As a special agency of the imperial court, the Military Equipment Bureau did not have a fixed office.

Now there is only one inspector and one deputy inspector, and the rest are all craftsmen. Rong Xi is the core of the entire military equipment inspectorate.

The prison was located not far from the mine and next to a river with abundant water resources. It is called a prison, but in fact it is just a workshop.

After deciding on the site, Chen Yi gathered all the craftsmen and started building the workshop.

Building a workshop takes a lot of time, but Rong Xi still stays at home and teaches people how to make pencils.

Fortunately, the paper produced by Wei Dynasty was of a quality suitable for writing with pencils.

Although the Wei Dynasty attached great importance to literature, the advent of the pencil would certainly be despised and scorned by scholars and students, and would not be able to be promoted. But what Rong Xi wanted was not to let scholars and writers use pencils, but to give them to craftsmen.

Most craftsmen are laymen but have superb skills. If they can recognize and write basic words, it will be more helpful for their future research.

Pens, ink, paper and inkstones are expensive, but pencils are simple to make, cheap and can be used for a long time. If craftsmen learn, writing with pencils will be more economical.

Hu Yulin came excitedly when he learned that the new instrument was ready.

He is a businessman, and although he has studied in school for several years, he is not pedantic. Pencils may be criticized by writers, but their benefits will definitely be loved by people who know their value.

"Da Lang, let me take a look."

Rong Xi smiled and handed him the pen. Hu Yulin played with it in his palm for a while and asked, "How do I use it?"

After Rong Xi's demonstration and teaching, he sat at the desk and held a pen to write. He felt that the hard tip of the pen was not enough to touch the paper.

I am used to writing with a brush, so using a pencil is really awkward.

He tried to write a word, then shook his head and laughed at himself, saying, "I still need to practice more."

"Haha," Rong Xilang laughed out loud, "Brother Xuanshi..."

"My dear, the prince is looking for you." Liu Zishi suddenly reported outside the house.

The voice suddenly stopped, Rong Xi was stunned for a few breaths, and said to Hu Yulin with an apologetic smile: "Brother Xuanshi, please forgive me."

Hu Yulin shook his head and stood up, "It's okay, Dalang, go ahead, I also want to go home." He played with the pen in his hand, "How about giving me this pen?"

"If you like it, I'll give you some more." Rong Xi said without any hesitation.

Hu Yulin laughed out loud, "This one." After that, he left in a carefree manner.

After he left, Rong Xi thought for a few breaths, took out some drawings from the desk, and then walked to Qin Ke's room.

"Brother Sizhi." He called out and sat on a high chair.

In the past few days, Qin Ke asked Feng Shan to make a few high-legged chairs and place them in the study, and also equip them with high desks so that it would be convenient for him to write.

The two of them were already familiar with each other and were no longer bound by formalities.

"If you need raw materials, please let Minister Cheng know."

Putting down the pencil in his hand, Qin Ke raised his head and said lightly.

Rong Xi glanced over and saw the neat handwriting on the paper. He was quite impressed and also thought he was a little cute.

Over the past few days, Qin Ke has been practicing calligraphy in his spare time. Now he can write quite well, which is quite good in Rong Xi's opinion.

"I know." Rong Xi smiled, "Brother Sizhi, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Qin Ke looked at him carefully, then pushed the paper full of words to Rong Xi's side and asked, "How is it?"

"Very good!" Rong Xi praised with a smile, "Brother Sizhi is quite talented, haha."

Qin Ke looked calm as he took the paper back. His long eyelashes concealed the light in his eyes and the corners of his lips raised slightly, but it was gone in a flash.

The room was quiet, both of them were silent.

After a moment, Rong Xi broke the silence: "The workshop is about to be built. I dare not show off my skills and instruct the craftsmen to build it. However, I have something that I would like to ask for your help."

Qin Ke immediately asked: "What's the matter?"

Placing the blueprint on the table, Rong Xi said seriously, "I need a laboratory with the layout shown in this diagram."

Qin Ke lowered his head and looked carefully, and saw that the figures on the paper were detailed and neat, and it looked as if a real building was standing before him.

He looked surprised and asked, "Is this picture drawn with pencil?"

Rong Xi nodded, "The brush has soft strokes and it is difficult to draw straight and fine lines. Pencils are better."

The drawing is a three-dimensional model, and the layout inside and outside the laboratory is clearly visible.

Qin Ke watched it again and again, and suddenly smiled and said, "It is indeed so."

The pencil is very good, and Rong Dalang is also very good.

The next day, the two went to the county government office together and handed the drawings to Cheng Hao.

When Cheng Hao saw the picture, he was as excited as if he had found a treasure. "This picture is wonderful! If Dalang needs it, I will do my best to supervise it!"

"Thank you, Minister Cheng." Rong Xi said with a sincere smile.

Cheng Hao laughed loudly, patted his shoulder, and said cheerfully: "If you really want to thank me, you might as well teach me some experience."

It has to be said that Cheng Hao has no official authority and is open-minded, which makes it easy for people to like him.

Rong Xi shook his head in embarrassment, "Minister Cheng, your words are too serious. I should ask you for advice."

It is a great blessing in life to meet people with similar interests in another world!

Cheng Hao smiled amiably and said, "Don't be so distant, Dalang. I served in the same court as your father, so I am half your elder. I'm being polite to you, so you can call me 'Uncle Cheng'."

After he finished speaking, he looked expectant.

Rong Xi felt a warm current in his heart, and smiled, "Uncle Cheng."

Cheng Hao suddenly laughed out loud, and the servants outside the house all looked at him in surprise.

The workshop was supervised by Cheng Hao. As he was very busy, Rong Xi and Qin Ke did not stay long and said goodbye and left the county government office.

Chi Yan and Xue Ni were playing outside the yamen. When they saw the two men coming, they sneezed.

Rong Xi saw how cute it was and smiled at Qin Ke, "The two of them have a very deep friendship."

"Chi Yan and Xue Ni ate and slept together when they were young, so their friendship is naturally deep." Qin Ke's eyes were gentle, "I saw that Xue Ni has a docile nature, similar to you, so I let it go as you please."

When Rong Xi heard this, he was shocked.

The book mentioned that when Qin Ke died, Chi Yan was also dying. Liang Siwen tried his best to bring back Qin Ke's body, but was unable to bring Chi Yan back with him. At the moment of parting, Liang Siwen rode a white horse around the red flame three times, wailing and shedding tears.

Could it be that the white horse is Xue Ni?

He suddenly looked at Qin Ke, his eyes trembling.

When reading the book, Qin Ke is just a supporting character in the world of the book. Although his death is regrettable, it is because of his death that the protagonist Liang Siwen grows rapidly.

At that time, he just sighed and nothing else.

But now, he and Qin Ke have known each other for a long time. To him, Qin Ke is a close friend and also a person he admires.

There was a dull pain in his heart, and thinking about the tragic scenes in the book, Rong Xi suddenly felt pity and bitterness.

Qin Ke grabbed the reins of Chiyan and turned around to see Rong Xi standing there in a daze, with red eyes and a furrowed brow, as if he was being bullied. He looked extremely aggrieved.

He quickly returned to Rong Xi and asked, "What's troubling you?"

His expression and tone of voice were unconsciously soft.

Rong Xi came back to his senses and suddenly met Qin Ke's concerned gaze. Suddenly the clouds turned into clear skies and he smiled.

It is such a pity that a person like Qin Sizhi died young.

He suddenly said, "The northern barbarians often invade the border in winter and rob the people of Wei of their food. I wonder what will happen this year."

The cold wind is already raging in Qingzhou, not to mention the north of Wei, where the barbarians live, it must be freezing cold.

When the snow falls and the grass dries up, the cattle, sheep and horses of the barbarians are either freezing or starving. In order to survive, they will certainly invade the border.

"The northern border is guarded by good generals and soldiers, you don't have to worry." Qin Ke thought he was worried about the war, so he comforted him, "Qingzhou will be safe."

Rong Xi shook his head and asked, "If the barbarians really invade, will you go to defend it?"

Qin Ke was slightly stunned when he heard this. Was Rong Dalang frowning because he was worried about him?

The man's face suddenly brightened. His expression was already very good, but he was usually cold and serious, with such a majestic aura that others forgot about his appearance.

This smile was so beautiful that words could not describe it.

As bright as a pearl, as flawless as jade.

Rong Xi stood on the steps in a daze, all he could hear was the sound of his heart beating non-stop.

A smile is fleeting, fleeting. Qin Ke stroked her hair with his hand, his eyes were very soft, "If I leave, what will you do?"

Rong Xi blurted out, "Let the craftsmen make more fire bombs, bows and crossbows, and telescopes."

The answer was quite simple.

"Yeah." Qin Ke chuckled, "My life depends entirely on Dalang, thank you very much."

Rong Xidun's cheeks felt hot.

The God of War of the Great Wei is brave and good at fighting. Why should he fear the barbaric enemies from the north? To him, those objects were just icing on the cake.

I really can't help.

"If we defeat the northern barbarians one day, the weapons made by Dalang will play a great role." Qin Ke's expression was sincere and his words were firm.

Rong Xi smiled ashamedly and mounted the horse with him.

The two men rode together and arrived at the city gate, where they suddenly met a merchant caravan.

There were eight people in the caravan, and their clothing was very different from that of the Wei State. Rong Xi could not tell where they came from at first.

It was common for the caravan to use mules and horses to carry goods, but what was surprising was that there was a cage standing on a wooden cart. There was a person slumped in the cage. He had blond hair, blue eyes, and extremely fair skin. He was wearing only a single layer of clothing and only used a blanket to keep warm.

He looked haggard and was shivering.

In the Wei Dynasty, these foreign visitors were called Semites.

I don't know how this man came to the Wei Dynasty, and he was imprisoned. From the looks of it, he must be sold as a slave.

Perhaps because he had been staring for too long, the person in the cage suddenly noticed something and turned his head to look at him.

Rong Xi was about to look away, but he saw the man waving at him desperately and shouting wildly, but since they couldn't communicate in the same language, others couldn't understand what he said.

Coincidentally, Rong Xi understood half of it.

He is saying, save me.

Rong Xi was not a person with excessive sympathy, but when he saw the despair in this man's eyes and that he regarded him as a life-saving straw, he couldn't help but be moved.

He was also a person from a different world, and when he first arrived in the Wei Dynasty, he was inevitably at a loss. After several days, the memory of the original body was integrated and a sense of belonging was born.

After making friends with several people, the loneliness and confusion in my heart faded away.

His hesitation caught the attention of the caravan leader, who saw that he was well-dressed and had an extraordinary demeanor, so he stepped forward and said with a smile, "Young Master, do you like this servant?"

The blonde held the cage pillars with eager anticipation.

Seeing how pitiful he was, Rong Xi felt pity for him, but did not show it on his face.

"But they are Semu people, what's so strange about that?"

The person in charge felt a little panicked when he saw his indifferent expression.

Along the way, he met many wealthy people and sold a lot of goods, but no one was interested in this man.

Most people will become wary when they see someone who is very different from themselves.

Although blonde hair and blue eyes are rare, no one is lucky enough to have them.

"Young man, you don't know this, but this servant is strong and healthy, and can outlast two strong servants!" The person in charge smiled flatteringly and exaggerated the facts.

Rong Xi showed a little interest, "Really?"

"Absolutely true!" The person in charge nodded vigorously.

He saw that Rong Xi was docile, young, and ignorant of the ways of the world, and thought he would be very easy to deceive.

"What's the price?" Rong Xi asked while sitting on the horse's back and looking down at the person in charge.

The manager rubbed his palms together and said with a smile, "Five strings of cash."

Before Rong Xi could answer, he heard Qin Ke's indifferent voice beside him: "Semitic people are not rare, don't buy them, go home."

When the chief heard this, he quickly changed his words: "Young Master, three strings of coins! Three strings of coins! No less!"

Rong Xi had no choice but to refuse, "If my brother doesn't allow me, I can't do anything about it."

Pretend to leave.

"Two strings of cash! Two strings of cash!" The official was so anxious that his voice became hoarse.

If you can’t sell it, you will have to spend food to keep it, so just sell it if you can!

Rong Xi smiled instantly and replied, "Deal."

The author has something to say:

Thank you little cuties for your comfort, thank you for the mines and nutrient solution! Muah muah muah!

A little cutie asked me why I was scolded yesterday.

It’s not about the plot or the characters, but the writing style. They said that it was neither classical Chinese nor vernacular Chinese, and the author's level of classical Chinese was low. They asked me to read more classical Chinese and learn more, haha, or they asked me to change the whole article into vernacular Chinese and not to imitate others, haha. Anyway, many people say this. I don’t know how to word it when I’m typing. I’m going bald.

I will try my best to adjust my mindset~ The number of words is a bit short, sorry~