Princess, he is rich enough to rival the country

At this time, Gu Yanshu and Qin Lu who had just arrived at the city gate had no idea what the emperor was thinking at the moment.

Unlike the last time when the eldest prince returned to Beijing with great fanfare, this time Qin Lu returned to Beijing without alarming anyone.

Even because the team was too large, Gu Yanshu even split the team into two parts for fear of attracting the attention of others.

The team sent from the palace, such as the imperial doctor and the imperial forest army, went ahead, and the other part of the people from Prince Li's mansion followed them.

Such an arrangement has indeed greatly reduced the trouble for Gu Yanshu and others.

At least no one was alarmed except for the guards at the city gate and a few people at the city gate.

But at this moment, Qin Lu didn't care about other people's thoughts, his whole mind was attracted by the changes in the capital at the moment.

Qin Lu seemed to have stayed in Yizhou for a long time, but when calculated seriously, it was only a few months.

The time of a few people and months seems not short, but in fact it is not long. It is just a blink of an eye.

However, it was just such a blink of an eye that brought about earth-shattering changes in Kyoto.

If it weren't for the familiar layout of shops on both sides of the road, and if it wasn't for the fact that before entering the city, he saw the two big characters "Jingcheng" hanging high above the city gate, Qin Lu would even suspect that he had gone to the wrong place.

Unlike other cities, where only important main roads are paved with concrete roads, in Kyoto nowadays, as long as Qin Lu can see, almost all of them are paved with spacious and flat concrete roads.

I don't know if it's because of the cement road, but Qin Lu even felt that the capital seemed to be much more lively than when he left.

Just when Qin Lu was thinking this way, he heard the voices of common people talking from outside the carriage:

"Wang Laowu? Didn't you just enter the city yesterday? Why are you here again today?"

"Damn! Didn't my mother-in-law say that the sauce at home is almost used up, so she asked me to come to the city to buy it?"

"You are also spoiling your mother-in-law! She doesn't know what to say, and if you are still tired, you can go alone!"

"What's so tiring? Now that the concrete road has been paved, it takes less than an hour to go back and forth from my house to the city. Now the field is not busy. Even if you come every day, there is no delay. What’s more, the vegetables in my family’s field have sprouted recently, and I can also bring some vegetables from the field to the city to sell, and I can also supplement some household expenses.”

"That's true. If you want me to say, this cement road is really convenient. It's just my house, you know? It's also paved! Now people from our village go back and forth to the city one by one. In half an hour, those who were not willing to come here before are now rushing to the city every three days."

"Isn't it something?"

……

The voices of these two people were not low, and after a while, they attracted the attention of others.

It didn't take long for someone to chime in and, together with the two, talked about the various benefits of the cement road.

Why since the concrete road was built, people from the village have come to the city frequently.

In the past, those agricultural products that could only be exchanged in the village with other people in the same village can now be sold in the city. Now that the income is high, even life is much easier.

After finishing speaking, everyone inevitably talked about Prince Li's mansion where the concrete road was laid.

First of all, Gu Yanshu is righteous and willing to lay cement roads in Kyoto for free.

It is also because Gu Yanshu is so generous that they can use the concrete road for free without having to worry about tolls.

I haven't seen Yandu, which is not far from the capital. The people in their village need to pay five copper coins to use this cement road every day to enter the city?

Compared with the income that can be obtained after entering the city, although these five copper coins are not much, it is not a small amount after years of accumulation.

Hearing this, Qin Lu couldn't help but glance at his princess.

When he put forward the idea of ​​cement road, Gu Yanshu talked about the various benefits to economic development after smooth traffic.

At the beginning, some people in the court criticized Gu Yanshu as whimsical, and that building a road can stimulate economic development, which is simply a fantasy.

It's just that the sound was too small, and it didn't cause too much trouble.

Coupled with the fact that the Ministry of Household Affairs later built cement roads without using a single penny from the national treasury, such voices disappeared immediately.

However, it now appears that his princess still has the foresight.

Noticing Qin Lu's gaze, Gu Yanshu looked back with a little complacent look without even thinking about it.

That small appearance, like a kitten who just stole a small dried fish from its owner and proudly licked its nipples in the sun, made people want to rub it with their hands.

However, before Qin Lu could take any action, the discussion among the people outside the carriage changed again.

The protagonist of the discussion was directly changed from Gu Yanshu to Qin Lu.

The news that Qin Lu was infected with smallpox was indeed not hidden from others.

Even when Gu Yanshu went out of Beijing, the news spread all over the city.

At that time, many people used this matter to make a fuss, saying that many people who went with Qin Lu were safe, but it happened that King Li suffered a disaster, and it was all God's retribution.

This is because King Li once committed too many murders, which made God can't stand it anymore. This time, he lowered the punishment.

If this was the case in the past, maybe it would really allow the rumormonger to succeed.

However, today is different from the past, the present Prince Li's Mansion is not the Prince Li's Mansion that had no control over the capital government a year ago.

These rumors had just started in the capital, and the people in Prince Li's Mansion had already noticed something strange.

After that, Wen Qingxiao directly wrote an article without any politeness, published it in the daily newspaper, and severely criticized those who spread rumors indiscriminately.

What are you saying that King Li committed too many murders? Why did His Royal Highness commit murders?

Isn't it to protect the well-being of the people in Tianqi?

Now that the border is peaceful and the people live and work in peace and contentment, you turn around and say that this hero who has made great achievements has committed too many crimes?

People have said that rivers tear down bridges, and you can't wait to tear down bridges before you even cross the river?

When a literati opens his mouth, he can completely hide his dirty words and blood, and scold people to shame.

Even in the villa, Wen Qingxiao already had a very high reputation among the literati. Since taking charge of the affairs of the newspaper, Wen Qingxiao's reputation has gradually grown, and he even has the appearance of being the best in the world.

As soon as this article came out, it was widely circulated among many students and common people.

But within two or three days, those who wanted to take advantage of the chaos to discredit Qin Lu immediately turned off their flames.

Originally, the eldest prince's lineage wanted to make a fuss about Wen Qingxiao using the daily news without authorization.

Who in the court didn't know that the "Kingdu Daily" said on the surface that Prince Li's mansion was in charge, but in fact the person behind it was the emperor?

In the past, the "Kingdu Daily" was able to be impartial, and any prince would not favor sides, but now he directly stood up to speak for King Li. Does this mean that Prince Li's residence is suspected of using public affairs for personal gain?

This is a small matter, just in case, someone should ask the emperor to take back the rights of this newspaper.

As soon as these words came out, they directly hit the mouth of Wen's father and son.

His Xiaoliu is in charge of the newspaper office. Because of the newspaper office, his Xiaoliu sees that the newspaper office is becoming more and more cheerful, so this person is going to jump out and make trouble?

What's the difference between saying that the newspaper is fake public affairs for personal gain, and pointing at his Xiaoliu's nose and scolding him?

Even the son-in-law and brother-in-law couldn't help it anymore, they stood up and sarcastically mocked the speaker.

First, he said that the person wanted to take advantage of the issue to make use of the party's common ground to fight differences, and then said that the person should not be too double-standard in life.

When the Eldest Prince went to Shaocheng for disaster relief, the newspaper office did a lot of work there.

Why didn't you say that the newspaper was suspected of being partial?

Now that Xiao Liu from his family just came out to tell the truth, is he suspected of being partial?

As soon as a few people talked on the phone, the people who were directly in the line of the eldest prince were so blocked that they didn't dare to speak out, and they didn't dare to make a fuss about this matter anymore.

Afterwards, Wen Qingxiao directly took the hot spots in Kyoto into his own hands.

A few other interesting gossips were thrown out, and the matter of directly infecting Qin Lu with smallpox became popular in the capital.

It was only after the news of Qin Lu's recovery came back to the capital a few days ago that Wen Qingxiao gradually relaxed.

But at the same time, he did not forget to guide the people's speech.

Nowadays, when people mention King Li, they say that this is an auspicious person with his own natural appearance. Even if he is infected with smallpox, God is not willing to take him away just like this.

At this time, the people outside the carriage were talking about this matter.

Hearing these words, Gu Yanshu, who was still in the carriage at the moment, was stunned.

But at any rate, he is a person who has experienced the era of information revolution in later generations. It didn't take long for Gu Yanshu to figure out the key points:

"It seems that Qing Xiao has done better than I imagined."

"Huh?" Qin Lu cast a puzzled look at Gu Yanshu.

"Before I leave, I will entrust Qing Xiao with the responsibility of supervising the outlets in Beijing."

Gu Yanshu didn't need to hide anything, and told Qin Lu the answer directly.

Now it seems that Wen Qingxiao is more suitable for this matter than he imagined, and even without reminding him, he has already figured out the public relations routine of "using a bigger gossip to cover up the previous gossip" in later generations.

If this is the case, does that mean that in the future here, he can directly hand over to Wen Qingxiao to be in charge, and he will be the hands-off shopkeeper himself?

Just when the calculations in Gu Yanshu's mind were resounding, Qin Lu was caught by another object outside the carriage:

"What is that?"

Looking at the object that looked like a carriage but was not a carriage, Qin Lu couldn't help showing a trace of doubt in his eyes.

Not to mention Qin Lu, even Zhi Ge had never seen this object before.

Before he left the capital more than a month ago, there had never been such a thing in the capital, hadn't he?

Gu Yanshu followed Qin Lu's gaze, and in almost an instant, he knew what Qin Lu was asking.

Without even thinking about it, he gave the answer:

"That's a rickshaw, can it also be called a rickshaw?"

"Rickshaw?"

Qin Lu repeated the unfamiliar name in a low voice, then raised his eyes to look at the rickshaw outside the car window, and then nodded slightly:

"The name is quite appropriate. Is this object also Wang Hao's idea?"

"Yes."

Gu Yanshu nodded without thinking, and explained to Qin Lu in a low voice:

"This horse-drawn carriage can't move at full speed in the city, and it still takes up some space. Using this rickshaw, the speed is comparable to that of a horse-drawn carriage, and it can save a lot of space."

Before the concrete road was laid, Gu Yanshu wanted to take out the rickshaw.

It's just that the roads in central Beijing were not very smooth at that time, and the rickshaw was not as comfortable as a horse-drawn carriage, so it had to be stranded temporarily.

After the concrete road was laid, Gu Yanshu put this plan on the agenda.

It just so happened that when he was improving Wen Qingxiao's wheelchair, Gu Yanshu ordered someone to find rubber that could be used to make wheels.

With the raw materials, Gu Yanshu can also come up with general principles and drawings, and according to the ability of the craftsmen in Prince Li's mansion, it can be said that it will be a matter of time to make this rickshaw.

It's just that the craftsmen over there had just made the finished product, and before it was put into use, Gu Yanshu received the news that Qin Lu was infected with smallpox.

Helpless, he can only hand over the popularization of rickshaws to the shopkeeper under his hand.

nowadays……

Gu Yanshu looked up, and found that there were no less than three rickshaws on the road in front of him, so he knew that the shopkeeper under him had done a good job.

After finishing speaking, Gu Yanshu seemed to have thought of something, and added another sentence:

"Actually, apart from this rickshaw, there is another kind called a bicycle. It's just that when I left, the artisans in the mansion hadn't finished the finished product, so I just don't know what's going on now."

That's right.

In addition to rickshaws, Gu Yanshu also wanted to popularize bicycles in Kyoto.

But rickshaws can be improved on the basis of horse-drawn carriages, but bicycles cannot.

The faucet of the bicycle, as well as the chain connecting the pedals and wheels, all have certain technical difficulties.

Although Gu Yanshu proposed the idea of ​​using gears instead of chains, the first version of the finished product was not satisfactory.

Just like the rickshaw, before Gu Yanshu came up with a more perfect improvement method, he left Beijing in a hurry.

Now Gu Yanshu can't see the shadow of this bicycle on the street, presumably the progress of improvement is not optimistic.

"Bicycle?" Qin Lu was indeed attracted by this strange word, and turned his eyes away from the rickshaw on the street, looking at the princess sitting beside him.

"It is a tool that can replace horses in the city. It saves energy when walking, and it can also speed up the pace of ordinary people who don't know kung fu."

Gu Yanshu thought for a moment, and found a more understandable explanation.

However, when I saw my little deer's half-understanding eyes, I found that this thing was not good enough to describe it, so I just re-examined it:

"When I left, the craftsmen in the mansion had already made the first version of the real thing. Why don't you go and see it with me when you return to the mansion?"

"Okay." Qin Lu nodded without thinking. Obviously, he was quite interested in the bicycle that his princess was talking about.

However, just as Gu Yanshu and Qin Lu were discussing matters after returning to the mansion, they heard the voice of Xingge outside the carriage:

"My lord, there is news from the palace that the lord can enter the palace."

Gu Yanshu asked with doubts:

"Now?"

Not long after, Gu Yanshu heard Zhi Ge's firm answer:

"Yes."

Immediately, Gu Yanshu couldn't help frowning:

He and Qin Lu had just returned to the capital, how could they call people into the palace without letting them rest?

But Zhi Ge's attitude showed that this matter did not seem to be fake.

In the end, Gu Yanshu could only let Qin Lu go.

On the contrary, Qin Lu saw that his concubine's expression was not right, so he whispered a word of comfort:

"Father should be worried about the situation of the Yizhou dam, and nothing will happen."

Hearing this, Gu Yanshu raised his eyes to look outside the carriage again.

At this glance, I happened to see the person who came to pass the message in the palace. Looking at the face of that person, Gu Yanshu knew that it should be like what Qin Lu said. At this moment, the emperor asked Qin Lu to enter the palace, not because of any bad things Son.

Immediately, he relaxed slightly and let the person go.

Fortunately, the speed of the two of them was not fast along the way, and even the more they got to the capital, the speed became slower and slower. Qin Lu also got a better rest and recuperation along the way.

The spirit at the moment is not bad, even if he enters the palace, he will not feel tired.

When Qin Lu entered the palace, Gu Yanshu also lost the interest in wandering around the city, so he directly informed Xingren to return to the residence as soon as possible.

Different from the earth-shattering changes in the capital city, Prince Li's mansion still seems to maintain the appearance when Gu Yanshu left.

Except that some flowers in the mansion that have passed the flowering period are now withering, and a new batch of flowers that are in the flowering period are in full bloom, there seems to be no other changes.

Hearing that Gu Yanshu returned to the mansion, the leader of the hidden guard who was left in the mansion came to report to Gu Yanshu about the work during this period of time.

Perhaps it was because when Gu Yanshu left Beijing, he arranged all the work extremely well. For more than a month, nothing major happened in Prince Li's residence.

Except... the ledgers and work reports that were placed on Gu Yanshu's desk were piled up.

"Also, the craftsman in the small yard sent someone to pass the word, saying that the bicycle that the princess asked for before she left has been improved, but I don't know if it meets the princess's requirements."

At the end, the leader of the hidden guard did not forget to add two sentences:

"Then Nancheng sent back a few letters to the princess, and they were all placed in front of the princess's desk."

Letters from Nancheng...

When Gu Yanshu heard this, he was in a daze for a moment, and then he came back to his senses:

It should be the letter sent back by Liu Ruxi.

When Liu Ruxi left Beijing, Gu Yanshu thought that he would not be able to leave Beijing before Qin Lu returned to Beijing, so he asked her to help investigate the progress of cement roads in various places.

Going to the desk and pulling out the letters, Gu Yanshu knew that he was right after seeing the delicate small characters with hairpin flowers on the envelopes.

Open the envelope and look at the ten lines at a glance. Among the first few letters, they are all related to the cement road.

The merchants below all attach great importance to the cooperation with the court, and because of the court's attention, they dare not cut corners at all.

Liu Ruxi walked all the way, and the paving of cement roads was very gratifying. Although it was not as good as the capital, it was much better than imagined.

Gu Yanshu had already seen these books on the way back to Kyoto from Yizhou.

But what made Gu Yanshu strange was that in one of the letters, Liu Ruxi asked Gu Yanshu to help her express her gratitude to Qin Lu.

If Gu Yanshu remembered correctly, it can be said that Liu Ruxi and Qin Lu had no intersection, so how could he be thanked?

Gu Yanshu didn't understand what was going on until he saw the back.

It turns out that it starts with what Qin Lu did on the way from Kyoto to Yizhou.

When Qin Lu traveled from the capital to Yizhou, he encountered several waves of unsightly bandits blocking the road and robbing him.

At the beginning, Qin Lu didn't show mercy to these people, he directly arrested them, and even brought their lair together.

Qin Lu's actions at the beginning were not small, and the group of bandits he took away were once famous, and they could be said to be one of the best existences among the many bandit villages in Tianqi.

The leader fell down, which gave a lot of shock to the people below. Immediately, the cottages and bandits in Tianqi territory received the news, and all began to behave with their tails between their tails, for fear that the next person to be blamed would become themselves.

It can be said that Liu Ruxi's journey from the capital to Nancheng was very peaceful. Even though he passed through the high-incidence areas that were previously raided, he still didn't encounter anyone blocking the way.

Later, after listening to other people's comments, I realized that it was all thanks to the blessing of His Royal Highness Li Wang.

No, upon hearing the news, Liu Ruxi sent a letter to Gu Yanshu to express his gratitude.

Seeing this, Gu Yanshu couldn't help but chuckled in a low voice:

Back then, he had heard about his family's Xiao Lu subduing bandits on the road, but he never expected such an unexpected surprise.

I don't know what his little deer is thinking.

Thinking about it, Gu Yanshu put the letter in his hand aside, and was going to show it to Qin Lu when he came back from the palace.

Opening the remaining two letters, Gu Yanshu found that Liu Ruxi no longer wrote about the cement road, but instead reported the situation of the branch in Nancheng.

From these words, Gu Yanshu guessed that at this time, Liu Ruxi should have arrived in Nancheng.

Several branches in Nancheng went smoothly than Gu Yanshu imagined.

Now Tao Ranju's glass and Ten Days' Drunken spirits are famous all over the world.

When the people in Nancheng heard that Tao Ranju and Shi Rizui were going to open a branch in Nancheng, even after the two branches were owned by the same owner as Kyoto, they gave great enthusiasm.

Even though the shopkeepers sent by Gu Yanshu had made sufficient preparations, they could not stop the enthusiasm. Almost immediately after the opening of the two branches, the goods in the stores were emptied by the people of Nancheng.

Although the reputation of Guiyuanju and Yaoyue Pavilion in Nancheng is not as good as that of Taoranju and Ten Days Drunk, they have quickly established a reputation in Nancheng with this shareholder style.

Everything is like history repeating itself, but in just half a month, several branches have occupied a pivotal position in Nancheng.

Even after knowing that the shopkeepers of these stores have the right to communicate directly with Gu Yanshu, officials from Nancheng also came to inquire about several shopkeepers, saying that they wanted to establish an existence like the "Kyoto Daily" in Nancheng. .

Although Liu Ruxi is a woman, she also understands the influence of "Kyoto Daily" and its status in Kyoto.

Naturally, Liu Ruxi did not dare to agree to this kind of thing easily, she only told the officials that she would write a letter and ask Gu Yanshu for his opinion.

Seeing this, Gu Yanshu couldn't help raising his eyebrows slightly:

This Nancheng is also the first existence that wants to copy the "Kingdu Daily". Even though Gu Yanshu has stayed in Yizhou for more than half a month, he has not seen the prefect of Yizhou mention this matter.

Sure enough, the rich Feng Shui supports people, and the officials in Nancheng are more sensitive than others.

These words also reminded Gu Yanshu that "Daily" in other regions can also be established together.

However, this matter is not a small project, and I am afraid that it needs to be discussed in the long run.

Moreover, it seems that his own Xiaolu has no interest in the throne now, if so, then this matter cannot be brought up by Prince Li's Mansion.

Thinking about it, Gu Yanshu couldn't help but fell into deep thought.