Traveling through ancient times

When they arrived at the orchard, everyone was so happy that they couldn't express it in words!

This barren mountain has become a fairyland in Shannan County. There is a spring on the top of the mountain, which was turned into a large clear spring pool by Liu Dacheng and his two sons, and a pavilion was built next to it!

The summer sun shines on the flourishing orchard, and those bright, sweet fruits seem to be enjoying the feast of life to the fullest.

Approaching an apple tree laden with fruits, you will see the smooth skin shining with natural colors. Taking a bite, the sweet and sour flesh quickly melts in your mouth, making you intoxicated.

There are nearly a thousand free-range chickens now, and the father and his sons will take time to collect the eggs in the basket next to them!

There are many varieties of fruit trees divided into several areas!

"The fruit trees here are really well planted. The gardener is an expert!"

Eunuch An couldn't help but praise him. At this moment, Liu Dacheng and his two sons came over and bowed. There was a lot of work to do in the forest now, enough for them to be busy. They had only heard of the official coming to deliver the imperial edict, but had never seen him!

However, seeing the village head's respectful attitude towards those people, he had a guess in his mind that the men in the mountains are honest and don't have so many rules!

After the greetings, he invited a few people to sit in the pavilion to rest, boiled some mountain spring water to make tea, picked some fruits of various kinds, washed them, and placed them on the stone table. Only then did he go to do the unfinished work!

"Brother, can you manage this orchard?"

Liu Dacheng, who was about to leave, stopped, smiled on his dark face, revealing eight big white teeth!

"Sir, usually there are only three of us, father and son, managing the garden. If we are too busy, the county lady will hire people to help us. We will have a big harvest in a few days, so there will be more people to pick the fruits!"

Zhang Fa said happily:

"That's right. Now we rely on Princess Hua'an. The women in our village are either working in the Princess's fruit workshop or in the clothing workshop!"

"Some men work in vermicelli workshops, and some follow the workers to build new villages. Nowadays, the women in our village earn more than men, and their lives are prosperous. They all say that our country of Dayong is prosperous, and the emperor is wise, so God has sent a living Bodhisattva like the Princess of Hua'an to our village!"

The others who followed him also nodded in response:

"No wonder when we entered Shannan County, the smiles on the faces of the people here seemed to be genuine... Especially the people in Cuiyu Village, men and women, young and old, all looked very energetic!"

At noon, housekeeper Xu Wenhua drove over personally to pick them up!

Gu Dalian had someone prepare the meal. According to her instructions, cold noodles were made and seven or eight kinds of seasonings were added. The cucumber was shredded and the beans were diced and blanched in water. You can choose the ingredients when eating the cold noodles!

In addition, I made a pot of pickled fish, cold rabbit, fried chicken, twice-cooked pork, and a few cold dishes. Everyone nodded their heads as they ate. Of course, there was also good wine, and everyone was even more satisfied with the meal!

These days, Lin Shiyu also took time out to accompany a few people for an outing. When the weather was hot, they basically went out in the morning, found a nearby farmer to eat at noon, and would not come back until it was almost dark in the afternoon!

Half a month passed like this. Eunuch An traveled all over Shannan. Looking at Lin Shiyu, he had an understanding of his abilities. He also knew that Princess Bi'an was his sister, so he couldn't help but say a few more words!

"Under the governance of Lord Lin and Princess Hua'an, Shannan will surely become more prosperous. Lord Lin, you have a bright future!"

When Lin Shiyu heard this, he knew that Eunuch An had a good impression of him. Although he didn't say it explicitly, at least there would be no adverse effects when he returned to the palace!

Eunuch An is a favorite of the Emperor. If one could say a few good words to him, he would most likely be promoted!

Now, my sister-in-law has become a county lady. Although she has no real power, she is still a second-rank official. I am still only a seventh-rank county magistrate. If I want to be my sister-in-law's supporter, I must work hard to climb up!

But if my sister went to the capital to develop, in that place where officials are powerful and servants are also powerful, and where the prime minister's family members are seventh-rank officials, my sister's status would not be enough.

I have to work harder. Before Wenxuan and Wenzhi gain a foothold in officialdom, I am the only support for my sister!

After paying a solemn salute, Lin Shiyu smiled and said:

"Master An, this time when I return to the capital, Princess Hua'an will still rely on your care. I would like to thank you in advance! This girl has a straightforward personality and is easy to offend people. I hope you can give her more advice!"

Seeing that he was very serious, Eunuch An couldn't help laughing:

"Don't worry, I think Princess Hua'an is smart. If there is anything wrong, I will definitely point it out!"

Gu Dalian didn't know that her sworn brother had done a lot for her and was now planning what to take to Kyoto!

It would take half a month to get from Shannan to Kyoto if the journey was faster. Some visible things had to be placed on the carriage, so Gu Dalian would need to make good arrangements!

She had met Feng Qinglan in the space and learned that Feng Meir could no longer bear the confinement in the Duke's Mansion and went back to the Prime Minister's Mansion in the capital with her maid!

When Feng Qinglan heard that Gu Dalian was going to the capital to express her gratitude, she also wanted to go with her. The two discussed that since the college entrance examination would be on the third day of August, why not wait until it was over before going to the capital together!

So, Gu Dalian packed up and set off on July 27th with Eunuch An and his group!

They set off in such a grand procession, with five carriages carrying people and ten carrying goods, including a lot of mountain products and fine wine, and a cart of various canned goods. They would pick some more and put some more cans on board when they arrived in the capital. If they could get the emperor's support, their business would be stable!

Finally, on the second day of August, everyone arrived at Henan Prefecture. Feng Qinglan had already instructed in advance to place Eunuch An and his companions in a house near the Duke's Mansion, and sent people to take good care of them!

Gu Dalian met her second brother who was settled in the Duke's Mansion. Several of her second brother's classmates, as well as Principal Hu and Teacher Chen were also settled here!

The Duke's Mansion covers a large area, with large courtyards within small courtyards. The courtyard where they live is a guest courtyard, which is fully equipped and very comfortable!

The academy exam was the first level of the national imperial examination, held in the capital city or the provincial capital of a province. The chief official who presided over the exam was the academician, who could also be called the academician or the master!

During his term of office, the academician had to visit the various prefectures and states under his jurisdiction to preside over the examinations.

The academy examinations included two types of examinations: the annual examination and the subject examination. The basic tasks of the annual examinations were: first, to select scholars from the students who passed the examinations; second, to conduct screening examinations for the existing scholars and give rewards or punishments according to their performance.

There are only two sessions in the college entrance examination, with candidates entering in the morning and exiting in the evening. Gu Dalian was very relieved about her second brother. She wanted to prepare everything, but she saw that Feng Qinglan had already arranged everything, including the food for everyone else!

When Hu Shanzhang and Chen Jiaoyu saw Gu Dalian, they were so happy that they drank half a catty of the good wine that Gu Dalian gave them as a gift! Finally, they could drink as much as they wanted again!

Gu Dalian was grateful to these two people. His second brother's knowledge and experience had grown so rapidly, which was not unrelated to their careful teaching!