Uncle Lai in the Red Chamber

Chapter 115

"Master! I asked you to come back and go there!"

After returning home, Wangcai reported it immediately.

When Lai Shangrong came to Dongkuaoyuan, he saw his parents and his father, Lai Da, handed over a stack of banknotes.

"This is the soap workshop's dividends for the past six months, you just keep it!"

"There is still a lot of money for selling paper last year, and my son is not short of flowers!"

"Hey! You're in the officialdom now, why don't you understand the ways of it? This time you brought out the glass, and the state-owned department didn't have a doctor in charge. You should have been promoted, but you were only given a false title. It’s because you lack filial piety and no one in the court can speak for you!”

Then he mumbled again: "Although the Emperor is superior, he still has to rely on you adults to handle the affairs of the state, so we must make friends as we should, and we can't be the same."

Lai Shangrong said in his heart that the emperor was going to divide the four princes and eight princes. Friendships also depended on one's side. Making friends randomly would be a recipe for death.

But I couldn't explain this to him in detail. I could only accept the money, for fear that he would wander around and meet people he shouldn't know.

So he said: "Dad! If you have time, go find a place outside the city. I have a recipe here!"

"Oh? What is it?"

Lai Da's eyes were shining and he said excitedly.

"Cement! Go back and get the steam engine out of the improved paper workshop. Some grinding work needs to be used. There is no need to do it on a large scale for the time being. We will make the finished product first, and it will not be too late to put it into production when we have the foundation."

"cement?"

"Yes! This is a good thing for building walls and paving roads. You can get it out first and then talk about it!"

Just do what you say. It happened to be the Dragon Boat Festival today. The three students had a night off and did not need to teach. Lai Shangrong explained to Lai Da the raw materials needed for cement and the firing method.We also discussed the selection of raw materials with him. Iron ore was controlled and difficult to handle, so clay, limestone, etc. were used as raw materials, which were easy to purchase and affordable.

…………

The next day!

When Lai Shangrong woke up in the morning, Second Sister You was obsessed with him again.

Immediately she changed into a more comfortable position in his arms,

He just got Xiangling a while ago, so he couldn't help but neglect his old friend. He didn't stay in Sister You's courtyard for seven or eight days in a row.

It's not that he likes the new and dislikes the old, it's just that Xiangling and Qin Keqing are seventy-eight percent alike, there is a saying that a wife is worse than a concubine, a concubine is worse than a thief, and stealing is worse than not being able to steal.

Although the two have very different personalities, fortunately Xiangling is very obedient, but acting skills need to be honed, and Lai Shangrong is a good teacher.

Lai Shangrong knew that he had neglected Sister You recently, so he slapped her on her increasingly straight buttocks and said with a smile: "Qin Zhong and the others are still waiting. As a teacher, how can I not lead by example? Tonight I am also resting in your room!"

"Hey!" Second Sister You happily agreed.

Immediately he said to Yuchai angrily: "Why don't you change your clothes quickly!"

When Xiang Ling entered the house, she happened to be in the same place as Lai Shangrong to investigate the 'traitor', so Second Sister You only thought that she had been implicated by Yu Chuan and had lost Lai Shangrong's favor. She also hated Jin Chuan for publicizing the fact that Third Sister You was wearing a cheongsam. , I couldn’t help but be a little harsh on him.Lai Shangrong put on his sportswear and came to the front yard to take Qin Zhong and the others to exercise. After finishing the exercise, he explained: "The family hired a craftsman, and the daily wages were one tael of gold. The wages must be paid once a day, but the family only had seven taels." Gold bar, please ask how many times it should be cut at least, how to cut it, so that you can pay the labor. I will come back late in the evening, you can discuss it at night, and tell me the answer when I come back!"

Although both Qin Zhong and Jia Lan aimed to take the imperial examination, it did not prevent Lai Shangrong from occasionally asking simple mathematical thinking questions. Especially Jia Jun was quite clever, so it would be a waste not to study science.

When he came to the yamen in a carriage, he saw Yuan Chengtao greet him like a mourning concubine.

"Sir! I heard that Mr. Qin is coming to our State-owned Enterprise Department? Now many old people from the Ministry of Labor have come to congratulate him in advance!"

"Oh? Who are there?"

"I heard that Governor Huang and Governor Zhang went there with some of their men yesterday."

"Why didn't you go?"

"Sir, you are young and promising. You are not responsible for any of the paper and glass manufacturing in our state-owned company. Of course, in your humble position, you will only follow your lead!"

Lai Shangrong praised: "Well! Don't worry! It won't change the world!"

"Hey!" Yuan Chengtao agreed, and followed Lai Shangrong into the value room step by step, then took out a bag from the corner of the value room, and said as if offering a treasure: "My lord! This is the second batch of mirrors made of glass. I specially ordered them Make it as a tribute to your lord!"

Lai Shangrong opened it and took a look. He estimated that there were about twenty of them. The frames were carved from agarwood and exuded a faint fragrance, so he casually took out one and handed it to him.

"Prince Zhongshun and Uncle Tian Guo, please don't pull me down either!"

"Hey! That's what you're trying to teach me! Let's do the humble job now!"

Glass has been developed, but there were no follow-up arrangements for this R&D center at the beginning. The investors were himself, King Zhongshun, and Uncle Tian Guo. As long as they didn't go it alone, it would be fine.

Moreover, if the water is clear, there will be no fish. This kind of thing is an unspoken rule. He will only seclude himself from the officialdom if he is maverick. Of course, according to the current value, these mirrors are probably worth 3000 taels. Giving Yuan Chengtao one is just a precaution.

Seeing Yuan Chengtao hunched over and retreating, Lai Shangrong couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Born is a big issue. In addition, it is not a second-ranking Jinshi, but a fellow Jinshi promoted by luck. In the civil service system, it is already a natural disadvantage. Otherwise, the creation of glass has added such a long-term meal ticket to the national treasury, even if the emperor There are other arrangements, but his promotion to the position of Head Doctor is probably what everyone expects.

Innate deficiencies can only be made up for in the future, but since Glass failed to get promoted this time, further inventions and creations may not be useful. This is why he does not engage in cement in the state-owned company.

Of course, with his current status, it is impossible for him to take over the cement industry alone, but he can take the opportunity to share some equity with Chen Shilang, Qi Ning and other close officials of the emperor. Since the Jia family will be liquidated in the future, it is obvious that the emperor is in the final game prevailed.

This is actually a foreseeable result. After all, the emperor stands for justice, and the emperor is getting older. Unless the emperor wants to change the world, it will be a matter of time before he delegates power.

The king of Beijing and the four princes and eight princes of the Jia family may not be clear about it, but since the Supreme Emperor has pushed them to check and balance the emperor, they can only bite the bullet and resist.

Fortunately, he had caught the emperor's attention in advance, and he was quiet, so it was not as difficult as the four bastards and eight princes to turn the wheel.

There are no permanent friends, only eternal interests. Although I am currently in the same boat with Chen Yiwen and others, will the emperor not be divided into factions in the future when he has the power?
As long as these people are tied to their own boat, it will not be difficult to have both sides, but it will not be difficult to remain neutral. After all, no one is willing to push the God of Wealth to the other party.

As for those in the department with evil intentions, he didn't take it to heart. The emperor knew the relationship between Qin Ye and himself, but these people didn't know, so it didn't hurt to let them fool around for a few days.

(End of this chapter)