"Grandpa, please take a seat."
Gu Jiu stood up to greet the Shaofu's steward.
The Shaofu Housekeeper was cheerful. He glanced at the Wenqing Bookstore across the street and said, "It's quite lively here, and the view is great."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, pointing to the Wenqing Bookstore across the street and said, "There's a debate going on there today. I heard it's between the best students from the north and south, and they're all so eloquent."
"No matter how eloquent they are, they are not as powerful as you, Xiaojiu."
After saying this, the Shaofu Household Manager laughed heartily.
"Thank you for your praise, ancestor. I dare not compete with scholars who are well-read in poetry and literature. Have some tea, ancestor!"
"Tea is always available. His Majesty is already urging us to start the road construction. Shouldn't we also make a decision sooner?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "I will listen to my ancestors in everything. I will do whatever they say, as long as I don't suffer any loss."
The Shaofu's Household Officer was delighted. "You've always made money, so there's no time for you to suffer losses. I promise you, I'll do it according to your conditions. I've also communicated with the Ministry of Revenue. As soon as you start work, the Ministry of Revenue will send 2,000 dan of grain and fodder to the construction site."
Two thousand dan?
It’s not too much, but it’s not too little either.
I can only say that it shows a little sincerity.
Gu Jiu smiled but said nothing.
The Imperial Household Secretary then continued, "The court only holds a 20% stake in the toll booths and does not interfere with their construction or operation. Everything else is up to you, Sihai."
"The blacksmith I want?" Gu Jiu asked with a smile.
The Shaofu Household Supervisor was very straightforward, "The blacksmith will be given to you as well. You can choose ten blacksmiths to be the supervisors, and all of them will be given to you as slaves. Once they are given to you, they will be yours, and you can do whatever you want with them."
Gu Jiu laughed.
The 20% shares and food supply are all fake.
All the bargaining, whether true or false, was for the blacksmith who would be the supervisor.
The construction supervisor did not strictly supervise the craftsmen who were building houses and roads. If Gu Jiu wanted something, he just had to say it.
However, the Shaofu Jiangzuojian had strict control over blacksmiths.
These blacksmiths have been slaves for generations, and their ancestors and descendants have all been slaves of the Shaofu.
Their technology has been passed down from generation to generation.
Their every word, action, and movement were under the control of the Shaofu.
It is difficult for outsiders to contact them.
Even if Liu Zhao, the eldest prince, did not allow him to take a blacksmith away from the Imperial Household Department without permission.
Why?
Because these blacksmiths possess the most advanced iron smelting and forging technology of this era.
All iron products with technical content are made by the blacksmith in charge of production.
All the military equipment, including but not limited to swords, spears, halberds, shields, mail, large siege equipment, and crossbows with astonishing lethality, were all forged by the blacksmith in charge of the construction.
These blacksmiths were slaves.
But their skills are definitely top-notch.
There are also many blacksmith shops among the people.
Most of them can only make kitchen knives, hoes and other simple farm tools.
Any equipment with a slightly higher technical content is very difficult to use.
Not to mention iron smelting, the skills of folk blacksmiths are not even worthy of carrying shoes compared with the blacksmiths of the Shaofu General's Supervisor.
The war is about to begin.
Gu Jiu must advance the iron smelting plan that has been postponed for a long time.
Not to mention creating more powerful weapons, at least we need to improve our means of transportation.
Today's transportation is too slow and totally unworthy of cement roads.
Gu Jiu wanted to make a four-wheeled carriage.
However, before making the four-wheeled carriage, the bearing problem must be solved first.
What's so difficult about a four-wheeled carriage?
The difficulty lies in turning.
Once the bearing problem is solved, turning the four-wheeled carriage is no longer a problem.
With a four-wheeled carriage, the speed can be doubled compared to the current one, and the carrying capacity can be increased by at least 200 to 300 kilograms.
Today's wooden carriages have many problems.
It was a common problem for wooden wheels to break halfway.
Moreover, wooden wheels are slow and have limited carrying capacity.
In short, a four-wheeled carriage is imperative.
Means of transportation should keep pace with the development of roads.
If technology improves, even simple bicycles can be made.
Riding a bicycle must have been fun in ancient times.
The prerequisite for all of this is a skilled blacksmith.
Gu Jiu's iron smelting technology was only possible with the best blacksmiths of the era.
She joked, "There are so many people in the Ministry of Works, but I only have ten blacksmiths, which is not even enough to make a few iron pots."
puff!
Is the blacksmith who is in charge of the work to make iron pots?
It's such a waste of resources.
The Shaofu's Housekeeper said earnestly, "Xiaojiu, the Shaofu has its own operating mechanism. I can't give you as many craftsmen as I want. This time, I can give you ten craftsmen because of His Majesty's grace. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to take a single blacksmith with you."
Gu Jiu looked surprised, and it didn't seem like he was pretending.
"Does His Majesty still need your approval for such a small matter?"
"This is a matter concerning the blacksmith, and it is not a trivial matter." The Shaofu Household Order said very seriously.
Gu Jiu said "oh".
The Shaofu Household Supervisor was worried and gave two more instructions, "These blacksmiths are in your hands. Please don't make anything that violates taboos. And don't give it to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, as it will easily arouse suspicion."
Gu Jiu said solemnly: "Thank you for the reminder, ancestor. I just want to build a blacksmith workshop to make some small things. I promise not to make anything that violates taboos. After my small workshop is built, if you are worried, you can send someone to check the small workshop to ensure that it is clean and there will be no things that shouldn't be there."
"That's great! I will definitely send someone to inspect your small workshop in the future."
The Shaofu Household Manager emphasized the three words "small workshop", obviously reminding Gu Jiu not to take risks.
There are really no secrets under the emperor's feet.
Even if there is a secret, it will be discovered sooner or later by sending out the Jinwu Guards.
Gu Jiu nodded heavily, very sincerely.
She just made bearings, wheels, and modified carriages, which was not considered taboo.
Well, it’s definitely not a taboo.
Gu Jiu smiled sweetly.
The Shaofu Household Official was half relieved, but the other half was that he would not be truly relieved until he personally inspected Gu Jiu's blacksmith workshop.
Let’s finish talking about business.
Gu Jiu pointed at the Wenqing Bookstore across the street and asked, "With such a big disturbance, the court doesn't care?"
puff!
The Shaofu Household Supervisor's beard trembled. "Xiaojiu, Xiaojiu, don't you feel guilty for saying this? Why is there such a situation today? Isn't it all caused by the life show? You can calm down this long-lasting quarrel with just one sentence. How dare you ask the court to intervene?"
Gu Jiu laughed. "Grandfather, you're wrong. Strictly speaking, it was the Imperial College Newspaper that instigated this dispute, and Life Show was just a reasonable counterattack. As for the subsequent disputes among academies and regional disputes, the Imperial College was no exception and was behind the scenes fanning the flames."
"Grandfather, shouldn't the imperial court take action against the Imperial College, which is so desperate to unleash unrest? The Imperial College has been stripped bare, and the entire capital and the world await the court's response, yet the court remains silent. You see, public opinion is already wavering. If we continue to tolerate the Imperial College, the consequences will be disastrous, and I'm afraid it will chill the hearts of scholars everywhere!"
Gu Jiu spoke earnestly, as if he was genuinely concerned about the Imperial College and the court.
However, the Shaofu Household Manager felt a headache.
"Xiao Jiu, stop keeping me in suspense. Every time you talk at length, you're definitely going to do something. So, save your words and just tell me what you want to do."
Gu Jiu felt a little embarrassed for once.
"Nothing can be hidden from our ancestors. They are indeed very discerning. I believe it is time to overhaul the Imperial College, to restore order to the students and to revive its reputation."
The Shaofu Household Manager chuckled, "That's difficult! The reputation of the Imperial College has been completely ruined by Life Show. How can we restore it?"
Gu Jiu said with great conviction, "Next year is the imperial examination year, and it's the Imperial College's chance to turn things around. As long as the students of the Imperial College perform well in the examination, students all over the world will regain their confidence in the Imperial College."
The Shaofu Housekeeper looked at Gu Jiu with a strange expression. "Back then, it was your life show that spared no effort to attack the Imperial College and sent it to hell. Now, you are worried about restoring the Imperial College's reputation. Xiaojiu, let me ask you, what exactly do you want to do?"
Gu Jiu smiled faintly, but the words he uttered were shocking.
"The former Imperial College was no match for the Shanhe Academy. I hope to reorganize the Imperial College and rebuild one worthy of the Shanhe Academy."
The Shaofu household steward was stunned.
It took him a while to come back to his senses, "Is that the reason?"
Gu Jiu nodded. "The Imperial College was completely rotten before, and it had no ambition to make progress. It remained the same for decades, even hundreds of years, and it was infuriating. After this severe blow, I think the Imperial College should finally make some changes."
The Imperial Household Supervisor asked curiously, "Aren't you worried that the Imperial College will be severely damaged and never recover from this?"
Gu Jiu looked out the window and said, "I believe the Imperial College will not collapse. The court will not allow it, and the students will not allow it to collapse. The Imperial College has the support of the court. If it can't overcome even the smallest difficulty, it is not worthy of being the world's number one institution of learning."
There is some truth in this.
The Minister of the Imperial Household considered this for a moment before saying, "The imperial court will certainly not allow the Imperial College to collapse. The difficulty lies in how to rectify it."
"If all those with problems are replaced, how else can the situation be rectified?" Gu Jiu asked back.
The Minister of the Imperial Household laughed heartily. "Official affairs are not like business; they are not as simple as you think. However, I still want to thank you on behalf of the court for uncovering the rotten sore in the Imperial College. Although it hurts, it is better than death."
"Thank you for your understanding, old man. I just hope everything will develop in a good direction."
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