The branches that have been frozen for a season have sprung up new buds, and flower buds have sprung up again, blooming tremblingly on the branches.
People on the street have also changed into spring clothes. After the excitement on both sides of the Xue family's Zhu family was over, Miss Xue married the Zhu family and lived in the Zhuangyuan mansion with Zhu Hanshan and Mrs. Zhu. Mrs. Xue felt sorry for her, and she sent many servants and servants. Perhaps it was because she won the champion, or she was worried about Miss Xue, and Zhu Hanshan did not object.
Zhu Hanshan entered the Hanlin Academy as a writer. Ning Lang knew that he would become the champion, so it was a good day to send things over. The congratulations from the champion and the congratulations from the Huiyuan came around the same time, and there was not much difference between them. Previously, the congratulations from the Huiyuan were a piece of fox skin, but this time, the congratulations from the champions were different from before. It was specially made by him. I consulted Qingzhou scholars and some rare books that I picked up in Qingzhou.
After he and Yang Zhen returned to Qingzhou, they began to prepare for the Enlightenment School. Yang Zhen also attaches great importance to this. The progress of Qingzhou is faster than that of the capital. The capital still needs to build a house, but Qingzhou does not need it. Yang Zhen directly used the General's Mansion as the location of the enlightenment school.
The General's Mansion was big enough to be used as a school, so Yang Zhen and Ning Lang didn't mind. After finding a place, the two went to find a scholar in Qingzhou, and specially invited Master Zhang, who was famous for his fame, to come and sit in town. Yang Zhen's reputation in Qingzhou is not low, she greeted her, and soon many people sent their children over.
And the first students of this Enlightenment Academy were the bandits in Qinglong Village.
Because even his own affairs were handed over to Yang Zhen, Ning Lang was completely idle. Seeing that these bandits had to come to the Enlightenment Academy every day, he volunteered to come because he had been a scholar before. Supervise these mountain bandits. He had nothing else to do, so Yang Zhen let him go.
Because of this, Ning Lang became friends with those scholars in the school. When he was troubled by the congratulations he gave to Zhu Hanshan, it was also the opinions of the scholars, and even those rare books were found for him by those scholars.
Zhu Hanshan received this gift and liked it very much. Hearing that he was busy with school, he specially sorted out his previous study methods and sent it to him.
On the side of the capital, Chu Fei made some extra money, and the craftsmen worked hard, and even built the Enlightenment School earlier than expected.
Chu Fei had already found a teacher a long time ago, and as everyone was looking forward to it, the Enlightenment Academy finally began to recruit students!
The people in the capital waited for a long time, but they finally waited for this day. As soon as they saw the notice posted outside the school, they immediately brought their children over to sign up.
This academy doesn't mean you can go to the academy by registering. Special personnel will register the name information. In addition, people will be sent to investigate the origins of these students. If they really meet the standards, they can enter the academy. On the day of registration, all the masters recruited by the school came, and all the people looked at them with admiration and awe.
And Chu Fei also took Ning Nuan over for a walk. Because of his publicity, many people recognized him. When the people saw him, they were all excited, although they didn't know if they could join. , but his face was full of gratitude, even more excited than seeing those masters.
With Ning Nuan by his side, he could feel the gaze of these people on him even more. She turned her head, looked at the contented look on Chu Fei's face, and couldn't help but smile.
Soon, everyone's attention fell on the man who came with King An.
The third prince uneasily avoided the eyes of these people. He dodged to avoid a passing person, frowned and said to Chu Fei, "Uncle, what are we doing here?"
"Today's school registration, but the time is the most crowded. If you didn't come at this time, how could you see so many people on weekdays?" Chu Fei said with a smile: "The face is better, so that they can see you clearly."
The third prince frowned: "Uncle, there are so many people here, what if there are assassins?"
"Didn't you bring someone here?"
The third prince said anxiously, "But if something happens..."
Chu Fei didn't care so much, his people were all hiding in the dark to guard, even if there were assassins, they would rush out to protect him and A Nuan as soon as possible. As for the third prince, the third prince also brought people over.
Chu Fei pulled the third prince to an open space, then cleared his throat and raised his voice to attract the attention of everyone in the school.
"His Royal Highness An?"
Chu Fei pointed to the third prince: "This is the third prince of today's sage. The establishment of the Enlightenment School was because he helped this prince a lot."
When everyone heard the words, their eyes were eager for a while, and their gazes towards the third prince also brought a bit of the same gratitude and awe when they looked at Chu Fei.
The third prince coughed, not knowing what to do.
He did put a lot of effort into the establishment of the Enlightenment Academy. He paid most of the money, and he spent a lot of time finding the master. Although the other princes also helped, King An did not care if he met him. Any problem, the first thing is to find him first, and he naturally tries his best.
Sure enough, most of the credit for the establishment of this Enlightenment Academy now falls on his head. As for the other princes, they didn't even mention their names, and they assisted them from the side.
The third prince stood up, thinking about what Chu Fei said on weekdays, and said something to the people who worried about them and wanted everyone to read. Seeing the excited expressions of the people, he retired with satisfaction. go back.
"Uncle, I understand." The third prince said: "What you mean is to win the hearts and minds of the people. If all the people turn to me, they can also provide a lot of help. If I hadn't been here in person, these people would have also They won't see me, and if they can't see me, I'm afraid they won't remember me like they do now."
Chu Fei raised his eyebrows.
"When this school is set up, there are still many scholars who are talking about it, and they also write articles praising the uncle, and even I have been exposed to the glory of the uncle."
Chu Fei said: "This king is the one who got your light. If it weren't for you, this Enlightenment Academy wouldn't be able to do it."
"Uncle, please don't say it like this, if it wasn't for Uncle, my nephew wouldn't be able to think of such an idea." The third prince was ashamed: "It is also Uncle Huang who cares about the people in the world and cares about whether the people can read or not. On the book, my nephew is really not as good as the uncle."
Chu Fei gave him a deep look: "What are you talking about? I'm doing all this, but it's all for you? Don't live up to my expectations."
The three princes were moved again.
Only the two of them understand the calculations in their hearts, but they pretend to be very good on the face, and no one can fault it. After walking through the academy, after the academy ended registration, the news of King An and the third prince spread throughout the capital, and everyone was praising them.
The third prince had always been very low-key in the past, but this time it was rare for him to come to the bright side. The first prince and the prince also set their sights on him. Listening to the rumors in the capital, it can be said that when King An's reputation in the capital improved, the two were so jealous of King An, and now they are so jealous of the third prince.
But no matter how unwilling the eldest prince and the prince are, the third prince is gaining momentum, especially after the emperor explained a few things to him. After he completed all of them perfectly, even the attention of many ministers in the court fell to him. On the body, many people began to observe the third prince.
For a while, the eldest prince, the crown prince, and the third prince were in the same boat.
…
Qingzhou.
Ning Lang stepped out of the Enlightenment School in Qingzhou and was immediately satisfied when he heard the sound of reading from inside.
Most of these reading sounds were the thick and thick voices of the mountain bandits, suppressing the immature voices of the children sent by the people of Qingzhou. Qingzhou is vast and sparsely populated, so this Enlightenment Academy is not as complicated as the capital. There are even some people who would rather ask their husband to teach at home than send their children here because of their doubts. Naturally, they are not reluctant, so most of the students in this school are still bandits in the cottage.
Although Ning Lang was ignorant and incompetent, he was pressured by Ning Yanting to take the exam before as a scholar. Even though he has forgotten most of his knowledge, the name of a scholar has already made him very successful. Others admired him.
Not to mention that he also has a friend who has just passed the exam, or a ternary who hasn't appeared in many years!
These days, Ning Lang was very beautiful. Not only did the bandits on Qinglong Mountain treat him with courtesy, but even the masters in this school treated him like Ning Xiucai, making Ning Lang proud.
He raised his head and glanced at the plaque at the entrance of the General's Mansion. Now this plaque has become the Qinglu Academy.
Ning Lang touched the purse in his arms and hurriedly walked out.
He helps in this school, but he doesn't need to read, and he doesn't teach. In the end, he helps with some chores. He doesn't know how to clean, but he can arrange shopping. People in Qingzhou City recognize him. Yang Zhen's face, no one dared to kill him.
The meat is all prey from the mountains. Every day, bandits will send their prey down the mountain. There are also many fruits and vegetables in the yard of the General’s house. Although they can’t fill the stomachs of all the students, they also help a lot. , and the rest was bought by Ning Lang.
He drove his donkey cart and went to a rice shop, as usual, and asked for a hundred shi of rice. Seeing that the number was large, all the bandits in the school had stomachs as big as cows, and they could eat five or six bowls in one meal. Ning Lang had to buy a lot of rice at a time.
When Ning Lang took out the money, he heard the owner of the rice shop embarrassedly say, "Ning Xiucai, the price of this rice has gone up."
"The price has gone up?" Ning Lang frowned and paused when he took out the money: "Didn't this rice only go up once at the beginning of the month? Why has the price gone up again? Are you trying to deceive me on purpose?"
"How dare Xiao Xiao, but Xiao Xiao is also telling the truth to Ning Xiucai, the price of this rice has indeed risen, and it has risen two days ago." The owner of the rice shop said: "Ning Xiu Cai doesn't know, now this rice is a day's worth. One price, fortunately you are here today, if it is tomorrow, maybe it will go up again."
Ning Lang frowned and looked at the wooden sign next to the rice noodles. The price written on it was indeed what the boss said. He looked at the others again, and the people who entered the store were all frowning, but they did not object as much as he did.
Did the price really go up
Ning Lang took an extra piece of silver into the purse and handed it to the owner of the rice shop.
He watched the workers in the rice shop load the rice into the donkey cart, and then drove the donkey cart to the street, wrapping up all the vegetables at the small stall he frequented on weekdays.
When he was about to pay, the stall owner said embarrassedly, "Ning Xiucai, the price of this dish has gone up."
Ning Lang moved for a while and couldn't help but be surprised: "Why did you increase the price too?"
The stall owner said, "It's not just me, everything on this street has gone up in price."
Ning Lang didn't believe in evil, so he glanced at him suspiciously, and then ran to the stall in the distance to ask, but it was actually more expensive than what the stall owner just said.
He ran back with a blank face, hesitating when he took out the money, and couldn't help but ask, "What happened? Why is it so good? The price of rice has gone up, and even the price of your dishes has gone up?" Fortunately, The meat eaten in the school is all prey on the mountain, otherwise he really can't spend the extra money.
"Ning Xiucai, all the things in Qingzhou city have gone up in price, not just my family." The stall owner said, "You don't know, the weather is getting hotter and hotter recently, and even the water level of the river is low. One piece, we are still good, I heard that in Yaocheng, the price of this rice is three times that of our Qingzhou!"
three times!
Ning Lang couldn't help but click his tongue.
Today's rice prices have risen a lot than before, what is the concept of triple? That's an exorbitant price!
Ning Lan drove the donkey cart back to the school with a heavy heart.
The weather is getting hotter and hotter recently. He originally wanted to buy some watermelons to distribute to the students in the classroom, but now it's better. The extra money he brought out has been spent, but he hasn't bought a single watermelon. Ning Lang originally wanted to buy Yang Zhen a sweet-scented osmanthus cake, but it turned out well, and even the price of the sweet-scented osmanthus cake went up!
This is really weird too!
In the evening, he returned to the cottage and told Yang Zhen about it.
Yang Zhen heard the words, nodded, and said, "I feel it too."
"What?" Ning Lang was at a loss: "What did you find?"
"There used to be a spring on the mountain. You know, I took you there last time. The water of that spring flows up the mountain and merges into the river. In recent days, the spring water has become much thinner than before. The spring is done."
"Did you do it?" Ning Lang was startled, and suddenly thought of a terrifying possibility, he immediately retorted: "Impossible..."
"What's impossible?"
He had never heard of any drought in Qingzhou in his last life. If there was, there was no way he would not remember such a major event.
Ning Lang shook his head hesitantly: "Am I really remembering it wrong?"
"What did you remember wrong?" Yang was really curious.
"nothing."
"However, King An reminded us earlier, let us prepare early, and that's what I want to say." Yang Zhen said, "According to what King An said, in the next days, we must pay attention early, and beware of the recent Are there any extra people in Qingzhou?"
Ning Lang nodded, and then asked in confusion, "Wang An told you about this?"
If even King An remembered it, could it be that he remembered it wrongly
"An Wang didn't say this either. He just told me that there might be a riot in Qingzhou next."
"Is this riot serious?"
"According to what he meant, it doesn't seem to be serious." Yang Zhen said: "There used to be such weather in Qingzhou. It became abnormally hot and the water level of the river dropped. It's just good luck, and there was no drought. I don't know what this year will be like."
Ning Lang was relieved.
Although King An told them to prepare earlier, he did not say that it was to prepare rice grains or the like, and the drought did not happen. As for the Qingzhou riot, it should be people from other places who came over.
He knew that he didn't remember it at all, and it wouldn't be too serious to think about it.
It was only reminded by Yang Zhen that in the next days, Ning Lang became vigilant when he went down the mountain.
Although he bought rice grains that could last for several days in one go, Ning Lang still went to the rice shop every day, watching the price of rice noodles slowly rising, he also went to the small stall he usually patronized, the price of vegetables It is also increasing day by day, and it has been a long time, and even the time when the stall owner appears is irregular.
Ning Lang asked him about it.
"It's not because the weather is getting hotter and hotter, and even the water level has dropped, but if you live, you have to take care of the crops in the ground. If the ground is dry, you need to water more and run more often than before, but this vegetable grows unexpectedly. It's not as good as it used to be." The stall owner frowned: "If the weather gets hotter, I'm afraid this dish will be dried in the ground."
Ning Lang was worried.
And Chu Fei also sent a letter at this time, saying that he had previously hoarded a lot of rice grains, all of which were handed over to Yang Zhen. He also mentioned Yaocheng in the letter, and these rice grains were used for Support Yaocheng.
Yaocheng was the worst-hit place. According to the stall owner, the price of rice there was three times that of Qingzhou.
At the same time, many new faces came to Qingzhou City.
Because Yang Zhen was paying attention, when those people appeared in Qingzhou City, they immediately discovered them.
It's just that these faces are not the thugs they imagined, but some businessmen. The merchants in Yaocheng heard that the price of rice here was cheap, so they came here specially, bought rice from here, and then transported it to Yaocheng to sell. Although it was a long way, the profit would be doubled if it changed hands, so it also attracted a lot of people. people come.
Even more and more people come to Qingzhou to go to relatives.
Ning Lang was idle, so he ran to Qinglong Mountain every day to observe the spring water on the mountain. Yang Zhen was right. The spring water was indeed a lot thinner than before, but it turned out that the mountain spring water was very thick. If it wasn't for Yang Zhen People with such excellent eyesight can't see any difference. Ning Lang ran twice, and later took a tape measure and measured the length every day. After a month, he finally measured the difference.