When Nanyang returned to her princess's mansion, the bell tower had already struck the second watch drum of Haishi.

The princess's mansion was given by her father when she was 12 years old, covering an area of nearly 30 acres. She has two preferences, one is good calligraphy, in order to temper her calligraphy skills, she searches for famous calligraphy and painting works, no matter how much money, as long as it is a famous scroll and a famous sticker, she must buy it when she sees it; second, it is good to make friends, and often sing and dance at home all night; Both of these things are things that cost money like water. The colt was fine, and there was someone to restrain her from spending money lavishly, and with her princess's Lumi and the pony's salary, she was also living a prosperous life. But after the horse passed away, there were few people around her, and she didn't know how to run a family, and she didn't know how to run a business. Moreover, in the years after her death, her behavior was absurd, and her brothers and sisters felt that she had ruined the reputation of the heavenly family, and no one wanted to associate with her; It also taught her that she couldn't even find a place to borrow an emergency loan. She has a good face, and she doesn't want to fall into the status of a princess in front of people, so she can only secretly sell the things in the house to maintain it. came and went, and the valuable items in the princess's mansion were almost sold out by her. Today, only the east and west sides of the vestibule are barely maintaining their original appearance. After all, she needed a place to stay in the city. Besides, if one or two relatives and friends like Tian Xiu occasionally visited, she also needed a ready-made place to enjoy the friendship of the landlord.

Of course, Tian Xiu is not just her friend. In a sense, Tian Xiu can be said to be her relative. During the most painful period of her life, it was Tian Xiu who accompanied her; At that time, Tian Xiu also stopped her from doing stupid things and wanting to die...... She was so grateful! Although Tian Xiu had to distance herself from her because of her ridiculous behavior, this time Tian Xiu returned to Beijing, and the two of them reconciled as before.

When she walked into the East Cross Courtyard, the light was still on in the study.

She didn't bother Tian Xiu, but first asked the maid to get two more lamps and a few snacks and send them to the study. She has known Tian Xiu for so many years, and she knows Tian Xiu's habits very well. Since being expelled from the house by his father, Tian Xiu has been living on his income for more than ten years. But a woman, even if she is an official, can only serve as a professor in Dacheng Palace and other fictitious positions, not to mention the meager salary, and there is no money and food subsidy for rice charcoal, chariots and horses, Tian Xiu is clean and self-conscious, and has never been gifted by others, so her life has been very hard; It also made her develop the habit of living within her means.

Nanyang went back to the bedroom, changed his clothes and took off his makeup, washed his hands and face with warm water with the help of the maid, and then put on a half-arm shirt and came to the study.

The study was much brighter than it had just been. Tian Xiu, who was also wearing a half-arm shirt, was biting half a piece of mung bean cake in her mouth, and was gesturing with two things in her hands; She had pen and ink and a few pages of paper scribbled on them and a rudimentary drawing. She noticed Nanyang coming in, and she didn't look up, chewing a snack and said vaguely: "Didn't you leave something to say that you won't come back tonight?" She put down the things in her hand, stretched her neck and swallowed the mung bean cake, took two sips of water with the teacup, and took another piece of snack, saying, "What, you were kicked out by the mother?" ”

"I miss you, okay?" Nanyang sat down at the table, picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea soup.

"Nope." Tian Xiu nodded and said. She picked up what she had just put down and threw herself into her own business.

Nanyang looked at his friend while drinking water. Tian Xiu is the same age as her, but she is taller than her, more slender and well-proportioned. For the past few years, she has been working as a wind watcher in Jiangnan, often running around the country, so her skin has been sunburned into a wheat-like golden yellow, and it shimmers with a healthy glow under the reflection of the lantern light. She had probably just washed her hair, so instead of pulling it into a scribe's bun as usual, she tied it with a ribbon on top of her head, and the long black hair cascaded down her shoulders, adding a bit of heroism to her face......

Tian Xiu noticed that Nanyang was looking at herself carefully, so she turned her head and looked at her strangely.

Nanyang asked, "What are you doing here?" ”

"Make an astronomical telescope."

"Oh." Nanyang nodded. Some time ago, glass just came out, and it was immediately warmly sought after by readers, because it was clear and crystal clear, which is the best portrayal of "a gentleman is like water". Almost overnight, glass became the most sought-after rarity on the market, and even the price of chestnut-sized glass beads was more than ten times; As for complete glassware, such as glass bowls, glass bowls, glass bottles, glass plates, etc., each piece has to sell for hundreds or even thousands of pieces. It's a pity that although the Ministry of Industry has fired glass, the process has not been able to master it thoroughly, so until now the output of glass is very low, ten days and a half months to be able to fire a kiln is very good, the supply is insufficient, and how much can be put on the market? This has further caused the phenomenon of "easy to get gold and hard to find glass" on the market. On the one hand, the Ministry of Industry is happy to see this gratifying scene of "expensive glass in Beijing", on the one hand, it has to pay more money and ask the workshop to thoroughly figure out the firing process of glass as soon as possible, and on the other hand, it has started a bigger and better glass kiln in Xuzhou, and at the same time the matter of the astronomical telescope has also been put on the agenda. The affairs of the astronomical telescope are still presided over by Chang Xiu; As when firing glass, Tian Xiu still used it as a technical guide.

Nanyang carefully looked at the dozen pieces of glass on the table and a few copper pipes of different lengths, and asked with some confusion: "Is it these glasses and copper pipes?" Use them for astronomical telescopes? ”

"Yes." Tian Xiu said. She put two pieces of glass with different shapes on the two ends of a copper pipe, and placed two copper rings on the head and end of the copper pipe, tightened it, lifted the copper pipe, squinted her left eye, and then glanced at the copper pipe with her right eye, then pursed her lips and shook her head in disappointment, and wrote down on the paper: "T-shaped copper pipe, ugly and ugly, two glass, do not fit." ”

The paper was already full of words. It seems that she has not achieved even one success.

She took the two pieces of glass off the brass tube and replaced it with another one to continue, but it was still unsuccessful; Replace another copper pipe, still disappointed; If you don't change the copper tube and the glass sheet, it is also a failure......

Nanyang watched her repeat this kind of thing over and over again, and couldn't help but shake her head and sigh. Of course, she firmly believes that Shang Cheng will not use nonsense to deceive the Ministry of Industry; But she had seen those few celestial spheres in the Taishi Bureau, all of them were barbaric things weighing thousands of catties, and these objects on the table that did not have a few catties and taels could be made into a celestial sphere?

Tian Xiu saw her sighing and shaking her head, so she said, "It's nothing." When I first burned glass, there were more failures, and I was used to it. Failure is the mother of success," she suddenly laughed when she said this, stopped what she was doing, turned her head to look at Nanyang, and teased her, "This is what your gentleman said." She knew that Shang Chengcheng was the missing gentleman who people thought had already ridden the crane immortal tour.

"What this gentleman that gentleman has!" Nanyang was a little upset. She doesn't like others to mention Shang Cheng in such a disrespectful tone, even if this person is Tian Xiu! Although now it is known that Shang Chengcheng is the only person who lacks Mr. You, there are only her and Tian Xiu; But that's not a reason for Tian Xiu to disrespect Mr.! She said angrily, "Sir is a worldly master who is hidden in the court, you can't say that about him!" ”

In the past, whenever Nanyang praised Shang Cheng, Tian Xiu would always argue with her in a joking tone. But today is a bit abnormal, hearing that Nanyang once again praised Shang Cheng without hesitation, and also got angry at himself, Tian Xiu did not refute. She held the brass tube with the glass piece on it, was silent for a long time, then lowered her gaze and nodded, and said, "You're right! It was me who was wrong. ”

Nanyang's face immediately showed a happy smile. She asked Tian Xiu: "This thing is done, can it really observe the celestial phenomena, can you watch the sun, moon and stars walking?" ”

Tian Xiu thought for a while and said, "If I am asked to say it, it will definitely not work." But she added, "But judging from the matter of coke and glass, what Ying Bo said should be true." She picked up a hollow copper ring that was not much larger than the money, handed it to Nanyang, and picked up a copper pipe on the table, pointed to Nanyang and said, "Do you see these concave and convex grooves one by one?" This is the method of threaded connection taught by Ying Bojiao. In order to engrave these threads on the copper pipes and copper rings, I almost didn't drive the coppersmiths in Xiaoluoyi crazy, and I didn't know how many ways to finally make these copper pipes and copper rings. However, the use of this threaded connection is very wide, and the yamen is already discussing whether it is necessary to buy this patent. ”

Nanyang couldn't see the benefits of threads, but this did not prevent her from being happy that Shang Cheng had another new entry. She asked, "How much do you estimate the Ministry of Industry will spend on this patent?" ”

Tian Xiu frowned, thought and said, "I don't know." How much money to spend is a matter for the Ministry of Industry, and in the end, I have to nod a few Shangshu and Shilang, and I can't say well. She suddenly remembered that she had proposed to Shang Cheng to buy coke and glass patents, so she reminded Nanyang and said, "You'd better say hello to Uncle Ying first." I think this hermit seems to be very indifferent to the matter of money and food. He shouldn't sell things cheaply again like he did last time. ”

“…… I probably can't talk to him now. Nanyang said with a little wistful, "Last time, Mr. Dingyi and Wenshi Gongyang told me to help those people say good things, although Mr. didn't say anything unpleasant in person, he must have felt very uncomfortable......

Tian Xiu's face also became gloomy. Nanyang was talking about what happened on the day of mid-autumn. She has heard a lot of unpleasant words since she came out, but it is usually discussed behind her back and then reached her ears; It's the first time to be humiliated in front of someone, it's really sad and inexplicable! After returning from the Yellow Lantern Temple in mid-autumn, she was immediately sent to Xuzhou on business, and when she returned to the capital a few days ago, she actually heard that those people had been released again, and the person who went to persuade Shang Cheng to let go was either the teacher she respected or a close friend, and she was so angry that she couldn't eat anything for two or three days in a row...... Now, when she heard Nanyang mention this again, she was in a trance in front of her. She seemed to have returned to the yellow light view of mid-autumn, and saw those ugly faces again, and heard the words that humiliated her......

Nanyang noticed that her face was ugly, and only then did she realize that she had accidentally evoked Tian Xiu's painful memories. She quickly stopped, blaming herself in her heart, while provoking another topic, trying to distract Tian Xiu's attention: "Jiang Shu, you know this person, right?" ”

“…… Know. Tian Xiu said.

"How's this guy?"

This question is difficult to answer. Tian Xiu thought for a moment and said, "It's pretty good; A little talented, and the person is also capable; Jishi's knowledge is very profound. However, it seems that he has not been studying with the teacher for a long time, and some of the truths seem to be only half-understood. She smiled and added, "Of course, perhaps his teacher himself is not skilled in this area, so the students he teaches are a bit plausible." ”

Nanyang immediately defended Shang Chengzuo, saying: "This is because Jiang Shu is stupid, it's not that Mr. didn't teach well!" She glanced at Tian Xiu dissatisfied, and said, "How can ordinary people look up to the talent of a gentleman?" ”

"What the princess said is very true!" Tian Xiu echoed her with a smile and said, "With a firefly like me, dare to compete with the vast moon like Mr.?" ”

Nanyang was so angry that he was a little speechless.

"Alright, don't be angry. It's just a joke. By the way, what is the reason why you suddenly mentioned Jiang Zhenyun? ”

“…… My father confessed an incident. Nanyang couldn't deal with Tian Xiu, so he told Tian Xiu everything that Emperor Dongyuan had ordered.

"Then I'll go to the yamen tomorrow to look for Jiang Zhenyun first. I don't know Uncle Ying's guest, so I have to ask Jiang Zhenyun to invite him. When the time is set here, you can help me inform Master Lu. Tian Xiu said, "By the way, will you come then?" ”

"I ...... You don't have to go. ”

"Good. I'll ask Jiang Zhenyun first......"