At this moment, Ding Xiuqing's mind went blank, and the number 'four hundred and twenty-seven' lingered in her heart like a curse over and over again.
I don't know how long it took before he gradually came back to his senses.
"It's unbelievable. How did the nine counties of Penglai do it?"
Yu Zhongxiu said proudly:
“Eighty-eight years ago, our sect moved south, crossed mountains and seas, and built Penglai, a large and small city.
The first thing we did at that time was to build one hundred Dayan Academy. Now the number of academy has increased to 310.
From the time the academy was built to the present day, children have been attending school free of charge for more than 80 years.
Now you should understand how the nine counties of Penglai did it."
Ding Xiuqing looked at Yu Zhongxiu blankly. Although he knew the answer, he did not want to believe it.
After a long time, he said again:
"You...are you a disciple of the 'Xiantian Yiqi South Sect'?"
Yu Zhongxiu shook his head regretfully and sighed softly:
"No! The sect is not that easy to enter, but the people of Nanzong are also from Nanzong, there is no difference."
It was the first time for Ding Xiuqing to see someone who had such a sense of identification with the sect.
In Kunzhu Mountain, people are accustomed to calling practitioners "immortals". This is an honorific title, but in fact it also represents distance.
Looking at Yu Zhongxiu's appearance, it is obvious that she is very proud to be a citizen of Nanzong.
'Eighty years...'
Ding Xiuqing's heart was full of mixed feelings, and a sense of superiority silently disappeared from her heart.
'Yes! The life span of ordinary people is only eighty years at most. Does this mean that everyone in the nine counties of Penglai is literate now, except for children under the age of seven?'
He couldn't help but look at Shi Ziyu and Shi Zihui.
But thinking about the performance of the two children just now, if they were said to be illiterate, Ding Xiuqing would dare to take off her own head and gamble with others.
Yu Zhongxiu saw a clue from Ding Xiuqing's expression and smiled:
"This statistics does not include children under the age of ten.
The reason why there are still more than 400 people who are illiterate is because these people are actually residents who have just settled here from other places."
Ding Xiuqing understood, this obviously meant people like herself.
Yu Zhongxiu continued:
"Nowadays, the population in the nine counties of Penglai is becoming saturated, and the review of outsiders has become much stricter. It is already very difficult to settle here.
Only people with certain abilities can obtain temporary residence permission through review in a short period of time.
Most of these illiterate people are such people and their families.
However, after three years of residence, a basic test is required. If you still cannot recognize 500 characters, your temporary residence permission will be revoked.
But ordinary people are even more strict. They must not violate the law within ten years before they can settle there."
Ding Xiuqing felt pressure instantly. She didn't expect that it would be so difficult to live here.
They are not alone, they also have their grandmother and sister to take care of. What should they do?
Couldn't help but ask:
"In a situation like that of a junior student, can my sister-in-law also enroll in the palace to study?"
Yu Zhongxiu looked at Ding Xiulian and said regretfully:
"The Academy is a benefit provided by our sect to the local people, so..."
Ding Xiuqing's heart sank, this was not good news.
He has a clear understanding of this. Even if he can settle in the nine counties of Penglai in ten years, the difference between his sister and other women of the same age will be unimaginable.
Let alone finding a suitable husband, I'm afraid I won't even be able to get married.
But then I heard Yu Zhongxiu say:
“However, if the people of the nine counties act as guarantees, temporary permissions can be obtained in advance.
I am willing to help you find someone to act as a guarantee, but I wonder what Mr. Ding will do?"
Hearing this, Ding Xiuqing was not only not happy, but suddenly felt a sense of vigilance.
Showing courtesy for nothing is either cheating or stealing. This is a clear saying from ancient times.
Seeing that he was silent, Yu Zhongxiu understood his concerns and explained with a smile:
"The reason why I am willing to guarantee you is that I have conditions."
Hearing this, Ding Xiuqing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Being able to talk about the problem on the surface made him feel more at ease, and he cupped his hands.
"Appreciate further details!"
Yu Zhongxiu looked Ding Xiuqing up and down, and suddenly said:
"Xiangong Ding must be a scholar, right?"
Ding Xiuqing smiled proudly, puffed out her chest, and was about to speak, but then she thought of something and bent down again.
"Exactly, but Xiaosheng is from Kunzhu Mountain, so I don't know if it is recognized here."
Yu Zhongxiu said warmly:
"There are many situations like Ding Xianggong in the nine counties. There is no need to worry about it. It will take half a year to get used to it.
Mr. Ding can go to the academy to attend lectures during this half year. After half a year, if he passes the assessment, he can join the three-year special talent pool."
‘Oh~~!’
Ding Xiuqing breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he had a chance, he was still very confident in his learning ability.
Then Yu Zhongxiu glanced at Ding Huang.
"There are many people like Ding Xianggong who have relatives with them. Because the elderly have poor learning ability, our department changed the regulations 20 years ago so that elderly people over 60 years old do not need to take literacy tests."
Ding Huang had been feeling uneasy after listening to Yu Zhongxiu's words just now, and finally felt relieved at this moment.
Then Yu Zhongxiu said to Ding Xiuqing:
"There are three reasons why I am willing to guarantee you.
Firstly, Ding Xianggong is a scholar, literate and able to quickly integrate into the Nine Counties; secondly, because he brings relatives with him, generally speaking, he will not easily violate the laws of the Nine Commanderies; and thirdly..."
Yu Zhongxiu smiled and turned to look at Ding Xiulian.
"It's because of this little girl."
Ding Xiuqing glanced at her sister, a little confused.
Yu Zhongxiu explained:
"This sect has laws to encourage childbirth. When a woman reaches adulthood and gives birth to children, she will be given corresponding rewards."
Ding Xiuqing's expression changed and she said in a deep voice:
"Mrs. Shi is kind-hearted, and Xiaosheng doesn't need anyone else to be his guarantee."
Yu Zhongxiu knew that Ding Xiuqing had misunderstood, so he said:
"Xiangong Ding may have misunderstood. Let me explain our laws to Xianggong Ding."
As she spoke, she explained in detail the nine counties' laws to encourage childbirth.
After saying this, he said:
“Guarantee requires responsibility. One household can only guarantee one person within a year, and three households are required to guarantee one person.
If the guaranteed person violates intermediate laws within ten years, the guarantor will bear part of the joint liability and the credit rating will be reduced.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, no one is willing to vouch for a stranger."
After pondering for a moment, Yu Zhongxiu continued:
"I have also met Mr. Ziyu and Ding. He is quite smart among his peers. I want to have a baby marriage for my two children. This will make it easier for me to find someone to be my guarantee."
After a brief pause, Yu Zhongxiu said again:
"Of course it's hard to predict what will happen in the future. If the two of them don't want to get married in the future.
Regardless of the reason, you and I can unilaterally cancel this marriage contract at any time before the two of us turn eighteen.
I wonder what Mr. Ding’s opinion is?”
Ding Xiuqing finally figured out Yu Zhongxiu's intention.
After thinking about it for a moment, I felt that if this was really the case, we could get married temporarily.
Shi Ziyu has a good appearance, and with a mother like Yu Zhongxiu, his conduct should not be too bad.
If it were in Kunzhu Mountain, how many people would miss such an outstanding disciple.
What's more, if this boy is really not suitable for his sister in the future, he can also cancel the marriage contract, which is a way out.
But he also understands that the marriage contract is a double-edged sword.
In the future, if there is no obvious fault among the children of both parties, whichever party breaks the contract first will surely be despised by the world.
This applies not only to yourself, but also to the other person.
Therefore, although he had some thoughts in his heart, he still felt a little puzzled.
I always feel that Yu Zhongxiu seems a little impatient.
I can’t help but ask:
"Mrs. Shi, the child is still young, why is Madam so anxious?"
Yu Zhongxiu sighed:
"Xianggong Ding doesn't know, for some reason..."
She stretched out her hand and pointed upward. Ding Xiuqing followed her hand and looked up, only to see that it was the roof of the car. She didn't understand what Yu Zhongxiu meant.
"There is nothing wrong with this law in itself, but because of a certain person, the system of one man and two wives was established.
Therefore, these teapots cannot match the teacups!"
The resentment in his words was almost enough to lift the roof off the car.
Ding Xiuqing finally understood the reason, but she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
There are also many legends about the nine counties of Penglai and Kunzhu Mountain. When two million people pulled the mountain into the sea, everyone regarded it as a miracle.
Before, he had wondered why the population had only increased so much in the past few decades according to the laws of the nine counties encouraging childbirth.
After working on it for a long time, it turned out to be for this reason.
I couldn't help but be a little curious, and asked with a smile:
"Who is this particular person?"
Yu Zhongxiu could no longer maintain his dignified demeanor, his eyebrows stood upright and he said:
"Who else could it be? The leader of our sect, Ruyi Zhenjun. This pervert has married two wives. It's hard to make rules, so he stipulates the system of one husband and two wives."
Ding Xiuqing's smile froze on her face, and her heart almost jumped out of her throat.
Ding Huang's expression next to her also changed drastically, and she hurriedly said:
"Daughter! Don't say anything that will offend the Immortal!"
Yu Zhongxiu saw the expressions on the two men's faces and realized that they were not from Jiujun and did not understand some things well.
He explained:
"It doesn't matter, this is all disclosed in the Di newspaper. The nine counties of Penglai do not convict people based on their speech."
Then he added:
"As long as it's not a rumor, you can safely say anything that appears in the newspaper."
Ding Xiuqing finally felt relieved. Anyone who dared to comment on the faults of practitioners at Kunzhu Mountain would be punished.
At the same time, he had a lot of curiosity in his heart. The nine counties of Penglai seemed to be different from all the places he had heard of and seen.
I feel that people here live very relaxed, free and independent lives.
There were also feelings he couldn't put into words.
After pondering for a moment, Ding Xiuqing asked:
"What is Di Bao?"
He has heard Yu Zhongxiu mention Di Bao several times, and he is very interested in this thing that can comment on the True Lord Yuanshen arbitrarily.
Yu Zhongxiu smiled, as if he remembered something funny.
He reached out and took out a roll of paper from the side and handed it to Ding Xiuqing,
"This is Di Bao."
Ding Xiuqing took the paper, and the feeling of the tentacles told him that the paper was of very good quality.
The paper is not big, only one foot square, and the size is very suitable for close reading.
There are four bold characters on the right side:
[Penglai Dibao]
In addition, there are dense and neat small characters.
Ding Xiuqing took a closer look, and he was secretly shocked by the contents of the newspaper.
The decrees promulgated by the Xiantian Yiqi Nanzong, recent changes in celestial phenomena, the development of important activities, the trials of those who violated the laws of the nine counties, and the comparison of the development of population, food, etc. in each county.
There were even criticisms of Nanzong's various measures. The writing was harsh and criticized some measures thoroughly.
Ding Xiuqing's heart palpitated, she returned the residence report to Yu Zhongxiu, and asked doubtfully:
"Whose property is this Penglai Di newspaper? How dare you be so unscrupulous?"
Yu Zhongxiu smiled and said:
"The Di newspaper is run by the sect, and the person in charge is Jin Ting."
After a pause, he continued:
"Master Jin Ting is a disciple of the leader of our sect, Zhenjun Ruyi. It was Master Jin Ting who made the original remarks about the leader having one husband and two wives.
It is said that after this issue of the Di Di newspaper came out, the boss was so angry that he was almost furious and yelled at Jin Ting to make corrections.
As a result, Jin Ting said..."
Yu Zhongxiu covered his mouth and coughed twice, imitating someone's tone and said:
"Master has said that the most important thing in reporting is truth. If there is any untruth in what the disciple said, please tell me.
If not, the disciple will not change. If Master insists that the disciple change, please expel the disciple.
result..."
Yu Zhongxiu couldn't help but laugh out loud and continued:
"The leader felt that he had lost face and threatened to expel Jin Ting from the sect.
As a result, Master Jin Ting packed up her things without saying a word, turned around and left Xiao Penglai.
Just when the leader was wondering whether to call his apprentice back.
After receiving the news, the leader's wife became angry and chased the leader with a sword, slashing her wildly, chasing him all over the sky.
'You dare to do it and you are afraid that people will say that if you don't bring Jin Ting back, your three legs will be broken.'
These are the original words of the head’s wife.”
Ding Xiuqing and Ding Huang couldn't help laughing and asked curiously:
"and after?"
"The master had no choice but to chase his apprentice and vowed never to interfere in the affairs of Di Bao, so he brought Master Jin Ting back."
"Amazing!"
Ding Huang said in amazement.
Yu Zhongxiu said proudly:
"Zhenren Jin Ting is the idol of countless sisters in the nine counties."
Ding Xiuqing was startled and asked:
"Is Jin Ting a female cultivator?"
After getting the confirmation, I couldn't help but become curious about Jin Ting.
What kind of woman is she? She dares to be so tough on the leader of a sect, not to mention that this person is still her master.
After pondering for a moment, Ding Xiuqing hesitated and said:
"Could this news be released on purpose?"
Yu Zhongxiu smiled slightly.
"Many people have speculated about this, but since it has spread like this, it proves the attitude of the leader.
Even he can't interfere with the Di newspaper, what do you think other people will think."
Ding Xiuqing's heart trembled, and she realized that she had underestimated everyone after all.
Yes! Regardless of whether this news is true or false, it represents the will of the Innate Yiqi Nan Sect.
Dare to face up to your own mistakes, this is not a kind of strength.
At the same time, he also heard from Yu Zhongxiu's tone that she actually had no ill intentions towards Zhenjun Ruyi.
It seems that speaking like this can make you appear closer to the legendary leader.
At this moment, he was more interested in Xiantian Yiqi Nanzong and was about to continue asking.
Suddenly, I noticed that the carriage that had been speeding began to slow down until it stopped moving.
Yu Zhongxiu said:
"I know you have many doubts in your heart. You will have time to understand them gradually in the future. Now..."