No one had any objections to this, and they all knelt down to thank him and receive the reward.
Emperor Jingxuan chatted with the supervisors for a few words. Seeing that it was already noon, he asked Zheng Jijiu to take them out so as not to delay the afternoon class.
But Song Weifeng and Zhou Ziyan were left alone.
This is about 'asking guilt'.
Song Douding and Wang Xiaoniu had just walked out of the imperial study and immediately began to worry.
"Will my brother be okay?" Song Douding was worried.
Wang Xiaoniu couldn't help but look back at the imperial study room.
Lin Mingxi knew that it was their first time to meet the Holy Spirit, so he comforted them: "Your Majesty is not an unreasonable person."
Eunuch Zhan bent over and smiled kindly: "Two young supervisors, let's go. Don't talk here. Don't let others listen."
Song Douding and Wang Xiaoniu saluted immediately, "My father-in-law said yes."
Forget it, they can only leave.
Anyway... they believed that Master Zhou would not let Song Weifeng be wronged.
In the imperial study room, Song Weifeng stood in the middle of the room, worried, wondering why His Majesty left him alone.
He quietly raised his eyes and looked at Zhou Ziyan beside him.
Zhou Ziyan still maintained his previous stance, showing no signs of worry.
Song Weifeng frowned, Brother Zhou can really be so calm and composed no matter what time...
Emperor Jingxuan waited quietly for a long time and finally asked: "Does the fragrance smell good?"
"It smells good." Zhou said to himself, bowing and saluting pretentiously, "I would like to thank your majesty for the reward."
"Hmph, I don't know how sincere you are. I don't see you using incense on weekdays, but you used it today. Zhou Zi said, are you ordering me?" Emperor Jingxuan suddenly raised his voice, looking angry.
"Your Majesty, calm down!" Song Weifeng heard the angry emperor's voice and immediately lifted his robe and knelt down.
Zhou said helplessly: "Your Majesty, I don't like to use incense. You should know this."
"Today is the first time that I and Brother Song have met the Holy Spirit. Naturally, we have to make good preparations to use the royal incense gifted by His Majesty."
"Get up." Emperor Jingxuan ignored Zhou Ziyan, but raised his hand to ask Song Weifeng to stand up, just like Zhou Ziyan did.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Song Weifeng stood up with his head lowered. Finally, he mustered up the courage to raise his chin slightly and saw the face of Emperor Jingxuan.
Emperor Jingxuan and Song Weifeng imagined much the same, with majestic treasures and the power of the emperor.
That dragon face seems to be paler than ordinary people.
Emperor Jingxuan looked at Song Weifeng for a long time and suddenly said: "Zhou Ziran, you go out first. I will talk to this little brother Song alone."
"Yes." Zhou Ziyan surrendered and told Song Weifeng not to be afraid before leaving. He was waiting at the door.
Song Weifeng nodded.
But Song Weifeng was still a little nervous, and his palms slowly began to sweat.
Emperor Jingxuan laughed, "But are you nervous?"
"...I don't dare." Song Weifeng replied softly.
"How did you and Zhou Ziyan meet?" Emperor Jingxuan raised his chin and asked with interest how they met.
Song Weifeng did not dare to hide anything in front of the emperor, so he told the truth: "Master Zhou... Master Zhou originally came to apply for the literate tutor of the student's younger brother. Later, he met the student's younger brother... who was just Song Zhensheng, the Song student, and studied together. He was extremely talented, so he officially accepted him as his student."
"Students also dropped out of the academy for some reasons and studied with Mr. Zhou."
"That's it?" Emperor Jingxuan found it unbelievable. He raised his back slightly and leaned on the chair with a relaxed and natural expression. "Do you know what kind of person your Lord Zhou was before?"
"...This, student, I don't know." Song Weifeng admitted silently that he knew very little about the former Brother Zhou and could only get a glimpse of the truth from some rumors.
"He is the number one scholar selected by me personally." Emperor Jingxuan seemed to go back to the scene when he first met Zhou Ziyan in the main hall many years ago. "At that time, I had been on the throne for a long time, but I never had the chance to take a step forward. This Leng Tou Qing acted recklessly at this moment and passed the palace examination from a white body."
"I really have never seen such a weirdo. His family is not rich, and he has not been outstanding in the past ten years. However, he has won the first prize all the way since the provincial examination, so I have to pay attention to him."
"He is a person who used to act on his own initiative and move forward with a sincere heart. At such a young age, he offended many people. But his mouth was always able to turn the tide, making people both love and hate him. Brother Song, I feel a lot more comfortable with him here, and I have someone I can discuss with on many matters."
Zhou said that his family background could not be more innocent, and he had not married for many years, let alone complicated in-law relationships.
If such a person wants to gain a firm foothold in the court and continue to climb up, he can only rely on His Majesty and be a pure and honest minister.
It is perfect for him to be used by Emperor Xuan.
Moreover, although Zhou Ziyan acted a little arrogantly, he was kind-hearted and devoted to the people.
Emperor Jingxuan took a fancy to these two things in him, so he had the courage to entrust him with many tasks.
Song Weifeng listened with great interest. Although the person telling the story was the most noble person in Daqing, he was still happy to hear such a real Brother Zhou from His Majesty's mouth.
If there is anyone in the world who knows the former Brother Zhou best, except for Brother Zhou himself, it is His Majesty who led Brother Zhou forward in the past.
Emperor Jingxuan saw Song Weifeng's thoughts and laughed and scolded: "You little brother, do you think of me as a storyteller?"
Song Weifeng is about the same age as his lawless Nine Emperor Daughters.
This little brother is calm and beautiful, and is an extremely outstanding person among his peers. In addition, he has an indescribable relationship with Zhou Ziyan, so when he looks at Song Weifeng now, he inevitably has some elder feelings.
Song Weifeng lowered his head in embarrassment, "Students don't dare."
"Okay, I will be a storyteller for now." Emperor Jingxuan was not angry. He continued, "Although you live in the south, you should know some of the things your elder brother Zhou did in the past. If you dare to take the risk, It has to be done. I originally disagreed with it back then. It was he and Lao Lin... Mr. Lin who lobbied me for many days before I finally made up my mind."
"Yes, the students have many friends, and it is all thanks to the good governance of His Majesty and Brother Zhou that they are able to take the imperial examination. The students will always remember His Majesty's great kindness." Song Weifeng said this sincerely.
Emperor Jingxuan was really impressed, and he said cheerfully: "The magistrate of Yuenan Prefecture often writes about your magistrate's affairs in the book. Now what flowers are blooming and what rare things are there? I may be better than you, a little brother who was born and raised here." It's quick to know."
The magistrate of Yuenan Prefecture and the magistrate of Zhong County?
Song Weifeng felt happy when he heard the name of a familiar person in the imperial study.
Listening to your majesty, I seem to think that the two of them have done a good job... That's great. A hard-working magistrate like Zhong Zhixian should be praised by your majesty!
"Brother Song, don't you ask your brother Zhou why he went south that year?" Emperor Jingxuan took a sip of tea and suddenly switched from gossiping to this place.
Song Weifeng was startled, "This... this is a matter between Brother Zhou and His Majesty. Students should not ask more questions."
Brother Zhou once said that his move south was actually the result of the game between the royal family and the clan.
In this case, he, a pawn, should not even ask.
"It seems that boy told you something." Emperor Jingxuan had a nonchalant look on his face. He didn't care that Song Weifeng knew the truth back then. "My actions with that boy were too radical back then, and we were ganged up on."
"There were only two choices before me at that time. Either continue to appoint Zhou Ziyan and face the possibility of being plotted by various forces, or let Zhou Ziyan leave the capital and never return to the capital."
"Then...then why..." Song Weifeng was stunned.
Then why can Brother Zhou come back after changing his identity?
Emperor Jingxuan touched his beard and smiled slightly, "Brother Song, I am the leader of the country in Daqing. Let's forget about such embarrassing things once and for all."
He made a lot of efforts to get Zhou Ziyan to return to Beijing.
"Your Majesty..." Song Weifeng immediately understood the push and pull involved. He bent down deeply and bowed his hands, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Thank you, Your Majesty, for being willing to let Brother Zhou return to the capital.
Thank you very much for what your Majesty has done to allow Brother Zhou to return to the capital.
"Not only Zhou Ziyan, but also the group of ministers outside who follow me to court every day. Since they choose to follow me, I must give them love and trust. Even if another person encounters such a thing, I will not pretend not to have seen it. ."
Emperor Jingxuan sighed, "Lin Xianggong followed me when he was young. At that time, I had just succeeded to the throne and was about to show off my talents. Now, so many years have passed, and he and I have grown old. For most of our lives, half of the time, we have been together. They all stay in the palace."
"The relationship between the king and his ministers is so close that sometimes it is deeper than the family ties..."
"Your Majesty is still young and is in good health." Song Weifeng looked at Emperor Jingxuan's pale face and spoke without conscience.
Emperor Jingxuan waved his hand, "I know my own body."
"From now on, the world will definitely be dominated by young people."
"Zhou Ziyan is one of my most favored ministers. I also want him to stay in the capital safely and assist the next emperor. When he gets old, the bloodline he taught himself will still be able to take up his father's position. , continue to play for Daqing."
"Brother Song, do you understand what I mean?"
Song Weifeng suddenly clenched his fists with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty... the students don't understand."
"It's not that you don't understand, you don't dare to understand." Emperor Jingxuan's expression was indifferent, "Brother Song, you can pass the exam, which proves that you are capable, and I am very happy. If you didn't have something to do with Zhou Ziyan, I would definitely You passed the palace examination and became one of the role models for today's students."
"Now that Zhou Ziyan is about to turn 30, he is still alone. How can I bear it?"
Emperor Jingxuan glanced at Brother Song and said lightly: "There is no one around Zhou Ziyan now, and I don't dare to send him to do anything in the future. If there is someone who can't even keep a Miao Miao, then I will become a sinner." Already?"
"I now hope that he will marry well and settle his family in the capital. I will personally help him look after it so that he can rest easy and concentrate on doing things for Daqing."
Emperor Jingxuan said with a smile on his face, "Brother Song, do you understand what I mean?"
"..." How could Song Weifeng not understand?
With Brother Yi Zhou's ability, no matter where he is placed, he will make the superiors both happy and worried.
If you want to employ people, you must have a certain amount of control to make people feel at ease.
Brother Zhou has no parents or any relatives. The only people who can restrain him are his future wife and heirs.
But he is still studying in the Imperial College, and he will continue to take the scientific examination. He will definitely not get married to Brother Zhou in a short time...
"Brother Song, please go back and think about it carefully." Emperor Jingxuan said, "I know that such a thing is a bit presumptuous for you, but in life, between gains and losses, you must give up one side."
"If you are determined, if you have any difficulties in the future, you can come to me. Although I am not powerful, I can still help."
For Emperor Jingxuan, such a choice was actually nothing.
In his life, he also made choices among countless choices.
When you are young, you choose your friends; when you grow up, you choose your in-laws.
It's hard to say that the result of every choice is what he wants.
But if you want to get this position, you must sacrifice something.
Emperor Jingxuan understood it, so he hoped that Brother Song would understand it too.
After coming out of the imperial study room, Song Weifeng was a little silent.
It wasn't that he was swayed by Emperor Jingxuan's words, but it suddenly occurred to him that he seemed to have only focused on taking the imperial examination over the years and not given much thought to Brother Zhou's situation.
Brother Zhou doesn't want to get married?
Brother Zhou, doesn't he want his family to be filled with descendants?
Brother Zhou... don't you want to be with your sweetheart, for real, with red makeup on the floor, and thousands of people blessing you?
Just thinking about such a possibility made Song Weifeng's heart throb.
He hoped that Brother Zhou would be happy.
But he is also afraid that Brother Zhou's happiness has nothing to do with him... He can only become an insignificant passerby in Brother Zhou's life.
How can we get the best of both worlds?
If there is a god in the world, can you tell him an answer?
Song Weifeng looked at the sky of the imperial city, his eyes filled with thoughts, and he didn't even hear Zhou Ziyan's shout.
Zhou Ziyan called twice, but didn't call anyone back. He couldn't help but hold Song Weifeng's cheeks, "Weifeng, Wei Feng!"
"Ah!" Song Weifeng came back to his senses and looked at Brother Zhou's ignorant expression, feeling sour in his heart. "I just met Your Majesty just now, and my heart is beating fast. Brother Zhou, what do you want to say?"
"I was about to ask you, you didn't say anything about your brother, did you?" Zhou Ziyan was afraid that Song Weifeng couldn't help but reveal everything in one breath.
Song Weifeng shook his head, "It's my first time to meet the Holy Spirit today, and I'm here for the Imperial College. It's not a good time, I didn't tell you."
"That's good. Don't worry. When I have the opportunity, I will explore the way for you first." Zhou Ziyan felt that it was most appropriate for him, the client at that time, to raise this matter.
Brother Zhou is thinking about him again.
Song Weifeng stared blankly at Zhou Ziyan's handsome face, suddenly feeling a little ashamed.
How could he be so virtuous and capable as to let Brother Zhou worry about him so much and occupy the position of Brother Zhou's sweetheart, making it impossible for Brother Zhou to get married to his sweetheart.
Zhou Ziyan looked at Song Weifeng all over and made sure that he came out empty-handed. He scratched his head and said, "It's strange. Since His Majesty knows about our relationship, why didn't he give you something more?"
After being depressed for a moment, he took Song Weifeng's hand and smiled brightly, "Forget it, never mind, that big box in my room belongs to you. Come on, let's go home."
Covered by big sleeves, his two hands were tightly clasped together.
Song Weifeng remained silent and followed Zhou to talk to himself.
These hands were so warm that he really couldn't bear to let go.
How on earth should be done...how on earth should be done!
When walking from the Imperial Study Room to the outer city of the Imperial City, you must pass by the Shangchao Hall.
As soon as the two of them got there, they bumped into Lin Fanji who was coming in a hurry again.
Lin Fanji was still wearing his morning court clothes and holding a roll in his hand.
The little old man took one step at a time and walked very fast, so he almost bumped into Zhou Ziyan and Song Weifeng.
Lin Fanji held up his official hat. After seeing the person clearly, he became more angry than before, "You brat, you have to stand in front of me and block the way!"
"..." Zhou Ziyan suddenly suffered a strange injustice and stomped on Lin Fanji's black boot in disbelief, "Ms. Lin, this is the result of deliberately standing in front of you."
A dusty footprint on the neat black boots is extremely ugly.
Lin Fanji didn't get any favors, so he stopped dwelling on the matter and just said: "You just came out of the imperial study? Why, His Majesty granted you a marriage?"
"Marriage?" Zhou Ziyan was confused, "When did I say I was going to get married?"
"It's strange. I heard His Majesty mention your marriage a few days ago, saying that you are already old and you don't have a close person around you. Your Majesty is worried..." Lin Fanji murmured, "Forget it, never mind! Look, this It's a blueprint designed by the He family fleet! An ocean-going ship, a ship that can really sail on the sea!"
Lin Fanji unfolded the object in his hand, and it turned out to be a sheepskin design.
A huge ship of 10,000 tons is clearly drawn on it.
This is a ship that can carry people far!
"It turns out that this is the reason why the He family didn't leave." Zhou Ziyan looked at the sheepskin design drawing carefully, as if he could see the shadow of modern ships in it. He had to admire the wisdom of the ancients, "The design is really ingenious, and it is worthy of the He family. fleet."
"Stop talking, I have to take it to show His Majesty." Lin Fanji collected the sheepskin design, picked up the court clothes and started running forward again, bumping into several patrolling guards on the way.
However, facing those guards, Lin Fanji got better tempered. He maintained Xianggong Lin's face and walked over with a smile.
"This old man doesn't have a good temper towards me." Zhou Ziyan thought about what Lin Fanji just said and smiled, "What kind of marriage? Am I very old now?"
"..." Song Weifeng looked at Zhou Ziyan quietly and said nothing.
Zhou Ziyan's voice slowly dropped, and his eyes widened, "Isn't it... really a gift?"
Emperor Jingxuan, what are you playing at?
"If it's a gift, Brother Zhou, will you accept it?" Song Weifeng asked in a confused manner.
"It's hard to say, I might be shocked." Zhou said to himself for a moment, "But His Majesty offers you a marriage, so I should agree."
Since His Majesty granted the marriage, he must have agreed to let Song Weifeng continue the imperial examination and continue to be an official before granting the marriage.
Otherwise he wouldn't agree.
Until then, you really have the best of both worlds.
"..." After hearing Zhou Ziyan's answer, Song Weifeng suddenly felt much more relaxed.
Brother Zhou really made this choice.
In the past, Brother Zhou was the one who paid for him, accommodated him, and waited for him. Now it was time for him to firmly choose Brother Zhou in this multiple-choice question.
Chapter 127
After Lin Fanji handed over the sheepskin design drawn by the He family to Emperor Jingxuan, Emperor Jingxuan quickly called all the ministers back in the afternoon.
When Zhou Ziyan returned to the Imperial College, before his buttocks were even hot, Zheng Jijiu hurriedly pulled his sleeve and called him out.
"Hurry up, Your Majesty is calling urgently."
Zhou said to himself: "..."
Okay, luckily I haven't changed out of the court uniform yet, so I can wear it again now.
The two of them walked very fast, holding on to their shaky official hats as they hurried out of the Imperial Academy.
"Hurry up, hurry up!"
"I'm quite old now, and I only have so much time to leave! Why are you urging me! It's not me you're calling!"
When the supervisors passing by them saw Zheng Jijiu and Dr. Zhou, they wanted to raise their hands to say hello, but the two of them spun away like the wind.
"..."
Everyone looked confused. What could make the two adults so anxious could be that something happened to the Imperial College?
Zhou Ziyan and Zheng Jijiu ran to Lima's residence and dragged Lima with them while she was taking notes.
Zhou Zi said that he had just left the Imperial Study Room in the morning and had not rested for an hour, but now he was back.
How else could he say it? Being an official means working hard and being always on call!
In addition to Emperor Jingxuan, there were also Lin Fanji, Minister of Industry, and Gu Dawang in the imperial study.
Counting Zhou Ziyan and Lima, there are five people in total.
Zheng Jijiu's official position as Imperial College Jijiu had nothing to do with this matter, so he sent Zhou Ziyan and Li Ma to the imperial city and went back to rest.
On the other side of the imperial study room, stood the quiet He Qingzhi, and the two master craftsmen behind him.
Everyone gathered at the scene, and Emperor Jingxuan handed over the sheepskin design directly to them without any nonsense.
Several people gathered around and looked at the sheepskin design carefully.
Lin Fanji and two craftsmen showed them and explained the structure.
Zhou said that although he knew nothing about shipbuilding, these two master craftsmen were very experienced and spoke in an easy-to-understand manner.
Unconsciously, he actually followed the master craftsman's words and listened.
And you can already build a lifelike ocean-going ship in your mind.
After reading it, the Minister of Industry stroked his beard and thought thoughtfully, "If we follow this design, I'm afraid it will take more than five years to build..."
"We still have to plan the sea route to avoid accidents." Gu Dawang also started thinking.
They are all talented people. His Majesty mentioned the matter of maritime trade at first, and now he has drawn up a feasible design. There is no need to say more about what your Majesty has in mind.
However, a few of them are also very curious about whether they can really go out to sea in Daqing to see the country where the missionary Lima is.
Rima was the most surprised.
When she came to Daqing, there were no maritime merchants here. Now, in just a few months, the design drawings have been made!
And according to her observation, this design is indeed feasible.
But unfortunately, the technology is not yet mature and a lot of manufacturing time will be wasted.
Emperor Jingxuan crossed his hand with a string of beads, leaned on the seat, and said: "Don't worry, I just asked you to come and take a look this time. There are too many things that maritime merchants need to consider, and I don't want to start this matter rashly. However, We have to organize a small team first, and at least let Ms. Lima find her fleet first."
The four words "Ms. Lima" were very awkward for Emperor Jingxuan.
But once you get used to it, it seems to be just that.
"Your Majesty, are you willing to find Orifel's fleet for me?!" Rima swore that this was the best news she had heard today. "Oh my God, I thought I had to find a way on my own."
Although the people in Daqing were very kind and polite to her, she never expected to ask Daqing to help her find her way home.
"You are a guest. Daqing should try its best to send you back." Emperor Jingxuan smiled slightly, "However, Daqing's current manufacturing technology is far inferior to that of other countries, and it may take some time. If Ms. Lima is willing to help, it should be able to be greatly improved. Reduce manufacturing time."
Lima instantly understood what Emperor Jingxuan meant, and she said, "Your Majesty, Daqing, you are really good at communication."
Let her help Daqing build sea-going ships, and then let this sea-going ship caravan send her away from Daqing.
Exchange and exchange, everyone gets what they need.
But Rima likes it very much.
"No problem, I still know a little bit about the structure of ships."
When Rima thinks that she can return to Orifel, she can do anything!
After they discussed some details, He Qingzhi took two master craftsmen and explained the design of the ship to Lima in detail.
Zhou Ziyan was sitting next to him drinking tea, and after chatting with Lin Fanji for a while, he learned that the He family's visit to Beijing was to expand business routes and to transfer business to the capital in the future.
Unexpectedly, he met a lost Lima on the way, and he never expected that Emperor Jingxuan would see the He family's merchant ship because of Lima.
Although the He family's merchant ships sail in Daqing waters, they are already more experienced than other small ships.
What's more, standing behind the He family are hundreds of craftsmen with deep skills in shipbuilding.
So the He family was left by Emperor Jingxuan to this day, and they have been designing shipbuilding blueprints.
"But I heard that He Qingzhi came to Beijing and there seems to be another matter." Lin Fanji sipped the tea cup lightly, "The He family seems to have found a marriage for He Qingzhi. He is here to find someone this time. Maybe he is. I want to take someone back to He's house to get married."
"Ha." Zhou sneered to himself, "What he has in mind is quite beautiful."
Lin Fanji glanced at Zhou Ziyan, "What does it have to do with you if someone gets married? Why are you so yin and yang?"
"Xianggong Lin, if someone wanted to take your student back to get married, and he would never be able to become an official again, would you be willing?" Zhou Ziyan asked.
Lin Fanji immediately refused, "How can there be such a beautiful thing in the world! To be my disciple, Lin Fanji, you must spend your life searching for the Tao and studying. How can you delay your future because of the love between your children?"
As soon as he said this, Lin Fanji immediately reacted, "Damn it, could it be that He Qingzhi's in-law is your student?"
"It's my little brother whose surname is Jiang." Zhou Ziyan couldn't understand why the He family fell in love with Qingqing.
Although Qingqing is his student and he is smart and cute, the Jiang family and the He family are really one on earth and one in the sky.
Put the names of the two families together, they don't even match up!
"Since people worship you as a teacher, they will follow you for the rest of their lives. As a teacher, you have to take care of all aspects of the students." Lin Fanji held the tea cup and said with a little ridicule, "Boy, you will also experience this when the time comes. It's the same difficulty I faced back then. I teach and teach until the very end, and even the students' relatives and friends have to be taken care of. I really feel like a half-father."
"Of course I can't compare to Xianggong Lin, who is full of talents." Zhou Ziyan pressed his forehead sadly, "I only have a few students, and I'm already starting to worry."
Today it is Jiang Qingqing, if tomorrow it is Wang Xiaoniu, and the day after tomorrow it is Song Douding...
When these children grow up and get married and have children, what choices will they make?
Zhou said he didn't dare to think about it, and felt like his head would explode when he thought about it.
Seeing Zhou Ziyan being so unhappy, Lin Fanji's bad mood of being stepped on earlier disappeared immediately.
He held the teacup and squinted his eyes to enjoy the heat. Hey, it's such a nice weather today.
Lima and He Qingzhi continued their discussion, and Emperor Jingxuan also joined in.
Zhou Ziyan and Lin Fanji had enough gossip and started to work, discussing the details with everyone.
"This place should be larger...otherwise it won't be able to accommodate the crew's luggage."
"The wind pole must be strong, as the wind and waves on the sea are unimaginably strong."
"Not only do you need to prepare food on the boat, but you also need to prepare some fruits, otherwise it will easily cause bleeding."
"Should we train some doctors from fishermen?"
"... Are there any doctors who understand the nature of water in the Imperial Hospital now?"
Eunuch Zhan ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare some satiating refreshments.
They took a few hasty bites and then went back to studying.
Zhou Ziyan kept his head down and his neck was stiff. He had to raise his head and move around.
Others were still making modifications and records around the sheepskin design.
The combined age of several ministers would make them an old monster, and they are still working hard for a maritime business plan that has not yet taken shape.
No matter how many times Zhou Ziyan sees this situation, he will still feel moved.
Before traveling through time, he also thought that the ancient imperial court must be full of intrigues and deceit, walking on thin ice.
After coming to Daqing, he found that this was indeed the case.
There are often frictions between different factions, and even between monarchs and ministers, there are frequent quarrels.
But similarly, when encountering something, this group of people can come together and work together for the same goal.
One moment, everyone may be getting together and abusing each other, but the next moment, they can put aside their past grudges and devote themselves to official duties.
After the official business was over, they started blaming each other again.
It goes round and round without stopping.
Zhou said to himself that the same was true for him and Emperor Jingxuan.
On the one hand, he is the king of a country, and on the other hand, he is a free soul from modern times. At first, they went hand in hand, but later they encountered differences.
But apart from their differences, they always recognized each other's character and were willing to entrust each other with major affairs of the country.
On the one hand, they are wary of each other and careful of testing, but on the other hand, they treat each other sincerely, and the king and his ministers are happy with each other.
Such a divided 'workplace' made Zhou Ziyan exhausted.
This was one of the reasons why he initially chose to leave the capital and go south.
After staying in the same place for a long time, you need to go out for a walk to change your mood.
When he came back, he and Emperor Jingxuan were still the same.
He knew that Emperor Jingxuan treated him well and gave him everything he could.
But he also understood that because of his fantastic ideas and shocking ideas, Emperor Jingxuan had always secretly kept him in the capital and would never allow him to leave the capital without permission and go to a foreign country.
If it were Zhou Ziyan in the past, he would definitely feel depressed and shackles, but now Zhou Ziyan, after taking off his identity as an important minister of the imperial court, feels that it doesn't matter anymore.
This is the power of emperors, and it is an inevitable drawback of those in power.
Such respect for Emperor Xuan is enough to give him face as a young master.
Now he is just an ordinary master. As long as he teaches well, takes good students, and continuously supplies fresh blood to the court, for the rest, he can do whatever he likes!
When you are alive, why bother worrying about those messy things? You just live with the same mentality!
Zhou Ziyan took two sips of warm tea to soothe his neck, then lowered his head.
Eunuch Zhan's tea was delivered three times in total.
These ministers took a short rest.
As a result of efficient and focused discussions, they have drafted a preliminary charter.
Shipbuilding and caravan training are carried out together, and coastal defense forces must be strengthened to avoid accidents.
If the maritime trade policy can really be implemented in a few years, it will be another prosperous era for Daqing.
However, the current 'old guys' still don't know whether this policy can be successful.
They just relaxed and relaxed, and like countless ordinary days, they left with Emperor Jingxuan and went home with tired steps.
Zhou Ziyan and Lin Fanji left together, followed by He Qingzhi.
He Qingzhi hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't help but say, "Master Zhou... in a few days, can I go see Qing... Jiang Jiansheng."
Zhou Ziyan stopped, looked back, and frowned, "He Qingzhi, what kind of scholar is your He family looking for? Why did you decide on Qingqing? Do you know how old Qingqing is this year? He can take the exam at his age. How difficult it is to get to the Imperial College!"
"If it weren't for you, he would have passed the imperial examination, passed the palace examination, become a general and become an official, and become another mainstay of the court."
"If he gets married to you, he will no longer be able to serve as an official! Your He family can get a prime minister for nothing, hehe."
At the end of Zhou Ziyan's words, he couldn't help his temper and smiled coldly.
He Qingzhi was not angry at being accused like this. He said with a bitter look on his face, "Master Zhou... I know what you mean, but our He family has no intention of neglecting Qingqing. It is also the He family and the Jiang family who came to Beijing this time. Please let me see if Qingqing is doing well."
"He family, He family!" Zhou Ziyan heard something, and his smile became colder, "He Qingzhi, whether you want to get married or the He family is getting married, you haven't even figured it out yet!"
"This...!" He Qingzhi didn't expect that someone could so easily expose the uneasiness in his heart.
Looking at the cold and indifferent look in his eyes last week, he felt panicked, as if his whole person was being seen through.
Zhou Ziyan saw He Qingzhi's appearance, how could he not understand what He Qingzhi meant?
So he felt even more bored. He stopped talking and just threw up his sleeves and left.
Lin Fanji rarely saw Zhou Ziyan so angry, but if this happened to him, he would probably be even more angry than Zhou Ziyan.
In this way, Lin Fanji felt displeased when he looked at He Qingzhi again.
Just follow Zhou Ziyan, throw up your sleeves and leave.
He Qingzhi stood there, feeling depressed in his heart as he saw that the two famous literati in Beijing didn't have a good look on him.
Why would he want such a bad person to have a future, but how could he, a junior, not obey the demands of his family...
It is said that he is the future leader of the He family, but who knows, he is just a pawn who dare not resist the family... At such an age, he has never resisted the family once, so he is not the future of the He family. People in power.
It's really ridiculous.
Zhou Ziyan and Lin Fanji parted ways outside the imperial city. Lin Fanji returned to his Lin Mansion, while Zhou Ziyan had to go to the Hanlin Academy first and then return to the Imperial College with a pile of documents to be processed.
Although there were many things on hand, Zhou Ziyan still had a free hand and bought some snacks that Song Weifeng and the children loved.
Just after he settled in the room, before he could change out of his court uniform, Song Douding poked his head out of the door frame with a tiger-like look, "Dr. Zhou... Master, are you busy now?"
"What's the matter? Are you looking for me?" Zhou Ziyan loosened his girdle, picked up a snack and threw it into Song Douding's arms, "It's for you."
"Thank you, Master." Song Douding, who used to love eating snacks, was holding the snacks, but his face was full of sadness, "Master, my brother seems to be possessed by a ghost."
As soon as Zhou Ziyan picked up the tea cup, he immediately squirted out a mouthful of tea.
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Really!" Song Douding tiptoed and closed the door of the cell, suspiciously, "My brother never rests at noon, so he went back to bed early for the first time today. After waking up, he actually picked up an embroidery job and started embroidering something."
"Embroidering something?!" Zhou Ziyan's eyes were blank, "What is he embroidering?"
"The embroidery seems to be mandarin ducks, but to me it looks like two ducks. It's terribly ugly." It's not that Song Douding looked down on Song Weifeng's embroidery skills, it was really because Song Weifeng's embroidery skills were so bad that people couldn't praise them even if they wanted to.
Zhou Ziyan thought about the purse in the town box. The threads on it couldn't be closed well, so why did he still embroider mandarin ducks?
"Why is he embroidering mandarin ducks? Could it be that he wants to get me another duck-like purse?"
Thinking of this, Zhou Ziyan couldn't help but laugh, and he was still looking forward to it.
"No!" Song Douding was anxious. He grabbed Zhou Ziyan's sleeve, "Master, my good master, don't you really know? A brother in Daqing cannot embroider mandarin ducks at will. If he takes the initiative to embroider mandarin ducks, it means that this brother The son is about to get married, or has already married his beloved.
"Brother Daqing has to sew his handkerchiefs by himself. My brother is obviously practicing his handkerchiefs in advance!"
How could his Master Zhou be so calm!
No matter what the possibility is, it will be terrifying to death, okay!
"..." Zhou Ziyan slapped his forehead, speechless to himself, "Yes, there is such a rule."
Daqing had too many rules for his brother and his wife, and they were different from the ancient times he knew, so he couldn't always remember them.
"But why is he doing this embroidery? He wants to get married?"
"...He's getting married?!"
Zhou Ziyan suddenly raised his voice, startling Song Douding.
Song Douding patted his chest and said, "Master, you really don't know? I thought it was His Majesty who granted me the marriage..."
Zhou Ziyan pinched Song Douding's doughy face with two fingers, "Song Douding, master, tell me again, your brother has great ambitions. He will definitely pass the palace examination safely and get a good reputation. Do you remember?"
"But my brother's mind has obviously gone astray now." Song Douding broke away from Zhou Ziyan's hand, his cheeks bulging, "You are the master, master, please go and take care of him. I still want to go to the palace examination with my brother."
Zhou Ziyan looked deep in thought, "Don't worry, I'll talk to him tonight."
He is not a fool. He can think of what happened by just connecting what happened today.
Although he did not expect that this matter would affect Song Weifeng so much, he had actually had an idea about this matter for a long time, but he had not been able to speak out, but it was a good thing to bring it up at this time.
There is still one and a half years until the national exam. If these messy things are resolved early, Song Weifeng can study with peace of mind and prepare for the national exam.
In the environment of Daqing, as a master, he would never allow a brother or female student under his name to affect the imperial examination and corrupt the Taoism due to other matters.
Even if the other party involved is himself.
Chapter 128
Zhou Ziyan made up his mind to talk to someone, "Wei Feng, I brought your favorite pastries. Come and sit with me."
Who would have thought of being shut out?
A voice came from the quiet room: "Brother Zhou, I'm going to sleep. Let's wait another day."
Zhou Ziyan looked at the candle that had no intention of extinguishing it, and said helplessly: "Song Weifeng, could you blow out the candle before you say this?"
Just after saying this, the person inside seemed to realize his stupidity and immediately blew out the candle and said: "This candle, the flame is so strong, I blew it out several times before I blew it out. Brother Zhou, I I'm really going to sleep."
"Okay, then go to sleep."
Across the door, Zhou Ziyan stood with his hands on his back and looked determined to win.
Hide, see how long you can hide!
In the next few days, Song Weifeng would be called up to answer questions every time he taught classes last week.
I was left alone after class.
Of course, every time, Song Weifeng found an excuse to escape.
Dr. Zhou could only hold the scroll in his hands and couldn't laugh or cry as he looked at Brother Song's fleeing back.
Wow, I really let this little brother escape.
Zhou Ziyan was originally responsible for the affairs of the Hanlin Academy, but now that Emperor Jingxuan had reached a cooperation with the He family to jointly build a fleet, this important matter was equally assigned to the ministers.
Zhou Ziyan was naturally among them.
Although there were many officials in the imperial court, there were only a few who won the emperor's heart.
Before such a major event as building a fleet was confirmed, Emperor Jingxuan did not want more people to know about it, so he could only use a few of his close ministers as donkeys.
Of course, Emperor Jingxuan was not totally heartless. During this period, no matter what they needed, Emperor Jingxuan would personally dig into his private treasury to satisfy them!
After the achievement is completed, there will definitely be no shortage of promotions, promotions, or good land and mansions.
There were only documents to deal with at the Hanlin Academy. Zhang Hanlin saw that Zhou Ziyan was almost as busy as a spinning top, so he asked him to suspend his official duties at the Hanlin Academy and concentrate on serving Emperor Xuan.
Zhou Ziyan almost sang "Grateful Heart" to Zhang Hanlin, so that afternoon he bought several jars of fine wine for Zhang Hanlin and kept them in the Hanlin Academy.
Zhang Hanlin took a small portion with a wine gourd, took a sip happily, patted Zhou Ziyan on the shoulder, and strolled away.
Emperor Jingxuan was so interested in maritime trade. In addition to his own curiosity about the ocean and the other side of the sea, he also wanted to use this new maritime trade to break the somewhat rigid situation in Daqing.
The clan was powerful and controlled many people's livelihood needs. It would be difficult for Emperor Jingxuan to change what he already had.
It is better to create another path, take it firmly into your own hands, and cultivate a new batch of usable talents.
Externally, the plan is implemented secretly.
Internally, Emperor Jingxuan was still in harmony with these big families as before, restricting and balancing each other.
After so many years, the situation is not as one-sided as before. Now Daqing is prosperous and prosperous, Emperor Jingxuan's popularity among the people is growing, and the clan power is gradually retreating with the development of time.
Emperor Jingxuan believed that sooner or later, Daqing would no longer have such famous families that transcended imperial power, nor would these people continue to control the lifeblood of Daqing.
Zhou Ziyan was well aware of Emperor Jingxuan's thoughts. Although he and Emperor Jingxuan were very different in status, class, and ideology, he supported Emperor Jingxuan's decision on this matter.
In the past, clans were powerful because the country was unstable and these people with status were needed to suppress local chaos.
Over time, the people regarded them as the local rulers, which made their momentum grow stronger, and even pointed directly at the imperial power.
But at the current stage of Daqing's development, it no longer needs those clans that have been entrenched for many years to support the state. Daqing needs to concentrate all rights in one place, and then strive for development and prosperity for everyone.
What Emperor Jingxuan had to do was to take back the scattered rights one by one.
This project took longer, and Zhou Ziyan felt that maybe even after his whole life, this change would not be possible.
but
Without the accumulation of previous generations, how could future generations succeed?
If one can attain enlightenment, even though he may die nine times, he still has no regrets.
They 'old guys' should lay a good foundation so that the children behind can completely set Daqing on a new path.
Emperor Jingxuan promised the He family some benefits.
He Qingzhi wrote a letter asking for the opinions of the elders in his family, and reached cooperation with Emperor Jingxuan on behalf of the He family.
From that day on, craftsmen from the He family arrived in the capital one after another, were introduced to the shipbuilding fleet by He Qingzhi, and began to work secretly for the royal family.
As a disseminator of other literary names, Rima will use her experience and knowledge to help these craftsmen perfect their techniques.
Emperor Jingxuan has now learned that Zhou Ziyan is the kind of geek who knows a little bit about everything but is not too good at anything.
Since you are a geek, you must play the role of a geek.
No matter what happened in the future, Emperor Jingxuan planned to let Zhou Ziyan get involved.
Therefore, Zhou Ziyan's role in it was to "put the icing on the cake", trying to make it the way Emperor Jingxuan wanted it to be in a shorter time.
Zhou Zi said that he was proud of his career here, but his love life was getting more and more outrageous.
According to frontline investigator Song Douding, Song Weifeng has almost completed the mandarin duck embroidery, and the progress is quite rapid.
"So fast?" Zhou Ziyan frowned, "Dou Ding, you don't look at your brother all the time, do you? Have you studied hard these days?"
He asked Song Douding to pay more attention to Song Weifeng, not to let Song Douding delay his studies.
"Dr. Jiang praises me." Although Song Douding has grown up, he still likes to bulge his face like a little meat bun when he is angry, "But who told me that every time I look at my brother, I can see my brother embroidering What a mandarin duck."
He also felt strange. Could it be that his brother was embroidering mandarin ducks every day?
See it every time?
Is it a coincidence, or did Song Weifeng do it on purpose?
Zhou Ziyan touched the back of his head and felt that his little intelligence would disappear immediately if he put it into dating.
I can't see through it, I really can't see through it.
But since that's the case, then he doesn't need to stop people anymore, he just needs to wait.
Song Weifeng will definitely come to him.
Things turned out just as Zhou Ziyan had guessed. Two months later, Zhou Ziyan had finished another class and was packing up his things to leave the lecture hall.
Song Weifeng passed him by, and a note was instantly stuffed into Zhou Ziyan's palm.
Holding the note, Zhou Ziyan looked up and saw that Song Weifeng only left him with a back figure with long flowing hair.
Unfolding the note in the palm of your hand, there was only one sentence on it.
[Tonight at Haishi (ten o'clock in the evening), you are sincerely invited to come. 】
There was still some warmth on the note, and Zhou Ziyan raised the corners of his lips.
That night, Zhou Ziyan deliberately put on his neatest clothes and gently opened Song Weifeng's room.
Song Weifeng opened the door, and his attire was no different from that of the day. However, Zhou Ziyan had sharp eyes and could tell at a glance that Song Weifeng's cheeks seemed to be covered with a thin layer of powder, and his thin eyebrows had been repainted.
With a few simple modifications, the originally beautiful face became even more beautiful. Coupled with the little red glow on the little brother's cheeks, it was enough to make people fascinated.
Zhou Ziyan couldn't bear it anymore and cleared his throat, "Wei Feng, why did you invite me here?"
"Brother Zhou, you come in first." Song Weifeng touched his sleeves mysteriously.
Zhou Ziyan entered the room, and with the help of oil lamps and candlelight, he could clearly see the simple and quiet room. All the furniture seemed to have been re-polished, and there were a few candles placed on the counter.
The scattered candles and flickering flames illuminated the small world.
There is a Chinese character 囍 affixed to the candle, but now, it seems that someone has deliberately turned the Chinese character 囍 to the back, not wanting others to see it.
Seeing this scene, Zhou Ziyan was moved in his heart.
He seemed to know what Song Weifeng was doing.
Song Weifeng was nervous for a while, rubbing his hands on the floor with sweat. He hesitated, hesitated, and then hesitated.
Finally, he took out two long, wide-angled red belts from the wooden box behind him.
Narrow body, wide triangle with horns.
There are two awkward mandarin ducks sewn on the top.
If you look closely, you will see that they actually look like two ducks.
"I... I'm probably not good at embroidery." Song Weifeng held the two red belts, his eyes bright, but his voice became lower and lower, "But this material is a good material that I have been looking for for a long time. , The color of your court uniform matches very well, Brother Zhou."
"In addition to embroidering mandarin ducks, have you been looking for materials outside these days?" Zhou Ziyan looked at the belt in Song Weifeng's hand and was silent for a while, "Song Douding, this stinky boy, why didn't you tell me?"
Song Weifeng suddenly chuckled, "Brother Zhou, do you really think that boy Song Douding can watch me? If he wants to see it, I will let him see it. But if I want to hide other things, he will not have the chance to know. ."
"No wonder." Zhou Ziyan suddenly realized, "No wonder he sees you embroidering mandarin ducks every time. It turns out you let him know on purpose."
Song Weifeng bit his lower lip, "Brother Zhou, this...this, do you want it or not."
He was holding these two belts and almost fainted from embarrassment. Brother Zhou was still chatting here, which was really irritating.
The belt is an important item in the clothing ceremony, and it is also a person's personal clothing. Its importance is self-evident.
In Daqing, young men or women personally embroider a belt as a gift to their sweetheart. No need to say anything, it already means expressing love and asking for marriage, and it is very straightforward.