Chapter 255 Demonstration
Wen Ji knew that it was not easy for him to come forward to support Qi Yuzhen - their relationship was unusual. The more he stood up for her, the more the people in the Weapons Department would gossip about him, saying that he was partial and biased, and that Qi Yuzhen got in through nepotism. They would look down on Qi Yuzhen even more and try to trip her up in private.
But out of concern, he still came.
He thought that if Qi Yuzhen couldn't handle it, whether it was to kill a chicken to scare the monkey or to divide and conquer, he would help her resolve the current difficult situation so that she could stay in the Weapons Department with peace of mind.
After arriving, he realized that his worries were unnecessary.
Qi Yuzhen is not a chick that needs his protection, but a fully-fledged falcon who can withstand the storm on her own.
As soon as the shoehorn-faced craftsman finished laughing, Qi Yuzhen said, "What will you do if I can show my true abilities?"
Ma Sanhuo, also known as the shoe-horn-faced craftsman, was slightly stunned when he heard this.
He then looked at the square-faced craftsman beside him and said, "If she wins, how about she get the materials first for next month?"
The Ordnance Department has fixed rules for testing materials every month. They always rank according to seniority, and whoever has the longest experience gets to take the test first.
The person who gets it first will naturally pick out the best quality materials.
Qi Yuzhen had just come in, so according to the rules, she could only receive it last.
The square-faced craftsman nodded: "Okay."
Just as Ma Sanhuo was about to reply to Qi Yuzhen, he saw Qi Yuzhen shaking her head: "I'm leaving and won't be coming back, but you only allow me to receive materials for one month first. Isn't that unfair?"
Ma Sanhuo: “…”
What a big tone.
He sneered and said, "If you can beat all of us, you will be given priority in the future."
Qi Yuzhen smiled slightly and said, "It's a deal."
After saying that, she turned and left.
The square-faced craftsman frowned and said to Ma Sanhuo, "You responded too quickly. What if she really wins? The 'Colorful Auspicious Clouds' she released during the Lantern Festival are quite difficult to create."
Ma Sanhuo looked nonchalant: "What are you afraid of? No matter how good her fireworks are, her gunpowder preparation is only at the civilian level. How can she compare with the weapons department?"
He added, "Besides, the demonstration at the end of the month is about mixing gunpowder for artillery. She's never even seen a cannon before. How can the gunpowder she mixes be stronger than ours?"
The square-faced craftsman thought about it and agreed, so he stopped talking.
But skills are like a mole on the face, they are clearly there and cannot be hidden or faked.
Qi Yuzhen had only been in the weapons department for three days when the effectiveness of the explosives he prepared became known to everyone.
With the same amount of explosives, others can only barely blow up large rocks, but she can blow them into pieces.
Ma Sanhuo's original expression of disapproval disappeared without a trace after he saw her on-site experiment.
"This woman... has some skills."
He said to the square-faced craftsman.
The square-faced craftsman also put away his look of disdain and said solemnly, "She's quite capable. I'm afraid not only will she beat us in the demonstration at the end of the month, but she'll also steal our position as the master craftsman."
Ma Sanhuo shook his head: "Not really, she just came to the Weaponry Department and her experience is far less than ours."
"But she is Minister Wen's woman," said the square-faced craftsman, "and her surname is Qi."
The Regent's mother was from the Qi family. Although the Qi family had fallen, Qi Yuzhen was still related to the Regent by blood.
Ma Sanhuo suddenly remembered that Qi Yuzhen was promoted by Ji Changqing as an exception.
"The Regent wants his own people to take the throne."
He said flatly.
The square-faced craftsman nodded.
"It's still not too late to please Qi Yuzhen now—"
"In time?"
Ma Sanhuo interrupted him.
"Years ago, the Regent remained silent after watching our demonstration. If it weren't for the fact that the weapons department is not something that ordinary people can handle, I'm afraid he would have replaced us long ago. If Qi Yuzhen climbed over our heads, what do you think would happen?"
"He would have said, 'A woman is better than all you men, what use are you?' and would have laid us off without hesitation."
Square-faced craftsman: "..."
Ma Sanhuo's face was gloomy as he continued, "It's useless to try to please Qi Yuzhen. We need to kick her out of the Weapons Department."
The square-faced craftsman asked, "How do we drive them away?"
Ma Sanhuo came over and whispered a few words to him.
The square-faced craftsman nodded and said ok.
Iron bullets and gun barrels are very expensive, so they are naturally not available in unlimited quantities for craftsmen to test. Qi Yuzhen only has one opportunity to conduct actual tests every day, and the rest of the time he can only adjust the ratio at his own discretion.
Near the end of the month, she finally came up with a recipe that was extremely effective. If nothing unexpected happened, she should be able to easily win the championship.
But she noticed that she received a lot more attention during the experiment.
It seemed like someone was secretly spying on us.
Speculating that someone might have had some ill intentions, the day before the demonstration, she calmly packed the prepared gunpowder, placed it in her personal wooden box, locked it, removed the key, and left with the key.
The next day, he came to the weapons department, opened the wooden box, took a look, then took out the gunpowder bag, wrote his name on it, and handed it to the craftsman.
Ma Sanhuo was standing not far away chatting with the square-faced craftsman. When he saw this scene, a smile flashed across his eyes.
Done.
Soon, everyone in the Ordnance Department went to the demonstration site.
The master craftsman handed over the gunpowder handed over by the craftsmen to the gunners one by one. Each gunner was guarding a cannon. To fire the cannon, the gunpowder had to be loaded first, then the shell was inserted, and then the fuse was lit.
Artillery and shells are the same. Whoever has the longer range of shells is the winner.
When the gunners were about to open the gunpowder bag, Qi Yuzhen shouted, "Wait."
Everyone looked at her.
Qi Yuzhen walked towards the gunner holding the gunpowder bag with his name on it, took a closer look at the gunpowder bag in his hand, and said to the craftsman, "My gunpowder bag has been tampered with."
The foreman gave him a puzzled look.
Qi Yuzhen explained: "The thread that sealed my gunpowder bag was wound to the left, but now it is wound to the right. When he opened it, I felt something was wrong."
"Didn't you mix the gunpowder and lock it in its own box?" the forger asked. "How could such a mistake have occurred?"
Qi Yuzhen glanced at the others and said, "Maybe someone opened my box in private."
The crowd suddenly became agitated.
Ma Sanhuo snorted coldly and said sarcastically, "The locks in the Weapons Department are all specially made. Without the corresponding key, they can't be opened at all. You didn't mention it earlier or later, but only mentioned it after the demonstration. Are you too embarrassed to lose?"
The square-faced craftsman echoed, "That's right. If there was something wrong with the gunpowder pack, why didn't you notice it when you opened the box?"
Qi Yuzhen said calmly, "When I opened the box, I saw that the medicine package was intact, so I naturally didn't open it for a closer look."
He then took the gunpowder bag from the gunner, poured out a handful of gunpowder, and said to the forge, "This gunpowder is obviously damp. It's definitely not what I mixed yesterday."
The engineer took a look and frowned: "Do you know who did this?"
Qi Yuzhen shook his head: "I don't know, but..."
She paused and continued, "I have always been cautious in my actions. I have kept a trick up my sleeve. It won't be difficult to find that person."
Ma Sanhuo's right eyelid twitched.
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