Chapter 267 Chapter 267 Reading Building
Lord Huo sat beside Qin Kun, drank a cup with him, and after a few words of congratulations, he casually asked, "Lord Qin, do you know who owns that piece of land outside the northern suburbs? I heard that dozens of horse-drawn carriages have been transporting freight from there to the docks lately, and several large ships can't load it all."
I heard that the goods were wrapped in black cloth the entire time when they were transported from the northern suburbs, and outsiders had no idea what was inside.
In the past few months, there has been a lot of commotion outside the northern suburbs of the city. Dozens of military guards have been patrolling day and night. Some people wanted to go in and take a look, but unfortunately it was difficult to even get close.
With so many goods sold in the northern suburbs, there must be no shortage of buyers. This shows that the owner of the land in the northern suburbs is going to make a fortune this time.
Everyone is naturally curious about this boss. Maybe they can make friends with him and make a fortune together in the future.
Qin Kun shook his head. "I'm not sure about that. I heard that the land belongs to the Qi family's youngest son. What's wrong with that?"
When Lord Huo heard Qin Kun ask this, he knew that Qin Kun was probably unaware of what was happening in the northern suburbs. He explained the situation, "I heard that the profit from shipping goods from the northern suburbs is at least this much."
As he spoke, Lord Huo raised two fingers.
The others at the table asked curiously, "Two thousand taels?"
"Two thousand taels? You're really shortsighted. It must be at least twenty thousand taels. I heard the workers in the northern suburbs have only been working for two months, two months, and they've already made this much. How much do they make in a whole year?"
"Master Qi, isn't that piece of land owned by your youngest son? Could it be that he's also involved in the business now?"
Qi Yuanyang frowned and said, "The land was indeed his before, but it's not his anymore. It was bought by someone else a few months ago."
"Who bought it? Master Qi, please don't hide it from us. Who knows, this guy might become a rising star in the capital in the future. If we all get to know him, maybe we can avoid some trouble."
Qi Yuanyang shook his head without changing his expression. "I don't know about that. You all know that the land belongs to Xiu Ze. The kid is grown up and has become independent. If he wants to make a move, he won't consult with an elder like me."
In fact, Qi Yuanyang probably guessed it.
Qi Xiu Ze indeed did not tell him who he sold the land to, but coincidentally, the day after Qi Xiu Ze sold the land, Xu Yunfan borrowed tens of thousands of taels from him. How could such a coincidence happen in the world?
However, for some things, pretending not to know when you know the truth, or pretending to be confused when you know the truth is actually a good thing.
As soon as Lord Huo mentioned the affairs of the northern suburbs, everyone started chatting again. They all heard one thing, that is, the owner of the land in the northern suburbs is now making a lot of money.
Qin Kun was not that curious about these things, but Qin Qian and Qin Feiyu were slightly envious when they heard them.
Don't look at the father and son, one is an old general, the other is a general with a great reputation, they seem to be very powerful, but to be honest, they have no experience in doing business. Everyone thinks that a general's mansion is so big that it has no shortage of power and wealth, but they don't know that the Qin family's property is actually managed by Lord Qin. Qin Feiyu only knows a little bit, so it's okay to let him lead troops to fight, but it's not possible to let him make a fortune like the boss. It's like a different world for each other.
On the other side, Xu Yunfan strolled around the streets for the whole afternoon and was so hungry that he was almost starving. When he came back, Xu Yunfan held Xiaobao in his arms. The father and son were arguing with each other. Just the two of them managed to eat as many as dozens of ducks.
"You are such a useless boy. I should have known not to bring you with me. I still have to carry you when I come back. Look at how fat you are. You must weigh at least 30 kilograms. Eat less meat and more vegetables next time, okay? Otherwise, your two fathers won't be able to carry you." As soon as they arrived in the yard, Xu Yunfan put Xiaobao down and waved him away in disgust.
Xiaobao replied a few words in grievance, and walked a little awkwardly when he got out of Xu Yunfan's arms.
It turned out that Xiaobao had short legs. Even when riding in front of Xu Yunfan, he had to spread his legs wide to sit down. Now, his thighs can't close together and they are sore. When he comes back, he has to let Xu Yunfan hold him.
In the kitchen, Fang Zixi, who had heard the two bickering, poked her head out and couldn't help but laugh, "Can you guys stop talking? Are you hungry? Dinner will be served soon."
"Daddy, my father is bullying me." When Xiaobao saw Fang Zixi, he took a breath and ran over to tell her about it. Xu Yunfan was too lazy to pay attention to him and immediately went to wash his hands, not forgetting to say, "You are still telling her about it at this time, you little stupid pig, you are not active in eating, you have a problem with your brain."
Fang Zixi: “…”
Fang Zixi was choked. This pair was indeed uncle and nephew.
Qin Run and Fang Zixi, who had guessed that Xu Yunfan would be hungry, returned home half an hour earlier. The second master Qin had already asked someone to pick out all the thunder god roots that Xu Yunfan had dug up. Unfortunately, he had never eaten this thing before and didn't know how to cook it.
"Grandpa, didn't you go to the restaurant for dinner?" Qin Run was surprised to see the Second Lord Qin there.
The Second Lord of Qin shook his head. "It would be nice if you and your grandfathers could go. Some people are late, so I'll stay and entertain them. Oh, what are you holding in your hands? They're so beautiful."
"Grandpa, these are the flowers that Brother-in-law transformed into. Look." Qin An raised the flowers in his hand to show them to the Second Lord Qin, very proudly. "Brother-in-law only gave a few to us, and didn't give any to anyone else."
Qin Run chatted with the Second Master Qin for a few words, then went into the house, put his things away, and went into the kitchen to get busy.
Qin Run heard Xu Yunfan talk about the wild vegetable called Thunder God Root. Xu Yunfan had looked for it during the autumn harvest, but all he found were old ones. Xu Yunfan said that it would be a bit bitter when it was old, but not so bitter when it was young. It would be very delicious if you cut some of it into pieces and cooked it with meat.
Qin Run flipped through the washed wild vegetables in the basket, and thinking that Xu Yunfan would like this kind of vegetables, he cooked them all.
After returning home, Xu Yunfan ate two large bowls of rice. After finishing the meal, he shouted that he would continue digging tomorrow because he had not finished digging the field yet.
The Second Lord Qin laughed and shook his head, "I'm afraid you won't be able to go anywhere tomorrow."
"What?"
Xu Yunfan's eyes widened. "Grandpa, are those people coming again today? We've already accepted the gifts and eaten the meal, and they're still coming? What can I talk to them about?"
We can definitely chat, it just depends on whether he wants to.
Rather than chatting with a group of strangers, Xu Yunfan would rather go digging wild vegetables.
"You don't need to talk to them. They might not be the ones coming. Scholar Zheng should be here."
"What is he doing here?" Second Lord Qin glanced at Xu Yunfan and asked, "Did you write something about a study building during the Master's Competition?"
"Yes, that's the question, and I answered it according to the standard way of thinking." Xu Yunfan scratched his head, "Could it be that there is something wrong with my answer? It shouldn't be!"
Although he omitted many parts in order to be lazy when answering the questions, it was still generally acceptable. In Xu Yunfan's opinion, he should get at least 7 points out of 10.
But Xu Yunfan didn't know that he thought he got seven points because he omitted too much, but the examiner gave him ten points.
Second Lord Qin: "That's right. I heard from your second grandfather that Lord Zheng mentioned this matter in the court, and it caused a great sensation. Now the emperor has handed the matter over to him. Since you wrote the title, who else would he come to if not you?"
"What? Are we going to build a reading building? No, that's not the problem now. The problem is that I wrote it, and he is..." Isn't this stealing his credit?
Before he could finish his words, Fang Zixi touched Xu Yunfan under the table and shook her head gently to signal him to stop talking. She said, "My brother-in-law, you probably didn't know who Zheng Ke was. He is the cousin of Lord Qin II."
In the capital, the major families have intermarriages, and the network of relationships is very complicated. In short, these relationships are so complicated that they may eventually lead to some big shot.
Noticing the little tricks between the two, Second Lord Qin tapped Xu Yunfan on the head and said, "What are you thinking? They have made it clear in front of the Emperor and so many ministers. If this matter is handled successfully, the credit will be yours. Lord Zheng is well-known for his integrity and would never do anything to steal credit from others. He will tell you the details tomorrow. There are too many people here today, so it's hard to talk about many things."
"Oh, now that I've finished this, I have to go back to Dali Village. We couldn't go back to visit the graves during the Qingming Festival. Even though Aunt Qin and the others helped, I'm now a successful person. I still have to return home to treat everyone to a meal and pay my respects."
"They should go," Qin Erzhu agreed. "Although they are only your father's wet nurses and maids, they never left your father's side when he was in trouble. This kindness must not be forgotten."
Speaking of this, the eyes of the Second Lord Qin were red. It is said that a friend in need is a friend indeed. Qin Feiyu's wet nurse and maid were all honest people. They not only protected Qin Feiyu, but also treated Qin Run and his brother well after Qin Feiyu left. Now they died in a foreign land and could not return to the capital until their death. Qin Feiyu had proposed to move the grave back before, but this kind of thing still depends on the date, and a master should be asked to look at the feng shui and choose a good place.
"I'm going back too." Qin Run said hurriedly.
"Okay, then let's go back together." If Xu Yunfan went back alone, he would probably have to trouble Qin's people to take care of many things. With Qin Run following him, Qin Run knew better than him how to follow the rules.
Qin An and the others hurriedly said, "Brother, what about us? We want to go back too."
"Father, Xiaobao also wants to go back. Sandan, Niu Niu and Xiaofeng must miss Xiaobao. Xiaobao wants to go back to see them and bring them gifts." Niu Niu, Xiaofeng and others are Qin's children, five or six years old. They like to run around the village behind Xiaobao on weekdays.
Xu Yunfan: "If you don't think it's hard, then go back together. If you can't bear it, then don't go back."
Qin Mu immediately couldn't sit still anymore, he jumped off the stool and ran to Xu Yunfan, lying on Xu Yunfan's legs, and said softly: "Brother, Mu'er is not afraid of pain in the buttocks, Mu'er wants to go back."
"Okay, then go back tomorrow and tell your father and daddy." Xu Yunfan thought to himself that Fu Qingxu was probably not very happy about it. It would take him at least half a month to go back and forth. Fu Qingxu loved her brother so much that she would come to hug Qin Mu whenever she had nothing to do. How could she bear to let her child leave the capital?
The next day, Xu Yunfan took Qin Mu back to Prince Xu's mansion.
It was certain that Fu Qingxu was reluctant to let go, but facing Qin Mu's pitiful pleading, he could only agree with great reluctance, "If Mu'er wants to go, it's fine. Come, kiss your father twice, and your father will agree to your decision." He then spoke to Xu Yunfan and asked him to come back early.
Xu Yunfan: "It will take that long anyway, and it's not like I can go faster just because I want to."
Fu Qingxu patted him and said, "Go back and stay for two days and then come back."
"Father, please don't hit my brother-in-law." Qin Mu was very protective. Even if Fu Qingxu touched Xu Yunfan, the little guy would not be happy. He stood in front of Xu Yunfan and frowned, "If father hits my brother-in-law, Mu brother will not like father as much."
Fu Qingxu was so upset that he glared at Xu Yunfan without blushing or beating his heart. He lied and said, "Father didn't hit your brother-in-law, he just patted him. This is a special way for men to communicate. Mu Ge'er is still young and doesn't understand."
Xu Yunfan kept a low profile and looked up at the sky and down at the earth, but not at Fu Qingxu. He was afraid that Fu Qingxu would stab him in the eyes.
Fu Qingxu had thought about changing Qin Mu's name back to his original name and bringing him back to Prince Xu's Mansion for a family reunion, but Qin Mu was unwilling to do so. As soon as he brought up the topic, he would run away without a word. What could Fu Qingxu do?
In response to this, Fu Qingxu shed a few crocodile tears that night. The more Qin Qingfeng comforted him, the more aggrieved he felt. He said that that was his brother, and now he had become a member of the Qin family. He was obviously his child, and now that he was found, they treated him like a relative. How could this be? He was Mu Ge'er's father, but that kid would rather follow Qin Run and Xu Yunfan than return to his arms. As a father, he was so aggrieved and sad.
Qin Qingfeng comforted him for a long time, but Fu Qingxu became more and more upset the more he spoke. Qin Qingfeng was so annoyed that he scolded him a few times. This guy deserved it. He just wouldn't listen even after being scolded.
…
As soon as the results of the Masters Competition came out, the academies whose masters participated in the competition soon received letters from the capital.
At the beginning, Jiang Lanfang asked Xu Yunfan to participate in the Teacher Competition. In fact, he did not have high expectations for him. After all, Xu Yunfan was really lazy. On weekdays, when he had no classes in the academy, he would hang out with this person and that person, chatting and talking about everything under the sun, and he would never go to his study to read.
But Xu Yunfan's arithmetic was indeed very good, and Jiang Lanfang wanted Xu Yunfan to stand out in the teacher competition with this point, but who knew that this kid would do such a big thing without saying anything.
First place?
This is not uncommon.
But getting the first place with more than a thousand points is extremely rare.
Qingfeng Academy also got the examination papers for the Master's Competition. Jiang Lanfang became interested when he heard that this year's Master's Competition was more difficult than previous years. He thought that other masters were exaggerating, but after he took the exam himself, he had a better idea of the situation.
Even he didn't have the ability to get a thousand points, but Xu Yunfan almost got full marks. This... is so rare.
Jiang Lanfang was so happy that he almost fainted. He waved his hand and immediately asked someone to customize a plaque. He also hung a banner at the gate of the academy, on which was written "Congratulations to our teacher Xu Yunfan for winning the first place in the teacher competition and achieving an excellent result." Looking at the banner, Jiang Lanfang was almost moved to tears. His Qingfeng Academy was going to be famous, and he would not have to worry about the source of students next year.
Just because Xu Yunfan graduated from his Qingfeng Academy, there will definitely be a lot of students coming to him next year.
"Brothers, look, our teacher is making quite a fuss." Xie Baizhou looked up at the banner with big red and black characters, and couldn't help but feel embarrassed for Jiang Lanfang. Xu Yunfan's first place in the exam didn't seem to have anything to do with their academy. Xu Yunfan relied on his own strength. "It seems that when our dean was teaching, the other teachers attended every class, but Yunfan only attended a few classes, and then stopped going."
Qi Xiu Ze shook his head and sighed, "That's nothing. You'll know if you go to the county town. My uncle's even more exaggerated. Now, not only are there banners hanging in the streets and alleys of the county town, but he's also hired people to beat drums and gongs for a parade. Now that Yun Fan is back, he's bound to be caught and paraded by my uncle."
"What's so exaggerated about this?" Lin Xiaoran disagreed. "Yun Fan actually got first place in the exam, which is as valuable as the top scholar. Not to mention he scored over a thousand points. That person caught the emperor's eye and won his favor with just over a thousand points. You see, he's incredibly capable and tactful, and his career has been incredibly smooth. If it were someone else, it might take them ten years to get to that position, but he only took six."
Shen Ruxi sighed, "So, it's really not easy to get into officialdom. Didn't Lord Jing also catch the emperor's eye? He's also a capable person, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to get the position of Grand Minister of Agriculture. The emperor now attaches great importance to students from poor families. My father wrote to say that the He family wanted to win over Yun Fan, but Yun Fan ignored them. I'm afraid that those families will inevitably confront him in the future."
Xie Baizhou: "What are you afraid of? Yunfan has already caught his eye. My grandfather wrote to me saying that it was Yunfan who helped Prince Xu successfully solve the problem of irrigating farmland in Qingyang County the other day. Do you think he would let the Right Prime Minister touch such a person? You don't have to worry about these things. You should just think about how to ask for leave to return to Beijing soon."
Some time ago, Xu Yunfan wrote to them, asking them to make preparations. He was getting married and they would need help with the wedding scene arrangement. Xu Yunfan asked them to return to Beijing in June.
In the letter, Xu Yunfan also said that he had silenced the teachers who had targeted them and scolded them in front of the invigilator. Xie Baizhou and others felt very happy when they saw this. Xu Yunfan had relieved half of their frustration.
…
The next day, Zheng Ke really came with Xu Yunfan's test paper.
After explaining his purpose, Zheng Ke spread the test paper on the desk, pointed to the parts he didn't understand, and humbly asked Xu Yunfan for advice.
Xu Yunfan turned his head and took a look. "What you're talking about isn't really a big deal. There are just a few things to consider when choosing a location for the study building..."
"Master Xu, according to what you said, this library can indeed be widely promoted. Every academy can build one. The difficulty lies in the books. I wonder what Master Xu thinks?"
According to Zheng Ke's idea, each academy would have to spend money to hire students to copy books.
Nowadays, the price of paper sold in Qijia store is much cheaper than before, and the problem of expensive paper has been solved. The only problem is that copying books is a time-consuming and labor-intensive project.
According to Xu Yunfan, a library does not need dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of books.
Xu Yunfan pretended to be calm and said, "I heard that a book factory will open soon. When they do, they will produce a batch of books, which will be sold in the factory's shop. If Lord Zheng is interested, I can go to the book factory owner to discuss cooperation."
"Book factory?" Zheng Ke frowned in thought. "What kind of place is this? Master Xu, if the library is built, the number of books required will be huge. Even if the book factory you mentioned recruited a few hundred students, I'm afraid it may not be able to meet the book needs of an entire academy's library in the short term."
Although paper was expensive in the Dayan Dynasty and there were not many people who could read, there were many kinds of books.
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