"I second that proposal!!"
Chen Fan and Hu Guang chimed in, expressing their more thoughtful consideration. Iron was also a crucial element for improving farm tools and the lives of ordinary people.
Furthermore, and most importantly, they could all see from the emperor's attitude that it was a done deal for Gongshu Lian to be granted a marquisate, so they naturally wouldn't go against the emperor's wishes.
"Very well! Since you all agree, we can discuss it further with the officials at tomorrow's court assembly!"
"promise!!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Lü Qiang!"
"Your subject is here!"
Upon hearing the emperor call his name, Lü Qiang, who had been silent all along, quickly bowed and stepped forward.
Liu Hong looked at Gongshu Lian and said in a deep voice: "Gongshu Lian, a PhD from the School of Engineering, has made meritorious contributions to iron smelting. He is hereby rewarded with: 500 taels of gold, 20 bolts of silk, 50 catties of refined salt, 5 cans of tea, and 20 jars of imperial wine!"
The remaining craftsmen who participated in the iron smelting will each be rewarded with one hundred taels of gold, and arrangements will be made to purchase houses for them in Luoyang, so that their families can be brought over and properly settled!
"promise!!"
Lu Qiang nodded in agreement, looking pained.
The emperor's generous and lavish reward once again shocked everyone.
Chen Fan, Hu Guang, Li Ying, and Yuan Feng all looked at Gongshu Lian with envy, because even they didn't have much of the fine salt, tea, and imperial wine among the rewards.
Lu Qiang, on the other hand, looked miserable. He had worked hard and carefully managed his finances to save up some wealth for the Shaofu (the family's estate). However, due to the huge expenses incurred in sending caravans to the Western Regions and purchasing coal, the Shaofu had very little left.
Such generous rewards are already nearly emptying the Imperial Treasury's coffers.
However, thinking of the hundreds of thousands of kilograms of coal and the thousands of coal stoves outside the palace, Lü Qiang felt somewhat better. Apart from the rewards, he could make a lot of money by selling the rest, which would help him recover some of his losses.
"Your Majesty, the iron smelting method is now complete. Coal is an essential commodity, but the people who went north to purchase it have not yet returned. Therefore, I request Your Majesty to allocate half of the coal outside the Southern Palace to the Engineering Academy for the iron smelting needs!"
Just as Lü Qiang was figuring out how to sell the coal for a good price, Yuan Feng's words struck him like a bolt from the blue, leaving him stunned.
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