Chapter 1310 Reverse Zhang Family

Chapter 1310 Reverse Zhang Family

Chapter 1310 Returning Home
Chen Kui quickly returned to Xuchang. When he entered the city, he collided head-on with a funeral procession and immediately avoided to the side of the road.

The roadside was crowded with people watching the fun. After asking around, they found out that Chen Jingen, the elder brother of Chen Yougen, the Privy Councilor and Prince's Tutor, had passed away, and today was the day for his burial.

He suddenly thought of something: Should Chen Yougen mourn for his brother?

With this thought in mind, he quietly observed from the side.

Sure enough, he soon saw Chen Yougen in plain clothes and Chen Yingen, the captain of the Bianliang city gate - the four brothers of the Chen family. Chen Tonggen followed Shao Shen deep into the Xianbei enemy's rear in his early years and died in battle on the way back.

But why plain clothes? Chen Yingen was wearing hemp clothes. Could it be that Chen Yougen was deprived of his love by imperial decree?

Chen Kui withdrew his gaze, thought carefully, and finally came to a conclusion: Chen Yougen could not return home to mourn, especially at this critical juncture.

After figuring it out, he looked at the funeral procession going away and saw quite a few officials coming.

Yang Xuan, former governor of Yingchuan and current deputy governor of Yuzhou, Jin Zhaoming, former military official of the Jin court and current governor of Yingchuan, Qian Ji, former lieutenant of Tanshan and current magistrate of Xuchang and military student, represented the state, county and prefecture levels respectively. In addition, Chen Jingen's comrades in the Zuo Feilong Guard and friends of the Chen brothers were all present. Even if they could not come, they would send their close sons and nephews to come, so the scene was quite grand.

The onlookers were also amazed.

Since the emperor was appointed General Pingdong and governor of Yuzhou in his early years, many of his former followers settled in Xuchang, and the three brothers Chen Jingen were one of them (Chen Yougen settled in Luoyang).

After these three families moved in, there were two Chen families in Xuchang, one civil and one military. So far, the old Chen family is still more famous, but the new Chen family is also very strong. The descendants of the three brothers of Jin Gen continue to fight in the army, and some have made military achievements. On the contrary, some of the old Chen family crossed the river to the south, and some stayed behind. Now they are supported by Chen Jing, the governor of Yizhou, and their stamina does not seem to be that strong.

Chen Kui had heard of this kind of discussion and was quite dissatisfied, but he had to admit the reality.

Someone in this generation of the Chen family drank too much and died young;
Some people, without much talent, simply went to the south of the Yangtze River to manage their business;
Some people entered the government through family connections and became county magistrates, county lieutenants, and county magistrates, but they were never able to get promoted.

Chen Kui had married the prince and had the brightest future, but now he has encountered setbacks and is feeling lost.

Are we going to let the vulgar and uncultured fake Yingchuan Chen family get to the top?
Chen Kui sighed softly and returned home.

The Chen Mansion was considered luxurious in Xuchang City, but perhaps due to his change of mood, Chen Kui felt that this house passed down from his ancestors exuded a dilapidated atmosphere everywhere, just like the former Fan Yang Palace diagonally opposite.

Huh? Someone lives in the Prince of Fanyang's Palace? Uh, the gate tower seems to have been rebuilt, and it has become the Prince of Chu's Palace?

As he was peeking, he saw the main door of the palace opened wide, and a group of people walked out, surrounded by a man and two women, all of whom looked to be in their twenties.

He knew the woman, Princess Jingfu Shaofu.

Her Tangmuyi is located on the former site of Gyeongbokgung Palace beside the canal southeast of the city. She is considered a famous place near Xuchang.

He knew two other people better, Prince Shao Gui of Chu and his Queen Zu.

The three of them chatted and laughed as if they were visiting relatives - well, they were relatives.

"My aunt is also going to accompany the emperor?" A faint voice came from the wind. It was the voice of Princess Zu of Chu.

"Yes, I want to go to the plain with my mother." Shao Fu said, "Sixth sister will go with us."

Zu felt a little envious when he heard this, but seemed to be paying attention to something and didn't say anything.

King Shao Gui of Chu stood aside with no expression on his face.

Chen Kui secretly sneered in his heart. He was still like this after all these years. It's not like the emperor didn't give you a chance. Who can you blame if you didn't seize it?

Seeing the King of Chu, Chen Kui was reminded of the King of Qi, the oldest of all the princes.

Prince Zhang of Qi is already 29 years old this year. It can be said that he is the eldest son who makes him successful or fails.

As the eldest son of a concubine, he is the oldest and has the most experience. He is the first to come into the emperor's sight. His abilities are actually not bad, and his skills grow with more experience.

But he also failed because of his status as the eldest son. The reason was simple. The emperor had this child when he was 20 years old. If the emperor lived another ten years, the King of Qi would be in his 40s and it would be unlikely for him to take over the throne.

Age is both his advantage and his disadvantage.

Furthermore, if household affairs are not handled properly, the opportunity has already been lost and there is no need to worry about it.

I heard that the King of Qi was sent to Qingzhou again a while ago, still as the Qingzhou Surveillance Commissioner and concurrently the Prefect of Donglai. Everyone in the Eastern Palace just kept a slight eye on this man and no longer took him seriously.

Compared to the King of Qi, the King of Chu once had a slightly better chance, but now it has disappeared.

"When will my eldest sister go to Bianliang?" King Gui of Chu suddenly asked.

"Just these few days, brother, do you want to go with me?" Shao Fu asked.

"Let's go together." Shao Gui said after a moment of silence.

"Okay." Shao Fu walked towards the carriage parked in front of the door and said, "I'm going to Xiangyang to stay for a while after the New Year. I'll be back in May. Do you want to go, brother?"

A nostalgic look appeared on Shao Gui's face.

He traveled back and forth between Nanyang and Xiangyang many times. He carefully inspected every river there, dug many ponds, dredged many rivers, and renovated some dilapidated riverbanks.

This is a dirty and hard job that many people are unwilling to do, but my father can't see it. Last month, they even lured and arrested Duan Liao and his son, the right attendant of the palace, and arrested all the guests and interrogated them one by one.

In his eyes, there are probably only the Crown Prince, the King of Yan and the King of Zhao? Now, perhaps there is also the King of Han.

Shao Gui calmed down, shook his head and said, "Xiangyang is much better than when we first took it, and the scenery is even more beautiful. It would be nice for my elder sister to stay there for a while, so I won't go."

Shao Fu didn't take it seriously and said, "Forget it, second brother, you should rest at home."

After saying this, he bowed, got in the car and left.

******
When the carriage approached the tall and thick wall of Jingfu Garden, the family soldiers with swords and bows at the gate opened the gate and bowed down on the side of the road.

The car came to a wide courtyard without stopping. Two maids got out of the car first, and then one on each side held Shao Fu's hand and got out of the car. Two people followed behind, holding up her gorgeous skirt.

The craftsmen who were working in the yard all saluted.

The housekeeper Liu Miao came over, bowed, and then reported: "Princess, the wood has been found. It was bought from Ruyangfang. It has been dried in the shade for four years and the material is of high quality."

Shao Fu nodded and said, "King Han has received a new mission to investigate the water diversion of rivers and canals in the north. The first stop is Yingchuan. Don't delay the dismantling of the water mill. Pick out the usable materials and do what you want."

"Yes, sir." Liu Miao replied.

Shao Fu glanced at the craftsmen again and said, "It's almost the New Year. Give each of them two pieces of meat jerky, three catties of fruit, and one hu of grain."

After saying that, he turned around, got on the carriage, and soon arrived at the back house.

What she just said about being sent by the King of Han was true.

After the mourning period was over, his father ordered him to investigate the cases of local nobles, military officials, and ministers who had arbitrarily cut off water to build water-powered mills, and to demolish any one he found.

Water-powered pestles are very convenient, and they are very efficient at pounding rice and grinding flour, and the cost is low. However, people with insight know that in areas where water resources are not so abundant, if local nobles flock to use water-powered pestles, it will actually have a great impact on agricultural production, so every dynasty will investigate this matter.

Although the crackdowns are often carried out in a gust of wind and the old habits return within a few years, they do have some effect.

This is truly a competition with the people for profits. The hydraulic machinery of the wealthy is undoubtedly a major cancer in agricultural production. As the weather turns cold for the fourth consecutive year, agricultural production is undoubtedly the most important thing, so it is not surprising that it is being investigated.

Therefore, Shao Fu decided to try to build the octagonal windmill that Yang Ben had just presented to Tiangongyuan - eight upright prisms, each equipped with a sail, so as to capture the different wind directions in different seasons as much as possible.

Three full years have passed since I received the emperor's reward at the end of the sixth year of Kaiping to study the octagonal windmill.

Yang Ben's face became paler and paler, and he had more and more children. Fortunately, he finally made the octagonal windmill before the deadline, and was awarded the title of Bachelor of Tiangong Academy and fifty pieces of silk.

The difference can be seen here. Shen Shao, who proposed the idea of ​​buoyancy, was rewarded with 100 pieces of silk, while Yang Ben, who made the windmill, was only rewarded with 50 pieces. It is obvious that the emperor values ​​"reason" more.

Yang Ben couldn't explain much of the reason, or it was vague, and there was only a layer of window paper that couldn't be broken. He could only make things.

Shen Shao summarized the principle of "buoyancy" and used it to guide ship construction.

For example, he thinks pointed-bottom boats are good.

For example, based on the principle of buoyancy, he suggested that the bottom compartments of the ship be divided into different functions, with stones at the bottom for ballast and cargo at the top. If stones could not be found for a while, Shen Shao even thought that water could be used for ballast and the divisions could be done.

This theory is shocking. In the Han Dynasty, some people used sand and stone as ballast, which is understandable, but you use water as ballast? No one has ever tried it.

But Shen Shao was very confident and always made sense of it. He pointed out that the purpose of using sand and gravel as ballast is to make the ship draft deeper and displace more water when it tilts, which in turn causes the water to "rebound" and automatically right the ship. Sand and gravel can be used for ballast, and so can water.

He even ridiculed those scholars who refuted him during his conversations, including officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Water Conservancy, saying that they did not understand reason and were like a blind man touching an elephant, who relied on their experience to figure out how to do something well and then did so without knowing why.

He understood the principles of the great way, so he dared to break the convention and go straight to the source. This was much better than the Shaofu and Du Shuijian who were groping blindly.

After hearing what Huan Wen said about this, Shao Fu felt that Shen Shao was quite right, but she still felt that what Yang Ben made was more practical and could better solve the urgent problem.

If the octagonal windmill cannot be erected before May next year, the farmhands will have to pound the rice themselves.

While thinking, I went to the bedroom.

Her husband Huan Wen was still with the emperor, so she was the only one at home with her children.

Seeing his mother coming back, Huan Zhao, who was playing outside with his maid, rushed over and called out "Mother".

Shao Fu picked up his four-year-old son and said with a smile, "When mom is not at home, your mind is full of fun."

The maid turned pale.

Shao Fu motioned her to leave, then sat down with his son in his arms, saying, "It's time to focus. I'll go to Bianliang with you in two days."

"But are we going to see Grandpa?" Huan Zhao asked.

"Aung is in Jiangzhou." Shao Fu said with a smile, "Do you still miss him?"

Huan Zhao nodded.

Shao Fu gently pinched his son's face and said, "Go to Bianliang to see your grandfather and your father-in-law."

"Grandpa is so tall." Huan Zhao exclaimed.

Shao Fu was happy and said, "Your grandfather loves children the most. When my mother was a child, she -"

After thinking about it, I decided to save some face for my father and just smiled, with a hint of warmth at the same time.

"Mother, I still like watching people make windmills." Huan Zhao said.

"You don't even want to see grandpa?" Shao Fu asked in surprise.

Huan Zhao nodded awkwardly. He had not spent much time with his father Huan Wen. He had lived in Xuchang with his mother for the entire year. He was in mourning, so his impression of his father was a little vague.

"Then you must go." Shao Fu said in a non-negotiable tone.

After that, he gave some detailed advice, such as being polite when meeting children who were about his age or even younger than him, because they might be his uncles...

Huan Zhao was stunned. He had such young uncles and aunts?
After advising his son, Shao Fu handed him over to the maid and began to settle the accounts.

On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, she and the King of Chu's family traveled north by carriage and arrived in Bianliang in a few days.

(End of this chapter)