This result is probably not what everyone wants.
In the Western Garden.
Zhu Youxiao looked at Wei Zhongxian who was kneeling on the ground, waved his hand and said, "Alright, get up."
Wei Zhongxian stood up and stood aside respectfully, waiting for his emperor to ask questions.
"How many people were arrested?" Zhu Youxiao asked in a light tone.
"Your Majesty, a total of twenty-three people were arrested. The rest were all dispersed." Wei Zhongxian said hurriedly.
Wei Zhongxian was very nervous at this time. He wanted to know what the emperor would do with these people. If he treated them lightly, he would be in trouble.
Putting down the teacup in his hand, Zhu Youxiao said expressionlessly: "Interrogate them thoroughly to see if they are colluding. If anyone confesses, arrest them all."
"Also, check how they conduct themselves as officials and whether they are corrupt. If there is corruption, then deal with it accordingly, with due care."
"If there's no corruption, release them all. Also, note down all the people involved in the conspiracy."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Wei Zhongxian agreed, his tone full of excitement.
This was a good thing for him, as it would expand his power, so Wei Zhongxian liked to do it.
Seeing Zhu Youxiao waving his hand, Wei Zhongxian quickly bowed and retreated.
After Wei Zhongxian left, Zhu Youxiao picked up the tea and took a sip.
Although I also want to deal with these people, I can't just do it like this. I need to do it step by step.
Let Wei Zhongxian interrogate and arrest them first, and then deal with them all at once after the results come out.
Just when Zhu Youxiao was about to take a break, Chen Hong walked in from outside again.
He came before Zhu Youxiao, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Xu requests an audience."
Zhu Youxiao didn't expect Xu Guangqi to come at this time, so he nodded and said, "Let him in."
"Yes, Your Majesty." After Chen Hong agreed, he turned around and went out to meet someone.
Soon Xu Guangqi walked in under the guidance of Chen Hong.
After meeting Zhu Youxiao, Xu Guangqi saluted and said, "Your Majesty, I am Xu Guangqi."
"Okay, no need to be so polite." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile.
After Xu Guangqi stood up, Zhu Youxiao asked calmly, "My dear minister, what is the matter with you?"
"Your Majesty, there are indeed some things I want to report to you," said Xu Guangqi.
Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "Then tell me."
"The recent progress at the Hundred Craftsmen's Institute has been very good. I had intended to report this to Your Majesty in the next few days, but I didn't expect something like this to happen."
"I still have to talk to His Majesty about it. The prototype of the flintlock rifle has been completed." Xu Guangqi said.
After hearing Xu Guangqi's words, Zhu Youxiao immediately became alert, sat up straight and said, "Tell me in detail."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Xu Guangqi nodded and continued, "Thanks to the hard work of everyone at the Hundred Works Institute, all the difficulties in the production process of flintlock rifles have been overcome, so there is no problem in continuing production."
"The prototype gun has been designed. Once His Majesty has reviewed it, we can begin mass production. The first batch will be a trial run of 1,000 to see the results. If the results are good, we will begin subsequent production."
"Also, progress has been made in the rifling of artillery. The Hundred Craftsmen's Academy is now able to carve rifling into the barrels of bronze artillery."
"There are still some problems with the development of the steel cannon, but progress is going smoothly. We have already begun to gradually reduce the proportion of copper. I believe that it won't be long before we can achieve an all-steel cannon."
After hearing Xu Guangqi's words, Zhu Youxiao immediately became excited.
This is rare good news in this period of time, and it makes me happy.
The development of the flintlock rifle would mean that Ming Dynasty's firearms had entered a new stage.
In addition, if the artillery can be engraved with rifling, it means that it can hit the target accurately, which is very important for improving the power of the artillery.
In addition, the production of steel cannons is also on track. Although it is not possible to make all-steel cannons for the time being, it is already very good.
The replacement of copper cannons by steel cannons was inevitable due to historical development. Although copper had better plasticity, its production was low and its cost was high.
Steel does not have this disadvantage. At the same time, steel cannons can be lighter in weight and larger in caliber, which is also the advantage of steel cannons.
That's why Zhu Youxiao was so excited after hearing these two pieces of news.
"Very good, I will go to the Academy of Craftsmen tomorrow to take a look." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile.
I really didn't expect that the progress of the Baigong Academy would be so fast. It seems that those people have put in a lot of effort.
However, Zhu Youxiao also knew that Xu Guangqi came to tell him these things just to ask for credit for them.
But the credit must be given, and people's hearts must not be turned down. So it is necessary for me to go there in person tomorrow.
Praise them and give them some rewards to make them more motivated. This is what an emperor should do.
"In addition to the Baigong Academy, there are also results from the Imperial Farm." Xu Guangqi said again.
"At the beginning of the year, I opened up fields near the imperial farm and began to try growing new crops. Some of the results were good, but others were less than satisfactory."
"But the sweet potatoes are already bearing fruit. They look like they're growing well and are ripe. I'm thinking of digging them all up and seeing what they turn out to be."
Xu Guangqi said with a smile on his face: "If it is suitable, we can try to promote it next year."
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