Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

One of the plans was about opening a market town in the northern part of the city, which described in detail how to plan the layout, attract investors, and manage and operate the town; the other plan was about setting up literacy classes for children, similar to kindergartens in modern society, aiming to allow children to receive preliminary education and enlightenment before entering official schools.

Gao Ying smiled and said, "She's only three or four years old. Isn't that a bit too early?"

Zhang Jingwei smiled and waved his hand, and replied: "It's not early at all! This age is the golden period of enlightenment. I also started attending kindergarten when I was three years old, haha. Cough cough cough..." When he said this, he couldn't help coughing violently a few times, and it seemed that he was still feeling unwell.

The kindergarten has three classes: small, medium and large. Children can usually continue their studies in primary school after they turn six.

After Gao Jiong carefully read the plan, he didn't respond to Zhang Jingwei immediately. Instead, he said slowly, "Boss, you've been staying here all day. Why don't you go out for a walk and stretch your muscles?"

Zhang Jingwei frowned, looked at Gao Jiong in confusion and asked, "What? Are you here to persuade me to go back? Let me tell you, I won't leave. As long as I stay here, everyone will have hope. Cough cough..." As a violent cough sounded, his face became paler and paler.

Gao Jiong quickly explained, "That's not the case. Boss, please don't misunderstand me. Look, the military camp expansion project was successfully completed in just one month. Don't you want to know the reason?"

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei's eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "Yes! The speed of construction is truly astonishing. I must go and see for myself. Quickly tell Mu Tou to saddle my donkey."

Mu Tou, who was standing outside the tent, suddenly heard his young master saddle the donkey. His dull eyes lit up instantly, and his face revealed an expression of uncontrollable excitement. He suddenly jumped up, his whole body in a state of extreme excitement, and he even wanted to rush over and carry the donkey directly to the young master.

Mu Tou ran towards the tent happily, shouting, "Master, let's go home now!"

However, Zhang Jingwei poured cold water on him and said, "No, I want to go to the military station to take a look."

Mu Tou was stunned upon hearing this, and the smile on his face froze instantly. He stared at Gao Jiong with wide eyes, puzzled, as if he didn't quite understand why the young master wanted to go to the military station. At this time, Gao Jiong remained expressionless, but nodded slightly, indicating his approval of Zhang Jingwei's decision.

……

At sunset, Zhang Jingwei arrived at the military base. If he had not known in advance that this was a military base, he would have thought it was a small town. The streets were interconnected, with residential areas on both sides, and a five-story tower was built in the military camp.

At this time, the sun was setting, its afterglow casting a shadow over the earth, illuminating a group of craftsmen who were packing up their tools and heading home after a hard day's work. They were walking slowly towards this side in groups of three or five, chatting and laughing, with brisk steps.

Zhang Jingwei, who was in the crowd, watched the team curiously and approached them. With a smile on his face, he politely asked one of the craftsmen, who looked older and more experienced, "Uncle, what are you guys working on?"

The craftsman, known as "Old Uncle," stopped and looked up and down at the young man in front of him, whose attire was distinctly different from that of the locals. He smiled and replied, "Haha, so it's you, young man. Judging by your attire, you must be a scholar from out of town. Let me tell you, this is our military garrison! Even I was quite surprised at first!"

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei nodded slightly in agreement and said, "Well, I do know that this place is a garrison. But what surprises me is that just a month ago, this place was clearly a desolate and deserted place. How could such a large town have been erected so quickly?"

Upon hearing this, the old craftsman's face lit up with pride, and he enthusiastically explained, "Alas, young master, you don't know this. We were all ordinary bricklayers from Wuzhou. Thanks to Zhang Xiaolian's kindness, he took us in and not only provided us with food, but also arranged work for us. At first, I was worried, wondering if I would be forced to do labor again. Who would have thought that just a few days ago, we were actually paid!"

Zhang Jingwei asked curiously, "Oh? How much do you get paid a month?"

The wrinkled old craftsman beamed with joy and answered excitedly, "A full three kan! It's much more than what I made in Wuzhou, double! And even my good-for-nothing son can earn eighty wen for just one day's odd job here!"

Zhang Jingwei nodded and said with a smile, "It seems that the wages are fair and reasonable."

The old craftsman grinned from ear to ear, his eyes twinkling with longing. He continued, "I heard the shopkeeper say there are many more garrisons waiting to be built. I must work hard and strive to become a foreman. That way I can earn a few more strings of cash. Once I save enough money, I will buy my own house in Yunzhou City and then work wholeheartedly with Zhang Xiaolian."

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but ask with some amusement: "Do you know Zhang Xiaolian?"

The old craftsman nodded mysteriously and said to Zhang Jingwei in a low voice: "Of course, those of us who came from Wuzhou know Zhang Xiaolian. But you must not tell anyone about this!" After saying that, the old craftsman did not forget to look around, as if he was afraid of being heard by others.

Zhang Jingwei said with a relaxed look: "Don't worry, I'm very tight-lipped and will never say anything nonsense, cough cough..." After that, he coughed again.

At this moment, the old craftsman lowered his voice and spoke mysteriously to Zhang Jingwei, "You don't know, his father-in-law is a marquis, in charge of the military power of Yunzhou! And the reason he made such a big fuss about changing the garrison is because he really wants to seize power!"

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but frown and said with a wry smile: "Huh? How can it be so easy to seize power?"

The old craftsman waved his hand nonchalantly and sighed, "Alas, you don't know! With just one word from Zhang Xiaolian, the lives of my family, young and old, are in his hands! Let alone a mere marquis, even if it's the current emperor, we have nothing to fear! After all, we all rely on Zhang Xiaolian for our livelihood."

At this moment, the old craftsman's son came over, nervously tugged at his father's sleeve, and whispered, "Dad, please stop talking nonsense. We still have work to do after dinner."

Zhang Jingwei watched the sky darken and couldn't help but ask curiously, "It's already pitch black, are you still going to work? Is the foreman or the shopkeeper exploiting you?"

The old craftsman replied solemnly, "You, young scholar, are still too naive to understand the hardships of this world. Since I've sold my worthless life to Zhang Xiaolian, I must work tirelessly for him. If I don't work tirelessly to complete his garrison, how can he fight for his title?"

As he was speaking, he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves from not far away. An officer, riding a tall horse, came galloping towards him. When he got close, the officer pulled the reins and shouted, "Who are those people over there? It's past work time, why are you still lingering here?"

The old craftsman was startled by this sudden scolding. He waved his hands in fear and trepidation, and turned to whisper to Zhang Jingwei: "Young man, remember not to let anything slip, otherwise we will bring disaster to Zhang Xiaolian!"