这天晌午。
"太尉，廷尉韩非和大司农孟灿求见。"张二河在门外禀报。
恶夫正埋头批阅奏疏，他头也不抬道："让他们进来吧！"
A moment later, Han Fei and Meng Can entered together.
"I didn't know you two had graced us with your presence today. What brings you here?" The wicked man smiled and rose to greet them.
"Grand Commandant, you flatter me." Han Fei returned the greeting with a cupped hand. "I've come to learn from your new building materials, having heard that you've developed them."
The wicked man's eyes lit up: "Oh? The Court of Justice is interested in this too?"
"Of course!" Before Han Fei could answer, Meng Can jumped out, "Grand Commandant, you don't know, the whole court is buzzing with rumors that you've invented something even more powerful than mortar, capable of building tall houses, wide avenues, bridges, and city walls..."
"Brother Meng!" Han Fei coughed lightly.
"Oh, oh..." Meng Can quickly composed himself and said seriously, "Um... this humble official has come about the granary matter."
"A granary?" The wicked man raised an eyebrow.
"Absolutely!" Meng Can exclaimed, getting excited at the mention of the matter. "You wouldn't believe it, the granaries everywhere were practically bottomless pits! Wooden ones leaked through the water and didn't keep out the damp, and the mud bricks would collapse at the slightest gust of wind. In the event of heavy rain or snow, there was a constant fear that the grain would get damp."
"To ensure this... a large amount of money and manpower must be spent on maintenance every year!"
"If we can save on this expense, we'll have more money to invest in education. Schools need to be built on a large scale... This material is perfect for that!"
As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes: "Grand Commandant, you must save me! The grain and the money... they are all my life!"
"Alright, alright!" The wicked husband was amused by his exaggerated performance. "At your age, you're always putting on this show. Well then, I'll take you to the workshop."
Upon arriving at the testing ground, he ordered his men to bring out several finished products: "Gentlemen, please take a look. These are our new type of bricks and stones. They are waterproof, fire-resistant, and exceptionally sturdy. Combined with our new type of mortar, they will absolutely meet your needs."
Han Fei picked up a piece and examined it carefully: "Indeed extraordinary! I wonder how much it cost?"
"You don't need to worry about that," the wicked man said confidently. "The raw materials are just ordinary limestone and clay; the key is the process. Once mass production begins, the cost won't be too high."
"That's good, that's good!" Meng Can immediately stepped forward, "Grand Commandant, could you spare some for me? Just a little, enough to repair a dozen or so granaries..."
"A dozen or so?" the scoundrel glared. "Are you robbing me? We don't even have enough production right now..."
"Grand Commandant!" Meng Can nearly knelt down. "Please, have mercy! Look how difficult it is for me to be the Grand Minister of Agriculture; I'm constantly on edge. The King mentioned before that he wanted to expand the granaries throughout the land..."
"Wait a minute!" The wicked man astutely seized on the key point. "You said the king once said he wanted to expand the granaries?"
"That's right!" Meng Can, seeing an opportunity, quickly added fuel to the fire, "His Majesty said he would build large granaries throughout the six kingdoms to store military and civilian rations. But think about it, so much grain, how can we use wood and mud bricks..."
Then, tears streamed down her face again: "Grand Commandant, if you don't help me, I might as well quit my job as Minister of Agriculture and just find a rope..."
"Stop!" the wicked man waved his hand. "You're really putting on a good show."
Turning to Han Fei, he asked, "Lord Justice, what are your thoughts?"
Han Fei said solemnly, "In my opinion, if this material could be used to build prisons, it would indeed be an excellent solution. Currently, most prisons in various places are made of earth and wood, which are neither sturdy nor conducive to management, and escapes frequently occur."
"That makes sense." The wicked man nodded, about to say something, when suddenly Zhang Erhe ran over.
"Grand Commandant, the results from the test pool are in!"
"Come on, let the two of you take a look."
Upon arriving at the testing pool, they saw several new bricks that had been soaking in the water for several days. The craftsmen took the bricks out, and everyone discovered that they had not softened at all; on the contrary, they had become even harder.
"What a treasure!" Meng Can's eyes lit up. "Grand Commandant, this is practically tailor-made for the granary! Look..."
"Stop!" The wicked husband was both annoyed and amused. "Don't be in such a hurry. The materials are good, but the craftsmanship is still being perfected. Besides, if you're building so many granaries, my current production capacity alone won't be enough..."
"How about this?" Meng Can's eyes lit up. "You give me the recipe, and I'll make it myself!"
"You?" The wicked man sized him up. "With your impatience, you'd probably burn limestone to charcoal, wouldn't you?"
"Hehe..." Meng Can chuckled awkwardly, "I may not be good at it, but I have plenty of capable people under me! Just allocate some to me..."
Just as the wicked man was about to speak, Han Fei suddenly said, "Grand Commandant, I have a suggestion."
"Tell me about it."
"In my humble opinion, it would be better to entrust the production of this product to the imperial court for unified management. The Grand Commandant would oversee the technology, the Minister of Agriculture would be responsible for the raw materials, the Minister of the Imperial Treasury would handle transportation, and our Court of Justice would be responsible for supervision..."
"Brilliant!" Meng Can slapped his thigh. "This way I won't have to beg and plead with anyone!"
"You..." The wicked husband was both amused and exasperated. "How dare you say that! But..."
He pondered for a moment: "That's a good suggestion. However, this matter is of great importance, and its widespread adoption requires careful consideration."
"Then how about this," Han Fei said, "let's try it out in a few key areas first. For example, Qi is short of granaries, so let the Grand Minister of Agriculture go and build them first, and my Court of Justice can also build a new granary there..."
"I think it's a good idea!" Meng Can immediately chimed in, "Grand Commandant, please agree!"
The wicked husband thought for a moment, then suddenly an idea came to him: "Alright. But..."
"But what?" Meng Can asked anxiously upon hearing this.
"But that'll have to wait until my experiments are completely successful." The wicked man smiled mysteriously. "Come, come, let me show you our ultimate product!"
As he spoke, he led the two to a secluded courtyard. In the courtyard stood a stone pillar, pure white and over two zhang tall.
"This is..." Han Fei exclaimed in surprise.
"This was cast using our new materials," the scoundrel said smugly. "Stronger than stone, more durable than iron! If we used this to build a granary, it wouldn't just be waterproof and fireproof, it could even withstand some landslides and earthquakes!"
Meng Can's mouth watered as he listened: "Grand Commandant, look..."
"Alright, alright!" the wicked man waved his hand. "Don't be in such a hurry to ask for them. Let me finish testing all these samples, and then..."
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