Chapter 87 The Emperor Really Treats Him as a Turtle in the Wishing Well
Lu Yanshi didn't care about new or old.
As soon as he saw the wooden horse, he thought of the steam carriage that Qu Fufeng had told him about.
If such a horse that can move on its own could be used on the battlefield, wouldn't it save a lot of food and time?
"Have you registered for the college entrance examination?" Lu Yanshi looked at Lu Zhirong and was very appreciative of her gaze.
Lu Zhirong didn't expect the emperor to change the subject so quickly. She was stunned for a moment before answering, "No."
"If you have such ability, why don't you take the college entrance examination and make contributions to Daxia?" Lu Yanshi stared at her with a look of disappointment.
Carving a wooden horse is simple, but being able to make it move requires real skill.
Such a good skill, but kept in the harem to look after the children.
Go and research the steam carriage for him, and that pedal thresher that Qu Fufeng mentioned, as well as various time-saving and labor-saving tools.
"I, I thought this skill was not worth mentioning." Lu Zhirong was a little flattered. She didn't expect that the emperor would think so highly of her.
"Forget it, don't think so. I'll give you a back door and you'll be accepted directly. You'll be assigned to work under Qu Fufeng and see what position he assigns you." Lu Yanshi was too lazy to listen to her nonsense.
"What about Xuan'er?" Lu Zhirong was dumbfounded.
"There are so many people in the palace, can't you take good care of her? You are just going to take up duty, it doesn't mean you won't return to the palace. Starting from the day after tomorrow, I will send someone to escort you out of the palace at the beginning of the Chen hour, and I will send someone to bring Xiao Ba to pick you up back to the palace at the middle of the Shen hour." Lu Yanshi made clear arrangements for her.
Having said that, if Lu Zhirong didn't agree, she would be ignorant of right and wrong. She hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I will obey your orders."
"Me too!" Lu Li got up from the ground, staggered to Lu Yanshi's side, and grabbed his trouser leg.
Lu Yanshi looked at her dirty little hands and his face turned black.
[Father, I also want to leave the palace with my eighth sister. ]
Afraid that they didn't understand, Lu Li pointed at Lu Xuanyi and said, "Sister, let's go together!"
"No!" Xia Shuyi stood up and refused.
She was worried about her daughter running around.
"Did you hear that? Your mother doesn't agree with you leaving the palace, but it's not that your father doesn't agree." Lu Yanshi hurriedly stood up to express his opinion.
Xia Shuyi widened her eyes in disbelief. Is the emperor trying to shirk his responsibility?
Lu Yanshi pretended not to notice her accusing look.
Hehe, Xiaojiu should like him even more now.
"Okay." Lu Li untied Lu Yanshi's trouser legs angrily.
[My mother must have her reasons for not letting me go out.]
[Father only knows how to pass on the blame. He obviously doesn’t want me to go out.]
Lu Yanshi:?
So it would be wrong whether I stopped you from going out or not.
Xia Shuyi held back her laughter and immediately asked Lu Ran to take Lu Li away.
"Why don't you take Princess Nine downstairs and wash her up?"
Lu Ran hurriedly carried Lu Li away.
"I will take Xuan'er and leave first." Lu Zhirong was afraid that she might be accidentally hurt by the emperor, so she quickly took her daughter and left.
Lu Yanshi was angry and helpless, so he had to bend down and pick up the wooden horse that Lu Li had dropped on the ground.
…
The next morning at court, Lu Yanshi kept Qu Fufeng and showed him the wooden horse made by Lu Zhirong.
Qu Fufeng took a look and realized that this was just a wooden version of those children's toys of later generations.
"Whoever did this is quite talented," he blurted out.
"It was done by Concubine Lu. I ordered her to report to the Ministry of Works tomorrow. You can see where to arrange her." Lu Yanshi gave the order.
Qu Fufeng looked at him with a self-righteous look, and couldn't help but secretly complain in his heart: He is being paid to sleep with me and work at the same time. What a rip-off!
But he didn't dare to say anything and could only respond obediently.
"According to your expectation, when can the steam carriage be made?" Lu Yanshi asked again.
Qu Fufeng bent his back a little more, wishing he could stick his face to the shoes.
The emperor really keeps talking about things that are irrelevant. There has been no progress, right? If there had been progress, wouldn't he have taken credit for it himself?
"Your Majesty, the steam carriage is complicated to make, and there are too many experimental procedures. I'm afraid it cannot be made in a short time. However, I have an idea. Maybe we can make a bicycle first, which is simpler." Qu Fufeng immediately thought of a new idea.
A steam carriage is difficult to make, so it would be better to make a bicycle first. It is also a new thing, and the emperor should not be too harsh on him, right?
"What is a bicycle?" Lu Yanshi was a little curious.
Qu Fufeng immediately picked up a pen and paper and excitedly drew the outline of a bicycle.
"It looks interesting." Lu Yanshi nodded, "Then you can have someone create it."
When Qu Fufeng heard this, his face fell again, and he said weakly, "Yes."
The emperor really treated him like a turtle in the wishing well. Every time he would just give orders and then ignore everything else and keep chasing him for results.
"As for the silver, I will have the Ministry of Revenue transfer it. You have worked hard during this period, and I will reward you with 100 taels of silver from my private treasury this month."
When he heard about the bonus, Qu Fufeng was no longer sleepy. He patted his chest and promised, "Okay, Your Majesty, no problem, Your Majesty, I will definitely make this bicycle before the Ninth Princess's first birthday banquet!"
But after a while, he started to worry again: "But if the roads are not well built, it is useless to invent cars. If you want to get rich, you should build roads first, have fewer children and plant more trees."
Qu Fufeng subconsciously uttered this famous slogan in later generations.
If the road is not repaired properly, the bicycle cannot be ridden outside, so how can the emperor show off?
"Why should we have fewer children and plant more trees?" Lu Yanshi was a little puzzled.
He could still understand the first sentence.
The repaired roads made it easier for merchants to travel and promoted trade.
But what does the latter sentence mean?
Isn't it better for Daxia to have more people? And if the trees are not everywhere, do we still need to plant them?
Qu Fufeng hurriedly explained: "I remembered it wrong. If you want to be rich, you should first build roads, have more children and plant more trees. Children represent the future and hope. The more children who love Daxia, the more contributions they make to Daxia, and the better the future development of Daxia will naturally be."
The population of Daxia was different from that of China in later times.
In ancient times, living conditions were poor, and many children did not live to adulthood. In addition, due to wars, young people would die on the battlefield.
If the population is sparse, we should have more children, not fewer.
"As for trees, I am talking about trees that can make money, such as mulberry trees and peach trees. If the people plant them, it can also increase their income." Qu Fufeng spoke dryly about some agricultural matters.
"My dear, what you said makes sense." Lu Yanshi nodded.
After handing the matter over to Qu Fufeng, Lu Yanshi checked the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue again.
Looking at the little money left in the treasury, he felt a bit of a headache.
The research and development of various new gadgets costs money, and the salaries of court officials and concubines also need to be paid. He now wishes he could break a copper coin into two halves.
Money, money, money is needed everywhere, and he has never felt that he is so poor.
But soon, his troubles were solved by Lu Li.