Chapter 159 Zeng Shangshu, are you recovered?
Now, in the entire Ministry of Industry, apart from scribes and handymen who are not in power, there is only one official, Xia Yan, who is a scholar in charge of political affairs.
On this day, because he knew that Emperor Zhu Houzhao would come to the Ordnance Bureau tomorrow, he also came to the Ordnance Bureau in advance to see if there was anything that needed attention, so as not to make any mistakes and make Long Yan furious.
Xia Yan himself also studied science at the Capital University for two years. He knew more about weapons manufacturing than before. When he came to the Ordnance Bureau, he also wanted to learn more about the current situation of weapons manufacturing in the Ming Dynasty.
But because all the officials from the Ministry of Industry were arrested and sent to the East Factory, he, as an intern, was not assigned errands by his superiors, so he felt a little bored after looking at it for a long time, so he thought about whether to give it a try. Using the granular gunpowder that Your Majesty mentioned, try to make the work The craftsman tried to make some, but the Ministry of Industry had not yet had time to hire craftsmen, so he had to decide to try to use the experimental operation skills he learned at the Capital University to filter saltpeter and purify sulfur, and try to make granulated gunpowder. .
Because Guangjiku is the place where gunpowder raw materials such as saltpeter and sulfur are stored, Xia Yan came to Guangjiku and prepared to pick up some gunpowder raw materials. But just after he registered and entered Guangjiku, he found that Guangjiku What's in the warehouse is not sulfur and saltpeter, but finished gunpowder!
Now Xia Yan, as the first science graduate of Capital University, is naturally familiar with the difference between sulfur, saltpeter and finished gunpowder, and also knows the precautionary measures when storing gunpowder.
Therefore, at this time, he couldn't help but become suspicious, thinking that because Guangjiku was relatively close to the imperial city, it only stored sulfur and saltpeter, while gunpowder was usually stored in Wang Gongchang, which was far away from the imperial city. Why was Guangji now? Will the warehouse store so much gunpowder? !
Xia Yan was about to find a scribe to ask, but at this time, a scribe took the initiative and asked: "Xia Guanzheng, you see it's getting dark. Since you want to get it, hurry up. We have to close the door early tonight. After all, His Majesty is coming tomorrow. I don’t dare to light the fire tonight, lest I cause an accident and make His Majesty blame me!”
"Yes! Your Majesty is coming tomorrow! Once the fire is lit in Guangjiku..."
As the chief minister of the cabinet in history, Xia Yan was naturally not a stupid person. He quickly guessed the possible conspiracy hidden in it. Therefore, he pretended to be calm and left Guangjiku, but his heart was filled with turmoil. A large amount of gunpowder appeared in the storage, and it was packed very flatly. There was even a barrel of kerosene next to the gunpowder. What was this for?
The more Xia Yan thought about it, the more something was wrong. He suddenly thought about going home and riding to the palace to see Zhu Houzhao. But suddenly he thought that his status was not qualified to break into the palace directly, so he had to go back and sit down in front of the Ordnance Bureau, ready to sit down. Wait until dawn and wait for Zhu Houzhao to appear.
At this time, the clerk on duty closed the armory door. Seeing that Xia Yan was still not leaving, he asked Xia Yan, "Xia Guanzheng, aren't you going home?"
"I'll get back to you later. Do you think our land is really a round ball? It's also called the earth. The earth revolves around the sun, not the sun around the earth?" Xia Yan pretended to be stupid and asked something he didn't know.
The clerk laughed and said: "Xia Guanzheng, how can the earth be a round ball? If so, why don't we fall down and the earth revolves around the sun? If so, why don't we feel the rotation?" At the same time, I just felt this in my heart. Although Xia Yan is a Jinshi, he is obviously a nerd. No wonder he comes to the Ministry of Industry to observe politics.
……
"Your Majesty! I am really in pain! Please have mercy on me, please go back and rest! I am really in so much pain, ah! ah! ah!"
Zeng Jian, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, was sweating profusely, as if he was extremely weak. He kept pressing his right abdomen and begged Zhu Houzhao.
"My dear, please be patient. You are the only one in the Ministry of Works now. You are still an old minister. I can't inspect the Ordnance Bureau without your guidance." After saying that, Zhu Houzhao ordered the people carrying the chariot: "You all carry it more steadily." , don’t knock the old minister!”
Zeng Jian, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, didn't know whether Zhu Houzhao suspected that he was deliberately trying to harm him or for some other reason, but he knew that if he really followed Zhu Houzhao to the Ordnance Bureau, he would definitely be killed, and he would not even have time to let him arrange it. The dead soldiers were evacuated from the Ordnance Bureau. Now Zeng Jian was really scared. When he saw the newly erected gate of the Ordnance Bureau in front of him, he seemed to have seen the gate of hell. He was deeply afraid that he would be buried with Zhu Houzhao later, so he shouted directly: "Your Majesty! I really can't do this. I really can’t stand it anymore. I beg your Majesty to let me go back! I’m really begging you!”
The more Zeng Jian showed that he didn't want to go to the Ordnance Bureau, the more Zhu Houzhao suspected that Zeng Jian had set up some conspiracy in the Ordnance Bureau. He was not afraid of assassinations and assassinations, because there were many guards around him, covertly and covertly, but he also wanted to If he didn't come out, what kind of conspiracy could Zeng Jian, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, have, so he simply kept Zeng Jian tied to him. He wanted to see if Zeng Jian dared to die with him.
Of course, Zhu Houzhao himself was not prepared to enter the Ordnance Bureau. He would only be willing to enter unless he was extremely stupid. But he had to force Zeng Jian to tell him about the possible conspiracy of the Ordnance Bureau.
"My dear, please be patient. The pain caused by stranguria is a bit painful, but it won't hurt your life. Moreover, according to medical books, the first time is usually the most painful, and it won't be that painful after passing the stones. "Are you no longer in pain now?" Zhu Houzhao asked.
Zeng Jian didn't dare to refute, so he just nodded and said: "It's true as your Majesty said, it's not the first time, but it's still unbearable. I'd better ask your Majesty to let me go back."
"We'll be there soon, why are we going back?"
As Zhu Houzhao spoke, he saw Xia Yan lying next to the gate of the Ordnance Bureau, and the riding whip whipped him: "No sleeping!"
Zhu Houzhao hurriedly ordered someone to call Xia Yan over and asked: "Xia Yan, what's the matter with you? Why are you sitting here at the gate of the Ordnance Bureau and whipping yourself? I asked you to be a Guanzheng Jinshi to study, not to come and see the door. ! ”
"Your Majesty, I forgive you! I, I actually want to tell you if you have something to tell me!" Xia Yan said, looking around, and motioned to Zhu Houzhao to ask the others to step aside.
Seeing Xia Yan's serious face, Zhu Houzhao ordered: "Bring the old minister in first, and shout to them, the emperor is here, I will go in later!"
Zeng Jian, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, heard what Zhu Houzhao said and was deeply afraid that when he entered the Guangji warehouse of the Ordnance Bureau, someone would call out that the emperor was coming, causing the dead men he had arranged to ignite gunpowder and blow him up first, so he was frightened. I was so excited that I jumped off the chariot:
"Your Majesty! Don't shout! I beg your Majesty! Why don't you go to the Ordnance Bureau? It's going to snow heavily today. Please return to the palace, ah!"
"Zeng Shangshu, have you recovered? Or have you been lying to me?"
Zhu Houzhao asked, and then shouted and asked.
Thank you to the book friend BUCK200 for the reward of 100 starting coins. Thank you to the book friend Super Blood Scholar for the reward of 100 starting coins
(End of chapter)