"In short, five words, increase productivity."

Fang Xiu said lightly.

Qin Xingyan showed a blank look on his face and asked, "The lower officials are stupid, I don't know what it means to improve productivity?" ”

Fang Xiu explained: "As the name suggests, it is to improve the production capacity, the original acre of land can produce 100 catties of grain, now it can produce 1,000 catties, which is to improve productivity, it originally took ten people to take a year to build an artillery, now only one person can do it in a month, which is also to improve productivity." ”

Qin Xingyan was silent for a few breaths and said, "But Fang Xiang, how can I improve productivity?" ”

Fang Xiudao: "There are many ways, the most important thing is to improve the technology of production, in addition, but also to allow the people to work, after a while, the prime minister will make a proposal to His Majesty, cancel the untouchables, and classify all the untouchables as good people, so that they can also contribute to the imperial court." ”

"This ......"

Qin Xingyan obviously didn't expect Fang Xiang to suddenly cancel his cheap status, he was stunned at first, and then hurriedly echoed: "Fang Xiang's family is kind-hearted, and the officials admire him." ”

The so-called lowly people are a group of people other than Shinong, industrialists and industrialists, most of whom are criminals, have committed serious crimes, or are engaged in discriminatory professions.

Their status is very low, which is slightly better than that of slaves, and their descendants are not allowed to participate in the imperial examinations and cannot be officials, mainly including the lazy people of Huizhou, the musicians of Qingzhou, and the beggars of Yongzhou......

Compared to the good people, the number of these people is not very large, and few people take them to heart on weekdays.

Therefore, when Fang Xiu mentioned this matter, Qin Xingyan would be surprised.

"Okay, the miners' affairs will be paid according to half a tael of silver first, and the rest of the silver will be recorded first, and when the court has silver in the future, it will be issued to them."

Fang Xiu looked at Qin Xingyan and made a final conclusion on this matter, and no longer held him responsible.

When Qin Xingyan heard this, he sighed in his heart, and hurriedly saluted: "The lower official bows to thank Fang Xiang!" ”

Fang Xiu looked at him and said earnestly:

"I can understand that sometimes some people are sacrificed for the so-called overall situation, but for this part of the people, encountering such a thing is equivalent to encountering a catastrophe!

You are a second-class member of the imperial court, and you are also the parent official of the people, think about it before doing things, if Yongxin and Shouyang are working in the mine, will you still sacrifice them because of the so-called overall situation?

In the future, if there is such a difficult thing to do both, don't make your own decision, tell the Prime Minister or Your Majesty, and let the Prime Minister or Your Majesty decide, understand? ”

"Xia Guan understands!"

Qin Xingyan looked solemn and nodded heavily.

"Let's go down." Fang Xiu waved his hand.

"The next official retired."

Qin Xingyan bowed and saluted, turned around and left.

Fang Xiu picked up the teacup, took a sip, looked out of the courtyard door, and said lightly, "Come in." ”

The voice fell.

A few breaths later.

Li Yinyue, who was wearing a cyan long dress, came to Fang Xiu, and her long black and beautiful hair hung down her waist, adding a bit of style to her.

"What?"

Fang Xiu raised his eyes to look at Li Yingyue and asked.

Li Yingyue's good-looking phoenix eyes stared at Fang Xiu, and she couldn't help but think of what he had just said in her mind, and her heart was full of feelings.

During this time, on the way to and from Xiangguo's Mansion to and from Zhenbaozhai, I can often hear the people talking about Fang Xiu, and between the words, they are all loved and respected by Fang Xiu, as if their prime minister is the first virtuous minister in the past and present.

At first, she thought that those people were just influenced by various newspapers, so Fang Xiu respected them.

Later, chatting with a few people who went to Zhenbao Zhai to hang out, I learned that they admired Fang Xiu because in the past two years, they felt that their lives had indeed become better and better.

Two years ago, even though they were from the capital and engaged in some small businesses, they still occasionally went hungry.

But now, even when the court is fighting, they have never been hungry, and sometimes they have spare money to buy some clothes.

Thus.

In the middle of the night, Li Yingyue often wondered how Fang Xiu could make the people live a better life than before.

Hearing what Fang Xiu said to the Hubu Shangshu today, she realized that it was actually very simple, that is, to keep the people in mind at all times.

"Although Fang Xiu, a dog thief, is hateful, he is good to the people of Qianguo, even if he is a well-known virtuous minister in the history books, he may not be able to compare with him."

Li Yingyue stared at Fang Xiu with a pair of eyes, and inexplicably felt some good feelings for him in her heart.

"What are you looking at?"

Seeing that Li Yinyue had been staring at him, Fang Xiu resisted the urge to say this, coughed twice, and asked, "Is there something on the face of the prime minister?" ”

Li Yingyue shook her head lightly and said lightly: "I want to go back to Jinnan......"

Speaking of which, after thinking about it, he still gave a reason: "I want to verify whether what Qing'er said is true." ”

In other words, he wanted to confront his royal brother.

As if she was afraid that Fang Xiu would not agree, she added:

"I know you must have the means to control your men, or poison, or whatever, and if you let me go, I'm willing to take the poison......

You are already the regent of the Great Zhou, no one can change it, I have nothing, even if I return to Jinnan, I will not pose any threat to you. ”

After she finished speaking, she stood in place, quietly waiting for Fang Xiu's reply.

"Why did the prime minister let you go back?"

Fang Xiu looked at her with a smile and asked.

“......”

When Li Yinyue heard this question, she was slightly stunned, wasn't the reason she gave sufficient?

At this time, I heard Fang Xiu's leisurely words.

"What you just said is nothing more than letting you go back, and there will be no harm in your appearance, but if you are let go back, your appearance will also not be beneficial, so why should you be let go back?"

Hearing this, Li Yingyue fell silent.

She had to admit that with her current situation, she really didn't have the capital to negotiate with Fang Xiu.

"That's it, you call your husband, I'm in a good mood, maybe I'll agree to your request."

Fang Xiu looked at Li Yinyue, who had a cold look, raised his eyebrows, and said half-jokingly.

The last time I heard her call her husband was half a year ago.

Since she knew that the two were in name only, she had never called her husband again.

Although Fang Xiu didn't care what she called herself, he always felt a sense of satisfaction when he saw a woman with a beautiful face being easily handled by himself.

“......”

Li Yingyue stood in place, biting her red lip and falling into a tangle.

After a while, she opened her red lips lightly, and wanted to shout out those two words, but when the words came to her mouth, she couldn't open her mouth.

I don't know how long it took, but she finally spoke: "Change your request." ”

Fang Xiu chuckled lightly and said, "Such a small request, you can't meet your true appearance, if you change the request, can you do it?" ”

Li Yingyue was noncommittal.

Looking at Fang Xiu with a comfortable face, she knew that it was useless to talk more, so she turned around and was about to leave.

This time.

Fang Xiu suddenly spoke: "It's not impossible to go back if you want to, it depends on your future performance." ”

Li Yingyue stopped, turned her head to look at Fang Xiu, her willow eyebrows frowned slightly, and asked, "What performance?" ”

Fang Xiu smiled and said, "Naturally, it is the performance of Jumbo Zhai, but it is difficult to perform in bed." ”

Performance in bed?

What can I do in bed?

Li Yingyue was slightly stunned, and her eyes showed doubt.

After a while, noticing Fang Xiu's smiling eyes, she seemed to understand something, a faint flush appeared on her pretty face, she tried her best to restrain herself from revealing strange emotions, and secretly scolded in her heart: "Dog thief, color embryo!" ”

Don't look at her cold appearance on the surface, but a large part of it is a disguise made to protect herself.

After all, her memory is still stuck in a few years ago, when she was innocent, and she didn't do her best in many things.

The biggest ordeal so far is that her husband is extremely cold to her and does not let him leave the mansion, that's all.

If you want to say that it was Qing'er's letter that caused a blow to her psyche.

To this day, she still can't believe it.

The royal brother he once respected so much would make a big rebellion to kill his father for the sake of the throne!

She must go to Jinnan and ask clearly in front of her brother whether her father's death has anything to do with him!

"Tao'er said, before I didn't have amnesia, I was colder than ice, but I was obviously not like this before, over the years, my temperament has changed greatly, will it be related to this matter."

Li Yingyue stood in front of Fang Xiu, and this idea suddenly popped into her mind.

As a result, she was even more determined to go back to Jinnan to ask clearly.

"Okay, I promise you!"

Li Yingyue looked at Fang Xiu and nodded heavily.

Fang Xiu smiled and said, "In order to prevent you from saying that you don't believe what you say, this prime minister will set a standard for you, if the silver earned by Jumbo Zhai in a month can reach twice that of the same period last year, and last for three months, this prime minister will allow you to return to Jinnan." ”

As soon as these words came out, Li Yingyue was stunned.

Twice as many as last year, how is this possible?

This dog thief, setting such a high standard, isn't he embarrassing himself?

"Do you think your true appearance is embarrassing you?" Fang Xiu asked.

Li Yingyue was silent, obviously acquiescing to his statement.

"If you set a goal that can be easily accomplished, what's the use of asking you?"

Fang Xiu got up from the chair, walked up to her, looked at her with a serious face, and said, "It's man-made, since you want to go back to Jinnan, you have to be ready to go all out!" ”

"Twice the profit, you can do it with hard work?"

When Li Yingyue heard this, she opened her mouth and wanted to refute it, but after thinking about it, she felt that it was meaningless, so she swallowed this sentence back.

Seeing that she didn't refute, Fang Xiu showed a smile on his face and said, "To tell you the truth, after a while, Zhenbao Zhai will do business in Wu and even Yue, as long as it is properly operated in Wu and Yue, it is not difficult to double the profits." ”

With that, he returned to his chair, sat down again, waved his hand, and said, "You are tired, you can go down." ”

“......”

Li Yueyue saw that he looked like a subordinate, and the little good impression he had just raised instantly dissipated.

Gritting his teeth, he wanted to rush up and slap him, but he was under the eaves and had to bow his head.

She clenched her fists and finally chose to turn away.

............

Time passes.

In the blink of an eye, it was two months later.

September is the hottest time.

Eighty miles away from Chang'an, in a remote Zhuangzi.

More than a hundred men in coarse cloth vests gathered together, looking at the middle-aged man in a brocade dress in front of him, with an indifferent expression.

"I said Lao Liu, are you wearing this in the summer?"

A rugged man with a scar on his face couldn't help but ask.

The middle-aged man who was called Lao Liu said angrily: "Nonsense! You wear these to see if it's hot or not! ”

The scar man said angrily: "Hot, you still wear so much, I said you are a steward, why is your brain still broken!" ”

When the rest of the men heard this, they burst into laughter.

That old Liu was not angry, glared at the scarred man, and said loudly: "If you don't wear such a suit, how can you distinguish these guys!" ”

The words fell, drawing a burst of boos.

"Then you can wear it, and it's better not to take it off if you die of heat!"

The man with the scar laughed twice and said.

These words naturally caused everyone to comjourn again.

Seeing this, Lao Liu darkened his face and raised his voice: "Okay! Don't make any noise! This time I have gathered everyone to announce something important! ”

"What is so important that you deserve to wear such an outfit in the summer!" Someone laughed loudly.

Lao Liu glared at the man, and said angrily: "If you intervene again, Lao Tzu won't say anything!" ”

"Okay, good, you say!"

When everyone quieted down, Lao Liu continued:

"People from Chang'an said that the big boss had set up a academy there, what is it called an engineering academy...... It's still a craftsman academy, and that's pretty much the name anyway.

This academy wants to recruit gentlemen in each Zhuangzi, and give two taels of silver every month, if the teaching is good, and the appreciation of the big proprietors, there can be more silver! ”

As soon as the words fell, he heard a humane:

"Mr. College Zhao, you have a fart relationship with us!"

"That is, one of the people here counts as one, which one is not a big character who can't read a liter, is it possible that we can still be a gentleman?"

Someone was busy echoing.

When Lao Liu heard this, he looked around and raised his voice:

"Don't say it, the meaning of the big proprietor is to choose someone from among you guys to go to the academy in Chang'an to be a gentleman!

It doesn't matter if you are illiterate or not, what matters is that you are skilled and willing to study! ”

The voice fell.

There was a brief silence, and then a lively discussion erupted.

"What kind of academy is this, can you go in and become a gentleman even if you don't know how to read? Could it be that we should teach those who read how to strike iron? ”

"The imperial court is short of firearms, and our output here is too small, and it is estimated that there is really no way for the big proprietors, so I thought of setting up a academy and teaching more people who can make firearms."

"Two taels of silver a month is much better than making muskets here!"

"This firearm maker is also a journeyman, what can I ...... study?"

A moment later.

The crowd was talking about it.

Lao Liu Fangcai said:

"The big proprietor said, the so-called willingness to study, for us, is to be able to improve firearms, our Zhuangzi is to build a musket, if you can improve the accuracy of the musket, or the speed of reloading, or other aspects of the improvement, you can enter the academy to teach, get two taels of silver every month!

Therefore, in the next half month, if you want to be a gentleman, you can stop the work in your hand and think about how to improve this firearm! ”