After returning to the palace, Yongzheng pondered to himself that Yun'er was indeed exceptionally intelligent.
In his previous life, his brothers were either dead or imprisoned. In this life, he wanted to try a different approach and kept looking for a solution, but Yun'er thwarted his plan.
The next day, he stood by the window of the Qianqing Palace, watching the copper bells hanging from the eaves ringing softly in the wind, his heart still filled with mixed emotions.
"Your Majesty, the Thirteenth Prince requests an audience," Su Peisheng reported softly.
Yongzheng snapped out of his thoughts, turned around, and said, "Summon them."
The Thirteenth Prince, Yinxiang, strode into the hall, his face beaming with undisguised joy: "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Seeing his expression, Yongzheng already guessed what was going on: "Why is my thirteenth brother so happy? Has the textile factory deal been finalized?"
Yinxiang cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "Your Majesty is wise. The textile factory has been fully completed and is ready to start operation at any time. Your Majesty has come to personally inspect it."
A flicker of excitement crossed Yongzheng's eyes: "Excellent! I was just about to go for a walk. Issue an imperial decree: prepare the carriage for the outskirts of the city immediately."
The imperial carriage left the palace and headed towards the outskirts of the city. Emperor Yongzheng sat in the sedan chair, gazing at the street scene through the gauze curtain.
The capital city remained bustling, and the busy figures of the people brought him some peace of mind.
Memories of his past life flooded back, and he never wanted to repeat the tragedies of fratricide.
"Your Majesty, we have arrived." Su Peisheng's voice pulled him back to reality.
As Yongzheng stepped down from his sedan chair, he saw a brand-new factory building before him, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and a grand scale.
In front of the factory gate, the seven gilded characters "The Imperial Textile Factory of the Qing Dynasty" gleamed in the sunlight.
Yinxiang led Yongzheng into the factory area, explaining, "According to His Majesty's decree, the factory is divided into three areas: spinning, weaving, and dyeing. There are a total of 300 improved textile machines, capable of producing over 1,000 bolts of cotton cloth per day."
Yongzheng nodded, his gaze sweeping over the neatly arranged machines and busy craftsmen, and asked, "Are the craftsmen all proficient?"
"Your Majesty, the training has lasted for over a month, and the craftsmen are all proficient in their work," Yinxiang replied, then lowered his voice, "Your Majesty, what about Ninth Brother..."
Yongzheng waved his hand: "It's alright. The Ninth Prince has taken over the shares of Yunxiang Pavilion, so he won't cause any trouble in the short term. But you, you've had a tough time these past few days."
Yinxiang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled憨厚ly: "It is my duty to share the Emperor's burdens."
Then he asked the Emperor, "How come the Ninth Prince has shares in Yunxiang Pavilion?" Yongzheng then recounted the events of the previous day to his Thirteenth Brother.
As the two were talking, a commotion suddenly broke out in the factory. A group of craftsmen were gathered around a machine, seemingly encountering a problem.
Yongzheng frowned: "Go and take a look."
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the gears of a spinning machine were stuck. The craftsman in charge was sweating profusely, but he was at a loss for what to do.
"Get out of the way," Yongzheng suddenly said.
Everyone was startled and quickly stepped back. They saw Yongzheng roll up his sleeves and personally inspect the machine.
His slender fingers deftly manipulated the gears, and soon, with a "click," the machine resumed operation.
The craftsmen were dumbfounded, then knelt down in unison, crying, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Yongzheng wiped his hands and said calmly, "Machines are like people; one must understand their nature. The third gear of this machine is slightly smaller than expected, making it prone to shifting during operation. Just remember to lubricate it regularly in the future."
Yinxiang watched closely from the side and sighed inwardly: Fourth Brother is indeed smart; he learns everything quickly.
After touring the factory area, Yongzheng arrived at the central control panel. There was a huge bronze lever here, connecting the entire factory's power system.
"Your Majesty, by pulling this lever, all the machines in the factory can start simultaneously," Yinxiang explained.
Yongzheng took a deep breath and gripped the lever.
"Start!" Emperor Yongzheng gave the order, and the lever slid down in response.
In an instant, the entire factory shook. Three hundred textile machines started operating simultaneously, emitting a continuous roar. Cotton yarn darted rapidly between the machines, and the looms beat rhythmically, like an industrial symphony.
The craftsmen performed their duties, and the cotton fabric on the assembly line increased at a visible rate. In less than an hour, a small mountain of cotton fabric had been piled up in the finished product area in one corner of the factory.
When Yongzheng approached for a closer look, he found that the cotton fabrics were of uniform texture and had clear patterns, making them finer and smoother than those traditionally hand-woven.
"Good!" Yongzheng rarely smiled. "Issue my decree: the first batch of cotton cloth shall be supplied to the army first, and the rest shall be released to the market at a price 30% lower than that of imported cloth."
Yinxiang accepted the order and immediately asked, "Your Majesty, should we expand production? Given the current demand, three hundred machines probably won't be enough."
Yongzheng pondered for a moment: "No rush. First, promote it in Zhili (Hebei), and then gradually expand it once the craftsmen are fully proficient. Also, summon all the major fabric merchants from across the country to Beijing for a meeting."
"Your Majesty, I understand." Yinxiang nodded. "By the way, Your Majesty, the notice for attracting investment has been drafted. Please take a look." Yinxiang handed over a memorial.
Yongzheng glanced at it and nodded, saying, "Very good, the conditions are clearly stated. However, the deposit should be increased by another 10% to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation."
Yinxiang cupped his hands and said, "Your subject understands."
After a moment of contemplation, Emperor Yongzheng said, "In this round of investment promotion, I want to show merchants across the land that cooperating with the imperial court is the right path."
Yinxiang smiled and said, "With Miss Lin's brilliant plan in place, this investment promotion will surely go smoothly."
A hint of tenderness flashed in Yongzheng's eyes: "She really helped a lot."
On the way back to the palace, Yongzheng was in an exceptionally good mood. When the carriage passed Yunxiang Pavilion, he specifically asked the driver to slow down. Through the window, he saw people coming and going in front of the shop, and business was booming.
The carriage continued on its way, but Yongzheng's thoughts drifted far away.
He recalled his lonely end in his previous life, and the tragic scene of his brothers fighting each other.
Perhaps things will truly be different in this life. Yun'er's appearance is like a pebble thrown into stagnant water, creating ripples.
Meanwhile, inside Yunxiang Pavilion, Lin Yun was busy entertaining guests. Suddenly, as if sensing something, she looked up at the window and saw a magnificent carriage slowly passing by.
"Miss, what's wrong?" Xiao Tao asked curiously.
Lin Yun shook her head, but the corners of her lips involuntarily turned up: "It's nothing, I just feel that today is a good day."
----------
At Ninth Prince's residence, the steward hurriedly delivered a confidential letter. Ninth Prince opened it and his expression changed drastically: "What? The Emperor himself went to the textile factory?"
Eighth Master took the letter, glanced at it, and frowned: "It seems our Fourth Brother is determined to implement the new policies."
Ninth Master's eyes flickered with uncertainty. After a long pause, he suddenly smiled and said, "Eighth Brother, I suddenly feel that cooperating with Lin Yun might actually be a good thing."
Eighth Master raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"
Ninth Master toyed with the jade pendant in his hand, and said meaningfully, "This world ultimately belongs to the Manchus. Since the Emperor wants to use the hands of the Han people to do things, why don't we go with the flow?"
Eighth Master nodded thoughtfully.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
