dressed as a scholar

The next day Fang Yu rode a horse out of the city to the workshop, but he didn't meet a colleague along the way. The morning wind blew around him, and his whole body looked like a layer of skin had fallen off.

Fang Yu grinned with his horse's belly in his arms. This little Qiao must have practiced kung fu behind his back, and his hands became so strong.

However, even though he took a bath like being scrubbed of pots and dishes, he couldn't be bullied for nothing, so he dragged the culprit into the bathtub and tossed it until the water was cold before putting it back.

He yawned, the fact is that he was even more unlucky, Qiao Hezhi didn't have to get up early to go to court, and he had to go out rain or shine.

"Master Fang is here!"

When I arrived at the workshop, I don't know which small official yelled, and immediately the officials from the Ministry of Industry came out to greet him.

"You all so early?"

Fang Yu got off his horse, and Yuan Ruiyan quickly went to help him: "The cement is dry, sir, take a quick look to pass."

Dare to be anxious to look at the cement, Fang Yu also hurried to the site yesterday. The flat three-meter-long concrete floor has indeed dried, but it has not yet completely turned white. Some watery black.

Fang Yu squatted beside the concrete road and poked the ground with a small stick: "It takes twelve hours to dry, and it only takes seven or eight hours at present, but the weather is high now, so it will take shape faster. Don't be anxious, everyone. Let's wait until noon, then it will be done."

The officials were relieved, talked about a few words, looked up and saw that Fang Yu seemed a little hypocritical, thinking that he was too worried last night and did not sleep well, and secretly praised Master Xiao Fang for working hard on the affairs of the Ministry of Industry. He hurriedly led Fang Yu into the lounge of the workshop to rest.

"Zhang Er, you really know how to flatter, what a dog's leg. My lord, I have never tasted any delicacies from mountains and rivers. I see your basket of broken red bayberry. Take it back and make your teeth sour."

A whip swung over, and the old man with a dark face and a slightly hunchback was behind his clothes, but how tight Xia Shi's clothes were, the old man was knocked to the ground by a whip immediately, holding a bag in his arms. The fruit in the basket was also rolled out a lot.

"Go back and do your work!"

Then the whip was about to be thrown down again, Yuan Ruiyan saw Fang Yu stop at the door of the lounge, followed the sound and looked towards the distant quarry, frowning, Yuan Ruiyan hurriedly followed behind The soldier winked.

"What's the matter, why are you flogging the corvée here and disturbing your lord, what crime should you deserve!"

The middle-aged man who was swinging the whip was shy, and when he saw the officials from the Ministry of Industry who came slowly, he quickly suppressed his hostility and fawned on Fang Yu, the leader, and said: "These corvees don't do their jobs seriously. Thinking about being lazy, how cool it is before the sun comes out this morning, if you don’t hurry up and work now, wouldn’t it be easier to get heat stroke if you wait until noon when the sun is scorching hot.”

Fang Yu listened to what he said, and he was right, but his face was full of flesh, and he smiled flatteringly, he was a typical bully master.

He looked down at the old man who got up from the ground and knelt down in fear, and asked, "What are you talking about?"

The old man was trembling, and glanced carefully at the man with the whip pinned to his side.

"Master Fang, you can answer whatever you ask. Look at what this little guy is doing. Just say what you have, and your lord will uphold justice."

The old man took the basket forward after hearing the words: "The grass people saw that the adults came to inspect the field yesterday, and it was very hot. The bayberries in the village are ripe. Thinking that the adults will come to inspect today, they picked some. The red bayberry planted in the village came here, and I thought that offering it would also relieve the fatigue of the adults."

Seeing the simple and honest old peasants, several officials couldn't bear to be treated like this when they wanted to give them some fruit to quench their thirst.

"My lord, these corvée are the most flattering and flattering, and the red bayberry is so sour that it loses its teeth, so the little ones are not allowed to give it away." Xiaocha quickly defended.

Fang Yu didn't listen to the servant's words, picked up the red bayberry that the old man gave, and said to several officials: "It's better to drink a cup of tea and eat some fruit."

The plums are red and round, and when the corvee brought them, they carefully padded the basket with mulberry leaves, lest the ripe plums rub against the basket and ruin its appearance.

Fang Yu ate one right away. It was sweet with a hint of sour taste, and it was juicy enough to quench thirst. He shared it with the other officials and said, "If it is thrown into the ice cellar and frozen into iced bayberry, or boiled with sugar The juice is delicious."

"It's really good. This year's plums are delicious. Mr. Fang is really particular about food."

Fang Yu asked the old man about the situation of the plums, and heard that there were still plum trees in the village, all of which were ripening, so he gave some support to the common people, and ordered two baskets of fresh plums, and asked his family to pick them and send them to the village tomorrow. Go to the house, and when I come to work tomorrow, I will pick up a few more baskets and come to the workshop. In the hot afternoon, I will give everyone a toothbrush sacrifice to relieve fatigue.

He paid a dime to the corvee.

The old man knelt on the ground and thanked him again and again.

Seeing Fang Yu's generosity, the adults felt that the plums tasted good, and felt pity for a while, so they followed the example of the corvee and bought some to send to their own houses.

"My lord, I entrust you to deal with this little servant who used his power for personal gain to flog the corvee wantonly."

"Yes, Mr. Fang."

Only then did the group go back to the lounge. Fang Yu knew early on that the life of the corvée was not easy, and such situations are actually commonplace. There are often guards whipping the hard workers. It is impossible to be cured, but as long as he sees , can suppress some count.Originally, the corvee had no money to use to help the court. If people were treated like this, who would want to do things seriously.

After brewing a pot of tea, several officials sat around and talked about corvee service for a while, and then about the court affairs.

"Master Fang, do you know about Mancang County?"

Officials waited for the cement to dry outside, and chatted about political affairs.

"I don't know, it's a county near the capital. There is a flower and fruit forest at the other end. In spring, the flowers and trees are all over the mountains and plains, and they bloom neatly and luxuriantly." Originally, he also planned to go for a visit, but at that time he Busy, Qiao Hezhi went with You Lian, and talked to him for a long time when he came back, which was also published in the newspaper.

Yuan Ruiyan smiled and said: "Speaking of Mancang County, it is really famous for its flower and fruit forests. But the official heard that the tax in Mancang County has been reduced by [-]%, the price of salt and iron has dropped, and the people in the county are buying it. The common people are envious, but regret that they were not born in Mancang County."

Fang Yu's brows twitched when he heard this: "Is this really true?"

Suo Zheng also stepped forward and said: "Master Yuan is right, the officials have relatives in Mancang County, so they said the same thing. I'm afraid this is something everyone is talking about."

"The local officials are so bold that they openly dare to lower the price of salt and iron and reduce or exempt taxes. You must know that Mancang County is not a place where the sky is high and the emperor is far away."

Fang Yu raised his eyebrows, and raised the corners of his mouth slightly: "Mancang County should be under the jurisdiction of the governor."

"Exactly."

Fang Yu said: "It should be His Majesty's decision."

"This……"

Fang Yu shook his head secretly. After all, Emperor Chongming took what he said into his heart, but he was afraid that this action would be too bold and risky. If he issued an edict to carry it out immediately, the consequences would be disastrous if the matter failed.So the emperor chose to use a conservative method, first choose a place to try to implement the measures, if successful, then promote it, and if it fails, it can be remedied.

Presumably the edict has not been directly announced to the outside world, and remote departments like the Ministry of Industry, which have been running outside for a long time, are naturally not as popular as those departments above.

He was quite relieved that his proposal was accepted: "No need to ask, just finish the matter at hand of the Ministry of Industry first."

A few people had a simple meal in the workshop at noon, and they didn't even take a lunch break, so they went straight to look at the cement paving the floor.

This morning can be regarded as completed, the concrete floor turned white, as solid and hard as a stone, Fang Yu stepped on it on foot, very stable and steady.

Several officials also walked up and down a small section of the cement road with great interest: "It is really flat and stable, just like a green brick road, and there is no crack, good, good!"

"My lord, why do you make so much cement dried in the sun for comparison? How is it different?"

"This cement road is made of cement mixed with sand. If there is too much cement, the cost will increase, and if there is too much cement, it will crack easily under the temperature difference." Fang Yu pointed to several cement roads with different ratios: "Look, now The one with cracks means that the ratio is not suitable, and the two complete ones are feasible."

Fang Yu said: "The cracks can be shoveled, and the remaining ones are intact. When the time comes, we will use the proportion of a complete cement road."

In the afternoon, a memorial was handed over to the emperor. If it was changed to another place, it could actually be implemented by itself. A place of wrangling.

"This Fang Yu has only been to the Ministry of Industry for a few days, and now he has come up with new tricks."

Emperor Chongming was also clearly biased, there were mountains of memorials piled up on the desk, and he saw the memorial of Fang Yu, a doctor of the Ministry of Industry, with sharp eyes.

Seeing the majesty of the emperor's voice, the father-in-law knew his nature, and said: "Master Fang has always been a man of ideas. Since he invited him to the Ministry of Industry, he must have made a plan."

The old emperor leaned back on the dragon chair slightly: "Fang Yu's mouth was born in the imperial examination, and he has always been the best at talking. The memorial made a lot of hype about the cement road, but he didn't know what it was. First, the price of salt and iron was reduced, and taxes were reduced. What I have done has not yet worked out, so I came up with something new to toss me."

As he spoke, he got up again and threw the memorial to the father-in-law Ru: "Look, if his concrete road can be built, flat, firm and stable, it won't be affected by the weather and seasons, and I don't have to worry about the annual lychees being broken. Halfway there. You have so much courage, you can even make fun of me, and you really thought it would be great if you didn't scold him in front of me."

"It's talking about hype, but I want to see what kind of material is used to build roads that have such a miraculous effect."

Ru Gonggong was slightly startled when he heard the words: "Your Majesty is going out of the palace!"

"And it's not far away. It's in the workshop outside the city. It's not half the distance from the hunting ground. How about a visit." The old emperor said, "It's just that I want to inspect the Ministry of Industry and inspect the imperial court's workshop. Quarrying."

When the emperor issued an edict, the Ministry of Industry was in a hurry to catch fire. The imperial edict came suddenly, and the ministers of the Ministry of Industry were in a hurry and didn't know where to deploy to welcome the emperor's inspection. There will be no inspection once in 800 years. , Come so impatiently, how can you have time to prepare.

Even Fang Yu and others working outside were called back to the Ministry of Industry for a meeting overnight to make arrangements for the emperor's inspection.

Everyone was flustered, and Fang Yu couldn't help sighing. According to the speed at which the emperor handled the memorials, he would not be able to see his memorials until tomorrow. Unexpectedly, the old man was more anxious than him. Showers usually come to the Ministry of Industry for inspection tomorrow. If you want to see cement, you should go to see cement.

Being an emperor is really tiring. You can't let people guess your thoughts at will. Even if you want to do something, you have to talk about it.

After the meeting, Fang Yu stopped the people in his department, told him what the emperor was going to do, and asked everyone to perform well, and it would be easier for the emperor to approve it at that time. As for the fancy work arranged by the minister of the Ministry of Industry If you can save, you can save, and don't lose too much because of small things.

Before dawn the next day, Fang Yu went to the palace in time for the morning court, and hurriedly ate a court meal in the palace, and the minister of the Ministry of Industry organized a team to welcome the emperor.

According to the rank and position, Fang Yu, as a doctor, has only the Shang Shu and the left and right servants above him, and he can actually stand in the front.However, there are six doctors of the same rank, who are in charge of different matters of the Ministry of Industry. One doctor leads many officials under him, and the two square teams stand together. The square team had to follow behind the last official of the previous square team.

Fang Yu came early, and the small department was also sorted out quickly, and he stood behind Zuo Shilang early.

"Miss Xiaofang, you came to the Ministry of Industry late, and your qualifications are still young, so you don't mind if you stand back?"

Fang Yu looked back and saw that the Lang Zhong from the Water Conservancy and Farming Department was late and wanted to squeeze him out, so he didn't agree in his heart: "This end has already stood up neatly, in order to get the team together quickly, it doesn't matter if the adults stand behind Bar."

"Hey, why did Master Xiao Fang speak like this, it's too disrespectful to seniors."

"Where did my lord come from, I don't know which sentence the lower official said is wrong."

"What are you arguing about? Could it be that His Majesty is asking His Majesty to come and see that the Ministry of Industry does not even stand neatly?" The Minister of the Ministry of Industry raised his eyebrows and said, "Fang Yu, you should lead the team and stand behind."

"Master Shangshu, we came first, why should we go later!" Yuan Ruiyan yelled angrily.

"You can stand wherever you are told. Mr. Yuan has such a great official authority, but he can't even listen to Mr. Shangshu's words!"

Seeing that there was going to be a quarrel, and that the minister was obviously in favor of the Ministry of Water Resources, Fang Yu hurriedly stopped Yuan Ruiyan: "Stand back, everyone, Your Majesty is coming soon."

He winked with angry officials in his department: Our home field is not here, so we should not lose the big because of small things.

Then everyone stood behind angrily, and the people from the Ministry of Water Resources triumphantly went to pick up Zuo Shilang.

The emperor only wandered around the Ministry of Industry when he came here, the most important thing was to go out of the palace, taking advantage of the coolness of the morning, a group of mighty people went out of the palace again.Although the battle is not as good as Qiuhun, there are still many guards from the Imperial Forest Army, and it is impossible to keep a low profile.

"Your Majesty, the road that was destroyed in summer is already being repaired, and now I have repaired half of the gap at Wangjing Station."

"Your Majesty, this year's farmland water conservancy has also consolidated and added several places, respectively..."

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Industry is currently vigorously encouraging the people to sow the winter crop of wheat after the autumn harvest, and the people have already responded..."

The Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry was like a peacock spreading its tail, pulling the horse in front of the emperor and opening his mouth without closing his mouth. The emperor replied that he could report twenty sentences on the topic immediately.The emperor smiled several times to conceal his disinterest, and even stated: "I have read a lot of the memorial that Aiqing handed over, and it has already been mentioned in the memorial."

"Your Majesty manages a lot of things every day, and dealing with many memorials is really..."

When the emperor saw that Shangshu was able to hear the cocoons in his ears, he pulled him out for a walk, and he didn't give him any sympathy to cover up his embarrassment. He turned around and said loudly: "Fang Yu, what are you doing hiding behind? I will come."

Fang Yu, who was suddenly named, was behind more than [-] people at this time, and it was rare for the emperor to have good eyesight, and he could be seen even from such a distance.

Fang Yu hurriedly pulled his horse out of the team and walked to the side of the emperor: "Even if you hide behind and want to be lazy, His Majesty will see you. You really have sharp eyes."

The old emperor laughed: "Is it okay to work as an errand in the Ministry of Industry?"

"As your Majesty can see, it's still alive and kicking, but it's just a little tanned."

"I've never seen a half tan."

Seeing the emperor talking with Fang Yuyan with ease, the appearance of his hard work just now was really set off very ridiculously, the minister of the Ministry of Industry touched the tip of his nose in embarrassment, even if he wanted to intervene to win some attention, he couldn't do so.

After knowing it, I realized that I had made too many inappropriate arrangements, and I actually patronized myself and left the emperor's favorites behind. The emperor was blatantly swearing Fang Yu's position in the heart by the people of the Ministry of Labor.The people in the Ministry of Industry who had mentioned Fang Yu before were all resentful, but the people under Fang Yu's subordinates were rejoicing.

"Your Majesty, how about this concrete floor? Is it flat?"

A group of officials waited far away on the field, only watching Fang Yu carefully supporting the old emperor to pace back and forth on a road that looked like a stone but not like a stone.

"Is it really made of limestone, clay and iron slag?"

Fang Yu said: "How dare you lie to His Majesty? Water, sand and gravel were also mixed, and clay and lime were bonded together. After drying, it became a cement road under the feet."

The old emperor was cheerful. A concrete road was only three meters long. He walked tirelessly back and forth, like a naughty boy who just learned to walk, and he was very new to the road under his feet.

"I walked on it, as if I went back to the time when I was a great treasure. Wearing a dragon robe, I walked to the main hall step by step, and sat on the dragon chair. The road paved with red carpets is much longer than this."

Fang Yu paused slightly when he heard the words, and never interrupted the emperor's memory of the past.

After a while, the emperor said: "This road is really as you said in the memorial, but if it is paved on the road, it will cost a lot. And how much money can be spared to build the road as long as it is."

Speaking of this, the emperor couldn't help but sigh.

"Your Majesty, I have also carefully considered the issue of cost. It is true that the investment in the early stage is not small, but when the road is completed, the imperial court can set up special guards at the post station. Anyone who travels through the cement official road needs to pay tolls. , horse-drawn carriage, and walking are charged separately. The official road is fast, and the convenience should be enshrined. If you don’t want to pay tolls, you can also walk on the dirt road by yourself.”

"The post station is strictly controlled. Privately built official roads on small roads are not allowed. Violators will be punished by the court. In this way, the cost and funds invested in the early stage can be recovered, and there will be funds for road maintenance in the future. There is also an optional road for common people and businesses. .”

"In addition to the official roads, if the local people want to build their own cement roads, merchants can escort goods for business, and the imperial court can also hold the raw materials in their hands. At that time, they can sell them to the localities and allow them to build their own roads, but they cannot conflict with the official roads. Coming to the imperial court also has an extra income."

The emperor looked at Fang Yu and took a long look, as if he hated seeing each other late.

What does he hate? He hates Fang Yu for being too young, not being born a few years earlier, not being born into an official family, and spending so much time on the road of scientific research, that he is getting old and the treasury is empty. .If he had been born when he was young, and had someone with this ability assist him, Ji Chao would be in a different situation now.

In the final analysis, the emperor still lamented that the age is not forever, and Kong has a heart of hard work to not grow old with the age.

"What you said is very good, and you are very thoughtful, and let me see the grand blueprint."

The emperor praised Fang Yu, but he looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back and sighed.

Yuan Ruiyan, who was following Fang Yu, had never met the Holy Majesty in private. Seeing the emperor like this, he was even more confused and couldn't guess the Sacred Heart. It is likely that the emperor wanted to suppress Fang Yu's proposal first.

He clenched his teeth, how could he deny it?Such a good proposal, even an official, let alone the emperor.

The people in charge of the roads in the Ministry of Industry were all in fear. After a while, the emperor suddenly patted Fang Yu on the shoulder, and suddenly seemed to make a cheerful decision: "You will be in charge of this matter, and the construction will start tomorrow!"

Fang Yu's eyes lit up when he heard the words, and he let out a quick laugh. Regardless of the hardness of the cement road, he knelt down and kowtowed to the emperor: "This humble minister will definitely live up to His Majesty's expectations, and will definitely build an official road quickly."

Afterwards, his voice lowered a little, and he raised his head to look at the emperor: "I will let His Majesty set foot on the new smooth road as soon as possible."