On the 16th day of the first lunar month, the imperial court issued a decree and resumed early dynasty.
It had just dawned, and the palace gates of the imperial city were already filled with ministers. Logically speaking, having just celebrated the New Year and the festival, they should have come to court in high spirits and with radiant faces, but the reality was exactly the opposite. They were all listless, looked haggard, and yawned profusely, as if they had not slept well.
From the time the imperial court sealed the deal to the present, the ministers have not been in court for more than 20 days. It was just after the Lantern Festival, and they suddenly went to court. Naturally, they were a little uncomfortable and unaccustomed to it.
Ministers should yawn quickly before going to court, otherwise they will be severely punished if they yawn later during the court. On the morning of the first day of the new year, none of the ministers wanted to be punished. If you are punished in the morning on the first day of the new year, you will be unlucky throughout the year, and maybe something big will happen. Even though all the ministers read poetry and books, they are all very superstitious.
He Xiang and Xue Taichang were standing at the front. They were chatting and laughing, and seemed to be in a very good mood. No, they looked very excited, as if they were expecting something.
The other ministers kept staring at them, all wondering what they were discussing with the emperor in the days before and a few days ago.
From the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, the emperor called He Xiang and others to the palace to discuss something from morning to night. Even on the Lantern Festival yesterday, Xue Taichang and the others entered the palace in the afternoon and did not leave until the evening.
During the New Year period, no matter how much other ministers inquired, they still couldn't find out any news.
Although I don’t know what happened, judging from the excited expressions of He Xiang and the others, it must be something extraordinary.
"The morning court is about to begin, and my heart is beating so hard." Xue Taichang stretched out her hand to cover her chest, with excitement on her face. "I have never been so nervous in my entire life."
He Xiang stroked his beard and said with a smile: "I have never been as excited as I am now."
Xue Taichang said with a smile on his face: "You don't know that I have been so excited these days that I can't even sleep."
He Xiang looked at Xue Taichang's face carefully and joked: "I see that you look good and radiant. You seem to be a few years younger."
"Hahahahaha..." Xue Taichang couldn't help laughing. "I have looked in the mirror these past few days and found that I am much younger and have fewer wrinkles on my face." After he finished speaking, he also looked deliberately He looked at He Xiang and said, "Xiang He, you are full of energy and look much younger."
He Xiang smiled and said: "People feel refreshed when happy events happen."
"I'm not afraid of making fun of you. I've been full of energy these days, and my whole body seems to have endless strength." Xue Taichang said with a smile, "My appetite has also improved a lot, and now I can eat more Eat three bowls of rice.”
He Xiang raised his eyebrows in surprise: "Are you so happy?"
"Of course I'm happy. Whenever I think about this, my blood boils like a young man." Xue Taichang said with emotion, "This thing is really great and unprecedented. To put it bluntly, we created It’s history.”
"Yes, it is a very great and amazing thing." Although he became very busy during this period due to the imperial examination, this busyness was very valuable. "Yes..." He Xiang almost said the words "His Royal Highness", but he quickly changed his words and said, "The emperor has created history, and we are honored to witness this historical moment."
Xue Taichang nodded in agreement: "You are right." As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly thought of Taishi Liu in Shu and laughed happily, "It's a pity that Taishi Liu missed such an important thing."
He Xiang couldn't help laughing when he thought of Taishi Liu's expression when he learned about this: "If Old Liu knew about it, he would be very jealous of us."
"Hahahaha, I can't wait to see Lao Liu's jealous and envious face."
The other ministers saw He Xiang and Xue Taichang laughing and were curious about what they were laughing at.
At this moment, the palace door opened and the ministers walked in one after another.
It's not yet time to go to court, and the door to the main hall of Chengguang Hall has not yet been opened. The ministers should go to the side hall to wait.
As soon as they sat down, the eunuchs brought hot tea.
It was still very cold in the capital during the first month of the year. The ministers had just stood at the palace gate for a while, and their hands and feet were already freezing. Drink a cup of hot tea before going to bed to warm yourself up.
The emperor was also drinking tea. After drinking tea, he got up and went to Chengguang Hall.
At this time, Sun Kui kindly reminded the emperor: "Your Majesty, there is still a while before the morning court."
The emperor stopped and turned around to look at Sun Kui strangely: "Can't I go to court in advance?"
Going to court early? !
Sun Kui was very shocked. He unconsciously cast his eyes out the window, wanting to see if the sun was rising from the west today?
When the emperor saw Sun Kui's expression of seeing a ghost, he angrily raised his foot and kicked him.
"What's your expression?"
Sun Kui came back to his senses and looked at the emperor worriedly.
"Your Majesty, are you okay? Do you want the imperial doctor to check on you?" The Emperor actually wanted to go to court early. He must be sick, and the illness was serious. Doesn’t the emperor have a fever?
"Ouch!" Sun Kui was kicked by the emperor again.
"How do I look like I'm sick?"
"Your Majesty, you actually have to go to court in advance. This... you have never gone to court in advance in all these years, especially on the morning of the first day of the new year." Sun Kui was very worried, "At this time of year, Your spirits are not very good and you really don’t want to go to court. You are... a little abnormal."
The emperor put his hands on his hips and said, "I'm in a good mood today. Why don't you want to go to court early?" After saying that, he kicked Sun Kui again and said, "Hurry up and stand up for me."
Sun Kui quickly stood up and followed the emperor with an uneasy look on his face: "Your Majesty, why don't you ask the imperial doctor to take your pulse before going to court? After all, during the Chinese New Year, the imperial doctor has not asked you for a safe pulse."
The emperor turned around and stared at Sun Kui gloomily: "If you say one more thing, I will send you to see your great-grandmother immediately."
Sun Kui was so frightened that he immediately shut up and acted very well-behaved.
The emperor hummed a little tune and walked briskly towards the main hall of Chengguang Hall.
Sun Kui followed, feeling more and more that today's emperor was very abnormal. This was not the emperor he knew. Although the emperor rarely went to court in recent years, it did not mean that the emperor liked going to court. On the contrary, the emperor hated going to court very much. Every day before going to court, the emperor would complain and dislike being emperor. It has never happened before that I went to court as actively as I did today and went to court in advance.
What happened to the emperor today?
Sun Kui walked behind the emperor, not forgetting to observe whether the sun rose from the east today.
Well, there is no sun today and the sky is gloomy.
Sure enough, the emperor today is not normal!
As soon as the ministers entered Chengguang Hall, before they could stand still, they heard Sun Kui's voice coming from outside the hall.
The emperor is here!
The ministers were very surprised at first, and then stood up in a hurry. As soon as they stood up, they saw the emperor striding in. The ministers hurriedly knelt down and saluted: "See you, Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"
It was rare for the emperor to sit dignifiedly on the dragon throne today. He waved his hand gently: "Everyone, get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The emperor looked at the ministers standing below and said in a joking tone: "It seems that my dear friends had a good New Year's Eve. I see that many of them have become more mellow."
The obviously plump ministers all blushed with embarrassment. During the Chinese New Year, I ate too much big fish and meat, and if I didn’t take special control, I accidentally gained weight.
"My dear friends, the food for the Chinese New Year is good. I am very happy."
Not sure whether the emperor is really happy or fake. The ministers were so frightened that they all knelt down and begged the emperor: "I am guilty, and I beg the emperor to forgive me."
"I'm not blaming you. Why are you abusing me?" The emperor raised his hands to the ministers who were kneeling on the ground. "Everyone, please get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The ministers stood up tremblingly.
"It's a good thing to gain weight, but I don't want my beloveds to come to court with chubby bellies." The emperor just imagined the scene and found it irritating.
When the ministers heard this, their hearts tightened, and they hurriedly said: "I don't dare." The ministers, who had gained a lot of weight during the New Year, were so frightened that they had cold sweat all over their faces. From today on, they must eat less and lose weight quickly.
"Today is the morning of the first day of the New Year. I have two things to announce."
Hearing what the emperor said, the prince and the king immediately became excited.
Does the father really want the fourth child to investigate?
Although King Chu looked calm on his face, he felt nervous in his heart.
The emperor stood up and came forward.
"The first thing is that I announce the cancellation of conscription and inspection."
What?
All the ministers in the dynasty thought they had heard wrongly, and all of them had expressions of disbelief on their faces.
What did the emperor just say?
The emperor naturally noticed the expressions of the ministers and said to them again: "You heard me right, I am announcing the cancellation of conquests and inspections."
Cancel the conscription and inspection? !
Does the emperor know what he is talking about?
The ministers looked horrified.
The Duke of Zhenguo immediately looked at He Xiang and Xue Taichang. Seeing that their expressions were as usual, without the slightest surprise, he knew that they had already known about this matter.
Could it be that during this period, the emperor was discussing with Xiang He and others to cancel the conquest and inspection?
The ministers whispered something. On the first day of the new year, the emperor announced the cancellation of conquests and inspections. Did they act violently?
When the censor Zhongcheng came out and was about to say something, the emperor raised his hand to stop him.
"The second thing is that I announce that starting from this year, I will hold an imperial examination and select officials from the imperial examination." The emperor's voice was very loud. "In the future, both the officials of the imperial court and the officials of local yamen must be selected from the imperial examination." .”
Imperial Examination?
What is this?
When the ministers heard it for the first time, they had no idea what it meant.
"He Xiang, Xue Taichang, please tell everyone in detail what the imperial examination is about."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He Xiang and Xue Taichang went out to face the officials.
"The imperial examination is..." He Xiang first told the officials what the imperial examination was, and then what content the imperial examination tested.
At present, Dazhou has not stipulated which books the Four Books and Five Classics are. Before, when Zhao Yao proposed the imperial examination to the emperor, he mentioned by the way what the Four Books and Five Classics were. At that time, he felt that the Four Books and Five Classics were a bit lacking, so he mentioned the other nine classics, namely the Four Books and Thirteen Classics.
He Xiang told the officials in detail which books the Four Books and Thirteen Classics were, and then they were tested in the imperial examination.
Next was Xue Taichang, who explained to the officials in detail how to hold the imperial examination.
The ministers became more frightened as they listened, and their expressions became more and more horrified.
All the officials on the eighth floor of the imperial court came from aristocratic families, and only the officials on the second floor came from poor families. When they heard that officials would be selected through imperial examinations in the future, they were not only shocked but more horrified. They knew in their hearts that once the imperial examination was implemented, they would be doomed.
After spending a whole morning, He Xiang and Xue Taichang finally finished talking about the imperial examination, and the whole court was in an uproar.
Before leaving the court, the emperor declared with a serious face that the imperial examination was inevitable and would not accept anyone's objection. If anyone objects, he will be charged with treason.
Punishment for treason? !
The ministers gasped in fright.
The emperor knew that the aristocratic families would definitely unite to oppose the imperial examination, and he warned all ministers that he would not mind purging the court as he had done more than ten years ago. Also, no matter who objects, he will definitely punish them severely. And the consequences of his severe punishment are not something they can bear.
Before going to court, the emperor called some ministers to go to Dongnuan Pavilion. Next, they will discuss the test questions for this year's three children's exams.
Before the next court, the imperial examination had been announced in the capital.
When the literati and students in the capital learned about this incident, they were naturally very excited and happy. The vast majority of students supported the imperial examination, but a few literati were definitely opposed because they came from aristocratic families.
The aristocratic families could not accept the imperial examination. They felt that the imperial examination was a conspiracy of the emperor to exploit and weaken them.
In just half a day, the imperial examination caused a sensation in the capital like a mountain roaring and a tsunami. Everyone was discussing the imperial examination, only Zhao Yao was busy packing his things.
Early tomorrow morning, he will take a boat to Jinling to visit Mr. Meng. His whole mind was on this and he didn't care about the imperial examination at all.
At this moment, he was having lunch with Liang Bi and the others in Kunde Hall.
During the meal, Mei Yu and Pan Cairen kept telling Zhao Yao to pay attention to his safety, to take care of himself, and to eat well...
Zhao Yao did not find them annoying, listened very carefully, and assured them that he would write back every few days to reassure them.
After lunch, Mei Yu and Pan Cairen called Tong Xi over again and asked him repeatedly what he had brought. They were relieved after confirming that he hadn't forgotten anything.
They knew that Liang Bin had something to say to Zhao Yao, so they didn't stay long and left quickly.
Liang Concubine also said everything that needed to be said. She was reluctant to let her go and didn't worry about her son going to Jiangnan, but she couldn't stop her son from going.
"Go to Jiangnan and be honest and don't cause trouble." Liang Bin was not worried about her son's safety. She believed that the secret guards sent by the emperor could protect her son. However, she knew her son's temperament well and knew that he would never go to Jiangnan without causing trouble. Even if he doesn't actively cause trouble, he will do something to help others.
"Mother, you make it sound like I often cause trouble." Zhao Yao said a little unconvinced, "Also, when will I cause trouble?" He has always been well-behaved and never takes the initiative to cause trouble.
"I'm afraid that you will become a hero and fight against injustice everywhere." Liang Bin warned, "Be careful when you go out and don't expose your identity easily..."
Zhao Yao listened patiently to Liang Bin's instructions. Although the mother-in-law looked calm on the surface, her worry could be heard in her tone.
"Mother, I'm so smart, I can't put myself in danger, so don't worry."
Liang Bin didn't say anything more. She was afraid that if she continued talking, she would be unable to bear it...
"Don't you still want to find your second uncle? Go ahead."
"Concubine, I'm leaving then." Zhao Yao pretended not to see Liang Bin's red eyes and left Kunde Hall with a face full of joy.
After her son left, Liang Bi couldn't help but shed tears in her eyes.
Guixing brought a cup of tea: "Empress, if you are reluctant to leave His Highness, please let His Highness stay."
"No matter how reluctant I am, I can't keep him here." Concubine Liang wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. "If we don't let him leave now, he will still leave in a few years, and by then he will have gone further."
"Empress..."
"The emperor proposed the imperial examination this morning. The capital will become very lively next. It is not a good thing for Yao Yao to stay in the capital. It is better to let him go to Jiangnan." Concubine Liang had a look of reluctance on her face, but her eyes were firm, " Besides, he has never met his parents. This time when he goes to Jiangnan, he can go to Yangzhou and meet his parents and help me be filial to them."
"The master and his wife will be very happy to see His Highness."
"My parents are probably already looking forward to it."
Liang Bin was right, Liang Shuren and the others had been looking forward to Zhao Yao's arrival since years ago.
Mrs. Liang would ask Liang Shuren every day where Zhao Yao was and when he would arrive in Yangzhou.
"Has Your Highness set out? When will he arrive in Yangzhou?" Mrs. Liang asked hurriedly when her husband came back.
Liang Shuren understood his wife's anxious mood and smiled gently at her: "Your Highness will leave tomorrow. It is estimated that it will take more than a month to arrive in Yangzhou."
"It will take so long." Madam Liang really couldn't wait any longer. "Yangzhou is close to Jinling. Let's go to Jinling first to see His Highness."
"How do you get there if you are seasick?"
"I'll take medicine." Mrs. Liang would do anything to see her precious grandson.
"Your Highness went to Jinling to visit Mr. Meng. After he finishes reading, he will come to Yangzhou to find us. Why are you in a hurry?"
Mrs. Liang glared at Liang Shuren: "Aren't you in a hurry?"
"I'm not as anxious as you are." Liang Shuren said, "Besides, it's useless no matter how anxious we are."
Mrs. Liang said with full of self-blame: "It's all my fault that I am useless, otherwise I would have been able to see His Highness and the Empress long ago."
"You also know that you are not in good health, so don't think about going to Jinling to see His Highness. You should just wait for His Highness in Yangzhou."
"Is it safe for Your Highness to take the boat?" Madam Liang said, "Otherwise, we will send someone to pick up Your Highness, and then accompany Your Highness to Jinling."
"You don't need to worry about it now. Your Highness wrote a letter saying that the Emperor will send someone to escort him to the south of the Yangtze River."
Zhao Yao, who was far away in the capital, sneezed several times, causing He Lianfang to look at him worriedly.
Zhao Yao smiled at He Lianfang: "Someone must be talking about me."
"When you go to Jiangnan this time, don't forget to visit Suzhou."
"Second uncle, don't worry, I will go to several state capitals in Jiangnan." It was rare for him to go to Jiangnan, and he must visit every place in Jiangnan, otherwise his trip would be in vain. Besides, after going to Jiangnan this time, I don’t know if I will have the chance to go again. "By the way, I also plan to go to Qiantang."
He Lianfang asked in confusion: "What are you doing in Qiantang?"
"To be precise, I want to go to a few places on the seaside, and then recruit some powerful boatmen and let them go to Lingnan."
He Lianfang listened and immediately understood what Zhao Yao meant.
"You want to turn Lingnan into a dock?"
Zhao Yao nodded: "Yes, Lingnan is also close to the sea and is close to Annan and other countries. It has advantages over Qiantang and other places."
He Lianfang nodded slightly and said, "That's true."
"Since the maritime ban was lifted, several places on the seaside have undergone earth-shaking changes." Zhao Yao sighed, "The money brought by maritime trade should not be underestimated. Lingnan has a superior geographical location, why can't we do maritime trade?"
"how do you want to do it?"
"Second uncle, do you know what is the most popular thing in the Central Plains?"
He Lianfang blurted out: "Tea." Tea has always been the most important, popular and profitable item in maritime trade.
"Yes, it's tea." Zhao Yao said seriously. "In addition to tea, our porcelain, silk, and embroidery are also very popular. In recent years, the envoys from foreign countries have been crazy about buying these as soon as they came to Zhou Dynasty. thing."
"You also want to sell these things in Lingnan?"
"This is natural. The most important thing is that we have to transport things from Annan countries to Dazhou to sell."
"Isn't the good thing in Annan's countries gold?"
"Of course it's not just gold, there's also jade." Zhao Yao said, "Second uncle, you forgot that there are a lot of jade over there."
"There is a lot of jade over there, but the craftsmanship is poor and the jade carvings are not good."
"We can buy their jade, and then we can sell the exquisite carved jade to them." Zhao Yao said with a bright face, "Second uncle, actually gold and jade are not the most valuable. The most valuable things are The spices over there.”
He Lianfang looked surprised: "Spice?"
"Yes, spices over there are not only rich, but also have many types, but people there don't know how to use them." Zhao Yao only recently remembered spices, "Second uncle, haven't you noticed that the spices from the Western Regions are very popular in Zhou Dynasty?" Are they popular? The spices from the Annan countries are better than those from the Western Regions. Do you think this business can be done?"
"It can be done." Although He Lianfang doesn't like incense, the aristocratic family likes incense and is willing to spend money on spices.
"Spices will be very profitable. We have to start a spice business before others find out." In the history of Dream Zhao Yao World, spices were very valuable, and many people made a fortune selling spices. "So, I want to build several fleets in Lingnan in advance. When I come to Lingnan as an adult, I must build Lingnan into the largest Jinkou in the Great Zhou Dynasty."
Today’s chapter update was not very good, so after thinking about it I decided not to update it. I’ll delete it and write it again tomorrow. Guys, don’t wait for updates tonight.
Historically, spices from Southeast Asian countries have been really valuable. In the Tang Dynasty, spices were very popular. At that time, people still fought over incense. The heyday of spices was in the Song Dynasty, when more than 100 kinds of spices were imported.
By the way, pepper as we know it was originally a spice, not a condiment. Pepper had a high status in the Tang Dynasty. When a corrupt man ransacked his house, he found 88 stones of pepper, which is equivalent to 64 tons today. At the time, this was a symbol of great wealth.
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