Domineering Daming

Zhang Yun knew that Zhu Xu was teasing some little guys, so he didn't say much, hugging his son in his arms, smiling happily and contentedly.

On the other hand, Xiao Ciye, holding the cards silently, glanced at Liu Rushi from time to time, her little face was quite troubled.

As her next family, the little guy is smart, obviously aware of something.

Zhu Xu poured a glass of water for the little guy, and said, "Hiding clumsiness is the behavior of a smart person, and how to show smartness is more clever."

The little guy was almost seven years old. He blinked, looked at the cards in his hand, and then looked up at Zhu Xu. He didn't know if he understood, and let out a muffled "um".

"Smart!" Zhu Xu smiled and praised.

The little guy was still looking at the cards dully, as if he was thinking about the cards.

Liu Rushi blinked and looked at Xiao Ciye, a little puzzled.

The family played for a while, Cao Huachun's voice sounded again, saying: "Your Majesty, Bi Ge is really sick."

The smile on Zhu Xu's face suddenly disappeared, and he turned to look at the dense curtains, and said, "Really?"

Cao Huachun said: "Eunuch Liu went to see it in person. It was very serious. He was drowsy all night, woke up for a while in the morning, and fell asleep again."

It is normal for an old man in his 60s to work hard in the cold winter months.

Zhu Xu really admired this old man, and couldn't bear him to end the curtain like this. After a moment of silence, he said, "Let's pass the decree, order Sun Chuanting to preside over the affairs of the cabinet. Then let the supervisor of ceremonies draw up the decree, and make Bi Ziyan the new Chengbo. Honored for three generations."

"Follow the order." Cao Huachun said.

After a pause, he continued: "Your Majesty, there have been more than 30 officials in the capital who have asked for leave recently."

Zhu Xu raised his brows, snorted coldly, and said: "Bi Ge is always sick from exhaustion, regardless of himself, but they all know how to protect themselves wisely. What I said in Taiyuan is nothing."

Cao Huachun sat outside, looking at the snow that was still falling, the cold wind blowing against his face made him feel cold physically and mentally.

"What did Sun Chuanting say?" Zhu Xu's cold voice came out again.

Cao Huachun hastily said: "Mr. Sun Ge didn't say anything, but the cabinet means that there is no shortage of people in the court, so it's all agreed."

"How long until we arrive in Beijing?" Zhu Xu said.

Cao Huachun turned his head to look at the road that was blocked by heavy snow, and said: "My servant estimates that it will take two more days."

Zhu Xu said "hmm" inside, and said: "Then don't call me, I will take a rest at the next station."

"Yes." Cao Huachun said.

The atmosphere in the carriage changed slightly. After many days, the little ones missed the palace very much. Xiao Shuxian said: "Father, I miss my mother and concubine, so why don't we go back to the palace?"

Zhu Xu sighed secretly, and said: "The road is blocked by heavy snow, don't worry, let's walk slowly."

The little guys seemed a little disappointed, their little faces were all downcast, and they became a little sleepy after a while.

Zhu Xu's interest was greatly reduced because of Bi Ziyan's matter, and he managed to hold on for a round before breaking up the game.

Zhang Yun sent a few little guys to sleep in her carriage, and then came back with some food.

Zhu Xu's carriage was tightly wrapped, but it was quite warm inside. The two women sat beside her, holding hot tea, thinking about the affairs of the capital.

Bi Ziyan fell ill suddenly, and I don't know what else will lead to it. Sun Chuanting's court situation may still be variable.

Liu Rushi held snacks for Zhu Xu, and said, "Your Majesty, it's a coincidence that Bi Ge is old and sick."

Zhu Xu was startled, and turned to look at her.

After her reminder, Zhu Xu suddenly came to his senses.Yes, Bi Ziyan's illness is not entirely a bad thing. At least Sun Chuanting has no "enemies" and he can control the cabinet more smoothly. A series of matters were all decided by Sun Chuanting.

Even speaking, for the next three months, Bi Ziyan can only "take leave" and half-retire, as if the heavens are helping Sun Chuanting.

Of course, this is helping Zhu Xu even more!

Chapter 1305 Vitality in the Ashes

In the capital city, it was snowing heavily and it was freezing to the bone.

Outside Zhuque Street, in an ordinary household, a man in his forties, wrapped in a thick cotton coat, walked in from the outside, closed the door hastily, and said to the inside: "Hurry up, eat, eat, eat, eat. sleep."

Talking next to the charcoal stove in the room, a young man in his early twenties was suddenly dissatisfied, and said: "Father, we eat and sleep all day long, we are almost like pigs."

The man sat by the charcoal stove and said, "Otherwise, what should we do? With such heavy snow and such cold weather, it's not easy to go out. What else do you want to do?"

As soon as the young man heard this, he immediately said: "Father, I heard that there is a shortage of coal in the city, and we have acquaintances in Shanxi. If we take a trip, maybe we can make a fortune."

The man shook his head, shook his hands, and said: "You think I haven't thought about it. I heard that many people froze to death on the road. The weather has been getting weirder and weirder in recent years. Let's take it easy. Something will happen to us, your mother. What about your son?"

The young man was a little reconciled, and he said after a while: "Father, our family only earned a little money by digging ginseng in Liaodong last year. This year, I subsidized a little by digging coal in Shanxi, and there is no income for the rest. I heard from the old Wang next door. Uncle said that his son went out to sea with the fleet, and although he went there for more than half a year, he could bring back 100 taels at once.

The middle-aged man was very happy with his son's self-motivation. After thinking about it, he said, "It's fine to go to sea. It's too long and it's not safe. Yesterday I listened to someone reading a newspaper in Dongcheng Corner. I heard that the imperial court is going to build roads in Sichuan. It has always been difficult. This time, the imperial court will invest 500 million to 1000 million silver to open up some roads. Next year, workers will be recruited, five renminbi a day, including food and housing. Time, it is said that it will take four to five years. How much is the annual salary? Once the father and son go, your son will be able to buy a big yard in the future, let alone enrolling in school..."

The young man's eyes lit up, and he said, "What did the newspaper say? That's feasible. The Ministry of Industry stopped the project two years ago because it had no money. Is it finally going to start again?"

The middle-aged man listened to the howling cold wind outside, and said with emotion: "The days are getting better. Do you remember your aunt in Shaanxi? Their whole family moved to Liaodong. According to the new policy of the imperial court, the six of them will be able to live together next year. Twenty mu of land was allocated, all newly reclaimed good land, and there is no need to pay taxes for two years, and after two years, the harvest will be one bushel per mu..."

The young man had a look of envy on his face, and said: "I heard that my cousin wrote me a letter. I heard that they are houses that belong to the imperial court. There are rows and rows of good bricks and tiles. , two in and two out, no problem for ten people, the academies there are free, the children are forced to go, if they don't go, they have to pay the fine, and they have to take back the land... Such a good thing, why didn't it go to us... ..."

Just as the middle-aged man was about to finish speaking, there was an eager knock on the door, and at the same time a loud voice came in, saying, "Old Li, open the door quickly, I have good news."

The middle-aged man was stunned, and quickly opened the door, a gust of cold wind rushed in, he quickly said: "Old Wangtou, come in quickly."

The middle-aged man, Old Li, closed the door with his head, turned around, and wrapped his cotton clothes tightly.

The young man looked at the old Wang's head and asked suspiciously, "Uncle Wang, it's snowing, why did you come here?"

Old Wang had a few strands of white hair on his temples. He sat down beside the charcoal stove unceremoniously, and said, "I have some good news for you. By the way, is your son six years old this year?"

Old Li came back, poured him a glass of water, and said with a smile: "My grandson is seven years old, why, are you willing to part with your precious granddaughter?"

The old Wang took the water and said: "Go, go, don't think about my granddaughter, she will climb high in the future. Don't talk about it, my son is a secretary of the Shuntian Mansion, you all know. Just now he came back from the yamen, He went to the cabinet today and heard from people inside that the cabinet is preparing for a 'seven-year compulsory education', that is to say, all children in my Ming Dynasty who have reached the age of six will be forced to enter the academy until they are 13 years old. This is a must…”

The young man opened his eyes wide and said, "Is it the same as Liaodong?"

Old Wangtou is also like the father of a young man. He often listens to people reading newspapers in the corner, but he knows about Liaodong. It will take ten years to realize it, but I thought, we are the capital, the best place in the world, should we be the first to implement the imperial court's plan?"

The young man was greatly disturbed when he heard this, and said: "Should be, that is, old Uncle Wang, drink water, mother, the rock sugar I bought last time is there, take some out for Old Uncle Wang to add..."

The old Wangtou let out a heck of a laugh, his expression very smug.

It was the father of the young man, and Old Li showed a steady head, saying: "If I can really enter the academy, it can be regarded as the merits of our old Li family ancestors. If I can earn a fame and come back in the future, then I will be worth it even if I die."

Although the Ming Dynasty tried its best to build academies and encourage local schools to run schools, but the size of the Ming Dynasty and the large population made it impossible to do it all at once. Therefore, most people still couldn't afford to study.