Chapter 43: The Scorching Servant (Part 1)

  Watching Song Jiuxiang lead away twenty future personal disciples like an old hen, Liu Yue said: "Your Highness, isn't that asking for too much?"

  To know that the Ministry of Works and the three departments have so many officials, who doesn't want to increase iron production? Relying solely on a small Song Jiuxiao, it's too difficult to expect an annual increase of one million jin of pig iron.

  Zhao Kuangyi opened the two paintings, which were "Meat Buns Fighting Dogs", gone without return. Fortunately, the painter was cheap, and the draft was finalized, so there was no need to make a rough copy or revise it, and it didn't cost much to paint again. Liu Lian took a look and said: "So beautiful."

  "It's beautiful, but Epang Palace is even more beautiful."

  "Your Highness, it cannot be compared with Epang Palace."

  "I know, otherwise he would have been dragged out and beheaded long ago. I'm referring to the cost. A Rainbow Bridge, I estimate the cost to be at least 5,000 strings of cash or more, if a large amount of iron is used, it could reach 10,000 to 20,000 strings. A Confucian school, I don't know what scale he wants to build it on, but the cost would be between 5,000 to 20,000 strings. This Zheng shop, I estimate the cost to be at least 30,000 to 40,000 strings, or even 50,000 to 60,000 strings. It's just four to five pieces out of twenty paintings, and the cost would already exceed one million strings. What method do you think he used to extort so much capital?

  This bet is not good for publicizing, but a select few cannot be kept in the dark, such as the Zhao brothers who wouldn't hide it from Zhao Pu, or Zhao Kuangyi who wouldn't hide it from his confidant Liu Ye. In this regard, Zhao Kuangyi did better than Zhao Kuangyin."

  Zhao Kuangyin was strict with his meritorious officials who followed him, even to the point of being severe. Therefore, that night, the jade axe shadow appeared ostentatiously on the window... and afterwards handed over smoothly. However, Zhao Kuangyi was different, treating his trusted officials well from start to finish, including Zhang Ling and others.

  "It's really hard..."

  "It's not very difficult, almost impossible to achieve. I plan to let the twenty households of his fellow disciples tempt him, with each person getting two to three thousand yuan on average. This won't be easy, but this amount of money might not even be enough for him to build his own shop."

  "Your Highness is saying..."

  "But look at him, so confident, why? It's like when he first designed the crane, he had the money for one crane, but how could he have had the money for dozens of cranes? Yet it ended up being a success. He must have used some of his 'material science' in between. Still, it's not easy, do you see this house? Beautiful as it is, how was it built? And let me relocate the tomb for him too. If he succeeds, that's a beautiful story, but if he doesn't, the dead will rest in peace and I'll be the one to worry myself to death. Does your humble official still have any face left?"

  Yes.

  Moreover, he repeatedly mentioned that the use of iron in this bridge and these houses is strange. Why can they be built? It's likely related to the large amount of iron used. However, the imperial court doesn't have enough iron to spare, so how could they allocate 300,000 to 400,000 catties of iron to him every year? Without iron, this bridge and these houses still cannot be built. But he can come up with a way to increase iron production, and giving some of the surplus iron to him wouldn't be too excessive. Moreover, considering his contributions, even if he is promoted again, it wouldn't be considered too extravagant.

  Liu Yue understood, Song Jiu wanted to fulfill that bet, when the time came, he would have to hand over those silk fabrics. If he failed, it would be considered a failure. He had countless obstacles ahead of him, and this was just one hurdle. If he couldn't overcome this hurdle, there was no point in continuing. To be ruthless, he could be put to death for deceiving the king; to be lenient, it would be better to cancel the bet early on, so as not to become a laughing stock for centuries to come, and also avoid stirring up more trouble by relocating his tomb.

  "Your Highness is wise."

  "What wisdom! I am also ashamed. That strange man came to the capital, and at that time I was also serving as the governor of Kaifeng Prefecture. Not a single rumor was heard, and let this little guy leave in a daze. I don't know which country he comes from in the Western Regions, could it be that those countries are far more civilized than our China (China refers to the legitimate dynasty). Unfortunately, the world is not yet at peace, otherwise, I would send an envoy to the Western Regions to take a look."

  "The two great kings are not necessarily, I asked those who teach people to pick up the strings, they also said that there were many ancient and developed civilizations in the West, because of the endless war, many civilizations have been destroyed and lost."

  "Isn't China like that, if Zhuge Liang's wooden ox and flowing horse were there, it would be enough to deal with Shu...". Zhao Kuangyi changed his tone: "Of course, if he really achieved a miracle, although because of his cunning, it is difficult for him to enter the two courts, it doesn't matter to take an official position in the three departments and let him take charge."

  "Your Highness, it's really extreme. If he can succeed like this, then what will happen if we let him use the resources of a whole country? It just so happens that after more than ten years, he reached his thirties and became slightly more mature and stable. What a wonderful idea, Your Highness."

  The two of them couldn't help but burst out laughing. Being able to accumulate wealth isn't a skill, but this young man has learned from those rough men and talks about integrity and the code of the jianghu, although it's not great, this is what keeps him from oppressing the common people.

  ……

  "Dr. Yan, Dr. Zhang, why don't we just let the students have a break?" Song Jiu said. The weather was getting hotter and hotter, although the classroom was very large, but with more than 60 students packed into one room, it was even hotter. Standing on the blackboard, chalk had been filtered to remove large particles, but dust was unavoidable, and when wiped with a wooden eraser, it flew everywhere, making people's skin itch all over. Adding to that, they were all sweaty, their bodies sticky. The students were also using chalk, practicing calligraphy, but it was expensive. They didn't feel very comfortable either. As soon as the class was over, they would run to the two courtyards in front of and behind Song Jiu's house, fetch water from the well, and pour it all over their bodies. Or they would dunk their heads into the bucket and drink the cold well water in big gulps to cool down.

  In the past, I don't know how many students could take it down, but in this era, physical fitness is just good. Like salt, including the salt that Song Jiuhao ate, it can be said that they are all toxic salts, but somehow nothing happened. At most, people live to be seventy, which is rare since ancient times...

  So Song Jiu proposed a short leave of three Fu Tian, a holiday of twenty or so days.

  "No, Song Jiu. The imperial court originally planned to let them become artisans, teaching them for only a few months before drafting them all away. Seeing that you brought them to calculate and compete, winning again, and saying it would take another year, the imperial court did not express its stance but tacitly approved your one-year extension. Why was the time extended? It's because in the future, they won't just be artisans, but also a batch of people will be appointed as minor officials. Being an artisan is simple, you only need to recognize a few characters to become an artisan. But being a minor official is not that easy! In just one year, during which you often take a holiday, how many days are left? Now another three-furnace holiday is added, no, I won't allow it!" Zhang Doctor said.

  "It's not entirely a holiday, we've assigned some homework for them to review at home. If they encounter any difficulties, they can come to me and Zhu San for guidance. To be honest, I don't really want to take a break either, but this isn't the Imperial Academy, the house is big, airy, cool, and we can have ice drinks from time to time to refresh ourselves."

  "Song nine, what is meant by 'winter practice three nine, summer practice three fu'? I am an official appointed by the imperial court. These students are neither my relatives nor acquaintances. In the future, they will only be minor officials and won't be able to repay me. Why should I still come to teach? If a child is not taught, it is the fault of the father. Their families are all poor, their parents cannot read or write, so it's impossible for them to teach. Therefore, if they are not taught, it is our fault!" said Doctor Yan.

  "It's like that, why Liu Bei could get Bashu, people-oriented, education should also be people-oriented. If we boil it down like this, not just you, but we will all fall together. Who will be to blame at that time!"

  "What you're doing is cultivating their lazy spirit." Dr. Yan said loudly.

  The students were self-conscious, and Song Jiu started arguing with two doctoral students again. One by one, they didn't dare to make a sound, silently finishing the well water and running under the tree shade to cool off.

  Big sister and Yu Ping walked in together, big sister said: "Xiao Jiu, why are you arguing with the doctor again?"

  Song Jiu was very angry, he said reasonably, but it's not feasible in this era, and everyone will help the two doctors because of their reputation, age, and official position. He endured his temper and explained the process. Yu Ping smiled and said: "Why bother to argue? On one hand, it's hot, on the other hand, the students' classes can't be postponed, why not let everyone take a step back, start at 7 am and end at 11 am, and then assign some homework for them to study in the afternoon, wouldn't that solve all the conflicts?"

  "This will have to do...". Dr. Zhang was still not very willing, but there was no other solution, so they all had to give in a little.

  Dr. Yan was even more displeased, and with a flick of his sleeve, he strode away. Dr. Zhang followed after him, trying to persuade him, but their argument only seemed to escalate.

  Sister stared at Song Jiu and asked: "Little Nine, what's going on with Zheng Dian and Shuang Hong Bridge?"

  Song Jiuxing brought the scholars back and publicly told Zhao Kuangyi in the Kaifeng Prefecture Hall that he could also bring good fortune to his hometown and relatives along the river. The scholars were very moved, and when they returned, they spread the news, mentioning the Double Rainbow Bridge and Zhengdian affairs. Although the news was unclear, it quickly reached Song Jiuxing's older sister's ears. She recalled her brother's suspicious behavior during this time and thought that Yu Ping might be involved too. Without asking Song Jiuxing, she had someone summon Yu Ping to interrogate him first. As Song Jiuxing's older sister, who was also like a mother to him, Yu Ping couldn't help but confess. When the older sister asked, Yu Ping revealed that Song Jiuxing planned to open Zhengdian.

  It's not called doing business, it's just called doing business, and it's also a legitimate business. But how much money does it take for a legitimate store to go from nothing to something? Then ask Shuanghong Bridge, Shuanghong Bridge's Hua Yuting knows, but doesn't know if she has a relationship with Song Jiu.

  Regardless of whether there was a relationship or not, Big Sister became anxious and brought Yu Ping to her maternal home to interrogate Song Jiu.

  Song Jiu's greatest fear was that his sister would worry, and after listening to her scolding, he thought for a moment before saying: "Sister, I have met the Emperor, we really did drink tea and talk together."

  "I know, but you can't be foolish."

  "It's not that, it's also the emperor's intention. The Bian River is becoming more and more important, while the riverbank on the other side is desolate. The emperor wants to renovate it, seeing that I have some knowledge of material science and arithmetic skills, so he granted me an official position and entrusted me with the management of the riverbank, including the future main store, academy, bridge, and other things. Don't worry about it."

  "Is it His Majesty who ordered you to build this?"

  "The Emperor allows me to build them." This sounds different, but my sister didn't notice. If the Emperor wants to build, then so be it, what's the harm in building ten bridges?

  "Will you make it?"

  "Don't worry, sister. When the time comes, there will be workers to help out. I'll just give some directions and that's it. Do you think I need to do it myself?"

  "It's also your fault, why didn't you say it earlier, I've been worried sick."

  "That's still in the design stage, it's too early to say, who knows if there will be changes in the future, why bother saying it out loud." Song Jiu brushed off his older sister, but Yu Ping stayed behind, her beautiful big eyes shining as she looked at Song Jiu and said: "Ninth Brother, you're lying!"

  PS: In the fifth year of Emperor Huizong's reign, the Song Dynasty spent six years building the Wan'an Bridge, a sea-crossing bridge that was 834 meters long and 7 meters wide. The construction cost was 14,000 guan, with labor provided by civilians, and even the stones were not counted as part of the cost. The actual cost would have been over 70,000 guan. The Hongqiao Bridge is slightly wider than this one, but the total length of both bridges combined is only about one-fifteenth of the Wan'an Bridge's length, with a similar level of difficulty. The consumption index is three to two, so in the future, 70,000 would be equivalent to over 40,000 today. However, if large amounts of steel were used, the cost would increase by more than two or three times, making it around 10,000 to 15,000 guan. If the Song Dynasty provided partial support, the cost could decrease slightly.

  In the third year of Emperor Xianzong's reign, a wealthy merchant from Songzhou named Cao Cheng donated 3,000 guan and also contributed several thousand volumes of his personal book collection. He built over 150 rooms to establish the Longyang Academy. Initially, it was just called a "book house," but later, with continuous investment from the imperial court and the contribution of many more books, it developed into one of the four major academies that produced Fan Zhongyan. Building an academy like this would cost around 20,000 guan today, including preparing several thousand volumes of valuable books. If the imperial court provided support, even just supporting the book collection, the cost could decrease by nearly half.

  In the capital city, except for later grand mansions built by Zhao Pu and Cai Jing, top-level officials' residences typically occupied 20 to 30 mu (about 1/6 of an acre) of land and cost around 5,000 to 10,000 guan. After Lu Mengzheng passed away, his house was sold for 5,000 guan after years of disrepair. This means that in the best location in the capital city during the early Song Dynasty, a nearly two-acre plot of land with over 7,000 square meters of building space, including gardens, pavilions, and other luxurious features, would cost only around six or seven million RMB (about one million USD), which is very cheap! The residence of Song Jiuzhang would be equivalent to twice the land area and three times the building area, with even more luxurious decorations, costing around 50,000 guan. This is a terrifying number for Song Jiuzhang today.