bookcurios Chapter 167: Cultivating Thick Skin
Chapter 167: Cultivating Thick Skin
Although her winter was better, Yun Xi did not forget the financial backers in the palace and encouraged Mu Sheng to hand in the heating drawings.
Mu Sheng smiled and said, "I was just planning to tell you about this. As the Minister of War, it is very convenient for me to use some iron, because there is a Military Equipment Supervisor under the Ministry of War, which is responsible for weapon forging. However, it is better to inform the emperor about this matter, after all, iron is a sensitive substance."
He whispered to Yun Xi, "To be honest, the emperor's mind is not much bigger than the tip of a needle. If I don't say anything, he probably won't do anything to me, and he may not really doubt me, but he will definitely feel a little uncomfortable."
Yun Xi: "...I only care about how much reward I can get in return for submitting my blueprints."
Mu Sheng smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, if he doesn't give it to me, I will just ask for it directly."
He is so shameless now that even he is afraid of himself!
Yun Xi asked him: "Besides the Ministry of War, which other departments have the authority to manage and use some iron?"
"The rest is in the Ministry of Works. Under the Ministry of Works are the Shaofujian and Jiangzujian. The Shaofujian is in charge of all matters related to craftsmanship, including iron farm tools, and the Jiangzujian is in charge of civil engineering and the production of exquisite utensils."
After thinking for a while, Mu Sheng added: "In the past, the Shaofujian was also in charge of weapon forging. Later, it was transferred to the Ministry of War and was managed by the Military Equipment Supervisor."
Yun Xi asked, "My father wants to do something about improving farm tools. If there is any need, he can go to the Ministry of Works?"
"Why are you looking for them? You should look for Mu Xuan. Let him run errands for the Ministry of Industry. Why do you have to worry about these trivial matters? I'll tell him to meet and talk with his father-in-law more often. If there is any problem, they can solve it between them."
It must be said that Mu Sheng knew the emperor well. This man had a strong control over Kyoto. He knew about Mu Sheng's private use of iron and had mobilized a lot of craftsmen. He was racking his brains in the palace to figure out what was going on.
He really did not doubt the Mu family's intentions, he was just simply curious.
I'm embarrassed to ask.
The experience during this period told him that something new must have been created.
Mu Sheng's arrival confirmed his guess.
Seeing the drawings presented by Mu Sheng and listening to his explanation, the emperor felt happy and sad. Oh, such a good thing was invented again, and it was invented after the coal mine was discovered. Isn't this the so-called complementation? Oh, he was not the first to use such a good thing!
This is really unreasonable!
"My dear, if you have this good thing, why don't you send it to me earlier?"
Mu Sheng: “…”
My goodness, it seems that he is not the only one who is becoming more shameless! How dare you say that!
"I have to try it myself to make sure it is useful before I can present it to Your Majesty! Otherwise, if the palace starts construction with great fanfare and it turns out that it doesn't work, wouldn't I be guilty of a great sin?"
Emperor: “…That makes sense.”
No wonder everyone says that this guy has the best martial arts skills among the civil officials and the most eloquent among the military generals. The rumors are true!
The emperor asked, "Is this another idea of my adopted sister?"
Mu Sheng: "...Yes, it's my wife."
The Emperor: "Let her come to the palace to play when she has time. My princes and princesses have not met their aunt yet."
Mu Sheng: “…Yes.”
The emperor was very proud and felt that he had won the struggle for relationship building. Mu Sheng was just a mouthpiece between him and his sister whom he had never met.
Just when he was feeling proud, he heard Mu Sheng speak again, "Your Majesty, your sister-in-law has made such a good thing, you will not be stingy with the reward, right?"
Emperor: “…Of course.”
This megaphone talks too much!
The renovation of the palace went on very quickly, and Yun Xi also received rewards from the palace, including a box of pearls, two sets of jeweled head ornaments, a box of gold melon seeds, and a lot of silks and satins.
After the Imperial Palace, heating was also installed in the homes of many high-ranking officials and nobles in Kyoto.
Although the iron smelting industry is not well developed and is strictly regulated, it can still be used if the government needs it.
By the time all families who have the ability and conditions to renovate have completed their work, most of the winter has already passed.
The cost of laying heating is too high and ordinary people simply cannot afford it, so Yun Xi still wrote down the method of making a kang. Although it is a bit late this year and everyone may not be able to build a kang at this time, they can start early next year.
In the winter, when she had nothing to do at home, Yun Xi taught the cooks and maids how to make persimmon cakes, hawthorn strips, hawthorn cakes, and chestnut cakes, and taught them how to make them clean and hygienic.
She is particularly optimistic about Aunt Zhong and wants to train her to become the "principal of a chef training school". When she wants to open a restaurant in the future, she will ask Aunt Zhong to help her train more chefs.
This was the first time Yun Xi made these things this year, and she didn't plan to sell them. She mainly ate them herself. The pastry shop she had envisioned was delayed because of too many things to do, so she could only wait until next spring.
In winter, Yun Xi doesn't like to go out very much. She wears too many clothes and it is inconvenient for her to move. In addition, the clothes here are rather cumbersome, which makes her even lazier. It is more comfortable for her to stay in the heated room.
Mu Sheng was a little more nervous than usual, probably because of the "aftermath" of the war. After all, the nomadic peoples further north might come to rob food when there was a shortage of food in the winter, and then a fight might break out.
Yun Xi asked him, "Do you really think we can fight?"
Mu Sheng thought about it carefully, shook his head, and his slightly frown relaxed.
"No, they have been frightened by the beatings before, and they will not take the initiative to cause trouble in the short term."
Moreover, after the war, the two sides negotiated to open a market, where they could trade legally. In addition, the weather was good this year, and the things available for trading in the market were relatively abundant. The information sent back from the border was also normal, with no unusual changes. Mu Sheng was nervous for a while, but then he relaxed.
For many people, this winter can be said to be the most comfortable winter they have ever had.
Not to mention the rich and powerful, even the homes of ordinary people have improved a lot.
Because of coal mining, the capital's carbon supply was relatively sufficient. The emperor sympathized with the people and set reasonable prices, so most families' heating was better than in previous years.
When the first heavy snow of winter fell lightly, Yun Xi was stunned.
It's so beautiful.
It’s so artistic.
When it snowed in her previous life, the snow was cleared before she could appreciate it properly, leaving only small holes on the ground caused by the terrifying salt particles melting the snow, and the yellow mud that had been trampled by pedestrians and wheels.
If you want to see a beautiful snow scene, you have to go to a farmer's house in the mountains in advance according to the weather forecast. Moreover, due to air pollution at that time, the water after the snow melted was dirty.
It’s nothing like now, it’s truly covered in silver and is breathtakingly beautiful.
Yun Xi, who is so afraid of cold, couldn't sit still in the house and wanted to go out to step on the snow and make a snowman.
Seeing that she was in high spirits, Mu Sheng joined her in the fun.
Mu Jinyan also had a day off that day and played with his parents.
The three of them ran and played in the snow. When they were tired, they went back to the house, changed their wet clothes, shoes and socks, sat on the soft couch by the window, and rested while looking out.
The maid brought over steaming lotus seed and red date soup. The three of them drank some and felt warm from the inside out.
The next day, the sun came out and the snow began to melt. The eaves were covered with icicles, shining brightly under the sunlight. Yun Xi couldn't take her eyes off them.
Mu Sheng saw this kind of scenery every year, so he didn't find it strange. He saw Yun Xi looking at the ice and snow and felt that she was pure-minded and easy to satisfy, so he couldn't help but smile.