The wife is the king of the palace

001.

Lin Xu looked at the little abacus in his hand, and he was quite satisfied, and put the abacus in his sleeve, "Since I gave it to the minister, it belongs to the minister."

Although Lin Xu prefers ancient books, calligraphy and paintings, he has to say that this little thing suits him quite well.

"Give it back to me!" Jin Qi said and was about to go forward to grab it.

Lin Xu took a step back, avoiding Jin Qi easily, unwilling to return.Besides, everything has been sent out, so there is no reason to go back?

"I order you, return it to me immediately." Jin Qi robbed him several times but failed to grab it, and moved out of the emperor's airs.

"I must live up to the emperor's expectations and make good use of it." Lin Xu quietly looked at the uneducated person in front of him.

Lin Xu found that Jin Qi had become more and more daring during this period of time. He was taunting him before, but now he was teasing him again, until the wound really healed and he forgot the pain.

Jin Qi choked when he heard the words, thinking about the possibility of calling someone over to snatch it.But he quickly gave up, because with Lin Xu's skill, even if he called the hidden guard, there was probably nothing he could do.

Knowing that everything was back, Jin Qi glared at Lin Xu resentfully, and walked towards the imperial study.

At this moment, the setting sun has long disappeared, the sky has darkened, and lanterns have been lit in the sky.

Without the brilliance of the setting sun, everything becomes warmer in this light night.

"You just said that there is a way, what way?" Jin Qi asked as he walked forward.

It's time for dinner now, Jin Qi asked someone to stop by and prepare Lin Xu's.

Lin Xu didn't refuse, it would take some time to explain what he wanted to say to Jin Qi in a few words.

"Does your majesty know how to send messages between the border and the palace?" Lin Xu asked.

"Naturally, we know that there are special post stations between the provinces. If you need to send a message, you need to send it quickly by a special person, or it needs to be delivered by a special carrier pigeon."

"What about the arrangements for post stations between the provinces?" Lin Xu asked again.

This time Jin Qi couldn't answer. As the emperor, he knew more or less about these things, but if he was asked to explain them in detail, he really couldn't.

Lin Xu didn't find it strange that Jin Qi couldn't answer. Seeing that Jin Qi couldn't answer, he talked to Jin Qi in detail.

Dayu has existed for a long time, and there are still many things and systems left by the ancestors and even the emperor Taizu when they were alive, such as the imperial examination system earlier.

In the earliest days, Dayu took the exam every three years, and the review by all parties was not strict. You only needed to get places from various provinces during the imperial examination. Therefore, in the period before Jinqi ascended the throne, those who really relied on literary talent to pass the exam There were not many, and there was even a case where all those who entered the palace examination were the heirs of the ministers of the court.

And the communication method that is still in use now has been in use for many years. Although it is still functioning normally, it is obviously insufficient.

"At present, there are basically only a few fixed bases in each province. If you need to send a message, you need to go to the base first, and then the people in the base will gradually pass it to the capital. There are currently three ways to send the message. One is that the messenger sends it on foot. , one is to drive horses to convey, and the other is to use carrier pigeons..."

The entire system of the post station has basically been perfected, and it has indeed been operating normally for so many years, but if it is insufficient, it does have various shortcomings.

For example, speed is one of them. From the border to the capital, if you look at it from the map, the shortest distance is naturally the straight-line distance.

However, the distance is far away and the mountains are endless. Judging from the distance traveled by the real letter delivery, it is definitely much more than what is shown on paper, and even several times.

Among them, there are also cases where the strongholds between the two provinces are not on the same line, and detours are required.

From Jinjiang City, the border gate, to the capital, you need to go through four or five major provinces, and these four or five major provinces are basically not on the same line, and even if they are far apart, you need to go around half a province.

"The front-line military newspaper has always been the most important letter. Therefore, the transmission methods used have always been the fastest two. If it is changed to the ordinary method, it will be the fastest from the border to here.

At least it will take more than two months. " Lin Xu said.

Jin Qi frowned when he heard the words, Jin Qi always felt that half a month from the border to here was long enough, and many times it was already delayed, but Lin Xu told him that there were even slower ones.

The two soon arrived at the imperial study, entered the study, Jin Qi waved away the others, leaving only him and Lin Xu in the study.

"What do you mean?" Jin Qi became serious.

This problem has always existed, but he has never thought of a solution.

"If you want to shorten the delivery time, there are only two things you need to do. One is to shorten the distance, and the other is to speed up." Lin Xu took down the map hanging on the wall from the side wall.

Relying on his impressions, Lin Xu marked all the post stations between several provinces and cities. After marking them on the map, the situation is clear at a glance.

"If the distance is shortened, the only way is to add post stations, so that there are post stations between various places, so as to save the time to make way. Especially the road from the border to the capital, if the time of detours can be saved, the speed must be faster. It's a lot faster..."

"Adding strongholds is one of them. In addition, speeding up is also necessary. At present, the main delivery methods are divided into manpower, horse-drawn carriages, and flying pigeons. There is not much room for expansion in terms of manpower, but flying pigeons and horse-drawn carriages. There's still plenty of room to…”

Lin Xu talked for a long time with the map, and listed all the opinions he could think of about the station.

When everything was finished and stopped, the sky had already darkened, and the moon was almost overhead.

After listening to what Lin Xu said, Jin Qi stared at the map in front of him for a long time before speaking again, "The idea is good, but if you follow what you said, you will have to do a lot of construction work."

Jin Qi said that it was a big construction project, but Lin Xu understood what he meant. If he said to increase the bases in various provinces and train special messengers, he would definitely spend a lot of money.

Jin Qi is not the kind of person who can't bear to part with money, and the fact that the national treasury is short of money is something he deliberately did, but if it's just for the purpose of speeding up the transmission of news, it would be a bit extravagant and wasteful.

Leaving aside the cost of personnel, if each county adds a stronghold according to what Lin Xu said, there are dozens of large provinces in Dayu, hundreds of counties and nearly a thousand counties.

But Jin Qi is not indifferent, on the contrary, he is quite tempted.

Because according to what Lin Xu said, if one such stronghold is added in each county, he will be able to know in the shortest time if something happens between various places in the future.

Like the previous weapons transportation and the fraudulent mine veins, he must also be able to know faster and see through them earlier.

Jin Qi pinched the bridge of his nose, looked at the marks that Lin Xu had marked on the map, and fell into deep thought.

For Jin Qi, the biggest problem is time-consuming, labor-intensive and money-consuming, and the biggest temptation is the well-informed news.

After a long time, when Jin Qi raised his head, it was already midnight.

"Do you know the cost?" Jin Qi smiled wryly, looking at Lin Xu pitifully.

Lin Xu had been counting non-stop just now, and it seemed that he must have counted them.

Although he knew that Lin Xu was not counting him now, but the expenses needed, but Jin Qi still couldn't help crying, because the expenses would definitely need to be paid by him.

He obviously only has porridge and vegetables...

Sure enough, Lin Xu already had a count, so he put away his abacus and reported a number.

Hearing the number reported by Lin Xu, Jin Qi was a little surprised. He asked again to make sure that he heard correctly.

"Are you sure you only need these?" Jin Qi was a little unbelievable, because the numbers reported by Lin Xu were far from what he guessed.

In Jin Qi's view, with so many strongholds, it would cost at least 10 taels of silver just to buy those houses, which might not be enough.

"If it is difficult to establish so many strongholds at one time, we don't need to do this. We can start with the section from the border to the capital, and the station

The stronghold is not without profit..." Lin Xu's thoughts turned quickly.

It is not only the imperial court that is powerful in the establishment of post stations, but it can also be fully opened to the public.

There are not a few people who need to send family letters or items between them. As long as they are used reasonably, they can be profitable.

The two discussed this matter again, and it wasn't until the sky gradually dawned that Jin Qi realized that it was already early morning.

In the next few days, except for the morning court, the two spent most of their time discussing this matter in the imperial study.

From the establishment of the initial stronghold to the final profit, and the different situations of each place, until a general result is discussed.

When the matter came to fruition, it was proposed through Lin Xuzhi's mouth in the early court.

When Jin Qi had this plan, he knew that he would encounter many problems, but what Lin Xu and Jin Qi never expected was that as soon as this matter got out, there would be a lot of opposition.

Many officials in the court disagreed for countless reasons, most of which were costly and laborious, but Lin Xu quickly turned the corner. The reason why these officials did not agree was not because it was time-consuming and laborious. , but because they do not want to be monitored.

As the saying goes, the sky is high and the emperor is far away, and it is easy to do things where the emperor cannot see.

If all the stations and strongholds are established, once the news is circulated, Jin Qi will be able to know all the big and small things between various counties and counties.

Being opposed, in the imperial study room, Jin Qi who figured out the reason from Lin Xu's mouth had cold eyes.

"You are bold enough to do this matter. If they dare to do something, you can tell me, and leave the rest to me." Jin Qi looked at Lin Xu in front of him.

Everyone is against it, and will try every means to stop it, and Jin Qi will not let them succeed.

"I know." Lin Xu clasped his fists.

For Jin Qi's support, Lin Xu couldn't say that he didn't have any feelings. In fact, he also understood that Jin Qi's trust and support accounted for a large part of the reason why he could achieve what he is now.

If Jin Qi didn't believe him and didn't support him, many things would be impossible to realize from the beginning.

Seeing that Lin Xu seemed to be in a good mood, Jin Qi sat on the stool and moved a little closer to Lin Xu.

"Is there anything else the emperor needs to do?" Lin Xu asked.

"Look, there is no rush for this post station, the border has been peaceful recently, and the state treasury has received a lot of money recently, my Ministry of Internal Affairs..." Jin Qi blinked his eyes, pitiful and innocent.

"What does the emperor think?" Lin Xu asked back.

002.

Jin Qi has made up his mind about the post station, and in the next few days, even if the official Chao Zhongbai opposes him, he will not let go.

Originally, Jin Qi thought that there would be a tough battle to fight, but he didn't want to hold on. After ten days or so, the attitude of Baiguan gradually changed.

The officials who originally disagreed gradually changed their attitudes, and many people started to support it instead.

It’s not all a bad thing to say about the post station. Although it will expose yourself, it is undoubtedly the best way to get news. If you can take charge of this matter, you will definitely get a lot of benefits in the future, and you can also control the sovereignty.

Knowing that Jin Qi was going to hand over this matter to Lin Xu, the ministers of the DPRK and China recommended themselves one after another, hoping to replace him.

Because of this matter, there was a lot of commotion in the court, and there was a lot of excitement in the court, and it was also boiling outside the palace.

It was midsummer, and the time for the annual imperial examinations came. The examinees waited with bated breath, and the fun was already starting to guess who would be able to go to high school this year.

This lively atmosphere is like that of Chinese New Year. As the time approaches, it becomes more and more intense. You can even hear people discussing it on the streets of the capital, and there are even more students dressed in scholarly costumes all over the street.

Lin Xu, who usually walked on foot, also changed into a carriage during this period of time to avoid the attention of the famous examiners who were guarding the prime minister's mansion.

As the youngest prime minister in the history of Dayu, Lin Xu's name is known to everyone, and even many examiners worship him as a god, thinking that one day they will be as tall as him

Therefore, during this period of time, many people would linger outside the prime minister's mansion, just to see him from a distance.

Lin Xu got off the carriage and entered the mansion. Just as he was about to go to the study, the butler came over, "My lord, Xu Shangshu and that lord have been waiting in the living room for a long time."

Hearing that Xu Lan was here, Lin Xu turned and walked towards the living room.

The imperial examination is approaching, Xu Lan should be very busy, why would he have time to come here?

After entering the door and seeing Xu Lan, before Lin Xu could speak, Xu Lan had already smiled and said, "Your Excellency, the Prime Minister's Mansion is still as lively as ever."

Hearing the ridicule in Xu Lan's words, Lin Xu also had a smile in his eyes.

Every year at this time, the scene outside the prime minister's mansion was like this. Xu Lan knew it clearly, but deliberately laughed at him.

It was also at this time that Lin Xu noticed that Jin Qi was also there.It's just that Jin Qi changed into a servant's clothes and didn't bring anyone with him, so he probably sneaked out with Xu Lan.

"Is Master Xu okay?" Lin Xu sat down beside him, Xu Lan would be extraordinarily busy at this time of year.

"I'm here this time to ask the prime minister for a favor." Xu Lan smiled and took out something she had prepared from her bosom, and handed it to Lin Xu.

It was a folded piece of paper. After Lin Xu took a look at it and opened it, he looked at Xu Lan in a little surprise.

That piece of paper is an examination question, the final examination question of this imperial examination, but it is blank in the title column.

The imperial examination is divided into four steps, the children's examination, the township examination, the general examination, and finally the palace examination, which is now being conducted.

"Master Xu, what do you mean?" Lin Xu folded the paper and handed it back.

The final topic of the test was given by the person in charge, Xu Lan. This has been the rule for these years, why did Xu Lan hand it to him now?

"Since I want to invite the prime minister to make a proposition." Xu Lan said with a smile.

"Proposition?" Lin Xu's thoughts were clear, and he realized instantly, "Did something happen to you?"

The main person in charge of the imperial examination this time was Xu Lan, but there were several officials who assisted him. It must be what those people did that made Xu Lan come to him.

Xu Lan shook her head, and did not intend to elaborate, "This matter will trouble the Prime Minister."

Lin Xu didn't refuse, Xu Lan must have his own considerations, and since he didn't want to talk about this matter, it means he doesn't need help.

Lin Xu nodded, and after thinking for a while, he asked the butler to bring a pen and ink. He wrote the proposition on it, folded it and handed it to Xu Lan.

Jin Qi coughed, and quietly looked at the two chattering people, but they ignored him.

Xu Lan glanced at it, put the test questions into his arms with a smile, "I would like to trouble the Prime Minister not to spread this matter."

"It's natural." Lin Xu naturally wouldn't tell the outside world.

"Besides, I also want to trouble the prime minister to show his face at that time." Xu Lan said.

"I'm going?" Lin Xu didn't understand what Xu Lan was going to do.

"I just want to take advantage of the prime minister's style to cheer up the examinees." Xu Lan smiled and looked at the former number one scholar in front of him.

"Then I will trouble the Prime Minister." Xu Lan said again.

"I see." Lin Xu agreed.

He has not been in touch with the imperial examinations for several years, and now he encounters some nostalgia.

He was only fourteen when he first entered the court, and he was the number one scholar at that time, but when he was still taking the exam, he was not the number one scholar in literature, but the number one scholar in martial arts.

He has practiced martial arts with his current master since he was a child, and he has always been in the martial arts test since childhood.

After the end of the township examination, he was already well-known among the current examinees.After the test, he easily eliminated several other opponents and entered the palace test with the best results, and he was already famous in no time.

It's just that during the palace test, an accident happened.

The examination room that was originally arranged suddenly caught fire when Jin Qi was about to arrive. The cause of the fire was unknown, and the examiner suspected that

Someone deliberately set fire to assassinate the emperor.

At that time, because Jin Qi was about to arrive, the invigilator panicked and immediately rebuilt the stage for the competition.

Because the examination room was changed again, all candidates for the martial arts examination and the literary examination were mixed together. During the examination, Lin Xu confused the examination room and entered the examination room for the literary examination. At that time, he did not doubt it, and only regarded it as a written examination.

After coming out of the examination room, when Lin Xu realized something was wrong, the martial arts examination on the other side was almost over.

Lin Xu originally thought that he had missed the opportunity and that he would lose his marks in the exam, but he didn't expect to receive a notification a few days later.

After the news spread, his reputation became even more famous. When he first entered the court, many officials paid close attention to him.

Lin Xu was about to say something, but Jin Qi, who had been ignored all the time, couldn't help it, "Didn't you see Zhen?"

From the beginning, Lin Xu acted as if he didn't see him, even if he pretended to cough, Lin Xu completely ignored him.

Lin Xu looked at Jin Qi when he heard the voice, "I thought the emperor didn't want to be recognized."

Jin Qi was wearing a servant's attire, and he didn't bring anyone with him, so he knew he didn't want to be found out.

Jin Qi was speechless when he heard the words. He really didn't want to be discovered, but it didn't mean he wanted to be ignored by Lin Xu.

Jin Qi opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say. In the end, he just sat down on the stool angrily, and poured the tea on the side, as if he wanted to drink up Lin Xu.

Speaking of which, Jin Qi still thinks that Lin Xu back then was much cuter.