His original plan from Jiangning to the capital had been to do his best to prevent a possible Jingkang. But plans couldn't keep up with changes. After gaining a general understanding of the Office of Secret Investigations, he couldn't hand over the main plan he had prepared. The remaining matters were just minor details, and it didn't really matter whether he handed them over or not.
When he first arrived at the Wu dynasty, he didn't have high hopes for the role that physics and chemistry would play in the future. Even if other mountains' stones could be used to attack jade, in this world that lacked an industrial foundation, it would be difficult to see decisive results in a short period of time. If people developed a mentality of dependence, it would instead wear down the soldiers' fighting spirit. Secondly, the Confucian system was a serious taboo against reform and technological revolution. This taboo wasn't expressed verbally, but if reform harmed interests, rejection would come in all sorts of ways. After the Hangzhou incident, when Ning Yi was thinking about what he could do, his first choice of technology was no longer gunpowder, but indigenous methods of steelmaking.
China's 5,000 years of culture was extensive and profound. That was true, but when it came to technology, such as metallurgy, when technology developed to a certain level and the people felt that it was "enough," there would be a small change in the smelting of iron over a thousand or even two thousand years, but there would never be a true technological revolution. And this small change in technology was, to a large extent, due to the blacksmiths' selfishness. If there really was a powerful technique, it wouldn't spread far and wide. In the end, it would be buried in the torrent of time, and the new blacksmiths would have to research new techniques.
Purely in terms of technological innovation, this self-sufficient and fertile land didn't have the stomach to breathe in the old and accept the new. Its imprint was more of a confinement and self-denial. In the end, it was because this land was so fertile that after the industrial revolution in the West, we received a huge slap in the face. If one looked back, many historical reviewers would say that the technological innovation of the Song and Ming Dynasties already had the beginnings of an industrial revolution. In reality, this was nothing more than delusional talk. After this land's ruling structure and ruling culture took shape, it would be difficult to have an industrial revolution in the 18th or 19th century even if it was developed from scratch a thousand times. If it wasn't for the invasion of foreign races, then it would inevitably be internal division and waste. A nation without a sense of crisis would not seek change, only fear change. Therefore, there would be no change in the eighteenth century, but there might be a possibility in the eighteenth century.
Of course, even for Ning Yi, this was just a side note in his thoughts. However, because of this, he had thought about many simple technological innovations that could be put in place in a short period of time. The first thing that came to mind was still the indigenous steelmaking method. In the last few years of the 1950s, the earth blast furnaces all over China did not have too strict and esoteric technical requirements. That movement was criticized by later generations. After a lot of wastage, only about eight million tons of steel could reach industrial standards out of more than eleven million tons. But compared to the current steel, even if the three million tons of scrap steel couldn't reach industrial standards, many indicators far exceeded the current standards of the Wu dynasty.
There was no need for high industrial standards here, and there was no fear of too much waste. As long as an idea could be developed and a suitable carbon content could be found, it would at least be possible to mass produce a good knife that would take blacksmiths half a year or several months to make. It wouldn't be much of a problem to use it to arm elite troops. However, because the current Wu dynasty army lacked not good knives but military discipline, Ning Yi still handed the preliminary experiments over to Lu Hongti.
On the other hand, although there were no lessons learned from the tragic mistakes of the East and West Factories, the current upper echelons were cautious about establishing a large-scale secret investigation system. This could be seen from the restrictions the Office of Secret Investigations faced in many matters. If it weren't for the urgency of the situation and the participation of many members of the imperial family, perhaps the Office of Secret Investigations wouldn't even have the authority to act. It was also because of this that the plan to develop a large-scale public opinion guidance system with Takeshi as a backing couldn't be supported from the start.
First of all, the upper echelons wouldn't understand the significance of mobilizing the lower echelons at all. On the other hand, this was more like a sign of a cult. And once it was put under the name of the Office of Secret Investigations, the expansion of this system would cause the Office of Secret Investigations to become uncontrollable. Because of these reasons, Ning Yi still decided to go it alone. This time, the matter of Bu Xing was secondary. Even if he didn't interfere, after Tan'Er came over, she would have enough ability to push everything forward. What Ning Yi really needed to do was to think about the matter of Takeshi before he left.
On this trip north, Yun Zhu and Jin'Er didn't bring any entourage with them. This was because the first batch of personnel training was still going on in Jiangning. This was something that had been prepared since they returned to Jiangning from Hangzhou. It was similar to the on-the- job training in the future, and it was enough to train enough professionals in two to three months. After Yun Zhu and Jin'Er settled down here, the first batch of new and old employees would arrive in Jing City in a month or two to start preparing for the work of the new store.
And even after that, the training on literacy, work skills, and corporate culture wouldn't end. They had to establish a solid enough evaluation, promotion, and mutual supervision mechanism so that everything could go on as usual even without the care and participation of the bosses like Yun Zhu and Jin'Er. With the basic structure of these things, they could start building the prototype now. On the other hand, if they wanted to prepare for the localization of these things, they naturally had to start referring to the various restaurants and brothels in Jing City at this time.
These things were stuffed in his mind. Although Ning Yi looked relaxed during the day and could chat with Cheng Zhouhai and the others all day long, he even proposed to Qin Shaoyu the plan to visit a store every day starting tomorrow, and he casually invited Yao Zunian, Cheng Zhouhai, and the others to go together. In fact, a lot of things were still turning in his mind. From the words of Yao Zunian and Cheng Zhouhai, he perfected the idea. When he went back at night, he had to write out the articles of association for a modern company, analyzing what could be used, what needed to be changed, and what should be deleted. In a sense, it was like returning to the feeling when he first started his business. Of course, if he started all over again, although there were many tedious things to do, everything would be much easier.
That afternoon, when Qin Siyuan and Monk Jueming returned to the manor, they talked to Ning Yi about Zhou Pei. In the past few days, this little princess had been busy with all kinds of visits and was said to be preparing to meet the Empress Dowager. She didn't have the time to visit Ning Yi, but she had seen Qin Siyuan twice. Earlier, she had asked where Ning Yi lived. This time, she asked Qin Siyuan to help her ask. Two days later, there would be a grand meeting at the Qingyang County Magistrate's manor, and she asked if he wanted to go.
"Qingyang County Magistrate? Who is that? "Ning Yi didn't know this name.
"One of the most famous talented women in Bianliang, the daughter of Prince Tan. After she got married, her husband, Liu Qingzhou, was fond of poetry and literature. The couple respected each other and often made friends at home. Over time, her family's Caimu Garden became one of the most famous places for literary meetings. Those who went there were also talented. If Liheng is interested, you can go and have a look, "Qin Siyuan explained with a smile. Then, Monk Jueming added a few words with a smile. The Qingyang County Magistrate was his cousin, and he was also familiar with Liu Qingzhou.
"If you're interested, you can go with me the day after tomorrow."
"I'm afraid I don't have the time …" Ning Yi thought about it. He was not interested in this kind of poetry meeting, especially recently. He had prepared a lot of poems to use in Takeshi's branch, so he didn't want to waste them. "But, how is Xiao Pei doing?"
"In just two or three days, she has won over so many people." Qin Siyuan laughed, "I heard that yesterday afternoon, the Grand Secretary of Prince Chong's residence strictly ordered for the examination of knowledge. Zhou Pei answered the questions fluently and amazed everyone. It's just that her poems were a little crafty and this was what everyone liked the most. Although it may be the Prince's special arrangement, but in these two days, there should be people who are tempted to propose marriage. Haha. "
Speaking of this, Qin Siyuan laughed happily. Zhou Pei was beautiful and no one could deny that she was a beauty. She was highly educated and had the identity of a talented woman. Coupled with her family's status, who wouldn't want to get close to her? Her crafty poetry made this woman's character seem normal, and she was a good choice for a wife. This time, Zhou Pei wanted to come to the capital. The goal that Kang Xian gave her was to find a talented man to be her partner. This matter must have been discussed with Qin Siyuan and Prince Chong, Zhou Ji, so that they could help to keep an eye on her. This was to prevent Zhou Pei from having too much fun and losing her sense of urgency.
"In that case, the Qingyang County Magistrate's poetry gathering is to give her more choices, right?"
Ning Yi smiled and spoke of his thoughts. Qin Siyuan nodded. "The little girl won't be able to decline these days. Other than the Qingyang County Magistrate, I'm afraid there are still a lot of poetry gatherings that can't be declined. Liheng, you are also her teacher. It's also your duty to help her keep an eye on things. "
"If it's about Junwu, I still agree. Qin Gonggong, you say, Zhou Pei, this girl is weird. That day, I just casually taught her some arithmetic, but she nitpicked and bickered with me all day long. She even felt that I was a bad influence on her younger brother. We are about the same age, so I won't participate in the marriage. Otherwise, she will hate me for the rest of her life … If you ask me, I think it's better for the elderly to keep an eye on these things. "
"A teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime. There's no such thing as age. Zhou Pei has always admired you, Liheng." Qin Siyuan smiled and waved his hand. "Besides, I have a myriad of affairs to attend to every day. Haha, I don't have time to meddle in the affairs of these delaying juniors. When the time comes, please help me look after her when I have time. "
After all, it was just a small matter. Qin Siyuan didn't say too much for the Qingyang County Magistrate's poetry gathering. Of course, the few people present didn't know that Zhou Pei had already publicized the prowess of Jiangning's number one talented teacher to a group of friends in the capital. Although she mentioned it to Qin Siyuan lightly, she was actually worried whether her teacher would go to the poetry gathering to support her.
Ning Yi, who still had a lot of things to do, naturally didn't have more time to waste on the boring poetry gathering. After leaving the Qin Mansion, it was evening again. When he returned to the Wenhui Building, he noticed that Yun Zhu and the others didn't look right. They seemed to be in low spirits. Jin'Er didn't look as cold as she did in the morning, but she was still very energetic. However, her face was gloomy and she walked away weakly when she saw him. When he asked Xiaochan what happened, she only said that everyone went shopping in the afternoon and was tired. Then, she revealed a happy smile.
Xiaochan couldn't hide her emotions from Ning Yi. After dinner, Ning Yi called Su Wenyu over and asked him about what happened during the day. Su Wenyu didn't dare to hide it from him and told him what he saw.
It was still in the morning. Ning Yi went to the Qin Mansion while Yun Zhu and the others were still going out to buy things. The family members followed them all the way. When they passed by the street that they passed yesterday, they saw a corpse.
It seemed that the government was handling a case. They fished a corpse in a gunny bag out of the river. The mouth of the gunny bag was loose and there was even dirty blood flowing out after it was fished out. It was obvious that the person in the bag had died not long ago. It was the corpse of a woman who was completely naked. At that time, many people had gathered around to look at it. It was said that the time when the body was disposed of was before dawn.
Walking on the street and seeing a female corpse from a murder case wasn't a reason to be listless all day. However, from Su Wenyu's hesitant tone, Ning Yi roughly understood. There were some things like a bandana and a headscarf in the bag that contained the corpse. The appearance of the corpse was also intact. The person who disposed of the corpse didn't care that the family members would recognize the corpse. When Su Wenyu saw it, he thought that this woman looked very much like the woman who was harassed by the high officials in the alley yesterday. Although he only saw it from afar, he had a general idea of the shape of the face and the color of the headscarf.
"At that time, although Miss Nie, Miss Yuan, and Xiaochan didn't say anything, but … I guess they guessed the same …" Su Wenyu frowned. "Before that woman died … she suffered a lot of abuse and torture. Her … her … there was even a stick stuck in her. We didn't look at it too much. Later, not long after noon … we came back …"
Ning Yi opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't say anything. He rubbed his mouth and remained silent for a long time. When he recalled what Cheng Zhouhai and the others had said when he went to the Qin Manor in the morning, he roughly understood. After Qin Shaoyu returned, he told Yao Zunian and the others about his encounter with Gao Muen. Yao Zunian, Ji Kun, Cheng Zhouhai, and the others had probably investigated through the Office of Secret Investigations. If the order was given at night, the first report would probably come back the next morning. Cheng Zhouhai scolded the Grand Commandant's Manor for being lawless and targeting that woman. The Office of Secret Investigations … might have found out about this when the Grand Commandant's Manor disposed of the corpse. There was also another possibility. The Office of Secret Investigations might have found out about this when the Grand Commandant's Manor made their move that night. However, this was meaningless. Even if they found out, the Office of Secret Investigations couldn't interfere. This kind of situation was probably the most depressing.
From this point of view, it was also correct to put the Office of Secret Investigations in a system that didn't rely on public opinion and propaganda.
And on top of this, Ning Yi could even extend a part of it. Given Gao Muen's temperament, he probably wouldn't care about that woman. Grand Commandant Gao Qiu didn't care about his son fooling around with women, but he definitely had to add a layer of insurance to prevent his son from touching people he shouldn't touch. This layer of insurance should be those people arranged around him. When they were in that alley, Lu Qian stopped Gao Yannei from blocking people on the street. But when he returned home like this, Gao Yannei's temper would be vented on him, and he couldn't stand it. Therefore, the person who was really responsible for taking that woman away should be Lu Qian. It wasn't that he couldn't fool around with her, but he couldn't let anything go wrong. This person had a sense of propriety, ability, and means. It was no wonder that he could make Lin Chong suffer so miserably.
He sat there thinking about these things. Su Wenyu sat at the side, not daring to breathe loudly. Because all of a sudden, his second brother-in-law in front of him seemed to become very gloomy. But after a while, this gloominess also dissipated. Ning Yi looked over and said, "Speaking of which, you accompanied Jin 'er there and tried to please her along the way … Uh, did you guys talk?"
Su Wenyu didn't expect Ning Yi to suddenly mention this. He was stunned for a while and said, "This … because that thing happened, and Miss Yuan didn't seem to be in the mood to talk … She, she seems to be avoiding me, but maybe …"
"Alright, let's not talk about this. They're a little uncomfortable because of this. You already know that."
"En."
"Then what are you waiting for? Jin 'er isn't in a good mood. Go and comfort her."
"Uh … but …"
"Seize the opportunity. No buts. If you don't have a topic, find a topic. If she doesn't comfort you, comfort her. " Ning Yi patted him on the shoulder. "This is how picking up girls is. Don't be so prideful. Listen to me."
"… Oh."
Su Wenyu wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, he went over. Ning Yi sat there and thought for a while. In fact, both Yun Zhu and Jin 'er had seen the darkness of society. Even in a brothel like Golden Wind House, several dead women were secretly carried out every year. When such a thing happened in front of him, even Ning Yi wouldn't feel happy. There was always a feeling of being suppressed in his heart. But if he wanted to enforce justice on behalf of heaven and even fight with the Supreme Commandant's Mansion after seeing such a thing, Ning Yi admitted that he didn't have the ability to do so for the time being. Naturally, Yun Zhu and Jin' er wouldn't have such expectations. More probably, it was because after the woman was targeted yesterday, they were also targeted here. It was inevitable that they felt a little fear and pain.
This feeling was very bad. But after thinking for a while, Ning Yi didn't know how to comfort them. If he was as powerful as Lu Hongti, he might be able to kill Lu Qian and Gao Yanei tonight and conveniently take off Gao Qiu's head. Unfortunately, such a thing could only be thought for the time being.
If there was a chance to get Gao Qiu to be crushed to death in the political struggle, it would be comfortable … He curled his lips and thought for a while. Then he went into the courtyard behind the inn and prepared to chat with Yun Zhu. But he didn't find Yun Zhu in the courtyard. Then he met Su Wenyu and Jin 'er.
"Maybe she went for a walk nearby. Let's walk around."
This Wenhui Building occupied a large area. The courtyard at the back was for people of status to stay in, and it was also equipped with a pond and garden. Ning Yi strolled all the way to the garden and saw a woman sitting at a round table in the garden with her chin in her hands. Under the orange light from the lantern, he couldn't tell what she was thinking. This slightly lonely expression came from Jin 'er, which was a little surprising. She had obviously seen Ning Yi when he came in. At this time, she was still holding her chin and looking at him indifferently. Ning Yi came in like he was taking a walk all the way, but now he walked forward with his hands behind his back. Then … under the gaze of Jin 'er, he bypassed a rockery and left in the direction he came from.
On the way, he met Su Wenyu, who was exchanging information with Ning Yi excitedly, "I just met Xiaochan and Miss Nie. They went back to their room."
"Jin 'er is in the garden. Comfort her."
"Uh, okay …"
Speaking of Jin 'er, Su Wenyu was still a little embarrassed. Ning Yi shook his head and scolded the rookie in his heart. Although his previous life's experience in picking up girls was a little rough, he was definitely very good at this time. With the very good himself to guide her, she was still so timid. She really couldn't be taught … He walked all the way back to the courtyard where Yun Zhu lived. She was sitting under the eaves and smiling gently at him. It seemed like she had already solved the problem in her heart and was waiting for him.
"I heard from Su Wenyu what happened in the morning." Ning Yi put his arm around her shoulder and sat down beside her.
"Nothing, I just remembered that we also met yesterday and felt a little scared." Yun Zhu forced a smile and leaned her head on his shoulder, "Liheng, do you think that woman could be the one we met yesterday? Although she looks similar … but there's no way to be sure, right? "
"Yes, but if it's true, the person who did it is Marquis Yu Lu Qian, who is by the Gao yamen's side."
"Huh?"
"It's the guy who persuaded the Gao yamen in the alley. As a servant of the Grand Commandant's Mansion, he can't let this matter spread too badly. But if he stops the Gao yamen from doing his job, he will be blamed when he gets back. So the best way is to arrest the person at night …"
Ning Yi's tone was a little light as he explained the reasoning mechanically. At this time, even if he said to relax, it couldn't change what had happened. He was Yun Zhu's man. Although he could use the relationship between them to temporarily suppress Yun Zhu's thoughts, he couldn't stop Yun Zhu from thinking about it later. Therefore, he simply made things a little more mechanical, expanding the involvement of the matter and making the atmosphere a little colder. Perhaps it could even reduce the tragic emotions.
He sat there and spoke coldly for a long time. Who was the mastermind, who was the accomplice, who was the cause, who was the means, who was shameless, and who felt innocent. After he finished speaking, he hugged the woman beside him and sat for a while.
At the same time, in the garden not too far away, a scene was happening.
Lanterns spread under the corridor, casting a yellow light. In the garden, the light of fireflies was sparsely dancing on the water. Next to the stone table, a man and a woman were talking about something. Su Wenyu stood up, took two steps back, and lowered his head to speak softly. On the other side of the table, the woman held her chin and covered her lips with her fingers. She didn't look at Su Wenyu, but her expression was a little arrogant and her eyes were cold. It was not easy to see such an expression on the usually lively Yuan Jin 'er, but as the person involved, Su Wenyu didn't feel angry or hurt because of this, because tears were flowing down her arrogant and cold face.
*****
"What happened to Jin 'er? She seems to have a problem with me … "
Time passed quietly. After a long time, in the courtyard here, Ning Yi changed the topic.
Yun Zhu laughed, "You don't know? Of course she has a problem with you … "
"I didn't do anything …" As for why he was hated, Ning Yi could roughly understand, but it was not surprising that a matchmaker would often be misunderstood. In any case, in the end, the other party would understand him, and that was enough. He thought so.
After Ning Yi muttered, Yun Zhu was silent for a moment, then showed a slightly serious expression and said to him, "Liheng, about Jin 'er, I want to talk to you …"
"Okay."
Ning Yi nodded. Just as Yun Zhu was about to speak, a voice suddenly came from behind, "Ning Liheng, come out."
His tone was a little stiff and decisive. He turned around and saw Yuan Jin 'er, who was dressed in a light yellow dress, standing at the entrance of the courtyard. She looked over and raised her chin proudly as if she was in a battle stance.
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