Chapter 845: Zhu Cunji's Proposal
Wu Shen was headed to Taiyuan, Shanxi, to assume his new position, and his journey would conveniently take him past Gao Family Village.
Before the Heavenly Lord's arrival, people traveling from Shaanxi to Shanxi typically took the Tongguan Pass route, crossing the Yellow River at the Fenglingdu Ferry, and then proceeding through Puzhou and Pingyang Prefecture to reach Taiyuan.
With the Heavenly Lord's advent, however, the journey was transformed.
Now, one could board a train at Xi'an East Station, and with a chugging roar, arrive directly in Hejin County, Shanxi. This new route was the same one used by Gao Family Village's logistics teams to transport supplies to Datong Prefecture.
Wu Shen gathered his belongings, accompanied by a considerable retinue of household guards and servants, and arrived at Xi'an East Station to await the train.
The train wouldn't arrive for another two incense sticks' time, but Wu Shen had arrived well in advance; he certainly didn't want to miss his boarding time.
Even for a high-ranking imperial official, the train waited for no one.
Just a few days prior, an official had missed his train's boarding time and, in a fit of rage at the station, tried to use his official authority to force the train doors open.
What happened next...
The official was tortured to utter misery, his pathetic plight witnessed by all, leaving him completely humiliated.
His rivals in officialdom, who always relished the chance to "beat a dog in the water," saw that he had fallen out of the Heavenly Lord's favor and wasted no time in moving against him.
The civil officials launched impeachment memorials one after another!
Some were meticulous, digging up dirt on the official to ensure their impeachment charges were well-supported, targeted, and effective.
But others, utterly unscrupulous, simply made baseless accusations. Some impeached him for a fondness for male beauty, others for forcibly taking old women as concubines. The Chongzhen Emperor, Zhu Youjian, felt his scalp tingle, unable to bear looking at the reports, his mood plunging as if on a free-fall ride.
Soon enough, the official was stripped of his office.
From then on, no one dared to cause trouble in public facilities, relying on their special status.
While waiting for the train, Wu Shen flipped through a book titled "Management Studies." He was somewhat bewildered by its contents; many of the "terms from the immortal realm" were beyond his full grasp. Yet, he stubbornly plowed through it, half-guessing and half-inferring. After all, it was a Heavenly Book, and it was normal for mortals not to fully comprehend everything. But even grasping a tiny bit from a Heavenly Book was enough to transform a mortal's life.
He was still furrowing his brow in concentration when someone settled down beside him.
A thought sparked in Wu Shen's mind: "Hmm? Someone sat next to me, and my household guards didn't even react?"
He turned his head and saw that it was the Prince of Qin's heir, Zhu Cunji.
Wu Shen put down his book. "Your Highness, you can't leave Xi'an. What are you doing at the train station?"
Zhu Cunji replied, "Of course, I came specifically for you, Master Wu Shen, the Governor of Shanxi."
He deliberately emphasized the words "Governor of Shanxi," his mocking tone practically begging for a punch.
Wu Shen retorted, "What? Does my going to Shanxi as governor offend you? Wouldn't Your Highness be happier if I were further away? You finally won't have to see my face anymore."
Zhu Cunji exclaimed, "Of course, I'm absolutely delighted!"
With that, he suddenly changed his tone, dropping his frivolous, provocative expression for a serious one. "Master Wu, you saw the news that day, didn't you? When Gao Family Village's militia was dispatched to reinforce the Datong border garrison, their logistics teams, while still in Shaanxi, rode trains, singing songs, delivering supplies quickly and steadily. But the moment they entered Shanxi, they had to switch to boats and horse-drawn carriages—not only was it slow, but they were also vulnerable to bandit attacks. Doesn't that bother you?"
Wu Shen uttered a sound of surprise. "Indeed," he conceded. "That makes sense. It truly is a problem. I'll have to contend with that same annoying sequence of switching between train, boat, and carriage myself when I take up my post in Taiyuan."
Zhu Cunji continued, "As you know, I, this Prince, have been building the Xi'an-Yan'an Railway. Hmph! You civil officials may look down on me, but what I'm doing is a matter of national importance. In the future, if the Mongols from the Hetao Area invade northern Shaanxi again, this Prince's great train, with a rumbling roar, can transport soldiers and supplies continuously to Yan'an. After you become Governor of Shanxi, shouldn't you follow this Prince's example? At least build a railway to a border garrison."
Wu Shen suddenly clasped his hands in a formal bow and stooped deeply before Zhu Cunji. "Your Highness," he declared, "Wu Shen is truly instructed."
"Whoa!" Zhu Cunji leaped backward a great distance. "Don't bow! You civil officials never give this Prince a good look, and now, suddenly like this... I'm feeling immense pressure!"
Zhu Cunji, being the type of person who had always been a profligate young master, had never done a good deed in his life, but a basketful of bad ones. He had never once experienced sincere gratitude from anyone.
Wu Shen's deep bow truly dumbfounded him; he simply didn't know how to react.
He could only fling his hands and walk away, grumbling as he went, "This isn't fun at all! I hate you! Don't ever come back to Xi'an; just seeing you annoys me."
"Choo-choo!"
The mighty train pulled into the station...
Wu Shen glanced at Zhu Cunji's retreating back, then gathered his household guards and boarded the train.
Shortly after, the mighty train brought him to Gao Family Village.
This was a major stop, and the train would remain there for thirty minutes.
Wu Shen disembarked and walked towards Gao Family Village's Thirty-Two Middle School...
As he approached Shi Kefa's classroom, he happened upon the ten-minute break. Shi Kefa, holding a mathematics textbook filled with annotations, emerged from the classroom and walked straight into Wu Shen.
"Ah, Brother Wu!" Shi Kefa exclaimed. "I hear you've been promoted to Governor of Shanxi. That's truly wonderful news!"
Wu Shen replied, "I'm just about to head to Shanxi to take up my post. This is my last chance to see you, Brother Shi. Once we're separated by distance, it will be difficult to meet again."
Having served as officials in Shaanxi together for many years, their friendship ran deep. Now, facing separation, they couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
Wu Shen asked, "Brother Shi, how is your study progress coming along? Do you think one day I might see you come to Shanxi and assist me?"
Shi Kefa brightened. "I've already reached the second year of middle school studies. I plan to finish middle school here, and then delve a bit into high school courses. By then, I should be able to go out and do something truly practical."
At this point, Shi Kefa grew a little excited. "The Heavenly Book truly lives up to its name! It explains, with utter clarity, the principles governing the operation of all things in this world. I now understand why the sky is blue, how clouds are formed, why temperatures in basins are often warmer... I've learned about force and electricity... The Heavenly Book even describes Westerners and how their great ocean ships travel thousands of miles to reach our shores. Seven Continents, Four Oceans... how vast the world is! My Great Ming is not the center of the world; it is merely a single piece on a spherical surface."
He grew more animated as he spoke. "All the things in Gao Family Village that I couldn't understand before, slowly, I can comprehend them all now!"
Wu Shen was delighted. "Then congratulations indeed! I look forward to Brother Shi emerging to serve soon."
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