Dragon Blood Horse
Is he really going to join the River Conservancy Office office?
It's still standing in the county? What I wish for comes true!
Liang Qu knelt on one knee, his face beaming with joy.
The whole thing is like someone lying at home, eating, drinking, and sleeping, when the high-welfare, slacking-off job they've been longing for suddenly falls into their lap.
Even more outrageous is that after observing the situation, the higher-ups decided to designate the surrounding area as a new development zone and open a branch office near your home, so you can start working nearby.
We've prepared transportation for your commute – Dragon Blood Warhorse from Da Shun!
Sold in many countries, a well-known trademark, accelerates to 100 km/h while consuming only a handful of fodder! After the envoy finished reading, he closed the scroll and handed it out.
Yang Dongxiong stood up, received the Imperial Decree with both hands, bowed, and stepped back.
"Congratulations, Lord Yang Lord Yang!"
The envoy bowed and offered his congratulations, and the solemn atmosphere suddenly became harmonious.
Yang Dongxiong carefully put away the Imperial Decree and said with a smile, "The envoy must be tired from his journey. I have already had a meal prepared. Why don't you come inside and rest?"
It wasn't that Yang Dongxiong had extraordinary connections and knew the whereabouts of the messenger carrying the Imperial Decree perfectly.
Yesterday, the delegation sent one person on horseback to notify the Yang Residence in advance, so as to prevent the recipient of the imperial decree from being disrespectful in front of the emperor.
After entering Ping Yang County, the delegation also took a short rest to ensure they arrived on time.
It's all standard practice.
Faced with Master Yang's invitation, the envoy politely declined, but after three refusals, he finally agreed and led everyone into Yang Residence.
Liang Qu and his fellow disciples stepped aside and lined both sides to welcome them.
After the envoy and his entourage had all entered, Xiang ChangSong nudged Liang Qu with his elbow and asked, "What is the Pinyin Method? I've never heard you mention it before?"
Everyone was rewarded with official positions and money for their meritorious service in resisting the Ghost Mother Sect.
Why is there an extra Pinyin Method here? A Dragon Blood Warhorse? The official position given is even better.
Making a fortune behind your brothers' backs? The Dragon Blood Warhorse is a special breed of iconic horses specially bred by the Da Shun, divided into six grades based on performance.
Although it is unknown what grade of horse it is, even the lowest grade six Dragon Blood Warhorse is several times better than an ordinary steed! The distance from Yi Xing City to Ping Yang Town is sixteen miles, and a Dragon Blood Horse can run two round trips in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn without resting.
Ordinary people have no access to Dragon Blood Horse; they are usually only supplied to serving officials and are all taken back after retirement.
If you can continue to hold onto it after retirement, that's a special reward.
Liang Qu coughed and said, "It's just a method of learning characters. It's better than the Fanqie Method and it makes learning characters faster. I reported it to the headmaster of the academy, hoping to win some kind of invention award."
Everyone present was literate and knew what the Fanqie Method was, which only increased their confusion.
How can something that our ancestors have been using for generations be innovated?
Xiang ChangSong pressed further. "Is it better than the Fanqie Method? How much better?"
"Um," Liang Qu scratched his temple, "Reading four or five times faster?"
"???"
What method can make someone learn to read and write four or five times faster?
The senior students found it unbelievable.
Seeing that everyone was about to ask more questions, Liang Qu quickly interrupted, "No, no, the envoy is still waiting for us."
"Okay, let's go in first, we'll talk about this later."
After the Second Senior Brother, Yu Dun, spoke, the others stopped asking questions and followed him into the Yang Residence.
The remaining servants, leading the horses, followed at the back, carrying in the gifts and then leading the Dragon Blood Horse to the stable.
Liang Qu looked at the tall horse with envy, wanting to see his new ride up close, but it wasn't the right time, as he had to have dinner with the envoy first.
The area in front of the Yang Residence became empty as the townspeople who had come to watch the spectacle dispersed, talking about the magnificence of the angel's arrival.
Inside the hall, the eight fellow disciples took turns pouring wine for the envoy, who praised them all.
When it was Liang Qu's turn, the messenger grabbed his wrist and scrutinized him closely from head to toe.
"This must be Lord Yang's ninth disciple, right? He is truly as graceful as a willow in spring, as radiant as the morning glow! Truly extraordinary!"
Liang Qu, unaware of the messenger's true intentions, repeatedly praised him excessively.
"Not so." The envoy shook his head. "His Your Majesty praised your Pinyin Method highly. The Dragon Blood Horse is not the only reward. In a few months, the Pinyin Method will be fully implemented in the Imperial Capital Academy to verify its effectiveness, which will surely benefit the future."
"What exactly is this Pinyin Method?"
Yang Dongxiong became curious. What method could he use to obtain a Dragon Blood Horse? And this wasn't the full reward, just the beginning? At this point, Liang Qu quickly explained, drawing a few pinyin symbols on the spot for everyone to see.
The messenger added, "Compared to the common Fanqie Method, this method is four to five times faster to learn! One can learn to read within a year."
Yang Dongxiong raised an eyebrow slightly. "So many?"
The envoy nodded.
Lu Gang frowned and pondered, "Junior Brother's method only requires memorizing more than seventy pronunciations. Compared to the thousands of combinations of fanqie (a traditional Chinese method of indicating pronunciation), it is hundreds of times simpler in terms of pronunciation alone."
Xu Zishuai wondered, "Why didn't I think of this method when I was learning to write?"
"If my junior brother had come up with this method earlier, I wouldn't have had such a hard time learning to read."
The envoy laughed, "That's exactly why His Your Majesty praised it so highly. This move truly resonates with the Emperor's heart."
Upon hearing this, everyone admired him.
As the wine flowed and the night grew dark, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.
Several maids quietly brought in a few bronze lamps with animal heads and nine branches, illuminating the room brightly.
Finally, the messenger revealed two more important pieces of information.
"The County Government Office government team has been selected and is on its way. It will take more than half a month. The River Conservancy Office and the Demon Subduing Division will arrive a little faster, within ten days. The head of the River Conservancy Office Management Office is an old acquaintance of Lord Yang."
"Oh, an old acquaintance of mine?" Yang Dongxiong was slightly surprised. He was about to ask who it was when he saw the envoy shake his head and remain silent, keeping him in suspense.
Yang Dongxiong had no choice but to suppress his curiosity.
"In addition to that, there is another important matter. The grain supplies for the surrounding prefectures of Huaiyin Prefecture will be delivered tomorrow. At that time, Ping Yang County will be able to recruit more people. Lord Yang, you should pay close attention to this."
The current emperor said that if Ping Yang County develops well enough in the next few years and its population reaches 100,000 households, it might well be able to become Pingyang Prefecture.
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines; this was big news.
Examples of towns becoming counties or counties becoming prefectures are extremely rare, let alone towns becoming prefectures.
The opportunities within are countless.
"The imperial court is going to have a showdown with the Ghost Mother Sect," Liang Qu thought to himself.
This approach is similar to building formidable passes in strategically important border areas to defend against barbarians and protect the rear.
While not as exaggerated as a formidable pass rising from flat ground, it's about the same.
No wonder they specifically set up a River Conservancy Office and a Demon Subduing Division.
Ordinary county towns don't have these two institutions; only prefectures do.
Ping Yang County is now like a key area receiving support. It doesn't receive major assistance, and the imperial court doesn't have that much energy and financial resources, but it certainly receives a steady stream of smaller support. It's like a pig on the wind, attracting many ambitious people who seize the opportunity to leap into the rentier class.
After the messenger left, everyone was tipsy.
Liang Qu followed Yang Dongxiong to the stable.
The sound of dry grass crunching beneath my feet filled the air, and the faint smell of livestock drifted into my nostrils on the night breeze. Several servants held torches to provide light.
In the stable, all the horses instinctively avoided the four tall, large horses in the very center.
According to the messenger, all four horses were fifth-rank Dragon Blood Horse, and it didn't matter which one was given to Liang Qu and which three were given to Yang Dongxiong.
Yang Dongxiong let Liang Qu choose for himself.
"This..." Liang Qu scratched his head. "Master, please help me choose one. I know absolutely nothing about horses."
This is what happens when you advance too quickly; many supporting components can't keep up.
Hu Qi was able to teach other apprentices when he was at the third stage of the training, while Liang Qu was about to reach the third stage as well. However, Liang Qu's knowledge base was much smaller. He could teach Liang Qu, but it would certainly not be as detailed or comprehensive as Hu Qi's.
Yang Dongxiong smiled and shook his head, took a torch, and looked at each horse in front of the stable. He cracked his teeth, lifted his hoof, stroked the horse's mane, and felt the texture of the horse's muscles.
Finally, he led out the third chestnut horse from the left. "This one will do, a stallion. It'll be a bit more spirited, so you'll need to spend more time getting used to it."
Liang Qu was overjoyed. "Thank you Master, for choosing the horse!"
Even someone who knows nothing about horses can tell at a glance that this is an extremely rare and magnificent steed.
After accompanying the mission for over a month, its fur remained glossy and new, its eyes were bright and alert, and it showed no signs of fatigue.
Its crimson fur would surely dance like flames when it runs.
Although the other horses also didn't seem tired, they didn't feel as energetic as the one in front of them.
"It's nothing, but I must remind you that the saying 'a horse won't get fat without night grass' is not just a saying. You really have to get up at night to feed the horse, and you also have to know the ratio of feed, when to feed it, when not to feed it, whether it's four or five times a day. Do you know all that? When I was young, I rode Dragon Blood Horse. Although they weren't as delicate as ordinary horses, they still needed to be fed well. They had eggs and meat with every meal."
Raising horses is an extremely troublesome task, requiring attention to numerous details, including getting up at the exact time each night to feed them. This is not something an ordinary person can do; otherwise, even a slight loss of weight can result in a loss of tens of taels of silver.
Wealthy families often had dedicated horse grooms, and only trustworthy and hardworking people could take on such roles.
The Yang Residence had three grooms to ensure that the horses received meticulous care.
Liang Qu chuckled, "I know that, but my house in Yi Xing City isn't finished yet, and I don't have a stable to keep horses. I'll have to ask Master for help with the horses and feed them for a month or two."
"Hahaha." Yang Dongxiong laughed, "I knew you were a good kid. I'll raise you for two months. If you don't take him away by then, Marco will be mine."
"Thank you, Master!"