The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Although Lord Zhou is ostensibly here to attend Lord Wang's wedding, who knows if he might also take the opportunity to assess their political achievements or other aspects.

You should know that this is exactly what the Embroidered Uniform Guard does.

Fortunately, Huizhou Prefecture was under the jurisdiction of Southern Zhili, and the governor of Southern Zhili was Wang Yangming. With Wang Yangming as governor, the officials of Huizhou Prefecture could not slack off even if they wanted to. Every year when the year-end inspection came, Wang Yangming did a very meticulous job. Even if there was a problem, Wang Yangming would make timely adjustments.

Upon hearing this, the prefect of Huizhou was filled with gratitude for the governor of Southern Zhili. Although serving under Wang Yangming had been much more tiring than serving in other places, he had indeed accumulated some political achievements in Huizhou.

The people and customs of Huizhou Prefecture are now excellent. Moreover, thanks to Wang Yangming's supervision, the prefect of Huizhou Prefecture has greatly improved his governance capabilities. Many problems that he didn't know how to solve or simply avoided before are now easily solved.

The prefect of Huizhou was the kind of person who was like clay; he could become whatever kind of official he was under. With Wang Yangming supervising him, even if he had some wicked thoughts, he wouldn't have the guts to do so.

Officials like him represent the vast majority in the Ming Dynasty today.

"Thank you for your praise, sir. We will take our leave now."

The prefect bowed respectfully and said.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu waved his hand, then pulled on the horse's reins and headed towards Southern Zhili.

Nowadays, there aren't many railways in the Ming Dynasty, just a few. This railway leading to Jiangnan passes through Southern Zhili, so you have to go to Southern Zhili to board the train.

However, having witnessed the transport capacity and speed of trains, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works frequently submitted memorials to the emperor, planning new railway routes for the Ming Dynasty, without even needing Jiajing's orders.

There are now more than a dozen railways that have begun formal planning and construction. With these railways under construction simultaneously, countless ordinary people and refugees in the Ming Dynasty have found work.

The regions through which these railway lines pass will experience economic stimulus.

This was a great thing for Jiajing and the court, and Jiajing naturally had no reason to disagree.

The imperial court and Emperor Jiajing have money now, but this money cannot be simply distributed directly. Through the construction of these railways, the silver can be gradually transferred into the hands of the people, allowing wealth to accumulate among them. Only then can the economy of the Ming Dynasty truly reach a new level, or even more than one level.

What Zhou Chu and Jiajing needed to do was to ensure that the money actually reached the hands of the people who were building the roads. Therefore, they were extremely strict in supervising the railway construction teams.

Wang Heng followed Zhou Chu and the others all the way to Southern Zhili. Zhou Chu made a special trip to the governor's office to return all the horses and carriages.

“Mr. Yangming, you have governed Southern Zhili very well. I have been to many places, but very few can compare to Southern Zhili.”

Zhou Chu sighed.

This wasn't just polite talk; it came from the heart.

"A government official should bring benefits to the people in his jurisdiction. Now that I have become the governor, I should do my best. In fact, I owe a lot to you, Hengqi. Otherwise, I would hardly have had this opportunity."

Wang Yangming couldn't help but sigh.

During the Zhengde reign, Wang Yangming's official career was not very good. First, he offended Wang Jin and was hunted down by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He was sent to Guizhou to take up a post. Later, he was transferred back to Southern Zhili and appointed as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud in Nanjing. Nominally, it was a fourth-rank official position, but in Southern Zhili, the official positions were just empty titles and were actually sinecures.

Later, Wang Yangming mobilized troops everywhere and quelled the rebellion of Prince Ning, but he also offended Emperor Zhengde. Wang Yangming knew very well that if it were not for Zhou Chu, he would most likely have been given a title and then left idle.

According to the past practices of the Ming Dynasty, it was difficult for civil officials to enter the central power after being granted the title of marquis, and it was even more unlikely that they would be appointed as governors.

If it weren't for Zhou Chu, Wang Yangming would most likely have resigned from his official post after the mourning period for his father ended.

Wang Heng, who was following behind Zhou Chu, was seeing such a high-ranking official as the Governor of Southern Zhili for the first time. Before, in Shexian, which was his hometown, he was at most shocked but not afraid when he saw Zhou Chu. But now, facing a big shot like Wang Yangming, Wang Heng did not dare to raise his head, for fear of offending his superior.

"I will not linger any longer. I am busy with affairs in the capital and have come to bid farewell to Mr. Yangming."

Zhou Chu bowed and said.

Zhou Chu and Wang Yangming had always had a close friendship despite their age difference, so they never addressed each other in the same way as in official circles.

"When I go to the capital to report on my duties, I will invite you and Brother Bohu to have a drink."

Wang Yangming smiled.