System, help me become the empress

Chapter 198
On the ninth day of February, the sun was just right.

The first batch of public school graduates in Daqian started the graduation ceremony, and four or five painters with superb painting skills were in place to record what happened today from different angles.

Xu Youxi wore a dragon robe to attend the opening speech of the graduation ceremony and expressed her blessings.After she finished speaking, she left gracefully, and changed back to her daily clothes by the way.

"His Majesty."

"What a coincidence, Mr. Meng." Xu Youxi heard the sound and looked over, and found that the person calling to stop her was Meng Zhiqian, and behind Mrs. Meng was a familiar little boy, "This is Meng Li? I haven't seen her for a few years and he has grown so tall." .Graduated today?"

Meng Zhiqian gently pushed Meng Li forward: "Yes, I graduated today. Didn't Lier have something to say to His Majesty?"

More than two years have passed, Meng Li's overall appearance has not changed much, and he still doesn't speak much. After being pushed out by Meng Zhiqian, he held back for a long time before uttering a few words.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Meng Zhiqian was stunned immediately, pulled Meng Li's sleeve, and quickly reminded in a low voice: "Your Majesty has not agreed yet, you have to talk about things first! Thank you in the end!"

Meng Li looked at Meng Zhiqian with jet-black eyes, but ignored him.

"..." Meng Zhiqian noticed the awkward situation, and quickly apologized to Xu Youxi, "Your Majesty, this child has always been like this, and he doesn't like to talk much since he was a child. I even thought that this child was ill..."

"I'm not sick."

Meng Li interrupted.

"Yes, yes, you are not sick." Meng Zhiqian echoed, before continuing to look at Xu Youxi, "I didn't realize that Li'er was actually very smart until he started going to public school."

"You're right." Meng Li nodded.

Xu Youxi was almost amused by this grandpa and grandson. Why did he feel like he was listening to a cross talk?

"Meng Li, what do you want to find me?"

Meng Li turned his head and said slowly, "I want to join the Shengong Bureau, but they don't want me."

"You are still at the age of studying. If you want to enter the Shengong Bureau, you can wait until you graduate from middle school."

"I finished my studies, but they didn't graduate me."

"Finish what? Middle school courses? You understand everything?" Xu Youxi recalled that the telescope seemed to be the first one made by Meng Li. This child's intelligence is not bad.

Meng Li nodded.

"What about the university?" Xu Youxi continued to ask.

"No entry."

Xu Youxi was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized that the university seems to have a minimum age threshold.

"Since you said that you understand everything in middle school, I just want to test you." Xu Youxi thought for a while, and decided to start with a simple question, "Do you know the principle of a steam engine?"

"Steam energy is converted into mechanical energy. The principle of the steam car is that the expansion of steam pushes the piston to do work."

"Chemical equation for mirror making?"

"Silver mirror reaction." Meng Li said the answer easily, "I can write equations, and I can also do experiments for you to see."

Talking about academic issues, Meng Li gradually became eloquent.

"If you want to enter the Shengong Bureau, you can't just talk about it on paper, you have to have the ability to do it."

Hearing Xu Youxi mention this, Meng Li's face was suddenly stained with grievance.

Meng Zhiqian watched from the sidelines and listened in a fog for a long time, and finally found a chance to speak: "Your Majesty, originally Lord Wen gave Li'er a question, saying that if he can disassemble and restore the snowplow machine, he will acquiesce to him." Join the Divine Work Bureau."

"Meng Li did it?"

Xu Youxi guessed it.

"It's done." Meng Zhiqian rubbed his grandson's head, "Master Wen had already let go, but when the agreement was signed, someone from the Criminal Ministry stopped him, saying that Li'er was too young, and Wen Shangshu's behavior was called child labor. Illegal."

"Master Meng, do you hope that I can make an exception for Meng Li?"

"I know that the rules cannot be broken, and I don't want to embarrass Your Majesty. But if you don't even try, will Li'er regret it in the future?"

Xu Youxi stared at Meng Li for a while, seeming to be struggling with what to do with him.

"Meng Li, do you really want to join the Shengong Bureau?"

Meng Li thought for a while and nodded.

He wants to dismantle steam cars, steam trains, steam ships...

Too many things for his grandfather to afford.

"How about this. Master Meng, you take Meng Li to Rong Yingran and ask him to prepare for Meng Li's high school graduation assessment in advance. If he meets the graduation level, let Meng Li enter the university to study under his class."

"Shangjing University cooperates with several departments under the imperial court. They usually accept some students who used to work part-time. You let Wen Deyi use Shangjing University as a platform to accept Meng Li to help the Shengong Bureau. This is not child labor."

Xu Youxi gave a solution: "By the way, you can tell Mr. Rong a word for me, and ask him to open up a special channel for students like Meng Li to skip grades. Students who are truly talented should not be restricted by age."

"Yes, I understand."

After hearing this, Meng Li's childish face was filled with joy.

"College textbooks are much more difficult than those in middle school. You still have to study hard." Xu Youxi smiled and reminded Meng Li.

"Li'er, don't hesitate to thank Your Majesty."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xu Youxi left after finishing the matter.

#
half a month later.

In response to Meng Li's situation, He Muqing wrote an article about 'school skipping' and showed it to Xu Youxi.

"Your Majesty, can you see if there is anything else that needs to be revised?"

"Delete all the parts related to Meng Li in the article."

Through this article, Xu Youxi knew that Meng Li had passed the middle school graduation examination, and naturally became the youngest student in Shangjing University.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" He Muqing asked doubtfully.

"Meng Li is only nine years old, and his future life is still very long. It is not a good thing to make him the focus of people's discussion at this time. He is an extremely intelligent child, but there is no need to force the expectations of adults on a young man who has not grown up. on the child."

Xu Youxi said slowly: "Whether he will become the second Wen Deyi in the future or disappear in the sea of ​​ordinary people, it is his own life. All we can do is provide him with the best environment and correct guidance."

"Understood." He Muqing took the manuscript paper and began to correct it, "But Your Majesty, Master Wen has already brought Meng Li into the research team, and he said that Meng Li will definitely become a existence beyond him in the future."

Xu Youxi sighed softly: "I'm so envious, Mr. Wen has a successor, and I haven't found a suitable successor yet."

The pen in He Muqing's hand froze for a moment: "Your Majesty, isn't it too early for you to plan to have a baby?"

"Why do you want to give birth to yourself, can't I just pick one up for nothing?"

When Xu Youxi mentioned the heir, he naturally considered when he should retire.

40 years old should be about the same?

Then there are 20 years left?
If it takes ten years to cultivate an heir, then she still has ten years to choose slowly, which is ample time.

Xu Youxi was thinking about his life after retirement, while He Muqing was writing vigorously on the paper with a pen. Both of them were extremely quiet, but the atmosphere in the box was extremely relaxed.

The Jin Yiwei outside the house knocked on the door, and Xu Ling heard the sound and went to communicate.

"Your Majesty, Minister Hang has arrived."

"Let him in."

He Muqing looked up in surprise: "Do you want to avoid it?"

"No, you write yours."

As soon as Xu Youxi finished speaking, Hang Yonghan straightened his back and walked in with a cautious expression: "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

"Excuse me, did you bring the map?"

"Bring it." Hang Yonghan took out the parchment scroll from his sleeve, "This is Dagan's map."

"Hmm. How about the trial run of the Jiangguang Railway?"

The Ministry of Industry was responsible for the construction of the Jiangguang Railway in the later period. The huge project that was originally thought to be completed in at least three to five years was completed so much ahead of schedule.

"Depart from Jiangnan and arrive in about eight hours."

You must know that Xu Youxi usually takes three to four days to ride a horse from Jiangnan to Guangzhou, and riding a horse is far more tiring than taking a train.

The train has sleeper berths, so you can close the door and sleep overnight, and arrive at your destination just the next day.

"Is there any major problem with the trial run of the train?"

"No, when the finishing work is completed, it will be put into use in April."

Xu Youxi took the map that Hang Yonghan handed over, and laid it flat on the table: "Sit down, what do you think about the next railway construction?"

Hang Yonghan respectfully said: "Your Majesty, I think that you can choose several cities with special locations as the intersection points of railways, and finally form a railway-based network in Dagan. Among them, there must be multiple railways in Shangjing and serve as one of the most important cities. transportation hub."

"Then how about I arrange to build the railway from Shangjing to Jiangnan? It just happens to be connected with this Jiangguang railway." Xu Youxi suggested.

"Your Majesty is wise."

"Most of the middle-aged men who repaired the railway came from the dependent countries, right? The agreement period between Dagan and them should be coming soon. Are they willing to stay and continue to work?"

"The people who come from the dependent countries are much richer in Dagan than they are in their hometowns. There are not a few people who are willing to stay and make money while maintaining the current treatment. If you open the border and enter the country, you will acquiesce to the people of the dependent countries. Enter Daqian to find a job, and there will be many people willing to come.”

Xu Youxi understood what Hang Yonghan meant: "It's not impossible to let it go, but there must be a deadline and threshold, and you can get a foreigner's pass. Forget it, there is no rush for this, you first think about how to use the railway network."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"We can build one from Guangzhou to the west; one from Jiangnan to the west..."

Hang Yonghan and Xu Youxi just pointed on the drawings and chatted a lot, finally finalized five railway lines, and finally formed a cross railway frame with three vertical lines and three horizontal lines on the Dagan subway, and in early April Start preparing materials and funds.

"Based on the construction speed of the Jiangguang Railway, how long will it take to repair all of them with sufficient manpower and material resources?"

"Several of the railway lines have to go through the mountains, so it's not so easy to build. It will take at least three years to start all of them." Hang Yonghan thought for a while, "Workers are also a big problem, and I'm afraid we have to recruit a lot of people from the dependent countries. "

"Okay, recruit people."

Xu Youxi is more anxious about the financial issue at this time, but once the railway is completed, the economic benefits it can generate are absolutely incalculable.

Or she goes to the bank to put a 'three-year five-year national debt'?
"Fix the rails first, the train is not in a hurry for now."

Three years is enough to change a lot of things, and Xu Youxi can't guarantee that after three years, the train with the internal combustion engine as the main power will definitely not be built.

"Yes."

"In addition to the railway, the level of official road construction in different cities and counties is also uneven. Hang Shilang has to look around and watch when he is free. Also, the technology of steam cars has been improving. It won't take long. Cars may It will become a new means of transportation. When you build roads, you have to consider whether it is suitable for cars to cross the road."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Hang Shilang worked hard today, if you have nothing else to do, go back."

After sending Hang Shilang away, He Muqing, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, asked curiously: "Your Majesty, is Hang Shilang in charge of the Ministry of Industry now? Wen Shangshu still cares about the affairs of the Ministry of Industry?"

"He doesn't care about the Ministry of Industry either. Hang Yonghan is basically working, and there are a lot of things in it, including road construction, dam repairs, etc., and several cement factories under it. Shengong Bureau is already busy enough to be proud of itself." , he is now the only official in the court who can choose whether to participate in the early court according to his own mood."

"That's right."

He Muqing nodded, as if the Ministry of Rites is also in charge of Mr. Rong.

"Then after three years, will we be able to take the train to travel far away, no matter where we go to Dagan, it will take two or three days at most?" He Muqing suddenly became a little excited, "In the future, short distances will be bicycles, tricycles, and steam vehicles. The distance depends on the train. It won’t be long before the carriages may not be used by anyone?”

"Theoretically, yes."

"That's great." He Muqing began to look forward to Daqian three years later, "There are cars on the road, boats on the sea, and the appearance of steam engines, which has changed the whole Daqian."

"Don't be too optimistic. The steam engine is also a big problem. Although the burned coal mine is cheap, the smell is really bad. It will cause great damage to the environment in the long run." Xu Youxi sighed, "The coal that can be produced by burning coal The kinetic energy is not strong enough, and it needs continuous manpower maintenance, which is not simple enough. Shengong Bureau is now trying to use internal combustion engines to replace steam engines, and perhaps within a few years, the era of steam engines will be a thing of the past.”

"That's true."

"Besides, big machines are prevalent nowadays, and there are more and more factories, but the land is expensive, and there are not many workers that can be recruited, which makes the production cost very high. Recently, I have been thinking about whether Encouraging these businessmen to set up factories in nearby neighboring countries can use the labor force of these nearby countries to produce things, and it can also drive the economic development of nearby countries.”

"Your Majesty, don't you worry too much about them? If these dependent countries become stronger in the future, what will they do if they worry about me, just like those despicable Japanese pirates who ran to our territory to grab things when they have nothing to do?"

He Muqing couldn't help frowning. She and He Jiangyi had been wandering at sea for a long time, and she was somewhat prejudiced and dissatisfied with these barbarian countries.

"Not all dependent countries are ungrateful." Xu Youxi smiled, "Besides, since those overseas countries have shown up one after another, I feel more and more uneasy. If one day, these overseas countries join forces to attack Dagan, we will be considered as having no powerful allies. Can't let the surrounding small countries hold back?"

(End of this chapter)