I am the villain in the book

After crossing a small hilltop and a mountain stream, Wei Changtian and his group arrived at the Heavenly Craft Bureau (Tiangongju) headquarters in the company of several officials after about thirty minutes.

In reality, it was more like a large workshop than a government office.

However, compared to the ordinary small workshops in the private sector, the Tiangongju's workshop was several levels higher in terms of scale and comprehensive 'supporting services'.

Not only was it protected by layers of troops, but the food and drink inside were also excellent, and even courtesans from brothels would regularly come to perform 'shows'.

And these craftsmen were indeed worthy of such treatment.

The 'black powder' they developed, even if it wasn't as good as a thousand troops and horses, could at least reduce the number of deaths in the war between Da Ning and Da Shu in the coming period.

It really echoed what Wei Changtian had said when he established the Tiangongju—knowledge is power.

"Who added the second sentence?"

"Reporting to you, sir."

The minor official was a little surprised, his eyes subtly looking at Ning Yuke who was following behind Wei Changtian: "It was added by His Majesty."

Ning Yuke?

Wei Changtian looked back at Ning Yuke, his eyes showing some curiosity, but he didn't say much.

Knowledge is power, heavenly principles arise from human desires.

The meanings represented by these two sentences can be said to have almost no connection, and it is not known how the Tiangongju engraved them as couplets on both sides of the gate.

However, after reading them several times...

Well, it actually makes sense.

"Let's go."

"Let's go in and take a look."

From afternoon to dusk.

In the following hour, Wei Changtian and Ning Yuke carefully inspected the Tiangongju.

With Her Majesty the Empress's personal visit, the officials in the bureau naturally had to report on their 'work achievements'.

Of course, the Tiangongju had not been established for long, and much of the research was still in the 'tough' stage, with nothing to show except 'black powder'.

Therefore, Ning Yuke mainly listened to the report from the 'Gunpowder Workshop'.

"Having heard the news that the bandits from the four kingdoms are about to invade, this subject is filled with indignation and only seeks to share the burden of Your Majesty."

"Therefore, this subject led the craftsmen day and night to work tirelessly to develop the gunpowder formula, and there have been several fires alone."

"During this period, several craftsmen were unfortunately injured, but fortunately, this subject dealt with them in a timely manner, so no one died."

"There are many similar things, and this subject will not tell them to Your Majesty one by one, but in short, for Your Majesty and Da Shu, the hardships are not worth mentioning."

In the workshop filled with the smell of saltpeter and sulfur, a short, dark, and fat man vividly described how difficult the process of developing black powder was, and how loyal and capable he was.

The dozens of craftsmen standing behind him just smiled naively, never saying a word.

Perhaps in the eyes of these craftsmen, it was only natural for the short, dark, and fat man to take their credit.

Moreover, they ate and drank well in this Tiangongju, and received a considerable salary every month, which was simply the best job ever.

If they accidentally said the wrong thing and were resented by this lord, and he found a reason to drive them out of the Tiangongju in the future, there would be no place to cry.

In this way, a group of craftsmen became the background for the short, dark, and fat man to claim credit.

Ning Yuke, who knew all this, did not expose it, but just nodded slightly and said:

"Not bad."

"You have all worked so hard for my Da Shu, and now you have developed black powder, which can be regarded as a reward for your efforts."

"It's all thanks to Your Majesty's blessing."

The short, dark, and fat man immediately replied with a smile: "If it weren't for Your Majesty and Young Master Wei's foresight, where would we have such a great opportunity to serve the country?"

"That's true... Someone!"

Ning Yuke's expression remained unchanged, and she lightly shouted, and immediately an accompanying eunuch approached.

"Your Majesty, this servant is here."

"Well, Lord Wang led the Gunpowder Workshop to develop the powerful black powder, which is a great achievement."

"After returning, tell the Ministry of Personnel to promote Lord Wang by one rank and reward him with a thousand taels of silver."

"Yes, this servant will remember."

"Thank Your Majesty!"

"This official will definitely do his best to serve Your Majesty and Da Shu!"

The short, dark, and fat man had been talking for a long time, and finally got the result he wanted. He immediately knelt on the ground excitedly, repeatedly thanking him for his holy grace.

The craftsmen behind him naturally knelt down as well, and the scene suddenly became lively.

They did the work, but the "leader" took the credit.

Although at first glance it seems that this Lord Wang is taking the credit of his subordinates, this is actually normal.

After all, the Tiangongju cannot only have working craftsmen, and these officials in charge of management are also essential.

Therefore, neither Ning Yuke nor Wei Changtian exposed the short, dark, and fat man's thoughts, and still promoted him and rewarded him with silver as usual.

However...

"Lord Wang, I wonder who first trial-produced the black powder formula?"

Suddenly, Wei Changtian, who had been silent, took a step forward and asked with a smile: "Is this person here now?"

"Reporting to you, sir, he is!"

The short, dark, and fat man immediately turned his head and shouted: "Liu Dameng! Why don't you come here quickly!"

"Ah! This... this humble one obeys!"

Soon, a strong man ran out of the crowd and knelt on the ground in a panic.

"This humble one is Liu Dameng, greetings to Your Majesty, greetings to Young Master Wei..."

"Hahahaha, you don't have to be nervous."

Helping Liu Dameng up, Wei Changtian said with a smile: "Since you developed the black powder, then you should take the lion's share of the credit."

"Lord Wang has now been promoted, so naturally he will no longer work in the Gunpowder Workshop in the future."

"How about this, you will be in charge of the Gunpowder Workshop from now on, are you willing?"

Liu Dameng to be in charge of the Gunpowder Workshop?

Everyone's expressions suddenly became very surprised.

You must know that in this era, ordinary people who want to become officials only have two paths to take: either take the imperial examination or join violent institutions such as the army or the Suspended Mirror Division.

And people like Liu Dameng who are both illiterate and unable to cultivate should have been destined to be "commoners" for the rest of their lives.

But although the Gunpowder Workshop manager's official rank is not high, he is also a serious "lord".

Therefore, Wei Changtian's appointment not only directly changed Liu Dameng's fate, but also opened a door for the craftsmen of the Tiangongju, and even all kinds of people in Da Shu who are proficient in "ingenious skills and lewd techniques", to rise in class.

As long as you have the ability, you can enter the court and become an official.

"Young Master Wei, this humble one is willing!"

The answer was slightly delayed, but straightforward.

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Dameng unexpectedly did not decline, and actually agreed, it seems that he is also a generous person.

"Hahahahaha, good!"

"Then it's settled!"

Laughing and patting Liu Dameng on the shoulder, Wei Changtian turned his eyes to the group of craftsmen in the distance who were obviously a little envious.

"You are the same!"

"As long as you do well! I and Your Majesty will never be stingy with rewards!"

"It's not impossible to let you be promoted all the way to the Minister of Works!"

When Wei Changtian said this, the expression of the Minister of Works behind him could not help but become a little awkward.

However, the craftsmen on the opposite side were obviously much more excited.

"Yes! We will definitely do our job well!"

"We will definitely be able to make more powerful gunpowder!"

"Young Master Wei, don't worry! Your Majesty, don't worry..."

Soon, the report on "black powder" ended happily.

The short, dark, and fat man was promoted, the craftsmen were motivated, and Wei Changtian successfully opened a new door for "selecting the virtuous and appointing the capable".

He even made an exception to allow several "outstanding craftsman representatives" to attend the dinner tonight.

Eating in the same room with the Empress, where had these rough men experienced such treatment? During the meal, each of them stood on their seats like wooden stakes, without even the courage to take a peek at Ning Yuke.

Well...

These are all small things, so I won't go into details here.

In short, after Wei Changtian had his fill, he became interested and pulled Liu Dameng and other craftsmen to start discussing how to apply this black powder on the battlefield.

It has to be said that there is strength in numbers.

Soon he heard many suggestions that were very common in his previous life, but were very innovative now.

Such as mixing poison in the gunpowder barrel to make a "poison gas bomb".

Such as using catapults to throw out the gunpowder barrel to make a "missile".

Such as making some small explosive packs mixed with iron pieces, which soldiers can throw out to injure the enemy... that is, a simplified version of "grenade".

The more Wei Changtian talked, the more excited he became, and he didn't sleep until midnight. Later, he even ran to the "Steam Engine Workshop" to discuss the problems encountered in the process of developing the steam engine with the craftsmen there.

Of course, Ning Yuke didn't understand these things, so she certainly wouldn't participate.

However, in the middle of the night, she suddenly felt itchy again and couldn't sleep, so she quietly ran to stand outside the house and peeked a few times.

Looking at Wei Changtian and the craftsmen in the room holding all kinds of strange-shaped iron tools and with excited expressions, the Empress couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

Why does the master seem so happy?

Do men like to play with these steel objects?