The ministers begged me to ascend the throne

In the past few days, the officials of Zhao Yao's small court have basically been arranged.The remaining ministers of the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Officials, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Ministry of War have also been arranged.

The Minister of Rites is an old acquaintance, Mr. Xiao.

When Zhao Yao was very young, he poached Mr. Xiao and asked Mr. Xiao to bring his friends to Lingnan.

Several of Mr. Xiao's friends are very talented and have very good characters.Before coming to Lingnan, they taught orphans to read in Jishengtang in the capital.The students they taught were all excellent, and they all came to Lingnan.Now he also holds an official position.

The small imperial court has been set up, and Zhao Yao will directly take over as the shopkeeper.He told Wen Daoji not to come to him for other matters unless there was something important that they could not handle, and they would watch and handle it.Of course, after handling it, you have to report it to him.

Although Zhao Yao doesn't care about the court affairs, he still has other things to be busy with, and there are many more.Going out early and coming back late every day, He Lianfang sometimes tried to find him, but couldn't find him.

On this day, Zhao Yao rarely went out and stayed in the palace.

He Lianfang learned that Zhao Yao had not gone out and was about to go find him. Unexpectedly, Mr. Xiao got there first.

Mr. Xiao was appointed as the Minister of Rites by Zhao Yao. During this period, he has been busy with various matters of the Ministry of Rites, but there are some things that he can't make up his mind about, so he has to consult with Zhao Yao.

In the study, Mr. Xiao first reported to Zhao Yao the affairs of the Ministry of Rites in the past few days.

After hearing this, Zhao Yao nodded with satisfaction: "Sir, the etiquette department has been well arranged by you. Do you have any other problems that you need me to solve?"

"Your Highness, I learned that you plan to invite foreign businessmen to Marsh Mansion to do business next year. I would like to ask how you will entertain them?" Mr. Xiao feels that this matter must be arranged in advance, and he will not wait for them when they come. You will be in a hurry and you will not lose your etiquette. "Your Highness, are there only businessmen and no foreign officials or princes and princesses?"

Zhao Yao thought for a while and said: "I will write to invite officials and royal families from Annan, Siam, Luzon and other countries to come to Marsh Mansion. However, as the King of Han, I am not favored by my father, so they may not come back. But the businessmen will definitely Come, they will never miss an opportunity to make money.”

Mr. Xiao asked: "Then what standards will be used to receive them?"

"You don't need to be too enthusiastic, just treat them as ordinary guests." Zhao Yao stressed in a stern tone, "Although I give them a discount, it doesn't mean that I beg them to do business. I can't let them underestimate me. The King of Han, of course, also wants to demonstrate the national prestige of our great Zhou Dynasty.”

Mr. Xiao asked again: "If foreign officials and royal families come, what standards will be used to receive them? Is it the same as the imperial court used to entertain foreign countries?"

"Then follow the court's standards." Zhao Yao didn't know much about the court's standards for entertaining foreign royals. He looked at Mr. Xiao and asked, "Mr. Xiao, do you know what the court's standards are like? ?”

"Don't worry, Your Highness, I know." Mr. Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, I will write you a charter on how to entertain foreign guests. You can see if it works."

Zhao Yao nodded and said, "Okay."

"Your Highness, you will invite foreign guests to Marsh Mansion next year, but Marsh Mansion does not have a post house specifically to entertain foreign guests like the capital." Marsh Mansion lacks a lot of things, "Before, those foreign businessmen lived in guest houses. Here, it's very simple. Now that you have officially invited them to be guests, there should be a decent inn."

Zhao Yao didn't think of this.Because he had too many things to deal with, he didn't take them into consideration for a while.

"It seems that we have to build a post house." There is another place to spend money.

"Your Highness, when it comes to the post house, I have one more thing to tell you."

Seeing Mr. Xiao's face suddenly become serious, Zhao Yao felt a chill in his heart and said hurriedly: "Sir, please speak."

"Your Highness, you should also know the role of the post house. It is not only used to entertain foreign guests, but also has the responsibility of delivering letters."

Zhao Yao nodded and said: "I know that. Sir, do you think the post house in Lingnan is not good?"

"I have investigated before and found that the post houses in the twelve states in Lingnan were all left over from the previous dynasty. After the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, the post houses in Lingnan were not repaired, so the post houses in Lingnan are very dilapidated." The post houses are very important. , must be paid attention to. "I also investigated that the posthouses in Lingnan have long been the private posthouses of Lingnan officials, and they often transport their personal things. The original smuggling was sent out by the posthouse."

Speaking of the post office, Zhao Yao thought of the post office in Zhao Yao's world in his dream, and thought he could move the post office from that world here.

"Your Highness, the post house is very important and must be reorganized. The post house cannot be allowed to become a private property." Mr. Xiao came to Lingnan earlier than Zhao Yao.After he and his friends came to Lingnan, they visited many places and learned a lot about things. "If there is a riot in Lingnan, or the foreign countries around Lingnan are dishonest, we must report to the court, and the post will send the news to the capital. If the post is controlled by corrupt officials, the news will be sent back to the capital later. If you do, it will delay the military situation, and then your sin will be serious."

Zhao Yao didn't know much about Dazhou's post office system, let alone Lingnan's.

"I remember when I was a child, there was unrest in Southern Xinjiang. My father quickly learned the news and immediately sent General Yan to Southern Xinjiang. Was this news transmitted by the posthouse at that time?"

"In case of emergencies, such as war, the Post Office and Zhennan Camp will send people to deliver messages back to the capital." Seeing that Zhao Yao didn't understand the Post House, Mr. Xiao explained to him seriously, "Zhennan Camp will send people to deliver messages to The post house, and then the post house sent people [-] miles back to the capital in a hurry."

"In other words, only the post house has the responsibility to deliver letters, and the military camp does not have this right?"

"Yes, the situation at that time was very urgent. These officials in Lingnan did not dare to delay the military situation, otherwise they would be severely punished. It is also possible that foreign rebels would rush into Lingnan before the court punished them. Then they would still be the unlucky ones. ." Mr. Xiao thought of what Zhao Yao had just done when he came to Marsh Mansion, and he was worried for him, but at the same time he had to think about it for him. "Your Highness, you also know that you suddenly came to Lingnan and blocked the financial path of these officials in Lingnan. You also killed all the officials in Marsh Mansion before. It can be said that you have completely offended the officials in Lingnan. They will try their best to drive you away. Go to Lingnan."

After hearing what Mr. Xiao said, Zhao Yao finally understood what the old man meant.

"Sir, are you afraid that Lingnan officials will try to set up the post house and frame me?"

"Yes, this is the easiest way to deal with you."

"It looks like I have to reorganize the post house in Lingnan." Damn it, he has enough things to do, but he didn't expect that there are still a lot of bad things waiting for him to deal with.There are so many bad things in this broken place like Lingnan.

"Your Highness, the post house is very important and must be renovated as soon as possible."

Zhao Yao put his hand on his forehead and sighed with a heavy face: "Alas...I can't rectify it now even if I want to."

Mr. Xiao also knows Zhao Yao's difficulties.He suggested to Zhao Yao: "Your Highness, you should write to the emperor and ask the imperial court to send more officials to you."

"If these silverfish in Lingnan are not dealt with, it will be useless no matter how many officials the court sends." Zhao Yao only felt that one was bigger than the other two. "I have a lot of things to do now. At present, I can only clear out the silverfish in the Marsh Mansion. As for the other I don’t have the time or energy to get it right now.”

"Your Highness is right." Mr. Xiao was also in trouble and couldn't think of any good solution for a while.

"At present, I can only finish the post house in Marsh Mansion. After I finish all the things in Marsh Mansion, I will go to rectify other places." There are twelve states in Lingnan, and he can only rectify them one by one.Currently, he has to complete the construction of Marsh Mansion within a year.

"Your Highness, in fact, besides the post house, there are many areas that need to be rectified." Mr. Xiao was anxious about the current situation in Lingnan. "Your Highness, I would like to forgive you for saying something treasonous. It is really wrong for the imperial court to ignore Lingnan over the years." The situation in Lingnan was too chaotic, except for the lack of rebellion.However, if His Highness had not come, these Lingnan officials would have rebelled sooner or later.

Mr. Xiao said it was reserved.The imperial court has ignored Lingnan over the years, which means it has no regard for the life and death of the people in Lingnan.

Zhao Yao said helplessly: "Sir, you know what kind of land Lingnan is. Not to mention the imperial court, even the previous dynasty didn't bother to care about it."

"Your Highness, it's a good thing you've come to Lingnan." Several years ago, His Highness told him that he wanted to come to Lingnan. At that time, he didn't understand why the noble prince went to the place of exile.Now he finally knew why His Highness came here.If His Highness does not come, the people here will always live in water and heat.

"I regret coming here now." Zhao Yao said with a wry smile, "The situation in Lingnan is worse than I imagined. There are so many things that I can't finish in ten years." Why does he want to cause so much trouble for himself? What happened, I regret it.

"Your Highness, I believe that under your construction, Lingnan will transform from a poor place into a home where people can feel at ease." His Highness is not only wise, but also caring about the people.He firmly believes that under the governance of His Highness, Lingnan will get better and better.

"Sir, let's work hard together." We have come here, but we can't go back, so we can only continue to do it. "Sir, if there are still areas that need to be corrected, please sort them out together, then discuss them with Wen Daoji, and then tell me." "Yes, Your Highness."

"Sir, for the rectification of the post house in Marsh Mansion, you first need to write a charter." Zhao Yao didn't know much about the post house, so he first looked at Mr. Xiao's suggestions.If there was anything missing, he would refer to the post office in Zhao Yao's world in his dream.

"I'll write it when I get back tonight." Things in the post house can't be delayed. He won't sleep tonight, but he still has to put them in order.

Zhao Yao almost forgot a very important thing, but luckily he remembered it.

"Sir, you have to be busy with the imperial examinations before the year. From now on, the imperial examinations in Lingnan will be presided over by the Ministry of Rites."

"Ah?" Mr. Xiao looked puzzled, "Will the Ministry of Rites still be responsible for the imperial examination?"

"Of course." Zhao Yao looked a little weird when he saw Mr. Xiao's surprised expression, "Didn't I mention this before?"

Mr. Xiao shook his head gently: "No, this is my first time hearing what you said."

Zhao Yao raised his hand and patted his forehead: "My brain has forgotten such an important thing."

"Your Highness, is it appropriate to leave such an important matter as the imperial examination to the Ministry of Rites?" The imperial examination was held to select talents for the court, and Mr. Xiao felt that this matter should be left to the Ministry of Personnel. "Your Highness, the imperial examination should be handled by the Ministry of Civil Affairs."

"The Ministry of Personnel?" Zhao Yao was very confused when he heard what Mr. Xiao said, but he soon understood what Mr. Xiao meant, "Sir, do you think the imperial examination is to select officials for the court, and the officials are managed by the Ministry of Personnel , so you think the Ministry of Civil Affairs should be responsible for the imperial examination."

"Yes."

"Sir, in this case, the civil service examination will have the final say."

Mr. Xiao had not thought of this. Now after hearing what Zhao Yao said, he realized that it was inappropriate to let the Ministry of Civil Affairs be responsible for the imperial examination.

"Sir, I asked you to be the Minister of Etiquette, firstly because you are familiar with rituals and music, and secondly because you are well-read in poetry and books and have a noble character. I will feel relieved if I leave the imperial examination to you."

Mr. Xiao was very moved when he saw that Zhao Yao valued and trusted him so much.

"I will never betray His Highness's trust."

"Sir, the county and prefectural exams will be taken in February next year. You have to prepare." If you don't prepare, it will be too late for next year's county and prefectural exams.

"Yes, Your Highness, I will definitely run the county and college examinations." As soon as Mr. Xiao finished speaking, he suddenly thought of other places in Lingnan and asked with confusion, "Your Highness, what about the imperial examinations in other places?"

"There are very few people in Lingnan participating in the imperial examination. As far as I know, only three prefectures participate." Taichuan Prefecture, Shaozhou Fu and Duanzhou Prefecture.Taichuan Prefecture is the capital city of Lingnan. Shaozhou Prefecture and Duanzhou Prefecture are managed by Taishi Liu's son and He Xiang's son.Therefore, these three state capitals will be better, with students taking the imperial examinations.As for other state capitals, not a single student took the imperial examination.Next year's imperial examination will have to include Marsh Mansion.

"The imperial examinations in Taichuan Prefecture, Shaozhou Prefecture, and Duanzhou Prefecture will continue as usual. Sir, you are responsible for arranging the imperial examinations in Marsh Prefecture." Zhao Yao said happily, "Fortunately, the provincial examination will be in three years, otherwise it will be squeezed into next year. We really Too busy." If he had known there were so many troubles in Lingnan, he should have sent people to investigate the criminal evidence of officials in various states a few years ago, and then let his father handle it.In this way, he can save a lot of trouble when he comes to Lingnan.

"Yes, fortunately the provincial examination will be held three years later, and fortunately there are very few students from Lingnan taking the imperial examination." When it came to the fact that there were fewer students taking the imperial examination, Mr. Xiao looked sad, "Your Highness, it is not a coincidence that there are so few students from Lingnan. That’s a good thing. You told me about creating a free school before, haven’t you forgotten?”

"Of course I haven't forgotten it, but it won't work this year. It can be implemented in the second half of next year."

Hearing that Zhao Yao was so kind, Mr. Xiao was overjoyed and said in a somewhat excited tone: "Your Highness, is it true?"

"Sir, when did I lie to you?" In addition to building free schools, there are also libraries, Jishengtang, nursing homes, etc. "However, sir, you also know the situation here in Lingnan. Even if I build the free school in the second half of next year, I guess there won't be many students to study. I'm afraid it will take a lot of time."

"Your Highness, you have to take it step by step slowly. I believe that many children will enter the free school in the future." Mr. Xiao is very optimistic. "I believe that in ten to twenty years, Lingnan will not only become a wealthy place, but also a The place where writing style flourished.”

"Then I'll take Mr. Xiao's good advice."

Mr. Xiao said some more things, and by the time he finished speaking, it was already noon.Zhao Yao left the old man to have lunch with him, but Mr. Xiao said that he still had many things to deal with and had to go back to the Yamen first.

He Lianfang deliberately pretended to be surprised when she saw Zhao Yao appearing in the dining hall today.

"Hey, it's rare to see the King of Han's grand chariot today."

Hearing He Lianfang's aura, Zhao Yao smiled flatteringly at him: "Second uncle, am I not busy?"

"What have you been busy with these days?" He Lianfang asked, "Have you asked anyone to make my wine?"

"I've gone to see the brewing master. I should be able to brew in a few days." Zhao Yao washed his hands with soap, took the handkerchief Tong Xi handed him, wiped his hands, and immediately sat down opposite He Lianfang. "I've been shopping around the Marsh Mansion in the past few days and selected several good places. One is used to build a farm, one is used to build a factory, one is used to build a secret military base, and one..."

After hearing what Zhao Yao said, He Lianfang looked surprised and said, "How many houses do you want to build?"

"Many, very many." Zhao Yao continued, "By the way, I also checked the swamp and almost fell in. Fortunately, I reacted quickly."

"The swamp is full of dangers. Where are you going and what are you doing?"

"Of course it's to see the swamp." Zhao Yao said while eating food, "I originally decided to place the palace in the swamp, firstly because the swamp is located on the seaside, and secondly because of the swamp in the swamp. This swamp is a good thing. .”

"Is the swamp a good thing?" He Lianfang felt that Zhao Yao's brain was broken.

"Second uncle, if you make good use of the swamp, it is really a good thing. However, I don't have the energy and no one to do it at the moment." Zhao Yao calculated the time and said, "I guess it will be done in the year after next." There are not enough manpower. Next year we will see if we can get some of the exiled prisoners who are serving their sentences to do some work.

He Lianfang didn't understand how the swamp could be a good thing, but Zhao Yao said it was, so it must be.This kid can always turn useless things into useful treasures.

"I also went to the dock to check, and also went to the beach, and even took a boat out to sea." These days, Zhao Yao has been to many places, "Second uncle, next I plan to turn sea salt into good salt. "

"Sea salt can be turned into good salt. Do you have any idea?"

"Yes, and the salt produced is no worse than the salt we eat in the capital." Zhao Yao said with a mean look, "The most important thing is that as long as the sea water does not dry up, salt can be produced continuously. At that time, we will be able to bring down the price of salt in Dazhou, and then the salt dealers, aristocratic families, and officials will be dumbfounded."

After hearing this, He Lianfang's expression became serious: "Can you really turn the salt made from sea water into good salt?"

Zhao Yao said with great confidence: "Yes, I will start doing it tomorrow."

He Lianfang gasped in shock.

Salt directly produced from sea water cannot be eaten and must be processed.

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