But it doesn't matter if Du Jinning goes to Runzhou to be a fellow intellectual, a local official, not yet the chief political official, there is nothing too taboo for them to get along.

However, in order not to be too obvious, he suppressed his impulse and did not ask to go to Runzhou at the first time. Now that there is such a good excuse as Lu Jiuyuan and the others, how can he not use it?

However, Zhao Chang's going to Runzhou is not a trivial matter, and he must not raise his feet and leave like Lu Jiuyuan and them, he needs to go to Zhao Yu to ask for instructions and report.

Look at the right time, this is the time for the emperor to have dinner, Zhao Chang handed over the sign and went into the palace, planning to go to the palace for a meal, and by the way, talk about going to Runzhou.

Zhao Yu values family affection, and as long as he is not too busy every day, he will take a little time to go to the harem in the evening to eat with his mother and sister.

Zhao Chang would enter the palace from time to time to greet the Queen Mother, and by the way, bring some gadgets to Zhao Mingyue to relieve her boredom, and every time the Queen Mother would leave a meal, so Zhao Yu was not surprised to see Zhao Chang at the dining table.

He was just surprised by Zhao Chang's request: "What, you want to go to Runzhou?" ”

Zhao Mingyue suddenly raised her head and looked at Zhao Chang, her eyes shining brightly.

Seeing this, Empress Dowager Zheng couldn't help frowning.

"Yes." Zhao Chang replied honestly, "Brother Huang also wanted to see the article on Xinxue published in the "Shengshimin Daily". The imperial brother also knew that I was obsessed with Confucianism, and when I was in Gui Province, I heard Du Jinning and Lu Jiuyuan mention it, and I longed for this doctrine. When I saw their articles, I was going to ask Mr. Lu, Shi, and Peng for advice, but I didn't expect them to go to Runzhou. ”

He raised his eyes and looked at Zhao Yu, his eyes clear, "Brother Huang, I'm going to Runzhou, I want to chase Mr. Lu and them to ask for advice; Second, I also wanted to relax and talk to Du Jinning about wine. As you know, when I met him from Gui Province, I especially admired and admired him. It was only later that he was busy with his studies and government affairs, and I was embarrassed to bother him when I was old. ”

"Now that he has gone out to Runzhou and has written such a deafening article, I want to take this opportunity to ask him for advice. Brother Huang, don't worry, I won't delay his political affairs, and I will be with Mr. Lu and them most of the time. When Du Jinning is free, I can talk freely with him, and I am already satisfied. ”

After a pause, he added, "And according to my estimate, they will soon be lecturing." According to the achievements of the four of them in theory, Du Jinning will be the center, so the lecture will definitely be held in Runzhou. I'm here to see this grand occasion. ”

He raised his eyes and looked at Zhao Yu, his eyes calm: "I'm here to visit a friend, Runzhou is not far away, the imperial brother only needs to send a few guards to protect my safety." I'll say hello to the imperial brother here, and when I leave, I'll leave a letter, so that the courtiers won't talk about this matter and cause trouble to the imperial brother." ”

When Zhao Mingyue heard this, her eyes became brighter and brighter. At the end, she opened her mouth slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but when she turned her head to look at her mother, she still closed her mouth and lowered her eyes.

Empress Dowager Zheng knew that Zhao Chang's matter was very important, and it was related to a game of chess in Zhao Yu's hand, and it was not something that a harem woman like her could put a beak on. Although she sympathized with Zhao Chang's situation, she would not express her opinion on this matter.

In order to buy time for Zhao Yu to think about this matter, she diverted the topic and asked Zhao Chang: "This Du Jinning, is he really so powerful?" He is only fifteen years old, how can he study Confucianism more deeply than the old gentleman? As he spoke, he added, "The Mr. Lu you said is not young, right?" ”

Zhao Chang nodded: "Mr. Lu is in his fifties. Mr. Shi and Mr. Peng, who were with him, were also of this age. Queen Mother, don't you know, they still have a relationship with Du Jinning. ”

He then told Lu Jiuyuan and them how they went to Gui Province to be the examiners, how they appreciated Du Jinning's desire to accept him as a disciple, and finally Du Jinning was convinced, and finally described Du Jinning's heroic posture in Qi Yuandao in the party.

Empress Dowager Zheng glanced at her daughter, whose eyes were getting brighter and more excited, sighed secretly, and asked, "In the world, there is such a talent, but I am lonely and unheard." ”

Zhao Yu sighed with emotion: "Du Jinning's talent, is it not only in Confucianism? Queen Mother, you don't know, in the Eastern Province, I just received an excerpt from Guan Lehe today, saying that the opening of the road and the revitalization of commerce have achieved initial results. The products of Quang Province are much richer than before, some of them are transported by merchants from other places, and some of them are produced by the locals. These items have been circulated and traded, and the tax revenue alone in the past three months has been the sum of the income of the province in the past three months and half a year. Guan Lehe expects that with the opening of Da Song Qian Zhuang and the guidance of precedents, the tax revenue in the next three months will double that of the previous three months. ”

Empress Dowager Zheng took a deep breath.

She is not an ordinary boudoir woman who does not understand political affairs, and she knows what the concept of doubling the tax revenue of a province is. Although Quang Province is the economic center of the south and is more prosperous than the surrounding provinces, it is nothing compared to the provinces of Jiangnan, which have been rich since ancient times and are now political centers. And the area of a province is so large, even if you let go of commerce and let things circulate, what big waves can be turned over? But if this is the case, the tax revenue of the province can still be doubled. It can be seen that the effect of liberalizing the road and developing business is significant.

If the entire Great Song Dynasty opened up the road, encouraged the people to do business, and developed commerce on a large scale. Due to the large-scale circulation of goods between provinces and between regions, I wonder what kind of prosperous scene it will be? And what the doubling of the tax revenue of the entire Great Song Dynasty means to the court and the Zhao dynasty, the Empress Dowager Zheng, who is well versed in politics, can fully imagine.

"These are all thought up and proposed by Du Jinning?" She asked.

Zhao Yu nodded: "All of them." Even the proposal to be undertaken by the Ministry of Household and open the Great Song Money Village was put forward by Du Jinning. ”

He sighed: "What's more, Du Jinning also put forward the suggestion of vigorously promoting manual skills and rewarding skilled craftsmen from all over the world. At that time, I didn't think about it, but because Du Jinning never believed it, and his proposals, no matter how big or small, always had some benefits, and the investment in this area was not large, so I ordered the Ministry of Industry to handle it according to his suggestions. ”

He looked at the Empress Dowager Zheng with an excited expression: "But the Queen Mother, you would never have thought that such a small proposal would bring me such a surprise just by conveying a will." The queen mother also knew that some families had mastered a skill and wanted not to spread it for the benefit of the people, but to hide it and pass it on from generation to generation as a family heirloom. Often, in this intergenerational transmission, these skills are either lost or mutilated. ”

"Since the promulgation of the regulations written by Du Jinning for me, dozens of families have reported these skills to the court for the sake of glory, and the effect is really remarkable. For example, cotton pests and diseases are very severe, there is a family contributed a kind of medicine, mixed in the seeds when planting, can prevent diseases and insects, and after sowing in the case of insufficient moisture spraying this medicine can keep warm and increase moisture, to ensure that cotton sprouts smoothly. Local officials said that if the agent was used on a large scale, this year's cotton harvest would be at least two or three percent higher than in previous years, based on the family's previous cotton planting. The cotton yield of the entire Great Song Dynasty has increased by two or three percent, and the queen mother, think about it, how big this income will be! ”

Zhao Chang and Zhao Mingyue were dumbfounded when they heard this, and they were amazed.

Empress Dowager Zheng thought more far-reaching. She pushed people and asked: "That family used to make a living by growing cotton and owned a large area of cotton cultivation fields, right?" Once cotton production increases, cotton prices will definitely fall. Every year, wouldn't the family that gave the medicine recipe suffer a heavy loss? What are they trying to do? ”

Zhao Yu said with a smile: "In the regulations written by Du Jinning, pesticides, agricultural tools and various tools that can be promoted on a large scale will be funded by the court to set up a workshop to produce these things." Depending on the amount of profit, the donor can account for two to three percent of the workshop. If the officials of the Ministry of Industry had promoted the medicine to the people who had grown cotton, even if the price of the medicine was not high, the profit would still be considerable because of the large sales volume. The 20% profit not only makes up for their loss in cotton prices, but also makes them more profitable. What's more, the court will also give them a reward, or a sum of money, or a place for a small official, or my handwriting. That's why these people are so generous to take out the family secret skills and dedicate them to the court. ”

"I see." Empress Dowager Zheng suddenly nodded and praised, "This Du Jinning, at a young age, is well versed in human affairs and sophistication, and has taken all factors into account. It is not for nothing that her method has been successful. ”

"Not really." Zhao Yu sighed, "After I ascended the throne, it is really my great luck to have such a capable minister, and it is also a great luck for the entire Great Song Dynasty." ”

Empress Dowager Zheng glanced at her daughter, and when she saw that her cheeks were crimson and her eyes were amazingly bright, she couldn't help but sigh deeply.

If it weren't for Du Jinning's wife, who was still a who liked men, there would be no more suitable candidate for a colt than Du Jinning in the world.

She said, "Yes, this is a rare talent. It's a pity that he rejects his wife and likes ......" Before she finished speaking, she was patted by someone, and then heard Zhao Mingyue say, "Mother, don't worry, I didn't think about it." ”

She turned her eyes to look at Zhao Mingyue, and saw Zhao Mingyue winking at her, and gestured to Zhao Chang.

Obviously, Zhao Mingyue didn't want everyone to know about Du Jinning's foundation, even if it was the fifth brother she liked, she didn't want him to know.

This short-term action shows more and more the weight of Du Jinning in Zhao Mingyue's heart.

Empress Dowager Zheng couldn't help but stretch out her hand, gently stroked Zhao Mingyue's cheek, and asked her, "Second Prince Xiao, what do you think?" ”

After Du Jinning and Qi Muyuan kissed the incident, Empress Dowager Zheng accelerated the screening of future son-in-law candidates, but the results were not satisfactory.

Among the new scholars from the poor family, there are few who are quite worthy of Zhao Mingyue in terms of appearance and age. After excluding Du Jinning and Qi Muyuan, the remaining Guan Jiaze, Liang Xiankuan, Xu Chengyuan and others all became relatives.

Empress Dowager Zheng had to look for it among the children of the family, but she found a few good reviews. Then, after various visits, several more were finally eliminated, and only three remained. These three people are not comparable to Du Jinning and Qi Muyuan in terms of talent and ability, but they are good in all aspects. And this second son of Xiao is the best among them.

Empress Dowager Zheng originally planned to give marriage directly, but Zhao Mingyue proposed to get along with him. The Song Dynasty inherited the legacy of the Tang Dynasty, and the atmosphere was still quite open, and considering that this was a lifelong event for her daughter, if Zhao Mingyue and Xiao Ergongzi didn't look at each other correctly, their future marriage would definitely be unhappy. Empress Dowager Zheng agreed to Zhao Mingyue's request.

That Xiao Ergongzi was also active, and during this time, he repeatedly asked Zhao Mingyue to go out to play polo and go to the temple to offer incense. Zhao Mingyue has been there two or three times under the pressure of her mother.

"That's it." Zhao Mingyue said lightly.

Empress Dowager Zheng carefully selected candidates, it is not easy for her to find some faults. That Xiao Er Gongzi is a talent, he is also willing to be motivated, he also has ability, he has a good temperament, and he has no bad habits. But with Du Jinning Zhuyu in front, no matter how good Xiao Ergongzi is, he can't arouse Zhao Mingyue's interest.

Zhao Yu and Zhao Chang glanced at each other, and regretted mentioning Du Jinning in front of their sister.

Both of them are big men, their hearts are not so fine, and they don't think about their children's private affairs, they can say whatever they think of, which makes their sister's mind alive again.

Empress Dowager Zheng did not stop her two sons from mentioning Du Jinning, in fact, they had other deep meanings and plans.

She said: "Mingyue, the queen mother admits that Du Jinning is a very talented and outstanding person, but he doesn't have you in his heart, so why should you worry about him?" Xiao Ergongzi is not as good as Du Jinning, but he has you in his heart. How to choose between the two, with your cleverness, still don't know where to go? ”

Zhao Mingyue was silent for a while, and a stiff smile appeared on her face: "Queen Mother, I know." ”

"Then now you make a statement in front of your two brothers, so that I can make a decision on your family affairs." Empress Dowager Zheng didn't want to let her daughter go like this.

During this time, she didn't mention Du Jinning, Zhao Mingyue didn't mention it, and usually went out with Xiao Ergongzi obediently, Empress Dowager Zheng didn't know if she really put Du Jinning down in her heart, so Zhao Chang was allowed to mention Du Jinning here. Judging from the situation just now, Zhao Mingyue still thinks of Du Jinning in her heart, and her feelings are no less than before.

Empress Dowager Zheng felt a sense of crisis in her heart, for fear that if she had a good look, Zhao Mingyue would cause trouble for her. Now I have to force her.

Zhao Mingyue raised her eyes, looked at her mother, and then at Zhao Yu, her lips moved.

But she didn't speak, lowered her eyelids, and the chopsticks in her hand poked desperately at the rice in the bowl, and her eyes slowly turned red.

She was like this, and Zhao Yu couldn't bear it. He was about to speak, but his mother glared at him fiercely, and he had to keep his mouth shut.