Chapter 199
Chapter 199
Xiong Lirui is 46 years old this year. She is big and strong. She has been a fisherman since she was a child. Originally, women were not allowed to go on the boats going out to sea.
But she is different. She is born with a strong sense of direction and will never get lost at sea.
She is also very strong, which is unmatched by ordinary men.
After getting married, she arranged an ordinary boat and took her younger brothers and sisters, her husband and his family to the nearby islands to do business.
This is considered smuggling. People do this at the seaside, so the law does not punish everyone.
Besides, the masters in the county town still have to collect private taxes, so they will definitely turn a blind eye.
Fortunately, life is getting better.
Champa rice became popular in the local area, so food supply was secured for the families and life became less difficult.
Xiong Lirui had an idea.
The first time she saw a steamboat, she wanted one.
But in the first few years, steamships were too expensive and no one could afford them.
So when she saw the prince leaving with more than a hundred boats, she couldn't help but curse, "A waste of money."
It would be nice to give her one.
Fortunately, Lord Yuki’s Ministry of Works is here.
The price of steamships gradually decreased.
There was a powerful portal in Lu that reduced the price of steam engines to a very low level, making them affordable for many private ships.
At that time, Xiong Lirui had also earned a lot of money and was preparing to buy it for herself.
In the eleventh year of the Yongkang reign, uprisings broke out in various places, and her family also participated.
Afterwards, they were divided up into many pieces of land, and their family became even richer.
It was also at that time that she bought her first steamboat.
The fisher girl who grew up by the sea had a keen sense of direction, which allowed her to make a bold decision.
I heard that recently many fleets have been carrying goods to more distant places for trade.
Let’s go to their house too.
The money earned can be used to buy bigger ships.
Xiong Lirui has always been the one in charge of her family.
Both her parents' and her husband's family listen to her.
Everyone did what they said. They left only one person from the family to look after the fields and recruited a dozen fellow villagers to form a fleet of three ships, preparing to go to more distant places to trade.
The sea is vast.
There are too many surprises.
Such as the waves, the sea breeze, and the rain that seems to never stop.
If Xiong Lirui had not been very sensitive to directions and could use the stars to determine her direction at night, she would have been lost long ago.
Their fleet moved forward little by little.
Finally, I arrived at a continent I had never seen before.
Although we haven't seen it, everyone knows it.
This is the place that Lord Ji has always wanted to come.
Some people say that if Tianqi Kingdom had not been in turmoil in recent years, Lord Ji would have wanted to come out in person.
However, he couldn't come out, so he had to write down the map, the local features, and even the races and animals.
Of course, there are also the crops that Lord Ji is thinking about.
Why is Lord Ji so obsessed with it?
Of course it's for them.
For the people of the world.
Lord Ji holds a high position, so he will never lack food or drink whether there is high-yield grain or not.
He wanted high grain yields entirely for the sake of the people.
He also said that the population of Tianqi State will continue to grow in the future, and if grain production is not increased, everyone will still go hungry.
yes.
Now the people of Tianqi have enough food to eat and live well, and every family loves to have children.
It is normal for a family to have four or five children.
Of course, there have been differences in recent years, because Lord Ji also said that we need to ensure the best birth and upbringing.
Have fewer children, but raise them carefully.
Well, it’s right to listen to Lord Ji.
When this family set foot on this continent, they faced the wary eyes of the locals.
Xiong Lirui did not tell the truth. She used gestures to explain and only said that they, the fishermen, were blown here by the wind and waves.
These people felt a little better when they saw that Xiong Lirui's family had rough and dark skin and indeed looked like fishermen.
The lower class people have their own ways.
People at the bottom of society can best understand people at the bottom of society.
Xiong Lirui keenly discovered that these people who looked different from them actually knew the origins of Tianqi merchant ships and were not fools.
They don't speak the same language, so they seem clumsy.
In fact, if we change our language to our own, we all have our own conspirators and politicians.
These people were on guard against the people of Tianqi, and were also afraid of the people of Tianqi.
Just like the Tianqi Kingdom does not allow others to take away tea seeds.
The locals also did not allow them to take away the high-yield food crop, sweet potatoes.
After three months, Xiong Lirui, with her courage and carefulness, finally reached a lot of sweet potato vines. She stuffed them all into the bottom of the cabin and wrapped them with straw. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Even so, he was almost discovered by the other party.
But just like the other party will definitely find an opportunity to take away their tea.
Nor will they give up high-yield crops.
There is no right or wrong.
I want to have food and I want to ensure that my people have enough to eat.
It is no longer possible to argue about right or wrong.
Anyway, there was ecstasy in Xiong Lirui's eyes.
She knew that she had gotten something good, and she also knew that as long as she could return to Tianqi Kingdom, her family would be prosperous!
Better go back soon.
Be the first in Tianqi Kingdom.
It would be better if it were earlier than that prince.
But this ocean is too big, and the continent is too big.
Maybe they are all here?
But they can't see each other.
Xiong Lirui's steamboat was sailing very fast, and she looked at the stars every night to guide her.
Until I saw the seaside of Tianqi Kingdom.
Xiong Lirui asked her children to take a small boat to report the news.
When Xiong Lirui's children came back, they told her some bad news.
The port said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince returned yesterday.
Did you bring back sweet potatoes and corn?
They don't know.
Because there is no news yet.
These are not the key points.
The key point is that during the two years they were away, the laws of Tianqi Kingdom changed.
There will be no more slaves from now on, and people will not have to kneel when meeting officials or royal family members.
Lord Ji said that everyone is equal.
This was a huge shock to Xiong Lirui.
But when I heard that citizens would not be scolded when they sued officials or workers sued factory owners, I knew that she liked this year of the Republic!
Also, what is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?
From now on, when you meet each other, you should greet each other. No one needs to kneel!
The land that her family had previously divided was also renovated and divided according to the number of people in her family, with everyone having land in their name.
Xiong Lirui's family digested the news faster than the prince.
Because this is all good for you.
After feeling dizzy for a while, you will just cheer and then quickly adapt.
I said it all!
It’s easy to go from frugality to extravagance!
This is easy!
The second year of the Republic, the first day of August.
The ships on the long voyage slowly approached the port.
This time the shore was packed with people, and instead of mocking people, their eyes were filled with longing.
The leader was still Ji Yuan, with anticipation in his eyes.
If someone didn't know, they would think they were welcoming the prince of Tianqi.
In fact, Prince Chen Yong was also among them.
What they greeted was an old woman, an old woman who had brought her whole family out to sea.
Because of them, we brought back sweet potatoes.
Crown Prince Chen Yong led 100,000 men to go out to sea, but brought nothing back.
The three boats she had put together were brought back.
It's impossible to deny it now.
Because the other party was holding up the sweet potato vines and waving excitedly towards the shore.
“It’s sweet potatoes!”
"The yield of sweet potatoes is 5,000 kilograms per mu!"
"Ahhhhh that's awesome!"
"There is little land and many people now, the sweet potatoes come just in time!!!"
Ji Yuan agreed with these words very much.
It really came at the right time.
It’s great that you came.
When spreading the news about these crops, Ji Yuan thought that someone would go looking for the crops.
I also thought there might be danger.
But he knew that even if he worked for another ten or twenty years, he would not be able to rely on his own strength to improve the rights of the people and find new crops overseas.
The best option is to tell the people about these things.
Just like organizing a logging party in the 39th year of Huayuan.
Just like Huayuan emphasized the trade union again in Suzhou forty years ago.
If these choices are left to the people, they will take the right path.
Come to think of it, it seems like nearly twenty years have passed.
From Huayuan thirty-nine to Huayuan forty-four.
Then I went to Yongkang for twelve years.
Now it is the second year of the Republic.
Eighteen years have passed.
The seeds planted that year have now grown into towering trees.
Ji Yuan smiled as he looked at the endless sea.
This time, they will definitely not suffer any losses in the Age of Discovery.
It’s time to take out the powerful ships and guns recently developed by the Ministry of Industry and have a look around.
Ji Yuan looked at the cheering crowd again and felt that he was extremely small, as small as just a grain of sand in the vast ocean.
Of course, Ji Yuan also felt the almost cannibalistic gaze.
Forget the royal family.
Ji Yuan pressed the bridge of his nose.
How could I forget you?
It's time to shatter the last bit of your confidence.
Ji Yuan greeted Xiong Lirui with a smile. Xiong Lirui and her family almost knelt down, but were helped up by someone: "It's a new era now. No one needs to kneel."
"Ms. Xiong, you are the savior of Tianqi Country. You brought back high-yield grain."
Xiong Lirui was held tightly by Ji Yuan. She didn't know what to say for a moment and tears just fell.
No more kneeling.
He is also the savior of Tianqi Kingdom.
That's great.
She is really amazing.
And you don’t have to kneel anymore.
When the prince came over, Xiong Lirui resisted the inertia of more than forty years and refused to kneel down. She just followed the example of the people around her and nodded slightly.
"Hello, Prince."
"Have you found high-yield crops?"
Xiong Lirui swore that she, an old woman, was just asking seriously.
She cared a lot about whether their family was the first to bring back sweet potatoes.
Although Crown Prince Chen Yong did not say anything, his ugly expression said it all.
He didn't.
His luxurious fleet was no match for the three boats of this ugly and stout old woman.
There were dozens of people and three boats, and they brought back sweet potato vines.
And in less than three years, they accomplished what they had not done in more than six years.
He has nothing.
Nothing.
If it were someone else, Ji Yuan would have said a few words of comfort and that it was already good enough to bring back the aliens to strengthen communication.
Moreover, with so many animals, we can enrich the local species and build a zoo so that the people of Tianqi can see them in their spare time, which is actually quite good.
At this moment, he didn't intend to say it.
Because if he said it, it would be like taking sides, like depriving the sweet potato vine of its merits.
It's like when two parties are competing against each other, making the losing party feel better.
For a person in a high position to receive such comfort, it would be too much of an advantage for him.
Ji Yuan’s choice was to look at Xiong Lirui and say, “You are the first to bring back sweet potato vines, only you.”
Only them!
Xiong Lirui wanted to laugh out loud, but felt that the occasion was not right.
However, facing the encouraging look of Master Ji, Xiong Lirui still laughed out loud, just like when she was on the boat: "Great! We are the first!"
The prince's face looked extremely ugly.
The era has always been like this.
He seems to have always encouraged the people to be troublemakers.
Even if they resisted fiercely, Ji Yuan would not really punish them. He would only point out their shortcomings and say, "Try harder next time."
When he was in the capital, he had heard about Ji Yuan's style of doing things.
At that time, I felt that he helped the weak and overthrew the strong, which was quite chivalrous, and I even admired him very much.
But when this strength becomes yourself, things are different.
I heard that it was in Dianzhou Prefecture back then.
Some loggers would use their large numbers to cause trouble for timber merchants.
Revenge to be exact.
In the past, these people would arbitrarily lower the price and not treat the lumberjacks as human beings.
They just wanted to retaliate.
Anyway, these unscrupulous businessmen were fooled around.
It was not until it became a little too excessive that it was stopped by the then Magistrate Ji.
There is also Suzhou.
Those sand bandits and horse bandits in Suzhou.
Ji Yuan doesn’t care either.
Although these are just rumors, they are not groundless.
He only deals with those extremely vicious people.
Ordinary horse bandits also provide them with a livelihood.
He is condoning!
Always indulging!
The unruly people in Tianqi State were all indulged by him!
This ugly old woman just wanted to kneel down to them, but was stopped by Ji Yuan.
Not only did he not want to be knelt to, he also did not want the old woman to kneel to him.
It’s hateful. It’s really hateful.
But no matter how much he hated it, he had to return to Beijing according to Ji Yuan's arrangements.
Because the prince discovered that if no one arranged it, they would have no idea of the procedure for returning, nor how to get on the steam train.
If they still followed the traditional method of taking a carriage or riding a horse back, they would definitely be laughed at.
Also going to the capital are Xiong Lirui's family. Xiong Lirui has been officially appointed as an official. As the first female official in her family, she is very impressive.
Some people laughed at her skin and said that it didn't match her official uniform. Ji Yuan just said, "That's your problem. You think that your rough skin doesn't match your official uniform."
"You guys should change your mindset."
In one sentence, the mocking royal family and some diehards looked unhappy.
This made Xiong Lirui happy again.
Look.
He is encouraging these ordinary people to become troublemakers, and giving them power so that they know their rights.
How could there be such a person?
Is Tianqi Kingdom really lucky to have such people?
On this question, even Prince Chen Yong remained silent.
Of course it is lucky, but it is unfortunate for the royal family, but it cannot be denied that the Tianqi Kingdom has a good era.
A group of people excitedly boarded the steam train.
The train has been in operation for several years, and most of the people in Tianqi have tried to ride on it, and those who have never ridden one have seen it.
But the two groups of people in front of me are people I have never seen or sat in before.
The prince just felt aggrieved.
He was treated the same as the old fisherman woman.
But he couldn't suppress his excitement. This was a train, a steam train, and he had never ridden on one before.
The speed of the steam train is unparalleled, the scenery moves quickly behind you, and you feel like you are flying.
Steam locomotives are definitely incomparable to the high-speed trains of later generations.
But now, it is already the top existence. Listening to the roar of the whistle, people feel their hearts trembling.
Too fast.
Just like the development of Tianqi Kingdom.
People like them simply can't keep up with the pace.
Those who went to sea back then were basically the elite of the royal family.
If they had stayed in Tianqi, perhaps they could have prevented these developments.
But now, it's completely impossible.
Tianqi Kingdom, the reign title of the Republic, is like this high-speed steam locomotive, carrying everyone forward.
The scope of the capital city has expanded a lot, and the lanes have also become different.
The horse racing road is made of dirt, which will not hurt the horse's hooves. The carriage road is made of cement, which is flat and comfortable. There are also railway tracks in the suburbs, which are suitable for steam trains.
People's houses also changed from wooden structures to a combination of wood, cement and bricks.
The style of each place is different, and different types of houses are built according to local customs and weather.
But what is consistent is that everyone's houses are warmer and more spacious.
In the past, only rich people could afford to build such beautiful houses. But now it is different. The emergence of factories has lowered the prices of many industrial products.
In addition to the current rapid development, many people are making money from building cities, so it is still possible to build a house.
The prince also discovered that people's clothes have become better nowadays. Although they are simpler, the tailoring and weaving technology are obviously very good.
There were more and more men and women on the street, and even the girls were studying openly, saying that they wanted to go to such and such school.
The prince suddenly felt a little wronged.
He had only been away for six years, just six years, and everything he was familiar with had changed.
I wish he didn't leave.
Prince Chen Yong subconsciously looked at Ji Yuan.
If he doesn't leave, will the ending change?
Probably not.
But there will be more deaths and more bloodshed.
With Ji Yuan's brain, he would even let his father kill him.
Why.
The Tianqi Kingdom was conquered by their family and it was the kingdom of their Chen family.
Why should we do this?
Ji Yuan would not give him an answer.
Because he knows that it is difficult for vested interests to give up their own interests.
Especially the royal family, who had taken advantage of the Tianqi Kingdom and naturally wanted to continue taking advantage of it.
He smiled at the prince and said, "We'll be there soon."
It took less than four days to travel from Fujian to the capital.
It took less than four days to travel nearly four thousand miles.
This was the result of them stopping to rest midway.
If you don't rest, it will take at most three days to get there.
If the prince remembered correctly, it took him more than a month to travel from the capital to Fujian, and he was traveling very hard.
Three days.
One month.
The difference is huge.
No wonder everything in Tianqi Kingdom developed so fast.
No wonder Ji Yuan rushed over as soon as he knew he was back.
Arriving in the capital, the prince went to the palace impatiently.
The palace seemed to be the same as before, with people still kneeling and bowing, but they were all elderly people.
As for young people, no one is willing to come to the palace to work, except these old slaves, who think that the people outside are rebellious and do not respect etiquette and laws.
Fortunately, fortunately the palace is the same.
The palace was still a familiar world to him.
The prince hid in his familiar world and knelt down to worship his father.
Xiong Lirui and her family stayed in the most luxurious hotel in Beijing and enjoyed themselves.
It’s time for their family to take a good rest!
Many newspaper reporters and biographers also came to request permission.
"Could you please tell me about your experience in finding the sweet potato vines?"
"It took two years to find sweet potatoes. What happened in between?"
"Ms. Xiong Lirui, can your story be adapted into a play? We will ask the best screenwriter to help you write it."
Xiong Lirui was not at a loss for what to do in such a situation.
She can even overcome the waves, so what is there to be afraid of?
Xiong Lirui told the story vividly, and there was a lot of exaggeration in her story, but it didn’t matter, as long as it was interesting enough!
The new era is good.
In the new era, she can be an official, and her story can be made into a drama!
The Ministry of Revenue's Agricultural Department was overjoyed when they got the sweet potato vines. They were very careful, fearing that the vines would be damaged.
Xiong Lirui said to them: "It's okay, this thing is very alive, it has sprouted and borne fruit on the boat."
It’s just that the fruits are not big and they went bad due to the hot weather, otherwise they would definitely bring them back.
The names of the six ministries in the court did not change, but the officials therein were no longer adults. Instead, they were called councilors or held certain positions.
The people in the Agriculture Bureau are experts in agricultural technology. With them around, there will be absolutely no problem.
Since Xiong Lirui had such great achievements, she was naturally invited to the palace. It was said that the emperor would personally host a banquet for her to thank her for bringing such good food to the Tianqi Kingdom.
Xiong Lirui's family began to get nervous.
But think about it, the outside world is changing so fast, and they can adapt, so the palace should be fine, right?
Anyway, the current emperor and the crown prince cannot kill people at will.
If they dare to do this, the people will definitely not agree, and neither will the judicial department!
Thinking of this, Xiong Lirui was no longer nervous.
Ji Yuan arranged all of this and was mainly responsible for external affairs. They prepared the banquets and receptions in the palace themselves.
The royal family cares a lot about these things, and the people in the Imperial Household Department will never let anyone interfere.
So the standard of this banquet must be very high.
These country bumpkins will definitely come and see what imperial music is and what aristocratic music is.
The music of bells and drums is something that emperors can enjoy.
The music of zither and qin belongs to the scholars and officials.
According to Zhouli, there is a clear distinction between superiors and subordinates, and different classes should be distinguished by different musical instruments, ritual vessels, and etiquette.
In the past few years, the Tianqi Kingdom, or the royal nobles, did not care about these things.
But since the constitution was established and the republic began, the old nobles in the palace were almost able to restore the Zhou rituals directly in the palace.
From the heavy clothing to the meticulous etiquette.
From the musical instruments at the banquet to the singing and dancing of the dancers.
It is so solemn and elegant, very much like the ancient times.
When Xiong Lirui and her group first watched it, they were shocked by such a grand scene.
But as I listened to it, I found it boring and not as interesting as folk songs.
Ji Yuan drank tea silently, while the new-style officials around him stared with wide eyes.
What an ancient thing!
Ji Yuan smiled.
As a pure appreciation, everything in front of me is naturally very good.
The costumes are gorgeous, the dances are inspiring, and the musical instruments are even more elegant.
If there was a video recorder, Ji Yuan wouldn't mind recording it and preserving it as historical material to let future generations know how brilliant the culture of Tianqi Kingdom was.
What a pity.
Some people display these things not because they think these dance cultures are so good or have such high artistic value.
Some of these people don't even know why they should sing this Book of Songs, nor do they understand its meaning.
They just use these things to distinguish between superiors and inferiors.
Just look at the golden cups and silver utensils used by the nobles and you will understand.
To them, this was not a cultural exhibition, but a political declaration that they were noble and those below them were lowly.
Culture is good, but people who differentiate between cultures are disgusting.
Xiong Lirui's family was shocked by the scene. When they saw others kneeling down, they trembled and wanted to kneel down as well.
Such a pomp, such singing and dancing, such a banquet.
It turns out that only the emperor can enjoy it.
Countless gorgeous clothes and delicious food are prepared for this moment.
Show your noble status.
Ji Yuan looked coldly at the evasive emperor, then looked at the prince who was about 27 or 28 years old, and said with a smile: "Really good."
"I finally know which department everyone is going to."
"Let's study the classics of history and culture."
"By recording all of this, future generations can also know the ancient rules."
“Even if people don’t use it in the future, it’s still okay to appreciate it as art.”
After that, Ji Yuan looked at Xiong Lirui's family and said, "This musical is interesting, right? The restaurants in the capital will have such pieces in the future. You can go and watch it then."
Tracks.
ah?
Is this something like drama?
Can such a solemn thing be seen by ordinary people?
Isn’t that not very good?
Xiong Lirui couldn't help but say, "The emperor is so majestic, and we are just ordinary people."
"The emperor also wants to eat the sweet potatoes you brought back, so what's the difference?"
Anyone who can bring back sweet potatoes is much more powerful than the emperor.
Although Ji Yuan didn't say it, the subtext was obvious.
In Ji Yuan's eyes, this woman in her forties or fifties was no different from the emperor, and might even be more powerful.
The emperor stared at Ji Yuan with resentment.
Why should a dignified emperor like me compare myself with an ugly woman?
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