Chapter 189 Heavenly Crafts Bureau
Although Yinreng has not yet become emperor, or more precisely, he does not want to be emperor, he has done almost as much as an emperor in these few small worlds.
This was his third time in the Qing Dynasty. He was very familiar with politics and military affairs, and had lost interest in them.
This is why Kangxi has been living in fear for so many years; his beloved son truly has no desire for his throne!
He couldn't possibly give the throne to someone else. He wanted to abdicate, but his beloved son didn't want it. Now the throne was stuck in his hands like a hot potato.
Yinreng, on the other hand, truly had no interest in being the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. However, he still had a tiny bit of interest in changing the course of history.
Especially after experiencing the creation of "Xianqin", he had more ideas about industrial development.
In recent years, he has largely accomplished tasks such as promoting clean governance and strengthening the military, establishing female officials, expanding commerce, and improving infrastructure for people's livelihood. Because he is no longer the emperor, he can only make suggestions and control the overall direction, leaving the specific matters to other princes and ministers.
It was a win-win-win situation: the Qing Dynasty prospered, the emperor enjoyed leisure, and the ministers developed a strong sense of competition. What a wonderful situation!
Therefore, the saying "If you can't lead a team, you'll just work yourself to death" applies to any world.
With all the prerequisites met, Yinreng began to vigorously develop industry, which led to the establishment of the "Tiangongsi" (Heavenly Crafts Bureau).
The Heavenly Crafts Bureau is a special institution independent of the Six Ministries, overseen by Yinreng, and is specifically responsible for recruiting and managing all kinds of extraordinary talents and abilities from across the land. Regardless of social status, as long as one possesses exceptional skills and talent, one has the opportunity to enter the Heavenly Crafts Bureau and demonstrate their abilities.
Its main responsibilities include technology research and development and innovation, engineering construction and supervision, production and supply of ingenious objects, and the affiliated Tiangong Academy, which is responsible for talent training and inheritance.
In fact, many items had already been manufactured during the early stages of construction. These included more stable gunpowder, superior forging techniques, glass, cement, and more.
Once the Tiangong Division was officially established and its personnel were gathered in specific locations, the first "miracle" – a bicycle – was quickly produced.
In other words, bicycles hadn't been officially promoted yet. Otherwise, if Zhang Xiao saw bicycles running all over the streets of Beijing, she might have collapsed on the spot, and there wouldn't have been time for her to speculate.
Of course, when she passed the entrance exam for the Heavenly Crafts Bureau based on her own abilities, she was still quite shocked, even though she had prepared herself mentally.
"Is this the Heavenly Crafts Bureau?"
The moment Zhang Xiao stepped into the Tiangong Division, he abruptly stopped, his eyes widening in shock.
What she saw before her eyes was completely different from the ancient workshop she had imagined. In the bright space, there were many familiar tools, some of which looked like modified simple lathes, some like enlarged versions of chemical experimental equipment, and there were also neatly arranged and clearly labeled tool racks, which exuded a sense of orderly modernity.
Her heart pounded uncontrollably, her breathing became rapid, and fear overwhelmed her like a tidal wave. This scene was absolutely not something that should exist in this era!
Zhang Xiao couldn't help but wonder if there were other transmigrators like her. Once this thought arose, she couldn't suppress it anymore, and it swirled wildly in her mind.
In fact, she had already had this suspicion while in the examination hall. On the day of the exam, when the test paper was unfolded and she saw the questions, she was taken aback. Many of the contents were closely related to modern knowledge, including simple applications of the lever principle in physics, common properties of substances in chemistry, and basic geometry problems in mathematics. These were things she had once known by heart, and at this moment they became the key to her standing out.
That's why, despite having no connections, she was able to pass the highly competitive exam on her first try.
Anxiety enveloped her. Where was this mysterious "companion" hiding? What were their intentions? Could she reunite with them?
"Miss Zhang, this way please." The simply dressed but capable servant led Zhang Xiao to the office to complete her onboarding procedures, explaining the work and rules of the Heavenly Crafts Bureau to her along the way. The rather modern procedures made Zhang Xiao feel a little dazed.
Although she was granted a contract of indenture by the Eighth Prince's wife because she passed the imperial examination for the Ministry of Works, coincidentally, Bi Xiao originally also had the surname Zhang, so she changed her name back to her original name.
The restoration of her name, "Zhang Xiao," gave her a firm anchor to herself. But looking at everything before her, her heart was in turmoil; she had a premonition. From the moment she stepped into the Tiangong Division, her life would undergo a dramatic change.
In fact, her life had already undergone a dramatic change from the moment she was admitted to university.
No matter how intelligent "Bixiao" is, it's impossible for her to pass the exam on her first try, unless she isn't Bixiao.
However, someone secretly examined her body and found that the birthmarks and scars were exactly the same, confirming that it was indeed Bi Xiao's body. Combining this with the testimony of Bi Zhu, who lived with her, Yin Si boldly guessed that someone had "possessed her body and returned to life"!
Given Yinreng's extraordinary abilities, it was hard for Yinsi not to think about it.
Therefore, Zhang Xiao unknowingly revealed most of her true identity. The reason she was still able to move freely was entirely because Yinzhi had the wrong idea.
Intelligent people tend to overthink things. After realizing that Zhang Xiao was "reincarnated," Yinzhi began to ponder her motives.
It is obvious that Zhang Xiao's attitude towards Yinreng is different.
Why would someone who has possessed a corpse want to get close to Second Brother? It must be because of Second Brother's supernatural abilities!
Is it that mountain spirits covet Second Brother's supernatural abilities, or is Buddhism still determined to take Second Brother away? Did Zhang Xiao come alone, or was he a probe beforehand?
A myriad of speculations raced through his mind. Yinzhi's expression turned solemn. He knew that this was not something he could control alone, so despite Yinzhen's cold face, he went to find him.
The former bitter rivals got together and started studying it.
However, the gathering of the four brothers was big news among them. In the midst of their crazy and competitive daily life, such a piece of gossip suddenly appeared. Who wouldn't be curious?
As a result, more and more princes quietly joined in. Gradually, apart from Yinreng, who was kept in the dark but protected by everyone, and Kangxi, who was subconsciously excluded, all the princes participated in the plan to "resist demons and protect Yinreng".
On his third day at the Tiangong Division, Zhang Xiao, who had been demonized, stared in disbelief at the enormous machine before him: "Is this a steam engine?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
