Chapter 493 Jiang Qingzhi drools at the sword
Wang Fa was captured, but the Yanqi people were dumbfounded when they saw this old guy who seemed to have exhausted all his energy just by taking a breath.
Outside the city, at the Mohist construction site, the atmosphere was bustling.
Wang Er and others were carrying bricks and stones on their shoulders. He looked at the adhesive being boiled over there and smelled the aroma of glutinous rice. He couldn't help but swallow his saliva and said, "It smells so good."
Jiang Qingzhi arrived, and Guo Xing accompanied him on the inspection. "To be honest, I have been in this business for many years, and I have used glutinous rice to glue bricks and stones many times, but that was just a small courtyard. This place is wide, and all of it is made of glutinous rice... This is the first time I have seen such a big deal."
"What I want is for these buildings to still be standing here a hundred years later, or even several hundred years later," said Jiang Qingzhi.
"Don't worry, Master. Those craftsmen have learned that everyone's name can be engraved on the bricks and stones. They have been cursing and swearing when they see me these days. They will definitely do their best so that their names can still be seen by future generations a thousand years later."
Jiang Qingzhi had been inspecting for a week and it was time for dinner, so he decided to have a meal here.
Guo Xing naturally wouldn't eat on the construction site, but Jiang Qingzhi stayed, so he had to follow him, and said with a smile: "Uncle, you are having fun with the people."
The person in front of Jiang Qingzhi was Wang Er, who was the first to order. Today's dish was stir-fried pork skin with bean sprouts. The pork skin was first stewed until soft, then stir-fried with bean sprouts. A lot of sauce was added, and the color looked quite dark.
The staple food is flatbread, which is as big as a basket and cut into triangles.
Wang Er took about seven or eight pancakes, and Jiang Qingzhi took three.
Wang Er was walking and eating a pancake. He turned around and saw Jiang Qingzhi behind him. He was immediately panicked, "Uncle... Uncle..."
"Eat yours." Jiang Qingzhi looked at the pancake in his hand with envy. He was also quite a eater when he was young in his previous life. If he didn't want any vegetables, his highest record was eating thirteen steamed buns in one meal.
But this body feels a bit uncomfortable, and I think that will be enough after eating the triangle biscuit.
Jiang Qingzhi found an open space and squatted down, waving to Wang Er to come over.
Wang Er squatted awkwardly diagonally opposite him, eating slowly with his head down.
"Where are you from?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
"It's right next to it." Wang Er pointed to the row of houses on the right with chopsticks.
"How many people are in the family?"
"A wife and a baby."
"Can you eat enough?"
"In the past... I didn't have enough to eat." Wang Er raised his head boldly, "Since I came here, the daily wages are generous and are paid after work... I have saved money for a few days and am preparing to buy cosmetics for my wife and some snacks for my children.
I'll tell you something funny, but the woman in my family has never used makeup, and she pretends to be disgusted when she sees others putting on makeup."
"Where is the baby?" Jiang Qingzhi asked with a smile.
Perhaps it was Jiang Qingzhi's kindness that made Wang Er relax. He took a big bite of the pancake and said, "Last time, my kid at home saw another kid eating snacks, so he came over to watch.
The child ate most of the snack and threw the rest into the mud, stepping on it. I was not far away and saw the child..."
Wang Er paused for a moment while chewing. "I saw the kid dig up the soil, took out the snack, and ate it... I swore at that moment that I would work hard to earn money so that the kid could have a proper snack."
Jiang Qingzhi remained silent.
Guo Xing smacked his lips and said, "Salty."
Jiang Qingzhi ate a piece of pig skin, which was a bit salty. Wang Er said, "Master, I work hard every day... I don't know why, but my mouth tastes bland. I want to eat something salty."
Jiang Qingzhi said: "That's because you sweat too much, and there is salt in your sweat. When there is less salt in your body, you will naturally want to eat saltier food."
"Ah! It's true." Wang Er looked down at the salt stains on his clothes, his eyes shining, "Master Bo is indeed as knowledgeable as a god."
This compliment made... Jiang Qingzhi's eyelids twitched.
Wang Er took a bite of the pancake and said, "I will definitely work hard to make money so that my child can learn to read and study."
People with goals are happy and fulfilled.
The old playboy's biggest goal in life is to continue the wealth of the Duke's Mansion and pass on the title safely.
"Qingzhi, someone in the palace is looking for you. The mansion said you went out without telling where you were going. Fortunately, I guessed you were here."
Zhu Xizhong dismounted and saw the food in Jiang Qingzhi's bowl, and ordered, "Give me one portion."
The old dandy really ate and ate with relish.
Jiang Qingzhi was a little curious, "Can you really eat it?"
Zhu Xizhong took a bite of the cake and said, "When I was seven years old, the old Duke made me eat a meal of coarse food every day, which was worse than that of the servants. I ate like this for a year. What did the old Duke call this..."
"Remember the bitter past and think of the sweet present?" Jiang Qingzhi said.
"No, but your statement is appropriate." The old dandy scratched his hair with the end of his chopsticks. "By the way, it's called not forgetting your roots."
"Whose ancestors weren't poor!" Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile.
Seeing that Zhu Xizhong was very imposing, Wang Er had already moved to the side.
"Dad, dad!"
A skinny, dark-skinned child who looked about four or five years old ran towards Wang Er carrying a clay pot.
"Slow down, slow down!" Wang Er stood up.
The child ran to him and picked up the small earthenware jar with great effort: "Dad, Mom asked me to bring this to you."
Wang Er took a look and saw that it was soup made from something.
He took a sip first, then asked the child to sit next to him and handed him the bowl of rice, "Eat!"
The child shook his head. Jiang Qingzhi could see that he was swallowing hard. He glanced at the food from time to time, but shook his head firmly, "I've eaten."
He also patted his belly, which was so bloated that it was disproportionate to his skinny body, and said, "I'm so full that I'm burping."
"Half each." Wang Er glared.
The father and son took turns eating with their chopsticks, and soon they finished the food.
Wang Er was about to wash the dishes, and Jiang Qingzhi asked, "Why don't you go get some food?"
He stipulated no limit.
Wang Er said with embarrassment: "There's another baby!"
"It's your duty." Zhu Xizhong called the child over and gave him two corners of the cake. The child didn't dare to take it. Zhu Xizhong glared at him. He looked majestic, so the child didn't dare to refuse. He took the cake and looked at Wang Er.
Wang Er looked at Jiang Qingzhi, who nodded. Then he said, "Thank you, my dear."
"Poor boy." Zhu Xizhong looked at the child squatting there, his eyes following Wang Er, but he refused to eat a bite of the cake. He couldn't help but sigh: "We should let Dalang take a look. Maybe he can learn a little bit from seeing him."
"Those who are destined to degenerate will still degenerate, and those who are destined to make progress will still make progress." Jiang Qingzhi intuitively felt that a child's personality was closely related to his environment.
As the saying goes, a child’s future can be seen at the age of three. Before children are three or five years old, they will choose how to survive in the world based on their environment.
"Do you want to study?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
The child nodded, then shook his head. "Why?"
"Mom said that studying costs money and our family is poor." The child lowered his head and drew on the ground with his blackened fingers.
Jiang Qingzhi asked, "What if someone is willing to teach you for free?"
The child looked up, and his eyes were so bright that Jiang Qingzhi's heart trembled.
At this moment, he deeply understood those people in later generations who dedicated their lives to education.
When you face such a look, it is hard to remain indifferent.
It's like something has caught your heartstrings!
"Call the children here." Jiang Qingzhi said to Guo Xing, "Any children who are nearby and are willing to study should be sent here."
Guo Xing was puzzled and was about to ask, but Mo Zhan said coldly: "Just follow the orders of the Lord."
"Yes."
After lunch, more than a hundred children came.
Zhu Xizhong was a little puzzled by Jiang Qingzhi's behavior, but he still patted his chest and said, "If you need anything, just let me know."
The children used bricks as stools to sit down. In front of the open space was a large blackboard, no, a large whiteboard. Jiang Qingzhi held a charcoal pencil and looked at the children of different ages and said, "If people don't read, they won't know the principles. What I'm talking about here is not the etiquette of etiquette, but the principle of reason.
Your parents may have said: It is a blessing to be able to eat enough and not starve to death, but I hope you can know what this world is like, what it is made of, and what is in this world..."
Wang Er was carrying his load, and he would look back from time to time, saying happily, "Chang Wilbur actually taught my child. My child is really blessed."
The man in front said, "My baby is in there too."
Both of them couldn't hide their joy.
"one!"
Jiang Qingzhi wrote a word on the whiteboard.
"one!"
The children chanted along.
Because they were in a hurry and had no pens or ink ready, the children wrote on the ground with sticks.
"two!"
"two!"
A young official was leading a horse not far away, watching the scene quietly. He frowned slightly and said softly: "It's just a small corner of the country, what's the point of this?"
"Oh! This..."
Someone spoke behind him and the young official turned around.
"Xu Wei!"
"Zhang Juzheng!"
Xu Wei was not used to the food at the construction site, so he found an excuse to go back to the Bo's Mansion early, and asked about the purpose of the visitor from the palace.
"You say this is just a corner of the country?" Xu Wei asked.
Zhang Juzheng nodded. "Although I am not interested in the dispute between Confucianism and Mohism, some of the views of Mohism are biased. Moreover, Chang Wei Bo is a great talent. Since he has great talent, he should do great things instead of enlightening hundreds of children here."
"Haha!" Xu Wei smiled, "My uncle once said that doing good things around you is the greatest help to the world. When people in the world can lend a hand when they see injustice, and help the weak, then peace and order will be easy.
If you don't do it and I don't do it, who will do it? No matter how big or small the matter is, it is ultimately the affairs of the world. You, Zhang Shuda, are a scholar-official. May I ask what you have done for the world?"
Zhang Juzheng smiled and said, "What I should do most now is to study in the Hanlin Academy and observe government. Once I become an official, I will naturally do something for the country."
"So what about now?" Xu Wei said, "Master is educating the children, but you are doing nothing here."
"What are you two arguing about?" Jiang Qingzhi came over at some point.
Xu Wei said: "I was debating with Zhang Shuda whether it was a big deal to enlighten children and whether it was relevant to the world."
Jiang Qingzhi glanced at Zhang Juzheng and said, "Uncle is a scholar-official, studying politics in the Imperial Academy. I occasionally see you by His Majesty's side... Have you gained anything in this period?"
Shujishi were the reserve officers for important officials. They studied in the Hanlin Academy and also had to observe government affairs. The best among them even had the opportunity to serve as attendants to the emperor, which was an extremely rare opportunity.
Zhang Juzheng said: "The Ming Dynasty is in trouble."
Just three words, but Jiang Qingzhi could sense the heaviness of their meaning.
"Since it's difficult, what should we do? Should we worry about the impact of an event on the Ming Dynasty, or should we do it without hesitation when we see something?"
Under Jiang Qingzhi's gaze, Zhang Juzheng's blood suddenly surged in his heart, "I am not talented, but I will give these children a lesson today."
"good!"
Jiang Qingzhi stepped back.
Xu Wei whispered, "How about my method of provoking him?"
Old Xu had long seen Jiang Qingzhi's admiration for Zhang Juzheng, and he fooled the young Zhang Juzheng with a little provocation.
Jiang Qingzhi said: "This man is as sharp as a sword. If he is trained well, he will be Fan Wenzheng and Wang Anshi combined into one."
Xu Wei took a deep breath and asked, "My Lord, do you think so highly of this man?"
"If one's temperament can be suppressed, one can only go low, not high!"
Historically, Zhang Juzheng's final outcome was not very dignified, and Jiang Qingzhi felt that it was related to his temperament.
This guy had a strong desire for control and power, and for this reason he treated the emperor as nothing, and even joined forces with people in the palace to suppress the emperor. It was not surprising that his property was confiscated by Emperor Wanli after his death. It was also expected that some of his family members would die, and some would be exiled. In the end, Emperor Wanli did not dig up his grave and whip his corpse, which was really magnanimous.
"sky!"
"sky!"
"land!"
"land!"
Zhang Juzheng taught the children meticulously, but he didn't know that he was being targeted by Jiang Qingzhi.
Jiang Qingzhi shook off the ashes from his cigarette and said, "What's so good about Confucianism? If I, the Mohist school, had this sharp sword in my hand..."
The most incisive politician of the Ming Dynasty joined the Mohist school and fought for Jiang Qingzhi...
"Uncle, you are drooling."
(End of this chapter)
