In the seventh year of God's blessing, it was clearly past the beginning of spring, but the weather did not get warmer at all.
After several cold snaps, the ice on the Yellow River is still as frozen as steel, with a thickness of two to three feet. It would take more than half a day to carve out a hole in the ice.
At this moment, there was an ice cave in front of Wei Chen, the magistrate of Yuzhou. The area was not large, only one foot square, but it was three feet away from the ice surface to the water.
Through this ice hole, you can see one or two fish jumping up from time to time, flipping on the surface of the water, and immediately swimming deeper.
Wei Chen was sitting in front of the ice cave, wearing a large cloak and a felt hat, holding a bamboo fishing rod in his hand. Except for the absence of a white beard, he looked exactly like Taigong Jiang.
For more than half a year after arriving in Yuzhou, Wei Chen has been so busy that he has never been able to rest for a moment.
However, it is Wei Chen's unremitting work that puts Yuzhou on the right track today, and all walks of life are prosperous.
Moreover, after half a year of hard work, the newly promoted officials in the state government have become more and more experienced in their work. Wei Chen was finally able to free himself from the heavy government affairs and give himself a holiday.
Today I happened to see the weather clearing up, and Wei Chen was very restless, so he took Gu Tingye and Zhao Ceying out to go fishing on the Yellow River to relax and relax.
However, Wei Chen really didn't have much talent in fishing. After working for a long time, there was no movement at all, which made Gu Tingye look at him with contempt from time to time.
Gu Tingye was standing not far from Wei Chen, and there was an ice hole one foot square in front of him.
I saw him holding a spear, pacing around the ice hole with his waist clasped. Then, looking at the right opportunity, he poked the spear into the ice hole, and then brought out a big fish that was stabbed to the core.
Gu Tingye succeeded in the attack and screamed in excitement. He turned around and swung the spear. The big fish with only half a breath left immediately fell to Wei Chen, feebly slapping the ice with its tail.
"Xingyun, look at how good my method is, fast and accurate. It's much better than sitting there for a long time!"
Gu Tingye put the spear on his shoulder, with a mean smile on his face, and strode towards Wei Chen.
Wei Chen glanced at Gu Tingye and said in an indifferent tone: "I follow the example of Jiang Taigong when I fish. Those who are willing to take the bait will take the bait. How can you understand the beauty of it if you are so eager for quick success and instant gain?"
Even though he said that, Wei Chen caught a glimpse of the empty bamboo basket at his feet from the corner of his eye, and the corner of his mouth still couldn't help but twitch.
The fish in the Yellow River are too ignorant. Even if one bites the hook?
"teacher."
Zhao Ceying, who was waiting behind Wei Chen, took the warm soup from the hands of the master, served it to Wei Chen respectfully with both hands, then looked at Gu Tingye and smiled slightly:
"I heard that in Bianjing City, the fish soup made from fresh Yellow River carp costs at least three to five taels of silver, which is several times higher than in previous years. This is all because the weather is too cold this year and the Yellow River's Carp also move less, so it’s naturally not easy to catch them.”
Zhao Ceying deliberately bit the words "fresh" and "carp" very hard. Gu Tingye naturally heard what he meant, and immediately looked depressed. He carried a spear and went to the side to get the poor big fish of unknown species. I lost my temper.
Seeing this, Wei Chen couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly, and looked at Zhao Ceying in front of him with great relief.
This apprentice is indeed not in vain, he is sensible!
Wei Chen took the hot soup from Zhao Ceying and took a sip. He felt that the coldness in his body had been driven away, and his heart felt even warmer.
Wei Chen waved his hand, motioned for Zhao Ceying to sit down next to him, and asked softly: "I heard you say a few years ago that there were too many orders, and the kiln could not be fired, and that the kiln entrance was to be expanded. How is it now?"
Zhao Ceying said: "Eleven have been put into use, and 23 more are under construction. They will be completed in February this year."
Wei Chen nodded with satisfaction upon hearing this.
In Wei Chen's previous life, there was a folk proverb circulating in Yuzhou.
Entering Southwest Mountain, a seven-mile long street appears. There are seventy-seven kilns, and fireworks cover the sky. Merchants travel all over the world, making money every day.
It describes the most prosperous period of Jun kiln.
Nowadays, although the Yuzhou Jun kiln under the rule of Wei Chen has not yet reached this point, its development momentum is changing with each passing day. Sooner or later, there will be a day when "seventy-seven kilns and fireworks cover the sky."
Wei Chen was full of confidence in this.
Wei Chen held the fishing rod quietly and asked again: "Zhao Tuanlian took General Shen to Bianjing to accompany the emperor to worship heaven and earth. They have not returned yet. Is there any news about them?"
Zhao Ceying said with a smile: "Father has sent someone to deliver a message in advance. He and his uncle will be able to arrive in Yuzhou tomorrow."
Wei Chen nodded with emotion.
The Suburban Sacrifice Ceremony only takes place once every three years and is held at the Qingcheng Palace outside Nanxun Gate in Bianjing. It is the premier ceremony in the country.
It is a feast for the eyes to see such a rare grand battle once.
Zhao Zongquan was a serious son of the clan, and he was never left behind every time the imperial court held a suburban sacrificial ceremony.
In mid-November, Zhao Zongquan took Shen Congxing and a dozen family generals to Bianjing. After participating in the suburban sacrificial ceremony, he enjoyed the extravagant life in Bianjing for more than a month, and then he set off leisurely. On the return journey.
Wei Chen also wanted to broaden his horizons, but unfortunately he was now a local official on the Mu Shou side and could not leave Yuzhou easily, so he had no choice but to miss the suburban ceremony.
Wei Chen leisurely said with fascination: "I heard that during the suburban sacrificial ceremony, the emperor worshiped in the hall, and the eight beauties danced in front of his highness. All the officials in the dynasty were wearing court uniforms and accompanying them around. It was really a rare spectacle!"
Zhao Ceying said with a look of sadness on her face: "Actually, being an emperor is not as good as the world imagined. At most, I can only go to Jinming Pond once a year and Qingcheng Palace once every three years. The opportunity to go out of Kaifeng City is very small." I can count them on my hands.”
Zhao Ceying was a descendant of the clan, so his view of the emperor was naturally different from that of ordinary people. He knew very well that the so-called common ruler of the world was just an ordinary person bound by countless rules.
As the emperor, the furthest distance from the palace is to Qingcheng Palace, five miles south of the city. Most of the rest of the time, he can only huddle in the deep palace.
Such a person controls the fate of hundreds of millions of people in the entire country. Zhao Ceying is actually very unwilling to do so.
After receiving the crown, Zhao Ceying carried a three-foot sword and traveled around. He saw the snow in Hebei, the dust in Fortress, the wind and moon in the south of the Yangtze River, and the mountains and rivers of Shu.
He felt that he knew better than the one in the palace how vast the land belonging to the Zhou Dynasty was, and he was also better able to understand the dire straits of the people of the Zhou Dynasty.
However, there was nothing he could do.
That's why when Wei Chen entrusted all the Jun Ci Guild to Zhao Ceying, he burst into tears of gratitude for Wei Chen's kindness.
However, the Junci Guild was still too small after all, and even Yuzhou was too small to accommodate Zhao Ceying's long-suppressed ambition to reach the sky.
