Chapter 204: Going to Beijing!

Chapter 204: Going to Beijing!

Chapter 204: Going to Beijing! (Subscribe)
It is summer now, the Blue Dragon is at its peak and the dragon is flying in the sky.

Jiangning Prefecture was even more prosperous.

Xu Qing judged that there was the invisible influence of the "Little Dragon of Luck".

On the other hand, he is now the North Star of Jiangning Prefecture, protected by all the stars. As long as he is safe and the backbone is there, all matters, big or small, will run in an orderly manner.

Therefore, there is no need to deal with things in too much detail. Just decide the general direction of development and then hire the right people.

If the water is clear, there will be no fish.

Some members of the Fushe Society, who had no hope of passing the imperial examinations and became minor clerks, did engage in some exploitation, but their efficiency was obviously higher than the original clerks, and there was relatively less corruption.

This is clear progress.

Xu Qing did not carry out a harsh internal cleansing at this time.

In addition, Yihetang has been adopting orphans and teaching them to read and practice martial arts for two years, which is too short a time to produce results. Once this matter matures, Xu Qing will have one more card to play, and he will not have to rely entirely on Fushe for local governance.

Although Xu Qing may not live to see that time, he has to do these things.

These orphans have received a brainwashing-like education since childhood and have a natural respect and loyalty to Xu Qing. Feng Wu also often goes to the orphanage to cultivate relationships with these orphans.

Feng Wu read history and learned that Taizu of this dynasty adopted many orphans as his adopted sons, and Empress Gao played an important role in this.

The Xu and Feng families do not have any clan, and these orphans will be able to play a role similar to that of a clan when they grow up.

Moreover, with training since childhood and Xu Qing's brainwashing education, their loyalty is not a problem at least in the beginning.

In addition, Xu Qing has many similar operations, all of which are based on long-term considerations.

Although Feng Wu felt that her husband had repeatedly said that he would not take the initiative to rebel, these preparations should indeed be made. Her husband's wisdom and consideration were indeed far-reaching, which made her feel very safe.

After all, now she has a husband, is pregnant with a child, and everything starts from her own home.

She will kill anyone who destroys her home!
...

...

Before the provincial examination at the end of July, Taoist Gu was invited by Xu Qing to visit Jiangning Prefecture.

After entering the territory of Jiangning Prefecture, Xu Qing also asked Taoist Gu to observe the many workshops in Jiangning Prefecture and the soul stone mines on Qishan Island.

The soul stone vein is extremely attractive to Fang Xiandao and is more valuable than a gold mine.

This is because many of Fang Xian Dao's Taoist magic mechanisms rely on soul stones to drive them.

However, although Nanyang has abundant resources, there are no soul stone veins.

Not to mention Nanyang, even in the Great Yu Dynasty, the discovered soul stone veins are still very rare. They are either in the hands of the court or in the hands of holy places of cultivation such as the Great Zen Temple.

Not to mention Fang Xiandao, even many wealthy and powerful people couldn't get involved.

Soul Stone will become the hard currency for transactions between Xu Qing and Fang Xiandao.

After seeing the mineral vein with his own eyes, Master Gu became more determined to cooperate with Xu Qing.

"Xu Jieyuan, you said you asked me to come here for something important. I wonder what it is?" After having a friendly exchange with Xu Qing, Taoist Gu couldn't help but ask.

Xu Qing: "I plan to go to Beijing to participate in the imperial examination next year, and I hope to invite Master Gu to go to Beijing with me."

Taoist Gu was shocked: "How can this be possible?"

Xu Qing was of course aware of Master Gu's concerns. After all, Fang Xiandao and the Dayu court were not on good terms. If he went to the capital, wouldn't it be like throwing a meat bun at a dog and never coming back?

Xu Qing: "Since the Prime Minister has cooperated with you, he will never murder the Taoist priest. Moreover, with Xu as a guarantor, he will never put the Taoist priest in danger. If the Taoist priest is not used to staying in the capital, he can leave at any time."

Taoist Gu still hesitated.

Xu Qing continued, "There are many rare collections in the capital, which will definitely be helpful to the Taoist priest's practice. I invited the Taoist priest to the capital for this reason."

In any case, the capital of the Dayu Dynasty is the most culturally diverse place in the world. The waters there are deep and the opportunities are also great.

Taoist Gu was originally interested in the many collections of the Great Yu Dynasty. After hearing this, he was inevitably moved. He asked, "How will this benefit Xu Jieyuan?"

Xu Qing: "I would like to ask the Taoist priest to use the resources of the capital to further research mechanisms that can replace manpower. There are many craftsmen families in the capital, and they all have some unique skills. If everyone works together, they will definitely be able to create many practical mechanisms. Once they are promoted, it will be a great merit for the people of the world."

Taoist Gu: "If we study these in the capital, won't all the benefits go to the court?"

Xu Qing laughed loudly: "In the previous dynasty, your sect developed many mechanisms and firearms that were beneficial to the military. What happened? Were they used?"

In fact, it was used, but the people who used it were rebel forces such as Dayu Taizu.

The current Minister of Works who is in charge of specific affairs is the eldest son of the Prime Minister.

As long as Xu Qing reaches an agreement with the Prime Minister, the resources of the Ministry of Works will be at Xu Qing's disposal. He is an upright and open-minded person. If these studies can be used by the Great Yu Dynasty, promoted throughout the country, and benefit the people, what's wrong with Xu Qing being a loyal minister of the Great Yu Dynasty for the rest of his life?

If Dayu Chao can't use it well, Xu Qing will do it himself.

He had laid the foundation and made preparations for a rebellion, but as long as the world was stable, Xu Qing would never rebel.

Of course, Xu Qing would not stretch his neck and wait for the imperial guillotine to fall.

The worst that could happen would be going out to sea.

Gu Daoren certainly knew about these past events. Understanding the truth is one thing, but having this kind of pattern and bearing is another.

The spirit that Xu Qing exuded when he raised his hands and feet showed that he could do this kind of thing well, but no one else could.

This is the true imperial pattern.

Not only can I do it, but you certainly can't do it without me.

The country, the people of the world, cannot be shouldered by just one person.

In Gu Daoren's opinion, it was not a surprise that Xu Qing had developed such a magnanimous character, but rather the confidence accumulated from many things.

Look at what Xu Qing did.

None of it can be accomplished without Xu Qing.

The smooth implementation of the court's reforms, apart from the Prime Minister's strategic planning and regulation of yin and yang, could it have been possible without Xu Qing's hardships and efforts in overcoming difficulties?

The reformists will disperse without him!

...

...

After Xu Qing invited Taoist Gu to stroll around, he used his own private money to invite Taoist Gu to Shuishang Yunjian to experience the customs and culture of the southeast.

This girl from Jiangnan speaks in a soft Wu dialect, has a pretty face and fair skin. She is totally different from the girl from Southeast Asia.

As the saying goes, "A cup of Wu wine with spring bamboo leaves, and two Wu girls dancing drunkenly with lotus flowers."

Taoist Gu scored twice and was in high spirits all night, needless to say.

Xu Qing personally received Master Gu because he attached great importance to him. If it were someone else, there would be no need for him to show up in person.

After Taoist Gu entered the room to learn the Wu dialect, Xu Qing went home and shook off the smell on his body on the way to ensure that there was no peculiar smell.

Shi Shiran returned home and the light in the study was on.

It turned out that Feng Wu was reading a letter.

"Whose letter is it?"

"Your little wife's."

"Ah." Xu Qing didn't react for a moment. Did he take a concubine? Thinking of his uncle Li Gongyu's experience, Xu Qing's heart skipped a beat. Aunt, please don't teach Ah Wu nonsense.

He quickly read the letter, then breathed a sigh of relief, and then did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Princess Dongming is quite interesting. She was worried that Xu Qing would not keep his promise, so she simply followed the eldest wife's route, took the initiative to greet him in the letter, sent him many special products from Southeast Asia, and even talked about her family feuds and national hatreds...

After reading it, Feng Wu wrote her a reply.

"Oh, she's so pitiful. If you don't keep your promise, I'll feel like I'm guilty." Feng Wu's eyes showed a cunning look, and he said, "Do you think she's pretty?"

"I can't remember." Xu Qing said seriously.

Feng Wu: "I think Izumo is pretty, and she also practices martial arts, and looks heroic. I like her too, not to mention you guys."

Xu Qing smiled slightly: "I will follow your instructions on matters concerning the inner house."

Feng Wu: "I'm not a jealous woman. When the child is born, you have to give him more brothers and sisters."

Xu Qing nodded. Marrying concubines and adding concubines to the harem was just to find some tools. As long as Feng Wu had no objection, he would naturally cooperate. He had many and complicated things to do, and he could not take care of the affairs of the inner court at all.

To be honest, women are weak and naturally admire strong men. Instead of thinking about these love affairs, it is better to strive for self-improvement. Strong men never lack women. They will take the initiative to give you emotional value. If there is any resentment, they will digest it by themselves.

Of course, there are exceptions.

But women who are exceptions are always a minority.

As for affectionate men, there are those too.

When Xu Qing was young in his previous life, he also longed for pure love.

But no matter whether they are men or women, they have to go through that period and then face reality. What Xu Qing should do now is to focus more on his career and worry less about these relationships between men and women.

The matter of Princess Dongming was just a spice in the lives of Xu Qing and Feng Wu.

Feng Wu even changed into a dress similar to that of Princess Dongming to play with Xu Qing to see if he liked it. Xu Qing was speechless.

In fact, it was also because Xu Qing was going to Beijing, and the young couple had to separate again, so they had to be affectionate with each other before parting.

Xu Qing worked hard all night but was still full of energy.

After the results of the provincial examination came out and several more successful candidates emerged from the Fushe Society, Xu Qing headed north to Beijing.

This time he brought Feng Qingtian and many rare treasures with him, all of which he wanted to take to the capital to make friends.

Taoist Gu took his registered disciples and followed Xu Qing.

At his age, if he doesn't struggle now, he will never have another chance to struggle.

With Xu Qing's guarantee, and the huge interests of the Dongming Gang, Fang Xiandao, the imperial court, and Xu Qing, Master Gu really doesn't have to worry about his personal safety.

The capital city, also known as Dadu in the previous dynasty, was built and operated by the people of Fangxiandao with great efforts.

Today, Master Gu is the first true disciple of Fangxiandao to return to "Dadu" in more than two hundred years, which is indeed of great historical significance.

All the bandits along the way were dealt with by Feng Qingtian, a contemporary swordsman.

This hero followed Xu Qing to the capital because his daughter was chosen as a concubine.

Now his daughter has entered the Wanshou Palace, but she has not become a concubine. Instead, with the help of Xu Qing and his wife, she has become a palace lady.

This is also a good ending.

But he always had to go and take a look to feel at ease.

Heading north, Xu Qing passed by Zhongzhou Dachan Temple.

Now that the Great Zen Temple has been closed, Xu Qing has no chance to visit. When passing by, he deeply felt that the Taishi Mountain of the Great Zen Temple had an inexplicable oppressive atmosphere.

Except for him, no one else in his group felt this kind of oppression.

I just wonder why the Dachan Temple was closed when it was doing fine.

Xu Qing understood that Xiong Chan was probably about to break through to the level of Martial Saint.

Since the mountains and rivers were shattered a hundred years ago, the Dayu Dynasty is about to have a third Martial Saint. Compared to the two previous Martial Saints who are old and even unknown whether they are alive or dead, it is hard to imagine how terrifying the threat of a Martial Saint who is at the peak of his life is.

No matter what, Xu Qing will definitely not invite Xiong Chan to hold a martial arts conference.

And Xiong Chan doesn't need to prove how good his kung fu is.

He is the abbot of Zi Da Chan Temple who has had the most difficult time becoming the abbot in the history of the temple. What other proof does he need?
It can be said that once Xiong Chan comes out of seclusion, he can even compete for the title of the number one master in the Dayu Dynasty.

Of course, it still cannot compare with the true form of the Black Mountain Demon.

But Xu Qing will get back at this place sooner or later.

Once the time is ripe, Xu Qing invites fellow Taoists from all over the world to go to Changbai Mountain. I don’t believe that he can be defeated by the Black Mountain Demon!
Arrived in the capital smoothly.

Now Xu Qing's mentor Wu was on a tour of Liaodong as the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Supervisory Office, so he was not in the capital. Xu Qing lived directly at his father-in-law's house.

This house was also bought by Xu Qing himself out of filial piety to his elders.

Living in the capital is not easy.

This house price is too expensive.

As for Gu Daoren and others, they would naturally be received by the Honglu Temple.

These matters have been discussed with the Prime Minister in advance, so there will be no problems. And the current Honglu Temple Minister is Shen Mo, Xu Qing's seat teacher for the provincial examination.

Since Xu Qing has come to Beijing, he naturally has to observe the necessary etiquette.

He was not in a hurry to give gifts everywhere, but waited for his father-in-law to come home from court.

As a Censor of the Six Departments, the officials that Lao Feng met every day, apart from the seal-holding officials of the other five departments, were basically the officials of the six ministries, the vice ministers, or the Left Censor-in-Chief, the cabinet elders and other bigwigs.

A typical person with a low position but great power, a real junior cabinet minister, with full power.

However, Mr. Feng knew that all this was not achieved through his own efforts, so he did not put on airs in front of his son-in-law.

The father-in-law and son-in-law haven't seen each other for a long time, so this time they will definitely stay up all night to have a long talk.

Xu Qing asked, "I came to the capital. Does the Prime Minister have anything to say today?"

Although Master Feng was a son-in-law, he felt that his son-in-law's words were too arrogant, and could not help but say: "You are a juren and you have to go to Beijing. The prime minister is busy, so how can he have time to talk to me about this."

Xu Qing was immediately unhappy, "I am a martial arts master after all, and you don't even have this little respect?"

Master Feng: "I know you can fight, okay. But you should keep a low profile. There are also experts in the palace."

"Sir, have you met the two legendary martial saints?" Xu Qing still habitually addressed his father-in-law as "Sir" as he did in the past.

Master Feng shook his head. "Although I haven't seen them, I have heard of them. These two martial saints have been in a state of tortoise breathing since thirty years ago, so their lifespans and peak states have been extended. But unless it's a big deal, they won't come out."

Xu Qing knew that this state of tortoise breathing would reduce life characteristics to an extremely weak level and reduce the damage to the physical body, thus extending lifespan and peak performance.

There is a Buddhist practice called Zen, which is similar to this.

According to legend, some Taoist geniuses can remain in the world with their physical bodies and live to be 150 years old. This is the reason.

What Master Feng was talking about was not a martial arts saint, but a real master of the imperial palace. In the imperial palace, in addition to an old eunuch, there were three martial arts masters, all of whom were in their prime.

These people are all arrogant and would not necessarily give face to high officials of the imperial court when they meet them.

However, they did not stay in the palace all the time, but served as the commander of the imperial guards, taking turns to be on duty in the Wanshou Palace. Outside the palace, they also had their own residences.

In a place close to the True Dragon Emperor, even the existence of Chaotian Temple Master would have his Taoist skills greatly reduced. Therefore, warriors are the most threatening to the emperor.

Therefore, they need the protection of martial arts masters and guards.

However, there is another important reason why the current emperor can live longer than the previous two emperors, and that is that the imperial physician has been changed.

Today, the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau is the emperor's confidant.

To put it bluntly, the first two emperors were most likely killed by imperial physicians.

The current emperor took elixirs indiscriminately and lived much longer than the two previous emperors.

The emperor has been in power for decades and has long since woven a tight network in the capital, with absolute authority.

Master Feng chatted with Xu Qing for a while, and then said, "I was too naive in the past. I always thought that court officials were useless. In fact, everything has its difficulties. It's not that you can do it just as you say. I never thought that you could accomplish so many extremely difficult things."

Xu Qing smiled and said, "If my son-in-law doesn't have this ability, our family will have to go to Caishikou sooner or later."

Master Feng said angrily: "You can say these words casually."

Xu Qing didn't expect that Lao Feng would become superstitious after becoming an official. Being an official would indeed change a person. He said, "My son-in-law has spoken out of turn. When is the Prime Minister free? I have to meet him in person."

Master Feng: "I'll ask you tomorrow. There are still a few months until the imperial examination. What are your plans?"

He knew that his son-in-law could not sit still, so he would cooperate with whatever arrangements his son-in-law made.

Xu Qing: "I am planning to publish a newspaper in the capital. Sir, please find some people and we can work together to make a big splash."

"Don't you have a Ming Daily in Yingtian Prefecture? I heard it's very popular in the south. Why don't you set up one in the capital as well?" Mr. Feng asked curiously.

Xu Qing was very self-aware and said, "The waters in the capital are too deep. If I use my name, it will inevitably arouse jealousy and cause conflicts. It is more appropriate for you Qingliu to handle this matter, and you can also make some extra money by the way."

"What extra money?"

"We will pay you for writing for this newspaper, and the price is not low."

"What are your requirements?" Mr. Feng couldn't help but be eager to try. It was really embarrassing to always ask his daughter and son-in-law for subsidies. It would be best if he could be self-reliant.

Xu Qing was surprised and said, "Sir, are you planning to submit your manuscript? I told you that I would let you be the chief editor, responsible for reviewing the manuscripts, and you would receive a monthly salary of 100 taels of silver."

Although it is the capital, one hundred taels a month is a lot of money.

"I am a censor of the Sixth Department. Wouldn't it have a bad influence if I were the chief editor of a tabloid?" Mr. Feng was moved but a little hesitant when he heard this.

Xu Qing: "If anyone says something weird, I'll go to him and argue with him."

Master Feng nodded subconsciously, and then hurriedly said: "Fighting and killing are always bad, let's discuss this matter later."

Having said that, he still felt very happy. With his son-in-law's support, Mr. Feng felt more confident.

Xu Qing was so disappointed that he said, "I want to make some trouble so that I can live a peaceful life. You have to cooperate with me."

"What do you mean?" Mr. Feng was a little confused.

Xu Qing sighed secretly. Old Feng was not scheming enough. Xie Quan would definitely know everything. Xu Qing explained, "I will cause some trouble and then ask His Majesty for mercy. First, it can be regarded as a reward for my merits. Second, His Majesty also has some experience with me, so he can use me with more confidence. Third, it can also show our methods, so that no one will bother me without knowing the truth, and my life will be less troublesome."

Master Feng didn't expect that there was such a thing. He actually knew that this was a common way to defile himself, but he just didn't realize it at the moment. After all, he defiled himself because he was so successful that he threatened his master. You are just a small scholar...

But to be honest, the son-in-law’s contribution is indeed great.

Master Feng: "It's hard for you to think so much. Have you already decided who to go against?"

Xu Qing: "So I have to meet the Prime Minister first and let him name a price and tell me who he wants me to kill."

Master Feng: “…”

This can also be used to negotiate a deal!
High, it is high!

(End of this chapter)