Chapter 256 Redundant
"The black thread used to seal my gunpowder bag is dyed with squid ink."
Qi Yuzhen said to the craftsman.
"We in the weapons department all have calluses or cuts on our hands, stained with squid ink that can't be easily washed off. Just look at the palms of their hands and you'll know who did it."
Ma Sanhuo subconsciously clenched his fists.
The square-faced craftsman glanced at him and said loudly, "We deal with charcoal all day long, and our hands are all black. You actually want to see our palms grabbing people? Isn't this a joke?"
Several craftsmen behind him echoed: "That's right, all of us have black palms."
Qi Yuzhen said, "Charcoal powder can be easily washed off, but once the squid ink dries, it's hard to remove. Those with dirty hands should step forward first, and then we can all wash our hands together, and then everything will be clear."
He added, "Those who don't even dare to extend their hands must have something to hide."
The square-faced craftsman was choked.
Ma Sanhuo sneered, "You have no evidence. Just because you said the gunpowder pack was replaced, it means it was replaced. Why are you treating all of us as suspects?"
Qi Yuzhen said calmly, "I can mix gunpowder on the spot that's better than any of you. There's no need to resort to tricks."
She turned to the craftsman and said, "If you don't believe me, you can have the materials delivered to me and I can prepare them on the spot."
The craftsman thought for a moment and said, "Your gunpowder is damp, so it should be re-mixed. If you win, I'll let them inspect it."
After saying that, he personally brought over materials such as Glauber's salt, sulfur, and charcoal.
Qi Yuzhen weighed it on the spot.
It only took a dozen breaths to prepare the gunpowder and hand it over to the gunner.
At the master craftsman's command, the demonstration continued.
After the gunpowder and shells were loaded, the fuses were ignited one by one.
“BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!”
Ma Sanhuo watched the shells flying out one after another, and secretly prayed in his heart that the gunpowder that Qi Yuzhen had temporarily prepared was not as fine as before.
after all--
The gunpowder that Qi Yuzhen had prepared earlier was used by him for this demonstration.
The craftsman responsible for measuring the range of the cannonballs quickly presented the results to the engineer.
The engineer took a quick look and said, "Qi Yuzhen is the winner of this demonstration."
"What?!"
Ma Sanhuo exclaimed in surprise.
"How is that possible!"
He took two steps at a time, walked to the master craftsman, and asked, "Sir, may I see the measurement results?"
The chef handed him the record sheet.
Ma Sanhuo took a look and saw that only Qi Yuzhen's column had three thousand feet written on it, while the others' were all less than two thousand feet.
The person at the bottom was him.
“That’s not right!”
He lost his voice.
"Why is mine only a thousand feet? I clearly..."
He was clearly using the gunpowder prepared by Qi Yuzhen.
In an instant, he understood.
Qi Yuzhen had anticipated that he would steal the gunpowder, so he deliberately gave him some low-quality gunpowder!
He turned to look at Qi Yuzhen, his eyes almost spitting fire.
Qi Yuzhen glanced at his hands and said to the craftsman, "Sir, can we all show our hands now?"
The master craftsman nodded and said to everyone, "Everyone, hold out your hands, palms facing up."
The craftsmen and artisans did as they were told.
When Ma Sanhuo was stealing gunpowder last night, he didn't notice the squid ink on the sealing line at all. After replacing the gunpowder, he saw that his hands were black, but he just thought it was because he touched charcoal powder and washed his hands casually.
I only discovered some black marks were left in the morning, but I didn't take it seriously.
Who knew this was Qi Yuzhen's trick!
He hesitated for a moment, and only showed his hands when he saw that others also had dirty hands.
"Please stand up."
Qi Yuzhen said to the few people with dirty hands.
Then he ordered the craftsmen to bring water and let them wash their hands.
Ma Sanhuo rubbed his hands hard, wishing he could rub off all the skin. However, no matter how hard he rubbed, the ink remained firmly stuck to his palms.
Damn!
How come this squid ink is harder to wash off than ink!
He secretly glanced at the others and found that their hands were actually washed clean, and his heart sank.
"Ma Dujiang, is the washing done?" Qi Yuzhen said with a smile, "You are the only one missing."
Ma Sanhuo gritted his teeth: "This is my birthmark."
Qi Yuzhen raised an eyebrow: "Really? Actually, I mixed something into the original gunpowder. There should be some residue in the gunpowder bag. It's the same when testing the gunpowder bag."
Ma Sanhuo: “!!!”
He clenched his fist and punched Qi Yuzhen.
"You bitch! Are you kidding me?"
Qi Yuzhen naturally wouldn't just sit there and wait to be beaten. She took a few steps back and said to the craftsman, "Sir, why don't you take him down?"
The foreman immediately ordered the craftsmen to hold down Ma Sanhuo and tie him up, and then handed him over to the prison department.
After interrogating Ma Sanhuo, the Criminal Justice Department arrested the square-faced craftsman who assisted him in replacing the gunpowder bag and the craftsman who helped him make the key.
All three were dismissed from their posts, investigated, and given 100 strokes of the cane, and were never re-employed.
Qi Yuzhen became famous in one battle and has since established a firm foothold in the Weapons Department.
To celebrate her victory in the demonstration, Wen Jiming ordered a fine iron dagger for her.
Qi Yuzhen confiscated it.
"With so many people watching us, you still want to give it to us privately?"
Wen Jiming: "..."
Qi Yuzhen continued, "The rumors have finally died down. It's best for you and I to have less contact. I don't want people to say in the future that I got promoted by knocking on the neighbor's door."
Wen Jiming: "..."
He gritted his teeth and said, "I'll ask the Regent for a transfer."
Qi Yuzhen: "I don't have time to interact with you after you were transferred. After leaving the office, just spending time with my two children and my mother is enough for me to entertain myself."
Wen Jiming's face instantly turned dark.
"Am I so redundant?"
Qi Yuzhen raised an eyebrow: "You just found out?"
Wen Jiming: "..."
After returning to the next courtyard with the dagger he hadn't delivered, he collapsed on the couch, puzzled: "Why doesn't Madam Feng think the Regent is superfluous?"
After the Lantern Festival, the Imperial Hospital added a new Epidemic Prevention Department. Madam Feng took on the position of Secretary and went to the Epidemic Prevention Department every day to manage affairs. The Regent often went to see her, and she did not seem dissatisfied.
Feng Qingsui: Who would be annoyed by a beautiful chef who personally delivers food to your door?
She didn't let Ji Changqing deliver midnight snacks, so Ji Changqing delivered lunch instead.
"See if today's dishes are to your liking."
Just after a quarter past noon, Ji Changqing appeared at the Epidemic Prevention Department with a lunch box and said with a smile.
The medical officers of the Epidemic Prevention Department returned home early for dinner - not because they were attached to their families, but if they stayed at the yamen, they would be succumbing to the food that Ji Changqing sent.
Feng Qingsui looked at the dishes he brought out from the food box, such as stir-fried bacon with garlic sprouts, fried tofu with green peppers, chicken with soy sauce, and bean sprouts in soup, and said with a smile, "If you didn't know, you would have thought you were working in the Imperial Kitchen instead of the Qinzheng Palace."
Which regent is as free as him and has time to cook?
Ji Changqing's lips curled slightly: "The kitchen helper has prepared the dishes, I just need to put them in the pot, but it won't delay the handling of government affairs."
Feng Qingsui chuckled: "You cook all day long, haven't the censors reported you?"
"Why are you complaining about me?" Ji Changqing asked, "Who doesn't have a hobby? They're only allowed to raise cranes and plant plum trees, but I'm not allowed to cook?"
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