Golden Branch

"..."

Standing outside the city gate, looking at the brand new and majestic city, Wang Lin couldn't help feeling a little dazed.

A few years ago, he was driven out of the capital.

The capital at that time was not Chang'an, but Pingcheng.

In order to return to Beijing and get back to the center of power, Wang Lin worked very hard and paid a lot.

Now, I have finally returned to Beijing, but things have changed.

Wang Lin did not have much impression of the new city of Chang'an.

All we know is that it is an ancient capital, but it has suffered from wars many times.

The city standing before him was also rebuilt on the ruins from two or three hundred years ago, and there was nothing familiar about it to him.

Wang Lin wanted to say "I feel homesick when I'm close to home" and "Things and people have changed", but neither seemed to be appropriate.

"It doesn't matter! Whether it's Pingcheng or Chang'an, they are both the capital of Dayu!"

It is the center of power and the stage where he can regain his glory.

he came!

This time, he will never be driven out so easily like last time!

Wang Heng didn’t know about her father’s ambition, otherwise she would have reminded him: Dad, don’t set goals lightly, it’s easy to get slapped in the face!

……

Wang Lin entered the city and went to the location of his home as stated in the letter from his mother and wife.

Chang'an was built from scratch on the basis of ruins and wasteland.

It is not a renovation or expansion of the old city, but a complete planning that started from the drawing.

Therefore, it was not restricted by the original city layout, but directly carried out an overall layout.

The entire city is square. In addition to the imperial city, there are two markets, east and west, and 108 districts.

The central axis, Zhuque Avenue, runs north-south, and the other streets are also straight and level, as if they were drawn with a ruler.

The Wang family’s newly purchased house is in Pingkangfang, which is a good place.

It is adjacent to the inner city to the west and the East Market to the east. There are also government offices such as the Imperial College and the Music Bureau in the district.

The residents in Pingkangfang are all powerful and wealthy.

Just being “rich” is not enough.

Because the land here cannot be bought with just money.

Wang Lin had borrowed the power of the Prince of Qi's Mansion and spent a lot of money to settle down in Pingkangfang.

Wang Lin rode a horse and led a large group of people. It took them half an hour to enter Pingkangfang and arrive at the "Wang Residence".

Standing outside the gate and looking at the brand new royal residence, Wang Lin did not rush to dismount.

This is his home and will also be the Wang family’s “ancestral home” in the capital.

However, it was the first time Wang Lin saw it after it was completed.

It is definitely unfamiliar, with a brand new vermilion-painted gate and layers of buildings within the high courtyard walls.

There must be pavilions and towers in the courtyard, which are extremely exquisite.

It covers an area of ​​dozens of acres, with courtyards connected to each other. It can be considered a mansion in this capital city.

Inexplicably, a surge of heroic spirit suddenly arose in Wang Lin's chest.

With the new capital and the new ancestral home, Wang Lin also started a new stage in his life.

A fourth-rank official in Beijing, after enduring for a few years and with the help of a noble person, will surely be able to break through the shackles of the third-rank officialdom and reach the highest position in the country.

The glory of the Wang family will be created by him personally!

He will not let down the reputation of the Wang family of Langya, nor will he lose to the Wang family of the southern border, such as Wang Yan.

Wang Lin dismounted from his horse in high spirits, lifted up his clothes, and strode towards the gate.

The doorman was a lifelong servant of the Wang family. He was an old man brought from Yizhou when Madam Xie and Mrs. Cui came to Beijing a few years ago.

He couldn't recognize his master at first sight.

He hurriedly went up to greet him, bowing and saying, "Greetings, my dear!"

"My dear, you have worked hard on your journey. This morning, Madam Tai was still talking about you, saying that according to the date, you would arrive in the next few days. She also instructed us to go to the official road outside the city gate to welcome you starting tomorrow..."

The doorman's chattering was both an expression of his excitement and joy at seeing the young man, and a subtle explanation that it was not that they were not respectful enough and did not know how to go outside the city to greet him, but that Wang Lin had arrived earlier than expected.

Wang Lin didn't care.

It took him nearly ten years to return to Beijing.

Now that his wish has finally come true, he is working at full speed, day and night.

In addition, in addition to being "eager to go home", Wang Lin also wanted to return to Beijing as soon as possible so that he would have more time to inquire about news and understand the Ministry of Works.

Wang Lin is indeed interested in profit and is easily blinded by it.

But, he is not stupid.

After the surprise and excitement, he will think and worry.

There is no way. His relationship with his backer Jiang is too complicated, with grievances and love and hate intertwined.

Jiang would continue to provide Wang Lin for Wang Heng's sake.

But she was so "heartless" that she still held a grudge against the past.

Wang Lin would blame Jiang for repaying kindness with enmity and forgetting their old friendship.

In any case, if it weren't for his planning back then, Jiang would not have become the noble concubine of King Qi and been deeply loved by him.

Wang Lin had just entered the city gate and had not yet taken the initiative to inquire about the news, but he had already heard some stories about the Prince of Qi's Mansion.

For example, the struggle between the queen and the concubine.

Another example is the legend of the peerless beauty Concubine Jiang.

Another example is the beautiful love story of Yang Chong and Jiang, a beauty in troubled times, a hero and a beauty, wow, all these jokes make Yang Chong less of a fierce general and more "down-to-earth".

He is no longer the invincible and superior founding hero, but a person with flesh and blood and weaknesses.

Without fear of offending anyone, I can say that in the marketplace and among the people, Yang Chong is more "popular" than Emperor Yang Ji.

Wang Lin felt a little embarrassed.

As the ex-husband's brother, Wang Lin had just arrived in a new place and his ears were filled with the romantic stories of his ex-wife and her new boyfriend. He didn't know whether he should be jealous or happy.

He should be jealous and resentful. He and Jiang were once husband and wife, and he still cared about this woman deep in his heart.

He should be happy because Jiang is his backer. The more favored Jiang is, the better his future will be.

After entering the city and hearing all these rumors, Wang Lin finally realized something.

Why did I suddenly get promoted for no reason?

I think it was because Jiang became more and more favored, and in the heart of the King of Qi, she was already able to surpass the original wife Li.

As for Jiang, promoting her ex-husband Wang Lin may not be a sincere act of help.

Maybe she just wanted to tell everyone through this incident: she is deeply favored by the King of Qi, and because of her, even her ex-husband with an awkward status was promoted!

Wang Lin was probably more of a tool for the Jiang family to show off their respectability.

Wang? Toolman? Lin: ...

Realizing that he might just be "incidental" and not really being valued, Wang Lin felt ashamed and angry.

However, this also made him put down his worries a little bit——

It's better to be a tool to show that you are favored than to be a cannon fodder that is calculated.

His promotion this time might just be Jiang's momentary "willfulness" rather than a deliberate trap!

Thinking of this, Wang Lin felt relieved.

"...My dear husband is back!"

"My dear! It's my dear! He has come to the capital from Yizhou!"

"Hurry up and inform the Madam that my husband is back!"

Wang Lin felt secretly at ease, but the sound of the communication was ringing in his ears one after another.

The voice passed from the doorman, the servant, the maidservant... one by one, penetrating from one courtyard to another.

The deep courtyard and the stacked buildings are filled with noisy sounds, as if the whole house has "come alive".

Wang Lin felt the vitality and liveliness, and his mood became more peaceful and happy.

He raised his feet, stepped firmly over the gate, and strode towards the main courtyard along the central axis.

……

After arriving in the capital, Wang Lin rested for less than three days before eagerly reporting to the government office.

He didn't know that the big black pot hanging over his head had already entered the countdown to "falling".

The turmoil in the capital has not yet affected Hedong.

Before Wang Mian made a decision, he also faced the "farewell".

Zhou Jiming is going to Beijing.

He wants to take part in the imperial examination next year, so he has to set off early.

Apart from the month on the road, after arriving in the capital, you also need to engage in some socializing.

The Dayu Dynasty implemented the method of selecting talents through examinations, but the imperial examination system had just emerged and had not yet formed a complete and comprehensive system.

The imperial court selected officials mainly through recommendations from the bottom up and recruitment from the top down.

Recommendation is mainstream.

Aristocratic families and powerful people can recommend each other.

Children from poor families or even common people who want to enter the officialdom must first consider obtaining recommendations from nobles.

Only when you really fail will you choose to take the exam.

If you want to get the recommendation of an important person, you must become famous in the capital.

In fact, not to mention when the imperial examination system was just established, even when the system became formalized and mature, the "appreciation" of the powerful was still very important.

For example, Chen Zi'ang, who wrote "Thinking of the vastness of the universe, I am alone and shed tears", was ignored after he came to the capital despite his great talent.

In order to become famous, he simply staged a "guqin smashing" incident - he bought a guqin at a sky-high price, but smashed it in public.

As the matter became public, his articles became circulated in the capital, and he was subsequently highly valued by the court!

From this we can see that the imperial examination is not a panacea, and finding ways to excel in public and make friends with important people is the eternal shortcut.

Zhou Jiming is upright but not rigid, and his self-discipline and self-control do not conflict with worldly wisdom.

He knew the importance of "socializing" and also wanted to go to Beijing early to "market" himself.

As a time-traveling woman, Wang Mian has seen many modern marketing methods and naturally understands the importance of "hype".

She supported Zhou Jiming's early arrival in Beijing.

As a female billionaire who is as wealthy as a country, Wang Mian's "support" is not just verbal encouragement, but real money.

"...Amian, consider these as loans from me!"

Zhou Jiming was very moved when he saw a box of gold bars and a box of silver ingots.

But he was not dazzled by the gold and silver. He raised his head, his eyes clear and firm.

Wang Mian looked at Zhou Jiming steadily, and after a moment, he raised the corners of his lips and said, "Okay!"

In fact, what she wanted to say was that there was no need to be so distant between you and me.

It's just a few yellow and white things. Now Wang Mian can already say very pretentiously: It's just a number! I don't care about money!

However, Zhou Jiming has always been upright and sensible, or perhaps he has bigger plans and would never leave any handle on trivial matters.

Of course, to put it nicely, he is a man of integrity who will not take advantage of women, nor will he be greedy.

However, Wang Mian could feel that Zhou Jiming still did not regard her as his fiancée.

When he said "borrow", he was also preparing for the future.

Wang Mian didn't know whether he should feel disappointed or happy.

This hasn't even started yet, but Zhou Jiming is already prepared to "turn against each other and settle the accounts."

All she could say was that he wasn't that devoted to her, and she only considered him a suitable marriage partner.

It is normal that both parties do not invest too much emotion and care more about interests.

Zhou Jiming accepted the "gift" sent by Wang Mian and solemnly wrote a promissory note.

Wang Mian looked at it with a smile, then accepted the IOU.

Although that day has not come yet, Wang Mian has a premonition that once Zhou Jiming leaves, his relationship with her will probably be over!

Alas, it ended before it even began. Although there was no love, at least they were "suitable" marriage partners for each other.

As a result, there was no result.

Wang Mian couldn't say she was sad, but she felt a slight sense of loss.

A restless little man in my heart couldn't help but jump out: "I told you, identity is still very important."

"If I had been granted an imperial title, rather than a lowly commoner, Zhou Jiming wouldn't be so 'estranged'."

Even if they cannot get married directly, he will first get formally engaged to Wang Mian.

Instead of the "tacit understanding" like now.

There is no clear engagement, just an agreement in the hearts of both parties... Both sides are wavering and not firm enough.

Wang Mian did not blame Zhou Jiming for "looking for a better job while still having one", because she chose Zhou Jiming out of selfish motives.

She believed that Zhou Jiming was the "male protagonist" and was destined to become a high-ranking official in the future.

She chose him because she was investing in blue chip stocks and wanted to get some of his good luck.

Unfortunately, she is not the heroine, but just a supporting role, or even cannon fodder...

Bah, I'm not cannon fodder!

As a time-traveling girl, even if I cannot become the heroine, I will never allow myself to be used or trampled upon by anyone.

I also have—

Suddenly, Wang Mian thought of Lou Yu’s words and his previous promise.

Unable to hold back, Wang Mian found Lou Yu.

"Lou Langjun, what do you want?"

That day, Lou Yu only talked about the benefits of joining him, but did not mention why he suddenly tried to win her over.

Wang Mian knew that he had already revealed his identity in front of Lou Yu.

But how could Lou Yu be so sure that Wang Mian was qualified to be won over by him?

Now that the Gewuyuan is at the forefront, many of Wang Mian’s “inventions” have other inventors.

She is hiding and doesn't seem to stand out that much.

"What do you have? I know you probably have some skills you haven't shown yet."

Lou Yu looked at Wang Mian indifferently, with no emotion visible in his deep eyes.

His voice was even, "Ajiu is too young, and you don't know much about the Dayu Dynasty."

"Things that you and Ajiu both think are useless may actually be very important."

"You can give me everything you can, and I will judge whether it is important or not."

"Don't worry, as long as it's useful, I will record your merits and then ask for an imperial decree for you."

Lou Yu explained in more detail this time and was more convincing to Wang Mian.

He didn't really want Wang Mian to abandon Wang Heng, he just wanted her to put Lou Yu before Wang Heng.

Lou Yu was not plotting against Wang Heng, he was just worried that the two little girls didn't understand the value of good things and wasted the opportunity!

Wang Mian: ...It seems, it seems that it is not impossible!