Early Ming Dynasty: Turning Clouds and Rains into New Learning Saints

Chapter 178 I feel like I’m showing off my wealth again

I don’t know whether it was because Zhu Biao and his wife were tired from traveling all the way, or because they were no longer worried, so they didn’t even recognize the bed. They felt exhausted until the next day!

After breakfast, Zhu Jingjing accompanied the princess and took Zhu Xiongying out for shopping.

Zhu Biao, accompanied by Zhang Yifan, met with several attendants in the lobby of the houya.

Of course, it is definitely not him waiting for others, but others waiting for him.

Zhu Biao, who had just entered the lobby, looked surprised when he saw them: "What's wrong with you?"

After finishing speaking, he looked at Song Lian and asked with concern: "Is it because the inn was uncomfortable, so I didn't sleep well?"

Song Lian had been ordered to teach Zhu Biao knowledge for several years. At this time, he was also old. If the original historical development was followed, the tenth year of Hongwu would be the time for him to retire and return to his hometown.

But because of the butterfly effect, he accompanied the prince to Guangdong.

Of course Zhu Biao was very concerned about him. When he saw that he had panda eyes, he was shocked and asked questions quickly.

After hearing this, Song Lian smiled and said, "Please forgive me for worrying, Your Highness. The inn is very good, but I just can't sleep."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to look at Fang Xiaoru, and asked with the same doubt: "What about you? You can't sleep either. Do you want to sleep?"

Fang Xiaoru, who also has two panda eyes, bowed and responded: "Xiaguan and my mentor talked very late last night, so that my mentor couldn't rest well. I'm really ashamed!"

When Zhu Biao heard this, he couldn't help but shake his head and criticized: "You are young and can stay up late, but you have to take into account the time!"

Based on this alone, he felt that his father's statement that Fang Xiaoru was stable was a bit too much.

Song Lian's age is there. Even if you want to talk at night, you have to take Song Lian's age into consideration.If there is anything, we can’t wait until the next day to talk about it!
Fang Xiaoru was ashamed when he heard this, and when he was about to speak, Song Lian had already opened his mouth and said to Zhu Biao: "Your Highness, this is a subordinate official pulling him to talk, if you have to blame, then you can only blame the son-in-law! "

When Zhang Yifan heard this, he was dumbfounded: "..."

All of a sudden, you're taking the blame?
Zhu Biao was also surprised. He couldn't help but turn his head and look at Zhang Yifan beside him. He was a little confused. Why did Song Lian blame the consort? Didn't the inn say it was very good?
Fortunately, Song Lian immediately continued: "Xiaguan went to visit Xiangshan County yesterday. He was so stunned that he couldn't sleep at night, so he took him to hold a candle and talk at night. Your Highness, do you think it was caused by the consort?"

Zhu Biao: "..."

When he came back to his senses, he smiled, and at the same time he became very curious in his heart. What was going on outside that kept the mature and prudent Song Lian awake at night?
From the port to the county government, I took a carriage, but I just knew that there were concrete houses and concrete roads on both sides. Could there be other mysteries?
Song Lian did not dare to arouse Zhu Biao's curiosity all the time, and continued: "Xiangshan County is so amazing. Your Highness will understand it once you go out and take a look!"

Zhu Benn was about to go out. When he heard what he said, he said happily: "Let's go then. I want to see what kind of magical method is there in Xiangshan County and how profitable it is?"

He remembered very clearly that Yifan showed off his wealth yesterday!

After Zhu Biao finished speaking, he glanced at Lan Yu, then said with a smile: "It's okay for you, you didn't see anything wrong!"

Lan Yu listened and responded with a faint smile. Then, he said to Zhang Yifan: "I want to go to Qianhu Station to see the Military Beitang!"

Xiangshan County is not under the jurisdiction of Guangdong, so even if Lan Yu is the highest-ranking guard general in Guangdong, he cannot go to the military camp in Xiangshan County.

Zhu Biao was a little surprised after hearing this. What could it be that could make this blue jade rare?
He knew about Wu Beitang, because Zhang Yifan had reported to his father that he had used Zhu Liangzu as his instructor.

But if that was the case, he didn't think Lan Yu would want to see the Armed Forces.At least in his opinion, Lan Yu's ability to lead troops in battle is no worse than Zhu Liangzu's.

With this thought in mind, Zhu Biao waved his hand and said: "Let's all go, let's all go. This time we have come so far. We have to visit every corner of Xiangshan County!"

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan responded with a smile, "No problem, let's go!"

So, the group of people all put on plain clothes and went out from the back office under the escort of Mao Xiang, the commander of the Jinyi Guards, and his men.

When going out, each person should have a bamboo hat or, for literati, a folding fan.

There is no other reason than that the weather in Xiangshan County is a bit hot!

Zhang Yifan was the host and introduced Zhu Biao as he walked.

"The city is full of living areas, that is, residential buildings. It is less busy and more peaceful, making it suitable for living. In addition, there is the county school and social studies over there..."

The roads in Xiangshan County are not very wide, but they are paved with cement. They are smooth and clean.

There were not many people in the county town, but they, surrounded by a large group of guards, were the largest and most conspicuous ones.

Zhu Biao walked, watched, and nodded from time to time.

As a prince, and being trained mainly in literary affairs by Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Biao was also very concerned about the situation of county schools and social studies, so he went to visit the school first.

To his great surprise, the social studies and county schools in Xiangshan County were much larger than he had imagined, and there were many scholars.

The ages also vary, some are as young as seven or eight years old, and some are as young as sixteen or seventeen.Moreover, there are boys and girls, but they are not in the same class, but separate classes for boys and girls, but they are in the same class.

Zhu Biao also found that the students here are very serious. Even if there is no teacher, they are still studying hard. This situation is very rare.

Even when their prince was studying, Zhu Biao also knew that several younger brothers didn't want to study hard, they always wanted to play and didn't want to learn.

Therefore, he was very surprised by the situation of Xiangshan County School.

Song Lian clearly saw why he was surprised, so she explained to him from the side: "Your Highness, the consort is really attentive to the arts. He has set up a scholarship..."

In fact, he didn't visit many places yesterday. He first visited the Wenzhi area that he cared about most, which was the place related to the school.

Because he had already heard about the county-wide literacy competition held by the Prince Consort when he was in the capital, and he was very curious about how effective it would be.

Unexpectedly, after arriving, he and his student Fang Xiaoru briefly checked the situation here and were really shocked.

Not to mention those who look like scribes, but those middle-aged men and women who sweep the streets, they can even write their names with a broom, and they can also write some simple characters.In short, you can’t be considered illiterate!
At first, Master and Disciple Song Lian didn't believe this evil, but then they checked with various people and found that it was true, as long as they were individuals, they could recognize some words.They even suspected that the rats in Xiangshan County could probably read.

This kind of literacy rate is impossible to have, let alone the capital, or other places in the south of the Yangtze River where literary styles are flourishing.This shocked Master and Disciple Song Lian!
When they arrived at the school, they found that all the students here were very hardworking. After a quick inspection, they found that the students here were really studious. From their literacy level, it was impossible to tell that they had only studied for about half a year.

Then in the communication, they knew that there was a scholarship, which not only allowed these students to study hard, but even after returning home, the whole family supervised and studied together.This style of writing is simply unheard of.

No, when Zhu Biao finished listening to Song Lian's introduction, he was also very shocked.

When Zhang Yifan saw it, he explained to them: "Actually, if I really want to say it, they are still afraid of poverty. Now that the government has given them such an opportunity, no one wants to miss it!"

You can make money by going to school, even more than the adults at home, so why not study hard?

Even if you don't succeed in school in the end, if you are literate, it will be easier to find a job and get a higher salary, and the job may be more respectable.

In short, if children from poor families become parents early, they will know how to cherish them.

Compared to Song Lian who was surprised by this Wenzhi, Zhu Biao's focus was slightly different and he immediately said to Zhang Yifan: "You are really rich!"

"Haha, it's just a small amount of money!" Zhang Yifan responded with a faint smile after hearing this.

Zhu Biao: "..."

Song Lian: "..." Others: "..."

To be honest, this money is not very much, but they have never seen anyone spending money on these places so generously.

After coming out of the school, Zhu Biao said enthusiastically: "Let's go outside the city and see how you make money?"

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan called Zhu Wu and gave him instructions. After watching Zhu Wu leave, he said to Zhu Biao: "Brother, wait a minute, let's take the bus there!"

"What?" Zhu Biao asked strangely when he heard this, "What kind of car?"

Zhang Yifan listened and replied with a smile: "Public transportation vehicles are referred to as buses. In fact, they can be regarded as school buses. They are mainly used to transport students to and from school."

Xiangshan County itself is not big, but if you include the outside of the city, it is a bit big. If you keep walking, you may get tired.

After hearing this, Zhu Biao said with a smile, "You have so many tricks here, you even have public transport cars?"

"The main reason is convenience!" Zhang Yifan immediately replied, "The people in Xiangshan County are still poor. They can't afford a carriage themselves, so everyone can pool their money together to pay for the carriage."

While he was talking, he saw a carriage coming, which surprised Zhu Biao.

This carriage is about as long as two ordinary carriages. There are benches fixed on the carriage. The awning is made of bamboo, only on the top. It can just cover the sun, but not the wind, and can also be seen by outsiders. Is the bus full?

Zhu Biao saw it and said with a smile: "This car of yours can only be used on this cement road, right?"

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan flattered him and said, "Brother has a discerning eye, he can see it right away!"

Zhu Biao smiled and got in the car.

After Zhang Yifan asked several other people to sit down, he got up and sat at the front of the car with Zhu Biao.

Mao Xiang and his Jinyiwei men were in trouble. They walked on both sides of the car to protect them. Fortunately, Zhu Biao and others had to watch both sides, so they could follow on foot even if they didn't walk fast.

Of course, Zhu Wu and other guards also walked.

As soon as they left the city gate, the noisy atmosphere hit them.

The contrast between the silence inside the city and the noise outside the city is very obvious, as if they are two different worlds.

There were suddenly more pedestrians on the street. It was no longer like the city. There seemed to be no people.

Ordinary people in Xiangshan County, including some officials, knew that the Prince Consort had a guest, but they did not know who the guest was.

Most of the people knew the county magistrate consort, and when they saw him appear, they saluted one after another, and at the same time looked curiously at the person sitting next to Zhang Yifan, guessing his identity.

Anyway, looking at this posture, he should be a noble man.Not only were there many guards, but they were also accompanied by the county magistrate's consort.

When Zhu Biao saw this, he smiled and said to Zhang Yifan: "I can see that you are very popular among the people in Xiangshan County!"

Zhang Yifan listened and said with a smile: "The people are actually very simple. They will thank whoever treats them well. Like the former Dianshi Ma Ruhai, he can dominate the sky in Xiangshan County, but the people are afraid of him."

After chatting casually, he pointed in front of him and said: "This area near the city gate is mainly for restaurants and inns. It is not the time for dining, so there are not many people."

After Zhu Biao heard this, he looked at the signs on both sides and nodded and said, "You see, it's really all on the same street."

At this point, he noticed something and continued: "Looking at these shops, they are all neat and tidy. Could they have been built in a unified manner?"

"Brother is right." After hearing this, Zhang Yifan immediately replied, "Outside the city were originally temporary thatched houses built by outsiders. In addition to being unsightly, they were also poorly hygienic, leaked when it rained, and suffered disasters during hurricanes. There were too many problems. There were many houses, so I built these houses and rented them out.”

"Can they afford the rent?" Zhu Biao asked in surprise when he heard this.

Zhang Yifan shook his head and said: "Of course not. These shops are divided into front and back yards. The front yard is used for business and the people live in the back. They are mainly leased to locals or foreigners for business. Those who come to work in Xiangshan County will arrange a place for them to live. It's far away from here, and the rent is cheap. If the government hires them, food and accommodation are included, so they don't have to pay rent!"

Listening to his words, Zhu Biao felt like someone was showing off his wealth again.

How can an ordinary county government get so much money to build houses?
He didn't say this out loud, but Fang Xiaoru, who was sitting behind them and listening with his ears pricked up, spoke up about the problem and said with emotion: "This kind of thing can't be learned anywhere else, there is not so much money! "

Hearing this, Zhang Yifan turned to look at him, shook his head, and said seriously: "Actually, this has nothing to do with whether the county government has money or not!"

other people:"……"

There was silence on the bus for a while, but Fang Xiaoru was modest. After he came to his senses, he asked for advice: "I don't understand what the prince-in-law said, so I would like to ask the prince-in-law to clarify my confusion!"

After hearing this, Zhu Biao also looked at Zhang Yifan and said, "Yes, tell me, if it has little to do with whether the county government has money, then what does it have to do with more?"

"Expectation!" After Zhang Yifan said these two words, seeing that they were still confused, he explained in detail, "It can also be said to be expectations. They expect to make money by renting the shop here, so they will rent it; they come In Xiangshan County, many people will come if they can work and make money, and people will definitely rent the built houses. So I say, expectation is the most important thing."

At this point, he paused and then added: "It is also expected that the yamen does not have to pay all the money to build these houses and streets, but borrows money from the bank, uses the money from the bank to build these houses, and then The rent received is returned to the bank. In fact, the county government itself only spent a small part of the money, and it can collect rent for a long time in the future!"

Others don't understand, what kind of bank money?
However, Zhu Biao knew it, and asked with great interest: "How much money can the bank have, just because the father gave you the ten thousand yuan?"

Zhang Yifan smiled and replied: "Now you want to borrow one hundred thousand yuan from the bank, and you can get it."

Fang Xiaoru and others were still thinking about the appeal of "anticipation" when they suddenly heard the word "one hundred thousand dollars" and their attention was immediately attracted.

Zhu Biao was a little surprised when he heard this, and immediately asked: "Why are there so many?"

After hearing this, Zhang Yifan said with a little pride: "Because we have established a good reputation, people, including businessmen from other places, are willing to deposit the money they bring with them in banks. The official and merchant money established by the Xiangshan County Government is also deposited in banks. This bank will naturally have more money. When you turn around, ask Jing Jing to show you the account books and you will know."

Zhu Biao listened and asked tentatively: "Is it very profitable?"

Zhang Yifan laughed as soon as he heard it, and immediately said: "Hehe, money generates money, of course it makes money! The better the reputation of the bank, the more people who come to deposit or loan, the more profitable the bank is, which is equivalent to using other people's money to give money to the bank." make money."

"Is it true?" Zhu Biao looked very interested after hearing this.

When Zhang Yifan saw it, he reminded: "But there are risks. It's just that I'm watching Xiangshan County and no one dares to make trouble. Otherwise, the money of Xiangshan County Bank is far from enough to prevent risks." We can go back and talk about the details."

After Zhu Biao heard this, he suddenly felt like his IQ was being crushed.Why can we find so many ways to deal with ordinary things when we get to Yifan?

A little sad!

Zhu Biao stretched out his hand, pointed to the front and said: "The one we just passed was the food and lodging area. What about the front? I see that the shops don't seem to be related to food and lodging?"

"That's the department store area that sells all kinds of groceries." Zhang Yifan listened and replied, "Maybe my sister-in-law, Jing Jing and the others are shopping here..."

Lan Yu, who was sitting in the back, watched the people in front of him observe and discuss the surroundings with great interest, but he was not interested.

Here in Xiangshan County, he didn't care much about how to make money. He just wanted to see the Military Beitang, because he heard that the Military Beitang was not just about Professor Zhu Liangzu's ability to lead troops in war, but there were other things. Just interested.

This prince-in-law will get too many things!

　Ask for support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)