It is said that the reason why Cai Ji waved an olive branch to Momen through Lin Fei again and again was because he wanted to recruit more Momen talents for his own use; Second, it is because Moxue and Confucianism are both orthodox studies, which have rich cultural connotations and high academic value. Teaching natural science to the outside world in the name of Moxue can make science show people in the scholarly manner, so as not to be misunderstood as a magic technique, or even slandered as a witch and other sideways. You must know that Cai Ji has always been disgusted with all kinds of myths about her from the outside world. Although due to strategic needs, she is not able to explain the mystery of "the technique of landslide and ground cracking" and "the technique of gathering sand into salt" for the time being. However, Cai Ji always believes that science belongs to science and religion belongs to religion, and any practice of using scientific knowledge to promote religion is blaspheming science and fooling the people.

Therefore, Cai Ji not only opened arithmetic, ink and other specialties in the lecture hall to teach natural sciences, but also supported Duan Zhi as a representative of Qingzhou ink science like He Yan. Duan Zhi really didn't disappoint Cai Ji. This nerd who has passed his age may not be as good as He Yan in terms of demeanor, not as good as Lin Fei in terms of eloquence, and not as good as Xu Yue in terms of prestige, but he has a sincere desire for knowledge. Earlier, Cai Ji also appointed Duan Zhi as a waiter in the Ministry of Works, but he rejected him. The reason given by Duan Zhi is also simple, "Yu has to study, don't disturb with mundane things." "In this turbulent era of bloody rain and deceit, the high-ranking official Houlu promised by the monarch was actually shirked by Duan Zhi as a "mundane matter", and it was inevitable that he would be ridiculed as a "fool". But it is precisely this indifference to fame and fortune and the pure heart of studying that made Duan Zhi famous, and then attracted a group of young students to treat him as a mentor.

It is worth mentioning that most of the students who came to learn from Duan Zhi were from wealthy families, and some were even from famous families. Those students from poor families are more inclined to study scriptures, after all, it takes a certain amount of talent to learn arithmetic and ink well. Coincidentally, in the later Sui and Tang dynasties, the Jinshi Department who needed to take the examination of poetry was certainly glorious and noble, and could hang flowers to parade the streets and give banquets in Qujiang. Even Shilin Huaxuan is also the special name of Jinshike, but most students will still choose to take the Ming Sutra. Because poetry is not only about talent. It also requires long-term artistic edification. In contrast, rote memorization is the shortcut to the career of the poor.

Cai Ji also sees this very openly, and the study of mathematics, physics, and chemistry is the crystallization of wisdom and money. It's not a bad thing that wealthy families are willing to invest money and energy in researching science. What's more, it is better to take a test of mathematics, physics and chemistry than to test poetry.

However, Duan Zhi has not given a lecture in Luming Tower recently. This is not to say that he regards the Luming Forum as a "mundane thing". It's because today is a big day for Duan Zhi to get married. As for the bride, it was Linghu Jiu, who said that he would marry "a big hero who rode a horse, wore a silver helmet, and had a beautiful beard".

No, after listening to He Yan talk about Xuan Caiji, he walked out of Luming Tower surrounded by a group of guards. Seeing that Lily of the Valley, who had been waiting outside for a long time, bowed and saluted, she stepped forward and whispered a few words beside Cai Ji. Cai Ji listened to what Lily of the Valley said, looked up at the reddened sunset on the horizon, and then turned around and asked Lin Fei behind him with interest, "Today's Zhongmiao wedding, can Zhengjie go to Daoxi?" ”

Lin Fei twisted his beard and bowed his head, "It's rare that Zhong Miao is happy, how can you not ask for a glass of wine." ”

With that, the two looked at each other and smiled, and both boarded the carriage. Drive to Duanfu, which is located in the south of the city. The wedding of Duan Zhi and Ling Hujiu is a typical Han wedding, from wine banquets, music to tents, and haunting rooms. Cai Ji's car had not yet arrived at Duanfu, and he saw the gate of Duanfu from a distance.

Knowing that the monarch was coming, Duan Rong, the current head of the Duan family, hurriedly took three steps and two steps out of the door to greet him, "The king is coming, he has never been far away, sin, sin." ”

Cai Ji waved his hand at Duan Rong, who was sincerely frightened, and said, "Zhong Miao is very happy today. There are no monarchs and ministers, only in-laws, Duan Qing does not have to make this big gift. ”

Hearing that Cai Ji claimed to be a "in-law", Duan Rong couldn't help but have his eyes shining. There was a burst of joy in my heart. It must be known that some people thought that with Duan Zhi's current status, Ming Media was marrying a servant girl and was too wronged. Although Duan Zhi never surprises people's gossip, Duan Rong, as an elder brother, will inevitably have some regrets. You must know that before Cai Ji invaded, the Duan family was certainly a Tongguò annexation of land. Selling illicit salt has become a big landlord on the rich side, but out of Huangxian County and Donglai, no one will really take the Duan family seriously. Now the Duan family has finally produced such a famous scholar as Duan Zhi. According to the standards of this era, Duan Zhi, who became famous, should marry a lady from a scholarly family, and then improve the status of the Duan family through marriage. However, considering that Linghu Jiu is Guan Cheng's cousin. is also a close confidant of the Lord of Qi, Duan Rong calculated it carefully at the moment and found that his younger brother's marriage was not too much of a loss. However, on the surface, he still put on a flattered appearance, and said humbly, "How dare you, how dare you, your lordship, please." ”

went to the main hall, Duan Rongfeng Cai Ji sat in the first seat, and then sent someone to help his father Duan Kui to the main hall to see the driver. Let's see that this "three elders" who have fought with Cai Ji many times are now stiff and glazed, and they don't see the shrewdness and strength of the past. It is said that as early as seven years ago, Duan Kui had successively appeared symptoms such as forgetfulness, often getting lost, and even not knowing people, and Duan Rong also sought medical treatment from Hua Tuo for this. But even the miracle doctors of 2,000 years ago could not cure the hysteria, which was later called Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, since five years ago, Duan Rong began to replace his father, who was called the head of the new generation of the Duan family.

Of course, Cai Ji doesn't care much about the same Alzheimer's patient. In fact, if it weren't for Duan Zhi's wedding today, Duan Rong would not have let his father come out to meet people. Not long after, the master of ceremonies announced that the newlyweds would visit the church, and saw Duan Zhi red silk in the groom's costume holding Ling Hujiu, who was also dressed as a bride, which provoked a group of guests around him to coax him again and again.

After a lively ceremony, Duan Zhi and Ling Hujiu began to toast the guests present one by one. When the first cup, it is natural to pay tribute to Cai Ji first. Looking at Ling Hu Jiu, who was beside Duan Zhi in front of him, Cai Ji couldn't help but think of the scene when he and Ling Hu Jiu met for the first time. She couldn't help but joke to Ling Hu Jiu with emotion for a while, "Ah Jiu, did Zhong Miao Yingqin ever ride a horse and wear silver armor?" ”

Cai Ji's jokes reminded Hu Jiu of the "heroic words" of the past, and her cheeks turned red with shame for a while, but she still replied proudly, "Although Zhong Miao did not ride a horse and wore silver armor, Zhong Miao was a big hero in Ah Jiu's heart. ”

Duan Zhi saw Linghu Jiu call him a big hero in public. also blushed and giggled vigorously beside him. Speaking of which, the story between him and Ling Hujiu is actually very simple, that is, Cai Ji sent Duan Zhi to teach Ling Hujiu and others. The two have been together for a long time and have feelings for each other. However, this simple relationship is not something that anyone can enjoy. At this moment, the corner of Cai Ji's eyes swept the lily of the valley beside him, and he was stunned with a look in his eyes, so he turned the conversation around and said a few auspicious words that should be auspicious. Let people give a pair of jade ruyi prepared in advance to the newcomer in front of them.

Cai Ji's jade ruyi is certainly precious, but it is overshadowed by Duan Rong's congratulatory gift. Duan Rong presented the newlyweds with three extremely rare flower cloths. The texture of the cloth is soft and comfortable, the color is extremely exotic, and the most important thing is that the cloth is not linen and silk, and it is obviously spun from a fiber that no one has ever seen.

And just when everyone was amazed by the gifts given by Duan Rong, Cai Ji recognized these three as batiked cotton cloth at a glance, so he blurted out, "Is this cotton?" ”

Duan Rong hurriedly replied, "You have good eyesight." The body is poisoned by state-owned kapok. His name is Jibe. The name of the cloth woven by Jibei is called Baishu. This cloth is the body poison. ”

Body poison is the Han Dynasty's designation for the region of India. Jibei is another name for cotton in ancient times. Therefore, according to Duan Rong's statement, these three pieces of cloth should be extremely rare Indian cotton cloth. The reason why it is rare is that cotton has not yet been introduced in the Central Plains of this era. The kapok in Fujian and Guangzhou is mainly filled with clothes for warmth, and is not suitable for textiles. Therefore, cotton cloth, which was very common in later generations, was still a rare imported product in the late Han Dynasty.

As a traverser, Cai Ji knew that cotton and cotton cloth would eventually spread to the Central Plains during the Tang Dynasty and become popular in the Song Dynasty. Considering that this was a good way to make a fortune, Cai Ji asked Duan Rong, "Bo Ming, can you introduce Beji to the Central Plains?" ”

Hearing that Cai Ji had the intention to introduce cotton in Qidi, Duan Rong couldn't help but say with a rare face, "Go back to the king." There is kapok in Jiaozhou, but kapok likes humidity and heat, and it may be difficult to transplant the Central Plains. ”

Cai Ji heard Duan Rong say this, and he also felt that there was some truth. After all, there must be a transition before introducing alien species. Seeing that she lowered her head and pondered for a moment, she said to Duan Rong. Bo Ming has a point. But I don't know if there is a borderless land in the south, or it can be used to try to grow a poisonous Jibei. ”

"Borderlands in the South?" Duan Rong was reminded by Cai Ji like this, and suddenly a flash of inspiration flashed in his mind. The next moment, I saw him turn around and greet a stout man about thirty years old. "An Zhang, you once said that there is a huge island in the southeast of Huiji. Is the island populated? ”

The man known as An Zhang hurriedly walked out of the crowd and hugged his fists, "Go back to the proprietor." The giant island goes to the county for two thousand miles. The land is free of frost and snow, the grass and trees do not die, surrounded by mountains, there are mountains in the mountains, people have heads, piercing ears, and the chieftains of Yi are kings. ”

According to the man's description, Cai Ji can roughly judge that the "giant island" mentioned by Duan Rong and others is most likely the island of Taiwan. So she followed up and asked, "This island can also be called Yizhou?" ”

An Zhang first bowed slightly, and then bowed his hand convincingly, "The monarch is wise, the Fujian people do call this island Yizhou." ”

Cai Ji listened to what the other party said, and suddenly had a bottom in his heart. There have been people-to-people contacts between Taiwan and the Minyue region for a long time. Historically, Sun Quan heard that there were tens of thousands of families in Yizhou, and the captives could replenish the people's strength and expand the number of soldiers, so he sent the generals Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi to lead more than 10,000 officers and soldiers in the spring of the second year of Huanglong (230) to "float to the sea to seek Yizhou and Lanzhou". At that time, Sun Quan's unit was stationed in Taiwan for about a year, and then returned to the mainland because the sergeants were not accustomed to the water and soil. Tsai Ji's goal was not to capture the population, but to open a port in the northern part of the island of Taiwan to establish a stronghold. On the one hand, this stronghold can provide supplies for caravans going south, and on the other hand, it can also be used to try to grow some crops that caravans have imported from Southeast Asia. In addition, the climate of Taiwan Island is pleasant, which is very suitable for growing sugarcane, and it has the reputation of "Asian sugar tank" in later generations. If sugarcane plantations can be developed on the island, then cane sugar will surely become another special product of Qi country.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that the plan was feasible, and Cai Ji immediately nodded to Duan Rong and instructed, "This island is available." Boming, Ru quickly set up a fleet, Fuhai Yizhou opened a port and built a village, if you can grow beji, spices, sugar cane and other things, then it is not a problem to make money every day. ”

Duan Rong listened to the alluring scene that Cai Ji had depicted for him, and couldn't help but be eager to try it. Don't look at the fact that this Duan family master is over forty years old and no longer personally leads the team to sea, but the Duan family's fleet has grown from a few sea ships ten years ago to nearly 100 sea ships of all sizes. The caravan even reached the Huangzhi country in the Indian Ocean at the farthest time, and the three batik cotton cloths given by Duan Rong were treasures purchased from the Huangzhi country. As for Gu Anzhang, who was named by Duan Rong just now, he was the ship boss who took the Nanyang route for the Duan family. It is precisely because of this that Duan Rong can deeply appreciate Cai Ji's good intentions.

It must be known that although Yizhou is separated from Huiji County by more than 2,000 miles, compared with overseas states such as Huangzhiguo, Yizhou is still relatively close to the Central Plains. If, as Cai Ji said, the overseas goods were transplanted to Yizhou, it would mean that the caravan could shorten the distance by half or even eighty percent to get overseas odd goods. And Cai Ji's many whimsical ideas have been proven to be targeted every time. Therefore, Duan Rong believes that Cai Ji's choice to open a port in Yizhou will definitely make the Duan family a fortune as he said.

There is a way to seek wealth and danger, and the people of the Han Dynasty can sail a sailboat on the monsoon for most of the time to sail from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean for the sake of overseas treasures. Men and women who built ports on islands two thousand miles from the mainland were naturally not too difficult for the merchants of the Han Dynasty. saw Duan Rong bow his hand and said, "No, the minister will live up to the king's trust." ”

Cai Ji was in a good mood after receiving Duan Rong's promise, and immediately waved his hand and said, "Today is the day of great joy for Zhong Miao and Ah Jiu, and the matter of building a port in the floating sea will be discussed later." ”

After listening to what Cai Ji said, everyone was secretly thinking in their hearts about how to get a piece of the pie in the upcoming Yizhou Port, or they turned to congratulate the two newcomers, and even more good people gathered together to plan how to make a hole in the house. The huge main hall was instantly immersed in jubilation.

Cai Ji sat on the main seat, looking around with great interest at the men who were drinking in the dim lights, the women who were smiling and trembling, the children who were grabbing the cakes, and even Duan Kui, who seemed to be shining with his face as if he was sitting on the sidelines. In the face of such a lively and peaceful scene, a sense of satisfaction that she had never felt before arose in her heart.

The next moment, Lin Fei and Lily of the Valley, who were sitting next to Cai Ji, invariably heard their lord whispering, "This is what the lonely wants." (To be continued......)