A few days later, Ji Yuan appeared in Dazhen Jingji Prefecture, outside the capital.
It has been almost eight years since he last visited the capital of Dazhen. Now that he is back in Jingji Prefecture, Ji Yuan can no longer recognize the appearance of this city.
After the expansion, the city is much larger than before. There are three city walls alone. The outermost wall is the most majestic, reaching a height of nine zhang. The former outer wall has become an inner wall, and the innermost one is the wall of the imperial city.
Even outside one side of the city wall, a wide, short canal had been dug to bring water from the Tongtian River. It had become a port close to the capital, with many ships and busy cargo transportation.
The outer area of the capital is the largest. Ji Yuan walked along the city gate and through the newly built outer wall. When he entered the new area of the capital, he could see buildings all over the wide streets. Most of these buildings were newly built in recent years. There were shops, mansions, as well as colleges and government offices.
Some of the people in these areas moved here as local residents near the capital, but more were people who came here from all over Dazhen and even all over the world. There were merchants who bought land and built buildings, there were sage scholars who migrated here, there were people who transported goods from all over the world to do business in Dazhen capital, there were people who came simply to admire the scenery of Dazhen capital, and there were also students who came here to admire the appearance of the sage of literature in the hope of being valued by him.
Of course, although buildings have been built in most places, there are also many pavilions and shops under construction. Merchants from all sides have no shortage of business and trade is busy. Tourists and local people are dazzled by the various goods. People who come to work have no shortage of work and are recruiting everywhere. It is best to be literate and numerate, and it is also good to have some strength. Even if you can't do any of these, as long as you are diligent and honest, there will be no shortage of places to work and eat. Coupled with Dazhen's strict laws, enlightened policies, and well-organized planning, the entire capital is bustling with activity.
Walking in such a city, Ji Yuan feels the power of vigorous development all the time. The confidence and vigor of the people here are rare in the world.
Ji Yuan walked along the central avenue. On the walls in front were three large characters "Yongning Street" engraved. It was obvious that it extended from the old Yongning Street all the way to the outermost city gate.
Walking along the street, Ji Yuan had seen more than once some people in Confucian robes walking and looking around in amazement. Some even spoke with accents that sounded like people from other continents.
As Ji Yuan was walking and looking around with a smile on his face, he saw a large shop three times the size of an ordinary shop diagonally opposite him. It sold study tools and clerical supplies. The customers inside were not frequent, but they were all elegant scholars. Two waiters outside who were shouting from time to time were also watching the passers-by. They saw the foreign students and also saw Ji Yuan in the crowd.
"Look, that gentleman must be a learned scholar with a wealth of knowledge. His demeanor is completely different from those other scholars!"
"where?"
"Hey, over there!"
"Oh, yes, yes, with this calmness, he must be my Dazhen person!"
"Need I say more? Last time, a high-ranking official from another prefecture came back to Beijing. He wore casual clothes to buy pens from us. The official had not been back for a long time, but he looked so different. He looked almost the same as this gentleman right now."
"That's true!"
"Hehehe, if I wasn't good at judging people, why would the boss think so highly of me? You kid should learn from me!"
"Another stinking fart!"
While the two were talking, an old man with silver hair and a long beard slowly walked out of the shop. Although he was quite old and still holding a crutch in his hand, he looked very energetic, with a ruddy complexion and plump skin.
The old man is the father of the owner of this shop. The family started to flourish under his leadership in the early years. The eldest son took over the stationery business in various places and shouldered the main responsibility of the family. The youngest son is extremely knowledgeable and has a good figure. Now he teaches at Haoran Academy in the capital. It is such an honor to occasionally see the sage of literature.
The old man is now relaxed and walks around leisurely and elegantly, and comes to see the charm of the capital.
"What laughing?"
The old man asked in a kindly tone, and the two men immediately became serious and saluted to the old man.
"Old Master, we are observing the people who come and go to try to guess their identities and train our eyesight. Just now, we found a learned man from our great family."
"Oh, who is it?"
A guy pointed into the distance.
"That one has passed away, old master. Let me tell you, that great gentleman's demeanor is more outstanding than any other high-ranking official I have ever seen. If he is not a scholar with a profound knowledge of history and modern times, then he must be a senior official of the imperial court who has retired. He... old master?"
"Old man? What's wrong with you?"
The two guys noticed that the old man was acting abnormally. He looked agitated and was breathing rapidly, which made it obvious that something was wrong. This made the two guys panic.
"Grandpa! What's wrong with you?"
"Boss! Boss—something happened to the old man!"
Inside the shop, a man who was not young but had a ruddy complexion and no white hair was the owner. He was here with his father to have a look around and check out the new shop. He was originally greeting a distinguished guest, but when he heard the shouting of the waiter outside, he didn't care about anything else and rushed out at once.
"What's wrong? Dad! Dad, what's wrong with you? Dad! Quick, call a doctor. This is the capital. There are countless famous doctors and we don't lack immortal masters. Go and get someone..."
"Sheng'er!"
The old man grabbed the man's hand. Although his arm was trembling slightly, it was very strong, which made the man feel a lot more at ease.
"father?"
The old man pointed to the distance with his other hand trembling slightly.
"That, that gentleman! Although I can't remember his appearance, Dad will never forget that silhouette! It's him, it's him!"
The old man said something that made others confused. He turned to look at his eldest son and nodded heavily.
"It must be that gentleman!"
The eldest son did not react at first, but when his father emphasized it for the second time, he suddenly realized something and opened his mouth slightly. This memory flashed through his mind and finally stopped at a wall calligraphy in the study of his hometown, which read: Evil cannot defeat good.
The eldest son Yi Sheng, the second son Yi Wuxie, and the third son Yi Zheng. The names of the old man’s three sons also came from that copybook.
That calligraphy is a rare one in the world. It is often said that calligraphy contains spirit, and this one is obviously one of them. The iron painting and silver hook are so powerful that they can be seen through the paper. The positive spirit that it brings to the Yi family has influenced several generations and encouraged everyone in the family from time to time. It is a very special heirloom for the Yi family.
Whenever I encounter difficulties, feel overwhelmed, or go through hard times, as long as I see the calligraphy, I can always encourage myself and stay on the right direction in my heart.
It stands to reason that the gentleman who could leave behind such calligraphy should have been a famous calligrapher of the time. However, there are very few similar calligraphy works in the world, and even fewer are circulated by the public. It is very difficult to find the person who did it.
The third son, Yi Zheng, once, with his family's consent, took a copy of calligraphy to visit the literary sage Yin Gong. As the most knowledgeable scholar in the world, the literary sage seemed to recognize the characters on the copybook at a glance, but just gave Yi Zheng a meaningful smile and said, "No need to look for it, you will see each other when you are destined." He refused to say anything more. Yi Zheng certainly did not dare to ask too much, but whenever he had the chance to meet the literary sage, he would always ask him indirectly, but never got anything.
Gradually, this matter became a knot in the heart of the old man of the Yi family.
After realizing that it was that gentleman he met, Yi Sheng, the son, also became excited.
"Dad, please wait here. I'll go and ask that gentleman to come. You take good care of the old man!"
Yi Sheng couldn't wait for the shop assistant's response, so he left in a hurry after leaving these words, chasing all the way forward. Already holding his grandson, he was like a young man now, walking as fast as the wind.
"Sir - Sir, please stay - Sir -"
For some reason, he couldn't close the distance between him and the figure by running. Yi Sheng had no choice but to run and shout, which attracted many people on the street to look at him sideways, not knowing what was going on.
Ji Yuan, who was walking in front, of course also heard the shouting from behind. He frowned slightly, stopped, slowly turned around and looked at the person chasing him. He found that in the blurry vision, the other person's figure was surprisingly clear, which meant that this person was not an ordinary person.
When Yi Sheng approached Ji Yuan and saw Ji Yuan turn around, he was also stunned.
'Why are you so young?'
This thought flashed through his mind, but Yi Sheng didn't have time to think about it, and quickly bowed to Ji Yuan.
"My name is Yisheng, and I am honored to meet you, sir! If you have nothing important to do, please come with me to see my father. My father has been looking for you for a long time!"
"Your father?"
Ji Yuan glanced past the man and looked into the distance, vaguely seeing an old man standing in front of the shop. He suddenly felt something in his heart, which was not self-evident.
'I see!'
"Okay, I'll go with you."
Ji Yuan said this with a smile on his face, and the man in front of him also looked surprised.
"Sir, please follow me!"
The man calmed down his breathing and stretched out his hand to invite Ji Yuan. However, the man had also come to his senses now. When his father got the calligraphy, he was young and strong. Now he is almost ninety years old. The gentleman was a child back then. It is impossible that he looks like this, right
"Could it be..."
Yi Sheng is not stupid, on the contrary he is very smart. To ordinary people, immortals are still mysterious, but his family still has some status. Now it is easier to hear rumors about immortals, so they can't help but think in this direction.
Ji Yuan walked up to the old man, who stared at Ji Yuan blankly, with his mouth open for a long time without saying anything. This gentleman was exactly the same as before, and he turned out to be an immortal. No wonder he is so hard to find in the world...
"Old man, it is fate that we meet again!"