The twelfth year of orthodoxy, the eleventh day of the first month.

Aunt Xue got up early in the morning and then rushed to Xiangwang's Mansion, but she was not the first to come today.

Almost every day, Baochai will receive visiting wives, which is also a normal exchange between top elites.

Because Baochai had something to discuss, Aunt Xue waited in the wing room for half an hour before she saw her daughter alone.

At the moment, they are in the palace garden, which is the place to speak.

"My mother came here today, but is there something wrong?"

Although Baochai's tone was kind, Aunt Xue still didn't dare to slack off, and followed her daughter very modestly and said, "This time, if not for anything else, is for your brother's marriage!" ”

"Brother's marriage?" Baochai stopped.

"I've been to various homes these days, and I've met a lot of famous ladies, and the most satisfying of them is ...... is the daughter of the Zhang family, a member of the household department! ”

After taking the fish food, Baochai threw it into the pond a few times, and then responded: "Hmm! ”

Seeing that Baochai's reaction was mediocre, although Aunt Xue was a little uncomfortable, she continued to say: "I asked someone to talk to the Zhang family about getting married, but they said that my daughter was stupid and needed to ......be educated."

"Hmm!"

"The daughter of her family, who looks like a talented person and has a good temperament, obviously prevaricates us when she says these words!"

Hearing her mother say this, Baochai immediately turned around and asked, "So what does mother mean?" ”

"I thought...... If the princess can come forward to make peace, I think they will agree to this family business! Aunt Xue said carefully.

"Mother means that you want me to use power over people?" Baochai asked rhetorically.

A small household member is nothing to Xiangwangfu, but Baochai has no intention of helping directly.

"Baochai, just ask you to come forward to make peace, not ......"

"The mother can know the truth of family and prosperity, and the matter of marriage is based on consensual thinking, and people do not want to marry...... Why do you need to be strong! ”

In the 5,000 years of China, the most indispensable thing is truth, so the key lies in the strength of the speaker.

If Baochai was still the daughter of the Xue family, she would have turned her elbow outward, which would definitely attract Aunt Xue's reprimand.

And now that she is the princess, her reasoning is correct, which makes Aunt Xue irrefutable.

"My brother's character, people must have inquired about it, and it's normal that I don't want to get married!"

With these words, Baochai almost said that Xue Pan was not a thing, but Aunt Xue could only listen quietly.

"So...... Mother also has to strictly restrain her brother, so that he can do his duty as a minister as a good minister, as long as he is willing to be motivated, there is still a lack of good girls? ”

"What the princess said is reasonable!" Aunt Xue could only answer like this.

In fact, regarding Xue Pan's marriage, the Xue family and the Xia family had to negotiate before, so they had to go through the formal hiring procedure.

However, because Baochai was elected as the princess, the Xue family's vision was high, and after returning to Beijing, this family business was over.

"Recently, the prince arranged an errand for his brother, and his mother should urge him to ...... more"

So Baochai continued to speak, and Aunt Xue could only listen carefully.

And Zhu Jinghong, who she was talking about, had arrived at the Qianqing Palace at this moment, and was walking outside the palace gate with the emperor.

"Dad, slow down!"

"Daddy...... You look ahead! ”

At this time, Zhu Jinghong's flattery is overflowing, normally speaking, there will be no prince like this.

On the sedan chair, Zhu Xianming looked at the youngest son beside him and asked casually: "Boy, I think you are weak-hearted, otherwise you would be so cautious!" ”

"Dad, what are you talking about, how can my son be weak-hearted......"

Following the sedan chair forward, Zhu Jinghong continued: "Even if the guns of Shanglin Yuan do not enter your eyes, your son will only be beaten with a court cane, which is a big deal!" ”

"Oh...... It turns out that in your eyes, the court staff is not a big deal! ”

"Ah...... This...... Son means ......"

Not wanting to talk nonsense with Zhu Jinghong, Zhu Xianming asked again: "I heard that two days ago...... The daughter-in-law borrowed 10,000 taels of silver from the sixth family? ”

"That's what you say...... Dad, my son said honestly, the sixth brother and six sisters-in-law are really good-hearted, knowing that our life is tight, they will lend us 10,000 silver without blinking! ”

Sweeping his gaze to Zhu Jinghong, Zhu Xianming said calmly: "Are you living a tight life? If my estimation is correct, you have 100,000 dollars in cash! ”

"That's enough money!"

"100,000 silver is not enough? What do you want to do? ”

"My son wants to do business!"

"Ridiculous, a royal land, what kind of business is expensive?"

Who knew that Zhu Jinghong said: "My son is not for you!" ”

"For me?"

"Doing business is just a pretense, using the name of business to find out the situation, so that we can know ourselves and the other, and the sailor can maintain the peace of the world in the future!"

Hearing this, Zhu Xianming replied with a smile: "Since this is the case, why do you need to send people in person, the court will issue an edict, and those maritime merchants will not be able to do it!" ”

Now that the imperial court forbids the sea, only the maritime merchants who have obtained the approval of the city shipping department can do business on the sea, and there are now more than 100 such merchants.

For these maritime merchants, the imperial court is very harsh on taxes, so these people try to evade taxes, so these people are also doing smuggling.

Of course, the Japanese who disturbed the peace of the sea also had the handiwork of these people behind them.

Among them, the interests involved are complicated, involving the officials and people of several coastal provinces, and it is basically impossible to find out clearly.

"Dad, my son just wants to make money and share your worries!" Zhu Jinghong held back this sentence.

"Bullshit!" Zhu Xianming scoffed, but felt very warm in his heart.

Hearing this, Zhu Jinghong knew that the old man had acquiesced, and then he could say hello to the city department, and he could start doing it after giving the approval there.

Let's say that the father and son went out to clear the door, and there were already dozens of high-ranking military attachés waiting outside, who came from the Governor's Mansion of the Five Armies and the guards and pro-army.

Obviously, Zhu Xianming attached great importance to this observation, so he called these people.

Everyone went all the way to the forest garden, and today's observation was in one of the school fields, and the venue had been arranged at this time.

Jia Yun and a group of craftsmen, more than 20 people were placed on the west side of the school grounds, and each of them was very nervous at the moment.

Especially these craftsmen, they did not dare to imagine that the emperor would come to see the things they had made in person.

That's the Emperor, the Emperor who rules the world like a god!

And no matter what mood they were in, they were all standing very respectfully at the moment, otherwise they would definitely be reprimanded by the guards.

Everyone waited for nearly half an hour, and their legs were weak before they heard movement outside, and then they saw the honor guard appear, obviously this is the emperor coming.

No one needed to remind them, Jia Yun and the others all knelt down, and at this moment they were nearly fifty zhang away from the emperor's team.

That's right, they, inconsequential people, are not qualified to approach the emperor at all.

Let's say that Zhu Jinghong is here, he accompanied the emperor to get off the sedan chair, and then walked in the school field accompanied by a group of generals.

They first looked at the guns that had been placed, and then walked to the test site themselves.

On the test ground, there are human-shaped targets made of paper, which will be used to test the effectiveness of muskets.

At further distances, pigs and sheep are used to simulate enemy troops, and in a moment these pigs and sheep will be shelled.

These things were naturally Zhu Jinghong's idea, so he was also introducing them when he visited.

Just looking at the venue, it took half an hour to walk down, and then Zhu Xianming came to the high platform dedicated to observation.

This platform was built specifically for today and provides a better viewing angle.

Sitting on the dragon chair, Zhu Xianming drank tea and moistened his throat, and then said, "Let's start!" ”

The emperor said to start, then of course it had to start.

With Zhu Jinghong's order, the soldiers in charge of the demonstration moved, and they began to fire with new muskets.

The gunshots rang out for a while, and the ten soldiers fired a total of three rounds before the eunuch took the target paper back.

First Zhu Xianming looked at the target paper, and then a group of generals came to see.

Facts have proved that the performance of these guns has indeed improved greatly, which has made all the generals praise.

The things were made by themselves, not bought from foreigners, so everyone was happy at the moment.

This was followed by several rounds of gunning, all of which showed excellent performance of the new gun, and then the emperor ordered a formal test of the gun.

After several rounds of shelling, the killing effect was equally good, and this time Zhu Xianming laughed out loud.

At this point, things basically have nothing to do with Zhu Jinghong, and at this moment Zhu Xianming is observing the field with the generals.

Looking at the pigs and sheep that were blown to shreds, Zhu Xianming showed a childlike smile, and it could be seen that he was really happy.

With a new rifle in his hand, the generals also fired a few shots along the way, although Zhu Xianming wanted to experience it, he was still persuaded.

Although these guns have performed well so far, there is no guarantee that his next shot will not blow up.

For Zhu Xianming's safety, he can only watch others play today.

After another ten minutes passed, and after everyone had finished experiencing it, Zhu Xianming summoned everyone back and asked how these people had experienced.

This is a very critical step, and only with the approval of these generals will Zhu Xianming really recognize the new gun.

Although he knew that he would pass, Zhu Jinghong was still a little nervous at this time, of course, the final result was thrilling.

After some discussion, everyone was full of praise, Zhu Xianming asked: "How much does this fire gun cost?" How much does artillery cost? ”

"Back to my father, the cost is about fifteen taels now, and the expansion of production capacity may be reduced to ten to fifteen taels, and the cost of artillery is five hundred ......."

To be honest, this price is a bit expensive, even more expensive than buying from a foreigner.

After listening to the introduction, Zhu Xianming said very happily: "There are 20,000 soldiers and horses in the North Fourth Guard, including nearly 15,000 firecrackers, so let's build 20,000 first, and 80 artillery first......"

Whether the fire gun works or not still has to be tested in actual combat, and it is obvious that the North Fourth Guard is going to be a guinea pig again.

"As for the existing firecrackers in the North Four Guards, they will be handed over to the military department after the new firecrackers are distributed, and then the military department will be transferred to the Beijing camp!"

Nowadays, although the Beijing camp is also equipped with firearms on a large scale, the number of flintlock guns is not very large, so the elimination of the North Fourth Guard is still a good thing.

"Dad, this new firebolt must have a name!" Zhu Jinghong proposed at the right time.

The new artillery already has a name, and it was previously named "Weiyuan Cannon" by Zhu Xianming.

After nodding, Zhu Xianming asked, "What do you think?" ”

"That's right, such a good thing, it should have a majestic name!"

The generals all nodded yes, all thinking about what to call it.

Because it was Zhu Jinghong who proposed, Zhu Xianming looked at him and asked, "Old Thirteen, what do you think it should be called?" ”

"Dad, why don't you call it a Type 12 rifle!"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and then they laughed, thinking that Zhu Jinghong was talking casually.

Only Zhu Xianming asked: "Why did you have such a name?" ”

"It's the twelfth year of orthodoxy now, so it's called the Twelve-Style, and this is the weapon used by the infantry, so it's called a rifle directly!"

"Forehead ......" Obviously, Zhu Xianming still has doubts.

But after Zhu Jinghong said this, some of the generals present spoke out against it, and gave well-known names such as "divine might" and "heavenly punishment".

"Type 12 Rifle, Type 12 Rifle ......"

After pondering several times, Zhu Xianming finally made a decision: "According to what you say, let's call it a twelve-type rifle!" ”

This kind of moisturizing and silent sycophant is very much liked by Zhu Xianming.

The person who opposed this name just now changed his face faster than turning a book at this moment, and immediately called "Your Majesty Shengming" like everyone else.

At this point, today's observation is over, and then it's time to return.

Zhu Jinghong followed his father's side, and his appearance of wanting to speak stopped attracted Zhu Xianming's attention.

"If you fart, let it go!"

"Dad, should you give a reward to the craftsmen who participated in the casting of guns?"

After nodding, Zhu Xianming said, "How many craftsmen are there?" ”

"There are more than 70 people in total, including 35 foreigners!"

Sitting on the sedan chair, Zhu Xianming said lightly: "All craftsmen will be rewarded with fifty silver, plus ten horses of brocade cloth and two stones!" ”

"Yes!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

In fact, Zhu Jinghong can make a decision on this little thing, and the reason why he wants to ask more questions is to pave the way for the next words.

"Dad, do you remember Jia Yun who was in charge of the workshop?"

Hearing Zhu Jinghong say this, Zhu Xianming remembered that there was such a person, and then nodded slightly.

"This person is quite competent, but he is still a white body, which is really inconvenient, so what my son means...... Can you always give him an official position! ”

"Hmmm......"

After nodding, Zhu Xianming said, "Just give a ...... The title of the director of the Ministry of Works! ”

"Yes!"

Since it is only a title, Jia Yun does not need to go to work in the Ministry of Industry, and the nature is similar to that of Xue Pan's head of the household department, mainly to facilitate the docking with the yamen of various government offices.

The small head of the Ministry of Engineering is a trivial matter for his father and son, so Zhu Jinghong talked about the military parade again.

While their father and son were chatting, news of the emperor's reward had reached the waiting craftsmen.

When they heard that the emperor had given them silver, cloth, and food, everyone cheered for joy and bowed in the direction of the emperor's departure.

"Master Jia, the Lord knows that you are diligent in your work, and I will give you the title of Director of the Ministry of Works!"

Originally, Jia Yun was still a little lost, but when she heard this, she was more excited than the craftsmen, and kowtowed a few more times in the direction of the emperor's departure.

But he knew in his heart that he could get the title of official, and there must be Zhu Jinghong among them, otherwise His Majesty the Emperor would not know that he was a nobody.

"Thank you father-in-law for telling me in advance, be careful...... I hope my father-in-law won't dislike it! ”

After getting up, Jia Yun took out a piece of silver from his arms and quietly stuffed it into the hand of the messenger.

After staying in Shanglin Yuan for so long, Jia Yun has a lot of dealings with these eunuchs, and he naturally understands the rules.

"How embarrassing is that!"

"If you don't accept it, then I'll be embarrassed!"

"You're a good person, then I'm welcome!"

After sending the little eunuch away, Jia Yun led a group of craftsmen to leave, and when he returned to the workshop, he still had a lot of things to arrange.

By the time he was done, the sun had already set in the west, so Jia Yun went home full of excitement.

The director of the Ministry of Engineering is the sixth rank, and with such a great grace, Jia Yun wants to report the good news to her mother.

When he returned to the house, he found that his mother Bu was not at home, and when he asked, he realized that he had gone to Ningguo Mansion to help.

Now that Jia Zhen is dead, Ning Guofu is going to hold a big funeral, and all aspects of manpower are relatively tight, so Bu Shi was called over.

"There are so many girls in the house, why do you need my mother to go over and help!" Jia Yun was suddenly unhappy.

So he went straight to Ning Guofu to see what the situation was.

Jia Yun's residence is not far from Ningguo's Mansion, and it just so happens that as soon as he enters Ningguo's Mansion, he meets Xiaohong.

"Second Master Yun!"

Xiaohong had three girls in his party, but the other two didn't see him, so they left Xiaohong and left.

"Little red girl, can you see my mother?"

(End of chapter)