On the day before New Year's Eve, a long caravan entered the royal capital from the north gate, and this team of carriages was different from the ordinary caravan, the caravan contained mostly people's carriages, and the ones pulling the carriages weren't mules and donkeys, but horses, and the people's carriages were all beautiful and lightweight four-wheeled carriages.
"Is this the royal capital?" Wu Feng, Wu Da's ten-year-old son, looked out through the window glass of the carriage.
"This city wall is so high!" Huddled with Wu Feng next to the car window was Wu Mu's son, Wu Hao, three years ago, the twelve-year-old Wu Hao relied on a few fever-reducing pills given by Zheng Yuming to retrieve his life.
"Finally arrived." Huo Si Zhong put down the books in his hands and stretched his back.
The wagons came from Ulsan, and there were Wu Da's family, Wu Mu's family, Huo Si Zhong, Da Zhuang's father, and a few high-ranking craftsmen in the convoy, and Xu Guo's famous scholar Wang Jie and his disciples were also in the convoy. They were all summoned by Zheng Yuming.
"What's going on in the city? Potholes are being dug everywhere." Wu Hao was fifteen years old and had just worshipped Wang Jie as his master a month ago.
"This is excavating the sewers, and the sewers are going to put ceramic pipes to drain the water later." Huo Si Zhong came to the other car window to have a good look at the situation on both sides of Wang Du Street, and immediately understood what the purpose of excavating the trench was, it was remodeling Wang Du's drainage system.
"Brother Huo knows so much." Wu Hao glanced at Huo Sizhong in admiration, although he and Huo Sizhong were in the same year, Huo Sizhong was significantly more knowledgeable than Wu Hao.
"The city is built much the same."
Huo Si Zhong was watching Nambu grow from a village to a small city, and today that small city was still expanding dramatically, believing that in two years, that village with only a thousand people would turn into a medium-sized city with a population of 40,000 to 50,000 people.
All of Hoschung's understanding of the city came from Yuming Cheng's indoctrination.
"The royal capital is not as beautiful as our place." Wu Feng, who was the youngest, could not help but be greatly disappointed when he took a good look at the situation inside Wangdu City. Except for the tall walls of Wangdu that made him marvel for a moment, the houses of the people's families in Wangdu City were not as good as the new buildings built by the people of Nambu Village.
"Hey, nowhere is as good as our Ulsan." Wu Hao resonated with his cousin, who hated the road from Ulsan to the royal capital the most.
Although Ulsan's four-wheeled carriage used tires made of 100-year-old resin and shock absorbers made of copper at the tire pads, the bad road still made people's buttocks hurt. The highway from Dacheng to Nambu has been built, and nowadays it takes only forty minutes to go to Nambu on a fast horse or in a four-wheeled carriage, unlike the original three hours, and not only is it quicker, but also the road is smooth, and the four-wheeled carriages can drive on that highway without spilling the water cups in the compartments.
"To get rich, we must first build roads, and I think His Excellency will build roads first next year." This is Zheng Yuming in Nambu to build the avenue to Dacheng, often muttered a sentence. Huo Sizhong in order to keep in mind, but also specifically written down in a book, this small book, Huo Sizhong always carry.
Shortly after the caravan drove into the royal capital, Chen Meng, now knighted as a sergeant, was waiting halfway down the road to greet him, stroking his goatee.
It took five days to travel from Ulsan to Wangdu, and although Wang Jie's body was tired, his spirit was unusually excited. This time Zheng Yuming summoned him and his disciples into Wangdu, firstly, to invite him to attend the wedding of Wu Wangsheng on the fifth day of the first month of next year, and secondly, he wanted Wang Jie to preside over the question writing of the examination on the second day of the second month of next year.
Wang Jie himself only want to engage in preaching, teaching, and explaining, Zheng Yuming in the city of Dacheng set up the South College plan, just cast Wang Jie heart thought. And next year, February 2 examination, more let Wang Jie heart happy.
Wang Jie began to want to take the civil service to realize their own ideals. When traveling around the world with his disciples, Wang Jie hoped that the lords of various countries could accept his idea of benevolent government to govern the country, let Wang Jie disappointed, these lords on the surface of their master and disciple is very respectful, mouth is also very agreeable to Wang Jie's ideas, but privately they do not think of Wang Jie's political advocates, they are used to nepotism, Wang Jie is respect but not use, the lords of the Wang Jie is already such an attitude, Wang Jie's disciples are even more so.
Wang Jie has been running for half a lifetime, he has long extinguished the heart of the career, and only hope that the disciples taught by word and example can be important to the king. Zheng Yuming February 2 does not ask the identity of the respondent, only look at the results of the selection exam, for Wang Jie's disciples to open a shortcut to the career.
Chen Meng and Wang Jie, Wu Da, Wu Mu are familiar with the old, meet everyone for a while to exchange pleasantries, each table away from the feelings, after catching up, Chen Meng led the Ulsan people to go to the Prime Minister's Office to meet with Zheng Yuming and Chu Chao Hui.
The Ulsan caravan went all the way to the palace gates before stopping, the people on the four-wheeled carriage got off, and after the guards at the palace gates checked, the carriage stayed outside the palace gates, and Wang Jie and his party followed Chen Meng on foot to the Premier's Office where Zheng Yuming was located.
"Mister has had a hard journey!" Wang Jie had just stepped into the Prime Minister's Mansion when Zheng Yuming and Chu Chaohui greeted him from inside.
"Jie pays his respects to His Excellency! General Chu!" Wang Jie hurriedly bowed and returned the salute.
After saluting, Wang Jie realized that both Zheng Yuming and Chu Zhaohui's faces were more haggard than when they were in Ulsan. However, after thinking about it, Wang Jie felt emotion in his heart. The two are only about twenty years old, but led the Azure Mountain soldiers with fewer than many, in more than three months, pacified the civil unrest, forced the surrender of the Tang Dynasty, deterred the State of Zhao, this series of brilliant results is not an ordinary person can be, the country is pacified after a thousand things to start again, the two will be busy and haggard is also inevitable.
Wang Jie heard Gongzi Guang's last words with his own ears, and he was convinced of Zheng Yuming's status as a prince. When the news of Western Marquis's succession to the throne reached Ulsan, he was extraordinarily surprised, and he only thought that Zheng Yuming's willingness to surrender the throne that was at his fingertips to another person was really in the style of Yao and Shun.
Wang Jie's thinking is very similar to that of Confucius in another time and space, who also advocated the middle way, i.e., the way of the gentleman. Since Wang Jie and Zheng Yuming met, Zheng Yuming's behavior has always been in line with Wang Jie's advocate of the way of the gentleman, which makes Wang Jie inwardly Zheng Yuming as a confidant.
Wu Da and Wu Mu, who followed Wang Jie with their respective wives, also hurriedly greeted Zheng Yuming and Chu Chao Hui. When Wu Da spoke to Zheng and Chu, he did not use his original title, but instead changed his name to Prince and General.
"Elder brother and the two of us have already been bonded, how we used to be called before is how we are called now, don't ever be outside of my brotherhood." Zheng Yuming reached out to stop Wu Da and Wu Mu's big salute.
After the Western Marquis succeeded to the throne, Zheng Yuming did not go to the clan genealogy to add the name of Gong Zi Ming, allowing himself to be officially seated on the paperwork in the status of the Duke. The original Duke status was a good tiger skin to gather people's hearts and crusade against Ripple Ji's gang of rebels, but now that Ripple Ji's rebels have been put to death, and Wu Wangsheng has been established as the country's ruler, Duke Ming's status is unimportant.
Another reason why Zheng Yuming didn't want to change his name was that he didn't want to change the name that his parents had given him; the name was the only connection that his parents had left him, a sort of proof that he was indeed from another time and place.
Zheng Yuming's reason for not wanting to change his name to the outside world is that he can't forget the kindness of his adoptive father and mother in Bermuda, and since he can't return to his homeland in his lifetime, he can only express his gratitude to his adoptive parents by retaining his name in this way.
"It is always rude!" Wu Da shook his head, now Zheng Yuming and Chu Zhaohui are in a high position, the title has been to the Marquis, Wu Da and then open and close his mouth to call the two 'virtuous brother', as if Wu Da is higher than the Marquis, so the name is very inappropriate.
"Which is not good! If big brother feels uncomfortable, in front of outsiders you can address the two of us by our official positions, and in private it's just the same as before." Chu Chao Hui laughed.
Wu Da and Wu Mu contributed a lot. While the Ulsan army was fighting outside, Wu Da assisted Yu Kui in the south port in the transportation of supplies and arranged for men to escort the supplies northward, while Wu Mu led the merchants in the south port to sell the goods in the south port to other vassal states, and earned a lot of money to maintain the industrial operation of the south port. The Ulsan army was invincible, and the two men were instrumental in the rear.
After all the people greeted each other, Zheng Yuming hosted a banquet at the Prime Minister's residence, and because it was a period of national mourning, there was no alcohol at the banquet, only ordinary dishes. After the banquet, Chen Meng was in charge of arranging the residence for all the people of Ulsan, and Wang Jie and his disciples were put into a guesthouse, which was exactly the place where the Ulsan delegation was summoned to make a pilgrimage to the royal capital last year.
The two families of Wu Da and Wu Mu, together with the master craftsmen, were arranged to live temporarily in the residence purchased by Yu Kui. After Yu Kui abandoned the house to meet the Hussar General, the servants left behind followed Yu Kui's orders and took away everything they could to hide elsewhere. When Dr. Jiang's private soldiers arrived at the house to raid the house, the door of the house was wide open, and its contents were swept away by the servants, and by the thugs who had taken advantage of the chaos and robbery in Wang Du. With no money, the Yu Mansion was not worth guarding, and Dr. Kang casually gave it to one of his own servants.
Dr. Jiang's household servants had just repaired and furnished the mansion, and before they had time to move in, the royal capital was overrun by the Ulsan army, and the Yu Mansion was returned to Zheng Yuming's hands. The well-furnished Yu Mansion was the perfect place to house the Ulsan people.
When the banquet ended, Wu Da, Wu Mu and Huo Sizhong stayed behind, Wu Da and Wu Mu had something to report to Zheng Chu, and Huo Sizhong was to stay here in the future.
Huo Si Zhong first reported to Zheng Yuming and Chu Chao Hui after the situation of Nambu, Valley and Su Plain, and after the report was completed, he exited the study and went to find his own sister, Huo Si Hua.
As soon as Huo Sizhong exited the door of the study, he saw Huo Sihua waiting at the end of the corridor with Woody, who was now fully grown and had an imposing appearance, but was docile when following Huo Sihua around.
"Si Hua, gained some weight!" Huo Si Zhong took three steps to Huo Si Hua and cupped her sister's rosy cheeks with her hand.
"Brother has lost weight!" Huo Si Hua was happy to see his elder brother, just now when the Azure Mountain crowd arrived, Huo Si Hua and his elder brother had already met, but at that time, the guests and hosts were talking, Huo Si Hua couldn't interrupt, and only stood by the side of Wu Da's wife, looking at his elder brother with unblinking eyes.
"Have you lost weight?" Huo Si Zhong reached out and touched his face, he didn't feel that he had lost weight, with so many affairs in Nambu, the valley, and Su Plain, Huo Si Zhong only had 5 or 6 hours a day to use for sleep.
"My lord has ordered that my brother stay at my place for the time being in the royal capital." Huo Sihua affectionately takes his elder brother's arm and leads Huo Sizhong towards the compound where he lives.
"Temporarily?" Huo Si Zhong froze, he thought that this time he would enter Wangdu to be by Zheng Yuming's side and continue his previous work.
"Brother, next year's February 2nd exam, I think the adults will ask my brother to go ahead and participate." Huo Sihua enters the courtyard and leads Huo Sizhong to his room before he opens his mouth to voice out his speculation.
"Examination?" Huo Si Zhong had already heard about the king's list about using exams to select talents on the road.
"This is the books that my lord borrowed from Taifu, take a look at them first." Huo Sihua held out a large pile of bamboo slips and parchment, these books were very precious, Huo Sihua was ordered by Zheng Yuming to transcribe what was written on the bamboo slips and parchment, to be given to the printing craftsmen to print later.
"All test the contents of this?" Huo Si Zhong flipped through the bamboo slips and parchment, he was used to using white paper.
"The examination is divided into counter-answers, curricula, and clear calculations. The pair-answer is made by Tai Fu." Huo Sihua was helping Huo Sizhong find the exam materials. "Brother, the adults definitely want you to stand out in the exam."