Chapter 189
Chapter 189
"Master Ji's wedding has been finalized?"
"It's done."
"Then why are there so many banquets?"
"This is something the common people put up spontaneously to celebrate the marriage of Lord Ji and Cheng Xuezheng."
"Can we just eat as we pass by?"
"Eat, it's for you to enjoy the good fortune. We must congratulate our Master Ji on his happy marriage and eternal love."
"I'm sure it's a blessing!"
The wedding was on October 10th and lasted until October 12th, and the spontaneous buffet banquet was still going on outside.
Every time Teacher Cheng went out, he would be dragged out to a banquet.
There's nothing I can do about it, after all he is Shanshan's uncle.
Since he came to Ning'an Prefecture, he was asked to attend all kinds of banquets, and he had to pay when he went. Even if others didn't pay, he, as their uncle, still had to pay.
"I really can't go there anymore. If I go there my wallet will be empty."
Teacher Cheng's family felt a little amused and helpless, so they had no choice but to stay at Cheng's house and not go anywhere.
It just so happened that Ji Yuan also lived here, so they naturally had a lot to talk about.
Until October 25th, Instructor Cheng, now Uncle Cheng of Jiyuan, was going back to the Wuxin Prefecture School.
Ji Yuan brought his newlywed wife Cheng Yisan to accompany the Crown Prince to the estuary for a look.
The prince had wanted to go a long time ago, but thinking of Ji Yuan's new marriage, he waited for half a month before mentioning it.
Ji Yuan knew what the prince was thinking, but he pretended not to know. However, the prince said, "Why not let Cheng Xuezheng go with you, so that he can accompany me on the inspection."
Ji Yuan and Cheng Yisan were both a little surprised when they heard this.
However, they have just gotten married, and it is obvious that they will be separated soon. In this case, they might as well take the opportunity to go to the seaport and take a look.
Ji Yuan thought, does this count as a honeymoon at the beach?
It’s a pity that I have to accompany my boss.
Seeing Ji Yuan nod, the prince was visibly happy, knowing that he was right to mention Cheng Xuezheng.
I'm afraid he will be even happier when he transfers Cheng Yisan to the capital.
The prince just felt that this trip was very fruitful.
Not only did they win such a great victory, but they also gained more territory for the Tianqi Kingdom.
Even his relationship with Ji Yuan has become much closer.
Many people say that Ji Yuan is a difficult person to deal with and they don’t know where to start.
Now, he seemed to have found the key.
On the third day of November, accompanied by Commander Li with trepidation, the team instigated by the prince to go see the sea finally set off.
However, this time they will definitely travel in a low-key manner. If they really go out with great fanfare, Ji Yuan is really afraid that the prince will not come back.
On the surface, they set off to return to Beijing, while Cheng Yisan said she was going to Wuxinfu to study.
In fact, this group of people have already left Ning'an Prefecture.
The convoy was disguised as merchants and was led by Dong, a member of the Dong family. When Dong learned about the situation, he was so scared that he couldn't sleep all night.
Mai Mai San San can also deal with the prince.
But the prince seems to be not as good as Lord Ji.
Of course, Leader Dong is thinking these words and he will definitely not say them out loud.
Commander Li's men were in front and behind the convoy. He and Leader Dong were responsible for the overall safety and operations.
In addition to the disguised cargo, the middle of the convoy is naturally the most heavily guarded.
In addition to the prince's close guards, Wu Renhao also served by his side.
The young prince of the royal family, Chen Jun, was leaning closely against Wu Renhao, and was obviously very scared.
But the prince has already come out, so he really has to follow.
Behind the prince's carriage were the carriages of Ji Yuan, Cheng Yishan, and Dong Kang.
If they wanted to use the Dong family's fleet, they naturally had to inform him, so Dong Kang also came along.
Dong Kang's face changed. Seeing that Ji Yuan and his wife were calm and composed, he felt relieved.
Well, if this matter is done, he will have a reputation in front of the prince.
For this reason, he must do his job well.
"Your Highness, no, Master Chen, why would you want to go to the seaport?" Dong Kang asked in confusion, "There are ships coming and going there, but it's not really on a large scale."
As a local, Dong Kang knows a little bit about it: "The sea salt there is just average, but the pearls are pretty good."
In order to ease the tension, Dong Kang said everything he could.
Even though Ji Yuan and Cheng Yisan already knew it, they still listened to it again.
Coming out of Ning'an Prefecture, passing through the former Larong territory, you will arrive at the territory of Jing State.
But now that Jingguo is divided, there is a large buffer area in the middle, so travel is not hindered.
The few small countries we passed by were not that significant, so there was no problem.
Until the destination, it is more than one country.
This small country with a population of over 100,000 has a natural harbor.
In modern times, it is definitely impossible.
But nowadays there are not many people going out to sea, and most of them are concentrated in Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
The harbor here is only used for fishing, so it is very backward. I heard that they even use some shells as trading currency.
Along the way, Commander Li couldn't eat or sleep well. He looked at Ji Yuan with resentment, and said, "Sir Ji, why don't you give me some advice?"
But then I thought, this prince's temper is really hard to persuade, young people always have their own ideas.
Why do you want to see the seaport?
But think about it, after the prince returns to the capital, he probably won’t be able to leave.
When they were resting on the road, Commander Li accidentally said this, and the prince frowned subconsciously: "Why can't I get out?"
But the prince knew that the commander in front of him was telling the truth.
Take my father for example, he rarely left Tianqi Kingdom, not even when he was young.
It was just a coincidence that I was able to come out this time.
Commander Li quickly apologized, and the prince reluctantly let it go.
At night, sleeping outside, the prince sighed and said to Cui Wei, "Where is Lord Ji? Let him come and talk to me."
When Cui Wei went to find Ji Yuan, Ji Yuan seemed to be prepared.
Ji Yuan smiled and said, "Let's go and comfort His Highness."
Ji Yuan looked at Shanshan again, and seeing her waving at him and continuing to write her travel notes, he continued walking.
Seeing Ji Yuan, the prince seemed to have found his backbone: "Master Ji, is it true that I can't go out from now on?"
Cui Wei, Shi Xinhui, and Chen Jun accompanied and waited for Ji Yuan to comfort the prince.
Ji Yuan said: "It's hard to say. Tianqi Kingdom belongs to the emperor and the prince. Naturally, they can go wherever they want."
“The premise is that it is safe and meaningful.”
significance?
Before Cui Wei and Shi Xinhui could stop him, Chen Jun was about to speak.
It would be fine if Ji Yuan didn't try to persuade him, but why did he encourage him?
"If you can manage the people's livelihood in the capital, then stay in the capital. If you can benefit the people in the local area, then stay in the local area."
"As long as I can fulfill my responsibilities to the people of the world and help them live a better life, it doesn't matter where I am."
Oh, that’s what I mean.
That's okay.
Young Master Chen Jun only thought that Ji Yuan was cunning, but who knew that he would say something else: "Your Highness, we are still at the border of East and West Jing Kingdom, so we must be careful about everything."
Speaking of East and West Jingguo.
Naturally, we have to mention why Jingguo was divided into two.
When it comes to the emperor of Xijing, who usurped the position of his nephew, the prince always says: "If he disregards human ethics, his country should be destroyed."
The young prince Chen Jun shrank his head. He was also a royal relative and had the same grandfather as the prince.
Although the blood relationship is a bit distant, this topic is sensitive after all.
However, it is normal for the royal family to seize power throughout the dynasties. Whoever sits on that position is the legitimate one.
After all, in the three or four hundred years of Tianqi Kingdom, there were actually cases of the emperor's uncle trying to seize power.
Of course, these are all secrets. On the surface, there does appear to be an imperial decree of succession.
Chen Jun thought of a lot of random things. The prince over there was already satisfied. He didn't know what he thought of, but he became energetic again.
When Ji Yuan walked back from the prince's tent, he looked at the starry sky and slowed down his steps.
No one knew what he was thinking, and no one dared to disturb him.
Cheng Yishan watched from afar, and felt that Ji Yuan was about to merge with the stars in the wilderness. She took a few steps forward and asked, "Do you want to take a rest?"
Ji Yuan was called back and said with a smile: "Rest, we have to travel tomorrow."
Departure on the third day of November.
Finally arrived at Biduguo on November 27th.
I don’t know if it was because of that late-night conversation, but along the way, both the Crown Prince and the young master had less trouble, which made the people accompanying them breathe a sigh of relief.
However, before their caravan even set foot into the Bidu Kingdom, someone was already spying on them.
Commander Li pretended not to know, and Leader Dong also pretended nothing happened.
If it was an ordinary caravan, they would definitely not be able to detect those snooping people, so it would be best to pretend not to know.
But the other party's disguise was so poor that the prince could see the eyes in the jungle, and there was curiosity in those people's eyes.
Is this for selling things?
In the past, teams that came to Biduguo to sell things would only stop by Biduguo if they had some goods left after selling to surrounding areas.
So they had never seen such a full cargo box.
After all, apart from some pearls, the only things that Biduguo can sell are salted fish and inferior sea salt.
Upon seeing this, the prince said directly: "There is no need to be on guard. After all, it is just a small country and it looks uncivilized."
Ji Yuan laughed: "Although our country is small, we cannot arbitrarily bully others. Otherwise, what is the difference between us and those unjust countries?"
All the things I memorized when I was studying for the imperial examinations are just right to use now.
The part about advising emperors and those in higher positions can really make people shut up.
The prince was also a little ashamed.
He had previously attacked the Hehui Kingdom, separated the Jing Kingdom, and dealt with a number of small countries. Now, he subconsciously wanted to treat the Bidu Kingdom in the same way.
I forgot that we dealt with those small countries because they harassed the people of Tianqi.
And this is more than a country that just lives its life by the sea.
They wanted to come and see the seaport, not because anyone invited them.
With Ji Yuan's advice, the prince's attitude was not so casual, and his subordinates were very respectful to the people of Biduguo.
Respect is a strange thing. Sometimes it can’t be expressed in words, but the other party can definitely feel it.
Soon, the officials of the Bidu Kingdom came out.
This official from a small country who only makes a living by fishing doesn't look very respectable, his clothes are not complete, but he speaks politely.
He looked to be in his forties, and seemed somewhat uneasy.
Ji Yuan felt obviously nervous when the other party was speaking.
Besides the nervousness, there was something else that was different.
The person's accent.
Something seems wrong.
The language here is somewhat different from that of Tianqi Kingdom, so Ji Yuan and the others rely on Dong family's translator to communicate.
Although the officials of this country speak the local dialect, the subtle pronunciations are different.
The official seemed to notice Ji Yuan's gaze, and quickly lowered his head, subconsciously took a half step back, and even wanted to salute.
Ji Yuan couldn't believe it, but also felt it was ridiculous.
Cheng Yishan beside him whispered, "He is from Tianqi."
Although the skin, clothes, even hair and language are all similar to those of the locals.
But when he was frightened, he subconsciously wanted to salute.
Cheng Yisan has met many scholars and has many students under her. This is clearly a habit she brought from her student days.
The conversation ahead is almost over.
The caravan explained their purpose and said they wanted to exchange for some fine pearls, so they brought the goods with them.
The other party seemed to believe it and was relieved, saying that he would arrange for them to stay.
There are only tens of thousands of people here, and there are no special inns, so providing accommodation is not a problem.
Everything was arranged, the Dong family went to discuss business, and they just strolled around.
Once everyone lets down their guard, they can go to the estuary to take a look.
Ji Yuan and Cheng Yisan looked at each other. As a couple, they were naturally assigned to the same room, and they had something to talk about.
After saying hello to everyone, the two of them were about to go back.
The prince was amazed: "As expected of a newlywed couple, their relationship is so good."
Dong Kang also laughed: "Yes, they are together every day."
After saying this, Dong Kang seemed to feel that he was too relaxed in front of the prince.
Unexpectedly, the prince did not mind and asked curiously: "Just now I saw your team leader discussing the deal, but he did not mention the price, but whispered. Why is that?"
Dong Kang bowed and chatted with the prince.
Dong Kang was familiar with the local customs and culture, knew some of the local language, and had traveled extensively, so the prince was very satisfied when he started talking.
On the other side, Ji Yuan and Cheng Yisan hurried back, only to see an unexpected person in the room.
The official who just acted like a dictator.
This Bi Duguo saw Ji Yuan, and also saw the clerk behind him, and Ji Yuan's wife's maid.
The official's expression changed, but he fell to his knees and said, "Master Ji, please help me and spare the people of Bidu."
"Can you please stop hitting us!"
As he said this, he was so scared that he started crying.
Although he didn't know who these people were at first, he pretended not to understand the official language of Tianqi State and still overheard some information.
And he was not completely ignorant, he could figure out something from the subtle details.
As for why the first person he opened his mouth was Lord Ji, there are speculations and also because Ji Yuan's name is too familiar in the southwest.
Even his appearance spread.
So he risked his life and came to give it a try.
What surprised Ji Yuan and others was.
What this person said was actually the language of Tianqi Kingdom.
It's not difficult to guess who he is.
After all, this person pretended not to understand the official language of Tianqi Kingdom before, so he must have found out something.
Ji Yuan had met many people, although this person's Tianqi dialect was a little unfamiliar.
But from his accent, I actually heard something familiar.
"Are you from Fujian? Are you a scholar from Fujian?"
The officer's eyes widened.
Lord Ji really knows everything!
It was also because Ji Yuan had met a lot of people, and the Min dialect had some unique features, otherwise he would not have been able to recognize it.
The official of the Bidu State could not help but say, "Master Ji has a good hearing."
"I've been away from my hometown for more than ten years, and I thought my accent had changed."
Seeing that Lord Ji had heard his background, he didn't know why, perhaps it was out of trust in Lord Ji.
The official in front of him told everything about himself.
The people around Ji Yuan and Cheng Yishan are trustworthy. After they close the door, they start to listen to the bizarre stories of the officials from the Independent State.
It is indeed bizarre.
The official in front of him was indeed from Quanzhou, Fujian. He was a scholar in the 37th year of Huayuan, named Jiao Hang.
"I was 24 that year when I passed the exam to become a scholar," Jiao Hang said. "You were already quite old to pass the exam to become a scholar in Fujian."
The pressure of scientific research in Fujian is also notoriously high.
In the 37th year of Huayuan, Ji Yuan, who was 15 years old at that time, had already passed the imperial examination and became a jinshi the following year.
Although it cannot be compared with the Ji Yuan period, the number of candidates for the imperial examinations is getting younger and younger in all parts of Tianqi Country.
In a place like this where the exam competition is fierce, passing the exam to become a scholar among the 24th person is indeed not expected.
Coincidentally, that year was the year for the provincial examination. Jiao Hang passed the examination and became a scholar. In the same year, he continued to take the examination for a juren. The result is predictable.
Jiao Hang was ridiculed by his neighbors. In addition, his younger brother, who was younger than him, passed the imperial examination and was also laughed at by his family. He was extremely depressed and felt that there was no point in doing anything.
In a fit of rage, he was about to jump into the sea and commit suicide!
It is not uncommon for students to commit suicide due to excessive pressure in modern times, nor was it so in ancient times.
Others may think it is pretentious, but those who are in the situation know the despair in the person's heart.
Cheng Yisan has also comforted many such students, mostly because studying is their only concern and they simply cannot digest temporary emotions.
Jiao Hang was still a little embarrassed when he talked about the twenty-fourth. He touched his head and said, "Who knew that they were rescued by a large fishing boat nearby, but they had already gone out to sea and couldn't go back, so I followed them to fish."
But a scholar who couldn't fish was just a freeloader. Fortunately, he could read and write and help with the accounting.
But Jiao Hang gradually discovered that the fishermen in this area also knew how to keep accounts, and the accounts of this fishing boat were even simpler, so he had no need for them at all.
In other words, because he was unable to do physical work, they found him a job.
Jiao Hang felt even more miserable at that time, as he was a useless scholar.
So he jumped into the sea again.
This time the fishing boat went far away and the sea was empty.
Jiao Hang felt that he would definitely die this time.
But when I woke up again, I was already in Duguo.
Jiao Hang was even a little confused because he had died twice.
Facing the fishermen who were more independent than his country, Jiao Hang was even more confused.
But after jumping into the sea twice, the person still survived. It always seems like there is always a way out.
When Jiao Hang was at the fisherman's house, he felt even more guilty while eating salted fish.
He studied and worked at home, but was still looked down upon.
On the fishing boat of Tianqi Kingdom, although he was keeping accounts, he was actually a redundant person.
These foreign fishermen's families are not wealthy, they even speak a different language, and they still have to eat for free.
But soon, Jiao Xiucai, who came from Quanzhou, a coastal city in Tianqi State, discovered something.
This fisherman's fishing net always has problems, it seems that the weaving technique is wrong.
If we follow the method of making fishing nets in Quanzhou, they will not be damaged so easily and are easy to collect and use.
Jiao Xiucai helped the fisherman by changing the weaving method of the fishing net. The fisherman went from being confused to being surprised. Although he didn't understand what he was saying, he was obviously grateful.
"I didn't expect this place to be so backward. The fishing nets are far behind those of Tianqi." Jiao Xiucai was quite embarrassed. "The tribe came to me later, and the king also came to me."
"I just took them to improve the fishing nets and fishing boats. Although I am only a novice, I am still of some use."
He stayed and learned the official language of Bidu State and Tianqi State, and helped Bidu State a lot.
He is considered to be a loyal and faithful minister of the country.
Ji Yuan listened and thought that Jiao Hang was here to help the poor.
His adventure was quite interesting.
Anyway, Jiao Hang is happier in Biduguo.
Happier than at home.
Jiao Hang was quite embarrassed: "At home, I am just a freeloader, I have no achievements, and I don't have a wife."
"Scholars have been everywhere for a long time, and they are nothing."
"But I didn't expect it to be different here."
At first it might be out of gratitude, and then out of vanity.
But now, the 36-year-old Jiao Hang looks like he is in his 40s and has been here for twelve years.
He has deep feelings for Biduguo.
The king was a good man, and so were his sons.
"The people here are all very good. They, they can't stand a war." Jiao Hang cried, "Bidu Kingdom has not invaded Tianqi Kingdom. Lord Ji, please persuade His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Commander Li to let the people here go."
After hearing these words, everyone present was touched.
No one thinks that Jiao Hang is from Tianqi, so it is not a good idea to say so.
Because Jiao Hang really cares about the local people, and he is willing to help them live a better life.
He came here secretly just to seek a way of survival for these people.
Language, culture, these are both important and unimportant.
To put it bluntly, no matter where people are from, all they want is to have enough food and clothing, and it has nothing to do with race or country.
The people of the country just want to live a good life.
This feeling is universal.
So everyone can understand.
Ji Yuan's attitude was also completely beyond Jiao Hang's expectations.
Jiao Hang came over, prepared to be treated as a criminal, and also prepared to be taken back to Tianqi State and beheaded.
Unexpectedly, Ji Yuan just said: "We are not here to fight."
"Tianqi will not fight an unjust war."
Really, really?
Isn't it a war?
He thought the reckoning had ended with Biduguo.
The people of Bidu Kingdom did not harass Tianqi Kingdom at all!
He still felt confused.
Ji Yuan didn't expect that he just wanted to broaden the prince's horizons, but it made the people of Biduguo so worried.
Just as he was thinking, Jiao Hang whispered, "Do you want the people here to become Xinning people? Then can we share the Champa rice seeds?"
"Can more than 100,000 of us all go over there?"
If that's the case, he agrees with both hands!
Fishing is really too hard. If the king could move everyone to a better place, he would not object.
To put it bluntly, being the king of such a small country is not as comfortable as being a rich family in Tianqi.
But there is a Jingguo among them, what should they do?
A word suddenly popped up in Ji Yuan’s mind.
enclave.
It means that it is under the jurisdiction of a certain place, but does not border this place.
If we could build an enclave here and turn it into a real port, not only would we have an outlet to the sea, but even the East and West Jing countries would not be a threat.
And this place can also be used as a supply station for going out to sea.
Looking at Jiao Hang's expectant face, Ji Yuan didn't know what to say.
However, what Jiao Hang wanted was that hundreds of thousands of Bi Duguo people would follow them to Tianqi Kingdom, while what Ji Yuan wanted was to let them build a port city here.
Anyway, the territory is already expanding, so I really don’t mind having a little more.
This is the seaport.
As long as there is this outlet to the sea.
You can go to any place in the East or West Sea.
But this matter still needs to be discussed, and Ji Yuan cannot give an accurate answer.
But if Tianqi decides to accept this enclave.
The poor country of Bidu will probably become a popular destination everywhere immediately.
A large amount of supplies from Dianzhou Prefecture, which is close to the seaport here, can go directly east by sea, and exchanges with Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, and the capital will become more frequent.
In the past, we could only travel by land, but now there is also a sea route.
Build an outlet to the sea for Dianzhou Prefecture.
Is there any need to talk about the future development of Dianzhou Prefecture?
I had thought about this before, and now that I really have to do it, I am quite excited.
Although he was excited, Ji Yuan still said, "Don't worry, no matter what we do, it will not harm the interests of the local people."
Jiao Hang trusts Ji Yuan's guarantee very much.
If not for this, he wouldn't have risked his head to come here.
This is an era!
In the southwest and Southeast Asia, who doesn't believe in Ji Yuan's reputation?
As soon as Jiao Hang left, Cheng Yisan had already spread out the papers, knowing that her husband would definitely have to work overtime.
But taking away these hundreds of thousands of people seems a little unrealistic.
It’s not that Tianqi State cannot accommodate it.
But Yuan Ge'er obviously values the port here more.
So, what should he do?
Ji Yuan picked up the paintbrush and drew a map.
This map has been in his mind for a long time, and with his drawing skills, he can draw it easily.
But this time, there is an additional official road on the map.
It extends from Ning'an Prefecture to Bidu Kingdom.
But here in Biduguo, it is not the backward fishing village it is today.
A port city is about to rise from the ground.
Cheng Yishan picked up the paper, sat next to Ji Yuan, looked at the port, then looked at Ji Yuan, and murmured, "Sometimes I wonder how smart you are."
Ji Yuan said as if jokingly: "Like Jiao Hang, I also came from somewhere else."
Ji Yuan was just speaking casually. Time travel was too bizarre, so he had no intention of telling it. He just thought of Jiao Hang's experience and found it somewhat magical.
Is he also "Jiao Hang" in another sense?
What they saw and heard seemed to overwhelm a certain place or era.
But it would be a pity if we don’t use these things well.
The prince, who had already fallen asleep, had no idea what kind of surprise tomorrow's era would bring him.
enclave.
Port city.
Expand the territory again.
The prince wouldn't even dare to dream about it.
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