Prince Consort

Xie Ze'an did not see "Xie Dalang" for the next two days.

Xie Ze'an didn't pay much attention.

For Xie Dalang, he might not be able to accept the existence of their mother and son for a while.It's useless for him to rush forward at this time, it will only make Xie Dalang more disgusted.

After Xie Ze'an drew the blueprints and handed them over to the craftsmen, he ran to his house.

Aunt Xu went to Xie's mansion with a few clever servants, the number of people here was reduced by half, and it seemed much deserted.

Xie Ze'an asked everyone to move to the inner house, and the outer house was also initially remodeled.

As a newcomer, he has nothing to look down on other people's capital, and he can only save manpower and financial resources by himself.Just like what he said to Mrs. Xie, no matter whether he takes in vagrants or buys servants, he chooses them who want to live a good life by themselves.

All the process of creating something from nothing needs the nourishment of ambition.

If they didn't even have a small ambition to change the status quo, Xie Ze'an wouldn't want to waste time on them.

After all, he is not the savior.

Xie Ze'an picked the two most responsible servants from the servants and made them the stewards here, one in charge of the inner house and the other in charge of the outer courtyard.

The outer courtyard was converted into a "private school" by him.

After winter, there were a lot of refugees in the capital. In just one month, Xie Zean took in four men and three women: three of them were older, about the same age as Xie Zean, and the other five were between six and nine years old.The younger ones are usually taken care of by their parents, and the older ones have hands and feet and can work, Xie Zean doesn't care.

The "private school" in the outer courtyard was prepared for them and the first batch of servants he bought back.

This is the first batch of Xie Zean's team members. Their background is a bit humble, but they are relatively reliable.

Xie Ze'an didn't mind spending more energy on them.

Xie Ze'an had asked Zhang Dayi to make a batch of tables and chairs for himself, and then had one of the walls smoothed and painted black, the whole room immediately turned into a "modern classroom" with bright windows and clean windows.As for what kind of paint to use, Xie Ze'an didn't think about it at all, and directly asked Zhang Dayi to find a painter to finish the "blackboard".

As for chalk, it is even simpler. You can find limestone and gypsum, mix them together, and press them into long and thin pen-like objects. This can be easily made by a pencil-making craftsman.

What Xie Zean was more worried about was how to deal with the "teaching materials".

Whether it is a waif or a servant, he has zero learning foundation, and he is faced with many blank sheets of paper.What's more difficult is that when Xie Ze'an asked what they wanted to do, these "blank papers" all said that "it's up to the petty officials to decide", so he had to decide what to draw on these white papers.

After thinking about it, Xie Zean decided to arrange a one-month basic course for the servants. Adults learn faster, and they should be able to master basic literacy and calculation in one month. At that time, they will be assigned suitable "posts" according to their qualifications.In addition to following the basic courses, the three older street children also have to shoulder the responsibility of leading the "small class", and each of them guides one or two children to learn things.

Xie Zean prepared many other courses for them, basically copying the "nine-year compulsory education".Of course, he won't be so stupid that he can carry it all by himself. When the time is right, he will definitely find a group of people to teach these things.

Xie Ze'an knew that there was no rush for this matter - he couldn't do it with great fanfare, otherwise he would be burned to death as a monster sooner or later.

After half a month, everything was ready to go.

Xie Ze'an gathered everyone in the "classroom" and explained to them the next arrangement.

Most of the people's eyes lit up, only one or two tall, simple-minded people complained incessantly - asking them to read is more tiring than asking them to fill ten tanks of water!

Xie Zean was in a great mood, and he reached out to pat them on the shoulder and said, "Just try your best. If you join the army in the future, being able to read and write will give you more opportunities to make meritorious deeds."

To strike while the iron is hot, Xie Ze'an spent three days teaching the entire set of pinyin.

Literacy is a big problem these days, and it is usually done by looking for homophones and comparing them, such as "carrying, with an oblique sound";Either way, it's not really suitable for people who don't know how to read.

After confirming that someone has mastered the basic pronunciation, Xie Ze'an let go of it and ran back to his room to lie down and sleep.

Not long after falling asleep, Xie Zean suddenly heard someone knocking on the window.Opening his eyes, he saw that it was Yan Chong who had come.

What surprised Xie Ze'an even more was that Yan Chong was still carrying a half-grown boy in his hand.

The young man who was firmly held by Yan Chong seemed to understand that he couldn't break free, and stood still with a cold face and hands down.

Even though they only had a face-to-face meeting that night, Xie Ze'an still recognized him: Who is this gloomy guy, if not Xie Dalang?

Xie Ze'an said, "Brother Yan, what is this?"

Yan Chong said: "I asked you for a drink, but I saw this guy sneaking around your house, so I arrested him. What? It looks like you know each other?"

Xie Ze'an stepped forward to hold Xie Dalang's hand, rescued him from Yan Chong's grasp, and said: "This is my new friend, he wants to come and play with me, so I'm embarrassed."

Hearing Xie Ze'an's remarks, Xie Dalang looked up at him with an obvious sneer in his eyes.

Then he mercilessly shook off Xie Zean's hand.

Xie Ze'an said to Yan Chong: "Look, he's embarrassed again."

Xie Dalang strode out.

Yan Chong didn't stop him, and waited for Xie Dalang to walk away before saying, "Although I haven't seen him before, I recognized him just now when he raised his head. That's Xie Shangshu's son, right?"

Xie Ze'an knew he couldn't hide it from Yan Chong, so he could only nod his head.

Yan Chong said: "He is a poor man."

Xie quietly waited for Yan Chong's next words.

Yan Chong said: "This child couldn't cry when he was born, and he couldn't talk when he grew up. His mother was all on him, but after seeing that he was dumb, she couldn't bear the blow. Within two years, she became depressed and became ill. .His mother is a daughter of an aristocratic family, and she left within a few years after marrying into Xie's family. How can she swallow this breath over there, and she came to the door several times to call him a loser."

Xie Ze'an said in surprise: "... His father doesn't care?"

Yan Chong said: "The elm bump was the last time I bumped into it. He just asked people to beat those guys out of the house, and got them to complain before His Majesty. His Majesty asked him to speak slowly, but he insisted Without bowing his head, he said aggrievedly, 'They cursed the Xie family in Tongchuan'. His Majesty asked him why he cursed, and he said that the other party called his son a 'lost family star', the Xie family has not yet collapsed, why is it lost?"

Xie Ze'an: "..."

Yan Chong said: "At the time, the incident was quite a big one, so I knew that Xie Dalang was dumb."

Xie Zean fell silent.

This is thanks to Xie Jiyu's straightforward temper. If it were someone else, it might be what Zhao Ying planned. Xie Jiyu would bow his head and say a few nice words to end it - after all, the two families are in-laws, and this marriage is nothing more than an attempt to establish a good relationship between generations , If you really make enemies, no one has a good face.

Yan Chong went on to say: "Speaking of which, stupid people have their own blessings. That elm bump had fallen out with his Qin family for a few years, and because of their usual arrogance and domineering, they suffered for themselves. The whole family was accused of crimes." A lot of people were implicated at that time, that elm lump—" Yan Chong suddenly felt that something was wrong, and looked at Xie Ze'an, who had a normal face, and changed his words, "Xie Shangshu was actually promoted To the position of Shangshu, exile in the southern border ended miserably, and at the same time, he was able to rise to the top with his clothes and gold, which is really unexpected."

Xie Ze'an said: "Then Xie Dalang is really pitiful, even his mother's natal family is gone."

Yan Chong said: "What's the use of being so troublesome over there? It might be a good thing for him." After speaking, he shook his head again, "But it's really pitiful."

Xie Zean stopped talking.

The three of them, mother and son, entered Xie's mansion, probably adding another kind of pain to Xie Dalang, right?

Although it was reasonable for Xie Jiyu to reunite after so many years of his wife's death, their arrival would dilute Xie Jiyu's lack of love.No matter how cold-hearted Xie Dalang was, he must have admiration for Xie Jiyu, who would spare no effort to defend him even if he offended an aristocratic family, so he used his blueprints to vent his anger.

Xie Ze'an was quiet for a while, and said: "He doesn't seem to be a self-pitying person, I believe he will be very promising in the future."

Yan Chong wanted to say something, but swallowed it after seeing Xie Zean's determined expression.Although it is almost unheard of that "a dumb person is very promising", but his "righteous brother" has always been able to turn decay into magic, maybe there is really some way to do it?

Yan Chong said: "I don't want to visit Xie's mansion rashly. I just came in when I caught Xie Dalang when passing by. Are you used to living in Xie's mansion?"

Xie Zhe'an said, "Do you think I am someone who is not used to it?"

Yan Chong was speechless.

With Xie Zean's character, even if he was allowed to live in the palace, he would not feel awkward.

Yan Chonglang laughed and changed the subject: "I'm here to beg for a drink with you. I originally said that I would come to you after you met the eldest princess. I didn't expect that His Majesty would actually give your mother and Xie Shangshu a marriage. So I never finished drinking."

The friendship between men has never used too much words, Xie Ze'an also smiled, and said straightforwardly: "I happen to have two jars hidden here, so let Brother Yan drink to your heart's content."

Xie Ze'an was young, Yan Chong didn't let him drink with the big bowl, and allowed Xie Ze'an to change to a small cup.

Xie Ze'an's alcohol capacity is not bad, but drinking is harmful to his health, so he drank very slowly.

Yan Chong was not as refined as him, his eyes lit up as soon as the wine entered his throat, and he drank several large bowls in one go.

Xie Ze'an said: "Brother Yan, you will get drunk if you drink like this."

Yan Chong said: "I will never get drunk!"

Xie Ze'an showed three fingers: "How much is this?"

Yan Chong said: "Hey, do you look down on my drinking capacity? Isn't it just two, ah no, three, no, why so many, are you a monster?"

Xie Zean couldn't laugh or cry.

Really drunk!

Xie Ze'an asked someone to help carry Yan Chong to bed.

Yan Chong smacked his lips and said: "Good wine, good wine, enough taste, come again!"

Seeing that it was getting late, Xie Ze'an asked someone to wait on him, and hurried back to Xie's mansion by himself.He still entered through the back door. Seeing that it was not time for dinner, he simply walked around to the small courtyard where he was coming to check the progress of the renovation.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at the gate of the courtyard, he saw a figure he hadn't seen for a long time standing among the craftsmen, holding the blueprint he had left behind with bright eyes and asking questions.

A sharp-eyed person saw Xie Ze'an, and greeted: "Sanlang, Mr. Xie is here!" There was a bit of relief in his tone.

Xie Zean had an ominous premonition.

Xie Jiyu turned to look at him, and waved kindly: "Sanlang, come here, did you draw this?"

Xie Zean ran over resignedly and nodded.

Xie Jiyu said: "Come and tell me what meters, centimeters, decimeters, etc. mean, and your drawing method is very weird, teach me too."

Xie Ze'an: "..."

Xie Ze'an really didn't come up with so many new things on purpose, but he was really confused about the ancient weights and measures, so he had to popularize several "modern weights and measures units" for these craftsmen.Even elementary school students can learn this stuff, let alone experienced craftsmen who have spent half their lives in architecture?

It's just that it's one thing to understand it yourself, but it's another thing to explain it clearly to Xie Jiyu.The craftsmen had no problem working, but they couldn't speak clearly when asked to speak. They couldn't bear Xie Jiyu's strong thirst for knowledge, so they had to sell Xie Ze'an.

Xie Ze'an could only say: "It's time to eat, let's go to the front hall and talk."

Xie Jiyu said: "That's fine." So he took the blueprint and asked Xie Ze'an all the way.

When he walked to the front hall, Xie Ze'an sensed that the atmosphere was not right. Looking carefully, Xie Dalang, who had never appeared at the dinner table, was actually sitting there indifferently.With such a variable, both Li Shi and Xie Xiaomei sat quietly on the side without speaking.Mrs. Xie hadn't arrived yet, and the atmosphere was so unembarrassed and stiff.

Xie Jiyu also noticed it, and when he saw Xie Dalang, a smile appeared on his face: "Dalang."

Xie Dalang still had a cold face and didn't even give a nod in response.

Xie Jiyu was bored and didn't get angry, so he stepped forward and hugged Xie Dalang: "Father has been in Dongying for so long, Dalang, please stand up and let Dad see if you have grown taller."

Xie Dalang pursed his lips.

Xie Jiyu said to Mrs. Li: "Yingniang, don't worry, Dalang is just so shy. When I left that day, he specially followed me out to see me off, but he didn't want me to know." There was a smug smile on his face, "Actually, I saw it."

Xie Dalang suddenly stood up, as if he wanted to go out.

Xie Jiyu pushed him back to his original position, didn't say anything, but greeted Xie Ze'an: "Sanlang, why are you standing there? Come quickly, and continue to tell me about your drawings."

Xie Ze'an glanced at Xie Dalang, and sat down obediently.

Xie Jiyu "asked for advice" from Xie Ze'an as if nothing had happened.

Xie Dalang had no intention of leaving the table, but Xie Ze'an felt his eyes were piercing himself like countless sharp needles.

Damn, why did he think Xie Jiyu did it on purpose?