Chapter Thirty-One: Everywhere is Gold

  "Qin Wawa, can you explain to His Majesty why apples that are ripe don't fall towards the sky but instead fall to the ground?"

  "Your Majesty, it's gravity." Song Jiu only taught the relevant principles and knowledge related to cranes, but didn't have time to teach anything else. This diagram is placed here, and Qin Wawa also saw it, although she had learned some physics knowledge, it was useless, and her sense of direction was lost.

  "Your Majesty, there are two great kings. One is gravity and the other is the center of the earth. The true down is the center of the earth. Going outward is the sky. Therefore, no matter which side of this sphere a person stands on, their feet are down and their head is up."

  I'm not sure if you understand, but Zhao Kuangyi opened the third piece of paper. This paper had two diagrams, one was a cross-section of the Earth's internal structure, with the core, mantle and crust. The other was a rough map of the Eurasian tectonic plates, who knows how Song Jiu got it, he had a teacher from the West. Then there were arrows indicating the direction of plate movement, and a line of text that provided a simple explanation: the outside wind and rain eroded the surface, while the inside of the Earth pushed the surface up to make it uneven. This diagram appeared, explaining natural phenomena such as the changing landscape, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and why Tibet was so high.

  Zhao Pu angrily shouted: "Where is that Yellow Spring?"

  I'm going to fall!

  Is there a divine being, Song Jiu cannot judge, whether it is a single universe or multiple universes, they all originated from the Big Bang, but what kind of power produced the Big Bang, and what was before the explosion? Just based on this point, it's not that God doesn't exist. But if he exists, what's the use? Compared to the universe, the solar system is not even as significant as a grain of sand in the Sahara Desert. Would someone standing in the Sahara Desert notice a single grain of sand? Moreover, Earth is just a grain of sand in the desert of the solar system!

  Nor can it be said that there is no soul, otherwise one cannot explain oneself.

  "After a moment, he said: 'Prime Minister Zhao, look at this ant. If I were to pick it up, would it know what I'm going to do with it? I believe that gods and spirits exist, but they are beyond the understanding of ordinary people like us. Perhaps they don't exist in this world, or perhaps they are everywhere. You're putting me on the spot with your question, but His Majesty is a true dragon among men, he should know."

  "You little scamp," Zhao Kuangyin cursed with a smile.

  But Song Jiuli immediately rolled up the three paintings.

  It can't be said that it's not possible to show off, but now showing off too early won't do. If the academy were to come up with something, and there were more knowledgeable students who reflected on their learning, and they came up with some "extraordinary skills", it would be easier to accept. Today is forced, Zhao Kuangyi made him afraid, can Zhao Pu make him unafraid? Even if this gamble exists, slightly hesitating, he won't have a chance to play. So taking out these three shocking and unconventional paintings, let Zhao Pu reflect on whether they are extraordinary skills or not.

  Zhao Kuangyin said: "Song Ji, give these three paintings to me."

  "Your Majesty, what use is it? It's just a guess of mine." Song Jiu still handed it over to Zhao Kuangyin.

  "Is it just speculation and yet dare to bring it out to deceive the public?"

  "Your Excellency Zhao, I just told the Emperor that Han Wu saw the vast expanse of the northern desert, while the Emperor sees the billions of his subjects. As for me, what I most want to see is the essence of things. If I don't dare to think about it, how can we study the essence of things? However, this is a minor path, and the Confucian classics are the great way to govern the country and bring peace to the people." Copernicus cannot defeat religion, nor can he defeat the followers of Dong Zhongshu. Anyway, the Confucians of this era have definitely deviated from the intentions of Confucius, becoming absurd, corrupt, and stubborn.

  Zhao Pu glared at him and said to Zhao Kuangyin, "Your Majesty, the two princes, let Liu Gonggong stay behind as a witness. You should go back, standing here not only undermines your dignity but also alarms the people."

  Zhao Kuangyin nodded and took Zhao Kuanyi and Zhao Pu back.

  Song Jiulang let out a sigh of relief. Confucius said to respect ghosts and gods, but keep them at a distance. These three people would do well to also respect and keep their distance from each other.

  Three men walked together. In the mountains there was no old tiger. The monkey claimed to be the king of the mountain. Pan Weigong came over and asked: "Song Jiu, what are you doing?"

  The kid is lucky and was summoned by the emperor to drink tea, but something's off. Why is he drinking tea when there are these three pictures that need to be calculated?

  Song Jiu looked at the group of people, then glanced at Pan Lian'er behind them. Pan Lian'er was also curious, but raised his fist to threaten him. "Second Uncle" couldn't help but ask questions, but instead asked: "Pan Er Lang, where do you think is the most beautiful and fun place in Beijing?"

  One is beautiful, one is fun, some say it's the newly built Qionglin Garden, some say it's Xiangguo Temple, some say it's Yu Street, and some say it's Jinming Pond. The tile cannot be counted, although it's fun, it can't be called beautiful.

  Song Jiudao said: "Wrong, none of you answered correctly."

  "Where did you say?"

  "I'll take you there."

  Zhao Kuangyin granted him a ninth-rank scattered official position, which was of little use. The monthly salary and grain allowance combined were not even four or five guan of money, but it was better than nothing. His heart still had not died, and in fact, when he went to Yu Pin's courtyard that day, some ideas had already begun to form in his mind. Coincidentally, from the upper floor, he saw this group of second-generation ancestors sneaking a peek at the tea house. The Song Dynasty had not yet started raising imperial relatives in captivity, but these second-generation ancestors were essentially being kept captive. Only then did Song Jiu's thoughts become clear. He plucked up his courage and made a bet with Zhao Kuangyin.

  But things didn't end there.

  One thing, demolition and relocation! If handled properly, there is no trouble at all, but if not, it becomes the biggest trouble. Song Jiu was not afraid of Zhao's brothers, they didn't understand business either, what he feared was Zhao Pu, Zhao Pu's family did a bigger business, he used his power to collude with some nearby officials and sent people to cut down trees on Qinling Mountains, then transported them to the capital city for profit through Wei River and other tributaries. It seems that later on, it was because of the large-scale logging that led to the dissatisfaction of the Tubo people, causing many conflicts. The responsibility cannot be pushed onto Zhao Pu alone, as the imperial court and other merchants were doing the same thing, Qinling had big trees and water transportation, while the capital city needed a lot of wood, so Qinling could only suffer.

  But Zhao Pu was not very friendly to himself, if he made trouble in between, big troubles would come.

  Song Jiudao had an idea, but Pan Weide and others didn't know what it was.

  One by one, they were all itching to go, having heard of a beautiful and fun place that none of them had been to before. They hastily called for carriages and prepared to follow Song Jiu. In the meantime, a small interlude occurred: Pan Lian'er also wanted to go, but was coaxed back into the mansion by her two brothers after half a day's persuasion. Song Jiu gave Qin Waizi some instructions, poor thing, still without a decent name, and told him to wait for the other nine students. As for winning or losing, Song Jiu didn't even ask about it, nor did he mention the method of calculation; if abacus PK couldn't beat bamboo slips, it wasn't that they would die from crashing into walls, but rather that he himself would crash into walls and commit suicide.

  Passing through the East Water Gate, it is the Hulong River. On one side of the East Water Gate, there is a corner gate, but it is not for the convenience of the people on both sides of the river, but rather for the convenience of the people in the south of the prefecture. The people on the riverbank are very pitiful, with only a simple small stone bridge spanning the 30-meter-wide Hulong River. It was still built by the government of the previous dynasty, otherwise it would have become a real island in the middle of the river, and going out could only be done by boat.

  Arriving at Hezhou, more than a dozen people were stunned. Pan Weide suspiciously asked: "Song Jiu, where is the fun?"

  "It's right here, it will be our dream place, and also the most beautiful and fun place in Beijing."

  "What a land of dreams, has nothing to do with us." Zhao Kuangyi's third uncle, Fu Zhaoshou, said vigilantly.

  "Fu Sanlang, what if we turn it into the most beautiful and fun place in the capital, and bring you tens of thousands of taels of income every year? Don't mention this for now, you'll know after a while. Let's do one thing first."

  Song Jiu had been eyeing this place for a long time and was quite familiar with it. He first found the village elder, who might not necessarily buy his story, but the dozen or so people behind him were not to be trifled with: Cao Bin's eldest son Cao Can, Han Lingkun's second son Han Qingxiong, Fu Yanzheng's third son Fu Zhaoshou, Guo Chong's second son Guo Yun'gon, and also Wang Yanchao, Luo Yanhuan, Guo Yanbin, Zhang Qiong's child was among them. Not to mention the village elder, even Zhao Kuangyi would get a headache if he saw them here.

  Song Jiuyi introduced himself one by one, and the old household chief gave a big gift to each of them, almost kneeling down in the end. With these dozen or so second-generation ancestors, the first benefit was seen, and the formalities began. He asked the old household chief to report on the fields, population, and industries of each household in the river prefecture, and then summoned them. There were not many people, only a hundred or so households, mostly vegetable farmers, with a small number of fishermen and ordinary people running small wine shops and grocery stores.

  Both parties negotiated, and if not demolished, the compensation for each household would be: how much money for demolition, how much money for house compensation, how much money for arable land compensation, how to compensate for industries, and guarantee that each household can have one child studying in the academy, and two people can work in the industry on the riverbank in the future.

  This news couldn't be hidden, and Zhao Kuangyi knew about it the next day. After hearing it, he first burst out laughing, then was puzzled. It turned out that Song Jiuyi had written a document promising to pay over 10,000 yuan immediately after the demolition. Where did this money come from?

  Made a written promise, Song Jiu took them back with him. There's still something, go to the Upper Street!

  The imperial street of the Song Dynasty may be the widest in history, but it is different from ordinary streets. It is divided into three parts: the middle imperial road, a royal exclusive road, where even thousands of pigs can walk if they are supplies for the court, but pedestrians are not allowed to enter. It's not a laughing matter, pigs may be ugly, but they are related to people's livelihoods. This part of the road is about 70 steps wide, with ditches dug on both sides, which are not narrow, about 10 steps wide, and filled with lotus flowers. The banks are planted with peach, plum, pear, apricot trees and some ornamental trees. When spring arrives, the imperial road is lined with purple and red flowers, fragrant and intoxicating. Therefore, when asked where the most fun and beautiful place is, half of the people say it's the imperial street. On the edge of the ditch, a black lacquer railing serves as the boundary between the east and west, which are about 30 steps wide, and is the area for civilians to gather. Many shops line the streets, and on the other side, there is a place for small vendors to set up stalls. This detail is also a kind of humanitarian spirit, as ordinary people cannot afford to rent shops. If city management were present in the Song Dynasty, the official in charge would be frustrated, and it's estimated that they wouldn't last a month before being exiled to the American continent, not even the Lingnan region could satisfy them. Moreover, the imperial corridor above is covered with a roof, so people don't have to worry about wind or rain.

  It will become more and more prosperous.

  However, the business atmosphere is not yet thick, and some of the wealthy people still maintain their identity and have not opened up the walls facing the street as storefronts. Song Jiu brought these dozen or so princes to negotiate with these wall owners. Song Jiu came to make a deal, but who dares to fight the Pan brothers, Fu Zhao Shou, and Han Qing Xiong? After successfully reaching an agreement, it was just the right to use the walls for three years, with some money and silk given each year, not for setting up stalls to sell things, but for pasting up paintings.

  I'm just painting a picture on your wall, how much money do I have to give you in a year. One east one west, there are twenty walls in total. The annual rent is also gone by 100 yuan. Nobody knows what Song Jiu is doing, ask him, and Song Jiu doesn't answer, only saying that it will be clear two months later. Let them see the confidence, then they will be called to join. If you don't have confidence, don't join. One by one, in a daze, then someone picked a few early ripened plums and ate them, teeth hurting from sourness, following leaving the Imperial Street to go to the current Tokyo city's top store, Ren's store, to drink wine.

  The news was also fed back to Zhao Kuangyi, and he didn't need to send a yeshi to inquire. He just asked his wife Fu Shi to call her third brother over and ask him about it, and everything would be clear. Zhao Kuangyi felt bewildered - this kid said the Bian River was gold, said the riverbank was gold, were these walls also gold? Or was the entire capital city full of gold?