The implementation of the imperial examination has been stumbling since Zhenguan, but aristocratic families still go their own way. In the past few years since the imperial examination was implemented, birth and family background will be taken into consideration when selecting officials, and children of aristocratic families will be avoided as much as possible.
Li Shimin took a sip of water and put down the file in his hand solemnly.
The prince brought a clay pot and said, "Your Majesty, this is the meal prepared by His Highness the King of Wei."
Suddenly he felt a little hungry. Thinking that he would have to discuss firearms with Li Jing later, Li Shimin gathered his thoughts.
Look at the clear broth in front of you. Whether it is mutton or beef, such clear soup can only be brewed in Lishan.
Li Shimin took a bite and asked doubtfully: "Where does the beef from Lishan come from?"
Wang Gonggong explained: "This meat is not the cattle from the cultivated land, but the yak from the bitter and cold land of Tubo."
Li Shimin nodded in understanding, "Tubo's cow?"
"Your Majesty, the exchange of trade in the Hexi Corridor is very lively now. There are many merchants from inside and outside the customs who are walking in the Hexi Corridor. I heard that a Tibetan woman sold three hundred yaks, but those yaks survived after leaving the bitter cold land. It won’t be long.”
"Instead of watching them die because they are not acclimatized to the soil, it is better to kill them and eat them. They can't cultivate the land."
Li Shimin picked up a piece of bone and sucked out the marrow.
Eunuch Wang continued: "I heard that the Tubo woman had some contacts with Su Dingfang during the Western Expedition. After the woman sold her cattle, she went to Chang'an City to look for General Su Dingfang. She also said that she was specifically thanking Lishan for sending five of them. "
Li Shimin did not want to interfere with the general's private affairs. When Songtsan Gampo was leading his troops to deal with the Tang Dynasty, Su Dingfang and Li Daoyan also took down Songtsan Gampo's rear area at that time.
During this period, many Tubo people were subdued. Credit is merit, but the personal conduct of the soldiers is another matter.
As long as Su Dingfang was loyal to the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin was not interested in which woman he fell in love with.
After eating the beef in the clay pot, Li Shimin wiped his mouth, took a short nap in the afternoon and walked out of the small palace.
Even before April, when farming begins, Lishan is already busy.
The emperor walked forward, still looking at everything in the village. When he passed by the paper mill, he saw Li Tai and his people cheering.
Li Shimin took a closer look and saw several dark brown papers that had just been dried.
"Father, this is the old paper given by the imperial court. We use these old papers to make new paper."
Looking at Li Tai's happy expression, he is now drifting away from Lishan.
How could my son be so talented at these things?
Li Shimin was a little relieved, but also felt helpless, as if his son had grown bad, no! It should be said that he was led astray by Zhang Yang.
Qingque has been hanging out with Zhang Yang since he was ten years old.
At any rate, Zhang Yang had never done anything wrong with Li Tai, nor had he gotten into trouble. He could still teach Li Tai some knowledge, so I thought it would be up to him.
After all, he is still his son. Looking at his expression, Li Shimin whispered: "This paper is very good."
"Father, the construction of Lishan is for people's livelihood. It is not only used for Lishan, but can be used for the entire Central Plains in the future to make paper cheaper."
Li Shimin picked up the paper in his hand and said, "The color is too dark."
Li Tai smiled and said: "I can also prepare a new formula to make the paper cleaner. I will try every formula and it will always be successful."
“How much old paper does this paper use, and how much can it be produced?”
"Back to my father, I soaked only 40% of the old paper into pulp, and then mixed it with 60% of the new pulp."
There is a rule in Lishan that every time there is a breakthrough in technology, all the craftsmen involved must cheer loudly.
Li Tai said with a smile on his face, "Father, this is the paper of the Tang Dynasty. You will never have to worry about not having paper in the future."
In the past, paper was indeed very expensive, and even Lishan's paper had a high cost in both materials and processes.
Now that there is a method for recycling old paper, a lot of costs can be saved.
The changes this technology brings to production happen frequently in Lishan.
"It will be called Zhenguan Paper from now on."
"Thank you, Father, for the name."
Li Shimin nodded and walked away again. He planned to visit Shangguan Yi.
There are indeed many talents in the court, and people like Shangguan Yi are exactly what Li Shimin wants. Talents are never enough.
If everyone in the world could think about the country, why would the Tang Dynasty not be strong?
Li Shimin glanced at the top of Lishan Mountain again.
This village has been rebuilt three times and is now divided into three major areas: farmland area, industrial area, and residential area.
Zhang Yang divided the fiefdom into three pieces, and people lived in these three pieces of land.
There is a very strange tower in Lishan Mountain. I heard that it was built on a whim by Yue'er and Zhang Yang.
At that time, Lishan was still under construction. After the construction of this cylindrical tower, the couple never lived in it.
Now, this place has become the village office, and Shangguan Yi and Samurai Yun are busy here.
Li Shimin stepped into the tower, walked in from an aisle, and then walked up the stone steps. The top floor was the room where Shangguan Yi was.
The stone steps spiral up, and the entire tower is paved with this fine stone.
In his heart, Li Shimin despised his extravagance and waste.
There is a spacious room on the top floor where Shangguan Yi arranges matters on weekdays.
Walking into this room, there are windows on the north and south sides of the room, and cold wind pours in.
The room was very messy, with many files and all kinds of strange objects.
What Li Shimin saw when he raised his eyes was a huge map, which depicted several areas of land centered on Lishan Mountain.
Shangguan Yi, who was looking for files on the desk, was stunned for a moment when he saw His Majesty, and hurriedly saluted, "Your Majesty."
Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "You don't have to be polite. This picture is what Lishan will do in the future?"
Shangguan Yi put down the pile of files in his arms, straightened his clothes and explained: "Actually, this is Taifu Temple's business. These enclosed areas are the fields we plan to cultivate this year."
"The land in Gaoling does belong to Li Daozong."
"The clan gave the county prince a favor, saying that it could provide convenience to Taifu Temple, so they gave these acres of land. However, Lishan only helped with planting, and he could share part of the profits from the vegetables grown."
"I know."
Seeing that His Majesty did not blame him, Shangguan Yi felt relieved and said: "Xiaoguan has looked at the soil and water in various places. The vegetables grown in these acres are different, and different vegetables are grown in different soil and water."
Li Shimin looked away from the map and looked at the busy villagers walking downstairs, "With your talent, this little Lishan Mountain can't keep you."
Shangguan Yi bowed and said: "Your Majesty, there are two times in my life when I have gained the most. The first time was when I was studying hard in the cold window, and the second time is now."
"Lishan is not big. I have been watching how it grows, how rich it becomes, and how many interesting governance strategies it has."
"If it's just a small Lishan Mountain, how can you make greater achievements?" Li Shimin looked out the window, stretched out his hands and said loudly: "In this world, everyone is competing for the merits of Sheji! Xu Jingzong can compete, even Chu Suiliang or Cen Wenwen, they are all young leaders, you can also compete with them, compete with Zhang Yang."
Shangguan Yi lowered his head and remained silent. He didn't know how to answer His Majesty's invitation, and he was not ready to enter the court.
Li Shimin nodded and said: "I can wait for your reply. The time will not wait for you. Whoever gets there first will achieve the greatest success."
After hearing these words, Shangguan Yi lowered his head and bowed, and politely declined His Majesty again with silence.
Seeing Shangguan Yi's attitude, Li Shimin knew that it was useless to say anything more, and nodded to show that he understood what he meant.
Shangguan Yi stood alone in the room, looked out the window, and saw His Majesty's leaving figure. Watching this figure go away, the pressure in his heart dissipated.
He sat down again, made himself a cup of tea, and turned to look at the map hanging on the wall.
After a while, he stood up and left the room.
Zhang Yang was recording the growth of crops in the field, while the little princess sat on the back of a bear and read the scroll obediently.
The weather in late spring is often cloudy and rainy, and in Guanzhong it is freezing rain. The weather these days has been gloomy.
"Marquis of the County, Your Majesty has come to see you."
"What did your Majesty say?"
Zhang Yang's understatement didn't know whether it was good or bad. To him, His Majesty was just a frequent visitor to Lishan, just a guest.
There is no need for the whole village to take care of him. Whether the emperor is here or not, it doesn't matter here.
After repeating what His Majesty said, Shangguan Yi said sadly: "I did not agree to Your Majesty's request."
Zhang Yang nodded and said: "As His Majesty said, some people may achieve the greatest achievements if they are the first to move, but whoever moves first does not mean that he has always been ahead."
Perhaps due to personal experience, Shangguan Yi did not agree with His Majesty's words. The level of achievement among people is not related to climbing a mountain. It does not mean that whoever walks in front will definitely reach the top first.
Life is very long, Shangguan Yi feels that even if she is still at the foot of the mountain, she will not feel the pressure of others at all.
"Shangguanyi, you will definitely achieve great achievements."
"The magistrate of the county and the lower officials think that being able to do a good job in Taifu Temple is the greatest achievement in this life."
Take a deep breath, exhale it slowly, and look at the Guanzhong Plain. It has just come out of the cold winter, and the vegetation on this land has not yet awakened.
Zhang Yang was walking by the field ridge, and Xiong Da, who was carrying Xiao Qingqing, was also walking.
Shangguan Yi followed up and said, "I hope the county magistrate will hand me over to the court."
"Brother Shangguan is joking. Whether you stay in Lishan depends on your own decision. We made an agreement when I asked you to teach. If you want to leave, you can leave at any time. As long as you are still in Lishan, I will keep paying you. .”
Zhang Yang continued walking with his hands folded, "At the beginning, everyone was at the bottom of the mountain. When someone starts to climb the mountain, someone will follow and tell you a story about the tortoise and the hare."
"I would like to hear the details."
Xiao Qingqing has heard the story of the tortoise and the hare many times. Hearing that his father wanted to tell it to Shangguan Yi, he asked curiously: "Dad, do you want to hear the story too?"
Facing this child, Shangguan Yi admired her from the bottom of her heart. The child was now four years old and she was much smarter than ordinary children.
Zhang Yang is a special person, and his children are also special.
The story of the Tortoise and the Hare is intriguing. It tells the story of a race between a proud hare and a persevering tortoise.
At first everyone thought the rabbit would win, even the rabbit thought he would win.
But I didn’t expect that it was the turtle who won the race in the end.
It is a very absurd story, but it is so ironic when placed between people.
What makes the rabbit fail is its arrogance.
The tortoise wins because it perseveres.
"My former teacher once said that you have to be a tortoise, not a hare. Everyone can be a tortoise, and everyone can be a hare. Even if you are extremely talented, you may fail because of pride. But there are many people.”
"No matter how talented you are, you can still achieve great things through hard work."
Shangguan Yi bowed and said, "Thank you, Marquis of County, for your advice."
Zhang Yang added: "It's just a story, not a guide. Everyone has different views on this story. In fact, you know these principles. I said these are just superfluous, so don't be offended."
While talking, Zhang Yang walked up Lishan Mountain, and Xiong Da also walked up the mountain.
This bear has been looking very depressed recently. Xiao Qingqing stroked its head and whispered: "You can plow the fields after spring begins."
The bear yawned. It had had a very boring winter, except that there were two more pandas of different varieties in its bear den.
There really is nothing new this winter.
This bear has grown bigger over the winter. Xiao Qingqing is still small, and now it is difficult for her to climb up and down.
Only by lowering the bear to the ground could she slide down the fur.
I don’t know how the conversation between Li Jing and His Majesty went, but there was an extra troop of soldiers and horses at the entrance of the village. Most of these soldiers and horses were used to control firearms.
The emperor was very enthusiastic about firearms. He expected that once the firearm exploded, the Tang Dynasty would be victorious.
Zhang Yang sighed by the Huaqing Pool. It was really not easy to make the Tang Dynasty good.
Especially the emperor's various behaviors made Zhang Yang want to go crazy and want to compete with the emperor in a life-and-death battle.
The idea is good, but the reality always backfires.
If the emperor wanted firearms, he was bound to get them.
No, the prince came again in the evening. The three powder cartridges alone could not satisfy the emperor.
Maybe Li Shimin discovered that this was just a firework set off horizontally, with some manipulations done inside.
"Your Majesty said that the Marquis of the County can make some decent firearms before the Qingming Festival."
"A decent firearm..."
Zhang Yang scratched his head in distress, "Does he like artillery?"
"What kind of artillery is the magistrate talking about?"
"It is also a lethal weapon. To cast this cannon, you need a lot of silver, five thousand guan."
Hearing this, the prince looked troubled, "The county prince is not going to embarrass this old slave. Your Majesty just wants to see firearms, why do you want so much money?"
Zhang Yang's expression remained indifferent, "Your Majesty, if you want a cannon, you need to pay this price."
I’m going to update a chapter today. I’m going to take some time off. I’ll catch up on what I owe you first... Yeah! owe
