Chapter 273 Don’t Look at What You Say, Look at What You Do

Like a gentle breeze blowing on your face in the dark night.

The young man wrote a quatrain while boating on the lake, and all the people on the boat were speechless.

Zhou Tieyi was a little drunk and commented, "This ship is still not big enough, not fast enough. Oh, by the way... Minister Mo, didn't you Mo family say that our land is a planet?"

Mo Qu was still thinking about Zhou Tieyi's quatrain, thinking about the impact of the emergence of steamships on grain transport, on Daxia, and on the world. Suddenly Zhou Tieyi asked this question, and he subconsciously replied, "The land under our feet is indeed a planet."

Zhou Tieyi smiled and said, "Minister Mo, do you know what I was dreaming about just now?"

Zhou Tieyi did not keep the secret and said, "I was just thinking that we should build a steamship as big as a mountain in the future, and then carry the people of Daxia to open up a route that can break through the blockade of the Sea of ​​Blood and the Pool of Thunder to see the outside world..."

Break through the blockade of the sea of ​​blood and the pool of thunder?
When they heard Zhou Tieyi's dream, even though there were many third-rank big shots present, their thoughts paused for a moment, and they sighed in their hearts, saying that this was truly an ignorant dream.

If it were anyone else, this would be nothing but a pipe dream.

But when everyone's eyes fell on Zhou Tieyi, their thoughts stopped.

Zhou Tieyi continued, "There are still many areas that need to be improved on the steam engine. If we want to build a steamship as big as a hill, the use of inkstone on the steam engine is essential. As well as the runes of the Yin-Yang School, the weapons of the military school, etc., I would like to invite you to join this dream. In this process, all new technologies generated are completely open to the participating schools."

I don't know if it was because of the alcohol, but Zhou Tieyi's voice was passionate. "Everyone, I know you are worried about the impact on the orthodoxy, and worried that the results will be used to make wedding clothes for our Zhou family, but this can be completely determined through the legalists to set rules, witnessed by the Great Xia Emperor, and spread to the world to determine the rights and obligations of both parties."

He spread out his sleeves, and his vermilion official uniform looked like a blooming and burning flame in the night, contrasting with the red fire of the steam engine next to it. For a moment, the two were one.

"I want to truly see what the land beneath our feet looks like, and draw routes to the east, west, south, and north, so that our territory can extend from land to sea, and eventually reach every corner of this planet."

"What do you think of this dream? Can it suppress this galaxy?"

Zhou Tieyi let down his spread sleeves and pointed his palms toward the sparkling lake. The bright moon, stars and the ground lamps were reflected in front of everyone. Under the drive of the ship, they were slowly crushed and dyed into pieces of indescribable and incomprehensible brilliance, carrying everyone forward.

Mo Qu sighed and cupped his hands, saying, "This dream is so big that it can overshadow the stars. This half of a quatrain is also the best of our time."

······
Zhou Tieyi was willing to give up the authority of the steam engine. On the one hand, the participation of various schools of thought could allow the technology of the steam engine to advance rapidly. Combined with the cultivation methods of this world, it might really be possible to evolve a steam heyday that was different from the previous life.

On the other hand, it was because the Zhou family did not have the ability to fully control the steam engine.

If it was just collecting patent fees on trivial matters like steam printing presses, the Emperor of Daxia could turn a blind eye. However, when it came to canal transportation, textiles, mines, and even all aspects of Daxia, as long as the Emperor of Daxia was not in his right mind, he would not allow the Zhou family to completely control the power of steam engines.

Therefore, it would be safer for Gongshu Sheng to go to the front line to guard the border for Daxia at this time than to stay in this power center. As for other benefits, naturally it would be easier for Gongshu Sheng to negotiate with Zhou Tieyi, the favorite minister, to do so.

In the carriage, the drunkenness in Zhou Tieyi's eyes had completely disappeared. Today, he had reached a new cooperation with the bigwigs of the Mohist School, the Yin-Yang School, and the Taoist School, which meant that he could mobilize more resources.

Compared with trains, steam ships actually have more advantages in terms of capacity and price, and because there are ready-made waterways, they are also easier to use.

The only problem is that the grain transport system itself is an independent department, and the governor-general of the grain transport system is a powerful official of the second rank, who has always been a close confidant of the emperor and a member of the royal family.

Unlike the Railway Department he had imagined, it was built from scratch and it was easier to grasp power.

Zhou Tieyi thought about it and said softly, "Okay."

There are so many aspects of water transport that are affected, and I don't have that many people under me, so I really can't manage it all.

Tomorrow when I go to court, I can present the invention and concept of the steamship in the name of offering auspiciousness, and of course I will get some benefits.

This is also one fish with three dishes.

Zhou Tieyi was deep in thought. Chu Huanhuan, who was sitting opposite Zhou Tieyi, was still immersed in Zhou Tieyi's dream. Her bright eyes reflected the floor lights outside the car, just like the quiet waters of Xuanwu Lake. "Young man from the Zhou family, can we really take a boat and break through the blood sea and the thunder pool?"

Her voice was full of hope. Having traveled extensively with her grandfather over the years, she had heard many legends about the Sea of ​​Blood and the Pool of Thunder. She knew that it was the natural barrier between Daxia and the outside world, and was also the curse left to the world by the Nine Ancient Gods.

Many people have crossed the Blood Sea and the Thunder Pool, and some geniuses have even returned safely, bringing back many treasures.

The experiences of each of them have been passed down by countless novelists and have become heroes in the stories.

But there has never been a person like Zhou Tieyi today who dreams of building a ship as big as a mountain to carry ordinary people across the sea of ​​blood and the pool of thunder.

This is simply a hero among heroes!

This is a vision that even the hero in my dreams has never had!
Zhou Tieyi came back to his senses from his contemplation and answered proudly, "Of course, in the future we will not only cross the Sea of ​​Blood and the Pool of Thunder, we will also create mechanical creations that can fly higher and farther than Fei Peng, and see the real starry sky above the sky."

As he spoke, Zhou Tieyi pointed seriously at the starry sky outside the car window.

This was the future he had seen, so he believed in it immensely, with a bright, clear smile.

Chu Huanhuan was so fascinated by the scene for a moment.

When they arrived at Zhuque City and came to Qingluo Lane, which was the place Chu Huanhuan mentioned, Zhou Tieyi and Chu Huanhuan got out of the car. They walked side by side through the archway of Qingluo Lane. Suddenly, a pleasant gong sounded.

Suddenly, the neighbors around me disappeared, and the road under my feet became a series of stairs leading upwards.

Zhou Tieyi looked at the memorial archway supported by two stone pillars again. The three words "Qingluo Lane" in the middle had been replaced by the word "Seclusion".

The miscellaneous family is good at space magic, which is what my senior sister reminded me before. No wonder Chu Huanhuan said that she could sense it as soon as I arrived in Qingluo Lane.

Climbing up the stairs, we came to a platform. The sky above the platform reflected the real starry sky and bright moon, but the light coming in was brighter than outside, illuminating every blade of grass and tree around.

Chu Huanhuan proudly introduced, "This was built by one of our ancestors two hundred years ago. When we come to Tianjing, we can stay here. That ancestor said, 'The small secluded one should hide in the forest, and the great secluded one should hide in the city.'"

Zhou Tieyi looked towards the platform and saw that there were indeed seventeen or eighteen small courtyards, many of which had lights on.

Chu Huanhuan took Zhou Tieyi to one of the courtyards. Chu Wensheng naturally sensed when Zhou Tieyi entered seclusion. He stood at the door waiting, still wearing shabby clothes, with a red nose and red cheeks, but this time the drunkenness on his face had dissipated, and he had the solemnity of a third-rank master.

Zhou Tieyi was the first to greet him, "You are so unkind that you even left your granddaughter in the workshop. Aren't you afraid that she will be favored by some poor boy and give you a headache?"

Facing Zhou Tieyi's teasing words, Chu Wensheng glanced at his granddaughter and said affirmatively, "I'm not afraid of that, but if she just likes the poor boy, it's also a good thing."

Chu Huanhuan took two or three steps to her grandfather, took his arm, and said coquettishly, "Grandpa, what are you talking about?"

Chu Wensheng pulled his arm away from his granddaughter, then patted her on the back and said, "Guests are coming, but you don't even bother to prepare tea. I don't think you'll ever get married if you keep doing this."

Chu Huanhuan was teased by her grandfather today, and she stole a glance at Zhou Tieyi, stamped her feet, and went into the house to prepare tea. Chu Wensheng led Zhou Tieyi to the stone table under the moon, and sighed, "It's not my choice."

Zhou Tieyi's smile faded, "What do you mean by that?"

Chu Wensheng reached out and took out a few newspapers, placed them in front of the two people, and said, "Think about it, why did I even take my beloved granddaughter into account, and why was I unwilling to go to the God-Slaying Division with other families to talk to you about publishing a newspaper?"

If Chu Wensheng was a person who was greedy for bargains, he would definitely say that the other party was reluctant to part with the third-grade spiritual object.

But the fact is that Chu Wensheng was able to come to Tianjing when the Great Xia Saint was about to practice Taoism, and even took the risk to test it out in person. It can be seen that although this old man is in the world, his heart is in the world.

It was not until now that I finally understood how great an impact the Great Xia Emperor's practice of Taoism had on the entire world, why Mei Qingchen had tried so hard to stop him, and why he insisted that he did not understand.

Zhou Tieyi thought for a moment and answered, "Is it related to the time when the Za family was driven out of the court?"

When I was in the Fish and Dragon Society, my senior sister told me about the ideas of the Miscellaneous School, especially the idea of ​​"the king comes from the people", which was the main reason why the Miscellaneous School was not taken seriously in the government.

If the world had not seen the emergence of Taoist priests, Buddhas, and Confucian saints, allowing the various schools of thought to have their own independence relative to imperial power, the eclectic school's treasonous remarks might have led to more than just being driven out of the temple.

"Correct."

Chu Wensheng said affirmatively, and then he picked up the newspaper in front of him with emotion, "I originally thought that I would not have any intersection with you in the future, but the world is unpredictable, and this intersection has occurred from the beginning, which actually foreshadows the beginning of change. But I still wanted to use stillness to control movement, which actually violates my miscellaneous family's principle of nourishing both movement and stillness."

His sigh contained a lot of meaning, some of which he could not even express.

For example, his granddaughter's special fate enables her to find a person with great luck. At the beginning, Dai Cunfu became involved with Zhou Tieyi based on his granddaughter's fate.

Generally speaking, the special fate of his granddaughter is collectively known as the Phoenix Fate.

It doesn't mean that every woman with this fate will become a queen, but this fate is for people who can rely on good fortune. As the saying goes, the phoenix never lands in a place without treasure.

And his granddaughter not only has the fate of a phoenix, but also, because of him, has obtained a Taoist heritage and inherited the luck of the Miscellaneous School. So when she first became acquainted with Zhou Tieyi and his granddaughter took the initiative to approach him, he should have understood that this was definitely not just a love between a man and a woman.

By the time Zhou Tieyi started the newspaper, Chu Wensheng had fully realized what this meant to the eclectic group.

Even his understanding of newspapers is better than others.

The power of the king falls to the people.

Therefore, he must not act rashly. Zajia wants to get access to newspapers. Once he writes a few articles in them saying "the king comes from the people", it will be bad for both Zhou Tieyi and Zajia.

However, completely giving up the power of the newspaper would cause the opportunity that the editor had waited for so hard to slip away.

So Chu Wensheng was caught in a dilemma. He could only ask his granddaughter to lure Zhou Tieyi to discuss the matter alone.

Zhou Tieyi saw Chu Wensheng's troubled face and immediately understood what he was worried about. He spread his hands and said, "There is no solution to this problem."

If he didn't know Chu Wensheng and Chu Huanhuan, he might have happily set a trap and let the Miscellaneous School and the Mohist School go together to anger Sheng Yan, so as to help him complete the newspaper's next plan and seize the power of the newspaper.

But now the Mohists have taken the bait, and it doesn’t matter whether the Miscellaneous Schools take the bait or not.

Chu Wensheng asked with some hope, "Even you can't do anything?"

At this time, Chu Huanhuan had also made tea, and walked out of the house with a plate of dried fruits. She placed the tea and dried fruits in front of the two of them, and sat obediently next to Chu Wensheng.

Zhou Tieyi picked up a walnut and said, "Your family's 'The King is from the People' is too rebellious. The emperor can tolerate the Mohist family, but he definitely can't tolerate your family. What's more, you are not even a first-rank official, and you have no room for bargaining with the emperor. It can be seen from the fact that you have no one in the court."

Zhou Tieyi spoke frankly, Chu Wensheng remained silent, and Chu Huanhuan sighed softly.

The king comes from the people.

In my world, there was a great figure who was a generalist and had done this before.

Prime Minister’s father, Lu Buwei.

Let’s not discuss whether the unofficial history that Qin Shihuang was the son of Lu Buwei is reliable.

The term "Xiangfu" is not something that ordinary people can use.

In the thousands of years of Chinese history, there are only a few prime ministers who can be ranked among the top.

Jiang Ziya, Yi Yin, Lu Buwei, Huo Guang, Zhuge Liang.

They were prime ministers who truly had the ability to influence the monarchy and even depose and enthrone kings.

In Zhou Tieyi's view, Lü Buwei, as a master of eclectic schools of thought, proposed that the monarch comes from the people, and the core focus was to limit the monarch's power rather than expand the rights of the people. Expanding the rights of the people was only an extension of limiting the monarch's power.

Because expanding grassroots civil rights is simply unrealistic in a feudal society with underdeveloped productivity.

For example, voting in an election is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and is full of insider trading, even in modern times.

In ancient times, that would have been a fantasy.

Therefore, the core of the Miscellaneous School's idea that the monarch is based on the people should be "limiting the monarch's power and expanding the prime minister's power". This has actual operational value rather than being a mere slogan.

Whether it was the era of Lu Buwei or the earlier Spring and Autumn Period, the main body of the "people" at that time was still the aristocratic class, including the founder of the Eclectic School itself, including Lu Buwei. Being able to read in that era was basically the same as the "citizens" of Athens, which is very different from the common people in modern concepts.

But we have to admit that in this process, whether or not it was for the purpose of perfecting their own theoretical foundation, the eclectic school objectively promoted the development of the people-oriented thought.

Chu Wentian thought about it seriously and said, "We were not thoughtful enough this time. We should not get involved in this newspaper matter."

Zhou Tieyi crushed the walnut to reveal the flesh inside, and shook his hand instead, "In fact, you have already found the direction, but you just can't see it clearly."

Chu Wentian was puzzled.

Zhou Tieyi pointed at Chu Huanhuan next to him and sighed, "Don't look at what the various philosophers say, look at what they do. The emperor is from the people, and she has already participated in it. After all, the newspaper is just a little louder."

(End of this chapter)