Chapter 196
Chapter 196
March, the fifth year of Yongkang.
After seeing Prime Minister Li off, the Emperor shut himself in for three days in endless grief, and everyone in the court and the country shed tears.
The emperor sighed.
If it weren't for Prime Minister Li, his life would have been even more difficult.
The late emperor was confused before, and it was Prime Minister Li who advised him.
The emperor also vaguely knew that Prime Minister Li’s health had deteriorated over the years because he had too many things to worry about.
It was not until April that the emperor gradually recovered his strength and resumed court meetings.
But there was something slightly different about this court meeting.
With Prime Minister Li gone, who will take over as Prime Minister?
This doesn't seem difficult to guess.
Many people have already congratulated Mr. Wen in private.
In terms of closeness and status, the 57-year-old Scholar of Literature is the most suitable.
The position of Prime Minister was decided.
There is one more most important thing.
There are four grand secretaries in Tianqi State.
Now there is a vacancy, who should do it?
The current Grand Secretaries are the Minister of Revenue, Grand Secretary Wen, and Chief Minister Wen.
The Minister of Justice, Mr. Zhang, and the Minister of Rites, Mr. Liu.
There is still a vacant position for a Grand Secretary.
Then who is suitable to do it?
There was much discussion about this nomination in the court.
Needless to say, the smoke of war has already risen.
The four grand secretaries represent not only themselves but also their families.
There are actually only a few families that are worth mentioning in the court today.
Although the Li family had the intention, Prime Minister Li had just passed away and there were no young men who could take over.
But if one must be chosen, the emperor will definitely give some face.
Then there is the Wang family, the maiden family of the wife of Grand Secretary Chu, which has been in power for many years.
Even though there were some problems with Grand Secretary Chu before, he was gone, and left in such an undignified way, so the matter was over.
The last one is the Wu family.
Ji Yuan’s fanboy, Wu Yan’s family.
These three are the most capable of winning.
"Actually, there is one more person."
The people in the court whispered: "Era."
As for Ji Yuan, it seems to be possible?
Although he is really too young.
But what he did was extraordinary.
Look at the cement roads around the capital.
Look at the black rubber tires that have become popular.
Ji Yuan and his men are in the Ministry of Works, which can not only bring good construction to the State of Tianqi, but also bring sufficient tax revenue to the Ministry of Revenue.
It’s no wonder that everyone has Ji Yuan in mind.
He is really amazing.
Even before his death, Prime Minister Li found Ji Yuan.
No one knows what Prime Minister Li said to Ji Yuan.
But this honor needs no further explanation.
Some people say that Prime Minister Li knew that Ji Yuan was the hope of Tianqi Kingdom, so he looked for him.
Seems to be correct?
In terms of ability, who can compare to Ji Yuan?
It is a blessing for Tianqi State to have such a minister.
After adding the era, the situation seems to have changed again.
Who would have thought that a 26-year-old official would be a strong contender for the position of Grand Secretary.
Even his superior, Lord Hong, the Minister of Works, was not qualified to be nominated.
When Lord Hong heard about this, he was extremely nervous and said to Ji Yuan, "If you become a Grand Secretary, our Ministry of Works will have a much better life. We must hire more officials. We have too much to do."
Ji Yuan smiled and said, "Sir, the fate has not yet been decided."
"Why are you saying this? But are you interested in becoming the Grand Secretary?" Lord Hong asked casually.
I thought Ji Yuan would be more humble and say no.
Unexpectedly, Ji Yuan nodded: "Yes, I want to do it."
ah? !
Did he hear it right?
Ji Yuan said he wanted to be a university scholar?
Everyone in the Ministry of Works looked over.
Although all officials want to become a university scholar, no one dares to say it directly.
The Li family, the Wang family, and the Wu family, when asked, they would all be humble.
The news spread quickly.
Each family had a different expression.
But the prince was happy: "Since Ji Yuan wants to do it, then we will do our best to promote Ji Yuan."
The people in the Prince's Mansion nodded, but still said: "Ji Yuan is young after all, it may be difficult to deal with it."
"It's not easy but we have to do it. Ji Yuan is one of us."
After what happened before, everyone has already determined that Ji Yuan is one of them.
And they found that as long as they worked with Ji Yuan, they would have a good reputation.
Nowadays, the prince has a very high prestige among the people.
Ji Yuan's words seemed to have kicked off the battle for the position of Grand Secretary.
Before, I was concerned about my dignity and was reluctant to take direct action, but now I don’t have to do that anymore.
After all, if you don’t fight for it, you will fall behind!
The Li family, the Wu family, and the Wang family each have their own connections.
Every morning at court, they would argue endlessly about this issue.
Each family has deep roots in the court, and this time they have put all their connections to use.
As for Ji Yuan, it is clear that the candidate is from the prince's party.
In addition to his outstanding achievements, he also had a lot of supporters, especially young officials in the court and officials from remote areas, who were basically supporters of Ji Yuan.
The Li family relied on Prime Minister Li’s previous connections and had many old ministers supporting him.
The Wu family has always been a peaceful family and has a good reputation.
When we arrived at Wang's house, we saw a completely different scene.
It is no secret that the Wang family previously relied on Scholar Chu.
It was originally thought that the Wang family would be liquidated, but the unexpected incident of Chu Daxueshi made both sides take a step back.
They did not pursue the prince's faults, and the royal family did not pursue the king's family's faults.
But after many twists and turns, the Wang family is now back in the spotlight, and they are pushing forward the Wang family members who have been exiled for more than ten years.
He had been an official in Jinling Prefecture for many years. He was a smooth and tactful person.
After Lord Wang returned to the capital, he was promoted to the Supervisory Council by the Emperor, which meant that he was quite favored by the Emperor.
It can be seen that the Wang family is indeed capable. No one can compare to them in gaining the Holy Heart.
Therefore, the Wang family’s backer is the emperor.
Until late April, the rumors about the Li and Wu families died down a bit.
Many people suddenly realized.
The fourth Grand Secretary of Tianqi State.
You have to choose between Lord Wang and Lord Ji.
Behind Lord Wang is the Emperor.
Behind Lord Ji is the Crown Prince.
After realizing this problem, the Prince's Mansion became somewhat shaken.
Don't argue with the emperor.
The prince meant the same thing, but he still needed to talk to Ji Yuan about it.
But before the prince and his men withdrew, the officials who originally supported the Li and Wu families suddenly changed their tune and unanimously supported Ji Yuan!
On April 25th, there was a court meeting.
The prince was caught off guard by everyone's turn.
He originally intended to show weakness to his father.
But he hasn't done it yet, and the officials who support the two companies are already praising Ji Yuan.
"Lord Ji is young and promising. He is a role model for students all over the world. He won the top six places in the imperial examinations and is still talked about by students in Tianqi State. If he can become a university scholar, he will surely inspire students all over the world." said the Li family.
"Master Ji is indeed very capable, but he is not even twenty-six yet. Is this position of Grand Secretary still not suitable for him?"
"The key to governing is to get the right people." The Wu family said, "Why should we be restricted by age?"
"Who here can compare to Lord Ji's talent?"
The other party will refute again.
But at this moment, the vast majority of people in the court already agreed that Ji Yuan should be the Grand Secretary.
Ji Yuan stood in the team of the Ministry of Industry with his head slightly lowered, as if it had nothing to do with all this.
After all, it's his own business, and whatever he says is inappropriate.
Besides, victory is already in our grasp.
The emperor did not expect this situation.
Who becomes the Grand Secretary is indeed a matter of great importance, but the emperor believes that his support is the most useful.
This is indeed the case.
It's almost the final moment, all the prince needs to do is take a step back.
It would be very suitable for anyone from the Wang family to be a Grand Secretary.
Ji Yuan is still young. Sooner or later he will become a Grand Secretary, or even a Prime Minister. There is no need to rush.
But the emperor didn't expect that he was so anxious.
Or rather, the prince is so anxious.
The emperor's face turned pale. He suddenly couldn't see through the prince and seemed not to understand what he was thinking.
I started arguing with myself years ago.
Now he is pushing his people forward in the matter of Grand Secretary.
This is his prince.
What a good prince.
If his son was in the hands of his father, he would have been punished long ago.
Relying on his soft heart, he actually did things like this.
The prince was panicked and wanted to take a step back, but he couldn't move his feet.
Now most of the court supports him. If he withdraws now, how will everyone view him in the future? How will they view him as the crown prince?
The arrow is on the string and cannot be withdrawn.
If he retires today, he won't have to sit on the throne of the crown prince anymore.
The prince even felt an inexplicable joy in his heart.
Who would have thought that his influence on this matter would be even greater than that of his father.
The person he nominated is truly better than the one nominated by his father.
After the court session, Ji Yuan took the initiative to find the crown prince and explained the matter carefully. Finally, he said, "The best choice now is for me to withdraw."
Ji Yuan continued, "If I leave, the emperor will not vent his anger on you, Your Highness."
Not to mention the crown prince, even the officials around the crown prince kept nodding their heads.
It is only a matter of time before Ji Yuan becomes a Grand Secretary. There is really no need to rush it. There is no need to make the Emperor unhappy about this matter.
But the Li family and the Wu family came over at the right time.
These two families directly showed their goodwill to the prince, and their meaning was very clear: "We can't let the Wang family come up."
"Have you forgotten the great scholar Chu?"
"The Wang family and the Chu family were originally one. If his family takes over, everyone's life will not be easy in the future."
The Wang family would not get close to the prince either, as the incident of the prince killing someone with a single knife was still fresh in people’s memory.
Scholar Chu has supported the Wang family for many years, and there may be some complaints within his family.
Even if there is nothing on the surface, who can guess what is going on inside?
The Li family and the Wu family also had grudges against those two families, so when they saw that there was no hope for themselves, they turned around and supported Ji Yuan.
The new era is coming, and it’s good for everyone.
At least he is fair and just, and will not use his power to oppress the Li and Wu families.
This is enough for them.
Seeing the endless debate in the Prince's Mansion, Ji Yuan seemed like an outsider and no one could read his expression.
But he is the center of this fight.
When everyone looked at Ji Yuan, Ji Yuan said, "Your Highness, you should go and ask to see the Emperor first. This matter is best discussed between you and your son."
The people on the prince's side calmed down.
The Li and Wu families knew this very well, but they would not let the Wang family take the throne and would obviously dissuade the prince again.
Naturally, the emperor didn't know about their conversation.
All he knew was that most of the officials in the court seemed to be on the side of the prince.
They all support the prince.
This realization made him look grim.
Perhaps at this moment, he has completely understood his father and completely understood how difficult it is to be an emperor.
Ji Yuan didn't dwell on this matter for too long.
The Ministry of Industry has too much to do nowadays.
Roads need to be repaired, factories need to be built, and trade unions need to be supported.
There is always something to do.
Of course, there is good news.
The roads towards Nanqi Prefecture have been repaired. A total of four roads have been built, all leading to Dianzhou Prefecture.
Now that the two places have been completely connected, the local prefect Liu has encouraged people from both places to visit more frequently.
With the rubber technology and Champa rice brought by Governor Liu, local people quickly accepted their current lifestyle.
The completion of the cement official road made them realize how good it is to be a citizen of Tianqi Kingdom.
The imperial court also exempted them from taxes for one year, which really relieved their pressure.
There were also problems in the middle. In the letter from Governor Liu, it was said that some old party members of Hehui Kingdom still wanted to take back the land of Hehui.
Not only were the locals well prepared, but they were also driven away by the newly formed local logging association.
Although the Nanqi Prefecture's lumberjack club had only been established for a few months, it had already been organized.
According to them, life has never been better, so why should they go back?
Prefect Liu said that these people used to be lumberjack slaves, chopping down trees every day without any pay, and were completely domestic slaves.
If they were asked to live their previous lives, they would be the first to disagree.
As long as Nanqi Prefecture gets better and better, there is no need to worry about the safety here.
In addition, the Southern Qi Prefecture also built a steam textile factory.
The local textile industry also has its own characteristics, and Governor Liu plans to vigorously develop it.
These also received the support of the Ministry of Industry.
Officials arranged by the imperial Ministry of Works will arrive soon to help them build factories locally.
At the same time, the Bidu Port in Bidu is also under construction.
The road between Ning'an Prefecture and Bidu State has been half built, and many people from the surrounding areas have been recruited to build it. However, the road is too long and it will take some time.
But the Bidugang over there has already started construction. If both sides work at the same time, the efficiency will be much higher.
Shanshan sent a letter saying that there are many people who want to work there, and the wages of people outside Tianqi are cheaper, so the speed should be faster this year.
It is expected that in the sixth year of Yongkang, the roads and ports will be basically completed.
And she should return to Beijing in the seventh or eighth year of her stay in Yongkang.
That is to say, after the next provincial examination, Cheng Yisan believed that he could be promoted based on his performance in the Ning'an Prefecture provincial examination.
Ji Yuan's mouth corners slightly raised.
He believes it too.
This letter was replied first and then sent out urgently.
The other letters were opened one by one.
The situation in Suzhou is better. Today, Suzhou has become a well-known wealthy place.
A cement factory is enough to boost local tax revenue.
In addition, most of the cement factory’s profits are distributed to the workers, setting an example for factories around the world.
Cai Fenglan governed that place very well.
The appointment document from the Ministry of Personnel was also sent out at the beginning of this year, and Cai Fenglan will be the official governor of Suzhou.
During his third term, Monk Bai went to Guangdong. In a letter, he said that he had grown his hair long, but he felt like shaving it in Guangdong.
There's no way, it's too hot there.
Monk Bai was the magistrate of Luodingzhou in Guangdong. With his support, local trade unions and factories developed in an orderly manner.
Monk Bai also said: "The trade union is here, and it can get a hundred responses if it calls for it."
“The local clans are very powerful, which is both good and bad, but the union fits their ideas.”
"They are very interested in steamships. There is a family of ships coming back from India. The farthest one seems to have come from the Mediterranean."
The Mediterranean Sea that White Monk mentioned is the name given by Ji Yuan.
It’s similar to what Ji Yuan guessed.
The Roman Empire near the Mediterranean also developed rapidly. Although they had not yet started industrial civilization, merchant trade was still very frequent.
Because of rubber, the trading volume with Guangdong is increasing.
Such a deal is not surprising.
The technology of ships is also changing.
The best technology is definitely the steamship, the part in which the prince was involved.
Ji Yuan wrote back and asked Luo Dingzhou, where Monk Bai was, to present overseas treasures to the prince.
I believe the prince will be very interested.
There is also Dr. Yin who built the Meng Mansion. Dr. Yin said that the local iron-making industry has also grown in scale and a steam iron-making plant has been opened.
The local prefect took the lead and asked his superiors to allow Dr. Yin to participate as well.
If nothing unexpected happens, Dr. Yin will no longer be an academic official, but a professional official.
After all, he was the first to lead the research on the steam engine back then.
When the prefect of Jianmeng Prefecture learned about this, he would definitely drag Dr. Yin into the work.
People in all parts of Tianqi State have become accustomed to steam engines and are rushing to build steam plants.
If the largest steam cement plant is in Suzhou.
The largest steam textile factory is located in Songjiang Prefecture.
The textile factory built by Grandma Huang employed nearly three thousand female workers, all of whom are now skilled workers.
For example, if the Nanqi Prefecture wanted to build a textile factory, it would ask people from Grandma Huang's factory to help.
Therefore, the Ministry of Industry where Ji Yuan worked specially set up a separate department to recruit talented female technical workers into the Ministry of Industry. They became female officials of the Ministry of Industry so that they could go to support various places.
There were also people who opposed this matter.
But the same thing.
Who doesn't have a daughter?
The larger the family, the easier it is for women to learn these skills and the better they can master the knowledge.
Blocking this road means blocking their own road as well.
In addition, Ji Yuan was very decisive in these matters and progress was made very quickly.
The entire Tianqi Kingdom is changing due to the emergence of new technologies.
The imperial examination system was also changing.
There are already small-scale engineering assessments, which are visible to the naked eye and will become more and more perfect in the future.
Change is hard, but not that hard.
After all, these changes are visible.
There are more and more cement roads and more and more rubber tires everywhere.
and steam plants everywhere.
There are also Champa rice and high-quality wheat varieties, which are being promoted at an extremely fast pace.
But the most surprising thing is.
The literacy rate of people in various places seems to have increased exceptionally rapidly in recent years.
Anyone who joins any farmers’ association or trade union will at least write his or her name.
Can’t read?
Learn even if you don’t know how to read.
If others can learn it, you can too.
The simplest one, two, three, four, the simplest name, you can do it too.
Literacy should not start with children, but with adults.
Even if you are in your seventies or eighties, you can still learn it.
And they can also influence their next generation.
Such changes have given this empire, which has existed for hundreds of years, a new lease of life.
It’s just that the vitality outside and the dullness of the capital seem somewhat disconnected.
Not to mention officials from other places who come to Beijing.
Even officials who have close ties with the outside world can feel the dullness of the capital, or the imperial palace.
In June, officials from Guangdong returned to Beijing to report on their work.
He wanted to discuss the issue of factory construction with others, but found that everyone was arguing about who would be the Grand Secretary.
He also wanted to ask about the progress of the research on steamships, as shipping really needed this kind of good thing.
But no one answered.
They will only say that the Emperor and the Crown Prince had a big argument over this matter, so you'd better not say anything.
What is going on!
The factories outside are running in full swing, don’t you know?
Fortunately, a young official pulled him aside and said, "You are stupid. Go to the Ministry of Industry for these questions. The Ministry of Industry has the answers."
The Guangdong officials were speechless and went to the Ministry of Industry.
Fortunately, the Ministry of Industry still has a new look.
After getting the answer he wanted from the Ministry of Works, the official looked in the direction of the Imperial Palace.
He didn't know how to describe the scene in the palace.
But Ji Yuan knew it.
decay.
Same old stuff.
Fighting endlessly in their vortex of power.
Because who will be the Grand Secretary to take on this matter?
The Emperor and the Crown Prince must have been really angry as they wrestled with each other on this battlefield.
Fortunately, in this world, the capital is both the center and not the center.
Many things have blossomed everywhere.
So the fight here looks so massive, as if it could determine the fate of a country.
But in fact, it seems not important who the emperor and the crown prince are.
Anyway, they were arguing quite loudly.
The emperor thinks the prince has too many ideas.
The prince felt that the emperor did not trust him at all.
But in the end, Ji Yuan still took this position.
The Li family, the Wu family, the prince's followers, and those who supported Ji Yuan all wanted Ji Yuan to become a Grand Secretary.
Even the prince himself seemed unable to stop it.
On June 17, at the court meeting, the emperor did not say a word, and Ji Yuan accepted the order and expressed his gratitude.
The youngest university scholar in Tianqi State was born.
There has never been another twenty-six Grand Secretaries of the Tianqi State in history.
The emperor looked unhappy.
The prince also felt a little dazed.
Is this what he wants?
Was this also caused by him?
It seems not, but it also seems to be.
Anyway, after the court session, Ji Yuan was the first to thank him.
Ji Yuan is indeed his man, right?
They are indeed the princelings, right?
"Your Highness, people from Guangdong came over and said they have some ideas about steamships." Ji Yuan said, "Someone from Fujian also came over and said they brought people from overseas and wanted to see you, Your Highness."
The prince nodded and put the previous thought behind him.
He was the crown prince, and even defeated his father in the battle for the position of Grand Secretary.
If Ji Yuan is smart, he will definitely continue to support me.
And Ji Yuan’s intelligence seems to need no further confirmation.
After sending the prince to talk about steamships with people from Guangdong and Fujian, Ji Yuan saw a familiar yet unfamiliar person outside the Ministry of Industry.
The official recommended by the Wang family, Lord Wang.
Lord Wang looked at Ji Yuan almost scrutinizingly, with an indescribable emotion in his eyes.
Who would believe that he would lose to this young man.
The emperor was behind him, yet he still lost.
Who would have believed it before?
The emperor himself couldn't believe it.
But if he forced someone from the Wang family to be a Grand Secretary, he would offend too many people.
By then, the emperor and his court officials will be even more alienated.
These court officials will also be more supportive of the prince.
This seems to be an unsolvable problem.
Although Lord Wang didn't know the whole picture, he looked at Ji Yuan keenly.
Ji Yuan, are you trying to drive a wedge between the Emperor and the Crown Prince?
But what good is it for him?
He had no reason to do that.
Lord Wang never knew that he could not see through a young man.
But at this moment, Lord Wang came over, not to make enemies, nor to mock, but to apologize sincerely.
"Grand Scholar Ji," Lord Wang said with a salute, "May I have a moment with you?"
Ji Yuan looked at him. Chai Feng and Liu Bao beside him were subconsciously on guard, and officials passing by were also looking over here.
Ji Yuan didn't have much interaction with Lord Wang.
Because of the competition for the position of Grand Secretary, the two men were only polite when they met.
Although everyone knows that this matter seems to be between Ji Yuan and Lord Wang.
In fact, he had already risen to the level of Crown Prince and Emperor.
So there is actually not much conflict between the two of them.
Of course, even though there is no conflict, it is still surprising that the two meet like this.
Lord Wang sighed inwardly when he saw that Ji Yuan did not show any surprise on his face.
Ji Yuan nodded slightly: "Okay."
The two of them met at a teahouse in the capital, and the price of a pot of tea was nearly fifty taels of silver.
The memory of Ji Yuan seemed to have gone back to a long, long time ago.
Back to the small village.
He seemed to see Xiao Jiyuan's memories.
Xiao Jiyuan's mother can survive and get medicine for the price of a cup of tea.
But she did not survive.
Her husband also did not survive.
Because of the person in front of me.
Or rather, the family of the person in front of you.
Lord Wang stood up. As the current head of the Wang family, he sincerely apologized to Ji Yuan: "What happened back then was the Wang family's fault. It was because the Wang family did not discipline them strictly that the tragedy of Jianmeng Mansion and Zhengrong County occurred."
"The Wang family has many children, many of whom are well protected and have lost their sense of propriety."
"In the future, the Wang family will definitely discipline their children more, and what happened to Wang Changdong will never happen again."
“Although the families that suffered the tragedy in Zhengrong County are doing well now, the Wang family will definitely do their best to make up for it.”
The Wang family did not say that they would only compensate the Ji family.
But all victims make up for it.
What comes next is, of course, a sincere apology.
Apologies to Ji-Yuan’s deceased parents.
It turns out they all knew.
Know everything.
But it is only now that I have seriously reflected on my mistakes.
Do they know they are wrong?
Of course I know.
With the "enemy" Ji Yuan around, they will never be able to return to the court.
They have realized that Ji Yuan's foundation in the court cannot be shaken by them.
Rather than saying that the Li family is siding with the prince, it would be more accurate to say that they are betting on Ji Yuan.
The head of the Wu family really admired Ji Yuan and was inclined to this side.
There are also batches of young and promising officials in the court, all of whom take Ji Yuan as their role model.
Such power is definitely not something the Wang family can compare to.
So they apologized sincerely and admitted their mistakes very sincerely.
It was the Wang family's indulgence and their consistent style that allowed their children to act recklessly.
Ji Yuan did not interrupt. He was listening carefully to the apology of the head of the Wang family.
Although he didn’t know if Xiao Jiyuan could hear him, the other party had to finish what he was saying.
But the Wang family may not know.
The child who died at the age of seven or eight didn't mind the so-called apology.
His ultimate wish is that everyone can have enough to eat in the future.
After Ji Yuan left, Lord Wang saw the tea on the table, which Ji Yuan had not touched, and couldn't help but sigh.
Some things are indeed hard to recover.
The subordinate couldn't help but ask, "Are you going to return the compensation from Zhengrong County?"
It seems like it's useless even if I give it to you.
Lord Wang looked at him deeply and said, "Here."
After that, Lord Wang said, "All the factories of the Wang family must establish trade unions, and they must follow the standards of Jiyuan."
It's not that he is willing to give it, but he has to give it.
The mistakes we made back then must be repaid tenfold or a hundredfold.
Once Ji Yuan takes action, the cost will be more than just this.
The situation has developed to this point now. Whether everyone likes it or not, we must move in the direction that Ji Yuan wants.
Anyone who is unwilling to walk will be pushed away, and ultimately fall behind.
Ji Yuan walked out of the teahouse and looked in the direction of Jian Meng Mansion.
The kid back then.
This can be considered as revenge for you.
Complete revenge.
Don’t worry, the future of Tianqi Kingdom will be a new world.
He is moving in this direction.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
