It has been proven that being a prime minister in the Song Dynasty was the most stressful job.

He was constantly overshadowed by imperial power and restricted by the emperor.

Take Duan Zhijie's appointment as the military commissioner on the Jingdong Road as an example. It was obvious that the emperor's men were standing there, and how to govern in the future would not be entirely up to the Council of State.

Even a fool could guess what policies that butcher Duan Zhijie would implement on Jingdong Road next.

From then on, some officials privately discussed that the emperor might replace the prime minister, because Xu Churen's methods were too mild and did not suit the emperor's taste.

However, Tang Ke, the Vice Chancellor, pointed out incisively: the emperor's own character is already tough enough, and if another prime minister with the same temperament is found, the situation will obviously be unbalanced.

It seems that the emperor will not replace the prime minister for the time being, since a combination of firmness and leniency is the right way.

After receiving his appointment from the Ministry of Personnel, Duan Zhijie rushed to Jingdong Road overnight.

Duan Zhijie did not go to Yingtianfu, the capital of Jingdong Road, but to Qingzhou, the capital of Jingdong East Road.

The main disturbance occurred on Jingdong East Road. The Imperial Guards had already taken the lead, and Duan Zhijie was there to clean up the mess and eliminate pests.

The next day, the emperor slept until the afternoon.

After a summer rain, the sun shone exceptionally brightly.

After getting up and washing up, Zhao Huan put on a light white shirt and tied his hair up because of the hot weather, looking refreshed.

After finishing his meal, the emperor went to inspect the latest situation of the firearms camp.

Chen Zhaojun's firearms battalion is becoming more and more professional.

The emperor was very satisfied and stayed in the firearms camp for a full hour, during which he spent most of the time bragging to the soldiers.

If a minister were to see this, he would surely lament that this rogue emperor is a disgrace to civilization.

After leaving the firearms camp, Zhao Huan turned around and went to the Academy of Sciences.

When the emperor visited the Academy of Sciences, he adopted a completely different demeanor.

He became polite and approachable, like a well-read and talented young man.

He speaks with great refinement and cares deeply for everyone.

If any ministers were here, they would marvel at how quickly the emperor could change his mind.

While sipping chilled sake, Zhao Huan chatted casually with Sima Qi and others like a simple craftsman, his eyes shining as he stared at the huge, smoking steel machine.

To be precise, it was steaming.

This is a very primitive version of the steam engine, but in fact, it has been improved four times since Zhao Huan requested the first version.

For the past six months to a year, Sima Qi has done almost nothing but study the task assigned to him by the emperor.

It will be improved once a month.

With Zhao Huan's guidance, this version of the steam engine already had a separate condenser, an insulation layer on the outside of the cylinder, oil-lubricated pistons, planetary gears, a parallel motion linkage mechanism, a throttle valve, a pressure testing meter, and a centrifugal governor, making it almost identical to Watt's steam engine.

Zhao Huan couldn't help but marvel at the skillful craftsmen of the Song Dynasty; he had only offered some pointers.

For Zhao Huan, a pure theorist when it comes to mechanics, getting him to actually do anything is completely impossible; he can't even fix a light bulb.

Fortunately, he is an omnivore. When he was in school, he read a little bit of everything, but he didn't master almost anything.

He learned about the basic principles of the steam engine while reading world history books.

If Sima Qi hadn't been a mechanical genius, he absolutely wouldn't have been able to create this thing based solely on Zhao Huan's description.

In fact, the rapid iteration was also due to the emperor's huge investment in scientific research.

Take the steam engine, for example. From the moment the emperor wanted it, he sent people all over the country to search for anything related to it.

Those people searched practically up to the bone, spending money like water.

In just six months, the research and development of the steam engine alone had already cost two million strings of cash.

It was almost entirely built by burning through money.

This budget has far exceeded the figure that Han Gonglian submitted to the Zhou Dynasty before the new year, for which the Zhou Dynasty has complained to the emperor more than once.

Zhou Chao denounced the Academy of Sciences for wasting money and accused some of embezzling funds, demanding that the Inspectorate investigate the matter.

But the emperor kept the matter under wraps, even though the numbers on the Academy's bills were getting bigger and bigger, and even the court officials suspected that the Academy had huge loopholes.

But in this matter, Liu Yanzong seemed to be deaf and blind, unable to see or know anything.

The Censorate also behaved itself, only causing trouble for a few prime ministers, and kept silent about the affairs of the Academy of Sciences in court.

In terms of technology, Zhao Huan has completely become a money-grubber; he will not hesitate to use money to solve any problem that can be solved.

As the steam engine produced more and more heat, the emperor savored the royal sake, his eyes shining.

He seemed to see the future of the Song Dynasty and the vast pace of the times in those steam.

Once that step was taken, human history underwent a radical transformation, and no one could stop its progress afterward.

Yes, he was changing history; he ushered in a great era: the Industrial Revolution!

Even more amazingly, everyone at the Academy of Sciences now holds the emperor in the highest esteem.

In the past, the attitude towards the emperor was the same as that of a subject towards his sovereign.

Now, in addition to the attitude of subjects towards their ruler, there is also absolute respect for their peers!

Just like the respect that students who are engaged in scientific research have for the leading figures in academia.

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