Halcyon brought the Emperor's request,
He bought the land deed,
He asked him to write a memorial on how to build the shop and submit it to the emperor. Thus, the Jia Zhen began to get busy again,
This plan had to be very detailed, including the distribution of this piece of land,
Please build it with people,
What it would look like, and then,
The selection of the raw materials for building the shop,
And the cost,
Everything had to be written down in detail, especially the arrangement of the funds.
After the Emperor saw the plan,
He was quite satisfied. The whole piece of land was divided into five large pieces. The first piece was in front,
It could be used for massage, enjoyment of opera, and other things. As he walked in, there was a field on the left,
There was a horse field and a cuju field. There were seats around for people to watch,
On the right was a place for people to live and play,
Water was drawn down from the mountain,
Peach blossoms were planted in the upper reaches of the stream. In the middle reaches, pavilions were built for people to watch and play, for scholars and poets to play with the stream. In the lower reaches, a large lake was built. Willows were planted beside the lake, and lotus flowers were planted in the lake. A pavilion was built in the middle of the lake, and one could take a boat to play.
Passing through the corridor in the middle of the lotus lake, one could reach the hot spring hut. This was a place for people to live. These small huts existed independently, and each hut was equipped with two servants. The small huts were separated by trees, so that people outside could not see what was going on inside to ensure confidentiality. Each hut had an outdoor hot spring.
The last piece was to go up the mountain to hunt. One could choose a horse that one liked from the horse stables at the racetrack, and then use the specially opened road near the racetrack to go straight up the mountain to hunt.
After the land was divided, there needed to be specialized people to build it. The Jia Zhen wrote that the officials from the Ministry of Works would be in charge, because the Ministry of Works had the most people, and they would be busier when they were busy. However, when they were free, they were still quite free, except for the production of weapons and other talents that often needed to be prepared. For example, in the construction department, except for the maintenance of the palace or other places that needed to be repaired, they were not busy at all. This way, it would cause a waste of talent, and these officials from the Ministry of Works had experience in construction, so it was actually quite good for them to be in charge of building this when they were not very busy. Moreover, it was not like he did not pay money. This way, he could still generate income for the Ministry of Works.
Tu Chen considered the feasibility of this plan in his heart, because Tu Chen was right. The imperial court had a lot of idle people. For example, the number of people who were admitted to the imperial court every three years, including the number of people who were admitted to the imperial court, was at least 100. In 30 years, there would be thousands of people who were admitted to the imperial court. In addition to the officials who were conferred titles and bought with money, the number of people who were admitted to the imperial court was constantly increasing. There were also many people who were admitted to the imperial court because they did not have connections, and among them, there was no lack of talented people. According to the Jia Zhen's theory, this could solve the problem of a large number of talents.
When they were in charge of the construction work, he could identify the talents who were beneficial to the imperial court based on these people's abilities. This was a win-win situation, but this matter still needed to be discussed with the other ministers before making a decision.
Because this plan was really too big, the Emperor decided to start with the massage performance area in front, then the hunting area, and then the other areas slowly. It would take several years to finish all of them, and he and the Jia Zhen could not afford to wait. After all, even if only the massage performance area in front and the hunting area in the mountain were built, a lot of money would be invested in the early stage. Although he could still continue to ask the Retired Emperor for help, if he did it too frequently, it would make the Retired Emperor unhappy. It was better to do it slowly. Anyway, it was already planned there, and it would not run away.
Seeing the Emperor's choice, the Jia Zhen was not surprised. After all, the cost was too high. The investment in these two areas was relatively less. After all, the mountain was already there, and they only needed to build the road, which was not a difficult task. There was also the massage performance area in front. Jia Zhen already had a shop like this, so he already had experience. If he did it again, there would be fewer detours. Even if it was just a reduction in time, it would save a lot of money.
After the Emperor's confirmation, Jia Zhen handed the matter over to Halcyon. He only needed Halcyon to report to him about the progress of the shop's construction. He then focused on studying the imperial examinations. After all, he was the son of the Minister of Rites. If he did not pass this time, how embarrassing would that be?
Knowing that Jia Zhen was preparing for the imperial examination, the Emperor also empathized with him. He knew that he handed everything to Halcyon, so he did not say anything.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was August. Jia Zhen was going to participate in the provincial examination. The provincial examination was divided into three days. The first round was on August 9th, the second round was on August 12th, and the third round was on August 15th. The first round tested the Confucian classics and the Four Books, the second round tested the Five Classics, and the third round tested the theory of policy.
Jia Zhen carried the exam basket that Jia Zhen had prepared for him into the examination hall. Jia Zhen and Xia Lu believed in the exam basket that Jia Zhen had prepared. After all, Jia Jing had already taken the exam once, so he knew more than Xia Lu and Jia Zhen, two laymen.
The exam needed to be entered a day in advance. Therefore, on the afternoon of the eighth, Jia Zhen brought his things and headed to the examination hall.
When Jia Zhen went to take the exam, Xia Lu was still worried. If he did not pass, Xia Lu was afraid that Jia Zhen's self-confidence would be damaged. Many men were unable to recover after trying and failing. She did not believe that Jia Zhen was such a person. However, no matter how perfect a person was, there would be times when he would not perform well, right?
Xia Lu was worried, but she did not let the Jia Zhen who was taking the exam know. Every time Jia Zhen came back, Xia Lu would personally welcome him. She found that although he was haggard, his spirit was still good. At least, the hidden dangers of mistakes due to his health were removed.
After the three exams, the first thing Jia Zhen did was to sleep in the inner chamber. Xia Lu had already invited an imperial physician for Jia Zhen. The imperial physician took the pulse of the sleeping Jia Zhen and said, "The Count is fine. He is just tired during this period of time. However, the foundation of his body is good. Let the Count have a good rest. When he wakes up, let him eat something light first. Don't eat big fish and meat to nourish his body. This is not good for the Count's health."
"Thank you, imperial physician." Xia Lu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then this old man will take his leave first." The imperial physician did not leave any prescriptions. He often took the Count's pulse and knew that the Count's family was not the kind of family that cared for their health. If they could eat nourishing food, they would not take medicine. This was very similar to the imperial physician. However, he would not say this out loud. Some families cared for their health. Even if they did not have any illness, they would still prescribe some warm and nourishing medicine for their health.
There were many such families in the noble and virtuous families. For example, in Rongguo Province, which had the same origin as Ningguo Province, their family cared for their health. In fact, they always used medicine to nourish their health. They looked healthy, but their foundation was weak. Once they had a minor illness, they would not be able to recover for ten days to half a month. Instead of taking medicine when they were not ill, it was better to move more.
"Zhong'er, send the imperial physician away." Xia Lu looked at the Jia Zhen lying on the bed and said.
"Yes." Imperial physician, please come with me.
The Jia Zhen finally felt that he had slept enough. When he woke up, he only felt that he was very hungry. When he was about to call someone, he suddenly heard Xia Lu's voice. "Be good. Go out and play. Your eldest brother is resting."
"Is he okay? I saw that Zhong'er and the others carried him in directly," Jia Yao said worriedly.
"That's right. I haven't been filial to my eldest brother yet. Nothing must happen to him." Jia Lian also looked very worried.
"Sister-in-law, what did the imperial physician say? When will my eldest brother wake up? I want him to play with me. "Lin Jinyu also looked very worried. Although his eldest brother was usually stupid and liked to bully them, he still liked to play with his eldest brother.
Xia Lu smiled and patted the heads of the three children. He thought to himself, "Jia Zhen and these three children usually don't get along well. In fact, these three children especially like the Jia Zhen in their hearts. It's just that they usually like to go against the Jia Zhen. Although they are young, they are actually very clear in their hearts and know who is good to them." "Your eldest brother will wake up soon. Don't worry." The Jia Zhen had slept for almost a day and a night. It was time to wake up.
"Okay, then we'll wait here for him to wake up," Jia Yao said.
"Okay." Xia Lu was still willing to accept this request. Xia Lu took the Go board and played with the three little children while waiting for the Jia Zhen to wake up.
The Jia Zhen, who had already woken up, felt very happy. Sure enough, he didn't dote on these three little children for nothing. They were still worried about him. The Jia Zhen touched his stomach. He couldn't continue sleeping. He had to eat something first. But before that, he had to go to the bathroom. After sleeping for so long, it meant that he hadn't gone to the bathroom for a long time. He was now very suffocated.
The Jia Zhen put on his shoes and shook his dizzy head. He walked directly to the bathroom.
Xia Lu felt movement in the bedroom. She let Jia Lian and the others continue playing Go. She walked into the bedroom to check the situation inside. Xia Lu saw that there was no one on the bed and then heard movement in the bathroom. She finally heaved a sigh of relief.
The Jia Zhen came out of the bathroom and saw Xia Lu. He immediately said pitifully, "Violent woman, I'm hungry."
Looking at the Jia Zhen's pitiful expression, Xia Lu was happy and said, "Wait, I'll ask them to send food over." Thinking that the Jia Zhen would be hungry when he woke up, she ordered the kitchen to prepare food at all times. Once the Jia Zhen woke up, he could eat.
"Okay." The Jia Zhen nodded and followed Xia Lu out.
"Big Brother!" The three little children saw the Jia Zhen come out. They quickly put down the Go board and ran to the Jia Zhen. The three of them directly surrounded the Jia Zhen and asked him if he was feeling better and if he was comfortable.
"Hmph, don't you know who your big brother is? I'll be fine in a while. You three little brats, have you been studying hard these days?" The Jia Zhen squatted down and looked at the children. He wanted to pick them up, but he was hungry and didn't have the strength to do so.
"Yes, we have been studying hard." Jia Yao and the others nodded and then threw themselves into the Jia Zhen's arms. Fortunately, the Jia Zhen had been practicing martial arts for many years and his body was much stronger than before. He was able to hold the three little brats in his arms. However, when the three little brats threw themselves at him, the Jia Zhen still fell back.
Xia Lu, who had expected this to happen, stood behind the Jia Zhen and used his legs to support him when he fell back. He didn't let him lose face in front of the children.
The Jia Zhen and the others really missed the Jia Zhen. Although the provincial examination was held every three days, every examination was very close. When the Jia Zhen came back, he naturally seized the time to rest and didn't have the time to see the three little brats. Counting the days, including when the Jia Zhen fell asleep yesterday, they hadn't seen the Jia Zhen for ten days. To them, this was the first time.
"Big Brother, I miss you so, so much!" Jia Zhen whispered in the Jia Zhen's ear.
"Big Brother, I miss you so, so much too!" Jia Zhen also whispered in the Jia Zhen's ear, not to be outdone.
"Big Brother, they didn't miss you as much as I did. I missed you so much that I missed a bowl of rice!" Lin Jinyu hugged the Jia Zhen's neck and rubbed her little face against the Jia Zhen's face.
Looking at the three little brats in his arms, the corners of the Jia Zhen's mouth also curled up. Hmph, these little brats still couldn't leave him.
"Alright, after your big brother finishes eating, you can be lovey-dovey with him. Now, let go of your big brother!" Xia Lu said as he watched Zi Yuan and the others bring the food over.
"Okay!" The three little brats let go of the Jia Zhen and sat obediently at the side, watching the Jia Zhen eat.
The Jia Zhen looked at the food that Zi Yuan and the others brought over and frowned. He looked bitterly at Xia Lu and said, "Why is there no meat?"
"There is. It was chopped into minced meat and put in the porridge. The imperial physician said that you can't eat too much meat now. You have to eat something light. It's good for your health. I know that you can't eat without meat, so I asked the cook to chop the meat into minced meat and put it in the porridge. After a few days, when your health is better, I'll ask the cook to make a feast of meat for you. There won't be any vegetables. I guarantee that you'll be able to make up for what you've been lacking these days!" Xia Lu looked at the Jia Zhen's bitter face and found it funny.
"But I don't like to eat this!" Jia Zhen frowned tightly. He wasn't a rabbit and didn't like vegetables.
Seeing the Jia Zhen's face full of rejection, Xia Lu picked up the bowl of porridge and scooped up a spoonful. He brought it to the Jia Zhen's mouth and said softly, "I asked the cook to make this. You won't let me down, right?"
The Jia Zhen opened his mouth and drank the porridge. Yes, this was what his wife asked the cook to make. He had to eat it all. Thus, the Jia Zhen's appetite was stimulated and he ate the vegetables that he usually didn't like to eat.
"Have you seen your eldest brother? Eat the vegetables obediently. You have to learn from your eldest brother in the future, okay?" Xia Lu took the opportunity to teach the three little brats.
"Oh!" Lin Jinyu nodded. He liked to eat vegetables the most. This request was not a problem for him at all.
"Oh …" The dejected ones were Jia Lian and Jia Yao. The two of them only liked to eat meat like the Jia Zhen and didn't like to eat vegetables.
"But Jinyu is an exception. Jinyu needs to eat more meat. Only then will he become stronger," Xia Lu said again.
Lin Jinyu, who was originally a little proud of himself, was stunned. Jia Yao and Jia Lian looked at Lin Jinyu's appearance and covered their small mouths with their small hands, giggling.
Lin Jinyu said in his heart, Hmph, I won't let you eat my meat in the future. I'll eat it myself. Every time he didn't want to eat the meat in his bowl, he would let Jia Yao and Jia Lian eat it. As for the vegetables that Jia Yao and Jia Lian didn't like to eat, Jinyu would eat it.
Jia Zhen ate quite quickly. Even if it was Xia Lu's intention, he stuffed the vegetables into his mouth, but it didn't mean that he liked to eat them. He just didn't want to let Xia Lu down. Therefore, he just wanted to finish his meal quickly. This way, he wouldn't have to look at such terrible food.
After Jia Zhen finished his meal, he brought the three little brats to the Go table and continued to play with them. At this time, Xia Lu carried Jia Rong over. This little brat didn't know who he took after. If he wasn't sleepy, hungry, or needing to go to the toilet, he definitely wouldn't want to go back to the house. He only wanted to mark out his territory in the yard. In the past, his territory was only his house. Now that he could walk, his territory had expanded to the entire mansion. Other than on rainy days, he had to patrol his territory every day. He was very busy.
"Too, ah …" Jia Rong, who was carried back by Xia Lu, was very dissatisfied. Along the way, he used his little voice to call out. He could clearly say short words such as eating, hungry, and going to the toilet. However, for long sentences, he used 'ah'. Every time he heard Jia Rong call out, Xia Lu only wanted to say, Son, your mother is incompetent.
"Where did he go just now?" Jia Zhen asked when he saw Xia Lu carrying Jia Rong over.
"He's patrolling his territory in the yard to see if there are any invaders." Xia Lu handed Jia Rong over to Jia Zhen.
Jia Zhen took Jia Rong over and placed her on her lap. Then, she continued to play Go with the three brats. Playing Go with the three brats was literal. Jia Zhen alone would play the black pieces while Jia Yao and the other two would play the white pieces. They would discuss how to move the pieces. If there was a disagreement among the three of them, they would have their own set of plans to make their own decisions.
Jia Rong sat on her father's lap and stared straight at Jia Zhen. She didn't cry or make a fuss.
Xia Lu looked at Jia Rong and smiled. "It's only been a few days. Don't you recognize your father?" Xia Lu asked in surprise.
"Ah." Jia Rong reached out his small hand and touched Jia Zhen's face. It was as if he was confirming whether there was such a person in his territory.
"Has he been practicing martial arts with us these past few days?" Jia Zhen asked. "He has.
He likes learning martial arts. He woke up so early in the morning, but I didn't see him get angry or anything. "When it came to learning martial arts, even Xia Lu, as Jia Rong's mother, felt that it was very strange. This child really liked learning martial arts and seemed to have good talent. Because of his good talent, Xia Lu carefully observed his son to see if his son was the same as her, a transmigrator. However, other than his talent in martial arts, his performance was no different from that of an ordinary baby.
Jia Zhen nodded. Since he had already made his choice, he couldn't regret it, even if his son was still young.
Jia Yao and the others looked at Jia Rong with eyes full of sympathy. Poor little nephew.
After the examination, Jia Zhen stayed in the residence and didn't go out to participate in those so-called poetry gatherings. She wanted to get to know a few more people. According to Jia Zhen's thinking, no matter what, he was still a noble and already had a noble title. Although scholars sometimes seemed to be very noble and virtuous, in reality, there would definitely be many people who would want to curry favor with them. Jia Zhen didn't want to get into trouble directly. Besides, everything would have to wait until the results were released. Before the results were released, who knew if these examinees were dragons or worms?
If he really wanted to make friends with some scholars, he would wait until the results were released. After all, after becoming a Juren, he was only one step away from becoming a Jinshi. His future was still bright. Even if he didn't take the imperial examination, he would still be very popular as an advisor to a rich family or a teacher in a school. Therefore, every time he sent Zhong'er out to inquire about the news, Jia Zhen would always come back with the news that a certain person's poem had won the first place in today's poetry gathering. Jia Zhen only snorted at this.
There was only one purpose for being so high-profile before the results were released, and that was to build a reputation for oneself. Scholars loved to do this. If one's reputation was good, after passing the imperial examination, one might meet one's Bo Le and become master and disciple. This Bo Le would be best if he held an official position in the imperial court. This kind of person usually didn't have any background and it wasn't easy for him to gain experience in the imperial examination. Another kind of person who didn't pass the imperial examination could successfully enter a rich family and become a teacher. This way, he could support his expenses in the capital. This kind of person usually didn't have a good family background. There was also the last kind of person. This kind of person was usually extremely outstanding. They were preparing for the general examination so that they could win the first place in the general examination.
After all, if one was very famous and had the title of 'Gifted Scholar', when there was a dispute over one's ranking in the examination, the examiner would still favor the famous student. After all, there was no first place in literature, and no second place in martial arts. In every imperial examination, the ranking was still quite controversial. Moreover, the first place in the general examination was more likely to be one of the top three in the court examination. This was a fact that all the examinees tacitly agreed upon.
As for the Jia Zhen, there was no need for him to build a reputation. After all, his father was the minister of the Ministry of Rites. If he was too famous, it would be easy for people with bad intentions to suspect that there was some underhanded manipulation. For the Jia Zhen, it was good enough that he passed the general examination. He didn't need to be ranked too high. If he passed this time and continued to take the general examination, his father would give up this job of being an examiner to avoid suspicion.
After all, he had a background. During the general examination, he only needed to ensure that he didn't fall into the same category as the Grand Scholar. Being last in the second category didn't matter to him. After he passed the Grand Scholar examination, he would first stay in the Hanlin Academy for two or three years. Then, he would ask his father to secretly arrange for him to be transferred to the Ministry of Rites and slowly accumulate experience. With his father's support, he felt that he would accumulate experience quite quickly. After his father retired, it would be best if he could become the assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites. When his sons entered the government, it would be best if he could become the minister of the Ministry of Rites. Once his sons settled down in the imperial court, he could retire and return to his hometown, bringing his wife everywhere.
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