Chapter 219 That is the sound of the beginning of the tide of the times
In the bicycle, Mei Juncang asked Qingkong Gui about the legal practice questions that he had accumulated recently, and Qingkong Gui answered them seriously. The more he answered, the more he was sure that Mei Juncang was a good seedling for their legal practice.

Zhou Tieyi also listened quietly, taking a sip of sour plum juice from time to time.

Time passed quickly, the car went down Yujing Mountain and arrived at Zhuque City. As more and more people came around, the car slowed down. Just when the car stopped at a congested intersection, suddenly a childish boy's shout was heard.

"Extra edition, Extra edition, today's Tianjing News, Censor Xu Dingsheng is still strong and vigorous, fighting eight women at night! Five cents for one copy, you can't afford to suffer a loss, you can't afford to be fooled!"

……

Qingkong Gui was happily giving a lecture, but when he heard the voice, he immediately frowned and looked at Zhou Tieyi, "Is this what you came up with?"

Zhou Tieyi smiled and didn't answer.

Qingkong Gui stopped teaching, opened the curtains, and saw a little boy, about seven or eight years old, carrying a stack of newspapers in a cloth bag. When the horse-drawn carriage stopped, he shouted loudly to sell them.

Because the content was so explosive, many people in the carriage would stick their heads out and ask for a copy of today's "Tianjing Daily" when they heard it.

The little boy saw Qingkong Gui sticking his head out and thought that Qingkong Gui also wanted a newspaper, so he immediately stepped forward excitedly and said, "Sir, do you want a newspaper too?"

Qingkong Gui took a quick look at the boy's clothes. He was from a poor family... He looked at Zhou Tieyi in the car with a complicated expression and asked, "Do you have any copper coins?"

Of course Zhou Tieyi brought it, and he even chose this road today specifically for Si Lu to see!

He took out ten copper coins from his pocket and handed them to the child outside the window with a smile, "A newspaper, and the remaining five copper coins are rewards, you did a good job."

After receiving the five-cent reward, the little boy immediately smiled and said, "Good luck to you, sir!"

So he shouted even harder.

Zhou Tieyi took out a new newspaper and handed it to Qingkonggui again.

Qingkong Gui took the newspaper and asked seriously, "Do you know that this is damaging the dignity of the court?"

The Legalists are proficient in the three ways of magic and power, and their fifth level of "establishing authority" makes them naturally stand on the side of the ruling class. So even though they know that this is a struggle between Zhou Tieyi and Confucianism, and even though they know that Confucianism and even the literati have done wrong in this round, in order to maintain the dignity of the court, Qingkong Gui still needs to talk to Zhou Tieyi alone to stop this situation from developing.

Zhou Tieyi smiled and said, "I thought Lord Si Lu would ask this kid how much money he can earn from selling a newspaper, and whether the money he earns is enough for him to save for school admission?"

"Sure enough, the benefit of the common people is insignificant compared to the reputation of the great men."

Qingkong Gui frowned, "You are stealing the name and the reality. Even if you don't make such exaggerated remarks, your Tianjing Newspaper will still sell well, and these kids will still be able to make a profit!"

"I'm saying that you've expanded the factional strife and damaged the reputation of the court!"

Finally, he looked at Zhou Tieyi and said, "The Emperor will not allow you to do this a second time!"

Zhou Tieyi’s greatest reliance now is the Emperor of Daxia, and the one who cares most about the face of the court is not the Minister of Civil Affairs Dong Xingshu, but the current Emperor.

Even though he knew that Zhou Tieyi did this to seize the Confucian discourse power, after this newspaper entered the palace today, the emperor would definitely have someone warn Zhou Tieyi!

Zhou Tieyi sighed in his heart. Of course he understood this principle. This kind of thing could only happen once and not twice. The more powerful the Tianjing News was as a weapon of public opinion, the more likely it was that the Emperor of Daxia would take action personally.

I am now taking advantage of the fact that they are limited by the times and have slow reactions, so I am acting quickly. In just the fifth phase, the fire has spread to the Ministry of Words, and I have quickly seized a lot of political benefits. Now it is time to think about a way out.

At least we have to make His Majesty the Great Xia feel that he is still under control.

It's not easy to be a jester.

Zhou Tieyi did not answer Qingkonggui's words, but drank the sour plum juice with a smile. Qingkonggui probably guessed that Zhou Tieyi had a solution.

He sighed in his heart, this is truly a plan that leaves nothing to chance.

After passing the congested road section, the bicycle briskly left the city and arrived at the Huwei Soldiers' Quarters at the foot of Fuyao Mountain.

Here, Qingkong Gui saw another scene. Young men in ordinary clothes entered the military camp one after another with smiles on their faces.

He thought briefly about what Zhou Tieyi had done. In addition to the 300 people he recruited initially, he published new recruitment information in the Tianjing News.

It is indeed a move to help the people. If this railway chamber of commerce can be carried out, I should indeed give credit to Zhou Tieyi. I just don't know how great the credit will be.

Qingkong Gui asked again, "Will you recruit all these young men?"

Zhou Tieyi looked at me with an expression that said, "You really think highly of me." "Why would you ask such an unwise question?"

Qingkong Gui glared at Zhou Tieyi unhappily. In his heart, he really elevated Zhou Tieyi infinitely. He even felt that things that were impossible for others were natural for Zhou Tieyi to happen.

Zhou Tieyi explained seriously, "You have to eat one bite at a time. The next plan of the Railway Chamber of Commerce is definitely to provide decent jobs for at least 100,000 people in the world, corresponding jobs for millions of people, and convenience for tens of millions of people. But not now. What we need now are elite backbones to build the framework and make the whole system run efficiently and reasonably. So we need to screen them. Among these young people, probably one-tenth or twelve can be admitted. I will also try my best to let the Huwei Bingfang Steel Plant include the rest, as long as they are willing to work hard." Qingkong Gui was still thinking about what Zhou Tieyi had just said, wondering if he was too demented.

But Zhou Tieyi changed the subject and presented a scene that he could not imagine even if he had dementia!
Provide decent jobs for hundreds of thousands of people, provide corresponding jobs for millions of people, and provide convenience for tens of millions of people!

Qingkong Gui did not laugh at Zhou Tieyi's wild ideas, because he had a hunch that the results Zhou Tieyi showed him this time would allow him to see the foundation.

He was absolutely sure of that!
After pondering for a moment, Qingkong Gui stared into Zhou Tieyi's eyes seriously and asked, "You want to be a saint."

He used declarative sentences.

Zhou Tieyi smiled but said nothing. The car just stopped in front of the compound of the Railway Chamber of Commerce. Zhou Tieyi opened the door and said to Qingkong Gui, "Si Lu, please."

This time he did not wait for Qingkong Gui to get off the car, but got off first.

Qingkong Gui sat for a few breaths, looking at Zhou Tieyi's back, and suddenly thought, who was Zhou Tieyi talking to when he said "I dare not be the first in the world"?
He also thought of the emperor in the palace who was devoted to practicing Taoism and wanted to become a saint, and of Dong Xingshu, his colleague for many years who was determined to cultivate a saint.

For a moment, he didn't even know whether he should tell Dong Xingshu about his inference, His Majesty said.

If I said it, what evidence would I have to prove it?
Moreover, will His Majesty kill this matter that benefits the country and the people?
Qingkong Gui smiled and said to Mei Juncang, who was still sitting with him and was still humble and polite, "This kid is determined to be my teacher today and come to test my Taoism!"

Mei Juncang bowed and replied, "You are the lawyer of the Legalist family. You naturally have a bottom line in your heart. Who can test you?"

Qingkong Gui sighed, "It's not easy to be a minister, it's not easy to be an official, but everything in this world is easy, so you need a bottom line in your heart. You can understand this, and you have won the god of the 'rules' of my Legalist school. He taught you well, so you can be my teacher."

After saying that, he got out of the car with some anticipation, and Mei Juncang followed closely behind him.

In the open space in front of the courtyard, the young men who had been trained for more than a month were full of energy and vigor. Even Wang Mingyi felt that he had learned a lot.

Early this morning, the manager of the Railway Chamber of Commerce notified them that an important person was coming and that they would begin further assessments of them to select outstanding backbone personnel. This made the young people very excited.

When everyone saw Zhou Tieyi getting off the car in a dark red official uniform, they thought the big shot was Zhou Tieyi.

But when they saw an old man in a purple robe and with an elegant appearance following closely behind, although everyone could not recognize who the old man was, the common people still knew the difference between red and purple.

When Hao Ren, the chief steward of the Railway Chamber of Commerce, saw that Zhou Tieyi had actually invited Si Lu, a big shot, to come over, he hurriedly brought Wu Xun Danku and the merchants forward.

"Meet Si Lu."

"Meet Inspector Zhou."

Qingkong Gui waved his hand kindly, "Don't be so reserved, everyone. I came here today at the request of this kid to see the results he mentioned."

Although Qingkong Gui called Zhou Tieyi "this kid", everyone could hear the intimacy in his words.

This is a good thing. At least we know that Si Lu is not here to cause trouble today.

But businessmen like Qian Guangyun, the head of the Southeast Chamber of Commerce, were confused.

In the court, isn’t Zhou Tieyi chasing after Si Min and Si Luyao?
In particular, everyone has read this morning's "Tianjing News", and everyone has heard about what happened outside Baiyu Square this morning. It is no exaggeration to say that the relationship has fallen out.

But why did Si Lu get out of the car with a very friendly look on his face?

Is it true that Si Lu is a tolerant prime minister, or did Zhou Tieyi completely change Si Lu's attitude in just half an hour?

If it is the latter, then Zhou Tieyi's image in everyone's mind will be elevated to a higher level.

It's just like that, the world is changing.

Zhou Tieyi looked at his second uncle Gongshu Sheng and said, "Manager Gongshu, please tell Si Lu about the steam printing press."

Gongshu Sheng was wearing formal clothes and still had a mask on. He did not take it off even when facing Si Lu. He raised his mechanical hands slightly, and two huge mechanical creations fell into the open ground in the courtyard warehouse.

One fell in the middle of the young men, and the other fell in front of Qingkong Gui and everyone else.

Seeing the mechanical creation in front of him, even though Qingkong Gui didn't know what it was used for, the unspeakable premonition in his heart became stronger and stronger.

Gongshu Sheng didn't waste any time. He adjusted the machine very quickly, poured water into the boiler, added charcoal into the coal stove, and then ignited it.

Crimson flames bloomed in the darkness. After a moment, the water boiled. The humming sound of steam drove the gears to engage and rotate, which was even more shocking to Qingkonggui's ears. The rumbling sound was like thunder, coming from far away and getting closer. He finally understood what the unspeakable premonition in his heart was. It was the sound of the beginning of the tide of the times.

(End of this chapter)