210, Music Box
210, Music Box
The next morning, Lu Mingfei packed his bags and boarded the carriage that came to pick him up. However, he didn't bring Zhang Qi with him this time. "If my mother asks about it later, just tell her I went to study at the Imperial Academy."
"...Okay." Zhang Qi watched their eldest brother get on someone else's carriage and leave with others.
As soon as Lu Mingfei got on the carriage, he saw the person sitting in it.
This time, Zhao Lang changed his appearance again, using the same face he had when they left the city before.
"Let's go." Zhao Lang didn't even lift the curtain of the carriage, and instructed the coachman outside through the curtain.
Upon hearing this, the guard driving the carriage in front reminded the masters inside to sit down, and then drove away.
Zhang Qi stood there and watched the carriage leave before turning around and going back to the yard.
After a while, Lu Mingfei and his companions' carriage successfully left the city.
In the next few days, he stayed at Zhao Lang's farm to develop some gadgets. Zhao Lang stayed with him for two days and then returned to the city.
Although he knew that his father was at their farm next door, it was not convenient for him to know about the things happening at his farm, so he did not go back to his own farm to find his father.
Zhao Lang returned to the city two days later and brought him a piece of news.
It turned out that the court's disaster relief policy had been delayed, and local officials were organizing people to help with the disaster. Rich families from all over the country also began to participate in the disaster relief, distributing porridge to help refugees in various places.
However, the news that Zhao Lang brought back to him said that behind these noble families and wealthy households were the figures of local princes.
"Does this mean that the local princes have begun to take action?" Lu Mingfei finally understood. The flood in the north was so serious, and the court not only had no disaster relief policies or food supplies, but also had no tax reductions this year.
At this time, local princes began to take action to win over the hearts of the people.
Lu Mingfei looked at Zhao Lang, and he knew that Zhao Lang also understood this.
"The emperor and his officials made a mistake. They thought they could sit in the imperial palace and rest easy, controlling the people. In reality, whoever can help the people live a good life is the savior in their eyes." Lu Mingfei shook his head and said, "They overlooked the truth that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."
Zhao Lang did not comment on this matter. He knew that what Lu Mingfei said was correct, but he also knew that whoever sat in that position was the master of the world.
By the end of August, the imperial court had finally released its disaster relief policy. The emperor dispatched imperial envoys to the local areas to provide disaster relief, and also sent officials from the Ministry of Works to the local areas to control the floods. Apparently, the imperial court had also noticed the actions of the local princes.
However, there was no sign of the military pay and food sent to the north.
While waiting for the results of the provincial examination, Lu Mingfei did not rush back to the Imperial College to study, but stayed at Zhao Lang's farm, and worked day and night with a group of craftsmen to study the firing of glass and music boxes.
Fortunately, hard work paid off. After half a month of hard work, they first fired glass. After a few days, they successfully developed a music box.
Looking at the little man turning in the wooden box and hearing the tinkling sound coming from the box, even Zhao Lang, who had seen a lot of good things since childhood, was surprised by this strange thing.
"How does the sound come from inside?" he asked the young man standing next to him, his eyes full of surprise.
"There's a little thing in here that makes sounds." It was the first time Lu Mingfei saw such an expression on Zhao Lang's face. He then explained the principle of how the music box made sounds to Zhao Lang. "When these little bumps pass over the reed, they poke the reed, causing it to slowly rise and then fall, thus making a sound."
"It's the same principle as when we hit a bronze bell with a stick, it makes a sound."
After hearing this, Zhao Lang was shocked, but also suddenly realized, "So that's how it is."
"We only made a few music boxes in the first batch. You take two back and give one to the emperor and the other to the empress dowager." Whenever Lu Mingfei got something good, he would think of their best spokesperson.
In recent years, they have produced some of the most bizarre and unusual items, and they often ask the emperor to help promote them. Anything that has passed through the emperor's hands and is then put on sale in their department store is extremely popular.
"You don't have to give me so many, just one will be enough." Zhao Lang said.
Seeing Zhao Lang's serious expression, Lu Mingfei knew he wasn't kidding. He might be stingy, but he'd give the shop away if asked. But he might be generous, but sometimes he could be stingy with his relatives in the palace.
He finally understood that Zhao Lang was only generous to people. If it was someone he liked, he would let them use his things as they pleased. But if it was someone he disliked, he wouldn't give them a single penny.
"Okay, if you need it later, just send someone to the store to get it. I have asked someone to pack the rest and send it to the store to sell." The store Lu Mingfei was talking about was the department store that the two of them opened together.
Now department stores sell a wide variety of things. In addition to the fans they first developed, they later started selling baby carriages and various small cars for children to ride.
Because rubber hadn't been found yet, the wheel manufacturing process was limited, and it was impossible to produce a bicycle suitable for adults. However, Zhao Lang had already sent people to the south to look for rubber, but it was unknown how long it would take to find it.
Lu Mingfei hoped to find rubber quickly so they could use it to make wheels. Then, they could create bicycles and tricycles, which would at least solve some people's transportation problems. Furthermore, if they could produce more practical things, they could earn more silver, which they could use to buy food and medicinal herbs, or do other things.
He has a feeling that the music box they developed this time will sell well!
"Okay." Zhao Lang nodded.
After the music box was developed, there was nothing left to do in the workshop. As the list of the provincial examination was about to come out, Lu Mingfei followed Zhao Lang back to the city.
Because he told his family that he went to study at the Imperial Academy, after returning to the city, he did not go home, but went directly back to the Imperial Academy.
When Ye Zhuoran came back from outside that day, he was surprised to see Lu Mingfei appear in the courtyard where they lived. "Mingfei? Where have you been all this time? Didn't you say you were waiting for us at the Imperial College? Why aren't you here?"
"...I went out to do something." Lu Mingfei saw his friends whom he hadn't seen for a long time. After greeting everyone, he looked at Ye Zhuoran and asked, "Zhuoran, are you feeling better?"
"I've recovered a long time ago. I wasn't sick. I just caught a cold in the Imperial Examination Hall. I felt dizzy and had a fever when I came out." When talking about his illness, Ye Zhuoran's face fell silent for a moment.
Lu Mingfei noticed the change in Ye Zhuoran's expression and knew what his friend was thinking about. He didn't want to bring up the provincial examination at this moment, for fear of bringing up his friend's sad story.
Or Ye Zhuoran himself didn't care, and mentioned that the results of the provincial examination would be released soon, "The list of the provincial examination will be out in two days, let's go to the Imperial Examination Hall together to see the list then."
"...Okay, okay." Lu Mingfei glanced at the others, then looked at Ye Zhuoran who looked indifferent.
Lu Mingfei was the first one to come back, so he prepared dinner. After everyone came back, the four of them had dinner together.
After dinner, the four of them chatted for a while in the courtyard, and it was getting dark outside.
That night, Lu Mingfei slept in the dormitory at the Imperial College.
***
The next morning, the four of them went to their respective teachers for classes.
Lu Mingfei and his senior brother Fu Boming have the same teacher, so they both go to the same place for class.
When the two of them were walking together, Fu Boming asked his junior brother, "Are you confident about this provincial examination?"
"What's the use of my confidence? In the end, it still depends on whether my name is on the posted list." Lu Mingfei said with a smile.
But as soon as he saw his junior apprentice's expression, Fu Boming knew that he should have done well in the provincial examination. "I'm just afraid that I will fail this time."
"Brother, don't think too much. Before the list is posted, everyone of us has a chance." After finishing the provincial examination, Lu Mingfei didn't discuss his answers to the examination with his friends, so he really didn't know how their senior brother performed this time.
But even if they compared their answers with each other, there was no unified answer for the liberal arts papers. Sometimes the exam also depended on who the examiner was, and whether the papers they wrote met an examiner who appreciated their writing style and ideas. If they met a mentor, they would become a thousand-mile horse.
If they don't meet a mentor, they can only try again in three years.
Therefore, Lu Mingfei felt that it didn't matter whether the answers were right or wrong. Unless something went wrong during the exam and he didn't finish the paper, then he really had no chance of passing.
The two brothers are not outsiders, so there are some things that cannot be said to outsiders, but Lu Mingfei can say them to his eldest brother.
Finally, after listening to his junior brother, Fu Boming did not post it on the list, and stopped worrying about whether he could pass.
For the next two days, Lu Mingfei resumed his routine of studying. Every day, he was either on his way to class or to the library, studying until late at night before returning to his small courtyard to sleep. Zhao Lang was busy with something, and he hadn't come to see him in the past two days.
That night, as he lay in bed, his mind was full of thoughts, and he finally thought of home. "It's a good opportunity to go back home tomorrow."
"Well, go to sleep."
Pulling the quilt over his neck, Lu Mingfei buried his head in it and soon fell asleep.
He was already asleep and didn't know that someone had come to his room that night, stood in front of his bed for a while and then left.
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