After agreeing with Sun Shiwan, Zhu Wenkui and others left the scene, leaving a group of enthusiastic audiences.

It's just that even the retainers don't think it's very reliable for the bets he made with people.

When they got home, they began to have doubts.

"Young master, let's let the words out in front of so many people. If you can't do it back, you'll be in trouble. Captain Jeska said worriedly: "Our Wu Wangfu originally relied on face to eat, if we don't have face, what can we do......

"That's what you said." Jeanne Woman hurriedly played a round: "How can it be so serious." ”

"No, I saw those things in the court in Bohemia." Captain Jeska insisted: "Some nobles have lost their lands, or have no way to support themselves, so they run to the king. These people are actually making a living by saving face, so they are all in debt. It's not that they don't want to manage a good life, it's because if they don't save face, they will only be more miserable. ”

"That's it......" Jeanne found that it seemed to be the case, so she had to scratch her head and respond.

"Haven't you seen the daily dealings of the aristocracy? In fact, every country is not too much different. Although the sect and state form are different on the Roman side, the upper echelons are actually those things. "Captain Jaska talks eloquently and seems to have a lot of experience.

"I, I know it too! It's just like that, I didn't remember. Although he only mentioned it in passing, Jeanne immediately defended: "I am also a nobleman, but I am not very familiar with the king's court." ”

"Huh? Aren't you also the head of the village? Zhu Wenkui was a little surprised.

Princess Ma next to her had an expression of wanting to speak and stopped, and Xiao Rangna simply turned her head and didn't look at him.

"Village, the village chief is also a nobleman." Jeanne blushed and explained, "That's how it is on our side. ”

"Oops, it doesn't matter." Captain Jeska didn't care: "My family is only half a village, so it's much poorer than you." But when I went to the court, for the sake of façade, I also said that I was a petty nobleman. Anyway, as long as you have some ability, people will turn a blind eye and will not expose it. ”

"That's right." Zhu Wenkui agreed: "And to be honest, whether you are talented or not, whether you can succeed or not has nothing to do with your background." In terms of background, my grandfather is not as good as a few of you, but how can there be a more powerful regime in the world than the Ming Dynasty? Heaven has sent a great responsibility, and I won't look at this. ”

Everyone agreed with this and nodded their heads.

"We don't have to rush this time, I have a good idea of the technical things." In this regard, Zhu Wenkui is really not too nervous: "I don't think the principle of the jacquard bouquet is too difficult, I should be able to figure out the situation by trying." I'll go back and make a model and see if that's the case. ”

"Then I'm going to carry some wood?" Captain Jaska asked.

"Wen Kui, can't you do something serious?" Princess Ma couldn't help but say: "While you say that you have a lot of work, you find something to do for yourself every day." Today you will give Brother Kang iron to the iron, and tomorrow you will be angry with those Yuan people to toss the wood. If you go on like this, it's hard to say whether you can do things, everyone knows that you don't do your job every day......"

"Mr. Yang." She turned to Jeska again and said, "We hired you in the hope that you could assist the prince, not to mention building a career, at least you can do something." So, if he has any unreasonable demands, don't get used to him. To be a minister, you have to be able to advise. ”

"Madame is right." Jaska nodded hurriedly.

Of course, it is not the first time that Princess Ma has said such a thing, and everyone knows that it is useless, and it is all a routine. In fact, there is really nothing they can do about this situation.

The employer's affairs are more troublesome than the other. And the two sides are fighting, and they can't tell who they should listen to.

Captain Jeska has also been targeted in this way more than once. And the reason why he is regarded as a "confidant of the prince" is actually simpler - he has been in the court for a while, and he is more experienced than Jeanne, old Ivan and others.

And in his experience, Bohemia and even the entire Holy Roman Empire have never heard of such a thing as a son listening to his mother in the major courts. In other words, even those who listen to their fathers are very filial.

In addition, since he came here, Zhu Wenkui has always personally arranged various things for him, so he naturally believes that compared to "King Wu", who is outside and lives like a mercenary manager, this is the one who is really in charge. In this way, although he didn't realize it himself, everyone else felt that he was a die-hard supporter of Zhu Wenkui.

However, compared to the others, Jeanne Jr. had a high interest in that machine. She soon pestered Zhu Wenkui and asked him how he was going to do it.

"I have a lot of things to do, but this kind of thing doesn't take too long." Zhu Wenkui hurriedly said: "It's easy to say this thing, I'll draw the drawings and find a few carpenters to make it." ”

"Is it that simple?" Seeing that he suddenly changed his words, little Jeanne didn't believe it.

Zhu Wenkui himself actually didn't believe it. However, he always had to make a statement, saying that he was still focusing on business, and these things were just for fun in his spare time. So, he added: "You don't understand the design thing. If there is any situation, I will discuss it with Guo Kang when I go back, and it will be resolved. ”

Little Jeanne couldn't do anything about it, so she had to stop asking.

It is estimated that it is useless to know that these people persuade her, so Princess Ma also sighed, and took Xiao Jeanna back to the house. The other two followed Zhu Wenkui to the corner of the courtyard.

"Boss, look, you're running out of wood." Captain Jeska immediately pointed to an almost empty shed next to him, and said familiarly: "Last time I made a car for Guo Gongzi, I used up more than half of it, and there are only these two hardwoods left in our hands. Are you going to buy it from that Rus' guy again? ”

"Last time, the wood was hard, but it was too heavy." Zhu Wenkui shook his head: "This time, the machine does not have such high requirements for the quality of wood. If the dead weight is too large, it will affect the flexibility of operation and reduce efficiency. I think it's okay to use ordinary wood. ”

"Then I'd better look for them, go buy something lighter and cheaper." Captain Jeska fully understood what he meant, and immediately nodded: "I heard that their boss is the leader of the Rus named Alexander. There is nothing of this man who will not be sold from amber to slave. Let's buy some gray goods from there, which can save a lot of money. ”

"Gray?" Zhu Wenkui asked curiously.

"It was shipped with the ship." Jeska said, "They cut down the trees and tied them up into small boats and carried them down the river. This kind of improvised fleet can go as far as the Crimea. Then, in order to save costs, these small boats were tethered directly to the back of cargo ships, and slaves were used as oarsmen, rowing all the way along the coastline and selling them all the way. ”

"When the boat ran out of stuff, they dismantled the boat and sold the wood. When entering the port, this kind of wood is not a separate cargo ship, nor is it a special cargo, it is a tricky means of tax avoidance, so it is also very cheap. If the quality of the wood we need is not high, we can buy this kind directly. ”

"You know how to do business, huh?" Jeanne was a little surprised.

"To be a mercenary captain, don't you have to understand this?" Captain Jeska took it for granted: "Participating in the war is only part of the job, and how to deal with all kinds of profiteers may be the most important." After all, the whole team needs to be raised at your own expense. ”

"If the head of the regiment is only ready to eat empty salaries, then it is okay to say. If you really want to improve the combat effectiveness of your team, you have to consider how you can get more weapons and supplies for a fixed amount. I sometimes feel like that's the main thing. He talked eloquently about his past mercenary experience.

"The military level in Europe is terrible." Zhu Wenkui shook his head and sighed: "This thing really tortures everyone who wants to do something serious equally......

"No wonder, at the beginning, Tuhuan Taiji and I bragged, saying that when the things in hand are finished now, we will help the Kang brothers on the expedition, and in the first battle, we will attack the main force of the Alemanni and beat Sigismund." He remembered what happened before, and showed a clear expression: "No wonder it's arranged like this, isn't it easier for them to fight over there?" ”

"Fight the main force of the HRE in the first battle?" Jeanne questioned: "That shouldn't be his own command, it's probably just to gild." ”

"Actually...... It's not that hard. Captain Jaska calculated: "I have seen Sigismund at the Prague court. To be honest, his military level ...... Better than nothing. Guo Gongzi is a little war-minded, and it is indeed not difficult to beat him. ”

"You can't underestimate the enemy." Jeanne reminded: "People have at least fought for most of their lives, no matter how you say it, they have learned a lot of things." ”

"No, no, no." Captain Jeska shook his head again and again: "You must know that being able to learn from past victories and learn lessons from defeats is a very advanced ability, and most people are not good at it." ”

Sigismund, on the other hand, is that kind of person. He has been fighting for so many years, and I have not seen any improvement in his command ability. His promotion, on the contrary, is all in politics - this guy is getting more and more cunning. ”

"As for the battlefield, don't talk about smart people like Guo Gongzi, I can do it." He said firmly: "Sigismund is really not a match to be watched out for. ”

"You're starting to blow along." Jeanne was clearly unconvinced.

"I'm telling the truth. Sigismund was like that. Captain Jaska was unwilling to budge.

"Pull it down, you can win a battle. Come up and challenge the HRE Emperor? Jeanne revealed mercilessly.

"I didn't lose the battle, I just went with the wrong team...... Captain Jeska was a little embarrassed, and he defended himself: "It's just that I found the wrong employer, it's normal." The matter of the mercenary group is not considered to be defeated......"

"Alright, alright." Zhu Wenkui hurriedly stopped them: "Time is relatively tight, I do have a bunch of things to do in the past few days." You can help me make these preliminary preparations first, and then move on to the next step. ”

As they spoke, they walked, and soon came to a corner of the courtyard.

There is a small house here with green tiles. The rudimentary wooden door, with a cross painted on it, looks like a simple chapel common in villages and towns. But on the roof and around it, there is no other decoration of the worship of God, but a flagpole is erected, and a sun and moon flag is hung.

Zhu Wenkui opened the door, walked in with the two of them, and began to pack up his things.

In the middle of the house, there is a tall shelf, a portrait of Zhu Yuanzhang is hung in the middle, and there are also the ancestors of the Zhu family next to it, that is, Zhu Bailiu, Zhu Bailiu, Zhu Sijiu, great-grandfather Zhu Sijiu, grandfather Zhu Chuyi, Huang Kao Zhu Wusi, and the tablets of the former queens.

On the small table in front of the shelf, there are sacrificial items such as crosses, prayer beads, and incense burners, and candlesticks are placed on both sides. In front of the small table, there were several stands made of wooden strips, on which were supported several small iron pots.

In front of the stands, along the walls, there are several tall wooden shelves and cabinets. Zhu Wenkui walked to a shelf, picked up an account book on it with ease, and faced the two of them.

This house is nominally the family temple of "King Wu's Mansion". However, in reality, due to the limited space, it doubles as a temple, a church, and a storage room for valuables.

Theoretically, Zhu Wenkui is also a worshipper of God. After starting to run his own family here, he also joined the worship of God.

Guo Kang told him before that there was no need for this. But Zhu Wenkui believes that everyone here is a believer, so if they don't believe it, it is estimated that they will appear unsociable, and it will be inconvenient to do things later. Therefore, he asked Wang Da Lama to help him do a baptism, and also gave him the Christian name of "Konstantin Zhu" to deal with Europeans.

After that, Zhu Wenkui took the opportunity to cry poverty in the church, and went to ask for various sponsorships twice in three days.

According to him, he came all the way from the East and joined the church, and he could not fail to take care of him. Otherwise, not to mention those businessmen who have traveled a long way, will they think too much. Other congregants may also feel that the church is too critical and not generous enough to new guests. Over time, believers will also become centrifuged.

The gold and silver utensils in the house now, including the gilded crosses, silver-plated incense burners, and candlesticks, were all obtained from the church by him during that time on the grounds that the Wu Wangfu also wanted to build a temple to help propagate the teachings. Although they are not complete with each other, which makes the atmosphere of the temple here a little weird, at least there are some sacrificial vessels that can be handled, and they will not be the same as before, with things carved from wood.

When little Jeanna first came here, Zhu Wenkui even took her to the Niangniang Temple every day in the name of little Jeanna on the grounds that her sister was more religious and wanted to eat fasting, trying to save all the food expenses.

Later, Princess Ma recovered a little and began to take care of some family affairs, but she was very speechless about it, and asked him not to go to the temple all day to ask for food, so he stopped this behavior.

Of course, Zhu Wenkui's long-term and unremitting begging is not useless. At least during that time, King Wu's mansion was indeed more prosperous, and even this family temple was formalized.

The portrait of Zhu Yuanzhang in the temple was swept away by Zhu Yunwen when he fled, and it is also the only original Ming Dynasty artifact at present. The other tablets, as well as the wooden shelves where the tablets are placed, were made by Qi Tai when he was teaching Zhu Wenkui to read here, and the two of them sawed wood with their own hands.

Although it is not very in line with the etiquette regulations, according to Qi Tai, this is called "having the right to the scriptures", and it is understandable that the conditions will be limited. Since then, I've been using it like this.

Of course, the bigger reason may be that the entire design of the Wu Wangjia Temple does not conform to the etiquette regulations of the Ming Dynasty at all. Anyway, the general direction is already wrong, what do you pay attention to these details......

The rules formulated by Zhu Yuanzhang himself that year required the princes and kings to set up two buildings, the Zuozong Temple and the Right Sheji. Wu Fan is now a "wandering palace" and has no territory at all, so the Sheji Temple will save money. And the five temples requested by the princes naturally can't be made up, and they can't even do the second-level "one temple and five rooms", so everyone can only be crowded in the same room, and the first half of the room has to be used as a storage room.

And the most important thing is that according to Zhu Yuanzhang's request, the vassal state can only sacrifice its first monarch, not the Son of Heaven. But because Zhu Yunwen is still claiming his inheritance, he still imitates the Taimiao Temple and stuffs all the ancestors and ancestors into it.

If this is in the Central Plains, it is estimated that there will be a big case coming out, but fortunately, the literal emperor is far away from the mountain, and no one cares......

Unlike his father, Zhu Wenkui has no such ambition at all. He felt that his grandfather and his grandfather were not this material, and even if they had the ability, what could they do? Can you really bring people back to kill them again? Instead of dwelling on these, it is better to pull down one less thing. It's just that Zhu Yunwen's team is very persistent in this, and he has been trying to maintain it like this.

According to Qi Tai, the regulations of the imperial court during the Taizu period were because there was a requirement in the Book of Rites that "the branch is not sacrificed", that is, the Zhou rites required that the small sect could not sacrifice to the ancestors of the big sect. But the problem is that according to the records of the Spring and Autumn Period, Zheng Guo has been sacrificing from King Zhou Li, and Song State even directly sacrificed to Shang King Emperor Yi. Even the self-proclaimed model of Zhou etiquette, Lu Guo, has a privilege, not from the Duke of Zhou, but from King Wen.

On the one hand, the rituals of the Zhou people themselves are often not in line with the Zhou rituals; On the other hand, the Zhou rites have also been constantly changing, and the Zhou rites that were completed in later generations have been rearranged by the Han Confucians after the book burning. Due to the large number of versions, it is natural that there are different or even opposite interpretations. It is also difficult to comment on the merits.

Although this sacrificial rule was indeed set by Zhu Yuanzhang himself, and it may have been deliberately done to control the power of the vassal king, when the Confucians wanted to interpret the scriptures, they could have come to other conclusions.

Everyone is embarrassed to directly say that Taizu does not understand the scriptures and has no culture, but like this, it is no problem to accuse the Ministry of Rites of distorting the Zhou rites and misleading the king. Zhu Wenkui therefore very suspicious that these rituals may not have a normative effect - the Confucians can make a noise about it if they find a reason.

Therefore, for this, he will also maintain the attitude of maintaining the status quo.

Not far away, Zhu Yuanzhang crossed the cross, as if he was still looking at everyone. However, Zhu Wenkui had already ignored the strange arrangement here, and after flipping through the books, he quickly came to the conclusion: "I have to go and ask for some money again!" ”

"What then?" Jeanne asked.

"Not only do we have no money left, but we already owe it!" Zhu Wenkui announced: "But everyone should relax." Miss Jeanna, you came late, I don't know if you don't know, the palace is often beyond its means, and it is not in the way. ”

"The matter of timber will be troubled by Mr. Yang to prepare." He instructed Captain Jaska: "See for yourself which one is suitable." That's right – it's too much to spend this month, so write it down first. I should be able to apply for some money from the Roman government this time, and I'll make up for it when I get it. ”

"Can I be reimbursed this time?" Captain Jaska was overjoyed.

"What they mean is to challenge the technical level of the entire Haixi. If we can do it, not only will the Romans be good-looking, but it will also bring great practical benefits. If nothing else, this imitation machine and production method, they will definitely be happy to buy it. Zhu Wenkui analyzed: "As long as they say so, they will definitely add money." ”

"yes." Captain Jeska suddenly realized: "The young master is indeed smart, this is a good idea. When the time comes, I will bargain with them and scare them into saying that they are doing things for the government, which will be much more convenient. ”

"If you can't do it, won't it be troublesome?" Jeanne pointed out.

"What are you afraid of, if you really can't do it, just tell the merchant and buy it." Captain Jeska is confident: "Whether it's a bet or a lottery, it's just a business method." Merchants, since they are doing so many things, they must sell things in the end. ”

"On the other hand, as long as we help to persuade, introduce the advantages of this thing, and push the Roman government to buy it, they will not deliberately give us an ugly one. I guess they will take the initiative to help us round the field, so that we can make money peacefully. ”

"I'll talk to Brother Kang today. If we can make it, of course better; If he didn't have an idea, then this machine did have a purchase value, and he would be happy to make one to study. Zhu Wenkui nodded: "Before, he made that water cylinder, encountered a bottleneck, and asked me to borrow money and materials." Now if I ask him to borrow it, he won't object. ”

"It's still such a reliable friend." Jeanne sighed with emotion: "Then our financial problems this month should be much better." ”

"After all, I have to pay it back to others. And even if you get the funds this time, it will be a one-time income, not a long-term solution. Captain Jeska poured cold water on it in time: "The expenses of the palace are getting bigger and bigger, and we have to open up sources and reduce expenses in other aspects." ”

"The biggest expense of this month is to participate in their triumphal preparations." Zhu Wenkui muttered skillfully, obviously thinking about it on weekdays: "Mother, princess, and my sister, their dresses directly exceed all the expenses of this quarter." Hey, no wonder Brother Kang says every day that life should be kept simple......"

"There's no way around it. In aristocratic circles, clothes were considered the most basic things. Many people are indeed under the pressure of bankruptcy, and they have to insist on constantly changing and buying new clothes. Captain Jaska was not surprised: "Besides, this is all bought, and it can't be sold again." ”

"It doesn't seem to be impossible...... Zhu Wenkui calculated: "I can't control the clothes of my mother and princess and aunt, but my sister's set, I don't know if there are other people." I have been helping to take care of her for the past few years. Now that it's a critical juncture, a child like her who is so sensible must be able to understand. ”

"But according to what I just said, it doesn't matter." Jeanne pointed out: "And isn't this the prince of the world that you yourself are going to bet with the Yuanren." ”

"We see that the people of the Yuan Dynasty are still showing off their might, how can we sit idly by?" Zhu Wenkui looked at the portrait of Taizu, had an idea, and said solemnly: "My sister is also a clan, of course she also has this obligation." ”

"In this case, Mr. Yang, you go and tell her, and then find a merchant to see if you can sell it at as high a price as possible." He finally decided: "You know a lot of businessmen, someone should be willing to ask for it." In this way, we will have the money to build the machine by then. ”

"It's okay for me to go to the businessman, but I'm not suitable for the little princess." Captain Jeska immediately said: "I'm just a mercenary leader, I can't do such a delicate thing, and it's not good to have too much contact with female dependents." Let's let someone more suitable go. ”

"Alright, Miss Jeanna, I'll leave it to you." Zhu Wenkui nodded.

"Huh? I? Jeanne hadn't reacted yet. She also wanted to refuse, but Zhu Wenkui and Captain Jeska, as well as Zhu Yuanzhang in the painting, were staring at her. This environment is indeed quite stressful, and she felt weak for a while, so she had to say: "I'll just try, don't blame me if I can't." ”

"That's enough, that's enough." Zhu Wenkui nodded again and again: "But don't be in a hurry now, in a few days, the ceremony will be completely over, and there will be no need for that dress." ”

"Today's words ......" he thought for a while: "Hey, yes, where did Brother Kang go today?" ”

"Why don't you go find him first. Tell him about my situation and see if he can discuss it. Zhu Wenkui pondered for a moment and instructed: "He should know this very well, if he can set the plan, it will also facilitate follow-up planning, maybe he can save a lot of unnecessary expenses." ”

"That's fine." Jeanne nodded, got up and was about to walk out: "I guess it's those places." I'll go to the cathedral first. ”

However, as soon as she opened the door, a figure suddenly jumped from the roof. Jeanne reflexively flashed to the side and waved her hand to throw a few iron nails. The other party also turned around with the same agility, and the iron nails pierced into the trees outside the house with a few muffled sounds.

Captain Jeska also reacted, got up and dragged Zhu Wenkui aside, dragged him two steps to the back of the platform, and hid.

But at this moment, a girl's voice came from outside: "It's me!" Stop it! ”

"Why is this guy ...... again" Jeanne looked rather helpless.

"Who is it?" Zhu Wenkui got up a little embarrassed and poked his head out from behind Zhu Yuanzhang: "Do you know?" ”

"This is also Guo Gongzi's acquaintance." Lady Jeanna obviously didn't want to introduce too much, and shouted outside: "Okay, come on!" I'm just going to find your brother! ”

A moment later, Mertham, dressed in a linen burqa, ran in through the door. Jeanna smiled bitterly and nodded at her, and put back the long iron nail that was left in her hand.

"Hey, I said why the iron nails I hit before, there are a few fewer every time, so it's here!" Zhu Wenkui was sharp-eyed this time, and suddenly found something wrong: "This is all made by me for a customized machine." Don't take these if you want them......"

"Leave this alone!" Meltem looked a little anxious and said loudly, "Can any of you help find someone?" The more the merrier. ”

"How did you do it today?" Captain Jaska muttered, and then said, "I know you're in a hurry, but you try to make it as clear as you can." What the hell is going on? ”

"I'm going to help my brother!" Mertem said.

"Huh?" Zhu Wenkui and the others looked at each other.

I'm sorry for the time I've had so many things going on. After moving in the next few days, it should be able to recover

(End of chapter)