promoted to the sixth rank, which was much higher than any county magistrate they had known before. In Taojia Village before, the county magistrate was the king, so one can imagine how high a sixth rank official is now.
Yuan Jing tried to cheer up the old lady and mother: "When I get promoted to the fifth rank, I can ask for imperial decrees for grandma and mother."
The old lady and Mrs. Song both wiped their tears when they heard this. They were so happy. They never thought that this day would come.
"I can do it, too. I will ask for an imperial decree for grandma and mom in the future." Tao Yuanze was also eager to try.
"Hey, grandma's dear grandchildren. Both of grandchildren are the best." The old lady hugged her little grandchildren in her arms. They are her sweethearts.
After joining the Ministry of Works, Yuan Jing no longer hid in a corner like the Hanlin Academy, but actively contacted the craftsmen and even went to the workshops in person to participate in their practical operations. Thinking of the floods in the south of the Yangtze River and the dams that collapsed at the slightest touch, Yuan Jing thought of one of the essential skills for time travelers, which was to make cement, which was most effective for paving roads and building embankments.
He didn't know how many worlds he would travel through, but that didn't stop him from reading some time-travel novels in his spare time in his first two lives. He was very interested in learning how modern people made fortunes and lit up the technology tree by traveling back to ancient times.
Originally, he wanted to wait a little longer, until the old emperor fell and the new ruler came to power, and then he would make cement and other things that would benefit the people's livelihood. But now he can't care about these things. He thought that if he made the cement and gave it to Mu Chengan, Mu Chengan would always find a way to put it into use. This was his unfounded confidence in Mu Chengan.
A month later, several craftsmen gathered around the smooth surface and were extremely excited.
"Master Tao, is it done? We have made this thing called cement, right?"
"Yes, this is cement." Yuan Jing said happily, "Tao Wu, go and tell them. Now let's try concrete."
Tao Wu is Wu Yi, who was sent by Mu Chengan to serve Yuan Jing. So Yuan Jing changed his name to Tao Wu. He couldn't call him Wu Yi in front of others. With Tao Wu around, it was more convenient for Yuan Jing to contact Mu Chengan.
Wu Yi saw the emergence of this new thing, cement, from beginning to end. When this small piece of ground was paved with cement and dried, it became flat and solid. He realized that what Young Master Tao had made might be of great use, so he turned around and left immediately after Yuan Jing gave him an order.
Several craftsmen surrounded Yuan Jing and asked him what this concrete was. Yuan Jing started to operate it himself with a practical spirit.
Mu Cheng'an knew what Yuan Jing was tinkering with after entering the Ministry of Industry, but he didn't think he was just tinkering around. It was clear that Yuan Jing was going to the Ministry of Industry with a purpose. He immediately asked Wu Yi to get the cement and personally inspected the cement paving and the effect of the concrete. After the acceptance, he understood Yuan Jing's intention of tinkering with such a new thing.
He prepared it for the floods in the south. With this cement and concrete to build the dam, the dam will not be easily washed away by the water and submerge countless fertile fields. More importantly, the cement and concrete are extremely simple to make, and the cost can be reduced to a minimum, but they are of great significance to people's livelihood.
It's really his baby!
While no one was paying attention to the situation around Yuan Jing, Mu Cheng'an immediately took action and replaced everyone around him with his own people to ensure that the news would not leak out. In fact, not many people paid attention to this aspect. In the final analysis, no one believed that Yuan Jing could achieve remarkable results.
At the same time, Mu Cheng'an accelerated his actions in the court. The evidence sent from Jiangnan at full speed implicated the eldest prince, the second prince, and the third prince. The officials of the eldest prince's faction embezzled most of the silver allocated in previous years, half of which was sent to the eldest prince's mansion, and the silver used to build the dam accounted for less than 10%. The money was withheld again and again, and the buildings were either in disrepair for many years or were shoddy projects.
The second prince was not much better off. His maternal family had acquired a large tract of fertile farmland in the south of the Yangtze River, which was about to be flooded. To avoid losses, they artificially broke another section of the embankment and diverted the water from the river to the people's fields. The people who originally lived in that area did not have to suffer this time of flood.
As for the third prince, he was not clean either. Although his maternal family background was the weakest among the princes, he hid it the best and even reached his hands into the granary in Jiangnan.
Right in the court, in front of all the court officials, evidence was thrown out one after another, causing an uproar among the ministers. The evidence and the flood were so shocking that even the old emperor was confused, he was so angry at these three princes that he vomited blood on the spot. He ordered on the spot that all the officials involved in the case be arrested, and the three princes were detained in the mansion and not allowed to go out. He handed over the matter of disaster relief to a minister, and ordered the Ministry of Revenue to fully cooperate in raising silver and grain, and the local garrisons would obey the orders.
After the court was dismissed, the old emperor was so angry that he lay on the bed and couldn't get up. The harem was also in chaos. Everyone wanted to plead for their prince, which made it even more difficult for the old emperor to rest and recuperate.
Yuan Jing heard about this from the Minister of Works on the same day, and a look of understanding flashed in his eyes. No matter the person who sent evidence from the south to Beijing, or the official who was sent to the south for disaster relief, they should all be related to Mu Cheng'an. Yuan Jing had heard of Lord Shen, who was a rare and serious person. Because of this, he was not valued by the old emperor in the past. Now the old emperor also knew that he had to use such a person.
He also didn't expect that the three princes were involved in the Jiangnan officialdom. Looking at what they have done, to be honest, it would be worrying if any of these three people came to power.
Soon after Lord Shen went to Jiangnan, after a vigorous rectification, the disaster in Jiangnan was finally alleviated, and there was no major civil unrest. For the common people, as long as they could survive, how many people would be willing to rebel? Lord Shen's appeasement measures were very effective, giving the common people hope and willingness to obey the government's arrangements.
It is said that after Lord Shen went to Jiangnan, he chopped off the heads of many officials on the spot, which was a case of beheading first and reporting later. These officials also had their own factions. When the news reached the capital, the masters behind them gritted their teeth and wished they could bite off a few pieces of meat from Lord Shen. They thought of going to the palace to complain to the old emperor, but the old emperor was ill and unable to handle the affairs of state. What could they do?
The only adult princes left were the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince. Originally, they had no chance of getting into the officialdom of Jiangnan and they envied, envied and hated the First Prince. But now, they felt lucky and gloated over his misfortune. So the two of them vied with each other to show their courtesy to the Emperor. The mothers of the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Princes also brought their sons to the Emperor to please him. When they heard that the Emperor was finally smiling again, the First Prince, the Second Prince and the Third Prince, who were not allowed to leave the palace without permission, could no longer sit still.
Yuan Jing came out of the Ministry of Works and walked on the street. He felt that the atmosphere in the capital was a bit depressing recently, and there were signs of impending storm.
As he was walking, a carriage slowed down beside him. Yuan Jing looked up and saw that it was the one that looked ordinary on the outside but extraordinary on the inside. When he saw the curtain was lifted, he glanced left and right and hurriedly got in.
Sure enough, the person sitting in the carriage was Mu Chengan. Yuan Jing asked in a low voice: "Why are you here? If there is something urgent, just send someone to deliver a message. Why did you come here in person?"
It's still daytime now, and it's bound to arouse suspicion in other people's eyes. It's not the time for King Zhenbei to show his shackles yet.
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