The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Yang Dianshi and others seemed to be even more excited and enthusiastic than Zhang Pingan!

We specially selected the best restaurant in the county to entertain the guests.

Jobs like this one of announcing imperial decrees are usually lucrative and well-paying.

Zhang Ping'an was not someone who didn't know the rules. He gave 200 taels of silver to each of the three people who took the lead in announcing the decree. In addition, with the relationship of Lin Junhui as a classmate, the atmosphere at the banquet was quite joyful. After the meal, both the host and the guests were very happy!

The two people who came with Lin Junhui to announce the decree, one surnamed Zhong and the other surnamed Wang, were both from aristocratic families. They were very smooth and their words were very pleasant to the ear.

"Lord Zhang is so young and capable, and he always thinks about sharing the worries of the emperor. It is a blessing for the country!" One of them said in an official tone.

Another person immediately echoed, "Yes, yes, Lord Zhong is right. Lord Zhang can be said to have a smooth and worry-free career. The two reports he submitted to the court after taking office were both great achievements. In particular, the use of the Fire Egg Gun by each other solved an urgent problem for the court. If it could really be used on a large scale in the war to pacify the south, it would definitely go down in history!"

"Thank you both for your kind words!" Zhang Ping'an smiled and responded modestly.

It's not a good thing that these two people praise him so highly, and they probably have ulterior motives.

Seeing this, Lin Junhui narrowed his eyes, tried to smooth things over, changed the subject, and laughed out loud, "Everyone, let's not talk about official business while drinking. Let's drink. I heard that the realgar wine in Ci County is a specialty. It's only available every Dragon Boat Festival, and we've made it!"

Yang Dianshi quickly replied, "Lord Lin also knows about our Cixian Realgar Wine. It's rare that you gentlemen are interested in it. When you leave tomorrow, I will have my servants prepare two jars for each of you gentlemen!"

"Master Yang is thoughtful," Lin Junhui nodded.

The other two didn't take Yang Dianshi, a small-time guy, seriously at all and were too lazy to respond.

Since ancient times, officials in Beijing have been much more arrogant than local officials!

By the time the meal was over, the lights were already on.

Although the man surnamed Zhong is over 50 years old and has a lot of grandchildren, he is young at heart. He hinted from his words that he still wants to visit some special places.

Zhang Ping'an didn't refuse this small request.

Everyone then went to the brothel to catch the next show.

Yang Dianshi took very good care of the brothel and had his servants consult with the brothel's madam in advance.

When the group arrived, the madam was already waiting at the door with her people.

Mr. Zhong felt valued and was very satisfied!

With a wave of his hand, he called eight or nine girls to accompany him.

Zhang Pingan and Lin Junhui looked at each other helplessly.

The two of them stayed together for a while, and when the atmosphere was about right, Zhang Ping'an and Lin Junhui left the room to the other people and booked another room for tea.

Lord Zhong was eager to get the two of them away, otherwise he himself would feel uncomfortable.

"Oh, it feels like since I came to Lin'an, I have to accompany people to brothels every now and then. People who don't know me would think I'm a sex addict," Lin Junhui joked to himself.

He picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Zhang Pingan, then said, "Are you surprised that I came here this time?!"

"It's really unexpected!" Zhang Pingan nodded, "I really didn't expect the court to be so efficient!"

"Then do you know who is fanning the flames?" Lin Junhui asked again.

Zhang Pingan smiled and shook his head: "I don't know, but the energy is definitely extraordinary!"

"It's Lord Zhou," Lin Junhui said calmly, "and he is also the deputy commander in this campaign to pacify the south."

"Has the battle plan been finalized?" Zhang Ping'an really didn't understand the core secrets of the court at the moment.

"It's settled. Prime Minister Yan also agrees. We are all grasshoppers on the Daxia boat. If the boat capsizes, it will not benefit us. We don't know whether we will be dead or alive. Now we have room to breathe. It is necessary to repair the boat during the flood season," Lin Junhui said meaningfully.

"Everyone should do their job well. I hope we can achieve unification as soon as possible. This will be good for both the court and the people," Zhang Pingan replied slowly.

After a pause, he smiled again and said, "To be honest, I thought I would get a lot of credit for this achievement, but I didn't expect the court to issue a special decree to commend me. Although it's just lip service and has no practical benefits, it's still very encouraging! It's a pity that my sixth brother-in-law can't stay for the summer vacation. He has to go back with you tomorrow. I'm really reluctant to let him go."

Lin Junhui glanced Zhang Ping'an up and down, stroking his chin and saying, "I don't know how your father chose his son-in-law, but he has a really good eye. I think your sixth brother-in-law will be a great talent in the future. He's very experienced in weapons research. Now that we're in troubled times, it's perfect time for him to make a difference!"

"Then you have to ask my dad," Zhang Pingan said leisurely.

However, his parents are very excited at home now, discussing with old man Zhang about enshrining the imperial edict, so they may not be in the mood to answer this question.

"By the way," Zhang Ping'an said seriously, "the iron and gunpowder you helped me get last time were a great help. I'll use tea instead of wine to formally toast you. Thank you!"

After saying that, he drank it all in one gulp.

Lin Junhui also drank the tea in his hand.

Then he spread his hands and said, "Of course I will help you if I can. You don't have to be polite. But I may not be able to help you in the future. Since your report was submitted, the court's control over ironware and gunpowder has become more than ten times stricter than before. Lord Zhou has already designated a piece of land in a secluded part of the city as a firearms factory, specializing in the production of fire egg guns. I estimate that even if your father-in-law stepped in, it would be difficult to obtain large quantities of raw materials."

"These two things have always been strictly controlled. Now that the power of the two combined has been discovered, it is normal for the court to take action," Zhang Pingan understood.

It was not until midnight that everyone came out of the brothel, and Zhang Pingan was finally tired of waiting.

On the second day, Lin Junhui returned to Lin'an with his sixth brother-in-law and other craftsmen.

The firearms factory there has been almost completed. They can go back and bring a new group of craftsmen. The more people there are, the higher the efficiency of the manufacturing will be.

This powerful weapon is best used in conjunction with other types of troops.

At dusk, after eating their fill, they returned with their families.

My fifth brother-in-law also accompanied them.

Fang Ziqi only brought his servants and servants with him and traveled light.

Wu Ya was left in Lin'an to give birth.

Mrs. Xu frowned when she saw this and asked in confusion, "Why don't you bring Wu Ya with you? You've only been married for less than a year, and Wu Ya is pregnant. It's the time for you to be close to each other. It would be great if you could bring her along!"

Fang Ziqi explained politely, "Father and mother-in-law, I was thinking that at home in Lin'an, where there are more servants, I can take better care of you. Although Ci County is not far from Lin'an, it is always tiring to travel here. It is also not convenient for Wu Ya to go when she is pregnant. I will go back to Lin'an to see her when I am free!"

"Well, that's true," Xu said without further hesitation.

She is extremely anxious now. After being married for so long, her daughter-in-law still hasn't gotten pregnant. It's difficult to urge her, and she is almost worried to death!

Zhang Ping'an took the initiative and asked the people in the post house to prepare a few tables of decent welcoming banquets for the people from Heifengdu.

The village chief of Heifengdu was no longer in good health. Seeing this, he wanted to kneel down and kowtow to Zhang Pingan to express his gratitude, but was stopped by Zhang Pingan.

As for the fifth brother-in-law, the feast was prepared by the servants in the back court at the order of my mother, Xu.

Fang Ziqi is very good at dealing with people. With his subtle flattery at the table, he made everyone laugh. He grasped the right balance and did not make people feel disgusted.

This is also the reason why Zhang Ping'an is willing to let his fifth brother-in-law come to help. After observation, he found that although his fifth brother-in-law is profit-seeking, he is not short-sighted and has the ability to get things done.

There are thousands of different kinds of people in the world, it all depends on how you use them. Some things can only be done by such smooth-talking people!

The next day, the people of Heifengdu actively built houses on the land they bought.

It was specially approved by Zhang Ping'an. It is very close to the city gate and not too remote. The price is acceptable for people who want to eat.

Once they build the houses, it will be a new village.

Wishes are beautiful!

Zhang Ping'an knew that there would definitely be a war in the future and the prices of rice, flour, grain and oil would definitely rise sharply. He briefly reminded them that they didn't need to build the house too well, and it was better to keep more cash. A thatched mud house would be enough for them to use.

Chi Bao and others also listened to the advice and did not dare to invest all their money in houses and land.

Sure enough, within half a month, news came that the imperial court had sent troops, mainly targeting the rebel kings in Yuezhou, Quanzhou and other places.