Chapter 52 Tool Man

Although Zhu Youtong did not like reading very much, he learned gongche notation very quickly. He also knew how to distinguish tones and record musical scores, so he quickly composed Zhu Yuhuan's music.

Zhu Yuhuan began to make paper tapes according to the gongche notation and soon successfully completed the first song, and also included a children's song.

Zhu Zhan'an watched Zhu Yuhuan turn the joystick, the paper tape continued to move forward, and the installed tuning fork made sounds as the paper tape moved, like flowing water under a small bridge, and finally converged into a complete piece of music.

Zhu Zhan'an had never heard such a piece of music before, but he could feel that the music was fresh and pleasant, and people could remember it in their hearts after just one listen.

Zhu Yuhuan released the joystick, raised his chin towards Zhu Zhanzhen, and asked proudly, "How is it? Doesn't it sound good?"

Seeing her like this, Zhu Zhanzhen couldn't help but laugh. He then said, "I've never heard a piece like this before. Don't you usually listen to palace music? How could you even know this refreshing tune?"

"This is a folk tune..." Zhu Yuhuan rolled his eyes and said, "When my great-grandfather was alive, he invited a folk singer named Qi to sing this tune. I heard a palace maid mention this story, and I hummed this tune briefly, and then I remembered it."

Zhu Zhanzhen couldn't help but feel a little emotional when she mentioned Zhu Di. He said, "As expected, you and the Emperor have the deepest feelings. You always think about the Emperor."

Zhu Yuhuan silently thanked his great-grandfather in his heart, your reputation is still useful, for the sake of our relationship as grandparents, please don't bother about it.

The humming tune was composed by her, but the story of the singing girl was real. Her name was Qi Yaxiu. She was good at singing and acrobatics. Zhu Di admired her very much. Whenever he heard her singing to the right part, he would be ready to applaud. The story of "the emperor who understood his music" was also circulated.

Zhu Zhanzhen picked up the remaining paper tape on the table and asked curiously, "But what's the use of this other piece of paper tape? Is there a song on it too?"

Zhu Yuhuan showed a mysterious smile and said, "This is what I prepared for Tongtong."

Zhu Youtong was fiddling with the paper tape, thinking he'd done his bit for his mother's birthday, when he realized there was actually a song for him. He immediately came over excitedly and asked curiously, "What song is it? I want to hear it!"

Zhu Yuhuan then picked up another piece of paper tape, placed it in the groove of the hand-cranked music box, and slowly turned it. Sure enough, the tinkling sound came from it again, but this time Zhu Zhan'an and Zhu Youtong both fell into deep thought.

It was not until Zhu Yuhuan finished playing the music that Zhu Zhanzhen frowned and asked, "Grandpa Emperor, do you like this kind of music?"

Zhu Yuhuan blinked and said quickly, "That's not the case. This is the song I wrote for Tongtong's Doraemon. Isn't it interesting?"

Zhu Zhanzhen looked at her sympathetically for a long time before saying, "It's okay, Huanhuan. It's just that you don't have the taste to appreciate music. It's not a big deal. I'll be there to correct you in the future and help you develop some musical knowledge."

Zhu Youtong, who was standing by, also nodded and said, "Sister, you concentrate on studying every day, so it's inevitable that you don't understand music. Mother always says that no one is perfect..."

Zhu Yuhuan fell silent, which was unusual for him.

Isn't this song cute? Why are they both reacting like this...

As if worried about Zhu Yuhuan being embarrassed, Zhu Zhanzhen patted her shoulder and said, "So what are you planning to give to Big Brother for his birthday this year? Although the crickets we gave last year were fresh, they weren't considered elegant. If Fifth Brother hadn't been there last time, I don't know what others would have said behind my back."

"This isn't that simple." Zhu Yuhuan walked around the desk, picked up a blueprint, and said, "Look at this—"

Zhu Zhanzhen stared at the strange picture on the paper and couldn't help but frown. He said, "What... is this thing you drew? A bow with wheels on it?"

Zhu Yuhuan looked at his painting again and again, but still couldn't find any problem with it. He said, "I learned this from my father. Even though it's just a rough draft, it shouldn't be so obvious that people can't see it, right?"

Zhu Zhanzhen comforted him, "Don't worry, Huanhuan. God is fair. What goes around comes around. The ugliness of the painting is no big deal. After all, you're a princess, and you're a quick reader."

Zhu Yuhuan curled her lips, then said, "I used to draw gears and tuning forks very accurately. This bow and arrow is my draft. I'll give it to Dad as a gift after I refine it." She handed the drawing to Huai En and asked him to unfold the whole picture. Then she patiently introduced it, "My uncle helped me find a detailed drawing of the compass car before, and I was thinking about whether I could incorporate it into the bow and arrow. Uncle, if there are two wheels to help save effort, the arrow can be shot farther. An archer with a 50-stone bow may be able to shoot an 80-stone bow with this bow and arrow."

Of course, she didn't expect this kind of thing to be mass-produced. After all, it required a higher level of technical skills and cost more than a greenhouse. The key point was to be able to prove that she still had some value through these things.

Zhu Yuhuan urgently needs to prove his "specialness" and "usefulness" in exchange for more power.

Zhu Zhanzhen had never practiced archery, so when he saw her talking about this with such a sparkle in her eyes, he felt a pain in his forehead. Then he said, "Alright, alright, I'm not an expert in this. No matter how much you say, it's useless. I'll leave it to you, big brother." His eyes fell on Zhu Yuhuan's drawings, and he said with some curiosity, "But... this paper seems to be the same kind as that tape?"

Zhu Yuhuan snorted and said, "Yes, this paper is too hard. It's not convenient to use for practicing calligraphy or making notes. But it's just right for my charcoal pencils. The drawing paper is also very clear and won't wear out easily. You can also hang it on the wall for easy viewing. It's perfect for drawing according to proportion." After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but mutter, "I finally thought of something good to draw for you, but you didn't care about my drawing, you only cared about the paper..."

Zhu Zhanzhen was touching the edges of the blueprint to feel the material, but Zhu Youtong heard it all clearly. She had originally wanted to comfort her sister, but after looking at it for a long time and not being able to recognize the words, she said seriously, "Sister's drawing is very special! Very special!"

Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but hold his forehead and said, "Tongtong, if you really can't praise me, then don't praise me."

He was at a loss for words, yet he still tried to praise her... This made Zhu Yuhuan feel like he was being "spoiled" by his own sister.

Zhu Youtong had no choice but to say "oh" obediently. She stared at Zhu Yuhuan's drawings, put her index finger on her lips, and mumbled something.

Huai En seemed to understand something, and said to Zhu Youtong with a smile: "Young Master, these are the characters for teeth and wheels."

Zhu Youtong suddenly realized and said, "Gears! They must be the things inside the music box my sister made!"

It turns out that this little girl doesn't know the words above...

Zhu Yuhuan couldn't help but smile, pointing to his own teeth, and said, "There are teeth on the edges that mesh with each other, so they are called gears."

Zhu Youtong suddenly understood, and then said admiringly: "You are worthy of being my sister!"

Zhu Zhanzhen didn't pay attention to the conversation between the two sisters. Instead, he said to Zhu Yuhuan, "Hey, your drawing seems to be more realistic than the one in the book. How did you draw it? I'll copy it from the book and make a copy for you later."

Zhu Yuhuan touched his chin and said, "I can help you draw, but there is a condition."

Zhu Zhanzhen was slightly stunned and asked with some confusion: "What conditions?"

"Help me find a book. I'm studying with the daily lecturer and it's not convenient for me to find one. You, my uncle, would be the best person to find it." Zhu Yuhuan patted Zhu Zhan'an's shoulder and said with a smile, "'Zi Ren Yi Zhi'. I heard that it contains a lot of drawings and production methods of instruments. I want to study it carefully. It will help me improve the drawings. Then we can share the work."

Zhu Zhanzhen shook his head helplessly and said, "It's no problem to bring the books, but I won't share the credit with you. It's all yours. I'll just be my good brother." Seeing Zhu Yuhuan's disapproval, he warned, "The more you talk, the more mistakes you make. The more you do, the more mistakes you make. Don't forget this."

"Don't worry. After all, I've been practicing archery for so long, so naturally I should produce some results. It's only natural to present them to my father." Zhu Yuhuan asked Huai En to put the blueprint away and said, "If I keep it to myself, I will be guilty of a thousand deaths."

Zhu Zhanzhen sighed and said, "Be careful, be careful."