The ministers begged me to ascend the throne

After Guyu, the triennial examination began.

Although the emperor did not arrange errands related to the examination for Zhao Yao, he followed the King of Chu to Gongyuan every day to supervise the examination.However, he was a very lazy invigilator and would go to Gongyuan every day for a short while before leaving.

On the third day of the examination, Zhao Yao followed King Chu to the Gongyuan, pretended to invigilate the exam for a while, and then left.After leaving Gongyuan, he turned around and ran to find He Lianfang.

Zhao Yao, the tenth prince, had nothing to do all day long. After attending the morning court every day, he would wander around.He would come to He Lianfang's place to sit and chat with him every day.

When the housekeeper of He Lianfang's house saw Zhao Yao coming, he hurriedly brought out the rice dumplings that he had just cooked. They were meat rice dumplings that Zhao Yao loved to eat.Although there is still some time before the Dragon Boat Festival, many people have already started eating rice dumplings in advance.

Zhao Yao was eating rice dumplings while complaining about this year's exam.

"There is still no student from Lingnan who has come to take the examination."

"As far as I know, there is not even a single candidate in Lingnan Province." Not to mention candidates, there are very few scholars in Lingnan Province.From this we can see that the reading situation in Lingnan is very bad.How could anyone come to the capital to take part in the examination if there are no Juren members?

"Should those exiles in the previous dynasty be exonerated? Besides, many people were wrongly accused, such as the Lin family. I think if the Lin family took part in the imperial examination, they would definitely pass a few." Lingnan Na There are few students who have passed the college entrance examination. On the one hand, the education in Lingnan is not good, and on the other hand, there are not many scholars.

There are few scholars in Lingnan, mainly for two reasons.The first reason is that the people in Lingnan are relatively poor and cannot afford to study.The second reason is that some scholars are not qualified to take the imperial examination.

These scholars who were unable to take the imperial examination were basically the descendants of criminals.According to the laws of the Zhou Dynasty, they were not eligible to take the imperial examination for generations.

"Go and tell your father, what's the use of telling me."

Zhao Yao wanted to tell the emperor about this matter, but it was very troublesome to operate, and the ministers in the DPRK would definitely object.

"Father is too lazy to care."

"Since you know, what else can you say?"

"When I go to Lingnan, I will conduct the imperial examination myself. There will be no identity restrictions. Anyone who is a scholar can take the imperial examination."

He Lianfang nodded and agreed, "That's okay."

"But, having said that, the reading situation in Lingnan is really bad." Zhao Yao sighed, "I guess the people on the eighth and ninth floors are illiterate."

"It's normal. It's a barbaric land after all." He Lianfang added, "There are many people from other ethnic groups there. They have their own languages ​​and even their own characters, and they don't bother to learn the characters of the Central Plains."

"Yes, there are many ethnic minorities." Zhao Yao said with a headache, "Most of these local ethnic minority people cannot speak the Mandarin of Da Zhou, nor can they understand the Mandarin of Da Zhou, let alone understand Da Zhou. After that, when I go to Lingnan, I will popularize the Mandarin of Zhou Dynasty and let them learn Mandarin."

"The language of the ethnic minorities in Lingnan is far different from the Mandarin."

Zhao Yao asked: "How many ethnic minorities are there in Lingnan?"

"About a dozen."

"I haven't even gone yet, and I feel like I still have a long way to go." The more Zhao Yao thought about it, the more headache he got. He was too lazy to talk about the matter anymore, so he changed the subject to talk about rubber trees, "How are the rubber trees transplanted back from Siam and Luzon? How is the planting work? Yet?"

"Most of it is planted."

"That's good, let them continue transplanting and try to plant a rubber tree garden in Lingnan as soon as possible." If you have rubber trees, you can make rubber.As long as you make rubber, you can make more things. "What about the fruit trees transplanted back from Luzon? Is the survival rate high?"

"Most of them died, and only a small number survived, but the outcome was not good."

"When they completely adapt to the land and climate of Lingnan, they will be able to bear a lot of fruits." Zhao Yao asked again, "What about those spice trees?"

He Lianfang shook her head and said, "It's similar to the situation with fruit trees."

"When I go, I have to set aside a mountain or a piece of land specifically for a spice garden." A few years ago, he asked his second uncle to send people to those countries in Annan to get spices. Spices are sold in many countries in the Zhou Dynasty and the Western Regions. All sold very well.The aristocratic families, literati and wealthy people of the Zhou Dynasty all liked spices.It’s just that before, they didn’t have many spices to use.Today, there are more than 100 kinds of spices shipped back from the Annan countries, enough for these people to use.

In recent years, more and more people are using incense in Dazhou, and spices have gradually become an indispensable item in daily life.However, if you want to talk about the flowers that are popular, they have to be from aristocratic families.

The aristocratic families imitated the tea merchants and created the incense fighting competition.At first, the incense fight was only popular among aristocratic families and officials, but later it gradually evolved into a nationwide incense fight.Of course, the fight between dignitaries is different from the fight among ordinary people.

Now, playing and making incense have become indispensable skills for nobles.Women from aristocratic families or officials must learn to make incense. If they can make good incense, they will be very popular and marry well.

In addition to women, men who can make incense are also very popular.A certain dandy boy was uneducated but very good at making incense, which made him very popular. Many dignitaries invited him to their homes to make incense for them.Not only that, many women from good backgrounds in the capital are willing to marry him.

The ministers in the DPRK also like to make incense. On weekdays, they get together with their friends to drink and make incense.

If it weren't for the fact that the emperor didn't like spices very much, the ministers wouldn't know what to do with spices.

At the beginning, all the ministers in the court used a lot of spices on their bodies, which was really fragrant.The emperor was choked by the fragrance of the ministers and sneezed. The emperor was so angry that he cursed the ministers.Since then, ministers have not dared to pickle themselves with spices when going to court.However, ministers still use incense on weekdays, but they use it more lightly.

Nowadays, using incense has been completely integrated into the lives of people in the Zhou Dynasty.On weekdays, they burn incense, wear sachets, dye clothes or bedding with spices, smear spices on their faces or bodies, and even put spices in their mouths.

It was Zhao Yao who introduced foreign spices to Zhou Dynasty, but he himself did not expect that the people of Zhou Dynasty would be so obsessed with spices, to the point of being obsessed with them.

However, the Zhou people's obsession with spices is a good thing for him.In the past few years, Zhao Yao has made a lot of money by selling spices.

"Second uncle, do you like the scent of tea I made?" He Lianfang doesn't like spices and never uses incense on weekdays.Zhao Yao doesn't like to use incense, but he likes the scent of tea.So, on a whim, he combined tea leaves and spices to create a tea fragrance.

"The fragrance of tea is not bad." He Lianfang likes to drink tea, so naturally she likes the fragrance of tea. "Aren't you going to sell the tea fragrance you created?"

"Of course I want to sell it, but not now." Zhao Yao laughed twice, with evil intentions, "Sell it before I go to the fiefdom."

"Are you trying to play hard to get?"

Zhao Yao snapped his fingers and said, "That's right. When I go to Lingnan, I will develop the tea leaves in Lingnan and create the unique tea aroma in Lingnan. I will definitely make a lot of money by then."

He Lianfang said nothing, marveling at Zhao Yao's business acumen in her heart.

"By the way, Second Uncle, after the silkworms from Jiangnan arrived in Lingnan, are there many alive?" The climate in Lingnan should be suitable for silkworms to survive.

"Many died on the way, and half of the remaining ones arrived in Lingnan, and another half died, leaving only a small half, but they multiplied quickly."

Zhao Yao felt relieved, "That's good." A few years ago, Zhao Yao bought a lot of mulberry saplings from Jiangnan, and then transported them to Lingnan for planting.

The survival rate of mulberry trees in Lingnan is very high. The mulberry trees planted a few years ago have grown a lot.Their leaves can be used to feed silkworms.

In fact, there are also mulberry trees and silkworms in Lingnan.However, the silkworms there are not very good, and the silk they spin is not very good either.Therefore, Zhao Yao sent the best silkworms from Jiangnan to Lingnan.

Zhao Yao thinks that the silkworms in Lingnan are not good, and it should be related to the mulberry leaves.Sure enough, the mulberry trees in Lingnan are not as good as those in Jiangnan.So, he sent many good mulberry trees from Jiangnan to Lingnan.

The sericulture technology in Lingnan was not very good, so Zhao Yao arranged for good people in sericulture in Jiangnan to go to Lingnan.

It is not enough to raise silkworms well, you also need people who can weave.The looms in Lingnan are still old things left over from the previous dynasty, and the cloth weaved is not as soft and delicate as the cloth weaved in Jiangnan.

Seven or eight years ago, Zhao Yao improved Dazhou's loom.The improved loom is not only light and easy to use, but also produces very good cloth.Three or four years ago, Zhao Yao made a new loom, which was better than the previous improved loom and produced better cloth.

New looms have long been popular in Jiangnan, Beijing, and other places, but not in Lingnan.Therefore, Zhao Yao sent many new looms to Lingnan and many weavers.Many embroiderers were also sent.

Although the fabrics from Lingnan cannot be compared with those from Beijing and Jiangnan, the embroidery from Lingnan is very distinctive.Lingnan embroidery sells well in the capital, Jiangnan, and in the Western Regions.However, compared to the embroidery in Jiangnan, the embroidery in Lingnan is too monotonous and does not have many patterns.

Zhao Yao wanted to combine the embroidery from Jiangnan and Beijing with the embroidery from Lingnan to come up with some new patterns.

"I have to say that the silkworms from Jiangnan are the best. I hope that when the silkworms from Jiangnan arrive in Lingnan, they can improve the quality of the silkworms from Lingnan." Zhao Yao touched his chin and said, "I don't know if the silkworms produced by the silkworms from Jiangnan are any better than those from Lingnan. Good." "It should be better than the local silkworms in Lingnan." He Lianfang did not think of raising silkworms, growing mulberry trees, and weaving, but Zhao Yao did.When he heard Zhao Yao say that he wanted to send silkworms, mulberry trees, and looms from Jiangnan to Lingnan, he didn't understand it yet and felt that Zhao Yao was a little bit like a mother-in-law.However, Zhao Yao told him that sericulture and weaving have been very important since ancient times. If the sericulture and weaving in Lingnan are better, the lives of the people in Lingnan will also be better.Furthermore, silkworm rearing, weaving, and embroidery allowed the people of Lingnan to make money to support themselves.

"I hope Lingnan can weave good fabrics in the future." As long as good fabrics are weaved, they can be sold to foreign countries such as Annam and Siam, and they can make a lot of money.

"I almost forgot to tell you something." He Lianfang suddenly remembered something very important. He quickly took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Zhao Yao, "Take a look."

Seeing He Lianfang's serious expression, Zhao Yao's heart skipped a beat.As he took the letter, he asked, "What happened?"

"There is a river in the south of Lingnan called Linghe, do you know?"

"I know, Linghe River runs through the entire Lingnan and is the largest river in Lingnan." Zhao Yao asked, "Did something happen to Linghe River?"

"The Linghe River is not flat this year, and it is very likely that the water will rise again." There is always a lot of rain on the Lingnan side, and there are often heavy rains every summer.If there are too many heavy rains, the water level of the Linghe River will rise, and floods will occur.

There are frequent floods in Lingnan, with small disasters occurring every three years and major disasters occurring every five years. This is really not a lie.

The imperial court has always turned a blind eye to the management of Lingnan. When there was a flood in Lingnan, the imperial court would only deal with it and would not actually send people to provide disaster relief and repair the river.

After reading the letter, Zhao Yao frowned and looked a little heavy.

"It seems that when I go to Lingnan, I will have to build the river." The imperial court does not care about Linghe, but he, the King of Lingnan, is the only one in charge.He can't ignore the life and death of the people in Lingnan. "It costs a lot of money to build the river. Fortunately, I asked my father smartly and asked for the three-tier tea tax."

"The repair of the Linghe River will benefit Lingnan for many years."

"I found that Lingnan is a gold-swallowing beast. It costs money everywhere, and it costs a lot of money." Zhao Yao looked at He Lianfang sadly, "Second uncle, you have screwed me up."

"It costs a lot of money to build Lingnan. Once the construction is completed, Lingnan can bring you a steady stream of wealth."

"That's true, but I feel sad when I think about spending a lot of money to go to Lingnan."

"When did you become a miser?"

"Second uncle, you are not a family member, so you don't know that firewood, rice, oil and salt are expensive."

He Lianfang was too lazy to tell Zhao Yao about the money, "I sent people to buy a lot of people from the north and west, and they have been sent to Lingnan."

Zhao Yao, who was drinking tea, was so frightened that he choked when he heard this, and his face suddenly turned red from coughing.

"Buy again, how many people did you buy this time?"

He Lianfang said lightly: "Not many, just a few hundred people."

Zhao Yao stood up suddenly and shouted: "Only a few hundred people?!"

Hearing Zhao Yao yelling like this, He Lianfang said with some disgust: "There are only a few hundred people, why are you making such a fuss."

"A few hundred people are not many?" Zhao Yao sat back and leaned in front of He Lianfang, "Second uncle, the number of people you have bought and taken in over the years is almost 3 to [-]. Not much?"

"Do you think 3 to [-] people are too many?"

When Zhao Yao heard this, he couldn't help but rolled his eyes: "I, a prince, can support [-] to [-] private soldiers. Isn't that much?"

He Lianfang said in a very disdainful tone: "More than 3 to [-] farts."

"Second uncle, compared with the hundreds of thousands of troops you used to control, it is definitely not much, but compared with other princes, 3 to 5000 people is seriously excessive. If the ministers in the DPRK know, they will definitely think that I am going to rebel." According to regulations, the total number of Prince Zhou's personal soldiers and bodyguards could only be 5000, and could never exceed 5000.Once the number exceeds [-], it will be judged as raising private soldiers without authorization.The crime of raising private soldiers is very serious and will be considered as treason.

"Second uncle, it costs a lot of money to support 3 to [-] people."

"You are not short of money." He Lianfang glanced at Zhao Yao, "Twenty or thirty thousand people are still too few."

"Second uncle, how many people do you think are enough? One hundred thousand or 20 people?"

He Lianfang said: "10 people is barely enough."

Zhao Yao: "!!!!!!"

"There are a lot of people over there in Lingnan. Let's see if we can use some of them when the time comes."

"No, second uncle, you are going to build me a military camp with 10 people."

He Lianfang nodded slightly and said, "That's right."

Zhao Yao's eyes widened in shock, his mouth opened wide, and he stared blankly at He Lianfang.

Seeing Zhao Yao's stupid look, He Lianfang's eyes were full of disgust: "What's your expression?"

Zhao Yao came back to his senses, swallowed his saliva and said, "Second uncle, why are you giving me a military camp of 10 people? I won't rebel?"

"I'll protect you." He Lianfang took a deep look at Zhao Yao, "Just in case."

Zhao Yao's heart trembled: "Second uncle, what are you talking about?"

"When you do well in Lingnan in the future, you will definitely make the court jealous, so these 10 people will be your life-saving talisman." He Lianfang said meaningfully, "I am here to help you prepare for a rainy day."

"Second uncle, are you overthinking?" Zhao Yao felt that He Lianfang was too worried, "Father will not doubt me, and when fourth brother takes the throne in the future, fourth brother will not doubt me either."

"Do you really believe in your father and King Chu?"

Zhao Yao felt that there was something in He Lianfang's words, so he frowned slightly and asked, "Second uncle, what do you mean?"

"You are no threat to the emperor and King Chu now. They will naturally love you and protect you. But one day you pose a threat to them. What do you think they will do to you?" He Lianfang looked at Zhao Yao. His eyes suddenly became sharp, "You wouldn't be so naive as to think that the love between father and son before you and your brother would never change, right?"

Zhao Yao never thought that the father-son relationship between him and the emperor would change, let alone that he would turn against the King of Chu.

"Why, do you really think so?" He Lianfang didn't expect Zhao Yao to be so naive, and mocked in a cold tone, "I didn't expect you to be so stupid."

Zhao Yao said firmly: "At least our feelings are true now and will not change."

"Even if the emperor and the King of Chu will not be suspicious of you, when King Chu's son takes the throne in the future, do you think he will trust you as the emperor's uncle, or will he be wary of you as the emperor's uncle?"

Zhao Yao could not refute.

He Lianfang said coldly: "Since ancient times, the royal family has no father and son, let alone brothers."

Zhao Yao opened his mouth, wanting to refute He Lianfang's words, but he couldn't say a word.

Seeing that Zhao Yao had listened to his words, He Lianfang reminded him with a deep meaning: "It is essential to guard against others. If you don't have private soldiers, your life will be controlled by others. If you have a hundred thousand private soldiers, you Only then can you take control of your own life.”

He Lianfang: I am doing this for your own good and for your future.

Zhao Yao: It seems to make sense, but something seems wrong.

Ladies, keep asking for monthly tickets shamelessly!