Overlord's Road to Ancient Emperors

The cold in April has faded, and the earth is warm in spring. The people also put on thin spring clothes and began to pick wild vegetables in the wild.

April is also a good day for outings. Although the peach blossoms are gone, the pear blossoms are competing to open. These two kinds of fruit trees are also the most common outside the city of Minzhou. There are also fruit trees such as longan, lychee and mango, but these trees grow in Li Xu. He didn't know him before.

On the second day after the banquet, Ji Hanyu went to the county sheriff's office to report, and immediately ordered someone to issue a decree on the collection of corvee, saying that he would recruit civilians to build roads in the inner city.

This kind of thing happens every year, and everyone is not surprised. It's just that Mr. Ji is impatient to do things when he takes office. This kind of impatience is not to be tolerated.

The common people don't care whether the county magistrate is replaced, or whether it is to build roads or city walls.To them, there is no difference. What they care about is that the main labor force is missing at home. Can the grain in the field be managed?Can the wild vegetables in the field be harvested?Will there be enough food for the two pigs and four chicks newly raised?

In the early morning, as soon as a tinge of fish belly appeared in the east, young and middle-aged men in corvee service gathered outside the Sheriff's Mansion. They brought their own tools and dry food, and waited numbly for the official to issue an order.

"This road is repaired every year, and it may not be better than before. It's all useless work."

"This year's service time has been brought forward. I originally wanted to go hunting in the mountains, but when I miss the day when the mother beast gives birth, it will be difficult to hunt again."

"Yeah, when can't the road be repaired, why did you pick such a time?"

"I heard that the county governor's mansion has a new lord, that is, the lord Ji who had a lot of ups and downs a while ago. Young people pay more attention to political achievements, so naturally they don't care whether we are in trouble or not."

"Shh, don't talk, the adults are here."

At the dawn of the east, the government came, which surprised the young and middle-aged people. In the past, these officials came very late, but they had to be asked to report on time, otherwise they would be punished.

After the roll call was finished, some officials divided the young and middle-aged men into four groups and took them to the four city gates of Fujian Province.

Bags of cement have already been piled up at the gates of each city, and wheelbarrows are used to transport sand. The sand has also been transported from the sea, but it is too large and can only be piled outside the gates. In addition, they have to go to the mountains to dig stones and soil.

"What's that?" Someone asked, pointing to the cement bag.This thing is dusty, it's the first time everyone has seen it, and it doesn't look like mud or sand.

"Quiet!" The official in charge of the work said calmly with his hands in his hands: "This road construction is different from the past. What you will build is an unprecedented cement road. This will definitely shock the world. When the road is completed, you will definitely use it Proud."

Everyone is unclear, so what kind of road is so exaggerated and shocks the world?Could it be that what they are going to build is a broad avenue, the kind that people will become immortals if they walk on it?

"Okay, let's assign tasks. Some people will go outside the city to transport sand and soil, and some people will pave the road. Two straight passages will be built at the four city gates. The road is five feet wide and can accommodate six carts and horses. The two roads must be completed before the end of next month, this is the time Mr. Ji set."

Someone raised a question: "But the four city gates are not directly facing each other, and there are many people's homes along the way. How can we build a straight road?"

The official raised his brows and said enviously: "The houses lying across the road will be demolished. If they need to be demolished, the government will provide subsidies and rebuild new houses for them. That place is a blessed place chosen by His Royal Highness Shun Wang. The new house personally supervised by Prince Shun's Mansion is said to be stable and spacious, if your house happens to be on these two roads, then it is really a good thing that the ancestral grave is smoking."

"It's really such a good thing?" Everyone expressed their disbelief, they had never seen government buildings demolished, but they had never heard that the government helped build houses, and the place was chosen by King Shun himself.

"Okay, don't ask nonsense, it should be yours, it's yours, it's useless to be envious if you don't, go to work, pack a meal at noon, you don't need to bring dry food tomorrow, and you can rest for a while after eating For an hour, this is the benefit that the newly appointed Lord Chancellor has won for you, remember to be grateful."

When everyone heard about the lunch package, they were not so resistant to this errand at last. They are young and middle-aged people who consume the most food at home on weekdays. The amount of food for one person is very considerable. Now they can solve a Chinese meal, and they can eat casually for dinner when they go home. It’s good to just fill up your stomach, and it can save a lot of food for the family.

The city of Minzhou is not big, and it doesn’t take long to just cross two straight roads. After the road is widened and paved, the young and middle-aged people think that this is the end, and they are reluctant to part with the delicious lunch. The official ordered: "From tomorrow, some people will carry water and cement, and some people will pave the road as usual. Someone will teach you how to do it."

Li Xu asked Cen Jin to bring the craftsmen to guide the road construction. Cement paving looks simple, but there are many points to pay attention to. How much water should be added, how thick should be paved, and the rolling of cement after paving requires someone. Guidance will do.

Li Xu also asked people to make four road rollers, grinding the boulder into a roller shape, and fixing the two ends with thick wood, like a giant rolling pin. Because the stone roller is too heavy, each one can only be made one meter wide. It doesn't take much manpower to pull the road with oxen and horses.

Li Xu plans to build a few main roads in the city first. Except for the carriage roads leading directly to the four city gates in the east, west, north and south, the other main roads are only planned to be built with a width of about two meters. In this way, it is enough for the road roller to go back and forth from left to right up.

On the day when the concrete road was laid, every family came to watch. They heard that the road will be hard and smooth, and it will not be muddy even if it rains.

Because there are too many people, and many people are very curious, they step on the paved concrete road, and then they want to cry when they see the collapsed footprints.How about hard and smooth?This is much worse than the previous gravel road.

Ji Hanyu was also on the sidelines to supervise the work. When he found this phenomenon, he had to dispatch government officials to maintain order. Later, seeing that there was not enough manpower, he personally invited a team of Kou Jiajun to guard the work. The stick hit it.

"Be conscious, this cement road has to dry out for a few days before you can walk, whoever dares to leave marks on it now, hehe, I will break your legs." Guo Fu shouted to the crowd of onlookers, carrying a wooden stick.

He stood by the side of the wet road, frowning and looking at the gray road. He really couldn't imagine that this thing would become a smooth and dry road after it dries. How could it feel like a lie.

But thinking about King Shun's ability, he felt that even the sea water could be stored to dry salt, so it would be so difficult for the prince to build a smooth road.

"Vice General Guo, have you seen their newly built buildings in the palace?" A soldier came over to inquire.

Guo Fu shook his head, "No, I've been busy with tea gardens recently and can't get away. I heard that a two-story brick house was built, but is it true?"

"The villain looked at it from a distance. It is indeed a two-story building. It is built of red bricks and cement. Anyway, it looks quite stable. I heard that the resettlement house is also built like this, but only one floor is built. Each household is divided into houses according to the number of people. There are seven people in my family, and they can be allocated to a small single-family courtyard." The soldier couldn't help laughing while talking, "When I move to a new house, I should get married too. The matchmaker who went back to propose marriage was finally not kicked out."

Guo Fu also knew something about the situation of this soldier's family. The old and the young in the family had a disabled elder brother. In the past, the whole family was supported by his military salary, and it was difficult to even marry a wife.

"Is your home also on the demolition list?"

"Yes, you also know that my house is near the west city gate, and the road construction just passes there, and the house has already been demolished." Xiaobing danced excitedly, "It's also very lucky, if the house was built back a foot, There's no such thing as good things."

"I heard that there was a commotion because of the demolition of the house. Are there still people who are unwilling to move?"

"It's not that they don't want to move, but some people think that the distribution of housing according to the population is unfair. For the same seven people, the small black house like my house gets the same number of houses as the mud-and-tiled house next door. They think unfair."

"It also makes sense. Didn't the prince think of this?"

"Of course, they get more subsidy money. Like my family, each person only pays [-] Wen, which is regarded as resettlement money before the house is built. Like them, each person can get [-] Wen."

"Then what's the fuss about?"

"If people's hearts are not enough, they will swallow elephants like snakes."

Guo Fu shrugged his shoulders, and the corners of his mouth twitched, "That's true. No wonder Zhao Gang brought people back to swear at them a few days ago. I'm afraid it's hard to fix those unruly people."

Guo Fu suddenly thought carefully. He was single and lived in the military camp all the time. He didn't even have a home. After getting married, he couldn't bring his wife and children to live in the military camp. He originally planned to use his savings for many years to buy a house. Now that he thinks about it, It would be great if we could ask craftsmen from Prince Shun Mansion to help build a brick house.

I don't know if the money I have saved is enough to build a house.

Guo Fu decided to ask Ji Hanyu at night. When Ji Hanyu was a teacher in the military camp, Guo Fu was the most motivated student, because he was of the same age and had good personal relationships. I think Master Ji would not even do this little favor.

Li Xu also came to the site to see the cement laying in person this day. Needless to say, the ancient workers were hard-working. They started work at [-] o'clock in the morning and didn't go home until after [-] o'clock in the evening, because they had a meal at noon. , no one has any objection to this working hours, and they all say that the newly appointed Lord Chancellor is friendly to the people and righteous.

After the two roads are completed, Li Xu plans to form several professional construction teams to build bridges and roads in various places. Civilians can be recruited locally. As long as there are enough funds and enough cement, the roads will be repaired very quickly.

At noon, Li Xu hosted a banquet for the local wealthy and gentry at the Fulai Restaurant. Originally, such banquets should be held in the palace, but he is a poor person living in other people's homes, so he can only treat guests at the restaurant. Out of a prince who is poorer than him.

Shopkeeper Xu happily took the order. Since the prince took a fancy to his restaurant, their business has improved a lot, especially for the new dishes, more and more people came to taste them.

"My lord's banquet is for 18 people this time. With the entourage included, you can set up three tables, but the dishes at the main table must be good. If the lord loses face, this restaurant won't need to be opened." Wu Jin came over Passing on the word, after a period of tempering, the little boy already has the demeanor of a manager.

Shopkeeper Xu hurriedly agreed, "Don't worry, I promise that everything will be done properly."

This is Li Xu's first contact with rich men and country gentry in South Vietnam. These people do not have official positions, but their families are very rich, and most of them are big landlords who own tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land. More than half of the fertile land in South Vietnam is concentrated in hands of these people.

Wealthy people cannot be said to be all bad people, but when wealth accumulates to a certain level, people's wealth will become more and more inflated. There will always be some phenomenon of bullying the market and bullying men and women. It's the one being bullied.

Li Xu dared to cooperate with the Lei family because he saw that the Lei family had a good family tradition. Lei Ming held a high position and had strict control over the children of the family. Apart from recommending the children of the family to enter the officialdom, he did not do anything harmful to the world, and the children of the family seldom did anything Something out of the ordinary.

But the families of the people he invited today are not so innocent. Just the deeds he heard can be compiled into a collection of bad guys, and some sufferers even knelt in front of the door begging him to uphold justice and retry the case.

This world is not black and white. In the eyes of ordinary people, only good and evil can be seen, but Li Xu, as the ruler, is more important to measure the strengths and weaknesses of these people. If he wants to punish some people and eliminate harm for the people, he does not rely on one person alone. You can do it by opening your mouth, but you have to make sure that you won't hurt the enemy by one thousand and yourself by eight hundred.

Most of the banquets these years are at noon, and the time on Li Xu's invitation is also at noon. It is not the first time that Fulai Restaurant has hosted a banquet for King Shun. They are very familiar with the reception process, and even the accounting for the guests is done for them. King Shun took care of it.

Wu Jin stood at the gate to welcome guests on behalf of King Shun. He was wearing brocade silk clothes, new cloth boots on his feet, and his hair was tied into a ball and fixed on the top of his head. The temperament is really not like someone who is a slave to others.

But the personal servants around King Shun are indeed not ordinary slaves. There is the manager Xiao Liu in the front, and the Xiaosheng Wu Jin in the back. Neither of them is ordinary.

"My lord, everyone is here." Wu Jin walked into the private room and said to Li Xu who was standing in front of the window.

From Li Xu's position, he could see the gate of the restaurant. He came early, looked at all the guests at the banquet, and knew it well. There are no photos and videos these days, so it's not easy to recognize people, so he asked Wu Jin to stand guard at the gate as a welcome Bin, read it aloud when you receive the post, and you will be able to match people up.

"Let's go." Li Xu turned and went out. He specially dressed up today. He wore a purple brocade jacket embroidered with crane and cloud patterns, and a belt of the same color was tightly tied. Around his waist were jade pendants, snuff bottles and purses. It is a pair of buckskin ankle boots, which are eye-catching as soon as they appear on the stage, and they are the well-deserved focus of the crowd.

"My lord." Seeing such a handsome young man coming down the stairs, and seeing a guard wearing a mask and the young man standing at the door just now, everyone immediately recognized his identity.

When King Shun came to Nanyue, it took just over three months for everyone to go from being indifferent at the beginning to fearing and admiring now.

In the beginning, there were also a few families who wanted to curry favor with the new king, and sent greeting cards to King Shun, but they never got to see each other.After the Lei family incident happened, everyone realized that this King Shun might not be a good match, so they sent posts and gifts one after another.

Li Xu glanced at the person kneeling at his feet. Since he was reborn, he has knelt before many people, including high-ranking officials and nobles, idlers and slaves. Sometimes a person's identity and background can be seen from his kneeling posture.

Even if these people bowed their heads and knelt at his feet, their backs were still straight, and their foreheads only lightly touched the back of their hands before they were half raised. If you want to say that you really respect him, you definitely don't have one.

After arriving in South Vietnam, Li Xu has been busy and has no time to make friends with this group of people. This time, it is also in time for road construction. He feels that it is necessary to take some sponsorship money out of the pockets of these rich people, otherwise The funding gap for road construction is similar to that of the Pacific Ocean, which is why we have today's banquet.

"Excuse me. Today, the king invited all the masters to come. The main purpose is to meet with you and get to know each other. In case we run into each other on the street one day, you won't even be able to call them out."

Li Xu is probably the most down-to-earth prince in history. There is no guard of honor, no guards, no luxury cars and beautiful maidservants when traveling. Usually, it is just a personal bodyguard and an assistant. Most of the time, he doesn't even have a carriage. It is very shabby.

However, a person's prestige is not determined by the size of the battle, so far, no one dares to underestimate this prince, let alone take his jokes seriously.

"Let's all take your seats, Xiao Wu, and serve tea." Li Xu invited more than a dozen people today, and everyone was self-aware and seated according to their identities, which gave Li Xu a more intuitive understanding of their backgrounds.

Everyone also knew that King Shun set up a tea garden to make tea. Just picking tea caused a sensation in the city. It was said that the tea harvesting team went all the way west, as if they wanted to pick all the unowned tea trees in South Vietnam.

Everyone here has a mountain, and there are tea trees on the mountain, but because the tea in Nanyue is not easy to sell, they didn't manage it, and just picked a little every year to eat at home.

They are all waiting and watching. If the prince's tea sells well, they will definitely follow the wave next year and sell tea together on the boat of King Shun. Tea tree, plant something else instead.

There is a stage in Fulai Restaurant. Usually, the storyteller is invited to tell the story, or one or two girls are invited to sing a ditty, but today the stage is only set up with a piano and a tea table, and then everyone sees two beauties taking the stage together. He saluted and sat down on both sides.

The melodious and clear sound of the zither calmed everyone's anxiety in an instant. The regular customers of the Fengyue place immediately recognized the beauty who played the qin. It was the former qin master Yan Ji. It is said that she has been hidden from the world since she was born, and she was not seen in front of others. Showed up.

This King Shun is also capable, and he even found out the person who had been missing for several years, and he didn't know what his intention was.

At this time, a waiter brought a set of tea sets, which were carefully placed on the coffee table. Everyone held their breaths, watching another beauty wipe her hands with silk, and began to burn incense and make tea.

This set of tea-making process was taught by Li Xu. It's not that the tea brewed in this way tastes better, but it's just that the picture is more beautiful and bluffing.

The beauty's slender hands are more in line with the small purple sand tea set, and every move is pleasing to the eye. Many people have been secretly asking about the origin of this tea set.

This is made by Li Xu's newly recruited craftsman. It is small and exquisite. Regardless of the quality, it is attractive enough just because of its appearance.

The first pot of tea was brewed, the first cup was naturally Li Xu's, and then a maid brought the teacup to the guest, Li Xu took a sip, the taste of the first tea was too strong, with a bitter taste It's obvious, but the sweetness is also obvious. I don't know if it meets the taste of the public.

But leaving aside the quality of the tea leaves, the selling point of Li Xu's first batch of teas was the craftsmanship of the tea making. Others sell teas based on the quality of the tea leaves, but he wanted Nanyue's tea to sell literary and artistic flavors, and to sell classic teas. Feelings, selling elegant and quiet artistic conception.

But whether this will be successful or not will not be known until some time has passed.

"What do you think of this tea?" Li Xu asked, breaking the silence in the hall.

"That's great. The tea is good and the tea set is good. This way of making tea is even better." The beauty who makes tea is even better. I don't know where the prince found the beauty. She has a charming figure and a face like a precious jade. People can't move their eyes.

If there is no sound of the piano, no beauty in front of you, just this cup of tea may not be applauded by everyone, but in this environment, even a cup of plain water can drink a bit of sweetness.

Everyone praised and praised tirelessly, and it was inevitable that they intentionally flattered Li Xu, but they really felt that this method of making tea was pleasing to the eye.

There is no shortage of tea leaves in their home, not to mention beautiful maids and concubines. They will also learn the art of making tea in the future, so drinking tea will not be so boring.

"The tea leaves that were picked this year are all finished. It just so happens that everyone gathered here today. I will give you a box of tea leaves as a small gift. I hope you will not dislike it."

"Don't dare, it's my blessing to be able to receive a gift from the prince."

Li Xu clapped his hands, and a group of maids came out carrying gift bags of tea and delivered them to each guest.

The gift bag is made of paper, with a pattern of flowers and a full moon painted on the outside. It is a very earthy style in modern times, but here, it is very in line with everyone's aesthetics. It is booming, and the flowers are full and the moon is a good omen.

Inside the paper bag is a wooden gift box, on which a picture of a tea-picking woman is carved and painted. The young and beautiful tea-picking woman holds a bamboo basket in one hand, and picks off the tea leaves with her orchid fingers in the other hand. Piao Yang, the ordinary work of picking tea is painted with a sense of immortality, and I feel that even the tea leaves are a little more immortal.

Open the wooden box, there are bags of tea in small bags, there are only twelve bags in total, packed in paper bags, there is no drawing on the paper bags, only dark lines, a bit of elegant beauty, there is a card under each bag of tea , there is no word on the card, only in the dark lines, and a small bush of camellia is drawn in the lower right corner, making people wonder why it appears here.