After being exiled, I led my whole family to rebel.

Chapter 306 Talking behind the back
But after all, she is her brother's pillow. In the future, that sweet lady may become a concubine, a noble concubine, or even a queen.

Zhou Ying despised Chen Jiaoniang's style in her heart, but she couldn't be her enemy.

Zhou Ying could only say: "I don't know, maybe my brother has been feeling depressed since he hasn't been in her yard for a long time."

"What about Ayu?"

"Cried all afternoon."

Zhou Heng frowned and stopped at his feet, as if he didn't want to enter the house.

Zhou Ying could see clearly that her brother was tired of dealing with women, especially women who cried.

"Brother, you should go comfort Sister Ayu. She is so devoted to you that she abandoned the entire Fang family to join us in Qiongzhou. This affection is worth thousands of gold." Zhou Ying paused in her throat and continued, "Besides, she is still needed for the firearms matter. Check. We have invested so much in the front, and there is no room for failure in the back.”

A smile appeared on Zhou Heng's face, "My sister is right."

So, Zhou Heng pushed the door open and entered.

He walked slowly into the house, then opened the green curtain, and Zhou Ying said with a smile: "Sister Ruyu, my brother is here to see you. As soon as he knew the news, he immediately left his official duties and came over."

But Zhou Heng had already picked up the newspaper on the ground, flipped through it, and saw in an inconspicuous corner the letter of divorce written by the uncle of the Fang family. Although there were only a few dozen words, the words were righteous and the writing was indifferent. It can be seen that The Fang family hates each other deeply.

Zhou Heng then said: "That's what happened, Ayu, don't worry, the people I sent just happened to come back and said that Xu Zhenying did not harm the Fang family because of your incident, they were just dismissed from their posts, and now they are all living well. "

Fang Ruyu's eyes were red and swollen from crying. At this moment, she finally stopped her tears. Zhou Ying immediately used a handkerchief to wipe her tears affectionately, "Good sister, did you hear that the Fang family is alive and well!"

Fang Ruyu didn't seem to have thought of this, and her face showed a slight joy.

Zhou Heng rolled up the newspaper slowly, then walked to sit next to Fang Ruyu, "It is inevitable for the Fang family to be angry. It is better to let them get angry than to lose their lives. Besides, I will take it out one day in the future. When they go to Jinzhou Prefecture, they can wash away their grievances and return to their previous positions."

Fang Ruyu then broke down in tears and smiled, "Your Highness is right, as long as we make firearms quickly, we can turn our defense into an offense and take back the city that belongs to us."

When it came to firearms, Zhou Heng seemed a little impatient, "Speaking of firearms, I heard Master Meng say today that the gunpowder has arrived?"

"Well, that Mr. Wang helped us get it, and it has been placed over at the camp now."

"I heard that the most important raw material for firearms is gunpowder. Xu Zhenying used this gunpowder to blow open the city gate of Lan County, thus occupying Lan County and starting her foundation. In this way, the gunpowder is extremely powerful. Is the camp safe?”

"Don't worry, Your Highness, as long as there is no open flame or fuse, there is no way to ignite gunpowder. What's more, the camp is the safest place in Qiongzhou. Gunpowder is not a trivial matter. What if someone steals it?"

Although Zhou Heng still felt that something was wrong, it was clear that Fang Ruyu's words were clear and logical, so he had no choice but to keep silent.

"Ruyu, we have invested hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in this firearm issue in the early stage, and the tax revenue of the entire Qiongzhou for several years has been filled in. The people under me are already a little anxious, and even want to force me to stop making firearms. , I am also a little hesitant, can this firearm... really be made? "

Fang Ruyu stared into Zhou Heng's eyes, frowning slightly. I felt pity for him, "Your Highness, don't you believe me?"

"It's not that I don't believe it." Zhou Heng took advantage of the situation and grabbed Fang Ruyu's hand, "It's just... Today's battle report shows that we have lost another city. If this continues, the power of Jinzhou Prefecture will become more and more powerful, and Jiang Yongkang is afraid that he will fight soon. It’s at the doorstep.”

"Your Highness, firearms are the only bargaining chip we have to make a comeback. Without firearms, we will only lose faster." Fang Ruyu's eyes were red and swollen, but her voice was firm, "Don't worry, Your Highness, the gunpowder has been placed in the warehouse of the military camp. Then The barrels of the firearms are also on the way to transportation. As long as these two things are in place, we will soon be able to reverse the situation. "

After Zhou Heng received Fang Ruyu's unequivocal guarantee, his face couldn't help but light up, "Seriously?"

"That's right, I originally wanted to tell His Highness the good news today, but I didn't know that Chen Jiaoniang..."

After saying that, Fang Ruyu looked at Zhou Heng angrily, and Zhou Heng quickly pulled her into his arms, "Is Ruyu jealous?"

Fang Ruyu pushed him away gently, her face a little shy, but she couldn't help but look at Zhou Ying: "Your Highness, please let go, Your Highness is here."

Zhou Ying smiled and said, "Well, I suddenly felt a little hungry. I wanted to go to my sister-in-law's small kitchen to see if there are any ready-made snacks."

After saying that, she turned around and left, and also asked all the girls to retreat.

After everyone had dispersed, Fang Ruyu said shyly, "How can I be jealous of my dear girl! I know that her father has a distinguished status and is a high official in charge of money and land in Qiongzhou Prefecture. His Highness naturally has to pamper her." Fang Ruyu Looking at him, his red and swollen eyes seemed to be smiling reluctantly, "Your Highness, I understand everything."

Zhou Heng stroked her head with some distress and said, "Ayu, you are following me now with an unjust name and will always attract criticism from others. Why don't we get married first."

Fang Ruyu shook her head and looked miserable: "Your Highness, my family is all in Jinzhou now. How can I get married? Getting married is also a joke in Qiongzhou. How can a bride get married without a member of her family? Where will I get married and where will my parents be? Where are the sisters and brothers?”

Zhou Heng felt a little distressed, "Blame me, blame me, blame me for not thinking carefully enough. I was too eager—"

"Your Highness, I hope we can return to Jinzhou Mansion in glory and hold a wedding in glory, so that my parents can feel at ease."

"Okay, don't worry." Zhou Heng hugged her tightly, "As long as we make firearms, I will definitely take over Jinzhou Mansion immediately. At that time, I will carry a big sedan chair, marry you with a matchmaker, and welcome you in with three letters and six appointments - —”

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Somewhere on Cotton Mountain in Gangneung Prefecture.

It is the season when the grass grows and the orioles fly, the mountains and forests are green, and the feeling of spring is getting stronger.

The last batch of cotton was picked last year, and now the mountains are bare, with only trees and flowers to enjoy.

Under the pavilion, a dozen young talents were sitting around the stove making tea, wearing feather fans and silk towels, and talking loudly, which was quite an elegant experience.

One of the students with a long and thin face pointed to a farmer in the distance and said, "The Luo Yin spinning machine came out in Jinzhou Prefecture. It has only been two or three months, and the prices of ready-made clothes, spinning yarn, cotton cloth, etc. have plummeted on the market. , now even this ordinary farmer can dress decently and cleanly. As expected, His Royal Highness King Zhao is protected by heaven, and his fortune is beyond the reach of human beings. Look at Jiangling Prefecture now. It is probably as prosperous as Bianjing. Almost-"

Another person held a white porcelain teacup in his hand, shook his head and said: "How can a woman be blessed by the dragon's energy? The hen in the morning is only the rope of the family, and only the woman's words are used. Fainting and sacrificing without answering, it is a sign of misfortune. Ear. Look at how many female officials we have in Jiangling Prefecture. Let’s just say that Song Zhifu is only seventeen years old. To put it bluntly, she is just a little girl with no hair. It also forces the academy to carry out some reforms, not only admitting so many poor students, but also teaching the four arithmetic. This is neither fish nor fowl, and the ethics are often regarded as nothing. Is it possible that in the next imperial examination, we will have to compete with these brothel prostitutes, dock coolies, and so on. Are you guys from the countryside competing together? Tsk, tsk, tsk, I think it’s better to escape to Bianjing City, where Confucianism is orthodox!”

"Brother Peng is wrong. Those four arithmetic topics are much more in-depth than the arithmetic we are learning now, and have been verified in fields such as land distribution, accounting, budgeting, and military affairs. Not to mention other things, at least the arithmetic from Jinzhou Prefecture Knowledge is ahead of the Zhou Dynasty!"

"I know that the knowledge is true, but it only took us more than ten years of hard study, and now we have to start all over again. What's more important is that in the past, we only competed with hundreds and thousands of people, but now we have to compete with thousands Thousands of people fight!”

These words aroused the echo of other students.

"Yes, books that used to cost one tael now sell for dozens of pennies, not to mention paper and pens. The shops selling pens, inks, paper and inkstones in Jiangling Prefecture have gone bankrupt. Only one or two companies have timely connections with Jinzhou Prefecture. Made a lot of money.”

"Not to mention that after the pinyin was promoted, many people could learn to read on their own. How could they still study and practice as diligently as we did in the early days of Mongolia. They don't pay attention to the character of the calligraphy. They just can read and write. The ancient ink classics are even more It's completely unreasonable. It's ridiculous that the Song magistrate, who has never studied the Four Books and Five Classics, can manage such a large Jiangling Mansion."

"Isn't it? We scholars are really struggling now. You said let us start over and study with those in the literacy class. I don't want to lose my status and be on an equal footing with those mud-legged people. But if we remain in this stalemate, Seeing that the female queen has now captured twelve states, this month's newspaper also said that the war in the west is progressing smoothly. I am afraid that there will be good news from there soon, and by then she will occupy most of the Zhou Dynasty. In this country, Jin Xue has become the orthodoxy. What will we do? Is it possible that we will look for a way out? But by then, the positions of all the officials will be full, so what can we do to compete with them? "

When everyone heard the words, they all felt that these words spoke to their hearts, and they couldn't help but feel downcast.

Yes, it doesn’t matter that the queen is fighting for the throne, but why must Confucianism be abolished?
If "benevolence, justice, propriety, wisdom and trust" are abandoned, what orthodoxy will the female queen use to govern the entire country?

"You can learn from Deng Lianxin in our courtyard. As soon as this person from Jinzhou Prefecture came, he immediately asked the mountain chief to abolish the Confucian teaching materials and study Jin Dynasty instead. It is simply an insult to the teacher!"

"Don't look down on this kind of wallflower. Now he is a famous person in front of the Song Prefecture. He is just waiting for the next civil service examination to rise to prominence——"

Waves of sarcastic laughter came.

"It's really a dead end in front of us." The person who spoke sighed repeatedly, "It would be great if something happened to the female queen. It would be best if a thunderbolt strikes her to death. Maybe our Zhou Dynasty can survive forever—— "

Someone immediately warned: "Don't talk nonsense. Your Highness, Prince Zhao, is only eighteen years old now. It's time for him to be strong. He will live for at least several decades -"

It seems that when it comes to that familiar yet unfamiliar person, even though these dozen or twenty people are dissatisfied, they are still afraid.

So the one who spoke first laughed and said, "There is no way out for us. When His Highness ascends the throne in the future, we can go to the audition to select the emperor's wife." The group of people laughed, Some laughed sadly, and some laughed helplessly.

On the road not far from them, Xu Zhenying, who was in the carriage, heard the discussion of the students and almost spit out a mouthful of tea.

Lin Han looked at her resentfully and said, "Look, it's not just the old minister who is thinking about the heir. The students in Jiangling Mansion are also thinking about it. Your Highness didn't see anyone in this group of people who was pleasing to the eye or who looked good." Pretty?"

Xu Zhenying was speechless and choked. Lin Han was acting like a mother-in-law. He never talked about heirs and marriage. Even the Miao family was not as diligent as him.

The most disgusting thing is that Lin Han, an old man who is good at saving the country through twists and turns, was smiling and praising her for her foresight in not getting married for the time being. Then he turned around and went to see Miao and asked Miao to help her get married.

Xu Zhenying lived for thirty years in her previous life and was not forced to get married by Old Man Xu. Now Old Man Lin has made it up to her.

"Mr. Lin, are they thinking about the heir? Didn't you hear they were scolding me just now?"

Mr. Lin smiled slightly, his eyes sparkling, "Your Highness, don't worry, since you are visiting privately incognito, you will definitely hear a lot of scoldings along the way. Especially in various academies, students are arrogant, and you have cut off other people's reputation. On the way to the imperial examination, people are not allowed to gather in private to scold you. Where are you? You are so broad-minded that you shouldn't care about a bunch of childish students, right? "

Chang Yuanshan, who was outside the carriage, said: "Your Highness, they made rude remarks. Do you need me to teach them a lesson?"

Xu Zhenying held his forehead, "That's not necessary. Mr. Lin is right. These people have been studying hard for more than ten years. Once I cut off the Qingyun Road, they will naturally have to let people complain."

This time, Xu Zhenying went on an incognito patrol all the way east. Xu Zhenying's excuse to the outside world was that the battlefield in the east was unstable and she needed to deal with it personally.

Of course, only some people at the top level knew about this.

Xu Yinxi took Pang Xiaohua and Jiang Chaoping to temporarily act as government agents.

Zhao Qiaonian, Mr. Lin, Ming Xiaoshuang, and two people from the secretarial office, Chang Yuanshan and Qu Min, who came from the military ranks, followed, plus Zhou Houfang.

Of course, Ming Xiaoshuang was responsible for safety. Although they traveled lightly and within their own boundaries, Ming Xiaoshuang felt as if he was facing a powerful enemy. He picked almost all the good soldiers in the military camp to form a team. Strong security team.

The driver who drives the carriage, the accompanying boy, and the girl who takes care of daily life are all good soldiers in the army. They are good at hiding, strong in combat, and highly vigilant. They can be said to be impeccable.

Even a male and female doctor each brought one.

This configuration is not weak.

Zhou Houfang heard this and said with a smile: "Your Highness is generous and doesn't care about them. To be honest, it's because they didn't change in time. When the wave of reform comes, it's all about who can be open-minded, let go, and grasp it." Opportunity. Those who are pedantic and do not know how to adapt, and only know how to blame others, will not be good officials even if they are admitted to the imperial examination in the Zhou Dynasty. "

Xu Zhenying tapped Zhou Houfang's shoulder lightly with a fan, "When you go out, remember to call me boss. Don't reveal your identity. Although it is only a matter of time before your identity is exposed, the first thing you can do is conceal it as long as you can."

Seemingly remembering something again, Xu Zhenying asked Zhou Houfang: "By the way, how is your father after he is released from prison?"

Zhou Houfang had nothing to hide from Xu Zhenying. At this moment, she also had a helpless smile on her face: "When my father first came out, he was really no different from these sour scholars. I'm not afraid of your jokes. My father would scold you at home for a while." Si Chen disturbed Chao Gang, scolding me for causing harm to the country and the people, and crying bitterly, saying that the fate of the Zhou Dynasty was about to end, and he just wanted to drive me out of the Zhou family. My mother was implicated a lot and was imprisoned by my father. I spent a month thinking about it on the wall in the Buddhist hall."

Xu Zhenying raised his eyebrows, "Is this happening?"

When Zhou Houfang talked about these things, not only Xu Zhenying, but also Mr. Lin, Zhao Qionian, Ming Xiaoshuang and others showed great interest.

Zhou Houfang is different from others. She is a native of Jinzhou, and she is the daughter of an official family. Without being influenced by Jin studies, she was able to be picked up by His Highness, which shows that she has excellent abilities.

In addition to her embarrassing status, her father was the former general judge of Jinzhou Prefecture, and was locked in a prison cell by His Highness for half a year. Some time ago, the Chang family's entire family was sent to work in the mining industry, while the Zhou family was acquitted. Everyone suspected that there must be something fishy involved.

Zhou Houfang said: "That's not true. Later, he got tired of scolding and had nothing to do at home, so he could only communicate with his old friends. Now he is obsessed with arithmetic courses and has met the arithmetic teachers at the institute. That period There is less time for scolding, but people are still a little depressed.”

"When His Highness won the Eleven Prefectures, my father obviously changed his mentality. Although he still has a straight face towards me now, he no longer scolds me frequently, and occasionally gives me some official experience. This time I When I was told that I would be traveling for a month or two, my mother was reluctant to leave and worried about it, but my father ordered someone to prepare my luggage and also helped to persuade my mother.”

"I canceled my marriage to the Chang family before, and my father Lei Lei was furious. He was always worried that I would not be able to get married and would become a joke to the Zhou family in the future. But now he has not mentioned a word about asking me to get married as soon as possible. I even heard him and My mother said it would be okay if I got married later."

"Now my father attaches great importance to my mother, and they are even more harmonious with each other. In the past, my backyard was not peaceful, and my aunt always fought hard for favor. Now they have stopped thinking about it and have turned to supervising the homework of my sisters. Maybe they have looked away and feel that it is better to rely on their father than on their own girls.”

Xu Zhenying nodded frequently after hearing this, and then said with a smile: "Look, it's useless to talk about it, we have to show actual results. Only if we become stronger and stronger, and our fists get bigger, will the voices of opposition get bigger and bigger." The smaller.”

The group of people all agreed and continued walking forward.

Xu Zhenying specially picked a good time to go on the road. Although the cotton had not been sown yet and there was not a patch of white snow in sight, the grass was growing, orioles were flying, and the ice and snow were melting.

The air in the mountain forest is fresh. Farmers with hoes occasionally travel through the mountains and fields. From time to time, you can hear the sound of children chanting Pinyin at the throat. Occasionally, a white bird fluttering its wings flashes past the green shadow, leaving a startling scene. Hong glanced.

This is the first time Xu Zhenying has gone out so far.

I think it has been more than five years since she came to the Zhou Dynasty. In addition to suffering hardships during her exile at the beginning, she then took root in Lan County and Jinzhou Prefecture, where she stayed for four or five years.

It seemed as if in her world, there was only that square corner of the government office.

She was trapped in the conference room.

Therefore, the proposal to take a trip was not only due to the needs of the eastern battlefield, but also her personal selfishness.

A good governor cannot be separated from the grassroots.

What's more, as a time traveler, she had no idea what the real Zhou Dynasty was like.

"The current queen of Jiangling Mansion is a girl named Song Luo, right?"

Zhou Houfang immediately said: "That's right."

After saying that, she laughed again: "Speaking of which, she and I were in the same batch of official examinations. I was in the same examination room as her at that time. I didn't expect that her promotion was quite fast. She was the fastest among our batch. "

"I have an impression of her. She is a very bold and adventurous girl."

Zhou Houfang recalled the type of girl Xu Zhenying liked.

She obviously prefers bold and aggressive women like Feng'er, Wang Sanniang and Song Luo.

It's just that Xu Zhenying has always been fair in doing things. It seems that she also likes Pang Xiaohua, who is quiet and meticulous, and Xu Yinxi, who is calm and capable. After all, there seems to be nothing she doesn't like.

Hey, it's really sad that you can't understand the thoughts of the superiors.

Xu Zhenying asked again: "I remember Qi Er seems to be in Jiangling Mansion, right?"

"Minister Qi should be going to Xiangzhou. The cotton planting industry in Bao'an Prefecture and Jiangling Prefecture has basically taken shape, and we just need to follow the previous steps. On the other hand, Xiangzhou is a newly occupied city by us. The people are in poverty and need to invest more manpower, material and financial resources to develop business and revitalize the economy. "

Xu Zhenying nodded, "Yes, after Feng'er, the Minister of Commerce, left, only Qi Er, the Deputy Minister, was left to support her. If a city was built in front of her, she had to follow her immediately, which was really hard work. But after all, Qi Er Er is only in his twenties——"

I don't know what came to mind, Xu Zhenying lowered his eyes, seeming to be thinking.

Everyone had no choice but to stay silent and not disturb him.

After a while, Xu Zhenying frowned and said, "Do you think... our cadre team is too young?"

Mr. Lin smiled and said: "Isn't it bad to be young? Although I lack experience, I am not tainted with bureaucratic spirit. In addition, my body is strong, so I am much stronger than our old bones."

Xu Zhenying shook his head, "We need fresh blood, but there are disadvantages in having too young a cadre team. The first is lack of experience, which can be remedied over time. Second, our cadres are all so young, which means The other young people below have no chance of advancement.”