……
Hearing such a voice, Wang Shouye was left speechless.
Turning around, as expected, he saw Jiang Qingxue dressed in a mysterious guard's attire. She was leaning against the courtyard wall, her eyes sparkling as she spoke with a charming and seductive deanor.
The Red Enchantress Demon Envoy had now officially changed her na to "Jiang Qingxue." Given the many uncertainties of this trip to Northern Zhou, Wang Shouzhe naturally felt uneasy, so he specifically sent Jiang Qingxue, a Divine Realm guard, to accompany and protect them.
However, Jiang Qingxue's identity had not yet been made public, so she could only follow in secret.
"Ahem~" Wang Shouye said solemnly, "Fairy Jiang, please be mindful of your identity when you speak. You have now left the Demon Dynasty and beco a venerated mber of our Wang's Clan. Your every word and action represent the face of our clan."
"Hmph~" Jiang Qingxue rolled her eyes, "The n of your Wang's Clan are all so dull, serious, and rigid. That girl willingly chose to be a servant; we're not forcing her."
"Fairy Jiang, you are mistaken," Wang Shouye said earnestly. "I, Wang Shouye, am the seventh in the 'Shou' generation, an elder and ancestor in the eyes of countless children in the family. Any of my actions could beco a model for the children to emulate. If I take soone as a servant today, perhaps one day a child might use family status and power to secretly coerce others."
"Fairy Jiang says our clan's n are rigid and dull because we all understand one principle: if we behave frivolously and recklessly, it affects not only our own reputation. At worst, it can ruin the family style and discipline; at best, it can destroy the family's foundation. My fourth brother has worked so hard to develop the family to where it is today; it's not easy. As his younger brother, if I can't help much, I certainly won't drag him down."
"Alright, alright, I just casually ntioned it, and you lectured ," Jiang Qingxue was left speechless, feeling quite frustrated. "I suspect Master Wang Shouzhe deliberately sent to be your guard so you could reform my moral views."
"That makes sense," Wang Shouye thoughtfully replied. "During this ti together, I should have a good talk with you about life... After all, Jiang Venerable has lived in the Demon Dynasty for too long, and so of her thought habits are incompatible with our Great Qian, which isn't good."
"......"
Jiang Qingxue's heart was instantly filled with frustration.
Oh my, I've boarded a pirate ship!
"If by the end of the mission, Jiang Venerable's mindset hasn't changed, I still suggest you go through the clan school systematically," Wang Shouye continued to strike.
"Clan school?!"
Jiang Qingxue gasped.
Do you have to be so ruthless?!
Although she hadn't personally experienced the Wang's Clan School, she had heard about it from various sources. It was said to be the most terrifying place in the Wang's Clan, reportedly even scarier than Shouzhe's Small Courtyard, where many children went in crying and ca out wailing.
If she were really sent to the clan school, how could she survive?
Thinking of that dreadful outco, Jiang Qingxue imdiately felt deflated, a sense of lifelessness washing over her heart.
……
Wang Shouye ca to Jingang this ti to take a ship to Northern Zhou.
Aside from the private exchanges, not long after he arrived in Jingang, the docks welcod so rare "guests."
These were five massive ironclad sea ships, each as tall as several stories.
These five ironclad ships varied in appearance: one was particularly long, another particularly wide, but all were uniformly dark, as if forged from black iron, with prow rams gleaming with a blade-like cold light. The massive hulls resembled sea fortresses, exuding an indescribable sense of weight and oppression, full of deterrence.
The Azure Dragon flag fluttering at the prow, the Wang's Clan flag, and the prominent golden clan emblem painted on the hull all served to remind everyone of their identity.
These were the Changning Wang's Clan's ocean-going ships.
Despite ongoing border wars over the years, dostic developnt had not stalled; rather, it had entered a period of rapid growth following a series of national policies issued by Prince An.
The Wang's Clan had never relaxed in their research and developnt of steam ironclad warships.
After decades of technological innovation, the Wang's Clan's steam ironclad ships were now incomparable to those of the past. The era of iron-plated wooden ships had passed; today's steam ironclads were entirely made of tal, not only enormous in size but also developed into different types to et various combat needs, with combat power far beyond what it once was.
The massive ironclads sailed into Jingang Harbor with the "woo woo woo" of their steam whistles, quickly attracting a crowd of onlookers.
Wang Shouye naturally received the news quickly and went to et the fleet's leader, his nephew Wang Shihai.
After years of training, Wang Shihai had long beco the second-in-command of the ocean-going fleet, second only to Long Wuji. Although he looked much tanner, he was also much more composed, with the deanor of a great leader, commanding great respect within the fleet.
This ti, Wang Shouzhe placed great importance on Wang Shouye's trip to Northern Zhou, so he specifically sent Wang Shihai to personally escort Shouye north, while also bringing so of the Wang's Clan's goods to see if they could establish cooperation with so local families in Northern Zhou and open a trade route from the Great Qian to Northern Zhou.
As a country that split from the Immortal Dynasty to establish its own nation earlier, Northern Zhou's history was much longer than the Great Qian's, and its overall national strength was also stronger. Establishing formal trade relations with them would be beneficial for both the Wang's Clan and the Great Qian.
However, the sea route from the Great Qian to Northern Zhou was not easy to navigate. Due to the extrely cold climate in the north, many northern sea routes were covered in ice and snow year-round, with various harsh weather conditions frequently occurring on the sea. Sotis, due to seabed movents, a new undersea iceberg might suddenly appear. The natural conditions were extrely harsh, and there were many fierce sea beasts, making it very dangerous.
Before the Wang's Clan developed steam ironclads, few sea ships dared to risk sinking by heading north.
If soone wanted to go to Northern Zhou, they usually traveled by land, first following caravans heading to the Northern Barbarians, and after reaching the Northern Barbarians, they would either form a group or hire Northern Barbarian rcenaries to escort them to the northernmost ice-free port.
There, the Immortal Dynasty's ocean-going fleets had established a supply point, where large ocean-going fleets traveling between the Immortal Dynasty and Northern Zhou frequently docked. Once there, one could board an Immortal Dynasty ocean-going ship to Northern Zhou.
When Yunyang and Lici went to the Immortal Dynasty, they also boarded an Immortal Dynasty rchant ship there.
But the whole process required switching transportation thods several tis, not only cumberso and complex but also often consuming a lot of ti, making it quite inconvenient.
This was the main reason why there had been little interaction between the Great Qian and Northern Zhou over the years, with even fewer trade caravans traveling between them.
The transportation costs were too high, and a round trip often yielded no profit, sotis even resulting in a loss.
However, now that the Wang's Clan's ironclad ship technology had matured, they had even developed specialized ironclad icebreakers in recent years, making it finally possible to open a route to Northern Zhou.
The fleet didn't linger long at Jingang Harbor; after replenishing supplies, they set sail northward once more.
On the day the steam ironclads set sail,
a figure appeared among the crowd at the dock.
The figure was wearing a standard crafting robe issued by the Wang's Clan Equipnt Company, with a senior trial equipnt maker badge from the Special Professions Guild pinned to his chest. It was none other than Dongfang Yuxi, who had finally co to terms.
He stood among the crowd, gazing at the massive ironclads from afar, unable to muster the courage to approach. As the ironclads departed, he raised his hand and saluted in their direction, solemnly.
He knew that although he had now joined the Wang's Clan Equipnt Company and his family had erged from its predicant, with a promising future, the gap between him and Wang Shouye would only widen, like clouds and mud.
……
Ti passed. Unbeknownst to anyone, several months had already gone by since Wang Shouye and the others set off for Northern Zhou.
October.
Winter wheat had long been sown.
The world was already shrouded in the yellow hues of early winter.
But for Changning Garrison, every October, besides the autumn harvest, there was another monuntal event—the "College Entrance Examination."
After 170 years of exploration and developnt, Changning Garrison's education system had gradually beco complete and mature.
Children typically began their education at six, entering a vast primary education system after two years of preschool education. After three years of study and assessnt, they could enter the secondary education system.
After five years of study in the secondary education system, they could take the higher education assessnt.
In today's world, where primary and secondary education had beco almost universally accessible to the younger generation, higher education was a significant watershed, a trial stone of "ten years of hard study."
Within the Wang's Clan School, there was a building dozens of stories high nad "Yuzu Tower," nad after Changning Wang's Clan's second-generation eldest son, Wang Yuzu.
In his youth, Ancestor Yuzu had good aptitude, but early on, he failed to break through to the Lingtai Realm, damaging his Lingtai and leaving him with no hope of reaching the Lingtai Realm for life.
In today's era, Wang Shouzhe would undoubtedly have ways to restore Ancestor Yuzu's Lingtai, but for the Wang's Clan at that ti, it was an unsolvable problem.
Thus, Ancestor Yuzu devoted himself to the construction of the clan school, and it was due to his efforts that the foundation of the clan school was solidified. Therefore, when the Wang's Clan School gradually expanded and needed a large educational developnt and managent institution, it was nad after Ancestor Yuzu.
Incidentally, Ancestor Yuzu was Ancestor Long Yan's biological father.
Today, Yuzu Tower was the absolute core of the entire Changning Garrison's education sector.
The "village schools" and "town schools" scattered throughout the territory, as well as the ever-expanding secondary education academies in various towns and cities, and those renowned higher education academies, were all planned within Yuzu Tower and then constructed and developed.
In simple terms, Yuzu Tower was the Ministry of Education within the Wang's Clan's territory.
And the Wang's Clan had always spared no effort in investing in education.
At this mont,
Wang Shouzhe was sitting in the top-floor office of Yuzu Tower, listening to reports on the current state of education and the candidates. Of course, he wasn't sitting in the main seat but was flanking Emperor Longchang with Holy Master Jiang, who was listening with a serious expression.
Below the three, a woman who appeared to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a handso yet serious deanor, was reporting to them.
"Your Majesty, Holy Master, Father. The number of candidates from Changning Garrison participating in this 'College Entrance Examination' has reached 83,519, of which 20,310 are transfer students from surrounding garrison towns and the entire Longzuo Commandery."
"Among the transfer students, the majority are from the Southern Six Garrisons, with fewer numbers as you move outward. The rest of the commanderies have only a few hundred transfer students, but Guilong City has 19,513, mostly from major families, with so even from the royal family, reportedly arranged personally by Your Majesty."
Wang Shouzhe smiled and said, "It seems that Your Majesty, residing with our Wang's Clan, has a high regard for our clan's education."
"Is that your achievent?" Emperor Longchang rolled his eyes at Wang Shouzhe, "That's all thanks to Lijue's hard work in developing education over the years."
It was quite evident that even after several months, he still hadn't let go of his resentnt over being expelled from Stay Immortal Valley by Wang Shouzhe and being forbidden from playing mahjong.
"Your Majesty, look at what you're saying." Wang Shouzhe calmly replied, "Lijue is my own daughter. Her success today is also due to my education back then."
"Hmph." Emperor Longchang's eyes almost rolled to the sky.
If he hadn't just finished drawing a top-grade spirit vein, he would have wanted to stay far away from this shaless brat.
"However, co to think of it, Shouzhe, your children are quite outstanding," Jiang Zhencang said fairly. "Your eldest daughter, Liyao, beca the Saintess of Lingyun Holy Land and will surely lead the Holy Land to greater heights in the future. Your eldest son, Zong'an, is vigorously transforming the Dala Great Desert into an oasis and granary, a monuntal achievent."
"Your second son, Wang Zongrui, ventured across the ocean to broaden our Great Qian's horizons and trade. Your second daughter, Wang Liyue, is fond of research and is now reportedly the director of the Wang's Research Institute."
Two sons and three daughters, each developing in different fields, achieving their own successes and careers.
"Holy Master, you flatter ," Wang Shouzhe modestly replied. "The children have only achieved a little under the prosperous tis."
After a pause, he continued, "Lijue, in every exam, there have been instances of cheating. Although we have always dealt with it severely, it still persists. How is the preparation for this 'College Entrance Examination' venue?"
"Father, this ti we are using a centralized examination system. We have invested heavily in building a massive examination venue and waiting area, capable of accommodating up to 130,000 candidates simultaneously. On-site, we have the advanced spirit artifact 'Da Xue'er' as the highest supervisor, and we have invited Your Majesty and Holy Master Jiang to cover the venue with their divine senses. We believe this will prevent cheating."
"The asures are adequate. However, driven by interests, cheating thods will always erge endlessly," Wang Shouzhe pondered. "You must not be complacent."
"Yes, Father, we at the Ministry of Education will think of more ways to prevent cheating." As she spoke, Wang Lijue took out an admission ticket and said, "Father, this is your admission ticket."
"Oh, Shouzhe, are you interested in trying it yourself?" Jiang Zhencang asked curiously.
"Recently, I've gained so insights while tutoring Xian'er. After organizing my knowledge system, I feel quite confident. I've also heard that the college entrance exam is highly competitive now, so I thought I'd test the waters," Wang Shouzhe replied. "Holy Master, are you interested?"
"I'm not interested!" Jiang Zhencang's face turned cold, and he quickly shook his head, "At my age, I can't handle it, can't handle it." He had once been curious enough to audit a Wang's Clan course, but the experience... was best left unntioned, best left unntioned.
"In that case, let the college entrance exam proceed as scheduled." Wang Shouzhe was also sowhat eager to try.
A few days later.
In the massive stadium-like examination venue, over 80,000 candidates were taking the exam simultaneously.
For this,
the Wang's Clan had specially built a large and modern hotel-style building complex to accommodate candidates and their accompanying parents (limited to two people) for temporary residence, allowing them to stay for a month before and after the exam.
At this mont, the examination venue was bustling with people, with exams being conducted one after another under effective supervision.
The entire examination period was to last three days.
Today was already the last subject.
Outside the examination venue, even more parents eagerly awaited. For many families, this was an opportunity to change their destiny. Once admitted to the Wang's Clan's higher education institution, the future held endless possibilities.
Of course, the Wang's Clan's higher education institution was not easy to get into.
But even if they didn't get in, there were second and third options. Even if they didn't get into a higher education institution, rely passing the assessnt and graduating normally would allow them to enter various vocational and technical colleges and secure a good skill and job.
"Queen Jingjing, do you think Young Master Zongkun will graduate this ti?"
Among the crowd outside the examination venue, two maidservant-looking won asked curiously.
Beside them, Dragon Jingjing, with her voluptuous figure, crossed her arms and gazed into the examination venue with a confident expression on her face, "I believe Brother Zongkun will definitely graduate smoothly and soon graduate from the higher clan school, and then marry ."
Those two won were transford from Divine Realm Dragon Whales, both found by Dragon Jingjing to serve Zongkun.
These won transford from Dragon Whales had a distinctive feature: they were quite... plump and full-figured, looking very blessed.
……
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