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Chapter 17 Ye Xianggao

Chen Ju recommended this kind of craftsman to the prince. He would definitely not benefit from it, but the necessary benefits would still fall into the hands of the eunuchs below, who would carry them on their backs while sinking.

It's not that Chen Ju is greedy for this small amount of money. He also has a lot of younger brothers to maintain. This is called unspoken rules.Once a person falls into a certain system, as long as he is unable to completely change it, many things cannot be changed by the individual at will.

The author wants to say a few more words at this point, that is, the craftsman household system invented in the Yuan Dynasty was so harmful that many craftsmen had to choose to give up, or even not pass on their skills, for fear that their descendants would suffer together.

Many of these craftsmen have been passed down for several generations. If we treat them better, we may be able to produce many junior scientists, and at last we can improve the production process, so that we won’t be unable to even build a four-wheeled carriage in a few hundred years. come out.

From this time on, the science and technology of Chinese civilization began to stagnate significantly, and was soon surpassed by Europe.The Ming Dynasty basically inherited the Yuan system, and the Qing Dynasty copied the Ming system, and then each one was worse than the last, until the European strong ships and cannons knocked on the door of the country, and their vitality was seriously damaged.

Well, the book returns to the main story!
"Eunuch Chen, don't worry. The monthly salary from the East Palace is enough to pay for the craftsmen's needs! I don't want too many people... two people who are proficient in smelting, two people who are casters, and two people who are skilled in gold and silver making." Regarding Chen Ju's recommendation, Hong Tao I can only agree, isn’t it just the salary of a few people, we can afford it!

"That's fine... I'm retiring, old slave!" But Chen Ju didn't seem to think so. He gave Wang An a meaningful look, then bowed his head to the bottom and left with a few of his men.

"Wang An, is there anything wrong with what I said?" Looking at Chen Ju's back, Hong Tao felt that this matter was not as easy as he thought.

"Master Qiantose doesn't know anything. The monthly salary of the East Palace has not been distributed for three months..." Wang An was more straightforward, kneeling on the ground before speaking.

Hong Tao took a deep breath while sitting on the horse, and resisted the urge to rush into the Forbidden City, grab the emperor, and throw him to death.It's so embarrassing. Just now, I was bragging to the chief eunuch about how rich I was, but then I turned around and realized that the family was almost in trouble.

Wang An cannot be blamed for this. He tried his best to ask for it 100%, but as a small official in Zhan Shifu can neither directly request the emperor nor order the cabinet to draw up votes, it is useless to worry.

"...How can we get the Ministry of Household Affairs to pay the full amount?" But since Chen Ju knew about it and agreed to help find craftsmen, it was obvious that he had a way.But if you send several craftsmen to collect money, they will definitely not help easily, or you will need to make some efforts on your own side to be effective.

"...I'm afraid I have to spend a thousand taels to clear the way. This servant is incompetent, and I have wronged Master Qiantose!" Sure enough, Wang An knew what to do, but never did it. At this time, he was forced into a desperate situation and had to confess, and then One head fell to the ground and whimpered softly.

"Oh...get up and explain to Eunuch Chen quickly. I will give you the money, but you must get the monthly salary first!" He looked up to the sky and sighed. Hong Tao didn't say anything more. He gave a low voice and drove his horse away. Xuanwu Gate.

Wronged?Where is this?From the day she was born, in addition to being left out, excluded, and looked down upon, the only thing that could be considered warm was the careful and considerate care of her biological mother, Mrs. Wang, and the efforts of this eunuch who could not tell who sent her to protect her.

It's a pity that I currently don't have the strength to resist, nor the ability to repay, so I can only continue to endure it, without showing any resentment or dissatisfaction, and continue to pretend to be a grandson.

Don't worry, one day you will become stronger and more capable, and then it's time to settle the accounts.If you eat what I have, spit it out for me, if you take what I have, give me back. How can it be so easy to take advantage of Hong Papi!Wang An's work efficiency is very high, or Chen Ju's work efficiency is very high.As soon as the Sutra feast ended the next day, a large group of young eunuchs lined up at the entrance of Ciqing Palace carrying burdens. Wang An and Zou Yi counted the items one by one and put them into the warehouse in batches.

"So much?" Hong Tao was anxious when he had no money, but suddenly felt that it was a bit much when the money came.

"Master Qiansui, this is the annual salary! The queen is very grateful for your filial piety. There will be many places to use money and food in the future, and monthly payment is too cumbersome. Eunuch Chen only received 500 taels, which are all needed for household management. Please don't blame me, Master Qiansui." .”

Wang An was in a good mood, smiling even when saluting.In addition to having food at home and not panic, he also revealed an important news. The queen already knew about this matter and did not blame the prince for his nonsense. She also paid out the entire year's salary.

As for the eunuch dared to accept the prince's favor before doing things, it seemed normal to him. The bribe of 1000 taels was not too much, but now it has been reduced by half, which must be a great deal.Moreover, it was because of the dignity of Chen Ju, the chief ceremonial supervisor, Bingbi, the admiral of Dongchang, so not only would it not be embarrassing, but it would also be a celebration.

"Be careful when doing things with money! I have other things to do, so don't disturb me before dinner!"

Of course, Hong Tao is also happy when he is rich, especially because he got a whole year's salary all at once.In this way, not only can the self-ringing clock be operated, but the next plan can also be implemented in advance.

As expected, today's scripture banquet was not taught by the two Shen University scholars in person, but was changed to Zuo Chunfang Zuo Shuzi Ye Xianggao.As soon as I met Hong Tao, I could tell where he came from. He was no different from the Fujian people he had come into contact with in later generations.He has a short and lean figure, slightly dark skin, a flat nose, high cheekbones, and deep eye sockets with bright eyes.

However, the future chief minister of the cabinet did not have a strong accent, and he spoke lightly and was quite talkative. At least he talked a lot about Xi Seng under his questioning.

There were three European missionaries who came to Beijing to meet Emperor Wanli this time. The leader was named Matteo Ricci, and the other two were named Pang Diwo and Guo Jujing.These are all Chinese names given by them. I don’t know what Ye Xianggao’s real name is.

Which country are they from?Ye Xianggao said that Matteo Ricci and Guo Jujing were both from Italy in Europe, while Ponti was from Esibania further west.When Hong Tao heard it, he realized that the transliteration was very reliable, and the location was much more accurate than that of the Song Dynasty. It was no longer a vague concept like the countries in Thailand and the West.

When asked how Ye Xianggao knew the names and locations of these European countries, he said that Matteo Ricci presented a map called Kunyu Ten Thousand Kingdoms Complete Map.The distribution of the European countries is marked in two languages, including Chinese.

At this time, Matteo Ricci and the other three were making a revolving door of gifts with officials in Beijing at all levels, trying to meet with the Ming Emperor to obtain permission to preach.It doesn't seem to be going well, mainly because the Ministry of Rites raised objections.

Because Matteo Ricci's identity as envoy of the Atlantic Ocean was listed in his first essay, and the officials of the Ming Dynasty did not know what kind of country the Atlantic Ocean was. How could they allow the emperor to meet people of unknown origins casually?In view of this situation, I am afraid that I will not be able to meet the prince, unless I can persuade the Ministry of Rites or the emperor to issue an edict.

The statues of the Virgin Mary, maps, and chiming bells were donated through the Tianjin Tax Supervisory Horse Hall.The tax supervisor was a eunuch, so he went directly to the ceremonial supervisor, bypassing the cabinet and courtiers, and finally got it into the hands of the emperor smoothly.

(End of this chapter)