Traveling through the millennium: creating a prosperous dynasty with you

After An Chen and Xu Zhen came out of the Jurchen tribe with the witch, they rushed to the new military camp without stopping and made arrangements with Chen Xu and other soldiers. Afterwards, the two embarked on their return journey, preparing to return to the country to select talents.

In the court

The emperor sat on the dragon throne, listening to the reports of the ministers below, nodding slightly from time to time, and sometimes thinking silently. When he heard the news of An Chen and Xu Zhen's return, a glimmer of joy flashed in the emperor's eyes.

"Call them to the palace!" The emperor waved his hand, with some anticipation in his voice.

After a while, An Chen and Xu Zhen walked into the hall and were about to pay their respects.

"You have all worked hard, so let's not have to accept this gift. Why did you suddenly think of going on a diplomatic mission to the Jurchens?" asked the emperor.

An Chen reported the details of the trip to the emperor, and mentioned that the Jurchen shamans returned to the capital with them this time.

After listening to this, the emperor nodded thoughtfully, then looked at the wizard with some curiosity in his eyes.

He asked the divine witch about the situation of the Jurchens. The divine witch answered the emperor's questions respectfully and expressed her desire to follow the divine witch for a while and to work for the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The emperor was satisfied with the performance of the sorcerer. The prince and his daughter-in-law had already brought the people here, proving that it would be beneficial rather than harmful to Anguo. Naturally, he agreed to the sorcerer's request.

Minister Guo of the Ministry of Rites: "Your Highness, Crown Prince, Crown Princess, you have returned just in time! The time for the selection exam has been set, and it will be held in three days. At present, the examination halls in various places have been prepared, and the candidates and invigilators are all in place. However, the invigilation equipment is only available in the capital, and other prefectures have not yet been equipped."

Xu Zhen asked: "How many people signed up this time?"

Minister Guo of the Ministry of Rites replied, "Including candidates from the capital and the three prefectures, there are nearly 60,000 candidates in total. Among them, candidates from the capital are the largest, accounting for about half. Candidates from the other three prefectures account for about 10,000 each. There are also many people who were unable to take the exam because they could not raise enough money."

An Chen and Xu Zhen were both very surprised to hear this number. They originally thought that there would not be too many people taking the exam in the first batch, but the actual situation was far beyond their expectations.

Xu Zhen: "If this happens again, they can apply for relief funds from Fushantang. But as students, they should not develop a greedy mentality. This money is just a loan to them and they still need to return it in the future, but there will be no interest."

Everyone praised this method as being very good.

An Chen then asked: "So, how will the examination locations for these candidates be arranged?"

Minister Guo of the Ministry of Rites explained: "We originally planned to arrange examination halls according to where the candidates live, but due to the uneven number of candidates in different places, there were only a few candidates in some places and it was impossible to arrange examination halls. After consultation between the Ministry of Rites and the prefects of various places, it was finally decided to set up four examination halls, one in the capital and the three prefectural cities. This will better organize the examinations and ensure fairness and justice."

Xu Zhen: "That's good. This time, our exam not only has a written test, but also a practical test, and finally an interview. It's impossible to pass by cheating. I'm sure people all over the country know about our previous surveillance in Beijing. This time, we can just let the invigilators hint that they have surveillance, and we don't need to say it explicitly. I believe all the candidates know it."

An Chen looked at the people in the court and asked, "Are all the test papers ready?"

Minister Guo of the Ministry of Rites stepped forward and replied, "Your Highness, everything has been prepared. We have arranged for a newspaper delivery machine to deliver the test papers early in the morning to eliminate the risk of leaking the test questions as much as possible."

An Chen nodded and said, "Okay, everyone, you've worked hard. Take a good rest these few days. After the exam, we still have to mark the papers, so we'll be busy!"

All the civil and military officials in the court admired An Chen very much. True and false, real and unreal, are the greatest tests of human heart. She is indeed worthy of being a goddess. Her mind is not comparable to that of ordinary people.

Those who had some small ideas at first gave up their plans now. On the surface, they said there would be no surveillance, but maybe the goddess was secretly monitoring them like she did the first time. They were fooled, no way!

After the court session, many ministers hurried home. Soon, many carriages bound for various places appeared in the capital.

At this time, the Jurchen princess heard a piece of news that surprised her - their great witch had actually come here. As far as she knew, all the witches had never left the tribe. So, she decided to send a visiting card to the prince's mansion.

After hearing that his elder brother and his wife were going back to the capital, An Shuo went to the Prince's Mansion to wait for them. As soon as he entered the hall, he found that it was already full of people. In addition to the eldest princess and her husband, Qian Mingcheng, Sima Yi, there were also two uncles, and even An Jie was there.

An Shuo complained dissatisfiedly: "You guys are really too mean!"

Anjie replied proudly: "Who told you not to be smarter? You are his brother, how come you are not as thoughtful as us?"

An Shuo shook his head helplessly: "Humph, you are the only one who has too many ideas. Now that the school project is completed, your affairs are basically dealt with, and you can enjoy your life leisurely. But my road construction projects are increasing, how can I be as free as you!"

The princess smiled and said, "Ashuo is our great hero, stop standing and talking, please sit down."

Just as everyone was joking around, An Chen's voice came from outside the door. He joked, "I thought I was in the wrong place. We haven't even reached home yet, why are you all running here? You don't even give us a break! You are so cruel, you are just a bunch of thieves who exploit workers!"

Xu Zhen: "Don't listen to his nonsense. We are all very happy to see you all when we come back. Please sit down first. It's so hot. I will treat you to some icy milk tea and delicious ice cream."

An Shuo: "Sister-in-law is still the best. The air conditioner is on in the room, so it doesn't feel hot. Milk tea is selling like hot cakes right now, but what is this ice cream?"

Xu Zhen: "There are all kinds of flavors here, please choose whatever you like."

After everyone tasted it, Anjie and Anshuo spoke almost at the same time.

“This will definitely sell well!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Xu Zhen: "There are quite a few types of cold drinks for sale now, right? Ice cream can be made high-end. You both have shops, so you can sell them together. This product can't be taken away for a long time, so it won't have much impact. I'll have the butler deliver the things you need to you in a while."

"Thank you, sister-in-law!"

At this time, the housekeeper came over and reported: "Your Highness, the Jurchen princess wants to see you."

An Shuo hurriedly stood up and asked the housekeeper: "Let him in quickly!"

Everyone burst into laughter again! An Shuo blushed.

When the Jurchen princess arrived, Xu Zhen had already asked someone to call the shaman over.

In order to make it convenient for the two of them to talk, An Chen specially arranged a small hall for them.

They continued to discuss business.

Guo Yi: "Are there really no surveillance cameras installed in examination halls across the country?"

Xu Zhen: "With little bee here, what does it matter if I pretend or not?"

An Jie gave Xu Zhen a thumbs up and praised: "High, really high!"

The eldest princess said: "The welfare homes we have built in various places have also had people participating this time."

Xu Zhen: "It's a bit beyond my expectation. Their bodies basically need long-term conditioning. It's only been a few months. It seems that my eldest sister really took a lot of care."

The eldest princess said: "Our business is so prosperous, all your dividends have been invested in it. Their food and drink are arranged according to the recipes you instructed. They are nutritious enough, and they also add medicinal food, so their bodies are naturally well-nourished."

Xu Zhen: "That's good. A little help is a favor, a big help is a grudge. We must always do a good job of their ideological work and make them truly useful people, instead of raising an enemy!"

The eldest princess: "Everything is taught according to the curriculum you listed. There are ideological reports every morning and evening. There is a small meeting every two days and a big meeting every three days. Everyone there is hardworking and just, and strictly implements the 24-character policy you proposed."

Everyone asked in confusion: "What 24-character policy?"

徐真：“核心价值观的24字基本内容为富强叀19裰鳓叀10拿鳓叀10托肠叄自由叀2降圈叀9正叀7ㄖ桅叄爱国叀14匆怠3闲拧15焉啤u24个字分别代表了国家、社会和百姓个人三个层面的价值追求和行为准则。”

An Chen: "My wife is amazing! She summarized it very well."

Xu Zhen: "I don't have the ability to summarize this. This is what a big shot said. I just borrowed it and used it!"

Everyone: "He must be a great saint!"

Xu Zhen agreed.

An Shuo: "If the gods are promoting something, why shouldn't we use it? Brother, now that you are the regent, you should order the promotion of these 24-character guidelines throughout the country.

An Chen: "Okay, I'll give the order right away, and publicize and promote it nationwide."

Everyone talked for a while, and then it was time to talk about their private matters.

Princess, my two uncles and Qian Mingcheng have come here specifically to find Xu Zhen.

So they gave a brief report on their business affairs.

Xu Zhen: "You guys did a great job, elder sister. I have never seen some of the nail art styles before. How did you think of making a hole in the nail and adding a pendant?"

The eldest princess said: "This is Ming Cheng's idea. Young ladies from noble families have maids to do everything for them. Their hands hardly need to touch anything. Many people like to drill holes on their nails and add small bells and small diamonds."

Xu Zhen: "You guys are really amazing. And the two uncles, not only did you make a tricycle, but now you even have a human-powered four-wheeled vehicle. There are probably only so many things that can be made into a vehicle, and there won't be much room for future changes. Have the two uncles ever thought of you ordering something else?"

"It's hot now, air conditioning is a good thing, can you--"

Xu Zhen: "This can't be done now, but there is something that can be done."

Uncle: "Can it also cool people down?"

Xu Zhen: "Yes, but it also requires electricity."

Qian Mingcheng: "Basically all the wealthy families in Beijing have access to electricity."

Xu Zhen summoned a variety of electric fans of various sizes. He plugged one in, turned on the switch, and the fan blades spun, and a cool breeze blew towards him.

Xu Zhen: "It will be cooler if we turn on the air conditioner. If there is no air conditioner, put some ice cubes in the room and use the electric fan to cool it down. As far as I know, this electric fan can also be made into a hand-cranked one, uncles can go and try it."

Not to mention the two uncles, everyone present was very excited. There are so many magical things, so useful, it's another envious day.

Xu Zhen: "By the way, I see that not only ladies but also many men on the street like to carry our bags. It's such a big surprise in such a short time! You guys are really great, I'll treat you tonight to reward you!"

Everyone was pleasantly surprised. It had been a long time since they had eaten the goddess's food. Today they were in for a treat.

Three days passed in a flash, and the first purely technical selection test was about to begin.

Three helicopters loaded with test papers flew to three cities before dawn, and along with them were the hardworking little bees.

The examination adopts the current model, with 30 people in one examination room, two teachers invigilating, and three shifts taking turns to patrol each examination room.

Due to the unbearable summer heat, Xu Zhen specially ordered people to put ice basins in each examination room to relieve the heat. In addition, she thoughtfully provided each candidate with various commonly used medicines in case of emergency. Even if they did not need them at the moment, they could take them home.

During the two days of the exam, all schools where the exam sites were located opened their doors to the candidates, warmly welcomed them, and provided free accommodation and catering services. This move undoubtedly greatly reduced the burden on those students from poor families, allowing them to devote themselves to the exam wholeheartedly.

Not only the students who came to take the exam felt deeply warmed, but even the teachers in charge of the exam were moved. After all, such treatment is rare.

During the exam period, whether in the exam room, dormitory area or cafeteria, ice cubes can be seen everywhere for cooling down. These ice cubes not only lower the body temperature, but also deeply warm everyone's heart.

In the past, during every exam, some students with weaker constitutions had to leave the exam room early due to heat stroke or other discomfort. However, this exam became the most comfortable experience in many people's lives.

The accommodation was clean and tidy, making people feel comfortable; every meal was rich, and delicious meat was provided for every meal, which was unlimited. What was even more surprising was that each exam lasted less than an hour, and during the break, the staff would bring cool and refreshing mung bean water for everyone to quench their thirst and cool down.

They listened to many legends about the goddess, learned some very practical knowledge, experienced different exams, and saw the court's emphasis on talents. This made them more determined to follow in the footsteps of the goddess, contribute to the security of the country, and devote their own life values.

Tomorrow's exam will end successfully, and the candidates and invigilators are reluctant to leave.

"This is not an exam at all, it's clearly just for us to enjoy ourselves."

"Not to mention the poor people, even the landlords in our town don't have such a good life."

"Alas, with a life like this, I can take exams all my life."

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