Where Zhang Guangdao had circled back and attacked, Chen Yuan and Xue Daoguang were meditating and refining elixirs.
Near them, there were several scholars sitting, holding books in their hands and reading seriously in the morning.
There was the faint sound of guns and sticks hitting each other. Zhang Guangdao, Bai Sheng, Deng Chun, Deng Xia, Shi Biao and others were all practicing martial arts on the other side of the village.
"Dah!"
An arrow was shot and hit the target, but it was a little far away from the target.
Some time ago, Ju Ming was practicing with a 15-meter target, but recently he switched to a 30-meter target. The distance has only doubled, but the difficulty has doubled several times. The negligible influencing factors at a distance can no longer be ignored.
Moreover, Zhang Guangdao, the archery teacher, is actually not very reliable.
Because he had only used homemade clay bows, but Ju Ming had standard bows and arrows, many details still needed to be explored slowly.
Concentrating and holding his breath, Ju Ming drew his bow and took aim again.
The bow was like a full moon, with a swish sound, the arrow flew out and nailed hard into the target, getting closer to the target.
After repeatedly pulling the bow and shooting arrows, until his shoulders were a little sore, Ju Ming took off the bowstring and left.
Zhang Guangdao led two horses over. The mare's belly was very big and she would give birth in a month or two. His sister-in-law was also pregnant. It was really hard for one person to serve two expecting mothers.
Cornucopia ran happily, spinning around Ju Ming and rubbing its head here and there.
Ju Ming got on his horse and began to practice riding.
The entire harness was replaced with regular goods, and the horse's ID card was obtained. The state government and county government issued documents proving that the horse was seized from the rebels.
There is only a horseshoe, which is still not made. With the amount of exercise in the cornucopia, there is no need for that thing yet.
However, Ju Ming has learned how to repair horseshoes. He basically repairs them once a month, only scraping off the irregular wear areas.
Ju Ming rode Cornucopia all over the field, while the pregnant mare could only stroll slowly.
"Brother Zhu!"
When Ju Ming slowed down his horse, Bai Sheng held up his mace.
There were several bamboo poles stuck on the side of the field. Zhu Ming galloped forward with an iron mace in hand. He suddenly leaned out and swung out, and one of the bamboo poles was broken by the waist.
After practicing, Xue Daoguang also came.
The Taoist priest meditated for a while and then moved his muscles and bones, similar to Wu Qin Xi and Baduan Jin.
Xue Daoguang didn't know the specific name. He only said that it was passed down by his master Ziyang Zhenren.
Sometimes, Xue Daoguang would show off his tricks. He stood still, his internal organs roaring loudly, like thunder.
The theoretical foundation of his inner alchemy cultivation method has not yet been perfected. He had to wait until his disciple Bai Yuchan consulted the "Book of Changes" and Confucian theory to complete the Jingqi Shen cultivation system, that is, refining the essence to transform into Qi, and refining Qi into spirit.
The trick of refining gods and returning them to nothingness.
They belong to the dual cultivation of life and life, and pay attention to physical ascension, and do not engage in any kind of corpse dismemberment to achieve immortality.
"time to eat!"
Grandma Yan came over with her grandson and said that she had adapted to the life here and was very lively and lively all day long.
The entourage of scholars carried several tables out and placed them under the big trees in the village. After breakfast, they cleaned the tables and sat around the tables to listen to scriptures and write articles.
Breakfast is millet porridge, wheat cakes, eggs and vegetables.
The scholars sat at one table, the martial arts practitioners sat at another table, the women and children sat at another table, and the followers sat at another table. They all chatted about topics of interest while eating.
"Dalang, in half a month, I will leave for Xingyuan Mansion." Li Hanzhang said while peeling the eggs.
Zhu Ming said: "Let's get together, the exam is about to begin."
Everyone was taking exams in Yangzhou, except Li Hanzhang who was going to Xingyuan Mansion. Everyone was taking the state exam, while Li Hanzhang was taking the provincial exam. The children of officials were treated differently.
Fatty Zheng said: "Da Lang and San Lang can stay at my house during the examination. It is inconvenient to go up and down the mountain from the academy."
"That's enough trouble." Bai Chongyan cupped his hands and said.
Wang Chang said: "It's okay to live in our Wang family."
"Yes, the Wang family's residence is wider, and the guest rooms and courtyards are also larger, making it more comfortable to live in." Wang Wei said.
Zheng Hong said: "My home is closer to the examination center!"
Wang Chang smiled and said: "What does it mean to take nearly two or three hundred steps?"
The two families of Zheng and Wang rushed to invite Ju Ming to stay, and they started to quarrel.
Before the meal was finished, Tian San ran up the mountain and said, "Sir, a tea merchant from Xingyuan Prefecture is visiting and wants to order fried tea from our village."
Zheng Hong immediately shut up and listened.
Zhu Guoxiang speeded up and stuffed the rice into his stomach. Shen Yourong stood up to send it to him, but Zhu Guoxiang held him down and said, "You have been vomiting for the past two days. I just happened to go down the mountain and asked Dr. Zhao to come up and check your pulse. Don't move around casually. Don’t be tired anymore.”
Zhu Ming heard clearly and turned to look.
Is this stepmother not pregnant?
Whether she is pregnant or not, it means that Dean Zhu has not lost her fertility after traveling through time.
Ju Ming is very happy. He is also a time traveler, and his father is equivalent to doing an experiment on himself.
In the middle of the morning, Zhu Guoxiang returned to the mountain. The Xingyuan Mansion tea merchant had been sent away, and Doctor Zhao was also invited to take Shen Yourong's pulse.
"How?" Zhu Ming asked.
Zhu Guoxiang said: "I'm worried that if the Zheng family eats alone, the tea merchants in Xingyuan Prefecture will definitely be dissatisfied, and they will probably incite the tea masters to increase taxes on fried tea. After all, our fried tea has always been taxed as loose tea, which is very unreasonable. .It doesn’t matter if we just raise taxes, but I’m afraid we’ll have to go through the negotiations.”
"This is a big problem." Zhu Ming nodded.
If you have to go to the Tea Horse Company to fry tea, it would be a small matter to impose a 20% tea tax, but the voiding of the contract with the Zheng family would be a big deal!
The Tea Horse Division does not allow direct transactions between tea gardens and tea merchants, and must abide by the arrangements of official intermediaries.
At that time, the fried tea from Daming Village will be transported to the market and forcibly arranged to be sold to a certain tea merchant. The government, intermediaries, and tea merchants can also work together to lower the price, buy and sell by force, and the first-class tea will be designated as third-class tea. Daming Village's fried tea can be made to lose money in minutes.
Zhu Ming called Fatty Zheng over, explained the situation, and asked, "Your family should have been prepared, right?"
Zheng Hong nodded and said: "Buy time first. My family also has some connections in the Tea Horse Company. At least we can delay next year. After next year, when we negotiate with the tea merchants in Xingyuan Prefecture, we have to give them some profits. If my family If we can make fried tea next year, it will be easier. Just sell my fried tea to them."
"That's good." Zhu Ming felt relieved.
In this situation, it is not only Daming Village that suffers, but also the Zheng family who invested heavily in the early stage. He believes that the Zheng family has a way to solve the problem.
The father and son discussed for a while, and then Mr. Zhao came over with a smile: "Congratulations to Mr. Zhu, your wife is happy!"
Zhu Guoxiang was overjoyed, got up and left, no longer talking nonsense to his son.
"Well, since we have a little Zaizai, we don't need an eldest son." Zhu Ming sighed and ran to join in the fun and congratulate him.
Shen Yourong was sitting in the main room, subconsciously protecting his lower abdomen with his hands, and a motherly smile on his face.
The female relatives from all the families came to see it and brought some gifts. Grandma Yan was busy boiling water and making tea to entertain the guests.
Zhu Ming showed no formality and squatted down and put his arms around Bai Qi: "Oh, brother Qi, we will be brothers in need from now on. My father doesn't love me, my mother doesn't love me, the cabbage has yellow leaves, it's two or three years old... …”
"Shut up!"
Zhu Guoxiang quickly scolded his son and prevented him from singing the next line.
"Hahahaha," Zhu Ming burst into laughter, picked up Bai Qi and said, "Let's go, big brother will teach you how to read."
Xue Daoguang came over after hearing the news and said to Zhu Guoxiang: "There is a breathing method here in Pindao, which can nourish the body and is also good for pregnant women."
"You don't need to meditate, right?" Zhu Guoxiang responded with a skeptical attitude.
Xue Daoguang said: "You can sit, lie down or stand. You just need to adjust your breathing. Mr. Zhu can also practice it."
Zhu Guoxiang said: "Then please Taoist Master teach it to me first. I will experience it first and then teach it to Zhuo Jing."
Xue Daoguang couldn't laugh or cry: "It's just a breathing method, used to maintain health. It's really harmless. Mr. Zhu doesn't need to practice it if he doesn't believe it."
"Practice and give it a try first," Zhu Guoxiang said.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Zhu Ming and other scholars went down the mountain and went to the state capital in advance to wait for the exam.
Zhu Guoxiang also went down the mountain. He was going to the county government office to revise his household registration, increase the number of customers under his name, and deal with the new Mr. Zhang.
Chen Yuan and Xue Daoguang stayed on the mountain and continued to practice both physics and Taoism.
Several children were also taught by them. Chen Yuan taught them Chinese and mathematics, and Xue Daoguang taught them gymnastics.
Grandma Yan smiled from ear to ear as she watched the famous scholar "lecturing" to her grandson. She had never dreamed of such a good thing.
Every day when she had a little free time, Mrs. Yan would sit and watch. Although Chen Yuan only taught elementary school, she just felt that this gentleman taught well.
Everyone parted at the confluence of the rivers. Zhu Ming went to Yangzhou via Huangjin Gorge, while Zhu Guoxiang headed west straight to the county government office.
"Your Majesty, we were wronged!"
The archers knelt in the lobby of the county government office and cried loudly to the magistrate.
Zhang Su sneered: "Unjustly accused? You dare to cry unjustly even if the evidence is solid! You bully men and women in the county, harass the people, and randomly send out government offices in the countryside, forcing many good people to break up their homes and flee. I'm worried about every case. It has been investigated secretly!"
"What happened in the countryside was... ordered by Hu Tiesi!" Li Maotian couldn't help but reveal the mastermind.
"Um?"
Xiang Zhixian thought that these archers were his cronies, but when he suddenly heard that they were mixed with subordinate officials, he felt as sick as if he had eaten flies.
He said angrily to the magistrate: "If someone comes, beat this guy with twenty sticks first!"
Originally, Xiang Zhixian wanted to be saved, but now there is no need to do so. The captain Li Maotian and the deputy captain Zhang Fu were all confiscated and distributed, and the other archers were fined and fired on the spot.
After dealing with the archers, Zhang Su said: "Xiang Zhixian, I also recruited 22 archers. They are all soldiers trained successfully by Na Zhu. They know the method of fighting formations, and they are loyal and honest."
Xiang Zhixian did not dare to offend this man, so he lied down and said: "Your Excellency is also the county captain, and the archers are subordinate to the county captain. You can handle it yourself."
"yes!"
Zhang Su smiled and handed over his hand, finally exerting his power.
"Master Secretary, Mr. Zhu is here to visit."
"Which Mr. Zhu?"
"He is the father of the Eighth Route Army Scholar."
"Please come quickly."
Zhu Guoxiang announced his name when they met, and then went straight to the topic: "The chief secretary is here to see me, and I am here to present good seeds and farming books."
"But what about corn and sweet potatoes? I've heard about it." Zhang Su asked.
"Exactly, these two kinds of grain can produce several stones per mu." Zhu Guoxiang took out the farming book again and asked the master to correct it.
The manuscripts of agricultural books taken out today are richer than those given to Lu Tixue. They also cover the planting and management of wheat, sorghum and other crops, and many diagrams of agricultural tools have been added.
Zhang Su was so happy that he did not ask about the situation in Daming Village and only discussed farming and water conservancy with Zhu Guoxiang.
Fooling, it’s hard to fool!
In the afternoon of the same day, Zhang Su personally sent Zhu Guoxiang out of the county office, bowed and said: "Sir, you are really a great sage who has never been born before. I can't wait to ask for advice every morning and evening. The water conservancy in the suburbs of the county has been in disrepair for a long time. I plan to dredge the canals next year and give irrigation canals to the people."
I will extend it a little longer, and I will ask my husband to help me with the planning. Also, I will plant corn and sweet potatoes next year, and I will ask my husband to give me some advice."
"It's an honor." Zhu Guoxiang said goodbye with his hands in hand.
Zhang Su watched Dean Zhu go away and said to himself: "His father is so virtuous, Zhu Chenggong must also have both ability and political integrity."
Xiang Zhixian was drinking in the backyard of the county government office, and he didn't want to care about anything.
He couldn't afford to offend the chief clerk, and he couldn't compete with the subordinate staff. He just drank and had fun every day, just waiting to be transferred somewhere else next year or the year after.