Chapter 182
Chapter 182
Although this period was a time of great war and chaos, I still received a letter from Yin Mao.
Yin Mao has returned to Jianmeng Mansion. This trip has taken him almost a year. He also needs to calm down and prepare for the next provincial examination.
But he did a great job on this one.
The four engagement letters and the betrothal gifts were all well protected.
Before arriving in Ning'an Prefecture, he hired a local ceremonial music band and went to the Cheng family in Ning'an Prefecture to propose marriage with music and dance.
Before that, he went to the home of Cheng Jiaoyu in Wuxin Prefecture to explain the matter, and everyone went to Ning'an Prefecture together.
In other words, starting from Wuxin Prefecture.
All the way to Ning'an Prefecture, everyone along the way knew that someone had proposed to their female academician.
And who is this person?
You know, when the son of the prefect of Wuxin Prefecture proposed marriage, no one agreed.
But the prefect and his son were not angry yet when they heard those two words.
era.
It was Ji Yuan who proposed marriage.
No wonder.
Wait a minute.
The Cheng family said that the engagement is already arranged. Does that mean it is with Lord Ji?
That’s no wonder!
The prefect himself told his son: "It's normal that he doesn't like you."
"Who made Lord Ji handsome? He won six prizes in a row and is a new noble in the court."
The corners of the prefect's son's mouth twitched.
Even if it's the truth, you can't tell it!
But then again, if I lose to Ji Yuan, I will be convinced.
The news spread quickly in Dianzhou Prefecture.
Ji Yuan, Lord Ji, is young and handsome, but has never proposed marriage. It turns out that it has been arranged long ago?
She is the niece of my mentor.
It is quite appropriate.
Cheng Yisan, a name known to everyone in Dianzhou Prefecture.
She also opened a girls' school this year, which specifically enrolls female students. The content of their studies is roughly the same as that of other private schools, but is more practical.
Especially in mathematics and engineering, many people were recruited.
All the girls in Dianzhou Prefecture who wanted to go to school went there.
Not to mention the bookstore under her name, the price of books in Dianzhou Prefecture became cheaper because of her.
Cheng Yisan was also the first female official in Dianzhou Prefecture, which shows her ability and capability.
Such a woman is indeed worthy of Lord Ji.
Needless to say, what happened next.
Cheng Yisan's mother was also happy about this. She actually couldn't believe it because her whole family knew how popular Ji Yuan was.
Her father's mood is now more stable, and his face is full of relief.
Her brother, on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded.
But when he thought that Ji Yuan was his brother-in-law, he was so happy.
The wedding date has not yet been determined.
But their status as an engaged couple was confirmed.
According to the customs of Tianqi Country, once two people have made up their minds, it is absolutely impossible to change their relationship unless there are serious reasons.
When Ji Yuan saw the letter announcing that the matter was accomplished, he felt much more at ease.
Of course, there are also letters from Cheng Yisan.
The two had been exchanging letters, but this time the letters were naturally a little different.
After reading the letter, Ji Yuan smiled and kept it carefully.
They will meet soon.
All that remains is to deal with the matter at hand.
He has been in Suzhou for almost two years.
What needs to be done has been done.
The cement factory was officially launched after the year, and both its efficiency and profit were within his expectations.
This profit undoubtedly shocked everyone.
As long as nothing unexpected happens in Suzhou in the future, relying on the local mines and these industries, life will not be bad.
But Ji Yuan was still worried. One problem was the chimney smoke exhaust, and the other was the sewage problem.
These two plans and all local workers must pay attention to safety, wear masks, etc.
These things may seem tedious if we talk too much about them, but they must be done.
Fortunately, everything is in the miners' convention and now in the factory convention, and it must be implemented.
In the past, others had disagreements with the Miners' Association.
Not anymore.
Who would have an objection?
If anyone has any objections, next time the enemy attacks, you should resist them on your own and pass on the message on your own.
They are not the ones who cause trouble at all. They are the ones who maintain the stability of Tianqi State.
Besides, it was you who did not regard the miners as human beings. Now the emergence of the convention is to tell everyone that they are also human beings and citizens of Tianqi Kingdom.
Once this belief came out, what could the mine owners say? The system of hierarchy on which they depended for survival collapsed in an instant.
Of course, this does not mean that they are weak.
Such a cunning person must have a backup plan.
But it doesn’t matter, both sides will compete with each other in wits and courage.
Ji Yuan handed all these matters over to Cai Fenglan.
If nothing unexpected happens, although he can leave, Cai Fenglan will still be here.
Moreover, Ji Yuan would not feel at ease if he replaced someone else.
This is also what Cai Fenglan meant.
Many things in Suzhou were built by them.
I will never feel at ease until I see the flowers bloom and bear fruit.
Wuying and Liu Jun couldn't leave either.
One of them was in charge of rubber, and the other had to go to the northwest city to measure the rubber land, so they couldn't leave.
But they knew that Ji Yuan had delayed for a long time, and this time they had to leave.
"It's all the fault of those barbarians."
"It's really annoying. Even after all this, they still want our rubber seeds."
"It's just, it's really annoying."
Suzhou, the northwest city.
The entire Hexi Prefecture gradually returned to normal life.
Apart from the endless stream of caravans and the gradually expanding concrete roads, life seemed to be the same as before.
Of course, things got better.
Thousands of miles away, the capital city was just getting anxious about the fall of Northwest City, but then it saw the news of the great victory in Northwest City.
ah?
Is the change so fast?
With hundreds of thousands of troops approaching, is it okay?
Was it a false report of military intelligence or something else?
After reading the battle report, everyone in the court smiled happily, because this was what was happening.
It turned out that the Tianqi Kingdom was too powerful, which made them desperate and bring trouble upon themselves.
Tianqi Kingdom is truly the kingdom chosen by heaven!
The roles played by the Miners' Association and the Rubber Association were also used as an excuse by a group of people.
What to play?
Of course, the next step is to tell another group of people that Ji Yuan is right!
"You also said that Ji Yuan had ulterior motives!"
"Is this what you call having ulterior motives? These are all legitimate citizens of Tianqi. They are doing good for Tianqi!"
“Not only were the rubber seeds well protected, they also helped transport military supplies!”
"The factory workers started work early just to transport the cement to Northwest City as soon as possible!"
“The workers are heroes!”
"Yes! He's a hero!"
Who can refute this?
After all, he really made a great contribution.
There is also an era.
The cement factory he built helped to resist hundreds of thousands of barbarian soldiers.
This is no longer just a simple achievement.
The nobles and royal family felt as if they had eaten a fly and they all shut up.
The emperor looked at the battle reports with satisfaction.
When he saw the prisoners of war being escorted to the emperor, the emperor laughed and praised: "Good! The officials of Hexi Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, and Northwest City are really good!"
"My people are brave and valiant."
Since ancient times, sending captives to the capital has been a matter of great honor for the emperor of the time.
How could the emperor not be happy when such a happy event happened in the second year of his reign?
"Such a good thing has happened at the beginning of the year. It shows that Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune and that you govern well."
Someone said at the right time.
The new emperor smiled slightly, with a complacent expression.
Yeah, that's such a good thing.
This happened only after he ascended the throne. If he hadn't forgiven Ji Yuan and allowed him to do whatever he wanted, there wouldn't have been a great victory today.
It is really refreshing to hear such good news at the beginning of the year.
Seeing the emperor so excited, the court officials naturally bowed and congratulated him.
Led by Prime Minister Li, everyone congratulated the emperor and expressed gratitude for the emperor's great blessings that enabled him to achieve such an achievement.
The rest of the time was spent waiting for the prisoners of war to arrive in Beijing.
This was a major event in the capital. It was ridiculous that an army of over 100,000 was repelled by the brave soldiers of Tianqi.
It's like throwing an egg against a rock.
The prince rode on his horse, looking down at the leader Dugu in the prisoner car, and said excitedly: "Take him to the palace, and the emperor will personally investigate."
Not only did he have to ask questions, but he also had to hold banquets and have fun with his ministers.
It was a joy for the ministers of Tianqi State, but it was naturally a humiliation for Dugu Peng.
But he can bear it.
As long as you get what you want, you can endure anything.
But along with the prison van came several letters from Ji Yuan, which revealed this man's thoughts clearly.
It can be seen that his negotiation will not go smoothly.
March.
This matter was being discussed both inside and outside the capital.
The people pointed fingers at the prisoners of war, and when they learned about their conspiracies and intrigues, they were filled with hatred.
The people's feelings were quite pure; they just hated these people for killing the people of Tianqi.
Such behavior is truly despicable!
Negotiations in the capital are still ongoing.
The emperor also made up his mind and summoned Ji Yuan back to Beijing.
Watching this matter from beginning to end, it was actually quite thrilling, but what Ji Yuan did made everything a safe place.
The prince, who had been in an excited state, stood up at this moment and said to the emperor: "Father, I am going to Suixu City in Dianzhou Prefecture to supervise the battle. Why not let Jiyuan go with us?"
"When the time comes, I will return victoriously with you, my son."
The prince had long wanted to take Ji Yuan with him to Suixu City, and the emperor knew about this.
But the emperor didn't take it to heart.
Is it okay to be mentioned by the prince again at this moment?
With Ji Yuan around, the prince's safety is guaranteed.
But before the emperor finished speaking, Duke Zhao stood up and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince wants Ji Yuan to go with him, but is it because of the magic weapon in his hand?"
A magical weapon.
It's naturally referring to the compound bow.
The power of this bow is mentioned in the battle report.
When the prisoners of war were sent over, 300 finished compound bows were also delivered.
You have to know that the Northwest City only used 150 swords to defeat the army of more than 100,000 and make them flee in disarray.
What would these three hundred compound bows look like?
Commanders in various places have already requested the court to allow some to be released in their own garrisons as well.
The prince was about to answer, but then he seemed to have thought of something and said, "Hasn't he already handed over all his magic weapons to father?"
The Duke of Zhao was speechless for a moment, as if he had not expected that the prince would not fall into the trap.
Logically, he nodded in agreement.
In that way he could slander Ji Yuan, saying that he had researched this magical weapon himself and only took it out when the war broke out. What kind of intention was that?
Unexpectedly, the prince said, hasn't it been given to the emperor?
How should he respond?
The emperor looked at Duke Zhao, but he already understood what he meant, and said calmly: "Don't mention this matter again."
If Ji Yuan really had any ulterior motives, there was no need to take it out.
Besides, Ji Yuan is a really useful person and he doesn't seem to have any selfish motives.
The emperor can see this clearly.
A wise minister like Ji Yuan is so rare and precious.
And the prince was right. No matter how powerful the weapons were, they were all given to him.
The Duke of Zhao had a lot of grievances, but he was surprised that the prince was not so rash in his words.
The prince once again mentioned asking Ji Yuan to accompany him to Suixu City to supervise the battle.
The emperor was silent for a moment: "We will discuss this later."
What's up later.
The emperor didn't even want the prince to go.
That's a war, not a joke. What should he do if something happens?
But the emperor also knew that the prince was eager to make achievements. After all, it was just the new year and the prince was already nineteen years old. Although he had not yet celebrated his nineteenth birthday, he had reached the age to make achievements.
The emperor looked at the prince and felt that time was passing very quickly.
When Ji Yuan was the companion to the emperor's eldest grandson, his son was only eleven years old.
Eight years have passed in a flash.
The prince, who is not even nineteen years old, already looks like a young man, with vigor in his eyes and a desire to achieve great things.
The emperor saw that the prince was a little anxious, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Let me discuss this with the ministers."
This means that the emperor has agreed!
The prince was overjoyed and quickly bowed.
Duke Zhao was watching from the side, more anxious than the crown prince.
Ji Yuan had already won a lot of reputation for helping the Northwest to achieve a great victory.
But in the final analysis, he did not directly participate in the Northwest War.
But if he really went to Dianzhou Prefecture with the prince to supervise the war.
That's completely different.
I think if Ji Yuan was asked to supervise the war, he would definitely go directly from Suzhou to Dianzhou Prefecture and would not return to Beijing in the middle.
When such an era finally returns to Beijing, it must be with honor.
When the time comes.
How can we control him?
Even if we want to control the era now, it is already a difficult task.
What would we do if we allowed him to make more military achievements?
The prince looked at Duke Zhao with a hint of provocation in his eyes.
really!
Ji Yuan is right!
These people are the biggest obstacle for him to supervise the war.
It doesn’t matter, he will help Ji Yuan clear these obstacles.
As long as we take Ji Yuan to Dianzhou Prefecture to fight against Hehui Kingdom, we will definitely win a great victory.
The prince felt a hidden joy in his heart.
He had previously tried to recruit Ji Yuan to the Prince's Mansion, but Ji Yuan had always been unwilling.
Now it seems that you agree?
That's great.
With Ji Yuan here, what is he afraid of? !
The prince was delighted in his heart and showed some joy on his face, but he didn't know that it was all seen by Duke Zhao and the Emperor.
He is too young.
Even if he had been tortured by the previous emperor before, it was the current emperor who was in the front and had no idea how to hide his thoughts.
The emperor was fine at the moment. He looked at the prince, as if thinking of himself back then. He was also like this in front of his father.
With Ji Yuan around, the prince can indeed be safe.
The filial piety between father and son in the capital ended, and the celebration banquet was held again.
Dugu Peng did not look like a prisoner at the banquet. In order to show the magnanimity of Tianqi, he was specially asked to change into Tianqi's clothes, shave off his tribal beard, and be treated as a guest of honor of Tianqi.
Is this a treat?
It's clearly a humiliation.
After this, Dugu Peng was seen as a defeated general in the eyes of everyone.
So when the defeated opponent asks for rubber grass, it seems not a good idea to be aggressive?
Fortunately, the emperor knew something about it in advance, otherwise, after three rounds of drinks, he might have actually agreed.
This matter had already been discussed many times within the Tianqi Kingdom.
It is actually a good thing that the Dugu tribe wants to grow rubber grass.
Tianqi's demand for rubber is increasing exponentially, but there are not many places in the world where rubber grass can be grown.
The piece of land outside the pass is just right.
But the Dugu tribe is too cunning. If we agree to this, they might go even further.
The scale of negotiation still needs to be carefully measured.
The emperor did not speak, and his ministers naturally took over the conversation.
Dugu Peng looked at the people from Tianqi Kingdom and felt completely disappointed.
It turns out that these people knew what he was thinking.
I know his purpose better.
Good, great Tianqi country, they made him run around in circles.
But what can we do?
He was the one who started all this.
The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit, so you have to admit defeat.
But he didn't lose to these people.
But he lost to the young official Ji Yuan.
And Ji Yuan’s transfer order is already on the way.
Send Ji Yuan to Suzhou at full speed and let him set off immediately to Suixu City in Dianzhou Prefecture.
Dugu Peng was escorted to the capital in March.
In April, the prince persuaded the emperor.
In May, the transfer was issued.
In June, Ji Yuan received a transfer order.
This time the position is a third-rank military commander, which is considered a deputy general and also a civilian position.
Purpose: to accompany the prince to supervise the battle in Suixu City.
It is somewhat like accompanying the prince in studying, but his power is second only to that of the prince.
Ji Yuan, who is 23 years old this year, is already a third-rank official.
When the imperial edict came, the governor of Hexi Prefecture gasped.
Although he was also of the third rank, he was only half a level higher because he worked in Hexi Prefecture.
And Ji Yuan, despite his young age, has an unattainable status.
The governor of Hexi Prefecture came in person to congratulate him, and letters from other colleagues came in an endless stream.
Although accompanying the prince to supervise the war, it was only a temporary position.
But if you think about it, you will know that once you return to Beijing after winning the battle, this position will be confirmed.
From the third rank.
Twenty-three years old.
This is a position that many officials cannot even dream of reaching.
But Ji Yuan can.
But considering Ji Yuan's achievements, this is only natural.
All we can do is congratulate.
"As expected of Ji Liuyuan, the Emperor really values you."
"The Emperor and the Crown Prince have personally chosen you. Sir Ji has a promising future ahead of him."
"It is a blessing for Tianqi to have such a talented person."
As soon as the imperial edict arrived, countless people praised Ji Yuan, which almost disrupted his final handover.
Fortunately, the person who took over was Cai Fenglan, so Ji Yuan was not worried.
Among the crowd who came to congratulate, some careful people also noticed the change in Tsai Tong-Chief’s position.
Acting as prefect.
ah?
Let Cai Fenglan take over Ji Yuan’s position?
Very suitable though.
But this is only Cai Fenglan’s first term, right?
But Ji Yuan only trusts Cai Fenglan.
There are too many things to do in Suzhou. Not to mention other things, the final tedious and ineffective tasks such as the discharge of sewage and waste smoke can only be handled by Cai Fenglan.
After all, Cai Fenglan trusted him very much.
However, Ji Yuan did not expect that the prince would give him such a big gift.
In his letter to the prince, he only talked about the attitudes of various parties towards him, and also said that he could follow the prince to Suixu City, but Suzhou had to be managed by a suitable person.
The prince directly let his good friend and fellow townsman take over the position as a gesture of goodwill to him.
When no one was around, Cai Fenglan grabbed Ji Yuan's hand and said, "This, this deputy secretary? Did you ask for it?"
Ji Yuan shook his head truthfully and just told the story.
"That's about right."
Cai Fenglan, who is 32 years old this year, never dreamed that he would become the acting prefect at this age.
As long as nothing goes wrong, he might really be the next governor.
I thought that he passed the imperial examination at the age of nearly 30, which is considered old nowadays.
I didn't expect that his career would be so good.
Of course, it’s more because of the era.
It is rare to find a good teacher and friend like Ji Yuan.
Cai Fenglan said nothing more and said seriously: "I will definitely manage Suzhou well."
"As for the pollution problem you mentioned, we will definitely pay attention to it."
Even if people don’t know what pollution is, they don’t know what the harm will be in the future.
But as long as Ji Yuan says it, I will definitely do it.
There is also the matter of wheat seeds.
Even the matter of making fertilizers was something Cai Fenglan took to heart.
Cai Fenglan thought about the time when they were attending the provincial school.
Ji Yuan is obviously the youngest one, but all of them instinctively believe in Ji Yuan and regard Ji Yuan as their backbone.
If that’s the case, it seems like this is the case in the county school?
It's the same today.
Ji Yuan nodded: "I believe you too."
"Suzhou will definitely become better in your hands."
There is no need to say much between them.
But there is another thing that Ji Yuan wants to explain.
"Well, this time I go to Dianzhou Prefecture, I think I will get married before returning to Beijing."
Cai Fenglan: ???
So fast?
It won’t be fast soon.
Cai Fenglan knew about his relationship with Miss Cheng.
I also know that Ji Yuan asked someone to propose marriage.
But unexpectedly, by some strange coincidence, he happened to go to Dianzhou Prefecture to get married.
That's not right either.
Cai Fenglan supported Xu Xu and said, "You haven't thought about it a long time ago, have you?"
"You know that Dianzhou Prefecture and that small southwestern country will fight sooner or later."
"The small country over there has been restless. If we don't fight a war, the border will be unstable."
It will be stable for at least another ten years after the fight.
If that's the case, then it's connected.
After Ji Yuan left Dianzhou Prefecture, he went to the capital.
In the capital, he not only avenged his parents, but also overturned the case for the Cheng family.
After a year or so, the Cheng family came out of the storm and got the approval letter from the other side, so he asked the teachers to write the engagement letter again.
ah?
That's it, right?
Is everything in Jiyuan’s plan?
Ji Yuan smiled and said, "Two years ahead of schedule."
He originally thought that he would complete his term in Suzhou, but unexpectedly, the sudden incident in Northwest City forced him to make preparations in advance.
No wonder.
Ji Yuan had already decided to return to Dianzhou Prefecture.
However, he did not return to western Yunnan, but eastern Yunnan, which is Suixu City, which is closer to the capital of Dianzhou Prefecture.
Once he finishes his business in Suixu City, he will be able to return to Ning'an Prefecture to get married.
Anyway, he has no parents and no relatives in his hometown, so it would be better for him to get married in Ning'an Prefecture.
The Cheng family also settled there, so there was nothing wrong with that.
After Cai Fenglan returned home, he looked at his wife who had accompanied him to his post and couldn't help but say, "You've suffered so much over the years."
Zhou Xiaozhi looked confused. What happened to her husband?
Saying something like this suddenly?
Cai Fenglan just thought that he failed the provincial examination in his first year, and many people said that the Zhou family had bet on the wrong horse.
When I took the exam again three years later, I heard less of this question.
But after passing the exam, he went to the capital. The situation in the capital changed suddenly, and he stayed there for two full years. He brought his wife with him to take up the post in a remote place like Suzhou.
Now that he has become the acting prefect, he finally has something to give.
Madam Zhou thought something had happened.
It turned out that my husband got a promotion.
"Other people are smiling when they get promoted, why are you crying?"
"Don't cry, I've been happy these years. Who can go back to their parents' home every day after getting married? They are just jealous."
"After that, you will pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi. Many people will envy you."
As the couple talked, they just hugged each other and cried.
Cai Fenglan did not forget to ask his wife to help prepare Ji Yuan’s wedding gift.
He definitely won't be able to attend the wedding, but he will definitely send a wedding gift.
In mid-June, Ji Yuan had prepared everything and was ready to secretly leave Suzhou.
But this time, he failed.
Because after the workers at the cement yard accidentally learned the news, they have been asking about the exact time when Lord Ji left.
One worker brother knew about it, and then all the miners and rubber workers knew about it.
They even calculated when Lord Ji would leave based on the time when Ji Yuan handed over the task.
So on the road to leave Suzhou, Ji Yuan and his entourage, who were leading a few horses, were stopped.
"Master Ji, how could you leave secretly?"
"Master Ji, will you come back?"
"Please accept my humble greeting."
"You saved our entire family's lives. You deserve it."
Ji Yuan quickly dismounted and tried to stop the crowd, but it was no use. When the people of Suzhou heard the news, they swarmed over.
They all cried so hard.
Because Ji Yuan kept a low profile and didn't let the officials in the yamen say much, many people only know what happened now.
There was confusion in everyone's eyes. Lord Ji was leaving?
Why?
Is it that they are not doing well here?
Countless people were crying with tears in their eyes.
They really, really can't bear to part with Lord Ji. They really can't bear to part with him.
Among them, there was one person who looked particularly familiar.
It was not Ji Yuan who looked familiar, but the two brothers Shi Weizhong and Shi Weiyang who had once robbed Ji Yuan.
Isn’t that Ma Laosan?
Why is the former robber leader of Suzhou crying now and holding Lord Ji's hand tightly?
Shi Weizhong and Shi Weiyang looked at each other and were about to step forward when they saw Lord Ji's understanding gaze.
Lord Ji knows.
He knows it all.
He had also issued orders to suppress bandits, and during this war in the northwest, he also asked the command camp to re-check every household.
The truly vicious criminals have already been arrested.
But only Ma Laosan's bandits were ignored.
Is it because Lord Ji knows that they are not the real villains?
What a pity, Ma Laosan cried like this and didn’t understand his situation at all.
Ji Yuan and Cai Fenglan looked at each other, obviously telling both sides that they would continue to pay attention to these people.
They say two years is not enough time.
Ji Yuan was helpless.
But fortunately, everything that needed to be solved has been solved.
He could really leave with peace of mind.
As for the story of Ma Laosan and others, that is another story.
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