Zhang Zhou's words made Empress Dowager Zhou's face unhappy.

On the side, Queen Zhang's eyes were a little incomprehensible, obviously she didn't expect Zhang Zhou to stand on the same position as her.

Zhu Youzhu had Zhang Zhou's words as an introduction, and he also had the confidence to say: "Imperial grandmother, the daughter of the Lin family is good or bad, you don't have to say much, you shouldn't bother the mood of the imperial grandmother today because of these mundane things." Today, my grandson brought the queen and the crown prince here to dine with you. ”

"Bingkuan also stays." Empress Dowager Zhou proposed.

Zhang Zhou got up and said: "The minister still has other matters, it is inconvenient to disturb, thank you for the kindness of the Empress Dowager, the minister retired first." ”

Zhu Youzhu gave Zhang Zhou a look, probably reminding Zhang Zhou that he could do what he said before.

……

……

Zhang Zhou came out of Qingning Palace, and did not leave the palace, but followed Xiao Jing to Qianqing Palace first.

Zhu Youzhi asked him to enter the palace this time, and he also had an intention, which was to let him go to see the feng shui of Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace.

The emperor admired Taoism too much, and now he didn't want to entrust his leave to outsiders, so he had to let Zhang Zhou come.

"Mr. Zhang, did you understand what the Empress Dowager said before?"

Xiao Jing accompanied Zhang Zhou to go, and on the way he seemed to ask tentatively.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Gonggong Xiao should understand better than below, the Empress Dowager wants Her Majesty to take a concubine, right?" ”

Xiao Jing smiled and asked, "What do you think of that Lin family girl?" ”

Zhang Zhou thought to himself, I said that it may involve the old lady giving her grandson a concubine, and you dare to continue to ask, you are not small.

"If Gonggong Xiao is asking His Majesty about the choice of concubine, I don't think she is suitable." Zhang Zhou replied with a very direct answer.

Xiao Jing was surprised: "Why? ”

Obviously, in Xiao Jing's mind, Lin Yi was born in a famous family, knowledgeable and beautiful, and now she is even good at poetry, she should be the marriage partner that men dream of, how could she not be suitable for entering the palace?

Zhang Zhoudao: "Grandpa Xiao, are you curious, or are you asking for others?" ”

"Huh? This...... Mr. Zhang, don't misunderstand, it's just that our family wants to ask, and our family won't leak it to anyone to know......"

Xiao Jing also saw cold sweat on his head.

I always felt that I was the one who was close to the emperor, and I felt that Zhang Zhou should be guarding against leaking things to the emperor or the palace people.

Now he realized that some of the topics discussed with Zhang Zhou might be told to the emperor by Zhang Zhou.

Let Xiao Jing not be able to eat and walk around.

That's the time, the time.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Whether Your Majesty wants to accept a concubine, and who you want to accept as a concubine, this has nothing to do with me, and I will not rashly say anything." Grandpa Xiao don't worry about it! ”

Zhang Zhou doesn't know what kind of person Zhu Youzhu likes?

Of course he does.

Lin Yi is a beautiful lady like her, and she is a little bookish, and she will not take advantage of Zhu Youji's mind.

In Zhang Zhou's opinion, Zhu Youji's favorite should be what kind of Taoist aunt who can order "spells", knowing astronomy and geography, especially when it comes to Taoist affairs, he can talk about Taoist affairs, and he can have a Jiao fast, or he can practice in retreat, bring the emperor in to practice together, and then ......

Make up your own brain.

This kind of thing, Zhang Zhou knows that he can't tell anyone.

He knew that achieving this condition was a bit of nonsense, but it was the most effective way.

Anyway, no one has asked Zhu Youzhu to go to the concubine immediately, Zhang Zhou feels that this is not the focus of his focus at the moment, Zhu Youzhu himself can't do it, and it is useless to give him ten Taoist aunts.

……

……

After lunch.

Zhu Youzhu said goodbye to his wife and children, and returned to the palace respectively, and Zhu Youzhu rushed to the Qianqing Palace by himself.

When Zhu Youzhu arrived, Zhang Zhou had been waiting in the Qianqing Palace for half an hour.

"Your Majesty." Zhang Zhou got up.

Zhu Youzhu said apologetically: "I didn't let you dine in Qingning Palace today, and I neglected you, but in the end, I was at the same table with the imperial grandmother, if it was for me and the queen and the prince, I wouldn't have so many worries." ”

Zhang Zhou listened, it means that I can still eat with your family in the future?

Forget it!

I feel honored that you alone gave me food.

"Your Majesty is serious." Zhang Zhoudao, "Regarding the topography of Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace, etc., the minister has already seen it, made some arrangements, and handed it over to Gonggong Xiao." ”

Zhu Youzhu asked, "No problem, right?" ”

Zhang Zhoudao: "I don't see any problems. ”

"That's good." Zhu Youzhu probably just wanted to buy peace of mind, "I've been restless lately, thinking that something will happen, you say it's okay, and I can sleep peacefully." ”

Zhang Zhouxin said, my words can be used as a reassurance for the emperor.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Your Majesty, when the minister entered the palace before, he also asked Gonggong Xiao to bring some things. ”

Zhu Youzhi had previously asked Zhang Zhou to go to watch the Empress Dowager Zhou's move to the palace, but he didn't look at the things that Zhang Zhou brought, so he had the mind at this time, and then asked Xiao Jing to bring the things up.

But it was the steel that Zhang Zhougang smelted.

"What is this?" Zhu Youzhu wanted to pick it up, but found it very heavy.

Xiao Jing said with a smile: "Your Majesty, this is iron, in fact, it is a hundred steel, but Mr. Zhang is formed by a furnace at one time, and it is said that there are some things added to it, and it is very tough after making a blade." ”

Zhu Youzhu said: "Then why don't you bring the formed blade to me?" ”

When this question was asked, and looking at the embarrassed smile on Xiao Jing's face, Zhu Youzhu immediately understood.

He didn't have any defense against Zhang Zhou in his heart, but if Zhang Zhou didn't bring cast iron, he would just bring a knife...... It is estimated that Zhang Zhou has already been taken down by the palace guards, and it is light to be stuffed into the edict, and it is not impossible to move his head.

"Bingkuan, have you found any new iron-making methods?" Zhu Youzhu asked with a smile.

Zhang Zhou arched his hand and said: "Back to Your Majesty, it is exactly like this, using a furnace to smelt iron, the yield is higher, and if it is used to cast swords, spears, and arrow tips, the effect is better." ”

Zhu Youzhu said: "Then you can start to build a batch and ask the people from the Arsenal Clearance Division of the Ministry of War to cooperate with you." ”

Xiao Jing reminded: "Your Majesty, the slave maid also asked Mr. Zhang about this, and he said that if you want to make steel in a furnace, it will be difficult to complete it with the charcoal and charcoal currently available on the market, so you have to ...... Coal is used to make a kind of charcoal. ”

To make steel, coke is naturally needed.

As long as the furnace temperature can be added, ordinary furnaces can also be used, and even some iron tools can be returned to the furnace to be rebuilt.

The problem is that although coal has been used to make iron since the Song Dynasty, the utilization rate of coal was still not high until the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty.

It's about the difficulty of mining.

Just like the burning in the palace, it is all red charcoal, which is a kind of charcoal, and coal is also more likely to produce carbon monoxide when burning, and there are many poisonous gases produced by inferior coal.

Zhu Youzhu frowned and said, "Bingkuan, what do you want?" ”

Zhang Zhoudao: "I heard that there has always been coal mining in Xishan and other places, and the minister wants to open a coal mine in Xishan." ”

"I'm afraid it's not appropriate."

Zhu Youzhu hesitated.

Coal mining in Xishan has always been done by some nobles, and the imperial court has not participated in it.

The Ming Dynasty has always been very cautious about mining deposits, and even the emperor did not dare to break the principle...... Otherwise, there would not have been a situation where the mining tax was dissed all the way by the Yanguan during the Wanli period.

Xiao Jing said with a smile: "Your Majesty, Mr. Zhang has also thought about this, he said that he should not mine in the direction of the imperial tomb, and that he should avoid the existing coal mines as much as possible in the deep mountains and old forests, and that the mining is not in the name of the imperial court, at most he wants Dongchang to pay a little attention." ”

As soon as Zhu Youzhu heard that he didn't have to do it in the name of the imperial court, he felt that he would not encounter too much resistance.

Otherwise......

The spitting stars of those officials in the court can drown him.

Zhu Youzhu nodded and said, "How much manpower and material resources are needed, you tell Xiao Jing." ”

Zhang Zhou arched his hand and said: "Your Majesty, manpower and material resources can be found by the ministers, and the ministers don't need anything from the court, they only need the support of Your Majesty." The ministers did not keep any of the coal produced, and they would be used in the imperial court. ”

"How does this work?" Zhu Youzhu heard it, isn't this a loss for Bingkuan, whom I trust?

Xiao Jing said: "Your Majesty, there have always been people who open coal mines in Xishan, basically the princes and nobles in the capital, with Mr. Zhang's understanding of feng shui, the slave believes that he can find the ore vein quickly, but he is afraid of ......"

Zhu Youzhu thought for a while, nodded and said, "Are you afraid that others will see that this coal mine produces a lot of coal and make trouble?" ”

"Hmm." Xiao Jing nodded, "Yes." ”

Zhu Youzhu said with a smile: "I didn't expect that Bingkuan's ability can still be used in this regard, if you are dedicated to the court, how can I not agree?" But I will not come forward as much as possible, if anything happens, Dongchang and Jinyiwei will settle it for you, and if you produce good charcoal, I will let the court purchase it. The position of Admiral Yizhou Mountain Factory has not been decided, right? ”

Xiao Jing replied: "Yes, after Lin Feng, the right attendant of the Ministry of Works, became a servant, this position has been vacant. ”

Zhu Youzhu said: "Then according to the previous court proposal, transfer the right capital Yushi Chen Wan as the right attendant of the Ministry of Works, and supervise the Yizhou Mountain Factory." Bingkuan, if there is anything that is not convenient, you can tell Chen Wan directly, this person is quite good at learning and reliable. ”

Zhang Zhou originally intended to ask about the opening of the coal mine, but he didn't expect the emperor to directly arrange a commander Yizhou Mountain Factory to cooperate with him...... Although this was just a normal appointment and dismissal of officials in the imperial court, Zhang Zhou did not expect the emperor to attach so much importance to it.

Zhang Zhou arched his hand and said: "The minister must do his best." ”

"Okay, do you have anything else to do?" Zhu Youzhu was afraid that this arrangement would not be enough.

Zhang Zhoudao: "The minister also wants to transfer some craftsmen from all over the capital to cooperate with the iron-making matter. ”

Zhu Youzhu nodded.

Zhang Zhoudao: "Your Majesty, the minister also proposed that some craftsmen can be separated from the craftsman's household, not to change the rules, but to use this as an encouragement, who can make contributions to the technical tackling, can change the household, and it will still be used by the imperial court in the future, and there is no need to complete it with conscription." The minister did all this without selfishness. ”

Contractor, change to contract worker.

Zhu Youzhu said with a smile: "Even if you are selfish, it's okay, in fact, I also know that the imperial court has always been a little harsh on craftsmen, if they can really help you, it is nothing if you sell them a favor." I will also let Dongchang do it at its discretion. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhang Zhou felt that he had not yet been admitted to the Jinshi, so he was a bit of a master of industry.

(End of chapter)