"Father-in-law?"

Cheng Wangfu of the Smelting Bureau and Zhou Pei, the commander of the Yu Division, glanced at each other, and their faces changed slightly.

Of course, they know what kind of high-ranking and powerful eunuch 'Tong Gonggong' is, that is the most trusted Bingli eunuch around Wei Tianzi, in charge of the huge inner eunuch, don't look at it as a physically disabled eunuch, but the power is heavier than the six Shangshu.

"What is he doing in the Smelting Bureau?" Is it ...... way'

Yu Shilang Zhou Pei's face was a little unsightly, after all, he came to visit the Smelting Bureau at this time, if it wasn't for the new process of making candles in the Smelting Bureau, Zhou Pei really couldn't think of any other purpose.

"Rest easy."

Noticing that Zhou Pei's face was a little unsightly, Zhao Hongrun smiled and waved his hand, comforting Yu Shilang, who had just joined his "Smelting Bureau family", and immediately said loudly: "Please!" ”

After a while, Tong Xian, the chief eunuch of Bingli, led another middle-aged eunuch into the house, and bowed to Zhao Hongrun: "Old slave, meet His Royal Highness King Su." ”

As he spoke, he nodded to Zhou Pei and Wang Fu, and said hello.

I have to say that with his status, just nodding and saluting can be regarded as giving Zhou Pei and Wang Fu face, after all, the difference between the status of the two is more than a star and a half.

On the other hand, Wang Fu and Zhou Pei had to bow to the great eunuch, after all, they did not have the status of a prince and a king of Su like Zhao Hongrun.

"Father-in-law Tong, why do you have time to come to my smelting bureau today?"

Zhao Hongrun arched his hand towards Tong Xian and asked with a smile.

To be honest, with his status, he didn't need to salute this old eunuch, and the reason why he did this was only because Tong Xian had taken care of him at the beginning. He was quite respectful and concerned about him, and had secretly reminded him not to get too close to his imperial sister, Princess Yulong, so as not to make the Son of Heaven angry, although Zhao Hongrun still didn't know why his father was angry because of this.

"Coming to the Smelting Bureau today, the old slave is for a ...... A private matter. He said. He turned around and introduced the middle-aged eunuch who got up: "This is my inner eunuch's name, the father-in-law of Gao Ligao, the director of the Internal Bureau." ”

Hearing this, the senior father-in-law hurriedly stepped forward and saluted Zhao Hongrun again: "Slave, meet His Royal Highness King Su." ”

"Internal Creation ......"

Zhao Hongrun muttered in his heart, looked up and down at the bureau's father-in-law, and nodded with a smile. The right to return the favor.

After all, he didn't have any friendship with this father-in-law, and he nodded as a return gift, which was enough.

Glancing at Tong Xian and then at Gao Li, Zhao Hongrun realized that the latter was probably the main one, so he asked lightly: "Gao Gonggong came to my smelting bureau this time, I don't know what advice I have?" ”

"Don't dare to advise." Gao Li bowed and said respectfully: "The slave heard that the Smelting Bureau has made some new molds for making candles. Therefore......"

Hearing this, Yu Shilang Zhou Pei's face was even more unsightly.

And no wonder. He had just negotiated with the Smelting Bureau, and suddenly an internal bureau came out, what's the matter? Want to rob him of Yubu's job?

Noticing Zhou Pei's complexion, Zhao Hongrun raised his hand to signal the former to be calm, and immediately looked at Tong Xian, and said with a faint smile: "Father-in-law Tong." Does the inner chamberlain want a piece of the pie? ”

Tong Xian has been serving by Wei Tianzi's side for a long time, and has been in contact with Zhao Hongrun many times, where would he not know the temper of His Royal Highness King Su, and when he heard this, he hurriedly waved his hand and said: "Your Highness has misunderstood, my inner eunuch has no luxury of wanting to share the soup." …… Gao Gonggong? ”

Get a hint from Tong Xian. Gao Li, the director of the Metallurgical Bureau, also hurriedly explained: "Your Highness has misunderstood. …… I'm afraid that Your Highness doesn't know that the things made by my internal bureau have never been circulated to the outside world, and are only supplied to the palace, so I have no intention of interfering in the domestic candle market. ”

"That's a nice thing to say!"

Yubu Shilang Zhou Pei muttered in his heart.

You must know that as far as he knows, the things labeled with the "Huanggong" label are indeed not dared to be circulated by the Internal Bureau, but some things that are built according to the specifications of the Huanggong but not labeled with the Huanggong label are not secretly sold by the Smelting Bureau to those princes and famous families of the Ji family in the Great Wei Dynasty?

That's all the profits that belong to their Yu Ministry!

Of course, it seems that the number of things that flow out of the internal bureau in private is not much, so it will not have any serious impact on the Yu department, Zhou Pei is just unhappy with these things that flow out of the smelting bureau, even if they are expensive, they are also touted and enthusiastic by the domestic wealthy families.

For example, a pair of jade chopsticks is also sold to wealthy families in China, but the price of jade chopsticks flowing out of the Smelting Bureau is several times that of the jade chopsticks made by Yu Ministry, but those damn rich people are still scrambling to buy the jade chopsticks of the Smelting Bureau, which makes Zhou Pei very unswerving.

To put it bluntly, he is a little red-eyed: it is clear that the craftsmanship of the internal bureau is not much different from that of his Yu Department, but people take advantage of the imperial tribute, so they naturally sell land better than him and faster than him.

Although he also understood that this kind of thing might be acquiesced by the Son of Heaven, in order to make up for the huge expenses of the palace, it was still a little uncomfortable to think about it after all.

But Zhao Hongrun doesn't care about this, in his opinion, as long as the inner eunuch is not here to pick peaches, then he is not his enemy, as for the private flow of some imperial tribute, how much can it be? It is simply not enough to affect the domestic market of Dawei.

"What does Grandpa Gao mean?" Zhao Hongrun asked kindly.

Seeing that His Royal Highness King Su's tone slowed down a little, Gao Li also breathed a sigh of relief, after all, the people in the palace were the first to realize that His Royal Highness King Su was not easy to mess with, even if he was the bureau leader of the internal situation, he couldn't afford to provoke His Royal Highness King Su, so there was no need for misunderstanding, it was better to avoid it as much as possible.

"Your Highness Mingjian, I also have craftsmen who specialize in making candles, but these candles are made of beeswax and supplied to the ...... in the palace."

"Hmm." Zhao Hongrun nodded, he had heard Wang Fu say about this matter a few days ago, and at that time he knew that the candles he lit in the Wenzhao Pavilion were all candles made of beeswax produced by the Internal Construction Bureau, which were different from ordinary candles made of grease, no wonder there was no black smoke when lit, but there was a faint sweet fragrance.

“…… It's just that the old process used by my internal manufacturing bureau is still very manpower, and it requires a lot of manpower. …… Your Highness, you also know that there are many palaces in the palace. It was twelve hours a day, and it was conceivable how many candles needed to be consumed every day, so after hearing that the Smelting Bureau had created an iron mold that could produce candles in large quantities, the slave specially asked Gonggong Tong to introduce it on his behalf, hoping that His Royal Highness King Su would be in charge of the Smelting Bureau. I can also build a few iron molds for my internal bureau. ”

"I see."

Zhao Hongrun nodded when he heard this, and Gao Li's explanation made him relieve his hostility towards him, after all, if it was simply supplied to the palace, there would be no conflict with Zhao Hongrun's money-making plan.

Of course, Zhao Hongrun still didn't do it to create an iron model for the internal construction bureau in vain.

Therefore, he nodded and said, "What Gonggong Gao said is reasonable, and this king has no idea of refusing. Merely...... It takes a lot of time and effort to build an iron mold, and it costs a lot, this ......"

"Time-consuming and labor-intensive? Cost an arm and a leg? Then your smelting bureau built ten in ten days?'

Gao Li was furrowed in his heart, he was not a fool, he naturally understood the meaning of His Royal Highness King Su's words, and hurriedly said: "Your Highness, rest assured, the cost will be borne by my internal bureau." ”

"Good!" Zhao Hongrun stroked his palms and smiled: "One hundred thousand taels of iron molds." I don't know how many seats Gao Gonggong wants? ”

"Ten...... 100,000 taels?! Colliers' mouth opened wide in shock.

And Cheng Wangfu of the Smelting Bureau and Zhou Pei of the Household Department secretly gasped: His Royal Highness King Su is going to kill the internal bureau?

『……』

Gao Li, the director of the Internal Construction Bureau, looked at Zhao Hongrun deeply.

I have to say, if it were someone else. I'm afraid he would have scolded angrily a long time ago, but in front of His Royal Highness King Su, he didn't have the courage to do so.

After all, he is a person in the palace, and only the people in the palace know more and more what status this His Royal Highness King Su has in the eyes of Wei Tianzi and how much he is valued.

Therefore. He could only look at Tong Xian with a pleading eye, and look at his immediate boss.

Unexpectedly, Tong Xian said with a smile: "Gonggong Gao, His Royal Highness King Su is willing to sell you a mold for a mere 100,000 taels, and you have already taken a big advantage in the internal construction bureau, so don't you thank Your Highness quickly?" ”

Unexpected. The chief eunuch of the inner chamberlain actually agreed to Zhao Hongrun's seemingly outrageous price.

This made Colliers a little dumbfounded.

"He is worthy of being an old man by his father's side."

Zhao Hongrun looked at Tong Xian, and after thinking for a while, he said: "That's it, for the sake of my father and father-in-law, and the internal manufacturing bureau is the first to purchase valuable molds from my smelting bureau, and this king will give a special half-price discount." …… But there is one thing, the king must say that in the first place, the molds that the king sold to the inner bureau can only be used in the palace, and must not be outflowed, otherwise, the king should take back the two iron molds. ”

"Deserve it." Under Tong Xian's hint, Gao Li nodded again and again, and accepted it when he saw it.

Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun glanced at Wang Fu, who understood, nodded and said: "Your Highness, rest assured, the officials will arrange it later, and ask the craftsmen to make two more molds and deliver them to the internal manufacturing bureau." ”

"Be sure to make the ground more detailed." Gao Li, the director of the internal construction bureau, admonished beside him.

"Father-in-law Gao, please rest assured."

Wang Fu seemed to reply calmly, but who knew that he was laughing in his heart?

Once upon a time, the Internal Manufacturing Bureau asked them for things from the Smelting Bureau, and when they gave such a high price, at most they paid the fees of the craftsmen and the raw materials of the goods, and sometimes even did not give them a cent.

There's no way, who calls people an internal situation?

But now, hehe, even if it is a high-ranking smelting bureau, even if they ask for something from the smelting bureau, they have to pay in a proper manner, and it is still a huge profit.

"What a profiteering...... Two molds of 100,000 taels, tsk!'

Wang Fu's mood was a little agitated and difficult to calm down.

Afterwards, after walking out of the gate of the Smelting Bureau, Cheng Gaoli of the Internal Construction Bureau looked a little unhappy: "I didn't expect that in the end, I still wanted to pay us 100,000 taels ......."

"Be content." Tong Xian said lightly on the side: "Do you think this smelting bureau is still the smelting bureau that used to be called and drunk?" …… It's not the same as it used to be! ”

Hearing this, Colliers sighed a little depressedly.

It is true that once upon a time, when did they ask for something from the Internal Manufacturing Bureau, when did they give such a high price? Isn't that just taking what you want? But as Tong Xian said, today's smelting bureau is no longer the smelting bureau that was handled by others back then.

There's no way, who told the Metallurgical Bureau that His Royal Highness King Su has the backing now?

On the same day, the fact that the Internal Construction Bureau spent 100,000 taels to customize two molds specially used for the production of candles from the Smelting Bureau spread throughout the six departments of the imperial court.

At this time, the entire imperial court really realized that the Smelting Bureau was indeed different from the past.

This is not good news for ministries and departments that need technical support from the Smelting Bureau, such as the Ministry of War and the War Casting Bureau. (To be continued.) )