The whole family travels through time and space, and the three of them struggle together

In the Imperial Study, Minister Cui of Works was arguing with Emperor Jiayou: "Your Majesty, how can you just let Zhou Dajiang leave like this?"

"I sent someone to ask him about it, and I could recommend him to the position of Chief Secretary for the Ministry of Works, a sixth-rank position, but he refused."

"Then what did the man you sent say? Why didn't he do it?"

The old Shangshu was very optimistic about Zhou Dajiang, otherwise he would not have sent his son to follow him to participate in the ship transformation. Although his son was forced to go to the foreign country because of this, after his son came back, he praised Zhou Dajiang even more and said bluntly that he was the most powerful inventor of this dynasty.

If such a talent is not reused, wouldn't that be a loss for Donghua? So, the old minister came to ask for help again, relying on the fact that the emperor still had some face for him.

Emperor Jiayou was so annoyed by him that he had no choice but to call the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and asked him to tell him what Zhou Dajiang said at the beginning.

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The story goes back to a month ago. After Zhou Dajiang arrived in the capital, everyone else was stationed outside the capital with the army, waiting for rewards. Only a few technical personnel brought by Zhou Dajiang, except for Lord Cui, were invited to the General's Mansion.

When they arrived at the general's mansion, there was naturally a lot of excitement. Mrs. Song arranged everyone in the front yard, and the old general and the old lady also met with a few people individually.

In the evening, when An Ge'er came home from school, he would pester Zhou Dajiang and ask him to tell him about his uncle's experience of riding a boat, whether he was nervous about going to the battlefield, his inventions, and what he had seen and heard in Japan over the past two years. When he heard that Zhou Dajiang and his men had encountered a raiding party and that the last one had used a shoulder-mounted cannon to knock out all the enemies, An Ge'er jumped up and said, "Great! In the future, I want to be like my uncle and invent more powerful cannons so that Daddy and the others won't have to work so hard!" General Song and the old lady were so happy that they clapped their hands and laughed. The naughty boy in the family now had a new goal.

On the third day of staying in the general's residence, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel came to him and claimed that the emperor valued talents and wanted to recommend him to the position of Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Works, a sixth-rank official. He could also bring a few technical personnel with him as his subordinates.

When Zhou Dajiang heard about this good thing, he immediately agreed.

Unexpectedly, the Right Assistant Minister continued, "Because you were recommended, the promotion of recommended officials in our dynasty is relatively slow, at least ten years to get promoted one level, and the highest recommended official is only the sixth rank, so I hope you are aware of this."

Zhou Dajiang was originally quite happy. Now he didn't have to take the exam, but he didn't expect the highest recommended official position was only the sixth rank, and that wouldn't be until ten years later. What was the point of doing this? I might as well go home and live my life to the fullest! So he returned to his position as Right Vice Minister.

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In the Imperial Study, the Right Vice Minister of Personnel answered truthfully, "Your Majesty, Zhou Dajiang said that he still has fields to cultivate and relatives to care for. He has no intention of pursuing a career in the government at the moment and only wishes to return home to concentrate on research and invention."

Minister Cui immediately understood, "Your Majesty, this is just an excuse. If Zhou Dajiang had no interest in a career in government, he wouldn't have taken the exam, nor would he have come up with those inventions before the war. He's trying to pass the exam with his own hard work!"

The emperor, after hearing what he said, also realized that Zhou Dajiang was a talented person with great ambitions! "Hey, you quickly summon Xu Daxueshi."

Xu Daxueshi was a Hanlin scholar and the chief examiner for this year's imperial examination. When Eunuch Shi arrived to announce the decree, he was confirming the examination times for each examination center with his staff. Upon hearing the emperor's summons, he immediately dismissed everyone and went to the imperial study with Eunuch Shi.

"Lord Xu, when is the Donghai Prefecture's imperial examination scheduled for this year?"

"Your Majesty, it's scheduled for late October." Donghua's provincial examinations were held every three years, after August in the autumn. The chief examiners were selected by the emperor and traveled to various prefectures to conduct the examinations. Donghai Prefecture, situated on the edge of the East China Sea, had a later examination time.

The emperor tapped the table with his index finger. It was now the end of July, and there was only a little over two months left until late October. No, time was a bit tight.

"Then put the Donghai Prefecture exam last and send Minister Yuan to Donghai Prefecture for study. He should leave today and return before the exam."

Xu Daxueshi received the order, but he was still confused until he left the imperial study. He wondered what the emperor was doing.

Eunuch Shi escorted him out and, seeing his bewildered face, he reminded him, "The Emperor met with the Minister of Works, Mr. Cui."

As a close attendant to the emperor, he has to share his worries at all times. When the emperor has something that is inconvenient to say, he is the best mouthpiece.

However, a person who speaks for others is not necessarily someone who can say everything. One must strike a balance between saying it and not saying it directly. It is best to say half a sentence and let the other person figure it out for themselves. This is the highest realm of being a close attendant, and it is also what Eunuch Shi figured out after experiencing the succession of two emperors.

In this case, the emperor clearly wanted to reuse Zhou Dajiang, but the system was there, so he couldn't give him too much leeway. So what could he do? He could only give him some leeway within the system. He could give him more time during the final exam. Then he could send someone to specifically mentor him, but he couldn't be too obvious. So, he could just study with him. As for the study time, didn't the emperor say it would be before the exam? You can appreciate the meaning here; it's the art of speaking.

The appointed Grand Secretary Xu hurriedly thanked Eunuch Shi and went to Lord Cui's mansion that night.

After hearing what Grand Secretary Xu had said, Lord Cui clapped his hands in praise. He advised Grand Secretary Xu, "Don't overthink it. It has nothing to do with you. Just follow the Emperor's instructions." "Tomorrow, tell Hanlin Yuan to go to Donghai Prefecture for study. Remember, the sooner he goes, the better!" "Once everything is settled, have him deliver a letter for my son."

So, after Zhou Dajiang took the two children out to play for half a month, two little old men came home.

Yuan Hanlin's full name was Yuan Hongtai. He was a senior scholar in the Hanlin Academy. He was passionate about literature all his life and was one of the best literary masters of his time.

Xu Daxueshi asked him to come to Donghai Prefecture, but he didn't explain it too clearly, just saying that he should come to Yunlai Academy in the prefecture to study.

As an old scholar, he could study anywhere as long as he was doing research. So, he and his old servant drove a donkey cart to the city. Thinking of the instructions from Mr. Cui from the Ministry of Industry, the two old men stopped at Qingshangou as their first stop in the city.

Zhou Dajiang was very puzzled when he received the letter. Why did Lord Cui want him to do something? He had already studied the steam engine from the inside out, so there was nothing more for him to teach.

But no matter what, they came all the way to Qingshangou just to bring me a letter. As the host, I naturally have to do my best to entertain them. Let my wife cook a few more of her signature dishes, and let him bring out some good wine and tea. Let's treat them well.

Thanks to the Emperor, he brought home a lot of good tea, and the General's Mansion also gave him a lot of good wine. Therefore, Yuan Hanlin, who came to deliver the message, was shocked. Although Qingshan Valley is not big, it is full of hidden talents!