Chapter 174
Chapter 174
Scholar Chu died.
The entire court was in an uproar.
Everyone is waiting for his result.
Originally, it was thought that he would definitely not survive after being purged by Prime Minister Li, and the most decent ending would be suicide.
But he refused.
He also had to write letters to the emperor, one document a day, without fail.
At first the new emperor was too lazy to read it, but later he flipped through it and found that every word touched his heart.
They were all things that he wanted to do but was embarrassed to do and couldn't bring himself to do.
Of course, writing suggestions is really good.
For example, to the Ministry of War.
Tianqi Kingdom does need to train its troops, but launching an attack on Hehui Kingdom at will is not a good idea.
Fighting is time-consuming, laborious and life-threatening.
Forget about these.
What would happen if a small country like Hehui fought against it? It would be a thankless war and one that would even drag itself into it.
The best way is to force Jing State to attack Hehui State, and Tianqi State can train its troops and watch the show at the same time.
This is the best solution.
It can consume both sides and ensure its own development.
Only the prince was unwilling.
Because the prince still wanted to command personally.
When he was young, he learned more martial arts than literature, also in order to dispel the late emperor's doubts.
But now, he really likes martial arts and likes leading troops to fight.
So the prince was very dissatisfied with this excellent suggestion.
But he was able to rush over and chop down Scholar Chu.
It was also because of his deep resentment that he wanted to avenge not only the past, but also his father, the emperor, Prime Minister Li, and even himself.
But now the person was dead, and the prince looked at his hands.
Is what he did really right?
Memorials came flying in like snowflakes, and those who had grudges against Grand Secretary Chu or not all condemned this matter.
Why did he kill Chu Daxueshi directly?
If he is wrong, he will naturally be tried by the court.
After all, he is a Grand Secretary of our dynasty, how can he be treated like this?
When a rabbit dies, the fox mourns.
Are they angry about Scholar Chu?
No.
It's for myself.
The wife of Grand Secretary Chu, Old Lady Wang, also came out, wearing the clothes of an imperial decree and holding the imperial seal and iron certificate issued by her father.
Old Madam Wang is fifty-nine years old this year. There is a firmness between her brows, and her tone is full of sadness when she cries.
"My father served the country for more than 50 years."
"My husband has served the Tianqi Kingdom for more than forty years."
"how so?"
"Why is the prince like this?!"
Every word spoken by Old Lady Wang was filled with tears.
This lady was also a famous noblewoman back then. The men in the Wang family were useless, so they hoped that their daughter would marry a good husband.
Mr. Chu was the good husband chosen back then.
In fact, Mr. Chu also did it.
The Wang family has been passed down for hundreds of years and has always been very famous in the Jiangnan area.
Scholar Chu is gone.
Is Madam Wang sad?
well enough.
She wiped her tears, glanced around, and said, "This crisis has been resolved. Be honest from now on."
After saying that, Madam Wang looked at the children in the family who were good at studying. Seeing that they were quite nervous, she softened her voice and said, "Just focus on your studies and don't worry about anything else."
"Next year, when the new emperor changes his reign title, he will definitely hold an imperial examination, which will be your chance as well."
There will definitely be another joint examination next year, so we must seize the opportunity.
After Mrs. Wang finished speaking, she waved to the craftsmen in the clan. They loved to learn arithmetic and had been kept by the clan. No one expected that they would be able to use it now.
"How's the research on the steam engine going?"
The craftsmen hurriedly bowed and said, "That thing is not difficult, but it requires extremely high iron tools. Our iron workshop is currently refining it."
“It is expected to take another six months.”
Half a year.
Madam Wang was not satisfied with the result: "Have you found the iron workshop in Jianmeng Mansion?"
"Yes, they have a lot of orders."
“And we will only be buyers who have signed the Miners’ Covenant.”
Old Madam Wang smiled gently, but it was not a mockery, but rather an expression as if she saw an interesting younger generation.
What a pity.
The idiot in her family is completely at odds with Ji Yuan.
Otherwise, Ji Yuan is the one who truly leads the Wang family onto the "right path".
Madam Wang closed her eyes slightly and said, "I see that the steam engine is not perfect. If it can be improved, it will be a credit to you."
The Wang craftsmen immediately expressed their gratitude.
In fact, they are also grateful to Ji Yuan in their hearts.
It seems that the current status of the craftsmen was raised entirely by him.
These people used to be lazy and idle at home.
Now they are praised and said that they are the future and that if the steam engine can be built, they will be the nobles of the Wang family.
I heard that many members of the clan have changed to learning arithmetic, it seems that Old Lady Wang has started to pay attention to this area.
Era, ah, era.
It's really a love-hate thing.
But now, I still admire him.
After all, it's really amazing that they could come up with this idea.
The Wang family has a lot of minerals. If the steam engine can be successful, it will be a huge benefit to their family.
And they were thinking, since steam is so powerful, could it replace cows and horses?
Countless wonderful ideas emerged in their minds.
The Wang family gave them a lot of space to design it however they wanted.
Some craftsmen took advantage of this convenient condition and even secretly tinkered with the things they had made before.
Well, whether it succeeds or not, just give it a try.
This kind of conversation is basically taking place in all the major aristocratic families in Tianqi State.
At the same time I couldn't help but think.
Wang is quite lucky.
Although Scholar Chu died, most of his connections were retained.
If Grand Secretary Chu were sentenced for his crimes, he would not be severely punished because of his old age and his many contributions to the court.
But his followers and the Wang family’s connections will be cleared out.
By then, it will be a real setback.
The prince acted impulsively and allowed the Wang family and the Chu family to take a break because of this incident. At least the emperor would not pursue the matter further.
The two sides are even.
Those noble families who attacked the great scholars of Chu in the past will stop at this moment.
Because they are afraid too.
What are you afraid of?
I’m afraid that the prince will act impulsively again, and then who will die?
So their positions on this matter are consistent.
For a time, Chu Daxueshi, who was hated by everyone in the court, seemed to have suddenly changed for the better and became a loyal minister of Tianqi State.
However, anyone who has been a Grand Secretary for so long can probably find some commendable achievements.
Scholar Chu is no exception. In terms of real ability, he does have it.
The prince was dumbfounded.
He had no idea how things turned out like this.
He thought that everyone wanted to kill Chu Daxueshi, so he could just kill him.
He is the prince!
But Prime Minister Li was unhappy, and the emperor's father was also unhappy. They said that he was too reckless and how could he beat and kill ministers at will.
Even if you want to sentence someone, you need evidence instead of just killing them at will.
The prince was locked up at home and could only listen to reports from his subordinates.
But these people know nothing and don't have any useful suggestions.
If only Ji Yuan were still here.
I can definitely help him get through this difficult time.
The death of Ji Yuan’s parents was directly related to Scholar Chu, and he would definitely help him.
But Ji Yuan is not in the capital now to work on the steam engine.
The prince was dejected.
But people outside were running around for him.
To appease the nobles, to appease the ministers, and to appease the scholars of the world.
Then accuse the prince of being too excited and careless.
To say that he was young and frivolous was because he acted on impulse after seeing the evidence of the guilt of Grand Scholar Chu.
Moreover, the Chu family and the Wang family have already forgiven them and they don’t care about it anymore.
The family members of the deceased did not care, so the matter was naturally let go.
As for the benefits that the Chu family and the Wang family received privately, everyone can basically guess it.
There will be no liquidation among the remaining members of the group, which is considered to be a way of maintaining dignity for both parties.
The emperor was fine, but Prime Minister Li was sitting in the study, looking at a pile of evidence, which he had to seal up.
"Wait a moment."
Li Shoufu said: "Don't put it up."
Maybe there is someone who can help him accomplish these things.
era.
An era far away in Suzhou.
But he ran too far and too fast.
However, those things he did could only be accomplished in Suzhou.
Prime Minister Li was silent for a moment, then continued, "Try to delay his return to the capital. The longer he stays outside, the more mature he will become."
It was similar to what Prime Minister Li guessed.
The matter of Chu Daxueshi was settled, the court returned to its former tranquility, and everything went on as usual.
Therefore, the era was brought up.
In mid-August, people in the capital gradually learned about Ji Yuan's stay in Suzhou.
A steam engine water pump can revive abandoned mines, which is a great thing.
A cooked rubber can make the application of rubber more extensive, which is a good thing.
Both the nobles and the royal family praised Ji Yuan highly.
After all, they took all the profits.
Just when everyone was about to praise Ji Yuan again.
Miners Association.
Miners' Convention.
was brought up at the same time.
It also said that most of the miners in Suzhou and local mine operators have signed on.
When the convention was brought over and looked at, many people looked unhappy.
OK, OK.
Is this a convention?
This is to let the miners be the masters.
If they really follow this method, God knows how much money they will lose.
It also stipulates working hours and overtime pay.
Why should I get more money than before when I do less work?
Some people even feel uneasy.
This is also one of the reasons why Grand Secretary Chu must return to the court.
The Chu family and the Wang family have many mineral resources.
They must fight against this so-called convention.
Just how to fight?
Attack Ji Yuan directly?
But he is so smart, and everything he makes is what everyone needs.
The best way is to let him return to Beijing.
As long as he returns to Beijing, no matter how many tricks he has, he will not be able to use them.
Let him study these things every day in the Hanlin Academy or the Ministry of Works.
As for who the research will be given to, that is not up to Ji Yuan to decide.
But the matter of Grand Secretary Chu left the court no time to distract.
Now it's October and it's finally on the agenda.
But now it is freezing cold and the news is difficult to convey.
It is even colder in Suzhou in the northwest.
I think we won't receive the news until February, the beginning of spring.
And these times.
It is enough to let the miners know about this convention.
I heard that Guangdong has already implemented it.
Maybe it won't be strictly followed, but the living conditions of those people have definitely improved.
More miners must not know about this.
otherwise.
Otherwise they would have made a big fuss.
However, if we want to let Ji Yuan return to Beijing, we must have a good reason. We can't just say that you have affected our interests, so we let you return to Beijing so that we can keep a good eye on you.
Naturally, it means that Ji Yuan had made great contributions, so he was promoted and returned to Beijing.
There was a lively discussion in the court, and everyone was confusedly happy for Ji Yuan.
The smart ones know that after Ji Yuan comes back this time, he may never leave again.
The marriage he has always been putting off will not go his way this time.
If you want people to compromise in the capital, there are plenty of ways to do it.
No matter how smart Ji Yuan is, he is still a human being.
He can’t defeat all the civil and military officials in the court.
To everyone's surprise.
Prime Minister Li actually stood up and said, "Ji Yuan's term of office has not yet ended. It is reasonable for him to come back after his term is over."
This year is Ji Yuan’s first term in Suzhou.
At least three more years.
Three years.
What else will he make?
If they really give Ji Yuan three years, can they still trap Ji Yuan?
Is Prime Minister Li getting senile and confused?
The court once again debated whether to allow Ji Yuan to come back.
The emperor was also puzzled.
However, Wen Daxueshi stepped forward and said, "The Ministry of Revenue is short of people now. It would be great if Ji Yuan could come back."
This Grand Secretary, who had been friendly and following Prime Minister Li since he stepped onto the stage, finally stood up.
The meaning of the scholar Wen is very clear.
He supports the emperor and also the aristocratic families.
Let Ji Yuan come back.
After returning, his future is still bright.
Moreover, the fact that Academician Wen specifically asked for him clearly indicated that he wanted Ji Yuan to be his successor.
Appointed by the Minister of Revenue.
He also has political achievements.
The day when Ji Yuan enters the cabinet is just around the corner.
They didn't want to cheat Ji Yuan, they just wanted him to get back on track.
Li Shoufu's hair was gray. He looked at the fifty-year-old Wen Daxueshi and said with a smile, "Coincidentally, the Ministry of Personnel is also short of people."
ah?
The Minister of Revenue wants someone.
The Minister of Personnel also needs someone? !
Wait a minute, Prime Minister Li, you don’t let Ji Yuan come back, is it because you have agreed on the conditions for him to work with you?
The prince, who had just come back from reflecting, moved his lips.
He wants to make up for his mistakes recently and go to Suixu City to participate in the war with Hehui Kingdom.
Winning a battle would be great for him and would help him restore some of his reputation.
So, he also wanted Ji Yuan to follow.
Ji Yuan himself knows some spear and sword skills. If he goes to Suixu City with him, he will definitely be able to make some military achievements and help him come up with ideas.
The prince was reluctant to speak, so his followers made a suggestion.
"The war between Suixu City and Hehui Country will start soon. Jiyuan knows Dianzhou Prefecture very well and has dealt with Hehui Country many times. If he can go to supervise the war and serve as the deputy of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it seems to be the most suitable."
Then he added: "When we return victorious, we will return to the capital together."
This seems good too?
The Emperor and Prime Minister Li nodded slightly.
However, the royal family and the aristocratic families disagreed.
They originally wanted to take advantage of Ji Yuan's premature eunuchry and send him back to Beijing so that they could control him more easily.
If we get military merit, wouldn't we have more power to resist?
Therefore, the court was divided into several factions.
They were afraid that Ji Yuan would do something weird again, and they wanted to use his people, such as the royal family and the aristocratic families, so they wanted him to return to Beijing as soon as possible.
Give him a high position and a generous salary, give him a beautiful wife and concubines, and it would be best if they had many children, so as to bind him with blood, family, honor, status, and money.
People who admire Ji Yuan and want to use his abilities, such as the prince, only allow Ji Yuan to be by their side and be used by them.
Those who admire Ji Yuan more, such as Li Shoufu, are willing to buy time for Ji Yuan so that he can carry out his plan.
What is surprising is.
There are actually quite a few people in the last faction.
Even Prime Minister Li was surprised.
He originally thought that there were not many people who shared the same ideas as him.
But if you look closely, there are quite a few.
Most of these people are young, or have actually come into contact with Ji Yuan.
People who know Ji Yuan have more faith in his abilities.
I believe he can bring something different.
The three parties were arguing constantly.
There is never any result.
As for what the emperor thinks?
The emperor sat firmly on his high throne, and suddenly felt that quarreling was quite good.
It turns out that this is how my father felt back then.
The whole world is in your hands.
What you want to do and what you don’t want to do all depends on your thoughts.
They decide the life and death of too many people.
No wonder my father refused to give up power, no wonder he wanted to live forever.
To others, the court seemed noisy.
In fact, it is not.
This is not a bad idea.
The new Minister of Rites, Grand Secretary Xu, said, "Next year, we will use the new era name and hold the special examination."
"Your Majesty, please make a decision as soon as possible."
It's October now.
A new year name must be used at the beginning of the year and sent to various places so that all parts of Tianqi Country can start using it.
It’s a bit late to make a decision now.
However, the Emperor has not made a decision on this matter in order to express his grief, and he will definitely have to ask the Ministry of Rites to make repeated requests.
"If it is not decided, the students going to the capital for the imperial examinations, as well as the people of the world, will not know the year number."
Lord Xu is always quick-tempered and outspoken.
He experienced ups and downs in the court.
He served as Chief Censor of the Hanlin Academy and also as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
Later, he offended the previous emperor and was demoted to a minor official. Now at the age of 66, he has already retired.
When the new emperor ascended the throne, it was not surprising that he invited him back. At the age of 66, he became a Hanlin Academician and concurrently served as the Minister of Rites.
Moreover, the new emperor showed mercy and allowed the four grand secretaries to retire after they reached the age of seventy.
Therefore, Lord Xu, who was demoted at the age of 66, returned to the court at this moment.
He had been silent just now, but when he spoke of the reign title and the imperial examination, he touched the emperor's heart.
The era name we are using now is still Huayuan, which was set by the late emperor.
The new emperor has been on the throne for more than half a year, it is time for a change.
Prime Minister Li glanced at Lord Xu and saw that he had a serious expression and didn't know what he was thinking.
If I remember correctly, Lord Xu also had contact with Ji Yuan?
In any case, the emperor's attention was successfully diverted.
Year number.
But it's a big deal.
This era name will be used throughout the world for decades to come.
Alas, it’s a pity that there is no way to live forever in this world.
Otherwise, it would be feasible to use it for one or two hundred years, right?
Therefore, this era name must be chosen with extreme caution.
On the sixth day of October in the forty-fourth year of Huayuan, Ji Yuan received several letters.
Putting the letter from the capital aside for the time being, Ji Yuan opened the letter from Ning'an Prefecture, Dianzhou Prefecture.
The letter was written by Teacher Cheng.
As Cheng Yishan's uncle, he asked again, Ji Yuan, please think it through, does he really want to propose marriage? Does he really want to marry Shanshan?
Although the Cheng family’s case has been overturned, the new emperor still has a good impression of the Cheng family. If it were not for Lord Cheng’s health problems, he could have returned to Beijing to serve as an official.
However, Lord Cheng is ultimately useless and can only be supported by a sinecure for the rest of his life.
In this case, does he really want to marry into the Cheng family?
If I tell this to others, I guess no one will believe it.
But the meaning of this letter is also very clear.
If the era is really confirmed, then they naturally have nothing to say.
Shanshan herself also nodded.
Ji Yuan’s reply was naturally affirmative.
This time he wrote seriously and wrote three more letters at the same time.
They were given to Master Zhao of Anji Village in Jianmeng Prefecture, Dr. Luo of Zhengrong County, and Dr. Yin of the Prefecture School.
Ask the three of them to be guarantors for you.
Master Zhao was his own mentor.
Not to mention the two doctors who were his mentors.
His letter, plus the prepared gifts, and the guarantee of three teachers.
He had already thought about this marriage.
Now everything is ready.
Finally, there is a solution.
Only after these letters were sent out did Ji Yuan open the documents from the capital.
In addition to Prime Minister Li, there was also Lord Xu who wrote to him.
Ji Yuan had some connection with Lord Xu, but this was the first time they had actually communicated.
Lord Xu only said that he had returned to the capital and became a Grand Secretary, and if Ji Yuan had any problems, he should write to him as soon as possible.
This letter is also in the style of Lord Xu.
Prime Minister Li's letter was much more detailed, describing his current situation and saying that he would do his best to help him delay time.
There was another document which contained the news that the Grand Secretary Chu was executed by the Crown Prince.
Scholar Chu died under the sword of the prince?
This result surprised Ji Yuan a little.
However, the prince has been practicing martial arts since he was young.
Although he received enlightenment when he was a child, in order to reassure the late emperor, he never had formal studies and mostly spent time in the martial arts arena.
When you think about it this way, it’s not surprising.
When he was the eldest grandson of the emperor, he and his father were placed under house arrest and reprimanded, and the reason was also because of Scholar Chu.
Scholar Chu and the Fifth Prince colluded to do a lot of things behind the scenes.
Now that the emperor's eldest grandson has become the crown prince, it is inevitable that he will take other actions.
Just died like that.
Ji Yuan put away the documents.
When he left the capital, he knew that this day would come to pass sooner or later for Mr. Chu.
The late emperor is dead, and he is the mortal enemy of Prime Minister Li, so he will definitely suffer a lot.
But now, death seems a little easier.
The Chu family and the Wang family behind him can actually profit from his death.
The last letter was actually from the prince.
This letter should have been written when the prince was under house arrest.
He wrote that he killed the person because the Grand Scholar Chu kept making slanderous statements against him.
He also talked about Chu Daxueshi's attitude towards Hehui State and exaggerated Chu Daxueshi's idea of making the border self-sufficient.
Finally, he said that after the new year he would go to Suixu City to supervise the war in person, and asked Ji Yuan if he was willing to join him and make achievements in the border defense.
In fact, the letter was written in a somewhat confusing way, the writing was not outstanding, and the intention was not well concealed.
So Ji Yuan could easily see what this young man was thinking.
The prince still wanted me to be his aide.
This is the case with the battle against Hehui Kingdom.
Everything else is fine.
But it would naturally be best to let Jing State send troops to attack Hehui State.
The soldiers of Tianqi State can be the last to provide support.
As for the border guards planting rubber, let's not talk about it.
I'm crazy about money.
Ji Yuan wrote down his thoughts and sent them over.
As for whether to go to supervise the war, that is still another matter.
Can they really go out after the New Year?
That's two different things.
The court has a new emperor. Has everything changed?
It seems nothing has changed.
After replying to these letters, Ji Yuan felt more at ease.
It would be great if there was someone in the capital city who could help him buy time.
Unable to delay any longer, he went to Dianzhou Prefecture with the prince.
Having said that, he still needs to focus on the tasks at hand.
Whether it is promoting the miners' association, continuing to develop the rubber industry, or research on steam engines, everything must continue.
Looking at the heavy snow in the northwest, Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh: "If there was no snow, maybe the second steam pump would have been built."
Wuying, Cai Fenglan and others were all puzzled.
Stop rolling!
Can the weather also give way?
Why don’t you just wait patiently for spring?
Ji Yuan touched his nose and said just that.
Besides, it’s not like we can’t do anything just because the weather is cold.
The rubber workshop is still warm.
Their rubber upgrading experiment is nearing completion!
As for those who wanted him to return to Beijing and also wanted him to go to war with them.
Is it important that you have rubber? Is it?
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