Compete for the Song Dynasty

Wang Pang and Ouyang Xiu are good friends, and he couldn't help being puzzled when he heard Wang Gongchen say that, seeing Shen Kuo and Wang Gongchen rivaling brother-in-law and brother-in-law, Hu Su smiled and explained: "My lord, our Wang Tongpan and the drunkard are brothers-in-law. At that time, Xue Kui, the servant of the household department, had three daughters, the eldest daughter was married to Ouyang Xiu, and the second daughter was married to Wang Gongchen. After Ouyang Xiu lost his wife, he continued to marry the youngest daughter of the Xue family. Therefore, Wang Tong judged it as a joke."

Wang Pang thought, this Shen Kuo is an old urchin, it's normal to like to joke, this Wang Gongchen is a bit ignorant, how could he make fun of his relatives at the banquet? !He smiled and didn't answer, because he couldn't tell the drunkard's joke behind his back.Unexpectedly, the judge still didn't understand the meaning of Wang Pang's silence. He laughed and said: "Once there was a man named Liu Yuanfu who married his wife again in his later years. Ouyang Xiu wrote poems to tease him: "Don't laugh while picking flowers in the cave. Lang Yuan is old Liu Lang." Liu Yuan's father was unhappy and wanted revenge. One day, the three of us got together, and Liu Yuan's father said: In the past, there was a pedant who taught children to read. When the snake was playing with the snake, he taught: "The character for snake is pronounced as the word for aunt, remember." One day later, the schoolboy watched the beggar playing with the snake, and did not go to the school to study until after dinner. The old school asked, "Why are you late?" the schoolboy replied : "Just now there was a man who made a aunt on the road. I watched with everyone, and I saw that he got the aunt first and then the aunt, so he was late."

Even Wang Pang didn't hold back his laughter at this joke: "How does the drunken man answer?"

Wang Gongchen said, "What else can he say besides laughing?"

Everyone laughed, Wang Pang thought, this ancient man looked like a literati, and he would make dirty jokes wherever he sat. It seems that people have not changed in thousands of years except for the change of clothes. .But this Wang Gongchen is good enough, no wonder Emperor Renzong doesn't like him in his heart, this man really doesn't care about the occasion or the person when he speaks.He smiled, turned to Shen Kuo and asked, "Why is Brother Shen going back to the capital again?" [

Shen Kuo replied: "Yes, but there are still a few days left, just to accompany the prince around Yangzhou, and wait for Li Gefei to arrive in Yangzhou by the way."

Hearing that Shen Kuo said that he was going to leave Yangzhou, Wang Pang felt a little bit regretful, after all, things in Yangzhou would be much easier with Shen Kuo in the future.After the banquet, Shen Kuo sent Wang Pang back to his residence. The two hadn't seen each other for more than a year. Wang Pang invited Shen Kuo to his residence to have a talk. Talk until the lights are lit in the courtyard.

When Shen Kuo saw Wang Pang, it was not just a joke about brotherhood.In terms of officialdom, Shen Kuo didn't have as many ups and downs as Wang Pang, but he didn't see success either.But in terms of learning, in the mainstream era of the Northern Song Dynasty, when literature and scriptures were adored, and poems and lyrics were recited, science was regarded as a late learning, and was even ridiculed as a heretic with strange skills and "obscene" skills.The one who can talk to Shen Kuo, from the compass to oil, from astronomy to geography, is probably the only one in the huge Northern Song Dynasty.

The weather in March is somewhat cool, just like the so-called warm and cold.Su Xiaomei waited in the room for a long time, and heard that Wang Pang had already returned to the courtyard, but she did not enter the room for a long time.I also heard that I had been chatting with Shen Kuo under the gazebo, and I was amused.After lighting the lights, the little girl took a cloak and sent it to the gazebo. Seeing that the two people in the gazebo had replaced tea with food and wine, they were laughing and talking with great interest.

"Siblings are here, I'm being disturbed by many people, don't blame the newcomers! Haha" Shen Kuo said with a smile.

Wang Pang poured wine and said, "Let's sit down together. Brother Shen is not an outsider. He and your brother Su Shi are also good friends. By the way, Brother Shen, Brother Su also mentioned the matter of making "Cloud Picking" together earlier. Wait In the future, if we have a chance, we will all go back to the capital and make Yunpick again."

Shen Kuo was happy, "Okay! At that time, I will write all my discoveries over the years on Yunzhu. There must be many people who like to read it."

"Then I have to give you a pseudonym." Wang Bang deliberately made fun of him.

"Yeah." Shen Kuo nodded uncontrollably, "Tell me, what's my name?"

"Just call him Frankenstein! Haha"

Shen Kuo took a sip of his wine: "I know you kid is making fun of me, let alone what science means, but you still call me a weirdo?!"

Wang Pang smiled: "If Brother Shen didn't go back to Beijing to take up his post, I really want Brother Shen to go to Yongzhou with me. If you are here, I will open a school, not only to teach those articles and Fu, but also to open some mathematics. , medicine, astronomy, etc. How good it is to let you be the principal?!"

Wang Pang really thought so. The students in the Song Dynasty were really biased towards subjects. Although the old stereotyped essays had been abandoned, the scientific examination still attached great importance to liberal arts.What he said was right to Shen Kuo's mind: "Yes, yes, why don't we say that we are like-minded. Unfortunately, I can't go, but I think of someone. I will call him tomorrow and let him follow you never mind."

"Oh? Who can make Brother Shen lift it up?"

Shen Kuo looked at Su Xiaomei: "Didn't my brother and sister like that Yanji? They just wanted to be that Yanji. I didn't make the only thing in my study, and you two fell in love with it. This person is Li Jie, Named Mingzhong, a native of Zhengzhou Guancheng in the Northern Song Dynasty. This is my favorite student. This person has profound knowledge in geography, history, and music, and he also has unique features in architecture. Didn’t you go to Yongzhou to engage in construction? I think this person Couldn't be more appropriate!"

Li Jie?Wang Pang recited the name silently in his heart, and touched the ancient stone hidden in his chest with his left hand. This person is also a person who left a name for later generations!Moreover, he was a civil architect in the Song Dynasty and the editor of the book "Zao Fa Shi".Such talents can be kept by themselves, and they will definitely be useful in Yongzhou.

Thinking of this, the king toasted and said: "Then I will thank Brother Shen first. In the future, Brother Shen will give more praises to such talents."

"Of course, of course. Having said that, I think this person will definitely do something in the future! I am useless as a teacher, maybe I can do something by following you!" Shen Kuo ate with a mouthful of wine and food.

Wang Pang smiled and nodded, looked at Su Xiaomei, she was sitting here chatting, she had already taken the wine pot from Wang Pang's hand, and poured wine for Wang Pang and Shen Kuo.So he whispered in Su Xiaomei's ear: "Don't look at Li Jie, he is a Yanji or something now, in the future even many buildings in the palace will be built by him."

The little girl laughed softly and said, "You don't know the foretelling. When the time comes, will you lend him the project money just like you borrowed money from the Gaoyou county magistrate? Otherwise, how can he accept such a big project from the royal family?"

Although their voices were very soft, Shen Kuo heard: "Magistrate of Gaoyou County, what kind of silver do you want to borrow?"

Wang Pang told Shen Kuo about Xu Liang's borrowing to do the royal garden project when passing through Gaoyou. Shen Kuo frowned and shook his head after a while.Seeing his strange expression, Wang Bang couldn't help asking: "Brother Shen? Why do you think this is inappropriate?"

Shen Kuo shook his head and said, "It's not right, but there's nothing I can do about it. You remember that before I left the capital that year, I said that I had to attend the royal sacrifice before leaving. At that time, I found many problems, especially the royal ones you mentioned. The construction of sacrificial gardens. For this reason, I also compiled "Southern Suburb Style" and I am preparing to play it to the court when I return to Beijing."

Wang Pang and Su Xiaomei heard what Shen Kuo said, so they looked at Shen Kuo suspiciously, and Shen Kuo said: "The etiquette of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth in the circular mound in the southern suburbs is arranged by the imperial court according to the records of the classics, and then the copy is stored. Before the ceremony, they set up tents under the altar, built gardens several miles outside the palace city, planted trees, decorated them with colorful patterns, carved birds and animals, and placed them continuously among the trees. On the evening of the day when the sacrificial ceremony was held, the emperor himself came to enjoy the scenery of the garden, boarded the south main gate of Duanmen, displayed the guards of honor, inspected the troops of the martial law guards, and had a tour. But..."

As he said that, he took another sip of his wine, "These are not the scenes that should be seen during fasting and sacrifices. If you follow the etiquette of formal sacrifices, these can be saved. I have roughly calculated that each time the savings are tens of thousands count……"

Tens of thousands?Listening to this figure, the king couldn't help cursing: "This gang of moths, that's how the imperial court's silver taels were emptied."

Shen Kuo nodded in response: "That's right! Tell me, is it wrong to lend them money?"

Wang Pang nodded: "Brother Shen is right, but don't rush to play it when you return to the capital, it is useless to play it now, Emperor Yingzong's dragon body is not in good condition, it is estimated that it is inevitable to pray for heaven and earth at this time."

"What? You just finished scolding those moths, and you're going to eat their interest and make them into moths?" Shen Kuo didn't turn his back when he spoke.

"Brother Shen, what did you say? I mean you may not accept it now. Why don't you wait until the crown prince is determined to reform completely? That will definitely hit the nail on the head and hit the nail on the head!"

Shen Kuo thought for a while: "It's not unreasonable to hear what you said, but what about the Gaoyou county magistrate borrowing money to take over the project? Don't talk about a project with such a large financial resources from the imperial court, just say you are in Yongzhou. You can go there I will regard you as the God of Wealth. Even if you want to expand the palace and create a forum, some people will take the opportunity to do some ostentatious work to make money. I say it is not appropriate to lend them money, but it is very difficult to prevent this phenomenon. .”

Wang Pang smiled slightly. How could the ancients understand his thoughts?What's more, modern things don't need to be copied, only a little bit is used, which is more than enough to operate in the Song Dynasty: "It's not difficult. I have already thought about the construction of my Yongzhou. As long as I need engineering or procurement from the palace, I will do it." open tender."

"Bidding? What do you mean?" Shen Kuo stopped the wine glass that was about to be brought to his mouth, and stared at Wang.Even Su Xiaomei, who had been silently listening all this time, looked at Wang's side now, and she became more and more surprised that her husband was full of new words.

"It's simple, that is, I will announce the project and requirements to be done. No matter the government, businessman or ordinary people, they can calculate the project cost according to my requirements. In the end, I choose the person with the right quality, reputation and price, and let them do it. . Those who participate are called bidding, and those who get the project are called winning bids.”

"Good! Good! This method is good, if the crowd competes for it, the able one will get it!" Shen Kuo praised loudly as soon as he put down his wine glass.

Wang Pang thought, this is of course good, as long as the process is open and transparent, it is definitely a good way to promote competition and save costs!