Chapter 104 Do you still want to kiss?
The moment he saw Rong Yin's appearance clearly, the top scholar showed a look of surprise.
It was not because he thought it was Rong Yin who threw the flowers at him, but because he had seen Rong Yin before, on the day of the palace examination, when he was wearing a eunuch's clothes and standing next to the emperor.
The number one examiner's seat was the first one. When he sat down, he carefully glanced in the direction where His Majesty was sitting. Rong Yin was dazzlingly beautiful, and he would not have made a mistake.
At that time, he sighed that there were indeed many hidden talents around His Majesty, and even a small eunuch had such an outstanding appearance.
His fellow students often joked that he was handsome and warned him to be careful of being chosen as a son-in-law. Even His Majesty had praised his appearance.
But the moment he saw Rong Yin, he realized that there are always people better than you.
He was a little confused. Why was His Majesty's eunuch here?
Before Zhuangyuanlang could figure it out, the team had already left the bakery building far away, and Rong Yin, who was standing by the window, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"You little monkey, you run away from the battlefield. What kind of man are you?" Rong Yin put his hands on his hips and questioned the hiding little monkey.
The little monkey played dumb: "Boss, I'm not a man, I'm still a child."
"Go to hell." Rong Yin wasn't really angry. After being teased by him, she started laughing happily again.
Seeing that the crisis was resolved, the little monkey stood up and became proud again, "Boss, it doesn't matter where the flower landed on the number one scholar, but at least it landed on him, so the purpose of taking advantage of the good fortune has been achieved anyway."
Rong Yin said: "Perhaps the champion is scolding us for being rude in his heart."
The little monkey didn't care: "It's not like I haven't been scolded before, let him scold me as much as he wants, as long as our store's business is good."
Rong Yin said with a tut-tut sound, "Profits come first. I find that you, little monkey, have more and more potential to become a profiteer."
"I am not a profiteer. I am open-minded and not petty."
Rong Yin's face was full of black lines: "Whatever you say is what it is."
In the evening, Zong Zhengxiao, as the emperor, was going to hold a Qionglin Banquet to entertain this year's new Jinshi. He asked Rong Yin if she wanted to join in the fun, and Rong Yin shook her head.
"I'd better stay at home and crack some sunflower seeds. I don't want to see a bunch of people flattering you. I'm tired of it."
In order to show off in front of Zong Zhengxiao, those scholars would definitely try every means to attract his attention, such as writing poems or articles for him, and they would say anything exaggerated at that time.
This kind of banquet is really boring, even more boring than the imperial examination.
Zong Zhengxiao said shamelessly: "That's not flattery, it's clearly praising my actual achievements, and they're not the only ones praising me. Have you forgotten how the number one scholar in this year's palace examination was selected?"
Rong Yin raised his eyebrows, "Of course I haven't forgotten."
Rong Yin has been in the book for nine years. He knew about the previous palace examinations, but he didn't pay much attention to them.
The reason why he went to join in the excitement of the palace examination this time and watched the parade of the top three, paying so much attention to it, was simply because the topic of this year's palace examination was related to him.
A year ago, he and Zong Zhengxiao took a look at their private treasury. In addition, the weather has been good in recent years, the people have lived and worked in peace and contentment, and Da Sheng's finances have been developing in a good direction.
With the economic foundation in place, they began to consider infrastructure issues.
Rong Yin not only figured out the calcination method of earth cement, he also followed up personally and worked in front of the kiln with the people from the Ministry of Works for several days. He was almost roasted into a dried fish before he managed to calcine the earth cement.
Cement can be used to pave roads and build houses. When applied on exterior walls, it is not only beautiful but also can strengthen the walls, prevent moisture and keep warm. It is truly an essential product for infrastructure.
After the first batch of cement was produced, Zong Zhengxiao first mixed cement, sand and gravel in the palace to build a cement path.
This kind of road is not like ordinary dirt roads, which are muddy on rainy days and dusty on hot days. It is also not like stone roads, which are expensive to build and maintain. It is even less like gravel roads, which are easily damaged and hurt your feet when you walk on them.
Only when you walk on the cement road can you experience what it means to be "walking on flat ground". Even when you are riding in a horse-drawn carriage, it feels like you are floating on the clouds, without the bumps and shakes of ordinary roads.
After the cement road was built, Zong Zhengxiao invited people from the meritorious groups and aristocratic families to visit in batches. After experiencing the benefits of the cement road for themselves, all the ministers were fascinated.
One was crying with joy, the other was filled with jealousy and resentment.
Hero Group: Woohoo, so touching, you have brought good things to us and Dasheng again!
The people from the noble families gnashed their teeth: This merman actually took out such a magical thing again, and they lost the competition with Zong Zheng Xiao again!
After the ministers had visited the cement road, Zong Zhengxiao kindly distributed some cement to the ministers, telling them that cement could not only be used to pave roads, but also to paint the exterior walls of houses.
According to Zong Zhengxiao's words, the ministers personally conducted experiments and found that the cement coating was indeed effective in preventing moisture and rain erosion.
After all the civil and military officials understood the benefits of cement, Zong Zhengxiao proposed to pave the main roads of Dasheng, or official roads, with cement, starting from the capital.
Nowadays, people need a good road for travel, caravan transportation, and military marches, as long as it involves walking.
Moreover, Rong Yin said that everyone in their world knows a saying: If you want to get rich, build roads first.
With smooth roads and faster information flow, the economy will naturally develop.
After Zong Zhengxiao announced his plan, the people from the aristocratic families stood up to oppose it as expected, and their reasons for opposition were very legitimate.
That is, whether it is calcining cement or paving roads, a lot of money and manpower are needed. With Dasheng's current national strength, it may not be able to afford it, so it is better to wait a few more years.
The members of the Heroic Group came forward to refute Zong Zhengxiao's opinion, saying that building roads would promote the development of Dasheng's commerce, facilitate people's travel, and even effectively speed up the march in the event of war. Only by building roads would Dasheng become more and more prosperous.
The people of the aristocratic family said to wait, but when exactly do we have to wait and what conditions have to be met before we can start the road construction project?
No one from the aristocratic family dared to come out and guarantee or give an exact time and data, but they always insisted that the road construction should not start now.
The reason why the people from the noble families stopped it was ultimately for their own sake. Didn't they understand the principles of the people from the Hero Group? It was precisely because they understood it too well that they came out to oppose it.
The fertilizer made Zong Zheng Xiao a wise ruler in the eyes of the people. Now if the people knew that he had come up with something as good as cement, with these two life-saving talismans, no one would be able to shake Zong Zheng Xiao's throne.
Even if he makes a terrible mistake in the future, the Zong Zheng family will still sit firmly on the throne of the world.
This means that the royal family will always be superior to the aristocratic families, and the aristocratic families and the royal family have long been resentful of each other. Once the royal family seizes the opportunity, it will be easy to overthrow the aristocratic families as easy as cutting melons and vegetables.
Taking this into consideration, even the mutually hostile Choi and Chen families temporarily reached a new level of cooperation in order to prevent the road construction project from being implemented.
But the people of the aristocratic families forgot that the current Zong Zheng Xiao is no longer the pitiful emperor who had just ascended the throne and had a weak foundation.
In recent years, his sphere of influence has expanded rapidly. With the help of Rong Yin, his wallet has become fatter and fatter, and the common people love and respect him.
They were no match for Zong Zheng Xiao in any aspect, so how could they possibly fight against him?
The aristocratic families and the royal family each held their own opinions, but in the end Zong Zhengxiao still issued the order to build the road. However, he also understood the principle of taking things step by step. The officials knew the benefits of the cement road, but the people did not yet understand.
In order to prevent the noble families from spreading rumors, Zong Zhengxiao decided to build a cement road in the capital first. Once the people knew the convenience of the cement road, even if the government did not want it built, the people would ask for it to be built.
This cement road leads from the East City Gate to the Northwest Official Road. There are countless small roads along the way leading to nearby villages, but only the main road is paved with cement.
When this road was being built, it was Rong Yin, as a wealthy businessman in the capital, who took the lead in donating money, supporting the court's policy of road construction, and actively promoting the benefits of cement roads.
In order to encourage other businessmen to donate and build momentum for the cement road among the people, Zong Zhengxiao also gave Rong Yin a plaque with the words "Virtue carries all things" and hung it in Rong Yin's hot pot restaurant.
For a while, Rongyin Hotpot Restaurant attracted a large number of new customers who came to see the plaque.
The wealthy merchants in the capital knew that Rong Yin was related to the emperor. His appearance basically meant the emperor's will. So, whether they really wanted to be kind or wanted to take the opportunity to show off in front of His Majesty, any businessman who was a little smart, no matter how much, donated a sum of money.
It is said that there are many rich people in the capital. The amount of donation this time alone is equivalent to the annual net income of Rongyin's several shops and paper-making workshops combined.
Rong Yin was shocked and felt that he was still a poor guy.
It was impossible for Zong Zhengxiao not to respond to the donations made by the wealthy businessmen. He personally wrote an article, highly praising the businessmen's good qualities of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and posted it on the government notice board along with the list of donations made by the businessmen.
In order to prevent illiterate people from understanding it, several people were specially sent to take turns reading aloud the content of the article under the notice board, as well as the names of certain wealthy businessmen who had donated so much silver. This lasted for half a month, and after hearing it so many times, even children could recite it by heart.
This was not enough, so Zong Zhengxiao specially built a large stone with cement, engraved a list of donations on it, and placed the stone on the side of the official road. Whether entering or leaving Beijing, one could see the stone not far from the city gate.
Cement and stone are strong, and as long as they are not intentionally damaged, they should be able to last for a hundred years without any problems.
Even if these businessmen die or their families decline in the future, as long as this stone is still there, someone will always remember that such a group of people once existed.
As the lowest social class, the merchants have always been looked down upon. But now, Zong Zhengxiao, the emperor, has given them a chance to become famous for generations to come. How can they not be moved?
Even though I was forced to donate at first, I no longer have any grudges against it.
Road construction required laborers, so the government paid to hire strong and young men, who were not only paid daily but also provided with a meal.
After the paper mill recruitment incident, the government's credibility was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in the capital. So when the recruitment notice came out, people came to sign up one after another, for fear that if they were a step late, they would lose the opportunity to make money.
During the road construction period, Zong Zhengxiao strictly managed the relevant officials to prevent evil deeds such as embezzlement of wages and abuse of workers. Rong Yin acted as a supervisor and occasionally gave free fruit tea to the people who were building the road.
All the workers involved in the road construction knew that if they encountered any trouble or needed help, it would be more useful to find Boss Rong rather than the manager.
Boss Rong is not only kind and efficient, but also extremely handsome. Just talking to him makes all the tiredness of the day disappear.
During that period, Rong Yin went out early and came back late, and was busier than the emperor Zong Zhengxiao. She didn't even have time to accompany her husband and take care of her puppies. Zong Zhengxiao and his grandchildren said that they were full of resentment.
Because of the strong publicity in the early stage, everyone in Beijing knew that there was a cement road at the East City Gate. After the road was repaired and officially opened for use, it became a new tourist attraction in Beijing. If you have not walked on the cement road, you will not be able to interrupt your friends and neighbors when they are talking.
People not only walked on foot, but also dragged their own horse-drawn carriages, ox-drawn carts and even carts over for a run. The flying-like riding experience was unforgettable once you tried it.
After the rain, other roads leading into the city were full of muddy puddles, and your shoes and pants would be in a mess after walking a few steps. But the cement road was still smooth and clean. The people who walked in and out of the city on the cement road that day became the bright spots in the crowd because of their clean shoes and trousers.
No amount of sweet talk can compare to the people's personal experiences.
Now the noble families were blocked from even engaging in debate with Zong Zhengxiao, and could only retreat in disgrace, without the face or courage to stand out and oppose the road construction again.
The entire process of cement production, from collecting raw materials to calcining and then to road construction, requires manpower, which in turn drives employment. With a high employment rate and strong consumption power, the economy will naturally become more active.
Although not many roads have been repaired in just one year, this process has formed a virtuous cycle.
This year, the topic of the palace examination given by Zong Zhengxiao was the benefits of building cement roads. It was very straightforward and simple. No one who could make it to the palace examination was stupid. Building roads was a hot topic in the previous year. As long as one was not brain cramped, one could easily write an exquisite essay.
But the trouble is, the simpler the topic, the more difficult it is to write an essay that stands out from the crowd. When everyone can pass, you only have a real chance of winning if you get full marks.
This year's top scholar is a poor student who is over 30 years old. This is his first time to come to the capital for the examination and also his first time walking on a cement road.
In addition to writing about the well-known points of promoting employment and economic development, his article also focused on describing the feelings he had after seeing the stone engraved with the list of donations from wealthy businessmen. He realized from it the appeal of Zong Zhengxiao among the people and the people's love for him.
He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. Zong Zhengxiao loves his people like his own children and truly seeks the welfare of the people. The people feel the emperor's love and will naturally respect him and obey his orders, thus jointly creating a prosperous Dasheng.
Most importantly, Zhuangyuanlang is the only one who spends time and effort to praise Rongyin.
Although the reason why he dared to be the first to write about Rongyin and became a businessman with conscience and responsibility was because he was deeply influenced by Zong Zhengxiao's thoughts on loving the people, and his ultimate goal was to praise Zong Zhengxiao for his strategies for governing the people, it was also a blessing in disguise, as it gave his articles another reason to be noticed by Zong Zhengxiao.
The reason why Rong Yin went to the palace to see the excitement of the examination was because Zong Zhengxiao told him the topic in advance. He was the one who made the cement and he advocated the construction of the cement road. Naturally, he wanted to see what these scholars who were about to become court officials thought of the cement road.
Through their answers, we can, to a certain extent, predict their future orientation.
Rong Yin had no involvement in Zong Zhengxiao's review of the papers. The top scholar praised his deeds in his essay, and he heard about it from Zong Zhengxiao later.
Among the top three in the palace examination, only the top scholar was a poor student, while the second and third place winners were both sons of noble families in the capital.
At the Qionglin Banquet, Zong Zhengxiao asked the number one scholar several questions about people's livelihood, and he was very satisfied with the number one scholar's answers.
Afterwards, the top three in the palace examination were arranged to go to the Hanlin Academy. Whether they would live a mediocre life or strive to become high-ranking officials depended on their own luck.
Although Zong Zhengxiao admired the top scholar and hoped that he could become an important member of the court's poor students, that is, a faction loyal to him, after learning about the top scholar's cultural background and ideological inclinations, Zong Zhengxiao still wanted to test his ability to be an official.
You have to know that being able to read and being able to be an official are two different things. Zong Zhengxiao doesn't want to recruit a useless nerd for himself.
Zong Zhengxiao drank a few glasses of wine at the banquet, but was far from being drunk. However, in order to enjoy Rong Yin's care, he shamelessly pretended to be drunk.
Rong Yin changed his clothes and helped him take a bath, and even fed him the sobering soup one spoonful at a time with her own hands.
Seeing that Zong Zheng Xiao was dazed the whole time, as if he was really drunk, Rong Yin was a little puzzled.
"You can drink quite well, don't you? And you are the emperor, who dares to force you to drink? How did you get so drunk?"
Zong Zhengxiao had a rosy face and an innocent expression, "I was happy, so I drank a little more."
Rong Yin asked: "Is it because you are very satisfied with this year's top scholar?"
Zong Zhengxiao nodded.
"It seems that our Majesty values talent very much." Rong Yin joked.
Zong Zhengxiao held up Rong Yin's face and smiled foolishly, "The genius I cherish most is my Ah Yin."
Zong Zhengxiao's eyes were clear and bright, Rong Yin's face was reflected in his pupils. Coupled with these extremely gentle words, Rong Yin's face instantly blushed and her heart beat fast.
"Do you really think so?" Rong Yin asked.
Zong Zhengxiao nodded and said, "Really."
"Hehe, the truth comes out when drunk. Your Majesty really cares about me all the time." Rong Yin muttered softly with a happy smile on her face.
Zong Zhengxiao: "..."
If I tell Rong Yin that I am not drunk, will I still be able to see the sun tomorrow?
"Okay, it's late. It's time to go to bed after washing up." After hearing what Zong Zheng Xiao said, Rong Yin felt sweet in her heart, and even her tone when talking to Zong Zheng Xiao softened a little.
Zong Zhengxiao now didn't dare to admit that he was pretending to be drunk.
After they washed up, they went to bed together. Rong Yin saw that Zong Zheng Xiao was drunk and had no intention of doing anything with him. He wanted to go over to him and give him a goodnight kiss before coaxing him to sleep. However, as soon as their lips touched, Zong Zheng Xiao reached out and held the back of his head, deepening the kiss.
Rong Yin was in a trance for a moment and responded to him instinctively. It took her a long time to react. Wasn't Zong Zheng Xiao drunk? How come his kissing skills were as good as when he was sober?
While taking a breath, he pushed Zong Zhengxiao away, looked up into his eyes, and asked doubtfully, "Are you really drunk?"
Zong Zhengxiao's heart skipped a beat, thinking that he was only thinking about kissing Rong Yin and had completely forgotten about pretending.
He tried to continue playing dumb: "Ah? Ayin, what are you talking about?"
Rong Yin's face fell immediately, and he said coldly: "Zong Zhengxiao, is it fun to pretend to be drunk?"
Zong Zheng Xiao: "What do you mean by pretending to be drunk? What is pretending to be drunk?"
"Haha." Rong Yin raised her leg to kick him, and said at the same time: "Since you are drunk, then roll on the ground and sleep. Sober up."
Zong Zhengxiao grabbed his kicking foot and said pitifully, "Ayin, I was just joking. I don't want to sleep on the floor."
Rong Yin glared at him: "Are you not pretending anymore?"
Zong Zhengxiao said honestly: "I won't pretend anymore."
"If you don't want to pretend, just go to sleep." Rong Yin pulled his foot back, pulled up the quilt to wrap himself up, turned his back to Zong Zheng Xiao, and closed his eyes.
This result was beyond Zong Zhengxiao's expectations. He thought Rong Yin would pounce on him and bite him.
Something must be wrong when things are out of the ordinary. Zong Zheng Xiao felt uneasy and approached carefully. He hugged Rong Yin from behind and asked softly, "Are you angry?"
Rong Yin didn't speak.
Zong Zhengxiao became even more panicked: "If you are unhappy, just hit me or scold me. Don't hold it in. Sulking will only hurt your body."
This time Rong Yin responded, and he asked, "Were you serious about what you said before, or were you just pretending to be drunk to fool me?"
Zong Zhengxiao subconsciously asked: "Which sentence?"
Rong Yin was silent again. Zong Zhengxiao thought about it and felt that it should be the sentence about genius.
He wondered why Rong Yin suddenly became angry, and it turned out that he was worried that what he said was a lie.
Zong Zhengxiao felt an inexplicable pain in his heart. He lifted the quilt, turned Rong Yin to face him, stared into his eyes, and said seriously: "Ayin, I shouldn't pretend to be drunk to tease you, but I was not lying to you. You are really the genius I cherish most in my life."
"One word is missing." Rong Yin was very strict.
Zong Zheng Xiao laughed and said, "Okay, I'll make it up. A Yin is my most cherished genius!"
"That's better." Rong Yin smiled again, raised her hands to hold Zong Zheng Xiao's neck, and asked him, "Do you want to kiss me again?"
"Yes." Zong Zhengxiao said as he held Rong Yin close to him and asked softly, "Besides kissing, do you want any other services, Ah Yin?"
"For example?" Rong Yin's eyes became increasingly ambiguous.
Zong Zhengxiao leaned close to Rong Yin's ear and whispered, "For example, to harm you."
Rong Yin deliberately asked, "You've been drinking, can you get up?"
Zong Zhengxiao stopped Rong Yin and said, "Why don't you try it yourself, A Yin, and you'll know?"
"If you fail, you are not allowed to go to bed tomorrow night."
"Okay, I promise I can sleep in the same bed with you, Ayin, every night."
After a night of rocking, it's time to change the bedding.
Half a month later, Rong Yin's shop received a batch of goods, which were the dried seafood that Ji Xie sent him from Linhai.
Ji Xie hadn't been able to find any potatoes or sweet potatoes in the past few years, but he did start a seafood business. In order to prevent Zong Zhengxiao from blaming him for incompetence, every time he sent someone to deliver goods to the capital, he would send Rong Yin a truck for free and ask him to help put in a good word in front of Zong Zhengxiao.
In fact, Zong Zhengxiao didn't blame Ji Xie at all. Instead, he felt a little guilty towards him. He had been running around outside in the past few years and had no time to meet and reunite with his family.
Zong Zhengxiao once suggested that someone replace him, but Ji Xie refused to agree. He said that he liked the feeling of traveling everywhere, and that traveling thousands of miles is worse than reading thousands of books. He had gained a lot in the past few years outside.
And since there is this opportunity, he also wants to help His Majesty see how the current Da Sheng world is different from the previous dynasty.
Rong Yin also asked him in a letter whether Li Chu had been honest after coming to his side.
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