Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 494 The Birth of Great-grandson
After receiving the imperial edict, Yang Zhengshan officially took up the post of Wu Zheng of Yanwu Pavilion.

However, the Martial Arts Pavilion doesn't even have an office now and is only on paper, so he, as the Chief Martial Artist, still has nothing to do.

Fortunately, the court quickly selected a location for the Yanwu Pavilion.

The Yanwu Pavilion is different from the Imperial College. The Imperial College is a place for studying, with classrooms and dormitories, while the Yanwu Pavilion is a place for martial artists to practice, so it must at least have a training ground.

Therefore, the residence chosen by the court for the Yanwu Pavilion was not in the city, but in the royal hunting ground in the south of the city.

The imperial hunting ground was surrounded by a 120-li wall with four gates. A government office was built inside the grounds, and one general commander and four commanders were appointed to manage it. Twenty-four gardens were set up in the grounds to raise animals and grow fruits and vegetables for the emperor and dignitaries to hunt and enjoy.

Emperor Yanping was also generous and directly set aside a manor as the residence of the Yanwu Pavilion.

After receiving the message, Yang Zhengshan immediately ran over to take a look.

The manor is very large, covering an area of ​​about a hundred acres. It was originally used to grow fruits and vegetables. There are hundreds of houses inside for slaves to live in.

However, if this place is to be used as the headquarters of the Martial Arts Pavilion, it will need to be properly renovated.

All the slaves had to be moved away, the house had to be expanded, and a wall had to be built to separate it from the royal hunting grounds.

Yang Zhengshan made a general plan, drew a blueprint, and handed it to the Ministry of Industry.

The construction of the Martial Arts Pavilion was naturally the job of the Ministry of Works. As a military official, he could not take care of this matter. Besides, he had no place to recruit craftsmen.

The Ministry of Works was very efficient and sent people to the Yanwu Pavilion site to begin construction in late May.

The main reason was that Emperor Yanping urged it to go. Of course, Yanwu Pavilion also benefited from Shangwu Temple. Emperor Yanping was eager to set up Shangwu Temple, and Yanwu Pavilion took advantage of it.

On May 28, Zhang Luan, Marquis of Jianchang, returned to the capital to take up the post of Minister of Shangwu Temple.

As June approached, the establishment of Shangwu Temple entered into full swing.

The imperial court issued an official document requiring the provincial governments of thirteen provinces to build a government office for the Shangwu Division.

At the same time, the Ministry of War selected soldiers from the nine border towns to strengthen the Shangwu Temple.

On the other side, Yang Zhengshan was also busy with the establishment of the Martial Arts Pavilion.

He didn't need to be in charge of the construction of the Martial Arts Pavilion, but he had to deal with the officials and instructors of the Pavilion personally.

In fact, the Martial Arts Pavilion does not need warriors with very high cultivation levels, because the disciples it recruits are all warriors who have just entered the post-natal realm.

To become a disciple of the Martial Arts Pavilion, two conditions must be met.

Aged under 22 years old.

The cultivation must reach the acquired realm.

Only when both conditions are met can one enter the Martial Arts Pavilion.

The Martial Arts Pavilion trains warriors with potential, that is, geniuses.

Although such a requirement may miss some late bloomers, it is the most appropriate method for the Martial Arts Pavilion to select disciples.

To teach a warrior who has just entered the acquired realm, it is sufficient to have the fifth level of acquired realm cultivation.

In addition to the cultivation requirements, the instructors at the Martial Arts Pavilion must also be good at training soldiers.

The Martial Arts Pavilion trains not just warriors, but military officers who can lead troops in battle.

Simply put, the Yanwu Pavilion is a military academy.

From now on, all disciples who come out of the Martial Arts Pavilion will be appointed by the court.

Yang Zhengshan’s goal is to turn Yanwu Pavilion into a glorious Whampoa Military Academy.

In the future, the disciples of Yanwu Pavilion will become the backbone of Darong’s army.

Therefore, all disciples of the Yanwu Pavilion must receive military training.

This also means that the instructors of the Martial Arts Pavilion must not only have a fifth-level acquired cultivation level or above, but also be good at training soldiers.

The most suitable candidates to be instructors in the Martial Arts Pavilion are undoubtedly the soldiers from Chongshan Town’s Zhenbiao Camp and Tenglong Guard.

The reason is very simple. The soldiers of Chongshan Town's Zhenbiao Camp were all trained according to Yang Zhengshan's requirements. The content of their training is in line with Yang Zhengshan's and is most in line with Yang Zhengshan's wishes.

Therefore, the Ministry of War selected more than 20 soldiers from Chongshan Town and Tenglongwei to serve as instructors and assistants in the Martial Arts Pavilion.

In addition to teaching martial arts and military training, Yang Zhengshan also selected several craftsmen and imperial physicians from the Ministry of Works and the Imperial Hospital to serve as teachers in the Yanwu Pavilion.

The eighth day of June.

The first batch of teaching staff of the Martial Arts Pavilion have all arrived, including Yang Zhengshan, a total of forty-three people.

There are fewer people, but there is nothing we can do about it.

Even with the support of the court, it would be difficult to find so many suitable people in a short period of time.

Besides, Yang Zhengshan didn’t plan to recruit too many disciples for the first batch of disciples in the Martial Arts Pavilion.

According to Yang Zhengshan's plan, the Martial Arts Pavilion will only recruit 300 disciples this year, and will expand to 1,000 people after the Martial Arts Pavilion's headquarters is built next year.

Standing in front of the building where the Martial Arts Pavilion was located, Yang Zhengshan looked at the more than forty people standing together.

The Yanwu Pavilion has one Wuzheng, who is of the fourth rank, two Siye, who are of the fifth rank, one Jiancheng, who is of the fifth rank, and one Zhubu, who is of the seventh rank.

There are also twelve temporary instructors, four martial arts instructors, four training instructors, two doctors of military strategy, one doctor of craftsmanship, and one doctor of medicine, all of whom are of the fifth rank.

There are 18 assistant teachers, 6th rank, 2 classics, 8th rank, 1 warehouse ambassador and 1 treasury ambassador, 9th rank, and 13 clerks who are not in the official ranks.

These are all the regular staff members of the Martial Arts Pavilion. Of course, this is only the temporary number of staff members of the Martial Arts Pavilion. As the construction of various buildings at the Martial Arts Pavilion is completed and more disciples are recruited, the Martial Arts Pavilion will also expand the number of instructors, assistant instructors and other officials.

But for now, these people are enough.

First build the framework of the Martial Arts Pavilion, and then slowly develop and expand it.

After Yang Zhengshan gave a brief speech on the important tasks of the Yanwu Pavilion, he brought two deans and a supervisor to the main hall of the Yanwu Pavilion.

Currently, there are hundreds of houses in the Yanwu Pavilion, but they were all inhabited by the slaves who were previously responsible for growing fruits and vegetables, so they were built in a relatively simple manner, just like a small village.

The main hall of the Martial Arts Pavilion is just a slightly larger courtyard. It was originally for the steward here to live in, and is now temporarily used as Yang Zhengshan’s office.

The two Siyes were Hong Yanfeng, who was promoted from the head of the Ministry of War, and Wan Shu, who was promoted from the supervisor of the Imperial College. The supervisor was Bao Lang, who was promoted from the judge of the Dali Temple.

These three are actually civil servants with almost no cultivation, and their duty is to be responsible for the daily operation of the Martial Arts Pavilion.

The person who is truly responsible for teaching his disciples is actually Yang Zhengshan. Of course, Yang Zhengshan is only the leader, and the specific teaching and training still depends on the instructors below.

"The conditions here are simple, so let's just make do with what we have now!"

In the main hall, Yang Zhengshan sat in the main seat and spoke casually.

The three of them stood respectfully in front of Yang Zhengshan.

Yang Zhengshan glanced at them and said, "You may not know me very well. I am always easy-going. You don't need to be so reserved in front of me!"

easy going!

When the three heard this, they all started to murmur in their hearts.

You are a god of death who kills without blinking an eye. You slaughtered more than 100,000 Hu people in the north and burned 100,000 troops to death in a single fire at Guanshan Pass.

What's more, you didn't even give face to Prince Ning. Not only did you ridicule Prince Ning, but you even submitted a memorial to His Majesty requesting that Prince Ning be allowed to become a fief.

Who would believe that you are easy-going?
The three of them were not unfamiliar with their new superior.

On the contrary, they made careful inquiries before coming again.

The result is that this person is a tyrannical master.

Seeing that the three people were still silent, Yang Zhengshan was too lazy to talk nonsense and directly ordered: "Master Hong, you will be responsible for the repair of our martial arts pavilion for the time being. The classrooms, houses, training grounds, etc., all need to be repaired. Although the conditions are a bit shabby now, we must make it look better."

The residence built by the Ministry of Works will definitely not be available for occupancy for the time being. Now the Martial Arts Pavilion only has a few hundred houses. We can repair them and use them for the time being.

"As you command!" Hong Yanfeng responded.

"Master Wan, you are responsible for recruiting disciples. We can only recruit the first batch of disciples in Kyoto, mainly the children of nobles and officials. I have only one principle, and that is to rather have no one than to have unqualified ones." Yang Zhengshan said again.

The Martial Arts Pavilion was not worried about not being able to recruit disciples, because the disciples of the Martial Arts Pavilion could all serve as mid-level military officers in the army in the future. This was very attractive to many children of nobles and officials.

Although the children of nobles have noble status, it is actually not easy for them to find a job.

Most of the children of nobles do not inherit titles. When their fathers pass away and the family is divided, they become ordinary people. Of course, they will definitely be richer than ordinary people.

It’s better for the legitimate son, as they are all brothers, and the eldest brother will take care of them more.

But for those illegitimate sons, being able to obtain an official position is already a blessing.

For example, Zhao Yuan was the illegitimate son of the Sui Yang Marquis. Initially, he only got a position as a centurion in the army, but he was lucky and was valued by Zhou Lan.

For example, Liang Jinyan, who was born in the Changping Marquis Mansion and was the grandson of the eldest son, was only a deputy commander of the seventh rank in the Wucheng Military Department.

In fact, most of the sons of nobles eventually fell into the position of low-level officials. It was considered good to have a job. Those unpopular illegitimate sons could only run to the countryside and become local rich people.

In comparison, as long as one can enter the Martial Arts Pavilion, he will at least be a captain of a thousand households in the army in the future.

Of course, if one has acquired the third or fourth level of cultivation, one can join the army and get an official position such as a captain of a thousand households. The Martial Arts Pavilion cannot help people achieve success overnight, but it can only help people get a better official position more smoothly.

Moreover, Yang Zhengshan is in charge of the Martial Arts Pavilion. From now on, any disciple who leaves the Martial Arts Pavilion can call himself a disciple of Yang Zhengshan.

Any son of noble family or official with a bit of ambition would not refuse to join the Martial Arts Pavilion.

It is not easy to join the Martial Arts Pavilion. For acquired martial artists under the age of 22, this threshold alone is enough to block 99% of people.

"I obey your command!" Wan Shu said.

Yang Zhengshan instructed Bao Lang again: "Master Bao, there should be a lot of supplies delivered during this period. You will be responsible for the storage of the supplies when the time comes."

"Yes!" Bao Lang replied.

The Martial Arts Pavilion needs a lot of supplies, including various weapons, war horses, ores, medicinal materials, skills, classics, and so on.

The organization and storage of materials is also a tedious task that requires a dedicated person to be responsible for it.

After giving the instructions, Yang Zhengshan left first.

The time for the Martial Arts Pavilion to recruit disciples has been set, the first day of July, which is more than twenty days away.

These twenty days are enough for the Martial Arts Pavilion to get ready.

Compared to being in charge of Chongshan Town, a small martial arts pavilion was too easy for Yang Zhengshan.

Therefore, Yang Zhengshan did not plan to waste too much time and energy in the Martial Arts Pavilion.

He has no psychological burden at all as a hands-off boss.

Accompanied by several close followers, Yang Zhengshan rode back to the Marquis' Mansion.

The guard at the gate saw him coming back and came forward happily and said, "My Lord, Madam Sun is born. Congratulations, my Lord!"

Yang Zhengshan raised his eyebrows. His little great-grandson was born?

We are finally older!

From today on, I am a great-grandfather.

Without saying anything more, he quickly walked towards Yang Chengye's yard.

"The master is back!"

Before he even reached the yard, he heard a maidservant informing him.

Soon, everyone in the Yang family came out from the main room.

"father!"

"grandfather!"

"Greetings, sir!"

A large group of people shouted.

Yu Qingyi stood in the main room, holding a baby in her arms.

"Haha, come on, let me see the child first!"

Yang Zhengshan stepped forward and took the swaddled baby.

The little guy was looking at this unknown world curiously with his big eyes.

The wrinkled little guy looks a bit ugly.

"Master, it's a boy!" Yu Qingyi said with a smile.

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly and carefully reached out to tease the little guy.

However, the little guy was very disrespectful and didn't want to pay any attention to his great-grandfather. He always tilted his head and tried to look elsewhere.

"Grandpa!" Yang Chengye came closer and smiled like a fool, without any of his usual calmness.

Yang Zhengshan nodded to him, "You will be a father from now on, so you should act like one!"

Yang Chengye scratched his head with a silly smile and said nothing.

Yang Zhengshan turned to look at Yu Qingyi, "How is the Yu family?"

"I'm fine. I just drank a bowl of calming soup and I'm asleep now!" said Yu Qingyi.

"Did anyone send someone to the Dongping Marquis's Mansion to announce the good news?"

"I've already sent Wu Hai there! He should be here by now!"

Yang Zhengshan nodded and turned his gaze to the little guy again.

The little guy was probably tired and had closed his eyes to rest.

Yang Zhengshan carefully reached out and felt the little guy's pulse. It was a very strong pulse, so he was a healthy little guy.

The news of the Yang family's new great-grandson spread quickly in Kyoto. On the day of the baptism ceremony, many people came to the marquis's mansion to congratulate him.

The third day after a baby is born, a bathing ceremony is held. Relatives and friends gather to wish good luck for the baby, which is also called "third day baby bathing".

The purpose of "washing the third day" is, first, to wash away filth and avoid disasters; second, to pray for good luck and blessings.

However, the Yang family had never held a baptism ceremony for their children before, because it was very complicated, and was not taken very seriously in Liaodong, but was taken very seriously in Kyoto.

As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since the Yang family came to Kyoto, they held a third-day bathing ceremony according to the customs of Kyoto.

The little guy’s third-day baptism ceremony naturally involves the presence of his maternal elders.

All the female members of the Dongping Marquis's family came running to feed the little guy.

The so-called licking the basin means that close relatives, in order of seniority, take the lead in adding a small spoonful of clean water into the basin, and then put some gold, silver, coins and other objects in it.

After filling the basin, the midwife picked up the pestle and stirred the basin.

"One stir, two stirs, three stirs, the elder brother leads the younger brother to run. Seventy-year-old, eighty-year-old, crooked-haired, naughty, they are all here!"

The midwife is the midwife, and the third-day bathing ceremony is presided over by the midwife.

The midwife was carefully washing the little guy's body while muttering something.

"Wash your hair first, you will become a king; wash your waist later, each generation will be higher than the previous one; wash your eggs, you will become a county magistrate; wash your gutters, you will become a prefect."

After the washing was finished, all the gold and silver ingots, jewelry, eggs, fruits, cakes and other things that had been added to the basin were taken away by the midwife.

Seeing the midwife's old face smiling like a flower, Yang Zhengshan's mouth twitched slightly.

My goodness, that’s hundreds of taels of silver. This midwife made a fortune today!
In fact, adding more gifts to the basin during the third day of the bath is just a gesture. People would at most give some change and gold ingots, and would not put in too much silver or money. However, today the Queen Mother sent a female official over, who not only brought a lot of gifts, but also put a gold ingot when adding more gifts to the basin.

When the midwife saw the gold ingot fall into the bathtub, her mouth was crooked with laughter and she could not speak clearly.

(End of this chapter)