King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 432 Jia Yun gets promoted
The 12th year of Orthodoxy, the eleventh day of the first lunar month.

Aunt Xue got up early in the morning and rushed to Prince Xiang's Mansion, but she was not the first to come today.

Almost every day, Baochai would receive visiting wives, which was also a normal exchange between top dignitaries.

Because Baochai had something to discuss, Aunt Xue waited in the wing for half an hour before seeing her daughter alone.

They are now in the palace garden, and this is the place to talk.

"Mom is here today, but is there something wrong?"

Although Baochai's tone was kind, Aunt Xue still did not dare to neglect her. She followed her daughter and said very humbly: "I am here for nothing else but your brother's marriage!"

"Brother's marriage?" Baochai stopped.

"I've been to various houses these days and met many ladies from famous families. Among them, the one I'm most satisfied with... is the daughter of the Zhang family, a member of the household department!"

After taking the fish food, Baochai threw it into the pond a few times, and then said: "Yeah!"

Seeing that Baochai's reaction was mediocre, Aunt Xue felt a little uncomfortable, but she continued: "I asked someone to talk to the Zhang family about the marriage, but they said that my daughter is stupid and needs to be educated..."

"Ok!"

"That daughter of hers has a first-class appearance, talent, and temperament. These words are obviously trying to frustrate us!"

After hearing what his mother said, Baochai immediately turned around and asked, "So what does mother mean?"

"I thought... if the princess can come forward to make peace, I think they will agree to this marriage!" Aunt Xue said carefully.

"What does mother mean, is she going to let me use my power to overwhelm others?" Baochai asked back.

A small member of the household department, Wailang, was nothing to Prince Xiang's palace, but Baochai had no intention of helping directly.

"Baochai, I'm just asking you to come forward to make peace, not..."

"Mother, you know how to make everything prosperous for your family. Marriage is all about mutual consent. If people don't want to get married... why force others to make things difficult for them?"

In China's 5000 years, the most indispensable thing is truth, so the key lies in the strength of the speaker.

If Baochai was still the daughter of the Xue family, she would have turned her elbows outward when she said these words, which would definitely attract reprimand from Aunt Xue.

But now that she is the princess, her reasoning is correct, leaving Aunt Xue irrefutable.

"People must have inquired about my brother's character. It's normal that he doesn't want to get married!"

With these words, Baochai almost said clearly that Xue Pan was nothing, but Aunt Xue could only listen quietly.

"So... my mother still needs to strictly restrain my brother and make him do his job well as an emperor and do his duty as a minister. As long as he is willing to make progress, is there still a shortage of good girls?"

"What the princess said makes sense!" Aunt Xue could only respond.

In fact, regarding Xue Pan's marriage, the Xue family and the Xia family had already reached an agreement beforehand, and they were just short of formalizing the employment process.

However, because Baochai was chosen as the princess, the Xue family's horizons became high, and the marriage fell through after returning to Beijing.

"Recently, the prince has arranged errands for my brother. Mother should supervise him more..."

So Baochai continued to talk, and Aunt Xue could only listen attentively.

But the Zhu Jinghong she was talking about had already arrived at Qianqing Palace and was accompanying the emperor to the palace gate.

"Father, slow down!"

"Dad...look ahead!"

At this time, Zhu Jinghong was overflowing with flattery. Normally, no prince would be like this.

After getting on the carriage, Zhu Xianming looked at his youngest son beside him and asked casually: "Boy, I think you have a guilty conscience, otherwise you wouldn't be so cautious!"

"Dad, what are you saying? How can your son feel guilty..."

Following the carriage forward, Zhu Jinghong continued: "Even if Shanglinyuan's guns and cannons don't catch your eye, your son will only receive a slap from the court, so it's not a big deal!"

"Oh...it turns out that in your eyes, the imperial staff is no big deal!"

"Ah...this...son means..."

Not wanting to talk nonsense to Zhu Jinghong, Zhu Xianming asked again: "I heard that two days ago... my wife borrowed 1 taels of silver from Lao Liu's family?"

"What are you talking about... Dad, son, tell the truth, the sixth brother and the sixth sister-in-law are so kind-hearted. Knowing that our life is tight, she lent us ten thousand silver without blinking an eye!"

Looking at Zhu Jinghong, Zhu Xianming said calmly: "Are you living a tight life? If my estimate is correct, you have a hundred thousand cash in your house!"

"That little money is enough!"

"One hundred thousand silver is not enough? What do you want to do?"

"My son wants to do business!"

"Absurd, what kind of business can you do in this royal place?"

Unexpectedly, Zhu Jinghong said: "My son is not here for you!"

"for me?"

"Business is just a pretense. We use the name of business to inquire about the situation. In this way, we can know ourselves and our enemies, and in the future, the navy can maintain peace in the world!"

Hearing this, Zhu Xianming smiled and replied: "If that's the case, why do you need to send someone personally? If the imperial court issues an edict, those maritime merchants can handle it!"

Now that the imperial court has banned the sea, only maritime merchants who have obtained approval from the Shipping Department can do business on the sea. There are now more than a hundred such merchants.

The imperial court imposed heavy taxes on these maritime merchants, so these people tried every means to evade taxes, so these people also engaged in smuggling.

Of course, the Japanese pirates who disturbed the peace of the sea also had the handiwork of this group of people behind them.

The interests involved are complex, involving officials and people from several coastal provinces, and it is basically impossible to find out.

"Dad, my son just wants to make money and share your worries!" Zhu Jinghong suppressed this sentence.

"Bullshit!" Zhu Xianming sneered, but felt warm in his heart.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jinghong knew that the old man had acquiesced, and then he could say hello to the Shipping Department, who would get the approval and start work.

When the father and son left the Qianqing Gate, there were dozens of high-ranking military attachés waiting outside. They came from the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army and the bodyguards.

Obviously, Zhu Xianming attached great importance to this observation, so he called these people here.

Everyone went all the way to Shanglinyuan. Today's observation was at one of the school grounds. The venue had been decorated at this time.

Jia Yun and a group of twenty craftsmen were placed on the west side of the school grounds. At this moment, each of them was very nervous.

Especially these craftsmen, they couldn't imagine that the emperor would come to see the things they made in person.

That is the emperor, the emperor who rules the world like a god!

No matter what their mood is, they must stand extremely respectfully at this moment, otherwise they will definitely be reprimanded by the guards.

Everyone waited for nearly half an hour, and their legs became weak before they heard some movement outside. Then they saw the ceremonial register appear. It was obvious that the emperor was coming.

No one needed to remind him, Jia Yun and others all knelt down and worshiped. At this moment, they were nearly fifty feet away from the emperor's team.

That's right, these unimportant people have no qualifications to get close to the emperor.

As for Zhu Jinghong, he accompanied the emperor out of the sedan chair, and then walked in the school grounds accompanied by a group of generals.

They first looked at the arranged guns, and then walked to the test site in person.

On the test field, there are human-shaped targets made of paper, which will be used to test the actual combat effectiveness of the muskets.

At a further distance, pigs and sheep are used to simulate enemy troops, and these pigs and sheep will be bombarded in a while.

These things were naturally Zhu Jinghong’s idea, so he was the one introducing them during the visit.

Just looking at the venue, it took half an hour to walk down, and then Zhu Xianming came to the high platform dedicated to observation.

This elevated platform was built specifically for today to provide a better perspective.

Sitting on the dragon chair, Zhu Xianming drank tea to moisten his throat, and then said: "Let's begin!"

If the emperor says start, then of course it must start.

Following Zhu Jinghong's order, the soldiers in charge of the demonstration moved and started firing new muskets.

The scene was filled with gunshots, and ten soldiers fired three rounds in total before the eunuch took the target paper back.First, Zhu Xianming looked at the target paper, and then a group of generals came to look at it.

Facts have proved that the performance of these guns has indeed improved greatly, and all the generals have praised them.

The things were made by oneself rather than purchased from foreigners, so everyone was very happy at the moment.

Several more rounds of gunfire followed, and the results showed that the new gun had excellent performance, and then the emperor ordered a formal test of the gun.

After several rounds of shelling, the killing effect was equally good. This time Zhu Xianming laughed out loud.

At this point, the matter has basically nothing to do with Zhu Jinghong. At this moment, Zhu Xianming is observing on the spot with other generals.

Looking at the pigs and sheep that were blown to pieces, Zhu Xianming showed a child-like smile, and it was obvious that he was really happy.

With the new rifle in hand, the generals also took the opportunity to shoot a few rounds. Although Zhu Xianming wanted to experience it, he was persuaded.

Although these muskets have performed very well so far, no one can guarantee that the next shot will not explode.

For Zhu Xianming's safety, he could only watch others play today.

Another ten minutes passed, and after everyone had finished experiencing it, Zhu Xianming called everyone back and asked them about their experience.

This is a critical step. Only with the approval of these generals can Zhu Xianming truly approve the new gun.

Although he knew he would pass, Zhu Jinghong was still a little nervous at this time. Of course, the final result was a near miss.

After some discussion and everyone was full of praise, Zhu Xianming asked: "How much does this fire blunderbuss cost? How much does the artillery cost?"

"Reporting back to my father, the current cost is about 15 taels. If the production capacity is expanded, it may be reduced to ten to 15 taels. The cost of the artillery is five hundred..."

To be honest, the price is a bit expensive, even more expensive than buying it from foreigners.

After listening to the introduction, Zhu Xianming said very cheerfully: "There are 2 troops in the Northern Four Guards, including nearly [-] gunmen. Let's build [-] troops first, and [-] artillery pieces first..."

Whether the fire gun can work or not still needs to be tested in actual combat. It is obvious that the Northern Four Guards will be the guinea pig again.

"As for the existing fire guns of the North Fourth Guards, they will be handed over to the Ministry of War after the new fire guns are distributed, and then the Ministry of War will be transferred to the Beijing Camp!"

Although the Beijing camp is now equipped with firearms on a large scale, the number of flintlock guns is not very large, so the ones eliminated by the Northern Four Guards are still good ones.

"Dad, this new fire gun must have a name!" Zhu Jinghong suggested at the right time.

The new artillery already has a name, and was previously named "Weiyuan Artillery" by Zhu Xianming.

After nodding, Zhu Xianming asked: "What do you think?"

"That's right, such a good thing deserves a prestigious name!"

All the generals nodded in agreement, while thinking about what to call him.

Because it was Zhu Jinghong who suggested it, Zhu Xianming looked at him and asked: "Old Thirteen, what do you think it should be called?"

"Dad, why not call it Type [-] Rifle!"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and then they laughed, thinking that Zhu Jinghong was just talking casually.

Only Zhu Xianming asked: "Why such a name?"

"It's the 12th year of Orthodoxy, so it's called Type [-], and since it's a weapon used by infantry, it's called a rifle!"

"Um..." Apparently Zhu Xianming still had doubts.

But after Zhu Jinghong said these words, some of the generals present objected and gave him famous names such as "divine power" and "heavenly punishment".

"Type [-] rifle, Type [-] rifle..."

After pondering for several times, Zhu Xianming finally made a decision: "Just what you said, let's call it a Type [-] rifle!"

This kind of silent flattery that moisturizes things is very popular with Zhu Xianming.

The person who objected to this name just now changed his face faster than flipping through a book, and immediately called "Your Majesty the Holy Ming" like everyone else.

Once here, today's observation is over, and it's time to return.

Zhu Jinghong was following his father, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak, which caught Zhu Xianming's attention.

"Let it go!"

"Dad, should you reward the craftsmen who participated in the casting of guns?"

After nodding, Zhu Xianming said: "How many craftsmen are there?"

"There are more than seventy people in total, including 35 foreigners!"

Sitting on the chariot sedan, Zhu Xianming said calmly: "All the craftsmen will be rewarded with fifty silver coins, plus ten bolts of brocade cloth and two stones of grain!"

"Yes!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

In fact, Zhu Jinghong himself could make up his mind on such a trivial matter. The reason why he asked so much was to pave the way for what he would say next.

"Dad, do you still remember Jia Yun who is in charge of the workshop?"

After hearing what Zhu Jinghong said, Zhu Xianming remembered that there was such a person, and then nodded slightly.

"This man is pretty capable at work, but he is still a white man, which is really inconvenient. So what my son means is... can you give him an official status?"

"Um……"

After nodding, Zhu Xianming said: "Just give me... the title of director of the Ministry of Industry!"

"Yes!"

Since it is just a job title, Jia Yun does not need to go to the Ministry of Industry to work. The nature is similar to that of Xue Pan's head of the household department. It is mainly to facilitate communication with various government agencies.

Being the head of the Ministry of Industry was a trivial matter to his father and son, so Zhu Jinghong talked about the military parade again.

While their father and son were chatting, news about the emperor's reward had also reached the waiting craftsmen.

When they learned that the emperor had rewarded them with silver, cloth and food, everyone cheered with joy and then kowtowed in the direction where the emperor left.

"Master Jia, the Lord knows that you are diligent in your work, so I have issued an order to grant you the title of Chief of the Ministry of Works!"

Initially, Jia Yun was a little disappointed, but after hearing these words, she was even more excited than the craftsmen, and she kowtowed a few more times in the direction the emperor was leaving.

But he knew in his heart that if he could get an official title, he must be supported by Zhu Jinghong, otherwise His Majesty the Emperor would not know that he was a nobody.

"Thank you, father-in-law, for informing me in advance. Please be careful... I hope father-in-law doesn't dislike it!"

After getting up, Jia Yun took out a piece of silver from her arms and quietly stuffed it into the hand of the eunuch who had passed the message.

After staying in Shanglin Garden for so long, Jia Yun has interacted with these eunuchs a lot, so he naturally understands the rules.

"How embarrassing this is!"

"If you don't accept it, I'll be embarrassed!"

"You are a nice person, so I won't be polite!"

After seeing off the young eunuch, Jia Yun led a group of craftsmen away. He still had many things to arrange when he returned to the workshop.

By the time he finished his work, the sun had already set, so Jia Yun went home full of excitement.

The head of the Ministry of Industry holds the rank of sixth grade. After receiving such a great favor, Jia Yun naturally wanted to report the good news to her mother.

When he returned to the mansion, he found that his mother Bu was not at home. After asking, he found out that she had gone to Ningguo Mansion to help.

Now that Jia Zhen is dead, Ningguo Mansion is holding a large funeral, and manpower in all aspects is tight, so Bu was called over.

"There are so many girls in the house, why do I need my mother to go and help!" Jia Yun suddenly became unhappy.

So he went straight to Ningguo Mansion to see what was going on.

Jia Yun lives not far from Ning Guo Mansion. Coincidentally, as soon as he entered Ning Guo Mansion, he met Xiao Hong.

"Master Yun!"

There were three girls in Xiao Hong's group, but the other two pretended not to see him and left Xiao Hong alone.

"Miss Xiaohong, have you seen my mother?"

(End of this chapter)