Han Dao world

Yang Biao pondered for a long time and let out a long sigh. "This time, the governor of Jizhou, Manchong, entered Bohai. The prefect of Bohai, Zhang Zhao, was perfunctory, but Yang Xinchang, Zhong Yao, was very cooperative. It can be seen that they are not optimistic about Bohai. I am afraid that this kingly way will not be able to be practiced. The meaning of the highway It may be that after the Son of Heaven goes west, the great Han will be as difficult to sustain as the Bohai Sea."

Madam Yuan was very surprised.

She knew how much Zhong Yao had devoted himself to Bo Hai.At the beginning, he gave up his position as the prefect of Shangdang and took the initiative to go to Bohai to serve as Yang Xinchang.It's only been a few years, and you feel disheartened and want to return to the court?

"Are they freaked out?"

Yang Biao shook his head. "Zhong Yao can disregard the emperor's decree, abandon Shangdang and go to Bohai Sea, is he a cowardly person? He must have seen the clues, knew that he could not win, and had to find another way out. In fact..."

Seeing Yang Biao who hesitated to speak, Mrs. Yuan was a little unhappy. "Actually, what? It's not that you're afraid, that's why you're so entangled."

Yang Biao thought for a moment, then turned to look at Madam Yuan. "You're right, I do have such worries. If we can't do better than Zhang Zhao, how can the Son of Heaven rest assured about the Western Expedition?"

"Are you supporting the emperor's western expedition, or do you want the Confucian sect to monopolize the power?" Madam Yuan curled her lips and teased, a girlish mischievousness appeared on her already wrinkled face.

Yang Biao looked at her, opened his mouth, and wanted to say something.When the words came to his lips, he swallowed them again.

Madam Yuan knew that she had made a slip of the tongue and did not continue this topic. She just regretted that she hadn't seen Yuan Shu for a long time. After finally seeing each other, they broke up because of disagreements. They didn't even have a chance to have a meal together.

Yang Biao thought for a while, and said to Mrs. Yuan: "Write to Dezu and ask him to come."

Mrs. Yuan couldn't ask for it, so she agreed immediately.

-

Yuan Shu went out, got on the horse, waited for Yuan Yao to follow, then lightly kicked the horse's belly, and walked towards the post house.

Yuan Yao shook his whip, sat firmly on the horse's back, and followed Yuan Shu forward.

Yuan Shu glanced at him. "One match?"

"Okay." Yuan Yao responded casually.

Before he could finish speaking, Yuan Shu shouted loudly and swung his whip to hit the horse.The Wuhuan Liangju under his crotch let out a long hiss, and suddenly began to speed up, and in a blink of an eye, he was able to grab Yuan Yao by a few feet.

Yuan Yao was not in a hurry either, he flicked his horsewhip lightly and began to speed up.

Yuan Shu yelled loudly and galloped ahead, causing scolding.

Yuan Yao and his entourage followed unhurriedly. Although he didn't see any acceleration, he was not fast, and the distance between him and Yuan Shu was getting closer and closer.When they arrived at the post house, Yuan Yao just caught up and stood side by side with Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu turned to look at Yuan Yao, raised the whip in his hand, tapped his shoulder lightly, and nodded with satisfaction.

The two got off their horses, threw the reins to the attendants, walked through the door side by side, and came to the small courtyard that had been fixed.

The attendants withdrew, leaving only father and son in the hall.Yuan Shu put away his rebellious face and sighed.

"Boy, have you ever thought about going west with the emperor?"

Yuan Yao took away the iron cover from the firepit, took water, put it on the fire, took cups and tea leaves, and placed them on the table, then said slowly: "It's better for my sister to accompany me, I won't go gone."

"Why?"

"The Son of Heaven is very jealous of the Ruying people, especially my Yuan family. Brother Xiansi is traveling west, and the Yuan family already has seeds in the Western Regions, so why should I join in the fun? It's better to stay in the Central Plains and do my filial piety at the knee of Ah Weng."

Yuan Shu let out a heavy breath. "It's nothing at first. Just looking at your uncle's attitude, I'm still worried that they won't do enough and fail, and follow in the footsteps of Zhong Yao and Xun Zhan."

"probably not."

Yuan Shu raised his head in surprise. "Are you so sure?"

Yuan Yao smiled. "It's not that I'm sure, but the situation is different. The reason why Bohai is like this is because the ruler is Zhang Zhao. But the Dahan is not like this because the ruler is the Son of Heaven. If there is no difference between the Sangong and Zhang Zhao, the Son of Heaven is impossible. Pay the big government."

"Look at your uncle, how is it different from Zhang Zhao?"

"The hope of the emperor has never been on my uncle."

Yuan Shu was stunned for a moment, and he came to his senses a little bit.

When the water boiled, white mist sprayed out from the spout, and the lid of the pot made a "popping" sound.Yuan Yao took the cloth, folded his hands, lifted the kettle, first scalded the cup three times in a row, then picked up the tea leaves with bamboo clips, and poured boiling water.

As soon as the water was poured into the cup, the fragrance of tea overflowed.

Yuan Shu looked at Yuan Yao with some dissatisfaction. "You have been around the emperor so much, so you have learned this?"

Yuan Yao smiled. "Of course not. I still study mathematics, but I haven't published any articles."

Yuan Shu stared at Yuan Yao and looked again and again. "Can't see anyone?"

"That's not the case. Although I'm not a genius, I have plenty of time, and some articles have been praised by my colleagues. I didn't publish it, but I just thought it was unnecessary." Yuan Yao spread his hands. "I have no worries about food and clothing. I don't seek fame or profit. Studying mathematics is just a waste of time. It's meaningless to publish it. On the contrary, there are more disputes, which is completely unnecessary. After Dezu published those articles, Zhou Qun I feel that he is wrong, and write articles to refute it many times, which is very annoying.”

Yuan Shu thought for a while, and had some vague impressions. "The ones about astronomy?"

"Yeah." Yuan Yao picked up the cup, took a sip of tea, tasted it for a while, and said, "I heard that Zhou Qun recently built a new telescope and made some discoveries. Some new research will be published at the party in two days. The results. Although I didn’t say what the discovery was, I think it has something to do with Dezu’s article. It’s just that he is in Hanyang, so he can’t refute it on the spot, so he can only let others go wrong.”

Yuan Shu felt a little sympathetic. "Yeah, he is such a competitive person, but now he is targeted by a Yizhou barbarian, he must not feel comfortable. Did Zhou Qun do it on purpose this time, to hold on to Dezu?"

"That's not true. Zhou Qun is just a scholar. He just doesn't care about right and wrong." Yuan Yao laughed twice, and then said: "The emperor likes him very much, and even gave him money to support him. Otherwise, his telescope would be completely useless." not come out."

Chapter 1139

Yuan Yao accompanied Yuan Shu, talked about the situation in Nanyang, and then changed the topic to Yuan Heng.

He knows the inside story.

After hearing Yuan Yao's words, Yuan Shu was finally relieved, and his tone became erratic.

"So, Ah Heng will be able to enter the palace next year?"

"If there is no accident, it should be so."

"What about Cai Yan?"

Yuan Yao was taken aback. "Cai Yan? What happened to her?"

Yuan Shu laughed twice. "Since your sister's return home to visit relatives is just a cover-up, how can Cai Yan be an exception? She has followed the emperor for so many years and has never married. Even Zhou Gongjin was rejected by her. Presumably she only has the emperor in her eyes. You say..."

Yuan Yao quickly raised his hand, interrupted Yuan Shu, and said with a wry smile, "Ah Weng said carefully, this is not a joke."

"Who said I was joking?"

"..." Yuan Yao was speechless, so he pretended not to hear and drank his tea with his head down.

After a while, Yuan Shu said again: "The Son of Heaven has means, he can use both soft and hard methods, and he can hold a group of veterans and warriors in his hands. But the matter of men and women is different from governing the country. After all, he is too benevolent and righteous, and he refuses to let others down. In the future, nothing will happen. Well, if there is something to do, it is probably about the matter of men and women. Bo Yang, if there is a chance, you should remind your sister."

Yuan Yao answered vaguely twice.

-

Liu Xie discussed with Fu Shou and Xun Wenqian for a while, and finally decided to upgrade the silk business.

One of the options is dyeing.

At present, many silks sold to the Western Regions are still plain, dyed by merchants in the Western Regions, and then sold to various places.One more process will naturally lead to more wear and tear, so many merchants in the Western Regions began to seek to purchase finished products of specified colors.

At present, purple is the most demanded. It is said that the nobles of Daqin like purple the most.

There are the best dyeing workshops in Zhongmu, but comfrey is used for purple, and comfrey itself is a medicinal material. After a large amount of dyeing is used, it will inevitably increase the price and increase the cost.

Therefore, how to increase the output of comfrey, or find other suitable materials and techniques for dyeing purple is more urgent.

Liu Xie is still the old method, using the method of offering rewards to attract more people to study.

In addition to the many printing and dyeing workshops in Shandong, there are also many Taoist priests who make alchemy.These people are proficient in various crafts, and are also familiar with various plants and minerals, but their goal is to refine elixir, not to find dyes, so there are not many achievements.If there is a reward to attract some people to study, there will be results soon.

Considering the scale of the silk business, the reward of dozens of gold is not worth mentioning.

Another option is a little more realistic: embroidery.

Embroidery is labor-intensive, but the price will also increase exponentially.If you can increase the proportion of embroidery, you can make more profits.Moreover, most of the embroiderers are women, and they can earn money without going out frequently. For many women, this is the most suitable way of earning a living for them, and it can also be accepted by their parents and husbands.

Liu Xie suggested that Fushou organize a training class and invite embroidery masters to teach, so as to improve the level of embroidery and increase production.

When necessary, division of labor management can also be carried out to improve productivity.

These methods have proven to be effective, and Yinfang is using this production method.

Xun Wenqian proved this point.She has been to Yinfang recently and has seen this kind of division of labor operation with her own eyes, and the efficiency improvement is obvious.However, she is also worried that embroidery is different from printing and dyeing, and each person's craftsmanship has a great influence. If different people complete a work together, there may be subtle differences.

Liu Xie laughed: "Do you think those barbarians have such high taste that they can distinguish the nuances?"

Fu Shou also said: "It can be done in parallel. A real master can do it independently, but the selling price is higher. After all, even the same master can't embroider two pieces of embroidery that are exactly the same. Such embroidery Not an ordinary commodity, but a unique treasure.”

Xun Wenqian agreed. "The only way to increase the price is to widen the gap. I agree with this."

Looking at the empress and nobles who spoke eloquently about commodity exchange, Liu Xie couldn't help but laugh.

They really put their whole heart and soul into it, thinking about increasing profits and earning more money, without caring about their status at all.If Fu Wan and Xun Yu found out, they would probably be heartbroken.

Seeking only profit has always been the thing Confucianism most opposes.

He also objected, he just didn't reach the position of giving up food because of choking, and he didn't even bother to make money without a bottom line while being a gentleman away from the kitchen.

It's never the money that stinks, but people who think it's only for profit.

After finishing the business, Liu Xie casually asked Xun Wenqian. "I heard that Mrs. Tang is going to hold a party and recommend articles and books published this year, do you know?"

Xun Wenqian didn't care either. "I heard that it seems to be in these two days."

"Are you at the meeting?"

Xun Wenqian's eyes flickered slightly. "There was no arrangement. If Your Majesty wants to go and listen, I can accompany you."

Liu Xie nodded.

-

Early the next morning, Xun Wenqian came to Yinfang.

Mrs. Tang was having breakfast, and she was quite surprised to see Xun Wenqian coming.

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet." Xun Wenqian was not polite and sat down directly.

Mrs. Tang was even more surprised. While having someone prepare breakfast for Xun Wenqian, she asked, "What's the matter?"

"Did you not inform the emperor about the book recommendation meeting you held?"

Mrs. Tang was silent for a moment. "Is this necessary? It's not a big deal."

"Education is the foundation of governing the country, and recommending books is a measure to influence the style of writing. Is it a trivial matter?" Xun Wenqian spoke bluntly, telling the story of the emperor's mention of this matter yesterday.

The emperor seems to be casual, but she can't take it as a trivial matter.

Madam Tang put down the bowl and chopsticks, wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, her eyes wandering.

The maid brought breakfast, and Xun Wenqian picked up the bowl and ate it. After finishing the bowl of porridge and putting down the bowl, she said to Mrs. Tang who hadn't spoken yet, "You don't want the emperor to appear?"

"Well, with the Son of Heaven present, scholars may not be able to speak freely." Mrs. Tang regained her composure and said flatly, "That's why I made my own decision and didn't report it."

Xun Wenqian stared at Mrs. Tang twice, then raised her hand to signal the maid to step back.

The maid looked at Mrs. Tang anxiously.

Mrs. Tang was a little surprised, but she still nodded and asked the maids to leave, leaving only the two of them in the hall.

"Auntie, don't you want to meet the emperor?"

Madam Tang frowned slightly. "Wen Qian, what are you talking about?"

"You know the emperor's attitude towards Confucian scholars and literati. Even if this book recommendation meeting may not be as desired by the emperor, at most he will not attend, and the possibility of directly vetoing it is not high. You can report it, and it will not affect the result. Maybe It's not as good as the Son of Heaven wants, so it shouldn't be your reason for not reporting it."

Xun Wenqian paused. "Can I understand that you held this book recommendation meeting just to tell the emperor that you don't want to see him?"

Mrs. Tang was startled, and then said: "Wen Qian, is this your idea, or the emperor's idea?"

Xun Wenqian said lightly: "In all major matters related to governing the country, you and I are the emperor's minions, and it is impossible to follow our own temper. My aunt must also understand that without the support of the emperor, you and I would not be where we are today. Achievement, in the end, is just a good wife and mother, and in this life, I will not leave my name in the history books."

Chapter 1140

Mrs. Tang was speechless for a while.

Xun Wenqian walked up to her, sat down next to her, put his arms around her shoulders, and said softly, "Is it because the emperor wants my child to inherit the blood of King Hongnong?"

Mrs. Tang was startled, she turned her head to look at Xun Wenqian, and at the same time reached out to push Xun Wenqian.

"What nonsense are you talking about, how could I not want to?"

Xun Wenqian hugged her shoulders hard to prevent her from breaking free, with a wicked smile on the corner of her mouth. "I didn't say you didn't want to."

Mrs. Tang gave Xun Wenqian a white look. "It's true that those who are close to vermilion are red, and those who are close to ink are black. Do you look like a child of the Xun family? When your parents come, I won't sue you."

Xun Wenqian was stunned. "My parents are coming?"