That evening, Yunqing received good news—the cement had been successfully produced.
She abandoned her idea of having the little tyrant do the homework and took him directly to the workshop.
Finding two or three of the raw materials for making cement is not so easy. Meng Wan spent most of her time searching for materials, but mixing them according to the proportions was not a difficult task.
What Yun Qing and Xie Rang saw in the past was a finished product that had already solidified.
A palm-sized gray cube was placed in the center, and everyone gathered around to look at it, occasionally reaching out to touch it, all with expressions of shock.
When Meng Wan saw them arrive, she bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Yun Qing, come and see for yourselves. The hardness of this material after it has been solidified is simply astonishing!"
Meng Wan's eyes lit up; she now deeply realized just how amazing Yun Qing was.
Yun Qing smiled and gestured for Xie Rang: "Your Majesty, feel it."
Xie Rang could tell from the situation that this was another new thing that the Grand Tutor had come up with. He had been curious about it for a long time, but he had been suppressing his emotions out of habit. When he heard Yun Qing say this, he reached out and touched it.
Rough and hard.
"The effect might not be very obvious from this perspective. Li Er, bring the hammer over."
Meng Wan was in a very good mood, and her words were filled with smiles. She directly called the person next to her to come and get a hammer to hit it.
Xie Rang and Yun Qing took a step back, and the next second they saw Li Er swing the hammer and smash it down hard. With a bang, only some fragments of the small cement block were smashed down.
Xie Rang's eyes brightened slightly.
Yun Qing said to him, "Your Majesty, do you see this? This stuff is called cement. It can be plastered on the city wall, and after it dries, it will form a hard outer shell."
"How magnificent it would be if this thing were used to cover thousands upon thousands of cities in the Great Xi Dynasty."
Just imagining that scene makes me excited!
Xie Rang smiled slightly, understanding her meaning. He immediately cleared his throat and said to Meng Wan, "Very good. Deputy General Meng, I'm entrusting this matter to you. Don't disappoint me and the Grand Tutor."
Xie Rang doesn't wield much real power, but until something changes, he remains the undisputed Emperor of Da Xi. With the Emperor's decree, Meng Wan will have no more worries about what she can do.
Meng Wan glanced at Yun Qing, who was standing behind the young emperor with a calm smile, and suddenly understood her purpose in bringing the young emperor here.
No matter what you do, you cannot overstep the imperial authority when you leave home, otherwise it is disloyalty. Who has more authority than the emperor?
Meng Wan immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I will obey Your Majesty's decree and will gladly die for it!"
Xie Rang nodded.
Yun Qing approached him and whispered, "Since you're already here, Your Majesty, why don't you go and check on the glassmaking process?"
Xie Rang readily agreed: "Okay."
Sand is a major raw material for making glass, and coincidentally, sand is abundant here on the border. Moreover, according to systematic monitoring, the mineral content of the sand here meets the standards.
Most glass in this era is cloudy. If we could successfully produce high-quality glass, we might even be able to create an industrial chain, leading to prosperity for the people in the border regions. We should take the time to visit different places and investigate. There's a saying, "adapt to local conditions," and create a unique industrial chain. I bet that would increase people's income.
Yun Qing's thoughts gradually multiplied. It was at this moment that they arrived at the glassmaking area. Because the temperature inside was very high, they could only stand on the outside and look around.
Some sensible workers had already brought out the defective products to show them.
Although there are no large finished pieces yet, these glass shards have already reached a level of transparency, only broken, and their basic shape is visible.
Seeing Xie Rang reach out to take it, Yun Qing quickly said, "This thing is sharp, be careful not to cut your hand."
Xie Rang paused for a moment, and his movements indeed became more cautious as he slowly picked up one of the pieces to examine it.
The workshop wasn't particularly brightly lit, and the candlelight flickered as if it might go out at any moment. The piece of glass that Xie Rang picked up happened to be extremely transparent, allowing him to see the person in front of him clearly through it.
Amazing, isn't it? We'll install windows in all the rooms in your bedroom later, so you can get more natural light, which is the best way to prevent nearsightedness!
Yunqing's teacher is nearsighted and suffers terribly every summer. Washing her hair and taking a bath are always a hassle, and Yunqing feels uncomfortable just looking at her.
According to scientific research, many scholars in ancient times suffered from eye diseases due to excessive screen time and poor lighting. I absolutely cannot let my child become like that! But little tyrant…it seems there's no record of this in historical texts?
Xie Rang learned a new term: nearsightedness = eye disease?
Glass is indeed amazing, but Xie Rang was even more pleased that the Grand Tutor immediately thought of his own situation. He looked at the craftsman with admiration and said, "You have all worked hard."
Those who contribute to the development of Da Xi's business are all worthy of praise in Xie Rang's eyes.
Since his tutor was so devoted to this matter, as a student, he could only try his best to follow suit.
"You flatter me, sir. This is what we should do."
The workers bowed repeatedly, showing great respect.
Yun Qing watched the young emperor handle things on his own and was very satisfied with the gentle and obedient child she had raised. She smiled and said, "Alright, we should be able to see the final product soon. Your Majesty, please come back with me to rest."
Xie Rang reached out and touched Yun Qing's hand. Seeing that she did not refuse, his dark eyes brightened, and he said docilely, "Okay, I'll wait for the result."
With Xie Rang's verbal consent, Meng Wan stopped rushing to muster troops in the following days. Instead, she watched her men prepare cement and then apply it layer by layer to the city wall. Because of the large-scale activity, it attracted the attention of the local people.
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