The air in the private room was filled with the aroma of tea, and sunlight streamed through the window, casting a soft glow on the three of them.

Lin Yun rose and poured tea for Yongzheng and the Thirteenth Prince. As her fingertips lightly touched the lid of the teapot, she quietly poured in a wisp of spiritual spring water.

The tea was clear and bright, with a faint fragrance wafting through the rising steam.

"Fourth Master, Thirteenth Master, please have some tea." She gently pushed the teacups in front of the two men, her eyes smiling.

Yongzheng picked up the teacup, his gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then he lowered his eyes and took a small sip.

As the tea entered my throat, a warm current instantly spread throughout my body, sweeping away the fatigue of the past few days and invigorating my spirit.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze towards Lin Yun now filled with a hint of inquiry.

The Thirteenth Prince, Yinxiang, who was standing nearby, also noticed something was amiss.

He developed a leg ailment during his early years of fighting, and it would ache whenever it was rainy. However, after drinking this tea, the pain in his legs was greatly relieved.

He couldn't help but stretch his knees, exclaiming in surprise, "This tea..."

Lin Yun feigned ignorance: "Is it not to your liking?"

Yongzheng put down his teacup and said calmly, "The tea is very good, but I have never tasted such a refreshing flavor before."

Lin Yun smiled and said, "Perhaps the water quality is special today."

She subtly changed the subject, "Just now, Fourth Master mentioned the matter of the mechanism, and I do have some thoughts on it."

Yongzheng's eyes narrowed: "I would like to hear the details."

Lin Yun took out a roll of blueprints from her sleeve and slowly unrolled it.

The paper depicts a complex textile machine with fine lines and detailed annotations.

She explained, "This is a design I recently created to improve a textile machine. Current looms are inefficient; if this design is implemented, production could increase more than tenfold."

Thirteenth Master leaned closer for a closer look, and the more he looked, the more astonished he became: "The way the shuttle's stitching is done... and the pedal linkage... it's ingenious!"

He looked up at Lin Yun, his eyes filled with shock, "How does Miss Lin know these things?"

Lin Yun had already prepared her explanation: "When I was young, I traveled with my grandfather and saw similar mechanisms in the library of Western missionaries."

Later, when my family ran a cloth shop, I often thought about how to improve it.

She paused, then lightly tapped a corner of the drawing with her fingertip. "The gear structure here is the result of repeated experiments I conducted on an old loom at home."

If it could be cast from refined iron, the wear would be even less.

Yongzheng stared at the blueprints, his eyes swirling with unspoken emotions.

He was diligent in his duties from a young age and was well aware of the hardships faced by the people.

If this mechanism is implemented, the plight of the people who are not properly clothed will be greatly alleviated, and the national treasury will be able to generate abundant tax revenue.

He said in a deep voice, "Does Miss Lin know what a great honor it would be if this painting were presented to the imperial court?"

Lin Yun looked up and met his gaze, her eyes clear: "I am but a merchant's daughter, and all I seek is to increase the income of my family's cloth shop. If Fourth Master finds this drawing useful, please feel free to take it."

The private room fell silent for a moment.

Yongzheng's slender fingers traced the ink on the drawing, and he suddenly asked, "Does the young lady have any conditions?"

Lin Yun shook her head: "There are no conditions. It's just..."

She hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "If this machine is promoted, it may affect the interests of existing fabric merchants."

It would be undesirable if they joined forces to boycott it.

Yongzheng chuckled lightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "There's no need for you to worry about this, Miss."

He rolled up the blueprints and said solemnly, "On behalf of all the people of the world, I thank you, young lady."

The Thirteenth Prince sighed from the side, "With such a miraculous machine, weavers in Jiangnan no longer have to work day and night to make ends meet!"

Seeing his excited expression, Lin Yun couldn't help but ask, "Does the Thirteenth Prince seem particularly concerned about the weaving industry?"

Yinxiang sighed, "When I was in charge of military supplies in my early years, I saw too many weavers fall ill due to overwork."

"If only this thing existed back then..." He shook his head and didn't finish his sentence.

Yongzheng suddenly stood up: "It's getting late, we should take our leave."

He looked at Lin Yun, his tone softening slightly, "Two days from now, I will send someone to pick you up and take you somewhere."

Lin Yun knew he must have a plan, so she didn't ask any more questions and simply nodded in agreement.

After the two left, Xiao Tao leaned closer and whispered, "Miss, did we just give them the blueprints like that? What if..."

Lin Yun gazed at the receding figure outside the window and said softly, "What is given away is what has the greatest value."

Inside the carriage, Yongzheng unfolded the blueprints again, his fingertips tracing a line of small characters in the corner: "Five zhang of cloth can be woven in half an hour."

He closed his eyes and pondered, and the image of millions of new machines roaring to life appeared in his mind.

Yinxiang couldn't help but ask, "Fourth Brother, what is the background of this woman?"

The mechanisms depicted on these blueprints are something even the most seasoned craftsmen in the Ministry of Works would struggle to replicate, no matter how hard they tried.

Yongzheng opened his eyes, his gaze deep: "She said it was learned from the West, but the way these gears mesh is something I've never seen even in the latest tribute from England."

He put away the blueprints, a slight smile playing on his lips. "But it doesn't matter. If it's beneficial to the country, why bother investigating further?"

Yinxiang suddenly lowered his voice: "That tea is also strange."

"My brother's legs... are even lighter than when he was young."

Emperor Yongzheng's gaze sharpened: "I share the same feeling."

He lifted the carriage curtain, whispered a few words to the guards, and then sneered, "Send men to keep a close eye on the residences of those Jiangnan cloth merchants, especially those who have dealings with the Nian family."

——

Two days later, a green-canopied carriage quietly stopped at the back gate of the Lin residence.

Lin Yun boarded the car wearing a light purple cloak and discovered that men's clothing had been prepared inside.

The guard leading the way respectfully said, "My master instructed that after you change your clothes, you should come with me to the workshop in the south of the city."

When Lin Yun, disguised as a young boy, stepped into the workshop, the deafening sound of looms filled the air.

In the spacious courtyard, more than ten craftsmen were busy around three newly assembled looms.

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